Quatman's

                Since 1966, the little pub at the corner of Quatman and Montgomery Rd. in Norwood has been serving up one of the best burgers at some of the best prices around. With a total of 15 items on the menu (if you count the served only on Friday fish sandwich) and daily specials, including the cheeseburger special three days a week, it is easy to choose your meal, a tasty delight that won’t put even a small dent into your wallet.

                The owners have done the almost unthinkable; they have opened a new location in Mason at 224 West Main St.  And they’ve tried to do the equally unthinkable; make it identical to the old one. The original in Norwood has a homey décor of what it is, a neighborhood corner pub. With enough TVs for everyone to see the game from wherever they’re sitting, whether it’s a table or a booth (all have the same red and white checked table cloth).  The new location, though located in the heart of old Mason, doesn’t have the same feel, at least not yet. It’s more open and airy with the bar secluded behind a patrician.

                Still, both feature the same menu and service with the food served on the finest of China, paper plates. Literally the food comes on paper plates.

                Recently I had the opportunity to compare the two Quatmans. My friend Chuck Neal, a long time diner at the original, now lives in Mason and invited to me lunch. Then, the next day, Josh and I headed over to the original. I must say, it was quite a delicious couple of days.

Josh

            Quatmens in Norwood has been a great local burger joint for quite a long time, 40 years to be exact. I first experienced Quatmens when my father and I first got into the journey of going to all the car shows we could find, and get to. After my first experience with the amazing seating arrangement, steel chairs at simple tables, and the exquisite fine china, paper plates and drinks by the can, I was hooked for life. The simplicity of the restaurant is quickly outpaced by the great tasting food. The garden at Quatmens does not include lettuce and tomato, the one and only downside to eating there. Despite this the flavorful, juicy, and perfectly cooked meat makes that setback almost non-existent. Quatmens fries are exactly what they should be, a side to the meal. They are well fried and crispy, they don’t put salt on the fires so the customer can do that themselves. Also they help accent the delicious burger without coming close to overpowering it. Quatmens is a definite must have before one leaves Norwood; highly recommended and well worth the drive.

Mark

                Right up front I have to point out that no matter how hard they have tried, the burger I had at the original in Norwood location was better. Not that the Mason burger was bad but…. Well, let me explain.

                The true Quatman burger is thick and juicy and very tasty. Both were but the Mason burger was a little less juicy as though it had been cooked a little too long and caused it to be a little dried out. Now this is in comparison to the original Quatman burger. The one I had in Mason could stand up against just about any burger in the region. Still, the comparison has to hold and since I ate them on back to back days they were both fresh, as they say, in my memory.

They did offer up lettuce and tomato in Mason that they don’t have at Norwood, and it was crispy. They serve up the same soft bun and flavorful American cheese. They even have the same crispy thin shoestring fries. The fries in Mason, though, tasted just a little old.

Granted I ate at both establishments during lunch time but the Mason restaurant was on a beautiful Friday when a lot of people were out and enjoying the weather. The next day was raining hard and so the crowd at the Norwood location was down.

One thing to remember about Quatman’s is that every day they have a special. Most days it’s the burger but when we were at Mason it was the fish. I’m not sure if it was the crowd or fact that they were serving up a lot of fish but our service at the Mason restaurant was slower than at Norwood (I have always gotten fast service at the Norwood location). Still, we didn’t have to wait any longer than you would expect at a chain restaurant.

Perhaps it was all subconscious. I’ve been eating at the Norwood Quatman’s for years and just maybe I don’t want it to be as good. Or maybe it is the fact that the Mason kitchen, especially the grill, isn’t as old and broken in as the one in Norwood. Who knows? My friend Chuck has dined at both quite often and he swears that they are just the same. So too do a couple of the employees at the Norwood location. Another friend and Norwood resident, Amy Cribbs, has the opposite opinion. She and her family is self-proclaimed “anti-Mason.” To explain she said, “They got all fancy with lettuce and tomato!” Actually it doesn’t matter at which location you dine, any Quatman’s burger is going to be one of the best burgers you can eat.

