Road Tips

Duffy's Tavern - Utica, IL

Duffy's Tavern in the small Illinois town of Utica, IL is a long time favorite of people who for years have traveled to the beautiful Starved Rock State Park just south of town.  Utica is a neat little town with a number of little shops and restaurants, but Duffy's is probably the most well known of the places in the downtown area (see map).

On April 20, 2004, Utica was hit by a massive tornado that killed 8 people, damaged over 100 homes and destroyed a number of businesses in the downtown area.  The total cost of destruction in the small town was well into the millions.  It took the people of Utica months to rebuild and to get their lives back to normal.

Duffy's was one of the businesses hit by the tornado.  Here's a picture of the front of Duffy's after the storm came through.

I hadn't been to Duffy's since the tornado hit, so on my way into Chicago yesterday I decided to take a side trip off of Interstate 80 and go into town for a Duffy's Burger. 

Actually, I first stopped in at Princeton, IL to get a burger at The Spoon restaurant.  I heard that The Spoon had good burgers, so I thought I'd get one there.  I walked into the place around 1:40 p.m. and there were four guys sitting toward the back playing cards. 

An older guy got up from the game and sauntered up to counter where I was seated.  He asked what I wanted and I told him I'd take a cheeseburger and a cold beer.  He said, "Well, I turned off the grill about a half hour ago.  We don't serve dinner and once the lunch crowd is gone, I usually turn the grill off." 

Jesus.  Oh well.  On to Utica, about 20 miles away. 

If you didn't know there was a big tornado that tore apart the town over two years ago, you probably couldn't see the scars the town still has.  The inside of Duffy's didn't suffer much damage, but the building, which was built in 1892, did have some structural damage to the second floor.  Lisle and Pat Elsbury bought Duffy's in 2003 and were in the building when the tornado hit that evening in April. 

They were lucky.  Their friends, Larry and Marian Ventrice, and six others who were in the basement of the Milestone Tap, a restaurant/bar down the street, weren't.

I went into Duffy's and sat at the bar.  Pat Elsbury, a kind of a tough looking middle-aged blond - but in a good way - who calls everyone "Hon", was behind the bar talking with a restaurant supply salesman.  She got my order - a Duffy Burger (1/2 lb. hand-formed patty topped with your choice of cheese - I had Swiss) - and a cold Berghoff on tap.

Duffy's is a good little Irish pub.  The inside of the place shows no effects of the tornado.  The original tin ceiling is still in place, the long walnut bar is still there, and there's still the interesting signage on the wall (such as "Beer Hall of Foam" - whatever that is). 

The previous owners started doing dinners of steak, seafood and pasta a number of years ago and the Elsbury's have continued that tradition.  Actually, I've never been there for dinner, but I have had their burgers before and they're good.

This one was no exception.  I do remember the bun being a little dry, and I'm a firm believer that in many instances the bun can make or break a good burger.  However, it isn't a breaker with the Duffy Burger.  The burger was cooked a perfect medium, the Swiss cheese was fresh and pungent, and the dry bun quickly became moist from all the juices from the burger. 

After I finished, I got to talking with Pat Elsbury.  I remarked that the place looked pretty good considering what they'd been through.  She said the restaurant, itself, sustained little to no damage.  They were shut down for about two weeks before they began to serve beer and liquor again, and it took about a month before they could start doing burgers and sandwiches.  She said they were back to normal for full business in a couple months. 

She told me that the biggest problems they had initially were the gawkers that would come to town, park their cars, get out and walk around and not stop in for something at Duffy's.  "We had a lot of problems with no parking around here.  We finally had to put up signs in the lot across the street telling people this was for Duffy's and they'd be towed if they didn't come in to the place."

I'm glad that Duffy's didn't suffer the damage that many other Utica businesses had.  It's a neat place and one worth stopping at.

Olive Garden

For the longest time, I always said that there was no good Italian restaurant in the Quad Cities.  The "alto cuicinare" of Italian restaurants in town was the Olive Garden.  And now that we finally have some true Italian restaurants in town - I'm sorry - but I will never go into an Olive Garden restaurant again.

Olive Garden's are owned by the Darden Restaurant group, the same people who own Red Lobster (another place I won't go into - that's another story for another time), Smokey Bones barbecue restaurants (I ate in one in St. Louis one time, I doubt if I go back), and Bahama Breeze restaurants (never been in one, don't plan on going). 

My reason for boycotting Olive Garden is simple - there's a number of better Italian restaurants available in nearly every city where there's an Olive Garden.  It's nothing more than corporate fast food served to the masses.  It's not all that bad, but it's not the best in Italian food, either.  I can make better Italian food at home, and I still can't make it as good as some of the other Italian restaurants in town.   

Still, the one here in Davenport gets HUGE crowds for lunch through the week.  And on Friday and Saturday nights, I understand the wait may be up to 2 hours.  When I hear that, I think, "There are now four or five better Italian restaurants in this town than Olive Garden.  Why can't people figure that out?"

The bread sticks continue to be a big draw at Olive Garden.  They used to do unlimited family style salads and they'd also have unlimited pasta some nights.  But they'd get you so damn full on the bread sticks - which, I admit, are very good - and on the salad that you literally had no room to eat any of the main pasta entree. 

I don't know if they still do that or not because I haven't been at one in about 8 years.

The commercials depicting the Italian-American family bringing their Italian relatives to Olive Garden for a "true" Italian dinner insults the intelligence of not only Italians, but Italian food enthusiasts.  There's a great op ed piece from the Wall Street Journal by Victorino Matus regarding the Olive Garden commercials.

The executive director of the National Italian American Foundation, John Salamone, was quoted in the op ed piece as saying what Italians may resent most about the Olive Garden commercials is that they are being used by Olive Garden to imply the restauant's food is authentic Italian cuisine. 

A professor of mathematics at the University of Northern Iowa - Doug Shaw - wrote an essay about four years ago that echoes a lot of the same problems I have with Olive Garden, in general.  He used to have a challenge where he offered anyone a free glass of wine at an Olive Garden if they didn't have a better meal and a better time at a local Italian restaurant than what they could get at an Olive Garden. 

