Saturday, August 27, 2011

Tacks, Pins, Syringes and Crystal Radios

Fifth grade at Center School was a pretty cool year.  That year, for the first time, I had a male teacher.  Mr. Twiss was the coolest guy I had ever met.  He was tall, funny, and pretty well dressed.  Unlike a certain computer teacher I know that is partial to blue jeans and collarless shirts, he wore a suit, white starched shirt, highly polished shoes and, of course, a tie.  All the kids adored him.  He could encourage you with a simple pat on the back or stop you in your tracks with a steely stare.  He must have really loved teaching because back in the early sixties, the average pay for a teacher was about five thousand dollars a years.  Most had to work summers as well.  It must have been difficult to support a family back then. 

As kids we would invent different games, activities and fun ways to torture one another.  Putting tacks on each other’s chairs was always good for a few laughs.  It got to the point that everyone, would make a special effort to always turn toward the seat, brush it off regardless, because you never knew if someone developed the invisible tack and then sit down.  The challenge now was to put the tack on the seat after the person turned again to sit down.  You had to be quick.  One time I waited until Bobby St.Onge turned to sit down, my hand went out, put the tack down in the right spot—the right spot was the cheek part of the butt and not the thigh part, the cheek because it caused the maximum amount of pain--and quickly withdrew my hand just before he sat down.  “OW!” he cried and stood up swiftly.  Everyone had a good laugh, Bobby punched me in the arm, and Mr. Twiss smiled as he forced me to apologize.  “What about Bobby apologizing to me because he hit me in the arm?” I protested.  “That doesn’t count.” Mr. Twiss said sternly.  “You started it!”  Good life lesson there.  Don’t do crime if you can’t do the time.

Another game we played during in door recess was Pins.  Mr. Twiss used to hang our papers up on the bulletin board using straight pins.  We figured out that if you held the pin by the point and flicked it, they would stick in your shirt or sweater.  This was especially fun if you did to someone when their back was turned.  When they sat down…  Where was Mr. Twiss during indoor recess?  Back then, he was in the Teachers Room having lunch, smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee. We were unsupervised. 

One day my mom came home with a bag, of all things, syringes.  What?  Till this day I can’t figure where she got them and more importantly why she brought them home and gave them to an eleven year old.  Anyway, what am I going to do with these?  Hmmm.  Having watched many Dr. Kildare and Ben Casey shows (medical dramas from the early sixties) I figured out that the syringes would make good water pistols.  So I brought the syringes to school and we had a good time running around the hallways squirting each other.  Once we got too exuberant in the hallways and Mr. Twiss came up to investigate.  Busted?  Psychologist? Detention? No, no, and no.  “Put ‘em and away and clean up the mess!”  Like I said he was a cool guy.

The most memorable thing that we did in fifth grade was building a crystal radio set for science.  We had to bring in two things from home.  A toilet paper tube and a quarter.  The toilet paper tube was for the antenna and the quarter was to buy the Germanium diode. The diode picks up the radio signals.  The class was so excited the day we started the project.  Mr. Twiss supplied the nails, base, wire and headphones.  We first took a length of wire and carefully wound it around the tube.  Then we nailed the tube to the wooden base.  Next we carefully took the diode and fastened it to two more nails.  Finally we attached the headphones.  Wow!  We were able to actually listen to a few radio stations.  Even though my transistor radio at home could pick up more stations and didn’t need headphones, this was the coolest project.  Cool because we made it ourselves.  Cool because we learned practical science. Mr. Twiss made learning fun.  Imagine that.  Learning was fun and we didn’t have to take a million tests to prove it. 




Thursday, August 25, 2011

The Dog Gods Smiled Today

I think the dog gods smiled upon my Rocky today.  Rocky is my one hundred-three pound German Shepherd. We rescued Rocky nearly six years ago. He was supposed to be a companion for my other dog, Pip.  Unfortunately Pip passed two months after we brought him home. He was a hard to place dog because he has a tendency to “nip.” He was bounced around foster homes for years.  He would be placed and then returned to foster care.  He was abused too. When I first got him, he would cower and shake if I raised my hand near him. How sad.  I can’t imagine how people can abuse animals.   We traveled to Pittsburg to pick him up.  He was so happy that someone was taking him out of a too small crate that he licked us all the way home.  For twelve hours. We spent a small fortune with trainers, behaviorists, experts and charlatans. We thought we had the problem licked, but he nipped a friend of mine when I was explaining to another friend how well his training was going. To say I was mortified would be an understatement. He is a very protective dog.  With us he is a pussycat; albeit, a very large and loud pussycat.  He absolutely adores our family.  He has one ear that goes up and the other down.  This gives him an endearing goofy look. When I come home after a long day he always “smiles” at me. He will come over to me when I’m on the couch and put his head down.  “Pet me,” He says.  When I rub his ears or belly he “purrs” with pleasure.  He is also the best nap buddy.  A big, soft, breathing stuffed animal. 



