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.
Ah, the wild west!!! A time in American history of lawlessness, cattle rustlers, and gun slingers. This was immortalized by such historically accurate TV shows (NOT) such as Have Gun Will Travel, Bonanza, and our personal favorite, Gunsmoke. This show had memorable characters such as the 6ā7ā Marshall Dillon, the vivacious Miss Kitty (who we always suspected of running a promiscuous business on the side), and comic relief provided by Chester who was desperately in need of orthopedic work. With this in mind, Jim put on his chaps and spurs, which for reasons we wonāt go into, he just happened to have lying around the house, jumped on our faithful steed āMini,ā and blazed a trail to Cattlemenās Burger and Brew in Algonquin.
Cattlemanās Burger and Brew
205 S. Main Street
Algonquin 60102
(224)777-6000
www.cattlemans.net
Directions: Take Rte. 47 to Algonquin, East to Main Street, South to restaurant.
Estimated Travel Time: 22 minutes
This venue is a standalone building in downtown Algonquin with limited street parking, so be prepared to walk a block or two. The inside of this saloon is small and compact with seven booths, one large corner booth, six high-top tables, and a large bar. We moseyed on up to the bar and sat down and were given tablets which contained the menu.
To start off our wild west afternoon, we ordered Nashville Mozzarella Sticks ($9) for an appetizer. This was seven Italian breaded mozzarella sticks with a fiery hot buffalo coating which was served with Ranch dressing. Jim liked the spicy addition to a plain mozzarella stick, but Iām not a big fan of buffalo sauce. I ate one stick and it burned my britches and I downed my glass of Coke and lime in two seconds flat.
Nancy wanted to roundup some good beef and had the Angelās Cheddar Melt ($18) which was Italian beef topped with grilled onions, melted cheddar and mozzarella cheeses all served on toasted Italian bread. It came with crispy fries and au jus. This sandwich was so big she had a hard time folding it up so she ate it with a knife and fork. It was a tasty surprise, but the fries were battered and fried and didnāt impress her. Half her sandwich came home with her in a āgit along little doggieā bag.
Jim was in his wild west glory and went with the Bourbon Cowboy Steak Burger ($18). This was a hearty steak burger topped with sharp cheddar cheese, Applewood bacon, and crunchy onion rings. It was drizzled in Jack Daniels barbeque sauce and served on a brioche bun. He upgraded his fries to tater tots ($3). This huge burger lived up to its name, it checked all the boxes, and half of it came back to the bunk house for later.
FYI: This restaurant is handicap accessible but be forewarned, the tables are very close together.
To round this all up, the food was tasty and the portions were huge. Kudos to the cook in the chuckwagon. We also had one of the best waitresses ever. She handled the entire busy restaurant by herself and was also the bartender. She didnāt miss a beat. I, Nancy, would have been flustered but she took it all in stride.
The price for our wild west adventure was $58.86. Bellying up to the bar at High Noon, pricelessā¦
Jimās take: My burger was unbelievably tasty. It was charred on the outside and juicy on the inside.
Nancyās take: The melted toasty cheese on top of my beef hit the bullseye.
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