Spoon #43: The Berghoff

The second stop on world tour was another Chicago landmark: The Berghoff:

I will admit that Ms. Dish did not do our homework, and we knew very little about the Berghoff when we stepped inside.  We were merely enchanted by the glow of their giant neon sign.  Quickly we learned what a special place this is.  The Berghoff was opened in 1898 by Herman Berghoff as a cafe to showcase the beer that he and his brothers brewed.  The cafe survived Prohibition serving what is now sold as their "root beer".  Following the repeal of prohibition, ther Berghoff was issued prestigious Liquor License #1!  Despite this long history, the Berghoff did breifly close its doors in 2005, however it has recently been reopned by Carlyn Berghoff, representing the fourth generation of Berghoffs to operate the restaurant. 

As we often declare, history is great... but how's the food?  Ms. Dish and I are pleased to announce that it is fantastic!  Spoon 43 accompanied a bowl of "Alsatian Onion and Apple Soup" which was the perfect sustenance for trudging the streets of Chicago.
 

Spoon 43 is another distinctly soupish spoon, marked only "!8/8 Stainless China".  Not a lot to go on, so we will have to consider it "unidentified"

Spoon #36: South's

Well Spoon Swappers, I know this 'blog has been cold the past few weeks.  In fact, this swap happened well over a month ago!  The reason swaps have been few and far between lately is that Ms. Dish and I are on a diet!  Yes, the high life of dining and swapping is mighty fine, but every once in a while we all need to take a step back to re-fresh.  More swaps to come though - I promise!

Spoon 36 was swapped at Souths in TriBeCa.  A pressing downpour caused us to once again completely forget to take a picture for our records, so we must settle for a Street-View.

Ducking in from the rain, we found Souths to be the perfect refuge on a nasty Spring evening.  Cold beer, great food and a friendly atmosphere - who could ask for more?

This swap almost didn't happen as Spoon 36 was on the verge of being "too big".  I believe it came in a bowl of French Onion soup.  We were desperate, however, and made our move.  Here we have it:

Spoon 36 is only includes the markings "STAINLESS STEEL CHINA", so although we know what it's made of and what country it came from, that's about it! We'll have to toss it in the "Unidentified" bin.

Spoon #29: Out of the Blue

Ms. Dish and I were ultimately successful at spoon-swapping in Ireland at Out of the Blue in the tiny seaside town of Dingle:

Out of the Blue was highly recommended by our travel guidebook, and it did not disappoint.  They serve up nothing but seafood and have a strict "no chips" policy.  I'm no expert when it comes to seafood - I leave the that to Ms. Dish.  So when she said this was some of the best seafood she'd ever had I could not disagree!  Apparently the menu is made up daily based on what was caught and brought in that day to the harbor across the street!  

And here we have our first international spoon, number 29:

Unfortunately, #29 gives us very few clues as to its origin.  Only the words "18/0 STAINLESS STEEL".  Looking similar to an Oneida Baguett, but with an extra little detail where the handle meets the bowl;  a mysterious spoon from the Emerald Isle.

Spoon #13: Jackson Hole

Yesterday Ms. Dish and I found ourselves out late on the Upper West Side.  Overdue for a swap and with the Upper West Side under-served by our spoon-swapping, we sauntered into the Jackson Hole diner on 91^st and Madison.

I had read a review of Jackson Hole saying their burgers were humongous, more like a small meatloaf than a burger, so of course I had to see for myself.  Low and behold out came a meat baseball on a bun!  Ms. Dish had a Cobb salad and she reported it to be quite tasty.  We were lucky and got the best seat in the house; a table right on the corner that allowed us to both look directly outside!

Here is Spoon Number 13:

No. 13 is marked “167 Stainless Steel” on the back.  I’m no spoon snob, but Number 13 is very light and has some pretty rough edges.  This is strictly an economy spoon!  I guess as long as they’re grilling seven ounce burgers, Jackson Hole has to make cutbacks in the spoon department.  Unfortunately the manufacturer was so ashamed of 13, they did not leave their mark.  We will have to classify it as “unidentified”.

Spoon #10: Brennan & Carr

This weekend Ms. Dish and I took the Spoon-Mobile out for a spin to Brooklyn's famous Brennan & Carr:

Brennan & Carr is known for its roast beef sandwiches, featured here on TV's Man vs. Food:

I think that video pretty much sums it all up, and Ms. Dish and I can vouch that the sandwiches are just as good as they look on TV.  Talking to natives from around the area, there seems to be some rivalry between Brennan & Carr and nearby Roll-n-Roasters.  Perhaps we can investigate in the future and settle this dispute.


Here's a tip: If you happen by Brennan & Carr, leave room for their blueberry pie a la mode - it's the tits!  Ours came with this: Spoon Number Ten.

Number 10 is marked only with the word "STAINLESS" on the back.  For now its origin remains unidentified.