Road Tips

American WildBurger - Des Plaines, IL

Staying in the northwestern Chicago suburb of Des Plaines, I've found a number of places that have satisfied my culinary urges.  One place that popped up on my radar last year was a burger place called American WildBurger.  I wasn't certain what to expect when I took off from my hotel one evening to find American WildBurger.  When I did find the place on E. Oakton in Des Plaines (see map) I still didn't know what to expect.  

The building that houses American WildBurger is a small square structure that has a little bit of parking and even less seating.  But that seems to be part of the major plan for the ownership group headed by Ricardo Talavera, Jr., chef Alfredo Esparza, Luke Tworek and two other investors.  The group wanted to offer gourmet burgers at as much as half off the price of burgers of other places with bigger and established names in the Chicagoland area.  Keeping the overhead low is one of the keys to keeping their prices reasonable.

The other thing the group set out to do is to have fresh beef, turkey and chicken that contains no hormones, antibiotics or preservatives.  Their never-frozen burger meat is ground in house and contains no filler, just 100% natural U.S.D.A. Prime beef.  And it's been that way since they opened on December 1, 2012.  

It was around 7:30 when I found American WildBurger.  Actually, I drove past it once because the building is so small that I didn't see it until I was past it the first time.  Going around the block, I found some parking in a small lot on the west side of the building.  

As I said, the place isn't very big.  It features a small metal bar with about 8 high chairs to sit on as you enjoy your burger looking out onto Oakton Ave.  It's pretty basic and I'm guessing that most of the people who patronize American WildBurger get their burgers to go - as did a handful of people who called ahead to pick up their orders while I was waiting for mine.  American WildBurger also has delivery service around their immediate area.  

They were playing "headbanger" rock when I walked in.  Before I ordered my burger, they switched the music to classic rock.  I kind of mentally laughed at that.  Hey, if they want to listen to headbanger metal music while they're on the job, that's fine with me.  They certainly weren't upsetting the middle-aged guy standing at the counter.  

 
The menu at American WildBurger is on boards above the open kitchen.  They feature 6 signature burgers on the menu including the Big Breakfast burger that features a 6 oz. beef patty, fried egg, salsa, pepper jack cheese, and smoked bacon on a pretzel bun.  The "You're My Boy Bleu" burger also features a 6 oz. burger patty on a pretzel bun with bleu cheese, smoked bacon, mushrooms, grilled onions, tomato and lettuce.  For the health conscious people, they also have a grilled chicken sandwich on the menu topped with pico de gallo, jalapenos, cheddar cheese, sliced avocado and chipotle mayo on an egg bun.  American WildBurger also has a salmon burger and a portobello mushroom burger.  On the weekends, American WildBurger features bison burgers on their menu, as well.

You can also make your own burger with a combination of four different types of buns (including a gluten free bun), eight choices of cheese from American and cheddar to smoked gouda and bleu cheese crumbles, and a host of toppings, condiments and sauces.  I decided to get a burger with smoked bacon, sauteed mushrooms and pepper jack cheese on an egg bun.  American WildBurger also has sides such as regular French fries, Cajun-style fries, cole slaw, and, interestingly, calamari ceviche.  I figured the burger would be fine for me on its own.  American WildBurger doesn't have beer, so I just got a bottle of water.

The burger took about 15 minutes to get to me after I ordered.  It was wrapped in an aluminum foil wrapper holding in the warmth and the juice from the lean burger.  

 
Ample amounts fresh sauteed mushrooms were on top of the two slices of pepper jack cheese.  At first I thought they had forgotten the bacon because I didn't see any on top of the burger patty under the cheese.  But it turned out that they put the bacon on the bottom bun before placing the burger patty on top of the bacon.  

The bun had a nice consistency and held together well.  About the only quibble I had with the burger is that they didn't melt the cheese on the burger patty long enough.  The pepper jack cheese would split and flake off the burger on the ends.  

But the burger was cooked to what I would call a perfect medium - it had a little bit of pink in the middle and maintained a juicy taste with each bite.  There was a lot of taste sensations going on with the burger, as well.  It was simply stellar. 

 

I have to tell you - the burger I had at American WildBurger was not only great tasting, it was a magnificent value.  Burgers start at $5.95 and with the cheese, bacon and sauteed mushrooms, the burger came up to $7.45 before tax.  Keeping the overhead low helps keep the price down and I think it's a concept that is a winner for the owners of American WildBurger.  The group is looking to expand and franchise locations around the Chicagoland area.  In a city with a lot of great burger places, American WildBurger more than holds their own versus others in the area. 

Aida - Richfield, MN

In Minneapolis on a cold spring night when winter was still hanging on, I was on the verge of a food funk where I didn't really know what I wanted for dinner.  I found a place doing an on line search for restaurants in the Richfield area - Aida - an authentic Mediterranean restaurant that opened about two and a half years ago.  I pointed the car toward Aida to give it a try.  

Ahmed Mohamed, a native of Egypt, is an accountant in the Twin Cities.  His wife, Amy, was a long time travel agent/consultant.  Along with Ahmed's fellow CPA partner Sammy Eldabshoury, the trio decided to open a Mediterranean restaurant that had more of a Middle Eastern food influence.  Looking for a place to put the restaurant, they found an old Taco Bell location just east of the corner of Penn and W. 66th St. in Richfield.  (see map)  They opened Aida in February of 2012.  Ahmed Mohamed and Sammy Eldabshoury continue to be CPA's while Amy Mohamed runs the day-to-day operation of Aida.  (Aida is named after the classic opera Aida by Giuseppe Verdi which was first performed in Cairo in 1871.)  

Driving up Penn Ave. in Richfield, I found that Aida is not far from two places that I've been to in the past - Fireside Pizza (click here to see the entry on Fireside Pizza), and the venerable Sandy's Tavern (click here to see the entry on Sandy's Tavern.)  I pulled into the parking lot at Aida a little after 8 p.m.  There was plenty of places to park as there were only a handful of people in the restaurant.

The menu at Aida is located on two flat-screen televisions above an ordering station.  I'm seeing more and more of these casual style restaurants go to video screens to show their menus.  It's kind of a neat little high-tech touch.  

The brightly lit dining room features a number of tables with chairs, a nice stone floor and sort of a Middle Eastern accent on the decor.  It's not large - probably seating not more than 30 people - but I noticed that there were a number of "to-go" orders being picked up while I was there.

Looking over the menu board, Aida had the usual gyros and kabobs, but they also had falafel, shwarma and stuffed grape leaves.  The chicken or beef shwarma is a big menu item, I was told.  They also have a number of vegetarian dishes at Aida.  With the exception of the gyro meat, all the dishes served at Aida are Halal - foods that are permitted under strict Islamic guidelines.  

I was looking at getting either the beef shwarma platter - it came with basmati rice, hummus, feta cheese and a Lebanese salad called taboullah - or the straight forward gyro meat on pita bread.  I compromised by getting the gyro platter which came with the basmati rice, tomatoes and onions, feta cheese, naan bread and a choice of sauces to go with it.  The sauces ranged from a cucumber yogurt sauce, a garlic sauce, a jalapeno sauce and a couple others.  I got the cucumber yogurt sauce.  

After finding a table in the corner, my food was brought out to me after I got settled in.  (Silverware, napkins and water is self-serve at a station next to the ordering window.)  After snapping this picture, I was ready to dig in.  However, I realized that he forgot to bring out my cucumber yogurt sauce.  Once I got that from him, I was ready to go.  

The platter featured a generous portion of gyro meat - a combination of lamb and beef cut off a spit - topped with sliced tomatoes and red onions.  There was an equally generous portion of the basmati rice on the plate, as well.  The naan bread was cut into small triangles and served warm on the side.  

The gyro meat was tender, easy to cut and very flavorful.  It wasn't salty like I find at many gyro places.  That made it even better.  I also like the basmati rice - cooked perfectly and had some good Middle Eastern seasonings mixed in.  I put a little bit of gyro meat, the onions and tomatoes, rice and the cucumber yogurt on a piece of the naan bread.  That was a great taste combination.  However, I found that the naan bread got a little too chewy after it cooled down.  

But that was probably the only problem I had while I was at Aida.  The gyro meat and the basmati rice were a nice break from the seemingly constant round of burgers, pizza or other crap that I'd been consuming lately.  The portions are big at Aida and it's a good value - $10.95 got me that plate of food, and I couldn't eat all of it.  For a newish restaurant, Aida is a nice little departure from the regular cuisines I'm accustomed to.  It certainly helped me break out of my food funk.  (Picture courtesy Becca Dilley at Heavy Table.)  

An Insider's Preview to the 2014 Indianapolis 500

 

A friend of mine, Steve Somermeyer, is the head of safety for the garage and pit area at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.  In addition to his duties at the IMS, he's also the assistant wine maker at Chateau Thomas Winery on the southwest side of Indianapolis.  He's an interesting dude, to say the least.  Steve was nice enough to give me a deep and detailed behind the scenes look at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway a few years ago and you can read all about that (along with accompanying pictures) by clicking here.  