By Golly's Tavern

                The original By Golly’s opened in Milford in the 1980s and built a reputation among locals for being an affordable restaurant with good food and good service. On Thanksgiving Day in 2007 a fire destroyed the place but, like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, it has come back with the same quality in a more up to date version. By Golly’s is located at 714 Lila Ave. in Milford and on the web at http://www.bygollys.com.

Josh

                By Golly’s looks much like your standard small town dive, mostly because it is. As one enters its doors you’re quickly hit by how small the restaurant is; it looks like it has been there much longer than it really has. The service at By Golly’s is very personal and the servers seem to actually enjoy working there. They are quick to help explain anything on the menu, as well as accurately take your order. After a short wait our food came out of the kitchen, as always I had ordered a burger. The food itself needed no presentation; it could have been thrown at me and still looked delicious. My first taste of By Golly’s burgers was one of pure taste, every element of a great burger, a hint of the garden’s crispness, a blast of the cheese’s flavor mixed with an explosion of juicy goodness from the burger itself. Now the Kaiser roll the burger was on seemed almost too big for the burger, and with all the juices the burger slid constantly. Despite these setbacks, I still highly recommend By Golly’s for anyone lookin for a good, messy burger.

Mark

                My parents had moved from Loveland to a brand new house in Milford in the late ‘70s and so I had the opportunity to eat at By Golly’s back in the day. I remember it being a funky little local joint that served up good food at reasonable prices. Except for some newer digs nothing has changed.

                We went on a Sunday and the place, though not packed, was far from empty. Locals who the staff knew were sitting around, eating, talking and watching the various TVs located around the dining room and bar area.

                I ordered the Rt. 50 Burger, 10, count them 10 ounces of 100% beef hand patted and grilled up to the perfect medium rare. It came with lettuce and pickle but no tomato because they aren’t in season. I added provolone cheese, some ketchup and mustard. All of this sitting on a large Kaiser roll.

                While the lettuce was a little wilted and the Kaiser roll was so large that a good chunk of it was left on my plate, the burger itself was very, very good. This wasn’t the juiciest burger I’ve ever had but it was one savory piece of meat. And it was thick. So thick that with it and the size of the bun I had a hard time wrapping my mouth around it. Not that I’m complaining.

                On the side I decided to just go with the standard potato chips while Josh opted for the waffle fries. Good thing for me, too, because there were so many fries that, despite how tasty they were, Josh couldn’t get through half of them.

                By Golly’s has a reputation for doing things big. Right now they have the two pound burger challenge. This is a two pound (yes, pound) cheeseburger that comes with a pound of fries. Eat it all and you beat the challenge. Eat it fast enough and it’s free. Beat Jamin’ Joe Larue’s record time and they name the sandwich after you.

                The monster food isn’t going to stop with the burger. Our server informed us that a six (yes, I said six) pound sub challenge is in the works. Sounds to me like Man vs. Food time.

                Overall By Golly’s is a great little neighborhood place that will more than fill you up on a budget. It’s worth the drive to Milford to check it out.

Sammy's Gourmet Burgers and Beer

                A relative new comer to the local burger scene, Sammy’s was opened in 2009 by Samuel Flores after the success of his first restaurant El Pueblo. The restaurant was designed around his love of sports and food. Set at the corner of Creek and Blue Ash Road (and on the web at www.sammysnow.com), it offers wide screen sports playing all around, a full bar with a wide selection of beers and a variety of gourmet burgers all nestled in a small yet comfortable setting.

Josh

                High school can be such a pain in the butt sometimes. It can really make you have to re-think your priorities. While Josh is a junior in high school right now it has proven a little difficult to keep up with school work and the blogs. Due to various circumstances he wasn’t able to get around to writing up his review when we had visited Sammy’s. By the time he managed to squeeze it into his schedule he said that he couldn’t honestly remember anything about it and didn’t feel able to write up anything. The lack of the experience being memorable shouldn’t be taken as a bad omen since we’ve had a number of burgers since. But it does say a little something about the place.

Mark

                I always enjoy trying out new and interesting burger combinations and Sammy’s offers several that look to be quite tasty. Of course for this blog we agreed to stick with the traditional and so I chose the Classic with cheddar cheese. What I got was 100% certified Angus beef cooked to my order, dripping with cheese, Sammy’s special sauce, lettuce, tomato and pickle stacked high on a honey-kaiser roll.

