Andy's Burgers, Shakes, and Fries. Wilmington NC

Andy’s Burgers, Shakes and Fries is a neat chain of restaurants in the North Carolina area featuring a retro look, and a retro menu. Step inside and you’ll feel like you’ve gone back in time to the fifties. There’s lots of chrome and Formica, and plenty of pictures of Elvis and Marilyn Monroe. The menu is simple, burgers, fries, shakes, hot dogs, cheese steak sandwiches, and chicken.

The prices are good too. I had the cheeseburger, fries and a shake for $6.99 and added two Chubby Checker hot dogs, with chili and some sweet onions, for $1.59 each. All was good, and very filling. You can even add things, like peanut butter cups, to the shake at no extra charge.

They have an interesting challenge there called the Big A. It’s a six patty (50 ounces of meat) cheeseburger, large fries, and a large soda. If you eat it in a half-hour, it’s free. If you don’t finish, it’s $21.95. I wasn’t quite up to the challenge this time, but I’ll definitely try it some time and post the video here.

My daughter said that I needed to add that the bathrooms were very clean, and that's a huge point for people, especially those with children.

Stop in for a blast from the past. Check out the website for more information.

Front Street Brewery, Wilmington NC Revisited

When I find a restaurant I like, I go back often. In my travels I’ve come across a few that I’d like to visit more often, but I can’t. Such is the case with Front Street Brewery in Wilmington, NC. We paid our second visit there the other day and all I can say is that I’m even more impressed. The food was excellent, the service great, and the atmosphere fun.

You see, Front Street Brewery is one of those places that just isn’t pretentious, and if you’ve been following this blog at all, you know that I hate pretentious. I like simple food for regular people, and that’s what Front Street is all about. They aren’t trying to impress you with anything but the food and the beer, and even that’s understated.

We had a party of eleven, eight adults and three children. Five of us got there first and sat at the bar for a beer while waiting for the rest of our party. I met a nice man named Sam eating at the bar and we struck up a conversation, turns out he works there and we were discussing beer and Philadelphia where he was from. I also had a nice conversation with Maddie (I think that’s her name) the bartender. The people who work there are nice, friendly, and interesting.

When we were seated, Christy took care of us, after the first server left (I hope we didn’t scare him off) and she quickly corrected a mistake in the order. Food was great! Please note the picture above of my delightful Black and Blue Burger. I ordered it with sweet potato fries and that was the error that Christy corrected for me; I even got to keep the regular fries when she brought the sweet potato fries, probably the best I’ve had by the way.

We had a few appetizers; the fried green tomatoes, Buffalo Blue Sticks, and Buttermilk Breaded Onions, all half-price between four and six by the way.

I had a few beers. The Scottish Ale was delicious. The Vanilla Porter, the special that day, was interesting with a nice taste. I liked the California Common as well. It has a nice taste that starts off like a wheat beer and finished like an IPA, with a slight fruit flavor. They were out of my favorite, the Port City IPA.

Definitely stop by Front Street Brewery if you’re in Wilmington and tell them I sent you. Check out their website too.

Cape Fear Wines and Beer, Wilmington NC

A neat place in downtown Wilmington is Cape Fear Wines and Beer, at 139 Front Street. They claim to have over 300 beers available, and looking at the coolers, I’d say that’s about right. The selection can be a bit overwhelming, but it’s well worth the strain on the eyes. They also have a few beers on tap, and I chose the Old Speckled Hen. My daughter and her boyfriend got the 1825 Porter, an English brew patterned after a beer found on a shipwreck. Good beer.

Check them out when you’re in Wilmington, or visit their website.

Boombalatti's Ice Cream, Wilmington NC

Boombalatti's, a funny name for something that's neither a burger, nor a brew, but one amazing ice cream place. The address is 1127 Military Cutoff Road, Wilmington North Carolina. You'll find it across the street from the Mayfaire Mall.

They have a great selection of ice creams, and they say they are all made fresh daily. It took a while to decide. I had the two scoop sundae for only $3.75. My two scoops were Peanut butter cup and chocolate cream pie, with hot fudge, whipped cream and peanuts. Heaven in a plastic bowl.

Stop in and visit them when you're in town. You'll be glad you did. Better than Cold Stone, and a whole lot cheaper.

Update- April 2, 2010

We went back the other day and it was every bit as good as the last time. Excellent ice cream at good prices. If you live near them, patronize them and keep them going. If you don't live near them, take a road trip.

