The Bull Pen (Tom and Carol) in Hillsboro

So, it was one of those weekends, I really didn't feel like doing a whole lot of anything. I had a couple text messages, couple phone calls and just decided to stay home. I answered a phone call from Todd and he said that he and Kate were thinking about going up to see a band at an old friends bar. I reluctantly agreed to go, mainly because I hadn't seen Tom and Carol in a couple years, and it really did sound good to get out of the house. So I ran through the shower and got ready to head out. I was just about out the door and I looked at my cell. Todd said that we were going to spend the night (good thing too, cuz this place was 2 hours away!) We piled in my truck and headed out of town. The place we were going was a little place outside of Hillsboro, which in itself is a little place. Nice little ride. We got there and WOW, this place was awesome! I wish I had my camera with me, I wanted some more pictures.
First off, the "cabin". Carol put us up in what they called a cabin. THIS PLACE WAS HUGE! It was more of the lower level of a house, running water and heat (obviously in this weather, not needed) Just really an awesome place for us to "crash" for the night.
Next, we walked down the driveway to the bar (barn?). Walked in and was really surprised. It really was a barn that they had cleaned up and finished the lower level. They built a beautiful bar inside that curved around so that you could sit and visit with 2 other people easily. I have been in just a few places that made conversation like this easy, but this was by far one of the best. We found a place to sit (the place was packed!) and got a drink or two. The band was OK, when Carol and Tom finish the stage are I think they will be better. The exposed rafter ceiling was not very good for the sound. They had a nice mix of music though. Kate, Todd and I stayed til bar time and made the long trek back to the cabin (maybe 100 yards). We stayed up visiting and finished our 'togo' drinks and then went to sleep.

When we were sitting at the bar, Carol was telling us about breakfast they serve. The one I had was a skillet with hash browns, over easy eggs, toast and sausage biscuit gravy. One of the better breakfasts I have had in a long time. Had a bloody mary with that, and then had a couple beers after that while deciding what to do for the rest of the day. Carol and Tom invited us to stay the night again, and we were invited to another friends house (just happened to be only half hour away). Ultimately it was decided that we would come home tonight, but stop at the other house on the way for dinner.
So we had a couple beers, watching the Indy500 and the Brewers. Started noticing a trend with the patrons. The bar would fill up, they would stay for a beer or three, leave, then another group would fill the bar up. I don't think there was an empty stool in the place for more than 10 minutes for most of the early afternoon. Seems it was a good spot for the people on their bike trips to stop and have a drink and a burger.
After seeing burger after burger come out of the kitchen, we decided maybe a bit of lunch would be good. I took a look at the menu, was pretty basic. I found out they don't have a deep fryer, which seemed odd but I understood why.
I ordered the Bully Burger which is (according to the menu) "Just a plain good old fashioned hamburger" and Kate had the Mushroom Swiss Bull-Burger "all Angus beef topped with mushroom and cheese". Let me tell you a bit about Tom and Carol. They bought this place near Hillsboro to raise beef cattle, so they know good beef when they see it. On the menu is this notice: WE TAKE PRIDE IN SERVING FRESH PRODUCTS THAT COME FROM WISCONSIN BASED FARMS OR COMPANIES. OUR BURGERS AND PRIME RIB MEATS ARE USDA INSPECTED BLACK ANGUS. WE ONLY SERVE WISCONSIN CHEESE AND DAIRY. Kinda nice knowing where your food comes from.
So, we got our burgers in a short time, which was pretty good noticing the amount of cooking they were doing. I looked at the burger, it was hand formed, fresh, lean meat. (it was almost breaking apart it was so lean). Nice soft warm bun (if you go, make sure to mention that to Carol, she likes to hear it). I took a bite. I took another. OH MY GOD, I think this was quite possibly the best burger I have had. It came with a side of potato chips, nice crispy cruncher type.

