A full-service garage

Jim and Nancy do not disclose the fact that they will review a restaurant before they attend, ensuring their reviews are unbiased and uninfluenced by their position with the Sun Day.

You may recall in a previous article Nancy alluded to the nightmare she was having getting the bocce ball club up and running. Her work was finally finished, and she was looking forward to the first game of play. Mother Nature cooperated perfectly, it was 90 degrees, with 80 percent humidity. The sun was hot and so were some tempers. Twenty minutes into the first game Nancy got into a rather heated discussion with a man on the opposing team. Taking a tip from hockey players, I just let them go at it. They’ll tire out eventually. At least she wasn’t yelling at me for a change!!! At the end of the third game we were all pretty much hot, sweaty, and frazzled. A group of us decided to cool down at a new restaurant, Hart’s Garage in Pingree Grove.

We pulled into the garage which housed six high top tables, eight regular tables, three booths, and a bar. Automotive decorations were everywhere, even the booths were upholstered like a classic hot rod from the 50s. A car door, an old-time radiator, a fender with head lights, along with an American flag made out of license plates were just some of the adornments that completed the atmosphere.

Their menu was impressive. They offer everything from wraps, to salads, to creative sandwiches, and pizza. Nancy spotted the Fried Pickle Chips ($8) and thought they would be refreshing after a morning in the 90-degree heat. These were served with a Chipotle sauce on the side. They turned out to be the perfect choice since they were salty and sour and matched Nancy’s disposition perfectly.

Only Jim, being the carnivore that he is, can find an item where meat is stacked on top of meat. He chose the Windy City Burger ($13) which was a hamburger topped with Italian beef, mozzarella, and spicy giardiniera all served with French fries and a pickle spear. He did show some restraint since any burger can be ordered as a double ($4 upcharge) or a triple ($6 upcharge). He didn’t order a double or triple, but he could only control himself so much. For his side, he substituted the bacon cheese fries ($2 upcharge). What arrived was a piping hot burger with the Hart’s Garage logo branded on top of the bun. The cheese fries were covered with his favorite mysterious cheese sauce and lots of bacon. The burger had a nice char on the outside and having it topped with the cheesy Italian beef and giardiniera, somehow worked.

After a stressful morning, Nancy was scouring the menu looking for garlic. She found it in the Hart’s Italian Beef ($12). This consisted of thinly sliced Italian beef, melted mozzarella, and spicy giardiniera served on toasted garlic bread. She also chose to upgrade to the bacon cheese fries for her side. She said, the sandwich was delicious, but of course, she thought it needed more garlic to soothe the savage beast in her.

All in all, we both thought the décor was cool and the food was great. We enjoyed our lunch with our friends, it felt good to get back to normal.

FYI: This restaurant is handicap accessible.

The price for our “full service” lunch was $43.60. Being able to have lunch with friends, priceless…

Jim’s take: Meat piled on top of meat, mysterious cheese sauce with bacon, what more can a man ask for.

Nancy’s take: Garlic, the lunch of champions!!! It did soothe the beast in me.

Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at: thediningduo@gmail.com

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