Buckeyes, Hoosiers and Redbirds

Great Detective work, Annie !  I love it when a "Plan" comes together.
God Bless you, Lisa. We hope that you continue to bring a new ray of Sunshine into that dark corner of the Buckeye State !

lleechef
 
I really wanted to award ann with the same can of burgoo from Moonlite BBQ  that The Mayor started circulating years ago at the glee club presidents day weekend (that was until Rick Flynn ate it) however I thought a can of cream of lutefisk soup would do.
 
TJ
 
Ok, now that makes sense- I've been hearing that now for almost 2 and a half decades
 
Billboy
 
Thanks, I've never had sticky toffee pudding, I'm thinking of some type of cake that I've eaten before, I'm sure it will come to me eventually
 
 

Lisa,
  I will supply a can of Burgoo for your use as an award!
 
We can call it   BURGOO  II   !!!
 
MH-  If your feeble old eyes can read this, Me Thinks the Jigg is UP ! God Bless you, M'Boy.

I wish I just knew what the jigg is, period.

I'm not sure if the BURGOO II is an award or punishment......

And by the way, as long as I'm here, my companion and I ate at the Gahanna Grill last night and I had...........a SALAD!  Ha!

TJ Jackson

I wish I just knew what the jigg is, period.

I'm just as confused as you are
 
 
 

lleechef


And by the way, as long as I'm here, my companion and I ate at the Gahanna Grill last night and I had...........a SALAD!  Ha!

 
Oh I didn't know that Buddyroadhouse joined you yesterday at the Gahanna Grill yesterday? Surely it had to be him since he refused to be around anyone who puts coleslaw on a burger.....

She ate a salad again?

Mr. Mayor, the jig's not up till I say it's up.

WJ -- Wow, does that chicken at the Kopper Kettle look GREAT!  I'm a Hollyhock Hill person, by heritage -- the place is only a 5-minute drive from the house I grew up in in Indianapolis.  We never went to the Kopper Kettle, but I've been wanting to try it for years.  As is always the case, though,  (at least for me),  when you go back "home," you have  special places you always have to visit (my husband calls it my "Memorial Food Tour") -- and Hollyhock Hill is one of those for me.  
 
Finding time when I'm in town --  for only a weekend or a couple of days, and with other commitments -- to make the trek to Gray Bros. AND to Kopper Kettle from north suburban Indianapolis would be very challenging, indeed.
 
But based on your recommendation, I'll have to seriously consider it for my next trip.

Dale, Sorry, I didn't mean to lead your thread down a side-street.  Hurry up and get another chapter done before TJ goes off the deep end  about Lisa's Salad fixation ! 
 
MH , OK I'll let Sleeping dogs LIE or Lay or whatever... but beware that it doesn't bite the hand that feeds it !   BTW Annie made that guess by herself.
How many Roadfood folks has the mystery companion actually shared some sort of food/beverage with? I am runing out of thumbs to count them on!
Now on to the next Chapter---Titled,  Dale Does Shapiro's !!!

It was a salad for garsh sakes....how could it be so good to entice her to travel so far?  what could they possibly have in it?  sold gold bars?  sauteed passenger pigeon or dodo bird meat? 
 
arrrrrggggghhhhh

ann peeples


I accept my prizes graciously, thank you!!!

Even the cream of Lutefisk soup

Absolutely- a prize is a prize!
By the way, I have been told I should have been an investigator or a detective. I deduce things that some cant see. The hints were there, folks......

Ok-here are my deductions:
 
A) Mr. Hoffman lives in Gahanna
B) llechef mentioned a salad
C) Wj mentioned she shouldnt have ordered a salad
 
A=B+C= my guess.

mayor al



MH , OK I'll let Sleeping dogs LIE or Lay or whatever... but beware that it doesn't bite the hand that feeds it !   BTW Annie made that guess by herself.

Gotta have that salad

Monday September 5
 
What a difference  a day makes- clear, low humidity. Temp's in the 70's- In fact this is how the weather will be for the next 3 days- perfect.
 
Tried a new coffee house in Indianapolis- before leaving- called Hubbard and Cravens. Its a local chain- they only had a medium roast and it was surprisingly better than I expected. There was another coffee house, downtown called Fletchers that I really wanted to try but they were closed on labor day...
 
