Monday Night Football: Vikings at Bears

It’s not every weekend that one gets to attend Monday Night Football after attending an NFL game on Sunday. But that is what happened this weekend. At the beginning of the NFL season, I knew the Chicago Bears were playing on the Monday night after Christmas. I also knew the San Francisco 49ers were home Sunday afternoon where Nicole and I were planning to spend the holiday. Thus, in order to attend both games, I booked a 6:50 am flight from Oakland to Chicago on Southwest Airlines.

Our flight landed in Chicago at 1:00 pm. By the time we collected our bags from baggage claim, caught the shuttle to the parking lot and drove home it was close to 3:00 pm. Even though the parking lots at Soldier Field opened at 3:30 pm, Bears Tailgater Rob was not planning to arrive until 4:15 pm. This delay allowed me to shower and get ready for the game before taking the subway to Soldier Field.

Tailgating
Bears Tailgater Rob was not hosting the tailgate this week as he has in the past. This was his brother-in-law’s game to host – meaning rather than paying Rob as we usually do we had to bring beer and food.

I was attending the game with Blackhawks Jimmy Jr., so I asked him to pick up the goods since I was running late. I now realize why paying Rob is a much better option than brining food and drinks to the tailgate – lugging a case of beer from the Roosevelt train station to the South Lot is a pain. We probably should have gotten off the train at Monroe and walked to the free shuttles at the Millennium Parking Garage. But, by the time I thought of it, it was too late.

This was definitely the coldest Bears game where I have tailgated. Luckily, Blackhawks Jimmy Jr. (his mom gave them to him) brought hand warmers we could use during the tailgate and throughout the game.

Monday Night Football after Sunday Football
This was the sixth time I have attended Monday Night Football after attending an NFL game on Sunday. The other five times were:

Sunday, September 15, 1996: Cardinals at Patriots
Monday, September 16, 1996: Bills at Steelers

Sunday, January 6, 2002: Jaguars at Bears
Monday, January 7, 2002: Vikings at Ravens

Sunday, November 24, 2002: Lions at Bears
Monday, November, 25, 2002: Eagles at 49ers

Sunday, December 22, 2002: Titans at Jaguars
Monday, December 23, 2002: Steelers at Buccaneers

Sunday, September 7, 2008: Cardinals at 49ers
Monday, September 8, 2008: Broncos at Raiders

The Game
Rather than sit in our cold seats in the upper deck, we managed to sneak into the media deck. The media deck has heaters above the concourse near the concession stands, so we decided to stand most of the game while staying warm.

Once again the Vikings and Bears put on a show at Soldier Field. Last year, the Bears defeated the Vikings 48-41 in the highest scoring NFL game I have ever attended.

This year the two teams combined for 66 points as the Bears defeated the Vikings 36-30 in OT. Brett Favre forced overtime as he competed a touchdown pass to Sidney Rice with 16 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.


For a moment in overtime I thought I might see my first NFL tie. Robbie Gould missed a 45 yard field goal and the two teams traded punts. However, On Minnesota’s ensuing drive Adrian Peterson fumbled as Nick Roach recovered for the Bears on the Vikings 39 yard line. On the next play Jay Cutler hit Devin Aromashodu for the game winning 39 yard touchdown – Cutler’s fourth touchdown pass on the day.

Doubleheader Day Game #1: Packers at Bears

It was a day I have only participated in two times before – the first time on November 14, 1999 and the second, last year, on November 9, 2008. Yesterday, I attended both the Chicago Bears and the Chicago Blackhawks game in the same day. The timing for the games works perfectly. The Bears start at noon and the Blackhawks start at 6 pm on Sunday – meaning you have around three hours to grab dinner in between the games.

Pre Game Dining
Rather than tailgating before the game, I went out with a friend of mine to the usual pregame restaurants – Grace O’Malley’s and Weather Mark Tavern.

The Game
Although the Bears had the lead heading into the 4th quarter, the Packers intercepted Jay Cutler shortly after the 4th quarter started. The Packers scored the game winning touchdown on the ensuing drive to win 21-14 – officially eliminating the Bears from the playoffs.

This was the Packers sixth consecutive victory I have seen against the Bears. Actually, every time I have seen the Bears and Packers play the Packers win – in the old version of Soldier Field (1997, 2000), Memorial Stadium in Champaign, IL (2002), and the current version of Soldier Field (2003, 2005 and 2009).

