Friendly Stop

Burger #16: Friendly Stop – Garlic Burger   5.50$

Friendly Stop, not what you are expecting.  Not my picture.

It’s Sunday and you know what that means, burger review day!  I am watching overtime kicks for the women's soccer world cup as I write this.  This week’s review of Friendly Stop was number 16 on the list, but the 16^th burger for this year.  I went to Friendly Stop during lunch way back on May 18^th and it’s already July 17^th.  Where does the time go?  You can find this fine establishment in the Glendale area.  When you look it up you see mostly positive reviews.  The place is really small and was packed during the lunch time rush.  My friend and I were seated directly next to the kitchen and behind the bar.  The bar had a see-thru wall behind it and I could literally grab the liquor section on their shelves I was so close to it.  Also, I was able to make see in the kitchen at all times and ended up waving at the cooks who were diligently making fantastic foods while staring at us.  It was interesting to say the least.  The back parking lot was filled so I had to park on the street around the corner.  

The walls are very busy.  Not my picture.

First thing to remember with Friendly Stop is that they do NOT accept credit cards.  We didn’t know that until the end of our meal but luckily I had cash.  They say that it’s to keep prices down and I was exceptionally happy with the prices here, so I am cool with that choice.  The bbq here is what they are known for.  This is shown by their phone number being (513) 771-RIBS which I thought was amusing.  The waiter said that the meatloaf sandwich is a popular item as well.  Maybe I’ll try it another time after my red meat intake has gone down a bit.  Aside from that the menu is pretty standard fair for a pub.  

The garlic burger with gigantic onion rings.

Do you see those whole garlic cloves? 

My burger at friendly stop was the garlic burger.  This is a 1/3 pound burger that they make daily.  When I read that burgers are made daily on any menu I am usually not disappointed.  That still holds true with Friendly Stop.  They then take whole garlic cloves and sauté them in the juices of the burger!  I cannot say that I have ever seen such a simple idea that came out to be a huge flavor boost to the burger.  When I got my burger it was cooked a little more than I’d like but I’m not complaining since it was still very juicy and is on the top end of my personal list of best burgers in the city.  The burger list here included a normal, bbq, Cajun and mushroom swiss.  The latter had sautéed mushrooms with swiss and gravy!  I guess you can only make things better with gravy, kind of like bacon.   Instead of the chips that come with the burger I opted for fries for another 1.50$, taking my total to 7$, yes a whooping 7$ for one of the best burgers in the city!  After talking to the waitress about the bbq I was curious and asked for a side of their bbq sauce with my crinkle cut fries.  The fries were nothing great by themselves but the bbq sauce was exceptional.  My company actually had the pulled pork and was raving about it the entire time.  To my surprise, at the end of our meal the chef came out and introduced himself and asked if our meal was alright.  I have never had a chef come over and ask about our meal at an establishment like this and I happily said it was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had.  Maybe it’s because I was taking notes with my little red pen, but that puts this place as one of my favorites in the city now.  Too bad it’s like 25 minutes from my house. 

My final comment is to tell you to go to Friendly Stop soon.  It was a great meal and one of the cheapest on the list!  Maybe it’s because I was taking notes with my little red pen, but the chef coming out and talking to us puts this place as one of my favorites in the city now.  Too bad it’s like 25 minutes from my house. 

Zip's Cafe

Burger #23: Zip's Cafe - Zip's Burger with Cheese 7.50$

Back to it again.  This is one I've been waiting to write for a while.  This is going to be a short review today because, frankly, there isn't much to say about this one in a positive manner. I apologize to everyone for this negative review, I know it's my fist real bad one.

Not my picture.

 
The 9th burger that I had was Zip's Cafe in Mt. Lookout.  I went to Zip's on Sunday, January 31.  Zip's has been around since 1926.  That is a long time for an overpriced burger that was average at best.  Zip's is right in the center of Mt. Lookout's bar scene by Mt. Lookout Tavern, good ole' MLT's!  I went at 1pm with 3 friends and I had to walk 2 blocks to get parking.  There just isn't a better way since it was all street parking.  It was great weather so it was crazy busy.  When you get inside, you see that there are long tables of communal seating so you are arm to arm with your neighbors like at Terry's Turf Club.  There is a train going along the ceiling which was kind of unique.  The rest of the place seemed kind of old, and broken along the walls and trim.  It didn't take long to get seated, but by the time we left there was a huge crowd waiting.

