Before I write anything else, I’d like to thank the late Mike Robb for being genius enough to hijack the Southwestern egg rolls from Chili’s and throw a better version of the beloved appetizer on the menu at Mike’s Hole-In-The-Wall. These egg rolls with their ancho chipotle dipping sauce, jumbo chicken wings tossed in “Mike’s Sauce” and the Ukrainian Quaalude cocktail helped Mike’s Hole In the Wall become a beloved neighborhood haunt of Cherokee Boulevard, when — according to their website — that part of town was “not yet a destination nor safe.” The original, less desirable location (with an actual hole in the wall) gave way to larger, more fashionable digs directly across the street.
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Those wings tossed in “Mike’s sauce” made their way to the follow-up restaurant, a barbecue joint called Mike’s Smokehouse on Brainerd Road with not only chicken wings but racks of tender, sticky St. Louis-style ribs, burnt ends and smoked bologna sandwiches.
The Mike’s empire expanded in 2019 with Mike’s Tavern, which was relatively more “upscale” than the previous two establishments. When I say “upscale,” I mean portabello burgers, pan seared salmon, Florentine ravioli and half-off bottles of wine on Wednesdays. And yes, jumbo wings tossed in “Mike’s Sauce.”
The “Mike’s” name has been dropped for the restaurant empire’s latest endeavor: Riverport Grille, which is set to open in mid-June at 224 Broad St.