Donna's Place

Our 26th Review

Official Review #26

Donna's Place

No Website or Facebook found!

113 Locust Street Brooksville, Kentucky 41004

606.735.2091

Update: Since I wrote this review about 5 years ago, I've been coming here ever since, it's only a few minutes from my house now that we have moved, & it's still the best Burger spot in the area, they also have an excellent breakfast, great place for lunch or dinner, friendly people, it's a plain old Fashioned, normal burger, just Delicious!
I will have to update the prices!

This nice little Diner/Cafe is Located in the Heart of Brooksville Kentucky, across from the courthouse off the main road, it's a nice, clean looking place, that has been here for many years, but it's my 1st visit here.

We ordered a Hamburger Deluxe: $3.29, with, Lettuce, Pickle, Tomato & Onion & mayo, with a Large Fries: $1.99.& a Hamburger: $2.99.

The Burgers were of a pretty good size, both looked to be cooked well done & Hand-made.

The first bite, we knew this was going to be a very good Burger, the meat had a very good, solid, fresh taste to it, lettuce & everything tasted & looked fresh also.

By the time we finished our meal, the Burger was leaving a good taste in my mouth & I could have actually had another, it was so good, the only drawback to the burger, was the Bun, it held together ok, but the top of the Bun, started to flake apart a little, as it appeared to be, most likely a Generic Bun, if this Burger had a better Bun, it would be as good as any in the area, & this area has several Excellent Burgers.

They have 2 sizes of Fries, small for $1.09 & Large Fries for $1.99  Fries were very good, so it gets a high mark for that.

UPDATE:  On a return trip, we each ordered fries & the Burger was still excellent, I ordered a Cheeseburger Deluxe: $3.39 & fries, it was as good as the last visit, again, I could eat a Burger & Fries here anytime, also a good cheese coney, an excellent Philly cheese steak on Cibata bun.

Back to the Burger, again, a Very Good one, can't wait to go back & try some other things off the Menu & definitely another Burger, the waitress was very nice & Friendly, & so was the cook, who cooks the burgers on the Griddle, right behind the Counter, she is excellent.

Final Thoughts: I would come here anytime for this Burger, just would like a Better Bun & I would rate it, just a bit higher, but it's still good as is, & definitely worth what you pay for it.

Final Rating: 8.0* (Try it, Above Average - Good to Very Good) Just a half star less than the best burgers in the area, due to the Bun, a better Bun, it would get 8.8* & tie with the best in the area.

Next Tasty Review: Zip's Cafe, in Mt. Lookout, in Cincinnati,  whenever the Best Burgers in Cincinnati, is mentioned in a top 10 List, this Location, always come up as a top 10 contender, so we are going to try it out, on Halloween.

Good sized Burger, but you can tell the Bun is most likely Generic, get a good tasting quality bun for a better tasting Burger.

Tumbleweed

Our 25th Review

Official Review #25

Tumbleweed

511 Marketsquare Drive Maysville, Kentucky 41056

606.759.8876

This one is a fairly quick, easy & simple review, I will only do my Burger, since this review is so easy.

I ordered the Smoked Cheddar Bacon Burger: $8.99 served with Lettuce, Tomato, Onion & Pickle, & either Waffle or Regular Fries, I ordered Waffle Fries & Medium Well Burger. 

The Burger was very big, I saw right away, that the large Bun, looked to be a very cheap, generic brand, it was toasted, but it, did not matter for this Crappy Bun.

The Meat was Definitely a big Frozen piece out of a Pre-Packaged Box.

It had no flavor at all, it was plain as Cardboard & tasted like it, the Bun tasted worse, & although the bun did not fall apart, the top of the Bun, flaked off, into several pieces while trying to hold it, & the bottom bun, became very soggy & nasty.

The Lettuce, Tomato, Onion & Pickle were fresh & good, & the mayo on the side was good, but none of that could help this hapless burger, it was a, plain, no flavor, no taste, piece of nothing, what else can I say, I hated it, & the crap cheap bun, oh, it also came with Bacon, which was flavorless, & had no taste at all, so it added nothing to this bad excuse for a Burger, & all this, for nearly $9.00 are you Kidding me, Tumbleweed!, $9 really, get outta here, your Burger sucks, & goes to the very bottom of our list, the only Burger that I've had, that was worse, was Mel's Diner in Pigeon Forge Tn., &  you barely beat them, only because their crap bun, fell totally to pieces.

The Waffle Fries were ok, & the Service was just ok.

Final Thoughts: My Wife enjoyed her steak, & loves coming here for, the Steak, so if you do have to eat here, & pay for their overpriced food, get a steak, but not the crappy burgers, they stink, flat out, they are not good, & their buns are from the Dollar bin, in the Generic pile, definitely check out our list for nearby Augusta, Kentucky, 20 minutes or so from Maysville, if in the area, their  are, 3 or more places with excellent Burgers in town & most cost less than this big rip off, & also Brooksville, Kentucky, has an Excellent Burger Place their to, that's 10X better than this one,< DON"T WASTE YOUR BURGER MONEY HERE>

Final Rating: 1.5* (Still Would'nt Bother)

Next Tasty Review: Donna's Place, Located in Brooksville, Kentucky 41004

Looks Good,but look how they slapped on the Bacon, & you can tell it's a cheap, Generic bun, & that Cheddar also had no taste, that cost me $8.99 seriously, are they kidding me, can I say, I want a refund, LOL.

