Goose Island Brew Co - Wrigleyville Pub Pt. 1

So, big announcement of the day: I am adding a new informational category, called How Much This Sucks for Your Wallet. It won't actually figure into the score until I figure out how to work it in. At this point, I'm just going to give you a rough idea of how much a meal somewhere is going to set you back.

I am going to give a review of Wrigleyville Goose Island, and you're just going to have to deal with me getting sidetracked with trip details.

So. Chicago.

I went to Chicago this weekend! It's amazing to me every time I visit how effing ENORMOUS it is (and how ridiculously ingenious their public transportation is). Made my 2nd visit to see Jackson Pollock's Greyed Rainbow at the Art Institute of Chicago. I never, ever get tired of that thing.

It really is a breathtaking city. I asked if we could go to Wrigley Field, because I've never seen it. For anyone who DOESN'T know, I loves me some baseball. (That's right! LOVES ME SOME BASEBALL. Bad grammar and all.) I'm an avid Cardinals fan, but I have somewhat fond feelings for the Cubs. They have a lot of history - and let's face it. They haven't been a threat in 100 years. At this point, the rivalry is more like grumpy family that love each other deep down (and if you want a team to hate, hate the Braves).

So, from the Art Institute, we got on the Red Line and rode across town to see Wrigley Field. I can't wait to go in the summertime, decked out in Cards stuff from head to toe! It's a GORGEOUS stadium. You can feel the energy of 100 years of history coming off of it. Crazy old wooden building. It felt like the Globe Theater, but for sports addicts. WOOT. So we walked down the street to Goose Island Brew Pub - Wrigleyville.

Nice location. Looks like the area would be trouble/a lot of fun at night.

I had 0 idea what to expect.

So here it is.

GOOSE ISLAND - WRIGLEYVILLE


Have I mentioned that I love going out to eat with friends? It is awesome when you order one burger and you actually get to try 3. And 3 appetizers. And drinks. Hee hee hee. I had a good time. Don't worry, I saved the tipsy parts until AFTER I'd eaten and judged.

The menu had...hm. About a dozen burgers. A really good selection. Some of them were very simple, and some of them were either strokes of absolute brilliance...or someone got drunk in the pub at 2 in the morning and went "HOLY CRAP, LET'S PUT PEANUT BUTTER ON A HAMBURGER." (I think the second is far more likely)

We ordered:
Appetizers: Tomato Stack, Goosedilla, and Fried Pickles
Burgers: Black Forest Burger, Pear and Brie Burger, Peanut Butter Burger (they came with fries)
Drinks: I don't remember what the guys ordered, but me and L.(no. Unless I have express permission, I will never utter someone else's name on my public blogs) had mimosas and 'Bellini Martinis.' I hear the beer is good; I wouldn't know.

How the Burger Stands Alone:

Oh. My. God.

Only a drunk baseball fan armed with a full kitchen and an endless supply of beer could come up with these. I'm going to review them one at a time.

The Pear and Brie Burger:

My StL Partner-In-Crime ordered this one. Pears, brie and carmelized onions. It was the first thing I tried. It was fairly good; The brie wasn't quite strong enough for my taste. I realize that the pears were meant to dull down the strength of the cheese, but they didn't compliment it the way that I thought they would. The burger, however, was cooked very well. 7/10

I really think this one would have benefited from the pears NOT being poached; it took too much of the flavor out of them.

The Black Forest Burger

This one pretty much gets a "oh my holy god, you must put this in your mouth. Now." Portabella mushrooms, herbed goat cheese, white truffle mayo.

I'm not usually a big believer in truffles. I think they're overpriced, and I don't think they deliver. Call me low class, if you will. I also don't believe that you have to use a $60 bottle of wine in your cooking. I think a lot of it is snobbery.

But truffles or no, goat cheese belongs on burgers. It was...brilliant. All of the flavors came together and just exploded in your mouth. The mushrooms were smooth and oaky. They were offset by the tanginess of the goatcheese (smoothed out a bit by the herbs). And...complain as  I might, the mayo made them work flawlessly together for a very zippy, cheesy, gooey burger. The burger itself was cooked medium well, and had a nice strong beef flavor with just the slightest hint of char at the edges. The bun was not super crispy (sad panda), but still warm and yummy.

A perfect mushroom and cheese burger. 10/10.

Wow. So much more to post. Part 2 coming tomorrow! (I'll include pictures of all of the burgers tomorrow)

Oh. My. God. CHICAGO.

