Mark "Go Cubs" E.'s Profile

I love me some smashburger (they use lower case letters) and was as happy as a little girl when I saw the almost completed restaurant two weeks ago.  Had dinner with the family there tonight, and I wasn't disappointed.  smashburger is a premium burger chain, like Five Guys and the wonderful Cheeburger Cheeburger, but it's different than those places in a few ways.

First, the burgers. Think of a Steak 'n Shake burger, but bigger and with a higher quality cut of meat. That's what they serve.  Juicy, almost sloppy, but really really good and different than almost any other burger joint.  They've got some specialties, but you can build your own as well.  They offer the patties in two sizes.  

Besides the burgers, they have salads, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, and lots of shakes.  Kind of a "clothespin on the aorta" eating experience, but with considerably more choices than the same kind of high end burger bistros.  I'm ashamed to admit I haven't tried any of that stuff, you go to smashburger for BURGERS.  Nice greasy burgers.

I went for the Ultimate Cheeseburger, large of course, and had a side of their very thin sliced onion rings.  They have a special kind of french fry which is really good, but still doesn't come close to the Five Guys fries.  smashburger is a little cheaper than Five Guys, but not by much.  

Service was good, you order at the counter and they bring the burgers to you.  All the burgers at our table were prepared exactly as ordered, sometimes a challenge for places that offer like a dozen different free toppings to add to your burger.

My fave burger place in the world is still In 'n Out, but alas we still don't and probably never will have them in St. Louis.  smashburger adds another choice to the high end burger world, which is a good thing.  It's definitely right up there with Five Guys, Cheeburger Cheeburger (who I pray doesn't get hurt too badly by smashburger being just down the street) and Red Robin.  Highly recommended!  And no, nobody gave me anything at all to write a good review.

My co-workers took me there for a birthday lunch, and it's some of the best Mexican food I've had in the KC area.  There's a huge difference between assembly line national chain Mexican and family run Mexican.  Food was terrific, service was friendly and prompt, and the price was right.  The waitress overheard that it was my birthday, and they brought out the most ornate sombrero for me to wear (and sadly have captured on everyone's cell phone camera) and did the usual embarrassing birthday song, but with a cool Mexican twist.

Since it was lunch, nobody had margaritas, but word is that they alone are worth the trip.  Which makes it important for me to get back there soon.

One of the great radio stations in Kansas City.  They play great music, have fun people on the air, and give away great prizes.

Great outside patio, excellent burgers all in all perfect Saturday lunch break.  There are a lot of restaurants in the Westport area, but I must admit this is the first one I've wanted to write about.  I must say it's darn good.  DARN good.

I've been in KC for a little over six months now, and have tried all the supermarket chains at least twice.  In the end, I think Hen House is my favorite.  

NO, its not the cheapest, I think Price Chopper is less expensive overall, but like all grocery stores, Hen House does run some great blowout sales, and if you take advantage of those deals you can save enough to make up for the slightly higher regular prices on other items.  

The store has a very nice salad bar and prepared foods section, the produce department seems to be the best of the chains I've been to, and its big enough to have a good depth of product choices.  I don't like seafood, so I can't comment on the large seafood department they have.  I can comment on the fact that they have a Starbucks in the store, which is a nice bonus. And I have to tear myself away from the bakery, which beckons me with its sights and smells every time I go in.

The aisles are wide, stock is usually plentiful, except on some of the low price blowout items, but often you can also find them on end caps or ask someone and they bring some out "from the back" for you.  Unlike Hy-Vee, I've never had Hen House be completely out of an item.

The staff seems friendly enough, and the times I've been there (usually weekday evenings) there isn't a massive line at the checkouts.  

There is no such thing as a perfect grocery store, they all have their pluses and minuses, both overall as a chain and by location, but if I had to choose where I went shopping, this Hen House would be the place.

Sometimes these quick service franchise hair salons can be scary, but I've had two cuts here now and have been really impressed by this location.

