Late Night Eats with The Pope

On Monday night I decided to stay downtown after work to unwind with some friends. As the night wore on, we made our way to Masquerade inside Harrah's (a move which is usually a recipe for disaster). Lo and behold, La Papa also happened to be in the building. I found His Holiness stacking a mountain of red chips at a poker table, with a huge smile on his face and a graveyard of empty Miller Lite bottles on his drink cart. It was clear that for a brief moment in time, The Pope had put aside concerns relating to lawsuits, loss of interest in the spread of Catholicism, eliminating abortion, genocide, and tyranny; instead he was only worried about drawing a flush on the river.

It also quickly became quite obvious to me that The Pontiff, shall we say, had indulged in a bit too much of the sacrament. Being the good friend that I am, I offered The Pope a ride home, and he gladly accepted. Ready to call it a night and head straight home, I waited while The Pontiff racked up his winnings. But alas, La Papa had a detour in mind: "I'm starving. Let's go to the 24 hour Bud's Broiler on Clearview." Though I was not hungry in the least, we all know that The Pope does what The Pope wants to do. So off we went with yours truly at the helm of The Pope Mobile.

I can eat. A lot. Sometimes I think that I may be able to give Kobayashi a run for his money. But when La Papa's appetite is fueled by holy water, the man is on an entire other level. His order at midnight on a Monday: a DOUBLE MEAT #2, a #9 with onions, and a large cheese fries. When he unpacked his to-go bag, I witnessed a glorious display of greasy goodness.

The service at Bud's was unexpectedly fast for the day and time, but the food was freshly prepared as usual. I have reserved a place in my heart (and belly) for Bud's ever since the first time I dined as a youngin' at the original Bud's located on that triangular plot of land on City Park Avenue. If there is any food worth driving out to Clearview for, it is most certainly a charcoal broiled burger slathered in Bud's signature hickory smoked sauce.

Bud's Broiler - Birdie during the day. Eagle anytime after midnight.