The Augusta Pub

Our 24th Review

Official Review #24

The Augusta Pub

120 Main Street Augusta, Kentucky 41002

606.756.9910

IMPORTANT UPDATE ON THIS BURGER

We just visited & tried another Burger here, & they had a new menu, most items listed appeared the same as our previous visit, it was build a burger nite, so we got a couple of them, well I have to say, this Burger is no longer in our top 10 & no longer an 8.5 more like a 6 is our newest & UPDATED Rating for this Burger, the bun was an absolute piece of crap, it was the  worst, generic, cheapass bun, we have had to date, in over 40 reviews, we've only encountered 3 or 4 other bad buns, as most have good ones or at least ones that do not fall apart, but this fell in half, & then pieces when we first picked it up, it tasted good, & appeared hand-made, but nothing we could not reproduce at home, this Burger has dramatically fallen from it's #7 overall rating on our list & from the very high *8.5 stars we had previously given it.

Read our 1st review below, from last year, and our newest update above & compare, to see how they ruined a great Burger.

Another review from the Augusta/Maysville area, again, on this trip, only 2 of us were able to make it, everyone else plan on coming another day & add to this review, if they agree with us, it won't change, if they disagree, we will add their comments & ratings.

The Pub is located in downtown Augusta, an old Historic town, on the Ohio River, about 50 minutes or so from Cincinnati, Ohio.

We came around dinner time, & the place was decorated for Halloween, & it looked awesome, compliments to the Pub & whoever did the decorating, the Pub is a very nice looking place, inside & out, no matter if they have special Halloween or other decor, it's a clean good looking place to eat & drink & meet with friends & family.

The waiter was very good & friendly, we have been here several times in the past, but this was the 1st time, I've ever tried a Burger, but in past visits, everything has always been good & so has the service, & Tara usually has been our waitress & working the Bar, on past visits & she is always fantastic, so nice & friendly.

Now the review, I ordered The  PepperJack & Bacon Burger: $7.99 it came with chips, a very good pickle spear, & hot peppers, lettuce, tomato & Onion & Mayo.

My Wife ordered her Favorite here, the Ribeye Steak Dinner: $14.99 it came with a large Baked Potato & side salad.

My Burger had a good tasting & solid Bun, I always start with the Bun, because I hate it, when you get one that does not hold up & falls apart or has no taste, this one was good & held together well.

The Burger was a pretty good sized, Hand-made piece of meat, & it tasted great, the Lettuce & other items were all fresh & tasted good, the PepperJack Cheese was much better than American Cheese on a Burger, & the Peppers, just added to the Flavor, I made sure to try several bites of the meat hanging over the edge of the bun, without cheese & peppers on it, to get the best taste for the review of just the Burger itself, & it was still good, one of the best I've had anywhere.

Her Steak was excellent as usual, she said it's always one of the best Rib Eye Steaks, she has had anywhere, the salad was also very & the Baked Potato was good.

On past visits we have tried, Potato Skins, as good as anywhere, & the Very Best Chicken Fingers, we've had at any restaurant, also good Fried Pickles & Cheese sticks, the Reuben is also good, actually, anything we've had here is very good & well worth a visit.

Final Thoughts: One of the Best Burgers around & tied with another Local Burger in town, we gave the same rating to, I would come here anytime for their Burger, or anything else, I've had on the Menu.

Final Rating: 8.5* (Exceptional-Must Try it!)

Even though this burger has the same rating as another local place in town, they are 2 totally different burgers, & I would not compare the 2, both are an 8.5, but also very, different, in every way, but both well deserving of an 8.5* in their own ways, so try them out & you will see what I mean.

Next Tasty Review: Tumbleweed in Maysville Kentucky, we were planning on that after our last review, but hit this location 1st, so next is Tumbleweed.

Once again, I forgot to take pics of the food, I'm so concentrated on the food, I keep forgetting.

so here are some I found of the food online, that looks pretty close to what we had.

We Did not get fries with our order, chips

On our Ribeye, the steak looks pretty close to what we had, but our potato, was much bigger.

Augusta General Store

Our 23rd Review

Official Review #23

Augusta General Store

Our Trip to The Augusta General Store was a Brunch visit, you can order anything on the Menu, anytime.

Only 2 of us made this trip & review, the other's will try & add to this review at another time.

On the outside, it's a Beautiful old building, that is decorated very well, as you can see from a couple of the Photos below & by going to their Facebook page, inside, you get the feeling of an old time General Store, they sell many different items, & also have things downstairs for sale, there are several tables & chairs to sit, & bar stools where you can sit at an ole time Ice Cream Counter.

The Chef today is also the Manager, & she bakes fresh Pies & serves Fried Chicken Dinners for Lunch & Dinner, they have many items to choose from.

