Road Tips

Boulevard Brewery

One of the better beers brewed in the Midwest is Boulevard Brewing Company out of Kansas City.  Started in 1988 by John McDonald, Boulevard delivered their first beer in the fall of 1989 and has been going strong ever since.

Boulevard beer is only available in the Midwest and wants to keep it that way.  They're able to have a better handle on production and distribution that way. 

Boulevard is also a little more expensive than other micro or regional brewed beers.  This is due to using more expensive crops for their beer such as two-row malted barley, high grade rice and corn.  Their hops are introduced directly from the vine into the brewing process.  Finally, Boulevard beers go through a full brewing and fermentation period that allows them to be naturally carbonated.  The result is some of the finest tasting beer any where.

One of my all-time favorite beers is the Boulevard Pale Ale.  Their pale ale is a robust and tasty beer that has a sharp, yet smooth aftertaste.  I rate the Boulevard Pale Ale as my most favorite of all the pale ales I've tried over the years.

Another Boulevard beer that I just discovered last spring is Boulevard's Irish Ale.  A full bodied reddish-brown beer with kind of a smoked or toasted taste to it, Irish Ale is only brewed from January to April in conjunction with St. Patrick's Day.  I discovered it one evening in early May last year when I was out with the guys from Stereo One in Springfield, MO.  In fact, we drank the place we were at out of the beer that night, it was so good.  I can't wait to find some on the shelves now that it should be available again. 

Boulevard got their start making a wheat beer, but I don't like wheat beers so I can't say if theirs is good or not.  They also make a Bully Porter that's OK, but a little too heavy for my taste.  Same with their stout. 

I have a friend whose brother works for a local distributor for Boulevard in Kansas City.  He keeps telling me to go to the brewery on Southwest Blvd. in Kansas City and check out the tasting room and the gift shop.   On one of my future trips to KC, I'm just gonna have to take the time to do it.

Sally Weisenburg and Her Famous Sidemen

One of my more favorite groups - and people - to work with at events are Peoria's Sally Weisenburg and her Famous Sidemen.  Sally is a tall, sassy redhead with a great voice and a great stage personality.  And she's as nice off-stage as a person could be.

Sally fronts the band - the Famous Sidemen.  The leader of the band is Sally's husband, Don Berbaum, who is as equally as nice and personable as Sally is.  They've been playing around the Midwest for a number of years and Sally has worked with the likes of Patrick Hazell, Bo Ramsey and has toured with the country group, The Ozone Ramblers.

A young Sally with The Ozone Ramblers, circa 1981.

Sally and the Sidemen's music can best be described as a combination of "jump blues" and "Texas swing".  They add some jazz and a little rock to make their sound one of the most unique in the Midwest. 

The dapper Don Berbaum on guitar (right)

Offstage, Don and Sally are the kind of people who you could just hang in the backyard with, have a few drinks and just chat about anything and everything for hours on end. They are genuine and genuinely wonderful people to work with. 

I was asked by Mark Holloway from Davenport One to come up with a list of bands I would like to work with at the events this summer.  It's been a long time since Sally, Don and the guys have been at one of our events. I think it's time to bring 'em back.

In 'N Out Burger

Here's another west coast burger chain that I get sucked into every time I go out west for business - In 'N Out Burger. 

Started in 1948 by Harry and Esther Snyder, the original In 'N Out Burger location was nothing more than a small building in Baldwin Park, CA.  Harry recognized the need for a drive in restaurant where instead of having car hops bringing the food to you, you drove to the food, so to speak.  It was the first "drive-thru" hamburger stand in California. 

Harry's sons, Rich and Guy, started in the business when they were young.  When Harry died in 1976, Rich became the CEO of In 'N Out Burger.  Rich took the chain from 18 stores to over 90 locations before he died in a plane accident in 1993.  Guy took over and the chain grew to nearly 150 locations by the time he died in 1999. 

Today, Esther Snyder is still the President of In 'N Out Burger, but a major lawsuit has erupted between an In 'N Out vice-president and board member, Richard Boyd, and Esther Snyder's only grandchild, Lynsi Martinez, and some others on the board at In 'N Out.  The lawsuit alleges that Martinez and others are trying to force out Boyd so they can expand.  Boyd wants to keep the number of In 'N Out Burger locations to a minimum to keep the quality high.  It's a mess and it's not good press for In 'N Out Burger. 

The staple of In 'N Out Burger is the famous "Double Double" - a double cheese burger with lettuce, tomato, their special spread and onions.  Killer.  Just killer.  They're cooked on a flat grill and they're always juicy and tasty. 

A colleague of mine told me to get one "Animal Style" - a burger cooked in mustard, with extra sauce, tomato, lettuce, pickles and onions.  It was outstanding, as well. 

There are over 200 In 'N Out locations in California, Arizona and Nevada.  I'm glad there aren't any around here or I'd be eating at them all the time. 

God, I love In 'N Out Burger. 

The Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter - Stillwater, MN

My friend, George Miller, had been on me for quite some time to come dine with him at a German restaurant in the picturesque town of Stillwater, MN. Located on the beautiful St. Croix River, downtown Stillwater is a collection of shops, restaurants and bars about 15 miles from downtown St. Paul.

I was in Minneapolis for meetings last fall and I made plans with Geo to have him come to pick me up and take me to The Gasthaus Bavarian Hunter, but known simply as The Gasthaus, which George told me was some of the best German food he's had.

Geo came to the hotel and we took off toward Stillwater. He turned down a road in the country outside of Stillwater and then went down another road when we saw the Gasthaus sign (see map). Suddenly, it was like deja vu. I realized I'd been there years prior with my old colleagues when I first became a sales rep in the mid 80's.

Before we walked in, I said to George, "I'm almost certain I've been here. You come in and the bar is on the right, and the bathrooms are on the left."

George said, "That's right." He was a little crestfallen. He thought he had taken me to another place I'd never been to before. He offered to go somewhere else, but I said, "Are you nuts? We're eating here!"

I told him it was a LONG time ago - nearly 17 years - since I'd been there. But I remember it being good.

When we got in, it was exactly as I remember it. The Gasthaus is large, yet cozy as the rooms within the place aren't all that big. There are lots of ornate German touches to the dining room and bar area (which isn't very big), including a nice collection of steins. It wasn't busy that night, but the crowd was steady.

We both had a 1/2 liter stein of their imported Munich brewed Oktoberfest and George ordered up a sausage sampler. When she brought it out, I thought, "Holy crap! How are we going to eat this AND our dinner?" It was a large plate of cut up sausages and sauerkraut with a tangy German mustard to dip in. We did make a dent in it, I'll tell you that.

Our waitress was an older lady, which reminded me of the waitresses at the restaurants in the Amana Colonies. She gave wonderful service and had a good sense of humor, too.

I don't exactly remember what George had for dinner, but I had the Jagerschnitzel, two lightly breaded boneless pork chops in a mushroom sauce with sauerkraut and red cabbage. All of which were just wonderful. Just as I remember them from years prior.

We washed down another half liter of Oktoberfest at The Gasthaus. I found the next day that was probably a mistake - Oktoberfest, with a higher alcohol content than most beers, has an affect on me that just makes me feel like crap the next day. Well, that and the fact that George took me to a neat little bar in downtown Stillwater afterwards for three more beers before we ventured home.

George was telling me that The Gasthaus has one of the largest Oktoberfest parties in the upper Midwest. They erect a huge tent next to the restaurant and park the cars in the open field to the east of the building. He says it's fun and just crazy. I'd never been to an Oktoberfest any where before, and the way he was describing it, I really wanted to go to the one next September.

This is NOT the waitress we had, but one of the girls who works at The Gasthaus during Oktoberfest. Hey, I'm a sucker for any pretty girl who has a handful of full beer mugs and a big pretzel around her neck.

The Gasthaus is as authentic Bavarian cuisine as you can get in the states. I've eaten at a lot of great German restaurants in my lifetime, and The Gasthaus is right up there with the best of 'em.

The Spice House - Milwaukee

Though technically not a grocery store, The Spice House is one of the most unique places to shop and browse through in the Midwest.  Located on Old World 3rd St. (see map) across from Usinger's Sausage Factory and down the street from Mader's Restaurant, The Spice House has literally nothing but spices and herbs.  That's it. 

Started by Ruth and Bill Penzey, The Spice House has been in business for nearly 50 years.  They moved to their present location in the early 70's when the city was trying to revitalize the old German area - or the Old World 3rd St. area - on the north side of downtown Milwaukee. 

Ruth and Bill's daughter, Patty, and her husband, Tom Erd, started working for her parents and they ended up buying The Spice House when Ruth and Bill retired in 1992.  Patty and Tom's daughter, Kate, is the manager of the store making it three generations who have worked at The Spice Shop. 

When you go into The Spice House, don't expect to see just a few containers of spices and a few baggies of herbs.  There are hundreds of spices and herbs to choose from.  I've spent over 45 minutes in the place just looking at all the spices they had to choose from.  The place has an old "general store" feel to it with lots of antique counters, cupboards, shelves and fixtures throughout.

You go in and ask for paprika and they say, "What kind, Spanish sweet or hot? Californian, or one of our six types of Hungarian paprika's?"  Ask for Garlic powder and they'll ask, "Roasted, granulated, fine or dehydrated?"  Chile's?  You'll stand there for five minutes as they run through the list of dried whole or powder chile peppers they have. 

They have seasonings and rubs, smoke flavor enhancements, extracts and accessories.  They have gifts and kitchen items that every cook can use. 

In addition to the Milwaukee location, Patty and Tom opened a second location in Evanston, IL in 1996 (see map), and opened a location on N. Wells near downtown Chicago a couple years ago (see map).

If you like to cook - as I do - this is truly a destination.  Even if you don't like to cook, this may be a place to go to get you interested in cooking.  Some of the greatest cooks in the world have visited The Spice House.  And as they like to say at The Spice House, "They didn't leave empty handed."

And I never do when I go in there. 

C & G (Chrys') Tap - Newton, IA

A shout out to my good friend Robert Dey Jackson, Jr. who said, "How come you don't have Chrys' Tap in the 'Rest in Peace' category?"

Actually, that was a good tip.  OK, Bob - here you go.

Chrys' Tap was actually C & G Tap in Newton (see map) for a number of years.  Gail Morrow and his wife, Chrystal, bought what was the old "First Chance Tap - Last Chance Tap" a number of years ago.  It was called that because it was the first tavern coming into Newton heading west, and the last place to get a beer going out of Newton heading west. 

Gail and Chrys got a divorce and Chrystal continued to run the place.  Chrystal was a hard, but good woman.  She didn't take any shit off of anybody and when she had something on her mind, she said it.  If you got on her good side, she was a friend for life.  If you got on Chrystal's bad side, don't bother coming in.  And a few people did get on her bad side. 

Fortunately, I was one of the many on her good side and Chrys' Tap (or the Tap, as the locals called it) was sort of a home away from home.  When I moved back to Newton in 1986 from Texas, my good friend Matt Denniston ran the place in the day time, and Dennis (Maynard) Claseman was the long time night time guy.  When Matt went on to bigger and better things, Chrystal's sister, Bertie, came in to run the place in the day time. 

Now, Bertie was possibly harder than Chrystal, but just as kind.  She was a short, large woman who had a sharp tongue.  If you ever crossed Bertie, you may as well just moved out of town. 

And there were days that she didn't feel like cooking.  I would go in for lunch, sort of gauge how Bertie was doing - sitting at the end of the bar, smoking a cigarette and watching TV - and then I'd say, "Are you cookin' today, Bertie?"

