Archive for August, 2010
I want to apologize for my tardiness in posting this week. We are enjoying a wonderful vacation in South Haven, MI and I must admit writing a long post just did not take priority. So instead of my usual recipe of the month post, I thought I would give a little disclaimer about last months recipe. As you know, I featured a lovely take on Chicken Caesar Salad with Rachael Ray’s Grilled Chicken with Arugula Pesto and Caesar Spaghetti. Now at the time, I mentioned how much we enjoyed this dish, but because I just made it for the two of us, we had a lot of leftovers. I also mentioned that Adam loves leftovers and sure enough, two days later, Adam asked me if I could heat him up some of the pasta, we had already eaten the leftover chicken. I went ahead and stuck a large helping of the Caesar Spaghetti in the microwave. I must admit that it started to smell a little funky, but I did not think much of it and went ahead and served it to him. Let’s just say that face above is about what I got with the first bite. Inedible! Apparently the anchovies that are integral part of the Caesar flavor do not save and reheat well. Adam said it just tasted overpoweringly fishy and not in a good way at all! So I am sad to say that although this dish is delicious day of, it just does not save well at all! So if you decide to go ahead and make it, I would recommend either making it for a crowd or only half of the recipe. I will be back next week with another great restaurant review, but until then Bon Appétit!
Summer is winding down, but I don’t know about you I am seriously looking forward to fall. Don’t get me wrong, I love summer; the trips, the barbecues, and just hanging out in the sun. However, having moved back up to the Midwest I am truly looking forward to “having” a fall and enjoying the leaves change, crisp sweater weather, and enjoying some apple picking. But enough about the weather, I know you all don’t come and read my weekly features to here me blab about the seasons changing, but instead want to hear about a new spot to try or maybe not try for that matter. But speaking of seasons, this next spot is not good in just one season or another. Rather, its customers will line up around the block, in rain, snow or shine it seems, making it truly a legend in its own right. (especially cause it can get downright nasty, weather wise, in this city!) Opened in 1960, Mr. Bartley’s Burger Cottage, located right in Harvard Square, has been dishing up a wide array of creative burger choices to its patrons ever since. Started by the Bartley family, Billy their son, has been behind the grill since the age of 12 and according to an episode of Food Network’s Diner’s, Drive-Ins, and Dives he would want to be doing nothing else. He truly is the gas that keeps the fire continually burning and it would have to burning to keep up with their huge demand, see for yourself.
Source: “Diner’s, Drive-Ins, and Dives: Bartley’s Burger Cottage” [Video]. (2009). Retrieved August 19, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYofuw_g0Js&feature=search.
The burgers look intense don’t they? Well I have to admit that I did not actually see this clip before my visit to Mr. Bartley’s. I know, I know, the horror, I did not do my full out research before a trip. But truth be told I had already heard from several people (thanks Chad and Christina:) ) that this place was a must visit. And since my bf Emily, whom I was visiting, had never been, it was the perfect opportunity. Since Mr. Bartley’s is located near Harvard, I figured it would also give me a chance to be a typical Boston tourist and walk around its beautiful grounds as well, I mean one has to work up an appetite of course. On day one, Emily and I set out on a long walk from her place over to Harvard Square and preceded to walk around the cute shops and campus. It was not long before my stomach started growling and I knew it was about time for lunch. Emily told me how she had heard how crazy packed this place can get, we were not surprised to turn the corner and find this.
As you can see, people do not mess around when it comes to their burger for lunch. And if you notice that man in the blue shirt seated next to the line, that is Mr. Bartley himself, acrotchety old man, but we’ll get to that. Emily and I hopped in line and preceded to look over 30 burger options on the menu. Emily and I had decided that we wanted to split one, since our friends had both mentioned how massive they were. At 7 oz. of meat a burger, I have no doubt! So we decided upon the “Tom Brady,” a good ol’ cheeseburger complete with guacamole and red onion.
It was at this point that Mr. Bartley sat down and I must admit I was a little confused and just thought it was some nice old man needing a break. However, next thing I know he has this pad out and is asking me what I want. It was then we realized he was taking orders to sort of move the whole process along. But let’s just say you had better know what you want when he sits down or he will completely skip over you. We quickly went with that “Tom Brady” and a side of their famous onion rings instead of fries. Then he turned and asked Emily what she wanted, she was in the middle of saying we were going to split the burger when he snappily replied “no splitting, must order at least something.” So Emily ordered a chocolate frappe and asked if that was sufficient, he kind of looked annoyed but said that was fine. It was then that a table happened to be opening out on the patio and we both decided to jump on it and be a little colder than having to wait for a seat any longer. But at this point I was still a little shocked at the encounter we had just had with Mr. Bartley, but Emily was not all the surprised, she said it was typical no nonsense Boston behavior. After we were comfortably seated, we were presented with our chocolate frappe to enjoy while we waited for our burger.
