Red's Public House - August 23, 2012

Another great turnout this time folks. I counted 12 people who showed up, not including accompanied minors or a couple of folks who didn't seem to believe that burger consumption was a priority of theirs.

As of Sunday afternoon, there are 9 completed surveys. Long story short, we have a new leader for the title of "Cedar Rapids' Best Burger"!

Red's Public House

Unlike some of the other locales on the tour, I have to confess that I don't know a lot about Red's....when it started, how long it's been there, nothing. I have heard rumors that I went to high school with one of the owners, but I have not confirmed that. Red's is your basic hole in the wall (well, it's a little bigger than that) downtown bar. They seem to distinguish themselves by having a small but decent selection of beer on tap, and a very large assortment of canned & bottled beer as well. They also appeared to have a very full liquor selection, for those who prefer spirits. I've been in Red's on the weekend after 10PM, and the clientele skews much younger/prettier than you'd expect for a downtown bar. I felt that I was too old to be there! I digress...

Today's tour was after work, instead of over lunch, so most people took the opportunity to enjoy an adult beverage or three while chatting and scarfing down beef. Everyone had a burger (as far as I can tell), and seemed mostly pleased with the performance and appearance of the staff (my goodness, that dress....). 

The Burger

My burger today was very good, in fact, I believe it to be the best so far. I ordered the Basic Burger with pepper jack. It's been a few days, so I'm not going to go into a long winded discussion of what the burger was like, but I gave it a 7. Very good, but room to improve. I'm looking forward to my first 9 or 10.

I wanted to put a Bo Derek picture in here ("10", get it? Maybe you're not old enough....), but this is a family blog. Oh man that takes me back....anyway...

Basic Burger w. cheese and the Basics. This is what it's all about folks!

Believe it or not, there is meat under that cheese! Burger was perfectly prepared, even though I was not asked how I wanted it prepared. Lots of people commented on this as well. Today's burgers received 7.33/10, with 9 people contributing to the ratings. The Bar Sammich, which I believe was a bleu cheese burger, received a 7/10. 

Another burger, appears to be American or cheddar, with a refreshing beverage

Comments this week included: 

•  I liked the consistency and the grilled flavor. Also, good size. A real burger, not some fast-food paper patty.
•  First bite into it was amazing, second bite, even better... The perfectly cooked burger literally melted into my mouth.
•  The seasoning almost tasted like meatballs or meatloaf which was a little bit of a shock on the first bite, so that lowed my score a little. Loved the toasted bun, probably the best I've had in years which gave it a point or two. The burger was huge, I could only eat half and I still felt like I needed a nap after I was done.
•  There was nothing to dislike on this. The burger, cooked, juicy, flame kissed. What got me here, was the bacon. It was cooked to perfection. Not soft and chewy, but crispy with salty smokey flavor that set it off. The vegetables were crisp and fresh. My bun was soft and wonderful, it was fresh, toasted to perfection with grill marks seared in the butter. I would make the argument that this was done by a cook that took pride in his job no less than sponge bob perfecting a crabby patty. Editor's note; I think someone needed a cigarette after their burger, if you know what I mean! 

Fries

Most of us had fries on the side, but a few had cottage cheese. I get the health benefits, but man that stuff's gross. Overall, the sides were given a 6.22/10. 

Comments included:

• Fries. They were cold, not crispy. Usually I like crinkle cut, but these were the worst.
• Crinkle cut fries that could have been cooked just a little bit longer to become golden brown but otherwise pretty average.
• Had Cottage Cheese, good serving size.
• The cottage cheese was a nice big portion that came in a cup which is nice because I don't like my food touching :) The fries were nice and salty crinkles but maybe a little undercooked.

Service

As is our nature, the tour descended upon Red's with no warning. There appeared to be two people in the kitchen, and one waitress/bartender. I thought she did a good job, keeping everyone's drink full in a reasonable length of time, and also keeping food orders moving. Service received a 6.44/10. 

Comments:

• Server gave my date my basket and me hers (fries vs. cottage cheese). Had to be reminded to even take our order.
• The waitress did a good job of checking in on us.
• I brought my kids there, the bartender treated them with respect. She was busy tending bar. I got my food on time, never had to ask for a thing, she was polite and courteous, and was a hard worker. One of the best experiences I have had.
• She seemed overwehlmed by us, did not get me the right order, but she was good at keeping drinks full, oh and evedently the guys liked her dress
• I will give her a 5 for the hot dress but she was not attentive or very personable, without the dress I would have been more like a 3.

Conclusion

The bread and butter of ANY bar or restaurant is whether or not you'd recommend it to others OR return on your own at some point. Red's fared well in this regard, we gave them a 4.22/5.