Most of the time she'd say, "Oh, sure..."  But every once in a while she'd say, "You want something - fix it yourself."  It didn't happen all that often, but it was kind of fun when she would let us go cook in the kitchen. 

The Tap wasn't too much to look at, but it was the gathering spot for a lot of my friends in Newton.  Once Chrystal sold the place in the late 90's, it just wasn't the same any more.  Bertie stayed on, but died in May of 1999 when Cindy and I were in California.  I'm still upset that I never got to go pay my respects to Bertie.  The last link to the Tap's past was broken.  She was one of a kind.   

As it went through a couple more owners, the Tap - as we knew it - ceased to exist.  Oh, it's still there, but it's not the same. 

I told you that story to tell you this one - the biggest draw for the Tap was their food, especially their cheeseburgers.  Dubbed "Cheeseburger in Paradise" or "Bertie Burgers", the Tap burger was grilled on a flat metal grille and they were always juicy and tasty.  Served with a toasted bun and fries, it was heaven.  But you always got 'em in the daytime, because Maynard couldn't cook 'em as well as Bertie could.      

They had the regular condiments, but if you asked for lettuce or tomato, Bertie said, "Bring your own, next time."  So to be smart asses, a couple guys brought a tomato and a head of lettuce in one time.  Bertie looked at them and said, "Well, if you expect me to cut up those things, you got another thing coming."  She made them go into the kitchen and cut the tomato and chop the lettuce.  Bertie was that way. 

The Tap was a real dive, but one of those types of dives that you felt comfortable in.  People from all walks of life would frequent the Tap - executives from Maytag, insurance agents, factory workers, farmers, sales guys (like me), a whole lot of people that mixed together.  When I would bring people from out of town into the Tap, they immediately loved the place.  Except for my wife, who never understood what I liked about the place. 

It was the burgers.  And the friendship.  And Chrys.  And Bertie.  And the mixing of people from all walks of life.  I really do miss that place.  As do a lot of others.

Armand's Pizzeria - Elmhurst, IL

I really didn't know if I should put Armand's Pizzeria under pizza or under restaurants because I went in for the pizza the first time, loved it, and then found out that they had great pasta dishes, as well as steaks and seafood.  So I put it in both.

Located in downtown Elmhurst (see map), Armand's is truly a little Italian restaurant.  There's Italian guys always sitting at the bar having dinner, drinks and conversation.  The kitchen area is open and the smells coming from it are great.  The dining room area is open and can get somewhat loud. 

Like I said, I had a pizza the first time I went - their thin crust pizza is very good.  Nice big chunks of sausage (Armand's grinds their own), sweet and tangy sauce.  A true Italian pizza. 

I had the lasagna the next time I went in.  I can say it isn't the best lasagna I've ever had, but you could tell it was homemade in the kitchen as it just exploded across my plate.  The next time I went in, I had a steak dish that was slices of beef tenderloin sauteed in garlic, oregano and olive oil.  It was outstanding.

I was in Chicago recently and it was a late in the day.  I was hungry, I was close to my hotel and I wanted to watch some basketball.  I stopped in at Armand's and sat at the bar.  I ordered my usual small sausage, pepperoni and mushroom pizza and had a beer.  One thing I like a LOT about Armand's - the beer is always ice cold. 

Sitting at the bar a couple seats from me was a young guy - a friend of the bartender - and he and the bartender were talking about trading stocks and bonds.  Obviously, it was their day jobs.  Both were full blown Italians, good paisanos hanging out after a day in the pit. 

I got my pizza and the guy next to me had an order to go and he took off.  I looked around and noticed that I'm the only one in the place.  I told the bartender, "Hey, look.  I'll finish up and get out of here.  I know you guys probably want to go home.  I don't need to be sitting here watching basketball." 

He replied in a husky Italian-American accent, "What?  Naw, hell no.  I'm here for a while.  Sit and relax and enjoy your pizza.  Want another beer?" 

So, I got to talking to him and asking about Armand's.  He told me the original Armand's was in Elmwood Park, started nearly 50 years ago by Mike Caringella (see map).  "Elmwood Park has a lot of Italians living there," he told me.  "A lot of 'em don't speak English to this day."

Armand's Pizzeria - Elmwood Park

Mike's father ran Caringella and Sons, a meat and grocery store just west of the downtown area of Chicago. Mike opened Armand's in 1956 and his mother came to work for him in the kitchen in 1972.  She was there well into her 80's. 

The bartender told me, "I grew up eating Armand's pizza.  That's the only pizza we ate in our house."  He said his father and Mike's son were friends, and that's how he had the job at Armand's in Elmhurst.

He told me the restaurant in Elmwood Park was as authentic Italian as you could get.  "They still cut a lot of their own meat over there.  You can get lambs head and shit like that.  Real greaseball shit the old Italian people like to eat."  Talking to this guy was like being on the movie set of "Goodfellas". 

He said they have something like 15 to 20 pizza delivery guys working at the Armand's in Elmwood Park.  "It's like an assembly line over there," he said.  "They're popping out pizzas right and left." 

He said they opened a second location out in St. Charles (see map) about 10 years ago.  "It's more fancy than the one in Elmwood Park."  And he said the one in Elmhurst has been open for about 4 years. 

I finished my last beer and settled up with him.  As I'm signing the copy of the credit card bill, three older guys walk in.  Turns out it's the father of the bartender and two of his buddies.  His father, seeing that there's no one else in the place, yells out, "All right!  Pizza for everybody!"   It was like a Sopranos episode had just begun in the restaurant.   

I said, "Shit, if I'd known you were coming, I would have held off settling up my bill." 

His son said, "Yeah, pop.  This guy just had a pizza.  You would have got stuck with that."

One of the father's buddies looks at me and said, "How was the pizza?"

I said, "It was outstanding."

He said, "Well, then we'd better get one." 

Armand's is a pretty interesting place.  And the food doesn't suck.

So even though they call themselves a pizzeria, they're more of a full menu Italian restaurant.  I need to go to the one in Elmwood Park to check it out.  It sounds like it would be a large time.   

Weber Grill Restaurant - Chicago

One of the more interesting places I've eaten at over the past few years are the Weber Grill restaurants in the Chicagoland area. 

The premise of the Weber Grill restaurants is simple - the main meat entrees and many of the sides are cooked on special made stainless steel Weber Grill kettles that range in size from 22" to 42" in diameter over Kingsford Charcoal.  It's like cooking outside at home, except you're not home, and you're not cooking and you don't have to clean up. 

There are now four Weber Grill restaurants in the Chicago area.  The original one out in Wheeling (see map); the location in Lombard (see map); downtown Chicago (see map); and the new one out in Schaumburg (see map).  I've eaten at all except the new one in Schaumburg.

Each of the Weber Grill restaurants have a Smokey Joe's Bar - a nice little bar area that you can eat in.  Actually, the bar at the Weber Grill restaurant in Lombard is very good sized while the one in Wheeling and the one downtown are much smaller.  But they're comfortable enough that you can grab a meal at the bar if you're by yourself.  They have no problem with that.

There's nothing better than cooking over charcoal, and the Weber Grill restaurants do it very well.  The first time Cindy and I ate at the one in Wheeling, Cindy had the filet and I had the prime rib - one of their specialty items that is seasoned with herbs and garlic and cooked slowly over charcoal at low heat.  They get their grills for steak heated to over 1200 degrees for a quick searing, then transfer them to a grill at lower heat for the main cooking.  Cindy's steak was great and the prime rib was very good.

They also do ribs, chicken, seafood, pork chops in addition to the steaks they're famous for.  They have a great grilled meat loaf that is as interesting as it is delicious.  And it's tough to pass up the grilled shrimp appetizers, but tell them to hold the barbecue sauce. 

And according to Cindy, they also make a very good burger at the Weber Grill restaurants, too.  I've got to try one sometime when I'm there. 

When we stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Chicago three years ago, the Weber Grill restaurant is attached to the place.  In fact, I swear they pump the smell of the cooked meat throughout the hallways, not that there's anything wrong with that.  They also serve breakfast at the one downtown, cooking the food on griddles on top of the Weber Grills. 

I recently ate at the one in Lombard again.  The food was excellent - I had the filet and it was a perfect medium rare.  It usually comes with a side of either their garlic mashed potatoes or their baked potato, but I opted to upgrade to their whipped sweet potatoes with a bourbon maple butter mixed in.  Oh man!  It's killer!   

I still think it's somewhat of an art form to cook on a Weber Grill - you're at the mercy of the coals trying to keep them at a constant temperature while you're cooking.  But I've never had a bad meal at any of the Weber Grill restaurants. 

It's a unique restaurant, the food is good, the service is impeccable and it's a comfortable to place to dine.  The Weber Grill restaurant is highly recommended - any of 'em.

Cookies Barbecue Sauce

Tiny Wall Lake, Iowa has two claims to fame - first, it's the birthplace of singer Andy Williams; and second, it's home to the maker of some of the best barbecue sauce in the world - Cookies.

Cookies has a sweet, smoky flavor to it that enhances any type of barbecue you want to have with it.  We even use on our meat loaf and as a base for my Cold Fusion Baked Beans.   It's thick, but not so thick that you can't slather it on the meat to give it a little more "oomph" in taste.

Cookies started out in the Wall Lake kitchen of L.D. Cook in the mid-70's.  His friend, Speed Herrig, liked the stuff so much that he took off on the road and tirelessly promoted the sauce to stores and restaurants all over the state of Iowa and beyond.  Today, Cookies is produced in a facility that is a little over 100,000 square feet in size. 

Cookies makes a number of varieties of barbecue sauce, but we're partial to the Cookies Western which has a little spicy zip to the taste.  I like taking Cookies Western and adding a little more cayenne pepper than what they put in it, some Worcestershire sauce and some garlic powder to it.  Ummm, boy! 

Cookies also has taco and wings sauces, too.  I'm not too keen on those as I am the barbecue sauce.

I've been to the Cookies plant in Wall Lake, but found that they aren't too "visitor friendly".  They don't have a showroom, per se, or a gift shop where you can pick up sauce or shirts or anything like that.  At least they didn't about five years ago when I purposely drove through Wall Lake going between Carroll, IA and Sioux City. 

Cookies can be ordered on line or can be found at Hy-Vee stores throughout the Midwest.

My Cold Fusion Baked Beans

Nearly every summer when a number of us get together for a cook-out, I get asked if I could bring some of my famous "Cold Fusion Baked Beans".  Actually, they're quite good and sort of elaborate to make, but they're well worth it.  They take a couple days to make to do 'em right. 

I call 'em "Cold Fusion Baked Beans" because I prefer to serve them cold.  You can have "Nuclear Baked Beans" if you want to serve them warm.

Cold Fusion Baked Beans

1 - 28 oz can Van Camps or Bush's Pork and Beans (or equivalent)
1 lb - sliced bacon
2 - 8 to 10 oz. boneless pork chops
1/2 medium onion chopped (may add red or green peppers, as well)
2 cups (16 oz.) - Cookies Western Barbecue Sauce (or your favorite barbcue sauce)
2 Tbs. Boetje's Dutch Mustard (or any stone ground Dijon mustard)
2 Tbs. - Yellow Mustard
2 cups - Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
1 tbs. - Atomic Brand Horseradish
1 tsp. Tabasco Sauce
2 tbs. - Garlic Powder
1 tsp - cayenne pepper
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup Tone's Liquid Hickory Smoke

Dice the bacon and the pork chops into 1" squares and brown in a skillet.  Fry bacon enough to get some of the grease out of it.

