Jun 26, 2018

A commoner dines (and drinks) at Lonnski’s Pub & Deli, Grinnell, Iowa


It’s time for another trip in the Watts Wayback Machine, this one back to the Norman Rockwell-esque small college town of Grinnell, Iowa and a place I visited a few times for a light dinner, and some “light” drinking, while completing a work assignment in Grinnell.  One might not expect to find one of the town’s best drinking establishments inside a deli, but Lonnski’s Pub & Deli pulls off both quite well.


Jun 20, 2018

Wandering through the Willoughby Brewing Company


My frequency of blog posts has clearly been lacking lately, so let’s step onto the Watts Wayback Machine for a trip to Willoughby,Ohio and review one of my favorite finds during my working days in the Cleveland area a while back. 

Located very much on the outskirts of Cleveland’s eastern ring of suburbs, Willoughby maintains much of the historic charm you might expect from a lake community founded in 1798.  The downtown area in particular is fun and thriving, helped in no small part by the Willoughby Brewing Company.  And as far as craft breweries go, the one in Willoughby is a veteran of the scene, celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2018.

Needless to say, the brewery got the attention of my craft beer-loving co-workers, so despite Willoughby being off the beaten path for us, we made repeat visits during our time working in the area. 

What kept us coming back, you ask?


A commoner dines at Baumgartner’s Cheese Store and Tavern, Monroe, Wis.

I wasn’t sure a place existed that could be the perfect representation of Wisconsin life, but then I traveled through Monroe, Wis., one week...