Pickwick Restaurant, Duluth, MN

Nearly 100 years old, but yet a “newborn”, the Pickwick (“the Wick” to locals) has always been a Minnesota favorite, and has been operated by the same family until this week. The new owners have modernized some of the infrastructure, and will be “updating” (horrors!) the menu.

First pic of the new bar area (below) shows that they have increased seating, extended the bar itself, and added more seating at the bar (formerly, it just had 8 highly coveted stools). Looks like the have lightened up the room a bit, and possibly removed the plethora of dead animals and fish that previously hung on the walls and replaced them with flat screens (horrors, again!) (Can’t we go anywhere, anymore, w/o having to watch television?).

Minnesota Burger Reporter Kawikamedia and the Minnesota Burger Posse were there for

Pickwick Pepper Cheeseburger

the opening last night, and reported nothing had changed, apparently, in his usual (and favorite) Pepper Cheeseburger and onion rings. But he added an aside, that the “true test” of the burger is how it tastes after a night in the frig (like I believe the test of a pizza is how it tastes after a night on the kitchen counter!).

Still waiting for that verdict.

The Wick has retained their charcoal broiler for steaks and fish. One can only imagine they kept the various local fish entrees, featuring Walleye. Or one can hope. Word is they will be opening the 2nd floor, previously unused space, as a wine bar.

The group started with the Pepper Poppers, before launching into the burgers.  Poppers were reported as “a nice addition to the menu.”

(All photos @ Kawikamedia, and cannot be reproduced w/o permission).

View Larger Map

Pepper "Poppers" at the Pickwick

Pickwick Pepper Cheeseburger & Onion Rings

Canyon Grill

“Voted Best Burgers in Town!” the sign outside says. Doesn’t say by whom, or what town. I’ve driven by this place a million times, on Canyon Rd, or “Car Dealer Row”, or more appropriately these days, “Empty Car Dealer Buildings Row”, as quite a few are in the wind these days.

I first spotted the Canyon when I was at Chicago Windy City Hot Dogs for an Italian Beef. Regretfully, the Chicago spot has gone to hot dog heaven as well. Tough crowd, tough neighborhood.

The Canyon is one of those places where you immediately have the impression that they have been around forever, and always will be, attended to by some loyal family, generation 1 or 2. It’s neat inside, with a small seating area, but a large patio outdoors, with heaters in the winter. Basic condiments adorn each table, along with a small jar of free peanuts for noshing on while you are waiting for your order.

After I ordered and paid, I sat in the sun with the NY Times Saturday puzzle, munched a few peanuts, and wandered in after awhile, and was pleasantly told by the help that they would bring my burger out when it was ready. “It’s done when it’s done” said the cook, but with a smile. Kinda different from the gruff treatment one has come to expect at another local institution, Giant Drive-In, Lake O.

I said “no problem” and also smiled, to let them know I wasn’t being pushy or impatient, as Mrs. BDB says I am on occasion. I apparently get “the look.” In short order (get it?) my bacon cheeseburger and fries were delivered, the burger perched betwixt a soft kaiser, with shredded lettuce on both top and bottom, tomatoes on top, dill chips on the bottom.

Canyon Grill Bacon Cheeseburgern short order (get it?) my bacon cheeseburger and fries were delivered, the burger perched betwixt a soft kaiser, with shredded lettuce on both top and bottom, tomatoes on top, dill chips on the bottom.

The fries were seasoned with a (house-made?) salt/pepper seasoning, with a bit of kick, reminiscent of Tony Chachere, but not – this had larger flakes of the spices. A lot of this seasoning ended up in the bottom of the basket, lowest layer of fries, and a few of them were kinda hot, but not in an offensive way. The shoestrings themselves were fried perfectly, in one of the “lighter” oils, and I suspect most burger boys would say are equal to McDonalds, the gold standard for many people.  Lagniappe:  they throw in a little ramekin of ranch for your fries.

The owner has chosen a high quality beef, and a bacon equal to it, as the (not frozen) patties are cooked to just south of medium, if you don’t specify.

It’s a good burger, and a good value. Worthy of a return trip for me, or a first trip, for you. He has weekend breakfasts, which if we have another nice Saturday, I think I’ll give a whirl as well.

Canyon Grill Portland

Canyon Grill Bacon Cheeseburger

Texas State Fair

I went last year, and was disappointed at the selections of foods available …. State Fairs were started as showcases for local farmers; in fact, Oregon’s was started iin 1959 by the Oregon Fruitgrowers Association. So in my humble opinion, a State Fair should highlight the best of the region, unique and/or innovative twists on local favorites.

But during my visit last year, I saw nothing beyond ordinary carny food, your hot dogs, churros, burgers(1), cotton candy, etc., etc., ad nauseum. This may well be a restriction placed on the fair by the carnival rides company (2) – maybe they get the foods concession as well. If that’s the case, the fair committee should seek a new rides company.

