While we both enjoy eating at the little neighborhood joints more than a chain, sometimes finding one of the many mid-sized chains with good food and decent prices is always a joy. Such was the case with Beef O’Brady’s. We had avoided going here simply because it is a chain (and come on, they have a college football bowl game named after them) and nothing had really led us to one of the three Northern Kentucky or two Dayton area locations. Until recently.
Begun in 1985 in Bradenton, FL, Beef’s, as the menu and web site (http://beefobradys.com/default.aspx) would have you believe everyone calls it, is a true sports bar with lots and lots of televisions and a rather hefty menu that goes beyond mere bar food. We ate at the location in Newport at 1723 Monmouth on a Saturday at lunch time. While the place was full, we were seated right away and had views of at least six different games. (By the way, this was the day of the infamous “Cross Town Shootout” which Xavier won but U.C., in the end, showed more class in handling the fight.) The place was pretty raucous but even with the occasional cheering and clapping we didn’t have any trouble carrying on our own conversation.
The service was prompt and our food came out in a very reasonable amount of time which just added to the overall “good times” atmosphere.
The Burgers
We both ordered up a “Build Your Own Burger” which allowed us to pick our own toppings rather than order one of the specialty burgers offered on the menu. While this is convenient it can also get to be expensive as each optional topping costs fifty cents.
Josh ordered his with American cheese, lettuce and tomato (the lettuce and tomato are not add-ons and don’t cost anything extra). We each added our condiments of choice. The burgers are fresh Angus beef that is seasoned with kosher salt and black pepper and served on a toasted brioche bun. You can order up either traditional straight fries or curly fries. We both went the curly route.
The burgers are thick and juicy and the seasoning is just enough to bring out the flavor of the meat without masking it. The bun is a soft with a nice mellow flavor but is a little thick which makes the burger a bit difficult to bite into. Still, that isn’t that major of a drawback. The fries were OK. Other than them being a bit curly there really wasn’t anything special about them.
Overall we were glad that we finally “discovered” Beef O’Brady’s. Both of us agree that it ranks higher than a lot of the chain restaurants such as Applebee’s and competes favorably with Friday’s burgers. This doesn’t match the quality and flavor of our favorite local joints but for a chain, it’s not bad. If you’re in the area of one of their locations, you might just want to stop in and give them a try.
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