Not my picture.

The burger I had was just the standard Zip's Burger with American cheese.  This is a 1/4 pound patty for 5.25$, which is much smaller than you would think.  It wasn't seasoned, noticeable anyways.  It's cooked well done weather you want it medium or not.  There was nothing good about this burger.  The bun was average, the meat wasn't tasty, just greasy.  Nothing about this experience stuck out, except the fact that I read reviews saying that this was one of the best burgers in the city.  The french fries were average too, which for an extra 2.25$ should've given you more.  That is a total of 7.50$ for my food, and honestly, I went home and ate some more food after this.  Yes, I know, I could've gotten the double burger for 8.75$ with NO side, taking that meal up to 11$ with fries for a meal that wasn't that good.  But my list says the Zip's burger and I was trying to stick with the list for good measure.

Left is the double burger, which you need if you aren't a child sized person.  Right is the mett with a burger. Not my picture.

One of my friends had the train wreck burger for 11$, which is a Zip's burger covered with a grilled mett and shaved ham.  Then he got onion rings for 3.25$ which were much better than the fries.  Also on the menu I noticed the Zip's "famous" chili could be something to try.  Aside from that there is nothing new or unique about the menu.  If I were ever asked to go back to Zip's I probably wouldn't.  I'm sorry this one was just built up WAY too much by people who grew up on their burgers and not knowing what a great burger really is and I feel sorry for those people.

Not my picture.

Also, I promise my next one is going to be a raving review!

 

City View Tavern

Burger #2: City View Tavern - Big Ted Deluxe $6.75

The view is second to none when compared to any other cheap, shady burger joints!

Look I can see my house!

 

Well I bet you probably thought I'd forgotten to write about my burger experience for this week, but you were wrong.  I have been told by so many people that they are living vicariously through my burger quest so I must appease the masses.  This review is more important than getting my homework done, so let's get on with it.

For the 6th burger I drove across the river from my northern Kentucky apartment up to Mt. Adams on a quiet Tuesday night to burger #2: City View Tavern - Big Ted Deluxe $6.75.  The drive was literally 5 minutes from my house and there is free live music on Tuesday nights over at the Tap and Go rugby bar, so this was a no brainer when I was asked to drive up the hill that night. City View is located at 403 Oregon Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202 which is surprisingly a few blocks off of the main businesses in Mt. Adams.  When I drove up the hill and turn onto the street  where it is located I thought I turned down the wrong street because there was literally nothing on your  left side but a hill and on your right there are houses.  This bar is in the middle of a residential street with nothing else on the entire block.  Once again, it is not where you'd expect one of the top burgers in the city.  I arrived earlier than my friend who lives in Mt Adams, so I walked in by myself.  There is no huge sign to let you know about this bar, and a bar it is.  This is NOT a restaurant so don't go here expecting that.  When I walked in I was greeted by a pool table on my right with what looked like 2 workers talking.  The walls just looked like this was a corner bar anywhere else in the city.  In front of me was the bar with 2 older looking gentlemen who  were definitely into their late 60's having a beer.  The walls have lots of old pictures and sports stuff on them and there are blue christmas lights that are just out of place.  There is nothing special about City View, but the one thing that brings you there.  Walking towards the bar the left side of you opens up into a seating area with a young couple eating their burgers and staring out a window spanning the entire wall that looks out onto downtown and northern Kentucky!  I really was put off by the shear size of the window, but it was gorgeous to say the least. One more thing I just found out is that they have one of the worst websites I've ever seen.  cityviewtavern.com‎  I highly suggest checking it out.