 

Each year, Steve sends out a pre-race synopsis of what he has seen and heard from drivers and their teams during the days leading up to the Indianapolis 500.  He's been nice enough to include me in the group he sends his information to.  Not everyone's a racing fan, but a few people have commented that they enjoy reading Steve's info and prognostications.  

 

So, without further adieu, here's Steve's 2014 Pre-Indy 500 highlights - 

 

New qualifying procedure: There were a lot of doubts and lack of understanding about the new qualifying format but it turned out to be entertaining on both days even though there were only 33 drivers and no bumping. On Saturday cars could requalifyimg without withdrawing their time but that 'safe' line was quite long. If a team was willing to withdraw their qualifying time they could enter the priority line which allowed them to move to the front of the combined line. This led to over 60 qualifying attempts on Saturday to set the 33 qualifiers and the Fast Nine (eligible to run for the Pole on Sunday). There were 5 different race teams represented in the Fast Nine and surprisingly Ganassi Racing wasn't represented.

 

On Sunday the 10 through 33 qualifiers made another qualifying run to set their starting position with the qualifying order based upon Saturday's speed in inverse order. With only a couple of exceptions, every car completed their 10 mile qualifying run faster by 1+ mph than on Saturday.

 

- Fast 9 tight: There was some drama with Ed Carpenter edging out James Hinchcliff and Will Power to win the Pole for the second consecutive year. His speed of 231.067 is the fastest Pole-winning speed in over a decade. The first two rows are separated by only 0.35 of a second over the 10 mile run or less than 0.5 mph average speed. Overall this is the fastest field in 500 history.

 

- First Indy Grand Prix impressions: The drivers really like the redesigned road course and the race was entertaining once the race got started. Pole Sitter Sebastian Saavedra stalled his car on the standing start and got hit by several cars from the rear of the field. James Hinchcliffe suffered a concussion when a piece of a wreck debris hit his helmet. He was medically cleared in time to qualify for the 500. Attendance was larger than expected so expect this race to return bigger and better next year.

 

- Kurt Busch: A NASCAR who is attempting the 2-races-in-a-day feat driving for Andretti Racing in the 500 before hopping a jet to Charlotte for the 600 there. He's a racer and has taken to his Indy car very well in spite of a wall banger earlier this week.

 

One interesting observation from Kurt was that the 500 demands constant concentration compared to NASCAR races. It's a good story but hard to imagine that he can find Victory Circle in his first attempt.

 

- Monday practice: There were a lot of laps turned - 2,329 - on the Monday after qualifying. This extra practice was added to the schedule since this is the first oval race of the season and the teams and drivers needed the time to fine tune their cars to oval racing plus mileage, tire wear, and driver adjustments to the car as the fuel load (weight) decreases between pit stops. Nine cars logged half a race's worth of laps.

 

- Handling in open air versus traffic: It's one thing for a driver to be fast when driving by themselves on the track. It's a completely different beast when surrounded by other cars in traffic. The aerodynamics - dirty air - really push the car around. We have all felt the turbulence when closely following a semi so just imagine that buffering magnified probably by a factor of 10 in both frequency (speed) and magnitude. The cars that will compete at the front of the field will be the ones that handle the dirty air the best.

 

- Tire wear: The Firestones seem to be pretty durable this month. When really pushing for maximum speed the tires do lose some grip in a few laps as illustrated during the 4 lap qualifying runs. The majority of the lap speeds slightly decreased from lap to lap.

 

- Honda and Chevy Engines: They seem to be very equal this year in power and the resulting speeds. It might be interesting to see how the fuel mileage shakes out for the race. The power and resulting mileage is slightly adjustable during the race and engine tuning is a variable that most fans don't think about. The strategy and decisions on when to pit when cautions occur can have a major impact on who wins the race.

 

- Carb Day Practice: Lots of fast laps with no incidents: Gianassi drivers Kanaan and Dixon has fast laps over 227 mph along with Townsend Bell who is driving for KV Racing. Most drivers turned 30+ laps with rookie Carlos Huertas completing a high of 65 laps and rookie Sage Karam a low of 19.

 

- Who's going to win? There are a lot of driver-team combinations that could win - probably half of the field have decent chance. The top drivers and resource-rich teams have the best odds. It's been 5 years since a Penske car won the 500 so at least one writer called the 5 years a drought for the team which has won a record 15 500's (btw, I was assigned to the Penske pit for his first win with Mark Donahue driving). Will Power won the last oval race last year and is leading the points race this year, Elio has won this race 3 times and come close several other times, and Juan Pablo Montoya has a 500 win and is back after 7 years in NASCAR. Even though Gianssi's team underperformed during qualifying, former winners Scott Dixon and Tony Kaanan (replacing Dario Franchitti who had to retire after his bad wreck last year) along with "Mayor" James Hinchcliffe (on the front row with Carpenter and Power) are strong contenders. The top Andretti drivers - Marco Andretti and Ryan Hunter-Reay are their team's strongest contenders. The top contenders from the smaller (ie, less resources) teams would be Sarah Fisher's Josef Newgarden and owner-driver Ed Carpenter. Both have been very fast this month and Ed Carpenter has won the Pole the last 2 years. That's nine as the top candidates to win the 98th 500.

 

Other drivers who either have the experience and/or the resources to contend for the win are: A.J. Foyt's Takuma Sato, the other 3 Ganassi drivers - Ryan Briscoe, Charlie Kimball, and Carlos Munoz (he finished 2nd last year), Graham Rahal, and Sebastien Bourdais.

 

The most promising rookie as far as oval racing goes is Sage Karam who won the Indy Lights title last years. He missed his high school prom to qualify and will miss graduation to run in the 500.

 

The weather forecast sounds perfect for the race, have a great crowd for Carb Day, and we expect a big crowd for what promises to be a great race.

 

Let's go racing!

Phat Jack's - Lincoln, NE

I follow a handful of national and regional sportswriters on Twitter and on more than one occasion when one of them have ended up in Lincoln, NE, they've tweeted about going to a barbecue place by the name of Phat Jack's.  I tried to go to Phat Jack's on a visit to Lincoln last year, but I found that they close at 7 p.m.  After a meeting with a dealer in Lincoln recently, I made it a point to go in for a 5:30 dinner at Phat Jack's.  

If you're a regular reader of Road Tips, you've found that many of the barbecue places I've been to started after the owners had been on the competition trail for a few years.  That's exactly how Phat Jack's started out.  

Matt Burt was a Lincoln native who married his wife, Jackie, in 2004.  They soon moved to the Kansas City suburb of Olathe, KS to be closer to her parents.  Matt Burt was a plumber by trade, but his hobby and passion was barbecue.  In 2006, Matt Burt, along with his father-in-law, Tony Mateer, and a neighbor, Phil Allen, the trio started a competition barbecue team.  

The team needed a name and they came up with a number of ones that had a barbecue theme, but none of them stuck.  Finally, someone came up with "Fat Jack's" which was changed to "Phat Jack's" taking the urban slang acronym for "Pretty Hot and Tempting" and making it "Pretty Hot and Tasty".  There was no Jack in the bunch - the closest being Phil Allen's young son, Jack, who wasn't fat or phat - but the name just sort of stuck. 

They entered their first competition in Shawnee, KS and, according to Matt Burt, they didn't do too well.  However, they regrouped in time for the 2007 season and placed 4th overall in the World Brisket Open sponsored by the Kansas City Barbecue Society.     

While they didn't win any contests in 2007, they placed high enough in many of the events to garner the attention of many barbecue aficionados.  But the team didn't last much longer than that.  The team was just down to Phil Allen and Matt Burt when they were invited to compete in the prestigious American Royal Invitational in 2008.  

Matt Burt's parents, Ron and Kris, convinced the young Burt's to move back to Lincoln and they would help them open a barbecue joint of their own.  This was a daunting task because Lincoln had a pretty lively barbecue scene at the time.  However, when they opened in 2008 in a spot that used to house a former barbecue joint at 40th and Cornhusker Highway, the original Phat Jack's was a hit.  

And almost immediately the place proved to be too small for the hordes that came in to try their barbecue.  That location didn't have much seating, it had no kitchen and it had a very small parking lot.  The Burt's made do with that place, getting their business built up and Matt going out to barbecue competitions in the summertime, until they moved to their present location in the Belmont Shopping Center, a strip mall in the bottoms of north Lincoln at 11th St. and Cornhusker Highway, just east of Interstate 180 that goes between downtown Lincoln and Interstate 80.  (see map) 

This place appeared to seat about 50 people and looked like it could have been a small burger joint in a previous life.  Trophies and awards from competitions that Phat Jack's have won over the years were on shelves on the wall.  I got in at the right time.  There was just two other tables that were filled and I had no problem getting up to the counter to order.

The menu at Phat Jack's is on the wall behind the counter with the sign above it that says "Order Here".  The barbecue at Phat Jack's is - of course - Kansas City style with Matt Burt coming up with the rub concoction for his brisket, ribs, pork shoulder and chicken.  The menu is pretty basic with sandwiches, racks of ribs, combo meals and meats by the pound.  They also feature burnt ends - when available - and loaded baked potatoes with either a choice of brisket or pulled pork.  Interestingly, they have a couple of menu items that are vegetarian friendly - the Debbie's Way that features coleslaw, tomato, shredded carrots, and a red onion slice that's drizzled with a Carolina-style vinegar BBQ sauce and served on a bun.  You can also get a Debbie's Way loaded baked potato, too.  

