Author: Randy Turner

Since I have been posting on good hamburger joints in the Cincinnati area the past five Wednesdays and discussed Mayberry in the Midwest the past two Saturdays, I decided to combine the two for today’s post.

I mentioned during my first post about Mayberry in the Midwest that I met one of my favorite cousins for dinner on the way home. When my buddies Rob and Steve went with me to the Mayberry festival in Danville, Indiana last year, I took them to the same restaurant on our return.

When my cousin and I originally met for dinner, he suggested a great burger restaurant called Kuma’s Korner in Indianapolis. When he mentioned it, I told him I was sure I had heard of it but could not place it and had never been. I later realized I had made a note that it was a possible restaurant to try in Chicago which is where the original is located.

Now, I grant you that Kuma’s Korner is about as far away from Mayberry as one can get as it technically has a heavy metal motif! But other than the names of the burgers, it’s just an enjoyable burger joint. Burger names include the Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and Metallica. But the burgers themselves are made up of interesting combinations of ingredients. For example, the Led Zeppelin is topped with applewood smoked bacon, Buffalo sauce, bleu cheese dressing, lettuce, tomato, and red onion.

The restaurant’s first location opened in 2005 in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood but they now have three other locations in the Windy City and nearby towns plus their fifth location in Indianapolis. They support a number of charitable causes which is part of their stated ethos: “Support your community. Eat beef. Bang your head.”

They also strive to support local and homegrown suppliers. As a result, you won’t find a Budweiser or Miller in their extensive beer list. They instead offer a wide range of craft beers.

The burger I had was called the Sourvein, named after—appropriately enough for this particular blog though I was unaware of the connection when I ordered it—a North Carolina metal band. The beef patty was topped with deep-fried blackened chicken tenders, applewood smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, and a raspberry aioli. And the big finish for the toppings? Strips of a Belgian waffle with a maple syrup drizzle! 

While Danville is about 20 minutes west of the edge of Indianapolis, it is closer to a 40-minute drive to Kuma’s Korner, but if you are heading east you will have already passed halfway through Indy. The burgers are definitely worth going out of your way for.

This East Side landmark restaurant was closed in December by the original owner who retired and then quickly re-opened under new management under the name The Turf Club. I have not been since the change, but the new owner would be foolish not to adhere to the attributes that made Terry’s Turf Club so popular.

Certainly, a large factor in the restaurant’s popularity is its garish and kitsch decor. The outside is absolutely covered in neon signs from various other businesses and the inside is no different. It is filled with neon as well as vintage beer posters and enormous beer coolers made in the 1950s that hold 264 cases of beer each in their refrigerated interiors. The place is a feast for the eyes as much as the food is a feast for the stomach. Their self-description is “a quirky joint doling out beers and jumbo burgers with adventurous toppings in a neon-lit room.”

The Turf Club is often crowded on the weekends so be prepared to wait, but the burgers really are quite good. The burgers are made with Black Angus patties and served on buns made locally by Shadeau Breads. The burger menu is designed so you build your own burger from their broad selection of toppings.

The standard burger comes with two slices of American or Swiss cheese, but for an additional fee, you can get other options like a triple cream brie from France or an onion-infused cheddar from the UK. They also have goat cheese, gouda, gorgonzola, and others.

You can also choose from many sauces such as a cheese sauce made with gouda, cheddar, French Mimolette, asiago, and heavy cream or their Foghorn Leghorn sauce made with “garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, sage, thyme, apricot, shallots, onions, pear balsamic, and more garlic.”

Other toppings often found in many restaurants are available such as bacon (though at The Turf Club it is automatically three slices) or a fried egg, but they have more unusual options such as a balsamic glaze, a lump crab and lobster cake, or a slice of grilled pineapple.

The burgers are usually served with fresh-cut fries but they also offer mac & cheese, onion rings, or fried corn on the cob.

Let’s hope the new owners keep up the same high standards as the original.

My wet experience at the 2017 Mayberry in the Midwest was definitely not repeated at last year’s Indiana festival. In fact, I was working on a good sunburn by the end of the day. But I am fair-skinned enough that I often joke I can get a sunburn just by thinking about the sun too much.

Last year, my buddy Rob who has gone to Mayberry Days with me the last few years and buddy Steve who was able to go with us to Mayberry Days once in spite of being a school teacher who can not easily get a Friday off, all went to Mayberry in the Midwest. We drove over early enough to have breakfast at a Danville landmark.

