Diner 41

Located at 4301 N. US-41 in the old Denny's building is a new-ish Diner called "Diner 41". Nick and I stopped in for lunch several weeks ago and couldn't pass up a few selections our waitress highly recommended. The menu was very large and had international in addition to American fare.

This diner has seen its better days. The seating area was clean, but the carpet needs a serious upgrade. It's easy to see that when Denny's moved out, nothing was done when the owners of this diner moved in. The booth we sat in was sub-par at best and we quickly moved to a table.

Our server was GREAT! She was helpful and friendly without intruding on our lunch. I can't remember her name but she answered all of our questions whether about the food, the business or the family that owned the diner.

The server recommended the all-you-can-eat walleye and I "took the bait". For $7.95 you can get as much walleye as you want. I love fish, so it seemed right up my alley. The walleye was okay. I have had some really good walleye in my day and this wasn't comparable. However, it wasn't awful. This fish tended to be a little tough for some reason. If fish sits too long it can get a little tough, but I don't think that was the problem here. I'd give this dish 2 and a half stars (out of 5).

I'm not completely sure what the name of Nick's dish was. But it was a pancake, then a slice of ham, another pancake and then topped with two fried eggs. He also ordered a side of hash browns. He really enjoyed his meal and I tasted his hash browns and they were cooked perfectly and very tasty.

Bottom line? If you visit the Diner 41, maybe get some breakfast and skip the traditional items.

Big Top Drive In

6/16/2011 - The Big Top Drive Inn is everything a true “burger joint” should be - and more! Located at the corner of Maryland and Fulton (1213 W Maryland St.) in Evansville, The Big Top is like stepping back in time to when you were a kid. From the hand-drawn menu illustrations to the eclectic set of quarter toy machines in the corner to tide you over during the reasonably short wait for your order, it was truly a complete experience.

I had the pleasure of trying the Giant Chz Burger combo ($3.29 for a huge burger and a large sack o' fries). The lightly toasted bun and thin-patty burger combination, easily delivers a satisfying yet not cumbersome meal. This combo can come with one of three sides; onion rings, french fries, or fried mushrooms. I ordered the mushrooms, and was very impressed by the balance of juiciness and crunchiness. I also finished some left over fries, which were shockingly good.

Now if you’ve been by The Big Top I don’t have to mention the plethora of dessert options but on this trip, I decided to try something completely new. I ordered a Large Twinkle Kote. Good luck containing your laughter. This combination of sprinkles and peanut crunches is just what every ice cream cone needs in my book.

Very briefly I want to mention the quarter machines…one in particular dispenses various foreign currencies. It cost 50 cents, and it’s completely up to chance on what you will receive. I put in my two quarters and out popped a Russian coin, a 10 Kopek piece. All this to say for all the people claiming the downfall of the US dollar, a single US dollar is still equal to 28 Rubles, or for this purpose 2800 Kopek…

So think about that the next time your fretting what’s going to happen to the U.S. dollar, and stop by the Big Top Burger for some great service, classic burgers, tasty desserts and a potential exchange rate lesson.

End Result? 3 stars. For $3.29, this burger + fries = 3 stars (out of 5). The ice cream and good service were bonus'. This isn't a high quality burger. And I'm pretty sure the owners know that. But at this quality, the price is what makes the 3 stars. It's a great pit stop for lunch!

Until next time...

Welcome to the Evansville Food Blog!

This blog will be written by normal ordinary people with pretty ordinary tastebuds, but with a true zest to find great food. And the intended audience will be everyday, ordinary people searching for a good cullinary find.

Who we ARE: EvansvilleFoodBlog.net will be written by a group of co-workers on a mission to explore the local flavor of Evansville and its surrounding areas. We'll talk about what we eat at a given place, what the service was like, the quality of the food with regards to price among other notable finds. We'll take some pictures of the food we eat and hope to give you some good advice on what's good. We're just ordinary people in search of a good burger or an amazing slice of pizza or a good cut of steak or some really good Crab Rangoon. We hope to shed some light on some of those places in Evansville you may have never heard of. Some you'll want to visit and others.... perhaps not so much.

Who we AREN'T: We're not snobs or wealthy individuals. If you've come here looking for the next great restaurant a local chef has opened and wondering what pairing of wine would go best with the roasted duck, you may be looking at the wrong blog. We get out for lunch quite a bit during the week. And we've taken a special interest in trying new things that we've never heard of. You won't find a blog about the Outback or Red Robin (not that we're against eating at those places). You just might find something about our lunch run to The Cross-Eyed Cricket or a stromboli experience at Pizza King, though. We try to stay away from chains. After all, most people know what they're in for when they go into a TGI Friday's.

So stay tuned and check back often. We love to eat... and we do it often.