I'd almost like to do something similar to that.  We have a number of good Italian restaurants here in the Quad's now - Lunardi's, Centro, Antonella's, Tratorria Tiramisu, even Biaggi's (a Midwestern chain of Italian restaurants) is much better than Olive Garden.  The food is better, the atmosphere is as nice as the Olive Garden, and I can guarantee that you could take an Italian food connoisseur to any of those restaurants, you wouldn't embarrass yourself.   

It doesn't matter where you are - there's much better Italian restaurants in a 10 mile radius from any Olive Garden.  And I can't understand why people continue to go there in droves.

Taste of the Quad Cities - Moline, IL

I've said for a number of years there always seems to be something going on each and every summer weekend in the Quad Cities.  This past weekend saw the annual Taste of the Quad Cities event held on the John Deere Commons in Moline.  Cindy and I had never been to it before, but we decided to brave the threatening skies and we went to it last Saturday night. 

Actually, it's held on River Dr. between John Deere Commons and The Mark of the Quad Cities.  It was $6 bucks to get in - keeping a lot of riff-raff out of the place.

There were approximately 20 Quad City area restaurants - well below the 70 plus restaurants that participate in the Taste of Chicago.  And many were chains - Carlos O'Kelly's, Papa John's, Culver's and Biaggi's.  There were dessert offerings from Bishop's (newly re-opened in Davenport), Maggie Moo's, and Whitey's Ice Cream.  Two of the more eclectic restaurants in town - Centro and Restaurant 225 (in the new Figge Art Museum) - were on hand with small appetizers.  And Texas Roadhouse, D.J.'s Ribs, Jim's Rib Haven, and Famous Dave's all had their own mini barbecue cook-off as they all offered single rib samples for a buck. 

Each place had three things on their menu to choose from (although many had run out of the more popular items by Saturday night).  Prices ranged from $1.00 to $5.00 for the samplings. 

There was music and beer - Wicked Liz and the Bellyswirls had played earlier in the evening; and Jim the Mule was playing when we showed up.  Keg beer was served in glasses for $3.00 each and it was cold.  In fact, it wasn't too packed as there were off and on showers in the area so it was easy to get food and beer.

Although we didn't eat much food, the one place that we did try was Stashu and Son's Pizza and Deli from Moline (see map).  I've lived here 15 years and have heard people rave about Stashu's meats, but I've never tried them. 

I tried one of their Italian sausage links on a bun, eating more of the sausage link than the bun.  It was very tasty and had a nice bite of spiciness to it. 

The guy we talked to was obviously one of the owners and he was telling us that they grind their own meat for their pizzas.  He said that they're actually better known for their calzones.  As good as the Italian sausage was, we're going to have to try their place sooner than later.

The Taste of the Quad Cities was a nice event for a smaller community.  I'm not certain it was worth the $6 bucks a head to get into the event.  And I'm not certain that we'll circle next year's date on the calendar.  But for around here, it was OK. 

Family Rib Cook-off

Cindy and I have disagreements from time to time regarding how food should be cooked.  She came across a recipe for baby back ribs in Family Circle magazine that she wanted to try.  It basically called for dry rubbed ribs to be put into an oven bag and cooked in the oven for 75 minutes, then finished on the grill for about 15 minutes. 

I think any ribs cooked in an oven is wrong.  My method of "low and slow" cooking - cooking the ribs on a grill, with indirect heat and hickory smoke, at about 220 to 250 degrees for a minimum of 2 hours - is the only way to cook ribs, I believe. 

So, Cindy and I decided to get a slab of ribs each and do ribs our way.

Here's Cindy's recipe for her rub (actually, she got this from Weber's Big Book of Grilling:

1 tablespoon paprika

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon of sea salt or kosher salt

1 tablespoon of cracked black pepper

2 teaspoons of garlic powder

2 teaspoons of onion powder

1 teaspoon of cumin

Heat oven to 425 degrees.  In a small bowl, combine the rub ingredients and stir together. 

Prepare a cup of flour.

Remove rib rack from packaging and rinse in cool water.  Turn ribs so the meaty side is down.  Insert a small knife under the edge of the thin white membrane, the grip membrane and pull from back of ribs.  Discard membrane.  Cut rib rack in half.

Season the meaty side of the ribs with the dry rub, pressing the seasoning into the meat.  Sprinkle the cup of flour into a heavy-duty oven bag set on top of a cookie pan.  Add the ribs and tightly seal the bag.  Bake at 425 degrees for 75 minutes.   

Prepare charcoal grill for medium-hot coals.  Carefully remove ribs from foil bag as steam will be escaping.  Grill ribs on direct heat for about 10 to 15 minutes, meat side down first for about 5 minutes.  Turn and baste with your favorite barbecue sauce (Cindy used Cookie's Western barbecue sauce) and let cook for five to ten minutes.  Remove from grill and eat!

Will's Rib Rub -

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

2 tablespoons cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt. 

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (salt, garlic powder, paprika, white pepper, oregano, black pepper, cayenne pepper)

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon dried sweet leaf basil

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon ground sage

1 tablespoon sugar

Mix ingredients in a bowl and duplicate the above instructions in preparing the rib rack (removing membrane and seasoning the ribs).

On a Weber charcoal grill (or equivalent), place coals on two sides for indirect heat cooking, with a pan of water in the middle.  Prepare coals for medium heat (about 300 degrees).  Soak about a pound of hickory wood chunks in water for about 15 minutes and place on coals just before putting the ribs on the grill. 

Place rib rack meat side up over the center of the grill above the pan of water (you can place the rack on a piece of aluminum foil - something I've been doing a lot lately to keep the juices from dripping into the water).  Reduce heat (by closing vents) to about 220 to 230 degrees, allowing no higher than 250 degrees.  Cook for a minimum of two hours.  Stir the wood chips from time to time to keep smoke rolling, but don't over smoke the meat. 

Remove from grill and serve. 

The Results -

Both ribs were pretty good.  I thought Cindy's may have been a little over-cooked (possibly because the recipe called for the oven to be so hot - I sort of questioned that when I first saw the recipe), but the basting of the ribs with barbecue sauce on the grill gave them a good flavor.  They were a little dry, but still good. 

While my ribs didn't fall off the bone, they were still moist and tender, with a nice pink inside because of the hickory smoke.   We tasted the good in both styles of ribs. 