The Mayberry Cafe sits on the same town square where the festival is held. Televisions throughout the restaurant continuously air episodes of The Andy Griffith Show. We all opted for the buffet and it was a great meal together.

This time, I was able to watch the parade. Just as I had done the last year, we spent the day watching the free entertainment, including free entertainment by the tribute artists, Maggie “Charlene Darling: Peterson, and various bluegrass bands. We strolled through the many vendor’s booths and walked down to watch the “Squad Car Nationals” with numerous Mayberry squad car reproductions. We attended a remembrance of Jim Nabors by Ronnie Schell.

I also participated in the trivia contest and did much better than at the Mayberry Days trivia contests. That being said, I came close but did not break into the finals. People often assume since I have become an expert on the show that I would automatically do well in trivia competitions. While I do know a great deal about the show itself, such as how it came to be and the actors who played roles, I definitely do not have everything about the show memorized. I know some past champions literally made flash cards of each bit of trivia from each episode and memorized them, but I do not fall in that category.

One of the most fun aspects of a friendly festival like the one Danville hosts is the opportunity to meet and spend time with so many fellow fans. It is a treat to be somewhere and know everyone you see there is at least somewhat of a Mayberry fan.

I got to meet Steve Jackson, a member of The Gomer and Goober Comic Book Literary Guild who is instrumental in making Mayberry in the Midwest a reality. His work with the festival is just one of the reasons he received the Mayberry Appreciation Award from the members of the national rerun watcher’s club which was presented at least year’s Mayberry Meet-Up.

I was also able to meet in person another guild member, Janet Anderson, who not only is a charming person but was also the winner of the trivia competition in Danville last year!

But the biggest personal surprise for me came while I was participating in the trivia contest. I was standing by another guild member who has become a friend, Mike McGonigal, when I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. I turned around to see George Lindsey Jr., the son of the actor who played Goober. He asked me, “Are you Randy Turner?” When I said he was, he held up both hands palm out and pretended to bow. It was a thrill for me to learn that he made it a point to introduce himself because he is a fan of my podcast audio reports and my Facebook postings about Mayberry history. I had seen George in the Mayberry Days parade in 2017 but had disappointingly not had the opportunity to meet him. It was especially gratifying for me as his dad was the first Mayberry cast member I ever met many years ago.

If you are a Mayberry fan, I would really encourage you to attend Mayberry in the Midwest.  The festival continues to grow and this year will even include a free concert by the nationally known bluegrass band, The Grascals!

Zip’s Cafe is located in Mt. Lookout Square in Cincinnati and it is an institution. The small tavern opened in 1926 and prides itself on the consistency of their menu.

The location is pretty much unchanged since it opened. In most restaurants, the men and women’s restrooms are close to one another since it makes more sense to locate them together when plumbing a new building. At Zip’s, the men’s room is by the back bar while the women’s is near the dining area in front. This is because when Zip’s opened more than 90 years ago, women were not allowed in the bar room. The bar room is also called the “code room.” During the mid-20th Century, if the blinds were open in the tavern it was a code that illegal bets were currently being taken on horse races.

The classic burger here is called, appropriately enough, the Zipburger, which is a basic but delicious cheeseburger. The meat is a big part of why these simple burgers are so good. The ground beef comes from another Cincinnati institution, a butcher shop called Avril-Bleh & Sons. The patties are formed by hand.

When I went there last with my old college roommate, Dick, who designed the logo for The Gomer and Goober Pyle Comic Book Literary Guild, we started with a side. Zip’s is also known for their sides, their chili being one that is highly recommended. The chili is not a Cincinnati-style chili, a distinctive dish I will eventually discuss. It is a traditional chili though Zip’s has a particularly strong tomato base and is slightly sweet.

Zip’s does offer variations on the Zipburger. Dick was brave enough to try the monstrosity (and I mean that in a good way) called The Train Wreck. The sandwich is a Zipburger with shaved ham and a split grilled mettwurst topped with three types of cheese.

Less enormous variations offered are the Girth Burger and the Flying Pig. The former is a Zipburger with just the mettwurst. The Flying Pig is a Zipburger with the shaved ham and two slices of bacon. I had a Double Zipburger which is simply a double cheeseburger with a slice of cheese on each patty. Simple but a really good burger.

