Road Tips

2510 Restaurant - Wausau, WI

One of my last trips before my hip surgery, I needed to go see a prospective dealer up in Wausau, WI.  Since I had a morning meeting scheduled, I stayed the night in Wausau - the first time I've ever stayed in Wausau.  And since I didn't get into Wausau until about 8:30 I wasn't going to seek out a fine dining establishment or a burger joint.  I was tired, hungry and needed to eat.  Near my hotel, I found the 2510 Restaurant, a pseudo-family restaurant/lounge that featured a full menu.  I thought I'd give it a try.

2510 Restaurant gets its name - not all that clever, at that - from its address: 2510 Stewart Ave. (see map).  It has been open for 31 years and is owned by Pat Baumer and Roy Heilmeier.  Not only does it feature a full service restaurant and lounge, it also has a very popular deli and bakery.

It was nearly 9 p.m. when I was seated in a booth and handed a menu.  As I said, 2510 Restaurant features a full menu from beef, chicken, seafood and pasta to burgers, sandwiches and appetizers.  I'm a little leery of restaurants that have such large menus, mainly because they're usually OK at doing everything, but not great if they focused on a minimum number of menu items.

My waitress greeted me and gave me some time to look over the expansive menu.  She and another lady were the only ones working the vast dining area in the restaurant.  But since it was late on a Tuesday night, there wasn't a lot of people in the place. 

My diet was in full swing at this point and I was looking for some comfort food.  A hot beef sandwich was out of the question, since I'm not eating potatoes and gravy for awhile.  But something caught my eye on their salad menu - something called the Black and Bleu Steak Salad.  It was a large salad topped with thinly sliced pieces of Black Angus top sirloin steak, then a creamy blue cheese dressing was poured on top. 

It wasn't long before my waitress came back and I ordered the salad.  To help satisfy my "comfort food" requirement, I got a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. 

About five minutes after I ordered, the waitress brought out my soup.  It was very good.  Actually, I could have probably gotten by with just the soup as there was an abundance of egg noodles and chicken in the broth.  It was very good, to say the least.

And not long after I finished up my soup, my Black and Bleu Steak Salad come out.  There was a generous portion of sliced sirloin - medium-rare - on top of the greens and a very good homemade chunky and creamy blue cheese dressing topped the whole thing.  Sometimes blue cheese can overpower the taste of other foods it's mixed with, but this blue cheese was mild and helped bring out the taste sensations in the rather good sliced sirloin on the salad. 

But it was too much food, so I was able to finish all the steak and about half the lettuce in the salad.  My waitress asked me if I wanted to get a "to-go" box.  I said, "You know, this was very good and I could probably have this for lunch tomorrow.  But I'm traveling and I don't have a refrigerator in my room." 

With a beer with dinner, my food and a generous tip for my waitress, the bill came to $21 dollars - very reasonable, in my opinion.  The service was great, the food was very good and I was happy and full. 

While I don't know if I'm going to be able to sign this dealer in Wausau, at least I found a new restaurant that I can rely upon in a pinch during my travels to north central Wisconsin.  2510 Restaurant has a little bit of everything for everybody. 

Pops for Champagne - Chicago

I had once read about Pops for Champagne in the Chicago Tribune a couple three years ago.  This nationally acclaimed champagne bar featured jazz music and some of the most eclectic champagne, wine and hors d'oeuvres that you'd find in any city in the world. 

Cindy had read the same article I did and she said, "That would be cool to go there, even if it's just to have some champagne and a snack."  To me, it didn't sound like the type of place I would frequent, nor would many (or really, any) of my friends.  I sort of forgot all about Pops for Champagne. 

Well, that was until a trip to downtown Chicago just before my first hip replacement.  I wanted to go the the Bang and Olufsen store on N. State Street in River North to see a friend who had gone to work there.  We parked at the Hilton Garden Inn that we like to stay at and walked around the corner to the corner of State and Ohio. 

Suddenly, Cindy exclaims, "Will, this is the champagne place that I wanted to go to!" 

Right on the northeast corner of State and Ohio was Pops for Champagne (see map).  She said, "Let's go in.  Please?  Can we go in for a glass of champagne?  I think it would be neat!" 

All her pleading was kind of cute.  All right.  Anything to keep the wife happy.  You married guys know what I mean.

I wasn't certain this was the same place that I had read about because the article I read about previously said the champagne place was on a tree-line street in the Lakeview/Wrigleyville neighborhood on the near north side of Chicago, not far from Wrigley Field.  But still, we went in and took a seat at the very modern, art deco bar.

Tom Verhey was traveling in Europe in the early 80's when he came across a champagne bar in Vienna.  Verhey thought the concept was wonderful idea, so he opened the original Pops for Champagne in 1982.   

Pops for Champagne looked a little out of place as it was grouped with five or six "shot and a beer" taverns in the neighborhood.  Over time, each of the bars went out of business, but Pops for Champagne endured.  

In late 2007, Verhey and his wife, Linda, moved their business to a larger location (6000 sq. ft.) in a two-level building in the heart of River North.  This allowed the Verhey's to have the jazz musicians play in the bar area on the first floor while allowing patrons in the dining area to be able to dine with conversation.  At the old location, I understand it was small enough where they had to intertwine the bar and dining area as one and the jazz music could get pretty loud for diners. 

A graduate of the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu culinary school (the Atlanta campus), Andrew Brochu is the executive chef at Pops for Champagne.  While most of the items on the menu consist of appetizers, Brochu does make them interesting.  Actually, compared to the price of the champagne by the glass, the food prices are pretty reasonable at Pops for Champagne.

