Schoop's

-Exploring NW Indiana

Happy National Hamburger Month. Roadtrip! That's right we're headed to Northwest Indiana and were gonna check out one of my favorite burger stops anywhere. Schoop's is a classic 1950's style hamburger stand that takes you back into time when you enter one of them. Started in 1948 in Hammond they have since taken off and now have 21 locations in NW Indiana with a couple shops in the South suburbs of Chicago. Allen Schoop had a vision when he started his shop and that was to feed (and stuff) the gutsy steelworkers and his blue collar bredren of the Calumet region area. More than 60 years later they're still doing just that and over time Schoop's has become world famous and served millions of hungry people including big time fan and United States president Barack Obama.


Schoop's (multiple locations) is a favorite of the people of NW Indiana


The insides take on the same looks today that they had when they started

The best part about Schoop's is obviously their hamburgers which they make the same way today as when they first started. I've been going to Schoop's since my youth. A good friend of mines parents have a summer spot in Michigan City, IN that I get to go up to and relax at every summer since grade school. Despite the fact it's right on the beach of Lake Michigan and they got a boat and it's an absolute blast to hang out there, my favorite part about visiting was always the fact that a burger from Schoop's was going to be had. I love this place so much me and my friend would have debates all the time about whether we were going to Schoop's or Redamak's for burgers that day. If he refused to do Schoop's, I'd just roll solo. While they do have other stuff on the menu it's all about the burgers and these arent sliders so you might not need anything else anyway. I tend to stick with a Mickey burger and shake when I go and never leave disappointed.


Irish Nachos (fries topped with cheese, bacon, scallion and ranch)

So what about them burgers? What makes them so special? Well to start they haven't changed. Schoop's still uses fresh made to order beef for their burgers. What makes these burgers the best is the way they're cooked which is smashed. Around the food world and forums they call this the "30's style" of hamburger. Fresh never frozen beef that's cooked til crispy perfection. Most places used to make them like this back in the day, shame it's changed but Schoop's still does and that's why they're so loved. Unfortunately I have no video this time around but they take a ball of beef throw it on the griddle and then with what surely takes some practice they smash the ball of beef into a patty with the most perfect edges each and every time. The burger of choice is the 'Mickey' which is one of their famous crisped up patties topped with two slices of cheese and your choice of toppings. I always go with a double, its the way to go with the beef to bun ratio being perfect when doing so.


Schoop's famous 'Mickey' burger...doubled

When your burger arrives it's hard not to get excited when seeing it. Another signature of the Schoop's world is that the patty's are always bigger than the bun so they stick out past it with the crispy edges on full display, these are things of beauty if I may say. I'm not sure your going to find a better bang for buck burger out there. A Mickey doubled will set you back around $7 and is sure to fill you up. Although I prefer my burgers (esp. this style) with just mustard, pickles and onions I always go 'everything, no ketchup' at Schoop's. Everything includes it all, mustard, onions, relish, pickles, lettuce, tomato and mayo. It all works oh so well together with the beef and bun. I'm getting hungry for one as I write this.


Two hands are needed to hold it

When you consider the fact that you can get to the Schoop's in Hammond in about 20 minutes from downtown it's almost a matter of "why wouldn't you go" as opposed to "would you go, is it worth it" Hell yeah it is! Make a day of it and go to the beach in Michigan or ride to the outlet mall in Mich City one day and shop for some clothes and eat well after. Go gamble and get a burger after. Obviously I do alot of food travel and nowhere is to far for me but I promise that even a novice foodie will enjoy these. With the exception of my friend who's house I visit (he loves Redamak's), I have never had anyone who I took to a Schoop's tell me anything less than "that was amazing". When it comes to regional fast food outlets and their burgers, Schoop's is the King in my book. Check one out this summer and you'll be so happy you did. See ya next time on S'C'&C.


Crispy griddled burger perfection (look at those edges)

Schoop's Hamburgers
6638 Indianapolis Blvd
Hammond, IN 46320
(219) 845-7090
Website

*Please note there are multiple locations. Click HERE.

Jury's

-Got beef?
The Burgers of Chi

We continue our celebration of National Hamburger Month with a trip up north along Lincoln avenue to neighborhood favorite Jury's. Located in North Square Jury's has been on the corner there since 1979 when they first started with a goal of being the neighborhoods place to eat and drink. Over 30 years later and they are still the place of choice for most of those in the neighborhood and also thru that time they've become well known throughout the city for? You guessed it, their burgers.