Well, I'm not a vegetarian and I was up for barbecue.  I was greeted by a lady behind the counter and I looked over the menu.  It was a little difficult to comprehend for a first timer at Phat Jack's.  At the top of the combo list was the Jack Jr. Combo - three ribs and your choice of a meat.  (If I'd paid attention and read down one more line, I would have seen the Jack Combo - three ribs and your choice of TWO meats.  Next time, I'll get that.)  I ordered the Jack Jr. Combo with brisket.  I also got a choice of two sides.  Baked beans was an easy choice, but I hesitated on the second one.  I asked her, "What would you get?"

"A lot of people like our cheesy hash browns," she quickly replied.  I signed up for that as a second side.

Phat Jack's doesn't have a liquor license, so I couldn't get a beer with my meal.  That was disheartening because I do like a cold beer or two with barbecue, but it certainly wasn't a deal breaker.  I got a bottle of water instead.  I got a number and she said she'd call it out when it was ready. 

Because there was no one else in line, I was barely settled into my seat at a two-seater table when a young lady brought my barbecue out to me.  It was served in a paper boat with the beans and cheesy potatoes in styrofoam cups.  A paper towel roll was on the table along with bottles of Phat Jack's homemade sweet barbecue sauce and spicy barbecue sauce.  

The ribs were meaty and had a nice rub spice on the bark.  The pink smoke ring was present and they pulled off the bone rather easily.  The ribs were outstanding.  I'm a sauce guy, but I was hesitant to put any sauce on the ribs because they tasted so good on their own.  

The brisket was served on a piece of white bread.  It, too, had a nice pink smoke ring and the meat was tender and had a great flavor.  I tried some of the sweet sauce on the brisket and it was good.  It was a little spicy on its own, but not bad.  I thought the same thing about the spicy sauce when I tried it - a little spicy at first.  But then about five seconds later, the heat very sneakily kicked in.  It wasn't overpowering, but it was enough to get your attention.  I really liked the spicy barbecue sauce at Phat Jack's.  

The baked beans, I have to say, were also outstanding.  I usually like to add barbecue sauce to baked beans at most barbecue joints to liven them up.  I didn't have to do that with the beans at Phat Jack's.  They featured chunks of brisket and pork in with the beans, and they were thick and flavorful.  I couldn't help, however, to put a little of the spicy sauce in with the beans.  To me, that made them even more outstanding.

The lady's recommendation of the cheesy hash browns was also spot on.  They, too, had a great flavor, but were very rich.  I concentrated more on the barbecue and the beans making sure that I wouldn't get filled up on the cheesy hash browns.  

While I was eating, I decided that I came at the right time as a long line formed from the door to the counter about 15 minutes after I arrived.  People were flocking in for Phat Jack's barbecue before they closed at 7 p.m. (They're open at 11 a.m., Monday thru Saturday.)  For my first visit to Phat Jack's, I was mightily impressed.  The ribs and brisket were very good, and the baked beans were outstanding.  I liked the cheesy potatoes, but I'll probably try the cole slaw next time - or get double baked beans.  Everything I expected from Phat Jack's came to fruition for me.  It's one of the better barbecue joints I've found in the Midwest.  Even if they don't serve beer.  

Chef Mike's Charcoal Grill - Indianapolis

Staying on Indianapolis' northwest side on a recent visit to the area, I found that there were few dining options in the area.  One place I found was a small place just inside the I-465 beltway at W. 71st Street - Chef Mike's Charcoal Grill.  It appeared to be popular with people staying at a handful of hotels in the immediate area - probably because there weren't many alternatives close by.  I drove over to Chef Mike's Charcoal Grill to give it a shot.

Chef Mike is Mike Atherton, a certified executive chef for over 35 years.  He's also a member of the American Culinary Federation and a former "Indianapolis Chef of the Year" award winner.  Mike's dream was to open a small restaurant where everything - down to the buns for his burgers - were made from scratch.  He loved the concept of cooking over charcoal and he procured a 42" Weber industrial grill, similar to the ones that are used at Weber Grill restaurants in the Chicago area and Indianapolis.  

(Pictured right - Chef Mike Atherton)

Atherton found a location in northwest Indianapolis that formerly housed Gallahad's - a bar/restaurant that was popular in the 1990's.  After some sprucing up and redecoration, Chef Mike's opened in June of 2009.  Mike Atherton also operates Chef Mike's Catering which can handle weddings, parties, corporate events or any large gathering.  

Chef Mike's Charcoal Grill is sort of tricky to get to.  First of all, it's located in a small strip mall that has seen its better days directly behind a McDonald's at the corner of W. 71st and Woodland Drive.  (see map)  Now, don't make the mistake many people do of pulling into the McDonald's thinking they can get to Chef Mike's from there.  There's a large field in between the McDonald's and Chef Mike's with no access to the strip mall's parking lot.  And don't make the mistake I did - pulling into what is nothing more than a large lot that is used for truck parking for the hotels in the immediate area thinking that was the access point.  You pull into the street that takes you to the Holiday Inn Express, then take a left into the strip mall where half the mall is empty and the parking lot chock full of pot holes and crumbling asphalt.  Chef Mike's is on the far end of the strip mall, visible from W. 71st St.  

Entering Chef Mike's, there's a vestibule that has a door on the left and a door on the right.  I took the door to the right and was met with a sign that said that section of the restaurant was closed.  I took the other door and stepped up to a hostess stand.  One of the servers - Tina - met me at the stand and asked me where I'd like to sit.  The restaurant was about half full and there were a lot of options.  I spied a booth along the wall and told her that I'd take that.  She left off a menu for me to look over. 

A large big screen projection television with crappy resolution was showing an Indiana Pacers basketball game.  It was difficult to follow the action because the projector was so bad.  The rest of the place seemed a little worn and tired.  There was a bar area but I didn't see a bartender, per se.  There was someone moving back and forth behind the bar and waiting on tables.  She was only one of two servers along with Tina.  

Tina came back to take my drink order.  I spied a Walkabout Pale Ale on the beer menu, a single-hopped pale ale from the Flat 12 Brewery in Indianpolis.  That gave me time to look through the menu.  

Chef Mike's Charcoal Grills features steaks, chops, seafood and even pizza on their menu.  And all are cooked on one of Chef Mike's big Weber grills.  But the emphasis seems to be on Chef Mike's menu of burgers.  All the burgers are made from a combination of ground short rib, brisket, chuck and sirloin.  He also had a Wagyu beef burger available, as well.  His signature burger is the bourbon and chive burger.  There was also a barbecue burger that was topped with a housemade barbecue sauce.  Two interesting burgers - the Red Devil burger and the Burger from HELL - popped out at me.  The Red Devil burger featured Havarti cheese, fresh jalapenos and a housemade hot sauce.  The Burger from HELL stepped it up a couple notches by using habanero peppers instead of jalapenos and Sriracha sauce instead of Chef's Mike housemade hot sauce.  I sort of thought about trying the Red Devil burger, but was worried that the spicy taste would cover the overall taste of the burger.

I had plenty of time to look through the menu as Tina and the other server were the only ones on the floor.  I wasn't in any large hurry, but I could see where the slower than usual service may irritate some people.  I sat enjoying my Walkabout beer - it gets its name from the Australian hops they use in the brewing process.  It didn't have quite the forward pale ale hoppiness that I seem to like.  The Walkabout was more like a smoother American pale ale.  But it was still quite good.  The other good thing about Chef Mike's is that they had free Wi-Fi allowing me to get fast access to e-mails, Tweets and Internet information.  

When Tina finally made it over to get my order, I ended up getting the bacon, mushroom, Swiss cheese burger - a burger that is squarely in my wheelhouse.  I had a choice of sides which included something called potato skins.  Tina explained that they were basically sliced and fried red potatoes.  It was either that or fries, potato salad or something called red raisin slaw.  I took the fried red potatoes.  

It took about 20 minutes and another beer before my food came out.  The burger was big and thick with a slice of Swiss cheese on top of the sauteed mushrooms and bacon.  It wasn't even melted onto the burger like you'd find elsewhere.  It seemed rather strange to get it that way.  A garnish of lettuce, tomato and a large dill pickle slice came on the side.  But I wasn't going to add that to the burger.

I had ordered the burger "medium" which Tina described the meat as being "pink".  But the burger had little pink in the middle - it was more medium-well.  A little overcooked in my book, but it was still juicy and flavorful.  I still couldn't get over the fact that the Swiss cheese slice was sort of an after thought during the cooking process - almost like the chef forget to put the cheese on until it was dolled up on the plate.   

Still, the burger was pretty good.  The bun held together well with all the stuff on top.  It had a good chargrilled taste and was well above average in taste and composition.  

The red potato fries were good, but they were very greasy.  I just had a few of them because I was concentrating on trying to finish the rather large burger.  After finishing the burger, it laid in my stomach the rest of the evening like a gut bomb.  But it was rather tasty going down.  It was just - almost - too big.

