The Common Grill in Chelsea, MI

The Common Grill - Map
http://www.commongrill.com/
112 S. Main Street
Chelsea, MI 48118
(734) 475-0470

Starving Auctioneers Rating: 5 Gavels out of 5

The Common Grill in Chelsea, Michigan is not a likely spot to find starving auctioneers. First they have cloth napkins. Most of the places the Starving Auctioneers eat you're lucky to have a full roll of paper towels on the table. However this was no ordinary auctioneer power lunch. This was a celebration of Peter winning the 2010 Michigan State Auctioneer Champion, winning 2009 Auction of Year, being elected to the Michigan State Auctioneers Association Board of Directors and besting all comers in tiddlywinks in his spare time. A high class place with higher standards was in order. David Helmer was buying so that helped as well.

The lovely and talented Ashley drew the short straw and was the server. Ashley was very observant and correctly identified Peter and David as auctioneers. Both were of course wearing standard issue The Auctioneer Channel attire which one can read clearly at 100 paces. Once the championship nature of the visit was made apparent Ashley got busy and made Peter a congratulatory greeting card out of receipt paper (seen here). Since she could not be in Kalamazoo the card was a nice way of saying she cared. She added extra dressing on the salads because Peter and David ‘looked like we might like that.’ GOOD CALL Ashley. As a matter of fact the only reason Starving Auctioneers eat salad is that it is a socially acceptable way to eat dressing and bacon bits. Doing Balsamic Vinaigrette shots with bacon as a chaser is just not as cool as it sounds and frowned upon in polite company.

The second reason that you are not likely find auctioneers in a high class place like The Common Grill is the food had both a quality and subtlety your standard issue Starving Auctioneers joint does not have. However given the jubilant mood, quality was the order of the day. Lunch was great. Peter had the Lobster Ravioli which tasted fresh and as if it had once been associated with a real sea going lobster. And it was very well prepared. David had the Grilled Chicken Club and in the process of putting ketchup on his sandwich covered his side of the table in the red condiment with one smooth motion. It was a neat trick and impressed Ashley who was just beginning to buy the line that we were successful auctioneers and Internet businessmen.

Lunch with David is never complete unless one makes a few unplanned side trips to walk it off. One of the many benefits to being the Michigan State Auctioneer Champion is that you receive a belt buckle that forever marks you as “The Champ.” After investigation however it was discovered that Peter did not own the required pair of cowboy boots that should always be worn with a belt buckle of that caliber. As luck would have it Chelsea, Michigan’s premiere outfitter of just such apparel and footwear was next door. Mule Skinner Boots was a store full of boots and hats and a few other leather odds and ends. Shortly thereafter, like a scene straight out of a bad ’80’s movie, Peter was walking the rough streets of Chelsea in a custom pair of brown 13 EE cowboy boots and looking for a fight or another bid calling contest to enter.

Nook in St. Paul, MN

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.

Town Tavern in Auburn, IN

Auburn's Town Tavern - Map
1343 South Main Street
Auburn, IN 46706
(260) 925-0555

Strarving Auctioneers Rating: 4 Gavels out of 5

On a cold Monday in December there is not much going on in Auburn, Indiana. The crops are off and the locals are getting ready for Christmas. However on this December morning the 220nd class of the Reppert School of Auctioneering was in session and Peter was presenting Ohio Auction Law and a discussion of Auction Technology to a classroom full of auctioneering students from across the country, Canada and South Africa. As you might expect after a morning of talking and often talking fast Peter developed a mighty appetite. Tim Kruse, Vice President of Reppert (and friend from CAI) knew just the place: Auburn’s Town Tavern.

The Town Tavern is as local as local gets. Looking like a converted home The Town Tavern is a continuous tread that often binds small communities together. An institution in Auburn there really was only once choice for lunch and that was the fried fish with mashed potatoes. That is what we all ordered. Sometimes local joints survive on a lack of competition. This place survives on fried fish and tartar sauce and lightening fast service. I could have gone for seconds but that is never cool on a business lunch. The company was of course great, a mix of auction school students, Tim, his brother Daniel and an intuition at Reppert’s Ron Chaffee the Dean of Instruction. Our table looked like a bunch of Lumber jacks eating the first meal after clearing half a forest rather than a bunch of guys who had just spent the morning talking auctions. I was surprised the waitress was able to keep the drink glasses full without getting bitten.

The students and Ron had to leave in order to be back in time for the afternoon session and that left Peter and the brothers Kruse to enjoy peanut butter pie and catch the opening segment of The Young and Restless coming on in a TV in the corner.