Located in the North Center Neighborhood

Jury's might be a little classier than your average neighborhood haunt but it's still blue collar for what the neighborhood has become which is a trendy hip spot to hang out. Jury's has stuck with what made them a popular place before the hipsters and yuppies were around. I remember when I first started using the internet as a tool to find great places to eat and finding Jury's after searching around for the city's best burgers. This was over ten years ago in my high school days. I remember we ended up going one night and really liked it and it became a regular in our rotation one summer. Then for whatever reason I stopped going after coming home from college. After a recent visit I told myself I wont let that much time go between visits again. The reason was because the burger was as good as it ever was. I went with the standard half pound charred burger with cheddar and fried onions and it didn't disappoint.


Jury's famous half pound hamburger with cheddar

Just like the bar that serves them, theres nothing fancy or trendy about this burger. It's just a classic example of a tavern burger that's been listed in too many to name 'Best of Chicago' Burger lists. They cook to your desired doneness and as always mine was perfect. They offer up raw onions but the little fried shreds they use make fried the way to go when they ask you which one you prefer. While steak fries arent my favorite form of french fry I still enjoy them especially when served aside a tavern burger like those at Jury's. They just work well together and even better, they also have steak sauce for your dipping pleasure. Jury's offers up a full menu that I have heard has some other nice options on it, however I have only had the burger, it's too satisfying each and every time to pass it up anytime I'm there. Wednesday's are 'Burger Mania' and they offer them for $5.95. It's too hard to name one burger the best but Jury's does have one of the best bar burgers in the city. Count me amongst the many fans of it.


The insides

Jury's
4337 North Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 935-2255
Website

Edzo's Burger Shop

-Got beef?
The Burgers of Chi

May is National Hamburger Month and to celebrate we're doing all burgers all month long here at S'C'&C. It's only fitting that the first place to be showcased is chibbqking favorite Edzo's in Evanston. Located downtown in the one suburb I could stand living in (at a young age) Edzo's came onto the scene in the fall of '09 and has never looked back. The burger and shake shop became an immediate favorite with everyone from everywhere and is now one of E-Town's best food gems. When people ask me where the spot to go for a burger is, I tell them Edzo's and this report will show you why. Edzo's is owned by Eddie Lakin who's also (or was) a professional chef. I only say 'was' because Edzo's isn't going anywhere. It's simply fantastic.


an instant classic in downtown Evanston

Eddie trained at The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago and spent time at fine dining fancy's like Tru and also worked in kitchens overseas in Barcelona and Bologna. Anyone that works the kitchen in a fine dining establishment knows that it's non stop never ending days that can take up your entire time. As any smart man that likes to live life knows, that's not what you want. So when it was time to settle down as he started his family an idea came to mind. Much like me, Eddie is a food junkie, we love to hit up the locals favorite places wherever we are and so said Eddie "I'm going to start my own". When you grow up in Chicagoland you tend to eat at alot of Chicago style fast food places and we all have our favorites and they're usually the ones we grew up on. So he set out to recreate a place that is fun to go to and also great to eat at and the result is a grand slam. Walk off style baby, it's over! Edzo's has got the game on lock.


Edzo's has some of the best milkshakes anywhere

I mentioned how Eddie is a fellow food enthusiast and his idea for burgers was brilliant. When it comes to fast food, Chicagoland has it all, the best it gets, but we all know hot dogs and Italian beefs reign supreme. While theres so many great burgers to be had in the area, most of them are on the southside or in bars/restaurants. So Eddie decided to open his own place in the way of many great Chicagoland Hot Dog stands except the focus here is on the hamburger. He even documented the whole process and did all the right research. He settled on downtown Evanston which has clearly embraced him, his staff and their 'Gourmet' Chicago style fast food. Edzo's has been rewarded for their dedication with constant customers and I would go as far to say there arent but a handful of people who have only eaten there once. It's a winner for everyone.