Drain the beans before transferring to pot. 

In a crock pot on low, or in a large stove top pan on low heat, transfer the beans and meat and add all ingredients, mix well and cook for six to eight hours in crock pot, or let simmer on stove for two to four hours.  Transfer to container and let cool overnight in a refrigerator.  Beans can be reheated for those who want warm baked beans, but I prefer to serve them cold. 

Spring Hill Suites - Elmhurst, IL

I have to stay at Marriott properties a minimum of 15 nights annually to keep my "Silver Elite" membership with them.  It takes 50 nights to reach the gold level, but I have so many Hilton Honors points racked up over the years that I'm almost indentured to stay at Hilton properties for the majority of my nights out.  However, when I stay at Marriott properties, I'm finding myself at the Spring Hill Suites more than any other property. 

Spring Hill Suites are wonderful for the business traveler.  The rooms are either one or two room suites with a little living room area, a microwave, refridgerator and a wet bar.  Hi-speed wireless internet is provided free of charge at most Spring Hill Suites I've stayed at.  They have a good breakfast in the morning.  The pool and exercise areas are nice and clean.  And the staffs at each one I've stayed at have treated me very well.  But the thing that keeps me coming back are the fact the beds are so damn comfortable at Spring Hill Suites.

If I want to stay at a Marriott property in Chicago, more often than not I'm at the Spring Hill Suites in Elmhurst (see map).  It's sort of centrally located for me - just off of I-290 at Lake Street.  It's easy on and off the freeway to get into the city or for quick access to the west, northwest and north suburbs. 

Spring Hill Suites - Elmhurst

The price of the rooms aren't bad - about $100 a night, which, in the Chicagoland area, is starting to be a good bargain.  Especially for the creature comforts and the way they take care of business travelers at the Spring Hill Suites in Elmhurst.

There are a number of good restaurants in the area.  You can go east on Lake St. and hit York Rd. which will take you to a number of fine restaurants in downtown Elmhurst (you can get there quicker if you know how to navigate the residential streets of Elmhurst); or you can go west on Lake St. and there are a number of new and established good restaurants in Addison.   

I like getting a room on a high floor there - about the only place I do like to get a room that isn't on the main floor - with an easterly view, mainly so I can see the Chicago skyline off in the distance on a clear day or night. 

You're also in the approach flight path of O'Hare International runway 5 at the hotel and you can look out the window at the planes gliding toward touchdown.  I've never heard any jet noise when I'm in the room, the windows are pretty thick and the walls are very solid.  It's a quiet place and I always get a restful sleep when I stay there.  The bed has a lot to do with it. 

Need a place to stay in the Chicago area that won't cost you an arm and a leg, and is easily accessible by car?  I highly recommend the Spring Hill Suites in Elmhurst.

Granite City Food and Brewery

Granite City Food and Brewery is a chain of about a dozen restaurants/brew pubs in the upper Midwest.  By now, you know that I usually try and stay away from chains like the plague.  But Granite City is still small enough that each restaurant has a little bit of local character to it. 

Granite City started in St. Cloud, MN in 1999 by Steve Wagenheim and brew master Bill Burdick.  Both had been involved in the restaurant business for a number of years prior to opening their first Granite City restaurant.  They just opened their 12th Granite City this month next to the Kansas Speedway in Northwest Kansas City.

Now, most brew pubs - I've found - are brew pubs first and the food is somewhat of an afterthought.  That's not the case with Granite City.  The food is really what brings the people in, the beer is so-so to OK.

Their beers are a little too sweet for my taste.  The Northern Light Lager has a smooth taste, but the aftertaste reminds me of a sweet beer along the lines of Falstaff.  Their Duke of Wellington Pale Ale is also a little too sweet for me.  It doesn't have that good pale ale bite that I like when I finish a swallow.

But as I said, the food is what brings the people in. 

They had just announced they were going to open a Granite City in Davenport sometime in 2003.  I happened to be up in Sioux Falls, SD one evening and just down the street from my hotel was a Granite City.  Turns out it was the second Granite City restaurant in the chain.

Granite City - Sioux Falls

As I found with all the Granite City's I've been to (4 so far), the Sioux Falls Granite City was spacious and well-appointed on the inside and the building looked attractive on the outside.  The one in Sioux Falls has a nice outside patio that overlooks a little pond with a fountain.  Nice touch.

I ordered the meat loaf for my first meal.  When they brought me my meal, I couldn't believe the size of the portions.  In fact, it was too much.  But that's been the trademark - and one of my largest complaints - of Granite City's food service.  There's just too much food. 

I do like their Honey Rosemary Filet Mignon, a filet marinated in honey, garlic and rosemary, then broiled.  Their meat loaf is an old stand-by for me - they grill the cooked meat loaf giving it a nice little flavor that you don't expect out of a meat loaf. 

Granite City's blue cheese peppercorn burger is pretty good.  And their Chicken Florentine lasagna is a good get, too.  They also have pretty good garlic mashed potatoes that you can get when you get a steak. 

And ask for the onion straws instead of french fries if you get a sandwich.  They usually use the onion straws - which are thin onion rings - as a garnish on burgers and other sandwiches.  They're much better than the fries.  And don't let them tell you they can't substitute the onion straws - they can.  I still don't understand why they don't have them available on the menu. 

In addition to the one in Sioux Falls, I've been to the one in Lincoln, NE, Cedar Rapids, IA, and, of course, the one in Davenport.  I've never had a bad meal, the service is always good, the beer is, well, it's OK.  Drinkable, but nothing outstanding.  And the one in Davenport is so popular of an eating destination that the wait can be upwards of 45 minutes to an hour on a Friday or Saturday night.

It's probably a good thing that Granite City says "Food and Brewery" rather than "Brewery and Food".  As I said, it's the food, not the beer, that makes Granite City good.

One Last Trip to the Berghoff

Since they announced on December 28 that they would be closing at the end of February, Cindy and I made plans to go into Chicago to eat at The Berghoff one last time.  We were talking with Scott and Marcia Schroeder about it last weekend and they thought they'd like to go in, as well. 

So today, we made a road trip into Chicago to eat at the Berghoff.

Before we could go there, the girls had to do their prerequisite shopping, while the guys camped at the ESPN Sports Zone to watch Iowa play Michigan State.  It wasn't a pretty day if you were an Iowa fan.

We ended up getting to The Berghoff around a quarter after 2 p.m. and the line to get in was almost a block long.  We were prepared, mentally, and we knew we were going to have to wait.  The weather in Chicago was nice for a mid-January day - sunny, low 30's - so standing outside wasn't too bad. 

Actually, Scott and Marcia went into the bar to get a beer and Cindy and I stood in line.  Then Scott came out after a while and Cindy went in to sit with Marcia.  I soon followed her in, had a beer, then went back out and stood with Scott the rest of the time.  By the time we got in the door it was 3:30 p.m.  We were finally seated about 20 minutes later.

The wait was worth it.  Marcia and I had the Geshnetzeltes - veal medallions with sauteed mushrooms in a creamy white wine sauce served with mashed potatoes.  Cindy had the Wiener Schnitzel, which was lightly breaded and cooked perfectly.  Scotty had the "Schlalt Platte" - a combination plate of a smoked pork chop (or Kassler Rippchen), smoked thuringer sausage and a bratwurst, and it came with - and I'm not kidding - with a quart of sauerkraut.  We were laughing because there was so much sauerkraut on the plate.

We all thought our food was great.  I'd been hearing from some people who felt that lately The Berghoff wasn't as good as it used to be.  I have to report that they've got their last wind in them and the food was very good to excellent.  At least, mine was.  And I think everyone in our party else agreed.  My veal was tender and the sauce was flavorful.   

Cindy, Marcia and I also had a side of their creamed spinach and a side of sauerkraut.  I remember the creamed spinach being better, but forgot how great their sauerkraut was.  Of course, we all had to have a Berghoff Beer with dinner.  Actually, Scott and I had two! 

For dessert, Cindy ordered up the White Chocolate mousse and a piece of the Black Bavarian chocolate cake and we all sort of grazed on that, and not finishing either of them.  We were stuffed. 

The service was very good.  The gentleman who waited on us was funny, out-going and generous.  He gave us all our sides - normally two dollars each - for free.  And he was quick, too.  We had our food in less than five minutes.  They must have really been punching the food out in the kitchen. 

It was kind of sad to walk out of the place.  There's so much history that is contained in that restaurant.  Given the tons of people of who have come to The Berghoff - like us - to have one last dinner, one has to wonder if the Berghoff children are having second thoughts.

You know, I have to go into Chicago a couple more times before the end of February.  I may have to go back one more time... 

What's Hot at CES?

Having gone to the Consumer Electronics Show annually since 1986 (this was my 21st show in Las Vegas), invariably someone is always asking me what the hottest things were at the show. 

This was also the first year that I wasn't on the main show floor.  Our company showed our products in 4 suites on the 28th floor for the Las Vegas Hilton, so I didn't make it down to the main floor to be able to see things.  But in talking to people and reading some after show reports in trade magazines and on-line, I think I have a good idea as to what is going to be hot in 2006.

Anything Portable - Anything I-Pod, anything Bluetooth, anything MP-3, anything mobile that can detach from your car, that you can continue to use as you walk into the house, and then attach it to your home audio or computer system will be hot this coming year.  You'll see more interfaces for car audio for I-Pod and MP-3 devices, as well as utilizing Bluetooth technology through your car audio for hands free use of your cellular phone. 

Look for car audio head units to have USB ports in their face plates that will allow for quick and easy connection to I-Pods and MP-3 devices.  And look for more MP-3 devices that are integrated into XM and Sirius radio receivers.  These will allow for storage and playback of satellite radio programming.  Can't listen to Howard Stern or the ball game?  Record it on your satellite radio and play it back at your leisure.

Navigation - Navigation units for both car and hand held devices were hot at Christmas time.  Look for them to get even more sophisticated - and possibly lower priced - in 2006.  Nearlly every car audio manufacturer will have portable navigation units available by the end of summer.  You'll also see navigation units that will incorporate satellite radio, Bluetooth capability, audio and video recordability and playback, and larger amounts of hard drive storage.  One company, Garmin, offers a feature to give live traffic updates to get you around crashes or heavy traffic ahead.  Look for other units like this from Pioneer, Cobra, Alpine and Kenwood. 

Video - Television continues to be hot.  Look for more televisions offering true 1080 Progressive televisions on the market that will up convert 720 Progressive and 1080 Interlaced signal to give the best picture possible.  Samsung also just came out with a DLP television that doesn't use a color wheel like other DLP rear projection televisions.  They have three primary color beams that shine onto the DLP chip and it supposedly eliminates the "rainbow effect" that hamper some of the lower priced DLP players. 

However, I was talking to my good friend, John Smith (No, really! That's his name!) who is a regional sales manager for Mitsubishi televisions and he said that Mitsubishi will unveil a DLP rear projection television at their annual dealer show in April that will not have a bulb driven picture, nor will it have a color wheel.  I asked him how they could achieve that and he said he couldn't divulge the information until the set debuts at the dealer show. 

Home Audio - The technology surrounding home audio has not been as break-neck as the other genres of consumer electronics.  Whole house control and home theater products usually grab most of the headlines, but CES is no longer the show to showcase new home audio products.  That usually falls to the CEDIA show held in September annually.  I'm sure I'll have updates from CEDIA this coming September. 

