300 Club - Le Sueur, MN

The hamburger -- this was entitled the 300 Style Burger -- cost me a mere $7.50 for a 1/3 lb. patty topped with 2 large slices of Canadian bacon, two strips of bacon, American cheese and Swiss cheese. I was immediately impressed by its size and all of its accessories.

I'll start, though, with the french fries. They were basic fries but encrusted with a bit of batter for a bit of added crunch when you took a bite (not to mention perfectly salted). The hamburger's bun was a typical pub style affair, lightly toasted on the kitchen's grill. My one complaint is that the heaping pile of cheese and two varieties of bacon served to overwhelm the flavor (if there was any) of the beef. That could have likely been avoided by using only one slice of Canadian bacon or applying a bit of seasoning to the pre-formed frozen ground beef patty when it was placed in the grill.

Le Sueur, Minnesota's 300 Club is a rather unassuming place. Its location -- part of the city's bowling alley in the basement of a strip mall below a few other stores and adjacent to the town's only motel -- left me wondering what I was getting myself in to the first time I ate there but the selection of food and the affordability of the tap beer (I ordered myself a 32 oz. Grain Belt Nordeast for about $3.25) has brought me back a few times.

The 300 Club restaurant is a bit small in size but so is Le Sueur so don't expect to ever have to wait for a table.

Overall, I give the 300 Style Burger 3.75 out of 5 stars due to its value which serves to compensate for the perceived lack of flavor I encountered. I'll be back to try another offering which isn't as shrouded in Canadian Bacon and cheese.

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Turtle’s Bar & Grill - Shakopee, MN

Turtle’s Bar & Grill - Shakopee, MN
Lunch
11:45 AM Thursday
$7.95 menu price

The burger itself was obviously something pulled from a case of frozen hamburger patties. Irregularly shaped to appear like it was hand-pattied but the straight edges were a dead giveaway. The ⅓ lb. hamburger patty was decently seasoned -- I know I detected a bit of pepper on the meat which wasn't extraordinarily juicy but also wasn't dry -- an admirable feat for a well-done burger.

Sitting in the bar area, Turtle’s was rather vacant at lunch. I would assume most of the lunch hours are similarly sparse and despite the fact that it’s a bar it would be a fine place to go with the wife and kids and a welcome alternative to someplace like Applebee’s. Turtle’s offers a full and varied menu of sandwiches, hamburgers, pizzas (a full bar, too) and more so it would be hard to strike out for people of any age.

The pub-style hamburger bun (no sesame seeds here) at Turtle’s in Shakopee was lightly toasted (probably put on the griddle for toasting) and brushed with butter. While this was a nice touch as it prevents the bun from getting soggy from whatever toppings (think lettuce, tomatoes, etc.) are ordered, it also caused the top of the bun to become somewhat dry as well which left my side of the table covered with crumbs (an embarrassment if you care about being tidy, which I don't).

Overall, the hamburger hit the spot that particular day as it got me out of the office for lunch but the $7.95 price could be adjusted down a bit (50 cents probably wouldn’t make or break Turtle’s Bar & Grill).

 ⅘ stars

If you are interested in a coupon for Turtle's Bar and Grill in Shakopee, check out the one below.

2013 is the year I'll feed the world

2013 promises to be an exciting year full of change for myself and the family. While I'm not expecting a robot or zombie apocalypse, it's still going to be pretty damn cool.

To start with, I began a new job a few weeks ago. While this new gig isn't a huge departure from my prior job, it's a huge step in the right direction and will hopefully enable us to do a number of things which have been on the back burner for far too long due to uncertainty in the area of my own employment. While I was sad to leave my job (I had been there for nearly ten years) I was hugely excited to be facing a new challenge which will, with any luck, propel us to the all-important next level.

Last year began a certain amount of that change which I am looking forward to. Out of almost shear necessity we ventured into the world of farmer's markets. Having both grown up on actual working farms, we have a certain amount of gardening skills in our blood. I was a little unnerved when I sat up my table on that first evening in August but by the time the season wrapped up in late September I was totally digging the farmer's market scene. We tried our hand at our hometown market and a couple other area markets but I like to think that, in a couple short months, we carved out our niche. I met my neighbors, had conversations with some really interesting customers and in that short time became known and recognized for what I was selling.

