CULVER'S Ribs & Walleye

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Originally posted by Davydd

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Originally posted by Jim Ross

Culver's headquarters and original store is located in the small Wisconsin town, Praire du Sac. They have a more upscale concept restuarant there called the Blue Spoon, which I don't think is anywhere else yet. We were visiting friends in the area last summer and they took us there for lunch. I found it interesting when they pointed out that one of the guys busing tables was the founder and CEO of Culvers, Craig Culver. Excellent food by the way. http://www.bluespooncafe.com/

I looked at the menu on the Blue Spoon Cafe and would not call it upscale. The prices seem to be in line with Culver's. The difference is they are going for a totally different kind of taste and appeal and it is a very interesting and enticing menu. They could expand this concept into another chain and not cannibalize their Culver's business because the choices are totally different. Very clever.

You would probably call it upscale if you were there. Lot's of wine and gourmet coffee featured, rich Italian Gellato ice creams made on site, antiques (or look like antiques) and a view looking out over the river.

Yeah, I would probably consider it 'Upscale' in comparison with the typical Culver's Food Stand. While the ones I have seen are 'modern', clean, and as bright and airy as any FF establishment, they are not as "comfortable" as many "sit-down and enjoy your meal" sort of restaurants. While our local Culver's qualifies as clean and neat, etc, the view out the window on one side is of the WalMart SuperCenter Auto Service Area, and on the other, a 'Ryan's' and the Bank Drive-thru!! So much for ambience! I still place the Culver's as HEAD n SHOULDERS above the other FF in the area...view or no view!

Went to a Culvers in Baraboo WI. for a quick bite with wife and I was impressed for a fast food place.

I had the Pot Roast with Mashed Potatoes, The Potatoes were okay, but the Beef was really good, no grizzel or lots of fat and it was rich and very tender. The portions were fine not to much but also not to little.

Wife ordered the Prawns and she said they were almost excellent, and we eat a lot of seafood out here in the bay area, she was impressed.

The real winner for her was the Vanilla Custard she said it was one of the best she had ever tasted.

The people who worked there were very pleasant and competent, also the place was clean and smelled good.

I would go back, and I HATE fast food.

Santacruz: I agree with your deal at Culvers. They are my favorite FF place. They have added a new deal to FF resturants although they ain't so fast as they cook to order. I like their style. I like their menu also.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

It doesn't hurt that you went to one of the stores close to the Headquarters of the chain, in Baraboo. With a daughter living in that community we visit frequently, and have found that the Culver's there are ALWAYS a good example of what the chain wants their stores to be. I believe they use the Baraboo Store for a training site for new Management.
That's not to say that stores in other areas aren't as good. We have one here in Corydon,Indiana that mirrors the quality you describe for the "Company Store" in Baraboo. We really enjoy a stop at Culvers for a sandwich and/or salad.

I live near Appleton Wisconsin and frequent the 2 Culvers restauraunts there quite a bit. I have never been dissapointed and my favorite thing is the double cheeseburger meal. There is no comparison between Culvers and a lot of the rest of the fast food places. Culvers is way ahead of a lot of them. Real honest to goodness double cheeseburgers and good side items. Not to mention the excellent custard. Some people around here say it is expensive. I say you get what you pay for.

After returning home from Nashville, I had to make a 'tow the uhaul trailer' run to Baraboo,WI with one of my sons. Up the road Monday and Home deadheading on Tuesday. I must admit I really enjoyed having a choice of which Culvers was available when I got hungry, instead of waiting for the correct exit with a growling tummy. There seem to be Culvers about every 50 miles or so on I-74 and I-39 in Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. I do not consider that a bad thing for us zipping thru the corn fields type of traveler. Good Tenderloin, Burgers, and Fish and a SPOTLESS environment!!

This warrants more attention than it is probably going to receive, But I want to be sure it gets posted NOW.

Today- August 6th, Our local Culver's did a fund-raiser for the benefit of the family of a police office who was killed, and one who was seriously wounded a few weeks ago in a senseless shooting incident near New Albany Indiana. In one day they raised $8500 dollars for the two families to help offset the terrible costs (literally) of this tragedy. I was pleased to hear of the high level of success that this effort achieved. Frank and his wife, The Owners of the Culver's in Corydon who set-up and followed-thru on this event deserve high praise for their efforts in the community. As far as I am concerned these folks have earned my congratulation and deserve my business.

Well I just had to test my new Canon SD850 IS point and shoot digital camera. So here is the first food pic from it. A Culver's ribeye steak sandwich with Swiss cheese and onions. Pretty good for fast food.