I would recommend to anybody looking for a nice drive or a good burger to stop at Carol and Toms Bull Pen! ~ if you go, tell 'em I said Hi!!

Happy New Year!!

Capn's Steak House

The coming of the new year made me reflect a bit on some of the past things I enjoyed doing that I haven't done for a while. I realized I hadn't blogged about a burger since going to the race way back in August! My apologies! (The race and whole trip was awesome, by the way!)
So after a Friday of not doing anything at all ~ didn't even watch football, I decided it was time to get back on the road on Saturday. I made the phone call up to Jodi to see if she wanted to go, and almost before I had the words out of my mouth she was ready! I took my time getting up to her house, stopped in and saw my friend Chris at his barber shop, I hadn't seen him for a few weeks and just wanted to say "HEY!". Made the trip from Sun Prairie to get Jodi and she brought her daughter Katheryn along so I had her pick the direction to go. SOUTH, she said! So we went South, heading back towards Sun Prairie, then followed "N" down to almost Stoughton. Ended up on Hwy 51 and drove through Stoughton. Once past, got off the highway and just took random turns down smaller roads. Had to wait for turkeys (Yes Jodi, they were turkeys) a couple times, HUGE turkeys!! We made a couple turns, trying to stay on the smaller roads, and passed through a small town called Fulton. We had never heard of it, but it didn't look like much was happening there, so just kept going. Got stuck taking a highway out of there and towards Janesville. I really didn't want to go anyplace there so hightailed it out of town East towards Fort Atkinson on 26. By this time we were starting to get a bit hungry, not terrible ~ but the thought was planted now. I saw a road sign marking Old 26 and it had a Historical Marker so I took that. I wish it would have been maybe a bit warmer, 6°F is kinda chilly for exploring outside. What the marker indicated was some burial mounds ~ kinda interesting, but way too cold to figure them out. Maybe in a couple months I'll go back. From there we continued on 26 to Fort Atkinson. There is a shop called Nasco that Jodi likes for one of her hobbies so we stopped there. From there, we just kinda cruised around, not any particular direction, but ended up on Hwy 12, going back towards Madison.

That's when we saw it! It was an old Stockade Restaurant. It had the new wood look like all of them that I have seen do. The name on the front, however, was NOT Stockade, but Capn's!
Give you a bit of backstory for Capn's. Use to be on Hwy26 South of 94. Stopped there many times on the way home from Brewer games, Jodi having lived in Jefferson for a few years knew it quite well too. Was a quaint place, had interesting interior, but DAMN GOOD FOOD. So we HAD to try it. Pulled in there and got a table immediatley. Nice, clean wood finish interior as well as exterior. Tables had cloth napkins, cloth table cloth and glass over top of it. Was nice looking all around. They had the college football games on for those that cared. I opened up the menu and instanly saw their house special burger "Capn's Burger" ~ 1/2lb of goodness plus fixings.
I of course ordered up just the plain 1/2lb hamburger and home made chips. I looked around after we ordered and a guy at one of the nearby tables got the "General's Burger" which is the same as the Capn's Burger, but double the meat. IT WAS HUGE! There would have been no way I would have been able to eat this thing (images of the old 96er came to mind). I never saw if the guy finished it or doggy bagged it, our food came in the meantime and I don't like staring at people behind me at restaurants.

The wait wasn't too long, seemed about average for a restaurant type of establishment that was fairly busy. The place is quite new I guess too so that may account for it too. The meat, well, in my opinion it was a preformed patty, but that doesn't make it bad. They charbroiled it, and could taste some seasoning on it. Nothing overpowering, but maybe did leave you wanting just a bit more. It is a lot easier to add more to it than it is to take it off, so kudos to them for not killing it with spice. The roll it came on was a bit on the large side for the crown (sigh, McDonalds talk coming through ~ crown=top, heal=bottom) but again had good taste AND it was toasted. Overall, I would say this was a pretty good burger. The home made chips were quite tasty as well.

