Return to 5th Ward Camino 04/19/2024

 I've been to Camino a few times now. Both locations keep on satisfying my burger needs. This time I was back in Milwaukee's 5th Ward for Gallery Night. I was showing several pieces of my art at the Eagleknit Building on South 2nd Street. It was going to be a long night if didn't have some kind of nourishment. A quick search for nearby food turned up Camino. It was literally across the street from the venue.

Camino on South 2nd street is quite a bit smaller than it's West Allis location. Limited seating makes it cozy. The grill is embedded in the bar space. A couple of guys are cooking food directly behind the bartender as she moves back and forth along the bar. If the weather cooperates, you can sit outside in the cool outdoor area snugged in along the one side and behind the building.

I had the Burger. Pretty straight forward. Ordered it medium. Perfect. I cut it in half. The first side I ate without the pickle. Great flavor. The onions really added to the overall taste. The second half I added the pickle. Next level stuff. Where's all this flavor coming from? I got to see the process. The bun rests along side the burgers as they cook. What can I say about the fries. Super skinny and crunchy. Flavor so good I skipped the ketchup!

Rate it: 4.5 of 5

Yummy. Priced right. The fries really made it all come together. Love the vibe inside this place.

 

The Scene at the Public Greens, Broad Ripple IN 03/15/2024

 Broad Ripple is a wonderful little space along the Broad river in Indiana. Funky businesses, a great bike/run/walk path runs through the middle and walking distance from the Vogue theater where we would see the Dandy Warhols play later in the evening. 

From our room we could see all the roof tops of the businesses along the pathway. The one restaurant had a plume of smoke rising from the kitchen. Our host explained that we were looking at the Public Greens restaurant. Without knowing about my burger thing, he mentioned that they do a very good burger. This just made it difficult on any other potential place to dine. There are plenty. We actually stopped at a BBQ joint on our way out. Centerpoint brewery occupies the back room. We stopped for a flight of beer. Good stuff. 

Public Greens is one of those places where it seems like you do all the work. You fill out what you want to order. They give you a number and you find a place to sit. The person at the podium talked me into having one of their Old Fashions. I trusted her. I probably should have trusted my gut and skipped the drink. No matter, it was fine, just not made how I expected. The burger looked like it was a winner. Grilled Wagyu beef burger, house American, lettuce, onion, pickle, smoked onion aioli. 

The burger had decent seasoning and was cooked relatively close to medium. The toppings were fresh and the aioli was on point. I would guess the bun was a Brioche roll.

Rate it"4+ of 5. Not enough to get the .5 more. Overall, a decent burger but not one of those "you have to try it sometime!" kind of burgers. The brisket sandwich and wrap sounded pretty good. My wife had the Crispy Chicken. Not bad.

Public Greens, Broad Ripple IN

The Scoop on Schoop's (est. 1948) Munster IN 03/15/2024

 It was time for a road trip. Four and a half hours to Broad Ripple Indiana. We broke the trip up by stopping in Munster Indiana for some lunch. What could a small town in Indiana have to offer? Schoop's! Classic through and through. Old school booths with a coin operated "remote" for the vintage Wurlitzer Juke Box. There is also a small counter with stools. On the other side of the wall is a throwback ice cream shop. Lunch would start with a banana shake! The burgers come in a couple of different sizes. A single patty is 7 ounces. Not sure why it isn't just 6 or 8. Anyway, you can get a double of that! Whoa. Or order the "Junior". I think that's a 5 ounce patty. I went with the regular cheese burger. Fries are not included so we ordered some fries and onion rings to share. The fries were okay. A bit lacking in flavor or something. The onion rings were delicious. The burger, pretty swell. I thought it tasted a bit "meatloafy". Not to worry, it was okay. The edge of the burger is a crispy curtain of cooked meat. The middle part of the patty is still fairly moist and tasty. The start of the whole composition was the condiments. The combination of mustard, ketchup, onion etc was perfectly balanced and didn't over take the burger but sort of lifted it. Tasty bun, just a little sweet which was also complimentary to the whole thing. All in the meal cost around $30. Not too bad

On the way out of town, we stopped at 3 Floyds Brewery.

Rate it: 4+ of 5

The shake was the star. Onion rings, delicious. The burger is what I expected and a little more. 

 

Schoop's Munster IN

Drifted In to the Driftless Glen Distillery-Baraboo WI 03/09/2024

 It's that time of year to head up to the Wisconsin Dells for the Oldsmobile Club of Wisconsin's annual "Holiday Banquet/Auction". Food, fun and friends! On our way up, we met up with another couple for lunch at the Driftless Glen Distillery in Baraboo Wisconsin. Quite the beautiful setting. Right on the river. Nice outdoor deck and a well designed building. Being a distillery you know they know how to mix a great drink but what about the food? They've got a decent variety of choices. I of course went straight for the burger selection.

The Driftless Burger. I did it pretty much the basic version. No extra stuff. My side was Roasted Red Potatoes. While I waited for the food, I enjoyed a Bourbon Manhattan. Delicious. The food arrived fairly quick. First impression, I'm in for something good! A pinch off the side to see how the burger stands on its own. Decent seasoning. Slice it, just a bit of pink in the middle. Could have had more but the flavor was right. Juicy, fresh veggies and just enough condiments. The roasted potatoes were a great choice to go with this burger.

I'll try not to share sticker shock because this is a re-occurring event for me. The service was great. The food as great. At least it was a decent burger.

Rate it: 4.5 of 5 The extra .5 is just to make sure it ranks above "good".