Saturday, April 5, 2014
10 Best Burger List
Found this on a new site on line and though this blog is pretty much in a long term hiatus, I thought I'd share. http://www.localview.co/cincinnati-oh/posts/top-10-burger-restaurants-in-cincinnati#.Uz6xYfldWMM
Saturday, October 26, 2013
James' Third Base
Usually when I think of third base, two things come to mind: baseball and the backseat of my car in high school. On a day when Josh was working hard in college, I had a a meeting at my accountant's office. On the way back home I discovered another kind of third base as I slid into James' Third Base Sports Bar and Grill.
Located at 1079 Reading Rd. in Mason, Third Base lives up to its name, at least in terms of the decor. It is you typical sports pub with TVs playing all of the available sports channels. They see themselves as much a neighborhood casual restaurant as a sports pub and do their best to combine the two. The menu is fairly extensive compared to many similar places. They offer a fairly wide selection of sandwiches, salads and wraps to compliment the traditional bar food appetizers.
But I was there for the burger. The lunch menu (when I was there) only offers a single steak burger but at dinner time you can get the double and even a triple. I settled for the single with American and a light run through the garden.
When you call your burger a steak burger the diner just assumes that the meat is ground sirloin. I'm not sure what it was but mine didn't really have that sirloin flavor. It was well cooked and fresh but tasted more like an 80-20 ground beef that had been slapped together. In short, there was nothing special about it. And at $7.49 ($8.49 at dinner time) it seemed a tad over priced, especially when I could have driven a couple miles and eaten at a Five Guys.
Don't get me wrong, Third Base is a decent place. I'm sure during peak sports times the place is rocking and folks have a great time. Perhaps I was anticipating more from what was called a steak burger (shoot, this wasn't even Steak N Shake quality) but I left disappointed and wondering why my money really went. It was kind of like leading off the inning with a stand-up triple and being stranded when my teammates couldn't get the ball out of the infield. Oh well. There's always next season.
Located at 1079 Reading Rd. in Mason, Third Base lives up to its name, at least in terms of the decor. It is you typical sports pub with TVs playing all of the available sports channels. They see themselves as much a neighborhood casual restaurant as a sports pub and do their best to combine the two. The menu is fairly extensive compared to many similar places. They offer a fairly wide selection of sandwiches, salads and wraps to compliment the traditional bar food appetizers.
But I was there for the burger. The lunch menu (when I was there) only offers a single steak burger but at dinner time you can get the double and even a triple. I settled for the single with American and a light run through the garden.
When you call your burger a steak burger the diner just assumes that the meat is ground sirloin. I'm not sure what it was but mine didn't really have that sirloin flavor. It was well cooked and fresh but tasted more like an 80-20 ground beef that had been slapped together. In short, there was nothing special about it. And at $7.49 ($8.49 at dinner time) it seemed a tad over priced, especially when I could have driven a couple miles and eaten at a Five Guys.
Don't get me wrong, Third Base is a decent place. I'm sure during peak sports times the place is rocking and folks have a great time. Perhaps I was anticipating more from what was called a steak burger (shoot, this wasn't even Steak N Shake quality) but I left disappointed and wondering why my money really went. It was kind of like leading off the inning with a stand-up triple and being stranded when my teammates couldn't get the ball out of the infield. Oh well. There's always next season.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Hooters
I was out of town on some business while Josh was back home attended to his college classes. Some of the people I was working with wanted to head to Hooters after work. Now I've been to Hooters a few times (always for the food, never to look at the girls) and know that they have some decent grub, especially their wings. When we got there they had a special on their burgers and it dawned on me that I hadn't ever devoured one of their meaty offerings.
Hooters was started in Clearwater, FL in 1983. The business was incorporated on April Fools day because even the six business men who founded it didn't think the concept would succeed. They were wrong. The casual dining chain owns 140 restaurants and franchises 430 more. They also operate a Las Vegas casino. To find one near you (if you don't already know) check them out on line at http://www.hooters.com/Home/Default.aspx.
Hooters was started in Clearwater, FL in 1983. The business was incorporated on April Fools day because even the six business men who founded it didn't think the concept would succeed. They were wrong. The casual dining chain owns 140 restaurants and franchises 430 more. They also operate a Las Vegas casino. To find one near you (if you don't already know) check them out on line at http://www.hooters.com/Home/Default.aspx.
The Burger
I was a little apprehensive about ordering the burger. As I said, I'd had their wings on numerous occasions and had even eaten a few other sandwich specials over the years. But the burger was virgin territory for me. But I was game and so I ordered up a "build your own" burger with pepper jack cheese and my choice of garden.
The food arrived in a decent amount of time, hitting the table hot off the grill. The burger was thick and juicy, the bun soft, yet firm. I was still a little worried considering the luck I'd had at other chicken/wing restaurants in the past. But I'll be honest, this was a pretty decent burger, especially for a chain. The meat was fresh with a nice flavor. All of the ingredients complimented each other and none really stole from the flavor of the meat, even the bit of bite from the pepper jack cheese.
I wouldn't go so far as to say this was a great burger. But it ranks up there with a Friday's burger, perhaps. Well, close to it anyway. The fries were decent and the service was fast and friendly (and not bad to look at considering that we met one of the Hooters girls who was featured in the 2014 calendar). I don't go out of my way to eat at a Hooters and this burger isn't going to change that. But if I'm in a position to nosh at one of these I might actually consider the burger next time and not just dive into the wings.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Andy's Cafe
With Josh being the good college student and attending classes, I had to run over near Elmwood to pick up some materials for an upcoming commercial shoot. I was pretty familiar with the area because I had spent an extended time working with a production company that was once housed over there. For that reason I knew there were a few nice little neighborhood diners in the area and I decided to stop in Andy's Cafe for lunch.
Andy's is a true neighborhood place and one of the joints we would go on occasion for lunch. Located at 7201 Vine St., just south of where Paddock meets Vine at the "big Indian sign," it is a small corner building with the bar and a few tables in front and more tables in a back room.
They call themselves a "family restaurant" and it comes across not only in the people who work there but those who frequent the place. While I was sitting there I saw several people stop in, see someone and not only say "hello" but ask about their family. This is a place where everyone not only knows your name but your family as well.
I hadn't had one in a long time so I ordered up a Big Andy double decker burger. This is a freshly made burger with beef that took a little time to prepare. They were frying it up on their flattop just for me.
When it arrived it looked perfect. There was that char around the edges of the meat that a good cook knows how to make. The two beef patties were stacked high on a standard bun with my garden sitting on top. I bit in hoping this was going to be as good as it looked. I was only a little disappointed. The beef tasted fresh and had that perfect flattop grill flavor. The tomato, understandably considering the season, was not the best but the cheese, the slice of American cheese tasted like it was bulk purchased Kraft. For me that really drew down what otherwise was a pretty good burger.