I am under the impression that they are opening another location in Jefferson for anybody looking for one. I would recommend it to everybody looking for some good food at decent prices. When you go, say hi to Randy for Jodi.
http://www.capnssteakhouse.com

Eddie's Ale House, Sun Prairie WI

So, today was kind of an interesting day for me. Today, I am going to Bristol, TN with 3 friends for the Sprint Cup Race ~ we have gone the last 3 years, AWESOME. This year, we decided to leave on Wednesday night, as opposed to Thursday night. Past years I have taken the day off before we go so I can get the last minute things put together and just have a relaxing day.

Not this year.

This year, I had to work before leaving for the race. Big deal, you say? I didn't think so either. I got everything all packed up, ready to go. Got the cat fed and watered and got to work by 8am. So far So good. I walked in the door and expected it to be just a relaxing day, finish up a few odds and ends, and do maybe some work on a new job. That was pretty much the way it was. My boss told me that I may as well take the afternoon off, because there wasn't much for me to work on. WOO HOO!! I WAS OUTTA THERE!!

I had a few errands to run before going to meet the guys before the race, bank, store, relax a bit before the 13+ hr car ride. The phone rang. My heart sank. My boss called, a customer called and begged him to call me to come back and do a few changes. Being the kind of guy I am, not wanting to leave them in a lurch, I did. I went back and did the few changes. Why they didn't call 3 hours earlier? I'll never know.

I finished the change by about 4:30, still had time to run to the bank before they closed. Got that taken care of and realized I was hungry. But more than that, I was thirsty, thirsty for a nice beer. That got me to thinking about a place I had planned on eating at a couple weeks ago, but instead of a plain burger, I splurged and had their special burger. Today though, I went with the plain.

Eddies Ale House, is a fairly newer place in Sun Prairie. I have known the guy running it for many years. The bar is well lit, TV's where you would expect them to be, and they have many many many different bottles of beer (I hope "ale house" in the name would maybe give that away). I ordered a FAT TIRE.. my current favorite beer, and a plain hamburger. Glen looked at me odd, but said ok. The kitchen at Eddie's is about what you would expect in a tavern. Char-broiler, small prep area, kinda snuck in the back of the place. When she wasn't cooking, I could see the cook cleaning just about everything. That is HUGE in my book.

I got my burger and took a bite. MMMMM.. that was good. I didn't see if there was any spices or added flavors added while she was cooking it, but it had it. Flavor. My mood went from not good, to not a care in the world. Of course, the 4 Fat Tires had nothing to do with that. ;-)

They have a couple different burgers on their menu. The burger I had a couple weeks ago was even better than the one I had tonight, but that had their secret sauce and grilled onions on it. See, once you HAVE the good burger, THEN you add the good condiments!

John John's Stop and Go Inn - Rosendale

I had plans tonight to do some things around the house. Have a few chores that need to be done, but I was driving to lunch and it was such a nice day that I made a phone call and asked Jodi to see if she wanted to go for a ride tonight. I picked her up in Fall River, and we cruised north from there. We made a couple stops and took some pictures, just some interesting things I saw as we were riding, and tried staying off the main roads.
Again, I tended to steer clear of Juneau (still not sure why), but we went north, north east. We drove and chatted, not really paying any attention to where we were and we came up on Hwy26. We went north on 26 til we came up on Hwy151, and here something struck a chord. I knew where I wanted to go tonight.

A few years ago, one of the local taverns (I will review their burger soon) sponsored a bus ride/ticket to a Packers game. While on this trip we ALWAYS stopped in this little out of the way town that nobody other than the bar owner knew where it was. It was a small town called Rosendale. Its kinda between Waupun and Oshkosh. Having been there before I knew this was where I was heading all night.

