Benders Sports Pub in West Bend, Wisconsin

We love discovering small, family owned restaurants featuring home style cooking during our many travels.  Don't get me wrong as some of the chain family restaurants are quite good but there is some unique about the family owned and operated ones.  We have visited a few attractions in Wisconsin, one of our favourite being the Cedar Valley Cheese Store in Belgium, Wisconsin.  West Bend is located in Washington County in the heart of the Kettle Moraine in southeastern Wisconsin.  It is about forty minutes north of Milwaukee.  It was home to West Bend Aluminum Company (later named the West Bend Company) that first produced a water dipper and cookware in 1911. In the 1920's West Bend introduced the Waterless Cooker and Flavo-Drip coffee maker and continued introducing new small kitchen appliances  through the 1990's.  The West Bend Aluminum Company remained in West Bend until 2003 when it was purchased by Focus Products Group, LLC headquartered in Lincolnshire, Illinois.  Back to Basics appliances joined West Bend during the 2000's after it was bought.  The West Bend brand celebrated it's 100th anniversary in West Bend, Wisconsin on September 27, 2011.

Benders Sports Pub is located in a small strip mall at 1102 E. Paradise Dr. in West Bend, Wisconsin.  This small family owned and operated pub has been in business for five  years. Don't let the modern facade fool you as the pub is packed full of delightful charm with a warm and beckoning atmosphere.  The wait staff is extremely friendly!  The food is delicious and the prices are quite reasonable.  There are daily specials and various events like college and trivia nights throughout the week as well as Green Bay Packers specials on Sundays.  They even have a couple of slot machine that are rumoured to be rather lucky.  It really is just a fun little pub!

Benders Sports Pub is famous for its jumbo garlic wings (pictured) and there is a story behind them.  Owner Tim fondly remembered the famous Mr. Chibs Garlic Buffalo Wings in Philadelphia.   He flew to Philadelphia, told the owner of the restaurant about the new restaurant he was opening then asked if it would be possible to get the Mr. Chibs Garlic Buffalo recipe.  The Philadelphia restaurateur gave him the recipe without hesitation.  That is how Benders got its famous, award winning jumbo garlic wings!

Mr. Chibs Chicken & Ribs Restaurant is located at S. Lenola Rd & Kings Hw in Maple Shade, New Jersey on the outskirts of Philadelphia about 8 miles to the east.  While they don't have a website I did find their menu online.  It will be a restaurant to discover when we are in the Philadelphia area.

We just had to try the jumbo garlic wings.  Don't they look delicious?  Oh they were mouthwatering, nice and garlicky, dripping with butter!  That is fresh garlic on the wings too.  Five of these beauties cost $7.99 and they were worth every penny.  Chicken wings are ever so easy to make at home.  This will be one recipe I will be working on a clone for after the holidays.

Irish Fries

French fries are the ultimate pub grub food.  They are served as a side for a variety of pub grub foods like burgers or fish as well as appetizers and starters like chili cheese fries, ugly fries and poutine.  The best tasting and most economical fries are fresh hand cut fries which is the only kind we make at home.  Frozen fries are available in a wide range of cuts: crinkle, thick, thin, wedge, buffalo, chunk and more.   Many restaurants resort to using frozen fries out of convenience. 

We enjoy going to Murphy Inn Restaurant in St. Clair, Michigan during the summer months.  Quite often we go by boat.  The past couple of weeks we have introduced Murphy's to some our our friends.  A couple of weeks ago we enjoyed the pizza special on Monday nights with good friends.  We repeated that again last week.  Our group ordered a variety of appetizers.   One of the appetizers was Irish Fries. 

The Irish Fries were thin cut French fries topped with cheese sauce, green onions, bacon and sour cream on the side.  They were a gooey, delicious delight!  These will be something I will be making at home but using hand cut fries and fresh made cheddar cheese sauce.  The sauce they used was likely canned similar to what the cheese sauce is for nachos.  I'm not fond of cheese products like cheese sauces or spreads.  While I do use them on occasion, if I can substitute with a fresh made cheese sauce or spread, all the better. 