                It arrived on the plate, plump and juicy. Considering that it is still early spring I wasn’t surprised to see that the tomato was not fully ripe red and was a little wimpy. Still, the anticipation of taking that first bite of a new burger is always exciting. This burger looked like it was going to be a huge delight.

                For me, though, it wasn’t. Taking that first bite I was overwhelmed by the sauce. Not that I disliked it. No, the sauce was delicious. It added a sweet bit of tang to the burger. But it, and perhaps the cheddar cheese, was a bit too much for the burger. The flavor of the burger was lost behind the sauce. When I bite burger I want to taste burger. Oh I knew it was there, dripping what should have been delicious juices, soaking into the bun, causing it to slide around in my hand to the point where I couldn’t put it down for fear of it falling apart. That is how I like a burger.

                I did set the burger down and took just a bite of the meat. Maybe there was still some sauce on it or the tastes were still strong in my mouth but the meat seemed to be rather bland with nothing that jumped out at me and screamed that it should be the center attraction rather than the other stuff. In my opinion, the sauces, the cheese, the lettuce, the tomato, the pickles and anything else that’s on there should complement the mean, not hide it.

                Everything else about Sammy’s was wonderful; great service with a friendly, unrushed, neighborhood atmosphere. Our food came quickly and was served hot despite it being near the end of lunch hour. The fries were basic, tasting fresh and not smothered in anything but a little salt and their own flavor.

                Gourmet burgers are designed to take the toppings and push the envelope. Because everything at Sammy’s is homemade, I’d like to go back and try some of their gourmet burgers where I don’t expect the meat patty to be the star of the show. But for the Classic, the star just didn’t shine.

Steak 'n Shake

                While the intent of this blog has never been to hit up the chains, sometimes circumstances dictate that as a necessity. So if you’re going to have to munch that burger at a chain, why not a good one. Steak ‘n Shake was founded in Normal, IL in 1934 where it was such a success that the founder, Gus Belt expanded and began opening new restaurants throughout the Midwest. “Famous for Steakburgers” is a slogan born of the practice of grinding round, sirloin and t-bone steaks up to create the burgers. You can “TakHomeaSak” from one of the more than 500 locations and they can also be found on line at http://steaknshake.com/.

Josh

            Steak ‘n Shake is a chain that has been dear to me for a good portion of my life. My first visit was back before I could even walk; my parents took me along for a trip. Ever since that day I have always loved their food, and the 50’s diner atmosphere. Steak ‘n Shake has, without a doubt, pretty fast service, good juicy burgers, and some of the best fries I have ever had. Their fries are of a surprising quality considering that Steak ‘n Shake is a chain restaurant. Combine the fires with speedy, as well as accurate, service, and you have a great restaurant. The atmosphere of the diner is accented by the constant aroma that fills the air. With the kitchen always within sight from the counter, you can tell when your food is prepared. This only helps add to the mouthwatering, and hunger that commonly fallows entering a Steak n’ Shake. Now, on to the burger, it comes made to order, well-seasoned, fresh garden, and on a toasted bun. If that can’t make a tasty burger, then I don’t know what will.

Mark

                I’ve never had a problem sitting at a table and waiting for my burger to be cooked when it’s ordered. But when you have young kids you are sometimes presented with the problem of having to get the food fast and keep them entertained during the wait. Steak ‘n Shake had always been one of my favorite “fast food” chains and proximity allowed me to take the kids when they were young. A tradition started with my kids where we would play games on the back of the place mats; mostly tic tac toe and hangman (which is a great game for young kids learning how to read and spell). Suffice it to say that I never won at tic tac toe but stopping in for a double steakburger is usually enough of a win for me.

                While it’s unfair to compare a fast food chain with some of the other burger joints on this blog, in my opinion it manages to hold its own. A thin patty of meat flat grilled within view (“in sight, it must be right”) then topped with cheese and your choice of garden and condiments before resting on a soft bun. This isn’t the greatest burger in the world but as far as a fast food chain goes, it’s right up there near the top.

