WhereToEat: Cincinnati and N.Ky (open chat)

Ok then

Your "should eat there" list should include

1) Cincinnati Style Chili (get a 3,4, or 5 way and a coney) at Camp Washington Chili

2) A Double Decker sandwich and a cheese coney at Blue Ash Chili

3) A breakfast including goetta at Colonial Cottage (this is not far from your lodgings)

4) Ice cream from Aglamesis Brothers in Oakley
Graeters is better known, but second best, imho...
and Aglamesis is far more roadfood-y. You will see.

5) Shopping at Jungle Jims

Timesaver: Camp Washington Chili serves chili, double deckers, and goetta and is open nearly 24/7. You'd be hard pressed to consume all three in one sitting, but could definitely get a taste of each in those one single stop.

Some might say a trip to Frisch's and/or LaRosas and/or Goldstar/Skyline are in order, but aside form the fact that those are chains, I think the above 5 represents the most cincinnati-ish and at the same time most roadfood-ish of places to visit

The other suggestions are good as well, but the list above is very cincinnati specific, ie you can get bbq/seafood/steaks/mexican elsewhere as good or better, but when you come to Cincinnati and are a Roadfooder with time and a vehicle, you should make those 5 stops if you can.

Pompilio's in Newport is a very good Italian place that won't wreck your trip budget. Not very big, but convenient to downtown Cincinnati, and within walking distance of TJ's favorite place, Newport On The Levee.

Had an exceptionally good gyro at Sebastian's on Glenway in Western Hills. I got carryout, and the whole car was perfumed with the garlicky/spicy aroma of the gyro before ai was a mile away.

Hands down, this is the best gyro I have had in Cincinnati

http://www.cincinnati.com/freetime/dining/reviews/081304_sebastians_25.html
http://www.cincinnati.com/freetime/dining/reviews/031904_sebastians_lunch.html
http://www.bestofcincinnati.com/years/bestof2003/eatsfeature.html

In the never ending quest for a great burger in downtown Cincinnati, I stopped in at the InBetween Tavern, which is very close to the Red's stadium.

This rendition was much better than last time, but they still overcook the burger while undercooking the outsides, will not cook to order, and charge an unreasonable amount (75 cents) to add cheese. Probably still a good value at 6 ozs at 4.50 with chips, but not a great burger overall.

Unfortunate, but the search goes on.....the best burger remains the one at Madonna's on Seventh near Vine

In the eternal quest for a good burger in Cincinnati, I traveled just across the I-75 bridge from Cincinnati into Covingon, took the first exit, and turned right, leading me within a minute to Herb and Thelma's at 718 Pike Street

http://dunes.cincinnati.com/dining/details.aspx?siteid=1&id=7668&lid=5191&cID=2

I had read comments on various websites indicating this was a little known hole in the wall joint for a great burger and a cold beer, and that this fellow churns out dozens of these great burgers every day. Indeed, googling led me to an old non-dining article in the Kentucky Post that confirms this:

http://www.kypost.com/news/1999/hicks111299.html

This is a no frills, smokey, somewhat cramped local bar with a small grill just behind the bar. If there was a menu, I never saw one. The selection was very limited - one burger size, with only onions, pickle, mustard and catsup available as condiments, as well as good old american cheese. No fries, but bags of the local Husman's brand potato chips (plain, bbq, and sc&onion) were available. I sat at the bar, the only one ordering food, amongst a small crowd of people mostly smoking and/or quaffing bottled beers, and watched from no more than 4 feet away as my burger was added to the hot grill, sizzled among onions for a while (I had requested and was granted grilled onions), as well as my bun top. After the flip, he added the cheese, topped it with the onions, and then the bun top. Interesting - a bun first toasted then steamed in this fashion.

It was not a big burger, but was nicely thick, with good beefy drip on a very soft bun. I don't think this will make anyone's tastiest or biggest burger list, but then when I asked fo my check, Chip (the owner and cook of said burger,said "three twenty five." I couldn't believe it, so I said "are you kidding???", and he simply said "yep". So I will say this - this is my absolute favorite CHEAP burger in greater Cincinnati, hand down. To recap, that was 1.75 for the cheeseburger, and 3.25 with the chips and can of coke and a glass of ice. Sweet deal.

