Nostalgia Is Still On the Menu ... How About Some Dog N Suds? 08/29/2025

We were headed to the Volo Car Museum in Volo Illinois. In the back seat, our grandson. He's 6+ years old and he's pretty crazy about cars. (understatement) The museum has 5+ buildings loaded with cars and other things with motors. I'd been there before, a long time ago. That time, we stopped for a burger at the Dog N Suds in Richmond, IL. It is a total throwback. I wanted to share D n' S with my grandson, so the stop was included in our journey. We arrived shortly after they had opened. The menu is pretty much the same as it has been for sometime. Chicago Style Dogs, Italian, Burgers, Pizza Burgers, Fries, Onion Rings etc. Don't forget all the ways to enjoy ice cream, Shakes, Blenders, Sundaes. Yum!

My grandson was feeling "burgered out" so he got Chicken Strips, Tots and sauce. I got a Char Burger 2, Char Burger with double patty, Ketchup, Mustard, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Pickle, American Cheese (extra). My wife got a hot dog and a small tot order. The kids meal came out in a cardboard 1955 Chevy. I thought my grandson was going to flip! He did, sort of. "These people know me!" he said.

I knew when we were ordering that the food is not gourmet. It slips in somewhere around fast food fun. My burger was just like it should be. A simple piece (2pcs) of meat. I'm not going to get involved with fancy descriptions of the texture etc. It was wonderful to be at the Dog N Suds eating a better than mediocre double cheeseburger while my grandson got to experience a different time in fast food dining.

Rate It: 3of5 on a good day. It's not about an awesome burger. Although, that would make it that much better. It was a sunny day, on a trip to a fun place with our family. Worth every penny!

Dog N Suds Richmond, IL 

  

 

 

Wahlburger-Burgers with Brothers times two!

The Wahlberg brothers are in business together. That business is about burgers as well as other good sounding food. My brothers and I go out for burgers together at least three times each year. Sounds like a good match, right?
This time, it was my older brother made the choice this time. Wahlburgers has been on my list as well. I only learned that such a restaurant existed because we got our first one in Milwaukee just a few months back. The Wahlberg family has been at this since 2011! Good for us. We should get the best product after 8 years in business.
Our Wahlburgers is located at a place called The Corners. One of those town center, shopping center places. A lot of stores, restaurants and apartments. Not a stand alone facility. The store front almost blends in. There's bright green everywhere. (signature color) The staff is quick to greet me and check if I would like to get on the waiting list for a table. They take your cell number so they can text you. I always hope it's a fairly secure system they are using. If I begin getting random calls on my cell, I will know why. you can see in to the kitchen where there are stacks of bright green cardboard boxes to the to-go/doggy bag. The staff buzzes around. Plates with burgers, tots and onions rings!
We place our order. All three of us went for Our Burger. It seems like the most straight forward sandwich. The Double and Triple are only slightly more meat. Not needed. I got the Thin Crispy Onion Rings. My brothers both got the Sweet Potato Tots.
The food arrived on a small rectangular tray. A bit too small for me because, along with the built burger, there is a mini frying basket with my side in it. I put my frying basket full of rings on a napkin so placing my burger down wouldn't be too complicated. The sandwich looks pretty decent. All the toppings appear to be fresh. The roll is lighter in color. First bite. You get just about all the content, top to bottom. The roll is sweet and plays well with the onions, tomato etc. Quite a bit of juice squishes out the back side. The rings are tasty. I didn't read the name too well because I envisioned the regular onion rings. Glad they were the thin crispy ones. The sweet tots were decent. I'm not sure if they are sweet potatoes or just sweet potato tots. They were a different color.
Rate it:
I would say the food was nicely done. It makes me think they've got the other stuff like the Mac N Cheese locked in. It is a franchise, there can't be too much variance in the product. That makes me think the meat for the burgers could be frozen. I couldn't find anything online that mentions how they handle it.
The burgers were tasty. I'm not going to say there was a specific seasoning to it. I did my usual pinch a piece without all the stuff on it, pretty much tasted like meat. The bun, Wahl sauce and other vegetables gave it flavor. I thought it was bit cooled off by the time it arrived at our table. Could have been warmer. Sides were good. Not great or really different. I guess people like the tot idea over fries.
The location and restaurant itself, not terribly memorable, other than a big screen advertising their food and showing pictures of the Wahlbergs. It felt a bit like a cafeteria. Price is what's expected.