While one may look at the outside of the mall that Chef Mike's Charcoal Grill is located in as worn out and run down, and the interior of the restaurant is a little tired, you need to look past that to realize that he has a pretty good burger on the menu.  Don't be in any type of a hurry when you go, either.  It was well over an hour from the time I entered Chef Mike's to the time that I finally left.  If you can wrap your head around the fact and accept that the good burgers trump the peripheral visual noise and slow service, you'll enjoy Chef Mike's Charcoal Grill. 

Arris' Pizza Palace - Jefferson City, MO

Back in Jefferson City on a mission to put on a new dealer there, it turned out that the product that I had intended to demonstrate to said dealer didn't get delivered (thanks to Saia Freight Company) before I got there.  Without the product, I couldn't do a proper demonstration.  Trying to make the best of a situation, I still held a meeting but I don't know if my points were effective enough without having the product on hand.  Dejected and needing a cold beer, I went back to my hotel in downtown Jeff City.  I talked to a young lady at the front desk and asked her about the pizza at Prison Brews that looked pretty good the first time I had eaten there a few weeks before.  (Click here to see my entry on Prison Brews.)  She said, "Oh, if you want pizza, you need to go over to Arris' Pizza.  It's the best around, by far. "  And she said it wasn't far from the hotel.  A walk or a drive, I asked.  She said I could probably walk to it, but since it was a cold and blustery night, I drove over.

Arris Pardalos was born in 1935 in a village near Mount Olympus in Greece.  After his family moved to the United States, they settled down in Central Missouri.  It was the early 60's and Arris Pardalos had a pizza recipe that he wanted to share with the public.  Finding that Jefferson City had a scarcity of pizza parlors, Arris - with the help of his brother, George - opened Arris' Pizza Parlor in 1961, just across from the Missouri State Capitol building.  George went on to open the G&D Steakhouse and Arris was joined in the business by his wife, Georgia.  

The popularity of Arris' pizza allowed the restaurant to grow from a small location to adding two more buildings next to the original Arris' Pizza Palace.  As the years went on, Arris' Pizza Palace franchised other Missouri locations in Springfield, Osage Beach, Fulton and Columbia.  Pictured at right is Arris Pardalos and his son, George, who now runs the day-to-day operation of Arris' Pizza Palace in Jeff City.  (George Pardalos, along with his wife, Olga, also operates Arris' Bistro and Liquid Lounge in Jefferson City.)  

It was about a five block drive from my hotel to Arris' Pizza on a unseasonably cold evening.  Had it been warmer, I would have just made the walk.  Instead, I pulled up in front of the original Arris' Pizza Palace on West High across from the Missouri State Capitol building.  (see map)  I entered the building and was met by a couple young women at the hostess stand.   There weren't very many people in the place and I had my choice of sitting either in the main dining room (below left) or the bar area (below left).  I said the bar area would be fine.

 

I was to a booth in the corner of the cozy and warm bar area.  Soft Greek jazz music was playing in the background.  The hostess dropped off a menu and it wasn't long before the bartender/server, Amanda, came over to greet me.  "What 'cha gonna have to drink, hon," she asked me in a down-home Mid-Missouri way.  I ordered up a beer.  "You got it, hon," she said as she went to get me a cold one.  I immediately liked her.  

Arris' Pizza Palace has a lot more to offer than their thin-crust Greek-style pizza.  They also offer a number of Greek entrees including souvlaki and chicken Sharas (marinated chicken breast in Greek dressing and grilled), pasta dishes, sandwiches - including gyros and subs, salads and traditional Greek appetizers along with appetizers such as chicken wings, toasted ravioli, breaded mushrooms and jalapeno poppers.  

But I was there for the pizza.  When Amanda came back to drop off my beer, she said, "You know what your gonna get, hon?"  I told her that I wanted a small pizza (10") with sausage, pepperoni and mushrooms.  She asked me what kind of crust I wanted.  "Crispy, not so crispy, light or traditional," she gave as options.  I just said that I wanted just what they're known for.  "Traditional," she said.  "OK, hon, I'll get that out for you."  

About 15 minutes after I ordered, Amanda came out with my pizza.  I could tell from the first look at it that I would thoroughly enjoy eating this pizza.  It was the typical Greek-style of pizza - rolled edges, thin crust, party-cut slices with thick balls of sausage on top of each slice.  It immediately reminded me of Steve's Pizza Palace in River Falls, WI, and Alex's Pizza Palace in Rolla, MO, both outstanding Greek-style pizza places.  (Click here to see my entry on Steve's Pizza Palace and click here to see my entry on Alex's Pizza Palace.)

From the first bite, I could tell that this was definitely a great pizza.  The sauce was light, but tangy.  There was just enough mozzarella cheese on the pizza to be noticeable, but not overpowering.  The crust was lightly crispy, but not cracker thin and brittle.  The mushrooms were there, but not anything special.  The pepperoni was salty and had a little spicy kick.  And the sausage had a great taste with each party-cut slice.  It was a great pizza and it easily passed my "Does it taste good with a beer" test.

The four best pieces of any party cut pizza are the ones left in the middle - or the "honey pot", as I like to refer to them as.  There's no crust and all the ingredients sort of slide toward the middle. It's also where the grease collects and the cheese coagulates.  The "honey pot" pieces on an Arris' pizza were just outstanding.   

 
After I took care of the bill with Amanda, I took a look around the place.  I was taking pictures of some of the colorful murals on the walls and a woman who was standing with two of the young ladies at the hostess stand brusquely asked, "Are you trying to steal some of our ideas?"

Now, I don't like to tell people that I'm doing a blog, but I thought her question was a little rough and rather defensive.  I just told her that I liked to take pictures of places where I eat on the road.  With that, one of the other young ladies standing there came over to where I was and told me that the murals were all painted by an art professor from the local William Woods University.  She pointed out a mural of Arris and his family, as well as ones that depicted Greek villages and ports.  They were actually very colorful and beautiful.    

With my three-topping pizza and three beers, my bill before tax and tip came to just over $20 bucks.  It was a great pizza and - I thought - a pretty good value.  Arris' Pizza Palace has been in business for over 50 years and I was told that the pizza ovens they use are probably the originals giving their pizzas more of that signature taste.  It's my guess that while the other Arris' Pizza locations are good, it will be tough to beat the pizza at the original location in Jefferson City.

Convention Grill - Edina, MN

When I'm in the Twin Cities, one of my favorite places to stop and hunt for beer is France 44 in the Linden Hills neighborhood of Minneapolis that borders suburban Edina.  (I need to do an entry on France 44 - it's one of the better beer/wine/liquor stores in the Midwest.)  Not far from France 44 is a little art deco diner that I've passed by many times, but finally decided to stop at on a recent visit to the area - the Convention Grill.  I've read that they have a pretty good burger and I was going to find out.   

The Convention Grill initially opened in 1934.  It was built by a metal fabrication company as a prototype diner that they were planning on opening around the nation.  When the concept didn't go, the company sold the restaurant to Greek immigrant Peter Santrizos for $75.  Peter called the place the Convention because he wanted it to be a place for people to congregate and have meals.  But business was so poor in the 40's that he used to call his place the "Cemetery" because it was so dead.   However, Santrizos persevered and the Convention became a spot for power breakfasts, tasty burgers at lunch, and family dinners at night.

40 years after he bought the little diner, Peter Santrizos sold the Convention Grill to a local restaurateur John Rimarcik.  Only 34 years old, Rimarcik already owned six restaurants around the Twin Cities and he fell in love with the little place just off France Ave.  Rimarcik soon realized that he needed more room for his little restaurant and he expanded in the 70's when he was able to take over the space of a small barber shop that was next to him.  The Convention Grill expanded again in the 90's taking over a space that used to be a beauty shop.  

(Rimarcik also owns the Monte Carlo in Minneapolis, along with Rachel's and Annie's Parlour near the U of Minnesota campus.  Rimarcik's son, Tony, helps out with the businesses today.) 

But the one thing that hasn't changed is the flat top grill that the Convention Grill uses to make their burgers.  In fact, when John Rimarcik bought the business from Peter Santrizos in 1974, Santrizos handed over the spatula that he used to make hamburgers every day.  Rimarcik still has the spatula.  Now open 80 years, the Convention Grill has been owned by only two men - each for 40 years.   

It was around 1:30 when I got into the Convention Grill on Sunnyside Road.  (see map)  There's a parking lot on the west side of the building with parking available on the street.  Opening the door, I came into the original Convention Grill, looking very much the same as it probably did when it opened 80 years ago.  

 
The original counter and short order area was still in the place giving it an old soda fountain feel to the place.  A hostess greeted me and told me that I could sit anywhere. 

I took a seat at a small table in the "new" part of the Convention Grill.  The first expansion went to the first set of booths in the dining room, the second expansion was from the boots to the back wall.  Mirrors on the wall gave it an appearance that the room was larger than it was.  

The menu was on the table and I was soon greeted by a matronly lady who was going to wait on me that day.  She had sort of a raspy voice, called me "hon" and personified the typical greasy spoon waitress.  She was a fun gal.  

