7-Day Forecast for Latitude 45.79°N and Longitude 108.5°W (Elev. 3198 ft)

7-Day Forecast for Latitude 45.79°N and Longitude 108.5°W (Elev. 3198 ft)

Keys in Saint Paul, MN

We did Keys for lunch today. The debate was "Is Keys really a Greasy Spoon or is it something else?"

Coming soon is the blog about our experience.

One thing for sure, Keys is GOOD!

Hovies is a great "hole in the wall" with great atmosphere and great food.

The first thing that is interesting about Hovies is that the drinks come in paper Coke cups.  Fun.  We sat in an inner table.  There are booth around the sides and a counter where I think it would be great to belly up for breakfast.  

We discussed the advent of "twitter" and its effect on the new generation of marketing in the digital age.  

The fun thing about Hovies is that the food is so good but it is very simple.  Burgers, sandwiches, breakfast favorites...  The service is somehow so direct as the servers are also cooking the food.  I love the simplicity and the direct responsibility that the servers seem to have to the results of the dish.  Truly a Greasy Spoon that delivers to my expectations.  

I ordered a Rueben partially because my colleagues ordered the special: BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger.  Theirs looked excellent and they cleaned their plates in short order so I know it was good.  Mine was more than great.  It was the best Rueben I have ever had and I can still taste it two days later.

Hovies never disappoints and it is truly what I would define as a Greasy Spoon Spot. 

Next Stop: Hovies in Eagan MN

I am planning a late lunch at Hovies in Eagan MN.  Definitely a "hole in the wall" place.  I have been there dozens of times and I love it.  1:30 PM on Friday I will be lunching with one of the founding members of the breakfast club that inspired the Greasy Spoon project.

Here is the scoop on Hovies, as I have been lead to believe.  Hovies was owned by the Hovies brothers.  The Hovie brothers sold the place to somebody and the for the last year I have not seen them in the restaurant.  However, it seems that the folks that took over have taken an identical approach to running the joint.  The faces have changed but the food and the feel are the same. 

Almost everything on the menu has ham in it.  What's up with that?  Everything I have ever ordered, breakfast or lunch has always been delicious and in a greasy spoon kind of way.  They have about a dozen tables and booths and the place is almost alway full but there is never a line.  I have never had to wait to get a table but there is usually only one or two available.  

It is a short order cook type place.  The guys that cook also take the orders.  They always have a specials menu that is on the white board on the wall.  It is hard not to order from the wall.  I most always do.  

Well, I am looking forward to a late lunch on Friday.  I will blog my experience with pictures and commentary on our insightful discussions that alway come out of my time in the greasy spoon spots.

St. Clair Broiler

It was prom night and Kathleen and I were in the need to kill about an hour close to College of St. Kates where the Grand March was to be held.   Our youngest was going to her Senior Prom and we certainly did not want to miss the Grand March.  

After suggestions of Taco Bell or other quicky stops on the way from Edina, where the parent picture party was held, to Saint Paul.  Clear that there was no beer available at Taco Bell or Mac e Dees, we decided to get close to St. Kates and the event first and then worry about where to hang out for a bite and a beer.  My thoughts first went to Champps on 7th. 

Digging deeper -- we wanted a neighborhood place.  Something with character where we could watch people.  We wanted a greasy spoon.  Then I remembered the St. Clair Broiler.  It had been a favorite Saturday morning breakfast spot years ago.   I don't think I had every had dinner there, but certainly I knew it would be good.  And after a couple of wrong turns we found it at the corner of St. Clair and Snelling (duh!) and it was only a mile from our event.

We got there and there was a line.  Delightful.  It was 6 pm on a Saturday and the weather was good.  It would have been scary if there was not a line.  There were spots at the counter which we jumped on.  It wasn't a bar.  It is more a breakfast counter but tonight it was our bar.   They have beer and wine available.  We ordered a couple of beers and looked through the menu.  

It was obvious that most of the people were regulars and many probably walked to the Broiler.  There was a three generation family sitting at the other end of the bar.  It could have been four generations.  There was grandpa (maybe great grandpa), mom (maybe grandma), and daughter.  They were have burgers and malts and lots of conversation.  The place was really busy.  We were right outside the kitchen but it was great.  They have an open window where you see all the kitchen activity.  

I saw a women eating what I thought were baby back ribs.  It looked like the meat was falling off the bone.  No need to read the menu.  That would work perfect for killing an hour with a beer.  I ordered the ribs but it turned out it was spare ribs not baby back.  Still they were good.  Kathleen and I shared the dinner plate.  The service was excellent.  It was fast but not intrusive. 

After the fact, I found out that the Broiler is known for its open flame (broiled) burgers.  That's funny since Kathleen was interested in splitting a burger before I took us down the ribs path.  We have decided that it is worth a return trip very soon so that we can try the burger!

The St. Clair Broiler is definitely a great place.  

Credits: Photo from their website: http://stclairbroiler.com/stclair/index.cfm

The Idea Came from Breakfast Club

For years my buddies and I would get together for breakfast on Saturday mornings just to stay in touch. We rotated around to different restaurants and began to appreciate the subtleties of the restaurants. We would never go to a chain like Perkins or Embers. It became a thing about the "dive" as we called it.

After discussing an episode of Seinfeld in which Kramer decides to write a coffee table book about coffee tables, we decided to write a coffee table book about the "greasy spoon" restaurants that enjoy on our Saturday morning get togethers. That was years ago and still no book.

However, with the age of blogging being what it is, I decided to start a blog about my present experiences in these dive greasy spoons. I plan on providing pictures, comments about the experience including service and food, and whatever else I feel like. I am not a food critic nor will I pretend to be one. If I like something, that does not mean that it is good. It justs means that I like it.