North of Milwaukee: Wayne's and Hefner's

 Just need to mention a couple of places I always enjoy returning to...

The first is Wayne's Drive-In, Cedarburg. They are only open seasonally so, you have to go while you can. I grabbed the 1/4 lb cheese burger (American cheese), pickle and raw onion. I stood in anticipation, waiting for my number to be called. W127! that's mine. I didn't get fries, this was a burger only stop. I'm pretty sure I had lunch already. Still, yum! I'm not saying this is the best burger you'll ever bite into but, consistent great flavor and tasty. Priced right. Where can you get a burger for less than $5 these days?

Wayne's is always on my list of places to get a burger.

The second is Hefner's, also in Cedarburg. Hef's is a cool little place between Grafton and Cedarburg. Some folks might not even notice it at the turn when headed North. I talked my friend Jim into coming along to get his take. I told him about the Huge Hefner burger. It's big, that's for sure. I was less adventurous, bacon cheeseburger with onion rings. My previous experience(s) with Hefner's were pretty good. I think I rank them near 4 of 5. This round, not so much. Not that it was horrible but, there was definitely something different. Maybe the whole cleaning process for Covid is making it difficult to develop that great layer of flavor on the flat top griddle? Also, the Huge Hefner had way too much bun. I won't knock 'em down yet. I'm giving them a Mulligan on this one.

I was on business in Grafton, visiting one of the galleries where my artwork is sold when I decided to run to Wayne's. Hefner's was only a mile from a work site in Cedarburg, why wouldn't I go there? Guilty as charged.

https://www.hefnerscustard.com/

https://waynesdrivein.com/home.php

Dream a little Dream Burger-Art Bar Wonderland 11.11.2020

 The pandemic is on. Stay home orders have been announced. It's our job to support local businesses. Especially one that supports local artists (like me!). It's the holiday season and the Art Bar is hosting their annual "Mini Show". 150 artists, pieces smaller than 12"x12" and selling for less than $100! I have 12 pieces in the show.

Don Krause and his staff have maintained there mission to be both a bar and an art gallery. A short time back Don decided to convert the adjacent building into a cool diner vibe place. I must say, it was well done. It's not too hip or square. It almost feels like it's been there all along with some updates.

We've eaten there before but, tonight we headed down to check out the Mini Show and thought, let's get take out! Hmm, check the menu. Salads, soups and various sandwiches. Ah, burgers. 1/3 pound single or double the meat? Dream or shroom? Dream seems the most straight forward. I decide there's no need to add more toppings. Order of fries, yes.

Because it was ordered online, I'm not sure when they cooked it. We finished checking the show out and grabbed our bag full of delicious smelling food, jumped in the car and headed home. We couldn't resist grabbing some fries out of the bag. There's nothing like driving with the windows closed, fresh cooked take out smelling up the car. (Pizza has to be the toughest) By the time we got home the food had cooled. Should I have taken a bite of the burger right when we got it? Maybe. What's amazing is that I decided to microwave the burger back to temp. Wow! I don't know if I've ever done that. It worked. 

How about that burger? Obviously a pre-formed frozen patty, not a concern. It was seasoned well. The bun was a decent ratio to the patty, sort of low profile too. Not so tall. The toppings were great. The seasoned butter really came through as an excellent compliment to all the other stuff. And heck, any burger that can come back from being cooled off right back to tasty, that rocks.

4 of 5 (4+) because of what I said in the review. Great job Wonderland!

Lost In The Woods (Birchwood Bar & Grill) 07.11.2020

When I was a teen, our family used to rent a cabin in the Northwoods of Wisconsin for a week. There were nine of us. (7 children and 2 adults plus a dog) The place we stayed was just down the road from a funky little bar and grill, Birchwood. It was classic late 70's mixed with "Up North" A jukebox, sodas all the way around. The parents enjoyed cocktails. A great place to drop into during a rainy day for sure.
After a couple of years renting, my parents bought a lodge that originally was the office with guest rooms for the Limberlost Resort. They bought it in 1979. This weekend, we were moving them out. 40+ years of memories.
We decided to head to Birchwood for dinner. Tonight's visit to Birchwood might be our last for some time. This put a little pressure on your burger eater man. I chose to take the biggest challenge, Stark Tower, a homemade burger topped with onion rings, cheese curds and American cheese, another layer of ham, green peppers, onions, diced tomatoes and Swiss cheese, finished with bacon and melted cheddar. Held together on three layers of Texas toast. $17.99
I have to say, I was expecting a "tower" of food. It was tall, trust me. (see photos) The flavors all played together, none more outstanding than the other. I pinched off a piece of the burger patty just to be sure it tasted that good. Yep, good stuff.
Over the years, Birchwood has change owners. The current owners have elevated the cuisine to a much higher level than Bar Food. You can still get some of the classics, just better. Pizzas, Patty Melts, Fish Fry.