By the way, while you can find mettwurst in other cities, it is a type of German pork sausage most associated with Cincinnati.

You may have to wait to get a seat at Zip’s, but it is worth the wait.

I started this blog by discussing my first trip to the Mayberry Meet-Up gathering in Mount Airy and then recounted my experiences at previous Mayberry Days before the most recent There is another festival that is in between these two events in scope and if you are in the Midwest, is a closer drive.

Mayberry in the Midwest is held every May in Danville, Indiana, just about 20 miles west of downtown Indianapolis. I attended for the first time in 2017 but Mother Nature was less than cooperative. I drove over early and met two of my favorite cousins for breakfast south of Indy. The skies already looked dark when I walked into the Cracker Barrel and by the time I left for Danville, it was pouring rain. As I drove, the rain increased to the point that there was little visibility. I thought about just turning around at that point, especially as I was going over by myself and did not really know anyone there to any great degree, but I figured I had come this far so I pushed on.

The rain had let up somewhat when I finally arrived but it was still heavy enough to need an umbrella. Mayberry in the Midwest is held in the town square and is, in essence, a Mayberry-themed street fair. I had missed the parade which I learned still was held in spite of the rain. Shows are provided on a covered stage set up in the street by the courthouse. There was a nice selection of bluegrass being played throughout the day. The Mayberry tribute artists and cast member Maggie Peterson Mancuso—better known to Mayberry fans as Charlene Darling—also performed. A trivia contest was held. There are many options for carnival food and the local restaurant, The Mayberry Cafe, is also on the square though it was crowded when I walked by. There was an entire street of vendors selling gift items Mayberry-related and not.

To give you an idea of how new I still was to the Mayberry community, I saw Allan Newsome near the stage when I first walked into the square. Even though I was wearing a Gomer and Goober Pyle Comic Book Literary Guild t-shirt, and even though at that point I had submitted roughly dozen “This Week in Mayberry History” audio reports for Allan’s podcast, I still introduced myself thinking he likely would not necessarily know who I was by sight. When I introduced myself, Allan looked a bit surprised and said, “I know who you are.” So I may have been wrong on that one.

I stayed a decent part of the day and watched a lot of the afore-mentioned shows. I introduced myself to Jeff Koontz, one of the people that makes Mayberry Days a reality, and was surprised that he seemed so pleased to meet me. It turns out he was following the daily Facebook posts I began a few months earlier that I called “Today in Mayberry History.”

I had a long drive back and was by myself, so I headed out a few hours later to meet one of the cousins I had breakfast with for an early dinner in Indianapolis. Weather is obviously out of the town’s control but had already decided I would be back the next year and spend more time at this fun event. I also learned that not long after I left—of course—the weather broke and it was beautiful the rest of the weekend.

Two weeks ago I discussed Gordo’s and last week I discussed Frenchie Fresh, Cincinnati-area restaurants with good burgers. Oddly enough, both are located in Norwood, a suburb of Cincinnati. And my third recommendation is also in Norwood!

In fairness, while Norwood is the only location for Frenchie Fresh right now, they are opening a second location soon in Mason, a town north of Cincinnati. And while this week’s entry is about a burger I had at Taste of Belgium’s Norwood location, this is actually not the flagship location of this local chain.

Taste of Belgium was started by Belgian Jean-François Flechet who in 2007 brought back a 120 lb. cast iron waffle maker after a visit to his birthplace. He started by making waffles in the back of a produce store in Cincinnati’s wonderful historic Findlay Market in the downtown Over-the-Rhine neighborhood (usually simply called OTR) and quickly was forced by the waffle’s popularity to open his own shop in the market. These waffles are delicious. The recipe is not the waffle batter with which Americans are accustomed. It is instead a pliable, thick dough made with beet sugar. As the dough cooks, some of the beet sugar caramelizes on the surface providing bits of crunchy goodness.

Taste of Belgium has now expanded and has several bistro locations with the first being an OTR location not far from Findlay Market.

 

Their Norwood location is literally right across the parking lot from Frenchie Fresh.

