Rob’s Reviews and Views

09/14/2026

Recently my wife and I had the honor of representing my employer at the Ronald McDonald House Wine & Fries event. If you are unfamiliar, it's exactly what it sounds like. McDonald's fries are paired with different sauces, chocolates, and hand-selected wines. They take one of my favorite foods, and they class it up in a great atmosphere with people who are there to have a great time while supporting a great cause.

The Ronald McDonald House provides services to families with children needing healthcare. When a child needs to have medical care, it's not always possible to find that care in their home town area. Imagine being a child that has to have a surgery and recovery hours from home. Would you want to be alone? Would you as a parent not do anything to be there with your child? Instead of having to spend a fortune for hotel and food costs, the Ronald McDonald House steps in with a place where families can be together and provide support during medical care. Food and shelter are provided at NO cost to families. This allows the focus to be on being together for the child.

Now that you know the cause is worthy, what about the event? This was our second time attending Wine & Fries, and it keeps getting better. This has quickly become one of my favorite fundraising events. It takes place at the Campbell House in Lexington which is steeped in history. It has been nicely remodeled over the years, and it has a large room to hold this event with plenty of space.

When you arrive you are given the choice to add chocolates to your tasting. DO THIS! It's only an extra $5, and the chocolates are incredible. From there you walk in to the ballroom, and it is thoughtfully laid out with tasting tables around the outside with plenty of room in the center for mingling. You grab a tasting glass, and it's off to the races.

The first area on your left is a tasting of two types of red wine. If you can guess which one is more expensive, you are entered into a drawing for a TempurPedic mattress Somehow I thought that the wine that made my skin crawl would be more expensive. I was wrong, but my wife got it right.

Before getting into the tastings, regular readers will know that I do not take part in the dipping of fries into any type of sauce. Salt only for me. I've included the dipping sauces in the descriptions for anyone who does enjoy the dips.

The first tasting table had fries served hot in the familiar small sized order bags from McDonald's paired with a Prosecco Brut. Oddly enough it was a nice match with the wine adding a nice refreshing feel after enjoying my favorite food.

The second tasting table had fries with Caesar dipping sauce and a Sauvignon Blanc. Follow that up with a delicious Lemon Cream Milk Chocolate, and you could not be happier with the choices here! I notice many people were still on their first bag at this point. I made sure to finish a small fry at every table!

Next up was a Hot & Honey Mustard dip with a nice Riesling and a Milk Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel. This hit the spot big time. Of course the fries had a bit of salt on them, but not as much as I normally prefer. The chocolate really brought the taste while giving a nice bit of sweetness with the refreshing Riesling.

Table 4 featured a Zinfandel paired with Tangy BBQ Sauce and a Dark Chocolate Raspberry Meltaway. Not my favorite chocolate, but who is going to complain about another order of french fries? I could not be happier at this point.

Finishing up the tastings was a Shiraz paired with classic ketchup and a Dark Chocolate English Toffee. Was I tired of eating fries by the 5th table? Absolutely not! This was tied with the lemon cream for my favorite chocolate/fries pairing.

During all of this, you aren't just jumping from table to table. It would be very hard for you to not find good friends at this event. Local celebrities, business owners, Commerce Lexington Ambassadors, were all there, and I even ran into a friend that I knew from my college days. We agreed not to publicize which decade our college days took place. Even if you didn't know someone, it was easy to strike up conversations, as we were all there for a great cause. The wine probably didn't hurt either!

There was a nice picture station where you could gather friends to take some nice shots, and Tops in Lex sent a photographer to get some great pictures (some you will see in this post). The night was topped off with a visit from the Hamburglar himself.

As if this wasn't great enough, I was lucky enough to be part of the VIP experience that followed. In a separate dining room, we were sat at tables of 8 to be served a gourmet McDonald's experience with a live Sommelier who took us through some wine pairings with full descriptions of what we were tasting. I learned a lot listening which made me enjoy the wine that much more.

The meal was a McDonald's Hash Brown topped with caviar and creme fraiche, Fried Chicken with smoky BBQ sauce, and dessert was a McDonald's Fried Apple Pie with vanilla bean ice cream. Pretty fantastic stuff.