I found GREAT artisnal-grade pizza today at Cafe Martin on Vine between 8th and 9th, across from the entrance to the Main Branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati. This place just opened a few months ago, and hasn't gotten much notice as yet. This is a small casual place with a slighty upscale feel, and you can order at the table or the bar-like counter.

a local review: http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051222/ENT01/512230312/1026

The pizza was a bit on the pricey side at 6.95 for an 8"", but was absolutely great, particularly the garlic-dusted crispy thin crust.

I spoke to the chef for a few minutes before leaving, and he confirmed the sauce and dough are made from scratch in house, and he also indicated his muffaletta is a close replica of what you'd get at the Central Grocery in NO. There's a picture of it in the local review. I don't have any basis to compare, as I have never had a CG muffaletta and am not a fan of olives, but if someone who has had one could get in there, I'd be interested in your opinion.

I'll go back with camera in hand soon

The neverending quest for a great burger in Cincinnati took me today to Tina's, on the very southwestern edge of downtown Cincinnati. This has always been first and foremost a bar that serves food, but I think of late it is shifting more and more towards their lunch and dinner offerings, which are more extensive than what one might expect. In any case, seemingly every good burger in town is to be found in bars rather than traditional restaurants, so this seemed like a solid prospect.

Local info
http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/09/26/loc_downs26.html
http://cincinnati.citysearch.com/review/8153489

Map
http://www.gototown.com/cgi-bin/map.cgi?est_id=189&MapButton=Map+with+Parking

The burger is a contrast....a lot of good and a lot of, err, not so good.

The good: it's a large 8oz hand formed patty, matched with obviously high quality produce on a very nice looking egg bun that is sized correctly for the large disc of meat, and is toasted if requested. Grilled onions are available at no extra charge.

The not so good: Generally, the small individually owned places will cook a burger to order, particularly if the burger is 6 ozs or larger, as this one is. I asked (as I always do) if I could be accomodated with a Medium Rare burger, and was told I would be. But the burger arrived well done, and the cook who came out later to ask me if my food was good was less than apologetic, stammering over and over again that the health department doesn't permit it. I understand that, but don't tell me you'll cook something a certain way, bring it to my table, and then tell me after I've eaten most of it that it was never an option in the first place. Enough of that, off my soapbox. The resulting burger was very dry and nearly tasteless, not even gaining taste from the obvious outside char. It was also expensive (6.25 with chips and pickle, 1.00 extra to substitute fries or another side) even at that size, and adding slice of cheese was also 50 cents extra. The bun would have been a plus if it were not slightly stale.

Ah well, plenty of other places within a shorter walking distance :-)

Today's Enquirer Weekend section includes some useful dining news:

from http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20060217/ENT01/602170474/1026/rssenq0502

NEW HARTWELL BBQ

Jimmy's BBQ opened this past Monday in Hartwell. Brothers Ben and Christian Hattemer are offering maple wood-smoked barbecue that incorporates styles from all over barbecue land: North Carolina, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas. The restaurant, which they named after their father, Jimmy, is in a Hardee's that's been vacant for five years. Architect Don Beck gave it a Southern front porch feeling. Pulled pork, St. Louis ribs, chicken and brisket are on the menu along with classic side dishes and desserts.

Christian Hattemer is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and has worked for the Cameron Mitchell group in Columbus.

Jimmy's offers seating for 90 as well as takeout, and is open 10:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday. 8401 Vine St. (513) 761-4227.

Welcome to the board, SFF.

Montgomery Inn is easily the most popular and well known restaurant in Cincinnati, particularly with the closing of the 5-Star Maisonette in 2005, but also yes, the bbq they serve is not bbq as most people (outside of cincinnati) know it.

The ribs are also not smoked, not all all - they are instead boiled. If you had eaten them without the drenching of sauce, you would have noted an extreme lack of flavor, and perhaps this is why the ribs are drenched.