But of course, I am out for the Burgers, so I ordered a Hamburger Deluxe: $3.49 & my Wife ordered Biscuits & Gravy with Sausage, the waitress was very nice, & our food did not take long to arrive.

I was surprised at how big my Burger was, it had fresh, bright lettuce, tomato, onion & Pickles & Mayo, I did not get my Burger, made to order, so it looked like it was well-done, the bun was very big, the 1st bite, it was very good, excellent flavor in the meat, it was cooked just right, definitely had a Hand-made look to it.

after getting several bites in, the Bun started to fall apart, and for those of you, that have followed our Blog & read our other reviews, you know, I hate a Bun that can't stand up & hold together, actually out of all 23 reviews, this is only the 2nd one that this has happened with.

The Bun also, had a very plain taste to it, it definitely did not add anything to the very good flavor of the meat & fresh items on it, I also like the taste of the mayo.

By the time I was halfway done, my top Bun was in 3 or 4 pieces & the bottom also began to fall apart in my hands, & by the time I was down to my last few bites, I was picking up pieces of the bun to hold the whole thing together, the meat was a pretty good sized piece, not real thick, but almost just right for a good burger, but the Bun, definitely takes it down in the ratings, I would love to see a much better bun, & toasted, to with this nice Burger, it would for sure, raise it's rating in my book, no one wants their Bun falling to pieces as your eating it, please get a better quality bun, & if you have to pay a little more for the bun, raise your Burger a nickle or dime or whatever to get that better quality & raise the taste of your Burger, it's very good.

The Biscuits & Gravy & Sausage were also very good, & good coffee.

Again, nice friendly service, & a very nice atmosphere to the place to enjoy your meal in, a great spot for Tourists to visit, & for Locals to meet friends & family, & have a meal.

Final Thoughts: Would I eat this Burger again, yes, even with the falling apart, low quality bun, I would, the meat & everything, was that good, but a better Bun, would bring me back more often, I hate to compare places to eat in the same town, but tryout the Bravo Cafe's Bun on their Burger, it's awesome, General Stores meat tasted better, so with a good bun, like that, it would soar in the ratings.

Final Rating: 7.0* (Try it - Above average/Good to Very Good)

Again, get a better quality bun, to boost this quality Burger.

Next Tasty Review: Tumbleweed in Maysville, Kentucky

Biscuits & Gravy

This is the Ribeye Sandwich, forgot to get a pic of my Burger, but it's the same bun & looks like the Hamburger, minus the cheese & Fries.

R & G

Our 22nd Review

Official Review #22

R & G Bar & Grille

No Facebook or web page available

9 Fronks Ln. Brooksville, Kentucky

606.735.3778

This review is slightly different than the others, as these Burgers are usually only available on Friday & Saturday nights here.

This is a small Local Bar where people come to drink & talk with friends & on weekends they have music & food.

They have a small Kitchen, and a Lady & I think it's her Husband come on weekends & cook food, mainly Burgers & fries, but they do have some other items.

We ordered 2 Burgers no Cheese with Fries, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion & Pickles & Mayo.

The Burgers appeared hand made as both were different shapes, but they were so busy, we did not want to bother them with questions on the food.

They were pretty good sized burgers, the meat was cooked Medium well to well done, the buns were good, & the fries were good.

These were just plain, simple Burgers, nothing, special, nothing bad, just average, if your here on a weekend & they are serving them, then try them out with the fries, lots of fries & the cook she is very nice & friendly.

Final Thoughts: Not  a bad burger, try it out if you around when they have them, on a weekend in Bracken County, you don't have many options anyway for late night food.

Final Rating: 5.5* (Average/Not Bad - Nothing Special)

Next Tasty Review: Checking over our options, to see what could be next, if anyone has suggestions, feel free to send them to us, but we do already have a long list of locations, most are in located in and around Cincinnati, we still plan to visit some of the top rated Burger spots from Cincinnati Magazine & other websites.

Roney's

Our 21st Review

Official Review #21

They are Back with a New Location & Good as Ever!

Roney's

Formerly Roy Rogers

314 Chamber Drive, Milford,  Cincinnati, OH 45150

513.831.4000

 

UPDATE 2020! I've gone back 3 times once in December 2019 and twice in 2020, I always get the Double R Bar Burger, with ham on the burger, it has a new name now.

 

All 3 visits, the Burger was nowhere near as good as in the past, they are clearly using much cheaper beef, if you did not know how good it use to be, you might get use to this new lesser tasting burger.

 

I can no longer recommend their Burgers here and I will not be returning again to one of my former favorite places, and the prices are too high for a bad, cheaply made burger, also the Ham is no longer as good as it was, using cheaper ham.

 

Thanks Roney's for downgrading all your Meat your using. 

I have been coming to Roy Rogers since I was a kid, & that was a very long time ago, I remember going often to the one that use to be in Newport, Ky., & then they built one in Blue Ash, eventually they all closed down, & I found one near Eastgate Mall, & have been going there any chance I had, when in the area.