3.5 of 5 I'd get take out next time.

My burger and crispy onion rings

The Stand: Phoenix AZ

The Stand has a cool throw back kind of vibe. The staff is a lively group that works their, well you know what I mean off. They take your order quick and get you moving on.
The menu is quite expansive considering the size of the shop. Everything looked great. But, I had to have a burger. All the stories on the internet, Triple D etc.
The one thing that really attracted me was the fact that they grind the meat fresh daily.
I chose the Standard with cheese.
One of the staff brings the food right to the table for you, no need to get up when your number is called.
The sandwich arrives in a paper carrier. Looks great! Fresh veggies, enough juice. The side of fries is almost too much (I said almost).
The burger was a little too well done for my liking. Flavor fell short. The bun was fresh and tasty. All the other condiments, etc were fresh and complimented each other well.
The fries were yummy. Like I said, large order. I forced myself to eat the majority of them.
Price on the order was very reasonable for what I got. Especially with the way so many other burger places are jumping on the "craft" pricing.
I didn't get one myself but, I'm not sure that charging $1.89 for a gluten free bun is valid.

3.5 of 5
Great vibe, decor. Staff was friendly and working hard to get orders out in a timely manor. Clean dining room/patio.
My son and his girlfriend had tacos and thought they were pretty decent.

Fast Food Challenge: P.Terry's Burger Stand

It's always difficult to not be a little affected by other people's listings for the "Best Burger" in Austin, TX. P.Terry's showed up on a couple lists. Their story is one that makes me want to assure they stay around. If they are that good maybe some day, they will be opening stores in the Midwest.
In the heart of downtown Austin, on street level, right next to a parking ramp you can find the P.Terry's Burger Stand.
I sort of wish I had gone to the original location. Although the shop was clean and clever, I didn't get the "burger stand" feeling. It was more like a food court location.
The burger was good, could have been a little warmer. Not sure if the air conditioning cooled it fast or maybe it sat for too long before I got it. The fries were obviously fresh cut. Just a small remnant of the peel, which I like. Matter of fact, while we sat and ate, a guy brought around a bunch of potatoes and began the process of cleaning, tumble and slice.
Everything on it was fresh. No complaints there. Decent size and price.
No flame but, that's okay. The patty was probably mechanically formed but, according to the story, same day. 
I had fries and a shake to finish off the challenge. Both were excellent.

Ratings:
4 of 5

Fast Food Challenge: WHATABURGER

I'm in Texas. Where everything is BIG. Whataburger didn't let me down on that. My choice was to go with a classic Whataburger with cheese. Fries and a drink to complement.
Well, it was tasty. I can't say it's the best I've ever had nor the worst. They didn't claim to grind it daily, hand pack the patties etc. It was a prepared patty. Cooked right. Fresh bun.
The fries were actually quite tasty also.
I would go to a Whataburger if I were on the road in the South.
Truth told, I'm a fan of flame broiled/cooked.
My only critique might be to lighten up on the mustard. That may have been the employee's choice to add over the top.
Price didn't seem too crazy.
I will be kind and say, for Fast Food, Whata does a good job.
Ratings:
3.5 of 5

Factory Food (04.04.2015)