The ongoign quest for a good burger in Cincinnati led me today to a small national chain (that sounds nonsensical, but the locations are all over the US and there do not seem to be many of them) Hamburger Mary's.

website: http://www.hamburgermarys.net/home.shtml
a local review: http://www.cincinnati.com/freetime/dining/reviews/032902_marys.html

It's sort of a disco bar with ambitions to be a poetry-reading coffehouse with a lot of eclectic furnishings that also serves a number of large and oddly named burgers. Since Hamburger is in the name, I figured it'd be a decent burger at worst.

My expectations were met.

One big plus is that the menu claims they grind their meat fresh daily, and that they list the degrees of cooked-ness right below the list of burgers, and these are large (8 oz) burgers with a choice of sides thrown in. On the negative side, despite the stated willignness to cook to my requested medium rare, it came out (as it does in most places in Cincinnati) medium well. The meat did taste fresh, but the patty was much to round to be hand-formed, the bun was stale and crumbly, and they charge extra for any topping other than lettuce, and tomato.

Overall, a very unexceptional burger at a fairly high price.

One thing I will add - and I have no issue with this - it was very clear to me that this was a setting that is very inviting and friendly to the gay community. To those of you who favor such an environment, this might be an added attraction if you come into town.

We gave the Nothing But Noodles in the Crestview Town Center a try tonight with my Dad. (Mom was home sick with the flu.) We weren't sure what we'd gotten into at first, but luckily they weren't packed when we arrived so we could go over the menu in detail. I had Basil Pesto pasta, a Caesar salad, and an iced tea. None too complicated, but I thought it was great. The pasta reminded me of a dish I used to get at Pasta Al Dente in Hyde Park. The tea was also great. I believe it was called Carribean Black tea. Very different. Very fragrant. Dad had Sesame Lo Mein and a Cucumber salad, both of which he was very impressed with. The others weren't as thrilled. My son had a Southwest Chipoltle dish that had very little taste and went largely uneaten. My wife had a Primavera dish that she compared to noodles in grease. She was not impressed. My daughter couldn't decide on anything on the menu, so she went the safe route with a bowl a chicken noodle soup, which she likened to chicken in dishwater. I tried it and she was right. Absolutely tasteless. Dad and I might give it another try, but I don't think the lasting impression on the others was good. Shane's BBQ was our second choice, and the Wiener Haus next door to Nothing But Noodles also looked interesting. Both are on our list for a future visit.

quote:

Originally posted by Wallyum

We gave the Nothing But Noodles in the Crestview Town Center a try tonight with my Dad. (Mom was home sick with the flu.) We weren't sure what we'd gotten into at first, but luckily they weren't packed when we arrived so we could go over the menu in detail. I had Basil Pesto pasta, a Caesar salad, and an iced tea. None too complicated, but I thought it was great. The pasta reminded me of a dish I used to get at Pasta Al Dente in Hyde Park. The tea was also great. I believe it was called Carribean Black tea. Very different. Very fragrant. Dad had Sesame Lo Mein and a Cucumber salad, both of which he was very impressed with. The others weren't as thrilled. My son had a Southwest Chipoltle dish that had very little taste and went largely uneaten. My wife had a Primavera dish that she compared to noodles in grease. She was not impressed. My daughter couldn't decide on anything on the menu, so she went the safe route with a bowl a chicken noodle soup, which she likened to chicken in dishwater. I tried it and she was right. Absolutely tasteless. Dad and I might give it another try, but I don't think the lasting impression on the others was good. Shane's BBQ was our second choice, and the Wiener Haus next door to Nothing But Noodles also looked interesting. Both are on our list for a future visit.

We've gotten carryout from there a couple of times and our experiences have been mixed. The Beef Stroganoff was really bland. The Thai Peanut and Pad Thai bowls were both pretty good. A couple of weeks ago, I got the "pasta-less" Thai Curry Beef and Vegetables and it was tasty but wierd. What I got was a bowl of spiced beef and vegetables (the tasty part). On the side, in a separate container, was a big wedge of iceberg lettuce, some sliced roma tomatoes and some rounds of tasteless mozzarella. The mozzarella didn't seem to fit with anything and it wasn't clear what I was supposed to do with it. I shredded the iceberg wedge and tossed the beef and veggies over it with the roma slices. That was pretty good. The mozzarella didn't add anything but calories so I threw most of it away. Wierd.