I don't know if there really is a true right way to do ribs.  But I've been doing mine the same way for a number of years, and they've turned out pretty good each time.  I'll keep 'em out of the oven and on the grill for the foreseeable future.

Twin City Grill - Bloomington, MN

I normally don't go for restaurants in strip malls or in major malls, but every once in a while I have to suspend my rules when I find a place like the Twin City Grill.

Located in the Mall of America, Twin City Grill is part of Rich Melman's Lettuce Entertain You chain of fine and fun restaurants based out of Chicago.  The restaurant is styled after a 1940's fine dining establishment with a number of 40's era pictures and fixtures throughout the place. 

I first went there about two years ago with my friend, George Miller, and have been back a couple times with accounts I call on.  George got my interest piqued when he once told me that one of the finest steaks he ever had was Twin City Grill's filet topped with Maytag blue cheese.  I was hoping it tasted as good as it sounded.  It was.

When I was in the Twin Cities recently, I took a long time manufacturer's representative friend of mine out for dinner at the Twin City Grill.  I started out with a cup of their signature Minnesota Wild Rice chowder, and then got the 12 oz prime rib with whipped potatoes.  My friend, Mike, got the special that evening which was the sliced glazed pork tenderloin with a mushroom and onion sauce.  Mine was excellent and Mike really liked his, as well.  His looked good, too. 

Twin City Grill's wine list is very good with a lot of different wines to choose from.  We got a bottle of the 2002 Liberty School Cabernet - one of my favorite wines - and it was nicely priced at $27 for the bottle.

Twin City Grill can be kind of pricey - with our dinner, drinks, wine and tip the bill was a little over $100.  But it's worth it.  Never had a bad meal there and don't expect to get a bad meal there, either.   

XM or Sirius - Is it Worth It?

As much as I travel, a lot of people ask if I have satellite radio in my car.  The simple answer is - no, I don't.  Why?  Because I don't know which service - XM or Sirius - I'd have.  Both have over 110 different channels to choose from (with XM now up to around 170 channels).  Both bring some things to the party that I'd like to listen to, but both don't have everything I'd want. 

I've tried rental cars with both XM and Sirius and I found myself listening to only three or four stations during trips - if I listened at all.  There are areas in the Midwest that satellite radio would come in handy - a stretch of Interstate 35 between Des Moines and Kansas City immediately comes to mind.  You can only pick up about three FM stations for a 40 mile stretch and they play only country music or have farm reports on non-stop. 

Sirius has a base of just over 4,000,000 subscribers, while XM has a base of 6.5 million with a projected base of 8.5 million by the end of 2006.  However, XM had to recently downgrade their projections by 500,000 subscribers which lowered their stock price. 

A lot of that has to do with a slower than anticipated new General Motors vehicle sales.  Over 50 2006 GM models come with XM radios.  And Ford has an agreement with Sirius to provide satellite radios in their upper end vehicles, primarily SUV's.  With the price of gas around $3 bucks a gallon, those big gas hogs are sitting parked on dealer's lots. 

Sirius has picked up some steam versus XM, but their earnings are still woefully low - hovering around $4 a share.  A lot of that is attributed to their overall net losses and the lack of anticipated new subscribers.

After Sirius announced that Howard Stern would begin to broadcast his show on the system, they expected an uptick in subscribers.  From September of 2005 to January of 2006 just before Stern went on Sirius, market projections were that Sirius would add about 1.5 million subscribers.  However, that total number of new subscribers ended up being about 225,000 fewer than expected (see chart).

The "Stern Effect" - a marketing term used for the surge in Sirius subscriptions - has begun to stall.  According to the Bridge Ratings, a Southern California firm that tracks weekly and monthly radio audiences, Stern converted about 1.1 million of his listeners to Sirius.  Given that Sirius' subscriber base is about 4 times that size, you can see the importance of Stern's presence on the satellite radio provider.

However, the number of new subscribers has fallen dramatically since the January 2006 debut of Stern's uncensored show.  In March and early April, the Bridge Ratings asked over 3,000 former Stern listeners as to why they hadn't switched to Sirius.  31% said that they don't miss Stern that much to listen.  But the underlying fact may actually be the next stat - 23% said that the price of the equipment and subscription is too high. 

Stern at his height had about 12M listeners.  Figure that he probably has about 1.5 to 2 million on Sirius (considering that many Stern listeners were already Sirius subscribers well before January of this year), and his replacements on over-the-air radio probably have a like number of listeners, that means that approximately 8 million former Stern listeners are not listening to Howard any longer.  That's a huge number that has to bewilder - and concern - many Sirius executives. 

I know it concerns Stern, who went on a rant recently saying that instead of 4M Sirius subscribers, it should be 20M. 

One of the interesting things about satellite radio is that many people have not renewed annual subscriptions.  Paul Nachreiner, who heads the sales division for Madison,WI-based AMS (and one of my dealers), told me recently that their revenues for renewed subscriptions were down for the first five months of 2006.  And it didn't matter if it was XM or Sirius - people who had put satellite radio in their cars in 2004 and into 2005 were not renewing the annual plan.   

Paul said there are a number of reasons.  He said the biggest reason seems to be the quality of sound that people get with satellite radio.  Coupled with signal drops and black-outs during heavy weather, some people have dumped satellite altogether for the traditional - and free - terrestrial radio stations. 

Both XM and Sirius claim "CD quality sound".  While it is true that the broadcasts are picked up by a digital receiver in most cars, they are down-converted to a radio frequency band to be played over the vehicle's radio that ultimately compresses the signal and limits the full range sound that people think they're paying for.

There is a web site - radiosatellite.org - that does a wonderful job of comparing the two services and gives you a good overall perspective of which one has what.  And there is a blog site - Orbitcast - that deals with news and information regarding the satellite radio industry.

I'm not sold on satellite radio just yet, but I don't think it's going away any time soon.  Like any new medium, satellite radio is finding it's way, trying to narrow-cast their multiple offerings to millions of people.  If there was just a way to combine the two services, then I think I'd be interested.

Paris Walkabout

During my recent trip to France, we had an afternoon in Paris to walk around for a while.  Actually, the only places we went to that were of any consequence was the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Rive Gauche, or Left Bank area of Paris. 

