Nada

I have been to Nada twice now. At first I thought I would never go there since I heard how fancy and expensive it was. Once I went, I was pleasantly surprised on the pricing and the atmosphere. It was still more upscale than I am use to, but for a date night with the wife, it is perfect! I figure it is cheaper than the boat house and about the same as going to an outback or olive garden, but so much better.

The first trip there was with a co-worker for lunch where I got the chicken tacos, chips, guac and salsa. Everything was very good. The chicken tacos were probably the best chicken tacos I have ever eaten. Most chicken tacos I get have dry chicken, but theirs were very juicy and tender. The cheese they paired it with was also amazing. I had never heard of the cheese, but it is called chihuahua cheese. The guac and homemade chips were also very good and fresh. I love that put their guac on almost every one of their tacos. The only negative thing I can take away from that trip was the dessert we got. I believe we got some sort of chocolate cream type dessert (I can't think of the name for it, but I could have done without it). They also let us try something fried (I believe it was a fried churro) which didn't do anything for me either. It was decent, but almost like eating nothing.

The second time I went was with my wife. I was told to get the fish tacos, which I had never had anywhere before. So my wife got the fish tacos while I got the carnitas tacos and we would just share. I have to admit, I am addicted to the fish tacos now and I want to try them everywhere to see if it is just Nada's or fish tacos in general that I love. The carnitas I could have done without. Out of the 3 different kinds of tacos I have had there, the carnitas are by far the worst, but not bad. When I go back I will probably do some sort of mix between the fish and chicken tacos.

WHEN I go back I will have to take some more pictures since I only have the one of my carnitas from the last time I went.

Nada Ratings

Atmosphere:
Customer Service:
Food Selection:
Beer Selection:
Pricing:
Food Quality:
Free Appetizer:
Free Dessert:
Overall Rating:

Catching up with some Burgers!

It has been awhile since my last post, about 5 months to be exact. My life got real busy, and even though it is still busy, I want to start trying to blog again and more often. I have never stopped going out to different places and I still take pictures of almost everything I eat (some find it weird). So I figured in order for me to get caught back up, I will just combine some reviews and maybe even do a little comparing at the same time. What better way to start back up but with what I do best, review burgers!

Kelly's Public House

I never would have even known this place existed if my co-worker didn't want to go for lunch one day. I also think we might have had a Restaurants.com coupon or something. Either way, it is located at the Radisson Hotel and they are known for their burgers. In fact, they claim to be "The Best Burger in the World" or at least in Northern Kentucky. It is a clever little slogan, and to be honest, I actually remember really enjoying their burger. I had a bacon and cheddar burger and got my onions grilled on top. Everything about it was very good tasting including the homemade bacon. I love when a burger comes with real and fresh bacon.  The only downside was that it was a little on the dry side.

The employees there were also friendly, which always makes the food taste better.

Nothing else really stands out in my mind, and I don't want to go into too much detail or this review is going to get wordy. But all-in-all, it is worth checking out, at least for the burger. I couldn't complain, but more than likely I won't be back.

Mt. Adams Bar and Grill

I went here for lunch with my dad awhile back. We had another $25 off if you spend $35 deal again. I was really surprised (in a good way) with this place. It looked like a cool place to come back to at night and have some good beer on tap. I did enjoy myself a Boston Lager during my meal (it helped us get to the $35 mark).

We both got the burger and it was easily in my top ten. It was weird because I didn't even go for the burger because no one ever said anything about it. I have been meaning to go back because I wanted to try it again to make sure it was as good as I remember it being.

To make sure we were over the $35, we both got some dessert. I got a triple layer mousse pie, which was awesome. I actually attempted to make it at home one night and failed miserably. I will just have to go back some night to get the burger again and top me off with a piece of pie.

Oakley Pub and Grill

I ended up here while a friend and I waited for a free concert to begin at the 20th Century Theater. We sat at the bar and started to check out the beer selection, which was a good one. I ended up going with the special of the night, a Shock Top draft (because I'm cheap). We both ordered burgers, mine had the norm on it, bacon, cheese, onion and pickles. Too be honest, I wasn't impressed with the burger at all and the steak fries were some of my least favorite fries ever. Granted, I am not a fan of steak fries in the first place, but these just didn't do anything for me. Too potato-ee as I say.

But what made this place memorable and so fun was the company. We met a local couple at the bar who were very friendly and they had us laughing all night. I make friends everywhere I go :D ... I know this has nothing to do with the restaurant, but it did make me want to go back, which is something. If you do go there, go there for the fun atmosphere, the good beer and the not so great food. I'm sure when I do go back, I'll find something I like.

