Hollywood Cafe in Tunica MS

I thought I would stop over in Tunica MS and try my hand at the slot machines at the casino.
Turns out I won a little money, I now have more money coming out than I did going in so this is a good time to call it quits. And move onto the mission at hand of searching for good food.
Today is Friday October 16th 2009 and need something to eat very soon because I'm pretty hungry, and I have been on the road for the last 3 days.
According to the word on the street and of course the GPS looks like it is "The Hollywood Cafe".
When I arrived the outside looks like a place that I would use in a Video or a album cover shoot, nice vibe, But how about the food. It's 1:30 and I guess the lunch crowd has went back to work, because there is only 2 tables occupied at the moment.
I'm greeted by a friendly waiter named Andy, the special today is minute steak with gravy on the side, Frozen Okra (as per Andy) And fresh cut potatoes, with cornbread.
The meal came quickly and it showed the minute steak was dry and tough, looked as if it was deep fried a little too long, the gravy was bland, the Okra was all clumpted together and sitting in grease, and the fries were cooked before hand and held under a heat lamp. And the cornbread, well I don't know NOT GOOD. Lord only knows how a place has made it so long on bad food.
I mentioned that the steak was over cooked, and Andy's solution was to give me a choice of a dessert, so peach cobbler was the ticket.

On a scale of 1 to 10 ten being the highest
Waiter I'll give him a (6)
the food over all a (1)
but I will say the cobbler is a (7)
and the southern sweet tea is a (8)

Well the question is would I be back ................................... only if I was on a date and I wanted to have a beer and listen to a band play or if I wanted to pay $8.00 for a order of fried green tomatoes.

I really think the vending machine at the local rest area would have been better, so I guess the thought would have been to just stop and play the slot machines. And then move on to Memphis.

Cafe 501 Edmond OK

Today's date is October 06, 2009

And the search goes on for lets say just Great food, along with the hamburgers scare looks like It's back to Chicken and what a treat. I just met the owner of Cafe 501 and Bakery. Sherry Holloway in Edmond OK 1-405-359-1501
They also own Boulevard Steak House and Martini.


The dish of choice is the Coyote Chicken on fresh baked focaccia bread, that was baked to perfection and bow tie pasta. It looks like they are in the hottest spot in Edmond OK and the patrons are prof enough.

The caramelized onions set it off and the fresh jalapeno peppers, for my taste I would like to had a more juicy chicken breast and some more of the mayo for dipping.
But the owner was super nice and giving of her love in the food and her hospitality.
This is a must stop place my only problem is I'm leaving town and want be here for a week end brunch because the menu looks great.

The price was 15.00 plus a dessert.
Taste (8), as for presentation because it was on a fresh baked focaccia bread I’ll give it a (9) out of a possible 10.

Until the next stop the food critic is signing out check out my other blogs on coffee to deserts, and whatever else is hot for the area that I'm visiting.
All Information is copyrighted and owned by © Blair Morgan 2009

Ted's concrete Frozen Custard

The vision got a little off track from "hamburgers" because I'm in St Louis MO, and anything old along with nostalgic has my attention and besides it's ice cream IE. Frozen Custard pretty cool concept I thought so.
The evening is muggy and I just had to have something cold and creamy so I went off in search of the famous frozen concrete custard and the winner is (cardinal sin) chocolate and cherries over the frozen custard.
The place is a throwback to 1929 and the little walk up window had the charm along with the goods.
If you live here in St. Louis it is a must have and yet it is super creamy and rich and a treat that one has to enjoy for years to come, because I will come back to savor the other varieties on my every return.
On a scale of 1 to 10 I'll give it a 9 cause I'm not sure what is a 10 on the Ice cream scale except the Mango Ice cream that I bought 3 years ago from a Indian food store or the time that me and my sister sat upon the hand crank white mountian Ice cream churn that my father cranked for the 4th of july years ago, I want tell if you don't

St Louis Newstead Tower Burgers

Well Dana is the server for today and the sitting is in a Historic section of town known as Oak Grove MO. that has been on the upswing for the last 3 years.
I'm in sticker shock $9.50 for the grass fed burger .50 extra for the tomato and .50 for the onion, yet they make their own mustard, and ketchup, pretty cool.

The anticipation is killing me ................. well here it is "bite" "bite" ...... chew chew ............. great taste and just the right seasoning very juicy but i need more onions "only three rings.

But the pickles are to die for but again only one slice ?!@#$%^&*()_ this pickle I would always put on a burger, but I'm scared to ask for more pickles maybe it will be EXTRA.

$13.84 plus a $3.00 tip way too expensive for a hamburger and chips.
The price should be a little higher say around 6.95 plus all the works
Taste (7), as for presentation because it was on a local bakery bun I’ll give it a (9) out of a possible 10.
The server is probably is the highlight for the restaurant and of course the pickle SLICE I'll give the pickle a solid 10 score.

