Road Tips

Axel's Bonfire - Savage, MN

When I fly through Minneapolis-St. Paul, I usually stop off at Axel's Bonfire in the main terminal to get a wood-grilled burger.  (Click here to see my post on Axel's at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.)  The food there, for an airport restaurant, is pretty good.  I had been telling myself that I needed to go to one of Axel's Bonfire's six other locations around the Twin Cities.  When I was in Minneapolis recently, I decided to go have dinner at the location in South suburban Savage (see map). 

The first Axel's restaurant - Axel's River Grille - opened in 1996 and was named after co-owner Linda Young's father who was a long time maintenance worker at the restaurant she took over along with co-owner Chuck Burrows.  Young and Burrows began to franchise the Axel's Bonfire concept a few years ago and sold their interest in the restaurants and franchises about two years ago.  

The menu at Axel's Bonfire is a mix of American cuisine that includes steaks, fish and seafood, chops, sandwiches and salads.  A number of the entrees are cooked in Axel's wood-burning oven or over an open wood-fire grill.  They even have wood-fired pizza at Axel's Bonfire - something I've wanted to try, but never have.  I like a good wood-fired pizza.  

The Axel's Bonfire in Savage was about a 15 minute drive from my hotel in Bloomington.  I'm guessing the location was rather new as it didn't show up as being listed on my Garmin GPS.  When I punched in the address for Axel's in Savage, it gave me an alternate address to use.  I thought that it had to be in the area, so I just used that address.  Turned out that it wasn't all that close.  It put me out about a half-mile north of the Axel's location.  I drove around a series of strip mall's and big box stores in the area for about 15 minutes before I finally found the Axel's Bonfire tucked in off the west side of state highway 13.  

I went in and took a seat at the bar and got a menu from the bartender.  She gave me a run-down of a couple specials they were featuring that night, but neither tripped my trigger.  I really didn't know what I was in the mood for that evening.  I'd just had pizza the night before and I wasn't up for having another one that soon.  Burgers?  No, I always seem to get the burger at the one at the airport.  

Steak?  Yeah, maybe.  Barbecue - that did sound kind of good.  So did a pan-fried walleye.  One thing that caught my eye were the walleye tacos on their "Southwestern" part of the menu.  They called the walleye "fried" and I wondered if they were breaded and deep-fried, or bits of pan-seared walleye chunks that were put into a taco.  The bartender asked me if she could explain anything on the menu and I immediately asked about the walleye tacos.

"When it says fried walleye, are they breaded," I asked. 

She said, "Yeah, we use a light breading on our walleye.  The walleye we use in our tacos and walleye fajitas are basically the walleye strips we have as an appetizer.  It's like chicken strips, only they're walleye."  

Well, that's not really fish tacos in my book.  So I went with Plan B - the brisket.  She said, "Oh, that's a good choice."  For my side I got the buttermilk-mashed potatoes that include bits of bacon.  I got a side salad with French dressing as an opener.  

The interior of Axel's Bonfire in Savage is a contemporary Southwestern-style mix of wood and glass with low level lighting.  It can get a little loud in Axel's because of the furnishings, but nothing that is overbearing.  It's a very comfortable place to have a meal.  There are also televisions throughout the place that are usually tuned to a sporting event so it has somewhat of an upscale sports bar feel to the place. 

As far as the food goes - my salad was OK, nothing special.  It featured a large serving of greens topped with some veggies and their homemade French dressing that was more tangy than sweet.   It was a pretty good sized serving, but I was hungry and I wanted to get something in my stomach pretty quickly.

The brisket and mashed potatoes were brought out the bar and the bartender placed it in front of me.  There was a small container of barbecue sauce.  I knew I would need more so I asked her for some.  She happily told me, "Sure!  I'll get you some more here in a bit!"  

The barbecue sauce was sort of sweet and smoky.  It was OK, nothing special.  The brisket was all right, as well.  It was sort of tender, but didn't have a lot of flavor to the meat.  The barbecue sauce made the brisket taste a little better, but it was far from the best brisket I'd ever had.  

I had a couple three bites of the mashed-bacon potatoes.  They, too, were just OK.  I'm not big on potatoes these days, but I do like to sample some out-of-the-ordinary recipes for mashed potatoes when I come across them.  They were pretty basic, to say the least.

Overall, I'd give my meal at Axel's Bonfire a B-.  The brisket was just about average, the potatoes had some potential that they didn't live up to.  The salad was OK.  With three beers, the meal came to just over $40 bucks with a generous tip to my bartender who was friendly, attentive and accommodating.  

Axel's does some things better than others.  I do like their burgers and I've seen some of the other entrees they had to offer.  I probably need to try something that they actually cook in their wood-fired ovens or over their wood-fired grill.   There's something that I just sort of like about Axel's Bonfire.  I like the concept, I like the ambiance, and I like the varied menu offerings.  I'll have to give Axel's another shot at a full entree meal at some point, but definitely not the brisket. 

Westwood Tavern - Schaumburg, IL

One of my favorite places to go have a beer and something to eat when I would be out in the Schaumburg area in the Western suburbs of Chicago was the Prairie Rock Brewing Company, even though it had a been a few years since I'd last been there.  Two years ago, Prairie Rock Rock Brewing Co. went out of business and it was replaced by a upscale steak house/restaurant based out of Evanston called Pete Miller's.  I never went into Pete Miller's and, obviously, not a lot of other people did either as they eventually closed that location earlier this year.  However, this summer a new place went into the old Prairie Rock/Pete Miller's location - Westwood Tavern.  I took a couple guys who work for a dealer I call on in nearby Hoffman Estates there for some drinks and snacks recently.

Westwood Tavern, located on N. Meacham St. near Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg (see map), is what I would call an upscale sports bar.  It's actually takes up about half the space of what the old Prairie Rock Brewing Company had.  (A place called Wildberry Cafe - a restaurant that bills itself as a gourmet breakfast cafe - is located in the other part of the building.)  The interior is very classy, there's a large, three-sided bar as you walk in and there are a flat panel televisions throughout the main floor.  Upstairs is a large dining area that features big tables with linen table cloths.  It's definitely not your typical sports bar. 

But the most unique feature of Westwood Tavern are six booths on the main floor that have four beer taps that come up through the middle of the table.  People who sit at the booths have their choice of four different beers they can pour (as long as one of the four is either Miller Lite or Bud Light) and can choose from four other upscale beers from their beer list.  Westwood Tavern employs a computerized system for the six booths that measure the pours of the given beers that are sent to the taps at the table.  I'm still not quite sure how all that happens or how the changeover occurs if someone wants different beers from the previous patrons.  All I know is that I've never seen anything like it in my travels.  

Westwood Tavern was packed when we got into the restaurant.  The booths with the taps one of the guys was telling me about were all full.  In fact, it was going to be a 30 minute wait just to get a table.  We found a couple seats at the bar and my guests sat there while I stood until a seat opened up next to one of the guys.  

We were having drinks and the waitress asked if we wanted to take a look at the menu for some appetizers.  The top of the menu featured a number of sushi items including California and Spicy Tuna Rolls.  While there wasn't an extensive list of either sushi or even appetizers, for that matter, all of it sounded pretty good.

The entree list was pretty shallow with just four items - pot roast, ribs, a ribeye steak and a miso-glazed salmon.  One thing that caught my eye on the menu were mahi-mahi grilled fish tacos.  I'm a sucker for grilled fish tacos.  But the guys were talking about the flat bread pizza Westwood Tavern has.  In fact, as they were talking about it, one was brought out to a lady sitting next to one of my guests.  It did look good - it was very thin and rolled out in a somewhat oval/rectangle.  The one the lady had was the pepperoni flat bread pizza.  It was brought out on a flat wood board, topped with ample amounts of pepperoni and sprinkled with fresh herbs.  It looked pretty good.

