Ever Seen a "Don's Guns" Commercial?

2008 Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon

If you've ever watched much tv out of Indianapolis, it's likely that you've seen a Don's Guns commercial that finished up, "I don't want to make any money...I just love to sell guns."  Well, we've taken a little bit of that tongue in cheek approach with some very serious wine here at The Gas House.  Now, don't take this to mean that we claim to be some sort of authority on wine...However, we have recently brought in a few iconic names, and have put price tags on them that might suggest that these bottles have been aging at the bottom of the St. Mary's River...rest assured this is not the case.  In any event, those in the know would be completely aware that we have no business pushing Caymus Special Selection Napa Cab at $160 or Shafer Relentless Syrah at $95.  Obviously, this is not peanuts, but consider what you might pay for either of these California icons in other restaurants (slim pickings here in town), and you might get the notion that we've got a screw loose.  To be totally honest, we still make out on these, but we're nice guys and enjoy having our stupidity taken advantage of.  Besides these top shelf offerings, there's also a bunch of very good stuff in that wine book, now...and quite a bit of it at more casual price points.  But, if the occasion calls, remember that you're not going to find anyone else around that will peddle top flight bottles like us morons.

A public service announcement...

When the fires need rekindling, this appears to be a safe, inexpensive and discreet alternative to more conventional medical methods of dealing with a personal problem...

What we really need to know about our candidates...

While stances on issues such as healthcare, the economy, witchcraft and the like are all top of mind this election season, there are positions on issues we generally don't hear about from national candidates.  This is an exclusive look into the minds of a few important figures in recent American politics that may offer a brief moment of insight into how these fellas think...

Not So Fast My Friend...

Mother Nature can be a fickle bird from time to time, and we're not too proud to admit when we might be wrong about something...Although we looked a little bit like prophets for calling it a year on the Deck when a pleasant and 75 degree Friday turned to 50-something and rainy on Saturday, the tides have turned a little bit.  As of 10:08 a.m. on Tuesday, we're looking at something 70-ish and sunny for the next six days or so.  With this development, we're seeing if our outdoor staffers have already left for their winter residences at Del Boca Vista Phase 3.  If we can track 'em down, we'll wrangle 'em in here and see if we can't milk a few more days out of this sucker before fall sets in for real...stay tuned.

And Finally for Today...

This is Your Competition

It has been determined that there is no way there is a better hamburger out there than an expertly crafted burger from The Gas House...now, bear in mind, I think we do a filet, New York, or a porterhouse better than anyone else in town because there is a little bit of science to cooking steak, and most folks just don't pay attention to the finer points.  That being said, there is something positively patriotic about a well executed hamburger that makes me want to stand up and recite The Pledge of Allegiance.  This is better than a half a pound of freshly ground beef on a buttered and toasted onion roll, with damn near anything you might want on it.  I've cooked an awful lot of these things, and I still chuckle just a little bit when I send out a beautiful medium rare Black and Blue smothered in grilled onions, bleu cheese & bacon...it's oozing goodness and strictly business.

With this said, I'm throwing down the gauntlet...if there's anyone out there in restaurant-land with the guts to rumble like The Outsiders, I'm game.  We'll assemble a panel of well-girthed aficionados and get down.  Conveyor belt cooks need not apply.  If I'm beat, I'll admit it...'cause I know it's gonna take a Villanova '85 effort to get that done.

A Little Comic Relief

After something as depressing as that, I figured something needed to be done to lighten up the situation a bit...this scene never ceases to crack me up.

Friend of Fort Wayne Passes On

A familiar face to almost anyone who has spent any amount of time in the downtown area has moved on to a better place.  Morgan Ketchem, 54, died Wednesday, September 22nd.  Morgan's brother Roger, his best friend in the world, has worked here at The Gas House for more than 25 years.  Like Roger, Morgan never seemed to have a bad day...there was a reason to be pleased with even the smallest thing, like a bowl of soup he would share with his brother after his workday was over.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to Morgan and Roger.

