Kroll's East

Krolls West

Kroll's...probably the top of all iconic restaurants in Green Bay. When I've visited out of town or out of state, those who originally came from Green Bay frequently make a comment such as "Why didn't you bring me any Kroll's burgers? And those who are new to town usually comment  "They put butter on the hamburgers???!! ....Only in Wisconsin!  Originally started on the East side on Main St. (I'll have a separate blog on that one soon)  I even remember one off of Main downtown I think it was on Bodart that closed in the late 70's. This prime location, across from the Packer Stadium, started in the late 70's. It was expanded to the North about 1985 just after I moved from the house where the expansion took place. (my landlord was Mike Weir.. Kroll's owner) In fact, I think if you were to have taken a GPS reading where my bed/ bedroom was... that's where the booth on the North wall under the big screen TV is. I won't comment any further on that strange fact. Krolls has since opened a location in Chicago.  I haven't been to that one yet but I'd love to.  Kroll's is still without a doubt the best hamburger in Green Bay... but the big question is ...which do you prefer the West side or East side? www.krollswest.com

Chili Johns Chili

Another Green Bay institution. The original Chili Johns was at the foot of the Main St. bridge downtown. I don't remember that one as it was during the turn of the century period in the early 1900's. I do however remember one location that boasted the longest seating counter in Wisconsin. Paul Harvey even made reference to it on his radio show when that location closed in the mid 70's. Chili John (John Issac) was Lithuanian so I suppose his guarded "secret recipe" chili is of Lithuanian heritage. As a tradition John Madden always had to consume a bowl when stopping in Green Bay for the Green Bay Packer games and would also many times mention this on his football broadcast. When I lived in Los Angeles in the 1980's I stopped at a bookstore once and picked up a small booklet named The 20 Best Dives in LA... to my surprise listed there was Chili Johns! Sure enough, lo and behold there was a Chili Johns location in a warehouse district of  Burbank complete with Green Bay Press Gazettes on the wall... and featuring the exact same chili ....bizarre...sitting in Burbank, CA. surrounded by pictures and memorabilia of Green Bay eating Chili Johns chili...it always felt like some sort of Twilight Zone episode. The owner Micky Le Mere was from GB and we reminisced about our home town often. I loved the huge painted sign on the building outside that read "Famous Coast to Coast"  Yeah........  hahahaha..... Green Bay to Los Angeles!  Come to think of it I actually did prefer dining in at their location over Green Bays because they served N/A beer. I enjoy the taste of beer with my chili... wonder why they don't do that in Green Bay. I've got a pretty good feeling I'm not the only chili with beer (even if it were non alcoholic) lover in our fine community. Heres a little know fact ...I've been told Chili John had invented the small Oyster crackers that are now familiar everywhere in the world. Another stolen idea that should have been patented I guess. None the less, this is some incredibly tasty chili. Its also sold frozen in local grocery stores which is where I usually purchase it. (so I can bring it home to enjoy with a tall cold glass of my favorite brew.)     http://chilijohns.com/

Dino the dinosaur

Dino the dinosaur. A longtime Green Bay icon and fixture at the corner of Lombardi and Ashland. This was  the original mascot of the Sinclair gas station chain. I can remember in the early 60's Sinclair even gave away green bars of Dino soap after they filled your car (no self service then) with 26 cent per gallon gas. Man, am I a dinosaur! In the past, Dino was stolen a few times by pranksters and once couldn't be found for a few years until someone reported seeing him up North back in the woods. Since his return and theft proof lock down Dino, now adopted by Shell, has been transformed into a Packer mascot donning a variety of Packer apparel including the occasional Cheesehead hat.  At the current $3.76 per gallon gas/self service price do you think Shell might make enough profit to at least bring back the free soap?