Restaurant

Ballard's only Minnesota-style pizzeria (thus far) serves a pretty decent slice, with paper-thin crust and generous toppings. They don't go overboard on the cheese, and the slices are nice and tender; you can easily cut them with a fork, if that's your thing.

That vegetarian pie I sampled holds the honor of being one of the lightest items on Zayda Buddy's menu of Midwestern comfort foods. There's a veggie sandwich, yes, and a mixed-greens salad. But everything else that Zayda Buddy's has to offer is pretty much diametrically opposed to healthy living. You won't just kill your diet here; you'll also desecrate the corpse. And you'll love doing it.

Take, for example, the burger selection. The regular cheeseburger comes with your choice of cheddar, American, blue, provolone, pepper jack or Velveeta. The "stuffed burger" bypasses the cheese decision and stuffs the patty itself with blue cheese and bacon. And the deep-fried hamburger patty is exactly what you think it is: a breaded beef patty that's deep-fried and served with caramelized onions and brown gravy. That high-pitched tone you hear is your arteries, screaming in anticipation.

Some items work, and others miss the mark. The fried cheese curds are chewy perfection, while the green-bean casserole is somewhat bland, even for green-bean casserole. I haven't mustered the courage to try the creamy beef-and-tater-tot casserole, but I did try the tater tots on their own, and I'll be damned if they're not the best bar chow I've had in some time. They're deep-fried, lightly salted and served with a tangy Thousand Island-style dipping sauce, and they’re even more addictive than Zayda Buddy's fries -- which, by the way, are "smothered" (the word is not too strong) in brown gravy.

Also, be sure not to miss the beer selection, which includes Midwest mainstays like Old Milwaukee, Hamm's, Blatz, Leinenkugels, Old Style, Stroh's, Grain Belt Premium and more.