CheezBurger

                  With a name like CheezBurger Cafe you would expect something special. Situated in a little strip mall, hidden by frontage, at 12092 Montgomery Rd. in Symms Township and on the web at http://www.cheezburgercafe.com/, you would expect something good. With Josh busy one Saturday when I was heading up that way for something else, I thought I’d stop in and find out.

                Located through the same main door as Skip’s Bagels (go to the right for CheezBurger Café), the place is small and cozy with oversized booths filling just about all of the available space. On the tables were checker boards in case someone wanted to play.

                The menu is small as would befit a true burger place and they have something called the Triple Threat Challenge and though I never learned what it was, I did see both the wall of fame and the wall of shame.

                With the grill in sight and quick service, I was excited to try out the main attraction.

The Burger

                Though they offer a whole wide selection of specialty burgers, I decided, as always, to just stick with the plain old classic. Being hungry I ordered up a double. Each patty is one third pound of 100% pure Angus beef.

                I love going to a place where the grill is out front. Not only can you see the cooks doing their magic but you can hear and smell the meat as it sizzles its way toward perfection. I wasn’t asked how I wanted my burger cooked (it came medium well) but it was cooked just that way.

                The patties are not very round which means that they are stacked quite high. This makes eating the burger difficult. Add to that how much provolone cheese they had melted, dripping off carrying bits of lettuce, and handling this baby was a challenge. But worth it.

                You can taste the good, quality Angus beef with each bite. Yes, I could taste the garden and the cheese and the condiments but the beef shone through with each and every chomp. This place lived up to its name. Especially when you toss in how affordable it is.

                My one disappointment was the fries. Don’t get me wrong, my curly fries were OK but the menu claimed they offered waffle fries but I was told they didn’t have any. I settled.

                All in all if you can find the place (it’s just a little north of Union Cemetery Rd. on the east side of the street) it is well worth trying.

J.K.'s Chili

                J.K.’s Chili in Madeira (7718 Laurel Ave.) is the kind of joint we like. It’s a small, neighborhood place where the regulars all seem to know each other and are on a first name basis with the people who run the place.

                Normally we try to get in and out of a place being anonymous but this time, on the way in, owner Jim Kagrise saw us taking a picture of the sign and asked us what we were doing. Since we aren’t liars or politicians (same thing), we told the truth. We found that Jim had taken the place over recently. He had retired and was bored, wanting to get involved with something where he could be out and interact with people, something he obviously enjoys.

                He explained to us some of the changes he had made since taking over and while they all seemed positive, we had little on which to judge the differences. Josh had never eaten there before. Mark had as J.K.’s holds a bit of movie history for him.

                A number of years ago when he was producing the indie feature April’s Fool, he and producing partner Matt Hader were looking for a diner in which to shoot some night time scenes. Matt lived in Madeira and had eaten at J.K.’s many times. When they went to ask if they could shoot there, the then owners agreed and an all-night shoot in the restaurant turned out some of the most dramatic images of the film.

The Burgers

                We both ordered the double cheeseburger with our choice of garden. While Jim admitted that they get their meat frozen (usually a demerit for us) these patties were well above the average iced meatsicle. There was a good, fresh beef flavor that was most likely enhanced by the classic flattop grill that is in easy view of anyone in the joint.

                The garden was fresh and the standard restaurant crinkle cut fries were prepared just right. No, this isn’t the produce from your garden or the fresh, hand cut fries but J.K.’s isn’t that kind of place. If that’s what you want, go check out one of those places elsewhere. J.K.’s is a joint.

                It is small and cozy but with lots of front windows doesn’t feel overly cramped. And while the old owners must have taken the signed poster from April’s Fool that once hung on the wall, there are still lots of other bits and pictures up there to look at.

                If you are on the east side looking for a throwback diner at which to chow down, check out J.K.’s Chili. Granted, these aren’t the best burgers in the world but from the looks of the breakfast plates that were coming out during the lunch hour, there are some tasty options beyond beef. Oh, and lest we forget, for the drinks they use bendy straws. What could be better than that?

Sonic Drive-In

          Throughout the 1950s, the drive-in restaurant was a common site all across the USA. Though Bob Wain is credited with the first drive-in back in 1936, a little place that came to be known as Bob’s Big Boy, it was after World War II when they flourished. People could drive up to a speaker, order their food and have it delivered, often on roller skates, where it could be eaten, not so comfortably, in their car.

          There are very few drive-ins left and a piece of the charm of our car generation is now gone. Sonic Drive-In harkens back to those days long ago with a true drive-in restaurant experience.

Founded in the early 1950s as the Top Hat, which at the time was a root beer stand that served hamburgers and hot dogs, the name was changed to Sonic when owner, Troy Smith, learned that the Top Hat name was already trademarked.

           Today there are over 3500 Sonics in 43 states so the odds of you finding one near you is pretty good. The odds of finding them on line are near perfect if you actually click on this link: http://www.sonicdrivein.com/home.jsp;jsessionid=EAF44EE45E754E89AB0893D87B7C053E.sonic-prod

Burgers

           Since it was a very nice day, though a little windy, we opted to sit at one of the tables outside rather than juggle the food in the car. We both ordered the double patty Super Sonic and chose the garden of our liking. And, of course, we both picked tater tots over French fries. Why? Because they’re tater tots.

