Detroit Joe's

                Detroit Joe’s Restaurant, located at 115 E. 9^th St. has been a Newport staple for several years now. Tucked away one block off of Monmouth, you almost have to know it’s there and actively seek it out. I was in Northern Kentucky doing some business and at the recommendation of a friend, decided I’d stop in and give Detroit Joe’s a try for lunch.

                With an upscale décor and playing a satellite radio smooth jazz station, the atmosphere is something of a relief from all the sports bars that litter ever corner these days. Actual table cloths and cloth napkins add to the feeling of quality that is reflected in the prices.

                The service was relaxed and very friendly, not rushed despite it being lunch time. About half the people who walked in when I was there were greeted by name, obvious regulars. The dining room is small and conversations carry but I was able to read my book in relative peace while grooving on the music.

Burger

                Of course the reason for my visit was to check out the burger. Right up front it was a pleasure all the way around. A 100% USDA prime beef patty, fresh, never frozen, properly seasoned makes up the heart of the burger. The burger was cooked well as I was not given an option but that didn’t really detract from it all that much.

With some amazingly fresh tomato and crisp lettuce to accompany the American cheese and mayo, this is one of those burgers that run the risk of completely falling apart in your hand as you eat it. But there was a little miracle there; the bun actually held together and didn’t dissolve before I’d finished the burger. Perhaps this was due to how well done it was, not having juices dripping freely. But whatever the case, the bun was a wonderful surprise.

The burger itself was very tasty. Granted, it took several bites to actually taste just the burger as the tomato was the first thing that jumped out and made my taste buds want to do a little dance. When I did get a bite of just burger, oh my yes. It was properly seasoned and you could actually taste the quality of the meat. The flavor quality led me to guess that maybe they were actually using a 70-30 piece of meat for a bolder taste.

I enjoyed the burger so much that the basic restaurant fries or the bland homemade cole slaw (which was a bit dry for my taste) didn’t matter at all. The burger was, as it should be, the star of the show.

It is well worth the effort to pull off Monmouth and find Detroit Joe’s on 9^th St. and try their burger. I greatly enjoyed it and left very, very full.