The guys were more interested in drinking than eating food, so we ended up ordering a couple flat bread pizzas - one just pepperoni, the other with sausage and pepperoni.  Oh, well.  Fish tacos can wait until my next visit.   

When the flat bread pizzas were brought out, they were somewhat lukewarm like they'd been sitting for a while before they brought them out.  And while the dough was very moist and chewy, unlike most thin crust pizzas that are usually a little more crispy, especially around the edges, it had a somewhat disagreeable taste of wood to the dough.  It was like the dough had sucked up the wood flavor from the flat board it was served on.  I don't mind the taste of cedar in a salmon filet that's been cooked on top of a plank, but for some reason this was like they had gone down to Menards, got some boards off the shelf and that what's they served the pizza upon. 

Other than that, the toppings were fresh and tasty.  I had a few pieces and called it quits.  I just couldn't get past the woody taste of the dough.  It highly detracted from the overall taste of the pizza. 

Still, Westwood Tavern would be a place I'd go back to if I was in the area and wanted to catch a sporting event.  I saw their burger brought out to a guy near us and it looked interesting.  I still want to try the fish tacos at some point.  And it's a rather unique place with the beer spigots in the booths.  I'll go back, but I won't have the flat bread pizza. 

Botanas - Milwaukee

As I continue to go down the list of restaurants that were suggested by Bob and Kasey Kelly when they were married in Milwaukee last May, I decided to try Botanas - another Mexican restaurant that is in the city's "Little Latin" area around National and 5th (see map).   Botanas is just south of La Perla, and a little over a block south of, and across the street from, La Fuente.  To keep up with either one of those two, Botanas would have to be excellent. 

Jaime Hernandez grew up in Mexico, the oldest of 11 children.  He was asked to help out in the kitchen as a growing child, then worked in a small taco stand with his father.  That stand eventually turned into a restaurant.  In 1989, Hernandez came to Milwaukee to help out at a Mexican restaurant.  He never went back.  He worked all types of jobs at a number of restaurants in the area - bus boy, cook, waiter, bartender - before he eventually became a chef at La Fuente.  Hernandez eventually moved down and across the street to be the head chef at La Perla.  

In 2005, Azteca, a former restaurant on 5th St. south of National, moved across the street to a larger building.  Jaime Hernandez was given the opportunity to buy the old restaurant with the help of La Perla co-owner JoAnne Anton.  When Hernandez, along with his wife, Martha, opened the restaurant, it seated 38 people.  Less than five years later, they have expanded the restaurant to over 400 seats, including a huge dining hall where people can have pre-selected buffet dinners for parties.  It has quickly become a popular stop for Mexican food lovers in the Walker's Point area of Milwaukee.

It was after 8 p.m. on a weeknight when I got into Botanas (a Mexican slang word for "snacks").  I was able to park on the street, but Botanas does have valet parking in a nice sized lot next door.  While the place is decorated in bright colors and with murals, Botanas was dimly lit.  They have a good sized bar that you walk into as you come in to the restaurant.  A pretty good sized crowd was having dinner in the place.  Two birthday parties were going on in the dining hall off the main dining area, so it was loud and raucous.  

I sat down and was given a menu along with a basket of chips and Botanas homemade salsa.  The chips were nothing special, but the salsa was good with not much of a kick to it.   One plus is that they did have Sol beer, but I also wanted to try a margarita.  I ordered up a regular house margarita to start out. 

Like most good Mexican restaurants - especially in Milwaukee - Botanas had almost too much to choose from.  They had beef, chicken, pork and seafood specialties.  My head was just spinning from the choices - tamales, burritos, pork in green tomatillo sauce.  The amount of great sounding Mexican food on the menu was almost too much. 

I ended up ordering a super burrito filled with chunky beef.  The beef was slow-cooked in a tomato sauce to make it tender.  I also ordered a Pork tamale on the side.  The house margarita was good, but I ended up ordering a Sol when I ordered my dinner. 

Like most Mexican food, it didn't take long for the food to make it to my table.  The super burrito was very large, but manageable to eat.  And the beef was very tender - you could easily cut it with a fork - and the seasoned tomato sauce they slow cook the beef in was a great taste compliment.   The super burrito came on a large plate with rice, refried beans, pico de gallo, lettuce and guacamole. 

Let me tell you a bit about the guacamole.  I don't know what Botanas does to their guacamole, but it may have been the freshest, best tasting guacamole I've ever had.  I'm not kidding you one bit.  It was absolutely wonderful.  I'd never had guacamole that good before and I thought I'd had some pretty good guacamole over the years.  I was literally licking the remnants off my plate, it was that good.  

And the pork tamale was just outstanding, as well.  It was served in an authentic corn husk and the pork was tender and flavorful.  All in all, my meal at Botanas was just outstanding.  

Seated at a table just across from me was a Hispanic couple.  I noticed people coming out of the kitchen and talking to them.  It turned out that it was the owners, Jaime and Martha (right).  A few patrons would walk by and they'd talk with them for a bit.  They seemed to be very nice people that had a very loyal clientele.  

And I can see why.  The food at Botanas was just outstanding.  Some of the best - if not THE best - Mexican food I've ever had in Milwaukee.  And with La Perla and La Fuente just up the street, that's saying a lot.  My meal with a margarita and couple of beers came to about $33 bucks with tip.  The service was efficient and the atmosphere was wonderful.  The next time I go into Botanas, I'm going to get a side order of guacamole.  Maybe two sides of guacamole.  It was just that outstanding.  And with all the other great sounding things on the menu that I want to try, I can't wait to go back later this year.  

Trailhead Brewing Company - St. Charles, MO

A night after going to Lewis and Clark's, I decided to go to their sister restaurant - Trailhead Brewing Company - in historic downtown St. Charles (see map).  When I worked for my former company based in St. Peters, we spent a lot of time at Trailhead Brewing Company.  And after I left the company over 7 years ago, I still caught up with some of my former colleagues at Trailhead when I'd make it to St. Louis.  But the company ended up closing, former colleagues moved away or got other jobs, and it had been a long, long time since I was last in. 

Trailhead Brewing Company opened in 1995 in an old building that once housed the Old Grist Mill.  The land the restaurant sits upon is said to be the "trailhead" point for the Lewis and Clark expedition.  As St. Charles grew as an important trading center in the 1800's, it was known as a trailhead for fur traders, settlers and other people heading west.  Today, Trailhead Brewing Company marks the eastern trailhead of the Katy Trail, a recreational trail that ends 225 miles away in Clinton, MO.

Trailhead Brewing Company is a very popular place with a large square bar and a couple of dining areas in the place.  The bar was packed with people when I got there that evening, so there was no place to sit and be able to watch TV and get dinner.  I opted for a table in the upper dining room.  The hostess took me up there, sat me at a table and handed me a menu.  The waiter came over and asked if I wanted a beer to get started.  It had been such a long time since I'd been there that I had to look over the beer menu just to remember what they had.  I ended up getting a Trailhead Red Amber for my first beer. 

Trailhead Brewing Company's menu is sort of extensive with a number of appetizers and about five pizzas to choose from.  They also have a number of soups and salads, along with some house specialties that include ribs, fish and chips and a sausage platter.  And just as I remembered, Trailhead has large selection of sandwiches including burgers, prime rib sandwiches and grilled chicken sandwiches.  