Two weeks ago he was having some difficulty in the “elimination” department.  This wasn’t anything new because since we rescued him, he had been having stomach problems. We decided to take him to the vet for an exam.  The vet examined him, took some x-rays and blood tests.  The results were grim.  “Cancer,” the vet said.  I was stunned.  He wasn’t tired or lethargic.  His appetite was good. We were playing fetch that same morning as the vet visit.  Adenocarcinoma is a cancer of the anal sac.  It can spread to the lymph glands.  If not treated, the results are always fatal.  The vet suggested we take him to a surgeon who specialized in this type of cancer.  We schlepped down to a hospital in Norwalk.  Rocky was given more tests and a CAT scan.  My wife and I are sitting in the waiting room crying and praying.  When the vet finished his evaluations he ushered us into the exam room.  He explained that it hadn’t affected his lymph glands.  Good news.  He also said that he found something on his spleen.  Not good news.  He then said that that the mass hadn’t spread to the surrounding tissue and he feels confident that with surgery and subsequent chemo, Rocky will make a full recovery and stick around for a few more years.  Rocky is about eleven.  We are not sure of his actual birth date.  For a large dog, that is doing very well.  To get a few more years with him is priceless. 



It has been an emotional roller coaster.  Shock, anger, fear, sadness and hope.  We received good news, but it is not over.  We still have surgery ahead of us.  Nothing is guaranteed.  I hope the dog gods keep smiling though.  After what he has been through, Rocky deserves nothing less. 






Mountain Biking At The MDC

Fun can be, well, painful at times.  I went mountain biking with my friend Bill yesterday.  Boy am I sore today.  My neck is sore, my shoulders ache, my quads feel funny and my butt, well, you go and sit on a narrow saddle for three hours straight and then tell me how it feels!  These days to get a fifty-seven year old on a stationary bike is no mean feat.  To hop on a mountain bike and go flying down a rock-strewn trail is, well, extraordinary.

 I’ve been mountain biking for years.  I picked up a fairly nice GT bike about ten years ago and blinged it out.  I am a hobby junkie and my favorite hobbies are those with lots of tchotchkes (Yiddish for knickknacks, trinkets or in my case shiny bits!).  New brakes, derailleurs, pedals, and the most gorgeous  AVID adjustable brake levers.  That’s just a start.  It’s a great bike with a nice whippy steel frame and great handling.  



One of my favorite places to go mountain biking is the MDC Reservoir in West Hartford. I go hiking, snowshoeing and biking there.  Its three thousand acres contain an amazing variety of trails; from easy fire roads to tricky singletrack.  Effortless climbs to having to dismount and walk the bike up the hill.  It really is a fantastic playground. 

Back in 2002, some idiot put the whole thing in jeopardy.  Maribeth Blonski, a so called experienced mountain biker, who by her own admission was heading the wrong way down a clearly marked trail and with her head DOWN smashed into a big, brightly colored fence, that is always closed and has been for thirty years and injured herself.  She sued and won a rather large settlement. Thankfully, The MDC voted not to close its gates to the public. 

We get there a little before eleven and gear up.  Helmet, shoes, gloves and CamelBak.  A guy is giving his absolutely stunning girlfriend some pointers on biking.  We will end up bumping into them all day long. We have a favorite trail that we like to go on.  It is very rocky and for me a steep climb.  I do dismount and hump the bike in the steepest sections.  At the top it leads to a few more trails and some great cliffs that overlook Farmington and West Hartford.  When we get to the top, we rest, drink, eat a PowerBar and trade insults.  A good day so far.  As we are leaving the guy with the gorgeous girlfriend shows up.  We tell them the good trails to take, where the overlook is and what trails to avoid. 