It's so difficult to get around to see all the sights in just three or four hours.  First of all, to do Paris right, you have to walk.  There's just too much you can miss if you taxi from point to point.  Secondly, you'll have to take at least three days to get around to every place.  The first time I went, we took a full day and walked and walked and walked - but we saw a lot of things.  But we didn't have time to REALLY explore. 

It was a cool Saturday afternoon in late April when my colleagues and I took a walkabout around a section of the city.  I took a lot of pictures and have put them in my Photo Album.  You can click on the pictures for the captions I've written. 

Sturgis on the River - Davenport, IA

One of the largest motorcycle rallies - not only in the Midwest, but in the nation - is held each Father's Day weekend here in Davenport.  "Sturgis on the River" celebrated its 12th year this past weekend with bands, beer, bikes and babes. 

Sturgis on the River was started in 1994 by local businessman Roger Peet who first held the event in the Village of East Davenport.  It was estimated that 1,000 bikes attended the two day event that year.  By 1997, Peet was out of the picture and Sturgis on the River was taken over by Glen Rohm, a local small promoter who moved it to LeClaire Park next to the river. 

As it grew steadily over the years, it became a three-day event (Thursday - Saturday), more bands were added (there were 60 bands this year on four different stages), more vendors showed up and more people came.  They've been estimating that upwards of 50,000 bikers come to Sturgis on the River each year. (Although, they've got to be counting a lot of the same ones three times. Even though there are a lot who show up, there's no way there's 50,000 different bikers in town for this thing). 

I've been asked to work the event in the stage area for the past three years, but the promoter is always claiming "poverty" and doesn't want to pay me much of anything for three days of schlepping equipment around and making sure the bands get on and off in their allotted times.  So, I don't work the event. 

But Cindy and I did go down on Friday night to check out a couple bands and to see the bikes.  A lot of them are just lined up along Biederbecke Drive just west of John O'Donnell Stadium in downtown Davenport (see map).  There's a number of colorful and exquisite motorcycles and the owners are always more than eager to show 'em off. 

When we got down there, it was such a zoo for parking.  My buddy, Randy Adams, told us to go to this area for VIP parking.  I drove to the area and it turned out that the guy running the traffic control was the son of a Davenport police officer that I work with at a number of events.  I asked him where VIP parking was and he pointed the way.  We parked and got in for free.  Another example of "It's not what you know, but who you know." 

Randy's wife, Kristy, was in charge of one of the beer tents so we went there and had a couple beers.  Boy, for saying he doesn't have much money to work with, Glen Rohm must be rolling in the dough after this year's event.  It was $5.00 per person to get in (if you weren't on a motorcycle), it was $3.00 for a 12 oz. can of beer; $3.50 for a 16 oz aluminum bottle of beer, and $3.50 for a Corona.  They couldn't keep up with the beer demands at Kristy's tent. 

After walking around looking at the bikes, we stopped to hear some bands.  We first saw Sugar Nipples, a surprisingly good band that I just found out about earlier this year.  What was more surprising is that a guy I've known for about 18 years, Jim Stichnoth, is the bass player for the band.  I didn't know he played an instrument, let alone playing bass in a good band when I first saw them on St. Patrick's Day.

Matt Truitt is a good singer and a good showman as the lead singer for Sugar Nipples.  They have a good guitar player and a drummer who also does some background singing for the band.  Their renditions of some popular songs are very surprising and entertaining.

We caught some music by my friends from Spike.  Spike is a band that has been around the Quad Cities for a number of years and I've worked with them at a number of events over the years.  They completely changed from a classic rock band to a blues/rock band about three years ago and I think their popularity went way up.  Chris Ryan is the lead singer and harmonica player.  Jeff Sime is the lead guitarist and the leader of the group.  Richie Reeves on drums has played with Jeff for over 30 years since their days in high school.  Bruce Hunt on guitar and George Reidesel on bass round out the band.  It's always good to work with these guys.

Here's a picture of Spike from the Rib Fest a couple years ago.   

We also caught the debut of Shane Johnson and John Resch, two guys who used to play together in a number of bands including Shane Johnson's Blue Train.  Shane is probably - no, not probably - he IS the best guitarist in the Quad Cities today.  He's about as perfect in technique as you can get with a guitar player.  He's played on tour with E.C. Scott and her band, Smoke, and is back with John Resch playing in a "super blues group" out of the Quad Cities called the Juke Joint Sinners.  They recently won the All-Iowa Blues Challenge held last month in Des Moines and will be playing at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis next February. 

Shane and John played with a drummer who I couldn't identify.  I'd never seen him before and I didn't go talk to them after their gig (which was dominated by a number of Cream and Jimi Hendrix tunes) to find out what this guy's story was.  But the way John made it sound as he gave his thanks after their show was over, it sounded like they would be playing again.

Here's a montage of Shane and John playing from a few years ago.

We also stuck around for the Gibbs Brothers band out of Fort Madison.  This three piece band has been around for a number of years, with the twin brothers - Brandon on guitar and Brent on drums - playing with their dad, Brian, since they were pre-teens.  They first played the Rib Fest in 2000 when the twins were about 16 years old.  Prodded on by an aggressive stage mother (who is actually a very nice lady), these guys are the quintessential showman rockers. 

They had a new bass player playing with them, some guy named Phil, but their father Brian got up to play a couple tunes with them during the show, as well.  I joked to him before the gig, "I see they haven't fired you yet."

He said, "Well, they've semi-retired me."

Cindy remarked during the show, "Man, those two kids have really grown up!"  Yep, it wasn't long ago that they were two blond haired kids playing rock and roll music with their dad.  Now they're these scary looking 22 year olds rocking out with their dad.   

Sturgis on the River is a nice event, a little scattered with their displays and with the entertainment, but a good event.  I'm just glad I don't work the thing.  I've got enough on my plate each summer. 

My Cheese Stuffed Nuclear Burgers

Here's a great summertime cook out recipe that really has a "bite"!

Actually, I got this idea from Matt's Bar in Minneapolis and how they do their "Jucy Lucy" burger.  It's basically my "Nuclear Burger" with shredded pepper jack cheese inside.  Watch it when you first bite into them, though.  The cheese can get so hot inside the cavity that it could cause second degree burns.  I'm serious!  But when it cools down, it's yummy!