But I was looking at the entrees that evening, even though the spicy hot beef sandwich was getting my attention.  Trailhead Brewing Company has three different sizes of slow roasted prime rib, and an interesting "jerk"-seasoned grilled Mahi Mahi.  But the slow smoked, then grilled center-cut pork loin medallions kept calling me.  That what I ended up ordering when the waiter came back with my beer.  The medallions were served on a bed of rice and I got a choice of a side, as well as a salad.  They had maple infused sweet potatoes that evening.  Ooo, I'm a sucker for maple and sweet potatoes.  Putting them together sounded so joyfully sinful.  For good measure, I also ordered a cup of Trailhead's chili in which they put smoked beef brisket chunks.  I remembered that as being pretty good.

The Trailhead Red Amber beer was, well, sort of disappointing.  It tasted rather flat and didn't have the forward taste that I've come to expect from an amber beer.  It just wasn't very good.  I knew I wouldn't be ordering that again for my second beer.

The salad was a generous plate of greens topped with Trialhead's homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing.  Nothing spectacular, but it was serviceable.  But the chili was everything I remember it was.  It featured nice sized chunks of smoked brisket and it had a great taste to it.  Looking back, had I just gotten a bowl of chili for dinner that could have been more than enough. 

The waiter came by to pick up my salad plate and my empty cup of chili.  I ordered up one of Trailhead's Trailblazer Blond ales, about the lightest thing they had on their beer menu.  I do like their Missouri Brown dark ale (has a nice blend of caramel and coffee taste to it), but it's a little too heavy for me.  As is their Old Courthouse Stout.  Stout beers and I don't get along, anyhow.  And I certainly wasn't going to order up the Riverboat Raspberry beer.  Ordering a fruity beer is not part of my drinking agenda.  

My pork medallions came out along with my beer and I dug in.  The pork was actually a little over-grilled making the meat a little tough, and the barbecue sauce really overpowered the taste of the meat.  The barbecue sauce that Trailhead Brewing Company uses is all right, but it's nothing exciting.    The highlight on my plate were the maple sweet potatoes.  Oh man, were they great! 

The Trailblazer Blond was OK, better than the amber, but not by much.  It had a light flavor, but I should have probably ordered a Bud Light.   I have sort of an unwritten rule that I have at brewpubs - drink what they make, even if it isn't all that great. 

The Trailhead Brewing Company was exactly what I remembered it to be.  Average food and average beer all served in a unique 1800-style building that is cozy and comforting.  Like I say, I do remember their burgers and some of their sandwiches being pretty good and maybe I'll stop back for lunch some day to give them another try.  But with all the choices in the St. Louis/St. Charles County area for places to eat for dinner, it may be quite sometime before I make it back to Trailhead Brewing Company for an evening meal. 

2010 Consumer Electronics Show - Las Vegas

The annual Consumer Electronics Show was held recently in Las Vegas and for the, let's see...  Let me do the math here...  It was my 24th consecutive CES in Las Vegas.  Each year, I get more jaded regarding this show.  And I'm not alone as this year overall attendance was down, and a number of major manufacturers in specialty audio and video products either did not show at CES, or they showed off-site.  My company did the latter as we showed at the Mirage this year, which is not part of CES.  More about that later on.

The big buzz at CES this year was 3-D television and a number of companies - including LG and Panasonic - showed prototype flat panel units that featured built in 3-D capabilities.  These televisions will require special glasses for viewing 3-D images on the screen and the first ones should be on the market by this summer.  The 3-D format these manufacturers will be using is similar to the same type of 3-D that is used in IMAX movie theaters where polarized glasses make filtered images appear to pop out of the screen.  I'm not quite sure how these manufacturers achieve this as IMAX and other 3-D systems I've worked with in the past have always had projected images on screens. 

No manufacturer announced prices for their 3-D televisions, but industry estimates peg the price for a 42" flat panel with 3-D capability as starting at around $3000.  3-D content will be coming in the form of games, Blu-Ray DVD's, and programs broadcast in 3-D.  DirecTV and Panasonic announced a joint venture at CES that will culminate in the satellite provider upgrading their system this summer to allow their subscribers to view 3-D content that is broadcast by a 3-D network.  ESPN recently announced the debut of ESPN 3-D will take place on June 11 when they broadcast a World Cup game between host South Africa and Mexico.  DirecTV is also working with other broadcasters such as Fox Sports, NBC, CBS, HDNet and TBS who hope to be able to deliver 3-D programming beginning this summer. 

One thing that really isn't being discussed is the possible harmful effects of 3-D television.  A few years ago when we were working with Sensio, a Quebec company that was pioneering stereoscopic 3-D processors, we learned that prolonged exposure to 3-D images can affect the equalibrium of some people to the point where they can get physically sick.  I was told by a Microsoft engineer who had been working on 3-D games for their XBox platform that doctors told them that the most a person should be exposed to 3-D at one time is 45 minutes.  That's why they were leery of coming out with 3-D games as some people play these games for up to 4 to 6 hours at a sitting.   But prolonged 3-D exposure affects people differently and the only warning I've seen from manufacturers in regard to how 3-D will physically affect a person is to go to a 3-D movie and see if it doesn't make you ill.  That's it.  It will be interesting to hear some instances where watching long periods of 3-D made someone sick. 

Interactive TV was also big at CES.  Manufacturers will have televisions that will have built in Wi-Fi capabilities, some will support Skype communications, and Panasonic and Vizio announced a collaboration with Netflix which will allow the consumer to download movies directly to their television.  The up and coming Vudu on-demand movie service will be featured on some Mitsubishi, Sharp and Toshiba models later this year. 

Speaking of movies, Blu-Ray players continue to grow in numbers and in performance.  A number of manufacturers showed units that will feature upgraded BD-Live capability that will enhance the movie you're watching by being able to download additional content from the Internet and be able to add features as you're watching the movie.  For example, the BD-Live content for the movie "Julie and Julia" will allow for a person to download some recipes Julia Child used in her cookbook, "The French Chef".   The movie "Transformers" allows for a BD-Live download of a short feature called "Robot Ninjas".  The jury is still out on the benefits of BD-Live, but one thing is for certain.  We probably won't see any conventional DVD players being manufactured by 2012 - or sooner.  The good thing is that you'll be able to play your regular DVD's on a Blu-Ray player (as well as CD's, SACD's and HDCD's). 

Computer geeks are breathlessly awaiting the arrival of the long rumored Apple tablet-style computer that will allow a user to take their computer just about anywhere.  That didn't happen at CES, but a number of other companies showed their prototype versions of slate tablet computers that will no doubt come out soon after Apple finally releases its tablet. 

Mobile DTV will be even bigger come 2010.  Qualcomm's Flo-TV has been hampered by the lack of programming (only about 15 channels) and the fact that only a handful of users could pick up the system.  However, Qualcomm announced at CES that they have partnered with Apple to bring Flo-TV to iPhones.  They've developed a new battery pack for iPhones that will double as a receiver.  Not to be outdone, a new company by the name of Tivit (right) showed a device that will allow for streaming of television programming to any Wi-Fi device - including iPhones and Blackberrys.  It's small and will fit in a pocket to stream video instantly. 

With the recession still a hot issue with manufacturers, retailers and consumers, we saw a number of specialty audio and video companies pull back from CES this year.  For the past four years at CES, my company has shown our products in suites at the Hilton.  The Hilton was part of CES, but we found ourselves more and more isolated as many other manufacturers began to show privately off-site at other hotels along the Las Vegas Strip.  With a number of high-end exhibitors over at the Venetian, we found that a number of our dealers and clients weren't willing to make the long trek between the two hotels.  