I told Jodi my plan and she said it sounded OK to her. We pulled in to John John's Stop and Go Inn. There was a few people sitting there, but not too busy. We walked up and sat at the bar and John himself was bartending. Ordering a couple drinks, Jodi made her way to the jukebox and put a couple dollars in. I looked around, and didn't see a grill... thought maybe I was foiled! I was just about ready to mention this to Jodi when I saw the tiny menu posted on the wall in the corner. Burgers, 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 lbs. Both kinds of burgers, with and without cheese. I asked him if the grill was open, he kinda gave me a wry smile and turned around to a cabinet sitting on the counter behind him, opened it up, clicked a button and said YEP! When he clicked the button, I heard the thing fire up. He said it was an antique radiant oven. No longer can get parts for it, and not sure what to do if and when it dies. It was smaller than a dorm room size refrigerator.

He warmed the bun on the exterior of this oven, which seemed to do a pretty good job. The burgers themselves were OK. I didn't see John season the meat at all, and it didn't taste like it. I honestly didn't expect them to be as good as they were, seeing how they were made, but for what he had there, John did a pretty good job.

If you happen to find yourself hungry in Rosendale, I would stop in at John John's and say hi to him and try one of these for yourself.

Tommy & Di's "Rustic Inn"

Last week on a whim I went west/southwest on my search for the perfect burger. Today, I called my mom and without saying anything else after she answered, I said "North, South, East or West?" She suggested I drive to the east just to go the opposite of last week. I complained that no matter where I go east, I always end up in Juneau. So, I went east, again trying to stick to back roads and county highways wherever possible. I got to an intersection and looked left "9mi to Juneau" *sigh. I went straight, kept going til I saw off in the distance a church spire. I didn't have any clue where I was but kept driving in that general direction. Soon I came up on a sign that said Holy Hill. I had been near here a while ago for a wedding (not at the basilica itself, but nearby). I cruised around it a little bit, took a few pictures and continued on my quest. I turned south and then took a couple side roads and found myself looking at "RUSTIC INN". Honestly, I drove past it, got about 2 miles down the road and turned around and went back.

When I pulled into the parking lot, I saw that they had part of the building painted Packer Green & Gold. There was even a dog house those colors. Huge parking lot, several cars parked there. In the front, there was "motorcycle parking" that had probably 4-6 bikes parked there. I walked into the building and the first thing I saw was a "Star Wars" pinball machine. Now I realize this is no "PinBot" but having pinball at all is a plus in my book. (I didn't have any quarters so I didn't play). The hostess met me at the door and we exchanged pleasantries. (I like to throw people when they ask how I am, so I say stuff like "peachy ducky!" ~ she caught it right away and laughed)

I was seated at my table and I looked around and noticed there was two large screen tv's dining room. A LOT of tables! Looked to me like the place did a really good business for Friday Night Fish Fry. I looked at the menu and saw it. "FAMOUS HAMBURGER" Before the waitress walked away with my drink order I told her I was ready and ordered one of these...plain.. medium... and a side of fries. (Diet Pepsi for those keeping track). She looked at me with kind of a crooked eye when I said side of fries, but I didn't think anything of it.

I looked around at the few other tables that were occupied (it was 2:30 in the afternoon, so not really busy). The closest had what looked to be home made pizza. Looked GOOOOOD.

I watched the waitress walk across the room with burger. I could see the burger from the other room. I guess what I am saying, this burger is HUGE! Images of John Candy with the Ole 96'er flashed through my head. This burger, I kid you not, looked like it was soo heavy that it broke in the middle when being flipped. I understand now why the waitress looked at me funny when I said side of fries. The fries themselves were a meal too!

I took a french fry and took a bit. Hmm... seasoned! My guess was Lawry's but it was subtle, it was GOOD! This raised my hopes a bit for the burger. I took my first bite. (It barely fit in my mouth) Took my second bite. Hey! this burger was pretty good! There wasn't a LOT of seasoning on it, but for its size, it was juicy and cooked just as I asked. It did have some flavor, it wasn't just a hunk of beef on a bun (which, was a good bun too ~ not your typical restaurant burger bun) I would stop in here and get another burger if I was in the area. Rustic Inn, ya done good.