Davy,
Nice Photo! How do you like the 'IS' capability of the Canon? Do you notice the difference from your other hand-held photos?

Thanks to Al's advice, I bought a Canon SD 800 IS. I am not very good with it. When I get the time, Al has volunteered to teach me how to use it much better.

I am not very steady and the IS feature is very good.

I can't wait to meet with Al who is probably an expert at digital use.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

The Image Stability makes a difference when you use digital zoom and low light situations. I haven't taken a blurred image yet. I did some side by side comparisons with my old Olympus (8 mp Canon vs 5 mp Olympus) and there is not that great a difference in picture quality viewing on the computer but the Canon is better. The controls for changing settings on the Canon are much easier to use.

My Olympus shutter cover and accessory video out and USB connection hatch are worn or wearing out. I have to tape the accessory hatch closed and the shutter cover intermittently gets stuck open. So I am retiring the Olympus after about 10,000 pictures. My wife will probably use it until it really gives up the ghost.

The Canon SD850 IS just came out June 24. I was considering the SD800 IS before then. Both cameras are supurb. This is my seventh digital camera ever since I bought a Casio more than 10 years ago. I still don't have a digital SLR but I am working up to it. I may have to splurge before the next bald eagle migration on the Mississippi River this coming winter.

BTW, that pinkish tint to the Culver's wrapping is because I put it down on a red table cloth and the wrapping is transparent. It is not the camera's fault.

Davy, what is the difference between the 800 and the 850???

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Since my Canon SLR (20D) is 8.7MP it is not much more in that line than your 850. I went for the SLR primarily for the ability to change lens...and because I wasn't very good with the point n shoot G-3 that was my first move from film to digital. I really missed my 35mm Canon SLR's...So when I had a chance to get the digital, I did it. Naturally in the 4 years I have had it the prices have dropped while the resolution seems to increase with every new model. I have 3 lens for it. a Canon f2.8 11-35mm, the kit lens that came with the camera an f3.5 18-55mm and a Sigma f4.5 35-300mm. The Sigma optics at long zoom leaves a bit to be desired, but using a good editing program it is possible to correct that a bit. The W-A Canon is outstanding for the foodie and restaurant photos. (and grandkid photos too!)

Here is a sample of the kit lens at ISO 400, Shutter at 600th, and f6.7. I cropped a lot of the empty perimeter of the shot which comes out of the camera at 32"x48" and about 5 megs in size.

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Originally posted by Sundancer7

Davy, what is the difference between the 800 and the 850???

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

They are very similar cameras. The two major differences are the megapixels of 8 for the 850 and 7 for the 800. The lenses are different as well 4X optical 35-140mm for the 850 and 3.8X optical 28-105mm for the 800. The pixel differences doesn't amount to much for point and shoot cameras and displaying on the internet or printing 4 x 6 inch photos. Both are way more than adequate. The choice came down to whether I wanted the wider angle of the 800 or the slightly more telephoto for the 850. My mind was on capturing pictures of the bald eagle on Big Island in Lake Minnetonka.

Al,

I will get to a digital SLR soon but I prefer a subcompact point and shoot camera I can carry with me into restaurants for the many road food shots I have been taking. In addition to nature photography I would like an SLR for the Indy car and NASCAR races too only most do not have a movie mode that I like.

Keeping it back on food I am making a pizza today just to take a picture.

Al has the ideal camera but I like the tiny Canon 800. I can stick it in my shirt pocket or hook it on my belt. It has not where near the flexability that Al's does but it works for me.

I will get Al to work with me on posting on this site.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Yeah, It IS a bit difficult to stick that SLR into a pocket. So I wander around like an overweight tourist with that wide CANON Strap holding the camera out in front !! I commented on the other thread. One real advantage of the DSLR is NO SHUTTER LAG. I hated the delay that my G3 had...I learned to partially overcome it, but never had the abilitiy to see what was in the photo (thru the lens) and then touch the button and zap it was mine! The Canon can fire at "full-Auto" for up to 24 exposures in daylight..so bracketing some action , like the hummingbirds is a piece of cake. You have to remember the capacity of your Memory Card...so you don't get caught short when the birthday candles are to be blown out...or the horses are nose-to-nose coming to the wire. I use a 1 gig card now with a 2 gig ready as a back-up. Another thing...Battery life. I have never seen a camera that operates for so long on a charge. I use the MP-11 lithium and they will carry me thru a long weekend trip with several hundred exposures. If I use a lot of flash, that cuts the battery life some, but I carry a fully charged spare so it has not been a problem for us.