Longnecks

Recently, with Josh off doing his own thing, I met with a family friend, Ben, to talk about a number of things. Ben, who lives in Northern Kentucky, suggested we try Longnecks Sports Grill. Located at 1009 Town Dr. in Wilder (and on the web at http://longneckssportsgrill.com/), Longnecks is the "big brother" to Newport's Shortneck Grill (which was reviewed here: http://turnerbudds-burgerblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/shortnecks-bar-and-grill.html). Like Shortnecks, Longnecks knows exactly what it is and that is a sports bar and grill. With 18 big screen TVs positioned around the room there and all tuned to active sports channels there is little to no doubt what the atmosphere of this neighborhood place is.

We showed up at a mid week lunch time and found that they were a little understaffed with the bartender having to wait on most of the inside tables. That isn't to say that we had to wait a painfully long time to be served but had there been any more people there that poor bartender would have never had a chance to slow down.

The place is pretty big and in addition to the TVs, sports video games and pool tables and a very nice outdoor patio that in good weather would present a nice place to sit and enjoy a meal. With a full menu of everything from the standard appetizers and bar food to a large selection of sandwiches and even pizza and calzones, this place is sure to have something for everyone. But we were there for just one reason: burgers.

Burgers

We each ordered the basic Longneck Burger, a half pound of beef grilled to order on their flattop. The best way to sum up the burger is to quote what Ben said after he took his first bite: "You can actually taste the burger." And it's true. This isn't hidden by a lot of special sauces or overly sweet buns. The meat flavor comes through and that is a good thing because these are some very tasty burgers. I'm not sure if they get their meat and other items from the same place as Shortnecks but it wouldn't surprise me. Both have very high quality products.

The condiments, the garden, the cheese and the bun were all fresh and enhanced the burger rather than covering it as is sometimes the case. The fries were pretty basic but were also fresh and cooked perfectly, with that crisp outside and an oh, so soft center. 

Yes, it took us a little longer than it might have to put in our order but the burgers arrived fairly quickly and any extra wait was well worth it. Longnecks might be a little off the beaten path for most of you but if you are heading in that direction any time it's worth the side trip to check out this place.

Hooligan's Pub and Eatery

Hooligan's Pub and Eatery has be serving up food and sand volleyball for over two decades now. Located at 3340 Highland Ave. near Ridge and I-71 (and on line at http://www.hooligans-pub.com/), Hooligan's is a full service restaurant with an award winning menu. Starting in spring they begin their sand volleyball leagues (so sign up now) at their own sand courts located just outside.

With a decor that reflects the activities they offer, this is really a neighborhood place and a destination.

Their menu is compete with appetizers and bar food and also complete with full meals of comfort food and sandwiches. They have award winning ribs (which are mighty tasty) and some homemade carrot cake that any fan needs to try.

But we didn't go for any of that. No, we went for what we like to talk about the most (not the ladies): the burgers.

Burgers

With a handful of burgers from which to choose, we each just picked up the basic burger, made with fresh USDA ground chuck that had to be a 70-30 mix since they came out nice and plump and juicy. The flavor was good since the meat was fresh but lacked a little spice. But that doesn't mean the burger was the least bit bland. With a fresh garden, soft cheese and bun that more than did its job, this was a pretty decent burger.

The burger was served with chips but you could get fries for an extra $2.50. Considering the plain burger, even with cheese was only $6.25, that didn't add too much to Josh's meal. Mark just took the chips and picked at them since they were pretty standard. Josh reported that the fries were nicely cooked and not over salted.

This is a fun place that serves up a decent burger. We could imagine hanging out there with friends after playing some sand volleyball, cooling off with a nice drink and chowing down on some of the great food. Yes the burger would be a good option here even though it doesn't rank up there with the best we've had.

Burger Wars

We don't usually do anything about McWendy King burgers though due to pressure from some readers we are thinking of doing a show down piece on them. But we found this interesting and wanted to share it while we take a week off to digest our latest burgers. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/mcdonalds-wendys-battle-value-centric-203300006.html

Frickers

You would think by now we would have learned our lesson. How many times have we gone into a place that is noted for their chicken and ordered up a burger only to be let down in the flavor and quality department.

Frickers is a Dayton based restaurant chain that was founded on the concept of real quality chicken wings. With over 20 locations, mostly in Ohio but with restaurants in Indiana and Michigan, the locals who have tried them have flocked (pardon the pun) to check out their chunks of chicken. Currently there are locations in our neck of the woods in Mason, Middletown, North College Hill and West Chester. You can also find them on the web at http://www.frickers.com/.

Mark has eaten chicken at Frickers numerous times having first discovered it in Bowling Green (Ohio that is, not Kentucky). But it was only recently that the two of us tried one of their burgers.

Burger

The joke at Frickers, which was founded by two brothers with the last name of Frick, is that everything they serve up is "Frickin' Good." And that's true for their chicken. But they have several burgers on the menu ranging from the traditional third pound regular hamburger to the half pound Frick Burger to the massive one pound Big Frickin' Burger. We ordered up the Frick Burger.

Like with other chicken restaurants these burgers did not live up to the quality of their more noteworthy menu mates. The burgers were obviously frozen and trucked in. They came to the table a bit dry from the flat top and not really having much in the way of a unique flavor. They at least tasted like beef but it was rather bland beef at that. Where ever they are getting these frozen hockey pucks from isn't even putting salt in with the meat before it hits the freezer.

Which is too bad because the rest of the food, or at least all that we have tried, is very good. Sure this is a typical chicken wing based sports bar with memorabilia and televisions all over the place. But all of the chicken dishes have always been very fresh and very tasty (with the exception of one of their wing sauces which has gotten mixed reviews). Even their French fries, particularly the Curly-Q fries, are pretty darn tasty.

If you go to Frickers, and you should, go for the chicken and leave the burgers alone. We keep telling ourselves that but man did those burgers look good going to other tables around us. We should have learned our lesson.