I've always wondered what happens inside of the Cheesecake Factory. A stand alone structure, usually near a mall of some kind. You might think that upon entering, you would find yourself in a Willy Wonka like environment of cheesecakes. It wasn't.
The decor is sort of like a set from Raiders of the Lost Arc. We were seated immediately in a booth in a really neat little room off the main floor. (did they know who I was? I doubt it.)
It's hard to believe how many different dishes they serve at any given time. The cocktail and wine list was even more vast. Fresh bread and refreshments to get started.
I got the Factory Burger. The description seemed closest to a regular burger. My only concern was the bread/bun. The sample piece at the table was tasty so, what the heck.
Medium rare, as usual. The burger arrived. Hold it, it wasn't a round patty? Trust them. First bite, these folks aren't afraid to season their food. Black pepper and grill flavors mixed with sauteed onions and a fresh tomato. The bread was interesting, a little crunchy. The salty edge of the bread sort of tied everything together. So, I'm not complaining.
Cooked the way I like. My only thing was the shape of the "burger". To my taste buds, this was something slightly different than a burger. I can't put my finger on it. Was it the shape or bread?

The rating:
3.5 of 5
I would almost like to call this sandwich something different than a burger just for the fact that it is elongated. Overall, I liked it. I'm not sure if I would go back specifically to have a burger. The fries were tasty and just enough quantity. Price was the same as it is all over these days. (old guy talking)

Rumpus Room - 3rd Time is a Charm? (03.27.2015)

I think it's always an added challenge to return to one of the places that I gave a glowing review. It has been some time since I was at Bartolotta's Rumpus Room. My last review on the Rumpus was a bit whiny. Must have been a bad day.
It was a Friday evening, sort of cool outside. The plan, Firefly in Wauwatosa for appetizers and a celebration for Jim Gehrke, Rumpus Room for dinner and Slim Jim Phantom's Rockabilly Circus at Potowatomi Casino Northern Light theater.
All went smooth. Keeping our schedule, we arrived at the Rumpus Room and were able to grab a spot at the bar. I ordered my burger. Medium rare and all the extra stuff on the side. I prefer to add my own amount of condiments. (talk later about that choice) We ordered drinks and only moments later, our food arrived.
I did my usual and decided to snag the burger with their name on it. Rumpus Burger. $12.50. I'm pretty sure that price had not changed since the last time. If so, maybe a $1 difference. Everything was as I remembered. Yummy. The only thing that may have boosted the flavor, just a little more cooked. Pretty red. Still, tasty.
Considering every place I go these days, including some "fast food" places charge me $10 or more dollars for a 1/3 - 1/2lb burger this is still a great value. The venue is always wonderful. The inside of the restaurant is really something else. Being downtown is always a different energy. Not something you get from a food court or stand alone chain.

The rating:
Still rocks! I would just order medium well maybe.
4 of 5
Price, venue and consistent quality and service.

In/Out that's all. 11.2014

This is going to be one of those disclaimer kind of posts, I can feel it.
For years I've seen guys at car shows walking around with In/Out Burger T-shirts. I get the nostalgia. In/Out has been around since the golden day of the drive-in burger joint. It's a great story also.
So, here is my take.
I flew in to LAX where I was picked up by a friend. I mentioned that I have never been to an In/Out and asked how close one might be. He quickly came up with seven different exits that might get us to one on our way to Anaheim Hills. "You wanna go?" Of course I wanna go!
The line in the drive-thru was super long. I'm not a fan of drive-thru. Maybe it's old school to make eye contact with the person taking my order and then getting your order handed to you, hot and ready to munch down. The first fry that's too hot still, the smell of the burger cooling down in it's little paper wrap.
Where was I? Drive thru. Our order was taken by a person standing outside with a laptop. Slick. I'm still not sure if that was a time saver. Five maybe six minutes later we arrive at the window. Get our stuff and start driving to where I'm staying. It's only a couple of minutes away so, I hold off on munching.
Long story short, not what I expected.
Did the order go through faster than it should have making it somewhat stale before we were to the window? Was it a mistake to wait?Even cold, a burger should have some flavor. The fries should also do well on the first microwave warm up.
I haven't given up on I & O. Next time, inside ordering and eat straight from the bag. I know it will be good.
Right now, I can't rate it.

Burger Chronicles: Entry 001

I dig hamburgers. Fast food, restaurant, my patio. I go places and eat burgers then, write about it.