I left with this parting photo across the street from my hotel...
 

 
 
After a relaxing 3 1/2 hour drive, I arrived in St Louis. I thought if I arrived early I may be able to nab some off street parking before the Cardinals game- WRONG! Downtown was a madhouse- A sea of redbird fans everywhere. I managed to find a $5 parking garage hoping I would find street parking later that evening when things were "calmer". After checking into the Millenium hotel ($50 on priceline) and laughing at their $18 parking fee  with no in and out priveleges) it was off to lunch.
 
I did some research on Toasted Ravioli- one place that seemed to fare well in the "best of" category was a place called Lombardo's Trafforia- unfortunately I checked and both their Hill and Union Station location were closed on Labor Day. However their sister restaurant
 

 
Angelo's Restaurant and Bar 
 
Located inside the Drury Hotel, downtown was open. 
I started out my lunch with a surprisingly good, hearty thick chicken/meatball and vegetable soup
 

 
If I knew it was going to be this good, I would have ordered a bowl...
 
Afterwards....
 

 
arrived one of the best plates of Toasted Ravioli I ever enjoyed.....The meatless sauce was pretty good, but these toasted rav's were huge and were stuffed and bursting with flavor. This is a dinner plate and and although there were only 5, those toasted rav's were huge- I was actually getting quite full after the meal and was wondering if I would be able to make it to Toasted Ravioli round 2 before the game started...
 
After lunch I walked around dowtown a bit...
 

 
 

 
Of course we have the famous Arch...
 

 
and the Mississippi River...
 

 
Of course the old courthhouse where the Dred Scott trials took place back in the 1850's...
 
At this point... I thought about round number 2 of Toasted Ravioil
When I called several of the Italian restaurants on the hill the previous week, just about all of them said they would be closed on Labor Day. I called Charlie Gittos downtown and the guy on the other line stated "the cards are in town that day- of course we'll be open"
well guess what!!
 

 
Travelin Manned! 
 
This stuff  is not supposed to  happen to me !

At this point I became a little worried- I called my evening dinner stop- and was relieved to here a recording "we are open on labor day" 
 
Ok, fine more time to look around here...
 

 
 

 
Home of the Redbirds- The St Louis Cardinals....
 
I walked around the Stadium admiring the statues of several former Cardinals...
 

 
Stan Musial
 

 
Bob Gibson
 

 
Dizzy Dean
 

 
and of course- Rogers Hornsby...
 
This was my second visit to Busch II Stadium- my first being in 2006- and I had to leave early for that game.
This time  I had a chance to leasurely walk around before the game and stay for the entire game..
 
Inside the ballpark-
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 

 
And here's a shot of the downtown skyline
 

 
The Redbirds hosted the Milwaukee Brewers. If things were the way they were a couple of months ago this would have been a great game- with the Cards, the Brewers and the Buccos all in a three game tie for the division lead- 
Unfortunately alot can change in two months- the Pirates suck as usual and the Cards for the first time in a long time are at least 6 or 7 games back from the division leaders- The Brewers...
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
Being surrounded by BUDWEISER everywhere, I figured this had to be related to some kind of Karma perhaps for something I said??? I did find with some assistance the one stand that served the local Schafly Beer- I was in heaven.
The game itself wasn't a blow out but as exepted, the Cards lost to the Brewers...
 
After the game, I headed to my dinner stop
 

 
Ropers Ribs
 
About 10 minutes outside of downtown in Jennings MO
I arrived - and it's a little smoky shack reminiscent of an old chinese take out order joint- the place was packed (no wonder everything else was closed!)- it was hot n smoky- and they were out of practically everything "BBQ" I was hoping for some snoots and tips- they had snoots- no tips- they wouldn't be ready until 7:30PM- I didn't feel like waiting that long for tips- So I went with snoots only- I was told it would take a 1/2 hours.
I hung out- and sat down at one of the few tables inside- fraternizing with the locals who where sharing a table with me waiting for their food- I was getting really hungry too..
 
Finally an hour later my snoots were ready...
 

 
They were hot n steamy reminscent of pork rinds, but more muscular in a sweet n tangy red sauce....
 
The snoots- came with some really good eggy homemade potato salad too...
 

 
I would go back to Roper's if I'm ever in town again for those snoots-but next time I'm hoping they would have some rib tips so I can get the combo instead...
 
