Best Halloween Costume #1 - Watermelon Smile

Meet Laughing Lisa, the Joey Chestnut of watermelon eating fame. Lisa ate 55 watermelon halves in 5 minutes. Her face paint is fantastic and her watermelon prop completes her costume. A most excellent post to kick off the 2011 Best Halloween Costume.

Happy Halloween

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Jimmy Johns - Turkey Bacon Cheese Sub

Jimmy Johns Subs Boardman Ohio

Jimmy John's shares a building with 5 Guys restaurant across the street from the southern Park mall. Patty (My darling wife) told me about Jimmy John's in Youngstown and raved about it. We decided to try the Boardman location. Walking in, we were the only customers, seating to the right empty, no one in the drive through, but that is OK.

There were five employee's inside behind the counter and they were all very pleasant. One asked us if we were ready to order.I ordered a turkey, cheese, and bacon sandwich. I asked if they toasted but they do not.

Jimmy Johns Turkey Cheese And Bacon Sandwich

In a few minutes, our order was up and we took our sandwiches to a table. Opening the sandwich, this is what I saw.
Bacon: Five full slices. Cold.
Cheese: Two thin slices of American cheese.
Turkey: Two thin slices of turkey breast.
Bread: The bun was home made, very fresh and good. Size was approximately 8 inches.
Not there: No fries are offered, only chips. 

I will say the sandwich tasted good. Not great, not bad, but good. Perhaps if there were a couple more slices of turkey and cheese and the option to have it toasted, it would have been an outstanding sandwich.

The cost with a diet coke was just under $7 dollars. The table was clean, in fact, the entire restaurant was clean. That is always a plus. 

Jimmy Johns Counter Service

While we were eating our sandwiches, the radio was playing over speakers. One song was by the Police, with Sting singing Roxanne, you don't have to put on the red light. If you know the song, Sting (The singer) really accentuates the word Roxanne. I know the song well, and when the Roxanne verse came around, I would belt out "Roxanne" along with Sting. Patty told me to stop singing. I was used to it. Ever since first grade, I was told by the teachers that I shouldn't be singing.

Anyway, a minute later, we over heard the gentleman behind the counter that took our order singing Roxanne. He accentuated "Roxanne" the same as I did. Patty and I looked over and smiled and laughed and he looked a tad embarrassed. He smiled and continued on his singing doing his job. A good time was had by all.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 3.25 out of 5 shots and recommends Jimmy John's subs for dinner.

P.S. We will return in the near future. Perhaps Iron Butterfly will be playing on the radio. In A Godda Da Vida Baby....

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And Nothing Will Ever Be The Same

It's astounding, Time is fleeting, Madness takes its toll.
But listen closely... Not for very much longer.
I've got to keep control.

I remember doing the time-warp, Drinking those moments when,
The Blackness would hit me, And the void would be calling...
Let's do Halloween again.
Let's do Halloween again.

With a bit of a mind flip the 2011 Halloween season is upon us. Haunted houses are already on their second weekend, decorations dot residential houses, hay rides are at capacity, and the Halloween Dark Zone is dying to reveal the hottest adult Halloween costumes, plus home grown giant melons, urban legends, demons, ghosts, and all things Halloween.

Check the Dark Zone frequently as we will be updating continuously throughout the month of October.

And nothing will ever be the same.

Happy Halloween

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Eddie’s Grill - Cheeseburger- Take Out - Geneva

Iconic Eddie's Grill

Eddie's Grill is a classic iconic restaurant located at Geneva On The Lake, in Ohio. Established in 1950, Eddie's Grill is a traditional lunch and dinner stop for thousands of returning patrons, young and old. Eddie's captured the 1950's diner mystique and hasn't changed in all the years I have been eating there. Which is about 45 years now. Anyway, on to the food critique.

Eddie's Grill Take Out Service

Last Friday Eddie's was packed, (SRO) so we decided to get take out instead of waiting an hour for a table inside. There are some nice park benches and picnic tables just across the street so we would be fine.

As you can see, I ordered the cheeseburger and fries. The cost was $6.05 which isn't bad, not great, but not bad. The cheeseburger was hot, fresh, and very tasty. The patty was of course styled old school, meaning that the patty was smashed down on the grill instead of the pre-made pre-formed patties at most burger joints. The bun was fresh, sesame seeded and not soggy. The french fries were hot, well cooked, and tasted good.

I talked to a few patrons while standing in line and everyone of them said they have been coming to Eddie's Grill for years. Every time they come to Geneva-On-The-Lake they make sure to stop at Eddie's for lunch and or dinner. Now that is a testimonial.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 4.5 out of 5 shots and recommends Eddies Grill at Geneva On The Lake for lunch and dinner.

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Steak N Shake - Cheeseburger And Fries

Steak N Shake Double Cheeseburger

About 15 years ago there was a fast food restaurant in Boardman, Ohio called G.D. Ritzys. It reminded me of another old time restaurant open in the 1960's and 70's, Mister Wheelers. Both Ritzys and Wheelers had some fantastic cheeseburgers and unique french fries. Steak N Shake is close to these restaurants.