We took a seat at the octagon-shaped bar that has television sets hung above the liquor shelves on a center island.  Cindy remarked that she thought it was sort of a classy bar for televisions to be featured in the place.  The floor to ceiling windows gave patrons a full view of the hustle and bustle on two of the busiest streets in downtown Chicago.  There were high tables and chairs, some couches and comfy chairs to sit in, and sort of a modern art-deco look to the place.

While Pops for Champagne may have one of the most extensive lists of the bubbly anywhere in the world, they also sold about 20 different varieties by the glass.  Even though it was $27 bucks a glass, I told Cindy that I would treat her to a flute of Veuve Clicquot (Vuhve klee-KO), a pretty famous French champagne. 

The bartender poured a couple glasses for us as the champagne flutes were sitting in front of us.  Cindy and I playfully toasted one another and took a drink.  Now, I'd had Veuve Clicquot before in France and it's wonderful stuff.  But $27 bucks a glass?  You could buy a bottle of it at Pops for Champagne for $142 bucks. 

OK, I understand the painstaking work that goes into making champagne.  But Veuve Clicquot also makes a non-vintage brut champagne that sells for $1200 a bottle.  Holy shit!  Cindy and I were sort of aghast at some of the prices of non-vintage champagnes they had to offer.

I definitely didn't feel comfortable in the place.  There were a lot of Saturday afternoon shoppers or people sitting and reading while enjoying some cheese and champagne.  While I would have rather been sitting at a conventional bar drinking a beer, Cindy enjoyed it and that's all that counts.

But as we finished up our champagne, we were a little confused as to whether or not this was the place we'd read about before in the Tribune.   As we were leaving, I asked the hostess how long they'd been open.  She said, "Oh, gosh.  Over 25 years, maybe 26 now."

I said, "But you haven't always been here, right?"

"No, we moved here about a year and a half ago," she replied.

I said, "But you were up in Lakeview, right?"

She said, "Well, yes.  Lakeview, Wrigleyville, that area."

I said to Cindy, "OK, then this is the same place as what we read about."

With taxes and tip, the bill for two glasses of champagne was $67 dollars.  While I'm not trying to sound cheap, it was basically throwing money away.  Still, it broadened our horizons, I guess.  I'm sure Cindy will want to go back again.  But if we do, I'm going to be looking at getting a glass of the 8 dollar champagne.

Back on the Road Again!

I'm pretty much ready to get back on the road again after my two hip replacement surgeries.  Last week, I traveled to Madison for a dinner meeting and some morning training the next day.  While I'm still a little stiff when I get out of the car, I'm able to walk it off rather quickly. 

I'm pretty much done with physical therapy, although I may go back for a couple sessions later in the month of June.  I'm now down 43 pounds officially and thinking of joining a workout facility here in the Quads to do the elliptical and some stationary biking.   

Getting back on the road will be pretty interesting.  Since I haven't traveled in nearly three months, my first night on the road was a good indicator of how much I forgot with my ritual of packing leading up to my leaving.  Oh, yeah.  I left some things at home that I normally take with me.  But it was only for one night, so I was fine.  That's sort of what I wanted to do - have a one or two day trip with an overnight stay that would help me sort of get back into the groove of travel.

I'm going to be doing a lot of traveling in the coming weeks, especially now that the weather is starting to be nice.  We've had a cool, wet spring, so far.  A lot of the flowers and plants that would be beginning to bloom and grow have been stunted and are behind by a couple three weeks.  We lost at least one rose bush over the winter and possibly two (we still have to determine if one that was cut back by a rabbit will survive).   But the window boxes are starting to grow, some of the rose bushes are ready to open, and we're starting to dry out in the back berm area. 

OK, back to work!  Which means more observations from the road and more restaurants and attractions to find!

Ray's Wine and Spirits - Wauwatosa, WI

On a recommendation from Jon Spelt, one of the owners of Ultra Fidelis in Milwaukee, I sought out and found Ray's Wine and Spirits on North Ave. in suburban Wauwautosa (see map).  Jon said, "If you like to go beer hunting, Ray's is the place in Milwaukee.  They've got a ton of beers to choose from."

There is no Ray, although there used to be.  Ray's was founded in 1965, but has been owned by Rick Laev and Bill Siegel since 2002.  Laev and Siegel grew up across the street from one another and Laev used to call on the store as a liquor wholesale rep for over 20 years.  Ray was wanting to retire after 35 years of running the place, so Laev and Siegel bought the business.

Actually, their beer selection isn't what Ray's is known for.  They stock over 4500 different types of wine making it one of the largest wine stores in the Midwest.  Laev and Siegel personally taste each wine to get an idea of what they're selling.  Some days, they'll taste 20 to 25 different wines to get an impression of what they're like.  And they do that 4 times a week.  Hey, that's a tough job, but somebody has to do it.

Ray's Wine and Spirits also has a great selection of Scotch whiskey and tequila.  I was pretty amazed at the large selection of Scotch they had to offer.  Jon Spelt at Ultra Fidelis is a Scotch connoisseur and has over 60 different types of Scotch at his house.  "All but a few of them came from Ray's," he told me one time.

Ray's is basically a no-frills shop.  Every amount of available space is being used to showcase their wine, liquor or beer.  Although I think other places in Milwaukee may have more selection of beers to choose from than Ray's, you can't overlook the different brands of beer they have to offer.