My Cheese Stuffed Nuclear Burgers

Mixture -

2 lbs. Ground Chuck - 90% lean
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped sweet red peppers
1 cup water
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tone's Liquid Hickory Smoke                                                    

1 tablespoon garlic powder                                                                  
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons of Atomic Brand Horseradish (or equivalent)
1/2 cup dried basil
1/2 cup dill weed

Combine all mixture ingredients a bowl and let set for 1 to 2 hours in the refrigerator. 

6 Onion Hamburger Buns

2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese

Preparing the burgers -

Make 12 equally sized burger patties as thin as possible.  On six of the patties, pile amounts of the shredded pepper jack cheese - about 1/4 cup each, more or less, in the middle of the patty.  With the remaining six patties, place those on top of the cheese and bottom patty and gently fold the two patties together enclosing the cheese.  Make sure there are no openings for the cheese to drain out when cooking. 

Cook directly above medium flame on grille.  Because they're marinated, they cook rather quickly - about 5 to 7 minutes per side. 

Serve them with toasted Onion hamburger buns. (I like to butter both faces of the bun, put a little garlic powder on them, then put them on the grille over direct heat for about 30 to 45 seconds.  Be careful not to burn the buns!)

Yats Cajun and Creole - Indianapolis

The Massachusetts Avenue area of Indianapolis is the home of a lot of trendy restaurants, theaters, art galleries and boutiques.  With a growing base of young professionals moving into lofts and condos reconstructed out of old factories and warehouses, the area is the "hip" area of Indianapolis.

I have a new potential dealer who is just off of Massachusetts Ave. and is hoping his new location will mean good business when a 200 unit condo goes up just south of his place on North Ave.  I went in to see him recently and we had a nice meeting.  It was during the early part of the afternoon so we ended up walking over to Yats Cajun and Creole, a funky little restaurant, for lunch (see map).

Yats takes it's name from a common greeting in Louisiana, "Where y'at?"  And the food is truly cajun and creole (see menu).  They have every thing from jambalaya to etoufee and a lot in between.  And it's cheap.  Most dishes are $5.00 and you can get half and half orders for $6.00.

My dealer guest and I both went with Yats' gumbo - a big bowl of andouille sausage, shrimp, shredded chicken, okra and other veggies in a rich brown broth.  Yats doesn't sell beer, but a cold one would have been perfect with the gumbo on a warm Indy day.  One guy took our order, we waited at another window for the gumbo to come up and two minutes later, there it was.

We sat outside on a picnic table and talked business.   My dealer said, "To me, this is fast food.  People can go to any fast food joint and pay as much for lunch as this.  And this is much better." 

He's right.  The gumbo was outstanding, some of the best I've ever had.

There are two Yats in Indy - the second one is up in the Broad Ripple area on N. College (see map).  Don't know which of the two is the original, but the one on Mass Ave. certainly has a "lived in" look to it. 

I'm hoping I get this guy on as a dealer because I really like the Mass Ave. area.  And even if I don't get this guy on board, I'll still go back to Yats.

Farren's Pub and Eatery - Champaign, IL

I was in the mood for a beer and a burger while in Champaign, IL recently and I found a place called Farren's Pub and Eatery in downtown Champaign. 

Farren's is on Randolph Ave., a main street in Champaign (see map).  But it's sort of hard to find.  It's located back off the street and the only way you can find it is the small sign next to an alley way. 

 

Walk in and down a ramp, you find a small dining area and a nice little bar.  The kitchen area is just to the right behind the bar.  There weren't a lot of people in the place - it was 8 p.m. on a weeknight - and I cozied up to the bar. 

The menu is basic - they have sandwiches, appetizers and salads.  But their signature is their burgers.  They have just regular burgers and they have specialty burgers, such as the Green Chile burger (burger with jalapeno cheese and green chile sauce), the Motherload (mushrooms, blue cheese sauce, bacon) and the Russell (mushrooms, blue cheese sauce, jalapeno cheese - named after a guy named Russell who ordered it every day). 

I went with the Russell, but realized that I probably got the Motherload as it had bacon on it, but no cheese.  The burger meat is cut from a tube of ground beef they have shipped in to the restaurant each day.  The bartender told me that sometimes they cut the burgers a little too thick ("We lose some money on those") but mine was about 3/4" of an inch thick. 

It was a tad overcooked, but the bun made up for it.  Light and tasty, the bun was very good.  I'm a firm believer that a good bun makes or breaks a burger more often than not.

Farren's had a good beer selection of both domestic and export beers.  They had a number of good micro and regional brews listed, as well.  I went with a semi-warm Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.  I know Sierra Nevada beer should be served a little warmer than most beers (about 45 to 50 degrees), but it was definitely warmer than that. 

The burger with some crispy handcut fries (they were OK, not the best I've ever had) was a little expensive - $8.95.  Add in three Sierra Nevada's and the bill with tip came to about $23.00.  A little on the high side for a burger with some beer, but it was good, nonetheless.

The burger at Farren's Pub and Eatery was very good and a spot hitter for me.  It's a place I'd recommend for a good burger in the Champaign area.   

Lunardi's - Davenport, IA

I moved to the Quad Cities fifteen years ago and for the longest time I said the area had no good Italian restaurants.  The height of Italian cuisine for most people was the Olive Garden.  Then we discovered Lunardi's. 

Since 1989, Lunardi's has been run by Terry Lunardi, a large jovial guy who looks a little like Santa Claus without the suit.  (Actually, Terry lives right down the street from us.)  Lunardi's is located in a strip mall near North Park Mall in Davenport (see map - but be careful, Lunardi's has an East Kimberly address, but it's actually behind the Hooters and Northwest Bank).  I'm usually against most restaurants in strip malls but Lunardi's is a notable exception.

Terry Lunardi - photo courtesy Quad City Times 

We were going to go to Dubuque last Saturday night to go see Wicked Liz and the Bellyswirls open for Styx at America's River Festival.  But I'd been on the road all week, up late the previous two nights and had to drive back from Omaha on Saturday morning.  Plus it was unseasonably cold - temps didn't get out of the 50's on Saturday - and it was an outdoor concert.  So we decided not to go.  I felt bad because we really did want to see them open for Styx, but I knew it wouldn't be comfortable out. 