I have to wait on pictures to be mailed to me. I went to Chicago this weekend. My tastebuds are still rejoicing and my belly is still like, "Dude, WTF?"

All the details on my trip plus my review of Goose Island Wrigleyville Pub coming tonight!

THIS is why I don't eat at chain stores!!! - Sunny Street Cafe, Arnold, MO.

You know, for a long time now, I have firmly believed that small, mom-and-pop run restaurants have better flavor, better service, and better atmosphere. I generally believe that stores like Frichilibees are...atrocious. They all taste the same, overcharge, underserve, and have the same decorator. I haven't been in one without my parents in years.

Every once in a while though, I think, "Maybe it's ok. Maybe this one will surprise me. Maybe there will be an odd good staff in here that will put the love into their burger that someone who owns and is responsible for their own business will."

And then I go in, I taste the food, I experience the bland atmosphere, the unenthusiastic, underpaid, undercompensated, no benefits staff, and decide, "I AM NEVER GOING INTO A CHAIN STORE AGAIN!" 

Yep. This was one of those kind of days.

So, here is my review for Sunny Street Cafe, in Arnold, MO.

How the Burger Stands Alone:

I got the Western Burger. Bacon, barbecue sauce, and a vidalia onion ring. It sounded ok; there wasn't anything more exciting on the menu. Now, Sunny Street is a breakfast and lunch place. Maybe they do better with breakfasts. But I'm judgin the burger. And here it is, folks.

Nope, it wasn't any more appetizing than it looks. It actually may have been LESS appetizing than it looks. Once I took a bite, I immediately regretted the decision to have ordered it. The burger had no taste at all. I don't even begin to understand how you create a bland burger. The only flavor on the burger came from the toppings. Other than that, it may as well have been sitting in a freezer for years. Any flavor seemed to have fled it long before it hit the grill. Not the cook's fault, unless I'm missing some sort of crazy burger bland magic and one very strange individual to want to learn how to do that. The onion rings were  really just tasted like grease, not onions. The barbecue sauce was not all that remarkable. Kind of sweet and smoky, but tasted like it came in a giant vat that read, "generically sweet and smoky barbecue sauce." The bacon, however, was very good. Crispy and still very flavorful. It had, however, been poluted by the barbecue sauce of awful.

I was super hungry, and ended up eating about 1/2 of the burger due to "at least it will fill my belly."

I, Sarah the Burger Queen, threw. Away. A half of a burger. Because I couldn't take another bite.

I award this burger 1/10. I almost gave it a 0/10, but will keep from doing that, because it didn't make me physically sick. I hope I never have to award a burger that little again. Because that would mean that I ate it. Yech.

How the Sides Stack Up:

The fries were fine. I mean, they lacked a *disgusting* quality. They were french fries. They tasted like potatoes, and were fried to an appropriately cripsy level. I really don't have much more to say about them. It takes quality fries to impress me, and crap to disinterest me. So, these fries are awarded a hearty "4/10" for being only slightly below what I would consider to be average.

How the Service Stacks:
Pretty well, actually. It suffered from what I call "the chain store blues," or the inevitable truth that people who work for chain stores are not living up to their fullest potential. Waitresses receiving minimum wage in a breakfast restaurant that (probably) offers terrible benefits, if any, can't be expected to be enthusiastic about their jobs. Usually, they are only enthusiastic about their customers, who provide them with more reason to be there than the job. I remember. I worked at IHop (*shudder*). The cooks, who are certainly making less than any respectable food place, can't be expected to ooze love into their food. The food has no imagination and is aimed to be what most people will eat without thinking too much about it. Chains thrive on people's need for convenience, not their need for diversity or excitement. A chain is there to function, not to shine. Our waitress was sweet. Not invasive, not obnoxious. Not funny or exceptional. But she did her job and earned her tip.

6/10 for being above average.

Atmospheric Conditions:

Well, the local fauna are older. It's a breakfast and lunch only place, so it caters to the retired crowd. It felt like a diner in a small town, sparse, country decorations and functional tables and chairs. But the people were polite, and I had enough room to sit, talk and eat. It looked too old for how old it is, and it wasn't a "vintage" feeling. It was a "our stuff is old, cheap, and there to make you feel like we're trying to achieve a country feel." It failed. Mostly, it was just bland. 4/10.

*Sigh* Totals...1,4,6,4. A shocking total of 15. That averages out to a little under 4/10, based mostly on their kind server. I'll even bump it up to a full 4/10, based on the fact that they had awesome flavored cream for my coffee.