4.5 of 5
Relative to what I got, the price wasn't too crazy. I'm sure some folks that pass through might consider a $18 sandwich at a little bar and grill in Northern Wisconsin a bit much but, what a special treat. The staff had to stop out on the patio to view the person that took on the "Tower"

A Jam Session at the Wauwatiki 07.07.2020

It was my birthday on Sunday, July 5th (thank you, thank you). We weren't in town to celebrate, nor were many restaurants open. We decided that we would celebrate on Tuesday night. Our good friends Karen and Brian gave us a gift card some time ago for Wauwatiki Bar & Grill, one of my (our) favorite places to drink and eat.
The situation with Covid-19 made the crowd a bit more sparse than usual on a Taco Tuesday. Not sure why a Caribbean/ Hawaiian restaurant would offer tacos but, what the heck. We got a booth somewhat distanced from the nearest couple or group of people. It felt special, really.
We ordered a couple of cocktails. She had a Rum Manhattan. I had a Mai Thai. Appetizer, Pork Belly. All, delicious!
Gee, what would I order if I could? A burger? Why not, it's my birthday, right?
A Bacon Onion Jam Burger for me, Hawaiian Style Fried Rice for her.
There may have been a Rum & Coke in between the ordering and delivery of the mains.
Wow!! So delicious! I'm not a big fan of covering my burger with all kinds of stuff but, dang, this was awesome. Juicy, flavors all worked together. The Crack Fries, a little too much for me. I also think it took a bit away from the main dishes. The fries on their own might be delicious but, each time I had some, I had to re-adjust my mouth to eating other foods. (sorry)
Everything was excellent. The staff was cool with all the masks and respecting our space.
I can't complain about the prices, it's worth every buck.
4.5 of 5
I will be back. Next time, outdoors on the cool patio with friends (I hope)

Cruise In to an excellent burger! 07.05.2020

It's a seasonal thing. Roadside burger stands in Wisconsin are only open for a short time so, you'd better get 'em while you can.
My younger brother Robb knows I like a good burger. He told me, if you get a chance stop at the Cruise-In. It's on highway 45, town of Marion. I've seen it but, it was never open when we drove past. Probably because it was too early or late in the year. This time, smack in the middle of the season!
I ordered the bacon cheeseburger with crinkle fries.
Delicious all the way! Not only was the burger tasty, the bun and condiments really worked well. The fries were longer and more slender than most crinkle fries, making them sort of a hybrid towards shoe string.
Total bill was less than $8. Considering the quality, that's a good price.
If I find myself driving through Marion Wisconsin during the Summer, I will stop again. Maybe I'll try something different and get some ice cream too!
4.5 of 5
I really enjoyed it. Fresh bun, tasty beef, cool location. Really fun to watch all the others that decided to stop and get something for themselves or families that were sitting at the picnic tables in the shade.

Brothers and Burgers Postponed because of virus

It's my brother Robb's turn to pick the location for the next Burgers with Brothers. Well, the virus has put it on hold. We planned to go to 5 Guys. Then, considered curbside. But, we can't be doing that. I'm not going to sit at least six feet away. I guess, I could but the time to stay at home and care for all the others is now.
We'll be back at it. Hopefully sooner than later.
Stay safe.

02.15.2020: I Heart Saz's-Post Valentine's Day Dinner

It was one of those nights. We decided, let's go out for dinner. Where to? Well, if we could find a place that serves a decent burger, I'm in!
Our hope was to discover a new place, new twist on food in general. It turns out the first choice of restaurant had some issues with strong smells, maybe Pine Sol? It seemed to be covering up something. We tried to sit and order. Just too much. So, we left. Maybe we'll just have Mexican? One of our favorite places to go, Hector's is just around the corner. On the way to Hector's, we saw Saz's. We both were like "SAZ'S!!" Sorry Hector's, maybe next time.
It was the day after Valentine's Day. We were hoping that things would be settled by then. Not so at Saz's. Not only were there the VD people but large groups, families out for dinner on Saturday evening. Nice. We found a spot at the bar and ordered drinks.
Saz's is know for their BBQ etc. They are a quality place. Looking down the list of sandwiches I see the Pulled Pork, Beef Brisket and then, a Candied Bacon Cheese Burger! Interesting.
I ordered it "medium" suggesting I'd like just a bit of pink. The sandwich arrives. Dang, that's a lot of food. Half pound, candied bacon, cheese and the bun, yum. Because of the size, I decided to cut it in half to make it more manageable. Squirt! Right out of the side of the sandwich came a spray of juice. It shot across to my wife's plate. The guy next to me saw it and asked what I ordered.
It was everything I had hope for.
The price was a bit hefty but it was a 1/2 patty of Wagyu beef. The candied bacon was a thick cut slice. A fresh pretzel bun tied it all together.
Super glad that things didn't work out at the other location.
After 48 years, Saz's still kicks ass!

4.5 of 5
A special treat for sure.

Burgers I didn't blog about but, worth mentioning.

Yep, 2019 is gone by, fast. Faster than expected. I try to make good notes, reminders of my experiences while dining out. A lot of the time, I find myself only remembering the food or the venue. Sometimes I have a deep memory of exactly how it went down. That being said, I will make mention of a couple of burgers that I had but didn't write about.

A&W (August 2019)
There's an A&W in Clintonville, Wisconsin. It's classic small town USA. They have pictures of the local team they support and pictures of the establishment from back in the day. The food is A&W. The atmosphere is Up North Wisconsin. Like a fast food version of a Supper Club. Grandma and grandpa bring their grandchildren and sit in the booth for a sit down meal. No drive thru and eat in the car experience. If it were Summer, they'd be outside at a picnic table. Always good food at a decent price. Definitely miss the car hop days.

Morty's Pub (September 2019)
While on one of my adventures during the past year, I stayed in the town of Bayfield, Wisconsin. There are plenty of places to eat. Some are fancy. Others are only open for breakfast and lunch. The main strip of businesses offers a couple of popular venues to go for a beverage, sandwich and your favorite sport on the big screen. Morty's was on the "best of" list for most folks that reviewed the food around town. So I tried it out. I can't recall turning to my wife and saying "this is really good, you need to try it". I also don't have any real negative memories. I'd say that it was okay. I'm not going to rate it. Just saying, it wasn't the worst or the best I've had. The venue was a lot of fun. The crowd had gathered for a game. Pretty sure it was Packers vs Bears.