Category Midwest

Harden’s Hamburgers – Tulsa, OK

Harden’s Hamburgers is a place that’s been on my radar since I bought my first copy of Hamburger America.  And then a couple of folks, from Tulsa, gave it to me as a recommendation over the last couple of years, when I asked about “great burgers” from their hometown.  We were heading to the bluegrass […]

Triple XXX Family Restaurant – West Lafayette, IN

As we made our way home from Indiana Dunes State Park, I was consulting my list, looking for options.  Headed south, I realized we were going to be driving right by West Lafayette, Indiana.   And there was an entry there from Hamburger America – Triple XXX Family Restaurant.  That made our lunch choice easy.  Located […]

Paradise Pup – Des Plaines, IL

One of the issues we confronted on this VDC (vacation during Covid-19) was finding places that were open. We had already changed our destination state for this trip, due to the cancellation of a festival, and on this Thursday as we journeyed from southern Wisconsin to northern Indiana, we were driving through Chicago. Pulling a […]

Paul’s Tavern – Dubuque, IA

As we planned our Wisconsin trip, I had a couple of burger joints lined up in neighboring Iowa.  On this Tuesday, we had made the drive from Sping Green, over to the Field of Dreams, in Northeast Iowa.  We had driven through Dubuque on the way and I made a plan for carry out from […]

Wedl’s Hamburger Stand and Ice Cream Parlor – Jefferson, WI

Wedl’s Hamburger Stand and Ice Cream Parlor has been open continuously since 1915. The larger building is the Ice Cream Parlor. All of the burgers (up to 600 a day) come out of the Hamburger Stand on the street corner. A lot of the challenges with this road trip were COVID-19 related.  It could be […]

Slap’s Barbecue – Kansas City, KS

As we were getting closer to home, it was obvious we were going to be in Kansas City for lunch.  That meant only one choice for the “what do you want for lunch?” question – barbecue.  But there were way too many choices for where to have it.  Looking at the options available, and our […]

Hank’s Hamburgers – Tulsa, OK

While we were working our way toward Kansas, we rolled into Tulsa around lunch time and I consulted the list.  One of the spots on there, open for more than 60 years, is Hank’s Hamburgers.  The reference I had, and all the pictures inside, proclaim it as Waylon Jennings’ favorite burger joint. There were several […]

Burn Co Barbecue – Jenks, OK

One of the fellows that I have worked with for years suggested Burn Company Barbecue as a spot that we had to stop when we were near Tulsa. There is a downtown location and one in Jenks, on the Riverwalk. Only the Jenks location was open on Sunday, so the choice was made for us. […]

Claud’s Hamburgers – Tulsa, OK

On the heels of lunch, just 45 minutes before, we made a quick stop at Claud’s Hamburgers, in Tulsa, as we continued our road trip. Technically – I made a stop, as I was the only one eating at this time.  Claud’s has been serving up burgers since 1954 (in this location since 1965) in […]

Smokie’s Hickory House – Broken Arrow, OK

First lunch on this Tuesday takes us to Smokie’s Hickory House, in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.  We had left Atlanta on Monday afternoon and spent the evening near Conway, Arkansas, on our way to Kansas.  After being on the tollway for a couple of hours, we pulled off in Broken Arrow and went looking for Smokies.  […]