Blisters BBQ Review

by Vera Chen

 

Blisters BBQ is a small joint serving smoked slow cooked food out of the Shell station north of Rexburg. They specialize in foods like pulled pork, brisket, and tri tip. They also have the shrimp poor boy and hamburgers for those who want something different or familiar. They seem to be pretty new at what they are doing, with just two people taking orders and cooking. The place seems very laid back with not many tables for customers to sit and eat. So take out is definitely a must if you want to eat in comfort. However takeout has its drawbacks too. The food gets cold pretty quick and the bun gets soggy if you got the pulled pork or chicken because all the juices run to the bottom. There seems to be a pretty stable flow of customers, so they are constantly busy it seems. However, that also meant that tables were not wiped down regularly, and the trash was overflowing. Food is priced per item, with sides like sodas and waffle fries costing $2 each. They have a combo where you can add on two sides to your sandwich for $3 which is not bad, but when a sandwich is costing about $4 - $6, it makes the meal a little expensive for college students but affordable to the community. They do have specials, which would bring the price down to about $3.50 to $5 for a sandwich depending of what the special is for that day. 

I went on a Wednesday afternoon at about 1pm and it took me a total of 15 minutes to place my order and get my food. So they are pretty quick. The food, on the other hand, is mediocre. I got the bacon wrapped hotdog with baked beans and a deep fried pickle, and the new pulled chicken sandwich with waffle fries. The bacon wrapped hotdog is normal; with nothing special about it other than that it is a bacon wrapped hotdog. The beans were very sour on the first bite, and then you could taste the spice after that. They had hotdog pieces in the beans which seemed to be just an extra that they do with their overcooked hotdogs. The pickle had good breading and flavor. It was not too sour like other places. The pulled chicken was a little disappointing especially after all the other raving reviews on it. The portion was huge, but the flavor left a lot to be desired. The chicken seemed dry, and the bun was soggy and fell apart after I took it home, 20 minutes later. There also did not seem to be enough sauce on the meat. It could have used thicker and more sauce to add flavor. The waffle fries was battered and had good flavor. I liked that it was waffle fries and not the regular cut fries. They had a sauce with the fries, which was tangy, definitely different from the common fry sauce found in this area.

All in all, not bad for what you can find in this area but not great either.

One Year Old

Next week the new issue of the paper comes out.  It will be the conference edition.  We will have short summaries of the talks from General Conference as well as other articles.

Our new layout has been well received.  Most comments are that it is more eye catching.  It also better fits our style, being more of a magazine than a newspaper.  We mostly review things-- events, restaurants, businesses-- and we don't break any news, though we will gather references to current events and discuss them.

Our website is up and running.  Most of our stories are published there.  Check it out at www.thelocalreview.com.

We have been publishing for an entire year this month.  We're excited to continue informing Madison County of local happenings and important information.

The Hickory, Rexburg's Rib Joint

by Allison Jones

The Hickory is a recently opened restaurant at 155 W. Main Street in Rexburg.  The menu includes burgers, sandwiches, and dinners like ribs and brisket.  They are home style cooking specializing in slow cooked meats.

The décor is homey and a bit quirky.  The lights are all encased in mason jars, some of which are topped by pie tins.  If you order soda, your drink will be served in a mason jar as well.  It has a warm rustic atmosphere with plenty of decorations to catch your eye.  It is very busy at the normal lunch and dinner times, so if you can, you may want to come in later in the afternoon.   It can be rather loud with everyone talking when full.

Also, it is not fast food, each dish has to be prepared separately once you order it and it can take up to 30 or 40 minutes for your order to come up if it is particularly busy.  So, it will be a better experience if you go with a group or bring something to keep you occupied while you wait.  It is not the place to go if you are pressed for time.  The dishes are good, comfort food.  This is not where you eat if you are worried about eating light, but it is delicious.  

I have tried the pulled pork sandwich, the chicken strip dinner, and the sourdough chicken sandwich.  All were good, if a little messy.  The flourless chocolate torte and the hot chocolate were also very good.  How can you go wrong with chocolate?  If you want fries with your sandwich they are extra, but they are wonderful home style cut with the skin still on.

Overall, I give The Hickory three stars out of four.

Snowboarding Without the Mountain

By Allison Jones

 

Brett Kesler, owner of Pinnacle Security, has opened a new business at Rainbow Lake.  He bought the RV Park there and found he could realize one of his dreams, to have a cable towing wakeboard system.  “I’ve always wanted to do it,” Brett said.  It is a way to enjoy wake boarding or water skiing without having to own a boat.  The idea to also use the system on snow to do snowboarding came second.  

Once the idea to use the cable tow system over snow as well as water came, they had to see if it was even possible.  They checked online, finding a YouTube video of snowboarding by cable, and checked with the company that produces the cable systems and determined it was possible.  The job of getting it set up went to manager Matt Vansteenkiste.

Updates

The Local Review Website is live once again and we've got new articles up on it.  Come check it out and let us know what you think of it.

Also, we are preparing this month's centennial edition.  We're focusing on the history of Madison County.  Give us some suggestions of what people, places, events, etc. you want to know more about.  An article on Beaver Dick is already completed and one on the Rexburg Tabernacle is in progress.