This one recently changed their name, The change came after the company who owned the right to the name “Roy Rogers” decided to make changes to the menu and restaurant.

“People love our food, and we felt strongly if we switched to some of their ideas and concepts we’d be doing our customers a disservice,” said Loftspring, who lives in Milford.

Loftspring’s father, Allen, opened the Roy Rogers restaurant in 1969.

Now running an independent restaurant instead of a franchise, Loftspring said he decided on the new name from the restaurant’s location, 474 Roney Lane.

“I’m not going to take down the Roy Rogers memorabilia and the sign is going to stay. I was able to use the old lettering on the sign to make the new name,” he said.

Now onto the Review, I ordered the Double R Bar Burger: Now the Lucky R Burger: $3.55  & 2 ordered the Roast Beef: $3.45 & $3.85 for the Large.

1 got the, 1/4lb. Cheeseburger: $3.05 & $2.85 for a Hamburger, another the, Bacon Cheeseburger: $3.55. I always get the Platter, with Fries & slaw, I love their cole slaw.

The Double R, or now the Lucky R, comes with a pile of sliced Deli Ham & a slice of Cheddar Cheese, I love adding their Horse Radish sauce to it, all buns were served on Sesame Seed toasted buns with the awesome Roy Roger style Fries, which use to be much better, like Mcdonald's & others, until they started frying them in a more healthy oil, ah, the days of good ole greasy fries & food.

They cook their burger at what appeared to us as Medium-Well to Well Done, everyone that ordered the Burgers all were in agreement, that it had a very good Flavor for a fast food Burger joint, and all agreed it was the Best Fast Food Burger, we had ever tried, it's a thick & juicy an Tasty Burger, the Deli Ham & sliced Cheddar really ads good flavor to the Sandwich, the 2 that ordered the Roast Beef, & with the others tasting it, all agree, that it's a bit Different than Arby's but just as good & better in it's own way, as the bun is also different, so for a good Roast Beef, different from Arby's this is the one to try, if you eat inside, you can add your own, lettuce & tomato & onion & sauces to your sandwiches, which we all enjoyed doing & loading them up & piling the shredded lettuce on, I love shredded lettuce on a Burger.

Service was very good & very friendly, the Owner & his son were both working as they always have, ever since I've been coming here, & the workers are always extremely nice & helpful & Friendly.

Final Thoughts: For an awesome change from Mcdonalds, Wendys & the rest of the typical Fast food locations around, if your in the area near East Gate Mall, please drive about 3 or so minutes off 275 and stop in here, you won't be sorry, they also have very good Fried Chicken, but you must try a Double R Bar Burger with the awesome Deli Ham on it, & their fries, the fries, in my opinion are better, than the other fast food places or, at the very least, just as good as any other.

Final Rating: It's no longer a high rating, I've lowered it from 8 to a 3,    this is the old rating.

 8.0* In my mind, a notch, just above a Big Boy Burger, I just love the Ham & Cheddar on it.

Next Tasty Review: Still looking over our list of choices.

 1/4 lb. Cheeseburger

Roast Beef Sandwich

Bacon Cheeseburger

Double R Bar Burger

Now the Lucky R Burger

Smashburger

Our 20th Review

Official Review #20

Smashburger

2515 Wilson Ave. Highland Heights, KY 41076

859.441.2800

Update for this review, we tried Smash again, and this time it was much better, we raised our rating from a 5 to a 6.5* .
Below is the old review, the new one, all we need to add is, that it's basically the same burger but it tasted much better on this trip on all 3 of our burgers, so that's why the higher rating.

We tried out the Smash for Lunch, myself, Brandy & Sue, we went to the location on Alexandria Pike, it's in Highland Heights, just as you enter or come off the Hwy exit towards Alexandria & Cold Springs.
My Wife & I had the CLASSIC SMASH: $6.99 Large & Brandy had a BACON CHEESEURGER: $5.99 small, Her Bacon Cheeseburger had, Applewood-smoked bacon, American cheese, yellow mustard, ketchup, pickles and onion on an egg bun.  but it came with Cheese, I did not see it on the Menu that it came with for the Classic, so that was my fault, for not paying more attention as neither of us wanted cheese, and as it turned out, both my Wife & I, did not like the Cheese, it tasted Generic and took away from the flavor of our Burgers, our Classic Smash, came with, American cheese, Smash Sauce, ketchup, lettuce, tomato, pickles and onion on an egg bun.
We all 3 ordered, FRENCH FRIES: $1.99.
Upon the 1st few bites, we all thought, wow, this is a pretty good tasting Burger, but the more we got into it, it did not leave a good taste with us, & the cheese just got worse, Brandy liked the Bacon on her's & thought it added a nice Flavor to it.
We all liked the egg Bun, it was toasted & tasted good & was very solid & held together well.
Here is Smash Burgers Nutritional Statement on their web site about their food & Burgers, we use only the best quality ingredients to create our delicious menu. From fresh, never-frozen 100% Angus beef and artisan buns to fine cheeses and specialty sauces, we’re passionate about making great tasting food.
The Meat itself on our Large Burgers was huge, not real thick but large & hanging over the edges of the bun, we did not care for that either, it was also cooked well done, which I think takes away some of the flavor & you could tell, I did not detect any spices at all, I had to add salt & pepper just to help it a bit.
The Pickles on the Burgers were all very good, & the Quality on the lettuce & other items were also good, we all enjoyed the huge order of fries & finished them all off.
You place your order at the register when you come in, they give you a number to take to your table & then bring you, your order & you can get your own pop & refills.
After leaving the Burgers left a bad after taste for 2 of us, & we did not care for it, & that just helped us lower our rating for the Burger.

