Reflections on Fiji water, Julia Child and Burger Chef
Welcome to another sweltering hot Wednesday in Greater Cincinnati. I know this newsletter is supposed to be about food, but let's make sure we all drink plenty of water today, too, alright?
Also, speaking of water: I have a strange obsession with Fiji Water and I don't know why. Maybe it's the happy hibiscus flower on every bottle. Maybe it tastes better. Or maybe I'm just a sucker for good marketing. Either way, I always buy it when I see it (usually in the checkout line at my local Walgreens). This, despite the fact that its square bottle design doesn't fit into my cup holder.
Anyway, on to some more interesting food and drink related items that are on my mind this week.
Where can I get some good walleye in this town?
We drove up to my in-laws' house in Vermilion, Ohio, for the annual Festival of the Fish celebration this past weekend. The three-day event is meant to celebrate Lake Erie, namely the delicious perch and walleye it provides. And I partook wholeheartedly, eating more than my fair share of both.
I know Lent is usually peak fish season here in Cincinnati, but I always crave it more during the summertime when the idea of a belly bomb burger isn’t very appetizing.
One of my favorite local spots for fish sandwiches is the Grove Park Grille in Cincinnati’s East End. While this often overlooked restaurant offers a good walleye platter (grilled or fried), my go-to is the New England Reuben, with lightly battered cod on toasted rye with Swiss, coleslaw and house-made dressing. I urge you to try it out for yourself.
On Julia Child
I watched the first episode of the HBO Max limited series "Julia" last night and was surprised by how much I liked it. It’s not that I don’t like Julia herself. She was a genius. But with the recent onslaught of documentaries, movies and even a cooking competition show about Child, I figured I knew everything I needed to about her.
"Julia," though, reawakened my interest in Child simply through the art of good storytelling. The first episode follows Child after the publication of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" as she tries to persuade the producers of WGBH TV in Boston to give her a cooking show of her own.
The dialogue, design and pace of the show reminded me a bit of the Netflix show "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," which (I later learned) makes sense since the two shows were created by the same person – Daniel Goldfarb. And then there's the food. I can't remember a TV show that's made food look so enticing. The close-ups, the cracks of eggs for a perfect French omelet and the sizzle of the sole meuniere Child prepares in the first scene remind you just how rewarding it was when first-time readers of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" learned how to make them at home.
Remember Burger Chef?
I was going through some of the Enquirer’s photo archives the other day and came across a picture of a pile of old Burger Chef signs destined for a dumpster. I don’t know if any of you remember Burger Chef, but it was a popular chain throughout the Midwest, including Greater Cincinnati in the 1970s and '80s. While it was founded in Indianapolis in 1954, to me, at least, the place always felt like it was born and raised here.
Sadly, after it was sold to Hardee’s in 1982, Burger Chef quickly disappeared (hence the photo I mentioned above).
It was actually a favorite spot for my mother and me when I was a kid. After we moved here in the summer of 1979, I was the weird new kid in the neighborhood and it took me a while (about a year) to make any friends. Noting my pathetic social life, Mom took it upon herself to drive me to the Mount Washington Burger Chef, where we would order our food and take it to Stanley Park for picnics.
Because of the sacred status Burger Chef played in our relationship, I was downright angry when that Mount Washington location was turned into a Hardee's, a restaurant with which I still have a strained relationship (even though I’ll admit they serve a pretty solid biscuit). Anyway, stay tuned for a deep-dive story I’m writing about the history of this forgotten chain and what it meant to me and to Cincinnati in general.
Well, have a great week, everybody. Also, keep an eye out for my list of the 15 best restaurants in Cincinnati, which is scheduled to publish this weekend.
Keith Pandolfi covers food and dining for The Enquirer/Cincinnati.com. Click here for his most recent articles, and follow his latest dining adventures on Instagram @keithpandolfi or via the At the Table newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reflections on Fiji water, Julia Child and Burger Chef