One of the questions I hear most from consumers is, "Should I wait and buy the next generation?"  My answer is, "If you're continually waiting for the next generation, you'll never buy anything."  The electronics business - especially in televisions and personal electronics - is so dynamic and fluid that if you're waiting for the "newest" in technology, you'll always be waiting. 

Just buy what's available and live with it.  The next generation is usually somewhat different, but not in the scope of a major step up in technology.   

Timpone's - Urbana, IL

Actually, Timpone's is not your usual pizza joint. It happens to be a very good Italian restaurant - so good that people from Chicago regularly drive down to eat there.

Timpone's is located right next to the University of Illinois campus in Urbana. If you didn't know it was there, you'd go right past it.

I've eaten at Timpone's three times. The first time I went, I took the guys from Glenn Poor's in Champaign there. One of the guys got a pizza. It looked great and smelled great. Stupid me, I went with the pasta. I don't quite remember what I had, but I do remember it was outstanding.

The second time I went there, I was tempted to get the pizza. But they had a seafood pasta special that evening and I'm a sucker for seafood pasta.

The third time, I met a rep buddy, Mark Petty, for dinner when I was traveling thru Champaign-Urbana on my way to Indianapolis. He said, "Have you ever tried the pizza here? It's outstanding!" I told him I'd been tempted in the past, but didn't pull the trigger. So we ordered a small one as an appetizer.

The pizza was - as Mark said - outstanding. The crust was light and crispy. The sauce was tangy, but not overpowering. The sausage chunks were perfect sized and lightly spicy. It was a great appetizer for two big guys who love food. In fact, it was so good, we ordered a second pizza for dinner.

Timpone's is kind of a dress up place, although I was in there in jeans one evening and they didn't seem to care. The pizza is just as good as their main entrees. If you want pasta, they've got great pasta. If you want pizza, it is outstanding.

Las Vegas Hotels

I've been going to Las Vegas for about 20 years now - mainly on business for conventions, trade shows or meetings.  Over the years, I've stayed in a lot of different hotels and had meetings in the suites of many others.  I'll give you my impressions on what are the better ones and the ones to stay away from.

Actually, I've always said that every American should be sentenced to spend three days in Las Vegas at least once in their life.  Everything is so over the top.  It hits you when you see the video poker and slot machines in the terminal when you walk off your plane, it hits you even more when you drive the legendary Las Vegas Strip for the first time, and it hits you when you walk into any one of a couple dozen hotels and casinos situated throughout Vegas. 

The Bad Ones -

Let's start out with the ones that I've stayed at that were just downright nasty.  The only thing I can think the reason the amenities in the rooms are so sparse is that they don't want you spending any time in them other than to sleep, shower and change clothes. These are the places that allow you to get the local channels, possibly CNN or ESPN, and then have five or six in-house channels that are devoted to nothing but the hotel, casino or how to gamble.  The ones I like are the ones that have an in-room Keno channel. 

Circus Circus, in the 60's, was one of the first places that actually did something novel in getting people to come to stay and gamble.  They literally put a circus, complete with high wire acts, in the middle of the casino.  People were playing the slots and there was the great Frederico doing his trapeze stunts above them.

I stayed at Circus Circus one year for a couple of nights.  The rooms were huge, but that was about it.  You had a bed, a dresser, a television on a pedestal stand, a night stand and that was about it. The only thing Circus Circus has going for it is that in all this mess there's the world class restaurant "The Steak House" there.  See my review of The Steak House here.

Another place that I detested was the Stratosphere.  First of all, it's on the fringes of a very bad area of Las Vegas.  We saw an arrest one morning at 7:30 of a half-naked black guy fighting police officers, even after they sprayed him with mace.  It took six cops to subdue the guy.  Secondly, there's not much too it.  It's like they ran out of money when they constructed the place.  And third, I just felt we got horrible customer service at the Stratosphere. 

The Stratosphere was originally started by noted gambler Bob Stupak, who owned Bob Stupak's Vegas World on the same site for a number of years.  Stupak wanted to build a tower that would be the largest structure west of the Mississippi.  Original plans called for the tower to be nearly 2000 feet high, but the FAA said that a tower of that size would interfere with alternate flight paths for McCarran International Airport. 

Bob Stupak

Stupak is notorious around Las Vegas for running coupon book scams, for running for mayor twice (and losing big - twice), and is rumored to be involved with heavy cocaine usage.  He won a million bucks on a Super Bowl bet one year.  He counted mob bosses as close friends.  And he reportedly recorded a number of singles under the name of Bobby Star. 

During construction, Stupak was in a horrendous motorcycle accident and broke every bone in his face.  His face was reconstructed into a hideous figure, but it was a miracle that he could even function in life again, given that they thought he'd end up in a vegetative state.

Once the Stratosphere tower was finished, and the hotel and casino were built along with it at a cost of $500 million bucks, the place literally went belly up.  Stupak and investors lost over $100 million bucks and the Stratosphere was eventually taken over the Grand Casinos organization.

One of the great books to read about Las Vegas greed, broken dreams, broken promises and how to piss away $100 million dollars is "No Limit - The Rise and Fall of Bob Stupak and Las Vegas' Stratosphere Tower".

The rooms at the Stratosphere are also spartan and pretty low rent.  The bathroom is the size of most closets.  It just doesn't have a comfortable feel to the place.  They definitely want you to be in the casino and not in the room.  But I will tell you - go to the top of the Stratosphere Tower and look out over the city.  It's pretty nifty.  And if you dare, you can ride the world's highest roller coaster at the top of the tower, or be shot 150 feet in the air by the Big Shot.

But I'll never stay there again.

The other place that I've stayed that I won't go back to is Excalibur.  Situated at the corner of Tropicana and S. Las Vegas Blvd., Excalibur has a medieval theme to it, complete with towers and jousting and dumb shits dressed up like serfs and jesters.  Excalibur was built by the same people who own Circus Circus and at the time it opened in 1990, it was the largest hotel in Las Vegas with 4,000 rooms.  The rooms, like Circus Circus, are big with little amenities.  And where did they find the company to make the hideous carpet they laid in the rooms? 

A step up, but not by much, is the Imperial Palace.  Built by Ralph Engelstad, a North Dakota native who was reputed to be a Nazi sympathizer (he once hosted a "Hitler's Birthday" party at the Imperial Palace, replete with Englestad wearing Nazi clothing), some say the Imperial Palace looks like a swastika from the air.

Ralph Engelstad

The rooms are small, the shower heads are about five feet off the ground.  For a guy like me who is 6'2", you have to literally duck under the shower to get your head wet.  But it's nicer than the other three I've mentioned. 

Actually, the neat thing about The Imperial Palace is the museum of historic cars Engelstad built on the second floor of the place.  Engelstad had one of largest collections of famous (and infamous) cars in the world, and he showed many of them in his museum.  He had Hitler's parade car on display, as well as presidential limousines from the Truman thru Nixon years.  He had one of Johnny Carson's old cars and a number of other interesting automobiles.  It was worth the time I took to go through the place.

The Better Ones -

Harrah's - I've always liked Harrah's because it isn't as big as some of the other hotels, it's centrally located among a lot of hotels and restaurants on the strip, you don't have to traipse through a large casino to get to your room and it's usually cheaper than many of the other hotels in the immediate area.  The rooms are nice and roomy, beds are comfortable, and you don't get the notion that they want you to not be in the room at Harrah's.

The Flamingo - I stayed at the Flamingo when it was a Hilton property in 1995 and I liked it a lot.  At that point in time, it was the nicest place I'd stayed in Las Vegas.  Then I was back in 2000 and we stayed there when it was no longer a Hilton property and I thought it had slipped considerably from what it was.  It was still nice, but getting tired. It's now under the Caesar's umbrella, which is ultimately owned by Harrah's. 

And there's still a lot of history to the place.  The original Flamingo was started by Bugsy Siegel - the original hotel used to be out back by the pool, but that was torn down a few years ago to put up a Hilton resort tower and water park in its place.

Benjamin 'Bugsy' Siegel

I understand that Caesar's/Harrah's has put a lot of money back into the hotel to bring it back up to date.  I like The Flamingo for the history and because of its central location to some of the other large hotels in the immediate area.  I would probably stay there again just to see if they really have cleaned the place up.

Golden Nugget - Steve Wynn, who built the Mirage, Bellagio and other Las Vegas hotels, bought and restored the Golden Nugget to it's original ornate style in the 1980's.  But he sort of lost focus on the place and it started to falter a little, getting tired here and there.  The Golden Nugget has since been bought by the Landry Restaurant corporation and I understand there's a nice renovation going on again.  My present company used to stay at the Golden Nugget each year for CES, mainly because it was away from the strip and it was cheaper than a lot of the bigger name hotels on the strip. 

And, of course, right out the front door of the Golden Nugget casino is Fremont Street and the Fremont Street Experience.  The main attraction of the Fremont Street Experience is a canopy that stretches three blocks over Fremont Street that has millions of tiny bulbs that can make color images and displays.  There are a number of high quality speakers that are positioned under the canopy that play music in sync with the light show from above.  It's really kind of neat.  They play the show every hour at the top of the hour and the shows differ each time. 

MGM Grand - The MGM Grand took over the crown of the Biggest Hotel In Vegas when it opened.  When I found out that we were going to stay at the MGM Grand I was disappointed.  Disappointed in knowing how big the friggin' Excalibur was and how long it took to get from the parking garage to the room, and knowing that it would probably be worse at MGM.  I was pleasantly surprised.  It wasn't that long of a walk from the garage to the hotel.  The walk to the elevators took you around the casino and not through it.  And the elevator door was about 25 feet from the door to my room.  I liked the MGM Grand - good restaurants, it was clean, the rooms were nice.  I'd stay there again.

Bally's - I stayed at Bally's a couple of nights when I was in Las Vegas for a small trade show one time.  Bally's used to be the original MGM Grand.  It opened in 1973 and had 2000 rooms on 26 floors.  In November of 1980, a fire broke out in the kitchen area and quickly spread throughout the casino area.  Smoke and fire killed over 80 people and injured over 700 more.  The MGM Grand fire showed two things - that the Las Vegas fire department was not equipped to fight fires in the tall hotels, and that a proper sprinkler system throughout the hotel would have more than likely stopped the fire. 

But the hotel was rebuilt by Bally's Entertainment, which then sold the hotel to Caesar's a number of years later.

The room I had was nice.  It had a nice view of the former Dunes hotel and casino and the Las Vegas Strip.  It was comfortable and the price was reasonable.  I'd stay at Bally's again, too.

The Riviera - The "Riv" was one of the nicer hotels in the 70's and 80's, but when I stayed there in the 90's it was a tired, old remnant of days gone by.  I haven't been in the Riviera since I stayed there in 1996 for a couple nights, but I understand there's been some renovations.  Still, it would have taken a lot to get that place back to how it was when I first walked into the place in 1986.

The Best Ones -

Las Vegas Hilton - We just stayed for five nights at the Las Vegas Hilton and used four suites for showrooms for our equipment for CES.  Two of the suites on the 28th floor had adjoining single rooms, the other two had an adjoining king bed room, and an adjoining two queen bed room.  The main suite room had a comfortable Murphy bed that came down out of a decorative cabinet.  It was a lot of space and no one got in each others way at night.  That was kind of nice. 

The Las Vegas Hilton has stood the test of time.  It was a great place when it was built in the 60's, and it's still a nice place 40 years later.  The restaurants in the place are OK, nothing special, and you can't beat the location (off the strip on Paradise Road, next to the Las Vegas Convention Center). 

We're going to do the suites at the Hilton again next year for the Consumer Electronics Show.  It really made the show much more palatable to work.