Overall I enjoyed my trip to Andy's Cafe. I could have done with a better slice of cheese. But the ambiance is neighborhood joint cool and the service was friendly. If you are ever traveling along I-75 around meal time you might want to hop off at the Paddock Rd. exit and head west a block to Vine then south to Andy's. And while you're there, check out that "big Indian sign."
Andy's is a true neighborhood place and one of the joints we would go on occasion for lunch. Located at 7201 Vine St., just south of where Paddock meets Vine at the "big Indian sign," it is a small corner building with the bar and a few tables in front and more tables in a back room.
They call themselves a "family restaurant" and it comes across not only in the people who work there but those who frequent the place. While I was sitting there I saw several people stop in, see someone and not only say "hello" but ask about their family. This is a place where everyone not only knows your name but your family as well.
I hadn't had one in a long time so I ordered up a Big Andy double decker burger. This is a freshly made burger with beef that took a little time to prepare. They were frying it up on their flattop just for me.
When it arrived it looked perfect. There was that char around the edges of the meat that a good cook knows how to make. The two beef patties were stacked high on a standard bun with my garden sitting on top. I bit in hoping this was going to be as good as it looked. I was only a little disappointed. The beef tasted fresh and had that perfect flattop grill flavor. The tomato, understandably considering the season, was not the best but the cheese, the slice of American cheese tasted like it was bulk purchased Kraft. For me that really drew down what otherwise was a pretty good burger.
Overall I enjoyed my trip to Andy's Cafe. I could have done with a better slice of cheese. But the ambiance is neighborhood joint cool and the service was friendly. If you are ever traveling along I-75 around meal time you might want to hop off at the Paddock Rd. exit and head west a block to Vine then south to Andy's. And while you're there, check out that "big Indian sign."
Saturday, October 5, 2013
The Best Burger in America
With Josh in college and Mark on the road, this week we're posting an article we found on line touting the best burgers in America. Now, of course, we all know, just like this column, all such lists and rankings are totally biased. It really depends on what folks are looking for. And one person's favorite may not make another person's top 10.
A quick look at this list reveals quite a range in prices. Now granted, we have only tried one of these (it happens to be the cheapest) but if the others are as good then we would like to tout those as well. While we might want to try them all but come on, a $26 burger? On our next trip to New York we might just give it a try.
Check out the list and let us know if anyone has eaten at any of these: http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/best-burgers-america-160524886.html
A quick look at this list reveals quite a range in prices. Now granted, we have only tried one of these (it happens to be the cheapest) but if the others are as good then we would like to tout those as well. While we might want to try them all but come on, a $26 burger? On our next trip to New York we might just give it a try.
Check out the list and let us know if anyone has eaten at any of these: http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/best-burgers-america-160524886.html
Saturday, September 28, 2013
J. Alexander
Founded in 1971 in Nashville with a nationwide expansion plan that is rather selective, J. Alexander's is an upscale casual restaurant that now has over 30 locations in large cities in 12 different states. With more of the trappings of a high end restaurant rather than the "neighborhood" casual places that dot the landscape, J. Alexander's prides itself on using wood fires to cook fresh, high quality food. That's the company line.
We ventured to the one location here in the Tri-State located in Rookwood Commons (you can find them on line at http://www.jalexanders.com/index.php and while the site is smooth and stylish it doesn't really tell much about the restaurant). But we didn't go to check out the web site, we went to try a burger.
We each had an Old Fashioned Cheeseburger that is made from fresh chuck that is ground daily and then hand patted into a thick burger. They brag about their food being wood cooked and as we do the vast majority of our grilling using wood (and different types of wood for different types of food, we know something about the subject.
One bite and you can taste the wood smoke that has cooked into the meat. The burger is fresh and juicy and was cooked to our tastes. The flavor of the fresh chuck was enhanced by the use of Tillamook cheddar, an Oregon cheese that pairs very nicely with the burger. In fact, the entire burger is very, very good.
But this isn't the kind of place most people will want to make their regular neighborhood burger joint. Though the burgers are very tasty they come at a price; and that price is high. Our burgers were $12 each and the fries added another $5.
If you want a good smokey burger then you might want to make a visit to J. Alexander's. Just bring a lot of money. If, like us, you want a good, fresh, wood smoked burger, just run to Jungle Jim's for some fresh 80-20 Angus chuck and fire up the grill with some hickory wood.
We ventured to the one location here in the Tri-State located in Rookwood Commons (you can find them on line at http://www.jalexanders.com/index.php and while the site is smooth and stylish it doesn't really tell much about the restaurant). But we didn't go to check out the web site, we went to try a burger.
We each had an Old Fashioned Cheeseburger that is made from fresh chuck that is ground daily and then hand patted into a thick burger. They brag about their food being wood cooked and as we do the vast majority of our grilling using wood (and different types of wood for different types of food, we know something about the subject.
One bite and you can taste the wood smoke that has cooked into the meat. The burger is fresh and juicy and was cooked to our tastes. The flavor of the fresh chuck was enhanced by the use of Tillamook cheddar, an Oregon cheese that pairs very nicely with the burger. In fact, the entire burger is very, very good.
But this isn't the kind of place most people will want to make their regular neighborhood burger joint. Though the burgers are very tasty they come at a price; and that price is high. Our burgers were $12 each and the fries added another $5.
If you want a good smokey burger then you might want to make a visit to J. Alexander's. Just bring a lot of money. If, like us, you want a good, fresh, wood smoked burger, just run to Jungle Jim's for some fresh 80-20 Angus chuck and fire up the grill with some hickory wood.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Wild Mike's
With three locations on the west side, if you live over there or, as we were, just passing through, you can probably find one near to where you are. We ventured to the one in Green Township (4498 Harrison Ave. at Race) but there are also locations in Delhi (5043 Delhi Pike) and in Miami Heights (7587 Bridgetown Rd.). You can also find them on line at http://www.wildmikeswings.com/.
This was the first visit to any of the Wild Mike's for either of us so we can only speak to the one location. But if the others are as fun and friendly as this one then they should be must stops for folks in the area.
The restaurant is small and when we went in for lunch was pretty crowded. Still, it didn't feel cramped as there was room to move around among the booths and tables. There were a number of TVs hung on each of the walls and, with the possible exception of where Josh was sitting, anyone could see several without really having to turn their head very much.
Service was prompt and extremely friendly. Our server chatted with us, joked and even laughed at an exchange we had concerning how it was going to be many, many years before Josh ever picked up the tab.