I ended up getting a couple six packs of some different Wisconsin micro-breweries to try - a Central Waters Brewery Happy Heron Pale Ale, which wasn't too bad - and a Lake Louie Brewing Company Arena Premium, that was very hoppy and flavorful.  I also picked up a four-pack of the Samuel Adams Imperial Pilsner, a very, very intensely hopped up beer.

I gave Jon a call after I left Ray's and thanked him for the tip on the place.  Knowing that he really liked hoppy beers, as I do, I told him that he needed to go to Ray's that night and pick up a four-pack of the Imperial Pilsner.  He said he would do just that.  (He told me later on, "Man, I wish you hadn't turned me on to that stuff.  Not only is it expensive, it's great!")

Jon then said, "Hey, have you had breakfast yet?"

I told him I had.  He said, "Shoot.  Well, next time you're out that way, you need to try John's Sandwich Shop which is right across the street from Ray's.  They have great breakfasts, probably the best in Milwaukee."

Well, I'm sure I'll be back at Ray's sometime when I get to traveling to Milwaukee again.  And I'll make it a point to have breakfast at John's Sandwich Shop, so I can let you all know how good it is.

 

 

 

 

BeauSoleil - Davenport, IA

Earlier this year, the great Cajun band BeauSoleil (pronounced Bo-so-LAY) came to Davenport for a performance at the Redstone Room at the River Music Experience.  I had seen BeauSoleil a number of years ago in Des Moines and I really enjoyed their rollicking authentic Cajun music.  When I found out they were coming to Davenport, I immediately got tickets.  I didn't know if Cindy would like that kind of music, since most of the singing is in French, but I find Cajun music to be infectiously fun. 

We met up at the Redstone Room with my long-distance, yet local friend, Burt Gearhart, and his wife, Marilyn, who were nice enough to save us a couple seats at a table near the side of the stage.  And we're glad they did.  The place was packed when we got there and there were more people coming in.  The crowd was decidedly older, but boisterous.  There weren't many BeauSoleil "rookies" in the crowd. 

BeauSoleil is headed by multi-instrumentalist Michael Doucet (background right) and his guitar playing brother, David (foreground right).  The band is based out of Lafayette, LA, right smack dab in the heart of Lousiana Cajun country.  Started in 1975, BeauSoleil specializes in traditional and original Cajun root-music - the kind you'd expect to hear if you walked into a bar in any one of the small Louisiana towns on a Saturday night.  The Grammy award winning band has been touring since the mid-80's.  In addition to the Doucet brothers, BeauSoleil also features Jimmy Breaux on accordian, Mitch Reed on fiddle and bass, Tommy Alesi on drums, and even though he wasn't with the band that evening in Davenport, Billy Ware on percussion.  

BeauSoleil's performance was announced as starting at 8 p.m., but as the Redstone Room has a habit of doing, they neglect to mention there will be an opening act.  Instead of BeauSoleil taking the stage, a 50-something troubadour by the name of Tony Cavitt who billed himself as "Tennessee, the Nashville Cat" came out with his guitar.  Cavitt had been playing around the Quad City area for a while and I don't know if he's a permanent resident of the area or if he was just hanging out for a few weeks. 

He told stories about his upbringing where his mother was a longtime bartender at "the only bar in the Nashville airport."  Because of that, she became friends with a number of entertainers who would invariably be sitting on the bar waiting for a delayed flight.  I actually thought his stories were more compelling than his music.  

And because the Redstone Room neglected to say that there would be a warm-up act before BeauSoleil, a lot of the older people in the crowd were vocally upset that someone OTHER than BeauSoleil was on stage at 8 p.m.  Actually, it was kind of comical because Cindy and I knew there would be an opening act that evening - it was the Redstone Room's "m.o." to do so and not tell people there would be an opening act.  

Still, one lady seated near us, probably well into her 60's, couldn't contain her disgust between Cavitt/Tennessee's songs.  "It's 8:30!  Where's BeauSoleil?!  They said the show started at 8!  I expected BeauSoleil to take the stage then, not this bum," she would yell.  

After Cavitt/Tennessee's performance ended shortly before 8:40, it wasn't any more than about 20 minutes before BeauSoleil took the stage.  Fronted by the wild-haired Michael Doucet (bald top of the head, white hair sticking straight out on the sides) - who looks more like a college professor than an accomplished musician - they launched into one of the many fast-paced good time numbers they're known for. Michael Doucet said after the first song, "If you're not familiar with us, we're a Louisiana band known for taking songs in English and singing them in French." 

At one point, Michael Doucet said, "This is dance music.  You can get up and dance if you want."  And the small dance floor in front of the stage was filled with a bunch of people kicking up their heels.  There were some good dancers, too, including the lady who was verbally disgusted when Tony Cavitt was playing earlier. 

BeauSoleil continued playing until about 10:45.  I like Cajun music, although I don't crave it like some people who attended that evening.  In fact, a lot of Cajun music sounds alike.  But, BeauSoleil has released 22 albums and 5 compilation albums since 1977.  So somebody must think it doesn't all sound the same.  Still, you can't get past how Cajun music makes one feel really good.  And BeauSoleil is quite possibly the best Cajun band in the world today. 

It was a fun evening hanging with Burt and Marilyn, and listening to BeauSoleil.  It had been about 20 years since I'd last heard them live and I hope it isn't another 20 years before I see them again. 

Lasagna for 30

One of my first posts on Road Tips back in 2005 featured a recipe I came up with for lasagna.  I've found this recipe to be a tried and true winner over the past few years.  You can see the original post here. 