When I went up to the bar I didn't notice a large selection of beer, but I did see Kentucky bourbon barrel, I guess it's catching on around the  city.  City View tavern isn't known for it's beer though, it's know for 3 things I read, the Big Ted deluxe, the bloody Mary's and the jukebox.  I didn't read about these until after I had visited there.  I hadn't heard any particular music when I was there so I can't tell you about the jukebox.  I loves me a bloody Mary, but I didn't have a bloody Mary, that really appeals to me more so on a Saturday or Sunday morning, not a calm Tuesday night.  The menu that was written on a chalk board behind the bar had about 3 things on it, but when I went to their website they have 5.  I guess they dumbed it down for a Tuesday night.  The big Ted deluxe was voted "best cheeseburger in paradise" by readers of Cincinnati Magazine.  It starts with a 6oz fresh, hand made burger and is topped with american cheese, brown mustard, onion, mayo, lettuce, catsup, tomato when in season, and pickle.  They also have the Teddy burger, bbq beef, Myrt's Wurst, and Silas' Really Good Chili, a Texas chili for those with good taste.  The burger took about 15 minutes to get to our table.  I ordered it medium and it was cooked perfectly on a soft bun.  This burger is 2 oz smaller than most half pound burgers on the list.  There was no distinctive seasoning in the meat and nothing from my burger was particularly great.  The burger, which was greasy and tasty,  took on the flavor of the strongest ingredient, the brown mustard.  I question as to how this burger became #2 on the list, but I guess most of the readers of Cincinnati magazine must live in Mt. Adams (oh and Mt. Lookout to get Zip's up on the list too).  I mean these burgers were voted by the readers.  The burger comes with chips, Grippo's bbq chips is what I ordered.  These are one of my favorite chips so I was very happy about the change up from fries.  For 6.75$ this is well worth every penny just for the view, but as a burger it's an average C rating, nothing else.  I will definitely recommend to people to go up and try it when the weather gets nicer.

And don't forget to get out to Tap and Go afterwards every other Tuesday night for free live music from some unknown artists.  I heard a great show after and ended up buying his cd I liked his performance so much.

Skinny Leg’s Pub and Grill

Burger #32: Skinny Leg’s Pub and Grill – Black and Bleu Burger 6.95$


This week’s review of Skinny Leg’s was number 32 on my list, but the 15^th burger I have had this year.  I hit this bar up on Saturday, April 30^th at 6pm.  Skinny Leg’s is located at 519 Fairfield Avenue, Bellevue, KY, so it is right down 6^th street from my house.  I do like burgers that are close by because this time I was able to get 3 people to come out with me for a new burger experience.  The reviews are mixed and most say the service is terrible.  We didn’t experience that because apparently 6pm is not the time to go get food at an establishment like this because there weren’t many people and it was fairly quiet except for the tv’s.  This is a hole in the wall bar if I ever saw one and it is the kind of place that I would picture where they know all the regular’s names like in Cheers.  It’s not a nice place, but it wasn’t by any means unclean in the seats we took; the bathroom is another story though.  The only place to park I street parking, but since it’s not a busy place don’t worry about that.

Skinny Leg's has some funny legs drawn on the outside that I laugh at every time I pass by.

I don’t have the menu to look at online so this’ll be short and simple.  I started off the meal with the Skinny Leg’s rolls which were recommended by the older waitress we had.  These are egg rolls with chicken, bleu cheese and a southwestern style egg roll taste to them.  I for one am a fan of this flavor, I don’t know what it is because I usually dislike the bastardization of ethnic food, but I like these kinds of egg rolls.  My burger was the black and bleu burger which was a half pound of greasy burger.  I ordered it medium and it came greasy and only slightly pink in the middle, but that’s better than a lot of other places.  The burger had a very good flavor to the seasoning, I liked it.  The bun was soft and full of grease which is always good.  I am noticing that black and blue burgers don’t come with toppings like lettuce and tomatoes.  The weird thing about this one was that there was mayo on it.  Who puts mayo on a burger with a white sauce?  Skinny Legs has a choice between fries and slaw and when I asked to have half of both I was denied, so they lose points on that.  The sides to go with the burger weren’t anything memorable, and I can say this because I honestly didn’t write notes on what I had and I don’t remember the  taste.  That’s me feeling my age! 