We each ordered the half pound burger (yeah, we were hungry) that was run through the garden. Josh chose American cheese, Mark provolone. For mid-September the garden wasn't terribly bad. The tomato wasn't a tasty as those coming out of our garden but then again, few are. The burger, chargrilled, had the scent and the flavor of that flattop with edges seared just right. The burgers were cooked a little more done than we prefer but the overall flavor was there.
The Kaiser roll on which it was served was firm but not hard the way some can get. We weren't sure but it seemed to be something that was made this morning.
Along with the burgers we each ordered up a small curly fry. Big mistake. We could have easily split one order, especially with the size of those burgers (they didn't shrink very much from their original half pound). The fries were nothing special, pretty much standard frozen restaurant curly fries but they were cooked properly and, without a doubt, they were plentiful.
Wild Mike's is primarily a wings joint though they have a pretty complete menu with a number of burgers, sandwiches and even complete dinners. The place is filled with the perfume of a tasty wing sauce. We were almost tempted to order those wings and will probably stop back to give them a try. In the mean time we did enjoy the burger. No, not the best and not going to make our Best Of list but still a good substantial burger at a heck of a price. And the people were friendly, too.
If you live on the West Side you've probably already visited one of Wild Mike's locations. If you don't, toss caution to the wind and drive up Harrison Ave. one day and aim for one of the three locations. You're bound to be glad you did.
This was the first visit to any of the Wild Mike's for either of us so we can only speak to the one location. But if the others are as fun and friendly as this one then they should be must stops for folks in the area.
The restaurant is small and when we went in for lunch was pretty crowded. Still, it didn't feel cramped as there was room to move around among the booths and tables. There were a number of TVs hung on each of the walls and, with the possible exception of where Josh was sitting, anyone could see several without really having to turn their head very much.
Service was prompt and extremely friendly. Our server chatted with us, joked and even laughed at an exchange we had concerning how it was going to be many, many years before Josh ever picked up the tab.
We each ordered the half pound burger (yeah, we were hungry) that was run through the garden. Josh chose American cheese, Mark provolone. For mid-September the garden wasn't terribly bad. The tomato wasn't a tasty as those coming out of our garden but then again, few are. The burger, chargrilled, had the scent and the flavor of that flattop with edges seared just right. The burgers were cooked a little more done than we prefer but the overall flavor was there.
The Kaiser roll on which it was served was firm but not hard the way some can get. We weren't sure but it seemed to be something that was made this morning.
Along with the burgers we each ordered up a small curly fry. Big mistake. We could have easily split one order, especially with the size of those burgers (they didn't shrink very much from their original half pound). The fries were nothing special, pretty much standard frozen restaurant curly fries but they were cooked properly and, without a doubt, they were plentiful.
Wild Mike's is primarily a wings joint though they have a pretty complete menu with a number of burgers, sandwiches and even complete dinners. The place is filled with the perfume of a tasty wing sauce. We were almost tempted to order those wings and will probably stop back to give them a try. In the mean time we did enjoy the burger. No, not the best and not going to make our Best Of list but still a good substantial burger at a heck of a price. And the people were friendly, too.
If you live on the West Side you've probably already visited one of Wild Mike's locations. If you don't, toss caution to the wind and drive up Harrison Ave. one day and aim for one of the three locations. You're bound to be glad you did.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Augie's Tavern
Sometimes we go looking for a place and sometimes the place just seems to find us. We were off on a fool's errand when the stereo grumbling of our stomachs made us realize that it was half past hamburger time. As fate would have it we were wandering through Reading and a misguided turn down a residential street led us to 201 Walnut St. led us to Augie's Tavern.
Augie's is the picture of a neighborhood place. Nestled actually in a neighborhood. This is the kind of place that is filled with regulars all the time. And from the looks of the place and their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Augies-Tavern/115427431812392), this group of regulars seem to do as much away from the place as they do inside and on the patio. Well, maybe not as much but there does seem to be a lot of events and activities sponsored and organized by Augie's in which people can get involved.
Being wandering tourists that day we seemed to stick out like that proverbial sore hitching digit and yet we were greeted by friendly folks all around; and not just those who were on the tavern's payroll, either. A couple of the regulars went out of their way to say hi and ask what brought us in. We figured if they were that friendly to a couple of "foreigners" then this place was already elevated in our book.
That is all well and good but we hadn't stopped in for some friendly chat (though that never hurts) or to see who won this year's golf outing (it wasn't either of us). We were there for burgers. And so we ordered up a pair as we sipped a nice cool drink of the soft variety.
As friendly as the service its speed, at least with our food, wasn't about to break any sound barrier. Don't misunderstand, it wasn't slow. In fact it took just the right amount of time. You see, they cooked up our burgers fresh and brought them out to us just about the time we were hearing what happened on the seventh tee during the recent golf outing.
The burgers were everything you look for in that form of hand held cuisine. The meat was fresh and cooked just the way we like it. The bun was sturdy and did its job. The cheese and other goodies were there to compliment rather than get in the way. Was this one of the best burgers we'd ever eaten, not quite. But it was good enough (and the rating probably elevated by the tremendously friendly atmosphere) to perhaps drag us off the beaten path again in the future to have another go at Augie's. And who knows, maybe we'll bring our golf clubs.
Augie's is the picture of a neighborhood place. Nestled actually in a neighborhood. This is the kind of place that is filled with regulars all the time. And from the looks of the place and their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Augies-Tavern/115427431812392), this group of regulars seem to do as much away from the place as they do inside and on the patio. Well, maybe not as much but there does seem to be a lot of events and activities sponsored and organized by Augie's in which people can get involved.
Being wandering tourists that day we seemed to stick out like that proverbial sore hitching digit and yet we were greeted by friendly folks all around; and not just those who were on the tavern's payroll, either. A couple of the regulars went out of their way to say hi and ask what brought us in. We figured if they were that friendly to a couple of "foreigners" then this place was already elevated in our book.
That is all well and good but we hadn't stopped in for some friendly chat (though that never hurts) or to see who won this year's golf outing (it wasn't either of us). We were there for burgers. And so we ordered up a pair as we sipped a nice cool drink of the soft variety.
As friendly as the service its speed, at least with our food, wasn't about to break any sound barrier. Don't misunderstand, it wasn't slow. In fact it took just the right amount of time. You see, they cooked up our burgers fresh and brought them out to us just about the time we were hearing what happened on the seventh tee during the recent golf outing.