Yesterday, we celebrated the 70th birthday of my father-in-laws "lady-friend".  (I always have problems with what you'd call a man's companion who is in their 60's or 70's - they aren't girls, so I can't really call 'em girlfriends.)  Anyway, about a month ago, my wife volunteered that we'd make food for the party.  About two weeks ago, she sprung on me that there would be about 30 people there.  Holy Crap! 

I wanted to do the basic "hamburger, pork chop, brat" - thing on the grill.  But my wanted to go all out for the birthday.  Actually, she wanted ME to go all out for her birthday.  Nothing like volunteering someone while throwing them under the bus at the same time. 

My wife wanted me to smoke a brisket, but that would be too time consuming and I wouldn't have the space in the smoker for that much meat for 30 people.  Besides, the party was going to be at a place in North Liberty.  I couldn't take my smoker up there and try smoking a couple three huge briskets for 18 hours. 

Next, my wife wanted me to do these tortilla wraps filled with either turkey, ham or roast beef, cheese, a dill spread and romaine lettuce.  Well, my God - I would have been making those for 6 hours straight to feed 30 people. 

Finally, my father-in-law's lady friend said that she wanted Italian and my wife suggested a number of things, but we settled upon lasagna.  So I started out on Friday afternoon with the prep work and finished making the lasagna in the pan.  Four pans total.  I put the pans in the fridge overnight and we took 'em to the party site to bake on Sunday.  They turned out great and everyone was happy.

I was telling my nieces, Amanda and Graham, last week about my marinara recipe and how I use the same recipe as my base for lasagna.  Well, actually, I use it as a base for all my Italian foods that I make with a red sauce. 

So as I finish up my recovery from hip surgery, here is one last regurgitated post - my lasagna recipe.  And in order to feed 30, I basically had to quadruple everything in the recipe.  I'm telling you - it was a minor pain in the ass. 

I did something different this time, too.  I added a thin layer of pepperoni - about 15 sandwich-size slices over the ricotta and mozzarella before adding the meat and sauce on both layers.  It added a nice little zip to the lasagna. And it went over well with those who tried it.    

Actually, I'm rather surprised at how well it turned out!

My Lasagna for 30

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound bulk ground Italian sausage
• 1 pound ground beef
• 3 tbs fennel seed 
• ½ cup water
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or chopped
• 4 tbs olive oil 
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole or peeled tomatoes
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 tbs Italian Seasoning mix
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 - 16 oz. can tomato or pasta sauce
• 6 to 8 oz. beer  (American lager, such as Budweiser)
• 1 small can (6 oz) tomato paste  
• 10 to 12 lasagna noodles
• 2 cups grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (for topping at end)

Cheese Mixture

• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1 cup Cottage Cheese - drained 
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes
• 1 tbs Italian Seasoning mixture
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 16 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

PREPARATION:

In a large pan, add 2 tbs of olive oil and heat on medium high.  Add the fennel seeds and let them get warm, but not hot.  Stir a couple times.  After about 3 to 5 minutes, add the ground sausage and mix.  Add 1/2 cup of water and add ground beef.  Reduce heat to medium low. Brown sausage and beef slowly; drain off excess liquid when browned.  Set aside in a bowl.

Drain the can of whole or peeled tomatoes in a bowl and mash up the tomatoes with a fork.  Set aside. 

In a 4 quart stove top pan, add two tbs of olive oil and heat to medium high.  Add chopped onion and garlic and sauté for three to five minutes, stirring occasionally.   

Back the heat back down to medium low.  Add tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasonings, sugar, salt, and beer.  Simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a little more beer if too thick.  (Good tip - don't drink the leftover beer until you're sure you don't need to add more!  Or better yet - make sure you have a LOT of beer in the house!) 

In a bowl, combine ricotta cheese, drained cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, parsley, eggs, 1-teaspoon salt, and pepper and mix thoroughly.

In a baking dish large enough for the lasagna noodles to fit in, fill with lasagna noodles and add hot tap water and let sit for 15 minutes.  Noodles should be pliable but not cooked all the way through. Make sure not to tear the lasagna noodles.

Spread a thin layer of tomato or pasta sauce on the bottom of a greased 14" x 10" x 2" lasagna pan or baking dish.

Place a layer of noodles in bottom of the baking dish or lasagna pan over sauce, overlapping the pasta noodles. About five total.  Cover with a layer of tomato sauce, then spoon 1/2 of ricotta mixture. Cover with mozzarella. Spoon the combination sausage/beef over the cheese and spread out.  Repeat for second layer. Be sure to leave some mozzarella for the top of the meat/sauce, and top off with Parmesan or Romano cheese. 

Cover with aluminum foil and set in refrigerator for two to four hours (can be in for up to 24 hours). Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking (up to one hour if in for more than 4 hours).

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake covered with aluminum foil for 25 minutes, pull covering off and continue baking for 20 to 25 minutes.  Allow lasagna to sit for 15 minutes before serving.

(Note - you can also freeze this for later use.  It lasts in the freezer up to six months if you have it wrapped tightly in aluminum foil.)

Tailgaters

As I continue to recover from my hip surgery, I'm recycling some of my older posts over the past couple three years.  This story was originally posted on November 25, 2005 and illustrates one of my all-time pet peeves while traveling - tailgaters.  Well, that and idiots who don't know how to use their cruise control when traveling on the interstate.  They pass you, they slow down.  You pass them, they speed up.  A cruise control is a very helpful tool - not only does it help you with gas economy, it takes the guess work of how much pressure you have to apply at any given point to the accelerator when you're driving on the open stretches of interstate highways.

