Heaven on a bun...

One thing to know - I love to eat!  I'm 6'0" and a very lean 190 pounds.  By looking at me, you'd never guess it but food (good food) is where my heart is.  I eat at Mc D's and Wendy's etc but if I can, I prefer to stop at any local eateries.  Not sure when it started but it's become a bit of a passion for me.  Everyone has there "Lottery Ideas" on what they'd do if they won millions.  Mine is a Food Roadtrip.  I'd go to New York.  Go to Reubens.  And have a reuben sandwich.  I'd go to Philly and eat Philly's.  Chicago for pizza.  You get the idea.  I've been to Alabama, just outside of Talladega in Oxford and ate at Betty's BBQ.  Pulled pork, fried okra, fried green tomatoes, and corn bread.  You can't beat that!  Had a crawfish boil in New Orleans along with a shrimp po'boy, crawfish etoufee, and jumbalaya.  Hawaiian pizza in Maui.  I go for authentic, different, or just plain old "the best".  "The Best" are the easier ones.  They're everywhere!  A fellow blogger friend mentioned G&R Tavern in Waldo, Ohio. http://patsdailyrant.blogspot.com/2009/10/october-2009the-month-ahead.html
It's got 'the best' fried bologna sandwiches.  Not the best in Waldo, or Ohio, but just 'the best'.  I have yet to make the trip there but I will, and I'll post my comments when that day finally arrives.  Maid Rites in Greenville is another I need to hit.  But they're all up against some tough competition.  My favorite - Crabill's Hamburger Shop in Urbana, Ohio. 

Crabill's serves "sliders', meaning they're tiny burgers on tiny buns.  Three bites and they're gone.  They're fried on a griddle in Crabill's own heavy oil.  They are plopped onto the griddle as meatballs and then pressed flat with two custom-made spatulas.  They had to be custom made because the others would just bend from the constant pressing of the burgers. 

You can get onion, sweet relish, and their secret brown mustard.  Ketchup was made available in the 90's but you just don't do that to a Crabill burger.  I usually start with 5 doubles with cheese, mustard, and onion.  They serve Mumfords potato chips so that's also a must.  They're made in Urbana as well.  The burgers are pressed so flat that you end up with two just-crispy-outsides between some fluffy Wonder buns.  It's heaven. 

The Shop itself is a sight to see as well.  There are only about 8 stools at the front counter.  No other tables, just enough room to stand behind the stools to order some burgers to go.

It's one of those things that are so addicting and memorable, that you'll drive an hour just to eat there.  And you'll tell your friends and bring them along.  And they'll drive an hour just for them too!  Last Saturday was one of those days.  I went with a group of 12, 9 traveling from New Bremen and meeting three from Columbus.  There were five first timers - they'll be back!

Hello all!

I guess I'd first welcome you to my blog.  I have no real agenda here, just something to help me keep track of where we're at in my life!  I guess it's a public journal.
A little about me to start things off.  I was born and raised in New Bremen, the 6th of 7 children.  I have five brothers and one sister (she's the third child).  I married a Bremen girl, but we both moved out of town for college and met years down the road in Columbus.  When it came time to raise our family, New Bremen was the best fit for our situation.  We have one daughter, Chandee, who is 5.  Jackson, our son, turned 2 in April.  We have two long-haired miniature dachshunds, Tippy Dye and Eddie George.  Somewhere down the road, I'll introduce everyone but for now, we'll leave it at that.
Shortly after moving back to New Bremen, I finally learned how to play my old drumset.  A friend of mine played guitar and we had a few jam sessions.  Over time, we added a singer and a bass player.  "4th Guy Blind" was born.  (The name is legit - our bass player lost vision in one eye after a log splitting accident)  Check us out - http://www.4thguyblind.com/
I also became active in the Sons of the American Legion.  My grandfather and his brothers served during WWII.  My uncle was a paratrooper and my father served in the 3rd Armored with the Army during the Vietnam conflict.  I take "Service to our Country" very seriously.  Being an active member in the Sons is the least I can do - to serve and sacrifice my time and effort to make this world a little better.  That's something our Vets have done on a much larger scale.  I appreciate their sacrifices every day.  You'll see a lot of what we do in this blog.  I also am in the process of designing a website for all three Legion organizations in New Bremen.  (You'll notice it has the same feel as our band website - stick to what you know, right?!)  http://www.nblegion.com/
There's a lot more to me than what I posted here but hey, it's a start, right?  Stay tuned...

Abi, Jackson, Chandee, and Munch - We love our Buckeyes!