Tailgate

I grew up in the Huron area, so when I come to town to visit, I usually eat at the Tailgate at least once. It's nothing earthshattering, but it's pretty solid. Definitely one of the better options in town. There's enough beer on tap to keep me happy, and the burgers and sandwiches aren't bad. But if you're looking for something really memorable, TRY THE RIBS. They're not really smoky, but they have a tangy-savory sauce with a mild hint of sweetness, and the tender juicy pork falls right off the bone. I was hooked!

I have to admit that the decor is pretty atrocious. A previous reviewer likened the place to a VFW hall, which was spot-on. But with a tall glass of Ranger beer in front of me and a rack of juicy ribs, I couldn't care less about the ambiance.

There are very few other options in Huron for "sit-down dining" with drinks and table service, so it's nice to have a relatively decent option like the Tailgate. It's humble and unpretentious, and it gets the job done.

This place reminded me of a VFW.

We stopped in here on a Saturday night - we didn't have reservations but they got us in anyway which was really nice.

We found this place through a recommendation from the hotel next door. They said they had really good food. Um. I don't know what they call really good food - but this place was not it. I ordered their ribs because it said House Specialty next to them on the menu - which I have a hard time believing as they were VERY over cooked and dry. I got no sauce on the side. The french fries were underdone and not salted. The only part of the meal I liked was the slice of bread that came on the side and the salad bar. (Their salad bar is 3 feet in length - and whatever you do don't let them sit you at the table at the end of the salad bar. Horrible spot. I watched loaded bowl after loaded bowl of salad swing across my husbands head - and people would talk so loud in line I could hardly hear my husband.)

My beloved got a Wimpy burger. They didn't ask him how he wanted it cooked and it was served with blood coming out of it. (He prefers Medium or Medium Well - this looked like it had been soaked in Clamato juice.) He said the quality of the meat was really good but they went cheap on the buns.

Speaking of cheap - they serve cans of warm pop with a glass of ice. Ick. Guarantee you will be drinking warm pop before you hit the end of your can. And their coffee was nothing to write home about either. I would have ordered wine but I didn't know they served it. It wasn't until I came home and looked up their web site that I saw they do serve wine and other booze items. (It's not on the dinner menu and the waitress never said boo about it.)

The place was just not good. The people were nice enough, but it really made me appreciate the food, atmosphere and service here in the Twin Cities. We should have gone with our plan B which was ordering Pizza from the motel.