Terry's Turf Club

To be honest we've kind of been putting off doing Terry's Turf Club. What can you say about a place that has consistently been voted the best burger in town and even in the state. The place has appeared on numerous television shows, including Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. We just felt that there wasn't a whole lot we could add to it.

If you haven't been to Terry's you owe it to yourself to go. The place, located at 4618 Eastern Ave., is very much a dichotomy in terms of it's kitschy look and gourmet style food. Take the reason we went for example. Their burger is, on the menu, called Burger. But it contains some of the best quality meat and the most tasty (and exotically expensive rub; come on, saffron? Really?) components out there. This is a burger that costs $8.50. Sure, you can add all sorts of expensive extras ranging from crab or shrimp to Stilton cheese or an onion Cabernet sauce but to be honest, there's no real reason. These are perfectly executed burgers.

We really weren't going to do a post about Terry's. But people have asked us when we would over and over again and, what the hell, it was a chance to eat one of, if not the, best burgers around.

If you like a good burger you owe it to yourself and your taste buds to head over to the east side and check out Terry's Turf Club.

Thirsty's Oasis

Very large and with so many televisions that it's impossible not to watch a sporting event, Thirsty's Oasis in Mason near Kings Island is a relatively new, very large sports bar and grill that features two bars and an outdoor patio. Located at 5579 South State Route 741 in Mason and on the web at http://www.thirstysoasis.com/, the place hypes itself as not your typical sports bar. But the truth is that it is pretty much the same as anyplace else.

It is large and roomy and offers up what is most likely a very friendly atmosphere during game days and evenings (we went during lunch and it was pretty dead). The menu is very typical and not very lengthy. All of the basic bar and grill staples are available but where they get some added brownie points is in the number of beers they have on tap. When asked we were told over 30 so a nice selection is available.

Burgers

Sticking with tradition we ordered up the Big Big, a half pound of beef that was actually grilled to our specifications and served on a Kaiser roll. For eight bucks you get the burger and two toppings of your choice. One is eaten up with cheese so if you don't want to pay even more you have to decide on the one bit of garden or other goodie you want to include. This did not make either of us happy.

Then the burgers came out and proved to be rather pedestrian. Yes the beef tasted fresh and it was juicy. Both of us had buns that were just a touch old and probably shouldn't have been used. The cheese was basically there and neither added nor subtracted from the burger. Don't misunderstand, there weren't bad burgers. They weren't good either. They were about as middle of the road as you can imagine, in fact, maybe a little below average.

There may have been any number of reasons for the quality not being up to our hopes and expectations. Who knows. What we do know is that for the cost, this is a place we cannot recommend. Make your own decisions, though. If you're out near Kings Island then by all means check this place out. If you have a better experience then let us know.

Longhorn Steak House

We like going to a steakhouse for a lunch time burger. Generally speaking a decent steakhouse, even a chain, is going to offer up a good quality piece of beef out of which they make their burger. So when the opportunity presented itself, we stopped in and grabbed a table at Longhorn Steak House.

Founded in 1981 in Atlanta as Longhorn Steaks Restaurant and Saloon, Longhorn now has over 435 locations throughout the U.S. and in Puerto Rico. In fact, there are seven in the Greater Cincinnati and Dayton area. To find the one nearest to you, go to their website at http://www.longhornsteakhouse.com/. Just don't be surprised if that little music loop that plays doesn't drive you crazy before you can find out where you want to go.

This isn't a fast food joint, it gives off the air of a mid-scale family restaurant, a true steakhouse. In addition to the steaks they offer up a full menu of meals for every member of the family. But we were there at lunch and we wanted one thing: burgers.

Burgers

We each ordered the basic Steakhouse Burger which is a half pound of Angus beef cooked to the chef's specifications (as though we, the consumers, didn't know how we wanted it fixed) and served on a fresh brioche bun.

As is the case with all steak houses, the burger is a bit expensive, some might say even over priced. That holds with Longhorn. But to their credit, the quality of meat they use is very, very good and though we weren't allowed to decide on how rare or well done it was, came out close to what we would have probably chosen. 

The bottom line on any burger is the taste and this one tasted good. No, it isn't up there with our favorites but it is one of the better chain burgers we've had in a while. If you're curious and have never had a Longhorn burger, and you don't mind paying for the privileged, you should check them out some time for lunch. If you're going for dinner, we suggest that you dive into one of those Porterhouse beauties.

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.