Sorry for being a slacker these last couple months. Ive been eating lots of awesome food, but Im pretty sure you do not want to read about the same places over and over again. So while I will do my best to bring you news of awesome eats at random places, I am trying to get some guest bloggers. And I have my first! My good friend Gabe who I have known for years recently moved in across the hall. And if there is a fatty bigger than me, its him. I once witnessed him eat 17 cupcakes in 3 minutes, 16 of said cupcakes where in the first 2 minutes of that eating competition! Gabe came up with this brilliant idea for Kozy Korner's late night menu. (Its not on the menu... Yet!) I had the pleasure of having a bite of this sandwich and it was AMAZING!!!! I must say it was either sheer genius on Gabe's part, or just the fact he will eat anything. Either way here is the first guest blog submission, I hope you enjoy!

Kozy Korner is a place to finish the night with its late night menu. From the sloppy joes to the chicken nuggets, the fried goodness is almost unbeatable. Until you get the idea to chose three of the selections and put them on a hoagie. This time I choose buffalo strips,jalapeno poppers and fried cheese curds topped with ranch dressing. When you first bite in you taste the spice, heat and slight vinegar taste of the buffalo sauce covering the juicy chicken strip. Nicely complemented by the creaminess and heat of the jalapeno poppers exploding across the sandwich. With all this crunchy goodness in a sandwich you have to love the softness and textual difference the salty deep fried cheese curds brings to the table. The ranch dressing covering it all brings some great flavor of black pepper and creamy sauce that tames out the heat to bring all the flavors together without pain. Without doubt one of the best sandwiches I've ever had and can't wait to try the next sandwich. I believe I'll go with Chicken nuggets, french fries, and my fav sloppy joe. I can't wait! - Gabe

Hope you guys enjoyed the first guest blogger! If you want to take pictures, and write up a lil sumpin sumpin for the blog please do and send pictures and a write up to me at 64keys@gmail.com

Cheers!

Going interactive! FOOD ON A STICK STYLE! AKA Minnesota State Fair edition.

Walleye on a stick!

Hello folks! As we all know the Minnesota State Fair is coming up in a few weeks. I will be back from Las Vegas just in time to endulge in some gluttony with *fill in the blank* on a stick. I talked to my buddy Jon over at Live Young Die Fast about doing a collaborative blog and it got me thinking. I want you guys to do a food review about one food item you eat at the Fair! And I will make a HUGE post after the Fair is done.

It will be super simple, here is what you need to do

1. Go to the Fair
2. Find a food on a stick that you have never had
3. Take a picture of what you get
4. EAT IT!!!!!
5. Go home and write up your opinion on what you ate (I do not like to put bad reviews on here so if you did not like what you ate, find something else you liked and repeat steps 1 - 4)
6. Email me the picture and write up. (I'll put up my email address once the State Fair starts)


I honestly think this is a great idea!

Eat meat! Because the west wasn't won on salad.

Last night was a very fun night at Uncle Mikes M Pour E Yum. Where do I begin? Mike came and picked me up from the tattoo shop last night at 8 because my starter is out on my Saturn. After a short drive up to exit 4 we got to Uncle Mikes. Every Thursday is steak night at this establishment and let me tell you, it is the best steak in the area PERIOD! They also have acoustic bands that play every thursday so you can enjoy your steak with some music. As soon as you walk in your nose is assaulted with the wonderful smell of smokey goodness from the grill. Oh man, writing about this makes me want to go get steak again haha.

Here is the price list for the steaks. There are also other things on the menu that you can get to accompany your steak like shrimp skewers and crab legs.

All cuts of steak are hand cut at Uncle Mikes, so if you want a bigger steak ask and you shall receive! Also I think that ups the quality of the meat as well, because they are taking the time to trim the parts of the steak that you don't want to eat.