Sonic, Wilmington NC

Living in the North, Sonic is kind of new and exciting. They opened one in New Jersey and traffic backed up on route 17 for about a mile, plus I think someone got run over there. Now I've been to Sonic before, once in Tennessee, and once in Mississippi, so it wasn't all that new. It is however, interesting.

I don't eat in the car, it's too new yet, so I like to pull into the spot and take advantage of the tables in front. There's a nice big menu there and you can look at it as long as you want before ordering. When you decide, and there's quite a bit to choose from, push the button and order, You can pay with the credit card right there. Sit down and relax and pretty soon a waitress on roller skates comes out with your order. Pretty cool.

This visit I had the special, a cheeseburger and a shake (chocolate) for $2.99. Add a chicken finger sandwich off the dollar menu (yeah, it's one dollar and it's good) and I'm stuffed for four buck plus tax. The burger is good too, and the shake is nice and thick. Overall, a nice cheap eat, and a cool fast food experience.

Cook Out, Wilmington NC

August 2011- I wrote the review below two years ago and it has become one of the most read articles I've done. As such, I wanted to clarify a few things.

First, this is a good hamburger. I would rank it near the top in the fast-food category. Second, I still do not like the menu board. It is hard to read and this last visit I wound up parking the car and walking to the front window to get a closer look at the menu. I discovered they had bacon available. Third, they make mistakes. As you read below they made a mistake on the order and it happened another time here as well. I was at one of their restaurants in Virginia and they put the order for the car behind us in our bag as well as our order (no charge for it, but we didn't want what they ordered, and we didn't know we had it until we were a few miles down the road). Fourth, it is a good burger and cheap. How cheap I don't really know because I can't read the menu!, but the total is always low.

August 2009- Cook Out is a small restaurant chain that started in 1989 in Greensboro North Carolina and grew to over sixty locations. They recently opened one in Wilmington, right next door to UNC and it looked interesting, so we decided to give it a try.

The place is drive up and walk up only, but if you want to walk up to the window you’d better have walked there because there’s no place to park more then three cars, and if you do park you’ll never get the car out of the parking lot since there is at least a ten car line for the drive through at all times. The drive through is fast though, and they have one line on each side of the restaurant so you’ll be at the order menu before you know it, and that’s where the problem hits. The menu is small, in funky fonts of different colors, and there are a lot of cars behind you. If you don’t know what you want ahead of time, you’ll feel like you’re caught in the Soup Nazi episode on Seinfeld.

We ordered three burgers, three cheeseburgers, and three fries. We got three cheeseburgers and three fries. The burgers we got were good; they seemed to be fresh meat. The fries were good too. We weren’t charged for the three burgers we didn’t get, but we could have used them. Also, with cars pushing you along, there’s no way to check what you got without feeling like you’re holding everyone up, I'd recommend going online and getting your order ready ahead of time, but I don't think the company has a website of it's own. At least I couldn't find one anyway. There is, however, a very useful independent web site, which posts the menu and even has a picture of the menu board I was talking about.

What I recommend that Cook Out do is to place a larger menu someplace else so that you can read it while waiting in line. They may have a ton of regulars, especially from the college, but new customers need to know what they have.

Bacchus, New Paltz

Okay, in New Paltz there is a place called Bacchus, named after the Roman god of wine, where they claim to have 400 beers available. Naturally I had to try it.

I had the Bacchus Burger at $6.95. Add .75 for cheese, and a buck for bacon, and at $8.70 it’s a good price for a nice burger. When the bill came, my burger was a lunch special at $2.95, a steal for a great burger. It was a nice piece of meat on a fresh Kaiser roll with lettuce, tomatoes, and your choice of steak fries, onion rings, or curly fries. I got the onion rings. It was a very good burger. By the way, the picture on the masthead is the burger I had. My buddy Steve got the grilled chicken sandwich with avocado, pepper jack, bacon and guacamole for $9.95, and he said that was good too.

Two lunches, four beers, and a tip was $43.00.

Now, about those four beers. With such an extensive selection, it took a long time to decide and I told the waitress I liked IPA. She suggested the Hurricane Kitty from Keenan brewery in Kingston, a local brewery. It was so good that instead of switching it up for the second round, I had another. Steve had a German Pilsner and a Belgian Pilsner. Mine was better.

Overall, it was a very good experience. Food was great. Service was great. Beer selection was great. Check them out, I’m certainly headed back.

For more information, check out their website.

Update: I went back on September 19th and was just as pleased with the burger. This is one of the best burger places I've been to.

Fudruckers, Parsippany NJ

Like they say, it’s a funny name, but it’s a fun place to get a good burger. We stopped off at the Parsippany, New Jersey store on the way home from the road trip to get a bite. We’d been there once before, and liked it.

