Fred's in Burlington, WI

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (ann peeples)

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 19:13:55 GMT

Would love to have you join us, myterry, in the Bayview tour in Oct. We have picked some great places, great food, and guranteed good eats. Havent been to Fred's, so dont know.

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (myterry2)

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 13:21:04 GMT

Getting together with friends is one thing, traveling all the way to Fred's is another. After driving over an hour to get there, I was extremely disappointed.
It is a small, overrated, disorganized bar with very average food that somehow developed a cult following. Absolutely no redeeming qualities above this place.

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (BuddyRoadhouse)

Thu, 23 Aug 2012 01:37:43 GMT

If I'm not mistaken, both The Shanty and Captain Porky's have the same owner(s).

Buddy

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (quijote)

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 21:36:59 GMT

BuddyRoadhouse

Captain Porky's is an LTHForum favorite. It should definitely be included in a Contingent tour sometime, especially as it is so close to our friends north of the Cheddar Curtain.

Buddy

Captain Porky's is a good place, and I also like The Shanty in the adjacent space.
It was great seeing so many RFers at Fred's on Saturday. And Bob, it was great to see you again.

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (ann peeples)

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 20:10:24 GMT

Would love to try that place!

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (X1)

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 18:32:00 GMT

I've been there several times. Love it.

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (BuddyRoadhouse)

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 17:43:54 GMT

Captain Porky's is an LTHForum favorite. It should definitely be included in a Contingent tour sometime, especially as it is so close to our friends north of the Cheddar Curtain.

Buddy

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (irisarbor)

Wed, 22 Aug 2012 15:55:14 GMT

Bob!
I'm really sorry I missed ya!
The dog ate my homework...
I was truly trying, but the Japanese Taiko drummers at the Botanic Garden went longer than I thought...
and we didn't leave there till 1:45....
so instead of Fred's
my son who needs to practice driving and I went to
Captain Porky's on US 41 and Wadsworth Rd.
I don't know if any of you have checked this place out yet, but it is like cajun seafood heaven.
Son A had a "snack" of 1/2 lb fried jumbo shrimp with steak fries and slaw and cornbread.
I had a lobster salad po-boy with garlic potatoes and a frosty libation-
yum yum - not too far from an east coast lobster roll (except the wrong kind of bread)
the bread was good- just not the authentic top slit hot dog bun thing...
EVerything looked amazing in the seafood case.
There is a BBQ case, which... the chicken looked OK...it smelled smoky....
I didn't try anything so I won't say anything- I'm kind of BBQ spoiled since when I make it,
I take it off the smoker at the moment of perfection.
http://www.captainporky.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8&Itemid=9

I will definitely see all on Sept 1!

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (carolina bob)

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 15:40:42 GMT

abe_froeman

Bob!

That can't be me. That guy's got hair!

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (abe_froeman)

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 09:56:03 GMT

Bob!

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (carolina bob)

Sun, 19 Aug 2012 19:45:43 GMT

It was really good to see so many of my old friends from the Contingent again, and Fred's big beautiful half pound burger made the afternoon even better. Hope I get to see y'all again real soon.

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (cjucoder)

Sun, 19 Aug 2012 14:59:52 GMT

Thanks for a great day, everyone. Too bad I ran out of energy to join you at the Greek fest and shopping.

I did my shopping ahead of time in Burlington at River Valley Ranch. I've always loved that place. Came home with tomatoes and criminis (they grow all their own) and a bunch of their homemade condiments. My favorites are their cheese garlic spread, garlic & basil pickled mushrooms, and spicy olive bruschetta. I recommend that place next time you're in the Bulington area.

See you guys soon!

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (X1)

Sun, 19 Aug 2012 08:01:29 GMT

Good summation, Buddy.

It was great seeing everyone, and yes, I wish I had more room for Greek Fest food! I didn't even finish my 1/2 lb burger at Fred's, though. Next time, the 1/4 lb...I must not forget.

CarolinaBob was a nice surprise.

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (BuddyRoadhouse)

Sun, 19 Aug 2012 03:23:12 GMT

Some new guy by the name of carolinabob showed up outta nowhere. He was pleasant enough, so I guess we'll keep him. Today's burger was good, but lost points for being more "medium" than the "medium-rare" I ordered. I still ate the darned thing, of course. And it was still a fine burger on all accounts. A rare "not-quite-a-bull's-eye-but-still-better-than-most".

After Fred's, X1, quijote, and the Roadhouses headed over to a small Greek Fest up closer to Milwaukee. I watched the ingenious homemade rotisserie device churn out dozens golden brown, crispy skinned chickens and gorgeous legs of lamb. The smell, even with a full belly from Fred's, was dizzying. It was a real treat to watch the pitmaster at work and chat with him about his technique.

The biggest disappointment of the day was not being hungry enough to eat some of that chicken and lamb. The second biggest disappointment was realizing that, because it was mid-afternoon and it would be hours before we would be back in Chicago with access to a fridge, we couldn't even buy a chicken to go. We made do with a sampler tray of Greek desserts.

From there we headed over to a new international grocery store, an import from the Chicago neighborhoods, Cermak's. We all found a wide variety of interesting and tasty items to bring home. At the top of our list was a tub of kajmak; the eastern European bread spread made from a whipped combination of butter and soft cheese. I'm looking forward to using it on the loaf of ring bread we bought at the Greek Fest.