NFL: St. Louis Rams at Chicago Bears

It was a bad NFL game to attend (with the Bears at 4-7 and the Rams at 1-10) but since we already had our season tickets we were planning to attend. At first, we were planning to meet Hawkeyes Bryon and Julie at a bar before the game. However, that was before my friend, Mike Holzman, hooked up the parking pass late in the week in the Waldron Deck – the parking lot directly south of Soldier Field. Thus, the Ultimate Sports Wife and I put together our own tailgate for the Bears game yesterday.

Tailgate
We arrived at the parking lot at 9:00 am. On the Ultimate Sports Wife’s menu was taco dip, barbeque meatballs and burgers from Whole Foods.

As I have written before, the best location to buy tickets on the secondary market is at the tailgate. On a rare occurrence for a Bears game, scalpers were walking the parking lot with extra tickets. Since the Bears were playing the Rams tickets were available.

The Game
The Bears defeated the Rams 17-9 for their first win after four consecutive losses. Steven Jackson rushed for 112 yards to give him seven 100-plus yard rushing games for the season.

This was the third time I have seen the Rams play at Soldier Field. The first time was a Bears victory on December 8, 1996 and the second, the Rams won on November 16, 2003.

Sunday Night Football: Eagles at Bears

For the second week in a row I attended Sunday night football. This time the game was in Chicago as the Chicago Bears hosted the Philadelphia Eagles.

Parking
Once again the Ultimate Sports Wife and I were attending the game with Blackhawks Jim and, today, Blackhawks Jimmy Jr. Since Blackhawks Jim was driving from Wilmette, IL he picked us up. However, we did not have the Waldron Deck parking as we did two weeks ago so we parked in the Millennium Parking Lot. The best part of the Millennium Parking Lot is that they run a shuttle from the parking lot to Soldier Field. The drop-off spot is by the South lot which is perfect if you are meeting up for a tailgate. The worst part of the Millennium Parking Lot is that you have to wait in line to board the shuttle after the game. Since our seats are on the North side of the stadium we chose to walk to the parking lot after the game rather than take the shuttle.

Tailgating
As we did for the Arizona Cardinals game, we attended Rob Wipf’s tailgate before the game. However, this time Rob made a major mistake – he only brought one case of beer for seven guys and the Ultimate Sports Wife. This proved not to be enough as we started to run out of beer before we started grilling brats. Even though Rob is a great tailgater he did admit his rookie mistake.

As with any beer crisis at a tailgate we tried to buy beer from another tailgate. I first headed over to my buddy’s brother’s tailgate, Dan Logan, who owns the Halas Hauler. However, he was nervous they would run out of beer as well so he handed me three beers and sent me on my way. At this point it appeared we would run out of beer well about an hour before the game would start. But as we were coming close to the beer shortage the tailgate next to us shut down and had plenty of beer left over. Rob saved the day as he handed the guy $20 and beer was handed to Rob.

The Game
The Bears and Eagles had four lead changes in the second half as the Eagles defeated the Bears 24-20. With 5:31 left in the fourth quarter LeSean McCoy scored the game winning touchdown from 10 yards out.

Tailgating at Soldier Field: Cardinals at Bears

After attending Northwestern at Iowa on Saturday, it was time to turn my attention to the NFL and tailgating on Sunday. As I have written in the past, one of our friends, Bears Tailgater Rob, throws a great tailgate in the South lot of Soldier Field. However, he splits his season tickets with other people in his family and only attends three games per season. Thus, the Ultimate Sports Wife and I are sure to attend his tailgate when he is heading to Soldier Field.

In addition to the Ultimate Sports Wife attending, we invited my friends, Mike Holzman, Blackhawks Jim, his wife and daughter. As Bears Tailgater Rob says, “the more people, the better the party.”

Parking
As usual we wanted to get to the South lot around 8:15 am – when Rob arrives. And, as usual, my original plan was to take the train and meet everyone in the South lot. However, coordinating six people to meet up from multiple locations can be challenging. For example, last year two of the people we were supposed to tailgate with did not show up until 11 am – not much time before a noon start.