Zola Pub and Grill

I remember going to Zola's because we were told they had one of the best burgers and I believe were ranked on one of those top burger joints in Cincinnati lists. The waiter was awesome and talked to us for awhile (they weren't too crowded during lunch). I was true to myself and got another bacon and cheddar burger (man I am boring). This burger missed the mark and probably was my least favorite burger out of the six burgers in this review. It was just too dry and didn't do anything for me. I really was trying to like it, but it just came up short.

I would love to go back some night when people are out at the bars and I would really like to give the burger another shot. I am hoping I just had it on an off day and they overcooked it too much. But if I don't ever get back there, I won't be too disappointed.

Arthur's Cafe

I finally made my way to Arthur's Cafe for their burger I had heard so much about. I went for lunch on a Thursday (like most of my posts) and when we got there, it was quite empty. We were seated right by the door/window in the front and right next to the famous wall filled with cartoon caricatures of local people. My eyes couldn't stop looking at it and trying to see if I recognized anyone. Every time I looked back up I would see something new and interesting. I never did find anyone I knew, but it didn't stop me from being distracted the whole meal.

I got my typical bacon cheeseburger. It was good, but it wasn't great. I don't know if I had my expectations set too high, but I had plenty of other burgers that I would rather go back to before revisiting here. Don't get me wrong, it was a good burger and I enjoyed every moment of it, but it didn't really set itself apart enough. It was flavorful, juicy, cooked well, but was just a good burger. The fries weren't anything special either.

Would I go back? Sure, if someone wanted to go there. But I wouldn't seek out to get there again or feel like I needed to go back. It was a good experience overall, just nothing to keep me coming back.

Stuffed on Vine

Stuffed on Vine was actually the last new restaurant I went to. It hasn't been open too long and my co-worker heard about it, so off we went. We drove right by it the first go around, but after circling the block we saw the sign on the door and pulled up to a meter. We walked in to an empty house. The only other people there were the workers and one other table. We went up to the counter and put in our order.

I decided to go with the Southwestern burger which came with peppers, pepper jack and queso cheese and onions. Oh did I mention that everything is stuffed, cooked and served INSIDE the burgers? That alone sold me on the idea and got me in the door. The only downfall I see with this place is that it took 30+ minutes from the time we put our order in till the time we saw our food. Most people can't drive from downtown (or where ever), wait 30 minutes then eat then get back to work without taking a long lunch.

But boy was that burger good. I must have missed the HOT peppers part on the menu because my burger was very hot. I needed extra napkins just to wipe the sweat from my face. For $7.50 I got the burger and some delicious homemade french fries. They must have some sort of special batter or fry the fries twice, because they were extra thick with breading and extra crispy, which was very good.

Another great thing about this place is that everything is made fresh. If you want to add in only certain ingredients, you can since they have to add them all in once you place your order. This obviously slows down the process and it is understandable why it takes 30 minutes to get your food.

I think it is worth the wait and can't go back to try some of their other items on their menu. Maybe the chicken wings that smelt so good. Just thinking about them now is making my mouth water.



If I had to rank these 5 burgers I would have to say:
1. Stuffed on Vine
2. Mt. Adams Bar and Grill
3. Arthur's Cafe
4. Kelly's Public House
5. Oakley Pub and Grill
6. Zola Pub and Grill

Paula's Cafe

Paula's Cafe is located in downtown Cincinnati. It has a sign outside that says Best Burger Downtown. I am sure they aren't the only place that has the same sign, but I now agree with their sign. Now I am JUST counting places actually downtown. I do not think is the best burger I have ever eaten, but I do believe that it is the best burger that I can get during my lunch downtown without having to get in my car and drive anywhere.



They call it the "7 minute burger". They call it this because that is how long it is on the grill for to make it how the cook wants to, which I believe is Medium. It is $6.95 for the burger and chips, to upgrade to fries it is $1.75 more. For cheese, caramelized onions or mushroom sauce it is $.50. And finally for $.95 more you can get an egg or bacon on top of it. I have had the burger now 4 or 5 times. I have it different each time. My last time I had it with just cheese and an egg, the first time I had it with cheese, onions and pickles. No matter the combination the burger has been delicious each time. I would recommend springing for the fries unless you like the traditional plain ruffle potato chip. Expect to pay close to $10 for everything and go all out for the best built burger you can think of. I don't go here much, but when I do I want to like it a special experience.



Usually when I leave (and sometimes even when I don't eat here) I grab a piece of their homemade carrot cake for my wife. She LOVES carrot cake and after she had theirs the first time (and every time since) she has said it is the best she has had (in Cincinnati). I have had their homemade brownies and they weren't the best, but usually I am too stuffed for dessert anyway.



If you haven't been here before, it is worth checking out. It is on 4th street in between Vine and Walnut.