Going down this hill is what I love.  Start pedaling and shift into to high gear for maximum speed.  The rock-strewn trail twists and turns.  For complete control you get off the seat, hang your butt over the rear tire, and feather the front brake.  Normally, if you hit the front brakes of a bike you will usually do a gentle pirouette or perhaps a one and a half gainer with a full twist over the handlebars and smack yourself on the ground.   That hurts.  If you hit the rear brakes during a fast run, you run the risk of locking the rear wheel and throwing you into a skid.  That hurts too, especially when you and your bike lose intimate contact.  You go one way, the bike goes the other.  Results?  Something that either gets scraped or broken.  Or both. Ouch!  But, shifting the weight over the rear wheels changes the center of gravity and gives you maximum control.  Something you definitely want when flying down a hill.  I’m pedaling fast, picking my line, and praying I’m right.  When you are going fast through very rocky terrain, you have to pick the proper line or direction.  You look far enough ahead of you to steer, make any course correction and fly.  A lovely “S” turn comes up and I squeeze the brake ever so slightly to slow down, choose my line, and accelerate out of the turns.    My friend rags on me for coming in second, but I take the ribbing all in good fun.  After all, I let him win. 

The next part is a really tricky trail that is muddy, rocky and strewn with tree trunks laying on the trail.  It is one of my favorite parts of the trail.  We approach it on the top of a man-made berm.  Enter the tree shrouded trail and begin to slowly negotiate each twist and turn.  There are many small streams running through this part and I happily run through each one getting spattered with water and mud.  Here comes a thick branch.  Now I have to make a decision.  Dismount and walk over the branch or jump it.  I’m going to jump this one.  Fast approach, judge when you will make contact, hit the branch, pull up on the handlebars, tense your leg muscles, pull up on the pedals, say a short prayer, rear wheel clears it...  and bam you are over.  Continue on the trail and go through a couple streams, decide to walk over a tree that is about a foot in diameter, and then sunlight.  We follow the trail until we get to Route 44 in Avon.  A quick rest and head for home.  We ride back to the parking lot, change, dry off and put the bikes on the car rack.  The guy with his gorgeous girlfriend comes in, just as we are about to leave. She gets into a VW Beetle (what else) and proceeds to nearly back into three cars.  The third one being us. 

When we get back to my house we break out the beer and fire up the grill for some burgers.  I’m aching all over but the beer has a nice anesthetizing quality to it.  It is only in the morning when I attempt to get out bed do I feel sore.  Arms, legs, shoulders, back and butt.  A couple of cups of coffee and few aspirins do the trick.  Think back to yesterday and replay it in my head.  Can’t wait to do it again. 

Monday, August 22, 2011

The Burger Quest Takes a Road Trip

The next stop of the Burger Quest takes us on a road trip to the Shake Shack in Westport, CT.  Westport was part of my old stomping grounds.  I grew up in Trumbull,  about twenty minutes away. We spent many an evening cruising the Post Road.  My first car was a  1960 Chevy Impala four door sedan.  It boasted a six cylinder engine with a two speed transmission.  No power steering, no power brakes, no seatbelts, teeth rattling suspension, and a torn front seat.  Not a problem because it was a set of wheels and wheels were FREEDOM! 


Gas was about 35 cents a gallon and the attendant pumped it for you.  I would drive up, say I’d like a dollar of regular; he would not only pump it, but wipe the windows and check the oil as well.  That was key because the car seemed to burn as much oil as it did gas.  I used to buy it by the case at Western Auto.  With a bucks worth of gas, we were able to cruise all night.  The Merritt Canteen was a favorite stop, along with the Westport Ice Cream Parlor.   Listening to WABC AM radio with Cousin Brucie spinning the hits.  You can still hear him on Sirius Radio.  I love that guy! 

Fast forward to today.  I set the destination of the Shack Shack into my nav and off we go.  I have a six speed transmission, anti-lock brakes, stability and traction control, limited slip differential and high performance suspension.  It’s a pleasant cruise down the Merritt Parkway and onto the Turnpike.   I had Sirius channel 6 playing and Cousin Brucie was interviewing Neal Sedaka.  Nice! 

The Shake Shack was started in New York in 2004.  It was named Best Burger by New York Magazine in 2005.  At the Madison Square Park location they actually have a webcam so you can gauge how long the wait will be.  As with most gourmet burger joints they use natural, hormone and antibiotic free vegetarian-fed and humanely raised beef. The frozen custard is made with milk that is hormone free as well.