I want a good burger! I am going to Chicago this weekend. Any suggestions?

J&R Saloon. Potential?

I got in a car wreck.

It. Sucked! Never fear. I am finally feeling like a normal human being and I'm able to walk from one side of the room to the other without my knees informing me that they hate me and my burger-eating guts.

The upside? My partner-in-crime and I discovered a new burger joint, J.R.'s Saloon in South County.

I found the first rival I've ever seen for Concord's Burger. So let's see how it shapes up.

Well, I wandered into this little dive, wondering if it was going to be awesome, or if the reason I hadn't noticed it in 28 years of being in the area was because it wasn't worth it.

How the Burger Stands Alone:

When I wandered in, I took note that the only people in the place were myself, my compatriot, and an old man at the bar. Granted, one look at the place said, "This is a Friday night bar," and I was walking in at eleven thirty on a Tuesday. So I sat. I took a look at the menu (clearly it was a menu created for a bar. Meager, but satisfactory. We had about 6 burgers to choose from. The Cajun burger looked pretty promising to me. It came with cheese, a variety of spices, and thousand island dressing. Sounded pretty good.

When it came - this is what it looked like.

And it smelled divine. When I tasted it, the thing that struck me was how perfectly the spices were in the burger. It had a zingy, charbroiled flavor that you look for in a home-cooked burger. It was, I am not ashamed to say, the most perfect Simple Burger I have ever tasted. The cheese complimented it. They did forget the Thousand Island dressing (which turned out to be a good thing). The bun was nice and crispy, but also a touch burned.

I will say this: I think that their recipe for the burger has great potential. The taste was impeccable, and for a burger without any trimmings, it was exactly the taste I want in any burger. I will say...the prep could have stood a little more TLC. I'll touch on that in a bit. There weren't many options (I've been over this before - options, options, options are great. But in a bar, I don't expect it). I will give the burger a 9/10, only docking the score for the fact that the burger was a bit too crispy, as was the bun. It boots O'Connells on flavor for a simple burger.

And unfortunately, this is where we head downhill.

How the Sides Add Up:
The fries were...fries. They were thick, and filled me up like they're supposed to. Not crispy enough, and nothing was done to them to make them interesting or stand out. They were far from bad, they were just...normal fries. 5/10. The tea though...I ordered tea. I was in a bar. I may have been better off ordering a jack and coke. Because the tea was easily the worst tea I've ever had. It was grainy. How do you make grainy tea? It tasted less like the flavor of a tea leaf, and more like the dirt the tea leaves rise out of. Bleh. BLEH. 1/10 on the tea. I am assuming they use it as a drink mixer. My bad. Poor ordering.

I'll give the sides a 4/10 because despite the awful tea, I just don't count tea for that much in a bar.

How the Service Stacks:
It was ok. There were only 3 people in the bar, a bartender and a cook. The bartender was friendly enough, eventually. I don't honestly think they had really woken up yet. I was disappointed that with only our orders in the kitchen, I still received over-cooked food and a burned bun. The waitress was chatty and polite, and didn't invade on our conversation until she knew that it was alright to do so. My burger even came out without all the toppings on it. When I pointed it out, I received a so-cold-it was gelled side of Thousand Island. Maybe it's just me, but if your only paying customers ask why the only thing your cook made that morning wasn't done right, fixing it by not fixing it at all doesn't seem like a great plan.

3/10.

Atmospheric Conditions:

Honestly, had it not been Tuesday at lunchtime, I'm fairly sure the place would be awesome! Pinball machines, pool tables, a very well laid-out bar, and more. It would probably be rocking on a Friday or Saturday night. I'll stop in at some point, but I'm going to grant the place an  8/10 on the assumption, and I'll be going back soon for a Friday night to see! (Even on a Tuesday, the amount of cool stuff and mellow music made for a 7/10. It was clean, too.)

So, the overall awesome meter. They scored a 6/10 when you average it all out. I have to say, I'm really disappointed in the score. They had a lot of potential with that burger. I feel like my highschool teachers. "WHY did you get a B? You could have gotten an A!"

Put some more love in the mix, J&R. You have a great burger, a great place, in a great location. Give it the attention it deserves.

2 New Posts, coming this week.

So, I reviewed 2 new restaurants (and am waiting to get my pics mailed to me by my partner in Burger Lovin Crime). J&R Saloon, and a little place called Sunny Street Cafe. One of them had a great (and I mean, phenomenal) burger, and the other one is going on my *list of places to never set foot in even if I'm drunk and need a burger like I need air in my lungs*.

