Al's Diner-Green Bay WI 07/12/2024

 We were in Green Bay Wisconsin for a opening night reception for the Art of the Automobile at the Art Garage, 1429 on Main Street, Green Bay. I have a couple of pieces in the show. We planned to grab dinner on our way back to Milwaukee. Since it was "my" night, my wife decided to look up burgers near the venue. The usual stuff showed up, Culver's, Burger King, McDonald's etc. On the same list was Al's Diner. Once I heard the description, I had to go there. First opened in 1934, Al's has been serving up some classic grub for nearly 90 years! A small white building snuggled between a couple of older three story buildings. Interesting. The main dining room is classic malt shop vibe. Booths and a counter with little stools covered in a shiny red vinyl. 

We ordered the Deluxe burger as a half pounder. That's two 1/4 lb patties. Add some fries and a strawberry shake, good to go. It didn't take long before the food arrived. It looked like a decent burger. Our waitress was nice enough to have the cook cut the burger for us to share. They also split the fries. Nice.

How about the burger. It was good. I'm not saying like, shout from the rooftop but, tasty. I feel like it was me but the burger had a bit of a "sausage" flavor to it. Maybe something on the grill top. No matter, all was fine. The burger was a bit messy as a 1/2 pounder. I think one patty at 1/2 pound with the same toppings would be the way I might do it next time. The fries were excellent as was the shake. Gotta love the mix of flavors. Sweet and savory.

Rate it: 4 out of 5. Great scene and service. Fries and shake, top notch. The burger was darn good. Price was fairly good. I'm getting used to paying $14 for a regular burger. 

Al's Hamburger

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

10/02/22 - Wayne's Drive-In, Cedarburg WI - Seasonal Favorite

Wisconsin like the rest of the upper midwest has a restricted outdoor dining season. Over the years, businesses like drive-ins have adapted their property to serve all year round. Others, they just keep it seasonal. Wayne's is one of them. No complaints. I hope they enjoy the time off.

Wayne's is one of my seasonal must haves. Is it because it's the best burger? Not really. I think that because Wayne's is seasonal and I can only have it during the warmer months, my mind associates them with that warm feeling of the sun shining down while you lean against your car munching a cheeseburger fresh off the griddle. The building adorned with memories of the history of Wayne's and all the kitschy items new and old that cover the walls. Generations come for meals together to share this. The staff is always working hard, friendly and helpful. It would be interesting how many of the current staff may have a link to past staff members. See what I mean? You got to support this stuff! Families, generations of friends and neighbors. 

Oh yes, I did have a burger. Well, a cheeseburger. With American cheese, tomato and raw onion. It was dang good. They don't use words like grass fed or organic. I think they just get the best beef patties they can. I'm cool with that. Fresh condiments, bakery (buns) are a plus. It was really juicy.

Rate it: 3.5 of 5 Always a decent burger, good price, great service (could be a 4 of 5?)

Wayne's website

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!

AJ's Not Bombing-AJ Bombers Mayfair Collection (06.2019)

Well, I'm way behind on my blog. The season has been very busy. A lot of burgers to write about. That's Summertime in Milwaukee.
06.2019
AJ Bomber's was my Burgers With Brothers choice. I wanted to try the Big Boy Tribute.
Marc's Big Boy was a family restaurant in the Milwaukee area back when I was younger. By the late 70's maybe the early 80's, the Big Boy was no longer available. Then, recently, AJ Bombers got the rights to share a burger that pays homage to the Big Boy. It had been more than 45 years since I had a real Big Boy. Would I recognize it? I didn't have to pay for it in the old days so, I would just scarf it down, with a shake, of course. I've seen pictures of what the original looked like. The photos were taken at an angle to make the sandwich seem huge. Back then, relative to my person, it was huge.
When it arrived, I did my normal burger snob stuff. Pinched off a piece that was condiment free. It was fine. Not heavily seasoned. Then, the combination of just the burger and bun. Better. Finally, I got to chomp a bite of the complete ensemble. I liked it. Does it scream Big Boy on spec? I have to believe they have done everything they could to replicate the experience. (Dave Marcus talks about the recipe)
I don't regret the choice. I'm not running out to tell Milwaukee and the world to get it while they can either. It's a decent burger. I think that daily, several other venues serve a similar burger. Nostalgia gives this one a bit more value.
Rate it:
4 of 5
AJ's does burger well. Price is in the ballpark. Service can sometimes be a bit challenging. Glad I did it. Glad to share with my brothers.

06.30.2018 Late's Bar-B-Q in Manitowoc WI

If you are in Manitowoc Wisconsin and looking for a classic diner experience, Late's will cover all your needs.

I have to admit, if we weren't with our friends John and Jane (Jane grew up there) we might have missed it. Driving 10th street, you would look to the West because the Cedar Crest Factory and Parlor has a large cow statue out front. Nestled in between 9th and 10th streets, no enter or big sign that let's you know they are back there. I guess you could use GPS but that takes away from the adventure of discovering this gem.
The inside is done up with old photos from days past. What started out to be a little joint with car hops back in 1960, has expanded the dining area to accommodate more guests. They have also added catering to their offerings.
The menu has so many tasty looking offerings but, you know what I'm there for... burgers!
John and Jane jump in right away "I'll take a double (insert burger)". I looked at the menu again. Should I double? A cheeseburger is $2.85 for a single, $4.30 for a double. I'm thinking Bacon Cheese Burger. The menu doesn't list a double. So, I ask "can I double a Bacon Cheese Burger?" I get a look from all at the table. Without a hitch, the waitress says "sure".
It didn't take long and the food arrived. It was everything J and J had promised.
On our way out, we made sure to check what everybody else ordered. A table was enjoying a mid-afternoon fish fry. It look pretty substantial.
We left full of tasty food and for relatively low doe.

Plenty of parking, clean, great staff and priced right. I will be back if I'm in town.

4.5 of 5

My burger & fries, yum.