Oakley Pub and Grill

                Located just steps off of Oakley square at 3924 Isabella Ave (and online at www.oakleypubandgrill.com), the Oakley Pub and Grill is a nice neighborhood place that has been a staple in the neighborhood for several years. This place is regularly voted into the various top burgers in the city polls. Recently their Soul Burger cracked Cincinnati Magazine’s top 10 best at number seven.

                The place is comfortable with enough TVs so that there isn’t a blind spot in the place anywhere. They utilize the space well with what appears to be enough booths and tables and chairs along the bar to seat a good sized crowd.

                This was one of those times when Josh was in school and Mark was meeting someone and so he was flying solo on this review. But that isn’t to say that Josh has never eaten here. About a year and a half ago we both ventured into OPG to check out their highly touted burgers and, on that trip, were very disappointed. There was a flavor to the meat on that trip that just didn’t sit well with either of us. In fact, for one of the very few times in his life, Josh didn’t even finish the burger.

                Hoping this time would be different Mark settled in and checked out the menu.

The Burger

                I ordered up The Burger, a half-pound of Black Angus chuck that is fresh and hand patted to order. Since OPG is one of the ever shrinking number of places that actually cooks your burger to order, I called for a medium rare number with the garden and provolone cheese.

                The burger arrived promptly and was indeed cooked to order. It was thick, juicy and actually tasted like beef. This was definitely better than the last time I had been there. The fact that the garden didn’t offer up a tomato was kind of disappointing but at least the pickle and lettuce was fresh and complimented the beef and cheese. The bun, on the other hand, was a bit much for the burger. Even weighing in at a half pound (pre-cooked) it was a bit small for the bread. And while the bun wasn’t actually stale it didn’t really taste fresh, either. Perhaps it was day old or something.

                Burgers come with steak fries and these were nothing special. They were nice and thick the steak fries are supposed to be but the flavor was lacking. Actually it was pretty much missing. I know I’m a bit of a fluke of nature but I actually enjoy eating a French fry without dipping it into ketchup. I like the flavor of a good fry with just a kiss of salt. But these offered up none and the only way I could get through them was to do the obligatory ketchup dunk.

                Unfortunately the fries and bun weren’t the only thing of question at OPG. The service was rather flat. Granted when we came in and immediately found a booth our server came over offering menus and taking drink orders. He came back shortly to take our order. But it just seemed as though he really didn’t want to be there. He didn’t screw anything up in our order but he absolutely lacked personality. It was as though he were as bland as those fries.

                Remembering back on the time Josh and I had ventured in, it seems that the server that day was rather plain as well. In fact when Josh pointed out that there was something about the burger that he just didn’t like the only thing the guy said was, “Well, not everybody likes everything.” Now that wasn’t a mean or angry reply. Rather it was just such a flavorless response that seems to reflect the attitude of the entire restaurant.

                After this trip I have to say that the burger itself was worth the trip to the Oakley Pub and Grill but nothing else would warrant not crossing the street to Arthurs to get a combination of good food, great service and a fantastic atmosphere.

The Blue Jay

                The Blue Jay is one of those great family owned neighborhood places that we just love to visit. Located at 4154 Hamilton Ave. in the heart of Northside, it is a perfect example of what restaurants use to be like before the invasion of the chains.

                At The Blue Jay you can order up breakfast 24 hours a day and, for under $6 you probably won’t have to eat again until dinner, if not the next day. The portions are large and definitely remind you of breakfast at your grandmother’s house; especially if your grandmother, like Mark’s was literally from the “holler” in southeastern Kentucky where breakfast was the largest meal of the day.

                There are other goodies on the menu here, especially very large double decker sandwiches and a host of comfort food. But it was the burgers that brought us on a day when there was a gas leak on Hamilton Ave. That odor of gas a couple blocks away was something from which we desperately wanted to escape. It made you wonder how the (literally) nine workers who were collecting overtime could stand it. Of course only one was down in the hole actually doing anything while the other eight were giving him crap.

                Inside The Blue Jay that odor became an immediate distance memory as the place literally smells of home cooking. It’s quaint and comfortable, even on a chilly day. And the noise here is perfect; people talking, the sound of orders being called out, the sizzle from the grill. This is a joint!

