Potbelly and Chili's

We’re packing. I have very few clothes in my closet that fit, which makes packing easier. The butter and cheese from Carrabba’s and Kopp’s has taken up residence on my body. The Man Who Actually Likes To Shop (YUK!) And Always Buys New Clothes Just Before We Travel just came home with six new pairs of slacks. Only four are for the trip, he says. But The Man Who Is Not Built Like Kareem Abdul Jabaar has to have all his clothes altered. I hate to sew. I won’t sew. I have put in a few zippers upside down and inside out in my day. I do not go through the humiliation any more. So The Man Who Owns The Official Milwaukee Tool Company Workshop also had to learn to use a sewing machine. He just shortened four pairs of slacks. Now we’re packing.

I still have two restaurants to tell you about before we leave the glamour of Bluemound Road tomorrow morning. Therefore I am going to cheat and put two restaurant reviews into one blog entry.

If it weren’t for this blog thing going on, I’m sure I would never have eaten at Potbelly. Just the name – I’ve got one of those already. Actually, I assumed the name was referring to pigs, as in pork, but it’s not. It’s all about old stoves. And other antiques that make the place look like an old-fashioned ice cream shop. Kind of cute, I guess. More importantly, it is spotless. Even the bathroom, which is decorated with those little, one-inch, hexagonal black-and-white tiles like my grandma’s house had. On the walls are hung those old Northern Tissue baby pictures. But then, you aren’t old enough to remember those.

Potbelly is a fast food place where you place your order at a counter, they put your sandwich together, and you pay up there. No tips, again. Happy Man. There are 11 sandwich choices (all $4.19) and four salads (all $5.29), a few soups and shakes and smoothies. What’s the difference between a shake and a smoothie? I had a boysenberry smoothie ($2.69), and it sure tasted like a shake to me. I chose a Tuna Salad Sandwich with Swiss cheese, tomatos, pickles and mayo, and The Meat Man had a Wreck Sandwich, which is a meaty affair of salami, roast beef, turkey and ham with Swiss cheese. The Man chose to dress his sandwich with tomatoes, oil and Italian seasoning. The bread on which these yummy affairs are served is a light whole wheat baguette, served crispy and warm.

We will be back. Potbelly’s is clean, it’s fast, it’s inexpensive and it’s tasty. What’s not to like?

Last night, after The Man Who Can Fix Anything messed around with some gas pipe or flexible tubing or something that will connect our new stove, we ate a late dinner at Chili’s. Chili’s has a huge menu. I just printed it out at home, as I do as part of my professional restaurant critic’s research. The menu, in computer-printable form, takes up 8 pages! If you can’t find something you like among all of these choices, go home. You aren’t hungry.

The first thing I noticed is that they define the heat of the different kinds of chili peppers that spice up many of their dishes. But, thankfully, not all of them. We chose to just order a sandwich. Goodness knows when The Man Who Likes His Burgers is going to get another one anytime soon. So he ordered the BBQ Ranch Burger($7.29), which comes with bacon, cheddar, and barbeque sauce. I had a Chili’s Cheesesteak Sandwich ($7.29). It is sliced steak grilled with lots of onions, bell peppers (my kind of peppers), mushrooms and melted provolone cheese. Hot (temperature only) and tasty.

As there are 3 red wines of dubious quality on the menu and 15 bottled beers (plus 3 on tap), I had a Corona with a lime slice. It was good with the sandwich, though I did have to ask for a glass. The place was clean – our waitress, Melanie, was sweeping up the crumbs under the tables as her clients left. A good sign.

We did not hang out and enjoy a second glass of beer. We leave for Africa tomorrow. I am in the throes of figuring out how to get our tripod, birding scope, binoculars and wildlife guides into our luggage. Do you think it’s okay to take salted nuts in a carry-on? It’s going to take us almost 24 hours on three flights to get to Johannesburg, and you know the airlines aren’t into feeding the multitudes who are bumping butts back in the cattle section.

I think there will be a few more restaurants to review when we get home – before I am cooking in The Most Beautiful Kitchen In Brookfield. Until then, I am still....

Kitchenless in Brookfield