Mitchell's

We love it when people tell us we should check out such and such a restaurant. If we haven't eaten there it's always fun to see how it lives up to our taste in burgers. But when Mark's friend and fellow burger guru Doug Cribbs suggested that we try, of all places, Mitchell's Fish Market, we were a little skeptical.

Both of us are huge seafood fans. We have eaten in some very good seafood restaurants over the years, including stops at Mitchell's. Never once inside such an eatery did we have the inclination to chow down on a burger.

Mitchell's is getting ready to celebrate its 20th anniversary as a chain of restaurants. Dating back to 1993 when founder Cameron Mitchell opened a small American bistro in Columbus. The group has grown to feature upscale and upscale casual restaurants under nine different brand names. All are known for a high standard of quality.

The Mitchell's where we ventured for lunch is located at Newport on the Levee but you can find all of their locations on line at http://www.mitchellsfishmarket.com/index.cfm.

Burgers

We went at lunch, figuring it was better to sample a burger at a seafood joint then than during dinner. It took all of our reserve not to say screw it and order up something like sea scallops or fish and chips. Instead we ordered up the Market Burger, cooked to order and delivered with cheddar cheese, apple wood smoked bacon (yes, we know, that's usually against our testing policy but what can we say, we both love bacon) and our choice of condiments.

Seeing as though this is the opposite of a fast food joint, it took a little longer than usual to get our burgers. When they came they were hot off the grill. Advertised as a half pound of USDA Prime ground beef the burgers lived up to that billing. They were juicy and flavorful with a just the right mix of lean and fat to ensure maximum flavor.

The cheddar cheese was a nice little change of pace from your typical American but it wasn't something that made us stand up and say, wow, why doesn't everyone do this. It was a mild cheddar, though, that didn't over power the flavor of the meat. Likewise the condiments were crisp and did their job, adding to the variety of flavors but not taking control. The bun was nothing special, basically there as a device to allow you to pick up the sandwich and eat it without getting too messy.

While the burger was good, it should be considering the price. A $10 burger really does seem a little much.

Overall we will definitely go back to Mitchell's. Only it will be for seafood and not burgers.