Nook - Map
http://www.crnook.com/
492 Hamline Ave South
Saint Paul, MN 55116
(651) 698-4347
Starving Auctioneers Rating: 4 1/2 Gavels out of 5
Minnesota in January is a very cold place to be but when you have a gracious and generous host like auctioneer Col. Kurt Johnson you hardly notice. Peter was in the “funny talking state” to speak to Minnesota State Auctioneers Association in Duluth. Before heading north however, Kurt wanted to show both Peter & Tim Kruse around his adopted hometown of St. Paul. Of interest to regular readers of this blog Tim was ‘persuaded’ to come to the snowy upper Midwest over lunch at the Town Tavern. After some St Paul sightseeing Kurt took Peter and Tim to The Nook.
The Nook is the quintessential dive for starving auctioneers. First it is a local hole in the wall, second it is cheap and fast and you don’t need a menu. The Nook has already been reviewed by far more talent then you will find here. We speak of none other than he who wears his sun glasses on backwards: Guy Ferrari. By beating us to the punch there was nothing left to see except what all the hype was about.
The Juicy Nookie Burger was a must and it was GREAT. Hot meat surrounding a melted cheesy center. Is there anything better? Kurt learned about this crazy thing we do in Ohio: vinegar on French fries; he was not a fan. The Nook was great. If Guy Ferrari and Peter Gehres liked it, that’s really all you need.
UPDATE: Upon returning to the “the Cities” from Duluth Kurt, Peter, and Kurt’s wife Connie grabbed lunch at the Shamrock's(Nook’s sister restaurant)before Peter hopped a flight to Columbus. Same great food and the atmosphere was electric as the bar was full of Minnesota Vikings fans watching the playoff ‘beat down’ of the Cowboys.
Kutters Bar & Grill in Quincy, IL
Kutters Bar & Grill - Map
236 North Front Street
Quincy, IL 62301
(217) 223-5888
Starving Auctioneers Rating: 3 1/2 Gavels out of 5
There are business trips and family trips; Shopping trips and wasted trips. Then there are ROAD TRIPS. The definition of a great road trip is when arriving at the destination is almost forgotten when one recounts the events that proceed it. Such was the case on an epic road trip untaken by David Helmer and Peter Gehres one December week. The trip began with a simple premise: collect a number of items David had purchased from Sullivan Auctioneers. Over time it morphed in to a five state romp visiting auctioneers, buyers, sellers in the heart of the auctioneering world: The Midwest. The best visual would be General Sherman’s march to the sea if he had a minivan.
First stop was for Peter and was to an auction customer in Illinois to deliver some items purchased from a recent Belhorn Pottery Auction. Then it was on to meet the Sullivan Auctioneers. There we collected David’s purchases, a very retro but very cool auction company calendar and some spiffy new Sullivan Auctioneer hats. We took a brief self guided tour of their impressive facility before asking for the best local food. We were directed to Kutters Bar & Grill in nearby Quincy, Illinois. After a wrong turn took us to Iowa and Missouri which offered few food choices but a couple of crossings over the Mississippi we stopped at a transmission shop to ask for directions. It was a bit embarrassing given we had a GPS on board. It was just before Christmas and the journey brought us in touch with the story of the Three Kings. Although we were just starving and would have likely only brought a doggie bag of French fries had we been in charge all those years ago.
Kutters is located as close the Mississippi as one can comfortably get and stay dry. We arrived after the lunch rush and had the place to ourselves and the stag (see picture). We ordered the nachos and the fish platter and were impressed with both. On hindsight though the nachos may have been overrated given it was the only thing we had to eat since dinner the night before. Throughout the meal David attempted to sound like a local and insisted on referring the river outside as the “mighty Mississip” and the effort understandably impressed no one. The service was good and the one could imagine the bar and grill hoping at lunch or dinner.
The next day our trip took us back to a Starving Auctioneers favorite: The Town Tavern in Auburn, Indiana for a power lunch with the Brothers Kruse. Along the way home be visited some potential clients, tractor dealerships in search of rare toys and enjoyed some local pizza while watching Monday Night Football. In the end it was a perfect trip that won’t likely ever be repeated and is one of those events in your life that is a collection of normal activities that lead to extraordinary memories.
236 North Front Street
Quincy, IL 62301
(217) 223-5888
Starving Auctioneers Rating: 3 1/2 Gavels out of 5
There are business trips and family trips; Shopping trips and wasted trips. Then there are ROAD TRIPS. The definition of a great road trip is when arriving at the destination is almost forgotten when one recounts the events that proceed it. Such was the case on an epic road trip untaken by David Helmer and Peter Gehres one December week. The trip began with a simple premise: collect a number of items David had purchased from Sullivan Auctioneers. Over time it morphed in to a five state romp visiting auctioneers, buyers, sellers in the heart of the auctioneering world: The Midwest. The best visual would be General Sherman’s march to the sea if he had a minivan.First stop was for Peter and was to an auction customer in Illinois to deliver some items purchased from a recent Belhorn Pottery Auction. Then it was on to meet the Sullivan Auctioneers. There we collected David’s purchases, a very retro but very cool auction company calendar and some spiffy new Sullivan Auctioneer hats. We took a brief self guided tour of their impressive facility before asking for the best local food. We were directed to Kutters Bar & Grill in nearby Quincy, Illinois. After a wrong turn took us to Iowa and Missouri which offered few food choices but a couple of crossings over the Mississippi we stopped at a transmission shop to ask for directions. It was a bit embarrassing given we had a GPS on board. It was just before Christmas and the journey brought us in touch with the story of the Three Kings. Although we were just starving and would have likely only brought a doggie bag of French fries had we been in charge all those years ago.
Kutters is located as close the Mississippi as one can comfortably get and stay dry. We arrived after the lunch rush and had the place to ourselves and the stag (see picture). We ordered the nachos and the fish platter and were impressed with both. On hindsight though the nachos may have been overrated given it was the only thing we had to eat since dinner the night before. Throughout the meal David attempted to sound like a local and insisted on referring the river outside as the “mighty Mississip” and the effort understandably impressed no one. The service was good and the one could imagine the bar and grill hoping at lunch or dinner.The next day our trip took us back to a Starving Auctioneers favorite: The Town Tavern in Auburn, Indiana for a power lunch with the Brothers Kruse. Along the way home be visited some potential clients, tractor dealerships in search of rare toys and enjoyed some local pizza while watching Monday Night Football. In the end it was a perfect trip that won’t likely ever be repeated and is one of those events in your life that is a collection of normal activities that lead to extraordinary memories.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)