Burgers

                In keeping with the tradition of our blog, we both ordered basic burgers, the double cheeseburger deluxe. Nothing fancy about the name which is fitting for a place like this. We didn’t get a chance to ask but from the taste and how juicy these burgers were we guessed that the beef was brought in fresh daily, never frozen. From how the patties are each just a little different we also guessed that they are hand patted with each order.

                The buns, likewise, were fresh and tasted like Klosterman’s though once again, because the place was so busy and our waitress was running around giving great service, we didn’t get a chance to find out for sure. While the tomato, lettuce and pickle were fresh and tasty they didn’t overpower the burger. One thing that always bothers us is when a place puts so much lettuce on the burger that you have to tear some off in order to actually get to the burger. Are these places trying to hide something? Are they trying to add an extra crunch to their sandwich? Lettuce on a burger is there to compliment not turn it into a salad.

                Our fries were pretty basic restaurant crinkle cuts. Obviously the oil hadn’t been recycled too many times and probably nothing else was ever cooked in it. They were passable, even good with a crispy outside and warm, soft middle, but nothing to stand on the bench of the booth and shout from on high about how these are the most spectacular spuds you’ve ever had.

                Mark had ordered up the cole slaw (he got the fries and slaw as part of a platter for $3) and determined it was in the same category as the fries. It was pretty standard, creamy restaurant cole slaw. But that is much better than ordering slaw and finding some “special” recipe surprise. Besides, this is how you would expect the slaw to taste in a diner such as The Blue Jay.

                While parking in Northside can always be a bit of a hassle, there are a couple of lots and plenty of meters if you take the time to look. And heading to The Blue Jay is well worth taking the time. In fact, if like us, you go for a burger, you will definitely come back to enjoy breakfast.

Dena's Diner

                On a trip up toward Oxford, we stopped at a fun little strip mall restaurant that has been hailed for their burgers. Dena’s Diner is exactly what the name implies, a mom and pop type joint that serves up a bunch of comfort food.

                It really is too bad that this place is located in a strip mall because it so wants to exude the ambiance of an old style car hop diner. Still, this small, well lit restaurant has a varied menu filled with nine burger options as well as daily specials.

                We stopped in at lunch time on a Sunday and most of the tables were filled. Even being a bit crowded it didn’t take long for us to be served and to have our lunches cooked up fresh for us.

                Located at 8375 Colerain Ave. in the Grossbeck neighborhood of Colerain, Dena’s Diner is located very close to Cross County Highway so it is a convenient place to stop.

The Burgers

                We both had a Diner Burger with cheese. This and all of Dena’s burgers is made from six ounce hand patted Angus ground chuck and the freshness showed. Neither of us wanted to pay extra for the fries so we settled for a bag of chips instead, which, along with a small bowl of fruit salad, is included in the cost.

                The fruit salad was a surprise. You’re used to seeing something like that at First Watch and other such restaurants but not a neighborhood diner. The fruit was fresh and juicy and made us feel a little less guilty for having pigged out on yet another burger and not eaten anything “healthy.”

                But the burgers were healthy. They were juicy and tasty and their reputation is well won. Josh even insisted on having a picture of his burger with a bite taken out rather than our typical “before” type shot.

                It’s refreshing when a burger tastes like a burger and not frozen or over seasoned meat. These burgers tasted like their name, a diner burger. Nothing fancy, just like Dena’s, but with plenty of flavor. Add in the quaint atmosphere while ignoring the strip mall location and it’s well worth the effort to head over to the northwest side to check out Dena’s Diner.

The Mound Cafe

                The Mound Café (or Indian Mound Café if you will) is one of those old style neighborhood joints sitting in an old style neighborhood. Located at 5226 Montgomery Rd. in the heart of Norwood, at the corner of Indian-Mound Ave., this is one of those places that will make you feel right at home even if it’s the first time you’ve ever visited. On the day I visited (Josh was in school) there were only a handful of people in the place but the guy behind the bar who doubled as the server knew about half of them by their first name. In fact, one woman walked in and as he said “hi” he asked if she wanted her usual or something else. She ordered something else but didn’t have to look at the menu in order to choose.