When you see this event advertised for 2027, be certain to jump to buy tickets as soon as you can. This was an amazing time with great food, great drinks, and great people. Make sure to bring a designated driver, or get a room at the Campbell House! Thank you again to my employer and all of the other sponsors of this worthy cause. I can't wait to be there again!

08/22/2026

Major Event Coming Up!!!!!!

Something that should interest any regular readers of this blog. On Friday, August 28th at 5:30 pm at the Campbell House in Lexington is the 3rd annual Wine & Fries event benefiting the Ronald McDonald House in Lexington. Polly and I went last year, and it was fantastic! Think all you can eat fries, matched with wine, fine chocolates, and dipping sauces (if you are into that which most are, not me though). Below is the actual press release from the Ronald McDonald House in Lexington. This is a great cause, and a great event. I hope to see you there! Full review will follow the event!

Join us on Friday, August 28 at 5:30 PM at The Campbell House for the third annual Wine & Fries, where McDonald's world-famous fries meet expertly selected wines in support of Ronald McDonald House Lexington.



This year's featured pairings are here...

· Ketchup + Smoky BBQ Sauce paired with bold, full-bodied red wines

· Hot Mustard, Honey Mustard + the NEW McDonald's Caesar Sauce paired with bright, refreshing white wines



Get the Chocolate Upgrade! For just $5, add four hand-selected Ruth Hunt chocolates to make your tasting experience even sweeter.



Looking for the ultimate experience?

We still have a limited number of VIP tickets available, and this year's menu is bigger, bolder, and more indulgent than ever.

Guided by an Advanced Sommelier from 7:30 to 9 PM, you'll enjoy premium wines paired with unforgettable bites including:

· A McDonald's Hash Brown topped with Kentucky caviar and crème fraiche

· Chef TJ's legendary fried chicken (served to two U.S. presidents) with smoky BBQ sauce

· McDonald's iconic Fried Apple Pie served warm with vanilla bean ice cream

08/08/2026

I find myself in a place where I need to be quiet for an extended period of time. If you know anything about me, this is close to impossible. So what am I to do? How about I loudly type out a blog on my laptop? That won't annoy anyone right??

The other day I had a near perfect experience. My friend Daniel has opened a new location for The Fizzy Fox on Southland Drive. As he says to everyone, "Shhhh. Don't tell." It's a soft opening, as they don't have all their equipment in yet. They do have all their soft drinks hooked up, and they have most of their mixers ready to make your dirty sodas. They also have a kitchen in the back where cookies and other baked treats are being made fresh daily. If they are this good on a "soft opening" without their full menu available, how good will they be when they are fully operational?

If you haven't experienced the Fizzy Fox, it started as a truck that eventually parked full time at Greyline Station. They offer dirty sodas which are a huge deal out west I"m told. I've seen McDonald's offering dirty sodas on their menu, but the Fizzy Fox was years ahead of them. Also their menu is much more robust than just 3 offerings. I would never have thought that cream in a soft drink would taste good. I was way wrong!

On this day I had what they call a Double Tap Root Beer. It was root beer with vanilla cream, and it was everything I want in a good root beer. Great vanilla taste, and it was insanely smooth. The root beer went really well with fries from South of Wrigley.

Yes, South of Wrigley is about 4 doors down from the Fizzy Fox. You always should give yourself extra time if you are going to South of Wrigley, as they always have a line and a wait. It's very much worth it, as people love their authentic Chicago style sandwiches and dogs. When I went to the counter, they warned me it was a 30 minute wait on food. I replied, "I'm just here for some fries." That took about 5 minutes.

The fries at South of Wrigley are fried in beef tallow. Other places have tried to do beef tallow, and they inevitably make it political. South of Wrigley has always done this, so both sides of the aisle can enjoy these fries. On my personal list of top fries, they are top 3. I did not see salt packets to grab, and that bothered me. Then I ate the fries, and I didn't have to add anything at all to them. These fries were perfectly seasoned with a bit of salt on each fry. Tough to do in a cup style container.

The fries themselves had a good meaty interior that was made extra tasty with the beef tallow. The exterior was slightly crisp with what I would guess to be sea salt. They weren't overly generous with the sea salt, but that is not an insult. These fries needed nothing else at all for taste! They looked a little brown, but they were not burned by any means. They were good to the last bit in the cup. Make sure you try out these fries, as they are a hidden treasure in Lexington.