I pulled in to the parking lot and found myself inside Steak N Shake. I took a seat at the counter and the waitress took my order almost immediately. Of course, I ordered the double cheeseburger and fries.

From my vantage point at the counter, I watched the grill boy take two balls of hamburger and slap it on the grill. Using his spatula he smashed them into very thin patties. A couple minutes later he flipped them over and placed a slice of cheese on top of each patty. It looked just as Ritzys and Wheelers burgers looked. A minute later, my fries were being shuffled into a cardboard box and my burger was being wrapped in a paper sack. (A good omen indeed) I paid the cashier, cost was just under $6 dollars which included a drink and drove home.

The cheeseburger was hot, well cooked, the bun fresh and not soggy, and the cheese melted. The taste was one of the best fast food burgers on the market today. They call it a steak burger, but they are all hamburger meat. The burger was juicy and tasted very good. The show string fries were plentiful, more than i anticipated, well cooked, a little salty, but very good tasting. This meal brought back memories of the old Mister Wheelers restaurant from so long ago.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 4 out of 5 shots and recommends  Steak N Shake double cheeseburger for lunch and dinner.

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When The Humans Are Away - Storm Cat Parties

I often wondered what my pet cat does all day while Patty and I are hard at work making money so we could buy him even more cat toys and treats. Every morning as Patty and I backed the car out of the drive way, we would see Storm (Our 20 plus pound male cat) looking out the kitchen window at us. It was almost like he was waving goodbye to us. Or so we thought.

One day, on a whim, I turned on the living room computer web cam and set the camera for motion detection. I positioned the lens to display the entire living room area. I wanted to track his movement during the day to see exactly what he did, or didn't do. Every time he would walk into the living room, the webcam would snap a shot. Below is the startling photographic evidence that Storm had invited guests over after we left. The damn cat was hosting parties all day.

No wonder the damn cat sleeps all night.

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Conneaut Lake Park - Corn Dog And Fries

Conneaut Corn Dog And Fry Shack

Conneaut Lake Park, old time amusement park, home of the Blue Streak roller coaster and one of only two left Tumble Bug rides left in existence, still draws a small crowd. Located in Conneaut, Pennsylvania, is just an hour ride from home. After a long day at the park, we stopped for some amusement park food.

Conneaut Corn Dog

I ordered a corn dog and an order of french fries. The corn dog was quite small in size. Pathetic actually. The taste was standard fare, but I believed they were recently microwaved. Any corn dog fan knows a microwave destroys the corn dog. This cost $3 dollars. Clearly not worth it.

Conneaut Fries

The saving grace was the fresh cut french fries. The portion was adequate for $3 dollars. The fries were hot, well cooked, in relatively fresh grease and the portion was good. The taste was very good.

A corn dog and an order of fries cost $6 dollars. There were other food stands with more choices and better prices which I will post in a future update. However, I am going to barely recommend the shack for several reasons. One: It's amusement park food, there are no five stars ratings on the marque. Two: Perhaps I received the runt of the corn dogs. The next one could have been regular size. Three: The fries were hot, and very good.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 2 out of 5 shots and recommends Conneaut Lake Park French Fry Stand  for dinner.

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1. 
   

   Rich said

   September 10, 2010 at 5:29 pm e
   Way too much for the corn dog but than I don’t know what corn dogs are going for in the State Fair in Dallas this year.
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     September 19, 2010 at 8:24 pm e
     Agreed! It was way to much money for the small corn dog.
     Reply
2. 
   

   Moominboy said

   September 13, 2010 at 2:35 pm e
   A simple meal but still good 
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     September 19, 2010 at 8:32 pm e
     Yes, very simple meal. A staple food for all fairs and amusement parks.
     Reply
3. 
   

   Now See Here said

   September 14, 2010 at 10:46 pm e
   you can buy a six pack of corn dogs for five bucks at the store. what a rip.
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     September 19, 2010 at 8:35 pm e
     Absolutely you can. But what is the fun in that?
     Reply
4. 
   

   Gumby said

   September 16, 2010 at 2:08 am e
   How is Vegas Pat? when do you return?
   Reply
   • 
     

     LOTGK said

     September 19, 2010 at 8:36 pm e
     Las vegas was great. Very hot. And San Francisco was awesome.
     Reply
   • 
     

Harrah's Cafe - Breakfast Platter

Harrash' Casino Big Breakfast

Harrah's Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas has plenty of gaming area but when you are hungry, where are you going to eat? One option is Harrah's Cafe. Our flight arrived late and we checked in late and I was very hungry. (They don't feed you on the plane) After we checked in and settled into our room, we went down to the Cafe. The cafe was busy but not packed. We waited a few minutes in line and then were seated.

Being that it was late, I asked if breakfast was available. It was. Breakfast is always available in the Cafe. Delighted in this knowledge, I ordered the sausage, egg, and home fries platter. Toast and jam came with the order.

The eggs were cooked OK, not runny, not burnt, the sausage links were well cooked, and the home fries were well cooked. All in all, a good breakfast. Throw in the toast and jam and it was a great dinner, err, breakfast.

The service was good, the food good, and the price was nice, under $15 dollars not including orange juice and tip. 

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 3.75 out of 5 shots and recommends Harrah's Cafe for breakfast and dinner.

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