In all honesty Sonic burgers are decent, as far as a fast food burger goes. They are cooked when you order then and not sitting around in a pan of grease under a warmer to be microwaved when someone decides they want one.

          They are still a fast food burger, though. The meat, though pretty good quality, has been frozen and shipped to the restaurant before being thawed and cooked. That said, they are a large step up from the more famous fast food joints and that alone is one of three reasons to pick Sonic over one of the other chains.

          The second reason is the obvious nostalgia of the drive-in experience. Not all Sonics have their cop hops on roller skates but some do and if you are lucky enough to find one then you truly have fallen into the way back machine with the complete experience.

          But perhaps the most important reason to choose Sonic over one of the big three fast food places is the tots. That’s right, tater tots. Tater tots way outclass fries; end of story.

         We like Sonic and choose it over some of the other places out there. Don’t get us wrong, we’re not comparing this to any of the good local joints we’ve reviewed but sure as hell beats a Big Mac. Check it out for yourself and be sure to order the tots.

Muggbee's Sports Cafe

                   Muggbee’s Sports Café in Anderson Township is a little over a year old now. When we looked at this place early on, the on-line reviews were, to be polite, rather mixed. Most cited decent food but terrible service that was painfully slow. So, we tended to shy away from it, until the other day.

                With no place else that was really interesting us we decided to give Muggbee’s a shot. It is located at 8112 Beechmont Ave. in what, a few years ago, was a Mexican restaurant. Today there are no signs of the former establishment as Muggee’s is 100% sports pub.

                It was about 1:30 and there were only a handful of people sitting around, mostly at the bar watching sports on one of the many TVs and shooting the bull. We walked in and were greeted and told to sit wherever we wanted. With TVs all around we just chose a spot in the middle.

                No server was to be seen. We had been greeted by the cook who came over, got our drink order and then, after bringing them, our food order. (The server did re-appear and apologized pointing out that the owner was taking her attention when we entered. Once back, she was very attentive.)

Burgers

                We each ordered up the Muggburger which, to our delight, we were able to add on our choice of cheese, condiments, sauces and toppings at no further cost. This three-quarter pound burger is reasonably priced to begin with.

                When Josh ordered his burger medium we both got quite a scare. The cook said that it would take 30-35 minutes because “the burgers are pre-cooked to medium well.” Instead of just walking out right then we decided to still give it a try, despite the concept of pre-cooked burgers.

                The food came out quickly and, as is fitting a three-quarter pound burger, was huge. While it looked good we were both worried about the concept of what was surely a frozen hunk of meat that had been cooked and re-heated.

                But one bite and our worries disappeared. The burgers were fresh, 100% beef and, though a bit overdone for our tastes, a delightful bit of burger.

                After we had struggled to finish our burgers (each leaving the majority of our typical food service crinkle cut fries on the plate), we learned that the burgers are pre-cooked and then allowed to soak in au jus until ordered where they are cooked a little more, sealing in the juice that has been soaking into the meat. It is an interesting way to approach a burger and we both admit that it added flavor.

                While we both agreed that maybe cooking the burger to rare and letting them soak, then cooking them to medium or well upon being ordered would be better, we weren’t at all disappointed in our dining experience. It was an amazingly friendly place with great service which belied those early on-line reviews. We suggest that you give Muggbee’s Sports Café a try for yourself.

Main Street Cafe

                Since 1994 the Main Street Café has been a central mainstay in the small eastern community of Newtown. Located right in the heart of this quaint little village, Main Street Café has been feeding folks with affordable, quality food since the doors opened.

                Located on the corner of Church St. and Main St. (Ohio 32) and on line at http://mainstreetcafenewtown.com/directions2.html, the Main Street Café is easy to find though can be a bit tricky to get into or out of depending on which way you’re travelling. With plenty of parking in the rear and usually enough seats, once you’re there you can get in and sit right down.

                With the light airy atmosphere of exactly what it is, a neighborhood restaurant, this is one of those places that, if you lived nearby, you would surely want to become a regular.

Burgers

                The place has a very Spartan menu that still pretty much provides something for everyone. We chose, aptly enough, the Double Burger and added cheese. They were thick, meaty and flavorful. In fact, they were almost too thick to comfortably wrap your mouth around. This made it a challenge to actually eat the burger. But what a tasty challenge it became.

                We both dug in and Josh got the point very quickly where he couldn’t actually set his down or else the whole thing would fall apart. This happens to Josh and he attributes it to the tomato, the lettuce and the amount of ketchup and mustard he likes to slather on his burger. In any case, once he reaches that point he has little choice but to finish the burger or see it completely fall apart.

                Mark doesn’t quit load on the condiments the Josh does but still found that the “right sized” bun was just what this burger required. Not so thick that it adds to the difficulty of biting into the sandwich but also not so thin and fragile that it disintegrates as you eat.

                Fresh beef that has been cooked to order is always refreshing but not always found these days of cutting corners. No corners are cut on this burger. We both walked away, much more full than when we entered, having consumed a large amount of very tasty meat along with fresh lettuce and, for as early in the year as it is, surprisingly tasty tomato.

                With fast, friendly service, about the only thing that wasn’t truly outstanding about our lunch was the standard food service shoe string fries that were nicely prepared.

                If you find yourself on the east side, heading out Route 32 or just tracking along the Little Miami River, it’s worth it to pull over and enjoy a burger at the Main Street Café.