I had heard a lot of great things about this place so I was very excited to get there.  We finally arrive and park the car.  As I walk towards the restaurant a bunch of guys are checking out my whip.  It is a head turner; especially after it has been detailed. They have inside and outside seating.  We opt for the inside.  It is reminiscent of an old time drive-in, with an order and a pick up window. Not an extensive menu; burgers, fries, hotdogs, shakes, and floats.  They do have a liquor license so beer and wine is available.  We decide to order not only a hamburger, but a hotdog as well.  We ordered a double Shakeburger, which has American cheese, lettuce, tomato and Shacksauce.  The hotdog was the Shack-cago Dog.  This is an all beef dog, topped with Shake Shack relish, onions, cucumbers, pickles, tomatoes, hot peppers, celery salt and mustard.  It comes on a roll that is split down the top, rather than the side.   We rounded out the order with some fries.  My wife ordered a vanilla shake and I went with a root beer float.  They gave us a vibrator thingie and we sat down. 

The walls were a nice brown color offset with white wainscoting.  An accent wall was made out of weathered wood.  The ductwork was exposed.  They also had a good number of TV’s on the walls.  It was also noisy.  I mean very noisy. I mean a lot of screaming little kids, people on cell phones, high school and middle school kids yakking away noisy. 

About ten minutes later the vibrator vibrated and we went to get the order.  The crinkle cut fries were cooked perfectly.  The only thing missing was a wooden fork.  The root beer float was tasty; the vanilla ice cream rich and creamy.  The shake was very thick and sweet.   You were able to taste the vanilla.  I would have liked to see the vanilla bean though.  That is the mark of a truly great ice cream. 

We cut the burger in half and dive in.  I usually pluck off a small bit of the meat to taste it without any embellishments.  The meat had a very good beefy taste and texture.  The roll was fresh as was the lettuce and tomato.  Nothing ruins a burger more than a mushy tomato or lettuce with brown edges.  Yuck!  The cheese did not stand out at all.  The Shacksauce was a dealbreaker.  Way too salty.  It simply overpowered the rest of the burger.  My wife and I both agreed that it was sub par.  Too bad because the meat was good.  Okay, on to the dog.

This too was run of the mill.  It did have a good snap to it but not a lot of flavor.  My wife failed to see the hot pepper and boy did she start drinking water!   Doogies on the Berlin Turnpike has a much better dog.  So does Super-Duper Wienie in Fairfield, CT. 

It was a gorgeous day and a great ride down to Westport.  It did bring back a lot of good memories.  I was disappointed with the food.  The sauce ruined the hamburger because it was too salty.  The hotdog was just average; even with all of the toppings.   The floats and shakes were good, but premium vanilla ice cream would have made it great.  It is a great place to bring little kids, the middle school/high school crowd will surely claim it as their hangout.  Oh, one more thing, the bathroom was not that clean and the toilet didn’t work.  I’m sure that I won’t be back. 

Thursday, August 18, 2011

The Burger Quest Goes South, Literally

The Burger Quest takes us to Duffy’s Sports Grill in Lake Worth, Florida.  Duffy’s is a chain of about two dozen restaurants along the  Florida coast. I go there whenever I visit my mom. It is a great crowd of noisy and friendly people.  The beer is cold and the food is good.  Duffy’s is the official sports grill of the Miami Dolphins.


We arrived on a Monday night and had to wait!  This was unusual because Mondays are slow and there were no games of any significance being played.  We find out it is two for one drink night. Yeah!  After waiting ten minutes, the rather attractive hostess, who was dressed in a softball uniform, sat us at our booth. Televisions are everywhere.  Even in the bathrooms.  Nice touch! The brick walls are covered with memorabilia.  Signed jerseys, pictures, bats, balls, racquets, you name it. We sat underneath Enos Slaughter, Jackie Robinson, Roger Marris and Mickey Mantle.  No co-incidence that Slaughter and Robinson are next to each other.  The green wainscoting added a cozy, comfortable feeling.  Close your eyes and you could be in a Boston pub.

Our very adorable and endowed waitress comes over to take our order.  She is dressed as a cheerleader.  Go Team! They didn’t have any Harpoon, so I get a Sam Summer Ale instead.  Not a minute goes by and she brings me two huge glasses of Sam.  She makes some recommendations, and takes our order.  I get the Rodeo Burger.  Picture this: ½ pound of Angus beef, BBQ sauce, cheddar cheese and onion rings.  My wife gets a regular, normal, human size cheeseburger.  For fries I get regular, she goes for sweet potato.  They do have an extensive menu of fish, steak, and pasta.  And yes, you can get a veggie burger. 

