I Choo Choo Choose Fritz's.

After an already long Sunday morning, a friend and I went searching for a late afternoon lunch. We were going to go to the new Panera location near Crown Center, but then happened upon the Fiesta in the Heartland celebration, then wandered into Crown Center. Soon, we were upon Fritz's. A friend had told me about the special way they served their food, so we decided to try it.

This is a great place to take a kid. The food is served via this elaborate railway system near the ceiling, and I don't think my description will do it justice as to how cool it really is. I am 21 years old, and I was amazed, although that might just be my puerile tendencies. After hearing two whistles, the trains roll along the track with a little platform where the food goes hanging from them. When it gets to right table, a lever pops out, and slides the food off of the platform onto another platform that then lowers the food to the table. I mean, it's very high tech, and much more sophisticated than you would expect from a place that serves burgers in transparent paper (due to the copious grease). And not only do you get free entertainment from these trains (they look and sound like something out of Mister Roger's Neighborhood--shout out to the Trolley), the food is pretty decent too.

Most of the items are under $5.00, with an assortment of burgers, hot dogs, and other American diner favorites. I had the Gen Dare, which is the Fritz' favorite, a hamburger topped with hash browns, grilled onions, melted cheese, ketchup, mustard, and pickles, on a seeded bun, with a side of coronary heart disease. But damn, it was good. A warning, it was very, and I repeat, very greasy. So, if you're on a diet, you may want to try something else. I mean, some of the choices on the menu, just sound so bad, but yet they are so good--the Keely is a twin patty cheeseburger with grilled onions, mustard, pickles, lettuce and tomato. You can get triple and quad patty hamburgers, the Kitchen Sink is a twin burger with italian cheese, grilled onions, lettuce, mayo, hot sauce, pickles, and they have a Yak burger that sounds exactly like the Keely, but on a rye bun. Hopefully the difference isn't that it makes you yak. Rimshot. I'm here all night, people.

For a more sophisticated palate, you're out of luck. There are chicken fried steak sandwiches, tenderloin sandwiches, and hot dogs served with assortments of chili, cheese, condiments, etc. There's a pretty good "lil engineers" menu with burgers, hot dog, chicken nuggets, or grilled cheese with fries, small drink. You can also get a paper engineer hat for your kid, if they are into that. I know I used to love getting those paper crowns at Burger King. But I digress, there are sundaes, root beer floats, and shakes, and it would be a cute place to go after a date.

Most of the people had children with them, and they seemed to be having a great time watching the trains. It's a very cute theme restaurant, and I would recommend it if you going to entertain children. And if you have no affiliation with children of any sort, you can go there and just be really really creepy. I would recommend you take a date so that you're not that person.