This year we had three suites at the Mirage, just across Las Vegas Boulevard from the Venetian.  I was hoping we'd get into the penthouse suites on the top five floors of the hotel, but we were relegated to smaller suites on the 2nd, 3rd and 6th floor.  It was possible that we couldn't get those suites because it was our first year there.  While it was nice in that our bedrooms were attached to the suites, but it didn't afford us much of a view.  Whoever said that nearly every room at the Mirage had a spectacular view didn't stay in room 3001.  

While we showed a few new products from Focal and Cambridge Audio, the biggest splash my company made was showing the Micromega WM-10 Airstream wireless hi-fi music network in our 2nd floor suite.  The WM-10 Airstream is a dedicated WHi-Fi network that allows users to stream WAV or lossless music files from their computers to their hi-fi systems.  It uses 802.11 technology - the best wireless technology available - to stream music to the unit, then it has a built in high-quality digital-to-analog circuit that converts the information to high-fidelity analog information that then plugs into an existing stereo system.  

As more and more people are using their computers to store music, they've found that the sound quality of the outputs on most computers is pretty bad.  It's usually caused by cheap D to A converters that inhibit the sound quality.  We've been selling the Cambridge Audio DacMagic unit for a little over a year and while it does a remarkable job in upgrading the sound quality out of computers, it doesn't allow for wireless transfer of music.  Since most computers in homes are in a room away from the main sound system, the DacMagic doesn't allow for the mobility of music.  The Micromega WM-10 Airstream is a great alternative for a wireless D to A converter.  I had one in my house for a couple weeks before I began to let dealers use it before Christmas and the sound quality was just stunning.  You honestly couldn't tell the music was being streamed from a computer.  It sounded almost as good as listening to my Cambridge Audio 840C CD player - and that's a helluva CD player.    

We had a morning press conference with editors and writers from nearly 20 print and on-line audio magazines showing off the WM-10 Airstream.  While I didn't attend the press conference, I understand the demonstration was a huge hit and nearly everybody who witnessed and heard the demo requested a unit for themselves so they could do their own review on the product.  We even had people seeking us out who had heard about the demo from others.   

It was up in the air as to whether we'd attend CES in 2011.  Frankly, my "give-a-shit" factor for CES is pretty low.  But our showing off-site at the Mirage was deemed as a success by my boss and he plans on having us come back again next year.  While we were affected by the economy in 2009, it didn't hurt us as it did other manufacturers.  Still the savings we realized by not showing as part of CES was amazing.  It cost us about 1/8th the amount to show at the Mirage as it did at the Hilton.  I've always liked the Mirage and even though it is showing some wear and tear, it's still one of the nicer places in Vegas.  I think I'll actually look forward to going back next year.

Glass Nickel Pizza Co. - Madison, WI

I get a little leery of restaurants who were voted as "the best" in local reader polls.  There's a good chance the restaurant that won probably "stuffed" the ballot box.  So when I found that Glass Nickel Pizza Co. had won the "best pizza" award in Madison for 2008, I approached my first visit there with a little trepidation.  Would I think it was the best in Madison?  I had to give it a try.

Glass Nickel Pizza was established in 1997 by two local Madison men - Brian Glassel and Tim Nicholson (hence, the "Glass Nickel" name).  Glassel and Nicholson had both worked in pizza parlors since their teens. They met up at a pizza place they worked at and began to talk about the kind of a pizza they would like to make - with fresh ingredients, a vast variety of toppings and styles of pizza, and a commitment to consistent excellence. 

Their first location quickly sprouted a second location in Madison.  Today, there are seven Glass Nickel locations - four in the greater Madison area, one in Green Bay, one in Oshkosh, and one in western suburban Milwaukee.  In addition to pizza, Glass Nickel Pizza Co. also has a variety of sandwiches, calzones, wings, salads and appetizers.

During a recent trip to Madison, I stayed on the west side of town.  I was almost equidistant between the Madison - West Glass Nickel and the one in suburban Fitchburg.   It was more of a direct route to the one in Fitchburg, so I went to that one (see map).  I pulled up in front and suddenly realized that it was more of a take-out and delivery location.  Oh, there were some booth-type tables in the small dining area.  But it was definitely not conducive for a sit down meal.  All right, that's fine.  I'll get it to go.  The hotel isn't that far away.   

I walked in and could see a flurry a of activity in the kitchen.  I went up to the counter and opened a small "to-go" menu to see what I wanted.  Glass Nickel featured over 20 specialty pizzas as well as the ability to choose your own toppings.  The first thing I noticed was the low prices on their pizza.  A 10" (small) pizza began at $7.65 for a basic cheese pizza.  Each topping was a buck more. 

I decided to get a small Italian sausage, pepperoni and mushroom, the reference toppings for me to try a new pizza.   They also had a number of different types of sauce to choose from.  I almost got their spicy classic, but decided just to have their regular classic Italian red sauce.  (Although their chunky marinara was tempting, as well.)  Since this location was mainly carryout only, they didn't have any beer on the premises.  That's OK, there was a convenience store near the hotel.  I could stop there and get some beer to drink. 

They told me my pizza would be ready in less than 15 minutes, so I sat in one of the booths looking over the menu.  And less than 15 minutes later, one of the guys in the back brought out my pizza for me to take to the hotel.  I stopped at the convenience store to get a "40" of Bud Light and got back to the hotel.  The temperature of the pizza had cooled down a bit, so I popped a couple pieces in the microwave that I had in my room for a few seconds.

The toppings were definitely fresh and plentiful.  The sausage on top were the big chunks, the pepperoni was spicy and the mushrooms were fresh cut.  I liked the sauce and the amount of cheese on top.  All in all, it was a very good pizza.  For a pizza that was just a tad over $11.00, there was a lot of pizza to eat.  I could only eat four slices (out of six) before I'd had enough.  I had the other two pieces for breakfast the next day.  It was still good warmed up.  I was pleasantly surprised all the way around. 

I was impressed with Glass Nickel's pizza.  I don't like to take a pizza back to a hotel rather than enjoy it in house where it's always so much better when it comes piping hot out of the oven.  But the boys at Glass Nickel definitely do a good pizza.  I don't quite know if it's the best in Madison, but it was still very good.  I can see why they've been named the "best pizza" in Madison.  I'm sure they cook 'em fast and get them delivered to people's homes in a quick fashion.  That's always a plus with many people who order pizza for delivery.   

Matt's Bar - Minneapolis

One of the first posts I did on Road Tips over four years ago was about Matt's Bar in Minneapolis.  This blog has evolved so much since then that I'm not even going to link that particular post to this one.  In other words, the writing and attention to detail in the entry pretty much sucked.  I was in Minneapolis lately and decided to revisit Matt's Bar and get one of their signature "Jucy Lucy" burgers. 

The Jucy Lucy is sort of a Twin Cities phenomenon.  It's basically taking two thin burger patties and putting a stack of 1" by 1" squares of American Cheese in the middle, then sealing it up.  The burger is then cooked on a flat top grill to a medium-well state.  The cheese inside the burger gets up to over 180 degrees (F), so they warn you before you bite in that the cheese is scalding hot.  It's safe to say more than a few roofs-of-the-mouth have been blistered by a Jucy Lucy over the years.