Final Thoughts: A good solid Burger if you need a quick lunch or bite to eat, the Fries, I would get anytime & would like to try their Rosemary Fries upon another visit, but I would not get the Burgers again, I would try a Chicken sandwich next time, again, good for workers for a quick lunch, but, nothing I would go out of my way for again.

Final Review: 5.0* (Average/Not bad - Nothing Special)
Very Good Fries.

Next Tasty Review: Roney's formerly Roy Rogers, they still serve the same exact food from Roy Rogers, they are just on their own now.

Quatman Cafe

Our 19th Review

Official Review #19

Quatman Cafe

2434 Quatman Ave Norwood, Ohio 45212  

513.731.4370

Quatman Cafe was founded in 1966 by Albert (Albo) Imm and Ken Talmage. Quatman Cafe has become a Cincinnati Icon know for cheeseburgers, chili, homemade soups, and the coldest beer in town.
They've won several awards for Best Cheeseburger in Cincinnati and have been featured in Cincinnati Magazine, The Cincinnati Enquirer, CityBeat, aol.com, and many other publications.
There burgers (served with onions, pickles, and potato chips) are big & thick, an juicy, just a basic burger served on a standard bun.
We ordered 2 Hamburger's $4.75 & 2 Cheeseburgers $5.00 with Fries: $1.75 & 1 Roast Beef Sandwich: $5.25.
They said the Burgers were made fresh daily, but they were prepared so fast, that we must assume they are prepped early in the day, when they 1st open.

We all agree here, Quatmans is just a big basic burger, probably too thick for my taste, nothing special, I can only assume, that people growing up in the area, ate there from the beginning and just became accustomed to its tastes, and never have really attempted to give, any other burgers a chance, so they claim its the best, but not even close we all agree, there are many, other much better Burgers in town, the fries were good, & the Roast Beef Sandwich, was very good, I would return for the Roast Beef, & on one of the 3 special night, I might return for a Burger, Fries & Drink for, $6.58 as I love a good special, but would not go out of my way for it, only if I were in the area on that night.

The reviews all around websites on Best burgers in Cincinnati, always bring up Quatman Cafe, I once again believe, this is a question of the Locals going on these websites to pump up the numbers on this burger, & they have been eating this one for so long, they do believe it's the best around, and they never give any others a real chance to unseat it, in their books, but I lived close by, my whole life & worked in Norwood for many years, so even though, I might be considered somewhat of a Local, I can give it an honest, independent opinion & review along with 4 others in our group, & this one was unanimous.

The Old Cincinnati Burger guys, rated it a 4.5*, & our rating is very close to that, & we all read & agree, with their findings many years ago, as I've tried it out a few times over the years, to see how the taste has changed, & it's still in the Average range.

Final Thoughts: A Simple, Basic Burger, that usually translates into a very good to excellent Burger, but in this case, it does not, that simplicity & Basic quality, do translate into the taste also, which are simple & basic, maybe go here for an average burger on one of their 3 special deal nights & that's about it.

Final Rating: 5.0* (Average/Not Bad - Nothing Special)

Next Tasty Review: Smashburger Highland Heights, Kentucky

Toby Keith's

Our 18th Review

Official Review #18

UPDATE: CLOSED AND OUT OF BUSINESS!

Toby Keith's

145 E. Second Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

513.721.8629

We tried out this Bar & Grill one day for Lunch based on my Son's choice, as he work's nearby.

It was around noon, & the place was nearly empty, it's a big, huge Beautiful Bar, with a lot of scantily dressed, pretty Waitresses, we ordered, a couple of what they call, American Soldier Burgers: $9.99

All Burgers are cooked medium well, unless otherwise specified, w/pickle fries, we also ordered 1 of the Pulled Pork Sandwiches: $10.99 w/slaw & Fries.

The Burgers are big, & look great, very nice presentation, & bright & Fresh looking Lettuce, tomato & Onion, the Am. Soldier burger is served with American Cheese.

The Burgers did not taste as good as they looked, these appeared to be frozen from a pre-packaged box, they were good if they were, but still right around average taste for these type of burgers, the bun was big & good, it did not fall apart, which for me is a big plus.

But this Burger is nothing special, just average at best, & if your out late or want  quick bite for lunch, I guess it would be ok to get, but instead, I would order the Pulled Pork Sandwich, it was very good & much better than the Burger, the slaw was very good & so were the fries, if I ever came back, I would get the Pork sandwich & try some appetizers, but the Burger is just to overpriced & expensive to begin with, to just be of average taste & quality, no more to write or discuss here, we all agreed on these findings.