Oregon is blessed with abundant natural resources, and creative growers, distributors, manufacturers, chefs. One need only attend any summer event at Waterfront Park, street fair, or food cart pod to experience this.

The Oregon State Fair, if it isn’t courageous enough to go with an entirely “new plan”, might consider at least carving out a portion of the fair ground for nothing but local food carts. Why? Because the carts and their owners tend to source locally, and their excellent products give out of the area visitors to the fair a chance to sample some of Oregon’s home grown bounty, and become regular consumers of such products in the future.

The Minnesota State Fair (and Texas as well) are two fairs I have attended over the years that do a great job of showcasing local products with innovative flair. Everything from local ‘fish on a stick’, to local sausages stuffed with local produce. Or the “All the Milk You Can Drink for a Buck” booth, as Minnesota is a dairy state (as is Oregon).

Here’s a short video of Minnesota fair-goers talking about their favorite food finds. I noted with some irony that one of the most often mentioned items is an Oregon invention – the Pronto Pup!

Fair Food from Steve De Jong on Vimeo.

(1) Want to know what’s in your Oregon State Fair burger? Here’s their requirements: Hamburgers: No less than 5 patties to the pound (pre-cooked weight). No more than 20% fat, 8% water, and 4% texturized protein. Beef must be USDA approved. Served on a bun no smaller than 4 inches diameter, sesame seeds are optional. Must be cooked to 160 degrees.

(2) The Oregon Fair’s policy on food vendors is on their website, and I just read it.  A portion of the vendors ARE in fact from the carny company, with the rest being put out to bid.  So why aren’t there more local, unique, and small operators?   Probably the financial restrictions – the fair takes 22-30% of the vendor’s gross (that probably eliminates most small operators and food carts), and requires a $1,000,000 insurance policy and up-front deposit of $2500- $7,000 (which eliminates everyone else that wasn’t eliminated by the first requirement.)  There are a couple dozen other restrictions that would tend to limit innovation.  I fully understand the need to control safety and sanitation, but the Fair committee might consider easing up on some of the other points.   We have one of the most unique food cultures in the nation – let’s showcase it for the world to see and taste!

Hummus Stop

Well, this is a strange review. A non-review. For “The Hummus Stop” at Capitol Hwy and Pomona (across the street from an apparent, established competitor, Baba Fresh) is not open. Oh, they’ve been working on it. Since January, I believe. Neighbors in the strip mall said they hear H.S. would open July 4. Obviously not. The exterior signage went up this week, but peeking inside the door reveals not much in place except the conveyor oven from the two former Domino’s franchisees that occupied this space, and both folded. An auspicious (non) start for a new venture?

(Clucking his tongue). Well I said that about next door neighbor, Baristador’s, as well, when they had just opened. The took the space that another coffee shop had occupied, a ghost town of a coffee shop, with never any customers. I felt sorry for the Baristador’s guys, but boy, have they proven me wrong! They are alive, thriving, and expanding!

These people, these merchants, are my neighborhood “peeps”. I live close by, and frequently stop in (almost daily) at least one of the merchants. On this corner, we have 7-Eleven (go see Apu, a big fan of burgers), a Pho restaurant, a vegetarian Chinese place, Baba Fresh (Mediterranean, don’t let the lack of customers fool you, this guy is a huge wholesaler), a Subway (blech), a nice tail/tan place (say hi to Lee, she’s great!), the coffee shop, two dry cleaners, and an independent mini mart, Capitol Hill, which has a grand selection of low end wines, and multiple beer coolers, run by one of the nicest families you will ever meet).

But I am waiting for the opening of the Hummus Stop. On the surface, it would seem like a good idea to locate here, with Baba Fresh across the street, and another Middle Eastern type restaurant up across from the PCC entrance, in the same center as Walter Mitty’s. Why? Because we have a large section of Middle-Eastern origin people living in the immediate area, as well as a Mosque a couple blocks off Capitol. But oddly, I never see any of these people patronizing these ethno-centric businesses.

What can the Hummus Stop offer? Mrs. BDB opined maybe I should take a tiny pink spoon from home, as they might offer 31 flavors of hummus to try? Upon further investigation (online, as I never see anybody at the shop), it APPEARS this might be the effort of a Hillsboro company by the same name, who apparently has been selling such wares at Farmer’s markets for some time. (See this one review), which talks about his 16 flavors (not 31?!?!) of hummus, and other offerings.

How can he compete? Baba Fresh (previously reviewed) is pretty damned good, and the owner is very personable. You can catch him outside grilling lamb some days, and tho I’m not a lamb lover, his is very tasty. Mrs. BDB and I order a variety of his appetizers for take out on occasion, and dip and slurp the afternoon or evening away with chunks of fresh pita.

So Hummus Stop, where art thou? When will you open? And please, just for me, as long as you keep that Dominos conveyor oven, please whip up some of my favorite Turkish Pizzas?