Matt's Bar was established in the early 50's by Matt Bristol.  Legend has it that one day a customer came in and asked the cook to take two patties and tuck some cheese inside the two burgers.  When the customer bit into the cheese-stuffed burger and the hot, juicy cheese oozed out, he reportedly said, "Boy, that's one juicy Lucy!"  The name stuck, but it appears someone at Matt's Bar was sick the day they had spelling in grade school.  They left the "i" out of juicy, making it "jucy".  No matter, it distinguishes the burgers from other Jucy Lucy knock-offs around the Twin Cities. 

Over the years, the Jucy Lucy has garnered a number of "best burger" awards in the Twin Cities.  The burger itself, is truly a Twin City institution. 

 

And Matt's Bar is nothing more than a small dive.  Don't expect anything fancy if you go.  There's a number of booths and some tables in the place, and a small bar that seats, maybe, 10 to 12 people.  The current owner, Scott Nelson - who bought Matt's Bar in 1998 - has kept much of the same original 50's-style wood-paneled decor giving it a nice neighborhood bar feeling to the place. 

It was in the middle of the afternoon when I got into Matt's, located in south central Minneapolis (see map).  It was past the noon rush crowd that flows into Matt's Bar on a daily basis.  There was one other person at the bar - it turned out it was the main cook for Matt's - and there were, possibly, two or three other booth's or tables full of people. 

This is the menu at Matt's Bar.  (Click on the picture to get a better look.)   There's not much to it.  My first trip to Matt's, I didn't see the menu board, but I knew I wanted a Jucy Lucy.  I also ordered some fries.  The waitress asked me if I wanted a half-order or a full-order.  This was when I was still eating french fries on a regular basis.  I ordered a full basket.  That was a mistake.  I must have gotten two pounds of fries.  That was a monumental waste of food.  I didn't come close to finishing half the basket.

This time I just wanted a Jucy Lucy.  I ordered from the bartender and she said she'd get it right up for me.  The small grill on the end of the bar area will churn out up to 600 Jucy Lucy's in a full day.  They can probably cook 15 to 18 burgers at a time on the grill.

After about 10 to 12 minutes, my Jucy Lucy showed up.  The bartender said, "You know there's melted cheese inside and it can be hot."

I said, "Oh, yeah.  I know the drill."

I took a bite and immediately the hot, molten lava of cheese squirted out the opposite side of the burger where I bit into it and spilled onto the wax paper.  That was it.  It suddenly became a Jucy Lucy cheese dip.

Now, it had been over 4 years since I had my first and only Jucy Lucy and I gave the burger an honorable mention on my Top Ten List of burgers.  I have to say that I remember a Jucy Lucy as being better than what I had.  The burger was cooked more well done than medium-well.  It wasn't all that juicy, even with the cheese.   While you want consistency in a burger that is famous like a Jucy Lucy, I have to say it was not one of their top moments.  Maybe it had to do with the fact that the main cook was on break and someone else was in charge of the grill that afternoon.

Since my visit to Matt's Bar this last fall, I happened to see an episode of "Man Vs. Food" on The Food Network.  Adam Richman went to Minneapolis and visited Matt's Bar and had a Jucy Lucy.  However, he also visited another place just down the road from Matt's Bar - The 5-8 Club - which boasts a Juicy Lucy, spelled in the correct way.  In fact, The 5-8 Club boasts that "if it's spelled right, it's made right."  Both Matt's Bar and The 5-8 Club claim they are the originators of the Jucy Lucy, or Juicy Lucy.  The 5-8 Club has five different variations of their Juicy Lucy, including a pepperjack cheese Juicy Lucy.  (It sounds similar to my "Cheese-Stuffed Nuclear Burger" that I came up with after my first visit to Matt's Bar.)  It appears that I'll have to go try the Juicy Lucy at The 5-8 Club on my next visit to Minneapolis later this spring.

As I said, there's a number of Jucy Lucy knock-offs in the Twin Cities.  Another one is the Groveland Tap in St. Paul.  They do a Juicy Lucy (their spelling) with chopped jalapenos and pepperjack cheese.  That sounds very intriguing.

In any event, I'll have to go back to Matt's Bar to get what I think a real Jucy Lucy is.  I'm not going to dismiss the place as a has-been at this point.  My burger wasn't very good on this trip, definitely not as good as I remember on my first visit.  But I do want to try The 5-8 Club and Groveland Tap at some point as well.   When I get through trying all the variations of Jucy Lucy's or Juicy Lucy's, I'll have a good idea as to who has the best in the Twin Cities.

 

Lewis and Clark's - St. Charles, MO

A good friend of mine works for the St. Louis Rams and we try to get together to catch up on old times when we both have the time when I'm in St. Louis.  I happened to be staying out in St. Charles one evening and the Rams' offices are in Earth City, just across the Missouri River.  We both were able to find the time to get together for a casual dinner at Lewis and Clark's in historic downtown St. Charles.

When I worked for a company in St. Peters for a number of years, Lewis and Clark's was always one of our favorite places to dine for lunch or dinner.  The decor and cozy dining rooms are reminiscent of an old English-style pub.  A number of years ago, Rod Thomas bought the building that houses the restaurant for about $60,000 and envisioned a restaurant on the site.  He poured another $350,000 into the building and lined up investors to go in with him on a restaurant.  When a proposed deal fell through, Thomas took out ads in local newspapers to try and attract another investor.

Bob Kirkwood was running the old Classic Carriage and Car Co. in St. Charles when he saw the ad.  He met with Thomas, saw the building and immediately signed on.  Along with two veteran restaurant renovators, Philip Golm and Ken Surprenant, Kirkwood and Thomas are the principal owners of Lewis and Clark's.  They also own the Trailhead Brewing Company, another popular restaurant/brewpub in downtown St. Charles, with Kirkwood as the managing partner for both properties.   

Now, one thing that Lewis and Clark's is famous for is their white chili (click here for the recipe).  I'm not enamored with the stuff, but my wife just loves it.  It's made with white beans, chicken and instead of a tomato-base for a traditional chili, you use chicken broth.  Lewis and Clark's were inundated with so many requests for the recipe that they printed it up and would hand them out to people when asked.  That's how Cindy got the recipe a number of years ago.  She tried to make it at home and it didn't turn out very well.  

I've noticed that white chili is featured on a number of menus across the greater St. Louis area.   I honestly don't know if Lewis and Clark's were the first to have white chili in St. Louis, but theirs was the first place that I'd ever seen white chili on any menu.  I'm sorry, I just don't care for the taste.  

I was able to find a parking spot on the street just down S. Main Street from Lewis and Clark's (see map).  My buddy, Mike, was a little late showing up, so I had a beer in the old style bar at the place.  It wasn't much longer before he showed up and we were shown to a table on the second level.  We got our menus and took a quick look at what they had that evening.   In addition to soups, appetizers and salads, Lewis and Clark's features a number of sandwiches and burgers, and a number of main entrees that feature beef, chicken, pasta and seafood.  It's not a huge menu, but there always seems to be something that's good that I can find on the menu.

I hadn't been to Lewis and Clark's for quite sometime, but one thing I do remember is that they had a wonderful beef tenderloin kabob where they'd marinate the meat, and grill it along with vegetables on a skewer.  The only problem is that they sometimes run out of it as they only make a certain number of them a day.  It wasn't a very busy night for the restaurant, so I was hoping I'd be able to get one.  The waiter went and checked with the kitchen and came back to inform me that they did still have some.  So, that's what I ordered, along with a side salad with their homemade Parmesan peppercorn dressing.

Mike ordered a turkey sandwich with fries.  He said, "Since Rams Park is just over the river, we come over here quite a bit for lunch.  I've got hooked on their turkey sandwich." 