The burgers were everything you look for in that form of hand held cuisine. The meat was fresh and cooked just the way we like it. The bun was sturdy and did its job. The cheese and other goodies were there to compliment rather than get in the way. Was this one of the best burgers we'd ever eaten, not quite. But it was good enough (and the rating probably elevated by the tremendously friendly atmosphere) to perhaps drag us off the beaten path again in the future to have another go at Augie's. And who knows, maybe we'll bring our golf clubs.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Lana's Family Restaurant
We love little hole in the wall, neighborhood restaurants. They are usually oozing with atmosphere and more often then not they serve up some pretty tasty food. What makes one of these places even better is when hardly anyone but the locals know about it.
That seems to be the case with Lana's Family Restaurant located at 819 Monmouth St. in Newport. There is very little about this place on line. Even Urbanspoon doesn't seem to acknowledge their existence. One of the few comments we discovered about it on Yelp seemed to sum it up best, stating that the reason for this dearth of on-line coverage is probably because no one under 60 goes there.
The day we went there were plenty of people under 60 but it seemed as though just about everybody knew each other. Sometimes that can be a problem (we've experienced it in similar places) because the non-regulars can be treated as "second-class citizens" by the servers while they attend to the folks they know.
That wasn't the case for us at Lana's. We were greeted with smiling "hellos" and our server gave us menus and got our drink orders before out butts had time to warm the booth cushion. Ordering for us wasn't difficult. Their standard fare is a quarter pound burger but since we were both very hungry we opted for the double with two patties of meat.
Right up front it must be said that when you order a burger you get just that, the burger. For us our doubles came with a slice of American cheese. If we wanted it through the garden it cost an extra fifty cents. Now that may seem like a pretty crappy way to do business but consider this, our burgers, made with fresh, never frozen pure beef patties on buns that were bakes daily that were run through the garden cost us each $4.25. Yeah, you read that correctly.
And the flavor was delicious. There was that tell tale flat top char around the edges that's a mark of a really well cooked burger (not a well done burger). It was juicy and packed with true, 100% burger flavor. And the garden was worth the fifty cents. The lettuce and tomato tasted as though it had been bought from a farmer's market that morning.
While the sandwich comes with chips you could order fries for an additional buck and a quarter. Mark stuck with the chips, which pretty much tasted like fresh Husman's while Josh got the fries which were your basic restaurant service variety but they were nicely cooked, crisp on the outside and soft and tender in the middle.
Like most great hole in the wall joints Lana's isn't known for their burgers. They advertise serving breakfast all day and even at lunch time when we went there were a lot of people finishing up and ordering from the breakfast portion of the menu. Everything that we saw looked and smelled delicious. It was to the point that we almost didn't order burgers at all. But we made a mental not to head back and try some of their breakfast items.
All the while we were there we were soaking up the quaint charm of this Newport joint. People were all saying hello and talking about things that happened to them earlier that week. This is one of the precious commodities that everyone needs to check out at some time or another, the local neighborhood restaurant. You owe it to yourself to head toward Newport and hit up Lana's.
That seems to be the case with Lana's Family Restaurant located at 819 Monmouth St. in Newport. There is very little about this place on line. Even Urbanspoon doesn't seem to acknowledge their existence. One of the few comments we discovered about it on Yelp seemed to sum it up best, stating that the reason for this dearth of on-line coverage is probably because no one under 60 goes there.
The day we went there were plenty of people under 60 but it seemed as though just about everybody knew each other. Sometimes that can be a problem (we've experienced it in similar places) because the non-regulars can be treated as "second-class citizens" by the servers while they attend to the folks they know.
That wasn't the case for us at Lana's. We were greeted with smiling "hellos" and our server gave us menus and got our drink orders before out butts had time to warm the booth cushion. Ordering for us wasn't difficult. Their standard fare is a quarter pound burger but since we were both very hungry we opted for the double with two patties of meat.
Right up front it must be said that when you order a burger you get just that, the burger. For us our doubles came with a slice of American cheese. If we wanted it through the garden it cost an extra fifty cents. Now that may seem like a pretty crappy way to do business but consider this, our burgers, made with fresh, never frozen pure beef patties on buns that were bakes daily that were run through the garden cost us each $4.25. Yeah, you read that correctly.
And the flavor was delicious. There was that tell tale flat top char around the edges that's a mark of a really well cooked burger (not a well done burger). It was juicy and packed with true, 100% burger flavor. And the garden was worth the fifty cents. The lettuce and tomato tasted as though it had been bought from a farmer's market that morning.
While the sandwich comes with chips you could order fries for an additional buck and a quarter. Mark stuck with the chips, which pretty much tasted like fresh Husman's while Josh got the fries which were your basic restaurant service variety but they were nicely cooked, crisp on the outside and soft and tender in the middle.
Like most great hole in the wall joints Lana's isn't known for their burgers. They advertise serving breakfast all day and even at lunch time when we went there were a lot of people finishing up and ordering from the breakfast portion of the menu. Everything that we saw looked and smelled delicious. It was to the point that we almost didn't order burgers at all. But we made a mental not to head back and try some of their breakfast items.
All the while we were there we were soaking up the quaint charm of this Newport joint. People were all saying hello and talking about things that happened to them earlier that week. This is one of the precious commodities that everyone needs to check out at some time or another, the local neighborhood restaurant. You owe it to yourself to head toward Newport and hit up Lana's.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Drew's On the River
If you have never been to Drew's on the River you are probably one of those east side people who won't travel west. Drew's is something of a Delhi institution. It only opened in 2004 but it has withstood some high water from the river and kept coming back strong. Located at 4333 River Rd. in Delhi and on the web at http://www.drewsontheriver.com/ Drew's is exactly what you would expect in a fun pub on the river.
Featuring a menu that relies on bar food and sandwiches, Drew's offers up regular entertainment every weekend. There are daily lunch specials and you can even pull up in your boat at their dock and stop by for a meal.
Featuring a menu that relies on bar food and sandwiches, Drew's offers up regular entertainment every weekend. There are daily lunch specials and you can even pull up in your boat at their dock and stop by for a meal.
Burgers
We ordered up the Anchor Cheese Burger, a half pound of Angus beef that is nicely seasoned and grilled just right. Let's cut to the chase: this is a pretty good burger. Everything about it was fresh. Our service was good and friendly. As we sat wiping the juices from our chins we realized that this was one of the better burgers we'd had recently for this blog. We aren't sure if it ranks up there with our favorite burgers in the area. We will have to go back and chow down a few more times just to make sure. Maybe we'll see you there, even if like us, you live on the east side of town.
Saturday, August 24, 2013
McWendy King's
It's surprising to us how often people will comment on the fact that we do this little burger blog. We don't have very many readers but that was never our intention. We do find a couple of things odd, though. One is where our audience comes from. For example, this past week we have gotten almost as many hits from Russia as from the USA. (Hey, if you live in Russian, or anywhere for that matter, drop us a line and say hi at turnerbudds@yahoo.com).