So, instead we met up with Scott and Marcia Schroeder for a few drinks at the Circle Tap in Davenport, then we went up to Lunardi's for dinner.  Our daughter, Leah, came down on Friday night and she went with us. 

We got there around 8:30 and we got right in.  There have been some nights that we've had to wait about 20 to 30 minutes to get a table, but since the night was cool, there weren't a lot of people out and about.  We all got a menu and tried to figure out what we wanted that evening.

Lunardi's is not large, but not small.  It has a nice cozy feel to it.  There are booths on the opposite walls with tables able to seat 2, 4 or 6 people in between.  The bar is in the middle of the restaurant and seats about 12 people. 

Cindy and Leah were in the mood for fettuccine alfredo, so they went with that (adding grilled chicken and broccoli).  I went with the old stand-by - Lunardi's lasagna.  Their lasagna is served in a huge baking dish and only the most hearty appetite can finish it in one setting.  I like the large chunks of Italian sausage in their lasagna.  It's very good.

Scott and Marcia went with Lunardi's pizza.  It's a deep dish with loads of toppings and sauce.  In fact, I call it one of my favorite pizzas in the Quad Cities (see earlier post, and scroll down to "Best of the Quad's").  It's certainly a very underrated pizza.

As is Lunardi's as a whole.  I've had a couple things on their menu that aren't that good (their clam chowder is supposedly homemade, but it tastes worse than any canned clam chowder I've ever had - and they have a stuffed chicken dish that I've had that was pretty bad, as well).  Their dinner salads and homemade dressings are average, their bread is pretty non-descript, but the majority of their Italian specialty entrees are above average. 

Lunardi's is pretty low-profile - they don't advertise much, and they are sort of off the beaten path.  But it's some of the finest Italian food in the area.  Given that it's a stone's throw from The Olive Garden, people going over there to get generic Italian food don't know what they're missing by by-passing Lunardi's.   

(Update - Tragically, Terry Lunardi passed away in August of 2009.  We had gotten to know Terry pretty well since he was a neighbor.   When we would come in to Lunardi's, he would always talk to us about what was going on around the neighborhood.  We'd see him drive by on his motorcycle and if we were out in the yard he'd stop and talk with us.  His brother and nephew (who now lives in Terry's old house) continue to run the restaurant.  But Terry is sorely missed by his friends, family and those who worked for him.) 

Woodfire Chicken and Ribs - Itasca, IL

I used to be a representative for Marantz of America, the United States distributor for Marantz electronics products.  Their offices were located in Itasca, IL in the western suburbs of Chicago.  Right near their offices was a barbecue place that served pretty good ribs - Woodfire Chicken and Ribs (see map).  I went there for lunch a couple times with a couple of the Marantz guys when I would go in for meetings.  It was pretty good. 

Not long ago when I was in the Chicago area, I just happened to stay down the road in Addison and decided to run up to Woodfire to see if the place was still there.  I drove up Rohlwing Road, turned west on Irving Park Road and pulled into the parking lot.  It was late - about 8:30 - and there wasn't a car in the parking lot.  I got to thinking, "Geez, are these guys even open?" 

I went in - they were open - but no one was in the place.  I asked the girl behind the counter if they were still open and she said, "Oh, yeah.  We're here 'til 10."

I ordered up a slab of ribs - I was hungrier than all get out.  The only thing I don't like about Woodfire is that you have to order from the counter, so if you're using a credit card you have to figure out how many beers you're going to drink with your food.  I ordered three beers, thinking that should be enough (one while I was waiting, two with my meal). 

The ribs are cooked in a wood smoker that is right up front behind the counter.  Since it was late in the day, nothing was cooking in it, but the smell of hickory in the immediate area is ever present throughout the course of the day. 

They ribs are a dry rub base that isn't anything of note.  Their sauce is OK, they only offer one kind and it's not too zippy of a taste.  I asked for something to zip it up a bit and she said all they had was taco sauce.

But they were still good.  The meat was very tender, the smoke flavor didn't overtake the taste of the meat.  The sauce, although it could have been more spicy, was good.  It was a tomato/vinegar base.  Adding in a little cayenne pepper would have made it even better.

Woodfire is good for barbecue.  It's not a true barbecue joint in the sense of the word (they also serve Greek specialties such as gyros and kabobs), but it was still good.  Other than the lack of choices of sauce, it was a spot hitter that evening.    

Jesse's Embers - West Des Moines

One of my favorite places to eat in Des Moines is Jesse's Embers steak house.  The original Jesse's Embers was opened in Des Moines on Ingersoll Ave (see map) by Jesse Roush in 1963.  His son, Rick, took over the operation years later and in 1993 opened up their second location in West Des Moines (see map).  Jesse's Embers opened up a third location (though not listed on their site) in Northwest Des Moines about three years ago (see map).

The original Jesse's is very much like a Midwest supper club/steak house.  It's cozy and dark, with a lot of dark wood paneling throughout the place. 

The newer ones are are more open and spacious, a little more luxurious than the one near the downtown Des Moines area.  The bar areas are much larger and the one in West Des Moines features a large outdoor patio.  I've eaten at all three and each are very good. 

I was in Des Moines recently and offered to take the sales guys from my big dealer out to dinner at Jesse's in West Des Moines.  Unfortunately, two of them had to beg off (they had to finish up a show home for an upcoming Home Show Expo), but one of the guys took me up on the offer.  He had to go home first to deal to help put his daughters to bed, but he said he wouldn't miss a meal at Jesse's. 

I got to the bar to wait for my guy to show up and had a quick beer.  The bar area is very nice - a neat curved bar with a lot of walnut paneling.  The bartender, Greg, was attentive and a nice guy. 

My guy finally showed up and we sat in the main dining room.  We started out with their great cajun shrimp - six barbecued shrimp in a butter/cajun sauce served with thick slices of bread to sop up the sauce.  It's so good it's sinful. 

I went with their signature steak - the Embers Special.  It's a 12 oz sirloin grilled over an open flame pit.  My guest got the 8 oz filet.  I wanted a side of the garlic mashed potatoes, but they had just run out of them for the evening.  So I went with their great onion rings. 