Overall worth the visit but bring your American Excess card.

All Information is copyrighted and owned by © Blair Morgan 2009

Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken Memphis, TN

Ok already I know I'm in search of the best hamburger, but a guy has got to take a break from burgers.
So why did I have chicken instead of a burger well, it's because I wasn't aware of any other great burger joints in the Memphis, TN. Dyer's burgers been there and done that. If anyone out there knows of another top on there list "burger joint" in Memphis or anywhere else give me a shout "email".
Well back to the blog. Gus will ROCK your world with his world famous chicken; this little dive is located in the downtown area of Memphis on South Front St. Old Gus has it going on.
It was 6:30 dinner hour Tuesday night June 9th 2009 and the word is out it was standing room only. The wait added to my anticipation of my first bite, let me just say the service was the best I have ever had and the food meets or surpasses the test for a 5 star restaurant for hot food, Temperature. The chicken was spicy yet mild enough to enjoy and priced to please.
And the tea kept on coming, along with the concerned waitress, (4). Now for the score I'll give it a 9 out of a possible 10 and the service a solid 10.
The only negative was the potato salad just ok and the sweet relish just didn't get it for me.
The slice of bread was ok but to make the meal come together in the southern way,and keep the people coming back with their tongue's hanging out would have been to have some awesome water cornbread.
I'll call it a night and put the taste buds away until the next stop of choice.

All Information is copyrighted and owned by © Blair Morgan 2009

Burgers and fries at Gabby's Nashville, TN

Today I found someone (living "His" dream). And yes the friendliest Burger joint in Nashville, TN,that is only open for lunch.
This place was the original Hap towns restaurant, wow what a wonderful old restaurant back in the heyday of diners.
Gabby's burgers are hand pressed, a local bakery provides the bun not the typical mass produced colonial brand, a little too much lettuce, and I would have preferred the onion's to have been sliced not chopped "they kept falling off" and I wished the bun had been steamed, it reminds me that it could have been just baked and besides it's much more palatable, to the mouth.
The price was good $5.95 drink included.
I'll rate it a strong 7.5 to 8 out of a possible 10, on the food side.

As far as being friendly Doug the owner was super appreciative of his guest the time was 2:15 PM when I ordered and sat down, there was two other guys finishing their meal as they walked out most everyone thanked them. I got up and left quietly and the buzzer on the door sounded no one thanked me but to my surprise Doug appeared on the side deck and made a point to thank me for coming in, pretty cool he is a man that's about customer service.
As far as the rating for friendliest I’ll give it a 10 out of 10.


All Information is copyrighted and owned by © Blair Morgan 2009

Frisch's? better known as Shoney's Big Boy

Well gang I had to do it because of the Big Boy Icon this restaurant is located in Northern Kentucky just over the state line from Cincinnati, Ohio.
The burger was served up on a regular bun "as requested" as opposed to the Sesame seed buns.
Their claim to fame is they use tarter sauce i.e. "secret sauce", sorry guys I equate this with Friday and fish not a hamburger. Yet the Shoney's located closer to Tennessee uses Thousand Island dressing. But tarter sauce yuck! ! ! ! ! !
And yes you guessed it I requested the tarter sauce to be left off my burger and you know what happened it got on there anyway. I sent it back and on with the taste test.
The burger was chain restaurant style was good, I will be conservative and give it a 5 out of a possible 10 being the highest, and service was good level 6 to 7.
The cost was $5.25 I gave the cashier a 5-dollar bill while I was digging in my pockets for the quarter she handed me a quarter back. A little confused I accepted it and moved on down the road I guess she will be 50¢ short.

All Information is copyrighted and owned by © Blair Morgan 2009

Paduccah, Ky - Just Hamburgers

May 20th 2009 I just had to try it just because I was there and the name sounded like they had a corner on the market of just hamburgers.
Well it looked like the place had been another hamburger eatery in the past a little run down and the behind the counter personnel. Well let say they weren't very friendly but O sooooooo willing to take your money. Basic cheeseburger 1.65 (2) and no drink $3.30 no sales tax.
The burger reminds me of the burgers back in Nashville, TN the year was 1960 and a new chain became the Red Barn. The 2 buildings are still standing but the chain didn't last too long.
Maybe they should have been in the construction business.
Back to Just Hamburgers I think the picture of the guys Icon with a hat on says it all.
It reminds me of David Letterman. Waving his hands with that stupid grin on his face, and making some kind of shrill sound.
Taste (0), as for presentation because it was on a bun I’ll give it a (1) out of a possible 10.
Well as you can see I didn't even eat the last burger I just found the local trashcan and placed it where it belongs.