In the spirit of John Candy, I ate the whole burger. I really shouldn't have, it was HUGE. It is really a good size for 2 people to share it. (I didn't eat all the fries though)

The Grumpy Troll - Brew Pub - Mount Horeb, WI

I set out from work today, having canceled lunch plans with a friend because I didn't want to get her sick (I am just getting over a cold) and decided to go for a drive. Usually when I do this for some reason I head North/East. Not to any place in particular but just kind of a direction, just see where the road goes. Today, however, I decided to go South/West. It was about noon as I went through Waunakee and decided I was hungry. So I started looking for a place to stop. There was a few places in town there, but I just kept driving, letting the roads take me further West, and when they "T'd" I would go South.

I ended up in Mt Horeb, WI. I was here about a year ago with some friends during some festival they had in the street so the main road through was closed. I was going to keep going and just drive until something grabbed my eye. Well, The Grumpy Troll did just that. I have to say first off, that anyplace that makes beer is going to be a bonus in my book. Most of the time I can find one that appeals to me. I had too far to drive today so I didn't have one ~ really.

I walked up to the building and there was a sign that said Bar so I walked in there. Nicely lit place, friendly atmosphere, and you can see the kettles for the brewing. I walked back to the restaurant part and got a table. I was by myself so they kind of set me in the "out of the way" table for stragglers...kinda sorta ignored by waitstaff. I hate that table. So I had a LOT of time to peruse the menu. Looked quite appealing. Many appetizers, salads, burgers, chicken dishes.

I scoped out the burger section. Many selections, but none of which were just burger. All of them had "something" on them. I found a "build your own" burger and asked the waitress when she showed up if I could just get that without adding anything. Answer was a puzzled "of course". After a little bit of time, the burger shows up. It looks quite tasty! Settled on the plate with some waffle fries and burger garnish. I took a bite. Something wrong here. I can taste that it was char grilled. The meat had no flavor. Ok, that may be a bit harsh. It had some flavor, it tasted like beef. I looked at the table for some mustard to put on it, but believe it or not, in Mt Horeb, the Mustard Capital, you have to ask for it. I didn't bother.

Maybe I expect too much, I don't know. But in MY opinion, once you have a burger that has the flavor THEN put the fixins on it, THEN you have the awesome burger you set out to have.

The Grumpy Troll... I would probably stop back in here if I was in the area. The place was clean, not terribly expensive for a brew pub, and the menu looked like there was some good things on it. But if I am in Mt Horeb and hungry for a burger, probably gonna pass this place right by.

T.J. Hooligans, Prior Lake, MN

I went to this place because I picked up a new hobby recently - Karaoke. I don't claim to be any good, I just don't care if I am bad anymore. I was up visiting my sister in Burnsville MN, and I have a friend ("D") that lives north of the Cities. I had mentioned to "D"that I was doing some Karaoke around where I live and she suggested we go out and find a place up there. I am not sure how she found it, one of her friends came along and I think she surfed the web and found "Karaoke near Burnsville on Thursday Nights". So the 3 of us met at this place, never having been there before (my sister showed up later).

We were seated in an area kind of near a fire place. (it was 70° outside, so not in use). I had mentioned to "D" that I was thinking of doing this blog, and decided that I wanted to have a hamburger for it. I think she had an enchilada or something and her friend had a prime rib sandwich. The burger, had no taste. I salted it, I peppered it. It tasted like salt and pepper. I put mustard on it. It tasted like salt, pepper and mustard. There was no helping this burger. Since I started thinking about doing this, this burger was probably the worst one, for a burger that was expected to be OK. If I am back in the area on a Thursday night, I probably won't be back to T.J. Hooligans... sorry TJ