Alternate title: the time we drove 40 minutes to order the same things we always do but in a different atmosphere while playing a new type of bar trivia game.

We’re nothing else if not unpredictably predictable.

Truthfully we should’ve visited The Wooden Nickel last week, but ended up having to cancel WTGW at the last minute due to – well – life. But it was probably for the best anyway considering we discovered that the land between us and this particular restaurant consists of pretty much one endless hilly backroad – and the weather last week could only be best described as “horror movie foggy.” Yeah, not the best combination.

The Wooden Nickel is definitely in the middle of nowhere, but it’s far less divey than I feared it could be it given that barometer. I only judge based on the sheer number of just-above-sketch places we’ve ended up at on the boundaries of farmlands in the past.

We can say that this place is not in someone’s house, but the building did used to be a working barn. So there’s that. But they’ve definitely put some energy into the renovations – making use of the tall ceilings with exposed beams to hang lighting and so forth. We also heard it’s a real treat to come back at the holidays, as they really outdo themselves on decor.

There’s no sign telling you this, but it’s seat yourself upon entry. We share because we care.

The server was very quick to notice our hesitation from behind the bar, and called over to tell us to sit anywhere, though, so that was helpful. She was also quick to come over to greet us, and assumed correctly that we hadn’t been there before. Guess that whole seeming lost and unsure of ourselves as we pondered seating ourselves gave that away, no? And here we thought we were being so casual.

We were given a lot of information in the first few moments she was at our table, which was welcome if not totally comprehended in that time frame. But the main takeaways were: 1) it’s the last day of the month and therefore the last day for the monthly specials – which are clearly marked on the opposite side of the menu, 2) even though it was Wednesday, they also had some of the Tuesday specials left over that were available to order, 3) the restaurant’s specialty is Smashburgers, and they have a different one every month.

If we ever can’t find Shane on a Wednesday, I’m making a mental note to call this place and see if he’s there trying the new smashburger of the month.

So the special on Wednesdays this month is wings for $1 each, or the special grilled cheese smashburger. To clarify – because of course we asked – that’s a burger smashed between two grilled cheese sandwiches. Like, a full-on sandwich as a bun for another sandwich.

We obviously aren’t the healthiest eaters, but that seems like eating several of those is a pretty quick route to heart disease.

The Tuesday special that they still had enough to make a day later included an open faced roast beef sandwich or a French dip.

Bonus points for having a drink menu right on the table so that Ted didn’t have to strain his neck trying to read the beer taps from the table. Although they were out of the beer Ted tried to order so I guess we should deduct points there. At least they had another IPA, so all was well overall.

Shane got a Bud Light and I got the Fat Heads Bumbleberry.

In addition to giving us info on the specials, the server was also quick to give us recommendations – because of course we asked. So while she did recommend getting the monthly smashburger because it wouldn’t be available after that day, she also said that honestly it wasn’t her favorite of all of the smashburgers they’ve done, and that we should come back when they do the Big Mac one. Noted.

On the rest of the menu she also recommenddd the western burger and the steak Philly. Which helped me because while I was pretty solid on ordering a Philly – let’s all pretend to be shocked, I know – I was debating between the chicken or steak. Sold.

Hey, since I’m predictably ordering a Philly you probably won’t be surprised when we tell you what else we ordered: a burger and wings for Shane, and for Ted the *insert special of the day/week/month here* with a side of wings.

Hey, at least the location changes?

Let’s see what it all looked like.

The steak Philly was good, although I had to eat it with a fork and knife because it was too large to pick up and eat on its own. Like I don’t even know how I would tackle that.

I also got a side salad, which was well worth the $2 up charge.

Shane also uncharged his side and got onion rings with his burger, which he enjoyed mainly for the breading. I mean, let’s be honest, no one enjoys onion rings for the onions. But we all know breading is not created equal.

He also said his Cajun blue burger was really good. I didn’t hear him mention a top number on an odd numbered list but maybe he just wasn’t feeling like ranking anything tonight.

He didn’t say anything about his garlic Parmesan wings, so take that as you will.

Ted’s daily special served off day of choice was an open roast beef sandwich with potatoes and green beans.

He also got six of the six pepper wings and six of the taco wings. The latter option was really more out of intrigue than necessity – which, let’s be honest here, is really fuel behind most of our meal decisions – but in this case we couldn’t remember really ever seeing taco as an option for wings so it really had our attention. The server described the taco wings as a mix of taco seasoning and ranch seasoning. Hmm, ok.

And because we obviously like taking chances that may cause our taste buds to rebel against us later, of course that meant they had to be ordered.

The verdict? Surprisingly good.

Now Ted did say later that once they got cold he wasn’t quite as thrilled about them – and in that instance (you know, when you actually let food that’s meant to be water with your finger cool down enough to touch it without losing a fingerprint impression) the six pepper wings were the better option. But when they were hot the taco ones took the top honor.

Noted.

Shane and I also ordered chips and dip as an appetizer – yes, we clearly needed more food – and that was good also. I mean granted the homemade dip was plated with more class than a plastic tub of Lawson’s – but it still tasted almost as good.

At the end of our stay the bill for me and Shane was $75. Not bad for an app, essentially three meals and two up charges for sides. It definitely helped that Shane’s Bud Lights were only $3 and my draft craft beers were only $5.50. Yay for cheap alcohol!

The Wooden Nickel also does a family fued style trivia game on Wednesday – so of course our competitive natures required us to participate and try to oust the locals. We of course resurrected the Moist Towelettes – and then didn’t hear our name called once, which means either we truly sucked or the guy running the game just was vehemently opposed to saying our name out loud. It really could go either way.

Picked by: Steph