Scrambler Marie's

          Scrambler Marie's is a breakfast and lunch restaurant that began in Toledo, OH back in 1989. Ever since it has begun to migrate southward and now there is one near us at 4006 Hauck Rd. in Sharonville (and on the web at http://scramblermaries.com/) with plans for a Florence location. Noted mostly for breakfast (which we can attest is quite tasty) the restaurants are open each morning at 6:30 am and close after lunch at 3 pm.
          Looking like a lot of large chain breakfast style restaurants, Scrambler Marie's is bright, comfortable and roomy. The menu, heavy on breakfast specials such as bottomless pancakes and waffles. But there are also salads and sandwiches from which to choose.

Burgers

          We chose the 100% half pound Angus burgers for our lunch trip and we weren't disappointed. As stated before, the breakfast at Scrambler Marie's is very good, especially for a chain. And the burgers live up to this reputation. They are obviously hand formed and patted and smash seared on the flat top grill. They arrived hot and filled with flavor.

          The place wasn't very crowded when we visited and were seated right away with our drink orders taken by a friendly server. The food came out quickly and arrived hot and juicy (well, at least the burger). And it tasted good.

          Whether you are interested in grabbing a decent burger or are in the mood for breakfast, we recommend giving Scrambler Marie's a try.

The Varsity

          Over the past several years we have seen one restaurant/bar morph into a number of  different places. What was at one time a Mexican chain restaurant is now called The Varsity Sports Bar and Grill. Located at 8112 Beechmont Ave., The Varsity, at first glance is a sports bar that is trying to grab hold of local sports fans of all types. But on closer inspection there is very little to set it apart from a typical bar and grill.
          Like any self respecting bar, sport or otherwise, The Varsity has plenty of televisions throughout the spacious facility. But for a sports bar there is very little else that screams "man cave." Only a couple of references to the local pro or college teams and only two to the local high school that we saw. Not very sporting.
          Their Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/TheVarsityBarAndGrill) describes the place as a new neighborhood bar and grill. So what are they going for? Neighborhood or sports?
          Granted the inside is nice. It's warm and, though a little dim, inviting. Their menu is about what you would expect from any type of bar and grill, basic pub food with some sandwiches and other goodies tossed in.

Burgers

          But what we were there for was the burgers and we ordered very soon after entering as our server was right there offering a friendly smile and taking drink orders. The burgers came up in just about the time it would take to fry one. And while they were big with nice buns and garden, they had a different flavor. 

          To Mark they were reminiscent of the mystery meat burgers he had eaten back in the dark ages when he was in elementary and junior high school. If you're old enough you might remember those burgers. You weren't sure if they were actually real meat and they sat in a pan filled with grease until the lunch lady slapped it on a bun and tossed it on your plate. Ah, memories.

          Neither of us was sure if this was a good thing. The burgers were juicy but it seemed to be the juice that was adding that extra something to the taste. Neither of us can say that this added flavor was bad. But we sure couldn't say that it was good, either. You should decide. If we do go back it will be after we have forgotten those old school day memories.

Second Chance: Smashburger

          Back in February we tried and reviewed Smashburger. We didn't like it. You can read our review here: http://turnerbudds-burgerblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/smash-burger.html. We talked about why it wasn't that good, especially after a lot of folks asked us about it, saying that they liked those burgers. Perhaps, we thought, that it was due to the fact that the location we tried had just opened. Maybe the staff wasn't really up to speed. Maybe, maybe, maybe.
          So we went back and tried it again. This time, not for a review but just to see what everyone else was talking about.  We liked our second trip and have gone back several more times. Each time the food was good. The burgers were tasty and cooked to order. The fries, nice and hot, crisp on the outside and warm on the inside.
          Since it's our blog and we can do whatever the hell we want, we have decided to switch our position on Smashburger and now recommend it. The burgers, smashed like the name suggests to sere in the flavor, are cooked to order and come out hot and juicy. All of the fixing have always been fresh and did their job; add flavor to the burger.
          Not that we really expect anyone to ever take our advice but if, for some crazy reason, you have been avoiding Smashburger because of our lousy review, do what we did, give it a second chance. You can find your closest Smashburger on line at http://smashburger.com/