This past weekend, Cindy and I drove to Iowa City for a Mother's Day gathering with the kids at a restaurant in Iowa City.  This was the first trip I'd taken that was more than a 10 mile radius from our home in over two months.  Actually, *I* was having problems figuring out how to activate the cruise control on my car - it had been that long since I'd last used it.  

But it had become apparent that there were still people who didn't know how to engage their cruise control.  (Yeah, I'm talking about you, buddy - the idiot from Nebraska in the red Malibu who wouldn't get over and would go from 65 mph to 73 mph and back down to 63 mph while a long line of cars were behind him trying to get around some semi's.) 

And there are still a disproportionately high number of women tailgaters, including the little bitch in the brown Honda Accord who rode my ass at 75 mph for no apparent reason other than we happened to be going the same speed for four or five miles before I finally backed off to 72 so she would pass me.  Then as she started to go around, she slowed to the SAME SPEED as ME!!!  Jesus!!!

This is my original post on tailgaters and those who don't know how to use a cruise control.  And, unfortunately, over three years later, it's just as bad.

I'm not talking about the type of tailgaters who go to Iowa football games and party before and after the game.  I'm talking about an aggravating sector of the population that gets on your bumper - at any speed - and just hangs there.

And my scientific experiments have found that in about 95% of the cases of tailgaters, they are - horrors!  WOMEN!!

Women are the worst tailgaters on the road.  I have no idea what is in the head of some of these ladies who come up behind me on the interstate - I'm going 72 miles per hour, they're going faster - then they get up behind me about a car length and instead of passing me, they just sit there on my bumper for the next five miles!

Cindy was a horrible tailgater when I first started dating her.  I'd be riding with her and she'd be on the ass end of the car in front of her and I'd say, "Cindy, back off!  You're gonna smack this guy if he has to hit the brakes!"

So, a few days later, Cindy calls me up at home during her lunch hour.  She's in tears.  She said, "Oh, God!  I just ran into the back of a guy on my way home for lunch!  And you told me it was going to happen!" 

She doesn't tailgate any longer...

And women - here's another tip when you drive on the interstate - it's called a Cruise Control.  Learn how it works and use it.  I can not tell you all how many times I get passed by a woman, she pulls in the lane in front of me and immediately slows down.  I have to hit my brakes or go back out into the other lane and pass them.  The next thing I know, they're coming back up behind me, they pass and then settle into the lane ahead of me - AND SLOW DOWN!!!  And, once again, I have to pass them and it starts over again.

OR - I'm in the right hand lane going 72 mph.  A car comes up behind me going faster.  They pull into the left hand lane to pass - and then they just sit there going the same speed as me!  And, invariably, I get behind a semi or a slower car and I have to slow down and wait for the car on my left to get around me.  Just keep going the same frigging speed!   If you're going to be coming up behind me at 77 miles an hour, then pass me at 77 miles an hour. 

And it's nearly ALWAYS a woman, and hardly ever a man, who does this.  Cruise controls are the greatest invention for cars.  Nearly every car that comes out of auto makers these days has cruise control.  I think women should be asked every time they apply for a driver's license if they know how a use a cruise control.

Here's an addendum to the original post - The one thing that worries me more and more is that a lot of these drivers must be fans of NASCAR.  They see the drivers on each other's bumpers at speeds of up to 190 miles an hour and they think that it must be fine to do the same thing at 75.  While we're talking about professionals who are driving cars that could withstand a high speed crash allowing the driver to walk away with just a bad headache, unfortunately the consumer car industry hasn't been able to come up with an economical design that would allow the common driver to do just that. 

While I know this blog isn't being read by everyone who drives regularly in the United States, I still have two pieces of advise - back off and learn how to use the cruise control!

I'm not talking about the type of tailgaters who go to Iowa football games and party before and after the game.  I'm talking about an aggravating sector of the population that gets on your bumper - at any speed - and just hangs there.

And my scientific experiments have found that in about 95% of the cases of tailgaters, they are - horrors!  WOMEN!!

Women are the worst tailgaters on the road.  I have no idea what is in the head of some of these ladies who come up behind me on the interstate - I'm going 72 miles per hour, they're going faster - then they get up behind me about a car length and instead of passing me, they just sit there on my bumper for the next five miles!

Cindy was a horrible tailgater when I first started dating her.  I'd be riding with her and she'd be on the ass end of the car in front of her and I'd say, "Cindy, back off!  You're gonna smack this guy if he has to hit the brakes!"

So, a few days later, Cindy calls me up at home during her lunch hour.  She's in tears.  She said, "Oh, God!  I just ran into the back of a guy on my way home for lunch!  And you told me it was going to happen!" 

She doesn't tailgate any longer...

And women - here's another tip when you drive on the interstate - it's called a Cruise Control.  Learn how it works and use it.  I can not tell you all how many times I get passed by a woman, she pulls in the lane in front of me and immediately slows down.  I have to hit my brakes or go back out into the other lane and pass them.  The next thing I know, they're coming back up behind me, they pass and then settle into the lane ahead of me - AND SLOW DOWN!!!  And, once again, I have to pass them and it starts over again.

OR - I'm in the right hand lane going 72 mph.  A car comes up behind me going faster.  They pull into the left hand lane to pass - and then they just sit there going the same speed as me!  And, invariably, I get behind a semi or a slower car and I have to slow down and wait for the car on my left to get around me.  Just keep going the same frigging speed!   If you're going to be coming up behind me at 77 miles an hour, then pass me at 77 miles an hour. 

And it's nearly ALWAYS a woman, and hardly ever a man, who does this.  Cruise controls are the greatest invention for cars.  Nearly every car that comes out of auto makers these days has cruise control.  I think women should be asked every time they apply for a driver's license if they know how a use a cruise control.

