20 January 2010

Bunz

I tried Bunz today in Louisville on Baxter Ave. The various restaurant reviews online that I found last week spoke about how much better the establishment was compared to the prior eatery so I figured I'd give this burger restaurant a try. I scheduled a lunch appointment with a co-worker and ate there earlier today.


The sign above the joint is appealing and is followed up by the huge menu above the flat top drawing in your attention upon entry. Bunz's menu offers many choices for burgers and a list of free toppings. Upon entry, the woman behind the counter was very friendly and explained our options presenting us with a smaller printed menus. When I asked what I should get, she directed me to the Baxter Ave Burger. I obliged after reading that it came complete with two burgers, cheese, and a fried egg. After my semi-recent endeavor at Genny's, I slimmed down this double and requested it to be a single only.


After a short time, our burgers were served in classic baskets with wax paper atop in an 'Order 'up fashion'. Their presentation was classic and the fries were great. I think all of the salt on my fries won me over. My burger came out medium-well and after being cut in half was dripping with egg yolk - which the woman gave me fair warning about. Either she didn't ask or burgers here are served one temperature only.


I'd go back to Bunz, but with a bigger appetite and get the full deal next time. A good burger, but not on my top ten. Read into that how you'd like.

10 January 2010

JimNO's Place

After reading some recent articles about Jimbo's Place in local publications I had to go check it out for myself. The two articles I read in the Herald talked about the city of Miami trying to run Jimbo out. He's been around forever and it's supposedly one of those local places you have to see. Various movies have been filmed there. And then there was an even more recent article about a fire, but I was so turned off on my inaugural and final visit that I could care less about what happens.

I am a big supporter of local restaurants and bars. And I love drinking beer out of a can. But Jimbo's is something else. If you can find this place you will be able to tell right away that it is special. It's basically something in between a non-functioning campsite, a boat dock, and a dump.

We walked up and were thrown off by the whole situation. There were piles of debris, broken down vehicles, and shacks looking like they were from a Halloween set 20+ years ago waiting to fall over. Thinking back, it was quite shocking that most anything standing didn't fall over previously. As we approached the shack that Jimbo was sitting in front of, people looked at us a bit funny. No one said sit over there, welcome, or anything of the sorts. I knew when we were going there that it was going to be interesting, but not this bad. Then someone standing nearby piped up, "beersinthere." And pointed to a few box coolers inside the door filled with cans of beer and ice. I went in and grabbed for some cans under the $2.50 sign. I walked out and asked who to pay. This man sitting down pulled out a huge wad of cash the size of a fist, collected my money and tried to keep all of the change from the $10 bill I gave him.

This far into the experience was alright. I think we were singled out because we had visibly showered that day and were not one of the 8 locals already present. It was when we chose a place to sit and get a better view that the atmosphere began to really take over. The animals that were walking around really set us off. It didn't look the dogs and cats had been bathed in months. Their presence was followed by fleas and other bugs no one wants any part of.

Let's just wrap up the story by saying we took off shortly after meeting the stray animals. But not before a woman trying to bum my fiance's cigarettes try to get us closer to her Airstream style trailer. The environment seemed to be decaying right in front of us. We couldn't get out of there fast enough.

I can some up Jimbo's for you: dirty and nasty.