Dining Diva Review: Shenanigans in Edwardsville, IL--The Last Rare Hamburger On Earth Served Here!

Shenanigans in Edwardsville, IL was the site of our latest lunch and it was a rare treat--literally! The restaurant's decor and appearance suggest that it was once a Bennigan's, but it's possible that it's a similar decor and theme. The extensive menu had a large selection of appetizers, wings, burgers, sandwiches and salads, a typical pub food type of place that is all too common these days, but while the selection was commonplace the food was very good indeed! I had the king size burger and I learned to my surprise and delight that they definitely trust their butcher because I ordered and RECEIVED my burger rare--something I haven't had in a VERY long time! (No one will cook a burger rare any more because they all fear the new scourge of the planet: the dreaded e. coli bacteria, which tells me that most of the restaurants in America don't trust their meat suppliers.) My husband had the battered cod which he said was delicious and the morsel he shared with me was indeed delicious--crisply battered but not greasy with a sweetly moist white fish inside. It was delectable indeed, but by far the burger I had was beyond compare. Even though it was very rare as I had requested, I could easily taste the freshness of the beef and it was juicy and delicious! The 10 oz burger was freshly ground and came with a very fresh burger set of lettuce, RIPE tomato slices, an onion slice and plenty of dill pickle chips. The bun was also good, an egg bread Kaiser that was fresh as a daisy, but they will also make any sandwich into a low-carb wrap on request. We both had the steak fries which were perfect--crisp on the outside and fluffy potato perfection on the inside--and the large portion of fries were served UNSALTED so that WE could decide how much salt to sprinkle on! The also have homemade potato chips, cole slaw, baked potato or for a small extra charge the soup of the day or a house salad as a side dish choice with all sandwiches. We visited on Hallowe'en so Marselle our server was dressed as Mia from Pulp Fiction complete with bloody nose and needle in the chest and told me that I was only the second person that recognized her costume for what/whom it portrayed. Gruesome as the costume was, the service was friendly and efficient and the iced tea was freshly brewed and had great flavor with refills offered and served promptly. When she graduates from college in the spring, they will lose a good employee, she was cheerful and saw that our special requests were immediately taken care of--to wit: my husband's request for malt vinegar for his fish and my cooked-to-order rare burger. The restaurant booth seat was fairly worn out and lumpy, but this is a minor point, but the restrooms were clean and well-stocked with paper goods and soap. There was plenty of parking and the lot was in good shape as well, nothing is worse than a parking lot that looks as if it has just been nuked with moon-size craters to break your ankle or the heel of your shoe in! All in all it was a truly excellent lunch place and I must recommend it highly for anyone. They have a full liquor bar and smoking is not allowed in the restaurant (or in any Illinois restaurant since a law banning it as of Jan 1, 2008). It was also very nicely decorated for the Hallowe'en party that was being advertised inside the menu and on the bulletin board in the entrance foyer. All in all, it was a much better experience than I thought it would be and ranks high in the legions of pubs in our great country and I recommend it highly--you won't be disappointed!
Food: 3.50 Stars
Service: 3.50 Stars