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Category: Restaurants

The Red Lion Shows it’s Appreciation

The Defender 0 Comments

The Red Lion thanked long time customers Saturday afternoon with a back patio bash that left everyone stuffed to the gills. Every summer the NE Cedar Rapids watering hole invites everyone down for a cookout and discounted drinks in the sun. This year didn’t disappoint, as an interesting mix of Red Lion patrons lined up for hamburgers, corndogs, fries and onion rings. They whipped out the funnel cake for dessert, just to add the perfect final touch to a wonderful event.

Not much has changed at the Red Lion since the seventies. It’s still so dark you can’t see two feet ahead. It still attracts a passionate group of crooners, with absolutely no fear of signing in public. You can still get a few more beers for the road just to hit their $10 credit card minimum.

Back in the day, my friends and I used to sit in the back listening to Sinatra songs until the wee hours of the morning like Boss Hogs. Now that we are actually boss hogs, it’s nice to see the Red Lion doing business just like they always have. There’s something special about the locally owned pub. That feeling is still there.

The Red Lion was the bar your Dad and his rowdy friends used to get into brawls at. Now, it seems that crowd has aged and calmed. Only smiles and back slaps on Saturday. Not a hardass in the whole bunch.

The owner greeted me like an old friend, even though she didn’t recognize me or remember me. It’s been that long, but there’s certainly nothing wrong with appreciating the customers you already have and winning new ones at the same time.
The August sunshine was a killer during Customer Appreciation Night. Thank God for the fine people at Red Lion who setup the tent and placed seating. It would have been unbearable without. See, they appreciate their customers, and it shows.
Next year the Red Lion promises to take note of the position of the sun and place a majority of their seating in the shade.

The Red Line hit a triple Saturday afternoon during appreciation days.

  1. Free Food
  2. Cheap Beer
  3. Outside Seating

Sometimes when you master the simple things, that’s all it takes! Thanks to the Red Lion! See you next year!

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Restaurant Report Card: Lucky Penny

The Defender 0 Comments

Food: B+

I had a BLT and fries that I was completely satisfied with. It did not deserve an “A” only because of some components I will break down. That being said, I cannot think of a place in Cedar Rapids where I might find a better one. I also like that they locally source their ingredients.

Bread: B+
Buttered and toasted sourdough was good. One of the better sandwich breads I have had but again, to get an A something really needs to rock my world.

Tomato: A
Tomato was perfectly ripe with still some firmness to it, just the way I like it.

Bacon: B+
They refer to their bacon as “Black Sheep Bacon”, not exactly sure what that means, it was tasty, but I have had better before.

Lettuce: A
Lettuce was crisp and bountiful, a nice leaf lettuce was used which I also prefer.

Fries: B
Fries were the seasoned, natural, in-house cut, which I do like. However, they could have been a bit more crispy. I understand that fresh cut fries tend to have a little more water in them leaving them the tendency to be a bit soggy, that said, I have been to other restaurants that have better combat this.

Price: B +
For the money, I think I got a fair deal. $7.50 for the BLT and fries was more than fair and $4.50 for my draw of Wilson’s Orchard Hard Cider made right here in Iowa was reasonable compared to other craft brew prices in this area.

Specials: A+
I was quite pleased with their low priced lunch special options of a Blue Cheese Buffalo Brat or a Bacon, Gorgonzola, Pear, grilled cheese sandwich. The only reason I did not get a special was to try out their main fare for this review.

Atmosphere: B+
The vibe was nice, very inviting long bar was calling my name as soon as I walked through the door. The bar top itself was very impressive, entirely made from pennies placed in patterns of horseshoes and four leaf clovers merely by the shininess of the pennies used.

The 4 big screen TVs at the bar were also impressive, and what was even more, is that they were on the channels that one might expect to see: ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, and CNN. I was very happy with my viewing options.

A shuffle board right up front in the window looks very usable, although I would be weary of annoying some booths located very close to it.

The only reason the atmosphere didn’t get an A is there just isn’t the level of “hominess” that I like. Call me a sucker for dive bars, but something about older buildings with a tad of “dinge” to them, makes me feel more at home.

Service: A
Service was great, my bartender was polite, quick, and knowledgeable. The food was out within 5-7 minutes of ordering, which is key with lunch time constraints.

Location: C
It is a great location in that it is relatively close to home, I just worry about their sustainability. It is off the beaten path on the back side of a strip mall, that does not scream success. They could use social media advertising to help them in this regard. A business has already proven failure at this location so I would be concerned.

Overall: B+
I like this place, I can see myself frequenting it quite often, the craft beer selection isn’t as good as the Spoke, but who’s is? It is a pleasant change of pace from the bar I frequent most often.

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