The order arrives and this hamburger is no joke.  A hippo would have a tough time fitting this into its mouth.  I have to press it down tightly in order to take a bite.  Wonderful.  Tangy BBQ sauce, crispy onion rings, fresh roll and very tasty beef.  Cooked perfectly.  The cheddar is nice and sharp and dripping off the burger.  The fries are some of the crispiest and best, yes best, I have ever had.  My wife is raving about her burger too. She thought the meat was very flavorful and had great texture.   The only negative were the o-rings.  Not the best, not even near the best.  They look like ones that you would get at an Applebee’s or Chili’s.

I struggle to finish this burger, but cannot.  I finally throw in the towel.  I am full.  Very full.  I have met my match. My burger Waterloo. This was very good.  The combination of flavors and textures were near perfect.  Each ingredient of the burger stood up well and didn’t overwhelm the others.  It was hot, fresh and beautifully presented.  We were impressed. 

My wife decides to order dessert.  I really didn’t think this was a great idea.  I can barely move and my jeans are kind of tight.  She doesn’t listen and orders Crunchy Fried Cheesecake with Vanilla Ice Cream.  Oh boy!  Well, I have to take one for the team.  Picture this—a piece of New York style cheesecake, deep fried (of course) and served with ice cream, topped with real whipped cream dripping with hot caramel sauce.  Hot crispy coating, warm dense cheesecake.  Sweet, cold ice cream.  You do the math.  It was outstanding, off the hook, out of bounds, a home run. 

Over the years I have had other meals at this place and each one was good.  The service, ambience and value is excellent.  My only regret is that it is so far away.  This was one of my favorite places and favorite burgers.  Now back home!

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

How Not To Hire A Hitman; The Dalia Dippolito Trial

I was spending a few days in Florida visiting my mother.  While there, I became transfixed with the Dalia Dippolito trial.  Dalia Dippolito was a newlywed who was convicted of hiring a hit man to kill Michael Dippolito, her husband.  Now the funny part, for me anyway, not Dalia, was that the whole hiring process was caught on tape by the Boynton Beach Police Department.  Apparently, Dalia tried to hire an undercover cop, not an officially licensed hit man.



The story gets better.  Michael and Dalia met when Michael’s previous wife was out of town.  Michael decided that to relieve the boredom of not having his wife’s company, he would hire an escort.  Now, I don’t know about you, but when my wife goes out of town, I’ll hang out with the guys, not lower the toilet seat, race my car on the highway, you know, guy stuff. Anyway, Dalia shows up.  Dalia must have had great escorting skills, because as soon as his wife comes back, he immediately files for divorce.  Nice guy.  Plus he has some criminal stuff in his background; like doing two years in jail for fraud.  Real nice guy.



A couple of months into the marriage, Dahlia wants out. Instead of going the normal route like hiring a divorce lawyer, she decides that it would be less messy to kill him.   So she tries to hire a hit man.  Now, where exactly does one go when they want to hire a hit man?  I checked the classified section of the Palm Beach Post.  There were no listings.  I also couldn’t find anything in Craigslist.  I Googled “how to hire a hit man or woman,” but the web sites looked kind of sketchy.  She ended up asking her boyfriend; yes she was carrying on an affair, to hire someone to kill her husband.  He reports this to the police, who then stage and videotape a sting operation. 



Are you following this?  It gets better, not only do the police have videos of her negotiating the hit, but also her reaction when they tell her that her husband is dead.  She seriously could have won an Oscar for her performance.  The defense claims that she didn’t intend to have him killed, the whole thing was an elaborate ruse to get their own reality show!  What? A reality show. Gives new meaning to the Deadliest Catch.  Anyway, not surprising, she was found guilty and given twenty years in prison.  Then her attorney successfully gets her bail so he can appeal the conviction.  I guess, as with anything, especially escort services, you get what you pay for. 















  

Thursday, August 4, 2011

The Burger Quest-Ted's Montana Grill, South Windsor, CT

The Burger Quest takes us this week to Ted’s Montana Grill.  They are located in South Windsor at Evergreen Walk.  The chain is co-owned by Ted Turner, who happens to be the second largest landowner in the United States, and George McKerrow Jr.  a restaurateur with a long, successful history in the food business.  Bison, not beef is their specialty.  Ted Turner has over fifty thousand head of bison grazing on his various land holdings.  The bison are naturally fed, and are free of antibiotics and growth hormones.  Bison were nearly killed off during the nineteenth century due to climate change, higher demand for food and hides and the introduction of rifles.  In 1883 the bison population was nearly extinct. 