Here's an addendum to the original post - The one thing that worries me more and more is that a lot of these drivers must be fans of NASCAR.  They see the drivers on each other's bumpers at speeds of up to 190 miles an hour and they think that it must be fine to do the same thing at 75.  While we're talking about professionals who are driving cars that could withstand a high speed crash allowing the driver to walk away with just a bad headache, unfortunately the consumer car industry hasn't been able to come up with an economical design that would allow the common driver to do just that. 

While I know this blog isn't being read by everyone who drives regularly in the United States, I still have two pieces of advise - back off and learn how to use the cruise control!

The Dark Side of Hip Replacements

I got some sad news last night - our friend Mike Johnson (left), pastor of the Kellogg Christian Church in Kellogg, IA, died on Monday from complications from hip replacement surgery.   Considering I'm on the downhill side from two hip replacements, this is literally like a blow in the gut to me.

According to my sister, doctors told Mike and his wife, Angela, that there was a small chance of some fat cells being released into the blood stream when they cut into the bone to replace the hip.  Evidently, that's what happened and the fatty cells ended up in Mike's lungs not long after he received the hip replacement two weeks ago.  They used antibiotics to try and contain the infection, but it ended up getting worse.  His kidneys shut down and he went on dialysis.  Then his bowels shut down and his heart finally gave out.  Along with his wife, Mike left a daughter who is pregnant with her first child, and a son who just moved to Nebraska to start a new job. You can read his obituary here.

We are not religious people in our household and when it came time to get married nearly 14 years ago Cindy and I approached Mike to do the wedding in a restored non-denominational country grange church that is part of the Kellogg Historical Museum.  He didn't hesitate when he said, "Absolutely!"  Actually, what he really said was directed to Cindy - "Wow!  You're going to marry him?  I want a front row seat for this one!"  Over the years, whenever we'd see Mike out and about, he used to joke that whatever he did during the ceremony must have worked because Cindy and I were still together.

When my father passed away a few years ago, Mike was asked by the family to officiate at the memorial service.  The memorial service was going to be held - per my father's wishes - at the Elks Club in Newton.  Once again, Mike didn't hesitate to agree to do it. 

The night before the service, Mike stopped over to my sister's house to get some ideas as to what we wanted him to say about our father.  As we're wont to do at family gatherings, we had been drinking rather heavily in my father's honor before Mike came.  When he got there, well, he got a very colorful picture of what my father was all about. 

The next day when he gave the eulogy, Mike told the overflow crowd in the Elks Club that he found out the previous evening that Jesus had a middle name (My father would always yell, "Jesus H. Christ!"), and that hell had hubs (My father would also exclaim, "What in the hubs of hell...").  Mike was always a great sport and had a genuinely good time whenever he came around our family.  Mike knew when to back off on the religion and enjoy the festivities at hand.  But he always had a knack of knowing when to step up to the forefront when he was needed. 

What freaks me out and breaks my heart over all of this is that it was complications from a hip replacement.  I feel especially bad because I just blew through two hip replacements like a breeze.  Oh, there were some minor complications along the way, and I am getting rather tired of being stiff and sore in my upper legs and butt area.  But I never came any where close to what happened to Mike.

Even though my doctor did the usual "cover your ass" speech about potential problems from a hip replacement, I don't ever remember him talking about the possibility of fatty cells being released into your system that could cause infection.  I guess there is no such thing as a "routine" hip replacement surgery.

Seriously - it feels like someone punched me in the stomach.  As Cindy said in anguish before bed last night, "People don't die from hip replacement surgeries!"

Well, I suppose they can.

The next time I make some little complaint about how sore or stiff I am in regard to my hip replacements, I'll think of Mike and realize that things could be a lot worse...

Dapper's West - Addison, IL

Before my first surgery, Cindy and I drove into Chicago for what was supposed to be a day, but it ended up being a day and a night.  Our ultimate goal was to go to Trader Joe's to stock up on items that I get for us when I'm in Chicago on a regular basis.  Since it was going to be about three months before I was going to be able to be anywhere close to a Trader Joe's, we really needed to go. 

The only problem is that our visit to Vito and Nick's took so long and by the time we were done with their great pizza it was past 9 p.m.  And Trader Joe's closes at 9 p.m.  Cindy was upset as that was the one thing she wanted to do while she was in Chicago (it didn't matter that we'd gone to IKEA, a couple malls, walked around downtown and went to a world class old-style pizza place on the south side of Chicago).  We needed to go to Trader Joe's even if it meant spending an unscheduled night in Chicago and then getting up in the morning to go to Trader Joe's on our way out of town. 

We ended up getting a hotel room at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Addison for the evening.  That's right - no overnight bag, no change of clothes, no toiletries, nothing.  The next morning, we got up, cleaned up the best we could and headed out the door around 8:30.  Cindy said, "Maybe we should get something to eat for breakfast."

I was actually fine, especially being on a diet and everything.  But Cindy is one of these creatures where she has to have three square meals a day.  And breakfast is the most important meal with the bigger and more elaborate the breakfast, the better.  I didn't even hesitate as I took a right on Lake Street and took her to Dapper's for breakfast (see map).

Dapper's is one of the many restaurants along the Lake Street corridor between Elmhurst and Addison in the western suburbs of Chicago.  It's a large, family style restaurant that serves good food and has a laid back feel to the place.  I've eaten at Dapper's many times when I've stayed in either Elmhurst or Addison, especially when I need a fix for some good ol' comfort food. 