2013 will only serve to expand on that small farmer's market base we built last year. I've been busily planning what to order so I can plant things at the right time and have a longer season. If all else fails, we're going to be eating a ton of home-grown produce in the upcoming year. If all goes well, we're one step closer to forging a future free of the shackles of a commute and an office. Working the land -- however small the parcel is -- runs in our blood and this venture just makes sense.

2013 will be plenty of work but that's what we do and hopefully we do it well.

An ode to generic potato chips

I take a lot of heat from family and friends for being cheap. First off, I'm not cheap, I'm frugal. There's a difference. The biggest area of frugality is my love of generic potato chips. I'm not talking about store brand potato chips because those are always busted and greasier than any snack food should be. I'm referring to the generic, black and white 1 lb. box of potato chips. The box itself is white a simple sans serif font set in black. It's cheaper to print using only black and using a standard white chipboard box is the cheapest form of packaging.

My friends and family wince a bit each time I show up at a party or get-together with my 16 oz. 2/Pac box of potato chips in hand. They taunt me for being an old cheap guy but they always end up eating those potato chips. To me it's a far better bargain than the constantly-shrinking boxes that Old Dutch churns out but with the proliferation of gourmet potato chips (think every imaginable type of seasoning including BBQ sauce and ketchup) flooding the market, I am fearful that my trusty standby black and white 16 oz. boxes of generic potato chips will be squeezed out of even the most obscure grocery stores and supermarkets.

Having said that and not knowing the name or address of the company which makes these tried and true potato chips, I will instead post my letter of appreciation here:

Dear Generic Potato Chip Company,

For the better part of three decades I have been a consumer of your potato chips. Through prosperous times and through tough times, your standard 16 oz. packaging has never changed while your name-brand competition has shrunk the weight of its packages numerous times throughout my 33 years of living in Minnesota.

I'm fairly certain I was first introduced to your fine product in  my earliest days of growing up in southern Minnesota as my parents routinely shopped at the local warehouse market where customers had to write the prices of each item on the package with a grease pen. Times were primitive but even as the nation transitioned to barcodes, your fine company stood by the 16 oz. packages which were a fine value for a fine product.

Flash forward about thirty years and while your delicious potato chips are becoming more scarce -- likely negatively affecting your company's sales -- you continue to provide the same amazing value I remember from some thirty years ago. While seemingly every package around us has shrunk while the prices increased, your packages remain the same 16 oz. size that I brag about to anyone who will listen.

I might not be your biggest consumer of your top-notch brand of potato chips but I just may be your biggest fan and biggest brand ambassador.

Keep up the excellent work and I hope you keep producing the same consistent value I have grown to love throughout the years.

Thanks!

When All-You-Can-Eat isn't that

After being recommended this story about a fatty in Wisconsin who is probably still picketing a restaurant who cut him off after he states that he ate too much fish, I was reminded about my own all-you-can-eat fiasco of sorts.

It was probably ten years ago but I still remember it fairly well. I, along with my girlfriend and a few of my close friends loaded up the car and headed out to the mall in the city where I lived at the time. It was Sunday and Sunday meant all-you-can-eat hard shell tacos. There were nothing fancy -- ground beef tacos seasoned fairly well and topped with lettuce, cheddar cheese and diced tomatoes. The cost was appealing -- $5.95 for a basket of three hard shell tacos was the regular price and that price was the same for the all-you-can-eat Sunday special.

I don't honestly know what the others in my party ordered but I sure as hell ordered the all-you-can-eat tacos and a Coke to drink.

Within a few minutes my basket of three hard shell tacos arrived and mere minutes later I had eaten them. The waitress arrived back at our table and asked if I would like more tacos. Of course I said "Yes, please" and asked for another glass of Coke as well.

This time the basket of tacos arrived more slowly. It probably took fifteen minutes, bringing the time we had spent at the now-closed Diamond Dave's Mexican Restaurant to about 40 minutes. I spent about another ten minutes eating this basket of tacos bringing my total to a measly six hard shell tacos (weeks earlier I had eaten three baskets -- 9 tacos -- when I visited with co-workers).

I looked around from the comfort of my chair for our waitress. The restaurant, with the time now closing in on 1:00 PM, was basically deserted except for our table. The waitress was nowhere to be seen. I decided to walk up to the bar at the front of the restaurant. I asked the helpful bartender for another basket of three tacos, she said they'd be right out.