                While the menu is mostly sandwiches and bar food staples, the smell coming from the kitchen’s flat top grill testified that many a local had eaten here before me. The place is large, with two dining rooms flanking the large bar area offering up plenty of seating. One of those dining areas features some bar room game favorites such as shuffleboard. The place is also rather bright with large windows across the west side letting in plenty of light.

The Burger

                It’s easy to choose what you want to have when you’re writing up a burger blog and the menu is this simple. I ordered up the ½ pound cheeseburger. Costing all of $4.50 this was quite a deal even when I tossed in the extra $1.50 to make it a sandwich basket; basically adding fries.

                The burger was run through the garden though I asked for no onions. And the garden was fine. The tomato was fresh and plump, adding to the natural juices that dripped into my basket from the burger. They didn’t pile in too much lettuce. I don’t understand why some restaurants insist on putting a half a head of lettuce on a burger when most people pick the excess off before eating. Also, there were plenty of pickle slices.

                Biting into the burger was delightful. The bun was soft and helped soak up some of the juices (though plenty dripped into the basket). The burger itself tasted like a burger. I’m not sure what type of meat they used but it was fresh and tasted like ground chuck.

                The fries that came as the result of my ordering a basket were crispy shoestrings. I haven't had shoestrings in a while and these were done up right. I think because shoestrings are so much thinner that they can often be overcooked. But these were done just right and in what had to be very fresh oil. Good stuff. Nothing great but good. Just like the burger.

                It wouldn’t be fair to compare this burger with The Mound Café’s neighbor just a little further north at the corner of Montgomery and Quatman. That burger is one of the all-time favorites of local burger fair having won a well-deserved reputation. Just keep in mind that Floyd Mayweather may not be a heavyweight but he still can throw a knockout punch. The same holds true for the burgers of The Mound Café. The next time you’re around Norwood, forgo the more famous burger in that neighborhood and give this one a try.

Parkette Drive-In

                The Parkette Drive-In in Lexington, KY has become something of a local landmark. Originally opened in 1957, the place was like so many other drive-ins across the country. It was a place where a family could pull their car in, order through a box and have their food delivered without ever stepping foot on the pavement.

                In 2008 a couple of brothers came along and rescued the then closed Parkette, restoring it to what one could easily believe to be its ‘50s style glamour. Since then it has gotten a reputation among the locals not only for its food but for the kitschy reflection of a bygone era.

                Located at 1230 E. New Circle Rd. in Lexington and on the web at http://theparkette.com/, the Parkette had its reputation enhanced when Guy Fieri brought his Diner’s Drive-Ins and Dives to town to feature it on the show. The show highlighted the restaurant’s Poor Boy (which is really a burger), it’s chili dog and it’s chicken, it is the Double Cheeseburger that supposedly made the original restaurant’s reputation.

Burger

                Not too long ago Mark was down in Lexington meeting with a few old college friends and decided to stop at the Parkette for lunch.

                The Parkette is everything that you would expect from a classic ‘50s era drive-in. I pulled into one of the parking spots and read the menu posted on the kiosk setting beside me. On the menu was the Double Cheeseburger and that’s what I was going to have. I pressed a button and immediately got a reply. I ordered away, adding tater tots as my side over the more conventional French fries.

                I remember as a kid going to places like this. My dad would drive us there and we would happily juggle our food as we sat in the car and ate. Frisch’s was the most popular such restaurant but there were a few others that weren’t part of a chain.    About the only place where you can get this kind of service these days outside of the retro-chic places like the Parkette is Sonic Burger.

                My food came very quickly and I indeed had to do that juggling act, balancing the basket on my lap. Sure, I was taking picture with my iPhone for this blog but the nostalgia was kind of running thin. It’s little wonder that we as a society decided to forsake the comfy, yet annoying, confines of eating in our car in exchange for standing in line and sitting in a booth.

                The burger was good. There was nothing special about it but then I imagine that when I was a kid there wasn’t much special about any of the burgers I ate at similar restaurants. There was good flavor and everything was fresh.

                It would have been nice to say that the burger at the Parkette was one of the best I’d ever had but truth be told, the nostalgia of the place is the real reason to go there. Granted my friends who live in the area and who eat there a lot say that the fried chicken is very, very good and that when you go inside it seems as though everybody knows everybody. In any case, it’s worth heading to the Parkette Drive-In if you are ever in the Lexington area, if for no other reason than to enjoy a trip back in time and experience the way “fast food” use to be.