We each got a salad with our dinner.  I ordered mine with Italian dressing and blue cheese crumbles.  The salad dressing was weak, the blue cheese wasn't that flavorful and the salad was by far the most disappointing aspect of our meal.

The steaks were cooked - as usual - to perfection.  I've never got a bad meal at a Jesse's location.  The only thing that I wish the West Des Moines location had the New York Strip that they serve at the Ingersoll Ave. Jesse's.  That is one good piece of meat. 

Our waitress was an older gal, but fun to talk with and she was on top of things for us.  She got a good tip.

We ended up going into the bar after dinner (so my guy could have an after dinner cigarette) and we each had a Macallan scotch for an after dinner drink.  Nothing better than a good scotch whiskey after a great steak.

The bill for the meal with the drinks tacked on with tips came to about $110.00.  We went a little overboard with drinks, but this is a good dealer and the sales guy I took out needed a little TLC as he admits he has trouble selling my product. 

Any of the three Jesse's Embers locations are great.  I highly recommend a trip to Jesse's when you're in Des Moines.   

(Update May 2011 - The West Des Moines location for Jesse's Embers is closed, as is the one on NW 86th St.  However, the original location on Ingersoll is still going strong.  I was in there not long ago and the food was still just as outstanding as the first time I visited over 20 years ago.)

Crawdaddy's - Milwaukee

One of my favorite places to eat while I'm in Milwaukee is Crawdaddy's in suburban West Allis (see map).  Crawdaddy's is a cajun/creole restaurant of wide acclaim.  It's won a number of reader's choice awards in Milwaukee area publications over the past few years.

We were first introduced to Crawdaddy's when I first took Cindy to Summerfest a number of years ago.  One of the first things we'd have to do when we got there is go to the Crawdaddy's food booth at Summerfest and get a "Gator on a Stick".  It's basically ground up alligator and pork, put on a skewer stick and deep fried.  It's served with some spicy tomato based sauce and it's pretty damn good.   Although the food at Summerfest is good, it isn't as good as going to the restaurant.

Chef Jonathan Klug's "creole fusion" food has brought people in from all over the Midwest for a number of years.  I was just in Milwaukee recently and took a dealer out to dinner there.  The place was moderately packed - we didn't have to wait for a table - but there were a good number of people in there.

Some of the best gumbo I've ever had is at Crawdaddy's.  And I started out with a cup of it before dinner.  It's spicy enough, but I always zip it up with a little Tabasco sauce to make it more hot.  It has nice chunks of chicken and andouille sausage in a flavorful broth.

I ordered the blackened sirloin steak - a 10 oz. creole seasoned steak, grilled, then blackened in a skillet.  It was great.  It came with a choice of potato - I took the pan fried potatoes.  The steak was cooked perfectly and had a great taste to it with a nice little bite seconds after I'd swallow.

My guest got the pork loin wrapped in pepper bacon and served with a spicy barbecue sauce.  I almost got that, but was glad I went with the steak.  He was happy with his - he got the pan fried potatoes, too. 

We drank Abita Amber beers before and with our dinner.  My client had lived in or near Milwaukee all his life and had never been to Crawdaddy's before.  He said, "Man!  I'll have to bring my wife here.  We've always heard about this place, but have never been here."

The food, as usual, was outstanding.  Price of the meal, with tip, was just over $80 bucks.  It was well worth it. 

Try their jambalaya at Summerfest, if you go, but take your own bottle of Tabasco as they just have hot sauce in packets.  But don't worry about the Tabasco at their restaurant - they've got plenty of it.  Some people may not want to spice it up any more than it is, but I do.  And it's great every time I've been there. 

(Update - Partner John Vukelic died in 2012 and the restaurant announced that they would close for a few weeks beginning in the latter part of June of 2013.  Sadly, it never did reopen.)

 

Cornes d'Aurochs - Saint Etienne, France

I wasn't feeling well the Monday evening we were in Saint-Etienne during my trip to France.  The salmon I had earlier in the day didn't agree with me.  I almost skipped dinner, but I thought I'd go and hang with the crew for the evening. 

I'm glad I did.  We went to a funky little restaurant with a country/farm theme to it - Cornes d'Aurochs (see map), which roughly translates into "Horns of the Ox."  It is run by the charismatic Bruno Billamboz (shown at left) and his wife, Adele. 

Cornes d'Aurochs has a lot of old time farm implements and tools on the walls and on shelves.  They have little models of cattle and farm animals and a lot of little tractors.  Since the Quad Cities is the home of John Deere, I had to take this picture of this miniature John Deere tractor.

For dinner, we had our choice of a chicken dish, lamb or beef.  I went with the beef, which was a thin piece of sirloin steak in a wild mushroom sauce.  It had a medley of vegetables along with it.

Other than the fact that I wasn't feeling all that well, the food was very good.  I hardly finished the steak, though.  I was so gassy and bloated, I just felt like I was going to blow up. 

Still Bruno and his wife were very nice people.  In their broken English, they found that I was from Iowa and being that their restaurant was farm themed, they were very impressed that someone from Iowa was eating in their place.  And that had to be a first for any Iowan eating in a restaurant in France.

Bruno's big thing is to take pictures of people under his huge ox horns he has hung in his restaurant.  My colleague, Todd Hurry, took this picture when Bruno had me sit there and he sent it to me.  Other than the fact that I felt like shit, the picture is rather funny.

As an aside - I stood up and looked at the tag on the bottom of the plaque.  The ox horns were mounted by the Jonas Brothers taxidermy studio of Broomfield, CO.  I about crapped (literally and figuratively) on the spot. 

Years ago, I had a friend - Steve Miller - who lived across the hall from me when I first had an apartment in Newton, IA.  Steve was dating this girl whose mother married Joe Jonas, one sons of the Jonas Brothers, who are world renown taxidermists.  We went out there a couple of times and I visited Joe's studio in Broomfield.  It was absolutely one of the most fascinating places I've ever visited.   

Of course, nobody believed that I knew the taxidermy studio that did the horns for Bruno.  But at that point in time, I really didn't give a shit.  I was more interested in getting back to the hotel to - unfortunately - purge my dinner. 

The food was very good at Cornes d'Aurochs.  But it's not fun being sick on the road.  Especially when you're in a foreign country and 4500 miles away from home. 

