Coach's Corner

                Nestled amid the trees and house of Newport’s east side sits a true neighborhood joint. Joint is the perfect word for it, too. It’s the small neighborhood place where everyone seems to know everyone by name. Mark was there solo and while he was there, he met not only the bartender/server but also the cook in back and was carrying on a friendly conversation with them by the time he cashed out.

                Coach’s Corner is at 317 E. 6^th St. in Newport. While they don’t have a dedicated web site they are on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Coaches-Corner/184645406462 where they seem to have a regular running dialog with their customers. Friendly, just like the joint itself.

                The first thing I noticed when I walked up to the place was that there was a hole in the sign. I didn’t ask how that happened but I can guess that it wasn’t brand new. Inside the place is the perfect, small neighborhood bar. In the front, by the bar, are just a couple of tables but there is a larger dining room in the rear. The place is cozy and the employees are honestly happy to be there.

The Burger

                While The Coach’s Choice is the signature burger, in keeping with the “rules” of this blog, I had what they fittingly call a Cheeseburger. I had cheddar cheese and a garden (except onion). Everything was fresh and the lean beef that is ground fresh for the restaurant by a neighborhood butcher was hand patted after I ordered. Likewise, the buns are baked by a local baker on a daily basis.

                All of this makes for a delicious combination and a burger that is well above average. It is juicy and filled with flavors that explode with every bite. In fact, it could very well rank up among the top burgers in the region.

                Helping push this place over the top were the thick cut, skin on steak fries that are made after they are ordered. That’s right, these folks know how to put together a meal and at only $3.75 (plus drink) it is insanely cheap.

                About the only downside is that the kitchen is open for lunch Monday through Friday and only serves dinner on Friday night. There is no food service on the weekend. Still, it is worth driving over to Newport during the week and enjoying the food and the atmosphere of this brilliant neighborhood joint.

915 Pub and Grill

                The 915 Pub and Grill is a true neighborhood joint. Nestled amid the houses and small businesses of Ft. Thomas at 915 N. Ft. Thomas Ave just off of Memorial Parkway, seems to fit perfectly on the quant tree lined street. You can also find this establishment on line at http://www.915pubandgrill.com/.

                They feature a wide range of pub grub from which to choose including appetizers, wings, pizza, sandwiches and, of course, the reason for the visit, burgers. Their menu says that all of their burgers are over a half pound of choice Black Angus chuck on a toasted Kaiser roll with a fresh garden. For that reason and the reviews on line we decided to put it on our list.

                When Mark had a lunch meeting with a colleague based near Ft. Thomas, he suggested the two of them meet at the 915. Josh was in school and would have to miss this one. He didn’t miss anything special.

The Burger

                I ordered up what they call simply The Burger. I added a half dollars’ worth of Wisconsin cheddar cheese and began conducting business. Since there were only about six of us in the place at the time our food came out quickly and was prepared to my specifications.

                The problem was that the burger was basically pretty pedestrian. It wasn’t bad but there was nothing about it to make me want to jump up and shout for joy. Or even consider jumping in the car and driving back to Ft. Thomas for another go round.

                Yes the ingredients were fresh but if the meat was choice Black Angus chuck it sure didn’t taste like it. And the burger itself may have been over a half pound prior to cooking, it was well under by the time it came off the grill. My guess is that while the meat was Black Angus it had too much fat content that cooked off during grilling. Hardly what I would define as choice.

                Along with the burger came equally pedestrian fries. They were well cooked, crisp on the outside and tender on the inside but tasted like so many other restaurant fries. Why can’t restaurants try to give their fries a little something extra? Sure, not everyone is going to take the time or go to the expense of using fresh potatoes to make their fries. But how difficult is it to try to spice things up a little bit? Not everyone wants to douse their potatoes in ketchup.

                There is a really nice atmosphere at the 915 and I could see that after work or on the weekends this place is filled with neighborhood folks who are eating, drinking and having a good time. But since I’m not a local I probably won’t be going back there any time soon.

                Perhaps I just got a bad burger and others that come from the kitchen are of a higher standard. The reviews and reputation of the place would point to that. So maybe you should hop in your car and head to Ft. Thomas and check out the 915 Pub and Grill for yourself.

Van Zandt Restaurant and Tavern

                It’s just too bad that Van Zandt Restaurant and Tavern is on the other side of the city from where we live. With no real direct way to get there (there’s no direct way to get anywhere from Anderson Township except maybe Newtown) it means that when we set off to check it out for the blog we had a pretty healthy drive ahead of us. But we were multi-tasking, checking out a car show for that blog (http://turnerbudds-carblog.blogspot.com/) so we weren’t dreading the drive.

                The restaurant which opened in 2009 is located at 1818 W. Galbraith Rd. in North College Hill (and on the web at http://www.vanzandttavern.com/). Don’t think it’s too far off the beaten track because it is just a short drive off of Ronald Regan Highway. And well worth the drive.

The Burgers

                Last year Van Zandt’s burger was ranked number five on the Cincinnati Magazine list of top burgers in the city. This year they were voted number one. That had just come out shortly before we made our way there and obviously they were quite proud of this ranking.

