19th
Mayberry
I’ve heard a great deal of buzz about Mayberry since it opened so I finally had to see what all of the hype was about. I’ve now been twice, once for dinner on their second evening of patronage and once for lunch just last week. In short, it has lived up to expectations.
Behind an unassuming café façade at 915 Vine, Mayberry delivers complete satisfaction on simple, varying menu items.The cafe is quite small, with 3 (or maybe 4) tables for four, and “bar” seating for ten along the wall. They also do not take reservations so take care planning the time of your visit: for dinner, it was not too crowded around 8PM on a Saturday (although we were informed of our luckiness), and for lunch I would suggest arriving around 11:45AM (as per whatiatethisweek’s review.) Also of note, the restaurant does not have a liquor license so its BYOB — something common in Chicago but rare for Cincinnati; another added benefit to the already inexpensive fare ($8 burger) which could make a wonderful meal with liquid accompaniment for only a modest price.
At dinner you are greeted with a unique place setting:
Being the engineer that I am, I particularly enjoyed the napkin/menu holder “ring” that is largely obscured from view. It’s a simple utilitarian piece of extruded aluminum with one improvement, a horizontal slot that allows a menu to be placed in the ring, standing it at attention. While this is a very simple design, I have not seen it employed at any other establishment.
Both my accomplice and I ordered the burger based on prior recommendation — It was delightful, but unfortunately I have no picture to show. It’s an ~8oz patty with grilled onions mixed into the ground beef, topped with two strips of bacon and a poached egg! While the egg may just seem like protein/cholesterol overkill, I enjoyed the addition - the runny yolk provided additional moisture and flavor to an already perfect burger. The side of macaroni was as cheesy as it comes and very enjoyable although some palates may consider it too rich (my experience was borderline.) It was a fantastic meal for just over $20 including tip. You’ve really got to wonder why people still order burgers at Blackfinn, Cadillac Ranch, and Rock Bottom Brewery with this place just a couple blocks away!
During lunch, food was ordered at the counter, and then brought to our seating. I ordered the tuna melt for variety while my foodie friend ordered the burger. The tuna melt was alright but a bit on the unremarkable side and not on par with the aforementioned burger that my friend ordered which left me drooling. Too bad I don’t work downtown or I would have to add Mayberry to my weekly rotation. Next time I return, I’ll continue working down the menu, or stick with the burger.
Also interesting is the décor, while the restaurant is on the spartan and “run-of-the-mill” side, there is some interesting artwork — geometric objects and Cincinnati cityscapes which appears to have been “drawn” in Sharpie. I did not try to confirm this speculation but I’d put a couple dollars on it.
In terms of numbers I’d give:
Food – 24
Décor – 16
Service – 22
Food rating suffered a bit based on my experience with the tuna melt, and service was as good as expected given the price and role the restaurant fills and counter lunchtime. I think Josh Campbell has done a quality job and look forward to surprises in the future! All in all I’m quite impressed — who wants to come with me next? I’m going to try to Sloppy Josh — which is their namesake according to a recent twitter update.
