Whitey's Booze 'N Burgers
 (Second Visit)
Richfield, Ohio        Date of Visit  05/10/17        http://whiteys.com
 Click Here for Original Visit

Been wanting to go back to Whitey’s for a fair bit now, turns out my memories were more satisfying than this trip turned out to be. The service was friendly but the exalted coliseum fries were much less flavorful and much more greasy. The chilis are generally pretty good, the original, white bean chicken and beanless jalapeno had varying levels of warm heat but the vegetable chili completely failed on the flavor and heat front. The burger toppings were plentiful but there was a peculiar freezer burn cast to the patty itself. If it weren’t for the deep fried cauliflower, which was wonderfully done in every regard, it would have been disappointing in a much more global sense. I remembered insane portions of tastiness from our first trip, portions remain…the tastiness clearly declined this time.

So Far From What I So Positively Remembered
 

The Cauliflower Is Spot On
 

3 Of 4 Chilis Are Tasty And Come With...

...All Sorts Of Additions

Burgers Literally Overflow With Toppings
 

But Just Weren't Very Good This Trip
 

Whitey's Booze 'N Burgers
 Richfield, Ohio        Date of Visit  01/29/12         http://www.whiteyschili.com/ 

It doesn’t happen as often as you might think but someone had an idea to take us to a new place which was very nice of them since we have been dragging them around to some goofy places as of late. We headed to Richfield and a place called Whitey’s Booze and Burgers, sounds like fun. The building has a much nicer exterior than you would imagine from the name alone. Make sure you are aware of their hours before you head out, they don’t open during the weekend (for food at least) until 4:00 which is why we were headed out on Sunday.
 

Place Is Wonderfully Wacky...Here's A Lobster "Claw" Game
 

Inside the doors the first thing that strikes you is the bar, large and square and all we could see, I started to worry this might be like Kevin O Bryans, all booze and no chews. Once you turn the corner you find a number of tables and booths and the place takes on a restaurant feel while maintaining the darker very woody feel of the interior. There is an outdoor volleyball court behind the restaurant and a league serious dart setup inside. Seems like a place people are congregating at on a regular basis. At first glance our server didn’t seem all that happy to see anyone as she was obviously not done with her side work, she did warm up some as the place got into a swing.

We started with some Coliseum fries which were ridiculously awesome. Thick fresh cut and dark brown fries were inundated with their signature chili cheese and bacon. It looked and smelled more like a pizza when it hit the table. Something about the combo was stupendous.

Steph said they might be her favorite loaded fries ever. She particularly liked how the fries maintained their own integrity but still held on to gobs of the toppings instead of turning into a big mushy mess. A splash of bright astringent malt vinegar from the Grolsch bottles on the table added another layer and made them feel a little less “heavy” on the palate. Just great both ways.

A batter dipped cauliflower was not as wonderful but way better than most fried veggies I have had. Simple but tasty batter encased really fresh veg that still had enough consistency to keep it interesting with a dip of ranch dressing. Couldn’t hope to beat the fries but stood well on its own.  Whitey’s has made a name on it’s chili and we tried a couple of varieties the beef and the Jim Beam bourbon steak. Thick and loaded with meat the northern style chili does contain beans but they act more as an additive for flavor than a filler and don’t detract from the meat or spices. Speaking of spices, Whitey’s is not bashful about anything and the chili has a comforting kick that might be a bit much if you aren’t into that sort of thing. If you want more kick there are condiments on the table that will get you there, if not get the scoop of sour cream (Czar style with cheese and onions as well) to ameliorate the heat, but try the chili either way, it’s classic and a bit unique at the same time.
 

Not having thought things through two burgers were delivered to the table, the black and bleu and the Maggie. The Maggie is described on the menu as overloaded with mushrooms and grilled onions. It was ordered without the onions but Holy Moley; when they say overloaded they mean it. There had to have been over a pint of mushrooms cascading off of the burger and across the plate. The shrooms alone were shared between three of us and went unfininshed. Just nuts. I had the black and bleu which was topped with crumbled cheese, Cajun mayo and jalapeno bacon. Jalapeno bacon? That’s what I thought. It is what it sounds like and it is awesome, rich smokey porkitude and a distinguishable smack of heat; nice with the cheese.
 

This was the second time I was oddly struck by the texture of the bun being well toasted (weirdly the last was Kevin O Bryans sliders) and how much it can add to a sandwich. Good patty, great toppings, insane portions, I will be back. Self loathing tells me I will have to try The Kiev burger which comes on on texas toast smothered with Whitey's Chili and topped with chopped onion, shredded Monterey cheese and sour cream. The menu states…Whitey Sez: You aint pickin this one up. So good, so wrong.

A lot of business used to enter into Richfield on the coat tails of the Cavs and concerts and other events at the Coliseum. After five years of the Coliseum sitting empty it was torn down in 1999 and I would imagine the loss of foot traffic resulted in the end of many businesses. Whitey’s continues on, purveyors of booze, burgers and chili. It seems they have become their own draw instead of a place to eat on the way. Our visit was good enough to understand why, simple and familiar with a twist and attention to detail.