The Mirage - I stayed at the Mirage for a couple nights when I accompanied my old boss out to Las Vegas for a distribution meeting in March of 2000.  I'd always wanted to stay at the Mirage - it was always one of my favorite places to visit for meetings or to stroll through.  It always smells so fragrant in The Mirage.  And, of course, you've got the White Tigers in their glassed in den, the dolphins out back, and the volcano out front.

I wasn't disappointed in the rooms, although I'd been in many of the rooms and suites prior to staying there.  The beds were nice, the rooms were spacious, it was comfortable and the ceiling to floor, wall to wall windows afforded some of the best views of Las Vegas from any hotel.  I wouldn't mind staying there again.   

The Luxor - The pyramid hotel.  The one with the bright light at the top.  So bright, that airline pilots use it as a visual aid when they're about 150 to 200 miles away. 

I went out early for CES one year and was surprised to find that my buddy, Todd Bishop, and his wife had a corner suite at the Luxor for New Year's Eve.  Todd's mother-in-law had gotten married in Las Vegas and she and her husband decided to go back to Ohio a day early, so they gave Todd and his wife, Lisa, the room to use for an evening.  It was a two bedroom suite.  The main bedroom had a fan-shaped jacuzzi in the corner looking out the window.  The second bedroom was roomy and comfortable.  It had a nice little living room and a wet bar.  It was pretty neat.  I kind of felt like the third wheel when they asked me to stay with them, but having my own room sure was nice.

I'd been in there before for a couple meetings.  The elevators are unique in that they move in an angle up and down to accommodate the angle of the pyramid.  It's pretty interesting. 

Monte Carlo - We just stayed at the Monte Carlo for one night this year.  We sort of screwed up our travel plans and found that we needed to be in Las Vegas a night earlier for set up at the Hilton the next day.  The only problem was that we couldn't get into the Hilton on the night of January 3.  So, we stayed at the Monte Carlo. 

I'd been in a couple rooms at the Monte Carlo in the past and they're typical of the higher end hotels in Vegas.  Nice amenities, roomy, comfortable.  It was like the Hilton or the Mirage or any one of the good hotels up and down the Strip.  Glad I got a chance to try it out.   

Rating the ones I've been in the rooms or suites for meetings, but have not stayed at -

Stardust - A pit, even with the renovations.  It's so bad they announced recently they're going to tear it down and put up a large hotel, casino, entertainment and shopping complex in its spot.  It's supposed to open in 2010. 

Tropicana - Also a pit.  It may have been nice years ago, but it's a pit now.

Palace Station - Non-descript hotel away from everything.  Rooms are nothing to write home about. 

Sahara - It was a pit, but they've done some refurbishing.  But as a wise man once told me, "You can polish a turd, but in the end it's still a turd."

Alexis Park - This, at one time, was one of the nicer hotels in Las Vegas.  The rooms were little courtyard suites and very comfortable.  Now, they're pretty ragged and tired.  The Alexis Park also used to have a 4 star restaurant housed within the complex.  It was very good.  It was one of the very few good restaurants in Las Vegas at the time, I believe it was called Pegasus.  It's not there now...

Treasure Island - Built by Steve Wynn and now owned by MGM/Mirage, Treasure Island is one of those places that I've not quite figured out what it's all about.  I can't tell if it's a theme hotel/casino or what. 

I've been in the suites and a couple regular rooms for meetings.  I thought the suites were a little small, but functional.  Rooms were OK, nothing spectacular. 

And you know, in all the years I've gone out to Las Vegas, I've never once stopped to watch the Pirate Ship performance they have at night on the top of each hour up to about 11 p.m.  I understand they've changed the little "skit" they do now and it's not even the same pirate theme they had before. 

Hard Rock Hotel -  The "hip" place to stay in Vegas with the 24-35 age demographic with not a lot of money. The lobby/casino area has a lot of memorabilia in the place.  The rooms are good sized, there's a couple of neat bars in the place, their Mr. Lucky's "cafe" has very good food, and I've eaten at Nobu, the fine (and expensive) sushi eatery that is internationally renown.  Of course, they have "The Joint", the large hall that has hosted the likes of everyone from Kid Rock to Crosby, Stills and Nash to Metallica to Fiona Apple.  In fact, The Who were to kick off their North American tour at The Joint in June of 2002 when their longtime bassist, John Entwhistle, died of a heart attack induced by cocaine the night before the show.

The Hard Rock would be a good place to stay.  As I said, it's definitely 'hip' and the place for the music people to stay in Vegas.

Caesar's Palace - Caesar's.  Just saying the name evokes the old time history and grandeur of Las Vegas.  From it's stately front lawn, to the Forum Shops. To the large sports book, to the Colosseum (which is the home performing base for Celine Dion and Elton John), it's tough to beat Caesar's as a hotel/casino in Vegas. 

Going to the Forum Shops, alone, is worth the trip.  It is one of the most over the top malls you'll ever witness.  Complete with animated statues, mood lighting to simulate the outdoor light, and a number of boutiques, specialty stores and eateries, the Forum Shops set the agenda for the rest of the hotels in Vegas to catch up to Caesar's shopping complex.

The rooms are stately and ornate.  They have wonderful views of the surrounding area.  And they seem to be building more rooms each year I go out there.  Caesar's is definitely one of the places I'd love to stay at in Vegas.

Rio - Rio is across the interstate and away from a number of the 'strip' hotels, but that doesn't diminish the fact that it's a wonderful hotel.  Owned by Harrah's (who also owns Caesar's and Bally's), all the rooms at the Rio are suites.  And nice ones, too.  Large and spacious, with a nice touch of class to each room. 

And Rio may have the most entertainment to choose from in Las Vegas in one spot.  Penn and Teller have had a long running show at Rio, there's the Chippendales and the sexy show "Erockitica".  Plus the Voodoo Lounge is one of the places to see and be seen.  Located on the top floor of Rio, the Voodoo Lounge has not only one of the best views of Vegas and the hotels on the strip, but they have - bar none - the best looking cocktail waitresses in Las Vegas.  They're classy, they're gorgeous, they're mature, they're intelligent.  It's worth it to go have a couple drinks at the Voodoo Lounge.

And I'm not big on the buffets in Vegas (I've only eaten at one in all the time I've gone to Vegas), but I understand the Rio's World Buffet is the best in town. 

New York New York - The suite rooms at New York New York are kind of small.  They actually remind me of the suite rooms I've been in at Treasure Island.  There's a small living room area and a bedroom off to the side.  Nothing special.

And some of the rooms are situated where the roller coaster outside the place goes right by some rooms, causing a major ruckus (my current boss had to change rooms one night a few years ago because the roller coaster was keeping him up).

Walking around the main floor of the hotel/casino is interesting.  They have it made up to resemble a New York neighborhood.  There's a couple of good bars, including a "dueling piano" bar and an ESPN Sports Zone; and the very good Gallagher's steak house is there, as well.  We had a chance to stay at New York New York a few years ago, but didn't pull the trigger.  I'm not certain I would have liked it all that much.   

Aladdin - Boy, they really made over the Aladdin a few years ago.  They completely revamped the rooms and the casino, and they also put in a very nice shopping mall in the place.  The rooms are large and comfortable, they have nice amenities, and the bathrooms are all marble.  The old Aladdin was tired and rough.  The new one is one of the nicest places in Vegas.

Mandalay Bay - But the Alladin still isn't as nice as Mandalay Bay.  Situated on the far south end of the strip, Mandalay Bay has large, beautiful, and well-appointed rooms.  It's just a classy place, bottom line. 

Mandalay Bay is also famous for the Four Seasons hotel on the top floors of Mandalay Bay, as well as their man-made 'beach' out back.  They also have a huge events center that seats about 12,000 people and they also have the Las Vegas branch of "House of Blues" located there, too. 

I would love to stay at Mandalay Bay sometime, but bring money.

Paris - It's nice, but it's not as nice as some of the other new ones in Las Vegas.  But it does have the 1/2 scale replica of the Eiffel Tower out front, so Paris has that going for it.

I had a meeting in one of the suites at Paris about two years ago.  I was kind of struck by the small nature of the room for a suite at the hotel.   It sort of seemed cramped and claustrophobic for what I would have thought would have been a nice sized room.  It didn't seem to be as small as the suites I've been in at Treasure Island and at New York New York.  But with 11 people in the room, it was awfully close. 

The shopping area at Paris has a French flavor to it, but it is nothing special.  The restaurants all have a French flavor, as well.  We ate dinner at Mon Ami Gabi, which was - as French restaurants go - OK.  Our French hosts for dinner thought it was OK for Vegas, nothing special.  Paris is nice, but has to go a long way to beat out some other fine hotels in the area.

The Venetian - The canals, the shoppes, the Guggenheim Museum, the ornate rooms, the great restaurants.  You can't go wrong with The Venetian. 

The Venetian opened in 1999 and is one of the largest hotels in Vegas.  They just recently finished a new tower - the Venezia Tower - that is all concierge level accommodations. 

The restaurants at the Venetian are also world class.  I've eaten at the Royal Star (Asian food with an edge), and the very fine Italian restaurant Valentino, which was superb (see my review). 

My nephew was married at the Venetian in the fall of 2003.  I couldn't swing coming out to the wedding, but I understand it was a beautiful venue for a wedding ceremony.  The Venetian is probably one of the top five hotels in Las Vegas and it's something to see. 

Bellagio - I can't say enough about the Bellagio.  It's as over-the-top classy as Circus Circus is over-the-top kitschy.  I had a meeting in the Bellagio about 4 years ago and it was just in a simple room.  Well, simple for the Bellagio.  The room was spacious, yet cozy.  Ornate, but not gaudy. 

From it's beautiful botanical garden to the museum of fine art, Steve Wynn gambled on upscale customers coming to Las Vegas and spending money to stay in a 5 star resort.  Given the fact that the hotel averages 86 percent occupancy, I think that gamble has paid off. 

Oh, and did I mention the fountains out front?

The Bellagio is awe-inspiring.  It's a must see.

Two new places that I have yet to be to, but would like to go see sometime are the Palms and the new Wynn Las Vegas resort.  The Palms is the upscale hotel for the very rich 25-34 year olds, supplanting the Hard Rock and Rio as THE party places in Las Vegas.  And the Wynn Las Vegas is Steve Wynn's signature new property that stands were the old Desert Inn used to be. 

Like I say, everyone needs to go to Las Vegas at least once in their life.  A lot of the town is beautiful, but a lot of it is a toilet that needs to be flushed.  It's difficult to deny that there is poverty in Las Vegas, but going around to some of the hotels, they do a very good job of concealing it.

La Super Rica - Santa Barbara

On the advice of a good friend of mine, Brad Paulsen, the former national sales manager for B&K Components, he told us that if we ever got to Santa Barbara that we had to have lunch or dinner at La Super Rica. He said it was the best Mexican food he's ever had.

Well, we made it Santa Barbara in May of 1999 and it is such a nice town. Beautiful homes, great ocean views, 5 star restaurants and hotels. It has a quaint downtown area with a wonderful Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings. But going to La Super Rica, you have to take a step back and wonder if this is really Santa Barbara.

La Super Rica is located east of the downtown area on Milpas St. (see map) in a small building that sort of has a lean-to roof for patio seating. Lines can stretch for a long way as some waits can be up to 30 to 40 minutes just to order.

We were lucky. We got into Santa Barbara on a Friday night, got checked into our hotel, then went to La Super Rica around 9 p.m. There wasn't much of a crowd. We walked into the little ordering area and ordered up some tacos. They made the tortillas fresh on the grill, taking a ball of ground up corn dough, placing it on the grill and then flattening it with a stone block with a handle on top.