This is an easy to prepare oven roasted chicken dish, that’s a bit different, is very flavorful, and bound to please most eaters.  Mrs. BDB and I prepared it last night, I was hoping for a knock-off of Versaille’s Garlic Chicken (Los Angeles), and while this was extremely good, it didn’t come close to the L.A. version.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces

40 cloves of peeled garlic

2 cups of  EVOO

10 sprigs of fresh thyme

paprika, salt & pepper

Preheat over to 350

Heat a cast iron skillet to medium high on the stove top, and put 1/2 c EVOO in it.  Liberally sprinkle your chicken with paprika, salt, and pepper.  You can leave the skin on, or remove it, as suits your taste.  Brown the pieces in the hot skilled, turning each piece rapidly until the exterior takes on a nice color.

Remove the skillet from the burner, stir in 1 1/2 c EVOO with the garlic cloves and thyme.  Mix the ingredients around in the pan.  Cover w/ foil, bake 1 hour in the 350 oven, removing the foil for the last ten minutes.

Serve with fresh salad, garden vegetables, and/or rice, with brown and serve dinner rolls to mop up the garlic juice.

40 Clove Garlic Chicken

Bandito Taco

It took a bit of internet detective work to figure out “Bandito Catering” was connected to “Bandito Taco.” The only sign at the event we attended had the Bandito name and logo, but no phone, or URL, so I scoured the internet until I found that the caterer and the taco shop had identical logos. Voila!

So Mrs. BDB and I were at this event, hanging around waiting for the food, natch, which was a bit delayed — I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt, and blame “airshow traffic.”

As I watched the guy set up, I was fairly impressed with his “meticulousness.” He was attending to the smallest of details at his two tables, prepping the chafing dishes and other crap getting ready to lay out his spread. We had been told it was to be a “burrito bar of sorts”, and I watched him set out nine chafing dishes and wondered? Hmmmm, 1) tortillas, 2) beans, 3) beef, 4) chicken, 5) rice, 6) vegetables — what would go in the other 3?

The attendant place large bowls of salsa, and surrounded them with corn chips place directly on the table cloth.

Finally, all was in place, plates and cutlery out, and people started to queue up for the

Bandito Taco Salsa

food, helping themselves to chips and salsa first, before moving on to the hot chafing dishes. I was only right on one guess – the first tray had rice in it – the second, a layered enchilada dish, corn tortillas, chicken, peppers, cheese……what lies ahead, I wondered? Dish 3: layered enchilade dish. Dish 4: layered enchilada dish. Dish 5: layered enchilada dish. Dish 6: layered enchilada dish. Dish 7 (drum roll, please…….) layered enchilada dish. They all looked the same, and there was no signage to show any differentiation. Some people in the line opined that some were plain cheese, and some were chicken, but you wouldn’t be able to tell from just looking at them.

I took the “chicken”, and sat down at the table to bite into this Mexican version of lasagna.

Ugh.  It was really dry.  Some recipes call for a dousing of the layers with sauce, but this one didn’t, and it was corn tortilla chewy, the chicken was dry, and it was for the most part, flavorless.

I was more impressed with the salsa, but I would guess he used canned diced tomatoes.   Nice cilantro flavor, tho.

In the course of researching this online, people generally have fairly good things to say about the restaurant, at least for what it is, Americanized inexpensive Mexican food.    And I suppose that a safe thing to have at a catered event.

But if I want quality, flavorful, authentic Mexican fare in Portland, I’ll have to look elsewhere.  Andelay!  Andelay!

Bandito Taco Catered Plate

OK, the title of the post is a joke.   The local owner of my neighborhood 7-Eleven has put a couple tables out front, and sez he is now “a bistro.”    The ‘cuisine” reference is to the point that 7-Eleven sandwiches, at least in my neighborhood, are made by LSG Sky Chefs, the catering divsion of Lufthansa.

It was a weird food day for me, I had a list of potential burger joints to check out, but I just couldn’t get motivated to try something new today, and I wasn’t in the mood to wander, so I just ambled over to see Apu at the 7-Eleven, and had a leisurely lunch of sandwich, chips, cola, and a newspaper. Just north of $5 for all, that beats fast food, and the “Italian Baguette” was really pretty good, the bread fresh, the contents (ham, salami, pepperoni, Italian dressing and pepperoncini, ample. I would have preferred more of the dressing, and less of the peppers, but for the price, coming in at about a foot long, sure beats anything available at the Subway across the street.

So I hate my sandwich, chips, drank my cola, and read the paper, marveled at the genius of Allen Neuharth, who created USA Today. A non working lunch, I guess. Someday even Burgerdogboy can’t look at one more burger. But tomorrow’s another day.

Here’s a pic of my sandwich, as well as a video commercial from LSG Sky Chefs.

7-Eleven Italian Baguette Sandwich