I find it funny that B-LUX Grill & Bar in Lake Delton sounds similar to DLUX in Madison, and both restaurants serve specialty burgers. B-LUX opened in May and is located near Pizza Pub (in fact, that’s what the billboard ads say).

The spacious restaurant includes several dining rooms, a large bar, a game room and outdoor seating, plus flat-screen TVs along the walls. Basically, you can go there for any occasion or circumstance.

Let’s take a look at the burgers first:

• The B-LUX doublestack ($17) is a massive, super-filling burger sporting two thick patties and lots of toppings. I liked that the egg was runny and the bacon was crispy, but the pulled pork was bland and dry. This monstrosity would be helped with some BBQ sauce.
• The Cheesehead burger ($14) also is over the top, with cheddar cheese and really tasty cheese curds, plus a nice, salty crunch from the chicken-fried (breaded) bacon.
• You also can make your own burger, or you can order sandwiches such as the southwestern turkey burger ($14).

Unlike DLUX, B-LUX also serves many items besides burgers:

• The B-LUX chili ($5 cup, $8 bowl, $3 as a side) is beefy and not overloaded with pinto beans, thankfully. The chunks of beef were tender, and the chili is complemented by the Fritos and fresh-cut jalapenos.
• The tater tots are crispy and seasoned. They’re even better in the loaded chili totchos ($11) topped with chili, cheese and sour cream. Great way to start the meal.
• On my next visit, I look forward to trying the B-LUX Donut Shake ($8), which is a Nutella shake along with a glazed donut.

B-LUX Grill & Bar is open every day for lunch and dinner.

If you’re driving from Lake Delton toward Wisconsin Dells, following Hwy 12 as it curves to the right, you’ll likely miss Boomtown Saloon, which is just a block beyond that turn. If you want surprisingly good bar food, keep going straight next time.

With far more bar seating than table seating, plus live music, a pool table, darts and pull tabs, it’s definitely more “saloon” than restaurant. However, a two-page menu had many items that exceeded my expectations.

For example, I absolutely loved the Memphis sliders ($7 for four). It’s diced, seasoned chicken with BBQ sauce, pickles and non-creamy cole slaw inside Hawaiian rolls. You’ll encounter lots of different flavors combined with crunchy and tender textures.

Meanwhile, the Nashville hot chicken ($12 for two, $17 for five) was not at all spicy, but it was still delicious fried chicken. Very crispy skin + moist chicken = satisfying (except for the missing heat). You also will find chicken and waffles ($9) and various fried fish on this portion of the menu.

On my next visit, I’m going to get the Sriracha Bourbon Burger ($12), which is topped with spicy cheese curds and a Sriracha-bourbon sauce. For sides, you may choose between sidewinder fries and Boomtown Hush Puppies ($6 as an appetizer). The latter are really deep-fried cornbread balls. Though quite dry, they were helped a bit by the accompanying butter-syrup cup.

My only disappointment was the southwest chicken wrap ($10). Boomtown puts excellent twists on the menu items, but this wrap was pretty standard, though the jalapeno ranch sauce enhanced the flavor.

Boomtown Saloon is open every day for lunch and dinner.