This is when Mike Holzman stepped up big with a parking pass of his own for the Waldron Deck. In the past we have used Mike’s Waldron Deck pass to throw our own tailgate. This time we used it so we could all drive (thus arrive) at the same time.

Tailgating
We arrived at Rob’s tailgate around 8:30 am – a little late but no big deal. Rob had his usual great tailgating menu available (everything made with Rob’s recipes):

Round 1: Jalapeno Poppers
Round 2: Buffalo Wings
Round 3: Bubba Burgers and Chicago style hot dogs

At 11:30 am, we headed back to the Waldron Deck to drop off some clothes as the weather was unusually warm for November.

The Game
Kurt Warner tied a career high by throwing five touchdowns as the Arizona Cardinals defeated the Chicago Bears handily 41-21 after having a 31-7 halftime lead. It was his first five touchdown game in 10 seasons. He also matched a Bears record for throwing the most TD passes without an interception as an opponent.

Even Matt Leinart was allowed to play in the fourth quarter with Arizona’s big lead, but his one pass attempt, an interception return, lead to Warner coming back to finish the Bears off.

Tommie Harris was ejected on the game’s first drive as he punched Cardinals’ offensive guard Deuce Lutui in the head as they were on the ground.

NFL: Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bears

It was a perfect day for an NFL game – sunny, cool and relaxing. Even though the Bears offense stuttered at times, they still defeated the Browns handily 30-6.

Pre Game Dining
I met my friend and neighbors at Wabash Tap (located at 1233 S. Wabash Ave.) before the game. Today they had a Sam Adams Winter Ale special for $4 and PBR drafts for $3.

Wabash Tap is not my favorite pre game bar but its location on Wabash Ave. and Roosevelt Rd. makes it the closest bar along the long walk from the Roosevelt red line stop to Soldier Field. That also makes it the easiest bar to meet at if your group is taking the ‘L’ to the game.

Museum Campus
I attended the game with my friend Irish Peter who I also attended the Six Nations match with in Dublin between France and Ireland in February. Peter was with his wife who did not want to attend the game. Under normal circumstances Peter may never have been able to attend the game with his wife in town. However, Bears games are setup perfectly for one spouse to attend the Bears game and for the other spouse to spend a few hours at a museum as Soldier Field is in the heart of Chicago’s museum campus.

The Museum Campus consists of three museums – the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium and Adler Planetarium. Peter’s wife chose the Field Museum. Before the game I met Peter on the steps of the Field Museum that face Soldier Field and we met his wife three hours later in the same spot. They then went to dinner downtown – a perfect compromise when planning a sporting event during a vacation.

Halftime
The Bears honored Walter Payton with a ceremony at halftime showing a video tribute on the scoreboard. It was 10 years ago to the day that Walter Payton passed away.

Thursday Night Football: Saints at Bears

Last night was the second Thursday night football game I have attended. The first game I attended was the first NFL Kickoff Game on September 5, 2002 between the San Francisco 49ers and New York Giants.

Pre Game Dining
Before the game my friend, Sandeep Chunduri, took the train south towards my usual Soldier Field bars. However, it took us four tries to find a place:

1) As was the case with Sundays, Grace O’Malley’s pub, located at 1416 S. Michigan Ave., was packed. We arrived at 6 pm and they had a 45 minute wait for dinner (kickoff was at 7:15 pm). Needless to say, we left.
2) Next, we went to Weather Mark Tavern, located at 1503 S. Michigan Ave. Normally, the bar is empty. But, yesterday there was no place to sit. Even with a $15 for 5 beers special, we chose to move on.
3) We walked past South Coast Sushi Bar, located at 1700 S. Michigan Ave., but did not feel like a sit down meal.
4) We ended up at Kroll’s South Loop, located at 1736 S. Michigan Ave (or the corner of 18th St. and Michigan Ave.). This bar was also crowded, but since I had not been we decided to stay. However, we were unable to eat because of the crowd and had to eat at Soldier Field.

The Game
Earlier this season I attended my first regular season overtime game since November 24, 2002. Of course, last night’s game (in weather that felt colder than Sunday’s game) also went to OT. The Bears ended up defeating the New Orleans Saints 27-24 with a field goal at the end of the regulation and with 12:19 left in overtime.

