I believe my list of best burgers in Cincinnati is complete.  With the opening of Fatburger in Oakley, I feel like now is the perfect time to post a list.If you've eaten at all ten of these places, let me know why my list is wrong.

1. Terry's Turf Club
2. Oakley Pub and Grill/Zola in Covington
3. Zips
4. Quantman Café
5. Herb and Thelma's
6. Arthur's
7. Fatburger
8. Habits
9. Allyn's Café
10. City View Tavern

Nearly every Saturday afternoon in the fall, I can be found at Obryon's in Obryonville enjoying some wings as my Irish throw a little more tarnish on the golden dome.  Their wings are perhaps the best in the city with their size and sauces.  Really, there is no better place in the tri-state to watch a Notre Dame game.

 Last week I went on a Sunday afternoon in the summertime, perhaps the most boring timeframe in a sports calendar.  Hoping I could capture some of that fall Saturday magic, I ordered the Pub Burger.

 The Pub burger was a dry patty with little seasoning on a huge bun.  I would say that the ratio of meat to bread was 1:3.  The cheese was a little cold which really threw off the texture consistency of the burger.  I got fries on the side that tasted like they were made on a slow Sunday afternoon after a busy weekend without a change of the grease.  All and all  this gets a 1 out of 5.  Why even 1 star?  Pretty much because of the busty-ness of the wait staff at Obryon's...

 So go on a Saturday in the fall and root on the Irish with some hot-garlic wings.  Drool over the waitresses and their skimpy outfits.  Just don't order a burger...

If the taste taht comes to your mouth with a cheeseburger is ketchup, pickle, grizzle, and grease, do not go to Terry's Turf Club in Linwood.  You'll be disappointed that this old-style looking diner doesn't serve milkshakes or shove bacon onto or burn every burger.  In fact, I think its a stretch to call the sandwhiches at Terry's to be a burger.

Clear out a good 2 hours of your day.  Terry's opens at 4:30 and there is typically a wait for a table.  After ordering, you're warned on the menu that "it's not fast food."  You will wait 45 and scarf down a pound of peanuts.  The beer list at Terry's is pretty nice.  They serve a variety of Belgium beers which can be filling with their smooth but unfiltered finishes.  Try a martini or elixer because you can't get a fresher tasting cocktail in the city.  The clientel looks as though they took a wrong turn on their way to Teller's.

The signature sauce for the burger is the Burgundy Wine, mushroom, and truffle sauce.  Try it with goat cheese and minimize the rest of the toppings.  The fries are fresh cut and you could easily share.  All burgers come medium and the wait staff passes around a giant bread knife from table to table should you have to cut your burger (you will).

All and all, this may be one of the better meals in Cincinnati let alone cheeseburgers.  I've been to Terry's 3 times in the past week and each time find something I like more.  Whether its the owner making drinks behind the bar, the over 100 neon signs, or the option of a side of foie gras; you will love this place.  It easily earns a 5 star rating.

I just ended another stop in the Summer of Weddings Tour '08.  This stop was in Alpharetta, GA about 25 minutes northeast of Atlanta.  Thanks to C.Trent I was able to find an awesome place down the street from our hotel called 5 Guys Burgers.

First of all, 5 Guys is a chain (future article on chain burgers to come).  But honestly, I didn't get the feel that I was eating at a mass production burger joint.  The regular burgers are double pattied and covered in cheese.  You chose from a broad variety of toppings.  To me, putting regular pickles on a burger is cheating the taste.  I prefer relish because you get a sweet taste that can really work with heavily seasoned patties.  5 Guys offers relish and does it right.

The burger itself was huge and served wrapped in tight foil.  Beyond tight wax paper, this is the best way to serve a burger to me.  It takes me back to the Dairy Delight burgers I used to eat as a kid in my BFE hometown in Kentucky.

But the best part may be the fries.  I went cajun and got a the regular size which was a 12 oz cup along with another 12 oz of fries dumped in the paper bag.  Perfectly seasoned and not soggy like a lot of seasoned fries tend to be.  My buddy got the large size which may have been 2 pounds of fries.

All and all, this may have been the high point of my trip.  A shake would have been nice but the simplicity of the menu and burger was more than satisfying.  As far as regular-a** burgers go, I'd give it a 4 out of 5.  To me, its only a shade under what I consider to be the best burger ever - The Burger Joint in the Parker Meridian in Manhatten.

The founding fathers didn't write on the 4th of July (they only signed) so neither could I.  I could however eat a great burger.

On a windy day, I could throw a rock and hit Allyn's Cafe in Columbia Tusculum.  They have a hodgepodge menu with Cajun, Mexican, and even some Italian.  The atmosphere is a little more than a dive and the TV per square foot ratio is pretty solid.  I've realized that while I'm looking for the perfect burger, its more than just the burger that matters.  Its the service, the beer selection, the fries, the music, and the side dishes.

For Allyn's start off with a cup of Jumbalaya.  Its spicy and sticks to your ribs.  Get your fries Cajun.  Its just a bunch of seasoning salt with some kick but it beats regular steak fries.  The beer selection is great mainly because they sell it by the sixer too.  I'm a big Bell's guy for beers but not so much Oberon.  So I go to my old stand by...Dogfish Head.

And finally the burger.  Its in my top 5 of the city.  Its thick and has great spices.  They don't load on a bunch of onion, lettuce, or mayo which is great.  The burger comes with spicy mustard which should be mandatory.  I chose cheddar for my cheese choice but I think pepperjack would be great too.  Its 4 out of 5 stars here only because the patty itself seemed a little too neat.  Almost like it could have been JTM.  However, if you spice it up right, you could eat just about anything.

Since that was Thursday, I have to get another burger in this week before I go nomad and head to New Orleans.  Hopefully I can make a stop down at Terri's Turf Club.