The other thing that surprises us is how often people will defend their favorite burgers. We have taken a bunch of heat for our lukewarm review of Carvers. We're sorry, the burgers we got just weren't that good.
Now we honestly don't really pan many places. Let's be honest, if you use decent ingredients it's pretty difficult to mess up a burger. Remember, we don't go after the exotic burgers on the menu just the basic number with meat, cheese and our choice of condiments and garden.
Perhaps the biggest surprise to us is how often we've had people tell us that they actually like a fast food burger from one of the Big Three. Nothing wrong with that. We've both eaten our share of McWendy King products. Josh, being a college student, still does. Mark, on the other hand, prefers real food.
But, to be fair and being prompted by some "new" claims about certain burgers, we decided to suffer the public humiliation and rank the Big Three in order of our preference. We tested each restaurant's standard burger. At McDonald's it was the Quarter Pounder, at Wendy's it was the Double, and at Burger King it was the Whopper. Of course we ordered fries with each and are rating those as well.
The other thing that surprises us is how often people will defend their favorite burgers. We have taken a bunch of heat for our lukewarm review of Carvers. We're sorry, the burgers we got just weren't that good.
Now we honestly don't really pan many places. Let's be honest, if you use decent ingredients it's pretty difficult to mess up a burger. Remember, we don't go after the exotic burgers on the menu just the basic number with meat, cheese and our choice of condiments and garden.
Perhaps the biggest surprise to us is how often we've had people tell us that they actually like a fast food burger from one of the Big Three. Nothing wrong with that. We've both eaten our share of McWendy King products. Josh, being a college student, still does. Mark, on the other hand, prefers real food.
But, to be fair and being prompted by some "new" claims about certain burgers, we decided to suffer the public humiliation and rank the Big Three in order of our preference. We tested each restaurant's standard burger. At McDonald's it was the Quarter Pounder, at Wendy's it was the Double, and at Burger King it was the Whopper. Of course we ordered fries with each and are rating those as well.
Burgers
We both agreed that Burger King had the best of the three burgers. "At least they pretend to cook it over a real flame," is how Josh summed it up. Yes, they send the meat through their flame broiling conveyor belt like something out of a 1920's German movie and then let it sit around until it is time to pop it in the microwave to heat up for a customer. Still, the flavor of the actual flame (and we've read that the flavor is added to the meat prior to cooking) makes the Whopper the best tasting burger.
For the second place burger we differed. Mark preferred Wendy's offering as the meat tasted fresher and it seemed as though the burger wasn't actually sitting around for very long. Josh admitted to being a fan of the Quarter Pounder, liking the consistency and the flavor. For Mark the consistency of the Quarter Pounder is a bit strange. It doesn't seem like real meat and that, for him, was a problem.
Fries
This was a no brainer. Number one is without a doubt McDonald's. They absolutely know how to make a French fry. Because everything at every McDonald's is consistent you are sure to get crispy fries that actually taste like potatoes.
Second best went to Wendy's. These are you basic fries with nothing special about them. They are cooked right but are just like every other frozen food service fry in the world.
The worst fries come from Burger King. Though the fries are better than they were before their recent change, they are still coated and seasoned in such a way that gives them the consistency of cardboard and makes than almost uneatable.
That's our opinion. Do your own three way taste test and decide which, if any, of these places you want to head to for a fast food lunch.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Second Chance: Culvers
But because of how many people commented on the review, we decided to give it another go. So here is a rare second chance for Culver's.
Burgers
Stopping in on one of the local Culver's locations (see their web site for one near you: http://www.culvers.com/).
This time the restaurant wasn't as crowded as when Mark first visited. That seemed to help. Maybe the kitchen wasn't dashing through the burgers as fast because, while the meat of the "famous" Butterburgers we ordered were seared, they weren't pancake flat chunks of char. Still, the two one eighth pound patties weren't as flavorful as, say, a Steak and Shake which does a similar style burger. The patties had shrunk considerable and that can only mean a high fat content. But generally with a high fat content there is more flavor so somewhere in the wilds of Wisconsin they have discovered a burger paradox.
While the meat wasn't a highlight, what made the burger was the bun and the very delicious Wisconsin cheddar cheese. To say they were both well above average would be an understatement. Perhaps the fact that they are so tasty actually detracts from the quality of the meat. Or maybe they are designed that way to help cover the quality of the meat. Who knows.
Last time Mark commented on how bland the fries were. They really weren't better and needed to be dunked in considerable ketchup in order to enjoy.
Overall we were disappointed with Culver's. So many people have told us how good they are and how much they like them but in our opinion a place like Steak and Shake is doing the same thing only better. And if you want to take a step up, head to Eastgate and check out Hwy 55.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
More Inside Out Burger: Full of Surprises
Quite a while back I posted a piece about one of our favorite ways to fix a burger at home. Of course it involved grilling. We grill just about everything at our house. If I am able to get outside and start a fire we will put dinner on the grill. I even grill the Thanksgiving turkey each November.
So grilling burgers is an absolute natural for us. Back then I had posted our take on the somewhat famous Juicy Lucy (http://turnerbudds-burgerblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/inside-out-burger.html) that we had been doing for quite a while. We refer to it as an inside out burger because you put what are traditionally considered the toppings inside. We keep playing around and trying new things and recently we found an absolutely delicious combination.
Now this takes a little more prep work than the typical burger but it's worth it. You start by frying up some bacon and then use the bacon grease to saute some green peppers and mushrooms. You could add onion if you like. In fact, you can use just about anything that sounds delicious. When you have them cooked, you want to finely chop everything up, including the bacon. Then mix it all together.
Next, put the meat in a large mixing bowl and season it with salt and pepper. You want to start with good quality meat. I prefer ground Angus sirloin that is 80/20. Remember, you want some fat content because that's where a lot of the juicy flavor comes from but too much will just cook away on the grill.
Pour some of your favorite steak sauce on the meat. For close to two pounds of meat we used two tablespoons but you might want to adjust this depending on what you like.
Stick your hands in and mix it up good. You want the spices and the sauce equally distributed.
Now you want to make the patties. Keep in mind that two patties are actually going to go together to make one burger so be sure to make them fairly thin. Also, because two go together you may want to limit the size. But also remember that you are going to need some size to put the goodies inside so this might take a little trial and error.
Once you have the patties ready, put a slice of your favorite cheese down on one of them. On this occasion we used Provolone. Next, spread the chopped peppers, mushrooms and bacon on top of the cheese. When you feel you have enough then put another piece of cheese on top of that and finish it off with another patty.