Not really sure what to expect with a frappe or even what it was when she ordered one, I quickly learned a little Boston etiquette. It looked like a typical milkshake, but Emily informed me, that although she is not sure why, milkshakes all around Boston are referred to as frappes. And asking for a milkshake just isn’t kosher, so for today I called it a frappe, and that frappe was mighty good. Perfectly creamy and chocolaty and delicious. It wasn’t long before “Tom Brady’ arrived and man did he look too good to eat. And I am glad we decided upon the onion rings, because just look at how mouthwateringly awesome they were!
Splitting this burger was a great idea, because between it and the huge pile of onion rings, there was no way I could have eaten more. And these burgers are not wimpy either, they are thick and juicy, not dry and a great bun to burger ratio. Unfortunately we both agreed that the guacamole that comes on the “Tom Brady” was not our favorite, so I likely would not order him again, however given this restaurants massive amount of burger choices I am sure I could find another I may have like better. Now the onion rings were a different story, these babies as you saw in the video, are too die for. Cut perfectly and not overly breaded or fried, but rather just a great combination of sweet and salty, that you can grab a fist full and stuff in your mouth.
We clearly hated them :). I would go back to visit just for these onion rings alone, but I wouldn’t mind trying another burger creation as well. I mentioned that we were unable to eat inside, but I was able to snap a few pictures when we went inside to get some cash. I also learned that Boston restaurants do not always have public restrooms of any kind due to their size, this one was one of them unfortunately. It just ain’t big enough, but people don’t seem to mind!
SIGNATURE DISH: It is clear from their name that they do one thing best, Burgers! But these aren’t just any ol’ burger, with over 30 varieties and options they have truly taken burger to another level. And with fun creative names that complement the ingredients it is fun to order up any of their signature choices.
TASTE: I have already featured a lot of burger places in the short life of my blog, some better than others and I must say that as burgers go this ranks pretty high. I did not particularly like the additions our burger came with, namely their guacamole, but the burger itself was quite delicious. Any large patty is often hard to cook without it getting dry on the outside. But at Bartley’s their use of a flat top grill truly aides the flavor of their burgers, by giving the outside a wonderful crust, while the inside remains moist and juicy. I would not say its the best burger I have ever had, but this place has so many fun additions, I would love the chance to take Adam to visit their and try and new creation.
AMBIANCE: This was one area I felt was a bit lacking, but this was due to a mistake that I made. I will admit I chose the patio spot in hopes of getting our food out quicker, I was hungry! But in doing so, we missed out on getting to sit inside amongst the true bustling atmosphere. So if almost felt like I was just eating this really good burger anywhere, instead of having the food and experience melt together. But next time I would just wait it out to get a full true experience.
PRICE: I felt their prices were very decent, especially since we split our meal. Their burgers range from about $7 – 10 depending on the ingredients which is fairly typical and reasonable if you ask me. Substitutions for different fries or onion rings is also extra so you may want to keep that in mind too. However, again because we split our meal, I believe we only paid maybe $10 – 15 a piece total, not bad if you ask me.
SERVICE: This was one area I felt was kind of lacking. This had nothing to do with how fast we got our food, but rather just the attitude I got from our waitress. She was nice, but just not very friendly or welcoming. The other thing I did not enjoy was how brash Mr. Bartley was. Now I am not trying to sound like a baby, but maybe I was just not cut out for the Boston attitude. I understand that this is his establishment and he makes the rules, I just felt a little nicer customer treatment could likely go along way. However, I say that and with a line continuously around the corner, his attitude does not seem to be hurting anything.
I had a fun experience at Mr. Bartley’s Burger Cottage and really enjoyed the food, so much so that I hope to return someday so Adam can see for himself. So with that I give Mr. Bartley’s 3 1/2 Little Piggies.
Yes friends, that is a horseshoe to your left; and you may be wondering what in the heck does that have to do with food? We will get to that…but as you know by now, we moved back up to Indiana in June, and along the way we (of course) did some “research.” I mean…come on…it wouldn’t be a cross country driving trip with Adam and Katie if we didn’t plan at least one stop at somewhere “blog” related. However, we didn’t exactly know where we were going to land on our first night, so it was kinda difficult to plan a meal anywhere particular. It’s at this point that we need to give our good friend Jay Aquila a shout-out for doing some quality research for us and then texting Adam the possible choices once we had made our final landing point decision, which happened to be Springfield, IL; and I know what you’re thinking already… Springfield…really? What great culinary spots would there even be worth stopping at in the middle of Illinois? Well, we slightly remembered that Adam Richman from Travel Channel’s “Man vs. Food” had visited there, but we couldn’t remember if it had been Springfield, Illinois or Missouri or any of the spots. Sure enough, he stopped in the “Land of Lincoln” and what seemed like 3 great places. Our first choice was home to the first corndog (Cozy Dog Drive-In), but sadly for Adam, it was closed by the time we got into town (late). Still, because Jay had come through with all the address of the places, we went looking for something called a ‘horseshoe’ at D’Arcy’s Pint.