The view of the inside from the back

Edzo's is a place where you can have your burger, your way and that's no BS unlike some other places who like to claim the same. Eddie used input from the local Chicago based online food community called LTH and checked out famous burger spots around the city and hit them up while on family vaca's in Wisconsin and other spots around the Midwest too. After receiving advice from burger nuts like myself and listening to what the people like he decided that their signature burger would be your choice. You see if I had to say Chicago had it's own style of burger I would tell you that burger is a big juicy char grilled (1/3 to a 1/2 pound) patty, tavern style, with the option of Merkt's cheese spread and grilled onions which are both a must. That burger is an option at Edzo's. Except there's also thinner '30's style' griddled burgers which start off as fresh balls of beef that are then smashed thin and cooked to crispy excellence. Eddie didn't leave everything behind from the fancy fine dining places he once worked at and they grind their own meat in house. It's excellent.

a view of part of the burger preparation station

Eddie took the best of both worlds when it comes to burgers. I love both styles as well as steamed and really anything that has good quality beef between a bun and I cant think of any other burger place around that has not one but two signature styles. Eddie didn't stop there though and also uses hand cut fries that come in a variety of options and they are all fantastic. One of the unique options available is 'old fries' which are the same fresh cut fries made in house except crispy as a cracklin'. Instead of being soft on the inside like the regular fries these are fried again leftovers that didn't get served after initial frying. You gotta love how instead of serving actual old cold fries to customers, he takes them and makes them even better by frying them again. You cant go wrong either way but if you like crunchy chip like french fries then try them this way. I always go with the giardineria or Merkt's cheese as a topping but aside from those two and of course plain they offer them buffalo style with sauce and blue cheese, garlic fries, truffle fries and ten ways total in the end. Shout out to my guy stevez from LTH who combined the old fries with hot peppers (giardineria) and created one of the cities best eats.


Cheese fries made with Merkt's cheddar spread, a Chi Town tradition


'Old Fries' with Chicago style hot peppers from Edzo's

My visits to Edzo's are always what Eddie was envisioning they be when he got the place started and that's fun. You can almost always expect a line but it's not like this isn't a good thing, you know all the legendary spots usually have a line but don't worry because it moves fast. Eddie and his staff treat the customers as if it's a fine dining experience making sure every last second of your visit is a pleasant one. You cant find this kind of hospitality combined with gourmet fast food at may other places and as if all that didn't make it amazing, the price is right too. As you enter you take your place in line and can grab a menu and take a look at the days special milkshakes menu while you wait. Edzo's offers up unique options like a Nutella blended beauty as well as one with cola and a few Mexican influenced winners as well. Tables are come and go but they really got a great flow here and one will pop up before your food is ready. You place your order with Eddie who seems to know everyone which proves what I was saying up above, once you go once, your guaranteed to go back. After your order you walk down to the burger station or wait at your table for your name to be called when ready. The action is at the grill. Check this video below.


Amazing how you can get burgers smashed or charred...and I luv it!

If you ask me which is the way to go at Edzo's, I'd simply say "I don't know" and that's because it's all good baby. When doing his research before opening up Eddie realized how much people love their burgers served the old school smashed way. It's how almost everyone did it back in the day but sadly has now almost gone away completely especially in Chicagoland. You take a fresh 4 oz ball of beef and throw it onto the griddle and let cook it for a few minutes and then take something heavy and flat like a spatula and smash the ball into a patty like that seen in the video above. The result is a simple taste that takes you to heaven. It's a damn shame so many places use shortcuts when it's not all that hard in the first place. You just gotta love what you do and that's the case at Edzo's. I always get my '30's style' smashed burger a double so the meat to bun ratio is perfect. I prefer mine with just pickles, mustard and grilled onions and while the flavor combo may be simple, it's simply succulent.


Double griddled cheeseburger from Edzo's

I think the 8 oz char grilled burgers there are as good of a char burger as your going to get anywhere. The meat is fresh ground and full of flavor and they cook it to your request. If you like pink in the middle like I do, you get it your way if you want that. Burgers arent meant to be too fancy and when they are they usually don't live up to their elegant looks. Edzo's offers the only toppings you need which is the usual assortment of veggies as well as different cheeses including cheddar spread and of course fried eggs and bacon. So you make your style of burger your way and when I'm doing a char burger I need Merkt's on mine. When you combine the char taste from the beef with the cheddar spread and grilled onions you get greatness and Edzo's char burgers are glorious. The only complicated part about eating at Edzo's is choosing what kind of burger your going to go with. Read on.


Edzo's char grilled cheddar burger

Is there anything more mouth watering than a patty melt when you need one? When I get the cravings for a melt I just need to get to one like a crackhead needs crack. I'm happy to say that I now know that Edzo's is the best hook up in town. That's because I finally tried one and I was ecstatic with it. They offer the option of either style patty but you gotta go with the 4 oz griddled one as this is the traditional way of making them. While some may claim a patty melt isn't a burger, I say boo hoo! It's a beef patty in between bread which is related to the bun. It's a burger damnit.


Edzo's All American Patty Melt...Perfection!