The two slices of cheese are going to do a couple of things. First off, they're going to take great but they are also going to help hold everything together.
Now you want to put your burgers on the grill. I always cook with charcoal and wood. For a burger I use hickory wood or a blend of hickory and mesquite. Then you want to grill the burgers how you like them.
When you bite into this burger you will a ton of flavor from the green peppers, the mushrooms, the bacon and the cheese.
Try out different items for the middle of this kind of burger. There are some amazing combinations that we've been playing with and more that we're going to find in the future. Enjoy.
So grilling burgers is an absolute natural for us. Back then I had posted our take on the somewhat famous Juicy Lucy (http://turnerbudds-burgerblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/inside-out-burger.html) that we had been doing for quite a while. We refer to it as an inside out burger because you put what are traditionally considered the toppings inside. We keep playing around and trying new things and recently we found an absolutely delicious combination.
Now this takes a little more prep work than the typical burger but it's worth it. You start by frying up some bacon and then use the bacon grease to saute some green peppers and mushrooms. You could add onion if you like. In fact, you can use just about anything that sounds delicious. When you have them cooked, you want to finely chop everything up, including the bacon. Then mix it all together.
Next, put the meat in a large mixing bowl and season it with salt and pepper. You want to start with good quality meat. I prefer ground Angus sirloin that is 80/20. Remember, you want some fat content because that's where a lot of the juicy flavor comes from but too much will just cook away on the grill.
Pour some of your favorite steak sauce on the meat. For close to two pounds of meat we used two tablespoons but you might want to adjust this depending on what you like.
Stick your hands in and mix it up good. You want the spices and the sauce equally distributed.
Now you want to make the patties. Keep in mind that two patties are actually going to go together to make one burger so be sure to make them fairly thin. Also, because two go together you may want to limit the size. But also remember that you are going to need some size to put the goodies inside so this might take a little trial and error.
Once you have the patties ready, put a slice of your favorite cheese down on one of them. On this occasion we used Provolone. Next, spread the chopped peppers, mushrooms and bacon on top of the cheese. When you feel you have enough then put another piece of cheese on top of that and finish it off with another patty.
The two slices of cheese are going to do a couple of things. First off, they're going to take great but they are also going to help hold everything together.
Now you want to put your burgers on the grill. I always cook with charcoal and wood. For a burger I use hickory wood or a blend of hickory and mesquite. Then you want to grill the burgers how you like them.
When you bite into this burger you will a ton of flavor from the green peppers, the mushrooms, the bacon and the cheese.
Try out different items for the middle of this kind of burger. There are some amazing combinations that we've been playing with and more that we're going to find in the future. Enjoy.
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Uncle T's Eatery
Traveling through Owensville you really don't expect to find much in the way of restaurants. But right there in what can only be considered the heart of town is Uncle T's Eatery. We had been there before during the annual Pumpkin Run Nationals and on a pretty July day we decided to head east and do an official blog visit.
This place is just about what you would expect to find in a small town. It is quaint and homey and not too big. It's one of those places where the folks who work there probably live down the street from the folks who frequent the place.
Their menu is fairly eclectic in a down home, small town way. They offer up everything from wings and other bar food appetizers to burgers and daily comfort food specials. They are heavy on the pizza and hoagies which is what we had tried in the past. But not this time.
This place is just about what you would expect to find in a small town. It is quaint and homey and not too big. It's one of those places where the folks who work there probably live down the street from the folks who frequent the place.
Their menu is fairly eclectic in a down home, small town way. They offer up everything from wings and other bar food appetizers to burgers and daily comfort food specials. They are heavy on the pizza and hoagies which is what we had tried in the past. But not this time.
Burgers
This time we stopped in around lunch time for the burgers. There is a lunch special where you can get a quarter pound cheeseburger, fries and a drink for $4. Good deal. But we were hungry and wanted to try their steakburgers. The steakburgers come in two sizes: a third pound and a half pound. We stuck with the third pound versions. While Uncle T's offers up the usual garden they have six different cheeses including pepper jack.
We settled on our toppings and waited. And waited. We could hear things sizzling on the flat top grill but for as slow as the place was it seemed to take a long time to get to our order. It came out hot and cooked to taste. The beef was well seasoned and had just enough fat content to really make it juicy. But the seasoning and the fat still didn't make the burgers pop. They were actually pretty bland. Part of that might have been the fault of the not so fresh buns.
Each of us had ordered fries and they were nothing special. Except like in the vast majority of restaurants where fries or chips are built into the cost, these were extra. We didn't realize this until we got the check. So what we thought were just $4.59 burgers with a $2.29 drink had an added $2.79 each for the fries. That was a little steep for what we were getting.
You can find Uncle T's Eatery at 308 W. Main St. in Owensville or on line at http://www.uncle-ts.com/. If you find yourself out in Owensville there really isn't much else in the way of restaurants. If we eat there again we'll go back to the pizza.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Sky Galley
Since 1925 there has been an airfield near the banks of the Ohio River on the eastern side of Cincinnati. Lunken Field wasn't officially dedicated as an airport until 1930 but it had been the home of flying lessons, one of the first firms to get a contract to deliver airmail and even Charles Lindburgh stopped in a couple of times to refuel on trips between St. Louis and New York. Later, in the 1940s, American Airlines would be born there.
Throughout its history there had been small restaurants attached to the airport, most notably one called Wings Restaurant but in 1999 the space was expanded and re-dubbed the Sky Galley. Located at 262 Wilmer Ave. and on line at http://skygalley.net/index.html, the Sky Galley serves up a varied menu for both lunch and dinner.
Now a bit of full disclosure: a good friend of Mark's oldest son and Josh's older brother used to work there as a chef. In fact that was the restaurant where he first started when he graduated from culinary school. While he had spent a great deal of time during high school and college at our house, the fact that he worked there may have drawn us down on more than one occasion but it has never clouded our taste buds.
Throughout its history there had been small restaurants attached to the airport, most notably one called Wings Restaurant but in 1999 the space was expanded and re-dubbed the Sky Galley. Located at 262 Wilmer Ave. and on line at http://skygalley.net/index.html, the Sky Galley serves up a varied menu for both lunch and dinner.
Now a bit of full disclosure: a good friend of Mark's oldest son and Josh's older brother used to work there as a chef. In fact that was the restaurant where he first started when he graduated from culinary school. While he had spent a great deal of time during high school and college at our house, the fact that he worked there may have drawn us down on more than one occasion but it has never clouded our taste buds.