Anytime Fitness Press Release

January 1, 2013

Rexburg, IDAHO— Anytime Fitness Ribbon Cutting & Open House

Wednesday, January 16th – 10 a.m. - 859 S Yellowstone Hwy #1800 -   

Anytime Fitness announces its new ownership grand opening in the Henry’s Fork Plaza

24-hour co-ed fitness club offers convenience and affordability

Anytime Fitness, the world’s largest and fastest growing 24-hour co-ed fitness franchise, is pleased to announce it is under new ownership in the Henry’s Fork Plaza in Rexburg. A grand opening celebration will take place on Wednesday January 16^th, from 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM.

With 24/7 access, Anytime Fitness offers convenient and affordable exercise. At Anytime Fitness, members can work out any time of the day or night, every day of the year. They use a security-access key to enter the club, even when it is not staffed. Once inside, members have full use of state-of-the-art strength training and cardiovascular equipment. Anytime Fitness also offers 24-hour tanning and membership reciprocity among its clubs, which allows members to use any of the 2000+ clubs that are currently open in the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Updates

The Local Review website is up and running again.  There are only a few articles posted so far, but more are coming.  New articles will be uploaded regularly.

Also, The Local Review will be doing a monthly print issue for the Madison County Centennial all of 2013.  We will be focusing on the history of Madison County and the events that will be held to celebrate the centennial.  Of course, local news will also be covered, but the focus will be on the centennial.

If you know of any events that we haven't mentioned, let us know so that we can cover them.  You can leave a message here or on our Facebook page.  Share how you liked the events you attended, if you write up your opinion and send it to us it may be printed in the next issue.

Merry Christmas, we hope you have a great holiday.

Press Release: Centennial Concert Discounts

NATIONAL BANDS COUNTRY SAWYER BROWN AND CLASSIC ROCK STARSHIP WITH MICKEY THOMAS ARE COMING TO MADISON COUNTY TO HELP CELEBRATE CENTENNIAL YEAR 2013.
MADISON COUNTY CENTENNIAL FAIR 2013 FESTIVITIES ON AUGUST 17TH WILL HIGHLIGHT NATIONAL BANDS, LARGE FIREWORKS DISPLAY, AND $1,000 WINNER TALENT SHOW.

Rexburg, ID Dec 17, 2012— It was announced today that two national bands will be performing at the Madison County Centennial Fair as part of the 100 year celebration and festivities August 17th, 2013. Country Band—Sawyer Brown, and Classic Rock Band—Starship with Mickey Thomas will be the major entertainment for the evening, followed by a large fireworks display. Christine Campbell, Madison County Centennial Marketing and Promotions Coordinator explains: “We felt that we needed both types of bands to appeal to a broad fan-base in the community . These two groups are phenomenal to work with and provide excellent entertainment.” The announcement was made at the “Sneak Peak” Press Conference held at Madison County Courthouse, which include speakers John Weber—Madison County Commissioner; Mayor Woodland—Rexburg Mayor; Mayor Dalling—Sugar City Mayor; Vicki Grover—Madison County Centennial Chairman and Bob Schneiter—Madison County Fair Board Chairman.

The Madison County Centennial Fair concert show tickets will include both bands. Regular ticket prices are $45.00, and will be discounted to $35.00 for an early pre-sale from Dec. 20th thru Jan. 1st. Tickets will be available online only at www.madisoncountycentennial.com. All website links and changes will launch mid-night on Thursday December 20th, to begin pre-ticket sales. Ten winners will be selected from the “early bird” pre-ticket sales participants to attend a special BACKSTAGE VIP to personally meet Sawyer Brown and Starship Featuring Mickey Thomas in between shows held the evening on August 17th, 2013.

This will be the first time ever that Madison County Fair has brought in this level of entertainment. There will be only 3000 tickets available for sell, and it is a first come-first served basis.
There will be a large variety of events to help celebrate Madison County Centennial 2013, including a large talent show with preliminaries held in May and winners to perform on stage before the national bands. De-tails will be posted on website January 1, 2013: www.madisoncountycentennial.com

For more Information, Contact: Christine Campbell 208-357-8679

December Events

Starting tonight, It's A Wonderful Life will be playing at the Romance Theatre.  December 6-8, 10 from 7pm to 9pm.  It is put on by the City of Rexburg and will cost $6 to get in.

December 7-8, 10 the Nutcracker Ballet will be put on by the Idaho Ballet Theater at the Colonial Theatre in Idaho Falls.  It starts at 7pm and will cost $14 a ticket.

The Annual Christmas Concert by the Upper Valley Women's Choir will be held December 10th at 7:30pm in the Rexburg Tabernacle Civic Center.  Admission is free.

December 15th, A Christmas Carol will be playing at the Colonial Theatre in Idaho Falls starting at 2pm and 7:30pm.  The musical is organized by Studio One and tickets will be $15.

New Restaurant

The Hickory is open and flourishing in the strip mall by Zion's Bank.

It serves barbeque and has different specials for each day of the week.  Today was the dealio day with the special being pulled pork sandwiches with fries and a drink.  It was delicious.  The sandwiches are the perfect size with a generous helping of natural fries.  It's served together in a little crate.  They also serve wonderful hot chocolate.

If you order something bigger than a sandwich combo, like ribs or brisket, then you get a plate.  Last Saturday they had a rib-cutting and grand opening with samples of their ribs offered.  They were very good.

The decor is fun, using crates and canning jars.  Sodas are also served in canning jars.  The atmosphere is homey and comfortable.  The Hickory opens at 11:00 every day, come try them out for lunch or dinner.  You won't regret it.