Final Thoughts: very average Burger, go elsewhere & check out our list's for something better, this one is on par with Toot's, Chicago Gyros Burgers & Gas Light Cafe.

Final Rating: 5.5*

Next Tasty Review: Quatman's Cafe Located in Norwood, in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Red Robin

Our 17th Review

Official Review #17

Red Robin

This use to be one of my personal Favorite Burger Places, especially the Steak Fries, which I love.

But in recent visits, that began about 3 or so years ago, the quality of the Burgers, have definitely slipped & Gone downhill, quite a bit, yes if you get a fully dressed up Burger, it will taste ok to good, why, because all the sauce, all the lettuce & Tomato & such, are masking the lower quality of the meat in my opinion, I think they are buying lower quality Beef for their Burgers to save money, if you doubt this opinion, order just a plain burger on a bun with nothing else on it, & you most likely will not care much for what seems to be a piece of meat that comes frozen out of a pre-packed box, I doubt they are no longer Hand-made.

On with the review, or did I just do it, oh well, we all ordered a variety of Burgers, everyone got something different, I won't bore you with each one, I ordered the Plain Burger nothing on it, & tasted a bite of everyone else's burger, the dressed up ones, definitely help mask the lower quality of the Beef & the taste, my plain burger was just not very good, they do serve up a good solid bun & all the Lettuce & everything else are fresh and good tasting, & the cheese, but it does not change the fact, that this meat on the their Burgers are just not that good.

The Fries are awesome, the service nice & friendly, but the quality of their Burgers have changed drastically over the last few years.

This review is quick & easy, it's a fun place to go and eat, with friends & family.

Final Thoughts: You can definitely get much better Burgers anywhere, these without all the dressings & cheese and sauces & such, are just plain, plain, that's all we can say, not worth the high prices they charge, your paying for the name now, & expense of running such a high profile place, not the meat anymore.

Final Rating: 3.5* (Average/Not bad-Nothing Special) this one is on the lower end of this rating category, as this category can go up to a 6, but this one is not near a 6.

Next Tasty Review: Toby Keith's Bar & Grill, Cincinnati, Ohio, Downtown.

Bearcat Lounge

Our 16th Review

Official Review #16

Bearcat Lounge

151 Goodman Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45219

513.487.3800

 

THIS LOCATION IS CLOSED PERMANENTLY!

 

It was Located in the Marriott Hotel on U.C.'s Campus but they sold out to another Hotel Chain and the Marriott Chef that created this excellent Burger, Chef Randy has moved on to a Marriott closer to downtown Cincinnati, as they let 90% or more of the old employees go. 

This is a Lounge with a Restaurant right next to it, all Located at the Kingsgate Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, located on the College Campus of the University of Cincinnati, you can eat either in the Full-Service Restaurant or in the Lounge, if your here just for a Burger, then the Lounge is the place to go, Parking is best in the garage, yes you must pay, but it's worth it, especially after dark, because it's not a completely safe area, & they do have security at the Hotel, you can take the Elevator if you wish to the Lounge on the Upper Floor, where the Front Desk is located.

We ordered 2 Regular Burgers with Fries, & 1 Cheeseburger & 2 Bacon Cheeseburgers, all Medium to Medium Well, they came with Lettuce, Tomato, Onion & Mayo.

This is a big Burger, the Bun was Toasted & very good, all our Burgers appeared to be Hand-made, but all were about the same size, so, therefore, they could be out of a box.

The Flavor of the Burgers were very good, for the 1st time in any review, I detected the taste of Montreal Steak seasoning, one of my personal favorite ingredients, when I make my own at home, & for me this really enhanced this Burger's flavor, it was not really juicy, but the taste was outstanding, & all were in agreement on this, the Lettuce, tomato & onion, all appeared to be fresh & tasted like it, very good, the fries were also good, this was also the most expensive Burger, we have had anywhere, is it worth it, if you don't mind spending well over $10 for a Burger, then yes, or just to try out a good Burger, but I could not afford to eat this one very often at those prices.

The Bacon was on the Bacon cheeseburger, was especially good & flavorful, so next time, that's what I would order again.

The service was quick & friendly, very good people working that night, & it's a very nice decor & very clean place to eat, there is also outdoor seating when weather permits, that gives a nice view over a small park area.

You definitely leave filled up on this Burger, if you stay here or visit nearby, you must try out, it's one of the very best Burgers we have had anywhere.

Final Thoughts: Definitely top 5 material here for our list, I would eat it anytime I could afford it & would surely get the delicious Bacon on it, also I liked their mayo on it.

Final Rating: 8.5* (Exceptional-Must Try it)

Next Tasty Review: Red Robin just about any location, they all seem the same.

Oakley Pub & Grill

Our 15th Review

Official Review #15

Oakley Pub & Grill

3924 Isabella Avenue Cincinnati, Oho 45209

513.531.2500

This one is a tale of 2 reviews as I was unable to make the initial trip with the rest of the group, so I went a couple of days later on my own & got my Burger as a carry-out, & my review is vastly different from the group, so I will give their review & then mine & both ratings at the end.

