Nationwide – The Fresh Market

Nice to pop into one of these recently in suburban Chicago.  I had no idea the company had sprouted so many locations in the past few years. I first became acquainted with the chain in New Orleans, Mrs. Burgerdogboy and I were having kind of a funky / downlow Thanksgiving, and we wandered into the… Continue reading Nationwide – The Fresh Market

NC – BBQ Center Lexington

North Carolina sez they invented barbecue, and who am I to argue? Leave that for Texans, Memphisites, Kansas City folks. The state is dotted with barbecue joints of all manners and sizes, ages and menus, but you’ll find a concentration of 20+ outlets around Lexington, KY, and that’s where I started my tour. The “Lexington… Continue reading NC – BBQ Center Lexington

Usinger’s Meats – Milwaukee, Wisconsin

I wrote a bit about Usinger’s the other day.  Here’s the rest of the story, as I prepare to dig into their natural casing “Old World Recipe” wieners.    Pretty straightforward ingredients with these pups,  beef and pork,  water, spices, sugar,  salt, paprika, and a couple of the sodiums as a preservative, in a natural lamb… Continue reading Usinger’s Meats – Milwaukee, Wisconsin

I Go on a Rant About Yum Brands

Yum! was created on October 7, 1997, as Tricon Global Restaurants, Inc. an independent company, as a result of a spin-out from PepsiCo, which owned and franchised the KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell brands worldwide.  It’s been a successful venture, by any measure. What fascinates and irritates me at the same time, is the company’s idea of “product innovation”… Continue reading I Go on a Rant About Yum Brands

El Paso, TX – IHOP

You gotta love it when a date’s idea of a big nite is going to IHOP.  Well, at least I do.  Pretty tired of high-maintenance relationships, on any level.   Add to the glamour of IHOP that your date brings a “two-fer” coupon, and you’re sitting pretty. She went with the chicken Caesar, wondering if the… Continue reading El Paso, TX – IHOP

Milwaukee – Sausage Town

Milwaukee  is a great meat town, and an even better sausage town.  Two of my favorite companies are there,  Klement’s, and Usingers, with the latter dating back well over one hundred years, and the former, the upstart, being only about 70 years old. Both companies offer a wide variety of smoked and fresh sausages, deli… Continue reading Milwaukee – Sausage Town

Elgin, IL – Alexander’s Restaurant

(First review from our new Chicago contributor, keep ’em coming).  Your fairly standard Chicago local diner fare, open early for the local business coffee crowd, and just off the tollway for travelers. Probably does a brisker business since a local Cracker Barrel relocated out of the area. We didn’t vary from the norm, went with… Continue reading Elgin, IL – Alexander’s Restaurant