Fish Tacos on the Grill

Generally when you mention "fish tacos" to most people, they turn up their nose and shake their head.  However, if they're done right they can be really good.

I first had fish tacos in California a number of years ago.  It's basically a broiled, grilled or steamed white fish in a soft corn or flour taco shell with regular taco toppings on it.  I don't care for cheese on my fish tacos, usually just putting salsa or pico de gallo on them and a little squirt of lime. 

There was a place in St. Louis called Flaco's Tacos that did a good fish taco, as well. We've been suckered at a couple places in the Midwest by ordering fish tacos and finding out that they're nothing more than fish sticks in a taco shell.  That's not real fish tacos.

After a day of working in the yard and relaxing on the deck, Cindy suggested fish tacos for dinner last night.  She made a pico de gallo that I'll share with you, too.  Add a couple of margaritas or Sol beers, and it was a great meal. 

Fish Tacos on the Grill

1.5 pounds of a fresh white fish (Grouper or Talapia are both good)

8 - small (6.5" to 7" in diameter) flour or corn soft taco shells.

3 limes

1/4 stick butter

1 tbsp. Garlic Powder

1 cup water

Marinate the fish in a container with the juice of one lime and a cup of water.  Sprinkle garlic powder on top of the fish.  Let sit in refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes (be careful not to let fish marinade too long - the acid from the lime juice will begin to cook the fish).

On a grill with indirect heat, heat the grill to 350 degrees.  Put a pan of water in between the briquettes or heating elements.  Fashion a piece of aluminum foil into a tray to hold in the juices and butter while cooking.  Place aluminum foil above the water pan and add the butter and the juice of another lime. 

Place fish on aluminum foil (you can also add the marinade to the foil boat) and cook for about 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees.  (I like to add some mesquite chunks to the briquettes in my Weber grill to give it a little smoky flavor.)

When fish is flaky, transfer the fish to a bowl and pull apart.  Make sure the chunks aren't too big, but not small that they don't have any texture. 

Move the aluminum foil off to the side and place the 8 taco shells in the middle of the grill, not over the fire.  Warm the taco shells for about 3 minutes.  Pull the shells off and add fish and pico de gallo (I like to add a little mango chutney for a sweet taste, as well).  Cut a lime into 8ths and squeeze over the top of the taco before eating. 

Serves 8.

Cindy's Pico de Gallo

4 medium tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 large onion (or 3 small onions and greens), diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

Juice from 1/2 lime

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and let set for a minimum of two hours, stirring occasionally.   

Great Dane Pub and Brewery - Madison/Fitchburg, WI

The Great Dane Pub and Brewing Company is the oldest brewpub in the Madison area.  Started in 1996 by Eliot Butler and brewmaster Rob LoBreglio, the first Great Dane brew pub was opened in the former Fess Hotel and Restaurant property on Doty St. a block away from the Wisconsin State Capitol (see map).

The Great Dane Pub downtown is a typical brew pub - the tanks are lined up behind glass to show patrons the brewing process.  It has a nice little beer garden in back that is surrounded by trees, and the food is typical brew pub fare - sandwiches, appetizers and a few entrees. 

Their beers are very good for a brew pub.  I especially like their Old Glory American Pale Ale, a very hoppy pale ale that is supported with an underlying malt flavor to smooth out the taste.  It's one of the better pale ale's I've had at a brew pub. 

They also make a German pilsner - the Verruckte Stadt German Pils - that uses German hops and pilsner malt to give it a very Germanic taste. 

Their John Stoner's Oatmeal Stout is named after the original settler of the Madison suburb of Fitchburg, where the second Great Dane Pub and Brewery opened about four years ago.  I'm not big on their oatmeal stout, but it does have a nice roasted taste to it. 

Other beers include their Landmark Lite Lager, the Crop Circle Wheat and the Sugar River Extra Special Bitter.  They also have a British cask ale that is drawn from authentic "Firken" casks.

They have a Scotch Ale at their Madison location that they, unfortunately, don't have at their Fitchburg pub.  Actually, a couple of the beers they have in Madison, they don't have in Fitchburg (and vice-versa). 

I recently took a dealer and some of his guys to the one in Fitchburg (see map).  It was a great night, so we sat out in their expansive beer garden.  There were many more people seated outside than inside (the one in Fitchburg is a lot bigger - both inside dining and beer garden - than the one downtown). 

I ordered a pale ale, a couple of the guys ordered the wheat, one of the guys ordered the oatmeal stout and one of them ordered a bloody mary.  I kind of looked at him funny and he said, "Oh, these are the best bloody mary's in Madison.  It's a family tradition on Christmas Eve to meet my parents and brothers and sisters for lunch at the Great Dane downtown and we always have bloody mary's." 

The waitress brought out his bloody mary after she'd gotten us our beers.  It looked great - olives, pickle, lime and lemon wedge.  I told the waitress, "I've got to try one of those." 

She brought me one out a little later and it was very good.  One of the best bloody mary's I've had a in long time.  It was smooth, rich and really flavorful.  The waitress said, "We make a pretty good bloody mary here.  A lot of people don't know about it." 

For dinner, I had the peppercorn mushroom sirloin steak with a side of garlic smashed potatoes and a vegetable medley.  The guy who got the bloody mary originally, Paul, got the chicken pot pie.  Once again, I sort of gave him a look when he ordered the chicken pot pie and he said, "It's the best chicken pot pie you'll ever have."

The other guys got the spaghetti and meatball special or burgers.  My steak was a little overcooked, but the peppercorn sauce and mushrooms over the top of it were a great complement.  And the garlic smashed potatoes were great with it, as well. 

Paul was literally in ecstacy eating his chicken pot pie.  It did look good.  It was in a small pot with the dough just rising and spreading out over the top.  He said, "You're going to have to get one of these the next time you eat here." 

The guy who got the spaghetti said it was very good.  The bolognese sauce had a little spicy bite to it and the meatballs were very good.  In fact, he talked one lady who was seated at a table next to us to get it for dinner.  She liked it, too.

Dinner for five with tip came to $140.00.  Of course, our bar tab was about $60 bucks, so the price of the food was very reasonable. 

The times I've eaten at the Great Dane Pub, the food has always been good.  The beer is good, it's a good place to go when you're in Madison.  I highly recommend it.