After getting a little turned around with our GPS, we somehow managed to stumble across this joint late at night. Opened in 1998 and moving to a bigger location in 2005, D’Arcy’s Pint serves up lots of food and fun to Springfield residents and the local college kids looking for a hearty meal. Although it looks like most chain restaurants, the decor inside is filled with Irish influence and historical Springfield items alike. I will admit now that at that point in time I was not overly thrilled about our choice. We had been eating heavily the weeks leading up to our move, anticipating not having certain foods for awhile, as well as I had just driven 16+ hours with two cats crawling about. So let’s just say that I was not in the best mood and heavy-hearty food was not on my mind’s menu. However, Adam was really excited to try Springfield’s signature dish, which D’Arcy’s is supposed to be the best at…THE HORSESHOE! Yes, I said it…a horseshoe, which evidently are a Springfield original; and from what we seemed to see and hear upon entering the “pint” is that this was the place to order one.
What is a horseshoe you ask? According to D’Arcy’s Pint’s website… “A horseshoe, if you’re not from Springfield, includes your choice of meat, served over Texas toast, piled high with fries and topped with homemade cheese sauce.” Sounds ridiculous…right? (and a lot like something we featured a few months back for the Recipe of the Month…see “Worthy of Roses”). Well, knowing I wanted nothing super heavy, I let Adam check it out, and I attempted to relieve 16 hours in a car with a nice glass of wine! 🙂
Because I was not all that hungry and I had sort of reached the “I’m so tired, can’t make a decision, this glass of wine is good, but I know I “need something” zone. The only thing that seemed simple enough and that jumped off the menu was the “Bookmaker Sandwich”, which was very similar to a French Dip but with some added extras, most importantly Portobello mushrooms (my fave!). Although Adam knew he wanted a horseshoe, it took him a few minutes to decide what exactly he wanted on it. Along with the typical base of Texas toast and fries, he finally ended up ordering his topped with corned beef, fried egg, ground beef (the traditional meat) all smothered in the traditional cheese sauce. All in all, quite a plateful! And that’s what it looked like when it came out too! 🙂 Crazy or not, we were ready for food and the look on our faces says it all.
Overall, I was not overly impressed by the food and found it to be a tad salty and boring. But looking back, I was also exhausted, having a hard time making a decision, and really not interested in that type of food. I think if we were to ever visit again I may have enjoyed it a bit better. All that being said, Adam does swear by the cheese sauce, which by itself was pretty yummy.
SIGNATURE DISH: Seeing as though this was the dish featured on “Man vs. Food” and every patron around us seemed to be ordering them, I think that would seem it is their signature. Although found at restaurants all over Springfield, D’Arcy’s Pint seems to be doing them the biggest and the baddest.
TASTE: As I said above, I was not overly impressed by either of the dishes we ordered. My sandwich was entirely too salty and lacking in the mushroom department. The roast beef tasted bland and the white bread bun tasted stale with no real flavor to add. Adam seemed to enjoy his horseshoe, but felt it was just a bit much and the flavors did not mold together. He felt like it was ordering cheese fries with only a bit of meat; and although he really liked the cheese sauce, the whole dish didn’t seem to come together well with it. With the bites I took, it was not my favorite; and although I typically don’t like “cheese” sauces, this one in particular was too salty and not worth it in my opinion. Given another chance and ordering something different, I might have a different opinion, but in this case…I was not blown away and could get something similar at chain restaurants around here.
AMBIANCE: Although it was very cutely decorated, it was almost too cute. I am all for having a theme, but as an “Irish pub” they were a bit over the top on decor. I appreciated the touches of historical Springfield elements, but those seemed to be only in entrance way. Also, the huge back dining room we were in felt like an after-thought and had almost no decoration. It just felt like a big chain and not in a good way.
PRICE: Now this was an area we agreed was fairly reasonable. My glasses of wine were less than $5, which after moving from Dallas was definitely a steal! The food we ordered was also around $7.50 a piece, not too shabby for a meal.
SERVICE: Another area where we were not overly impressed with. Our waitress, although nice, was a bit impatient, especially when Adam had questions about the horseshoe and how he should go about making his ordering decision. Then, after she recommended the ground beef (one of the more signature items on the dish) she forgot it. Finally, he had to wait around a long time for re-fills on his drink, which if you had tasted how salty this food was, you would have wanted one quick too!
So although we had very high hopes about D’Arcy’s Pint, I am sorry to say that I only give them 2 1/2 ‘Little Piggies’…and that might be a stretch. 🙁