Culver's

                Over the past several years there has been a trend to see smaller burger chains opening in areas around the country. Perhaps it is the “mythology” of In-N-Out Burger or the fact that people just see a need for a quality “fast food” burger that is far superior in quality to the traditional McDonald’s or Burger King, but for whatever reason, we’re seeing more and more of these small chains popping up.

                Enter Culver’s, a Wisconsin based chain that was founded in 1984 and has been spreading around the Midwest ever since. Currently in 19 states, there are three in the Tri-State area. To find the one closest to you, check out their web site at http://www.culvers.com/.

Burger

                Recently Mark was out of town on business and had the opportunity to check out a Culver’s.

Culver’s has what they call a Butterburger, what they call the burger that started it all. “It’s a Culver's family specialty and the burger that started it all. We use only fresh, never frozen, Midwest-raised beef, seared on a grill after you order and served on a lightly buttered, toasted bun. Add real Wisconsin cheddar and you’ll know why we wouldn’t change a thing.”

To be honest, I found this burger to be very lacking. The beef may have been seared but it was also charred. Pressed overly flat with crisp around the edge this burger was less than a McDonald’s or Burger King offering. I really didn’t taste beef. And that said, to steal from Wendy’s, “where’s the beef?” If the beef began life as two eighth pound patties then their fat content must be way too high because there was not even close to a quarter pound when it got to the table. The burger was dry and tasteless. And the fresh Wisconsin cheese wasn't even melted. It was still refrigerator cold.

The crinkle cut fries on the side did nothing to enhance the meal. Though they were properly cooked they were also rather bland and needed way more salt than a sane person should consume.

Maybe this was just a bad location, perhaps it wasn’t the best that Culver’s has to offer. I’ll grab Josh at some point in time and we can venture to one in the Tri-State and try the Butterburger and maybe it will be good, better than traditional fast food fair. In any case, I’m not ever going to head back to this location, even if I find myself in the same city. Shame on Culver’s for building up my expectations only to have them crash this badly.

Knuck N Futz

                With a name like Knuck N Futz you automatically expect a certain attitude when you amble in to eat. An obvious statement about this place is that it’s off the beaten path. Located at 6468 Taylor Mill Rd. in Taylor Mill, this is a true neighborhood restaurant that draws folks from all around. And with good reason. The atmosphere is fun and funky (from the name itself to the plastic cow hanging upside down from the ceiling) and the food has a great reputation. Mostly known for their wings which many folks on line have hailed as the best in the city, their other menu items receive raves as well.

Burger

                Another Mark solo effort now that Josh is back in school. This is a place where Josh will want to go and eat, though.

                I ordered up the quarter pound Cheezburger since I wasn’t hungry enough to tackle the half pound version. I had them top it with provolone cheese (or, I suppose it should be cheez), as well as pickle, lettuce and tomato.

                A lot of restaurants brag about the quality of their meat or the fact that they have fresh, homemade buns but none of that is being pressed on you at Knuck N Futz. Maybe they know something that the rest of us don’t. What I know is that the quality of their ingredients and the way they are prepared are excellent. No need to claim a type of super high quality beef on your menu when you can taste it with the first bite. Though I didn’t ask I could tell this meat was fresh, never frozen and the buns were delivered daily. The same with the garden. Everything was just the way you would expect it.

                Now, this wasn’t the best burger in the world. But it was pretty darn tasty. There was nothing in the way of the ultimate enjoyment of the meat; no fancy ingredients added before it is hand pressed and put on the frill. That’s the way I like them.

                On the side I had my choice of a couple of sides and chose the curly fries. I like curly fries but you know, when you order them, that you are going to get a food service frozen product. That’s ok if the fries are done well, cooked just the right amount of time in a deep fryer with clean oil. These fries were just that. So there wasn’t anything amazing about them but they complimented the burger and didn’t distract.

                Overall Knuck N Futz is a good, fun neighborhood place, even if the neighborhood seems to be more in a pasture than a city street. Still, it’s worth the drive south off of I-275 to check out this place.