Matt Forte broke the Chicago Bears record for most receptions by a rookie. He ended the game with 58 receptions breaking Mike Ditka’s previous record of 56.

Back in the USA: Jaguars at Bears

After spending the better of two weeks attending football matches in Europe, it was time to get back to the NFL. With a 15 degree forecast for the Chicago Bears game and some laziness setting in to prepare a tailgate, we decided to forgo tailgating before the game. Instead we ate in our neighborhood and drove to the game. As we were leaving for the game, our neighbor, who was smoking on her front porch in Bears gear, asked if we were driving to the game. We said yes and she handed us a parking pass for the Adler Planetarium lot.

In order to get to the Adler Planetarium parking lot on game day, you must exit from Lake Shore Drive at the 18th Street Exit, drive around the southern part of Soldier Field and continue North on the east side of the stadium. Finally, you will reach the road that leads you to the Adler Planetarium parking lot. I always knew the Adler lot allowed tailgating but did not know you could pay cash on game days for $45 (the Waldron Deck and South Lot cost $40 and that is only if you win the Chicago Bears parking lottery). I thought most of the parking lots near Soldier Field were parking coupons only.

The Game
The Bears defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 23-10, in what may have been the coldest football game I have ever attended (and maybe sporting event for that matter). The game time temperature was 18 degrees and seemed to continually drop throughout the game.

Two Bears franchise milestones were achieved during the game:
1) It was the Bears 700th win in franchise history.
2) Matt Forte passed Gale Sayers rookie record for the most yards from scrimmage in franchise history.

Post Game Dining
After the game, we walked 30 minutes to Miller’s Pub (established in 1935) located at 134 S. Wabash Ave. The Ultimate Sports Wife and I usually eat at Miller’s Pub after cold Bears games as the restaurant has many hearty winter meals in addition to some warm cocktails. Rather than walk back to the car in the cold, we took a cab back to the planetarium lot.

Feeling like a Sunday (Game 1 of 2): Titans at Bears

Rather than tailgating before the Chicago Bears game on Sunday we chose to frequent the bars around Soldier Field. First up was Grace O’Malley’s pub, located at 1416 S. Michigan Ave. – a good place for Irish Breakfast before the game. However, we were not eating breakfast and the bar was over crowded. Thus, we left and went to Weather Mark Tavern less than a block further south on Michigan Ave., located at 1503 S. Michigan Ave. Not only was the Weather Mark Tavern quiet and have room to sit, it also had cheaper drink and food prices before the Bears game that Grace O’Malley’s.

The Game
The Tennessee Titans defeated the Chicago Bears 21-14. The Titans only rushed for 20 yards which was one yard more than the lowest total in Titans history. The last time the Titans ran for 19 yards was as the Houston Oilers on December 12, 1965.

United Club
Since my neighbor had seats in the United Club ($305 face value per ticket), he snuck his brother and myself into the club part way through the 4th quarter by giving us his tickets and having us walk past security. The United Club stays open until 5 pm after a noon kick off and serves alcohol until 4 pm (about 2 hours after the rest of the stadium gets cut off at the end of the 3rd quarter).

Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears

I planned my flight back from Minneapolis on Saturday night so we could make the early morning tailgate for the Chicago Bears game Sunday morning. Just as we had done before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game on September 21, we arrived in Soldier Field’s south lot by 8:45 am.

However, this time we chose to drive and park in the Monroe Parking Garage located on the corner of Monroe St. and Columbus Dr. (instead of taking the train and walking for 30 to 40 minutes to the parking lot). The perk of the Monroe Lot is that they run a shuttle from the parking lot to the south side of Soldier Field. Since we were tailgating in the South Lot this was a much easier option than taking the train. What I did not realize was that the Monroe Parking Garage now costs $25 on game days. The last time I parked there it was less than $15.

As was the case last time, Rob Wipf’s tailgating menu consisted of jalapeno poppers wrapped in bacon, buffalo wings, brats and burgers. For some reason this time the tailgate ran a little longer than expected. So in classic Bears fan fashion Rob started cleaning up his tailgate before the burgers were finished in order to get into the game on time. There is a big difference between a Bears tailgate that shuts down 30 minutes before the game starts and a Northwestern tailgate that shuts down after the first quarter is over if at all.