While Taste of Belgium is more known for their sweet waffles and great brunches, they do make an excellent burger. What truly makes it distinctive visually is it is not served on a bun. Nor is it served on their normal waffles. Instead, waffles made from cheddar grits cooked in the waffle iron take the place of a bun. The burger patty is not just ground beef. It is a blend of short rib, brisket, and chuck. The meat is topped with bacon, goat cheese, and caramelized apples and shallots. The sandwich is served with excellent fries, or—since we are talking about Taste of Belgium—frites. Like all Belgian fries, the potato slices are double fried.

The burger is a great example of Taste of Belgium’s philosophy. As they say, “We take traditional Belgian recipes and we twist them; we take American classics and we Belgianize them.”

Since I have been posting periodically about burger joints in the Cincinnati area, it’s a good time to mention a distinctive burger offering at a Mount Airy diner more famous for a different sandwich: Snappy Lunch.

When most speak of Snappy Lunch, they mention “the world famous pork chop sandwich.” But Snappy also has an unusual burger which in some parts of the deep South would be called a slug burger.

During the Great Depression, access to ground beef was not always constant nor affordable. As a way to “stretch” the meat further, fillers were added. usually in the form of stale bread. The unappetizing name of “slug burger” was reportedly actually a reference that you could buy one for just a slug, a nickname at the time for a nickel.

While it may have been born of desperation, it actually resulted in an interesting sandwich. The added bread soaks up extra griddle grease and results in a crisper exterior to the patty. The burgers are believed to have originated in Mississippi but quickly spread, though today you do not see them offered all that often. The term slug burger did not spread like the recipe so that term is not one you will hear at Snappy Lunch.

At Snappy Lunch, when you order a burger you have to indicate whether you want a “breaded hamburger” or an “all-meat hamburger.” They do not use stale bread as the filler, instead using crumbled biscuits.  While the pork chop sandwich is what the restaurant is known for, be adventurous on your next visit and try a breaded burger. With Snappy Lunch’s more-than-reasonable prices (the last time I was there a burger was $2.05!), it’s certainly not a big gamble and you will have had a burger not found in many restaurants any longer.

Last week when I discussed Gordo’s, I mentioned Cincinnati chef Jean-Robert de Cavel, the closest thing the city has to a traditional “celebrity chef.” Jean-Robert has an upscale restaurant downtown called Jean-Robert’s Table that is excellent but the French chef also has a number of more moderately priced restaurants.

Two years ago, Jean-Robert opened Frenchie Fresh, his version of a fast food restaurant (or as close to fast food as he is ever likely to get.) The goal is quick gourmet food with a menu which primarily consists of soups, salads, mac & cheese, and sandwiches.

Their burgers are served one of two ways, either the “Frenchie way” or the “Yankee way.” The former refers to that sandwich served open face on top of an herb-grilled baguette. Yankee style means it is served on a traditional  American bun. They have two beef options, a high-quality ground beef patty they call “Kansas City Beef” or a “Texas Wagyu” patty from the Japanese breed of cattle. There are other options, including chicken and bison.

They have several “chef’s choice” burger combinations and at this point, I think I have tried them all. Their basic is their cheeseburger which they call “The  Gene Kelly,”  “The Pig City” is served with garlic and herb cheese and bacon. “The Alpine” has Swiss cheese, caramelized onions, and a mushroom demi-glace.

Occasionally they have specials, such as the one pictured. This was called “The Super Slam.” It included the Cincinnati-favorite goetta, a sausage I have mentioned before, which is made from ground meat, oats, and spices. The Super Slam was a Kansas City beef patty topped with bacon, cheddar, caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, a garden mix of greens, a slice of goetta, and a sunny side up egg.

In addition to their fine burgers. Frenchie Fresh also has other delicious sandwiches. Their “Sloppy Jean,” a version of a Sloppy Joe, has a great, slightly sweet flavor. They have an excellent seafood roll that is made with lobster, crab, shrimp, and scallops tossed in a creamy dressing on brioche. My favorite of their mac & cheese choices is “The Three Pigs,” which includes pieces of bacon, hot dog, and Italian sausage blended into their standard mac & cheese which is made with a French white bechémel sauce. But you won’t go wrong with any of their burgers!

There is certainly lots of criticism that can justifiably be leveled at Facebook, but one positive that I enjoy is the ability to re-connect with old friends and at least keep up with them a bit through the occasional post.

Elvin is an old friend of mine from Junior and High School. In the past few years, he has sometimes posted about some of his hobbies. Elvin has turned one of those into a side business he calls Ohio Pen and Wood. Elvin makes beautiful, unique ink pens. He even has his own laser engraving machine to burn images into wooden pens he makes.

