Desperate time calls for desperate measures. Visiting a restaurant in a strip mall can be surprisingly rewarding, or a bit concerning. After looking at houses all afternoon, I desperately needed to do two things: visit a restroom and eat. The SO drove by Otter Lodge, and we both decided it would be better to flip around and eat before I got insanely cranky.
Walking in, the Otter Lodge looked like your normal neighborhood bar. Not nasty, but not Mr. Clean. My first stop was straight to the restroom. I am always concerned when the public places are not the spiffiest. It makes me not want to see the kitchen, at all. The restrooms had a slightly funky sewer smell, but I have been in worse places.
The upside – the beer was cold and they had a varied selection. I grabbed a Sam ($3.50) and the SO grabbed a Newcastle ($4.00). The menu contained the regular bar fare which was exactly what I was in the mood for. I ordered a mushroom burger ($6.75), medium with no lettuce or tomato and a side of mac salad. The SO ordered a philly cheese steak sandwich. ($7.95) I have made it my quest to actually find a restaurant that can cook a medium burger. Medium does NOT mean medium well. If you are one of those restaurants that believe for health reasons you have to overcook the meat – just let me know. I will order something else. Strange things happen when you are a vegetarian for 7 years and go back to eating meat. Eating it well done is just not right. But I digress.
My mushroom burger came medium well including the tomato and lettuce. Those items are easily removable I admit, but I specifically asked for it to be excluded. Overall, the burger was juicy for the temperature cooked at and the mac salad was pretty good loaded up with pepper. The SO enjoyed the philly cheese steak and it was better than average.
The service from the bartender was friendly and prompt, but I have to say this would not be a local bar I would drive across town for. There has to be another bar that offers a bit more than mediocre.
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