The Game
The Bears scored a touchdown with 5:36 remaining in the game to defeat the Detroit Lions 27-23. The loss dropped the Lions to 0-8 for the season, their worst start since 2002.

After the game the Ultimate Sports Wife and I walked swiftly back to the shuttle bus area. The lines can be very long if you take your time walking back to the parking lot shuttle buses.

Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears

Rather than tailgating to start out a Bears game day I met some friends at Wabash Tap. Wabash Tap is conveniently located just off the Roosevelt Red Line stop on the corner of Roosevelt Rd. and Wabash Ave.

The Game
The Bears beat the Vikings 48-41. The 89 total points was the highest scoring NFL game I have ever attended. The second highest total points I witnessed was 73 when the 49ers defeated the Falcons almost 16 years to the day on October 18, 1992.

In addition to the total points record (not to mention Northwestern scored the most points in a game I attended at Ryan Field yesterday), the Bears scored the second most points I have ever witnessed in an NFL game and was the 10th team to score 40+ points in a game I attended (the Vikings were the 11th team to score 40+ points about one quarter later).

The other nine teams to score 40+ points were (4 of which were in the playoffs or the Pro Bowl):
October 18, 1992: 49ers 56, Falcons 17
February 2, 2003: AFC 45, NFC 20
January 15, 1994: 49ers 44, Giants 3
September 18, 1994: Vikings 42, Bears 14
January 12, 2008: Packers 42, Seahawks 20
January 4, 2004: Colts 41, Broncos 10
October 29, 2006: Bears 41, 49ers 10
September 8, 2008: Broncos 41, Raiders 14
October 8, 2006: Bears 40, Bills 7

Post Game Dining
After the game we ate dinner at Chicago Firehouse Restaurant (ironically owned by the same owners of Wabash Tap – our pre game hangout) located at 1401 S. Michigan Ave. The Chicago Firehouse is pricier than the other restaurants the Ultimate Sports Wife and I have dined at after Soldier Field events, but was definitely better and worth it for a post game splurge.

Sunday Night Football: Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears held onto their 4th quarter lead to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles last night 24-20. With 5:40 left in the 4th quarter, the Eagles had 1st and goal at the 4 yard line. The Bears stopped the Eagles’ run on four consecutive plays. The Bears took over on downs and ran the clock down 28 seconds before having to punt.

One of the best things about Sunday Night Football, is that you have your entire Sunday to relax, run errands or tailgate. On a normal Sunday, NFL games in the central time zone start at noon (vs. 1 pm for ET, 2 pm for MT and 1:15 pm for PT).

Last night, I took the red line train to Roosevelt and walked to Soldier Field. I sat in the upper deck. Soldier Field Upper Deck Tip: Soldier Field has a standing room area on the North side of the 400 level. If you do not want to hike up the 30+ rows to your seat, consider watching part of the game from this location. Another plus, is that a beer vendor with no lines is in the same area.

Tailgating at Soldier Field

For the past few seasons, I have generally chosen to attend a Cubs game at Wrigley Field over a Bears game at Soldier Field because of two main reasons. First, Wrigley Field is located much closer to my house than Soldier Field. Second, the Cubs are usually out of the playoff hunt late in the season and their tickets are worthless whereas Bears tickets range in the triple digits for early season tickets.

Earlier in the week, I chose to attend the Bears game instead of the Cubs for two reasons. First, the Cubs were playing the Cardinals and are heading to the playoffs which increased the ticket prices to not much less than Bears’ tickets. Second, our friend Rob Wipf had invited us to tailgate with him before the game. Rob has a parking pass in the South Lot where all the hard core Chicago Bears’ tailgaters cook before the game and has perfected the tailgate over the years.

We arrived at the South Lot (the lot North of McCormick Center) at 8:30 am and found Rob. On the menu were wings, jalapeno poppers, brats and burgers. The drink menu included Bloody Marys, Vodka Lemonades, Rolling Rock, Bug Light and Jagermeister. Bears’ season ticket holders must win the parking lottery in order to park in the South Lot. Winning the lottery gives you “the right” to pay $400 for the season parking pass ($40 per game). Lottery losers end up purchasing season parking passes from the winners for $700 to $800 for the season. I have never entered the parking lottery because the Ultimate Sports Wife and I take the train rather than park, but now I may have to enter the lottery for next season.