UPDATE (December 2009): David Helmer, the Kruse Brothers and Peter found themselves eating at The Town Tavern again just over a week later when David and Peter concluded their Rampage Road Trip 2009 with a visit to Auburn and Kruse Auction Park to pick up items purchased at an auction there over the weekend. We are happy to report the same great food, service and soap operas.

UPDATE (July 2010): Starving Auctioneers returned yet again to the Town Tavern for another great meal. On hand were Tim Kruse, Jack Christy, Ron Chaffee, Peter D. Gehres, Dennis Kruse and students from the lastest class of the Reppert School of Auctioneering. The Tavern is fast becoming the go to place.

Bamboo Garden in Greenfield, IN

Bamboo Garden - Map
2160 North State Street
Greenfield, IN 46140
(317) 467-8881

Starving Auctioneers Rating: 2 1/2 Gavels out of 5

Recently we traveled deep into flyover country in southwestern Indiana to pick up the most unique collection of pottery we have ever seen. The collection was 100% modern, contemporary and studio art pottery with a focus on Indiana and Midwestern potters. This was a very interesting collection and a far cry from the Roseville, Weller and Rookwood we typically handle, all of which is between 60 and 100 years old. The entire collection required our full and careful packing and after a day of handling pottery our thoughts focused on our next task: dinner. Having left Columbus, Ohio at 6:00 AM and working through lunch we were hungry. Even though it was two hours away from the pick up there was really only one option: Bamboo Garden Chinese Buffet.

As we pulled away from the house Greg’s exact words were “I’m hungry and I’m going to make them pay today.” Much like a lion stalking its pray we were heading in for the kill. Granted this lion was in the form a lumbering van and trailer full of pottery but you get the idea.

The Bamboo Garden is our home away from home when we are hungry and find ourselves in the Hoosier state. Their motto is reassuring: “Not Only Cuisine, But Also Clean.” It does not get much better than that folks. The Bamboo Garden offers a full array of authentic Chinese buffet items including my personal favorite the 5 gallon bottomless heated vat of sweet and sour sauce. We had the pleasure of dinning that evening with some happy Colts fans fresh off a victory. We all enjoyed the slightly above average selection of sushi this buffet offered.

On the way out Peter picked up a brochure in preparation for another Pulitzer Prize winning review and was pleasantly surprised to learn that the Bamboo Garden uses only 100% vegetable oil…if you could not read or did not know what this meant they had little broccoli graphics to help you out. You have to love a Chinese Buffet at a no name exit in the middle of Indiana.

New Riegel Café in New Riegel, OH

New Riegel Café - Map
http://www.newriegelcafe.com/
14 N Perry St
New Riegel, OH 44853
(419) 595-2255

Starving Auctioneers Rating: 5 Gavels out of 5 - TOP TEN

In 2009 we have had the pleasure of conducting three auctions in our neighbor to the north the great state of Michigan. One of the best things about doing auctions in Michigan is where we eat on the way home. New Riegel Café in tiny New Riegel, Ohio is a Starving Auctioneers Top Ten places to eat. It boasts of number of unique traits that make it worth the extra minutes it adds to our trip back to Columbus.

Among the most important features is the food. New Riegel Café has a very unique and flavorful style of ribs with super secret sauce that is the stuff of mystery and legend. Not like any typical ribs and BBQ sauce combination, these ribs come out quick and covered in just the right about of sauce. If you want more sauce the ribs go back to the kitchen, you don’t get anything on the side lest you steal the Holy Grail. Words can’t describe the subtle flavor and the way the ribs and sauce combine for a perfect meal.

The place doesn’t take credit cards or checks, serves beverages by the bottle or can and the wait staff doesn’t have a whole lot of patience’s for people that don’t know the story. They are friendly and fast however if you get with the program. The menu at the New Riegal Café stays on the table because it is so small it fits nicely on one of the plastic table tents. There are other things on the menu but we really don’t think anyone cares. They have bologna and cheese appetizer that has GREAT bologna and Kraft style cheese singles…no kidding…sounds bizarre but it works. They say they serve chicken but who wants that when ribs are waiting. Clean up is pretty easy as everything is served in paper boats like the county fair. There is also an attached gift shop.

The food is so good that people (like us) travel from miles around to visit this town of 300 in the heart of Northwest, Ohio’s farm country. If you find yourself south of Toledo and in the middle of nowhere you are likely close to New Riegel and this place deserves your attention.