Magically, a few minutes later, our waitress arrived. She brought the check instead of my tacos. I wasn't happy. How was this all I could eat? I asked for a third basket of tacos, was promised a third basket of tacos and was brought my check -- a sort of signal that it was time for us to leave and that I wouldn't get another refill of Coke. I wouldn't get that third tasty basket of tacos. And the waitress would get a tip of about a dollar.

Was I wrong to be upset about this experience? I'm not some hideously obese beast that would have sat there all day eating tacos, demanding more and more until they closed the doors and ushered me out. I was in my early twenties at the time and had a rather healthy appetite and knew a good deal when I saw it. I do know that I voted with my wallet after that experience and never returned but as I'm writing this my taste buds are craving some of those freshly made tacos.

Candy Corn flavored Oreos - review

The attractive packaging of the Candy Corn Oreo package
lures you in.

In one word, the new Candy Corn flavored Oreos -- billed as a limited edition -- are terrible. Reproducing the sugary concoction known as Candy Corn as a creamy filling is a mistake to say the least. First off, we all know that Oreos are two chocolate-flavored wafers with white cream sandwiched between them. The first mistake is that the Candy Corn flavored Oreos use the relatively new golden wafer which is strangely sweeter than its chocolate counterpart.

I first gave one of these cookies to my wife. After seeing them in my Target back after work today she asked if they were for her. After this initial sampling I can safely say that she can have the rest of the package but given her own opinion of the orange and white creme filled abominations someone else with a less fickle cookie palate will have to eat these tiny travesties.

Once opened, the Candy Corn Oreos
immediately disappoint with sloppy
production and a mere 21 cookies, or as I call it,
three servings.

As my wife slowly chewed her Candy Corn flavored Oreo, she was obviously using each and every last tastebud to better offer up her opinion on the flavor she was experiencing. After fully chewing and swallowing the cookie she described it as "Plasticy with a sort of alcoholic rum taste." She went on to rhetorically ask "What were they thinking?" And also mentioned that the Candy Corn flavored Oreo was "not like Candy Corn at all."

After that verbal beatdown of Nabisco's latest ill-advised creation, I decided it was time to man up and face down this apparent mistake of a cookie.

Upon the first bite of the Candy Corn flavored Oreo I was immediately struck by the fact that it tasted like pure sugar. The closest approximation I can come up with is that it is like drinking pure concentrated Coca-Cola syrup before it gets mixed with the carbonated water except not as syrupy. I then muttered aloud that it was simply "too sweet" which, given my sweet tooth, seems impossible.

After I decided to just finish the rest of what I knew was a misguided purchase I noticed that the taste of the Candy Corn flavored Oreo lingers and no amount of time and water seems to eliminate the taste from my mouth. In the end this single cookie was actually so sweet that it made my stomach hurt.

If you're still brave enough to purchase Candy Corn flavored Oreos, they can be found at Target stores (and likely many more national and regional retailers) for $2.99. The biggest drawback, though, is the fact that the $2.99 price tag nets you a mere 21 cookies. Yep, that's seven tiny cookies for $1.00. For that price it seems like I bought them at Super America instead of Target. But at least the packaging is cool.

Mountain Dew A.M. is truly liquid crack

Leave it up to the most disgusting fast food chain, Taco Bell, to serve the equivalent of breakfast time liquid crack -- a disgusting mix of Mountain Dew and orange juice. Hey, at least they're both shades of yellow and orange but shouldn't orange juice in the morning be reserved for mixing with champagne or vodka. And who the hell eats at Taco Bell for breakfast anyway? Unless you are so drunk that you haven't gone to bed yet. Anyhow, Mountain Dew A.M. is served until 11 AM at Taco Bell locations which offer a breakfast menu.

Mr. Pig Stuff BBQ Restaurant - Shakopee, MN

The BBQ pulled pork sandwich from Mr. Pig Stuff restaurant in Shakopee, MN

The potato chips from Mr. Pig Stuff restaurant in Shakopee, MN

Mr. Pig Stuff, a Shakopee BBQ restaurant which recently re-opened in a larger location on Highway 101 / 1st Avenue on Shakopee's eastern side next to Dangerfield's Restaurant (approximately 1 block east of Marschall Rd.) has put itself in an excellent position for growth. Having established themselves at their former location in western Shakopee and offering only walk-up and drive-thru orders, the new location is, in one word, huge.