This right here is Wisconsin's largest indoor wood fired grill! The man with the tongs is a true "Renaissance Man" when it comes to grilling steak! I didn't have to tell him how I wanted my steak, he just cooked it. PERFECTION! I know some people are freaked out by bloody steak, but with certain cuts of meat a nice medium rare to medium is the way to go for maximum flavor.

Here was my steak. An 8 oz. BACON WRAPPED Fillet Mignon searing to perfection. Ugh, my mouth is watering just looking at it. By far one of the best steaks I've ever had in a restaurant! I asked for A1 steak sauce like an idiot, I never even touched the bottle. The steak alone was so flavorful I didn't need to ruin it by adding sauce.

Ah the final result. Steak, shrimp skewer and drawn butter, sauteed veggies, and homemade pepper jack mac n cheese. As you all know I love shrimp so I attacked that first. Perfectly grilled and the butter made it even better. Next was the steak. Juicy, flavorful, tender. Just like a steak should be. Then I had a few bites of veggies and moved on to the mac n cheese. Homemade mac n cheese is a favorite of mine. The pepper jack cheese had a little kick in the heat department, but it wasn't overpowering. A very good mac n cheese indeed!

After I stuffed my face with all that goodness, I tried fending off the food coma that was starting to set in. Had a few beers and margarita bombs (try them, the are fantastic) with Mike, Justin, and Troy. Then I had the chance to meet this character. Meet Wild Bill, a 66 year old Marine who hasn't shaved his beard in 40 years. THAT BEARD IS OLDER THAN I AM! He is also a Viet Nam veteran and a lover of Chumbawamba. You heard me right, the Tubthumping band! He told me about the first time heard the lyrics "pissing my life away" was in jail. He said it was his wake up call to stop being an idiot. The poor guy's house was destroyed during the North Minneapolis tornado. But talking about it, he didn't seem to mind at all. Just a man enjoying life and not letting anything get him down. I wish more people were as optimistic as Bill.

Uncle Mikes is a pretty awesome place for food, fun, and sports! They have a pretty badass set up for bands and also show's all the UFC fights on a 12 foot screen! There is a cover, but you get some free drinks and its better than trying to find a spot to sit at Buffalo Wild Wings and getting shitty service and overpriced drinks!

Check them out on facebook Uncle Mikes M Pour E Yum

GOOD EATINGS FRIENDS!

Prosciutto is Bacons Italian cousin. At least it doesn't fist pump!

One thing I like about writing this blog and having friends in the food business is they always want to make food for you! Today's blog is from Bricks Neapolitan Pizza right next to the tattoo shop. My good friend Wes decided to make me these AMAZING dishes for me today.

First up is probably my new favorite appetizer. 2 stalks of asparagus, fresh house made mozzarella, wrapped in prosciutto. OH EM GEE!!!! I would seriously go to Bricks and get 2 orders of them and just make it a meal.

Bricks Pizza is a traditional Neapolitan pizza, on a thin crust and baked in a wood oven. On this one Wes put on some salami, prosciutto, onion, pepperoncini peppers, cream sauce, and red sauce. The saltiness of the meat with the cream sauce is a nice balance of flavors, and the pepperocini's add a nice little kick of heat to the mix.

They also have amazing salads, and their Panini sandwiches are fantastic as well. Check out their facebook page here Bricks

On a side note, my buddy John over at Live Young Die Fast is having a sale on his clothing line! Hop on over to check out the deals on some sweet shirts here
LYDF

"You haven't lived till you put my meat in your mouth." Rich Raley

We've all been there. Late at night, drunk at the bar, hungry and no place is open for food. Rich Raley just saved you a trip to McDonalds and a possible DUI ticket. From midnight till 3 am Rich has set up a food cart on the patio of Dicks bar and grill. You get 2 options of awesomeness! A Philly cheese steak and a chili cheese dog. Lets take a look at what he has to offer.


Mmmmmmm Philly steak just simmering in its own juices, I would seriously drink a cup of the au jus...