I think I ordered three tacos (they weren't that big) - two beef and one pork. Cindy got a chicken and pork taco. The meat is marinated, grilled over mesquite and seasoned lightly during cooking. It's then cut into cubes and served on the taco. Extras, such as salsa and sauces, area available in the eating area on the side of the building.

Let me just say the pork tacos were the BEST I've ever eaten in my life. I had to go back and get two more. They were unbelievable. I would crawl back to La Super Rica for a pork taco right now, they were that good.

La Super Rica isn't much to look at, there's no mariachi bands playing, no waiters or waitresses. It's pretty primitive compared to some of the restaurants in Santa Barbara, but it's damn good. Local resident Julia Child had maintained that La Super Rica was the best Mexican food she'd ever had. Somehow I can't see Julia Child in the place, but as I've learned over the years, sometimes the best food is served in the worst looking places.

I've read some user site reviews where a handful of people have literally trashed the place. But I can't imagine what they were thinking going into the place. The restaurant, itself, is nothing special. The food is excellent compared to Mexican food in most locations of the United States, but probably not as good as what you can get in the heart of Mexico. The selection is limited, but good. I highly recommend the place, especially if you're up for "slumming" in Santa Barbara.

Grunty's Orange Drop Cookies

Grunty's Orange Drop Cookies

These were a staple in the Veber family growing up.  This is my mother's recipe - the grandkids called her "Grunty", which I always thought was sort of funny.  These are sinfully great and can be frozen for up to three months. First measurement listed is for smaller batches - second measurement for larger batches.

¾-1 ½ cups Crisco
¼ - ½ cup butter
1 ½ - 3 cups Brown Sugar
2 – 4 beaten eggs
¼ - ½ cup Orange Juice
1 – 2 tablespoons grated orange zest
1 – 2 teaspoons vanilla
1 – 2 cups sour milk (vinegar and milk)
3 ½ - 7 cups sifted flour
¼ - ½ teaspoons salt (optional)
2 – 4 teaspoons baking powder
1 – 2 teaspoons baking soda

Cream shortening and sugar.  Add eggs, orange juice, orange zest, vanilla and sour milk.  Mix well.  Add sifted dry ingredients. Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Drop mixture from spoon onto greased cookie sheet.  Bake in oven for 5 to 8 minutes.

Orange Drop Frosting

4 cups powered sugar
¼ teaspoons salt (optional)
¼ cup Orange Juice concentrate
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup butter
¼  - ½ cup milk (if frosting is too thick)

Quad City Maid-Rites

There are 11 Maid-Rite sandwich shoppes around the Quad Cities (see list).  I've eaten at about a half dozen of them and I can tell you this - they're not very good. 

It's like the meat is burned or something.  Not charred, but...  Well, have you ever cooked a piece of beef, a burger or something, but cooked it at a low heat temperature for a long time?  That's how the beef from the Maid-Rites here in the Quad's taste.  It's not something that is pleasant at all. 

I actually met the owner of the Maid-Rites here in the Quad's one time.  I was introduced to him by Tom Kakert after an I-Club golf outing a few years ago.  He was a nice guy, we had a good time drinking a couple of beers, but I didn't get drunk enough to tell him that even though he was a nice guy, his Maid-Rites sucked.

But then again, people around here seem to like the taste.   The restaurants always seem to be busy.  And they serve full serve breakfasts and other food like hot beef sandwiches at the Quad City Maid-Rites.  If they concentrated on just the Maid-Rites, they'd probably get it down like they do in Newton and Marshalltown.

Real Chili - Milwaukee

Real Chili in downtown Milwaukee (see map) is the closest thing to Cincinnati-style chili available outside of Cincinnati, and not part of a chain that originated in Cincinnati.  Actually, I was told once by someone at Real Chili that their style of chili is a cousin to what is known as "Green Bay Style Chili".  That style began in 1916 by a Lituanian immigrant by the name of John Issac who opened up Chili John's in Green Bay.  It's still going strong, but I've yet to eat there.

There's not much to Real Chili - the decor is decidedly from the 60's and hasn't been updated in 40 years.  There's a lunch counter, booths and tables in the place.  Their chili can be served plain or up to the five way chili (with spaghetti and cheese) that is famous in Cincinnati.  Only Real Chili's chili doesn't have the sweet all-spice and cocoa taste to it.  It's more of a traditional Midwestern chili, flavorful with a touch of vinegar.

The chili dogs at Real Chili are top notch.  Once again, I don't like to put cheese on the chili dogs as it detracts from the overall taste, but a little bit of fresh shredded cheddar is not too bad on these.

Real Chili is unique in that you don't see many chili places like it in larger downtown areas any longer.  And because of its location - and the fact that it's open late - Real Chili is a popular late night stop for college students and young adults out bar-hopping.  In fact, the first time I ate at Real Chili was with Cindy around 12:30 a.m. when we'd been down at Summerfest all day long.  Oh boy - chili dogs just before bed!

There's also a Real Chili over by Marquette University (see map).  It's been a popular hang out for a number of years.  I have yet to go there, opting to eat at the original Real Chili 20 blocks to the east each time I have a chili dog hankering in Milwaukee.

Real Chili - it certainly is!

Country Bob's

When I was growing up, I liked to put ketchup and Worcestershire sauce on my steak, much to the consternation of my father and my Uncle Jack.  I liked the combination of the tastes of the condiments with the meat.  I was never an A1 fan, nor did I care for Heinz 57.  But I liked the combination of the sweetness of the ketchup with the tangy bite of the Worcestershire sauce.

As I grew up and my tastes became more refined, I quit putting much of anything on my steaks.  A lot of it had to do with the lack of what I thought was a good steak sauce.  But I still pined for that ketchup/Worcestershire sauce taste.    

A mild epiphany in life happened when I was visiting my brother and sister-in-law in west central Illinois about 12 years ago.  We had steak one night for dinner and my sister-in-law, Becky, put this bottle of Country Bob's All Purpose steak sauce on the table.  I'd never heard of the stuff before and she said, "Oh, this is the best steak sauce in the world."  I tried some and it hit me - this was the combination of ketchup and Worcestershire sauce that I had been looking for!  And it was in one bottle!  I had to get a bottle to take home with me.  

Country Bob's got its start in the late 1960's in Mount Vernon, IL when "Country" Bob Edson came up with a homemade steak sauce that friends and family raved about.  After giving it away for nearly 9 years, Edson started to sell the steak sauce in small jars and bottles.  It wasn't until 1982 when Country Bob's actually became a company opening a small plant in Irvington, IL.  The problem was that Bob Edson didn't know anything about food manufacturing or retailing - he was in the fuel oil business.  

Pictured left - "Country" Bob Edson

He turned to his banker and good friend, Al Malekovic, to help him get started in the business.  Edson's son, Terry, and Malekovic's son, Reed, were both working in the construction business, but the fathers were able to convince the young men that they could run the company.  While Bob Edson continued to work in the fuel oil industry for the time being, Terry Edson became the CEO of Country Bob's, Reed Malekovic became the VP of Operations, and Al Malekovic was the chief financial officer and the director of marketing for the company.  

The group made a few mistakes along the way, but the learning curve was long and gradual.  At first, Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce was sold in small independent rural grocery stores.  However, the sauce grew a following and more larger stores began to sell the steak sauce as the independents slowly went out of business.  Today, Country Bob's is found in places like Walmart, Kroger, Hy-Vee and other grocery store chains primarily in the Midwest and South.  

Bob Edson passed away in 2001 and Terry Edson and Reed Malekovic continue to run the operation today which is now located in Centralia, IL.  (Update - Country Bob's opened a new manufacturing facility just south of Centralia where they not only manufacture their sauce lines, but the bottles the sauces go into.  They were having trouble with suppliers keeping up with the demand of bottles they needed.  The new plant took care of that problem.)

About the only problem I have with Country Bob's is that they wear religion on their sleeves a little too much for me.  I'm not a religious person, but I do appreciate the fact that they believe Christ is their "C.E.O".  I'm of the opinion that religion - like politics - is not something that should be discussed in public.  And it should be left off of steak sauce bottles.

I understand that Country Bob's now has a "spicy" sauce to go along with their original sauce.  I don't know if I could handle something more zippy than the original Country Bob's.  I might have a serious meltdown in pure joy.  I can't wait to find the stuff.  I'll be sure to report the results when I do come across it.  

The Lark

Once, The Lark was one of the premier steakhouses in the state of Iowa.  Located outside of Iowa City in the small town of Tiffin, The Lark was owned and run by Bob and Shirley Thompson and was famous for their steaks, pork chops, onion rings and the great salads and homemade dressings that came with them. 

People from all over used to stop at The Lark for special occasions, as well as after Iowa football games.  When he was the basketball coach at Indiana University, Bob Knight would always eat at The Lark the night before the Hoosiers played the Hawkeyes. 

Jim Kharbush bought the Lark from Bob Thompson in 1999 and ran it for a while before fire destroyed the original restaurant in 2000.  The cause of the fire was a burner in the kitchen left on all night, but some people had theorized that was done intentionally. 

Kharbush moved into a new location in what was a Red Lobster along Highway One on the south side of Iowa City.  He redecorated the place and it was much more ornate and open than the original Lark.  But it still wasn't as good.

Last week, Kharbush (who owns five Ground Round franchises including the one in Iowa City) said that he was selling The Lark.  As of now, there are no prospects interested in buying the business. 

The Lark is still open, but will probably close in the near future. 

Actually, when Bob Thompson sold the place to Jim Kharbush in 1998, The Lark - to me - went out of business.  Almost from the start, the place just didn't seem to have that same "pizazz" you used to get when Bob ran the place. 

However, I will also say that once Bob and Shirley got a divorce in the 90's, The Lark also lost some of its luster.  The place started to get rather tired and worn out.  You could tell that the "woman's touch" was gone from the restaurant.

I'll always have great memories of eating at The Lark - the onion rings, the steaks, great salads, great service.  The Lark and their kind are dying breeds... 

Patrick Hazell

The patriarch of traditional blues in the state of Iowa, I've known Patrick Hazell for nearly 30 years.  Pat's actually playing here in the Quad Cities tonight, over in Rock Island, but I didn't go see him.  I usually see him play a couple times a year, though.

I first met Pat when he was the leader of The Mother Blues Band, a sort of blues/boogie band from Eastern Iowa.  He agreed to play our annual Veber pasture party in 1977 and our friendship has endured ever since.  Actually, Pat Hazell and Mother Blues played our party in 1979, as well - finishing right before the rain hit.

Here's a picture of Pat Hazell and the Mother Blues Band from our party in July 1977.  Next to Pat is bass player Rick (Rico) Cicalo, who has played with the likes of Greg Brown, Bo Ramsey and Pieta Brown.

In fact, we've stayed good enough friends over the years that he was going to play at our wedding reception in 1995, but he had a last minute opportunity to book a trip to Russia to  play over there for three or four weeks.  Hey, I don't blame him!  I would have gone to Russia, too, instead of playing for our wedding reception in Newton, IA.   

Over the past few years, Pat has primarily performed as a one man band - playing piano, mouth harp and kick drum.  His style is more along the lines of traditional blues with some boogie woogie piano poured in at times.  He has a strong, raspy voice that resonates with every song he sings.  He plays traditional blues standards and also plays a number of his original songs, as well. 

