Broasted Chicken

Here in Minnesota a lot of people have connections to cabins, either in the northern part of our state or in neighboring Wisconsin. It's not too uncommon for people to take off to go to "the cabin" for the weekend, be it their own or their parents' or a friend's. We have been going to "the cabin" with my friend, his family, and his girlfriend for about two years now, and it's always a great time. The cabin is located near the town of Hayward, Wisconsin, and it's far enough to feel like one has gotten away from the big city, but close enough to drive without having to stop for the bathroom. :)

But one stop is required along the way: a hole-in-the-wall restaurant (and I use the term loosely) called The Brass Rail. It is about a half-hour north of the Cities, and there's no way you would know it's there unless someone told you, even though it's right next to the highway. This restaurant has the best fried chicken I have ever had the pleasure of consuming, along with excellent breaded mushrooms and fried cheese curds. Actually, it almost reminds me of a certain lengthy shiny-grey fourth-gospel kind of eating establishment in that everything on the menu is the same color, leading one to believe one's entire order, side dishes and all, was simply placed on a steel grate and drowned for several minutes in a rather large frying vat.

But cooking methods aside, this place is very very tasty, and a few days ago my friend and I decided to head up there this afternoon, even though we had no plans to go to the cabin. So about one hour past noon my wife and I met up with him and his girlfriend and we made the short trek to the Brass Rail. And oh, let me tell you, it was awesome. We had our usual orders of mushrooms, chicken, onion rings, and waffle fries, and about an hour later with arteries clogging so fast we could almost hear it, we plodded back to the car and drove home stuffed to the brim with chickeney goodness.

So yeah, next to De Leon's in Lincoln and the shifty Packer bar near "the cabin," this is probably the best little place to get your tummy stuffed and your heart stopped. Definitely worth checking out.