Did you notice that a new place called the Wiener Haus is going in next to Nothing But Noodles? Right now our source for Vienna Beef wieners is the little restaurant in the Shell station on Dixie just past the KFC. I wonder what the Wiener Haus will purvey?

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

One question - I have noted a german place (but I didn't get it's name) on the left side of Dixie Highway as I move southwards from Erlanger into Florence, generally when I am on my way for one more failed attempt to see if Eddie's BBQ is open. There's never any cars there (at the German place) and I am not even sure they are open.

What's the deal with this joint?

Seems like there is a micro-bbq joint not more than a half mile north of the german place, on the same side of the street, but I am unsure of it's name or status either.

The sign reads Deutsches Fleischerei (sp?) which translates into German Butcher. And that's exactly what it is. It was opened a number of years ago by a couple whose name I forget. They brought Stefan Neumann over from Germany to do the butchering. The sausages, ham and other pork products are excellent and mostly made in house.
The breads they feature on Sat. are excellent as well. They also carry assorted German food products, beer and some prepared foods. About a year or so ago, They opened an "Imbiss" (german snack bar) in the rear of the building. It has very limited hours (Tu - Sat / 11-2)
which has prevented us from eating there, but given the quality of the meats and the prepared frozen food we've had, I'd be willing to bet it's pretty good. They supplied the sausages to the Hofbrauhaus for quite awhile (a deal that has since gone by the wayside) and is the same place that Sandy and Wallyum are speculating a couple of posts above as being involved in the newly opened Wiener Haus. Their busiest day is Sat.It's not unusal to see and hear German speaking people stocking up on freezer loads of meats which speaks to the authenticity of the place. Highly recommended, if that sort of thing interests you.

The barbecue place is J.J.'s. It's owned by a minister named James Brown if memory serves me. He started out in a spot vacated by an Orange Julius in the old Crestview Hills Mall about 10 years ago. He wasn't there long and moved to the current location. He's open when the open sign is lit. Which until recently has been quite often (after all he has been there a number of years now). For much of the winter he seems to have been closed. The food is good, not spectacular, but good in a neighborhood sort of way.

Speaking of Eddie's, we've gotten carry out 4 of the last 5 Fri. nights, so he seems to be having some success in maintaining his Thu-Fri-Sat/ 5-8 schedule. Main courses, especially the catfish have been good. The sides uneven. One week good, the next uninspired. That said, he's having a buffet special this weekend. All you can eat 9.95 eat in or 3.99 a pound for carry out. We'll probably carry out a sampler.

OK, Mentioned earlier on this thread by others, but we actually ate there tonight (March 1st)

Tina's BBQ, RRt 227 near Exit 44 of I-71 in Carrollton, KY. Phone for carry out- 502-732-8449. Open Mon-Sat. 10:30am to 9:00pm (8:00pm on Mondays) Here's the Sign on Rt 227 across the street from the Kroger Gas Station.




Photo of Dinners follows. We stopped on our way home from Columbus after a meeting withMr Congeniality, Mike Hoffman. I had a full rack of ribs (baby back) and Janet had the sampler platter, with ribs, pork, beef, and Turkey. 2 sides came with each dinner. The slaw was OK, the Greens a bit better, but the Potato Salad and Janet's Sweet Potato Casserole were about as good as we have ever enjoyed anywhere. The were excellent. Unfortunately the meat didn't hold up it's end of the dinner. The ribs were dry and crusty...almost to the Jerky stage. The pork, beef, and turkey on the sampler was tastie, but was 'way oversauced'...not my favorite way of enjoying good meat. The Sandwiches order by some folks sitting near us looked better, as they had bread to soak up some of the rather peppery sauce.
I give the place a 6.5 on a 10 scale. We may try it again to see if the sandwich format helps the meat.