Nachos

Nachos are a very popular pub grub food.  They are tasty, inexpensive, and the perfect party plate to share with others.  I think every pub adds their own spin on how they make and present the nachos as well but there is no doubt about it, a nacho platter is a party platter!  There is a lot of lee way with ingredients ranging from yellow or white corn chips, round or triangle shaped  cheese product or real cheese, chile or ground beef, toppings on or served on the side. 

We stopped at Crabby Joe's awhile ago where I ordered the nachos.  Crabby Joe's is a lovely pub and grill with a varied menu sure to please any palate.  Their nachos are quite good.  The white  corn chips are topped with chili (with beans), and melted mozzarella and cheddar cheeses.  Sour cream, jalapeño peppers and salsa is served on the side.  Something just a bit different is the shredded lettuce.  Chopped onions and tomatoes are quite common on nachos but it is not often that lettuce is included.  Occasionally but not very often, nachos are served on a bed of lettuce.  This is not the norm though.

Nachos are just so easy to make at home.  You will need nacho chips, chili or cooked ground beef, one or more cheeses (mozzarella, cheddar) for the base.  Simply top the nacho chips with the chili or ground beef one an oven proof plate then place in the oven at 350ºF to  melt the cheese.  Sprinkle on chopped onions and tomatoes.  Serve with jalapeño peppers, salsa and sour cream on the side.  This fun filled pub grub food can easily be made at home for about $2, a third or less of the cost of that bought in the pub.

Murphy Inn Restaurant, St. Clair, Michigan

We love to spend summer afternoons boating between and on Lakes Huron, St. Clair and Erie including the smaller rivers and tributaries. Quite often that means docking to enjoy dinner as well. Last Sunday was likely the warmest day of the season so far. We had spent a good portion of the Saturday ripping out and adding a new square foot garden bed. We fully intended to continue working on the vegetable garden on Sunday but by mid-morning it was really too hot, just perfect for boating.

Murphy Inn

We decided to make a trip to St. Clair, Michigan. This is a quaint and pretty little town on the St. Clair River just a bit south of Port Huron, Michigan. There is a lovely little marina on Pine River that is within walking distance of a few good restaurants. The fee to dock for a half day is $5 at the marina and free along the river. Gas and clean-out are available at the marina.

The Pine River and St. Clair River is patrolled by the US Customs and Border Protection Agency. They are stationed out of the marina so it is very common for them to check boats both in the marina and those docked along the river. When arriving by boat in the US you must have valid acceptable identification (Nexus, passport, security driver's license) according to the new rules that went into effect on June 1, 2009. You must call into Customs upon arrival if you are not an American citizen prior to leaving your boat. You must declare anything you are bringing into the US as well.

Murphy Inn located at 505 Clinton Avenue in St. Clair, Michigan is a historic 1836 boarding house that features quality Irish food and lodging. Live entertainment is also featured. To the left of the spacious entrance is the non-smoking dining room. To the right is the pub and pub style dining. Both rooms are tastefully decorated according to the style. The pub features a lot of wood for a cosy, comfortable atmosphere. Happy hour is from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM Monday to Saturday and all day Tuesday (draft beer only). In addition to that there are daily food specials and food is available for carry-out for a slight extra charge. Murphy Inn like other restaurants in the area is very reasonable priced. They have a wide selection of food sure to please everyone. They are kid friendly complete with a kid's menu also very reasonably priced.

We enjoyed our nice leisurely meal in the pleasant atmosphere of the pub room. The total cost with cocktails was $38.66 plus tip. I really must comment on the atmosphere. Murphy Inn is just a real delight to visit! The staff is some of the friendliest you will ever meet. They are attentive with quick service and never make you feel like you are being rushed out the door. The pub side is a particularly pleasant way to spend a few hours and enjoy the live entertainment. This is one restaurant well worth a stop!

Broiled Cod

Most of the restaurants along the Great Lakes basin and within close proximity to the water offer a good choice of local fish such as lake perch and pickerel. Almost all of them have fish & chips on their menu as well. The dress code for most of these restaurants is dress casual as they cater to the boating community and locals.