The former Panzanella Restaurant (now home to Mr. Pig Stuff), nestled between Taco Loco and Dangerfield's Restaurant doesn't look large from the outside but on the inside now offers a salad bar, full line of Coke products with complimentary refills and seating, at my best estimate, for approximately 75 or more patrons.

Building on Mr. Pig Stuff's always delicious BBQ offerings (the pulled pork sandwich is my favorite -- they also offer half and whole beer can chickens, beef brisket, ribs, etc.) the Shakopee restaurant has expanded on their side dish offerings. I have always opted for french fries but when my basket arrived at our table this evening I was greeted with a dish of cole slaw as well. My daughter, being hard to please sometimes, had chicken strips, mac and cheese and a few other offerings to choose form but opted for the grown-up size cheeseburger. Weighing in at what had to be 1/3 lb. or more, this hand-pattied beauty was nicely seasoned with something I couldn't quite nail down. Maybe it was a bit of a spicier rub they made up specially for their new hamburgers and cheeseburgers but my nearly four year-old daughter did mention that it was really spicy. She instead shared in some of the succulent pork from her mom and dad's sandwiches but she did love the "potato chips" that came with the order.

The potato chips, a new side to go with the new location, were amazing. Seasoned with the same spice mixture Mr. Pig Stuff uses as a dry rub on their smoked meats, these potato chips were -- as explained to me -- something they experimented with by simply slicing potatoes the long way (approximately 1/8" thick), frying them and sprinkling them with their amazing dry rub which had a hint of brown sugar as a nice surprise.

All told, in the BBQ community, Mr. Pig Stuff has an excellent handle on their recipes. The service is fast with items prepared to order. The core of the staff is still all family members and the welcome addition of the much-needed inside seating should keep a steady stream of lunch-time workers coming through the doors with families keeping the place busy during other hours. The decor features plenty of Iowa Hawkeye memorabilia, two (or three) large televisions which tonight were tuned to the Green Bay Packers game and with the coming addition of beer Mr. Pig Stuff will have a leg up on their cross-town BBQ restaurant competition (Dickey's BBQ Pit in Shakopee's Southbridge area).

All told, I will definitely be back either during the workweek for a hearty lunch or on the weekend with the family. The best touch, though, was the cashier not only asking my daughter her name as we ordered but remembering it as we left the restaurant. Very nice.

Mr. Pig Stuff BBQ Restaurant
1561 1st Ave E
Shakopee MN 55379
952-233-7306
Mon - Sat 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Sun 12:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Even squirrels are overeating

The greedy squirrel has an entire ear of corn in his cheeks. This is precisely why anyone who feeds squirrels always has empty corn cobs on their feeders. Squirrels like this one prove that America has an obesity problem.

Minnesota State Fair food - The Walleye Roll

2012 Minnesota State Fair 091 The Walleye Roll, a photo by rabidscottsman on Flickr.

The Walleye Roll, made by Giggles Campfire Grill, is inspired by a lobster roll only with walleye substituted for lobster. The unique twist on Minnesota food s available at the Minnesota State Fair which runs through Labor day.

Heap of Garlic Fries - Minnesota State Fair food

120825 big heap of garlic fries (special for @amycrea) @MinnStateFair, a photo by heideland on Flickr.

Garlic Fries are one of thousands of food offerings at the Minnesota State Fair. The food is the biggest draw for many and the sole reason for some to make the annual trek to the Minnesota State Fair. It is also the final nail in the coffin for thousands of diets across Minnesota.

The Minnesota State Fair keeps rolling on through Labor Day.

Dairy Princess Butter Sculpture - Minnesota State Fair

Dairy Princess, a photo by pstapp222 on Flickr.

Each year at the State Fair, contestants from each Minnesota county compete to become "Princess Kay of the Milky Way". The finalists then get their likenesses carved in 90-pound blocks of butter. Really.

You can see the Dairy Princess Butter Sculpture at the Minnesota State Fair through Labor Day.

Minnesota State Fair Farm Cookies

Minnesota State Fair Farm Cookies, a photo by Author Erica Rivera on Flickr.