We caught up on things while we waited for our food.  I've known Mike since his days back in Iowa City when he was working for the University of Iowa.  Mike and I were co-best men at our buddy, Billy Wilson's, wedding a number of years ago.  Mike was telling me that Bill and his wife, Ronda, had been down the weekend before for a Rams game and then they all went to see Bruce Springsteen that evening.  Mike and Billy are huge Springsteen fans and have traveled long distances to see "The Boss" play.  The talk at the table centered on the canceling of a Springsteen concert the night before in Kansas City due to the tragic death of one of Springsteen's crew members, who was also a cousin to "The Boss".  Mike said, "Yeah, that was wild, huh?  I can almost imagine how a bunch of those fans felt when they show up and the show's canceled." 

My salad came out and the bowl was generously filled with fresh greens and topped with Lewis and Clark's tangy, yet not overly zippy Parmesan peppercorn dressing.   It was big enough that I wasn't quite fully finished with my salad when our main entrees showed up at the table. 

The beef tenderloin kabobs were just as good as I remember.  The chunks of tenderloin were a little over-cooked for my taste, but still tender enough to enjoy.  And the grilled veggies on the skewer were still crunchy and fresh.  There was more than enough food on the skewer to make it a good, full meal.  

Mike said his turkey sandwich was "good, as always".  The turkey sandwich features smoked turkey breast, thinly sliced and topped with cheese, tomato, lettuce, mayo and guacamole.  It's served on toasted whole wheat bread.  It did look really good.  But I was overly happy with my beef tenderloin kabob.   

I've found in my travels that sometimes when I haven't been to a restaurant in a number of years, I'm disappointed in my return visit.  I can't say that about my visit to Lewis and Clark's.  It was just as good as I remember.  It's been too long since I was last in and I need to keep them on my radar during my future visits to the St. Louis area.   I remember their burgers and sandwiches as being very good, but, then again, I can't really remember ever having a bad meal at Lewis and Clark's.  

Goodbye to an Old Friend

If you'll indulge me for a moment, I'd like to talk today about an old friend, Kenny Brown, who died unexpectedly of a heart attack over the weekend.  Kenny was one of those guys who touched many people's lives in both positive and negative ways.  You either loved or hated Kenny Brown, but I will tell you that the vast majority loved the guy.

Kenny was one of those lovable rogues who had a line of bullshit a mile long.  Quite honestly, you really didn't know if the stories he was telling were true, an embellishment of the truth, or outright bullshit.  But he was such a likable kind of guy that it never really mattered in the long run. 

Kenny was a master in a big room with a lot of people.  He held the center of attention as well as anyone I've ever been around.  And he made everyone feel just as important as he was and everyone was his friend. 

Everyone who was touched by "KB" has their favorite stories about him and I have many great and crazy memories of Kenny and me being together.  Unfortunately, we grew apart over the past few years as he began to settle down with his life after he and his partner, Sue, gave birth to a daughter, Kendall.  Kendall was born prematurely and has had a series of health problems in her short life.  But Kenny loved that little girl with all his heart. 

I would stay in touch with Kenny from time to time, just to catch up with him and share a laugh.  The last time I saw him was a couple months ago when I stopped into see him at his job selling furniture in Newton, IA.  He was a little sheepish that he was all dressed up and selling furniture after a series of jobs at Maytag, Newton High School and with Hanson Directory.  After giving him some good natured ribbing about the job, I told him that in this day and age ANYBODY who had a job had a leg up in society.  He said he was traveling too much with his job at Hanson Directory and he wanted to get back home and be with his little girl.  "I needed to get back here, so I took this job to keep me around," he said. 

Kenny brought up the time that we met just off of Interstate 35 near Ames and talked for nearly two hours.  I was traveling back from Minneapolis on a Friday and decided to take the long way home to the Quad Cities, down I-35 to Des Moines, stopping off in Newton to see my sister, then heading home on I-80.  I had just passed a car and pulled in front of it.  Suddenly, this car came up quickly behind me, flashing its headlights.  I thought, "Oh, crap.  I just passed an unmarked car."  As I pulled over, I looked in the rear view mirror and there was this big, Kenny Brown shit-eating grin staring back at me.  We pulled off at the next exit, stood outside in the warm spring sunshine and talked about everything and anything for about two hours.  We probably hadn't seen each other in a year or so, but it was like we had never left off from the last conversation. 

I first met Kenny when I was 14 and he was 13 when we were playing Babe Ruth League baseball.  He was on the Braves and I was on the Cards.  We got to know each other pretty well after that and it turned out that he knew a lot of other friends that I knew.  In fact, he was responsible for my nickname that close friends and some family still call me, "Will Bear".  We were playing a game against each other one summer - I was pitching and Kenny was at bat.  Some guy in the crowd yells, "Hit the ball, Kenny Bear!"  I sort of looked in at him and said, "Kenny Bear?" 

He smiled and said, "Just throw the ball, Will Bear."  I like to tell people I struck him out, but he remembers getting a two-run double off of me.  After that, our nicknames just stuck.  He later became "KB" to his friends, but I kept the "Will Bear" moniker. 

As we grew up, we had a lot of great and wild times together.  The Brown family became like a second family to me and their home was my "in town" home as I grew up in the country.  I try to stay in touch with the Brown family, but I don't as much as I should.

As I was flying back from the Consumer Electronics Show on Sunday morning, I had turned off my Blackberry for the flight between Denver and Moline.  When I landed about an hour and 45 minutes later, I turned on my phone and it began to light up like it hit the jackpot.  I must have had nearly two dozen e-mails, texts and phone messages from friends who told me that Kenny had died the night before.  As I got off the plane my phone rang and it was another friend telling me that Kenny had died.  As I walked to the baggage claim, I received two more text messages from friends.  I got another phone call from a friend as I was leaving the airport.  At home, I got another four phone calls, along with a handful of text and e-mail messages.

As I was telling our friend Tom Norris yesterday, "You know, Tommy, that shows how Kenny affected the lives of many people.  For me to get that many messages and texts during the flight from Denver to Moline showed that he touched the lives of a lot of people.  People who knew Kenny and I were good friends." 

Tom said, "Yeah, Will Bear, whether it was positive or negative, he certainly did touch the lives of a lot of people." 

Another friend, Mike Durbala, once told me, "Kenny is so full of bullshit, but you just can't help but like the guy." 

Life will be a little less fun without Kenny Bear.

Cozy Dog Drive In - Springfield, IL

The Cozy Dog Drive In is an institution in Springfield, IL.  Located along a busy stretch of South Sixth St. on what was the famous Route 66 (see map), Cozy Dog Drive In has been serving up their famous cornmeal batter-encased "Cozy Dogs" served on a stick since founder Ed Waldmire, Jr. began selling them at the Lake Springfield Beach House in 1946.  The rest, as they say, is culinary history in Springfield. 

Actually, Waldmire and a friend, Don Strand, came up with the concept a few years before to encase the hot dogs with a batter - sort of like a corn dog - but which allowed for quick deep frying of the "cozy dog".  Strand, a bakery student with Waldmire before Waldmire entered the Air Force, came up with the batter concoction.   Strand sent some of the batter to Waldmire at his air base in Amarillo, and with the help of the kitchen at the local U.S.O.,  he experimented with the deep-fried, battered hot dogs on a stick.  They were an instant hit with the servicemen who visited the U.S.O.  After Waldmire was discharged after World War II, he brought the "cozy dogs" back to Springfield.  After he began selling them at the beach house, he then sold them at the Illinois State Fair later that summer.  