First, its cleaner than most other Great Clips I've been to over the years, not globs of hair all over the floor and magazines everywhere.  The staff ranges from veterans to what I think are recent beauty school grads, but they are all very nice and seem to know what they're doing.  Not always the norm at these low service/low cost kind of salons.

I go for the scissor cut (old school) and neither of the stylists had an issue doing that for me.  And, unlike some other walk-in salons, they knew what they were doing.  Seems like some stylists are afraid to use scissors and love the clipper cut.  

One other thing, you can now check in online and either find out how long the wait is or put your name on the list.  That saves the intolerable wait that sometimes comes with going to a hair joint like this.

I love a luxurious full service cut with a massage and shampoo and all that, but I don't think I'd come out looking any better at one of those establishments than I did coming out of this Great Clips.

I've read many reviews about this property, and many of them are just plain horrible. But having been there for a few weeks now, I can tell you that those reviews are largely wrong. Yes, this is a no-frills extended stay hotel, its not the Ritz-Carlton. But its very clean, safe, and comfortable. It has a kitchenette, good quality on-site laundry, and guests get to use the Gold's Gym next door for free.

The staff at this property is one of the nicest, most accommodating groups of people at any hotel I've stayed at, and I've stayed at far too many hotels over the years. When I had a maintenance issue, it got fixed promptly. The staff has been nothing but friendly and helpful, and you often don't see that kind of attitude at full service hotels.

This property is what it is, an inexpensive extended stay motel. But it does what it does very well and the experience has been very positive. If you want lots of amenities, this might not be the place for you. But if you want a clean, functional place to live or stay for a while, I'm not sure you can do better in this price range.

Being new to the area and living downtown (for now) I needed to find a place where I could get a decent haircut without going broke or feeling like I look like a freak.  The Men's Locker Room is right on Main Street, actually the easiest entrance is in the back of the office building because if you come in on Main Street, you've got some searching to do.  

This is a real barber shop with all the services for men, and unfortunately I've only been able to get there at closing time so I think I'm missing out on the shoe shine and massage services.  But you get a real haircut from an actual barber, not like at some of he chain establishments, get to enjoy a snack and/or beverage while you wait, and feel like the guy cutting your hair actually cares what you look like when you leave.  

I'd call for an appointment, because while they to talk walk in's, the two times I've been there, there has only been one barber on duty and you could wait.  The good thing about the wait is the food and drink, a bunch of TV's and a nice pool table to kill time.  But I like to get in and out when its haircut time.  

Maybe I just haven't been able to find them, but there don't seem to be many good, reasonably priced places to get a haircut downtown, and The Men's Locker Room fills the bill perfectly.

Very good locally owned sports bar just a few blocks from the Power and Light chain joints.  Prices are very reasonable and the menu is good bar food, including many fried items, which means good bar food to me.  

Went in for a late lunch and was able to watch 5 different games on the TV's.  Couple of groups, some single diners, and a family in the house, none of them distracted by too much noise from the games or the music.

Food was good for what it was, service was excellent, and it was one of the best values in the Crossroads/P&L area.

Truly stunning to find such a nice restaurant in Effinghan, Illinois.  Firefly Grill has every characteristic of a "big city" modern restaurant, in an out of the way location.  The decor is modern and presentation, menu, and employees give you the feel of a hip, big time bistro.  

Being that the restaurant is in a small town, the prices are incredibly fair, especially when you consider the quality of the meals.  Our table had a variety of things on the menu, including appetizers like spring rolls, crab rangoon, and amazing onion strings.  Our brunch entrees included pizzas, different burgers, and some off the menu Sunday Brunch items.  Everything was well prepared, looked great, and served with flair.

Firefly Grill is a rare gem in a world of highway-friendly chain restaurants, and, while maybe not worth the trip to Effingham unless you are already going there, well worth seeking out if you're anywhere in the area.