Then we have the chili and *dramatic pause for effect* FREAKING REAL CHEEZ WHIZ!!!! IT IS NOT A PHILLY IF IT DOES NOT COME WITH CHEEZ WHIZ!!!!

Mr. Raley ever so gently stuffs your bun with a generous portion of his meat.

Oh this picture makes my knees weak. Cheez Whiz how I love you.

Oh hey there hot dogs, are you ready to go in my belly?

Rich again putting his meat in your buns.

Now when it comes to my chili cheese dogs, any cheese will do. But for some odd reason I don't think I can eat another one with out Cheez Whiz. That shit is like heroin.

And to top it off a nice scoop of chili

Im not sure of what Colette got, I think it was the Philly cheese steak. But either way here is a picture of her stuffing her face. I know she liked what ever it was she was eating.

I had the chili cheese dog. Pretty sure someone was telling me to stop eating so fast in this picture. I got the look of "Bitch, don't tell me how to eat my damn food."

He also has condiments on the cart if you want to add some more things to your food. Save some room for food, because you will seriously want to try both of these. Sorry for all the sexual innuendo's but Rich is kind of a dirty old man. What am I saying? He is a dirty old man! But the man knows his food! Also if you are at the bar's around the St Croix county look for Raley's Pizza! The Buffalo Chicken is great!

"Food has replaced sex in my life, now I can't even get into my own pants" - Unknown

So this week I started biking to work and found that I am WAY out of shape. So I started working out and I went to the grocery store and got a bunch of fruit and veggies. I also picked up some of those healthy choice steamers. I was surprised, they are really good! In the middle of eating a rosemary chicken and potato steamer I got a visit from my buddy Justin with a little present.

I am a HUGE fan of spicy food, my bowels however are not. But I sacrifice the well-being of my anus for food that makes my mouth feel like a volcano. The hotter the better! Alright enough rambling...


The wings you see here are Raspberry Habenero wings from Barkers Bar and Grill. Justin used to make these a few years ago, but they were never put on the menu as a permanent item. On a side note, I do not eat at this establishment for personal reasons, but please do not let that stop you from checking the place out. The service is awesome and the food is great. I think Justin brought them over so I would put them on the blog. Such an attention whore!

On to how tasty these are!

When you bite into these wings the first thing you taste is the sweetness of the raspberry, then a slow warming sensation with a hint of habenero. Now this blows my mind because any one who has eaten a habenero knows there is no slow warming sensation with that pepper, it usually goes from zero to HELLO! THIS IS HOT! But with these, its a tolerable heat. Even a person who doesn't really like spicy food can handle these wings, unless you think ketchup is spicy. Im usually a bleu cheese guy when it comes to wings, but with these I like ranch. Something about the creaminess and flavor of ranch dressing really brings out and compliments the flavor of these wings. A+ Justin!

http://www.facebook.com/barkers.barandgrill

Any way, try and stay cool over the next few days! Hopefully it starts cooling off or at least one could hope for the humidity to go away.

Breakfast Pizza of the Century goes to...

Kozy Korner in North Hudson Wisconsin!!!

This pizza is so filling that one or two slices will put you into a food coma. Lets delve into the makings of this pizza shall we.

Its on a buttery thick crust with a creamy white sauce. On top of that rests scrambled eggs, bacon crumbles, ham, hashbrowns, and cheddar cheese. In this picture there is no ham or bacon because the person that I ate the pizza with was vegetarian. And we all know that vegetarian is native american for lousy hunter...

I like to put ketchup and taco bell's fire sauce on mine. I've heard that sriracha sauce is pretty money as well. I guess I will have to try it next time. Quite honestly any pizza I've had from this establishment is fantastic. Here are my top 5 pizza favorites.

1. Pizza Scramble (mmmm breakfast)
2. Irish Spectacular (sauerkraut on a pizza?! Oh its amazing trust me!)
3. Pizza Master (pepperoni, sausage, and veggies)
4. Tyrannosaurus Rex (its exactly what you're thinking, MEAT!)
5. Bacon Cheeseburger (thousand island sauce instead of pizza sauce. GENIUS!)