Just like the previous two burgers everything in a melt molds together to make something that tastes great. The combo of a griddled greasy burger with sauteed onions and melted cheese in between a couple slices of rye bread is something special. At Edzo's, as is the case with everything else simple yet special, they take the patty melt to another level. I'm getting hungry and cranky as I write this so I have no fancy words to describe this stunner except this is Patty perfection my friends. So if you love burgers as much as I do then let me tell you, Edzo's is where it's at. Check it out.


The insides of Edzo's perfect patty melt

Edzo's Burger Shop
1571 Sherman Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 864-3396
Website

The Great River Road - Wisconsin

Cruisin' Across America
-The Mighty Mississippi thru WI

I'm a big fan of travel along the Mississippi. Last summer I took a ride up North that brought us from Chicago to Madison where we stayed for the night and then traveled the Wisconsin River all the way to the Mississippi River which we then rode up North towards Minnesota. I was estatic to start my 2010 Great Lakes journey up north with a stop at Pete's Hamburger Stand. Located in Prairie Du Chien which is the largest river community in Wisconsin along the Mississippi and the 2nd oldest town in the state, Pete's was the gold medal winner on this trip for me as far as food stops. So that in itself makes this drive worthy because I eat like a King. This was the day we rode the river up north thru Wisconsin towards Duluth, MN. The month of June will be 'Travel Time' here at chibbqking and you can expect reports like this the entire month. This is the first installment of 'The Great River Road'. More states to come.


Highway 35 along the Mississippi in Wisconsin

I did a little web browsing of places worth stopping at and a spot I found that was getting alot of love, much like Pete's, which had just captivated us, was a place not but a five minute walk from the hamburger stand. Valley Fish & Cheese specializes in smoked meats and fish amongst many other things. It was a really cool looking shop from the outside and that's something you can expect to see a few of on this trip. There's no strip malls and no abundance of franchised places like Burger King along the river, just alot of family owned businesses that have been serving their community for generations. Some places, such as Pete's have been around for over 100 years.


Pete's Hamburger Stand (Prairie Du Chien, WI)


One of the best burgers I have ever had, and I've eaten a few...

Check out my complete report on Pete's RIGHT HERE. Valley Fish & Cheese is a place that's been open for over 25 years now and owned by a family that's been commercial fishing, trapping and hunting their entire lives.

Valley Fish & Cheese: a treasure along the river (Prairie Du Chien, WI)

They do a unique combination of things including hickory smoked catfish, smoked buffalo fish, snapping turtle jerky, catfish jerky, smoked frog legs, dried beef, buffalo meat, fresh cheese curds, hickory smoked string cheese, mustard's of a wide variety, aged cheddar's, pickled river chub and a bunch of other unique Wisconsin canned and bottled products. You can also get all sorts of gear and items for fishing and hunting along with wooden carved decorations for your yard and all that other good stuff. I thought this place was phenomenal and the jerky was as good as it gets and tasted more like steak than jerky. I thought the smoked carp was unique and interesting and loved the turtle beer stix and carp jerky as well. I wish I had left with alot more than I did. I got some pic's to share and if you want to check out this video I just found on google, its a look into the place with the owner.


Great selection at this shop


frog and duck legs, pickled prawns and pickled perch, they smoke and pickle it all...


assorted jerky's


Never seen that until I saw it there

The fact that Valley Fish & Cheese is also in Prairie Du Chien along with Pete's and some other places I didn't make it too like an old fashioned soda fountain make it a fun stop on the River Road route and one I would highly recommend.


Onward north we went, there were many historical markers and sites along the way

Our next stop was in Lynxville at a place that popped up and caught my eye so I pulled in since I at least needed a drink since I was thirsty. It was a little festival type food stand bragging about their hot dogs and catfish and looked like a place to get a nice snack even though I wasn't hungry.

"World Famous Dogs" and fresh fried Mississippi catfish

It wasn't over an hour since I devoured four burgers from Pete's and had plenty of smoked fish and jerky for dessert so I didn't try a dog but they didn't seem to appealing anyway but I did get some catfish and a draft of 1919 Root Beer brewed in New Ulm, MN. The expertly fresh fried catfish nuggets were great loaded with hot sauce and the root beer was really good, I'm a fan of draft root beers and drink them when I see it available and this was a nice brew. Good stuff keeps popping up along the river.


The view from The Dawg Houses parking lot


Mississippi Fried Catfish


and on we pushed northbound...

