Burgers with Brothers is back. This time, Badger Burger Co.

 Hey, it's my birthday soon and I got to pick the burger joint for "Burgers with Brothers". 

Sometime back, while in Richfield WI, I passed a building with a sign that said Badger Burger Co. Never heard of it. Well, within a couple of weeks I ran into the others. Mukwanago and Brookfield. A quick look at the menu online convinced me that we needed to have a taste.

It was a Monday night at the Brookfield location. The restaurant is in a strip mall but they did a really nice job with the space. Two levels for dine-in. The upper level has tables with chairs. The lower level has several booths, a couple of larger tables for groups and a bar that looks like you can order almost anything you like. Decor is cool. Not too over the top.

We got a booth. Seats were a bit stiff. I did one of those "drops" onto what looked like a cushion. No such luck. There was a slight piece of foam at best. Not a concern. Once I got past that, it was fine.

The burgers are all sort of crazy builds. A lot of bacon and cheese variations. Go figure, Wisconsin. One brother got the Burger with sweet potato waffle fries. The other had the Smokey with chive fries. I did the Badger with steak fries. I think we all order medium.

The burgers arrived. Instant craving. It looked great. Just enough fries and a garlic dill. The burger was obviously made just for me. The meat was nice and loose, cooked just right. All the toppings worked great together. Nothing overpowering the other. I'm not a fan of Brioche buns but this worked. 

I'm not going to say the service was lacking but, it could have been a bit better. The food was all great and didn't take too long to arrive. Price, not too outrageous. I think the total bill for the three burgers and a couple of sodas came to around $35.

Rate it:

Clean, cool setting, decent service, delicious burger cooked just right. Price, not crazy. If I were the type to grab a drink on a Monday night, I bet it would have been good also.

4+ out of 5

Cars, Family and Burgers!! Georgie Porgie's Treehouse, Oak Creek WI (07.2019)

July, 2019
It's a car show destination every Saturday during the Summer. It's also a playful, fun place to grab a burger. My birthday falls on July 5th. Sounds like a perfect storm.
Celebrating made easy. We threw a birthday get together in the middle of the weekly car show. Friends and family that attended were encouraged to grab a burger etc. and join us in the show field.
I did the Shroomy. It looked to be the most straight forward burger on the menu. If you've read any of my other blogs, you will know I'm not big on flashing toppings and all that. Such distractions can take away from the burger's true taste.
The burger came fresh and tasty. Nice portion of fries too. Everything worked well together. Not too much condiments, tasty bun. The patty had enough flavor/seasoning for me.
Price and environment make it a great outing for the family. The car show is a bonus.
Rate it:
3.5 of 5
This isn't gourmet. It's decent quick food. Not fast, not sit down. Just quick and tasty.

The guys at the Treehouse Car Show & birthday celebration.

 

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.

07.12.2018 Burgers With Brothers @ Fuddrucker's

It was my birthday. (thanks for all the well wishes) and my turn to call where my brothers and I were to have burgers together. I chose Fuddrucker's.
If you are familiar with our Burgers with Brothers. Three brothers. Three birthdays. One in March, July and the other in November. So, we have a guarantee that at least three times during the year, we'll will get together, just the guys, for food and conversation.
It's been more than 15 or 20 years since the last time I was in a Fuddrucker's.
All three of us were not sure what to do upon entering. Lucky for us Wes was at the register and more than willing to help us through the process. It's something between a full-service and self-service place. More self than full.
We placed our order. 1/2 lb Mushroom Cheddar, 1/2 lb Mushroom Swiss and my 1/3 lb Cheddar Bacon. Two fries and one Onion Ring. They give you a cup for the beverage of your choice dispensed from a crazy machine. The choice of beverage was incredible. If you can't find what you want in the machine they have tea and coffee.
We grabbed a table in one of the dining rooms. The buzzer went off. Three plates with the burgers open faced to receive the topping of our choice. For toppings they have almost a salad bar. Jalapeño peppers, diced red onions, raw yellow and red onions, lettuce, tomato, pickle, relish to list what I can remember.
Sauces, about the same. Ketchup, mustard (5 kinds), BBQ Sauces and Mayo.
All of agreed that the burgers were delicious.
I don't know if I'm getting to be a burger snob but, the facility and the way you serve yourself most of the meal sort of got to me. It was noisy. A bit of a surprise, a guy came by and took our plates away for us. Were we supposed to leave a tip? I was concerned that it might not make it to that guy. I know that they are sort of going with the nostalgia thing but, dated is different. One thing I did like, the kitchen and grill. Older equipment but clean. The cook staff was working hard. Again, Wes at the register was very helpful without sound like he thought we were fools.

4 of 5
The burger was great. Price for the service, I'm not sure about.