I had the black and blue burger, a nice half-pound Angus burger with blue cheese and caramelized onions. It came cooked perfectly at medium and was served on a fresh bun with seasoned fries. What I like most about Fudruckers is the toppings bar. There are pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, and relishes. They also have cheese to put on the fries, regular and jalapeno, plus they have the sauce that goes on onions. Oh, by the way, the fries are endless, so I got a second order right away.

The prices are reasonable, the food is good, and the name sounds cool. For more information, check out their website.

Front Street Brewery, Wilmington NC

On Front Street in Wilmington, North Carolina, you can find a really nice place called The Front Street Brewery. When you find it, go in and eat and drink. You will not be disappointed. We were there with seven adults and three children on a Tuesday evening and had a very enjoyable experience.

First, check out the appetizers because on weekdays from four to seven PM they have a great selection for half price. I tried (not just me, but the whole party) the fried Buffalo blue cheese strips, the fried green tomatoes, the onion rings, and the jumbo soft pretzel. All were good.

For dinner I recommend the Black and Blue burger, bacon, blue cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and a half-pound of good beef on a Kaiser roll for only $7.99. The only drawback is that the rarest they’ll make it is medium well, but it was okay. I like mine medium. My son-in-law had a Horseradish burger, and he had a grin on his face as he ate it. The rest in my party had the Baja salad, Blackened Chicken Breast, Bratwurst, and Fried Shrimp. Everyone said his or her meal was good.

I liked their IPA, they are after all a microbrewery. I also tried the Oatmeal Stout, but was slightly disappointed. Not that it was bad, but I’ve had better. I tasted the Scottish Ale, and that was good too. I think I need to go back and try a few more.

Like I said, it was a good dining experience. Maggie took good care of us and made sure all of our needs were met. We also tasted some nice wines, because on Tuesdays they have a free wine sampling.

Check out their website for more information.

Update- Aug 22, 09

When I find a restaurant I like, I go back often. In my travels I’ve come across a few that I’d like to visit more often, but I can’t. Such is the case with Front Street Brewery in Wilmington, NC. We paid our second visit there the other day and all I can say is that I’m even more impressed. The food was excellent, the service great, and the atmosphere fun.

You see, Front Street Brewery is one of those places that just isn’t pretentious, and if you’ve been following this blog at all, you know that I hate pretentious. I like simple food for regular people, and that’s what Front Street is all about. They aren’t trying to impress you with anything but the food and the beer, and even that’s understated.

We had a party of eleven, eight adults and three children. Five of us got there first and sat at the bar for a beer while waiting for the rest of our party. I met a nice man named Sam eating at the bar and we struck up a conversation, turns out he works there and we were discussing beer and Philadelphia where he was from. I also had a nice conversation with Maddie (I think that’s her name) the bartender. The people who work there are nice, friendly, and interesting.

When we were seated, Christy took care of us, after the first server left (I hope we didn’t scare him off) and she quickly corrected a mistake in the order. Food was great! Please note the picture above of my delightful Black and Blue Burger. I ordered it with sweet potato fries and that was the error that Christy corrected for me; I even got to keep the regular fries when she brought the sweet potato fries, probably the best I’ve had by the way.

We had a few appetizers; the fried green tomatoes, Buffalo Blue Sticks, and Buttermilk Breaded Onions, all half-price between four and six by the way.

I had a few beers. The Scottish Ale was delicious. The Vanilla Porter, the special that day, was interesting with a nice taste. I liked the California Common as well. It has a nice taste that starts off like a wheat beer and finished like an IPA, with a slight fruit flavor. They were out of my favorite, the Port City IPA.

Definitely stop by Front Street Brewery if you’re in Wilmington and tell them I sent you.

Update- April, 2. I stopped by today for a quick Port City IPA ( I didn't have time to order food) and I remembered why I love this place. Great beer and nice people, even without the great food. I'll be back a few times this Summer.

Crescent City Brew House

After a very filling lunch we walked around town for a few hours hoping to make room for dinner. The problem of course is too many choices to eat, and not enough time to try them all. One place that looked interesting was the Crescent City Brew House on Decatur. After we found a ‘buy one entrée, get one free’ coupon at the hotel, the decision was made. This turned out to be another great decision.

The restaurant reminded Teresa of the Blue Bayou in Chicago, maybe because that bar was patterned after a New Orleans restaurant, lots of wood, and open.