All Information is copyrighted and owned by © Blair Morgan 2009

In search of the Best Hamburger in Paducah, Ky

Well gang it's May 20th 2009 and I'm in Paducah Ky.

Wow what a beautiful little town, very cool art's district the word on the street is go to Fat Moe's.
This was recommended to me by a local TV station crew truck video guy, he looked like he had sampled some of the Cusine.
Yet the GPS brought up just Hamburgers? ? In business since 1963
Well ask another happy walker on the street, lets just call him the upper management business type headed to the local watering hole down by the waterfront, for a after work meeting with friends.
He suggested the "Dairyette Drive Inn" sounds like a Sonic style eatery. The GPS has it is yet time is up and I must head back home, I'll save this for the next time I'm in the Paducah, Ky area.


I'll give Fat Moe's a rating of 4 out of a possible 10 due to service and clean eatery; the outside patio area was a nice touch. The 1/2 pound was a little too much but so what I was hungry the lettuce was the real white part of the Iceberg variety "very bitter".
$7.74 and only chips and a Coke.

All Information is copyrighted and owned by © Blair Morgan 2009

Arnold's Bar in Cincinnati, OH

This is my next hamburger joint That I want to try.

All Information is copyrighted and owned by © Blair Morgan 2009

Servantii, Pastry Shop, Cincinnati OH

April 3rd 2009 early AM and the quest has switched to a great cup of coffee along with some pretty awesome pastries for breakfast. There's a pastry shop just around the corner from where I stayed last night, looks like it is going to be my lucky day.
People are standing in line and the help is very knowledgeable, Sorry no pictures just the the satisfied customer my self of course.
I bought 9 Coffee cake rolls 9 per box, I thought I was just getting 1 instead of 9, 1 Chocolate eclair they call it a long john, and 1 cinnamon roll plus a cup of coffee. Very fair prices Starbucks needs to take lessons from Servantii.
$9.00 Very cheep price

I'll give it a 8.5 on my scale of 10 being the highest.
So I guess what I'm saying is bypass all of the Starbucks on your way to work and save your money and head on over to Servantii. YOU want be disappointed.

All Information is copyrighted and owned by © Blair Morgan 2009

Zips Cafe in Cincinnati OH

ROAD TRIP again yea!
I'm still in search of the elusive best hamburger.
Mt. Lookout Square in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Zips was established in 1926.
Everyone says Zips cafe so the search begins again it's 8:00 on a Friday night, April 2 2009.
And it is beginning to rain
As I step into the door I knew something was different how the door way was set into the building and the charm of the place from the all wood paneling the big tables and the bar area located at the back of the place.
As I sat down to order I met a waitress names Kate truly nice and very professional I ordered the basic burger with cheese and the works, and the Onion rings looked pretty good, a little overcooked for my taste but life goes on. The burger was tasty but over cooked. The lettuce was McDonald's style shredded as you can see in the picture. I had a local beer and when I got the bill it was $15.50 incl the tip.
I'll give it a 6.5 to a 7 on my scale of 10 being the highest.

Overall if I had it to do again I would have opted for Arnold's in the downtown area.
Otherwise save the money and head on over to Wendy's and save $10.00.

All Information is copyrighted and owned by © Blair Morgan 2009

Rating # 6.5 Looking for a good cup of Joe / Lattie, latte

March 28, 2009
Well it's Memphis time again or was that Miller time what ever I just spent $9.01 for a medium cup of Latte and a extra shot of espresso from the lobby in the Peabody hotel.
I guess the owners didn't get their stimulus package and they are making up the their portion on me toward the 18,500 for each tax payer WOW!
Good flavor but not $9.01 worth!
Maybe it could be the person behind the counter was looking at the area code for the phone # 901?
or maybe # 590194? on the receipt.
I will say the cups sure are nice and looks custom made, the sleeve was glued to the cup and the story about the ducks at the Peabody hotel.

I'll give it a 6.5 out of a possible 10 being the highest.
All Information is copyrighted and owned by © Blair Morgan 2009

Rating #7 Memphis Dyer's deep fried hamburgers

Well it's Saturday Night and I'm in Memphis, TN. There's a Basketball game in town 2009 NCAA Men's south regional Oklahoma Vs. North Carolina and town is alive and jumping, 15 thousand people. I'm headed to Beale street to check out the Deep fried Hamburgers at Dyer's Burgers since 1912. Ah yes the flavor of the perfect burger awaits my taste buds.
Dyer's motto is they are still using the same grease that they have been using since it all began back in 1912 "91 year old grease" maybe 1 table spoon of the grease from the end of each day is used each morning to begin the daily routine? What ever ...... If it works for them more power to them.
Chief cook we will just call him Mr. M for now. see picture above.