Waldmire opened his first restaurant in downtown Springfield soon after that.  A second location soon followed.  In 1949, Waldmire built the Cozy Dog Drive In next door to what is the present day location for the Cozy Dog Drive In.  Waldmire's son, Ed III, also known as "Buz", and his wife, Sue, took over the business in the mid-70's after Ed Waldmire, Jr. retired.  Buz and Sue eventually divorced about 10 years ago and Sue bought out Buz's interest in the business.  She and her sons, Josh, Nick, Tony and Eddie run the business today. 

Now, if the name Waldmire is somewhat familiar to some people, it could be that you may have heard of Bob Waldmire.  Bob Waldmire is Ed, Jr's son and is somewhat famous for his surrealistic drawings of informational maps along Route 66.  A self-professed "60's Hippie", Bob Waldmire traveled back and forth on the old Route 66 taking the time to draw the people, places and points of interest along "The Mother Road."  Ironically, Bob Waldmire became a vegetarian and hasn't eaten a Cozy Dog for years. 

 

 

 

Sadly, Bob Waldmire recently passed away from cancer.  At the end of his life he was living in an old converted school bus on the family farm outside of nearby Rochester, IL.  The school bus was environmentally friendly with solar panels for electricity and was equipped with a solar oven.  Waldmire's legacy lives on with his pictures on display at Cozy Inn and at other various sites along Route 66.  His 1972 orange Volkswagen van that he used to live in when he would go on his trips up and down the highway will be on display in a museum in Tulsa.

From my original trip to Joe Rogers Chili Parlor in Springfield a few months ago, a Road Tips reader, Steve Z., said that I really needed to go to Cozy Dog Drive In and try their chili dogs.  "I'd be interested to hear if you like them better than (Joe Rogers)", he wrote after my blog entry.  I was heading home from St. Louis one morning recently and decided to stop into the Cozy Dog Drive In to see what they were like.  

From the first time you walk into Cozy Dog Drive In, you're immediately transported back to the 60's with their kitschy style of decorations around the place.  If I hadn't found out that this building was built in 1996, I would have guess this was the original Cozy Dog Drive In from back in the late 40's.  It just sort of had that feel to the place.  

You order your food at the front counter and order off the menu that is located on the wall above one of the grills.  In addition to their famous Cozy Dogs, the Cozy Dog Drive In also serves breakfast, burgers and tenderloins.  But I was there for the chili dogs.  I stepped up to the register and ordered a chili dog and a chili cheese dog.  Or, excuse me - in Springfield they spell it "chilli".

After getting scads of orders for Cozy Dogs, the lady at the counter seemed sort of incredulous that I wanted a chilli dog.  "You want a chilli dog AND a chilli cheese dog?"  I told her that was correct.  She turned back to one of the line cooks and said, "OK, this guy wants a chilli dog AND a chilli cheese dog."  The way she said it, I was fully prepared for everyone in the restaurant from the line cooks to the people seated at the tables and booths to suddenly stop, look up and see who this idiot was who was ordering chilli dogs.  I'm sorry, I just don't care for what is basically a corn dog. 

For larger orders that take more time, you can go sit at one of the many tables and booths throughout the place.  My order didn't take long, less than 60 seconds, so I just stood near the counter and waited.  There's a condiment area next to the pop machine.  I didn't figure that out until after I sat down in a booth. 

The chilli dogs aren't overly big, but that didn't matter to me.  From my first bite, I knew that Joe Rogers had Cozy Dog Drive In beat in terms of the taste of their chilli.  Cozy Dog Drive In chilli dogs were a little more bland tasting, the chilli was more thick and it just didn't have the pizazz I got from Joe Rogers chilli dogs.  Plus there's only one type of temperature for chilli at Cozy Dog Drive In, as to where you can get five or six different degrees of spiciness at Joe Rogers.  

It didn't take me long to down the two chilli dogs.  They were served in a small basket with wax paper at the bottom.  I didn't see a place where you could drop off the baskets and throw away your refuse.  I kept looking around the place until I saw a couple take their baskets and empty pop glasses to an area back by the kitchen where there was a large trash can and a window where to set the basket.  I didn't want to make any rookie mistakes on my visit to Cozy Dog Drive In.

Will I be back to the Cozy Dog Drive In?  Ah, if it was for a chilli dog, I'd go to Joe Rogers first.  But there is a lot of interesting things to see at Cozy Dog Drive In and I think I'd like to go back at a time when it wasn't so busy just to take a closer look at some of the memorabilia including many of Bob Waldmire's original drawings.  For history buffs who are into Route 66, Cozy Dog Drive In is a must stop. 

The Kitchen - Stillwater, MN

Stillwater, MN is a wonderful little community full of shops, restaurants, and other interesting places along the St. Croix River north and east of the Twin Cities.  It's one of the more picturesque communities in the Midwest.  It's certainly a treat to head out to Stillwater to get a good dinner.  While I was in the Twin Cities recently, I was on the far east side of the city doing a meeting for Ultimate Electronics and I've always wanted to go try a burger at a restaurant in Stillwater - The Kitchen.  I went out there for lunch that one day.

The Kitchen is located on South Main Street in downtown Stillwater (see map).  What sort of threw me a bit, it's actually located in the back of a small boutique mall on South Main.  You can see their outside eating area from the side street on the north side of the small mall.  There is an entry way into the mall off of the north side, but I went to the front of 326 S. Main and walked through the building, hoping as I kept walking along that I wasn't getting lost.  As I turned a corner toward the back of the main floor, there was a sign pointing up a set of stairs to the restaurant. 

The Kitchen is a contemporary American restaurant that was established earlier this year in what was the old Stone's restaurant in Stillwater.  Ben Hiza and Erick Harcey are the principal owners and also are involved with Victory 44 in north Minneapolis.  The menu at The Kitchen is an eclectic mix of items that include beef, poultry, seafood, and even something called "Duck, Duck, Goose" - a duck breast with duck hash topped with a goose liver sauce.  Intriguing, to say the least.  

But I had read during an earlier visit this fall to the Twin Cities that The Kitchen had something called "The Perfect Burger".  It's a half-pound burger topped with pickles, mustard, bacon and Minnesota cheddar cheese.  That's what I was looking for.  

I sat at the large, square bar in the restaurant.  I would have to say the place was about a quarter full for the lunch time.  It was a very rainy day and I'm sure it was keeping the crowds away that would have been there had the weather been nicer as the leaves in the trees were brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow around the area.  One of the chefs at The Kitchen, Dan, was seated at the bar going over schedules.  I got a menu from the bartender and ordered a water.  

There it was on the menu - The Perfect Burger.  When you have a restaurant that calls their burger "perfect" that means they're putting all the marbles on the table.  OK, let's see how good this burger really is.  

I ordered mine, medium, and the bartender asked if I wanted any fries or any other sides.  Nope.  Let's go for the burger.  He told me he'd get it out to me as soon as possible.  

Actually, it took a little longer than I expected.  After about 15 minutes, the bartender came out and apologized for my burger taking so long.  The chef at the bar asked him what was going on in the kitchen and he said, "Backed up."  

The chef said, "Do I need to go back there and help him?"  The bartender said he didn't think so.  And just then, a waitress brought out my burger.  

It was big and juicy, a very light and fluffy bun adorned the top.  There was large pickle slices along with two large strips of bacon.  The bartender asked if I wanted any ketchup and I took him up on his offer.  From the first bite I could tell it was a very, very good burger.  A true gourmet burger with a sharp cheddar cheese topping.  It was - totally - a spot-hitter.

The bartender came over and asked me how the burger was. I said, "Excellent.  Very, very good." 