The menu was extensive and we decided to have the seafood. I ordered the shrimp Pappardelle, which is jumbo shrimp over noodles with bacon, peas and mushrooms in a creamy sauce of fresh basil and Parmesan cheese. Teresa had the crabmeat stuffed shrimp. Both were delicious, but mine was probably the best seafood dish I’ve ever had. There was so much on the plate I couldn’t finish it all so I took a doggy bag and gave it to a homeless guy we saw later.

I had two beers. The first was a Red Stallion, a Vienna style copper beer that was pretty good. The second was one of the specialty beers, a dark Weise beer that had a nice flavor. The beers are a bit pricey at $6.50 each, but worth a try.

For more info check out their website.

Chartes House Cafe, New Orleans

We’d checked in at the hotel and asked at the desk about a nice place to eat, that wasn’t too expensive. We were told about a place around the corner and headed off. Well, we didn’t like that place, so we walked a bit further and an interesting gentleman (his picture is shown here) showed us a menu from the Chartes House Café, on Chartes Street, and it looked interesting. A few blocks down the road, and we decided that was the best place we’d seen and got a table. Well, we were certainly right. It was great.

I had the Muffaletta, an amazing sandwich that cost only $8.95. What’s a Muffaletta? Why it’s only one of the best sandwiches in the world, and a specialty of this region. It’s salami and ham, topped with melted provolone cheese topped with an olive salad (much like an olive tapenade) on a large round roll. Teresa had the Taste of New Orleans, which is a sampler of red beans and rice, Jambalaya, and chicken & andouille sausage gumbo for $14.95. That was delicious also. Both came with fries too. I had two beers, both from Abita, and they were only $3.50 each, more on that in a later review.

So if you’re in the Big Easy and want a nice place to get some great food, stop in at the Chartes House Café at 601 Chartes Street and enjoy yourself. For more info check out their website.

Appetites on Main, Exton PA

Okay, we’re on the first leg of our 5,000-mile road trip. We had lunch at Appetites on Main in Exton Pennsylvania, at the mall. The Exton Mall is a nice place that has the feel of a main street in a village. Funny how the malls killed the downtowns, then try to look like downtown.

Anyway, this is a nice casual place where you can eat indoors, or out on the sidewalk. We’ve been there twice before and had a good experience each time. This visit was no exception. I had the bacon cheeseburger and it was good, my wife had a buffalo chicken wrap that was also good. She had the mild sauce, with hot on the side. I tasted the hot and it does sneak up on you. Last time we were there I had the buffalo chicken sandwich, and the time before the chicken cheese steak sandwich. Both were quite satisfying and Liz took good care of us.

Sandwiches come with chips (American style chips, not the British style, although they are kettle-fried and good) but you can get an upgrade to shoestring sweet potato fries for a small charge.

Food is good, service is good, and they have a nice selection of beers. I recommend the Hop Devil by Victory, a local brew, which is on tap. Give them a try when you’re passing through Exton and you won’t be disappointed. Check out their website for more info.

Nu-Cavu Restaurant, Wallkill NY

The Cavu Restaurant at Kobelt Airport in Wallkill, New York was a nice place to grab a burger, or a sandwich, but it closed a few years ago. I’d heard that they’d re-opened recently as the Nu-Cavu so we decided to give it a try and popped in on a Saturday night.

The same ambience was there, an A-framed building with lots of sunlight streaming in and a good view of the airfield. There was light jazz playing too. One thing that stood out is the white tablecloths and the wait staff dressed in black. The menu confirmed it, more upscale, but not over the top.

The burgers and sandwiches are gone, replaced by a nice menu of seafood, steaks and pasta. We looked the menu over and the prices are reasonable ranging from fifteen dollars up to twenty-five for the surf and turf. Entrees come with a salad and a side, and they give hot bread with a nice olive tapenade.

Teresa decided on the Broiled Seafood Scampi. It was a huge plate of jumbo shrimp, flounder, and sea scallops in a lemon wine sauce with a side of pasta for 18.95. I had La Pescaotore that was a huge plate shrimp, clams, mussels, and calamari with a spicy Fra diavolo sauce over linguine, also 18.95. Well, mine was delicious and I sampled Teresa’s, and it was equally good. On mine, the calamari was cooked just right and there were a ton of mussels. In fact, my portion was so large I even had to bring the pasta and some of the calamari home.

Service is good. Food is great. Atmosphere is nice. Prices are reasonable. Overall a winning combination, and a restaurant you should visit soon, and often.

After we got home I checked out the web site and saw that they still serve the burgers and sandwiches at the bar, so I'll stop by again. It looked like they had a pretty good selection of beers on tap.

For more information check out their website.

