Mama's Grill

                Sitting in what seems to be the middle of no-where off of the Route 133 exit of St. Rt. 32 (The Appalachian Highway) is a classic diner. Surrounded by more fields than anything else, Mama’s Grill is like an oasis of comfort food. Located at 4227 All Star Dr. with a Batavia zip code (though the restaurant is much closer to Williamsburg) Mama’s is the kind of place where the locals all come to dine; even if the locals have to drive several miles in order to get there.

                Since it opened in 1968, Mama’s has been serving up family diner fare that seems a little high on the price side for places like this. Still, it’s the kind of place where you expect to find the same people stopping in once a week or so.

                The interior of the restaurant is exactly what you would expect. It looks and feels just like a well-worn family diner. In fact, the spring on my booth was just about shot because when I plopped down on it I could feel it and hear it wanting to fight back. (Insert favorite burger eating fat ass joke here.)

The Burger

                With Josh in school I was once again on my own (eating with a friend who suggested a ride out in the country). With a standard quarter pound patty of ground beef for their Hamburger and Cheeseburger and the option to double it up to a half pound Double Cheeseburger or one of their nine specialty burgers, Mama’s burger selection is a lot like the rest of their large, two sided menu: complete.

                For an eight dollar price tag (it’s less than five if you go with the quarter pound option) you get fries tossed onto the plate. Still seemed a bit steep for a rural diner and so I was expecting something out of this world. I didn’t get what I had hoped.

                The burger itself was good, a fresh charbroiled specimen but that’s all it was, good. The lettuce, tomato and pickle were decent but nothing special. The bun was the right size for the patties and, while it did its job, hold the burger together, it didn’t really add anything to the experience. And the fries, crinkle cuts which I generally enjoy, they were probably from the same food supplier as dozens of other area restaurants. They were well cooked with a crisp outside and soft, hot inside. But that was all. Nothing special.

                Maybe it was my false expectations but usually when you find a nice little place out in the country you expect it to have outstanding food. And maybe Mama’s does. There were a lot of people eating breakfast during the lunch hour and I heard a couple talking about some of the other dishes as though their taste buds were very familiar. As far as the burger goes, you can get one that’s a lot better and probably both cheaper and closer to home than driving out Route 32 to Mama’s.

Smash Burger

                Over the past few years, a new hybrid concept in burger places has been growing throughout the country and even spreading around the world. These new restaurants are a bit of a cross between the conventional fast food joint such as a McDonald’s or Burger King and the traditional sit down restaurant such as a Friday’s or Applebee’s.

                The idea is fairly simple. A customer walks in and orders their meal at the cash register. Then, while their food is being prepared for them, they have a seat. When it’s ready, the food is delivered to their table.

                This is a trend that helps keep costs down but delivers what is promised to be a higher quality burger.

                Smash Burger out of Denver is just such a restaurant. With over 140 locations throughout the country and the promise of as many as 70 new franchise restaurants this year, it is one of the fastest growing food chains in the country.

                The chain features a focused menu that is heavy on burgers but promises to reflect the “tastes and flavors of your city and state.” In addition to the burgers they offer up some chicken items and hotdogs and also features not only Haagen Dazs deserts but also, where available, will see you a beer to drink along with your meal. Find a McDonald’s that will do that.

                You can search for the nearest Smash Burger on their web site: http://www.smashburger.com/.

The Burgers

                Josh and Mark both ordered up the Classic which is available in three different sizes of 100% Angus beef. The smallest is basically an eighth pound traditional burger with the largest being a half pound for the very hungry diner. Both chose the quarter pound version and that was plenty.

                The burger is served on a buttered “artisan” bun and featured American cheese, the choice of standard lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle as well as their special Smash sauce. “I always like to try a place’s special sauce,” Josh said after we’d ordered but before we had a chance to actually try it out. After we tried it we would probably reconsider that choice.

                Since it was slow and there were only a couple of other customers, we pretty much had our choice of where we wanted to sit in the fairly sterile dining area. Our burgers arrived fairly quickly and looked and smelled good. In fact, as we both bit in we had the same initial reaction; it was pretty good. But then it hit both of us. The soft tasty bun, the cheese, the lettuce, the tomato, the special sauce and condiments all worked together to overpower the flavor of the burger. In fact, it was difficult for either of us to taste the burger at all.

                Then, a couple of bites in we both had the same reaction once again; this time in relation to the special sauce. It was too much, too tart. We asked and were told that the special sauce was basically mustard, mayo, relish and lemon mixed together. In Mark’s case, he had gone ahead and put mustard and ketchup on his burger which doubled the amount of mustard it bore. Granted, Mark admits that he likes mustard but that was too much. Add in the unexpected bite of the lemon from the special sauce and it totally overpowered the sandwich.

                Unfortunately the fries were nothing special. They were tasty but no different really than the fries at any of a thousand other burger places around the country. They were cooked just right but had no signature to make them their own.

                This wasn’t a bad experience but we both wish that the burger had been better. This is the type of inexpensive fast food hybrid place that we know we would like to frequent. With that in mind we decided that, at some future date, we would give them another try, knowing more about what to expect. And that next time we will both be ordering the All-American without the special Smash sauce.

