Detroit Joe's

                Detroit Joe’s Restaurant, located at 115 E. 9^th St. has been a Newport staple for several years now. Tucked away one block off of Monmouth, you almost have to know it’s there and actively seek it out. I was in Northern Kentucky doing some business and at the recommendation of a friend, decided I’d stop in and give Detroit Joe’s a try for lunch.

                With an upscale décor and playing a satellite radio smooth jazz station, the atmosphere is something of a relief from all the sports bars that litter ever corner these days. Actual table cloths and cloth napkins add to the feeling of quality that is reflected in the prices.

                The service was relaxed and very friendly, not rushed despite it being lunch time. About half the people who walked in when I was there were greeted by name, obvious regulars. The dining room is small and conversations carry but I was able to read my book in relative peace while grooving on the music.

Burger

                Of course the reason for my visit was to check out the burger. Right up front it was a pleasure all the way around. A 100% USDA prime beef patty, fresh, never frozen, properly seasoned makes up the heart of the burger. The burger was cooked well as I was not given an option but that didn’t really detract from it all that much.

With some amazingly fresh tomato and crisp lettuce to accompany the American cheese and mayo, this is one of those burgers that run the risk of completely falling apart in your hand as you eat it. But there was a little miracle there; the bun actually held together and didn’t dissolve before I’d finished the burger. Perhaps this was due to how well done it was, not having juices dripping freely. But whatever the case, the bun was a wonderful surprise.

The burger itself was very tasty. Granted, it took several bites to actually taste just the burger as the tomato was the first thing that jumped out and made my taste buds want to do a little dance. When I did get a bite of just burger, oh my yes. It was properly seasoned and you could actually taste the quality of the meat. The flavor quality led me to guess that maybe they were actually using a 70-30 piece of meat for a bolder taste.

I enjoyed the burger so much that the basic restaurant fries or the bland homemade cole slaw (which was a bit dry for my taste) didn’t matter at all. The burger was, as it should be, the star of the show.

It is well worth the effort to pull off Monmouth and find Detroit Joe’s on 9^th St. and try their burger. I greatly enjoyed it and left very, very full.

Izzy's

                Izzy’s has been a deli tradition in the Tri-State for over 100 years. In fact, it was 1901 when the Kadetz family opened the first Kosher deli west of the Allegany’s. Now with multiple locations throughout the area, Izzy’s can also be found on line at http://www.izzys.com/.

                While Izzy’s is a great deli, it isn’t the Stage or Katz or even the Stage Door, staples and pillars of New York’s deli tradition. But, with a killer corned beef and Rueben’s that have been featured on cooking shows, Izzy’s, with their bowl of pickles brought to your table and delicious potato pancakes, is always worth visiting for a tasty meal.

Burger

                Recently my daughter and I were off doing some combination birthday and Mother’s Day shopping and decided to stop into Izzy’s. Since I had never had their burger before I thought I’d forego the Joe Walter special and try the Izzy Burger.

                I wish I hadn’t.

                Let me first explain that I really like Izzy’s food. From the sandwiches to the wraps and of course the potato pancakes, I have tried most of the menu and enjoyed it all. The burger, though, unlike the rest of the food, is not nearly as fresh or tasty.

                The burger itself has obviously been frozen. The quarter pound patty has been seasoned, probably by the manufacturer, with a number of spices that are most likely designed to hide this fact. The problem is, neither the spices nor the bland flavor of the burger could sway my taste buds. This is not a good burger.

                Resting on a Kaiser roll with fresh garden, you can see that the meat has been processed and frozen. Biting into it actually reminded me of the “burgers” we use to get in school when I was a kid. Seriously, this is not good.

                I wholeheartedly recommend visiting Izzy’s for lunch or even dinner. Just don’t waste your time with the Izzy burger. This is one of the worst burgers I’ve ever had at a restaurant.