Like I said, the fries went very well with the Double Tap Root Beer. I finished it off with a big sugar cookie from the Fizzy Fox for dessert. I would share a picture, but all I remembered to take was the left over crumbs. As Daniel said, Victor really knows what he is doing in the kitchen. The cookie was soft, but it held together well with no crumbs shooting out when I ate the cookie. The sugar levels were great, and the taste was on point. I was told that the brownies are even better, so that's something for everyone to seek out.

So yes, this week I had a nearly perfect dining experience with the Fizzy Fox and South of Wrigley. I did nearly match it with a long time Rob favorite Wheeler Pharmacy the next day with my friend Andrew. No pics there, as the food was just the same as always. In other words, superb.

That being said, go to the Fizzy Fox and South of Wrigley. These are both locally owned businesses, and I'm sure they would appreciate your support. Also it will make you trust what I type here even more than you already do when you taste things for yourself. I guarantee Chris Henry has tried both already.

07/29/2026

Okay, so I didn't become a prolific blogger over my staycation last week. Too many things took away my attention. This is why I can't work from home. I get distracted by the dog, my bed, the tv, music, food, and a rare chore around the house. I'm sure my wife would like to see me more distracted by chores, but she also said that she didn't see me out of bed before 11 am this past weekend. I hadn't slept like that since I was a teenager.

Recently the great Todd Probus posted something to the effect of "We don't HAVE to spend time with our kids. We GET to spend time with our kids." One of the best times for me last week was golfing with my son. To some seeing your 9 year old out drive you would be embarrassing. To me, he could probably out drive me when he was 5. I was able to just be a proud dad watching him play. My son is growing by leaps and bounds both physically and mentally. Conversations with him are fun, interesting, and memorable. I'm very happy that he loves spending time with this old guy, and I hope that doesn't end any time soon.

Catching up on things that I wanted to post about earlier:

I had the good fortune to attend the Commerce Lexington @330 series at 46Solutions to see a presentation by Joel Katte. Joel works for Fayette County Schools while his summers are spent playing baseball! I met Joel recently after he played on the Lexington Legends field for a sold out game. He could not have been a nicer guy, and I also got to meet his then fiancee Mary Louise. My wife and I got to know Joel better at a 4th of July party where we found a lot of mutual friends in common. Joel is a great guy that I'm proud to call a new friend of mine. Of course I was going to sign up to see him speak.

He does a powerful presentation on how to bring purpose to your life on a daily basis with passion. He uses a lot of pop culture references that even an old guy like me can get. Someone in the audience mentioned she was tired of being looked at every time a reference was for older people. She asked, "How old do you think I am?" I guessed within a year of the actual age. I asked her how old she thought I was. She said, "63." Sounds about right by the looks of me I guess.

Anyways, Joel was awesome. I laughed. I was into it. I can see why he's a great educator. Anyone reading this should hire Joel to motivate your staff or group with a presentation. His website is www.joelkatte.com.

If you haven't played the game Heardle, I recommend you do. Check out www.heardledecades.com and see how you fare. I'm in a group of brothers from college who play on a daily basis. We share our results, and of course there are insults thrown on the daily. Not the easy Chris Henry kind of insults either. More cutting insults like, "How in the world did you not know the band Chicago?!?!" Worse is, "How in the world did you know Rock DJ by Robbie Williams?" It's a great time. The four of us met up at Local Feed in Georgetown to catch up and make fun of each other in person.

That leads to the french fry review of the day. Local Feed advertises their fries as "steak fries." These are absolutely not steak fries. In fact, they are closer to a Penn Station kind of fry if Penn Station knew how to properly cook fries. These fries are definitely not processed. These were made by a fine chef who understands fries. They have been cut to a nice rectangular shape, and they were definitely blanched before cooking a second time. That's where Penn Station massively fails. They either don't let the fries soak enough to remove excess starch, or they don't cook the fries a second time. The first is to make them soft, and the second time is to provide a crisp. Otherwise, get some processed fries.