At one time the Old Cincinnati Burgerguys, gave this a 9, along with the old Mingles Burger, they were the 2 highest rated Burgers they had ever had, but then it changed owners & the Old Burgerguys revisited it, & their rating dropped to a 6.5, so now, a few years later, our new reviews.

Their burgers are almost a half-pound of choice black Angus chuck, grilled to your liking, and served

on a toasted kaiser bun with lettuce, mayo, pickle, and onion, with fries or our unique slaw

2 of our Group ordered The Burger: $7.95  a black Angus chuck, grilled to your liking, with your choice of cheese .50 extra, American, Swiss, Wisconsin cheddar, provolone, pepper jack or homemade blue cheese dressing.

Another ordered 10 Medium Jumbo Garlic Wings: $8.95 They come with Homemade Blue Cheese or Ranch Dressing & Celery.

Our 4th Member tried the Beef Philly: $7.95  All Sandwiches are served with fries & what they call their unique cole slaw.

They all liked the Kaiser Bun, again, another solid Bun, that did not fall apart with the Burger, it was also a big Burger, Hand-Made to order, 1 was ordered Medium & the 2nd Medium Well.

The Food, they said, looked excellent, so points for service & presentation.

Everyone as always tried some of each other's food to get a good review.

Everyone really liked the Burgers, big and Juicy & Tasty, of course not as Juicy & Tasty as some others we have tried, but this Burger definitely had some good flavor to it, one of the better ones they had all tried.

The Fries were good, the Beef Philly was good, & all Loved The Jumbo Garlic Wings.

This place is a very small spot, located in Oakley in Cincinnati, on a good day & time, it's hard to find a place to sit, as it's a Local favorite, it's changed owners a couple of times that we know of, & been here for many years, the place was nice & clean looking, & the service was nice & friendly & good.

The Favorite items for everyone were the Wings & Slaw, they rated them both a 9, as good as any they have had anywhere in town.

Now for my review, since I got mine as a carry out another day, I ordered The Burger with Provolone & Fries & Slaw, Medium Well.

It was clearly Hand-made to order & cooked perfect, it looked delicious, the Slaw was excellent & fries very good, I liked the Fries & these were as good as any I've had.

The Burger itself, well I don't know why mine differed so drastically from the review of the group, but my Burger, even though it looked great, tasted very bad, it just was not good at all, I would give mine a much later rating than the group, maybe a different Cook, maybe a bad batch of meat, who knows.

Final Thoughts: The Groups food was all very good & my to go Burger, not so good, mine was on par with a pre-packaged frozen burger, the Group would recommend the Philly, the Wings & Slaw & Fries & Burgers, I will have to go back as soon as I can, & give it another shot.

Final Rating: 8.0* from the group, 5.5* on my to go Burger, so maybe you might experience a Burger in that range, from 5.5 to 8, we all talked it over & decided that my visit at least for now, was a fluke Burger & to go with the group rating & not even to try & average it out, so until I return & try mine again, it's an 8.0*

Next Tasty Review: Bearcat Lounge, at the Cincinnati Kingsgate Marriott Conference Center

Gas Light Cafe

Our 14th Review

Official Review #14

Gas Light Cafe

6104 Montgomery Road Cincinnati, Ohio 45213

513.631.6977

Our visit to the Gas Light was based on the fact, it was close to where I've lived all my life & I've been here many times & their Burgers have changed over the years, at one point just a few years ago, the Burgers always appeared to me, to be hand-made, although back then, I never bothered to ask, as they were very good, but this trip was a little different.

3 of us ordered Plain Burgers, 1 ordered the Double Cheeseburger & another got the Fried Fish Sandwiches, again, we did not record the prices, so sorry for that, but they were very reasonable & typical for a Bar or Cafe of this kind.

The Burgers did not appear to us to be Hand-made, all the patties seemed to be of about the same size & shape, indicating they came pre-packaged & Frozen from a box, & they tasted like it, although all were good, as they all tasted well done & with a flame broiled flavor, we were not asked how we wanted them cooked, so all came well done.

With Cheese on the double & lettuce, tomato & onion & mayo & a couple had mustard, the Burgers all were good, but nowhere near the 4th best in the city as they claim on their sign, & what many other's claim in reviews I've read, but many of the really good reviews, seem to be a couple of years old at least.

Don't get us wrong here, it's as good a Burger as you can get Frozen out of a Box, but it must be dressed up & on a good bun to help the taste, overall, we compared it to Toot's Burger & Chicago Gyros.

Nothing special, but as far as Frozen in a box goes & Not Hand made, I could eat one again, if I came here, but might instead opt for the large Fish Sandwich, which we all tried a bite of, that was much better.

Final Thoughts: If you live in the area, and want a decent quick Burger, this is it, but there are many, better options out there.

Final Rating: 6.0* (Average/Not Bad-Nothing Special)

Next Tasty Review:  Oakley Pub & Grill, in Cincinnati, Ohio

Frisch's Big Boy

Our 13th Review

Official Review #13

Frisch's Big Boy

Norwood, Blue Ash, Mainliner & Bellevue/Dayton, Ky.