Elvin recently posted a photo of a new pen he had crafted with a photo of Andy and Barney. Naturally, I reached out to him offering to buy one. Elvin sent me photos of the pen being handmade.

The chamber of these pens begins with what is known as a “blank.” The pen starts with a block of acrylic, a special polymer that can be cut, turned on a lathe, and polished. After the center is marked and drilled through the middle. the block is turned on a lathe and formed into the pen chamber. 

Elvin sent me these photos and let me know the pen was ready. As you may have guessed from the blog post title, when I asked how much I owed, Elvin’s response was, “I’ll just send it out as a gift to a good friend.”

He did not make the original Mayberry pen at random. Elvin and his wife watch The Andy Griffith Show nightly. He had made the original pen as a gift for his wife. I returned the favor and sent them a copy of the 2019 Mayberry Day-by-Day Calendar as a small token of thanks.

What I love about something like this is that it is not a mass-produced item where human hands have hardly touched the product. This pen and others Elvin makes are handmade with no two exactly alike.

You can see more of Elvin’s work at www.ohiopenandwood.com where can contact him to order a custom-made Andy and Barney pen for yourself.

Anyone who knows me will tell you that while I am not averse to fine dining, all things being equal I find a good burger hard to beat. Cincinnati had a variety of good options, but a favorite is unquestionably Gordo’s.

Officially Gordo’s Pub and Grill, the pub is definitely a hole in the wall. The first time we tried to go there we completely drove by it even though we were looking for it as it is nondescript. When you walk in the shotgun space there is a bar on the right and table seating past it. They do have a good beer selection but burgers are what we are talking about. While it may be a dive bar, the burgers are gourmet.

The burgers here are generally round and not smashed down flat on the griddle. As a result, the towering sandwiches have to be held together with a long toothpick.

The chef here is a friend of Jean-Robert de Cavel, the closest thing Cincinnati has to a traditional “celebrity chef.” Jean-Robert moved to Cincinnati in 1993 to become the chef at the Maisonette. He now has an upscale restaurant downtown near the Aronoff Center for the Performing Arts but also has lower-priced options like his relatively new Frenchie Fresh. As a tribute to his friend, the chef at Gordo’s offers a burger called the Jean-Robert. The burger is topped with grape compote, blue cheese, goat cheese, lettuce, and mayo. I am not a blue cheese fan but my wife tells me it’s good.

I have three favorites plus one I have never been brave enough to try.

First, there is their standard Gordo’s Burger. It starts with roasted poblanos but I am not a fan of really spicy food so I leave that topping off. It also has mushrooms, onions, smoked bacon, Boursin cheese, and mayo.

The French burger is also great. It is topped with brie cheese, a sweet onion jam, applewood bacon, a spring mix of greens, and mayo.

Finally, I also really like the Gfat burger. The beef is topped with pulled pork BBQ, applewood bacon, cheddar cheese, fried onion strings, lettuce, tomato, and mayo.

Gordo’s does have other options on their menu. I have had a souped-up grilled cheese that was actually smoked cheddar and gouda on grilled sourdough with braised pork belly and smoked bacon with a side of barbecue sauce. But I still say to go with the burgers.

The burger I have not been brave enough to try, but undoubtedly will on a day when I am really hungry, is the Hangover burger. This monstrosity—and I mean that in a good way—is topped with smoked gouda, smoked sausage, cheddar, Canadian bacon, American cheese, smoked bacon, fried onion strings, and a Chipotle BBQ mayo!

Okay, one more that I will eventually have to try is the BPJ burger. The burger is topped with a fried banana, chunky peanut butter, cream cheese, jam, and smoked bacon. I have had burgers with creamy peanut butter as a topping, but the chunky peanut butter with cream cheese, jam, and not-a-banana-but-a-fried banana is probably better than it at first sounds.

The only criticism I have of Gordo’s is that there is an upcharge to have a side other than fries. They serve steak fries which are certainly fine but sometimes you want something else. The last time I was there I paid extra to substitute broccoli. It was a more-than-generous portion for the additional charge but it was blanched at best. It was basically a big bowl of raw broccoli. But that’s a minor quibble. Have the fries and give Gordo’s a try if you are in the area.