Davidsons Restaurant Bacon Cheeseburger

Davidson's Restaurant - Austintown, Ohio
From the looks of the restaurant, it appears small on the outside but once you walk inside, there are plenty of rooms with many a tables. Don't be concerned if the parking lot is full, there will be a table for you inside.

This evening I was intrigued by one of the appetizers, the "Mini Corndogs." Yes, corndogs! There were 10 of them, dipped in batter and browned to a nice crunch. I was surprised at how good they were.

My main course was the half pound bacon cheeseburger with fair fries. The burger was well done as specified, the bun fresh, the cheese melted and thank goodness the bacon was cooked. (I hate when I order a bacon cheeseburger and there is soggy uncooked bacon on top) The burger was delicious.

The fries to my surprise, were fantastic. I am in search of the elusive "Idora Park" french fry taste and this night was the closest I came. On a Idora Park scale of 1 to 10, these fries were a 9. The texture, the taste, the look, feel, the presentation, all Idora Park like. Only thing missing was the white paper cone holder that Idora fries came in.

Completing the meal was a slice of cheesecake topped with strawberries. It was very good and ended the meal on a high note.

The reason for 4 stars and not 5, the service is a tad lacking. No offense to the wait staff, they are working hard, but they are spread to thin. Our waitress was covering an entire room, which was to much for one to handle. Management needs to add more help.

The Grassy Knoll Institute scores 4 out of 5 shots and recommends Davidson's for dinner.

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Wendy’s Natural Cut Fries

Wendys Natural Cut Fries

Wendy’s fast food restaurant had some pretty tasty french fries in the past but in a bold move, much like Coca-Cola did in the past, changed up the recipe and hoped for the best. Unlike Coke, Wendy’s bold move paid off.

I saw all the commercials touting Wendy’s Natural Cut Fries with sea salt made from whole russet potatoes. On my way home, I stopped at the drive through for some fries. The attendant asked, “Welcome to Wendy’s, may I take your order?” Feeling saucy, I replied, “No thanks, I’m just looking!” After several moments of awkward silence, I ordered a large order of the new fries. (Please pull forward to the second window)

The cost: $1.69 for the large. The order was correct and delivered in a quick fashion. The fries were fresh and hot. The container was full, a very fair portion.

To the taste: As stated above, Wendy’s fries were very good in the past, but the new fresh-cut fries are outstanding. They were well cooked, not soggy, not to crunchy, and the sea salt or whatever was just the right spice. These were some damn good fries. Not Idora Park level, (The ultimate fry) but very good.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 4.25 out of 5 shots and recommends Wendy’s Natural Cut Fries for lunch and dinner.

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Old Firehouse Winery - Cheeseburger And Fries

Old Firehouse Menu

We decided to go to Geneva on Wednesday September 1st for one last hurrah for the Summer. I placed a call to Time Square restaurant to make sure they would be open knowing that most of the work force on the strip had went back to school. They assured me they would be open at 10 am and close later that evening. Into the car we went for the 90 minute drive. The photo below is what we found when we arrived. Time Square Restaurant was boarded up and closed. Apparently for the rest of the year.

Blatant Liars

The bastards lied to us. However, the Grassy Knoll Diner always has a contingency plan. Right down the corner is the Old Firehouse Winery and Restaurant. We knew they were open. They stay true to their word.

Old Firehouse Winery Cheeseburger

We made the short trek to the winery and found the restaurant open of course. Martina was our waitress and spoke perfect Russian. And pretty good English as well. She brought us menu's immediately and took our orders. I selected the "Zippo" cheeseburger. A half pound of pure ground beef, American cheese, chips and salsa. In less than ten minutes our order was delivered to our table. The cost was $8.25

The cheeseburger was cooked to perfection. The bun was fresh and warm. The taste was excellent. The beef had a unique taste and combined with the cheese and bun, it was high on the list for cheeseburger lore. I had a few chips because I also ordered the french fries.

Idora Park Worthy Fries

I also ordered a side of fresh cut french fries. The cost was $3.95 and let me tell you, they were well worth it. As you can see, the basket of fries were plentiful. They were well cooked, hot and crunchy, not burnt or soggy. I am always in search for the elusive Idora Park french fries and the Old Firehouse Winery came very close. They are the best fries on the Geneva On The lake strip. Better than Eddie's Grill, better than Time Square Restaurant. There, I said it.

Chicken Tenders

My son also ordered the Chicken Tender strips. The cost was $7.35 for the order. My son stated that they were some of the best chicken tenders he ever had the pleasure to eat. All through our lunch, Martina was very attentive which is why she received a very generous tip.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 5 out of 5 shots and recommends The Old Firehouse Winery for lunch and dinner.

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Sandwich Factory French Fries

Idora Park French Fries

The Grassy Knoll Diner is in a constant search for french fries comparable to the iconic Idora Park fries. Some have come close, but so far, none have been spot on.

However, surprisingly, the Boardman, Ohio Sandwich Factory on Market Street comes close. (I know, I was just as surprised as you) On a whim, I ordered a standard order of fries along with my sandwich. The cost was $2.50 for the fries.

When I got the fries home, I opened them and spilled them out. For $2.50, the order was adequate. They were hot and just crunchy enough, lightly salted and they smelled good. (Sometimes when fries are cooked in old grease, they have a bad odor to them. Not these fries) The taste was very good. Not Idora Park quality, but good nonetheless.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 4 out of 5 shots and recommends Sandwich Factory Fries for lunch and dinner.

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