The Dapper's in Addison is officially known as Dapper's West and is the third of three Dapper's restaurants in the Chicago area.  The original Dapper's - known as Dapper's East - is in the Irving Park/Avondale area in Chicago, just down Addison Ave. from Wrigley Field (see map).  There's also a Dapper's North in suburban Norridge near O'Hare Airport (see map).  Dapper's has a loyal following of customers who keep coming back for the good service and good food. 

Like a lot of family-style restaurants in the Chicago area (and in other areas, I also found), a Greek family is behind the business.  The Manaves family own and operate the Dapper's restaurants and they feature a number of Greek foods on the menu, as well.   

Dapper's building is very nice and very modern.  They feature big booths, large sturdy tables and comfortable seating.  Right from the start as you walk in, you're greeted by not only a hostess, but a huge dessert cooler full of pies, muffins and other delectable goodies that you can look at before you have your meal. 

And the menu selections are plentiful and varied.  I've often thought that if you can't find anything on the menu at Dapper's, you're not hungry.  I've found some family restaurants that have large menus where the food is *OK* because they're spreading themselves too thin.  I've never found that to be the case in my previous trips to Dapper's because every meal I've ever eaten there has been above average.

One of the more peculiar aspects of Dapper's is that they have a number of flat panel televisions around the place.  I've been in there when they were showing Cubs games or Bulls games on TV.  I've never been in a family style restaurant where they have TV's going.  It drives Cindy nuts when we have a TV going in our "lodge" at home when we're eating dinner out there.  It didn't even occur to me that she'd have a problem with Dapper's having televisions on throughout the place when we were having our breakfast.  "This is a family restaurant," she said. "People should be talking to one another over their meals, not watching television." 

I said, "What about guys like me who eat alone in places like this?  Maybe televisions help those people pass the time."

She said, "Yeah, but you always read a newspaper when you're eating alone." 

"Well, maybe I'd like to watch television instead," I replied.

Once we were seated and Cindy got over the fact that there were televisions on in a family restaurant, we took a long look at the huge breakfast menu to figure out what we wanted.  Cindy was having trouble figuring out what she wanted, so she wanted me to go first.  I was going to be very simple - three eggs over easy and three pieces of bacon.  The waitress said, "Why don't you get the breakfast special with hash browns and toast?" 

Actually, it would have been cheaper to do so, but I wasn't going to eat the hash browns and the toast and if there's one major pet peeve I have in this world is throwing out food.  God, it just rankles me to the core to have to throw out food.  Ask Cindy.  Actually, in hindsight, I should have gotten the breakfast special and told them to hold the hash browns and toast.  Live and learn when you're on a diet.

Cindy - who was not on a diet - got the Belgian waffles topped with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.  Although it was all I could do to change my order, but I fought through the temptation. 

When our very efficient waitress brought our food, the discrepancy was enormous.  Cindy had this huge waffle topped with a pound of strawberries and covered in whipped cream.  I had a plate with three eggs and three pieces of bacon.  When the waitress set it down in front of Cindy she said, "Oh, my!"

I said, "I'm telling you - they don't skimp on portions here.  Except if you order three eggs and three pieces of bacon."

My meal was over in, oh, maybe a minute.  Cindy had just begun to dig into her waffle.  It was all she could do to eat half of it.  We could have easily shared a Belgian waffle, but I'm allergic to strawberries (love the taste, hate the hives). 

The waitress asked Cindy if she wanted to box up the Belgian waffle.  Unfortunately, we were over three hours from home and had no room in the cooler (especially after we went to Trader Joe's) for the leftovers.  Besides, can you really heat up a Belgian waffle again? 

The prices are reasonable at Dapper's.  The service is always professional and swift.  And the food is always outstanding.  Dapper's is one of the reasons I love to stay in the Elmhurst/Addison area when I'm in Chicago for extended stays.  I always have a meal there at least once during my stays and I know I'll continue to do so.

This is Only a Test...

On Wednesday of this week, the Federal Communication Commission announced that it will ask local television stations who are not already broadcasting in digital to show three five-minute public-service ads on Thursday, May 21, as part of a test to let Americans know that their televisions are ready for the digital transition.  Tests are to be conducted at 7:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. local time.  The public-service ad will be part of the first coordinated nationwide test to see if people are, indeed, digital ready for the conversion coming on June 12.

Already, about 1/3 of the nation's local television stations have gone to digital broadcasting - mainly in rural and low population areas where less than 1 percent of the population was deemed not to be digital ready by the original transition date back in February.  The original transition date was moved back to June after heavy lobbying by the Obama administration.

For months up to the original digital transition date, local television stations had been running their own public-service programming that would allow viewers to test to see if their television was digitally compatible.  The delay for digital broadcasting to begin in June has cost many television stations thousands of dollars as they were continued to be forced to broadcast both analog and digital signals. 

Depending upon which research group you want to believe, there are still between 2 million and 3.5 million households still not ready for the digital transition.  The National Association of Broadcasters pegs the number at 2.1 million, while Neilsen Media Research says 3.5 million are not ready.  However, Neilsen's figures are half as many than they tallied in December. 

One thing that I've noticed in public service ads being run on local stations as of late is the prominent mention of having the right antenna for the digital conversion box.  Before, the antenna was sort of an afterthought.  But a number of horror stories arose across America as people thought all they had to do was buy a digital conversion box, hook it up to the television and their existing antenna and - voila!  They'd be able to watch their favorite programs.  But that turned out not to be the case in many instances. 