The Burger
For our visit this time we chose up the traditional Lunken Cheeseburger which is eight ounces of fresh prime cut ground beef cooked to order. We each decided on provolone cheese and, along with our choice of garden soon found a warm, juicy burger in front of us. Though burgers aren't the specialty at the Sky Galley (we each have our favorites), it is well prepared with fresh ingredients. It is juicy and thick, a full half pound of beef that was fried up perfectly on a well seasoned flattop grill.
While this is a good burger we both wished it had a little more seasoning. The flavor of the beef came through but whoever was putting these patties together was a little light on the salt and pepper. Remember, you use those for a reason because they will enhance the food and bring out the best flavors.
The other slight downside was the fact that, because the burgers was good and juicy, the buns tended to disintegrate. Not that that's a bad thing. It just means that there comes a point where you can't set the burger down or else you will end up having to finish it with a fork.
Burgers come served with fries and these were pretty standard frozen restaurant fare. They were nicely deep fried but nothing to really celebrate.
Overall we enjoy the Sky Galley each time we visit and they do serve up a pretty good burger that is worth checking out. If you are in the area or just want to play a little golf or baseball at Lunken Field, perhaps walk or ride your bike around their paved path or simply want to see some small planes take off and land, we recommend that you head down to the Sky Galley.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
The Village Diner
While Josh was recovering from having all four wisdom teeth pulled I found myself chasing down a car show up near Maineville and pulled into the Village Diner to grab a burger. Located at 8133 S. St. Rt. 48 in Maineville, the Village Diner doubles as a pizza joint but offers up other menu items as well.
This is the kind of place that harkens back to the days of a small town joint. There is very limited seating and while it seemed everyone knew each other on the day I wandered in, I wasn't made to feel the least bit like an outsider. In fact, the server was as friendly and nice to me as to the people she called by their first names. And even those folks smiled and nodded my way. They were probably wondering what this stranger was doing in their corner joint.
While the atmosphere was warm and cozy the fact that they only had one television in the place and it was tuned to a cable news channel (not FOX) rather than a sports station was a pleasant difference from all of the overblown, wall to wall flat screens seen at so many other places.
The service was fast but not rushed. It seemed the right pace for a sit down country place and gave me time to relax a little. When my quarter pound burger arrived it was pretty much what I expected. An all-beef patty fried up on a flat top. The problem was that the all-beef patty had been frozen so it lacked the true freshness that I would have greatly preferred. The bun was fairly generic and the garden was fresh. At least it wasn't a fast food burger, though.
Like the burger the fries were right out of the freezer and though they were nicely cooked they were pretty bland and in need of some spicing up.
Overall I wouldn't make a special trip out to Maineville to order up one of these burgers. If by some strange chance you just happen to be out that way then it's worth it to stop in for the small town atmosphere.
This is the kind of place that harkens back to the days of a small town joint. There is very limited seating and while it seemed everyone knew each other on the day I wandered in, I wasn't made to feel the least bit like an outsider. In fact, the server was as friendly and nice to me as to the people she called by their first names. And even those folks smiled and nodded my way. They were probably wondering what this stranger was doing in their corner joint.
While the atmosphere was warm and cozy the fact that they only had one television in the place and it was tuned to a cable news channel (not FOX) rather than a sports station was a pleasant difference from all of the overblown, wall to wall flat screens seen at so many other places.
The service was fast but not rushed. It seemed the right pace for a sit down country place and gave me time to relax a little. When my quarter pound burger arrived it was pretty much what I expected. An all-beef patty fried up on a flat top. The problem was that the all-beef patty had been frozen so it lacked the true freshness that I would have greatly preferred. The bun was fairly generic and the garden was fresh. At least it wasn't a fast food burger, though.
Like the burger the fries were right out of the freezer and though they were nicely cooked they were pretty bland and in need of some spicing up.
Overall I wouldn't make a special trip out to Maineville to order up one of these burgers. If by some strange chance you just happen to be out that way then it's worth it to stop in for the small town atmosphere.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Johnny Rocket's
There used to be several locations of Johnny Rocket's around the city but now the only one that exists is at The Banks. We have eaten at a couple of now closed locations (Kenwood and Newport) as well as the original which opened in 1986 on Melrose Ave. in Los Angeles. The restaurant was set up as a throwback to those '50s and early '60s diners, all chrome and rock and roll. Today there are 300 restaurants in 30 states and 16 different countries all sporting this feel of nostalgia and early rock music attitude.
In keeping with our usual criteria we ordered up one of their basic 1/3 pound, fresh, never frozen, cheeseburgers and our choice of garden. The burgers were made and, yes, cooked to order while we sat in a booth listening to Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley.
The burgers were as we remembered and as advertised. They were juicy and carried a nice full meaty flavor that was enhanced by the cheddar cheese, the soft functional bun and our garden and condiments. There was even that little bit of flattop char that can make a burger even more tasty.
Still, as we were enjoying these burgers there was something nagging at both of us and Josh finally pointed out that, yes this was a decent burger but it was still a chain burger. That got us talking about whether or not we have an inner prejudice against the chains. There are plenty of chains that we do like but quite a few where we haven't really thought the burger up to speed. There have also been some local joints where we weren't all that over the top about the burgers.
What we ultimately decided was that Johnny Rocket's makes up a very good burger. Yes it is a chain but so are both Five Guys and In-And-Out Burger and they can put a pretty tasty burger in front of you. Is Johnny Rocket's one of the top burgers we've ever had? No. Is it better than most? Probably.
No, this wasn't our favorite burger of all time, not even our favorite chain burger of all time but it does rate up there. This is a burger that, if you haven't already, you owe it to yourself and your taste buds to check out.
In keeping with our usual criteria we ordered up one of their basic 1/3 pound, fresh, never frozen, cheeseburgers and our choice of garden. The burgers were made and, yes, cooked to order while we sat in a booth listening to Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley.
The burgers were as we remembered and as advertised. They were juicy and carried a nice full meaty flavor that was enhanced by the cheddar cheese, the soft functional bun and our garden and condiments. There was even that little bit of flattop char that can make a burger even more tasty.
Still, as we were enjoying these burgers there was something nagging at both of us and Josh finally pointed out that, yes this was a decent burger but it was still a chain burger. That got us talking about whether or not we have an inner prejudice against the chains. There are plenty of chains that we do like but quite a few where we haven't really thought the burger up to speed. There have also been some local joints where we weren't all that over the top about the burgers.
What we ultimately decided was that Johnny Rocket's makes up a very good burger. Yes it is a chain but so are both Five Guys and In-And-Out Burger and they can put a pretty tasty burger in front of you. Is Johnny Rocket's one of the top burgers we've ever had? No. Is it better than most? Probably.
No, this wasn't our favorite burger of all time, not even our favorite chain burger of all time but it does rate up there. This is a burger that, if you haven't already, you owe it to yourself and your taste buds to check out.