Greg has been a regular at the New Riegel Café since his CRAZY bachelor days while attending nearby Heidelberg University. He and his chums would refuel at the Cafe after cheering Heidelberg’s The Student Prince on to victory on the gridiron. Yeah The Student Prince, a real award winning mascot; to think people make fun of Brutus the Buckeye?! Beside Peter’s farm in Van Wert, the New Riegel Café is the best place to be in Northwest, Ohio.

Fukuya Japanese in Hilliard, OH

Fukuya Japanese
http://www.fukuyajapanese.com/
2469 Hilliard Rome Road
Hilliard, OH 43026
(614) 850-0888

Starving Auctioneers Rating: 3 1/2 Gavels out of 5

Business meetings at Belhorn Auction Services rarely happen in anything resembling a traditional setting. Today was no exception. Today’s meeting was called to order at the new Japanese Restaurant in Hilliard, Fukuya Japanese Steak House and Sushi. Before we get to the review, all you really need to know is that we will be back and you need to go soon.

While the steak and dinners are very good we where there for the sushi and by sushi we mean Americanized raw fish consumption with all the bells and whistles our great country can add to an otherwise unsuspecting cuisine. To further clarify what we both really wanted was Makizushi for those diehard sushi lovers and Japanese culture fans. For everyone else we will just call it sushi. In a past life Peter was a youth ambassador to Japan so it is important we get this sort of information correct. Peter was the only member of the delegation to gain weight on their first trip to Japan.

Greg ordered a California roll with no cucumber (the mysteries never cease) and the ‘special’ Dragon roll. Peter was a bit offend at this selection owing to Greg’s continued disregard for the over hunting of dragons that has brought their population to near extinction…when was the last time you saw a dragon?? Peter ordered the far more sustainable Buckeye Roll which is shrimp tempura topped with spicy crab and Hawaiian Roll which is tuna, cream cheese, crunch avocado topped with crab. Peter seems to be very interested in food inspired by the states of the union.

Those who order fresh sushi know that it can take awhile for an order to come up owing the nature of its preparation. However this was perfect as there was plenty to discuss between an upcoming auction in Michigan, a pottery pickups in Indiana, and the early 2010 auction calendar.

When everything did arrive it was great. What makes Fukuya special is that it is SO close (to us anyway) and so good. Sushi ain’t cheap but good food seldom is but it was reasonable given the rarity of fresh dragon these days.

Ali Baba in Ann Arbor, MI

Ali Baba
601 Packard Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48104-3313
(734) 998-0131‎

Starving Auctioneers Rating: 4 Gavels out of 5

Our most recent pottery pick up saw Peter traveling to rural Michigan just north of the Ohio-Michigan boarder to pick some outstanding examples of Rookwood, Weller and middle period Roseville. After the pickup Peter travelled to meet up with friend and fellow auctioneer David Helmer in Ann Arbor and he filed this review.

David Helmer and I’s friendship is a product of the often cited ‘conversations in the hallway’ of an NAA event. We meet at the Certified Estate Specialist (CES) designations course held in Ft. Wayne, Indiana in November of 2006. Over the last three years we have partnered on auctions large and small. We often partner on lunch.

We entered lunch with great expectations of all the ‘work’ we would discuss. That didn’t happen and never does. We returned to one of Ann Arbor’s finest Middle Eastern establishments: Ali Baba. The restaurant is billed as Iraqi food but our waiter was from Morocco so I was a little disappointed. We both ordered a dish that consisted of chicken, beef and hummus. Basically meat and potatoes for those without potatoes. However you can get a side of fries, which we did so we still got us some potato action. The food was good and the service on point if not ethnically consistent. The price was right and the portion size was good. The place was clean if not a little worn, but what hole in the wall place isn't...that's what makes them great.

After lunch we sampled the styling’s PJ's Records & Used CD's just a few feet away and up a flight of stairs. Every college town seems to have one of these outfits and Ann Arbor’s holds a special charm because once the two shopkeepers, David and I were in the store there was little room for anyone else. I might be tempted to say I have never seen that many LP’s in one place before but I have: an estate auction in Columbus where it was our job to move them all from the basement in milk crates. We lost a lot of good men that day and gained great appreciation for the iPod

We went there looking for original Larry Norman LP’s. We didn’t find any but David did find and purchase enough to earn him a place in the PJ’s Hall of Fame. They have a strange and inexplicably long check out procedure made worse by David’s attempts to stump our hosts with 1970's music trivia. The shop keepers are examples of what happens when you are into sex, drugs and Rock’n’Roll…professionally. At least they have their music.