Few will seriously dispute the claim that The Greenhouse Tavern is one of the best restaurants in Cleveland. And the build-your-own four-course meal might be the best value I've experienced at a higher end restaurant. If you're fortunate enough to check out chef Jonathan Sawyer's downtown establishment, it's definitely worth exploring the menu as much as possible, but passing over the burgers would be a huge mistake.
Michael Symon had already made it as a serious culinary and television star before he opened B Spot, his fast casual burger mini-chain in his hometown of Cleveland. As far as I'm concerned, these burgers are his crowning achievement.
Wendy's is classing it up with a new line of Black Label Burgers—tagline,
"The perfect harmony of signature taste and select ingredients"—currently being tested in Wichita, Kansas, and Columbus, Ohio. The quarter-pound burgers come in Bacon Portabella (with mushroom sauce, muenster cheese, three half-slices of bacon, thick tomato slice, and peppery sauce; $4.89) and Spicy Santa Fe (with guacamole, pepper jack cheese, mixed salad greens, thick tomato slice, red onion slices, and cilantro jalapeño lime sauce; $4.49), says GrubGrade.
Today's reader recommendation comes from New York-based freelance journalist Matthew Moll of Taste of Local (@tasteoflocal), who recently ate a great burger during a trip to Cincinnati. Thanks, Matthew! If anyone else wants to share some burger intel, here's how to do it.
This past weekend was the sixth 2011 National Hamburger Festival in Akron, Ohio. This video from WEWS shows some highlights from the festival, namely deep-fried cheeseburgers (chef Scott Burford of Metro Burger described it as a combo of cheeseburger and funnel cake) and a bobbing-for-burgers contest where contestants bobbed as many burgers as they could in three minutes out of a kiddie pool filled with ketchup.
Rarely does a Cincinnati restaurant inspire enough passion for locals to willingly wait in line to eat. For the past few years, Terry's Turf Club, which sits on a desolate stretch of Eastern Avenue not far from the Ohio River, has been the exception. Most everyone comes (and waits) for the burger. They wait in lines spilling onto the sidewalk, where on cold days a roaring overhead heater (which will slowly roast your brain if you stand under it for too long) provides temporary solace from the elements while boisterous crowds drink oversized Belgian beers, bottles of Bud Lite or blackberry cosmopolitans.
"I went back to Ohio, but my city was gone. There was no train station. There was no downtown" —The Pretenders [Photographs: Nick Solares] Johnnie's Tavern 3503 Trabue Road, Columbus, OH 43204 (map); 614-488-0110; johnniesbythetrack.com Cooking Method: Griddled Short Order:...
[Photos: Nikki Goldstein] B Spot 28699 Chagrin Boulevard, Woodmere, OH 44122 (map); 216-292-5567; bspotburgers.com Cooking Method: Grilled, finished on flat top Short Order: Symon's beefy spin on the Italian Sub is a must-try for meat lovers. Pick the Lola...
The National Hamburger Festival is almost here! From Saturday, July 18, to Sunday, July 19, the fourth annual patty party will be held in Akron, Ohio. From live music to the National Burger Cook-Off, there's plenty of burger-centric entertainment...
