Great Scott Diner

                Great Scott Diner in Amelia harkens back to a time when cars were king, rock was rolling and everyone flocked to a diner to fill up on burgers and fries.

                With 50s and 60 rock playing, the servers dressed in period style uniforms and the walls plastered with all sorts of rock and car posters and signs, the instant you walk in you have a good idea what to expect when you eat here. And we’re never disappointed.

                Located at 106 E. Main St. in Amelia, OH and on the web at http://www.greatscottdiner.com/ we stopped in before heading to a car show that, unfortunately, had been rained out.

Burgers

                With a lot of different choices on the menu, including burgers, dog, sandwiches, and a delicious Sunday morning breakfast buffet, there are plenty of options for everyone at Great Scott. We were there for the burgers and even limiting our selection to that single category didn’t narrow the field all that much.

                Though we both settled on an Old Fashioned Burger, there were tons of other options, especially if we were really, really hungry.

                The Big Nasty family of burgers is exactly what you would expect from burgers with that name. From the one pound (yes pound) Big Nasty to the two pound Super Nasty to the four pound behemoth Impossible Nasty, these burgers are more than one sane person should try on their own. But folks do and only complain about how full they are.

                Our Old Fashions were like the Frisch’s Big Boy, only full size. Two quarter pound patties with tartar sauce, American cheese and pickles on a fresh bun that comes to your table stacked so high it’s daunting to try to eat it. Here’s a hint, order the burger as a combo, without the center slice of bun and it’s a lot easier to handle.

                Since the atmosphere of Great Scott takes you back to the 50s, so too does this burger. It is juicy and filled with flavor.

                To round out our lunch we both ordered up a generous portion of curly fries that really hit the spot.

                If you are ever on the east side of town and want to tap into a good classic burger, head to Amelia and Great Scott Diner. Or if you are just feeling nostalgic for a bygone decade, take the drive and spend some time looking at the walls and be sure to check out the kitschy gift shop before you go.

Roxy's Restaurant and Lounge

                Josh and I were downtown not too long ago checking out the Wine and Wheels car show. Normally we would have eaten some of the fare they were grilling up (wood stove pizza, ribs, chicken, burgers) but Josh wanted to get out of the heat and sit down where it was comfortable.

                Using the always helpful Urban Spoon app, we found Roxy’s Restaurant and Lounge. Located at 909 Vine St. (where Hamburger Mary’s use to be) and on the web at http://www.roxyscincy.com/, it was just a short walk from the show.

                Inside the place was empty as we became the first customers of the day. The décor is movie influenced with posters and pictures from films and stars lining the wall. With funky jazz playing, this isn’t your usual stop to chow down on a burger. But it is an interesting place to dine, even if you don’t intend to stay for one of the late night “events” that surely bring in a crowd.

Burgers

                We both ordered up Roxy Burgers, made with one half pound of fresh meat delivered daily from Eckerlin Meats (http://eckerlinmeats.com/) of Findley Market. The burgers took a while to prepare but when they came they were served on brinoche buns baked locally at Giminetti Baking Company (http://giminetti.com/). The burgers were done just right. Josh had cheddar cheese which added just enough of a bite to accent the freshly ground beef. Mark topped his with provolone. Both burgers had tomato, mayo and ketchup.

                While the burgers were good, this really came as no surprise. With the quality of the meat and bun already established and being cooked up on the grill that made Hamburger Mary’s such a wonderful place to eat, we would have expected nothing less.

                What was a pleasant surprise was the seasoned fries which we both ordered. We were told that they used a Cajun spice on the fries and it was very, very good. The spice was just enough to let us know it was there but not enough to overpower the potatoes.

                The only disappointment in the meal (other than the $8 price on the burger, good and yes worth it but it’s easier to find a burger that is just as good for much less) was the fact that they were out of diet soda and so Mark drank water instead.

                Still, that aside, Roxy’s is a good place to dine and well worth the drive to downtown. And maybe you might even want to consider staying around for one of the late night “events” featuring drag shows and all-male revues. Or not.

Habits Cafe

                I’ve been going to Habits Café in historic Oakley Square for years now. So not too long ago when I was meeting my friend Mike Dennis for lunch to talk over a project, the thought of doing so at Habits gave us both a quick nod of approval.

                Mike and I both have some history at this place. We spent the better part of a week there a few years back shooting scenes for the feature film April’s Fool. In that movie, Mike played a down on his luck accountant who had just lost his job. Given the chance to earn some quick money by doing the books for a seedy strip club owner, he finds himself caught up in a plot to rig a horse race that ends in murder. We shot a number of scenes in Habits’ basement which doubled as the strip club office. Another room in the basement was perfect for a warehouse scene which sees Mike’s character worked over by some of the people involved in the racing scam.

                Legend has it that the basement of Habits is haunted by a former crooked police officer who was murdered there when he got too greedy. Though I’ve never really believed in the whole ghost and supernatural thing, we did experience some very unexplainable problems with the battery chargers while shooting there. If you like ghost stories, ask me about what happened there the next time you see me.

                Since this was a business lunch (and Josh would rather hang out with his friends) I went alone to Habits and met up with Mike.

                Located at 3036 Madison Rd. in Oakley square, and on the internet at http://habitscafe.com/, Habits offers up a well-rounded, very tasty and affordable menu.

Burgers

                Though I had eaten at Habits numerous times, this would be the first time I’d had a burger in over a year. With an option of six different types of burgers (including ostrich which is surprisingly good) and a slew of combinations, normally my choice would have been difficult. But since I was writing for the blog I decided to go, as is always the case, with the classic burger.

                Habits gets their meat fresh ground daily at a local butcher so it is never frozen and always fresh. For mine I added provolone, lettuce and tomato and topped it with some ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise.

                The burger arrived promptly and was served on a bun that was perfect. It was fresh, soft and just the right size. Why, I always wonder, to restaurants insist on using buns that are too big or too small? That’s just a pet peeve of mine but since I take my burger eating seriously I like to have things done right.

                Done right is just how they do it at Habits. There isn’t anything over special about the burger, just good fresh meat cooked to perfection. There are no fancy spices or rubs that taint the flavor away from what it should be.  This is a very good basic burger.

                To complement the burger I added some of Habits’ famous sweet potato fries. These are some of my favorite sweet potato fries in the world. They are done to perfection, crispy on the outside and soft and warm in the middle. Each bite is filled with that wonderful flavor. Add to it the fact that sweet potatoes are much healthier for you than regular potatoes and I, at least, should be eating them at every meal.

                If you are adventurous and want to try something out of the ordinary, remember, there are lots of burger options to check out. But if all you want is a good, solid standard burger, you can’t go wrong at Habits.