Pat is also involved with the Hawkeye Valley Bell Project, a musical project in Burlington, Iowa that utilizes large church bells played in rhythmic patterns over a large area of the city.  He says there is nothing like it anywhere in the United States.  He's hoping to be able to do a number of bell project shows in towns across Iowa and Illinois. 

Pat also travels abroad annually bringing traditional blues to places across Russia and other parts of Europe.  He's also traveled to South America to play his music.  And he's in demand all across the Midwest, as well.

Pat has also taught blues and jazz courses at the local high school in his hometown of Washington, IA.  He also participates in "Bringing the Blues to School" programs across the area. 

Recently, Pat has occasionally performed with a reincarnation of the Mother Blues Band.  They perform for special events and a few club dates around the Eastern Iowa area.  It's usually a treat to see them play.

Patrick Hazell is a talented musician, an interesting person to talk with, and an all-around great guy.  You don't have to like the blues to like Pat Hazell.  His music is universal.

Holy Cow - Las Vegas

Holy Cow on the Las Vegas Strip at Sahara (see map) was Las Vegas' first brew pub. Started in 1993, Holy Cow was a wonderful spot for a good beer and a good burger.

They had a good Pale Ale - the Ambler Gambler - that was full flavored, yet light. And it had a nice finish to it. The Ambler Gambler actually won the Gold Medal for English Style Pale Ale's at the 1993 Great American Beer Festival in Denver. Actually, that's what piqued my interest in the place when I first went there when I was in Las Vegas for the Consumer's Electronic Show in 1994.

The place was good sized, sort of too smokey and too dark. They had a lot of video poker and slot machines throughout the place. Lots of tables and booths and a nice little bar to belly up to.

I remember they had a Red Ale that was pretty good and a Rye ale that was a little too sweet for my tastes.

They had entrees available - steak, chicken, pork chops, etc. - but I always opted for their burger which was thick and juicy. Always cooked right.

Holy Cow was a favorite pilgramage for me and a couple of my buddies and colleagues each year we went to Las Vegas. Imagine my surprise when I went to go there a couple years ago and it was closed up tighter than a drum. This last week when I was in Las Vegas, I saw the building is now the real estate office for Ivana Trump's Ivana Las Vegas high rise condo that she is hoping to build on the spot.

Holy Cow was the first in Vegas and I'll always remember how very good it really was.

Monte Carlo Pub and Brewery - Las Vegas

I first went to the Monte Carlo Pub and Brewery, located in the Monte Carlo hotel and casino in Las Vegas, about six years ago.  I thought their beer was pretty good and the food fare was equal to above some brew pubs I've visited. 

During our annual trip to Las Vegas for the Consumer's Electronics Show, we had to spend one night at the Monte Carlo due to a scheduling snafu.  I was actually looking forward to doing so as I'd never stayed at the Monte Carlo, and it had been a while since I'd been to the Pub and Brewery.

The Pub and Brewery touts itself as being one of the largest brew pubs in the world.  It's open and ornate with a lot of brass and dark woods throughout the place.  Actually, I guess I didn't remember much about it being more of a sports bar when I was there before, but they had televisions throughout the place (they were showing the 2006 Orange Bowl game when we were in there). 

I had a couple glasses of the Jackpot Pale Ale to start off.  I guess I don't remember it being that weak of a Pale Ale in taste.   It wasn't unpleasant, but it certainly wasn't as flavorful as other Pale Ale's I've grown accustomed to drinking.  I felt they must tone down the hoppy-ness and bold nature of the Pale Ale for the tourists.

I then went to a High Roller Red lager.  It sort of tasted flat and lifeless.  It definitely was not like other Red's that I've had in the past.  Once again, it wasn't unpleasant - but after traveling all day from Moline to Dallas-Fort Worth to Las Vegas, anything with "beer" in the title would be fine with me.

One of my colleauges got the Silver State Stout, which he also characterized as pretty weak in taste.  He ended up switching to Bud Light, it was that unpleasing to him.  We all agreed the taste of the beers probably had to appeal to a wide range of tourists and they probably made them weak just to appease the multitudes of tourists that come from all over the world.  To me, I'd go just the opposite.  But that's me. 

I had the rib-eye steak sandwich served on a huge sourdough roll.  It was too much bread.  I ended up just eating the steak and leaving the bread.  The fries that came with them were seasoned, but I didn't eat many of them.

The consensus in our group was the Pub and Brewery at the Monte Carlo was in the "fair" category.  Nothing special about it, at all.  I was disappointed because I somehow remember it as being a better brew pub than that.  In addition to being more of a sports bar, they turn the place into kind of a disco with a D.J. after 10 p.m. on some nights, other nights they have a live band playing (a Prince tribute band - Purple Reign - was playing the nights they had live music).  That's not a brew pub in my book.

My Lemon Alfredo Sauce Recipe

My Lemon Alfredo Sauce Recipe

I've sort of perfected this.  It actually seems to get better every time I make it.

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup grated Romano cheese

2 oz. Lemon Juice (can be from real lemons - preferably - or if you have access to Nellie and Joe's Key West Lemon Juice that's more than acceptable to use)

1 egg yolk

2 cups heavy cream

½ tsp. Sea Salt

1 tblsp. Garlic powder

1 tsp. Nutmeg

½ stick butter

Directions

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add heavy cream, stirring constantly. Stir in sea salt, nutmeg, grated Parmesan cheese, and grated Romano cheese. Stir constantly until melted, and then mix in egg yolk. Simmer over medium low heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.  Garnish with additional grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.   

Also before removing the sauce from heat, you can add cooked mushrooms slices, chopped cooked bell peppers, cooked broccoli crowns, broiled or grilled chicken, and/or cooked shrimp to round out the dish.

It's a Racket!

They tell passengers before they DEPART their planes in Las Vegas that one should be at the airport no later than TWO hours before their outbound plane leaves.  The day after the Consumer Electronics Show is always a zoo at McCarran International Airport.   But they had over 150,000 attendees this year and it seemed to be even more of a zoo when we pulled up in front of the departure terminal this morning. 

After taking some guys in my company to their respective terminals, I had to take the rental van back to Hertz. I get on the bus to take me back to the terminal.  By the time I get there, it's 9:46 - well ahead of schedule for my 12:07 p.m. flight.

I go to American Airlines' self-check in they have at the Las Vegas airport, I wait for about five minutes to get my bag checked.  It would have been a lot sooner if the lady holding up the rest of the line trying to figure out how to move 4 pounds from her main bag to a small carry on because her bag weighed 54 pound.   Just pay the friggin' $20 dollar fee, or whatever it is, lady!  A guy behind me said, "Shit, I'll pay the overweight fee for her, let's get going!"

Get my bag checked, walk to security check in.  No, I wouldn't mind the TSA so much if they wouldn't treat people with a little common decency and not view each passenger as a criminal or the enemy. 

Get through security with flying colors.  (At CES two years ago the wait to get through security came close to 5 hours.  Many people missed flights and had to spend another night in Vegas.  Suffice it to say there were a lot of pissed off people that year.)

I take the tram out to the D terminal and at 10:19 a.m. I'm sitting at my gate. 

I finally figured out why they want us to get out to the Las Vegas airport early - it's a money making racket.  You're sitting bored waiting for your flight and you can go put a few coins in a video poker machine, or you can go get a $7.00 luke warm beer or a $11.00 barely edible hamburger.  Stupid...

By the way, the airlines won.  They finally made me a tea-totaler on their flights.  $5 bucks for a beer!  Holy shit!  It's getting to the point that you have to be a millionaire to drink on airplanes these days. 

Actually, McCarran International Airport is one of the nicer airports that I've flown into.  The new airport at Detroit is very nice, as is John Wayne in Orange County, California.  Nevertheless, I still hate airports and every thing involved with them.  The traffic, the people, the airlines, security, etc., etc. 

And to top it off - my boss is proposing that I take over Michigan and Ohio for my territory starting later this year.  I'm afraid that I'll have to be flying a lot more than I want to starting later this year. 

Bell's Brewery - Kalamazoo

Formerly the Kalamazoo Brewing Company, Bell's Brewery, Inc. went through a corporate name change earlier this year.  But they're still making the same great beers.

Started in 1983 by Larry Bell, who sold beer making supplies to the public, Bell's beers were first poured in 1985 making them the oldest microbrewer east of the Mississippi.  Bell's started small, working the distribution channels themselves, and today they are producing beer in two facilities totaling over 60,000 sq. ft.  The original Kalamzoo Brewing Company production facility is still being used for production of specialty beers crafted for Bell's Eccentric Cafe brewpub. 

Bell makes a number of beers, but the two that I especially enjoy are their Pale Ale beer and their Third Coast Beer.

                                                                                                                   Their Pale Ale is full bodied, not too hoppy, with a smooth taste.  It's very aromatic and full in flavor.  Bell's Pale Ale is one of the few Pale Ales on the market that is brewed with nearly 100% pale malt. It's one of my favorite Pale Ale's available today.

Bell's Third Coast Beer is a lighter beer that also has a pale ale taste to it.  It's got a nice flavor and smell to it and you don't get some of the aftertaste that you get with most pale ales. 

Bell's makes about 20 beers - about six of them are available year round, with a number of seasonal beers and some single issue beers throughout the year, as well. 

I'm kind of upset in that we were only about 40 miles from Kalamazoo when Cindy and I spent a few days up in South Haven, MI (see map) and never went over to Bell's Eccentric Cafe for lunch or something.  But, it will give me a good reason for us to go back up into Michigan sometime in the near future just to give that a shot. 

Bell's Beer is available all through the Midwest (see map where available) and if you can find a sixer or two of their beer, grab it, take it home and enjoy it. 

King's Food Host

King's was a chain of restaurants based out of Nebraska.  Growing up, we had one in Newton at the shopping center on the east side of town.  The premise of the place was that you went in, sat in these booths, and they had the menu posted next to a telephone.  When you knew what you wanted, you'd "call" your order in to a switchboard located in the kitchen area. 

The food was pretty good.  In fact, I loved their cheese burgers.  They had a black peppery taste to 'em.  I tell people that my affinity for all things seasoned with cracked black pepper has to do with the taste of the King's burgers from years ago.  The closest I've found to the original King's burgers are the ones at Don & Millie's in the Omaha area (click here to read about Don & Millie's), and at The Woodhouse in Bismarck, ND (click here to read about The Woodhouse).  Both restaurants  

However, King's had this thing called a "Cheese Frenchee".  I never cared for the thing, but some people absolutely craved it.  My buddy, Dave Haack, who grew up in Nebraska, had the recipe and he gave it to me one time years ago.  Here it is for you King's Cheese Frenchee addicts:

King's Cheese Frenchee Recipe

6 slices white bread
6 slices American Cheese (American Cheese is a must!)
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
Kellogg's Corn Flake Crumbs
Mayonnaise
Vegetable Oil for deep frying

Make 3 sandwiches using 2 slices of American Cheese per sandwich.  Spread mayonnaise on bread slices.  Cut sandwiches diagonally into triangles. 

Combine egg, milk, flour and salt.  Dip the sandwich triangles into the mixture and then coat with corn flake crumbs. 

Deep fry until golden brown.

Ooo - my arteries are hardening just thinking about these!

Glorified Bus Stops

Air travel is such a pain in the ass these days.  The continual "hurry up and wait" mentality that permeates the industry is getting tiresome.  Then you add in the over-exuberance of the TSA and it just makes it a brutal chore to fly any more. 