Other than burgers on the menu, the Convention Grill also features a cold meat loaf sandwich, a grilled chicken sandwich and something called the Double Decker that features Meunster and sharp cheddar cheese with grilled tomato slices and bacon on whole wheat bread.  They also have soups, salads, malts, sundaes and shakes.  

When my waitress came back to see what I wanted, I asked her how big the burgers were.  "Quarter pound, hon," she replied in a raspy voice.  I wondered if I could eat a double and she said, "Oh, sure.  You could handle a double."  So, I ordered a Swiss cheeseburger and asked if I could get mushrooms and bacon on it.  Both were a dollar more than the price of the burger.  And she talked me into a side of fries, too. 

And I was stupid - I should have just gotten the single cheeseburger and forgot about the fries.  You know where some places will say their burgers weigh a quarter pound before they're cooked?  These two patties might have weighed more than a quarter pound AFTER the were cooked.   

The cheese was melted on top of the bacon and mushrooms and not on the top patty.  OK, nothing wrong with that.  But that left the bottom patty pretty much untouched.  I tried to eat the burger like that, but I ended up pulling the lower patty off the bun and eating it plain.  

And I'm glad I did because I could easily tell how good the taste of the 80/20 mix of certified Angus beef that they use at the Convention Grill.  Juicy and flavorful, the naked beef patty was very good.  However, with the bacon, Swiss cheese and mushrooms (even though they were canned mushrooms) the burger was simply scrumptious.  

I almost forgot to tell you that the fries were also very good.  They had a crisp outer shell and a very fluffy potato texture inside.  These were the kind of fries were you could just eat them for a meal and call it a day.  A side of fries was huge, I'd hate to see what an order - or even a HALF-order - would look like.  

80 years, man - that's how long they've been making burgers at the Convention Grill.  As good as the one I had, I think they have it down.  It's like walking back into an old mid-20th century diner and getting the same food as generations have ordered years before.  The burger was great, the service was spot on, and it was a fun experience.  If you get the chance to get to the Convention Grill, I heartily recommend the place.

The Anchorage - Milwaukee

For the last nearly 12 years of traveling with my company, my defacto "home-away-from-home" in Milwaukee has been the Hilton Milwaukee River on N. Port Washington in Glendale near Interstate 43 and - of course - next to the meandering Milwaukee River on Milwaukee's north side. (see map)  I like staying there - even though it's out of the way from most of my dealers in the Milwaukee area - because it's cheaper than the other Hilton properties in the Milwaukee area (especially downtown), and because I'm a Hilton HHonors Diamond member, I get a couple free drinks at the bar which is part of the Anchorage restaurant at the Hilton Milwaukee River. I've eaten breakfast at the Anchorage a couple times in the past, but never dinner.  I got into the hotel after 8 p.m. one night and decided not to venture out to find a place for dinner in the area.  I ended up walking down the hall to the Anchorage for dinner.

Since 1973 when the hotel first opened, the Anchorage has hosted families and travelers serving seafood, steaks and pasta dishes.  Long time executive chef Jerry Taylor - who has been with the Anchorage for nearly 30 years - oversees the menu.  But like many older hotels, the Anchorage had grown a little shabby in appearance and corporate edicts cut back the menu.  In 2010, hospitality industry veteran Michael Dietrich - whose father, Axel, was the executive chef at a handful of restaurants including the former English Room at the venerable Pfister Hotel and the upscale Harold's - came to the Hilton Milwaukee River to become its General Manager.  The first thing Michael Dietrich did was to refurbish the tired old Anchorage.  Sprucing up the decor, adding an outdoor patio and redubbing the bar area as the River's Edge Pub, Dietrich went against corporate philosophy allowing Jerry Taylor to broaden the menu at the Anchorage to go from simple dishes back to the exciting and interesting menu entrees that once made the Anchorage a popular culinary destination.  People who hadn't been to the Anchorage in years came back to the restaurant after a glowing review in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel after the "re-opening" of the restaurant in 2011.   

From the times I'd stayed there, I knew the restaurant was a little tired.  I think I'd had a couple meals at the bar and - as I said - breakfast (from the buffet) a couple times.  It was your typical cookie-cutter hotel restaurant.  But I had been hearing that after the shake up the food had gotten pretty good again.  I walked to the hostess stand around 8:30 and was greeted by a very friendly lady who showed me to a table next to a window looking out onto the Milwaukee River.  It was a nice evening and watching the nearby river flow by was very relaxing.  

She dropped off a menu for me and I was soon greeted by my server for the evening, a younger guy by the name of Kyle.  I had some free drink tickets and I ordered up a beer for my first beverage of the evening.  But I figured that I'd be getting some wine with the meal.  

Fresh water fish and seafood entrees dominate the menu at the Anchorage.  They also have steaks, veal dishes, pasta entrees, herb-crusted chicken breast and braised short ribs on the menu.  Seafood appetizers including oysters on the half-shell, steamed mussels, shrimp cocktail, and crab cakes, as well as nightly specials are also on the menu.  

I was thinking of getting some seafood that evening - I almost went out to a sushi restaurant - so fish was on my mind.  One of their signature dishes - bacon-wrapped scallops topped with a Hollandaise sauce - sounded very good.  The char-grilled salmon served with a lemon butter and white asparagus was also appealing.  And a true Spanish paella - shrimp, clams, mussels, chicken, peas, onions and roasted red peppers served with a saffron rice - sounded damned good, too.

In the end, I narrowed my choices down to two dishes both with pasta - the Sole Provost featured a filet of Sole fish wrapped in Maryland crab meat, topped with a shrimp sauce and mussels, all served on a bed of angel hair pasta.  And the seared scallops with a creamy risotto, chopped portabella mushrooms, seared cauliflower, asparagus spears, and roasted red peppers topped with asiago cheese and a white truffle oil was my other finalist.  In the end, I ordered the seared scallops with the risotto.  I also ordered a wedge salad with both the creamy blue cheese dressing and blue cheese crumbles.   

The wedge salad came out first.  Along with it came a basket of housemade raisin pumpernickel bread.  The wedge salad was large with chopped tomatoes on one side, chopped real bacon on the other, blue cheese crumbles on top of the salad and the blue cheese dressing was in a small lamp server.  The salad was good - the lettuce wedge was cold and fresh.  The blue cheese crumbles were pungent and flavorful, as was the creamy blue cheese dressing.  The raisin pumpernickel bread was also a pleasant surprise.  It tasted great when dipped in the dressing.

Before my meal came out, I was ready to switch from beer to wine.  I had found a Malbec by-the-glass on the wine list and I ordered one of those.  I had used one of my free drink tickets on the wine, and I had a "buy-one/get-one-free" ticket for the wine, one of the great perks the Hilton Milwaukee River gives me for being a Hilton Diamond member.  And I knew I would be having a couple glasses of wine.  I ordered a glass of the Malbec from Kyle when he picked up my salad dish.  

 
Not long after, he brought out the seared scallops and risotto.  There were five large bay scallops on a bed of the creamy risotto.  A single seared cauliflower was underneath some parsley greens, a nice sized strip of roasted red pepper also rested underneath a leaf of something that was purple, asparagus and, surprisingly, cut carrots came on the side.  A few chopped portabella mushrooms rounded out the dish.

The scallops were fresh and very good.  They had that nice butter/flat-grilled char to the top and bottom.  The risotto was very good with a nice creamy sauce and a hint of truffle oil.  The whole meal was very good.  

The only problem is that Kyle forgot about my wine.  He was busy - it was still pretty busy after 9 p.m. in the Anchorage - but he just plain forgot about getting me a glass of wine.  Getting it out to me, he apologized.  It was far from a deal breaker.  I did end up finishing that glass and getting a second one to sit and savor the very good dinner I just had. 

For the past year, rumors had been going around Milwaukee that the Hilton Milwaukee River was on the verge of being bought by a local college to house Asian students.  That deal fell through, but I heard on my visit this time that the hotel had lost its lease with Hilton Hotels and would become a Holiday Inn property sometime this summer.  When I stay in hotels on the road, Hilton properties are my foremost choice with Marriott properties a distant second and Holiday Inn's coming in a close third.  I felt bad that this would possibly be the last time I was going to stay at the Hilton Milwaukee River, but I may go back and stay at some point just to be able to have another fine meal from the Anchorage.  Too bad I didn't take it seriously enough until it's no longer a Hilton hotel.  (Photo courtesy OnMilwaukee.com)

Fozzie's Sandwich Emporium - St. Louis

Sometime a few months ago, one of my dealers in St. Louis mentioned a little place that had great sandwiches and burgers that was located on Big Bend Blvd. just north of 40 Highway (Interstate 64) in Richmond Heights.  The place had a unique name - Fozzie's Sandwich Emporium.  They had garnered some local and national mentions regarding their sandwiches in the short time they'd been open.  One afternoon while in St. Louis, I went to Fozzie's to see what all the hubbub was about.  