The Game
For the first time since November 24, 2002, I witnessed an NFL regular season game go to overtime as Brian Griese threw a 1-yard pass to Jerramy Stevens for the game tying touchdown with seven seconds left in the 4th quarter. In fact, it was only the 9th game (out of 133 NFL games) I have attended that went to overtime. The other eight games were:

January 14, 2007 – Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears (playoffs)
November 24, 2002 – Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears (in Champaign, IL)
August 4, 2001 – Cincinnati Bengals at Chicago Bears (pre season)
November 14, 1999 – Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
September 6, 1998 – New York Jets at San Francisco 49ers
September 28, 1997 – Seattle Seahawks at Kansas City Chiefs
September 7, 1997 – Tennessee Oilers at Miami Dolphins
October 14, 1996 – San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers

In addition, Brian Griese attempted 67 passes which placed him 5th all time for most pass attempts in one game and was the most passes attempted against the Bears. The NFL record is 70 recorded by Drew Bledsoe on November 13, 1994.

Post Game
After the game we walked back to the train. On the way we spotted Wabash Tap (on the southeast corner of Wabash Ave. and Roosevelt Rd.) and decided to stop. This bar is most conveniently located if you want to grab a drink before or after the game (or use the restroom) and stay on the main path to Soldier Field from the Roosevelt el stop.

Doubleheader Day Part 2: 49ers at Bears

After successfully making it to the Cubs game in the afternoon, I was also going to Soldier Field to watch the Chicago Bears host the San Francisco 49ers.

Pre Game Dining
If you are looking for a sports bar close to Michigan Ave., then ESPN Zone is your spot. Located at 43 E. Ohio St., the bar is a 2-block walk from Michigan Ave. It’s also a good place to stop if you are taking the red line between Wrigley Field and either US Cellular Field or Soldier Field. I met Nicole before the game at ESPN Zone. As with any ESPN Zone, there are plenty of televisions to watch any game of your choice.

Obtaining Tickets
I already had my season tickets in hand, but noticed there were a lot of scalpers with extra tickets. As I wrote two weeks ago, preseason NFL games are much cheaper to attend than regular season games.

The Game
The 49ers beat the Bears 37-30. Another plus of attending preseason games are watching the quarterback controversies. Earlier this week, Lovie Smith named Kyle Orton the Bears starting quarterback. Orton started last night and performed well.

J.T. O’Sullivan started for the 49ers and performed better than Alex Smith. 49ers coach Mike Nolan has not named his starting quarterback yet.

Preseason Football at Soldier Field

For the second time in a week, the Ultimate Sports Wife and I headed to Soldier Field. This time it was for the Bears first preseason game of the 2008 season. As usual we took the red line train from Wrigley Field to the Roosevelt el stop. The walk from the subway station to Soldier Field takes around 20 minutes but is worth it if you can avoid the drive.

Obtaining Tickets
Most people (including season ticket holders) seem to avoid attending preseason NFL games - the games do not count in the standings and the starters only play for the first half. As a season ticket holder for the Bears, we generally attend the preseason football games when we are in town since we have already paid for the tickets. However, if you do not own season tickets then going to a preseason game should definitely be considered for the following reason:

1) Buying tickets through the secondary ticket market will only cost you half-price (and sometimes much less), whereas buying tickets through the secondary ticket market for regular season games will generally cost more than face value (if not double).

Thus, you can save a lot of money attending preseason football. While the regular season is definitely more entertaining than preseason, it may make sense for some who cannot afford or do not want to pay regular season ticket prices to buy tickets for a preseason game at half-price.

The Game
Larry Johnson returned to the field from a foot injury that sidelined him for the second half of the 2007 season. He scored the first touchdown of the game. The Chiefs scored a touchdown with about 1 minute left in the 4th quarter to secure the victory.

Post Game Dining
After the game, we ate dinner at Exchequer Restaurant & Pub at 226 S. Wabash Ave in Chicago’s loop. Exchequer has a Monster Burger (a one pound burger which is $1 off on Thursday nights) which I somehow scarfed down successfully. While there is no prize from the restaurant to eat the entire 1 lb. burger the server was kind enough to give us the student discount (10% off our bill). While we have normally eaten at Millers Pub which is only one block north of Exchequer, this restaurant was a good new place to dine.