                The burgers are made with ground sirloin which is ground fresh daily at a butcher just down the street from the restaurant. They are offered up in two sizes, the regular eight ounce option and, for the hungry or adventurous, a full 16 ounce one pound monster. Once you chose your size, then you add toppings a la carte. With each option ranging in cost from fifty cents to a dollar, this can easily escalate the cost of your sandwich. The buns come are near perfect and should be since they are baked daily on site.

                Josh chose The Pounder, the 16 ounce option and added American cheese, lettuce and tomato. Mark showed just what a wimp he really is by ordering the eight ounce VZ Classic Burger. He topped his off with Provolone, lettuce and tomato.

                Cooked to order, the burgers came out quickly and were juicy and delicious. While we both agreed that this was a burger worth checking out and will add it near the top of our burger list, it probably isn’t the best. But it’s really damn close. This burger is so close that we both agreed that we would have to make another trip back when a couple of our all-time favorites are fresher on our palette.

                About the only disappointment was the fact that the French fries didn’t live up to the quality of the burger. They were good, perfectly cooked but seem to be fairly typical food service quality fries. Most people don’t choose a restaurant for the quality of the fries rather than the quality of the burger, so don’t let that impede you from heading over the North College Hill to enjoy one of the tastiest burgers in the Tri-State area.

Salem Gardens

                Salem Gardens is one of those places that, when you walk in, you feel as though you could be traveling through time back to when people would gather at the local diner to do more than just eat. Those kinds of places allowed folks to get together and talk, catch up with old friends and meet new ones. There’s a reason Salem Gardens gives off this vibe, they’ve been doing just this since 1926.

                Located at 6396 Salem Rd, at the corner of Beacon, and on the web at http://salemgardens.org/, the place has a reputation for serving fresh, quality food in a family atmosphere. We’ve been going to Salem Garden for years, though more sporadically than some other area places. Still, it came up in the rotation of our list and while Josh wasn’t able to go, he had been there enough times to safely state his opinion.

The Burger

                In keeping with the stated premise of this blog, I ordered up an All-American which features a full half pound of ground beef that is ground up daily and delivered fresh. Likewise, the honey and egg bakery bun that it sits on is baked exclusively for the restaurant on a daily basis. The lettuce, tomato and pickle on the burger were equally as fresh. Being the All-American it naturally comes with American cheese but you can substitute Colby, Swiss or pepper jack if that’s more to your taste. I kept it traditional.

                Freshness is the key here. You can tell that the ingredients are all fresh. The beef is juicy and flavorful and doesn’t get overpowered by the garden or any condiments. That garden tasted pretty vine ripe. Considering that our tomato plants in our back yard have been turning out some very fresh fruit this summer and early fall, I from whence I speak.

                The meal comes with crinkle cut French fries and Cole slaw. It’s just a shame that the fries don’t live up to the burger. They are pretty standard and obviously come from the same food distributor that serves dozens of restaurants around the city. Not to say that they are bad, just no different than any of those other establishments. The same can be said for the slaw, which, though, I found rather tasty. Not homemade but good enough.

                On the whole Salem Gardens is a great place to come with friends or family. The ambiance is very fun and family friendly. While their burger isn’t my favorite from around the area but it is near the top and worth a trip to the east side to give it a try.

Shortneck's Bar and Grill

                A few weeks ago I was down in Newport without Josh who was probably out with his friends doing something far more fun than hang with his old man. But that gave me the opportunity to check out a place I’d heard about but at which I’d never eaten, Shortneck’s Bar and Grill.

                Presenting themselves as a neighborhood sports bar, complete with enough high def televisions to wall paper your average home, Shortneck’s is also a great little local joint where the whole family could come and enjoy a good meal while watching the latest game. It seems that every local bar and grill puts up TVs and calls themselves a sports bar and usually people decide on which one to visit based on their own personal criteria. If I lived anywhere near their 830 Monmouth St. location (http://shortnecks.com/ on the web), I’d call this place home.

                The atmosphere is cozy and this place actually feels like your favorite neighborhood joint even if it’s the first time you’ve walked through the door. And it also, always helps a place like this, in my humble opinion, if you can actually see the kitchen and watch your food being prepared. With a kitchen without walls, this is such a place.

Burger

                In keeping with the stated mission of this blog, I ordered up the basic Shortneck burger with cheese. What I got was a delicious third pound of Angus beef that was picked up that morning, never frozen, directly from Newport’s Ebert’s Meats. This is how every burger should be, fresh with locally made quality ingredients.

                The bun was a little too large for the burger which I always find curious. It makes the burger look smaller than it really is. The bun was fresh and added just a hint of underlying flavor. Likewise, the pickle, lettuce and tomato were also fresh and each offered up their notes with each bite.

                I was given the choice between fries or chips and opted for the chips, a thicker cut, almost Saratoga style chip. They were lightly salted and with just enough crunch. Nothing spectacular but they were a good alternative to your typical French fry side dish.

                I have to admit that Shortneck’s was a pleasant surprise. Not that I wasn’t expecting it to be good but it sailed well above my expectations and has made me want to go back and try some of the other items on the sandwich style menu. As I wrote earlier, if I lived near there, this could easily become my favorite neighborhood joint.