Online Reservations in Full Effect

For those of you stuck at 3:30 in the morning without dinner reservations for the following evening, you now have an option...Hop on over to The Gas House website at:

http://www.donhalls.com/locations.asp?ID=35

You'll find some menus and some other propaganda, but also a handy little tool for making an online dinner reservation. Punch in some information on time, number of guests and so forth, and you're ready to roll...no muss, no fuss. There's even a spot to make any special requests: favorite server, anniversary, dog's birthday, etc...very new and very exciting...But, for the purist, we are definitely still answering telephones as well.

Summer Season Wrapping Up

After another busy summer season, the Deck is getting close to calling it quits for 2010. Despite the fact that when we hit the first 60 degree day in April 2011 folks will be stripping down to tank tops and digging out the flip flops, 60 degrees in September may as well be a low-grade blizzard. All this said, we've still got a few weeks in us before it's all said and done...sticking around until we hit that first stretch of wet and chilly early fall weather. It's been fun, and we are working on some things already to make 2011 even better...stay tuned.

Late Breaking News...

Generally speaking, many citizens of this great country think that Congress wastes its time on silly, irrelevant and petty things...Well, just when it seemed that we should probably scrap everything and start over again, the boys and girls in Washington have finally gotten down to the things that really matter to most Americans...

It's Been Determined...

Believe it or not...an independent panel of hamburger enthusiasts has determined that the best hamburger on planet Earth is available here in Fort Wayne.

Despite tough competition from snobbish foie gras and Kobe beef monstrosities offered by hot-to-trot wimps from New York and avocado-tofu garbage submitted by a bunch of freaks from the left coast, The Ten Dollar Burger offered at local good-times joint, The Gas House, has taken top honors in a recent poll of at least six people here in the Summit City.

While it was difficult to comprehend the judges completely with a load of bacon and cheese stuffed in their oral cavity, the verdict seemed quite apparent when the out-of-town competition was offered quite willingly to a roving pack of raccoons.

Weighing in at more than two pounds, The Ten Dollar Burger sports 20 ounces of beef, and enough mayo, cheese and bacon to disqualify you for most life insurance policies. Eyewitnesses at the scene actually reported to have seen a personal injury attorney approaching the judging panel at the conclusion of the competition offering the name of some unscrupulous cardiologist.

While The Gas House staff cannot guarantee that you'll find this colossus on the menu, we're told to rest assured that (with a wink and nod) you'll get what you're looking for.

Back in Full Effect

It's hard to believe that it has already been a year since we started tearing this place apart...things are quite different now from the first of '09 when we began the monumental task of turning cooks and dishwashers into a reputable construction crew...

By all accounts, the last seven months of 2009 were quite successful, but not without some blood, sweat and tears. I'll tell you what, though...to open up without much opportunity for getting to know some new staff, with very little practice and with the deck opening only one week after the inside restaurant, I'm thoroughly pleased with how quickly we got back on that horse...and a fine testament to the efforts of our staff here is being mentioned by some local media types as one of the best joints in town for 2009.

This is all swell, but we're not looking to just hold steady...

Menus are constantly being reviewed, wine lists have been tinkered with big time, staff continues to learn and develop and so on and so forth...One thing remains the same, however...we've got a whole bunch of people here who bust their hump pretty good to not only meet, but exceed your expectations every time we see you...

All this said, we've enjoyed our "first" seven months of operation, and eagerly anticipate all that 2010 promises...

It All Sounds Like a Good Idea

Remember the last time that you swore up and down that you were putting an end to your casual addiction to all things deep fried?

What about your commitment to eliminate four letter words from your vocabulary?

Ever mystified when someone was completely incapable of following through with a penny-ante responsibility?

Find it odd that an individual cannot find two minutes a few times a week to make some semi-amusing and/or interesting comments on a blog about the comings and goings of a restaurant in a midwestern town of approximately 200,000 people?

Yes...that's quite curious.

I'm sure that a person like that would feel quite silly, and would probably do everything in his or her power to be certain that such a lapse might never occur again.