The guy behind Fozzie's Sandwich Emporium is Mark Lucas, a restaurant veteran who took turns at St. Louis eateries such as El Scorcho (now closed), Momos, Roxane and Boogaloo.  Lucas opened Fozzie's in June of 2010 naming his restaurant after the cat of his then-fiance/now-wife.  The original Fozzie's is in what was a small Chinese restaurant and right across the street from the former Hi-Fi-Fo Fum audio store in that I used to call on years ago at the corner of Wise and Big Bend. (see map)  In August of last year, Lucas opened his second Fozzie's Sandwich Emporium in Des Peres in the South County area of St. Louis.  

In July of 2012, Lucas was named as one of the nation's "Sandwich Chefs to Know" by Food and Wine Magazine.  The article noted that Lucas has a garden behind Fozzie's where he grows many of the vegetables and herbs that he uses on his sandwiches in the summertime.   Fozzie's has also received local media recognition for "Best New Restaurant" in 2011, and "Best Delivery."  During the World Series last year, Fozzie's gained national notoriety for the "Wacha Wacha" milkshake named after St. Louis Cardinals' rookie pitcher Michael Wacha who was instrumental in the Cardinals late season run.  

It was around 1:30 when I pulled into the parking lot on the north side of Fozzie's Sandwich Emporium.  The front door opens into a funky little space that contains some tables and chairs with a counter.  The menu is located on chalk boards behind the counter.  

The menu features a number of salads, traditional sandwiches, hot dogs, gyros and burgers including Fozzie's take on the Juicy Lucy, a Twin Cities burger staple.  They also have a number of Fozzie's original sandwiches that include the Big Bend Mafia with roast beef, sweet Italian sausage, giardineira and provolone cheese on a garlic hoagie bun; the Black 'n Blue that had sliced steak, blue cheese, spinach and Fozzie's homemade Tiger sauce (kind of a creamy horseradish sauce) on a garlic hoagie bun; and the Animal which featured grilled chicken, arugula, and a portobella and red pepper cream cheese on a sourdough bun.  

I thought about getting a burger, but a couple of their traditional or "Classic" sandwiches caught my eye.  The Italian Grinder had cappicola, mortadella, and salami with provolone cheese and topped with lettuce, tomato and Fozzie's made-in-house Italian dressing was the one I damned near went with.  But then I saw "Da Dip" - roast beef with debris, topped with onions, Swiss cheese and the Tiger sauce and served on a baguette.  You can have it dipped or served with the au jus on the side.  It was the complete antithesis of The King sandwich - an homage to Elvis Presley with peanut butter, bacon and fried bananas on sourdough bread.  I decided to get "Da Dip" with keeping the Italian Grinder on my "next time" list.    

The sandwich was served to me in a paper bag with a couple tubs of the au jus.  This au jus was different from au jus you get with a French dip sandwich - Fozzie's has herbs and red pepper flakes mixed in.   

The sandwich looked pretty nondescript with slices of beef piled on a lightly toasted baguette roll with the Swiss cheese and the Tiger sauce underneath the beef.  

The sandwich - with the spicy au jus - was very good.  The beef was tender and there was a lot on the sandwich.  I really enjoyed the Tiger sauce which seemed to have a little more kick than a regular creamy horseradish sauce.  The au jus with the red pepper flakes gave it an extra kick in taste.  The sandwich itself was definitely a "seven napkin-er" as the combination of the Tiger sauce and au jus made it pretty messy.  But it was a great kind of messy - the delicious kind.

I was thoroughly impressed with "Da Dip" and my first visit to Fozzie's Sandwich Emporium.  It was a funky and fun little place that had enough variety where I will have to go back at least two more times to get a burger and an Italian Grinder at some point.  And they have other interesting items on the menu - including their hot dogs - that have piqued my interest, as well.  Don't expect anything fancy from Fozzie's in terms of an inside, sit down experience.  But they have a number of picnic tables outside that are inviting on a nice St. Louis day.  Sort of like today.  (Photo courtesy Riverfront Times)

The Wienery - Minneapolis

I'm always intrigued what restaurants in places I travel to try to pass as foods that are famous in other cities.  New York pizza, Memphis barbecue and Chicago pizza are three things that come to mind.  Another is Chicago-style hot dogs with Vienna Beef hot dogs, topped with sweet relish, onions, mustard, tomatoes, celery salt and sport peppers on a poppy seed bun. There's a place in Minneapolis called the Wienery that serves Chicago-style hot dogs that I've wanted to try for some time.  On a recent trip up to the Twin Cities, I stopped by the Wienery to give them a shot. 

The Wienery is located in what is called the West Bank (a.k.a. Cedar-Riverside) area of Minneapolis, a neighborhood that is home to a number of Somali ex-patriots.  Businesses that cater to Somalis dot either side of the street up and down Cedar Ave. giving the neighborhood its "Little Somalia" nickname.  Along that stretch of South Cedar Avenue, the Wienery has been in the same place for 31 years.  Before that, the spot was called Edna's, named after the portly woman who ran the small cafe in the shadows of the University of Minnesota and not far from Augsburg College.  In 1983, Edna sold the business to Al and Jean Wohl who turned the little cafe into a Chicago-style hot dog joint.  Four years later, Jerry Petermeir - a classically-trained chef who was bored with serving high-end meals to only a handful of people on a nightly basis - bought the Wienery and discovered he liked to "sling hash" more than prepare meals that are works of art.  

The heavy-bearded Petermeir - who preferred Hawaiian shirts to chefs coats - brought a trained chef's mindset to the little dive.  He came up with a number of hot dogs with different toppings, he used only "aged" potatoes for his French fries, and he changed his deep-fryer cooking oil daily.  He ran the business for 12 years before selling the business to Ariq Johnson and Jay Olson, a couple of 20-something dudes who were longtime customers.  

Things didn't work out for Johnson and Olson and they ended up selling the Wienery less than a year later to Pat Starr in a deal that was brokered by longtime West Bank neighborhood entrepreneur Peter Dodge.  Starr dove head first into the restaurant and added breakfast - served any time - to the menu at the Wienery.  Two years after he bought the place, Starr married his wife, KJ, and the marriage has produced three boys.  Starr got her law degree in 2008, and in addition to being the co-owner of the Wienery she's a program evaluator for the Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor.   

Pictured right - Pat Starr

It was after 1 p.m. when I finished up a visit with a dealer near the downtown area of Minneapolis and found myself parking across the street from the Wienery. (see map)  The historic Cedar Theater - now known as the Cedar Cultural Center - is just down the street from the Wienery.  The non-profit "Cedar" hosts a number of concerts and community events each year.

The Wienery is not large.  It has about 8 stools at the counter and about a dozen seats around tables.  It's rather tight in the place.  The decor is, well, sort of trippy.  Artwork and pictures hang on the wall behind the counter while a large blue marlin hangs on the wall opposite the counter.  I understand that a customer brought it in a few years ago for Starr to put on the wall.

The kitchen is open and you can see back into the prep area.  They have a small flat-top grill where they cook burgers and bacon.  The burgers are flattened on the grill to give them that crispy taste.  When I saw the cook making a couple burgers on the grill, I immediately decided that I would be back at some point to get a cheeseburger.

Their burger menu is interesting with one called the Selamu burger - chopped garlic and hot serrano peppers are mixed in with the beef and fried up on the flat-top grill.  They also have grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, tuna melts, and Pat Starr's take on the Chicago staple - the Italian combo with pan-seared Italian beef with housemade au jus topped with a spicy Italian sausage link.   

But on this visit, I was there for a hot dog.  Or two.  They use Vienna Beef hot dogs and Italian sausage at the Wienery, the gold star of hot dogs and Italian sausage from Chicago.  And they have a number of interesting toppings that you can put on both hot dogs and Italian sausages - the Mexicali has onions, cheese, baked beans and sport peppers; the Briny has sauerkraut, dill pickle spear and giardiniera; the Upsetter has bacon, egg and cheese on top; and the Manhattan is just a straight chili dog made with the Wienery's homemade chili.

I ended up ordering a Chicago dog and for good measure I decided to try something they call the Drive In dog - a hot dog topped with cheese, chili and cole slaw.  My server at the counter asked me if I wanted anything else.  Had I known the fries were so good, I probably would have tried some of those.  But I figure I can get them when I come back for a burger at some point.  

It seemed to take a long time to get my food - over 15 minutes from the time that I ordered to the time it was sat in front of me.  A group of guys seated behind me had come in moments before I came in, as did a couple and a man who I followed into the place who sat next to me at the counter who appeared to be a regular as he ordered as soon as he sat down.  With just one cook and everything made to order, it was understandable.

But the wait was worth it.  While the Chicago dog wasn't as big as what I'm used to getting when I go to Portillo's (click here to see my entry on Portillo's), it had that signature "snap" to the bite.  The sport peppers were a little more mild than I'm used to, but the chopped onions and relish were fresh and flavorful.  The pickle spear was small and didn't have that forward dill taste that I prefer.  But the poppy seed bun was fresh and chewy.  It was a good facsimile of a Chicago-style hot dog.

