Grill 'Em if You Got 'Em

                Grill ‘em up. Sometimes the best burger you can eat is the one you fix yourself. I love to grill. I’ve been grilling for years and those who have had the fortune (or misfortune) to imbibe in my culinary delights seem to think I’m pretty good at it.

                Lots of people only put one or two things on the grill. I cook all kinds of food there. Not just meat but potatoes and even vegetables. I’ve done pizza on the grill and always cook the Thanksgiving turkey there. Food just seems to taste better on the grill.

                For me what adds so much flavor to grilled food is the fire and what the fire is made of. In the kitchen we have a gas stove. If I want to cook something with gas I can go there and cook away. But outside, grilling, that needs to be done with charcoal and wood. Yes, wood. Different woods can infuse different flavors. (I’ll blog about different wood some other time.)

                Last night we decided to throw some burgers on the grill. I like to start with quarter to third pound burgers made from ground chuck that’s an 80-20 mix. I’ve found that too much fat content in the meet and the burgers shrink up. Not enough and they can have a tendency to fall apart. Besides, that fat is what adds so flavor; it’s like the marbling on a really good steak

                Most times I’ll just add some sea salt and freshly ground pepper to the patties and go from there. If I’m in the mood, I’ll add my special steak blend seasoning to give them a little kick. My steak rub contains salt, pepper, dehydrated garlic and onion, along with finely minced red bell pepper and a couple of other secret spices. Last night I added the rub to my burger.

                When grilling I believe in a lot of indirect heat. With burgers I’ll sear them over the flame for 30 seconds to a minute per side. This cooks the outer part of the patty and helps hold in the juices. Then I’ll move it off of the flame to cook for 10 minutes or so. It takes a little longer but the indirect heat doesn’t dry up the burger the way keeping over the flames sometimes does.

                Another important ingredient in my burger grilling is the wood. My favorite kind of wood to use with burgers is hickory and last night I started my fire with some charcoal and added plenty of hickory chunks to the mix. Then, I formed a sort of bowl out of heavy duty aluminum foil and filled it with a mix of mesquite and white oak wood chips. These I put near enough to the fire so they don’t catch and burn but that the heat makes them start smoking.

                As a side, I also chopped up some sweet potato, put it in another piece of manipulated heavy duty aluminum foil, mixed in some extra virgin olive oil, added sea salt and black pepper and put it on the grill for about 30 minutes.

                When the burger is just about done I added my cheese. Last night was a fresh slice of provolone. I’ll choose different cheeses depending on my mood but last night was all about kick of the steak rub and the mellowness of the provolone let those flavors shine through.

                I’ll write more about grilling burgers; about some different recopies and special ways I like to prepare them. I’ll also blog some about wood and different types of wood that I use, not only for grilling burgers but for all kinds of food.

                For now, spring is here so grill ‘em if you got ‘em.

Anderson Township Pub

                Opened in 1982, the ATP as the locals call it is vested in east side restaurant history. The Pub’s owner, John Stump had originally operated The Locker Room on Beechmont Ave. The ATP sits amid the handful of buildings on twisty and curvy Clough Pike, at 6694 Clough Pike and can be found on the web at andersonttownshippub.com.

Josh

 

           The Anderson Township Pub, commonly called the ATP, had been my favorite for the majority of my life. It’s lovable, and simple, layout, staff, food, and atmosphere have brought in quite a few lifelong costumers. As you enter, the first thing to notice is the large amount of sports memorabilia decking the walls. These, along with pictures and autographs, show just how long the ATP has been around. Every sports team from the Reds to the Bengals have their gear placed around the ATP. The service is without a doubt excellent, all the waiters are personable and the kitchen keeps up with the rush hour pretty well. The menu has been downsized over the years, but there isn’t an item on the menu that isn’t worth a try. The burgers, unsurprisingly, are the most popular item at the ATP. They’re massive, juicy, well-seasoned, and cooked to order. The garden at the ATP is fresh and crisp year round, and with a choice of fries or chips, the ATP allows you to have your burger the way you want it. With a steady supply of long time costumers, it isn’t hard to find people in the Anderson area who will tell you about the ATP. If you’re in Cincinnati, I highly recommend the ATP for lunch or dinner.

Mark

                The basics of any good burger are that it is plump, juicy, fresh and tastes great. For me, all of these are summed up in any visit you take to the ATP. Now before going any further I must admit that I am a true homer when it comes to this restaurant. I’ve been going there since the mid-1980s. All of my kids grew up on their grub. In fact, my two youngest went there many times while still in their pumpkin seats.

                All the time I’ve been going there I’ve never been delighted with the food, especially the burgers. The burgers are eight ounces of fresh, charbroiled beef cooked to taste. They come to your table thick and dripping with goodness. And they come served on fresh Servati buns, made daily to compliment this delicious homage to burger greatness.