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Sports Page
The Sports Page is a downtown tradition, a neighborhood place that looks like nothing fancy. It's a basic sports type bar with some televisions, some places to sit and the smell of good food being fried up on the grill.
Located at 823 Main St. downtown, The Sports Page is one of those places that folks who work in the neighborhood will hit up once every week or so and may very well stop in after work for a nice cold drink. The atmosphere has always been warm and friendly and while it's not the biggest joint in town, there generally isn't much of a wait.
There is lots of Reds memorabilia for fans to look at but what would you expect from a place called The Sports Page. You ain't getting stock quotes in this joint.
The burgers are 1/3 pound fresh ground beef fried up to perfection on a well seasoned flat top. It came out hot and juicy and bursting with flavor. With good cheese and a fresh garden, this is a good burger. Unfortunately the fries are pretty much your standard frozen crinkle cuts and lack any real appeal.
What is appealing is the fact that this place is inexpensive. If you get a burger, fries and a soda you can come out for about the same as heading to McWendy Kings. Yeah, if you're downtown this is a tasty deal to eat up.
Located at 823 Main St. downtown, The Sports Page is one of those places that folks who work in the neighborhood will hit up once every week or so and may very well stop in after work for a nice cold drink. The atmosphere has always been warm and friendly and while it's not the biggest joint in town, there generally isn't much of a wait.
There is lots of Reds memorabilia for fans to look at but what would you expect from a place called The Sports Page. You ain't getting stock quotes in this joint.
The burgers are 1/3 pound fresh ground beef fried up to perfection on a well seasoned flat top. It came out hot and juicy and bursting with flavor. With good cheese and a fresh garden, this is a good burger. Unfortunately the fries are pretty much your standard frozen crinkle cuts and lack any real appeal.
What is appealing is the fact that this place is inexpensive. If you get a burger, fries and a soda you can come out for about the same as heading to McWendy Kings. Yeah, if you're downtown this is a tasty deal to eat up.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Knockback Nats
The place at 10 W. 7th St. downtown has been Knockback Nats for at least three years now but for some reason it's still hard to think of it by this name. It is set up like so many other pubs and bars, a place with plenty of televisions tuned to sports.
While a number of people have recently complained about the service being rude, we didn't find it that way. Indifferent might be a better description. It was as if the bartender didn't care whether we ate, drank, came or went. There was no hurry about getting us menus or even drink orders but they came. Now, you expect to wait a few minutes in a more upscale place but this is a neighborhood joint and it wasn't busy and yet we waited longer to get our drinks than we did to get our food.
Before we get to the burgers it's important to point out that Knockback Nats has a reputation for some very, very good wings. They are tasty and worth the trip. Unfortunately the same can't be said for the burgers.
They did not taste as though they came from fresh meat. These patties had spent some time on ice. They were cooked medium well on a flattop which generally leaves a nice little char around the edges from the fat cooking down. No real char this time. And the flavor was pretty bland.
The buns were nice, doing their job of holding things together but it would have been nice to have some juices coming from the burgers for the buns to soak up. The garden wasn't bad, nor was the cheese. But nothing could save this burger for us.
Maybe Knockback Nats needs to knock back to the days when it was Rockin' Robin. From Mark's memory the burgers there were pretty decent; better than these.
While a number of people have recently complained about the service being rude, we didn't find it that way. Indifferent might be a better description. It was as if the bartender didn't care whether we ate, drank, came or went. There was no hurry about getting us menus or even drink orders but they came. Now, you expect to wait a few minutes in a more upscale place but this is a neighborhood joint and it wasn't busy and yet we waited longer to get our drinks than we did to get our food.
Before we get to the burgers it's important to point out that Knockback Nats has a reputation for some very, very good wings. They are tasty and worth the trip. Unfortunately the same can't be said for the burgers.
They did not taste as though they came from fresh meat. These patties had spent some time on ice. They were cooked medium well on a flattop which generally leaves a nice little char around the edges from the fat cooking down. No real char this time. And the flavor was pretty bland.
The buns were nice, doing their job of holding things together but it would have been nice to have some juices coming from the burgers for the buns to soak up. The garden wasn't bad, nor was the cheese. But nothing could save this burger for us.
Maybe Knockback Nats needs to knock back to the days when it was Rockin' Robin. From Mark's memory the burgers there were pretty decent; better than these.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Rock Bottom Brewery
The brew house pub has been a trend for a number of years now and the Rock Bottom Brewery, located on Fountain Square (and on line at http://www.rockbottom.com/), has been doing it for over 20 years. First opened in Denver, there are now almost 40 locations nationwide.
Mark has been going to this location almost since it opened. It was a favorite lunch spot for a couple of his day job clients. Both of us have eaten here numerous times and thought it was about time to put up a post.
The place is large enough to accommodate a good sized business luncheon crowd. The bar side offers the typical sports channels on hanging flat screens. The sizable dining room is more traditional. On both sides you can see and, yes, smell the area where the craft beers are made. But we weren't here to drink, we were here to have a burger.
Mark has been going to this location almost since it opened. It was a favorite lunch spot for a couple of his day job clients. Both of us have eaten here numerous times and thought it was about time to put up a post.
The place is large enough to accommodate a good sized business luncheon crowd. The bar side offers the typical sports channels on hanging flat screens. The sizable dining room is more traditional. On both sides you can see and, yes, smell the area where the craft beers are made. But we weren't here to drink, we were here to have a burger.
Burgers
The menu is rather substantial, catering to just about every taste. Even burger lovers have options. Nine different burgers are available. We each chose the Classic Burger, at least a third pound of sirloin, cooked to our taste and covered with a bold cheddar cheese. The burgers are lean and juicy with the taste of a good seasoned flattop. The bun was lightly toasted and the garden was fresh and crisp.
Because it was a week day when we visited for the blog, we had a bit of a wait. Oh, we were seated right away, even if it was way in the back, but sat and waited to be "discovered" by our server. Once she got to us she was friendly and worked hard to keep things moving. The kitchen, being lunch time, was a bit slow but that allowed us time to chat about our favorite sports teams, the Reds, the Bengals mini-camp, and, of course, our Australian Rules Football team the Collingwood Magpies who are struggling this year to stay in playoff contention.
When the burgers did arrive they and our fries were hot. Our server making sure they didn't sit around and cool, waiting to be delivered.
We wouldn't say this burger is in our top 10 but for a chain burger it is very good. We've been here when it wasn't as crowded and the service is much quicker. We strongly recommend that, if you haven't already, you give this place a try. Maybe go at dinner and sample one or five of the craft beers.
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