The Minnesota State Fair Farm Cookies are exquisitely decorated treats. Tough not exactly cheap, I would expect these frosted cutout sugar cookies to cost in line with other Minnesota State Fair food but these look almost too good to eat.

The 2012 Minnesota State Fair runs through Labor Day.

Red Velvet Funnel Cake - Minnesota State Fair Food

red velvet funnel cake, a photo by the queen of subtle on Flickr.

The red velvet funnel cake - a tasty food item at the 2012 Minnesota State Fair - looks like the perfect sugary treat to pair with some fresh milk from the dairy booth.

The Minnesota State Fair and its excess of new fair foods runs through Labor Day in Falcon Heights, MN.

Ragin Cajun Breakfast Sliders - Minnesota State Fair food

Ragin Cajun Breakfast Sliders: a ton of food for $5. Quite good. @MinnStateFair, a photo by Bill.Roehl on Flickr.

Ragin Cajun Breakfast Sliders: a ton of food for $5. Quite good. (As described by local foodie Bill Roehl.)

This nicely portioned breakfast sandwich reminds be of the mammoth $2.60 breakfast burrito I had a month ago at the Winnebago Cafe in Winnebago, MN. Can't wait for another one of those in a few weeks.

The Minnesota State Fair, complete with its abundance of calorie-laden food and treats, runs through Labor Day.

For a complete review of the new food available at the Minnesota State Fair, click here to read the most official take on Minnesota State Fair food from the area expert.

Raging Ankles at Famous Dave - Minnesota State Fair food

Raging' Ankles at Famous Dave ($6) are chewy and mostly tasteless. Why bother with habaneros if you're not gonna have any heat?, a photo by Bill.Roehl on Flickr.

Raging' Ankles at Famous Dave ($6) are, as Bill Roehl says, chewy and mostly tasteless. Why bother with habaneros if you're not gonna have any heat?

Famous Dave's Raging Ankles are just one of many new food treats available at the 2012 Minnesota State Fair which runs through Labor Day.

For a complete write-up of the new food available at the Minnesota State Fair, click here to read the most official take on Minnesota State Fair food from the area expert.

Ole's Cannoli - Minnesota State Fair food

Ole's Cannoli ($4.50 with chocolate chips). Pedestrian, flavorless and boring. Proof Minnesotans cannot make a decent cannoli., a photo by Bill.Roehl on Flickr.

Ole's Cannoli ($4.50 with chocolate chips). Local blogger Bill Roehl calls it "Pedestrian, flavorless and boring. Proof Minnesotans cannot make a decent cannoli."

Ole's Cannoli is just one of many new food creations available at the 2012 Minnesota State Fair which runs through Labor Day.

This is over 4x the price of the cannolis sold at my brother-in-law's pizza restaurant and this doesn't look half as appetizing as his.

For a complete review of the new food available at the Minnesota State Fair, click here to read the most official take on Minnesota State Fair food from the area expert.

Duke's Poutine ($5) - Minnesota State Fair food

Duke's Poutine ($5) Not bad., a photo by Bill.Roehl on Flickr.

Duke's Poutine - costing a mere $5 - is considered "not bad" by local blogger and foodie Bill Roehl.

Duke's Poutine is just one of many new food creations available at the 2012 Minnesota State Fair which runs through Labor Day.

For a complete review of the new food available at the Minnesota State Fair, click here to read the most official take on Minnesota State Fair food from the area expert. 

Holy Land Lamb Fries (Testicles) Minnesota State Fair food

Holy Land Lamb Fries (Testicles) $5. Not bad but not worth it., a photo by Bill.Roehl on Flickr.

Holy Land Lamb Fries (Testicles) $5. Not bad but not worth it.

Just a sampling of the new food available at the 2012 Minnesota State Fair.

For a complete review of the new food available at the Minnesota State Fair, click here to read the most official take on Minnesota State Fair food from the area expert. 

Minnesota Wine Country's Antipasto - Minnesota State Fair food

Minnesota Wine Country's Antipasto ($9). Nice cheeses and olives., a photo by Bill.Roehl on Flickr.

Minnesota Wine Country's Antipasto ($9). Nice cheeses and olives. Just a sampling of the new food available at the 2012 Minnesota State Fair.

For a complete review of the new food available at the Minnesota State Fair, click here to read the most official take on Minnesota State Fair food from the area expert.