Frisch's Big Boy

                In 1936 Bob Wian sold a DeSoto Roadster and purchased a small hamburger stand in Glendale, CA which he called Bob’s Pantry. The following year one of his regulars asked Bob if he could do up something special and the first double decker hamburger was born. That original double decker was, according to legend, named after a “chubby” boy who hung around and would sweep up in exchange for one of Bob’s burgers. The name given it was the Big Boy.

                Bob’s was a huge success as he developed many things beyond the double decker burger. He created the first drive-in restaurant where you could sit in your car, order your food through a speaker and have it delivered via roller skating waitress.

                In 1948 Bob sold his first franchise to a gentleman in Cincinnati, OH, David Frisch who made a few changes to the menu and that famous burger and opened Frisch’s Big Boy. While there have been over 20 other Big Boy franchises across the country over the years, Frisch’s remains the oldest and widest spread. You can find Frisch’s throughout Ohio, Kentucky, Southern Indiana and Florida. You can also find them on the web at http://www.frischs.com/. You can also find Big Boy on line at http://www.bigboy.com/.

Burgers

                Since there is a Frisch’s within walking distance of our house, we have been going there all of Josh’s life and not always for the burger. They have a decent little breakfast buffet as well as a soup and salad bar and a full menu of other tasty meals.

                When we go and get a burger, though, we always do the Super Big Boy, a larger variation of the traditional quarter pound double decker. The Super provides a full half pound (before cooking) of beef. We also do what is called a combo. The combo eliminates the center slice of bun so the two patties are together. Unlike the original California Big Boy, Frisch’s uses tartar sauce on their burger in place of the Big Boy sauce.

                   On this trip Frisch's was offering up a selection of new, one third pound gourmet burgers but that isn't our style, at least not for the blog. So we stuck with our regular, the Super.

                There’s one thing you can always be sure of at a Frisch’s. That’s the fact that your Big Boy is going to taste the same as the one you had last week or last month or even last year. It may not be the best burger in the world (and we will vouch that is isn’t) but it is good and the restaurants are very consistent with their delivery.

                Likewise, the fries are always above average. Sure, they are delivered frozen to the restaurant but they are well cooked and pretty darn tasty when dipped in tartar sauce. Yeah, we know, too much tartar sauce, what, with it on the burger as well as on your fries, isn’t good for you. That’s why we don’t eat here all the time.

                Mark misses the fact that you use to be able to drive up in your car and eat but also remembers what a cramped pain in the ass it was. Josh, having eaten at a couple of drive-ins over the years, could care less. Still, going inside the Frisch’s is always worth your time. You probably drive past one every day. You should stop in once in a while.

Village Tavern

                This is one of those places that seems to have been around as long as the surrounding community. Someone probably knows the history but as far back as Mark can seem to remember the Village Tavern has been on the corner of Montgomery and Cooper in old Montgomery, just south of some ribs joint. It’s been on the web at http://thevillage-tavern.com/ for considerably fewer years.

                Josh was in school and a friend of mine, Matt, came in from Chicago and was staying at a hotel not too far from the Tavern. It was decided that we would head that way and grab a burger.

                As the name implies this is a real community place. The original Tavern was what is today the bar area with very limited seating. When space next door became available the Tavern expanded and now has plenty of room for musicians (including a good friend of Matt and mine) and DJs for weekend entertainment.

                With a menu that features bar food, sandwiches, pizzas, a handful of dinner entrees, as well as gourmet stuffed deep fried burgers (such as the Chuck Norris) there is something for everyone.

Burger

                Matt and I showed up on a day where they were having a burger lunch special. Since we were going to go for the burgers anyway, it sounded just perfect. I did the B.Y.O.B. (build your own burger) and added provolone cheese on it. Since the special came with fries rather than the standard chips, I had those as well.