I think about the halfway point was La Crosse which is the home to City Brewing Company and has also been to the home to many different brewers over the years such as G. Heileman Brewing Company. It's also the home to the worlds largest six pack and a cool place to stop and stretch the legs. Only in Wisconsin does your first stop have an abundant smell of onions everywhere and then the next there's the smell of beer in the air. On this particular trip I didn't go to many of these places in the La Crosse area except the Coney Joint seen below (which was closed on my last visit) but I was there for Labor Day weekend last year and had a good time and enjoyed the area. That trip report can be seen by clicking RIGHT HERE. CHECK IT!!!!!


The World's Largest Six Pack (More on it and La Crosse HERE)

-Coney's Across America

I will usually stop in for a Coney Dog whenever I see a place on the road while traveling and this stop was the first of a few Coneys on my journey North up the river. Usually these stands have been around for a long time and this one said they've been doing them since 1922. Like the rest, they had the hot dogs in the window and lots of old time locals hanging out sitting down at the counter.


La Crosses local Coney Island hot dog stop

I also always try and get one Coney with cheese and one without. I wasn't really thrilled by these Coneys but I'm sure they're different if you grow up on them.

People love them from all over...

Coney with Cheese from Downtown Coney in La Crosse

Perrot State Park is located about 30 minutes up the river from La Crosse in Trempealeau, WI and I had read last year when I visited that it along with Devil's Lake are two of Wisconsin's better state parks. Since I know how great Devil's Lake is having hung out there when I was in Madison for school, I knew that Perrot would be pretty panoramic and a great place to spend a summers day exploring, grilling and enjoying some brews and it was. I would rec a visit there for some exploration and relaxation.

Perrot State Park...see the complete report from that trip HERE

and on we push...many great little towns to cruise thru for 10-15 minutes

The next stop was the end of the Great Wisconsin River Road in Prescott, WI and the end of our journey up the Mississippi. It was done in a few hours and we made a few stops so a weekend excursion out of it would be very much possible. I'd like to one day ride up the other side and go thru IA and MN, stay tuned and you might just see that I already have. I had a few spots on my radar in Prescott and since we just drove a couple hours we wanted to take in some sun and get a snack and a brew or two and so we stopped into the Point St. Croix Marina's Bar, which is overlooking the river. Beautiful spot on the sunny day we visited.

Prescott, WI

Still my favorite summertime beer anywhere...and only available in WI


The marina bar's jumbo grilled shrimps are $1.65/each

I had read the marina bar does a good jumbo grilled shrimp that go great with a cold one while sitting in the sun looking over the river. They weren't bad and came served with melted butter and cocktail sauce but weren't great either, just Vietnamese jumbo shrimp coated with Louisiana seasoning and grilled. I liked them for what they were. The next stop was to a place called Enrique's that I had read put out a mean burger (handmade and stuffed with pico and queso) and also does deep fried tacos. I had to pass on the burger since it was a monster and we were just 15/20 minutes from Minny/St. Paul and were going to stop for dinner there and get a Juicy Lucy before we pushed onward to Duluth. So I went with the deep fried taco and we all split some fresh fried tortilla chips coated with cinnamon sugar. Not bad but nothing that will me must visit if I'm ever out that way again.

a Mexican/American grill in Prescott, WI

What the fried tacos lacked in spice and flavor the chips did not and were great

Well I hope you enjoyed this peak into what was an amazing trip last summer, and there were a few. Stay tuned and you'll get to see the rest of this trip and all the fantastic food devoured, as well as some other sweet stops across America. You'll be sure to get some great tips if your planning a trip up North this summer. Plenty more to come. Please stay tuned.


So this is where we end the tour up River Road thru WI

and on we drove to Minneapolis/St. Paul...
_________________________________________

Pete's Hamburger Stand (seasonal and wkds only)
118 W Blackhawk Ave
Prairie du Chien, WI 53821
608-326-6653

Valley Fish & Cheese
304 South Prairie Street
Prairie Du Chien, WI 53821
(608) 326-4719
Website

The Dawg House (seasonal & wkds only)
Located on Highway 35 near the boat landing
Lynxville, WI

Coney Island Hot Dogs
114 4th Street South
La Crosse, WI 54601
(608) 782-6314

Perrot State Park
W26247 Sullivan Rd Off Rte 1
Trempealeau, WI 54661
(608) 534-6409‎

Point St Croix Marina
101 Front Street
Prescott, WI 54021-1619
(715) 262-3161

Enrique's Mexican and American
310 Lake Street North
Prescott, WI 54021-1766
(715) 262-5566