4765 Montgomery Rd, Norwood, 45212 - 9070 Plainfield Rd. Blue Ash, 45236 - 5760 Wooster Pk, Mariemont, 45227 - 100 Landmark Dr, Dayton, Ky.

513.531.4100 - 513.891.3080 - 513.271.2105 - 859.491.3205

We Rated the 4 Locations that we all Frequent the most & at least 2 of us, visited at least 1 of the 4 Locations within the last week.

I know the old Cincinnati Burgerguys never liked reviewing & Rating chain Burger Places, but we are on a quest to list the Best in the entire area, no matter where they are found.

And after living in the Cincinnati area for over 45 years now, I have been to every single Frisch's in the Cincinnati, N. Ky. area, & these are my 4 Favorite ones, & yes there is a big difference in service, food quality & the way each one is run & Managed & how good the food is, these are by far, the 4 best, & by that, I mean consistently the best.

The Big Boy is relatively quick & easy to Review, it's a great tasting Burger, the meat is absolutely Paper thin, on the regular sandwich, which has been their staple for a long time.

But the Tartar Sauce & Pickles & lettuce are hard to rival from any other Burger.

It's always a consistently good Burger, but it can depend on how good on any given location & time, so our ratings varied, but all agree, this a good one, the fries are good, & so was the excellent Salad bar.

If you've never been to Frisch's & you live in the Cincinnati area, then you either don't go out much or you don't like Burgers & sandwiches, I remember Frisch's back in the day, when they did curb service & it was always the place to go on a weekend night with a fast car & park & eat & talk and meet people & then eventually race your cars, now most Frisch's have been completely remodeled, but I still like the good ole Big Boy out front.

Now on to the ratings.

Final Thoughts: Just go & try it out, if you have not yet, if you have, then I'm sure, you have your favorites here & you know the Big Boy is a good one, whether you prefer the Super Big Boy or like me, the old Paper Thin meat on the Regular.

Final Rating: 6.5* to 8.5* on any Given day or time or Location, so our final rating will be a 7.5*

Next Tasty Review: Gas Light Cafe in Cincinnati, Ohio

Margie's Southern Cafe

Our 12th Review

Official Review #12

Margie's Southern Cafe

130 Market Street Maysville, Kentucky 41056

606.563.9424

Margie's Closed Permanently & no plans to re-open

Margie's is an old Local Cafe in the Heart of Old Downtown Maysville, not sure how long it's been open, but I talked to 1 old-timer eating there & he said, he remembers eating there 20 years ago, so it's an established local Cafe.

I Ordered the Double Cheeseburger, we actually forgot to record & Remember the prices & lost our receipt, but prices are fairly good on everything.

One in our group ordered egg's & Sausage & Gravy with Toast, and 2 ordered just plain Burgers, another got the Fried Catfish, which I have had here before, so I will give an opinion on it all.

First, it's a clean looking place & the Waitress was nice & Friendly & so was the Cook, that you can see through the window in the Kitchen.

The Burgers are fairly good sized, they appeared to be hand-made, but I guess on this trip, everyone had a brain freeze & we forgot to ask to make sure, but the patties appeared to be of different shapes & sizes.

They were all big & juicy Burgers, I usually get mine plain, but ordered Double Cheeseburger, I thought the cheese was melted a bit much on mine, but the flavor of the Meat was very good, we all agreed on this, the Bun was ok, a better bun, would have translated into a slightly better score here.

The Fries were good, my Wife ordered the Breakfast & thought it was very good, she would definitely recommend the Breakfast food anytime.

The Fried Catfish in the past had been very good, but this order, was not all that good & appeared to be a pre-packaged frozen Piece, it just was not very good.

The Locals we talked to, love the Burgers & just about everything they serve here, but then again, most Locals favor their longtime establishments, but on this visit, we all must agree, we would return for the Burgers & Breakfast, one of the best tasting Burgers we've had & definitely at the moment, in our top 10 for sure, so if in Maysville, until we find another better, this is your best choice in Maysville, but the Corner Cafe still gets a slightly higher rating, 20 minutes away, but this Burger can stand on its own.

After we were gone, we all realized that we had been overcharged on our receipt by at least 5 dollars, this was a bit upsetting, as this is the first time this has ever happened anywhere, we did call back & talked to the Waitress & she said she would make a note with our name & our change would be there anytime we returned.

Final Thoughts: Very Good Solid Tasting Burger, definitely try it out if, in town, this was the 1st review that we actually had 5 different star ratings, usually 2 or generally 3 of us give the same stars, but 5 different ones here, so we did our best to average it out, 7.5 was as close as we could get, but I will just finish by saying, 6.5 to 8 rate this one, anywhere in between & you will be close.

Final Rating:  7.5* (Try it out-above Average/Good to Very Good)

Next Tasty Review:  Frisch's Big Boy We will include the following locations of Frisch's we tried, the Mainliner On Wooster Pike, Norwood & Dayton & Blue Ash.