After dinner, I made one last stop- my intentions initially were to go the following day but since Charlie Gitto's was closed I had to shuffle things around... Driving to the complete opposite side of town I arrived here.
 

 
 

 
Ted Drewes 
 

 
One large banana fudge concrete- and I was a happy man...
 
I returned to downtown and did find offstreet parking- very easily in fact but realized I would have to move my car or feed the meter after 8 am the next morning- that's ok I'll be up for my first "real breakfast" of  the trip....
It was a beautiful evening- so I walked around a bit and got a great evening shot of the old courthouse..
 

 
After which I walked back to my hotel and called it a night.....
 
I have three more segments which I'll continue after the weekend...
 
 

 
WJ, these cities ought to pay YOU when you come to town! I'm serious! Your excellent trip reports just make me want to go there too!

The salad........got to have that salad........

ann peeples

Well, I am going to venture a guess and say Mr. Hoffman and llechef. Just a guess mind you. 

 
Ann, I think WanderingJew should provide photographic evidence

Hey,I was to Ted Drewes once , about 20 years ago, when my sister lived in St. Louis....boy I could use a concrete after all these years....also remember some great Italian food in the Italian section of town.

Rogo,
  Won't work.  Lleechef needs a 3-D photo format to allow all her beauty to appear...See the mystery photo of her taken at a roadfood session a generation ago (ask her for it.)  AND  everyone knows that MH has DNA makeup that prevents him from being recorded on any known digital technology being used today.  Ask him for a daguerreotype  and he can provide them if he wants to. From his "Pioneers of Ohio Album"

Ya'all can go ahead and make fun of me for eating a salad.  But quite sincerely, once you have eaten a green chile cheeseburger at Bobcat Bite there is no going back to any ordinary burger.  Not even a Beanie Burger at the Gahanna Grill. 

Speaking only for myself - i was entirely focused on the thousands of miles between your home in Anchorage and the lunch location in Columbus, and not making fun of you for eating a salad :-)
 
My conclusion thus far - if you traveled thousands of miles to eat that salad, it must be one heckuva salad
 
ergo....
 
Must.
Have.
Now.

Hey Dale!
Great report, as always. (even enjoying the salad/coleslaw tangents) That pie from Nick'd looks delish! And I really like your photos of the Arch in St. Louis. Not the usual view I've seen. Terry and I would have spent half a day in the Eiteljorg Museum. Look forward to hearing about the rest of your trip.
Cathy

I must admit it was really good to see WJ again, I have missed travelling and meeting the RF crowds.
 
I got to the Kopper Kettle some time before five, I had spent the day at the camp where I am a member of the BOD.  I was excited about getting to the Kopper kettle and seeing WJ again.
 
As I got there I walked around the outside garden area and peered into the windows and could see that they had several tables in use, but not full by any means.  I sat outside enjoying the afternoon and watching this family try and figure out the best way to get everyone into a family photo around the rocking chairs and rocking horse.  I finally decided to be nice and offered to take the picture so that everyone could get into the picture.  (the grandmother hugged me 3 times for being so nice, she really wanted everyone in the photo)
 
I thought of Buffetbuster sitting on the rocking horse and had to laugh to myself, then I saw the outdoor table and the two "women" and instantly thought about TTM, but I think they wwere too old for his tastes.
 
WJ walks up and in we go.  We step into the little foyer and look over the menu board and wait for the hostess/manager to get done with what ever she was doing.
 
She finally looks up and asks if we have a reservation?  WJ had called the day before to verify that we didnt need one.  When we told her no she frowned and said "she hoped she could find us a table, they were very busy!"    HUH??????
 
She did manage to find us a table (we must have past 15 EMPTY ones) and the server was very prompt and attentive.  I kept hearing everyone ordering the fish dinner.......  You come to the Kopper Kettle for Chicken or even their steak for dinner not their FISH!
 
The salad was good WJ did have the home made Thousand Island & I had the home made bleu cheese.  The dressing was really creamy and the crumbles had that zing of a good bleu cheese, I could tell the dressing was homemade.
 
