To do list

Recently while dining in Lebanon and discussing the rebirth of Mom’s Restaurant I was told I must eat at Linda’s in East Dayton and Blind Bob’s in the Oregon District. Stay tuned people.

Abner’s

Abner’s sits in the seediest part of East Third in Dayton. Off the beaten path but shouldn’t be ignored.

Sitting on the south side of East Third Abner’s is a local’s greasy spoon. A few highlights. Breakfast all day. Great prices. Friendly wait staff, one girl working the small counter and the 8 booths. Any time I see locals just drinking coffee and reading the paper, or in this case playing cards, I know I have found a gem.

I had the bacon cheeseburger, fries and cottage cheese. This burger was a two napkin as the juice ran down my sleeve. Not greasy and not a frozen stamped patty. The salad on top was lacking in December. Too many crisp fries to finish and cottage cheese was cold. I had the iced tea, this is a Pepsi place. Lunch with tip was well south of $10.00.

The couple next to me had breakfast and it made me wish I had ordered the biscuits and gravy.  I will be back for a full menu to review.

 

So for some East Dayton culture, a great burger, or breakfast and lottery if you need, Abner’s is your place!

Tipp O’ the Town

On occasion the search for the perfect burger lands you in the most unlikely of places. This week that place is Tipp City Ohio. Being north of town on the backside of the lunch hour left me scrambling for a bite to eat. Leaving exit 68 off of I-75 I had the option of hitting the interstate fast food fare but decided to duck into the Tipp O’ late for lunch.

Upon entering I realized this was a working class family restaurant and not a dive, or classic diner. Big booths, dark walls, little league trophies and a check out counter full of local lore and trinkets. My eye caught the group of waitresses who had just finished cleaning up after the lunch service, they were between me and the chilled case of pie’s and cobblers.

Menu was typical midwest diner/family restaurant offerings. Club sandwiches, burgers, meat +2 plates and a pork tenderloin sandwich that was guaranteed to be the largest one you would ever see. Tempted to leave my routine for this piece of pork on a bun, I chose to create my own 1/3 pound bacon burger. Dressed the way I like it, bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion and mayo. This handpattied fresh ground beef burger didnt disappoint. Offering a 1/4, double 1/4, 1/3 and 1/2 pound burgers there was something for everyone. Decent fries and cottage cheese completed my platter. So much burger that I couldn’t finish my fries.

This is a Coca Cola establishment and that is always welcomed here at DDD.  I passed on the iced tea in favor of a cold Coke.

The service was impeccable. When my waitress was checking on something else, a second lady delivered my plate right after the cook put it in the window. Old school waitresses taking care of customers before worrying about who might get tipped or blamed or whatever.

The desert menu was written on a white board with the day’s specials. The special on my visit was a fried clam platter and a fried shrimp platter. Something to consider on my return trip. Cakes, pies, cobblers, including a fresh blueberry and a crazy looking apple pie with caramel and nuts caught my eye. In a hurry and stuffed from a great burger I declined on the sweet finish.

$11.50 included a generous tip and small talk by the waitress who treated me like a local. Next time you are north of i70 and needing lunch or a great family supper, stop into the Tipp O’ off of exit 68 in Tipp City. Breakfast served anytime!

 

 

Foy’s in Fairborn

Eureka! I found it. A truly vintage diner, like stepping back in time. Foy’s Rock and Roll Grill is located in downtown Fairborn “on the circle”. It appears not much has changed inside this time capsule. Just the way a local dive diner should be. I couldn’t have been more surprised or pleased stepping into Foy’s.

The place isn’t much for outsiders. The regulars, locals, seemed to get the best service, extra attention, a hug from the cook, and a free serving of deep fried mushrooms. This only added to the charm. Saddling up to the counter for the best service and best view, I was greeted quickly and my fountain Coke was delivered promptly with a one page laminate menu. Those that have visited this site before know that I love laminated one page menus.

The Foy Burger platter called my name. I always break into a new place with a cheeseburger, fries and cottage cheese. Perfect all around. 1/2 pound hand pattied burger was already 1/2 cooked and chilling grillside. Finished off on the flat top, toasted bun, lettuce, tomato, onion and mayo make it look like a salad resting on top. The burger spilled over the bun and was more than I could really eat. The cottage cheese was cold and the fries were hot. They weren’t my favorite fries, but good and plenty of them.
I noticed a few things. First, someone ordered curly fries. A basket at $4.25, they were hand right before going into the fryer. Nice. Saw someone order the special, a steak hoagy and fries, $5.25, and witnessed the largest fish sandwhich I ever laid eyes upon. The only thing bigger than the fish is the plate sized pork tenderloin served with extra pickles. Perfect.
The decor is timeless, old chrome, a well used pool table, seating for 20 or so, and counter space for 10 more. Coca-Cola memorabilia line the walls and adorn the tables.

Other notables from the menu, a smaller 1/4 pound Foy Burger, Kentucky Round Steak (bologna) and breakfast served anytime!

My bill, with big tip and coke included, less than $9.00 for a great 1/2 pound burger. Be hungry or go home with a to go box! This place has moved to the top of the list for diners in the Dayton area.

One Eyed Jack’s

While eating at the Fairborn location of national chain First Watch, I noticed a sign proclaiming “pub burgers”. The place is One Eyed Jacks across from the Nutter Center. It’s not a diner. It’s barely a dive. At first glance it is a college bar with all the trappings. Cheap afternoon beer, a menu full of appetizers and sandwhiches, crude stage set up, t.v.’s tuned to sports and a bathroom you wouldn’t let your mother near.

I forged on in my journey to consume this pub burger advertised beneath the 4 suits of a card deck. Low lighting, big booths, an empty bar and quiet juke box met me mid afternoon recently. One coed ed studying for a test, and a regular hitting on one of the two wait staff on shift.

I ordered their bacon cheeseburger. Substituting provolone for cheddar and asking for the ketchup to be left off, I awaiting my bacon burger with lettuce, tomato, onion and mayo to arrive. The lunch basket came with fries and a small order of cole slaw.  As you all know from my reviews prior to this one, this is my standard lunch test. If you can’t get a burger right, what chance is there for anything else.

Here is the rundown. Warm coleslaw. Probably bought from a big company in a plastic tub and portioned into styrofoam cups twice weekly.  Fries straight from brown freezer bad to fryer.  Not bad, but also not hand cut, had that mysterious red color to them, think Arby’s curly fries without the cute shapes.

The burger. Looked great.  Good size, 6 ounce. Looked hand pattied. Cooked through at first blush. First bite was great. Good bacon, great toppings, mayo kept the veggies in place. Sesame seed bun had been buttered and toasted on the flat top. Nice touch, often overlooked in a dive college bar. After two or three bites I noticed my burger was about medium to medium rare. It looks like the sandwhich was assembled, mayo and all, cut in half for presentation, then the medium rare was noticed. From the wilted lettuce and cooked interior, it appears that the burger was placed in the oven to cook a bit longer after assembly and cutting.

So close to 4 stars, yet so far away. For an 8 dollar burger and fries on a slow weekday afternoon the final performance fell short. Side note, this is the first time my burger has ever been dressed with baby greens and not iceburg. This might explain the wilted greens that I picked off.

If there is a next time I will go with the three cheese burger with sauteed onions instead. Total bill with Coca Cola, $10.17.
Hi points: great beer selection and very friendly wait staff. Cool college bar scene vibe and not a long wait. Wish they made me wait 4 more minutes to cook that burger through.

You try it and tell us what you think.