They also have burgers and sandwiches. Check them out on facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/kozy.korner

On to lunch from a few days ago. Doughboys Pizza just opened up downtown Hudson. We had a coupon for a free order of garlic cheese bread. That is like the perfect appetizer in my opinion.

Ben got the Ham and cheese thinking that is was just going to be a sandwich on a hamburger bun. He was wrong, look at this monster. A toasted baguette with just ham and cheese, no lettuce or any other rabbit food. MEAT AND CHEESE!

I had a powerful lust for spaghetti and meatballs. Oh boy those meatballs are awesome. I really like their meat sauce as well. Its very simple, nothing to overpowering with the spices.

Here is the website to check out the menu
http://doughboys-pizza.com

Cheers! Hope every one is having a wonderful weekend!

Busy little freak...

Sorry peeps, Ive been pretty busy the last few weeks. But fear not! There will be more artery clogging goodness coming soon! Stay tuned...

Love, Gonzo

"Remember, men need laughter sometimes more than food." Anna Fellows Johnston

What a weekend. Full of laughter, beer, and friends. Pretty sure we will be using quotes for a month from this last weekend. ON TO LUNCH!

We decided to get Green Mill today. Usually I go with the Extreme Jamaican wings because they are awesome, but I went with the French dip sandwich with sauteed mushrooms. Sandwich was good, the rosemary au jus was awesome. Fries tasted like they had been sitting underneath the heat lamp for a few hours.

Ben got the 5 cheese lasagna, it looked and smelled delish!

Steve decided on the wild mushroom and chicken penne. When I get pasta from here this is what I usually get. The alfredo sauce is awesome.

I do have a little bitching to get out. I swear the Green Mill changes their menu at least once a month. Go to order your favorite thing and they say its not on the menu anymore. WTF?!

Anyway, like I was saying in the post before this I am going to start doing feature restaurants starting in July. Should be posted on the 4th. First place will be Agave Kitchen since Paul was the one who talked me into starting this blog.

I guess it was seafood weekend...

After bartending yesterday I ran up the the grocery store and picked up a nice fillet of Sockeye Salmon to BBQ over at Doug's house. Superbowl Sunday, my buddy Matt Ryan showed me this little trick on the grill. Tinfoil, fish, lemon juice, half a stick of butter, and some old bay seasoning. Wrap that bastard up and throw it on the grill.

I dont think I can cook any seafood with out Old Bay seasoning anymore. Jebus, that stuff is amazing! It really complements the fish, butter, lemon combo very nicely!

Ahhh Flying Dog beer. So good! This guy right here was inspired by my favorite author, the late, great Hunter S Thompson. Very malty, and strong. 9.2% beer!

July is a new month, and with that I am going to start doing a monthly feature on different restaurants! Time to get my interview skills in order...

THE SHRIMPENING!

I TOLD YOU FOOLS I LIKE TO GET SHRIMP COCKTAIL AND EAT IT ALL! Ben had the great idea about getting some shrimp platters for lunch today. Who am I to say that is crazy. So we went to the grocery store and picked some up.

And who says I don't eat healthy! Got a nice fruit plate for dessert! Mmmmm strawberries!

Well I hope you all have a good weekend. Might BBQ tomorrow, so there might be a Sunday edition.

Shannan gave me crabs...

Last Sunday
Shannan called me up and said she had a present for me. I was a little curious about what it was. She arrived and gave me a 10 pound box of crab legs. So when I got home last night, I was a little hungry and steamed me a big ol' plate with some butter.

On a side note, while cracking in to these bad boys I watched the new show Wilfred on FX. WOW! That show is hilarious! Elijah Wood is great, and the guy who plays the dog is my new hero.

“Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sautee it. There's, um, shrimp kebabs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo, pan fried, deep fried, stir fried. There's pineapple shrimp and lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich... That's, that's about it.” Bubba Blue

Ahhh deep fried shrimp! How I love it! If there was one type of food I could eat all day long it would be the dentist of the sea! I sometimes find myself getting shrimp cocktail from the grocery store and eating the whole thing by myself.

This lunch is brought to you by Dicks Bar and Grill. This wonderful restaurant/bar opened in 1855, and there is a reason its been around that long! Great food, and great service!

Even though its pretty warm out today, I couldn't pass up a bowl of Clam Chowder. And let me tell you, its AWESOME! Skin on chunks of potato, big ass chunks of tender clam!

Most of you already know about Dicks, but for those of you who have never eaten there here are a few suggestions. Nacho's, make sure you are hungry! Its a big ol' plate of awesomeness! Build your own French Dip, splendid! Chicken in a hubcap, half a chicken deep fried to perfection!

Their website is dicksbargrill.com or check out their facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dicks-Bar-Grill/196413675353

The single greatest compliment that I have ever had, Is when somebody told me, “You remind me of your dad.”

If any one is a "Fine Kind of Sewer" (connoisseur) of food it would be my Dad. He taught me the basics of grilling, making an awesome breakfast omelette that he likes to call "Skunge", and broiling one hell of a venison tenderloin. Just don't get near his pork chop or you will pull back a stub! Happy Fathers day!

A little piece of Heaven...

Kaladi's is probably one of Hudson Wisconsin's best kept secrets! My worst experience at this place was they forgot to send ketchup with our order one time. Everything else has been FANTASTIC! Thats probably why we order food from them at least twice a week. Lets take a look at what we ate today.

This here is what you call a Chicken Carbonara sandwich. This beautiful creature has garlic chicken, bacon (YAY BACON!), mushrooms, with a incredible alfredo sauce on a french roll. I have no idea what kind of batter they use for the onion rings, but they are some of the best deep fried Allium cepa (thats the genus, I have learnin!) I've ever had!

On to this glorious bastard! This is the Deluxe Grilled Cheese. Grilled sourdough bread with 3 different kinds of cheese, bacon (because EVERYTHING is better with bacon), onion and tomato. I like to add the black forrest ham to it.

Check out their website www.kaladis2.com or their facebook page here http://www.facebook.com/jwkaladis

Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside. - Mark Twain.

One of our guilty pleasures at the shop is Chili Cheese dogs from Dairy Queen. I try not to eat fast food all the time, but there are some days where I just can't stop my self from indulging in these delicious tubes of meat covered in a slurry of meat.

After taking these pictures I figured the title of this entry was appropriate...

CHEERS!

As I sit at home being bored and drunk...

So tonight I went to Uncle Mikes to watch my friends in the Mini Skinny  play an acoustic set. They had a "Name the burger night"! This delicious bastard was on hand! I didn't get to sample this beast, but I assure you that Uncle Mikes has some bomb ass food! Whats all on it you ask? I will tell you! 2 half pound burgers with Grilled cheese sandwiches for buns! I guarantee a trip out to exit 4 in Hudson Wisconsin is well worth the drive! By the way, the burger is now called "The New Skinny Burger" 

CHEERS! 

First Post!!!

So I figured for my first post I would just put up a bunch of pictures of food Ive eaten in the past. Tomorrow I will start posting what I do for lunch and dinner. CHEERS! 

 A typical BBQ At Doug's

 Meatball Hoagie from Yarusso Brothers in St Paul MN

 Sushi from Shanghai Bistro in Hudson WI

 Santa Fe Bacon Cheese Fries from Agave Kitchen in Hudson WI

 Stuffed Peppers I made

 Kaladi's Club Sandwich Hudson WI

 Chicago Dog and Chili Dog Kaladi's in Hudson WI

 Schnitzel Hunter Style Winzerstube Hudson WI

Shrub Burger Agave Kitchen Hudson WI