The chef at the bar said, "Aw, you're just sayin' that 'cause I'm sitting here."  

I said, "No, honestly.  I eat a lot of cheeseburgers on the road and this is very, very good.  I don't know if it's a 'perfect' burger, but I don't know what a 'perfect' burger is."  

He said, "Our head chef came up with this burger.  We feature it at our sister restaurant and he just brought the burger over here to put on our menu.  Actually, I've had them at both places and I think ours is better than at Victory 44."  (I may have to try Victory 44 to make sure!)

The Kitchen's "Perfect Burger" is a little expensive - $8.95 - but it's a very, very good burger.  The jury is still out as to whether I can move it into my Top Ten list of burgers, but I have to give it a high honorable mention.  (It may also be time to update my Top Ten list.)  And while I have trouble calling the place a "burger joint", The Kitchen is a high quality restaurant that just happens to serve a good burger.  As for The Kitchen overall, I think they're going to be a favorite for tourists and locals alike for a long time in Stillwater.  

(Update - Upon doing some research to add links to Urbanspoon, I found that The Kitchen closed their doors in the early part of January of 2011.  No word as to why they closed.)

Lotawata Creek Southern Grill - Fairview Heights, IL

While in the St. Louis area recently to do some training for Ultimate Electronics, I was out in the east part of Metro St. Louis in Fairview Heights for an evening.  Since it was late and not wanting to look for anything exotic, I opted for the Lotawata Creek Southern Grill that wasn't far from the hotel where I was staying.   I was able to get a table right away.   

I don't know much about Lotawata Creek Southern Grill.  There's very little information I can find on the internet about the place.  I have no idea how long it's been in business, who the owners or chefs are, or even the premise behind the restaurant.  I do know that they don't take reservations and that they have a pretty extensive menu.  I'm always worried about a restaurant that has a wide selection of different types of food and doesn't focus on one or two general cuisines.  More often than not, they do everything OK, but nothing very well. 

 

I made it to Lotawata Creek around 8 p.m..  It's located just off Interstate 64 and Illinois St. on a frontage road in the northern part of Fairview Heights (see map).  The interior of Lotawata Creek is reminiscent of an old warehouse with brick walls and large windows.  There's a lot of paraphernalia, signage and posters on the walls, including a huge canoe.  While it wasn't quite as busy looking as you see at some T.G.I. Friday's, it was still sort of interesting to look at. 

I ordered a beer as I looked through the menu.  The waitress brought back my beer and a basket of homemade bread.  That was a nice touch.  And the restaurant had a little bit of everything on their menu - steaks and prime rib, barbecue, Southern specialities, fish and seafood, sandwiches, burgers, salads.  They also had what they called a classics part of their menu that included some interesting entrees such as Italian meatloaf, Chicken Chattanooga and pork chops topped with a Jack Daniels-infused peppercorn sauce.  The more I read through the menu, the more intrigued I became.  It was becoming tough to choose what I wanted.

The waitress came back and told me they had a couple of specials that evening.   One feature was beef tenderloin medallions, served on a bed of garlic Parmesan mushrooms and topped with the Jack Daniels peppercorn sauce.  All right, stop right there.  That's all I needed to hear.  The other special was some seafood dish, but I wasn't interested.  Along with my beef medallions I got my pick of two sides.  They make their own mashed potatoes from scratch.  They had corn on the cob, green beans, cole slaw.  I settled on their barbecue baked beans and red beans and rice.

When the food showed up, I was somewhat taken aback by the portion.  They weren't small.  I thought, "There's no way I'm going to finish all of this."  But I certainly made a significant dent in the food.  

The tenderloin medallion was more medium-rare than the rare-plus that I ordered, but that was fine.  The meat was tender and the Jack Daniels peppercorn sauce was a wonderful companion with the beef.  The garlic Parmesan mushrooms were very good.  They had great texture, a nice garlic zip to them and the cheese wasn't overpowering.  I was immediately impressed and pleasantly surprised.  

The sides were OK.  The baked beans were much better than the red beans and rice.  I should have asked for some Tabasco and a side of barbecue sauce to help spice up the sides a little better.  But overall the meal was well above average.  As I said, I was overly surprised.

The waitress asked if I needed a box to take home my leftovers.  Since I was traveling, there was no way.  But for $18.99, I got a LOT of food.  Almost too much food.  If you go to Lotawata Creek Southern Grill, make sure you're hungry.  They serve you a lot of food - good food - at a very good value. 

 

Bobo's Drive In - Topeka, KS

My quest to find good cheeseburgers has taken me to many unique places.  One of the more unique places I've visited is Bobo's Drive In in Topeka, KS.  I was in Lawrence and going to Wichita for a meeting and a dealer training and decided to go over on the Kansas Turnpike to Topeka, then head south.  Bobo's was conveniently on the way. 

Bobo's Drive In was established in 1953 by Bob Bobo.  (Although I did read one place that it may have begun in 1948.)  Bobo had a number of recipes from his wife and his mother than he incorporated into the menu - a menu that hasn't changed much in over 50 years.  The restaurant featured a small dining room, along with an outdoor car park area that was manned by carhops who would take your order and bring you your food.  In 1988, Bob Humes bought the place and ran it for 19 years before it was bought by Richard and Tricia Marsh.  Some workers at Bobo's have been there for well over 30 years.  One lady, I've heard, has been there since 1958!

I've known about Bobo's Drive In for a number of years.  But it was a segment on "Drive In's, Diners and Dives" on The Food Network that I saw recently that piqued my interest.  If you haven't seen the segment, here it is:   

Bobo's Drive In is located just to the west of downtown Topeka at the corner of SW 10th Ave and SW MacVicar Ave. (see map).  I got there about 1:15 on a weekday and the car park was nearly full.  The routine at Bobo's is that you sit in your car with your lights on and a carhop comes up to you and gives you a menu.  She will then put a number tag under your windshield so they'll be able to match the order up with the car. 

The burgers at Bobo's Drive In are hand-packed and then smashed on a hot flat grill.  There's a certain art to doing that without smashing all the juice out of the meat.  I've read that you have to smash them early in the grilling process and some of the juices will get sealed within the meat, surrounded by a crust-like shell on the burger.  While it's not my favorite way to make a burger, there is still something good about a smashed burger. 

Since I saw on the "Drive Ins, Diners and Dives" segment that the burgers are paper thin, I decided to try a triple cheeseburger with everything on it.  Everything is lettuce, pickles, tomatoes and onions.  They give you
small packets of ketchup and mustard to add if you wish.  The girl took my order and she said it would out in a jiffy. 

About 10 minutes later, out came the carhop with my triple cheese burger.  Smashing down the burger does make them thin, but it spreads them out.  A triple may have been too much, but I was hungry and it looked good. 

And it was.  Even though a lot of the initial juices are smashed out during the cooking process, that's what gives a good smashed burger its taste when it's cooked in its own juices.  l'm sure the grill they use at Bobo's Drive In is the same one they had for 56 years and that makes a difference in how the burger tastes, as well.  The burger was big, juicy and flavorful.  I still needed five or six napkins to clean up while I ate the burger at Bobo's.  It was definitely not a burger that you could drive down the road and try to eat.

My burger cost $4.29 plus tax.  I drank bottled water that I got earlier in the day.  I thought it was an excellent value for a very good burger.  While I tend to like a more thick burger that has a lot of juiciness to the meat, I have to say that I can understand why people in and around Topeka think Bobo's burgers are the best.  I liked it a lot and can't wait to get back to try another one (with possibly a chili dog topped with Bob Bobo's mother's secret family recipe for chili) on my next visit.