Now for the scoop was it good Yeaaaaaaaaaa maybe a 7 on the scale of 1 to 10 being the best.
I had 2 single burgers 1 with cheese and the other one without I believe the pepper is what threw me off, the pepper didn't work well with the basic flavor and the meat wasn't rich and full of flavor only grease. the price was a little high $3.49 for a single 6 ounces basic burger. Dbl was $4.49 at these prices it has to be spot on for me.But this is their stic. Vitamin G = Grease ? ?
Very dirty and not a place I will be back in I feel that the owners need to clean up the joint and stop counting the money and pay more attention to the clients.
The best part was meeting the people that were at the counter next to me was Ms. Athena very nice and a real delight to talk to, a paralegal and lives in Wisconsin.
Then a nice young couple walked up and ordered that was down for the game.
Phil and Kari, both gave their favorite tips on some their places that I might want to check out for the best Hamburger.
Dick's burgers in Seattle, WA was Phil's pick, well Phil I will have to get up there and go for a taste test. thanks for the tip.
According to Kari the other one was in Hudson, ID Coeur d'Alene started in 1907 sounds promising and a must see thanks Kari for the heads up.

Until the next stop the food critic is signing out check out my other blogs on coffee to deserts.
All Information is copyrighted and owned by © Blair Morgan 2009

Pink's Hotdog rates a # 6

Well it is March 3 2009 and I'm here in LA
with a friend of mine and the quest has turned to Hot dogs World famous Pinks.
Normally there is a 2 hour wait but for me and my guest it was about 30 minutes.
I opted for a Natural casing 7 to 1 hot dog made especially for Pinks by Hoffy, and I ordered a hamburger just to compare there burger to others.
The hot dog was good but the flavor had a lot to be desired.
I'll give it a 6 with 10 being the best the bun wasn't steamed, and the chili was good but not all it was cracked up to be.
The Burger left a lot and I mean a lot to be desired out of a possible 10 I will give it a 3.
I hope pinks sticks with the Hot dogs and leaves the Hamburger to the real burger joints.
All Information is copyrighted and the property of © Blair Morgan 2009

Rating #7 Acme Hamburger Salt Lake city UT hamburgers

Later that evening Friday Feburary 28th 2009 at 6:00 PM we visited the Acme Burger Company downtown Salt Lake City, UT the Bun was made by a local bakery, truly the most delisious fresh bun I've had in a long time the meat was fresh and hand formed very nice and cooked to order as requested.
But for me the meat had a unidentifable taste, yet still good. I'll give this one a 7 scoring.
It is still worth a visit also great waiter very attentive.

Now about those fresh cut sweet potato fries Very nice and cooked just right. this I wil give a 8.

The Food Critic Blair copyrighted 2009 Blair Morgan

Rating 2 "Park Cafe" Salt Lake city UT

The year is 2009 I'm conducted an exhaustive—if not scientific—survey of the best Hamburger within the good old US of A.
Scoring range 1 from the worst to the best is a 10
Yesterday Febuary 28th 2009 I had the pleasure of traveling across the US in search of the best Hamburger with my friend Joe as we arrived in Salt Lake City UT.
I started the search Via the GPS Very hard to find , finally we arrived at Park Cafe 2:45 PM they close at 3:00 we split a burger and it was NOT a 5 star place even though the sitting across from Liberity Park was nice.
The burger on my scale rated a solid 2 on a scoring of 10 basically shoe leather quality very overcooked, maybe it was due to the employees were trying to get off from work who knows.
the wait staff was fair to mediocre.
All info is copyrighted and the property of Blair Morgan 2009

Rating #5 Atlanta's GA "Buckhead" Hamburger Joint

Canyon Burgers in Atlanta, GA Buckhead had a great burger and the concept of the Sweet potato fries Nice but over cooked.
A little pricey, for the quality. Nice wait staff
Rating 5 for the Burger and a 1 for the Sweet potato fries.
Chain restaurant.

I will recomend Canyon Burgers only if Wedny's is busy and you have extra bucks to spend.

The Food Critic Blair
All info is copyrighted and the property of Blair Morgan 2009

#10 rating Hopkinsville, KY best Hamburger

The is the best Hamburger stand is in Hopkinsville, KY and possibly in the USA and this is my quest to find the best tasting hamburger.
Ferrell's is a dream come true to any Hamburger afficinado.
This little dive is named Ferrell's in the main part of town that started in 1929,
7 stools mounted to the floor, green tile work. The employees are in original period uniforms what a cool vibe. Ferrell's is open 24 hours a day and with 3 locations, original 1929 look and feel also the 90 year old owner is still alive, and taking you money as you leave.
Wendy's, White Castel everyone out there that tries to make a living in the food business close you door and go get the best Hamburger.
All info is copyrighted and the property of Blair Morgan 2009