Monday, January 20, 2014

Ate it at 8th Avenue Ale House

I was going to use some cool reference about eighths. Henry, amendments etc. No such luck.

The 8th Avenue Ale House is a friendly spot on a corner along 8th Ave. in downtown Sheboygan WI. Sheboygan's downtown is really a wonderful little stretch of businesses. Places to get food a rather abundant. Pizza, Subs and several bars. Ale houses tend to have decent grub and beer. So, we dropped in. Sure, they have burgers. I had the Classic. As far as I could tell, the patty was not hand formed from fresh ground meat. No matter, decent stuff. The roll was tasty and had a great texture to it. Washed down with a cola. The fries were tasty. Seasoned potato.
I'm not going to say this was one of the best burgers I've had. Served the way it is and all, pretty tasty.
3.5 of 5
Price and overall flavor were good. Not outstanding. Staff was friendly and the bar in general seemed very inviting. I'm not going to drive from Milwaukee for this burger but, if I find myself in Sheboygan craving a burger, that's where I'll be going.

Return to the the Rumpus

My burger consumption is possibly cyclic. I found myself back at the Rumpus Room, downtown Milwaukee having a burger. Go figure. It was Gallery Night in Milwaukee's 3rd Ward. Part of the evening would be visiting Gallerie M at the Intercontinental Hotel just a couple blocks from the RR. I should also mention, we had some gift cards to burn up before the end of the month.

My choice, the Rumpus Burger. As described: Half-pound Angus patty on a Sciortino's bun with your choice of cheese, lettuce, red onion, pickles and house-made Russian dressing 12.50 
Being a more pure burger kind of fella, I removed most of the extra stuff. Especially, the Russian dressing & lettuce. The lettuce was shredded and a little wilted from the dressing and warmth of the patty.  That left me with what I came for... a burger on a bun with a little cheese and onion.

I didn't look at my previous experience at the Rumpus Room. I remember it being rather good. I'm not sure if I can say the same for this time. Tasty, yep. Top notch, I wouldn't say so. It also seemed like they may have changed up the fries. Sort of skinny and lacking the french fried potato flavor.

3.5 of 5
For the money, I start expecting something that has almost a sirloin edge to it. The burger was just a burger. Truthfully, not one of the best. Things always go down a little easier when you are using gift money to buy stuff. I'm not sure if it was help enough. Nor do I think charging less would make it better. Overall, it's a delightful place to go. Great drinks and good eats. Just not this one time.

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Mazo's (I'm on a roll, buttered & toasted)

Started back in 1934, Mazo's has got the history, for sure. The restaurant is a neat place. Smaller and not too chic, it's one of the hidden gems of Milwaukee. Unless you are looking for it as you are driving North on 27th near Oklahoma Avenue, you might not see it.
Going to Mazo's has been on my list for a couple of years. Check it off. Was it worth the wait? I would say, yep! When we got there it was around 11:45AM. There were people at a couple of tables and a some folks at the counter. By noon, it was packed.
I have to say, it was what I had hoped for. The bun was buttered and toasted. I had the double cheeseburger. That's two 1/3 pound patties, fresh packed with American cheese and raw onions. The burgers could have been cooked a little less but, flavor was still there. The combo includes two sides. I chose fries and baked beans. Both were excellent. The beans made me think they were scratch created. Sort of a smoky/bacon edge to them.
The rest of the group all agreed that the food was tasty. Patty Melt and Strawberry Shake both made it on the "glad we ordered it" list.

Five of us ate and the total bill was around $45. I'd say we got a decent value for the investment.

4.5 of 5
Tasty food. Decent value for the $$. I'd go back/tell others about it.

Surfing the Webb's - New Year's Day lunch!

Hey, I just have to post that on New Year's Day (2014) while on my way back from dodging the Polar Bear Plunge, I stopped at the George Webb's on West State Street, Wauwatosa. My friends enjoyed breakfast while I, the burgereater, enjoyed a classic Webb cheeseburger. Guess what? Delicious! How do they do that for so many years? What intrigued me most, the bag of burgers! Whoa!
Price is still decent. Burgers and fries are wonderful.
4 out of 5. Darn good stuff. ;)