Some elderly people are miffed in that not only do they have to buy a converter box (even with a $40 rebate coupon from the Federal Government), but they now have to buy a new antenna, as well.  Many instances cropped up where people felt they were misinformed about the possible need for a new antenna.   To their credit, the FCC is doing a better job of getting that bit of information out there.  

With the digital transistion right at five weeks away, as I've said before, if you don't know that the switch is occuring you either live in a cave or on Mars.  Contrary to the opinions of some, I think that local stations and the FCC have done a wonderful job in educating the public about the digital transistion.  If June 12 comes around and you can't watch "Wheel of Fortune" on your old analog television, you have no one to blame but yourself. 

La Hacienda de los Fernandez - Addison, IL

La Hacienda de los Fernandez (The Estate of Fernandez) is a four-location chain of Mexican restaurants in the far west suburbs of Chicago.  The restaurants are part of the Fernandez Food chain of eateries which include 4 La Magdelena restaurants and Besa Mi Taco in far northwest suburban Itasca.  Also part of the Fernandez Food family is La Mag Catering, the company's catering arm for parties, corporate events and large gatherings. 

Jose Fernandez opened his first La Magelena restaurant in Addison in 1976.  From the start, Fernandez wanted only the freshest ingredients for his made-on-site authentic Northern Mexican food.  Jose (Joe) was 28 years old when he opened his first restaurant and he later followed with three more "La Mag" restaurants.  He opened the first La Hacienda de los Fernandez in Addison in 2002.  It shared a lot of the same home-cooked philosophies and goodness that people found at the La Magdelena restaurants. 

La Hacienda is a pretty large place located on the Lake St. corridor in Addison (see map).  I was staying at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Addison one night earlier this year and I was tired and hungry from a long day of making calls in the Chicago area.  Instead of trying to find something new in the area, I decided to go to La Hacienda, a place I'd been to a couple times before.

While I couldn't call my previous trips to La Hacienda memorable, I can say the food was good, there was an extensive menu to choose from, but the service was "iffy", at best.  I got into La Hacienda around 8:30 one evening and they gave me a booth in the dining room.  The place, for as late in the evening as it was, was about 3/4's full.  I was given a dinner menu and I ordered a cold Sol beer to go with my complementary chips and salsa.

I will have to say that I do like La Hacienda's salsa.  It's chunky, tangy and the right amount of spiciness where it doesn't burn your face off, but offers a nice little zip to the taste.  Their salsa doesn't last long when I get my hands on some. 

La Hacienda's menu isn't like a lot of other Mexican restaurants I've been to in the Midwest.  There are only 4 combination dinners to choose from (some restaurants will have up to and over 40 different combinations on their menu), and there is no "ala carte" ordering on the menu if you want to have a taco, enchilada or burrito on the side.  I would have to say that La Hacienda is more upscale compared to a lot of other Mexican restaurants I've been to.  And the decor supports that with comfortable booths and large wooden tables, subdued lighting and tasteful Mexican decorations and artwork on the walls. 

In addition to the usual Mexican fare of burritos, tacos, enchiladas and fajitas, La Hacienda also offered main course of rotisserie chicken, steaks, fish and vegetarian dinners.  Actually a lot of things sounded great and interesting as I perused the menu.

One thing on the menu that caught my eye was the Guisado de Res - a Mexican beef stew with skirt steak and vegetables cooked in a heavy broth.  They also had Guisado de Peurco, the same stew only with pork. 

While I kept looking at the enchiladas and tacos, I found something on the menu that I don't quite see any longer - chile rellenos stuffed with your choice of beef or chicken and topped with cheese and sauce.  Finding a chile relleno stuffed with anything other than cheese these days is rare, to say the least.  But I was really torn between that and an order of pork tacos.  If done right, there's nothing better than a great pork taco.

When my waiter came back to the table to take the order, I got the chile rellenos stuffed with beef.  And I asked him, "Is it possible to get a pork taco on the side?" 

He quickly asked, "Corn or flour tortilla?"

I hesitated for a moment and said, "Corn."

He said, "Crispy or soft."

"Soft!"

Sometimes it just doesn't hurt to ask...

And within 10 minutes my chile rellenos surrounded by chopped lettuce and tomatoes, rice and refried beans arrived at the table along with a small plate with my pork taco topped with a little lettuce and chopped tomatoes.   I have to say the chile rellenos were very good - flavorful, full of seasoned ground beef and not a lot of cheese on top that sometimes detracts from the taste of the pepper and stuffing. 

And the pork taco was good - not the best I've ever had - but good.  I'm glad I got the one on the side because I probably won't go out of my way to order one again on my next visit to La Hacienda. 

After taking my order, my waiter sort of forgot about me.  Someone else brought out the food and I was really ready for another beer (like I said, it was a long day).  My food was long gone off my plate before my waiter showed up with my check.  He asked, "Will there be anything else?"

I said, "Well, I could have used a beer about 15 minutes ago."

He asked, "Would you like one now?"

I said, "Nope, not now." 

La Hacienda is a little expensive compared to other Mexican restaurants - it cost me a little over $22 bucks with a couple beers and a tip.  But like I said - La Hacienda is more of an upscale Mexican restaurant than many others I've visited over the years.  

Every time I go past a La Hacienda location, whether it be at lunch time or dinner, the parking lot is always packed.  While it can run to the expensive side of Mexican food, the service was not too stellar, but the food was good.  If you can plan ahead to make sure you have everything you need when the waiter takes your order, you should be fine and dandy. 

While I probably won't seek out a La Hacienda de los Fernandez, as long as it's close to the hotel and quick - like the one in Addison is - I'll go back.