Plum St. Cafe

It's been a while since we found ourselves in a cool little dive joint ordering up a burger hot off a flattop grill. We tend to search out burgers in places near where our activities take us. That's why, when it's warm out and we're running around collecting pictures for the other blog we tend to visit places further from home (there will be some places pretty far from home in a couple weeks because Mark is heading out of town on some business and wants to compare theirs with ours).

Recently we headed downtown to the Duke Energy Center to check out the new car show they host there each year. In looking for a cool little joint we didn't have to go far, just about a half block south on Plum St, 423 Plum St. to be exact. The Plum St. Cafe is very much a downtown neighborhood joint. It is small and sparse, not quite as sparse as its web site (http://www.plumstreetcafe.com/) but since this place seems to cater to a pretty regular crowd there doesn't seem to be a need for added ambiance.

The menu is equally sparse and that's OK. Mostly because there is a very, very small kitchen located at the front of the place. It is open and visible from anywhere in the cafe. That means you can see, yes, and smell your food being prepared fresh.

Burgers

We, of course, chose their basic cheeseburger. It's about a third pound of hand patted fresh beef. Like the condiments, they get their meat from just a little north at Findley Market. Everything about this burger is fresh. Even the tomato in winter, something Mark usually doesn't order when not in season, was fresh, plump and tasty.

Perhaps the one downside to it was the toasted bun. The bun itself was good and the toasting was a nice touch. The problem occurred because the burger was so juicy that the bun began to break apart and neither of us could set down the burger for fear of it completely falling apart. Not that this is a bad thing.

Since the Plum St. Cafe doesn't have a deep frier don't expect to get fries. Instead they will toss you a bag of potato chips. And like everything else in the place the chips are pure Cincinnati: Grippos.

When our check came each of our totals were under $8. That's fast food prices for a good, quality, fresh burger. We tipped pretty well.

While Plum St. Cafe isn't the best burger we've ever had it is one of the best we've had in a while (except for Hwy. 55). But that is because this is really the first local joint we've been to in a while. We need to get to more of those.

If you are downtown, especially on the lower west side of downtown, make sure to stop in at the Plum St. Cafe. It's filled with regulars but we're sure, just like us, you'll be treated just like you belong. You'll get good service, excellent food and a check that is easy on the wallet.