After that we were down to three; X1 headed for home, exotic groceries it tow. We met quijote over at Thai Barbecue on National and 35th for a final (and comparatively light) evening meal. A couple of apps and an entree between us and we still had leftovers. We ordered a plate of chicken satay that either turned out to be beef satay, or my taste buds are out of whack. Still, they were very good and a fine compliment to the Issan sausages quijote recommended. They arrived looking like a meaty version of "donut holes". Beautifully grilled little sausages with crispy skins and a coarse grind interior of pork and spices. They had a very complex flavor; starting out with a mild pork taste, then opening up into a tangier citrus quality, and finishing with a tiny bit of heat.

We rounded out the meal with an order of Beef Mussamun Curry and rice. It was very good, but was a bit light on that distinct curry flavor you look for in this dish. Also, they used a food service crinkle cut french fry in place of real potato. The entree was the weakest of the three dishes, but still managed to please.

We wanted to wrap up the night with a "battle of the bands" event at Kochanski's Concertina Beer Hall, hoping to reunite with Mr. and Mrs. chicagostyledog. Unfortunately, time and energy(loss) were working against us and we had to cut things short.

In spite of that, it was a glorious day. I want to thank all The Contingent members who came out for this year's Fred lunch: carolinabob, Mr. and Mrs. chicagostyledog, JRPfeff and Pie Diva, ScreamingChicken and wife, cjucoder, quijote, and X1. It's always a pleasure to hang with our best foodie friends. Looking forward to seeing you September 1st in Chicago!

Buddy

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (ScreamingChicken)

Sat, 18 Aug 2012 23:20:03 GMT

I'm happy to report that the burgers at Fred's are as good as ever, and the expanded dining area has easily doubled the seating capacity. It was nice seeing everybody again and hopefully those friends that were unable to join us today will be able to participate in some of the upcoming autumn activities.

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (irisarbor)

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 12:59:18 GMT

Sigh..
Things are starting to look a little iffy for me-
might still be me plus 1 son- you never know...

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (chicagostyledog)

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 10:11:49 GMT

Buddy, we're going to Irish Fest on Friday. Probably see you there. If it's really good on Friday, we may go back on Saturday. Saturday looks pretty good too. We'll talk.
Mark

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (BuddyRoadhouse)

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 01:46:25 GMT

Sorry we'll miss you Gypster; I've adjusted the guest list accordingly. Keep us posted on your evening availability if we decide to skip Irish Fest and do something else up Milwaukee way.

Buddy

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (Gyp)

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 23:04:58 GMT

Hi, I'm sorry but I can't make it to Fred's. I'm moving and was supposed to pick up my keys today but that changed and now I'm picking them up at noon on Saturday. Then I'm going to move some stuff in.
chuck

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (BuddyRoadhouse)

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 19:56:06 GMT

irisarbor,
Yes, we're talking about this Saturday, 8/18, around 2:00. I've added your three to the list with an option for more.

CSD,
If the Irish Fest talent is less than stellar, Kochanski's Concertina Bar would be a very strong candidate. Same rockabilly group as last year, The Kevin Fayte Trio? Let's hope there's a better crowd this time. It could get embarrassing if we're the only ones there and the band remembers us from last year.

Buddy

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (chicagostyledog)

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 18:26:04 GMT

Jeff,
Two good bands at the Concertina Bar on Saturday at 9pm: honky tonk & rockabilly. Remember last year?

Mark

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (irisarbor)

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 15:49:10 GMT

We are talking this Sat, Aug 18th at 2PM? correct?
I'm gonna say 3 of us, but it could be 4

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (BuddyRoadhouse)

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 00:41:32 GMT

So far the guest list looks like this:

chicagostyledog 2
X1 1
quijote 1
SceamingChicken 2 (or more?)
cjucoder 1
JRPfeff & Pie Diva 2 (or more?)
~~Gyp 1~~
irisarbor 3 (maybe more)
BuddyRoadhouse 2

A total of ~~12 15~~ 14 for sure and maybe more depending on whether other family members join the group. Whoever gets there first save a table(s).

Plans for after Fred's are sketchy. If Friday night at Irish Fest turns out to be fantastic, we'll be returning there Saturday. If it's a dud, we'll be looking for some other way to spend our day in southeastern Wisconsin. All ideas are welcome.

Buddy

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (ScreamingChicken)

Sun, 12 Aug 2012 10:15:25 GMT

See y'all around 2 or so...like X1 I'll probably be early as well. Hopefully the weather will be as nice as it was yesterday.

The nice thing about a 2pm start is that I can work in a stop at Holi Cannoli on the way home.

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (cjucoder)

Sat, 11 Aug 2012 09:41:49 GMT

I'm in for Fred's! 2 is a perfect time for me. I won't be able to do Irish Fest, though, on either day. Finally! I've been missing it every year.

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (X1)

Sat, 11 Aug 2012 07:21:57 GMT

I'll be there at 2. Knowing me, probably before that...but yeah. 2.

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (quijote)

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 22:05:27 GMT

2:00 pm is fine.

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (BuddyRoadhouse)

Thu, 09 Aug 2012 14:58:25 GMT

Early afternoon will be our pick. We'll be at Irish Fest until midnight the night before, plus the drive back to Chicago. We won't be getting up early Saturday morning. I'd push for 2:00, but could potentially be there a little earlier.

Buddy

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (ScreamingChicken)

Thu, 09 Aug 2012 13:35:40 GMT

Since we're 9 days away should we think about nailing down a starting time? I don't know what works best for the I-Festers and the Milwaukeeans but the earlier the better is good for me/us.

RE: Fred's in Burlington, WI (abe_froeman)

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 19:12:37 GMT

We have a family thing at 3:00, so we need to leave around 2:30pm (to get there fashionably late)...if whatever we do starts early enough that it's worth the drive up, we're in. Otherwise, we'll see most of you on September 1st for the Chicago tour.