Here are dinners and the sides. If the ribs look a bit overdone....They were.

quote:

Originally posted by Sandy Thruthegarden
Do you mean the butcher at German Cuisine further down on Dixie in Elsmere? He has a little "imbiss" (fast lunch stand) in his butcher shop. I've never had the chance to eat there. I assumed the Wiener Haus was a chain like nearly everything else in Crestview Hills Town Center, but I suspect you might be right. The butcher (Stefan Neumann)had a contract to supply sausages to the Hofbrau Haus in Newport but I read in the Enquirer last year that was no longer the case. He had all that industrial sausage making equipment so maybe he decided to put it to use this way.

I suspect that the Hofbrau Haus may have decided that food quality was of no matter as long as the overpriced beer was being downed with enough gusto. They obviously decided to go with a more microwave-friendly menu. What a load of crap that place is.

quote:

Originally posted by Al-The Mayor-Bowen

OK, Mentioned earlier on this thread by others, but we actually ate there tonight (March 1st)

Tina's BBQ, RRt 227 near Exit 44 of I-71 in Carrollton, KY. Phone for carry out- 502-732-8449. Open Mon-Sat. 10:30am to 9:00pm (8:00pm on Mondays) Here's the Sign on Rt 227 across the street from the Kroger Gas Station.




Photo of Dinners follows. We stopped on our way home from Columbus after a meeting with Mr Congeniality, Mike Hoffman. I had a full rack of ribs (baby back) and Janet had the sampler platter, with ribs, pork, beef, and Turkey. 2 sides came with each dinner. The slaw was OK, the Greens a bit better, but the Potato Salad and Janet's Sweet Potato Casserole were about as good as we have ever enjoyed anywhere. The were excellent. Unfortunately the meat didn't hold up it's end of the dinner. The ribs were dry and crusty...almost to the Jerky stage. The pork, beef, and turkey on the sampler was tastie, but was 'way oversauced'...not my favorite way of enjoying good meat. The Sandwiches order by some folks sitting near us looked better, as they had bread to soak up some of the rather peppery sauce.
I give the place a 6.5 on a 10 scale. We may try it again to see if the sandwich format helps the meat.

Here are dinners and the sides. If the ribs look a bit overdone....They were.

Thanks for the report, Al. The ribs do look a tad overdone. Did they mistake the bbq pit for the incinerator that night. (That looks like how my grandma liked her grilled food. Well done to be sure of killing off the bacteria.) Could be a hit and miss type of deal because my ribs were excellent. Mine were also catered. Maybe that's where they put the attention to detail.

Wally,
I think the staff thought that a large rack of 'Jerky' Style Ribs was just what I wanted...(Wrong) The 4 ribs on Janet's sampler platter were done...but not over-done.
The BossLady (Owner?Manager?) talked the whole time we were there to some other folks about the demands of a recent catering event. So maybe Catering is the majority portion of their business.
Oh Well, We have seen the place each time we stop for gas at the Kroger across the street ($2.03 a gallon yesterday) and talked of stopping. Now our curiosity has been satisfied...if not our appetite.

quote:

Originally posted by Wallyum

I suspect that the Hofbrau Haus may have decided that food quality was of no matter as long as the overpriced beer was being downed with enough gusto. They obviously decided to go with a more microwave-friendly menu. What a load of crap that place is.

Yeah. I like the occasional German meal, but Hofbrau Haus looks too chain-like. Wally, we've been trying to remember the name of the short-lived German restaurant that was at the corner of Main and Shelby streets in Florence in the late '90's. The whole building burned down and, for a while, the hopeful owners had a sign on the barren lot promising it would be rebuilt. Of course, that never happened. We ate there once and it was pretty good. Do you remember that place? If so, do you remember the name? Thanks.

Sandy

quote:

Originally posted by Sandy Thruthegarden

quote:

Originally posted by Wallyum

I suspect that the Hofbrau Haus may have decided that food quality was of no matter as long as the overpriced beer was being downed with enough gusto. They obviously decided to go with a more microwave-friendly menu. What a load of crap that place is.