These were done to near perfection. They almost had a smoky taste, as they have been left in the grease to really get a proper crisp. Local Feed is smart to just put sea salt on the fries without any other seasoning. Points do come off for advertising these as steak fries, as I was definitely in the mood for a hearty well prepared steak fry. That being said, these are worthy fries of just being out of the top 10 list.

Lessons here? Todd Probus isn't just good for jokes on social media. Joel Katte is a must see presentation if you get the chance. He probably deserves a promotion or raise to keep him in Fayette County before someone steals him away. Local Feed was pretty good, but Penn Station fries are an abomination. Also Chris Henry again got off easy today. Until next time....

07/22/2026

07/22/2026

I recently had the best meal of my lifetime. This is not an exaggeration. This is a fact. A lot of times I'll exaggerate a bit when I"m talking about how great something is. For example, Steak and Shake fries are great! They are actually really good, but great is an exaggeration. No such thing with this entry.

Polly's birthday was the 21st. We drove up to Cincinnati to eat at Ruth's Chris Steak House for her birthday. I meant for it to be a surprise, but I warned her about a week early. Polly had mentioned that she had never been to Ruth's Chris, and she always had wanted to try it. I often have been accused of having selective hearing or a memory that is fading. I burned her steak house request in my brain for months to make sure I could make her happy for her birthday.

For the uninitiated, Polly and I have been married for 10 years now. Too often Polly is happy just to see her loved ones happy. She sacrifices her wants to keep me and Teddy happy on a daily basis. She deserves to have something she wants, and I was excited to make it happen. I also know she doesn't like surprises, so I wanted her to have time to plan if needed.

Ruth's Chris Steak House does not serve french fries. At least not on the adult menu. It will be shocking to most that I was ok with this, but again...it was for Polly. We had reservations for 6 pm, and we were escorted to an elevator to a dining room where our table overlooked the Banks in downtown Cincinnati. The table was decorated with Happy Birthday confetti which I thought was a nice touch. We both ordered a cocktail to start, and Polly enjoyed the Veal Osso Bucco Ravioli, as I enjoyed the freshly baked bread. Polly said they should bottle the sauce for her appetizer, so if you are into that kind of thing - it's a must order.

Polly ordered the 8 oz filet Oscar style with lobster mac n cheese, and I ordered the 8 oz filet with a lobster tail and a baked potato. Polly loved her steak, but I'll let her speak for herself on her own time. I'm here to talk about my food. The baked potato could have been a star at any other normal restaurant. It was perfectly soft while being hot enough to melt butter immediately. Sometimes a baked potato can be overcooked and ruin a meal. This one was perfect. The only problem is that I didn't finish it. Instead I was distracted by my main course.

I ordered my steak medium. Our server informed us that Ruth's Chris only uses the top cuts of meats while using a 1000 degree oven to cook the steaks. The plates used for serving are 500 degrees, so you can't touch them! The meal is kept at a perfect temperature the whole time, so you don't have to rush through anything.

The steak itself melted in my mouth. It had a nice crust, and I saw no fat or gristle. Just perfection with every cut. I wasn't really interested in the lobster. I've had lobster once before, and I remember it didn't taste great. Polly convinced me to take the chance. This lobster was delicious on it's own. It wasn't too buttery, and it had a perfectly smooth feel to it. Putting it together with the steak created a masterpiece that I will judge every food against for the rest of my life. Imagine the perfect steak with a buttery bit of lobster that somehow made a sugary taste mixed with the rest. The joy that I felt with each bite was immeasurable. Polly was shocked that I didn't finish my baked potato, although I'm sure she was tired of hearing how amazing each bite was of the steak and lobster.

The dessert was no slouch at all. Polly ate her fill, so I ordered a creme brulee. I'm on a chromebook, so I don't know how to do the fancy accents to spell that properly. Sorry! Anyways, the creme brulee I'm used to has been torched to a smooth finish. This one was torched well, but it still had bits of crunchy sugar on top. It almost was like a bit of snickerdoodle on top of the dessert itself. The texture was amazing, and the taste was what I've always loved about creme brulee. Great vanilla custard with each sugary bite from the top crust.