I didn't take any pictures this time, so I had to borrow some.

I would say overall this is an average place to stop for a burger.  I wouldn’t tell anyone to go out of their way to have their burger but if they were near there I may tell them to go try Skinny Leg’s burger. 

915 Pub and Grill

Burger #40: 915 Pub and Grill - black and bleu burger 6.75$

 

Ok, I have to admit that this writeup will NOT do 915 justice like my other reviews have done for the other burger places I've been to after it.  915 was the first burger I've had in my new year's resolution in early December.  I did not eat in, I took my burger to go.  Also, I did not know how I was doing this whole comparison between the burgers yet either.  I did not take notes like I have for every other burger place I am going to on my list.  I feel bad about the fact that this establisment will not get an equal review because it does deserve it.  Well, here goes...

You know those cold weekend nights where you just want to hang out at your own house and watch a movie, that's what started all of this.  It was a cold Friday night in early December when I was debating between cooking some thai curry or maybe something with goat cheese, because goat cheese makes everything better in life!  It was on this thought of great cheeses that my mind wandered over to the burger list.  There were tons of great cheeses on these "best of" burgers.
I decided that I'd have to find a burger in a place that no one would want to join me, so I decided to go to the farthest South I could find on the list.  915's black and bleu burger can be found about 12 minutes south of Newport by following 10th st. into Ft. Thomas.  I called my order in without a menu because I found their website wasn't up and running.  It's easy to find 915 but I there was no easily identifiable parking lot.  I'm sure locals know where to park when they get there, but I didn't, so street parking it was.   I managed to find street parking a block down.
When you see 915 on the outside and in the small area that it's in, you wouldn't think one of the best burgers in the city.  Upon walking in I was greeted by an impenetrable wall of smoke.  I am a non-smoker just to be clear, so I'm sure it's not even noticeable to the rest of you.  I'm fine smelling like the smoke from a grill, or a campfire, but not cigarettes.  It's funny that over the past few years I have gotten so used to people NOT smoking in bars and restuarants, that this is the first thing I notice when I enter a Kentucky establishment.  There was the normal bar on the wall on your right, and small, dingy looking tables pushed together for diners on your left.  At the bar there were what looked like a bunch of older regulars you'd see at 915 most nights of the week.  At the tables were younger folks there to enjoy the food.  I was there to get my burger to go.
A second reason I chose 915 was because it was in the top 10 burgers in 2010 on cincinnati.com.  When I got home with the meal that will start my heart attack, I was very pleased with my choice.  Every burger I get will be ordered to be cooked medium so that I can use that as a measurement tool.  I can say that the black and bleu burger was a half pound cooked perfectly with a little pink in the middle, and the bun was a fresh and tasty.  All that was on the burger were onions and bleu cheese sauce, plain and simple.  The blackened seasoning really made a difference on this burger, not overpowering just well balanced and it made it great.  The bleu cheese sauce was just that, a sauce.  It wasn't too salty and overpowering like when you put crumbles right on top of a burger. Also, there were reviews raving about the Asian slaw as a side, so I decided to have that with my burger.  This was one of the best slaws that I have had, since I hate creamy, white slaws.  If you love a sesame oil flavor, that this side is for you!  The price of the burger was supposed to be 6.95$ but went up to 7.95$, which still doesn't break the bank for this level of burger.  Overall, this was probably the best choice I could've made to start my 40 burgers in the next year resolution.

I didn't see a menu so I can't tell you more about this place so I will add some more info I found online.  915 actually has an italian which is like a pizza burger or the Mett which is topped with a grilled mettwurst, saurkraut and cheddar.  Wednesday's has burger mania for 5$.  Wings are 35 cents monday.  Apps are half prices sundays.  There is a cool app that is the Portabella which is crabcakes garnished with champagne horseradish cream...I want this!  Too bad I didn't get an app.

I think this is pretty good for a month late and exactly 4 words worth of notes.

Not my picture, but close enough.

The asian slaw that got me into my rant about how much white, creamy cole slaw usually sucks!