The Drive-In dog was interesting.  It had a glob of cole slaw on top.  The chili was reminiscent of Cincinnati-style chili with no beans.  The cheese was sort of a headscratcher for me - it was dark and had the consistency of peanut butter.  I couldn't quite place what type of cheese it was, but it was fine in taste.  The Drive-In dog was good, but I would have rather had the Manhattan dog with just chili and onions.   

The Wienery is not fancy, but the food is good and interesting.  It looks a little dirty on the inside, but it's not.  It's more junky and kitschy with all the stuff lying around and on the walls.  But that's the charm of the place.  The neighborhood is transitional, but I felt safe.  The Wienery is nothing more than a little hole in the wall with interesting hot dogs and burgers.  Don't think you're slumming when you go there - the food is actually a step-up from most fast food or fast-casual restaurants.  It's a fun place and I can't wait to get back to get a burger at some point. 

Don Hall's Factory - Fort Wayne, IN

I was back in Fort Wayne a few weeks ago calling on accounts.  I had planned on taking one of my dealers out to dinner, but he had to beg off due to family commitments.  I was staying on the north side of Fort Wayne and was looking for a restaurant that was close to the hotel.  I found a place called Don Hall's Factory that sounded interesting.  Plus, it was less than a five minute drive from the hotel.  

Don Hall's Factory is one of 11 restaurants under the Don Hall umbrella of restaurants with 10 locations in Fort Wayne and a location in the Indianapolis suburb of Castleton.  But not all the restaurants are the same.  They range from diners to supper clubs to a Japanese restaurant.  Don Hall's restaurants also feature three catering divisions.   

Don Hall was a meat purveyor who envisioned a more mobile society after the end of World War II.  With the ease of transportation to get to supermarkets - along with refrigerators becoming a modern convenience for most people - Hall realized that the days of his neighborhood butcher shop were numbered.  Hall owned forty acres on the south side of Fort Wayne and it was his dream to build a drive-in restaurant on that land.  On the day after Thanksgiving in 1946 Don Hall's Drive-In opened fulfilling Hall's dream.  

Through the years, Hall opened or acquired six more restaurants before he decided to build his signature restaurant that paid tribute to the numerous factories that either used to be in Fort Wayne or were still in existance at that time - Don Hall's Factory.  Tragically, Don Hall passed away five days before it opened.  His four sons carried on with the Don Hall name and continued to grow the company's roster of restaurants.  Each Don Hall restaurant is managed by either Don Hall's sons or his grandsons.  

It was around 8:30 p.m. when I got into Don Hall's Factory on Coldwater Ave., just south of E. Washington Center Road on the north side of Fort Wayne. (see map)  There's a faux factory chimney out front with a fake flame coming out of the top of it.  I've since found out that some locals view the chimney as a big phallic symbol.  

I didn't know if they quit serving at 9, but the hostess told me that they stopped serving at 10 p.m.  I had my choice of sitting in the bar or in the dining room.  The bar had a few people in it, the dining room did not.  I decided to sit in the dining room.  The hostess took me to a booth along a wall.  A number of photographs of old Fort Wayne factories were on the wall.  

 
The dining room was warm, cozy and inviting.  The booths were spacious and comfortable.  Tables in the middle of the carpeted room had four thick-padded high-backed chairs around them.  Wooden cross-beams on the ceiling gave it a very elegant look.  It looked like it probably catered more toward families and older diners who ate early in the evening.  

My server for the evening, Ashley, came over to greet me.  She asked me if I wanted anything from the bar and I asked her what kind of beer they had on tap.  She said, "Well, we have a lot of things...,"  her voice trailing off.  She then said, "I know we have a new beer, Kona something-or-other."

Kona?!  As in the Kona Brewing Company?  I immediately perked up.  Another place that had Kona beers on tap!  The Big Wave Golden Ale continues to be my go-to beer.  I asked which one they had, hoping it would be the Big Wave or even the Longboard Lager.  She excused herself to go look at the tap to see what it was.  When she came back and said it was the Kona Koko Brown.  I was somewhat crestfallen with that news - the Koko Brown has a coconut taste to it and I don't care much for coconut.  I asked her if they had a pale ale on tap and she said that they had a Trainwreck Ale from the Mountain Town Brewing Company out of Mt. Pleasant, Michigan.  I said I'd just take that.  It wasn't a pale ale, but more of an amber ale.  It was almost too sweet for me, but it worked.  

As I looked through the menu, I noticed that the background music was playing an interesting mix of music.  The music went from 50's crooners to 80's blues to 60's soul to 40's jazz.  Ray Charles was followed by Stevie Ray Vaughan, who was followed by Dean Martin, who was followed by Marcia Ball, who was followed by Dinah Washington, who was followed by Randy Jacobs and the Boneshakers, who was followed by Louis Armstrong, who was followed by...  Well, you get the idea.  I could have just sat there listening to the music the rest of the evening.  

Steaks, seafood, pork chops and chicken were the staple items on the menu.  Don Hall's Factory is most known for their prime rib that is served with a housemade creamy horseradish sauce.  It had been quite sometime since I'd ordered prime rib and the prices seemed to be reasonable.  A 12-ounce cut of prime rib was listed as $18.95 on the menu.   

But they also had a lot of steaks from strips, filets and ribeyes on the menu.  They had a sirloin strip steak that featured a peppercorn sauce made with five different types of cracked pepper.  When Ashley came back to take my order I asked her if I could get the five peppercorn sauce on a New York strip - rare.  She said that would be no problem.  For good measure, I got a side of sauteed mushrooms to go along with the steak.  I also got a side with the meal and I was stuck as to what to get.  I asked her what she recommended and she immediately said, "Oh, I love the mac and pepperjack cheese.  The pepperjack gives the mac and cheese a little kick."  I ordered that.  And I also got a salad, so I went with the wedge salad.  Ashley cheerfully said, "I'll get that started for you!"

The wedge salad came out with a basket of fresh baked bread.  Ashley asked if I wanted any cracked pepper with the salad and I said, "Oh, boy.  You bet.  Lots of it please." 

As she was grinding the pepper onto the salad, she said, "Yeah, I like a lot of pepper, too."  The wedge salad had a generous amount of a chunky blue cheese dressing on it with small crumbles of real bacon and two tomato wedges.  I like the tomato wedges rather than chopped tomatoes on a wedge salad.  Along with the fresh bread, the salad was very good.   

  Not long after I finished with my salad, Ashley brought out the five peppercorn strip steak.   I was rather dismayed to see that they had added a butter spread across the top of the steak, all but obscuring the five peppercorn sauce.  Then upon further investigation, it appeared that they had left OFF the peppercorn sauce.  What they made me was the Cabernet New York strip with the horseradish butter spread.  I sort of sighed and thought about sending it back.  But it was late and I didn't feel like waiting any longer.  Besides, I was the last customer for Ashley that evening and I was getting the idea that she wanted to get out of there sooner than later.  

A small crock of the mac and pepperjack cheese with  was on the plate with the steak and a rather large portion of sauteed mushrooms was on small plate - much larger than I imagined.  But they were really good and I made a significant dent in them.

The steak - even though it wasn't how I ordered it - was all right enough.  I was hoping to get the spicy, peppery taste of a peppercorn sauce, but I got something that resembled a creamy horseradish with a ton of butter sort of taste.  I like butter - who doesn't? - but it was almost too much on top of the steak.  It really masked the overall taste of the steak.  It was cooked probably more medium-rare than rare, but that was fine.  I wasn't going to bitch at that point of the night. 

Yeah, Don Hall's Factory was fine.  I would have liked to have gotten the peppercorn sauce on the steak, but it didn't work out.  Ashley was attentive and on top of things, except for making sure that they put the peppercorn sauce on the steak.  But all in all, it was a pleasant enough experience at Don Hall's Factory.  Pleasant enough that I wouldn't turn down another visit at some point.  But there's a couple other Don Hall's locations that I'd like to try first. 

Beer Kitchen No. 1 - Kansas City

On a recent trip to Kansas City, I was looking for a new place to try - some place unique and interesting.  I found myself falling into a rut of burgers, barbecue, or Indian food and wanted to find something else.  Doing a couple searches a month or two before I was in K.C., I found a unique sounding place that I had to try - Beer Kitchen No. 1 in the Westport area of Kansas City.

Mark Kelpe started out working as a chef in Cape Girardeau, MO.  He ended up becoming the head chef at the former Benjamin's Restaurant in the Benjamin Godfrey Mansion in Godfrey, IL.  From there, Kelpe moved to the Kansas City area to be a corporate chef in the mid-90's.  

It was during his time in Kansas City that Kelpe met up with James Westphal.  Westphal had a background in the food industry working as a field consultant for Subway restaurants before becoming the manager of Tucci Milan, a former restaurant in the Lettuce Entertain You universe of restaurants in Chicago.  Getting back to Kansas City, Westphal met up with Kelpe and the two started K.C. Hopps, Ltd., a corporation that started the original McCoy's Public House in 1997.  Four years later, the two dissolved K.C. Hopps, Ltd. and formed Westphal-Kelpe Consulting which oversaw the McCoy's Public House locations in Kansas City and Minneapolis, as well as The Foundry in Kansas City and the sleek and sophisticated One80 in Westport.  

