High Pointe Tavern and  Restaurant
 Youngstown, Ohio           Date of Visit  02/26/11            No Known Website

Looking to catch some lunch we headed to a place that a coworker turned my bother on to. I was worried when we pulled in since it looked closed. And if it ain’t closed we are the only other people to be seen, a little like the twilight zone. We step inside to the restaurant…there is a separate door to the Tavern which we didn’t sneak a peek into. The restaurant looks pretty clean and is basic but nicely put together. We were greeted by the guy behind the bar who got us a table and some waters.
 

Out Front
 

The menu is pretty rangy with sandwiches and entrée selections. Our server quickly joined us and we both opted for a burger. There were a number of interesting things on the menu I would have liked to try…the soups sounded pretty good, the wings had a number of interesting combinations, etc. but I had ordered a double burger so decided to curb my enthusiasm. I should have shown the same restraint re: the burger.

My brother ordered the black and bleu burger with a patty seasoned with Creole blackening spice and crowned with bleu cheese. I didn’t try it but they certainly aren’t timid with the seasoning. The Creole seasoning brought tiny beads of sweat to my brother’s forehead. He remarked it was a great combination with the pungent cheese. I ordered the High Pointe burger which is double pattied, comes with hot peppers, pepperjack cheese, and a cup of one of the wing sauces. I wasn’t expecting much. The place was empty. I was wrong. The burger was really something. First it is Gigundous! The server turned the corner with the plate and a big smile on her face.

She said she had stopped warning people about the size of the burger because she enjoys watching peoples’ faces as she approaches the table. Apparently I didn’t disappoint. The buns are made in house and are seared til the edges have a nice crunchy crispness. The patty is pretty loosely formed but thick and succulent.  The pepperjack adds a little spice which exponentially spikes with the tangy but hot pepper slices. The cup of sauce is of their “chain smoking” variety and is just plain gooooood. All together the sandwich is a spicy, meaty, delicious stack of awesome. Now add to the fact that the fries are fresh cut and excellently done and served with malt vinegar and I am, as the good Rev. Wilson would put it, fat, dumb and happy. I will be back to try the many other offerings. I hear tale they are just as good. Why the place isn’t packed I can’t begin to imagine.
 

The Peppers Make It, Tangy and Bitey