                The burger, made of a half-pound of fresh, hand patted Angus beef, was fresh and juicy and cooked just right. The bun did exactly what a bun is supposed to do and let the beef shine through. The mildness of the provolone was a perfect choice for this burger since there really shouldn’t have been anything in the way of the beef’s flavor.

                About two bites in Matt looked up at me and said, “This is a pretty good burger.” He was absolutely right. In fact, everything about the meal was pretty darn good. Our server, who was also working the bar, was friendly and didn’t rush us at all as it was obvious we were doing a lot of talking. The fries were crispy on the outside and as light as a cloud on the inside. The lettuce and pickle were crisp and tasty. And the price, due to the lunch special, was very affordable; which in a way was too bad because Matt paid.

                If you haven’t been to the Village Tavern in Montgomery for lunch in a while, I would recommend stopping in if you are anywhere near. The food is good, the atmosphere is good and the prices are very reasonable.

Champion's Sports Grille

                Mark had eaten at Champion’s Sport’s Grille a few times with his friend Paul. Each time the burger was good, the service was good, and you could tell that the atmosphere of the place was good. It is roomy with lots of the requisite big screen TVs and sports memorabilia hanging around. Each of these visits had been during the week at lunch time.

                When Mark suggested driving across town to 3670 Werk Rd. (on line you can find Champion’s at http://www.championsgrille.com/), Josh was all for hitting up a new spot in a part of town with which he isn’t all that familiar. Located in a shopping center that is a bit out of the way, if you didn’t know to drive down what looks like an entrance to a business park, you wouldn’t know it was there, at least not from Werk Rd.

                We went on a Saturday for lunch, getting there just in time to see some NCAA basketball tip offs.

            Though the place wasn’t crowded it took us about 15 minutes before someone came to give us menus and to get our drink orders. The drinks came up rather quickly and since we were both going to go the “build your own burger” route we were ready to order as soon as they arrived. This is probably a good thing because our server seemed to disappear for long stretches of time even though she wasn’t the only one working the sparsely filled dining room.

The Burgers

                There are literally tons of options when you are building your burger. We both went with the traditional third pound patty and each opted for provolone cheese and a garden with lettuce and tomato. Mark got pickle which Josh passed on.

                As is becoming the case with many places the burger came with chips and fries could be substituted for a mere $1.29. Neither of us went for the fries, something Josh usually does.

                When the burgers finally came out they were as advertised. It’s just too bad they weren’t advertised as being juicy and bursting with flavor. They were rather bland, not what Mark had experienced in his two previous lunches. In fact the chips were even rather stale.

                Maybe it was the difference between a very slow week day and a medium slow Saturday but neither of us can really recommend this place. This is too bad because there is a lot of potential here.

The Lucky Dog Grille

                It was a rainy Thursday in March and I was on my way to get my taxes done for the year. Josh was off in school, besides, he wouldn’t want to endure a trip to the accountant, at least not until he was older. Besides, as a small business owner I generally am not a fan of the entire tax process.

                Actually, Fred, my tax guy, has been doing my taxes for years and before him it was his mother and father. Fred is very good at what he does. A good friend of mine was complaining some 10 years ago about how much money he was going to have to probably pay in taxes and I turned him onto Fred. Suffice it to say that he and his wife got their first refund in years and that they have been using Fred ever since.

                But because of the timing for my morning client meeting and my appointment with Fred, I had time to kill around the lunch hour and, being hungry, I sought out a burger joint. What I found was The Lucky Dog Grille. Located at 729 Reading Rd. in Mason (and on the web at http://www.luckydoggrille.com/), the Lucky Dog is actually nestled in a small strip mall that I passed the first time I went by. Going back I’m glad I found it.

                Though on this inclement day there wasn’t much of a late lunch crowd, the place had a really good neighborhood vibe. Decked out in typical sports bar chic, it appears to do a good business on the weekends. It has received mixed reviews and from what I can read into them it appears that the biggest problem is poor service when it is busy (along with some folks who said the food was tasteless).

