So this week was technically my week to pick, but when Ted sends a message that his former college roommate has a free evening and wants us to be his guests at a local club, we make exceptions.

Welcome to the Barberton Hungarian Club y’all. We can all be a little Eastern European for an evening, especially in a world where burgers are less than $10 and beer is practically free.

Todd was already there when we arrived and started himself off with a mini pitcher.

Isn’t that just adorable? Is this like the alcoholic equivalent of the Weight Watchers tactic of filling a small plate of food so you trick yourself into thinking you don’t need more than that amount?

Shane and I went with tequila sodas, and Ted got what he deemed to be the least offensive beer on the menu, a Yuengling black and tan. Which he later switched out for Guinness once it was discovered they had in cans.

Ted spent most of the drive over talking about how excited he was to have Hungarian food, only to discover that even though this is a Hungarian club that doesn’t mean the menu is specifically themed.

He settled for the Hungarian sausage sliders, which – fun fact – were Todd’s wife’s contribution to the menu when she worked there years back.

And his dreams of a paprikash dinner were somewhat contented once he discovered that the burger on special was a bourbon bacon with caramelized onions and provolone cheese.

Well I mean, no cheese for him of course.

Shane ordered the same burger, but with the cheese. Because when the specials board says it’s back by popular demand, and we’re a group that likes burgers, then you’re kind of obligated to try it, no?

You know what else we like? Wings. And of course Shane also got six of those as well.

They didn’t have sauces listed on the menu, but upon asking we learned it’s only really the basics – bbq, honey mustard, etc. He asked if that list might include a garlic parm, and was pleasantly surprised to hear a yes.

We were also told that the wings are of the crispy variety with the sauce on the side, not fried and tossed like how you see them at most places. Which spurred a healthy debate on if this actually classified them as wing dings instead of actual wings? And if not then what exactly is a wing ding?

We discuss the important topics. Clearly.

Meanwhile, on the non debatable side of the ordering spectrum, I got the chicken Philly with fries.

And Todd got the patty melt. With crinkle cut fries, which I didn’t know were a thing here and immediately regretted not switching to after the server walked away because food envy is real. Especially involving specialty cut potatoes.

Speaking of things we didn’t see on the menu when we originally ordered … Shane had his full meal in front of him on the table when he learned that they also have hot dogs and chili dogs. And because not only did he not just have a literal table full of them a mere few weeks ago but also we like to shock our servers in just how gluttonous we can be, of course he and Ted each had to order one.

I’ll let the presence of cheese speak for whose order is whose there.

We also should mention that Shane was today years old when the light bulb clicked over his head and he realized he may just have a hot dog addiction. Which if you’ve kept up with us at all recently you’ll know is a surprise to no one except him. But admitting it is the first step to recovery, so attaboy Shane.

Maybe that was why he didn’t find the chili dog to be as good as others he’s had recently. Non-Addict Ted on the other hand thought it was the best part of his meal.

But more probable in Shane’s case was just that the burger was just superiorly better. Which is saying a lot since they actually cooked it far more than he would’ve usually liked or requested. They also didn’t ask when he placed the order, which is typically code to all of us that it will arrive well done. But in this case that was OK. His comment was that had it been cooked how he normally likes – medium rare – then it might have made his Top (insert number of the week here) list for burgers. And the bacon deserves a special mention.

Guess that “back by popular demand” marketing really carries some weight.

I liked my Chicken Philly. It was cooked well and the bun was toasted but still soft. The chicken wasn’t really seasoned, so the sandwich as a whole wasn’t super flavorful other than the toasted butter on the bread, but in this case it seemed to work out.

I didn’t specifically ask Todd how he rated his patty melt, but considering he’s the member of the club here and that was what he ordered from the menu without any hesitation then I assume it’s a regular order and always predictably good.

And I was right about the food envy on the crinkle cut fries. He let me try a few from his basket and I will be the first to say don’t make the same mistake I did. While my fresh cut fries were a bit on the soggy and cold side, the crinkle cut were warm and just the right amount of crispy.

Anyone want to take a guess at what our bill was for this evening of fun, Hungarian style?

That’s right, $64, with the up charge for using a credo card. $64. For seven tequila drinks, essentially four meals and one side. There are times when we pay that much for the drinks alone.

Don’t think we didn’t discuss a full out membership here. The service was amazing, the atmosphere was fun, and if you can’t enjoy a place that labels their daily specials “Hunky Specials” then you should probably try to get out of your house and experience the world a bit more. If it were just a touch closer to our town I could see us making this a place of choice for non-Wednesday nights.

Picked by: Ted (with an assist from Todd)