                While I’ve tried just about everything on the menu, including each of the five signature burgers, on our review visit I stuck to our plan to only sample the basics and at The Pub, that means the Federal. Each of the burgers on the menu is named for one of the surrounding hills that make up Forest Hills. The Federal is your basic burger with your choice of cheeses. For this visit I chose American. I had them add a crisp, generous portion of lettuce and a surprisingly ripe and thick slice of tomato. Where do these great restaurants get their tomatoes in the winter? I have to find out.

                When I picked up the burger for my first bite juices dripped onto the plate. But those were the only ones lost and not soaked up by the Servati bun. As always there was an explosion of flavors that accompanied that bite: the bun, the lettuce, the tomato, the cheese, my choice of condiments which included mustard and mayo, and then that fresh, never frozen beef. It was heaven in my hand.

                Add to the burger the equally fresh, handmade French fries and it’s all but impossible to walk away from a meal at The Pub and not be full.

                In addition to the burgers, one of the great reasons to visit this neighborhood joint is the atmosphere. It starts when you pull in the parking lot. The lot isn’t paved and you sometimes feel as though you need to throw the SUV into four wheel drive. The building, though clean, looks like it’s seen a few visits. The open patio in front is great for warm days. But the inside is where you need to go.

                There it is dark and as your eyes adjust you see that the place is filled with televisions playing a number of different sporting events. The walls are covered with various sports memorabilia as well as pictures of various outings that the loyal regulars have attended. It’s small and homey and you get the feeling that some guy is going to walk in and everyone is going to shout, “Norm” or in my case. "Turner." He’ll of course order a burger. And be glad he did.

Ollie's Trolley

                One of the few remaining Ollie’s from a onetime chain, the Ollie’s Trolley at 1601 W. Central Ave. at the corner of Liberty is still making up delicious soul food. Owner Marvin Smith has catered several fundraisers for Barak Obama and proudly shows off pictures with him and the President and him and the First Lady. Specializing in barbaque, this actual old trolley car that sits on the side of the road also serves up spicy burgers and fries.

Josh

            My father had told me that Ollie’s was small, but I never understood until I actually saw it for myself. No bigger than a large car, Ollie’s is rather easy to miss. After entering one of the only two doors, the first thing you will see is that the walls are covered, literally, with pictures of satisfied customer, celebrities, and even the 44^th president of the United States. The service was fast, granted that we ordered far from rush hour. My father and I sat outside at the restaurant’s one table. The burgers smelled great, one sniff and my mouth was watering. My first bite was not what I expected. The fresh garden was nice and fresh, the sauce was potent but far from overpowering. What struck me was the seasoning that was inside the meat. It was obvious but instead of being overpowering, it simply added to the flavor. Combined with the well-seasoned fires, and a great day, Ollie’s easily became a favorite of mine. My only problem was that I had a little too much sauce on mine, which of course is my personal opinion. Ollie’s may be easy to miss, but it is definitely worth the stop if you want a quick but delicious carry out meal.

Mark

                For me, Ollie’s Trolley is like that veteran ball player that brings experience to the game. It may be a little old and possibly outdated, even undersized, but it brings a spark that every team wants.

                I haven’t had a Big Ollie Burger in a number of years and had pretty much forgotten how this (wait, I can’t say house specialty since this is an actual trolley car) signature burger is spiced. There is just enough kick added to the beef to make you glad you ordered it with all the fixings. Though I did leave off the onions it came complete with crisp lettuce, a ripe tomato slice, crunchy pickles, ketchup, mustard, mayo, and a slice of American cheese.

The burgers and fries, though frozen, are cooked up when ordered. This means you have to wait a little while to get your food but you know you aren’t getting something that has been soaking in its own grease for 30 minutes.  On the other hand, while the thick burger comes out hot it isn’t dripping in juices which make it a little dry. Still, the burger is flavorful.

Whenever people start adding spices to their burger I always fear one of two things. First I wonder why they have to add something to the meat. Is it a low quality of mean, doesn’t it taste good on its own, is it really fresh? The second thing I wonder is if I’m going to taste the spices and not the burger.

At Ollie’s there is a nice little bite of heat that they add. They have been doing it this way for long enough to know just how much needs to be there. There is the slightest hint of a bite without it being over powering. It complements the burger rather than overpower it.

                The bun was very basic and non-descript. And basically that’s OK. It was fresh and while it didn’t add anything to the overall experience it didn’t detract either. The fries are another story. Again, they are frozen but made when you place your order so they come out hot. They are also coated with the special Ollie’s fry seasoning. Just like with the burger, it complements the flavor of the fries rather than over power or detract.

                Perhaps the best part of Ollie’s is the ambience. The store itself is really little more than a stand. An actual trolley car makes up the entire restaurant. All of the food is carry-out. There are a couple of seats around outside if the weather is nice and if it is, grab a picnic table near the barbecue grills and enjoy the aromas. The trolley is filled with many African American leaders and locals as well as numerous other posters and pictures to give you something to look at while you wait for the food.

                Ollie’s is very affordable. It’s freshly made burgers at fast food prices.

                While Ollie’s isn’t my favorite burger and it’s not even in my personal top 10, it is still a destination worth visiting, especially if you’ve never been.  Hey, every team needs that good solid player coming off the bench to make a team complete.