Because gross.

Oh! And I think I am going to make a totally non-burger related post in the new St. Louis Renaissance blog. I have pictures of my adventures this weekend (really, I need a place to go posting my "OMG THAI FOOD" reviews).

Boopskidoo! I'm in the papuhs!

Fun times. Ok, so if you're here, where should I review next?

This weekend will surely see the anticipated (by my mouth) review of Blueberry Hill. I have a growing list of places to visit. Chime in, or forever hold your peace. Well, or just wait until you think of a place you really want me to try.

Peace, love, and burgers.

Food & Burgers for Thought - Where should I sit? The bar or a table?

This is actually a really important question. Most people wouldn't consider it...but there is actually an appropriate time to do each. I am a firm believer that the joy of eating out isn't just the food or the luxury of not cooking, but it is the joy of having an experience. Eating out is just as much about the type of social experience you are looking for as it is whether you are looking for a burger or a vegan pizza (OMNOMNOM, I <3 you, Pi.) Most people limit this to "Do I want to be fancy or slum it at a dive tonight?" But really, even once you decide if you are going to Tony's or to J.P.'s Corner, it's still important to decide where you're going to sit when you get there.


So, I'm going to give you the way that it would be in Sarah's Perfect World. I should put a disclaimer here that other things in Sarah's Perfect World include (but are not limited to) 6 weeks of paid time off per year (most of them spent camping), world peace, flying monkeys - and the legalization of murder for people who fly up the lane that is going to be closed in road construction zones.

If you're alright with that, then here are the rules for bar vs table sitting in Sarah's Perfect World.

Rule #1: Just because you don't want to wait, doesn't mean the bar is for you. Seriously. Kids don't need to be sitting at the bar. Couples who are fondling each other's naughty bits don't need to be sitting at the bar (or probably at the restaurant, unless you've invented a cloak of invisibility, in which case, SHARE IT WITH ME!). Angry folks don't need to be sitting at the bar - this is the big important one. If you are having a bad day, and you want to be left alone, or you want to bitch, please isolate yourself. We don't want to hear it.

Rule #2: The bar is a social place. Engaging is good (but not required). Do not be rude to those who try to talk to you. Did you ever live in a dorm room? Visit a youth hostel? Survive the military? The bar of a restaurant is the adult-version of communal living. When you take a seat, you are sitting down in someone's living room. The bartender is your host, but everyone else at the bar is in that living room too. If you're sitting there, expect to have your conversations overheard. Expect that your neighbors will talk to you.

Rule #3: Don't be a jerk. Shouting across the bar is (usually) obnoxious. If you want to talk to someone that is sitting on the opposite side of the bar  - get your butt up and go talk to them. If someone says hi to you - say something back.

Rule #4: If you want a private dining experience, the table is for you. This includes honeymooning couples that can't behave themselves, parents with small children (I am going to try my kid out at a bar situation - for the social aspect, and chocolate milk, obviously - when he is about 11. Depending on his maturity level).

Rule #5: Don't try to change the atmosphere, go to where the atmosphere is appropriate for you and your mood. Don't get irritated when you go to a dive bar and it's noisy. Don't go to a quaint restaurant and act like you own the joint. Find a place where you fit, and your mood fits, and let the place enhance your experience rather than hinder it.

Anyway...I hope my rules make some kind of sense more than, "Sit at the bar for social, sit at the table for private."

The bar is an awesome place to hear stories and meet friends.

Other stuff:

Info #1: Sitting at a bar - and becoming a regular - doesn't mean you're an alcoholic. It means that you are a part of the neighborhood. Becoming a regular of a restaurant will introduce you to a whole group of people and beliefs that are ready to be opened and learned. It can be the greatest experience you ever have.

Info #2: Your bartender is your local historian. They've been around. Some of the best bars in St. Louis (O'Connell's, McGurk's, the Dubliner) have bartenders that have been around. They know St. Louis better than you or I will ever hope to; they know people better than I even can imagine. Ask them what you want to know. Most of them will answer you - most of them will tell you stories you can't find in a history book.

Info #3: Restaurants - LOCAL restaurants - are your key to discovering the city. Or one of them. You never know a place until you know the local business. Until you understand the clientele of somewhere other than the corner chain store and the local WAL-Shope of bland. Fall in love with your city. St. Louis has a lot to offer; just not in the chain-store strip malls.