                My experience was, for the most part, rather good. It would have been a bit pricy for this level of restaurant had it not been one of the numerous lunch menu specials. The bartender doubled as my server and she was fast and friendly, getting my drink order before I even sat down and bringing over the menu and making some suggestions right away.

The Burger

                What I knew I was going to get walking in was a burger to review. I was happy to see that they offer up a build your own burger and so I chose the one third pound Classic burger with provolone cheese and a garden that included nice crispy lettuce, sliced dill pickle and an actual juicy tomato, which can be hard to find in March.

                It didn’t take long for the burger to arrive with a side of chips. The burger I ordered was off the lunch specials menu and, while I could have dropped a buck to substitute fries, keep in mind I was heading off to see my tax guy and hear what the IRS was going to rape me for this time around.

The flavor of the meat came through and was accentuated by the other ingredients. Nothing overpowered what should always be the centerpiece of a good burger, and that’s the meat. As I noted earlier the garden was fresh and even the chips weren’t bad, for basic barbeque potato chips.

This meal would have been a bit pricy for this level of restaurant had it not been one of the numerous lunch menu specials. I may have felt a little differently about the meal had I paid regular price and not gotten such good service but for a five dollar lunch, including my soft drink, I can’t complain.

Oh, and I got some good news when Fred managed to do his magic and the feds have to pay me back!

Riverwalk Sports Cafe

                Located across the street and just south of Newport on the Levee, Riverwalk Café has put itself in a good position to draw on the crowds heading to that destination’s many venues. Looking more like a neighborhood joint than the strip mall in which it resides, Riverwalk is filled with the requisite televisions and wall mounted memorabilia or your standard sports bar.

                With a menu heavy on sandwiches and bar food, on the surface the Riverwalk doesn’t seem to offer up anything new and unique beyond the location at 136 E. 3^rd St. and on the web at http://riverwalksportscafe.com/.

                We went on a Saturday around lunch time and found that the place had a handful of people enjoying a meal, a drink and a game on one of the numerous televisions. The atmosphere was good, what you would expect in a newer sports bar. And the service was fast and friendly. In fact our server joked with us along with the others in the place. It’s always refreshing to see someone enjoying themselves and their job.

The Burgers

                We both ordered up the Big League Double Cheeseburger, two quarter pound patties stacked with cheese, a garden and tartar sauce on a Kaiser bun. The burgers come served with kettle chips and French fries are extra. This seems to be a growing trend that Mark didn’t mind but Josh opted for the fries.

                Let’s cut to the chase. The burgers were good and tasty. You could actually taste the beef and it was a nice lean, probably 80-20 mix, with enough fat to give it flavor but not so much that it shrinks into oblivion.

                While shrinkage wasn’t the problem, the size of the patties, or rather the size of them compared to that of the Kaiser bun, was. By how full we were after eating it was obvious that we had enjoyed two quarter pound patties each but just look at this picture of what was left over on Josh’s plate after the he polished off the meat and you’ll see the one thing that disappointed us. Even in the shots of before we started eating you can see how much bigger the bun is than the meat.

                We know this should really matter that much but for us it’s become a huge pet peeve. How difficult is it to buy buns that are the same relative size as your burger? Or, if you profess to make the patties by hand, how difficult is it to pat them out to fit the bun rather than look like that old “where’s the beef” commercial?

                Now to the kettle chips. These were more like your average, every day potato chips. It’s like they went out and bought a couple bags of Grippo’s and dumped them on Mark’s plate. Kettle chips are supposed to be thicker and more substantial than regular potato chips. These didn’t hit the mark.

                As for Josh’s fries, they were pretty pedestrian as well. Nothing exciting, they were more like so many other places that sell standard fries.

                On the whole we liked this place, though from the past couple of paragraphs you probably wouldn’t have known it. The atmosphere and the service are very good. The burger itself is tasty and very, very filling. Just expect to toss out a lot of bun if you eat there.