I stood in line at the American Airlines desk today for 45 minutes - 20 minutes of which was watching a young family of five (mom, dad, three kids under the age of five) trying to get checked in.  There's obviously some rules about what can and can't be done with kids under the age of five as two of the kids had to have this lanyard and packet placed around their neck with their ticket information on them at all times. 

The problem was that there was only one agent at the check in desk.  One person!  And he had to check in people who were both going to Dallas and to Chicago.  It was maddening.  Finally, a lady showed up and motioned for me to come over to her.  I go up to her and she abruptly said, "Oh, wait a minute."  And she disappeared into the backroom.  And she never came back out.  Another guy came out to help and I'm standing there with my thumb up my ass for 10 minutes - the lady never came back out. 

Finally, I said, "Hey, I've been standing here for 10 minutes."

The second guy who came out said, "She'll be back."

I said, "Well, obviously she isn't coming back or she would have been here by now."

And he said, "Well, that's just Carol."

Like I'm supposed to go, "Oh, of course.  Carol.  I should have known she'd leave me standing here." 

Finally, I got the guy to help me, and once again, he said, "Well, that's just how Carol is." 

I said, "Does Carol's supervisor know that's the way she is?"

He said, "Carol is the supervisor." 

And people wonder why airlines are losing money right and left.

Flights are late, the give-a-shit factor among some of these airline employees is just maddening.  I'm sitting in DFW right now waiting for a flight to Las Vegas that has been delayed, considering the first flight I was supposed to be on they overbooked and put me on this flight. 

And people wonder why I like to drive every where these days...

The Rendezvous - Memphis

Cindy and I went to Memphis one time for my birthday weekend and we really had a great time.  We stayed at the new Hampton Inn and Suites at Peabody Place and that was a wonderful place to stay.  It was just a block from the legendary Beale Street right in the heart of downtown Memphis. 

Of course, friends told me that we had to go to Charlie Vergo's Rendezvous barbecue.  The Rendezvous is situated down an alley (Escape Alley, to be exact) just down from the famous Peabody Hotel.  You go into the place, down some steps and you're there.  It's not much to look at on the inside.  Tables are old and the chairs are uncomfortable, but, hey!  It's barbecue, not friggin' Charlie Trotter's in Chicago! 

Now, for the uninitiated, Memphis style barbecue is a dry rub (see recipe).  I sort of like the dry rubs on ribs so I was really interested to try the place. 

The Rendezvous has been around for years and they have waiters that have worked there for a long time - some for nearly 40 years!  They're all smartly dressed, much too nice for a rib joint.  So we order a full order of ribs, figuring that if we're really hungry afterwards we could get some more.  So they bring us what they called a full order, but it would have been a half order at many barbecue places I've eaten at.

And the ribs were...  OK.  Actually, unexcitingly OK.  Disappointingly OK.  I've made a Memphis Rub before that had more pizazz than what the Rendezvous ribs had.  The meat wasn't as tender and flavorful that I thought it would be.  And for what you got for $17 bucks, I was really hungry for more.  We did get another full order and it was... OK.  Not a "knock-your-socks off" experience that I was told to expect.  And the place wasn't that busy - it was a Thursday night.  The business was brisk, but it wasn't packed, nor was it dead. 

We went upstairs after we ate and looked around in the empty party room upstairs.  It had a lot of neat old pictures on the walls and we must have spent about 15 minutes just looking around. 

Will I go back?  I don't know.  Maybe.  It was sort of expensive for what it was and I wasn't overly impressed with it.  It was OK, but I've eaten in many other barbecue joints that were much better.  I just thought it was overrated for what it was.

Two Mits - Elkader, IA

Two Mits in Elkader, Iowa (see map) is sort of hard to describe.  First of all, they aren't in a building - it's more of a trailer on a street corner in downtown Elkader (it's not hard to find - Elkader is not that big).  Secondly, it's only open on Thursday and Friday nights, and all day Saturday and Sunday from April thru October.  Third, they have a grille that has inch high sides on it.  That's so they can take a concoction of water and spices (they call it "dirty water") and pour it directly onto the grille. 

When the water starts to boil, he throws down a bunch of raw onion rings.  Then they put down hamburger patty after hamburger patty on the grille with the onions, right in the water.  The burgers "boil" for about six to eight minutes, turning once.  The result is a taste that you cannot believe.  The burgers are so moist, so juicy, that you need six napkins per burger.  The burgers are not very big - two make a nice meal. 

You order them "Mit" (with) or without cheese.  So "2 Mit" means "Two with cheese".  They also have great hot dogs there.  Don't know where they get their hot dogs, but I tried one once and it was out of this world.  One of the best hot dogs I'd ever had. 

Here's a hint - go on a sunny day and go across the street to the convenience store and grab a couple beers.  There's a park about a block and a half away that overlooks a waterfall on the Turkey River.  Grab a table, open the beer, have a Two Mit burger.  You'll think you're in heaven, but it's really Iowa.

The Italian Village - Chicago

My wife suggested we go to the Italian Village on W. Monroe (see map) when we were in Chicago last week. I had been there once, about 17 years ago, and don't remember much about it, other than I thought my meal - some sort of a tomato sauce based meal - was OK, but not outstanding.

Actually, the Italian Village is three restaurants under one roof. The Italian Village restaurant is the most famous of the three. It's located on the second floor of the business and is the biggest of the three. Started by the Capitanini family over 78 years ago, it features traditional Italian cuisine at moderate prices. They bill themselves as Chicago's oldest Italian restaurant. The grandson of the founder is running the three restaurants today.

Vivare is located on the ground level of the building. It's much more fancy and upscale than the Village with an extensive wine list and a menu that features more regional Italian favorites than the Italian Village upstairs. For years, it was the bar for the Italian Village - I had a couple of drinks in there in the late 80's one evening when we found out that the restaurant wasn't serving food after 10 p.m. Vivere opened in the early 90's and has won the acclaim of number of food and wine critics over the years.

In the lower level of the building is La Cantina. La Cantina has more of a Mediterranean theme than the other two restaurants. I've never eaten in La Cantina - which has been around for over 50 years. It looks interesting, though.

Cindy and I went to the Italian Village and both La Cantina and Vivere are closed, but the Village was open on the second floor. The wait with no reservation was about 20 minutes (it was the Monday after Christmas, but there was still a lot of people downtown).

The Village has a lot of neat homemade artwork on the walls and ceiling, trying to make it look like you're actually sitting in a small Italian Village under a star lit sky. The problem with the Village is that it's pretty cramped. We got a table along a busy walk way and it just seemed to be a little too loud and distracting while we were trying to relax and enjoy the moment.

We didn't do anything really special - Cindy got the Lemon Chicken and I opted for the Lemon Veal. We both had a salad and got a side of mostaciolli with their white cream sauce. Actually, the white cream sauce was very good. Almost too buttery and very rich, however. The lemon sauce was very good and my veal was tender and cooked perfectly. Cindy's chicken breast was also cooked perfectly - it was moist and tender and had a lot of good flavor to it.

For dessert, Cindy wanted a piece of the Italian Rum Cake. I wasn't up for dessert, but the waiter brought an extra fork for me to try to cake. It was very good. It was pretty rich and I only had about three bites.

I think our bill with tip came to just about $65. I didn't think that was too bad. Given the fact that the Italian Village has been around so long, it was worth it just going back and rediscovering a place that I wasn't too blown away by 17 years ago.

And I'm glad we went...

Keys Cafe - Twin Cities

Keys Cafe is a Twin Cities institution with five or six locations around the area.  I've only eaten at the one in Roseville a couple of times and the food is just great.  I've had their meat loaf which is good (not as good as mine), and their hot beef sandwich, which is out of this world.  I also had a cup of the Wild Rice soup (a Minnesota staple) on one occasion and it was great, as well.

Keys is locally owned by one of the two women who started it back in 1973.  My buddy, George Miller, swears that the Beef Tips are to die for, so I'll have to try them the next time I go in. 

If you really need a "stick to your ribs" dinner in the Twin Cities, you can't beat Keys!

Jane - Just Stop It!

Cindy went to Cedar Rapids today to see her mom, which left me open to do about anything I pleased.  So I lounged around in my pajamas until about 2 p.m., showered and decided to make myself a Bloody Mary. 

I'm in the kitchen fixing up a drink and I look out and Jane is in the same clothes she had on from two days ago - green dress, blue sweat pants, mis-matched socks, tennis shoes - but her hair was back to its normal gray from the flourescent blue it was from before. 

I saw her over in our yard and she was bending over and pulling up stuff out of the ground.  I thought, "Oh, Christ - she's pulling up some of Cindy's plants." 

So, I go out there, and sure enough, she's pulled up two or three plants, roots and all, from the ground.  I said, "Jane!  Just stop it!  You're pulling up our plants again!"

She looked at me and said, "Huh?"

I said, "Jane, get out of our yard.  You're pulling up plants again."

She said, "Well, where does your yard start?"

I showed her the end of the fence line along the back and she said, "Oh, I don't think that's right." 

I blew a gasket.  I said, "Jane, get out of our yard and don't come back. I'm tired of you coming over here and ruining our plants!" 

She looked rather incoherent and she started walking further into our yard to start pulling at other plants.  The plants she thought were weeds were dormant plants.  I finally said, "Jane, get the hell out of here."

She said, "Well, you know I don't like weeds." (Could have surprised me considering the amount of weeds in her yard.)

I said, "That's fine, but these aren't weeds and this isn't your yard!" 

God, I'm glad Cindy wasn't around or she would have had a shit conniption on the spot. 

I went in and called Jane's son who lives about three blocks away and told him to give me a call.  He called tonight and I told him that we were tired of Jane coming over and pulling plants that she thinks are weeds.  I told him that we were nice about it the first couple of times, then had to get a little more firm each time since then.  I told him that I had to get downright nasty with her this afternoon. 

I said, "We've spent a lot of money over the past couple three years for plants for our yard and I can't afford to have your mom coming over here and pulling them out because she thinks they're weeds."

He said, "Will, I understand what you're saying.  You have every right to be mad at her and I don't blame you.  You have a very nice yard and I'm sorry that she's doing that.  I'll talk to her and I'll be firm in telling her to stay out of your yard.  And if it gets to the point that you need to call the police, please do."

I said, "Look, I'm not going to call the cops.  I know she's trying to be helpful, but it's getting to the point that she's ruining our plants.  And I can't have that any longer.  And the thing that also concerns me is that she seemed incoherent when I'm trying to talk to her about this."

He said, "Will, say no more.  We've looked into putting her into a home, but it's a lot easier said than done.  We know that she's failing mentally and has been that way for a long time.  We're just trying to figure out our options before we have to make that final decision."

The problem is that he's not doing anything.  I think he's hoping she kicks the bucket or gets hit by a car or something.  She's gone from being good entertainment to being a menace in the neighborhood. 

Vic's Caesar Salad Dressing

Vic’s Caesar Salad for 4

My brother-in-law makes a mean Caesar
Salad dressing.  Actually, he got it from a former
boss who wrote it out on a cocktail napkin for him. 
It's killer.

1 TBSP Ground Pepper
Pinch Salt
3 garlic cloves
4 anchovies

Pepper, salt, garlic and anchovies: Grind up together 
in a large bowl with mortar and pestle, or with a fork.

Add 1 TBSP malt vinegar
       3 TBSP olive oil
       Juice of one lemon
       1 TBSP Worchestershire sauce 
       Yolk of one egg
 1 TBSP Dijon mustard and mix well all ingredients.

Add Romaine lettuce to salad bowl. Toss completely 
and at length just before serving. Sprinkle shredded 
parmesan cheese and croutons over. Toss again and 
serve.