In the beginning of the twentieth century there were more bison in zoos than “on the range.” Bison were gradually introduced back into wild. Ranchers began to see bison as a viable product for the food industry.  By the seventies, there was enough genetic diversity to begin to produce them for market. 



Bison has significantly less fat than beef.  More iron too.  However, less fat does not mean less flavor.  Bison, as I found out is delicious.   On to the restaurant!  Walking into Ted’s transports us back to an old time saloon.  The ceilings are covered in tin panels.  The walls are a cream colored with embossed fleur-de-lys.  This is offset with rich, dark wood paneling.  The lighting is low and subdued.  The benches and chairs are covered in black upholstery.  It is very comfortable.  The only thing needed to complete the picture would have been a brass spittoon.  Wait, there was one to put your business cards into. The waiter promptly gives us our menus and asks if this is the first time to Ted’s.  When we say it is, he launches into an interesting narrative telling us that this is a “scratch” kitchen.  Really?  All the produce is delivered fresh, all the meat is prepared daily.  All of the side dishes, sauces, and even the lemonade and margarita mix are prepared on the premises. 



There is a good mix of appetizers, soups, chilies, entrees and desserts on the menu.  Yes, you can even get a veggie burger if you are so inclined.  The burgers can be ordered either in beef or bison.   Same thing with the steaks.  We naturally opt for the bison.  I go for the “Kitchen Sink” on a Kaiser roll.  The Sink has an 8-ounce bison patty, topped with American cheese, ham, bacon, grilled onions and mushrooms, along with; you guessed it, a fried egg.  My wife Sal goes for the Delicious Duo, two three-ounce beef and bison cheeseburgers.  My son Aaron goes for the New Mexico in bison.  This burger has Pepper Jack cheese, roasted Anaheim peppers, and a spicy onion jam along with made from scratch guacamole.    He also orders a cup of bison chili and onion rings for the table.  Ah youth! We start out with a round of margaritas.  Sal, goes for a lemonade. The Margaritas arrive. They are a great balance of sour, sweet and salty.  The lemonade is superb too.  As we are chatting the onion rings appear.  They are gigantic. Hand cut and breaded.  Hot, crispy, crunchy with not the least amount of grease.  Excellent o-rings.  The horseradish sauce was unfortunately underwhelming.  It didn’t have that sharp kick that I like in horseradish.  Aaron loved the bison chili.  Good combination of bison and beans.  Great flavor and the onions, cheese and jalapeños added a nice contrast to the meat.



We finished the o-rings and here comes the entrees.  Sigh!  I really like to wait a bit between courses, but I guess the chef was over-eager.  Oh-oh we have a problem.  Sal ordered her dish with sweet potato fries and instead there were regular fries.  I didn’t get my fries at all.  The waiter goes back to the kitchen to fix this.  He comes back, apologizes and tells us the fries will be coming soon.  The burgers are eagerly waiting so we dive in.  Bison is phenomenal!  Leaner, a bit less juicy, but denser than beef.  The flavor is out of this world.  Not gamey at all.  Slightly sweeter than beef, but robust with a great texture.  The onions, eggs, cheese and bun all add to the fantastic taste.  Sal is impressed with both the bison and beef cheeseburgers.  Aaron loved his burger, but couldn’t pick out the onion jam.  He did like the nice char on the patty and the guacamole was very flavorful. 



The waiter finally comes with the correct fry order.  Hand cut fries, hot out the fryer.  Crispy, crunchy with a bold potato taste.  Aaron and Sal loved the sweet potato fries too.  The waiter gave us free cookies to make up for the “great fry debacle,” and apologizes again.  No problem.  The meal was fantastic.  I am a convert to bison.  I am eagerly waiting to going back and try a bison steak or filet. 



All of this deliciousness comes at a price.  The price is not cheap by any stretch of the imagination.  Chili, onion rings, two margaritas, and three entrees, totaled $85.07. Ouch! My burger alone was $18 with the beef version weighing in at $15.  The least expensive bison burger was The Naked, just bun and burger for $13.  Add another buck for cheese. 



The Burger Quest has a lot of competitors.   There are a surprising amount of great burger joints in Connecticut.  Ted’s goes to near the top of the list.  An absolutely fantastic product, but the service was not up to the standards of Max Burger.  Value wise, this was at the top of the mark.  Taste, well try it yourself.  You will not be disappointed.  I’m off the gym, and having salad tonight!