Yeah. I like the occasional German meal, but Hofbrau Haus looks too chain-like. Wally, we've been trying to remember the name of the short-lived German restaurant that was at the corner of Main and Shelby streets in Florence in the late '90's. The whole building burned down and, for a while, the hopeful owners had a sign on the barren lot promising it would be rebuilt. Of course, that never happened. We ate there once and it was pretty good. Do you remember that place? If so, do you remember the name? Thanks.

Sandy

I know what you're talking about, but I can't come up with the name. "Peaselburg" keeps popping into my head like a wrong number. Was it as recent as the late '90s? Seems like it was a lot further back than that.

quote:

Originally posted by Wallyum

quote:

Originally posted by Sandy Thruthegarden

Originally posted by Wallyum



Yeah. I like the occasional German meal, but Hofbrau Haus looks too chain-like. Wally, we've been trying to remember the name of the short-lived German restaurant that was at the corner of Main and Shelby streets in Florence in the late '90's. The whole building burned down and, for a while, the hopeful owners had a sign on the barren lot promising it would be rebuilt. Of course, that never happened. We ate there once and it was pretty good. Do you remember that place? If so, do you remember the name? Thanks.

Sandy

I know what you're talking about, but I can't come up with the name. "Peaselburg" keeps popping into my head like a wrong number. Was it as recent as the late '90s? Seems like it was a lot further back than that.

The only Peaselburg I know is a neighborhood of Covington. Augsburg, maybe? That sounds German. I'm sure I've got it in an old agenda somewhere. It had to be after '94 since we lived in East Walnut Hills before that and this was after we moved to KY.

quote:

Originally posted by Sandy Thruthegarden

I know what you're talking about, but I can't come up with the name. "Peaselburg" keeps popping into my head like a wrong number. Was it as recent as the late '90s? Seems like it was a lot further back than that.

Bill thinks it was called "Garten Haus"' which sounds plausible to me. What do you think?

I made it over to KT's BBQ (http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051223/BIZ01/512230377/-1/rss) yesterday for some chicken and pulled pork.

Carry out only joint with find-your-own-parking, prices a bit high (20 bucks for a slab or carryout only ribs?) and very little smoked taste on the pulled pork, but definitely there on the chicken.

BBQ sauce was on the thin side - he claimed it was Carolina style, but it was definitely tomatoey and a little sweet.

Good, but not worth a special visit.

Lordie, are we ever experiencing an explosion of openings of REAL smoked bbq joints in Cincinnati. Seems like every other week I hear about another one opening....with a sack from KT's sitting on my passenger side seat, I drove by the one that just opened at the old Hardees on Vine in Hartwell (Jimmy's - was written up in the Dining News this past week) and the lot was PACKED. Swarmed. Good news for Cincinati, let me tell you....and possibly quite bad for the Big M

quote:

Originally posted by Sandy Thruthegarden

quote:

Originally posted by Sandy Thruthegarden

I know what you're talking about, but I can't come up with the name. "Peaselburg" keeps popping into my head like a wrong number. Was it as recent as the late '90s? Seems like it was a lot further back than that.

Bill thinks it was called "Garten Haus"' which sounds plausible to me. What do you think?

Doesn't ring a bell, but I rarely got out that way. Did you try a Google search?

I made it to City Q in West Chester yesterday, but I couldn't stay to eat. I was hoping for a quick pulled pork sandwich before I met a friend to fly rockets at VOA, but there was no one at the counter taking orders despite the long line and lite customer load in the seating area. There were about ten people in front of me, so I left. I guess business must be good if they can ignore customers like that.

quote:

Originally posted by Wallyum

CityQ....about ten people in front of me, so I left. I guess business must be good if they can ignore customers like that.

I'm thinking the ten people in front of you had some tasty reasons to stay in a long line :-)

Honestly, when you do have more time, it is very, very good. 2nd only in my mind right now to Pit to Plate.

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

quote:

Originally posted by Wallyum

CityQ....about ten people in front of me, so I left. I guess business must be good if they can ignore customers like that.

