Peter Stromquist

Category: Hot off the Grill

  • Poke Bros Chain Review

    Poke Brothers serves “poke”  (po-KAY) a dish that originated in the 70s in Hawaii. Traditionally consisting of diced seafood and rice or vegetables, some people describe it as “sushi in a bowl,” but to me, it’s more like ceviche. Created in 2016, the company has already grown to 37 stores across the Midwest and East […]

  • Franks Chicago Shrimp House Review

    Franks Chicago Shrimp House Review For people who don’t live around Chicago, fried shrimp probably isn’t the first things that pop into their minds as a “Chicago food.”  No, you’re knowledge probably ends at Deep Dish Pizza and Italian Beef Sandwiches. But fried shrimp is a thing, and there are dozens of outlets for it, […]

  • Van de Kamp Crispy Haddock Filets Review

    Van de Kamp Crispy Haddock Filets Review “TV dinners” (frozen, pre-cooked, heat and eat meals) have been around for more than 70 years.  In all that time, very few manufacturers seems to have mastered having fried food emerge from the oven or microwave with any semblance of “crispiness.”  Why is that? Van de Kamp’s brand […]

  • Johnsonville Italian Meatballs Review

      Johnsonville Italian Meatballs Review My Johnsonville Italian Meatballs Review – they are pre-cooked and run about $6 for 28.  That’s very competitive pricing. They are pretty flavorful for a mass-market product.  Maybe Johnsonville could come up with a “sweet” and “hot” version like Italian sausage?  I heated them in my own sauce and served […]

  • BBQ King Smokehouse Review – Huntley, IL

      BBQ King Smokehouse Review A friend wanted to check this place out, had never had brisket before and wanted to see what all the hubbub was about.  So we drove out to the Huntley edition of the BBQ King Smokehouse, we could have opted for his other location, in Woodstock IL, as well.  This […]

  • Wendys Pretzel Burger Review

      Wendys Pretzel Burger Review I haven’t been in a Wendy’s in years, but their new offering, the Pretzel Pub Bacon Cheeseburger caught my eye. I like bacon. And cheese. And pretzels. How bad can it be? The “official” ingredient list: Fresh, never-frozen beef, warm beer cheese sauce, Applewood smoked bacon, smoky honey mustard, crispy fried […]

  • Petes Hamburger Stand Review

    My Petes Hamburger Stand Review.  For over 100 years, 112 to be exact as of this year, Pete’s Hamburger Stand has been opening Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, summers only, to sell their unique hamburgers to a hungry public. Why unique?  Because they are BOILED. But in the interest of accurately, I think “simmered” (in water) […]

  • Golden Dome Cafe Review – Fairfield, Iowa

      Back in the “before times” I was making one of my annual treks through Iowa, and the route took me thru Fairfield, population 10,000 and home to Maharishi International University (MIU),  is a private university in Fairfield, Iowa. It was founded in 1973 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and features a “consciousness-based education” system that includes the practice of […]

  • Smokin Coop BBQ Review

    Smokin Coop BBQ Review Smokin Coop BBQ Review Belvidere Illinois. Out in the West Texas town of El Paso, I……wait. Never mind. On a country road between Chicago and Rockford, IL, there’s a guy doing BBQ every summer, Mon-Sat, lunch, and dinner. Completely “al fresco” there are picnic tables and chairs scattered under the trees […]

  • Taylor Maid-Rite Review Marshalltown

    Taylor Maid-Rite Review Marshalltown “Maid-Rite” restaurants started as a single outlet in Muscatine, Iowa, in 1926. For those unfamiliar with the term, the “Maid-Rite” is a loose meat sandwich, cooked on a steam table with onions, mustard, and “secret seasonings,” piled on a steamed bun with mustard and pickles. Locations come and go, but as […]