The service was fantastic. David was there to answer any questions, and he was quick to help with refills whenever needed despite being sat with a large party. Another server named Brody was attentive as well, and they both took time to say they appreciated us being there.

Bottom line is that I want to win the lottery, and I want to eat at Ruth's Chris Steak House every night for the rest of my life. This was an amazing night, and I wish I could replay it non stop. Could this experience be matched elsewhere? Tony's? Nah, I've been there, and it doesn't compare. Ruby's? I haven't tried it. If you've done both, let me know. If Ruby's is this good, I may need to sell my house and live in my car to afford my new food vice. Polly and I both agreed that the steak at the Park Grill in Gatlinburg was comparable, but they fail for the sides, drinks, and atmosphere.

Happy birthday Polly! Thank you for being so awesome. You are a joy to everyone who encounters you. Your smile is even better than Ruth's Chris Steak House's steak and lobster, and that's saying a LOT!

07/18/2026

Welcome back everyone to Rob's Reviews and Views! I am way behind on things that I want to write about. As proof this entry will be about a lunch from May 22! Good thing is that I"m on a "staycation" this week, so I"ve got time to catch up. I'd love to say I'll be a prolific writer this week, but I'll be lucky to bang out 3 entries. Also my wife is currently hanging wallpaper, so I need to try to feel productive while she's working so hard. So hooray for you! You get to read about my opinions and random thoughts!

Have you ever met someone where you just trust them right away? From the first words exchanged, you just know this is a good person with strong morals that you can count on. Well Alex Smith is one of those people. As proof of my trust in him, Alex convinced me to try new food!

Long time readers, friends, and family will know that getting me to try new food is a tall task. I could eat the same thing every meal without fail or boredom. If something works, I don't see the need to change it up. It's probably why I still love 80's music and movies. My wife says that my musical tastes took a hiatus somewhere around 1998. I like to think of this as an endearing quality of mine, but don't spam my comment section if you disagree. I've got a friend of mine who thinks I suffer from ARFID. I am not rushing to tell my doctor about this, as he already has his hands full with me. Bottom line is I don't like to try new foods.

Alex and I were set to meet over lunch, so I could learn more about Green Solutions Landcare. Alex recommended we meet up at Big Kahuna Hawaiian BBQ. I quickly went to the online menu to see what I would eat. Everything I saw had exotic flavors, sauces, and other things most people would be excited to try out. Me? I was having flashbacks to when I would take McDonald's to birthday parties at Pizza Hut. Still, I trust this guy. He surely wouldn't steer me wrong I hoped.

We met up at the Stonewall location for Big Kahuna, as that has way better parking than the location at Liberty Road. I was promised good fries, and I figured I'd find something I could just kind of pick at while I ate the fries. I settled on Spam and eggs with fries as seen in the picture below. I'd never had Spam before, but I do like a good fried egg. How bad could it be? I was still nervous when I tried my first bite.

Man I was not disappointed in the least bit. I don't know if was the cook, the restaurant, or maybe the horror stories about Spam are just false. This dish was fantastic! This was better than bacon and eggs. The eggs really mixed well with the pork taste of the Spam. The fries were decent. I enjoyed them too, but the Spam was the star of the show here. I felt like I had discovered some sort of secret to happiness that no one had ever shared with me before. Yes folks. Spam and eggs are wonderful. At least it was at Big Kahuna.

I know everyone will want to know about the fries. They are good, but they weren't something that will make me rush back to get more. They were decent. Not offensive by any means. A nice straight cut fry with the coating that makes fries stay hot longer. I personally prefer fries without that coating, but these were cooked properly. Still soft on the inside. I would love to see a better fry at Big Kahuna, and I would become a regular. Still I will return often for the Spam and eggs!

So what have we learned here? Alex Smith is a good dude that didn't steer me wrong. I would trust his work on commercial landscaping and turf care with Green Solutions Landcare. Finally Big Kahuna was a win. Spam and Eggs are awesome, and I'm now a converted believer! Stay tuned, as there will be more posts coming in the next few days.

05/26/2026

An Ode to Raising Cane's

Read more to learn about the recent update to the Hamburg Raising Cane's, their delicious fries, and their great marketing team....