Westphal and Kelpe decided to turn One80 into a boutique beer and burger joint, taking a big risk in a market that already had a number of similar restaurants.  Doing a literal 180 degree turn, Westphal and Kelpe made Beer Kitchen No. 1 more of a laid-back, urban hip and somewhat kitschy spot.  Beer Kitchen No. 1 opened in the fall of 2010 at the corner of Pennsylvania and Westport Road, across from the famous Kelly's Westport Inn. (see map)  (Click here to see my entry on Kelly's Westport Inn.) 

I was able to find parking on Pennsylvania down the street from Beer Kitchen.  It was around 1:30 when I got into the place.  I was seated at a large communal table in the center of the restaurant and a menu was dropped off for me.  The beer list was on the wall on a chalk board.  A number of beer spigots hung from the ceiling.  

 

The bar wasn't all that big and a reason why I didn't really want to sit there.  It kind of had a cross tropical/rustic look to the bar area.  It was sort of interesting to figure out what kind of theme they were trying to go with for the bar. 

My server, Rachel, came over to greet me.  Outgoing and effervescent, she asked me if I'd like anything to drink.  Looking through the beer menu on the table, I picked out a Free State Copperhead pale ale.  Free State Brewing Company over in nearby Lawrence, KS is one of the very first brewpubs that I went to starting in the late 80's.  It was also the first time I realized that I didn't care for wheat beers.  

Even though I was sort of burnt out on burgers, I was drawn to the description of the burgers at Beer Kitchen.  They use a combination of ground brisket, short rib and chuck tenderloin from the famous McGonigle's Market, a Kansas City institution from 1951.  (I STILL need to get to McGonigle's at some point!)  They had 4 different types of burgers on the menu - including an American Kobe beef burger-  but no "build-your-own" option.  

They also had three "Breakfast Anytime" meals on the menu.  They had a corn-flaked crusted oven-fried chicken breast that came with a cheddar-bacon-chive waffle for their take on the down-home "chicken and waffles".  They also had an 8-hour Corned Beef Hash featured slow-braised corned beef with a root vegetable hash topped with two fried eggs.  I contemplated getting that for a moment.  

They also had a number of salads, flatbreads, an assortment of sandwiches, and a number of interesting entrees including an organic short rib dish, build-your-own mac and cheese with a long list of items to mix in, and a lobster risotto served with poached lobster and Spanish chorizo.  The menu was very interesting, to say the least.

But the burger kept calling me.  When Rachel came back, I ordered the Brickhouse burger - applewood-smoked bacon with Tillamook aged cheddar cheese.  It was also topped with a smoked bacon aioli, red onion jam, a roma tomato slice and something called "stacked chips".  I wanted to try some of their Belgian fries and I wanted to order a small plate of them.  Rachel told me that a small order was pretty large, but she could get me a "mini" size of them for $2.50.  That sounded great to me.  

My burger came out and it was stacked high underneath the brioche bun crown.  A small cup of the Belgian fries came on the side wrapped in paper.  A couple slices of a tangy homemade dill pickles came on the side. 

 

The stacked chips were a handful of homemade potato chips placed on top of the burger.  I didn't like the prospect of potato chips on my burger, so I just picked them off and set them on the side.  I'm glad I did - the potato chips were crisp and flavorful on their own.  

The first bite of the burger yielded a wonderful taste sensation.  The combination of the ground brisket, chuck and short rib was moist, juicy and very delicious.  It was one of those burgers where I went, "Mmmmm...." during the first bite.  

On the table, they had three different types of housemade ketchup - an "Old School" variety, a Whiskey Barbecue style, and a smoked chipotle ketchup.  I put the "Old School" on the burger, but poured some of the whiskey BBQ and smoked chipotle on the side.   Dipping some of the Belgian fries into the ketchups, the whiskey BBQ ketchup was just basically a Kansas City-style barbecue sauce, but the smoked chipotle had a nice smoky flavor and a subtle kick in the aftertaste.  Of the three, I liked the smoked chipotle the best.

The burger was very good.  And that's what I told Beer Kitchen general manager Erika Wilson when she stopped by to see how everything was.  She said, "Great.  That's what we like to hear."  

I'm glad I didn't pass up getting a burger at Beer Kitchen.  Even a good burger can bring me out of a burger funk.  And the one at Beer Kitchen is pretty damned good.  The atmosphere - while a little kitschy - was fun, Rachel's service was very good and attentive, and the overall experience was great.  I don't know if there will be a Beer Kitchen No. 2 or even a No. 3, but Beer Kitchen No. 1 was a top notch visit.

The Original Pancake House - Chesterfield, MO

I had set up a breakfast meeting with a dealer I have in the St. Louis area.  He picked out the place - The Original Pancake House in the Chesterfield Valley.  I've eaten at locations of the Walker Brothers Original Pancake House in the Chicago area on a number of occasions (click here to read about one of my visits).  Anytime that I have a chance to have breakfast at an Original Pancake House, I'm up for it.  

However, a half hour before we were to meet that morning, my dealer called me up and said that he wouldn't be able to make it.  He'd contracted the flu overnight and didn't think it would be wise to go out.  I thought, "Well, I can still go to the Original Pancake House for breakfast!"

The Original Pancake House is one of the very few national chains that I'll visit, mainly because each of them seem to maintain a local flavor without compromising the core principles of what Les Highet and Erma Hueneke established when they opened their first Original Pancake House in Portland, OR in 1953.  Both Highet and Hueneke had experience in the culinary arts and traveled extensively across America and abroad to learn about regional and national cuisines.  Collecting recipes from around the world, the pair focused on breakfast and the Original Pancake House became famous for their Danish Kijafa Cherry Crepes, their apple pancakes, and the Dutch Baby - a German-style pancake.  They use only the highest quality butter, whipping cream and hard wheat unbleached flour at the Original Pancake House.  Their batters are made fresh in-house each day.  The Original Pancake House corporation is headed by second and third generation family members of the Highet/Hueneke family.   

Highet and Hueneke began to franchise the Original Pancake House in the late 1950's and today there are over 100 locations in 28 states (including Hawai'i) across the United States.  There are two in the St. Louis area that are owned by Gordan Manus.  The first one was the one in the Chesterfield Valley that he opened in November of 2007, and in May of last year he opened a second Original Pancake House in suburban Ladue.  

The location in Chesterfield is on Chesterfield Airport Road in the midst of a number of shopping destinations and restaurants.  (see map)  The decor in the Chesterfield location is sort of a rustic Northwoods/Western theme with pine woodwork and stone inlays.  

I was seated at a small table and given a menu by a hostess.  My server for this visit, Angela, came by to greet me.  Outgoing and effervescent, Angela asked me if I wanted any coffee (I don't drink coffee), then she said she'd be back in a while to take my order.

Now, my all-time favorite item on the Original Pancake House's menu - when they're available - is the pumpkin pancakes.  They usually have them in the fall and even though it was getting close to winter, they still had them available.  Second on my list - and the default "go-to" when the pumpkin pancakes aren't available are the blueberry pancakes.  They use real blueberries and not a compote or a pie filling like I've had at some restaurants in the past.  The Original Pancake House is also famous for their omelets, but with "pancake" in their name, all I've ever gotten there are pancakes.  I've even gone to an Original Pancake House at night to have pancakes for dinner.  

When Angela came back to take my order, I wondered if I could get the best of both worlds - pumpkin pancakes with a side of blueberries.  She said, "Sure!  No problem at all!"  She asked if I wanted a full order of pancakes (six  6" pancakes) or a half-order (three 6" pancakes).  I took the half-order and got a side of bacon.  She said, "Oooo...  Our bacon is absolutely the best."  She asked if I wanted some whipped cream on top of the pancakes and I couldn't say no.

It wasn't long before the pancakes and bacon showed up at my table.  The pancakes at Original Pancake house are a nice compromise of the thin pancakes my wife likes to make at home and the thick fluffy pancakes that generally end up being gut bombs at most other breakfast restaurants.  The pumpkin taste in their pumpkin pancakes is subtle, but strong enough to be noticed with each bite along with the whipping cream and maple syrup.  The plump and fresh tasting blueberries was a perfect complement to the pancakes.  

The bacon at the Original Pancake House in Chesterfield is thick-cut and wide.  The bacon wasn't overly crispy, but it wasn't limp and greasy.  The bacon certainly was very good.  Angela came by to check on me after I had taken a bite of the bacon and she said, "Isn't that bacon just great?"  I gave her a "thumbs up".  It was very good.  As was everything that I had during my visit.  

Food critic and chef James Beard - a native of Portland, Oregon - once called the Original Pancake House one of his Top Ten restaurants in America.  In 1999, Beard's foundation awarded the Original Pancake House with an America's Classic Award, one of the first restaurants to be given the honor.  When you walk into a Chili's or an Applebee's, you know it will be the same as any other Chili's or Applebee's in any city.  To me, that isn't the case with any Original Pancake House that I've been to.  The menus are somewhat consistent amongst all the locations, but the decor from one to the other is very different and unique.  As I said, I usually eschew most national chains, but I'll keep going to the Original Pancake House where ever I come across them in my travels.