                My order of choice is usually a double cheeseburger with mayo, pickle, and mustard. With an order of some of my favorite fries in the world beside it I know exactly the quality I’m getting.

                A quick word about the fries: they are shoestring cut and lightly fried until crisp. You don’t find over cooked fries here. If only these were fresh and not frozen they would be French fry heaven.

                In my opinion, compared to the other popular fast food burger chains, you can’t go wrong with a Steak ‘n Shake. TakHomaSak for yourself.

Tavern On the Hill

Tavern on the Hill

Tavern on the Hill is everything a neighborhood pub should be. It’s friendly and inviting and has a loyal clientele. Noted for their pizzas, they are also respected for the quality of their burgers. Located at 1111 St. Gregory St. in Mt. Adams and online at www.mtadamstavernonthehill.com, it may not be the easiest destination but like many places up on the hill, it is worth the twisty one-way road drive.

Josh

           The Tavern on the Hill is just that, a tavern. It has a quaint, friendly atmosphere that couples good service with good food. Almost immediately, we were told to seat ourselves and had menus and drinks fairly quickly. The service was pretty speedy considering my family and I arrived during the lunch rush. After the food was ordered, we sat and watched the pre-game towards opening day for the Reds. As we watched on the multiple T.V.s that were placed around the half of the restaurant we were seated in, the pleasantness of the atmosphere took hold. Once I sat at my seat and had gotten comfortable, I began to understand that this tavern was a favorite eating spot of the locals. The waiters and bartenders seemed to know a few of the customers and the joint was hopping even after we had paid and left. As the food was placed on the table I took note that the food was made to order and there were no screw ups. Also, I noticed that upon first bite, the meat was charred well, the garden was pleasantly crisp and fresh, and that the sandwich was messy. The Tavern on the Hill seems like another local joint, because it is. That being said, the local joints are often times the best. The Tavern on the Hill comes recommended if you’re looking for a good place to simply hang out for lunch then look no further.

Mark

                I think eating a burger should be like tasting a nice wine. Lots of senses should come into play and there should be a nice complexity to them all. For this review I chose the Tavern Burger, a half-pound of beef served up on a Kaiser roll with lettuce and tomato (I had them hold the onion). I added a slice of cheddar and a little mustard and ketchup, but not too much because I didn’t want to drown out the flavor of the other ingredients. Remember, always practice safe burger; use condiments.

                 Even with the lunch time rush the freshly prepared burgers came within a reasonable time. The burger looked good enough to eat and as I put it together and lifted it for the first bite the aromas of fresh char grilling almost made me tear up with joy. Not really but I do appreciate the scent of a nice burger.

                Juices lay on the plate, all except those being soaked up by the bun. With my first bite my taste buds worked their way through the sandwich. The bun was softer than many more traditional Kaiser Rolls and added just a hint a sesame seed flavor. Next I hit crisp lettuce and a pretty good slice of early spring tomato. The condiments added their perfect little touch and the cheddar was strong enough to be tasted and blended in well with everything else.

                Then came the meat. While up to this point I only smelled the char grilled flavor, now both the texture and the taste of the grill came alive for me. It tasted good but something was wrong. There it was, I had ordered my burger be cooked medium rare and it was well done. Yes I understand the potential dangers of eating undercooked meat but in my opinion, overcooking any piece of meat saps the flavors. Just as you want some fat content for flavor in a steak or burger, so too, in my opinion, do you need meat that hasn’t been turned to charcoal to really bring out the taste.

                On the side came regular French fries. They also offer up garlic, Cajun and sweet potato fries. I should have opted for one of the others. The fries were about as basic and bland as could be. I’m not a big ketchup guy (though I love dipping fries in barbecue or tartar sauce) these needed something to add some taste. My daughter, who came with us on the trip, had the sweet potato fries and they were perhaps the best I’ve ever eaten. Light as you could ever imagine, putting one in your mouth was like eating sweet potato flavored deep fried air.

                Overall Tavern on the Hill is worth checking out if you’ve never been before. I’d like to think that if my burger hadn’t been overcooked my meal would have been very good. Even cooked well done there was a decent amount of flavor to the meat. But like a wine that just misses the mark, so did this burger.