Suburban Fewd: Wagner's Drive-In

Three decades ago my family would hop in the brown Chevy station wagon, cross the railroad tracks along Old Highway 169 in Brooklyn Park, and tip a glass of A & W Root Beer at our very own neighborhood A & W Drive-In Restaurant. It was never anything short of badass. The frostiest mugs, the trays on the rolled-down window. Seriously cool. Then it closed.
Years passed, and it lay vacant. Another tenant moved in, failed. Then Wagner's Drive-In took the reins, and for what must be the last fifteen years, they've been solvent enough to stay in business.
Yesterday, while making the familiar trip to my parents' house, my driving companion Jodi and I decided we were in the mood for some drive-in fewd. As previously stated, this building has been there for 30-plus years, but it had been nearly that since I'd given it a go. Why? No idea. Always meant to, and now have. And now, in one visit, Wagner's Drive-In has taken a rightful place in my Twin Cities Top Ten. As the man once said, it was gorgeousness and gorgeocitiy all in one.
Unassuming, the place barely has a sign visible from the highway (now Hwy 81), but when you notice every stall is taken, you figure people must not need direction.
The first thing I noticed, amid the nostalfgia and flashbacks, were the menu prices. You know I'm a sucker for the cheap, and brother, this food is just that. Burgers for $2.50 (1/4 lb), hot dogs for $1.95, chicken, fries, rings, sandies, all way under $4. Adding fries and a drink runs a paltry $2.15, or something. I say 'or something' because I was too giddy to keep track of my own bill.
With prices like this, I made the foolish assumtion that said burgers would be McD's-like small ... thus, I ordered the double chee combo. Jod opted for the BLT combo. When the food arrived - yeah, on a tray!, yeah, perched on my open window! (and yes, thoughts of Clark Griswold and the Family Truckster entered my head) - it was most pleasantly shocking. The double chee was not only laege (1/2 lb), it was carefully prepared. Not squished, not all lop-sided. Just two beef patties, two slices of chee, and a bun. Simple, and maginificent. A top 10 burger. Like it was cooked on a grill in your back yard -- only it was cooked by a professional, not your father who burns everything.
The fries are crinkle-cut (is there any other kind at a drive-in?) and salty/delicious. Jodi's BLT was, as she proclaimed, "a total mom sandwich" -- that is, it was made like your mom would make it. Square white bread, bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo. That's it. No fancy seven grain, no bacon as thick as your thumb, no pretense. Just a good freaking sandwich.
The two combos ran us a little over $12. Mine rang in a bit higher of the two, as the double chee more than warrants a $4+ price tag. We ate, and we laughed, and man, it was soooo damn good. It was happy food, served from a happy place, with happy employees, and no doubt, a happy owner. We weren't a block from the joint when I gleefully declared Wagner's Drive-In a 9 of 10. Then wondering aloud what they could possibly do better to earn the nearly impossible 10 of 10 ... the answer was roller skates. Everyone can improve, but with Wagner's you really have to nit-pick to find a spot where they need it.
Just off the 694 and Hwy 81 in Brooklyn Park. Take your kids. Teach them how it was when you were young. Wagner's is an istant classic, and an instant fave ... and I'd driven by it a thousand times. I feel both foolish and blessed. And full.

Downtown Eats: 501 Club

Fans of the NE Mpls. music and drinking establishment 331 Club rejoice. The very same folks bring the NE Side to the DT area in the form of the 501 Club. A live music, cheap eats joint, located in the former Matty B's spot on Washington Ave.
501 is in their third week of existence, and according to our lovely server O'Calla, the place is still honing its menu. That being said, WHAT a menu. Seriously. Seriously cool. Vegan, Vegetarian, Carnivore, whateves ... the slew of choices is only outdone by the jaw-droppingly low prices. Hamburgers (All sandies and burgers come with choice of fries, sweet potato fries, or fruit -- no upcharge!) run a super low $7. Not a Burger-Buddies sized burger, either - as ample as any you'll find in town. My Black Bean & Brown Rice burger was delicious, and freaked me out being only $6. The fruit cup alone would run $4 at Byerly's a la carte lunch.
My next trip will be for Made-to-order guacamole with chips $3.75 and Chili (vegan or meat) $3.75/cup, $5.50/bowl. Barely an item on the menu breaks the $7.50 mark, and there isn't one choice over $10. Not one. You hearing me Harry's? You and your shitty $11 burgers and morbid service can suck on it.
Drink specials also impress, with cool Tallboy nights - 2 for $5, and whiskey/Coke nights - $3 (among others). Drinks would go nicely with 501's already gaudy line-up of local bands -- Night in the Box, Como Avenue Jug Band, and Retribution Gospel Choir are just a few lined up for the coming week.
Trivia also takes over on Wednesday nights, joining a long list of spots doing it on the same night of the week. If I had to guess, 501's will be a hit.

To put it mildly, I LOVED the 501. It's two doors down from my workplace, and River Road ride from home. Excited? Yes I am. Damn good DT food for under $10, and never-a-cover charge entertainment ... My bet is this overtakes Grumpy's as the hip spot for the art-heavy warehouse side of the downtown area.

501 Club

What I'm Eatin'

Torta Cubano from Eli's
(1225 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN 55403).
Nine buck, and worth every penny. Fried ham, sliced hot dog, jalapeno, tomato, romaine, and guacamole. All toasty and perfect. Best sandy in a loooong time. The photo, courtesy of the Palm, does not do proper justice.