My husband ordered the broiled cod (pictured) and potato sausage soup (not pictured) in lieu of vegetables. The meal came with two nice sized pieces of seasoned broiled cod, soup or vegetables, choice of potato and a thick slice of homemade bread for $10.99. This cod was cooked perfectly, nicely flaking yet moist. The seasonings used were not overpowering. Of note was the potato sausage soup that I will be duplicating at home.

Barbeque Chicken

I ordered the Sunday special of all you can eat chicken. The waitress said there would be a little extra charge for all white meat but I didn't mind. The meal came with choice of chicken (bbq, roasted or fried), mashed potatoes, stuffing and coleslaw for $9.99 plus $1.99 for all white meat. The chicken breasts were huge, considerably more than I could eat! I definitely did not have to order extra. The potatoes were homestyle real mashed potatoes complete with peels. The stuffing was just a bit different as it was seasoned with caraway. This is not a seasoning I would have paired with stuffing. The creamy coleslaw was a nice mix of sweet and tang. This really was a lovely meal!

Breezy Point Bar & Grill

We were travelling up US-41 not really thinking of eating yet we had been on the road for a little over five hours. By then US-41 had turned into M-35 even though we were on the same road. Although we had stopped once to fill the car with gas and have a washroom break we still were not overly hungry likely because of the fruit and sunflower seeds I bought at the Piggly Wiggly (love that name) just after getting on the road. As we headed north the camera was in almost constant action. The total number of pictures taken for the 6 day trip was 829.

We have an uncanny knack of finding good food in out of the way places. As we were neared Escanaba, Michigan I needed a break so we pulled into the Breezy Point Bar & Grill. We met back at the car and my husband asked if I was hungry. He said the food looked pretty good and it would be another couple of hours before we reached St. Ignace. He also pointed out that after checking in to the motel then we would have to find somewhere to eat making it so we would be eating a large meal before retiring and we know that isn't good for you. Well it didn't take much to twist my rubber arm. Besides, I was getting tired of sitting in the car.

Breezy Point Bar & Grill is a small pub on M-35 at Escanaba, Michigan (301 N 19th St, Escanaba, MI). Sorry, but it does not appear they have a website. It would be easy to miss as the building is a small, wood log structure that blends into the surrounding trees. There is ample parking in front and to the side. The sign on the structure is rather small too so it would be easy to miss. Hidden behind those doors was good home cooked style food and friendly service. Children are welcomed during the dinner hours.


Chicken Special

Meals are served in plastic baskets lined with paper. Utensils are metal instead of plastic so that is a plus. The meal portions are generous so are a good value for your dollar. We spent just under $20 plus tip for the two meals with a drink each.

The Breezy Point Bar & Grill has daily specials and Sunday was the chicken dinner special so I ordered that. It came with a half of chicken, fries, coleslaw and a bun. The chicken was lightly seasoned then deep fried with no breading. I have to tell you this although I think I've mentioned it before is I am not a fan of anything breaded. The chicken was fried to a golden brown with a nice crispy skin yet succulent, moist meat. The fries were standard thin cut frozen fries. Ketchup was available for the fries but no malt or even plain white vinegar. I really need vinegar with my French fries although I will settle for mustard dip. The coleslaw was the standard mayonnaise variety. A dinner roll was included with the meal.

Swiss Mushroom Burger

My husband ordered the Swiss mushroom burger. The burger was ⅓ lb ground chuck topped with sautéed mushrooms and Swiss cheese on a toasted bun. It came with a side of French fries. This burger got a two thumbs up from my husband. Seriously that says a lot! Deep down I think he is looking for ways to perfect his homemade burgers ;)

Burgers are featured quite often on this blog because my husband loves them. He isn't into the standard fly-by-the-seat burgers either our generic term for fast food burgers. What he looks for in a burger is flavour and substance. He doesn't want a preformed pattie or plain generic buns. Forget that American cheese slices too. I think the only two things that he doesn't like on a burger are hot peppers and pickles. Trust me on this one, small out of the way bars and pubs have some of the best burgers around.