Update 04/24/10-

This review is one of the most popular on this blog, as evidenced by the number of hits, so we decided to pop in again and see how they were doing. We got there at five on Saturday and there were plenty of seats available, but as we ate I saw the hostess placing reservation cards on most of the tables so I'd suggest getting there early, or making a reservation. The bar area was filling up too.

I ordered La Pescatore again and it was every bit as good as I remembered. Teresa tried the Cavu Chicken and it was delicious. Chicken breast layered with roasted peppers and eggplant, done parmigiana. Very good food, good portions (I brought some of mine home, and that's rare) good prices, very good service, and you even get to watch small planes land and take off. Get there and eat.

Update- July 9, 2010- We stopped by and tried the bar menu tonight and it was great. I had a bacon and blue cheeseburger, we shared chicken cordon blue bites, and Teresa had the chicken quesadilla appetizer (it was enough for a meal) all for less than $30.00 including tax and tip.

I had a chat with Carmela, one of the owners, and she is a nice person. Great food, good prices and good service are the benchmark at the Nu-Cavu.

Update- April 15, 2011- Here's a few more pictures.

Ward's Bridge Inn, Montgomery

Ward’s Bridge Inn in Montgomery has been around for a long time and has a slightly rustic look with a bright sunny sunroom in the back. They also have a nice upstairs dining area that can accommodate a good-sized party. I’ve been there for dinner, lunch, a wedding, and my daughter’s wedding rehearsal party and I’ve never been disappointed.

I went there today for lunch with a group from work to celebrate the end of the school year, and the retirement of a colleague. Our party was seated promptly and the waitress took good care of us. After looking over the menu I decided on a burger, of course. The problem was, which one? I narrowed it down to two, the Cowboy Burger with bacon, cheese, and BBQ sauce, and the Blue Cheese Burger. The Blue Cheese won out. Look at the picture above and you'll see why.

Okay, this burger was amazing. It is a half-pound Angus beef burger with blue cheese and caramelized onions. As a side, and you have a choice of several, I got the sweet-potato fries. I ordered it medium and that’s exactly how it came, perfectly cooked. The fries were delicious too. A couple of my friends ordered the Cowboy Burger and they were just as pleased. I’ll have to go back and try that one next.

For nine bucks you can get a great burger right here. That’s not much more than a fast-food place and you get waited on. Oh, they have a good selection of beers on tap too, including Brooklyn’s Pennant Ale. I took a pass on the beer what with it being a work lunch and had a nice glass of ice tea.

Give Ward’s Bridge Inn a try and it’ll become a favorite of yours too. For more info click on the web page. Ward's Bridge Inn.

Update- 06/24/10- I went here with the same group from work today and the meal was excellent as usual. This time I tried the Cowboy Burger; cheddar cheese, bacon, onion rings, and BBQ sauce on a soft ciabatta roll. Delicious.

Eveready Diner Brewster

Teresa and I were headed back from Danbury the other day, trying to decide where to eat, when we saw a sign announcing the opening of the new Eveready Diner in Brewster. Having seen the Eveready Diner featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives on the Food Network, we decided to give it a try.

The diner is off exit 19 on Route 84, next to Kohl’s. When the Food Network features a restaurant, get ready for a long wait but it was only about twenty-five minutes and they have wireless internet so we passed the time using the i-pod touch so the wait passed quickly.

Inside the diner has a nice look to it but it seems a bit cramped, like they tried to shrink a large diner to fit into a smaller space, this was a small problem for us as we were seated next to the cashier and the people trying to pay got a bit closer than we wanted. The line backed up a bit since the credit card machine was down. This can be chalked up to being a new place and we had cash anyway, so it wasn’t a problem when we went to pay.

The menu had a lot of interesting things on it and was a bit different from the traditional diner fare. I’m sure they had plenty of house specialties to sample, but I have a theory about sampling restaurants to get a good basis of comparison; I order the same thing at similar restaurants. In Italian restaurants I order the veal Sorrentino or the Saltimbocca, at a diner I order a Rueben. A word of advice to any diner that can’t make a good Rueben; close your doors.

Well, this Rueben was the one of the best I’ve ever had. For a busy place, the service was good and the food came out fast and hot. The corned beef was tender and tasty, the marble rye bread was lightly toasted, and the French fries were crispy and hot. Teresa ordered the Trattoria Chicken, which was also good. Overall, a very good meal at a very reasonable price. I think the whole tab came to about twenty-three dollars including tax and tip.

My advice, give the Eveready Diner in Brewster a try. I think you’ll be quite pleased. We are going to try the one up in Hyde Park in the near future and I’ll give you the lowdown when we do.