One of the best things about being an Ambassador for Commerce Lexington Inc. is being invited to grand openings and ribbon cuttings. On May 21, Raising Cane's held a ribbon cutting for their newly renovated Hamburg location. This location has a place in my heart, as I was at the closing table for the loan that set up this location so many years ago. A dearly departed friend of mine was the lead banker for that transaction, and I think of him every time I visit this Cane's.

If you are not familiar with Raising Cane's, you should re-evaluate your life choices. They have a limited menu. It consists of chicken tenders, fries, texas toast, cole slaw, and Cane's sauce. Along with beverages, that's your choices. That's the list. My son loves the sauce, but faithful readers know that I won't touch it. Salt only. I'm a purist after all. The chicken is phenomenal. Perfectly marinated, hand breaded, and cooked to order. They don't have stale overly crispy exteriors. Nope. These tenders are juicy all the way through.

That's not why you are here though. How are the fries you ask? Perfectly cooked thin crinkle cuts. I have no idea how they are so consistently perfect. These types of fries are hard to do right. I've seen other places fry them too long, so they are burnt and too crunchy. I've seen some not fry them long enough to where you can taste ice when you bite into them. Nope. Cane's always has a perfect texture. Just enough resistance from the exterior before you enjoy a nice soft interior. You can successfully eat these in a handful or one at a time. I've done both, and I've always been happy. In fact when I'm invited to bring an item to a potluck or holiday event, I always bring a tailgate pan full of Cane's fries.

As an aside, one of the Regional Managers agreed to officiate a fry eating contest I was in LONG ago. A couple of my co-workers mistakenly believed they could beat me in a fry eating event. The Regional Manager brought each of us a tailgate pan full of fries, and he gave us 10 minutes to see who could eat the most. I almost finished my whole pan, and my competitors didn't get half way through. I can still hear the whiny echoes of Adam Saylor saying, "but I can destroy you in a nugget or tender eating contest." Adam may have been right, but I believe that I could beat Joey Chestnut in a fry eating contest when I was at my biggest/best. Unfortunately medically ordered weight loss has ravaged that fry eating beast that I was. Thanks a lot for extending my life Ivan! Maybe it was worth it.

The Hamburg location of Cane's has been masterfully renovated. The interior is much brighter, and the interior signage has been updated. The previously overcrowded drink area was expanded making it much more comfortable. The memorabilia on the walls has been updated to allow for younger generations to enjoy some of their own pop culture. Of course I prefer the old stuff, but I understand that young people need to be catered to as well.

When we showed up for the ribbon cutting the marketing team greeted us as we walked up. It was a rainy day, so I left my umbrella outside with them as I checked out the new interior. When I came back out, the umbrella was missing. I was quickly assured that the team placed my umbrella to the side. Then they offered me a Raising Cane's golf umbrella to help spread the word of Cane's! I gleefully accepted, as I can definitely be influenced by free swag.

The free swag didn't end there either. The team was passing out freebies to everyone coming in. Koozies, bags, sunglasses, etc. I kept my bounty to the umbrella and a small plush replica of their dog mascot. My son loves it. The team itself was remarkable. They didn't need to, but they spent time getting to know all of us who attended the event. They found out about my fry blogging (like I ever shut up about that), and they found out about my Bengals fandom. They even suggested that I attend a Tee Higgins or Chase Brown summer camp, as Cane's is a sponsor. They even sent me the pictures that you will find below from the ribbon cutting. I was impressed with how genuinely nice each of the marketing team members were. Things like that may seem small, but being treated so well makes me want to spend more of my time at Cane's instead of their competition.

The team also introduced me to the location General Manager. His business card says that he is a "Restaurant Partner, Fry Cook & Cashier." As someone who has restaurant experience, I know that's no joke. Servant leadership in a restaurant is greatly appreciated, and it's a sign of a place that is working well.

The bottom line is that you need to drop what you are doing and enjoy some Cane's. Go to the Hamburg location, and be impressed with the work they put into the renovation. Also if you see another ribbon cutting for Cane's, stop by! They will be remodeling more stores in town, and you can get freebies! You will also be treated insanely well by the marketing team. I don't say this because I was bought with some trinkets. I say this, as a card carrying Caniac. Proudly a member since 2007.