T. G. I. Friday's

                One of the oldest and most successful of the chain restaurants is T. G. I. Friday’s. The first one opened to huge success in 1965 in New York City’s Upper East Side. It wasn’t until 1970 that a second location opened in Memphis, TN. Today there are more than 900 Friday’s restaurants worldwide.

                A landmark of the Friday’s chain is the fact that it offers quality food that is consistent in any location along with a funky atmosphere and friendly service. You can find a Friday’s in just about any city or nearby neighborhood as well as on line at http://www.tgifridays.com/home/welcome.aspx.

The Burgers

                Josh and Mark were doing some running around when lunch time hit. Josh suggested heading someplace neither had been in a while, T. G. I. Friday’s. Both have always agreed, as far as the chain restaurants go, Friday’s offers up perhaps the best burgers.

                Both ordered up the classic Cheeseburger (since Mark’s favorite, the Cheesy Bacon Cheeseburger that featured deep fried provolone had been taken off the menu). The quarter pound choice Black Angus beef is fire grilled. And the flavor of that fire grilling comes through in every bite. Served on a soft, tasty brioche bun, a Friday’s burger, though expensive by many standards, is genuinely tasty.

                Friday’s does something with their fries that neither us minds but that some people might. The crispy soft centered perfectly done slices of potato are seasoned with pepper. Since we both like a little pepper now and then it isn’t a problem but we both know some people who aren’t fans. Asking a restaurant to not pepper your fries is like asking them to not add salt. It is just part of the ritual and, in this case, might turn some people off. Otherwise, a burger at Friday’s is sure to please.

                Don’t get us wrong, both of us would much rather dive into one of the many local joints of which we are so fond. But in a pinch, out on the road, or even just now and then for the hell of it, grabbing a burger at a Friday’s is pretty much guaranteed to be a satisfying experience.

Mt. Adams Bar and Grill

                Legend has it that the back bar of the Mt. Adams Bar and Grill belonged to the notorious George Remus. Notorious? Not heard of him? You should have because he made a lot of history in and around Cincinnati during Prohibition.

                Remus was a Chicago lawyer who found a loophole in the 18^th Amendment that allowed for the manufacture and sale of legal alcohol for medical reasons. Seeing the opportunity he jumped at the chance to make money by purchasing a distillery and distribution operation based in Cincinnati. Soon he was making and selling booze all over the Eastern half of the country. In addition, quite a few of his shipments ended up being hijacked with the goods sold on the black market. And Remus was behind it.

                When the Feds caught up with him and indicted him on criminal charges, his wife proceeded to file for divorce. Two days before his trial he caught up to his wife and shot her to death in Eden Park. At that trial he put up a new and unique defense that got him off: temporary insanity.

                Now you can catch Remus as a supporting character on HBO’s award winning show Boardwalk Empire.

                The Mt. Adams Bar and Grill, complete with that glorious back bar, was reputedly the location of one of the many illegal speakeasys in the Tri-State area. When the 21^st Amendment did away with Prohibition, this was the first establishment in Ohio to obtain a liquor license.

                Located at 938 Hatch St. in Mt. Adams and at http://mtadamsbarandgrill.com/ on line, the Mt. Adams Bar and Grill continues to serve as a landmark location.

The Burger

                This is another Mark solo effort. I was having lunch with my friend Margaret and we wanted something good that was located in between both of us. Mt. Adams may not be the easiest to get in and out of, let alone park, but it always offers up a number of great places to eat. Margaret chose the Mt. Adams Bar and Grill and I readily agreed since neither of us had been there in a while.

                I chose the Classic, a quarter pound of fresh beef on a sesame seed bun, topped with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle and condiments of choice. As I remembered the burger came out hot and fresh though the cheese wasn’t really melted, looking more like it had been an afterthought. Seriously, cheese should be melted on the burger and not laid atop it after if comes off the grill.

                The flavor of the burger itself was good. It tasted like a burger should, not all layered with different spices and seasonings that can overpower the flavor of the meat. The bun was soft and fresh and absorbed the juices while still holding together through ever bite of the sandwich.

                I’ve commented before and will do so here again, but what the hell is the deal with restaurants tossing a handful of potato chips on a plate instead of offering up French fries with a burger? Sure it costs less and, in the cast of the Mt. Adams Bar and Grill, helps keep the cost of a good burger down (check out the price on the menu but pardon the blurry low light iPhone photo). At least they were fresh and ridged, which offered a little something. Sure I could have paid extra for the fries but sometimes that just goes against my nature.

                The service, for a busy lunch crowd, was excellent. Even though I arrived before Margaret, who was stuck in some traffic, our server was very attentive without being pushy. She offered me a drink while I waited and only once asked if I would like to start with an appetizer. When Margaret did arrive so, too did our server, fetching her drink and giving us adequate time to choose our food.

                Margaret didn’t have a burger but complimented her meal as being good as always. Which seems to be the case at this restaurant. There is a consistency to everything, be it meal or service. Combine all of these with a great and historical décor and this is one restaurant worth climbing the hill for.