The Naglee Park Garage from Diners, Drive-ins and Dives

Have you seen the tv show on the Food Network called Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (aka as Triple D) with host Guy Fieri? I am kind of addicted to this show. Guy travels around the country in his classic, red, Chevrolet Camero and his bleached, spiked hair sampling some of the most yummiest looking food at popular Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. I love the show because everything looks so good, but I wouldn't eat 90% of it because it either has beef or pork (which I choose not to eat) or shellfish & mollusks (I'm allergic) or is just too deep fried for me... So I enjoy the food vicariously, watching Guy sample and review EVERYTHING they put in front of him. And he makes it all sound so good. *Drool*

Several weeks ago I saw an episode that featured a local restaurant called The Naglee Park Garage. I really wanted to go try their food and thought my hubby would be interested because the show featured their fire grilled "Garage Burger." It's a big burger. I saw a few in person when I was there. I thought hubby would want to try one for sure but I lost him when I told him they make the ketchup from scratch. That made it sound either too weird or fancy, or maybe it was because they top the burger with a handful of blue cheese, so I was on my own...

Thankfully some friends suggested we take a trip downtown and dine there. Lisa and I ordered the same dish, (Yes, that would be the Lisa with Bloggerphobia). We each ordered the "parsleyed pan roasted trout." It reminded me of when I used to go trout fishing with my dad as a kid because we would bring the fish home and my mom would fry it up just like this. Not a lot of restaurants offer trout so when I do see it on a menu there's a good chance I'll order it out of nostalgia. It was fried to perfection. The fish was nice and tender and the crust was brown and crunchy.

I also ordered a side of Brussels Sprouts. Cooked all the way through, which a lot of restaurants don't seem to do, I thought they were really tasty and will order them again. Only thing that surprised me was that there was bacon mixed in, I just ate around it.

Andy had the prawns with toasted baguette.

He also had the sweet potato fries. And shared. I had a small one. It was sweet and and really, really good. The kind of thing I'd want to eat a whole order of but won't :)

Carl had the "Baked Salt cod, potato, cauliflower & olive's" which we all sampled. It was the most complicated dish of the three and seemed to be coated in a light cream sauce. It was very good. I might order it the next time I'm there.

He also ordered the mac and cheese as a side dish. Others side options include roasted asparagus and carrots and leaks in beer.

And this was really good... The chocolate bread pudding.

And this was even better. It was my favorite part of the entire meal, the vanilla bread pudding. It had that caramelized sugar crunch to the crust on the bread as well as a nice crunch to the sweet pecans that were mixed in. The entire pudding was topped with fresh whip cream.

Fair Warning: The next time I go I will be ordering the vanilla bread pudding as my side dish, and will not share with anyone. Not even you. Not even a bite :P

The other thing I really like about The Naglee Park Garage other than that the food was really good is that the portions were normal. This means if you typically go to a restaurant and can only eat half the food on your plate, you'll be able to eat an entree here. I didn't have any leftovers, though I did let my friends sample some of my Brussels sprouts. If you have a big appetite, and eat beef, I'd advise to go with the burger as it looked to be the most filling.

Also, the place is on the smaller side with a small indoor bar area and indoor dining. A larger outdoor patio is where we sat. I'd encourage you to go on a weeknight (Monday-Thursday) if you don't like waiting in lines. We went on a Tuesday and were able to walk right in, order and grab a table.

All in all the food was good and the service was excellent. It's not "just" a neighborhood burger joint so it may seem a little pricey but this is exactly the kind of place I enjoy the most: Small, quiet, good food, and a great dessert where you can hang out with friends on a warm summer evening. One of life's perfect moments :)