Paxton's Grill

Review 23 @ Stop 29
Paxton’s Grill
126 W. Loveland Ave (Loveland)
513.583.1717

Paxton’s Grill, located where the bike trail crosses Loveland Avenue, is in one of the oldest buildings in Loveland’s historic district (built in the 1860s-70s). Also offering outdoor street-side seating, which can be noisy, the inside is a clean, pub atmosphere for all ages. With music on weekends, the evening crowd could be different. Highly recommended by a reader, this seemed like the perfect place to entertain our new-to-the-area guest.

The Paxton’s menu offers four quarter-pound burgers ($4.75-5.95) and the half-pound Big Paxton ($6.95). All are served with chips, pickle spear, and topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, and mayonnaise. Fries are extra ($1.00-1.75)

The medium-sized patties were hand made, not frozen, with only a tad of gristle. To Freddie’s delight, the burgers were slightly seasoned with Montreal Steak Seasoning, (he asked), but Bucky’s was so light it may have been none existent. Two of the four were ordered as medium and no pink was found. Only the medium rare had a touch of pink.

Not being a tomato junkie, Freddie noted too much tomato served as the dominant taste of the sandwich. Then again, this could be a seasonal characteristic. Bucky and Wolfy, never fond of what appears to be a side salad on a bun, were miffed that the bun didn't hold gether as a sandwich. On the other hand, Wolfy's overall rating was slightly higher than his cohorts.

Although Paxton’s Grill provided a surprising pleasant atmosphere, even the wonderful comradery wasn’t enough to overcome the shortcoming of these burgers. Nothing bad – just nothing stood tall. Then again, maybe it simply wasn’t one of the kitchen’s better days – and that happens.

Points: 5.5
Rating: Average

Next Review: Pilot Inn

Red's Deli

Review 22 @ Stop 33
Red’s Deli
2534 Cincinnati Brookville Rd (Venice)
513.738.2100

During the ride up Rt. 27 with visions of Mommy Fritz dancing in his head, Bucky asks, “How did you find this place? Is it clean?”

Bucky didn’t know how to react when Freddie told him about the lunch trip to Venice. Venice is a town, presumably unincorporated, in Ross Township. Actually, some may think of it as the town of Ross. If that’s the case, why is there a Venice Fire Department?

As the duo pulled into Red’s Deli, Bucky is still saying, “How did you find this place?” Freddie finally spills the beans about the recommendations from loyal readers.

Red’s is an interesting place. It’s a deli, drive-thru carryout, deer check-in station, with a seating area for eating sandwiches and breakfast. The deli case contains common sandwich meats and cheese, with drink coolers along 2 walls. Freddie openly wondered if Red added a grill for the burgers then decided to serve breakfast since he had a grill.

The hamburger platter ($5.65) is a half pound patty with mustard, lettuce, tomato, onion, and mayo on a standard bun served with lots of fries and a medium drink. The patties were handmade as Freddie also spotted uncooked patties in the deli case ready for use and possible sale. On the other hand, Bucky noticed the grill already had 4 or 5 cooked burgers clustered in a warm spot on the grill. Guess that means no cook to order.

The burgers were well done, not dry, but not overly juicy. Supported by an arguably almost-too-small-regular bun, it was loaded with condiments. Given the patty being larger than the bun along with the generous amount of mayo, the sandwich was a tad messy, but that’s ok as the sandwich did stay together. In the spirit of an absent Wolfy, neither taster detected any gristle. Unfortunately, no seasonings either.

Overall, this burger was a pleasant surprise, but not top of the line. Kudos for the generous portion of fresh fries, although they needed to stay in the fryer a tad longer. As the car was leaving, Freddie heard Bucky mumbling, “Why did we come to this place?” Oh well – Red’s is not for everyone – especially the fussy types – but it serves a respectable burger.

Points: 4.5
Rating: Average

Next Review: Paxton’s Grill

Sleepy Hollow Inn

Review 21 @ Stop #6
Sleepy Hollow Inn
378 Bridge St (Loveland)513.677.0290

Upon driving by the Sleepy Hollow Inn, one notices the lack of windows and can only imagine what is beyond those hallowed walls. First-time visitors are very surprised at what they see when entering. It’s a restaurant with a small bar area sharing its smoky environment with an open, larger dining room. The rest of the visual atmosphere of this dark room will remain a secret so you’ll have to visit to see. An explanation exists on their surprisingly large, reasonably priced menu.

The menu offers The Original ($6.95) and five specialty burgers, all served with chips and a dill pickle. Our large Originals were char-grilled, moist, flavored with some basic seasonings, and served on a toasted bun. YES - Another cook doing something with the meat besides cooking it and treating the bun with respect! Lettuce, tomato, pickle and onion accompany the thick, half-pound patty. Packaged on a larger than average bun, some may find this sandwich to be too thick. As the menu states – “It takes two hands to handle these burgers.”

The flavor, the toasted bun, and a great sandwich taste turn this visit into a big surprise. Although by a slim margin, congratulations to the Sleepy Hollow Inn for achieving the highest award level. Don’t forget to mention the Cincinnati Burger Guys when visiting.

Points: 8.5
Rating: Exceptional

Next Review: Red's Deli

Burger Bytes

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New ownership at The Friendly Stop recommends the Mushroom-Swiss burger topped with gravy. They are also aware of smoking concerns, but must wait to see what happens with issues on tomorrow's ballot.

Freddie had lunch at Mike Fink's and noticed someone with a huge burger. Further research indicates $6.95 with lettuce, tomato, and onion on a Kaiser bun. Not sure if fries are included. Let us know if you've tried Mike Fink's burgers.

The Out-of-Town Burger list has expanded. See the September 2005 Archives.

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