This roadside grill has hit the cooking on the head. The burgers were so fresh they may have walked across the street and knocked the horns off the cattle right there. The onions were freshly cut, you know the kind that the water distribution is even, not like they were sitting cut from lunchtime and all watery. Finding a menu where everything is under $10 but yet handmade with fresh ingredients is hard to do. It really felt like a family environment as there were outdoor games going on while families had pulled tables together to eat like a big group. Also, it really seemed like the waitstaff knew and cared about the patrons. If you are looking for a real home cooking bar food type joint, this is definitely the place to stop.
Review Source:Tuesday, 10:50 A.M.
 They don't open until 11:00 but unlike some other joints and banks, that have a phalanx of drones standing behind the keeper of the key to let you in at the crack (or so) of 9:00, manager Jodie had no problem with me coming in and taking my order.
 It's an old gas station mini mart across the road from an automobile restricted entrance to an overgrown originally paved part of old Route 66. Jodie mentioned that she's fighting a proposal to grind it up for a modern bike trail. I think it's just fine the way it is and so does Jodie but why leave a piece of history intact when you can gentrify it?
 I ordered a double 1/4 pounder with pepper jack cheese and tater tots. And having Sri Racha hot sauce as an option for burger dousing and tot dipping is OK by me. The tots were crispy and as I looked at the unpepper jack cheese on my burger I heard one of the cooks say to the other,"That was supposed to be pepper jack." The order must have whizzed past him too quickly to intercept.
 Jodie immediately and without hesitation said, "Make him another." It wasn't that big a deal. With Jodie's reaction and since the cook had a T-shirt on that said "it's not my attitude I just don't like you" how could you go wrong with a simple cheese miscue?
 The burgers look hand pounded and were pretty damn good with un pepper jack cheese on them.
 Jodie has been with the place since it opened nine years ago and judging by her looks they hired her when she was about nine years old. This is a good thing and not an indication of child labor law abuse. I talked with Joe Tuttle, the owner, for a little bit and got the feeling that I'd like to come back here in the future.
 There's a nice fenced off patio with flowers and a view of the fields nearby. And a view of a piece of rapidly vanishing American history.
I really like this place. Â I've been many times and not once had a bad meal. Â They have a full bar and great bar food. Â Good burgers, chicken sandwich, and I think they call it a pig wing or something. Â Basically it a couple rib bones with a huge ball of pork on the end. Â Very tasty. Â The service is exceptional and the waitress is very easy on the eyes. Â Love the tattoos!
Review Source:Man... This place is my new fave.
I was sittin' around in my underwear on Saturday afternoon not really wantin' to do anything and my girlfriend at the time, who incidentally by the way is 'always right about everything,' she says to me that we should go and do something.
That's the thing about chicks you know... when you're sittin' around on a Saturday in your underwear they think you really want to do something.
Personally I wanted to remain in my underwear and surf the net all day... but she started talking about going 'antiquing' so I knew she was serious about doing something.
So I pretended to look for antique shops on the computer while I thought about how I could get out of this... I just wasn't sharp enough to outwit her at that point and I conceded that fact to myself... so we headed out to go look at at antiques.
My girlfriend has a strong relationship with alcohol and as a last resort I knew I could use that to get me out of antiquing or at the very least to make looking at armoires and old crap more tolerable... so I used reverse psychology to get my way.
I told her I was up for a burger and a beer and then proceeded to pass up all of the bars until she demanded the I do a u-turn and go back to this place... 'Kick's Bar and Grill.'
By this time we had driven I don't know... A hundred and fifty miles down the old Route 66... and somehow I had successfully avoided every single freakin' antique store so far.
So we go into this joint and at first I was surprised that they didn't have beer on tap... but since the bartendress was cute... and since I always think about doing three ways I forgave them for this mild transgression... because I was thinking about...you know... doing a three way... which is better than antique shopping any day if you ask me.... or just about any other guy.
Guys do love tryin' to figure out how to make some three way action happen... but like usual I digress... where was I?
So we ordered a couple of Blue Moons and proceeded to get our buzz going.
My girlfriend was talking about 'milk glass' or some shit by that time... I don't even know what 'milk glass' is... but everything she says when I'm drinking is really interesting... even things about 'milk glass'... just keep the beers coming puhleeze!
After a few Blue Moons she was looking really good... fascinating the shit out of me and I started talking dirty to her.... which made me really hungry... and made her forget all about antiques and old shit... which was what I had been tryin' to do all day you know?
Victory was mine.
So we ordered a couple of 'Kick A$@ Burgers'... Which by the way turned out to be some really tasty burgers... leading us to get into a bunch of Samuel L. Jackson bits from Pulp Fiction where he killed that dude after enjoying his tasty Big Kahuna burger.
It was that good.
It was so good that we drank more beer and then ordered the pepper jack cheese balls.
Oh man... 'Mouthgasm' is what she called them.
And I like it when she calls anything 'gasm' because you know what that reminds me of.
Those were some delicious and well fried and superbly breaded cheese balls.
I loved it when two cheese balls stuck together in the deep fryer and I could dip an entire cheeseball in the cheese ball sauce without getting cheese ball sauce on my fingers... those double cheeseballs were the frickin' best... the proverbial 'cat's ass' if you ask me.
Then I took a picture of the menu and the dude next to me pointed out that there was another side to it.
I couldn't believe I'd overlooked an entire side of the menu.
I was almost embarrassed but before I'd turned red I told myself it was cool because it was kinda dark in there and I had already had three or four Blue Moons by that time.
The other side of the menu showcased the 'three cheese grilled cheese sandwich' that I then ordered.
I do dig a killer grilled cheese sandwich, which this was.
By now we had forgotten all about going antiquing and we were enjoying our buzz and touching each other inappropriately all over.
Things were looking good for scoring with her again after another successful Saturday of getting out of antiquing.
Because I really care bout her and her feelings and her needs to look at old shit... on the way here I slowed down while we passed some old gas station... her eyes got wide and I could tell she wanted to stop and take pictures but I really selfishly wanted to get some beers and think about a three way.
If you're ever on a Saturday drive with your girlfriend... there's not a lot of antique stores on old Route 66 even though you can tell her there are and get her all excited... you'll be safe... and when it starts to get dark you gotta check out 'Kick's Bar and Grill' in beautiful Towanda Illinois.
Those cheeseburgers they got were some really tasty cheeseburgers!
Until next time... This is Viewminder... Giving out the triple thumbs up to 'Kick's Bar and Grill!
Fun spot. Â Great bar food. Â Have been during the day with a group of biking friends and at night. Â Small outdoor patio to enjoy in nice weather. Â Attended a Matthew Curry and The Fury concert in the lot that was awesome and they had beer and food available in the lot with no need to go in!
Review Source:Memo to management regarding the burgers:
- Get better quality lettuce
- Lightly toast the bun
-Lose 75-90% of the onion (no self-respecting, socially active human being is going to enjoy that much onion anyway!)
If you make these tweaks, the quality of food and prep with a Kicks 'double' will give you the nod over Merna, Gables and 'The Pub' for best bar burger in the area!
For the record, the 3-3.5-stars are because:
-the regular (fried) wings with sauce(s) on the side are killer too (very temp hot, plump and juicy), the patio...casual, the beer...extra cold and the service is grand, however...
-the lack of beer selections/menu, the predominance of country music and the aforementioned burger issues keep the balance of trade in check for me.
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