I'm thinking the ten people in front of you had some tasty reasons to stay in a long line :-)

Honestly, when you do have more time, it is very, very good. 2nd only in my mind right now to Pit to Plate.

It's low on my list of priorities right now. Something like that can kill a place for me. The people behind the counter were doing an awful lot of cutting up for a place that had that many people in line.

On Saturday we set off from Kenwood mall for the Oakley Square Aglamesis, hoping to stumble on something for pre-dessert. Aside: We asked the guy at the Macy's concierge desk where to go for some good local food, he pointed us towards the mall with TGIF and Ruby Tuesday's. Ahem...

Anyhow, driving past BBQ Revue, it just seemed to look good with quite a few customers in the lot at around 8:30. Had a pork loin sandwich that was very good, cooked to the perfect degree of doneness. The 1.5 yo liked it too well - he ate half of mine. Also had between the 3 of us a chicken quarter, a large beans, small coleslaw, small potato salad, and a couple slabs of cornbread. Chicken was excellent as were beans, coleslaw, and cornbread. Sauce was good, too, and very generously provided. Only disappointments were potato salad (just didn't taste good) and the fact that they were out of mac&cheese. Pleasant staff, clean restaurant. Sandwiches, chicken quarters, large sides all around $3, cornbread a steal at $.40. Unlimited drinks $1.09 and the tea was good.

On to Aglamesis, where we tried mocha chip and strawberry chip. At the risk of offending some here, we said, "This would be great if it weren't for Graeter's." Aglamesis is more like homemade ice cream, so if you like that, you'd pick it over the more commercial Graeter's. As to atmosphere, for us out of towners it'd be hard to tell the difference between Oakley Sq. Aglamesis and Hyde Park Graeter's. The free parking lot is a definite plus.

quote:

Originally posted by Wallyum

quote:

Originally posted by Sandy Thruthegarden

quote:

Originally posted by Sandy Thruthegarden

I know what you're talking about, but I can't come up with the name. "Peaselburg" keeps popping into my head like a wrong number. Was it as recent as the late '90s? Seems like it was a lot further back than that.

Bill thinks it was called "Garten Haus"' which sounds plausible to me. What do you think?

Doesn't ring a bell, but I rarely got out that way. Did you try a Google search?

Good idea. I did a search and it was Garten Haus. It was opened in 1999 by the Bessler family that had the meat market nextdoor. It went up in smoke in October, 1999...cigarette in a vinyl booth. Shame. It had promise.

Finally stopped by the 915 Cafe in Ft Thomas last night for a burger. Of course, I should have waited til today, being a wednesday, for the 5.00 burger special, but I paid 6.50 or so for a fairly good burger - hand pattied 8 ozs on a good, sturdy bun. It was very juicy but lacked flavor, and had been cooked fairly well beyond my requested MR. I was also perturbed that it came out 2 minutes after I ordered - no way a 8oz burger is cooked to MW (and assembled and packed) in 2 minutes.

The thick skin on fries seem promising....and it's nice that they are included in the price of the burger - particularly on wednesday.

Anyway, I have every intent of going back and trying again, making sure to explain to the bar man what my original experience was like and requesting that they be sure to start from a raw patty.

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

Finally stopped by the 915 Cafe in Ft Thomas last night for a burger. Of course, I should have waited til today, being a wednesday, for the 5.00 burger special, but I paid 6.50 or so for a fairly good burger - hand pattied 8 ozs on a good, sturdy bun. It was very juicy but lacked flavor, and had been cooked fairly well beyond my requested MR. I was also perturbed that it came out 2 minutes after I ordered - no way a 8oz burger is cooked to MW (and assembled and packed) in 2 minutes.

The thick skin on fries seem promising....and it's nice that they are included in the price of the burger - particularly on wednesday.

Anyway, I have every intent of going back and trying again, making sure to explain to the bar man what my original experience was like and requesting that they be sure to start from a raw patty.

It's hit and miss. It's more of a bar than anything else, so expect a blank look when you ask them to start from scratch. Did you try the slaw?