Shortly after the salads arrived the soup got there and it was good, a little lacking on chicken bits, the broth and the noodles were good.  Then it was time for main course to arrive
 
A huge plate of chicken, 7" bowls of buttered kernel corn, seasoned green beans and home made creamy whipped potatoes with a home made cream gravy (that had bits of chicken and the scraped up bits from the bottom of the pan).
 
As WJ said I couldn't wait I dipped into the corn before the obligitory pictures were taken. ( My Bad I forgot all about RF ettiquite, pictures first then eat, I got to start getting out more.) 
 
The corn was buttery and delicious, the green beans had a good season to them and bits of pork, the potatoes creamy with just the hint of potato bits in there and the gravy.......  I could have had a gallon of that stuff.
 
The chicken, I first picked up a wing (by the little end) and it was cool to the touch and I was worried, however my first bite into the drum of the wing and my mouth exploded into wonderful HOT chicken juices and the world was right again.
 
The skin was crispy and just a hint of salt and pepper, then once through the skin you could taste CHICKEN.  I kept eyeing the take out menu and thought about getting LOTS to take home.
 
We ate several bowls of the vegetables and even had some for take home. (Too bad you were travelling the next few days WJ) Thank you for letting me take home the left overs. YUMMMMMMMMMMM
 
They brought us out HOT moist towels for us to wipe our chicken fingers clean with, then one of the servers brought out our hot fresh cinnamon rolls o go with our dessert.  Then the other server brought our pie out and took the cinnamon rolls without us even getting to sample ANY of them.
 
Dessert - I was somewhat disappointed when the sugar cream pie arrived.  It looked "store" made and after 1 bite I knew exactly where the pie had come from "Wick's"
http://www.wickspies.com/history.html
 
Yes they are the standard and probably the best known sugar cream pie in Indiana, but for a place that prides them selves on making things home made you would think they could make a simple sugar cream pie.  So Yes NICK'S KITCHEN does serve the best sugar cream pie in Indiana.
 
It was good to get to talk to WJ again and listen to his adventures up to that point and hear where his travels were going to take him in the coming days.
 
The picture of the tree growing from the Decatur County courthouse - YES that is a real tree.  It has been growing there since the early 1870's.  The local fire department makes a monthly trip up the tower to do a safety check. 
 
http://www.cityofgreensburg.com/history.html
http://www.decaturcounty...._Famous_Tower_Tree.htm
 
It was a good day and a great dinner with WJ, I just wish I could have gone on the rest of his journey.    I love me some snoots.

(/catching up)  I'm gonna have nightmares from the baby goat leg now. :)  Everything looks terrific!

Rumaki
 
I totally recommend Kopper Kettle and I'm glad that Cajun King gave his thumbs up too- his opinion means alot to me - I can't really recommend it over Hollyhock Hill both are equally comparable in my book - but it's certainly worthwhile to check out and compare- I wish I had a enough time to return to Hollyhock Hill and even check out The Iron Skillet in Indy too- it would have been interesting to compare the three..
 
tcrouzer
 
Thanks for the compliment, I only have the Sterns to thank as well as other roadfooders here to inspire me.
 
williamsburger
 
I visited the Eiteljorg Museum on my  visit to Indy back in 2007, I remember there was lots of native American Art, I know that you and Terry would certainly enjoy it.
 
CajunKing
 
Thanks again for joining me and thanks so much for providing a more detailed account on our meal. Unlike a restaurant review its very difficult for me to provide a detailed report on each meal because there is just so much to write about (including sightseeing, etc) but I'm glad you did.
 
Nancypalooza
 

Cabrito - Yummmmmm!!!
 
Nothing like it in the world
 
TRUE STORY -
 
Several years ago I was at the local 4H livestock auction and had purchased several items through out the night. (sheep, chickens, steers, pigs) and the final sales item of the night was market goats.
 
I bid and won an auction on this youngsters goat and my thoughts turned to seeing it slowly rotating on my grill.
 
As I talking with some friends at the auction I heard this voice.
"Hey Mister you gonna put my goat on your farm?" 
 
I said this BEFORE I turned around to see who had asked the question.
"No, he is going on my barbecue"
 
Turning to see this ash white face of this 9-10 yo.  "You're going to EAT MY GOAT!!!!!"  tears streaming down his face as he turned and ran off.
 
I felt lowering then and bottom of a cow pie
 
On the food side of this story WOW was that good cabrito.