Terry’s Turf Club: A Damn Good Burger

Terry’s Turf Club opened its doors in 2007, and has been serving unique, exceptional burgers to Cincinnati’s Eastside in the time since. The Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives even did a feature on them in 2010. I’d heard a lot about this restaurant, but for some reason I hadn’t made my way to it. It did not disappoint.

The exterior and interior incorporated an eclectic blend of neon-lit and mechanical signs, which are exhibited throughout. Apparently, the owner has been a sign collector since the 1970’s, and he displayed many of the same signs at his former restaurant (Neon’s).

The interior was a bit cramped, especially with it being a busy evening, but while you are waiting you can order up a pint and take a seat in the lobby to bide the time. The bar featured a few different drafts from breweries around town, including Bad Tom’s Brewery, which we would learn (through our bartender/server) is practically next door. I ended up grabbing some kind of porter, I want to say one of Rhinegeist’s, but I don’t recall the name of it. Fortunately, we only had to wait about ten minutes before a couple of spots opened at the bar and the host offered to seat us there.

The menu had a couple of fascinating options you might not expect from a burger joint, like Foie Gras and Scallops with Lychees, but for my first visit, at least, I knew I had to give their burger a try. There were so many different upgrade options that choosing what to put on mine was difficult. First, you chose your protein. A regular burger, grilled chicken or salmon, or even a large portabella mushroom cap. Then they offered up 12 different cheeses: your basics, such as American or Swiss, and slightly more adventurous options, including Halloumi and Manchego. You could add specific toppings, like Mushrooms, Bacon or Lump Crab and Lobster Cake. Then they had the specialty sauces, including Dilly Blue (crème fraiche, buttermilk, bleu cheese, capers, shallots, dill, pink peppercorns, and lemon zest) and Mango Tequila Jalapeno. I ended up ordering mine with all of the toppings included in the base price (currently $8.95): Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, and banana peppers, but had the cook grill the onions and peppers. I c
hose to add their “Foghorn Leghorn” sauce, which included garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, sage, thyme, apricot, shallot, onion, and pear balsamic. I also subbed for onion rings at an additional charge ($3.50).

If you love a good burger, you know how difficult it can sometimes be to get it cooked the way you want it. Many places say they cook to order, but it doesn’t always come out that way, even if you send it back. I personally cannot eat a burger if it’s cooked beyond medium. It ruins it for me. I ordered mine medium-rare, and it was absolutely perfect. Thick, juicy, and full of flavor from the spices and sauce. Apparently, they highly recommend you don’t cut into your burger (something about letting too many of its juices out), but I didn’t find it to be an issue at all and my server was very forgiving of my faux pas. It certainly made it much easier to eat, and still deliciously messy. It truly may have been the best burger I’ve ever had.

Apparently, on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, Guy Fieri recommended the filet mignon and pork tenderloin chili, so I may have to try it on my next visit. I have also read that the Burgundy Wine w/Mushrooms & Truffles sauce is a fan favorite and it certainly sounds delightful.

I would definitely recommend Terry’s if someone asked me where he or she could find a great burger. The host and bartenders were super friendly and helpful. One even suggested one of two beers for me to enjoy, and the one I chose, Bad Tom’s Fink (a Red Rye), was a good recommendation. It’s not going to be your best bet if you’re looking for something quick or if you’re looking for a quiet evening out, but it is definitely a place you’ll want to experience if you find yourself in Cincinnati. Just keep in mind that price can add up if you’re not careful (all those wonderful upgrades)!

Terry’s Turf Club

4618 Eastern Avenue

Cincinnati, OH 45226

(513) 533-4222

Open Wednesday-Sunday at 11 A.M.
Closed Monday and Tuesday

A Fun, Relaxing, and Productive Weekend

This is just a quick update to say I had a nice 4-day weekend this past weekend! I had taken Friday off because the new couch I purchased from Morris/Ashley Furniture was to arrive, and I still needed to use up some carryover paid time off. My couch showed up right on time at the beginning of my delivery window, and I like it so far! It’s one of those chaise styles with microfiber upholstery. The quality isn’t the greatest in the world, but I was going for inexpensive, so I would say it’s a good deal for the price. It feels comfortable at least, and I definitely love the color. I’ll just have to see how it holds up over time. I have included a picture of it featuring my hipster animal pillows (I’m going through a nerdy animal phase).

I think I’m going to use that coffee table you can kind of see in the picture as my TV Stand. I don’t currently have one, and I think having both of those pieces of furniture would leave things more cramped in the apartment than I would prefer. I also hung up some art this weekend, so maybe I’ll post a few more pictures once I have everything set up and cleared of the moving clutter. You’d think I would by now considering I technically moved in on January 2^nd, but it has been a slow process. Just going through my mountain of clothing has taken weeks, but I’m finally nearly done with that.

Prior to the weekend, my sister had texted to let me know my brother-in-law’s shop had a high chance of flooding (over the weekend). They have been allowing me to store some of my things in the attic space of the shop, but some of the bins were still downstairs at flood level. My boyfriend and I headed there with my brother-in-law Saturday morning and knocked it out in an hour. I have too much stuff.

It’s fortunate that we were able to make it there because it did end up flooding and some of the streets we use to get there are currently blocked due to water. I wish I would have taken some pictures, but it wasn’t really significant enough to record anything as of that morning. Now it looks like people need boats in a few spots!

I plan to add additional posts shortly with reviews about Terry’s Turf Club, Bad Tom Brewery, and Latitudes Bar & Bistro, all of which I visited this past weekend for the first time.

2018 Goals Part 4: Improve My Self-Confidence in All Aspects of My Life

Oh, now this one’s the tough one. A lifelong issue made worse through my constant lack of trust in myself to make the right decisions, especially at the right time. I am soooo insecure and it’s become gross. This issue has affected my career, my relationships, and my ability to create and maintain friendships. It has prevented me from moving forward or letting go of many things in my life, and it’s past due time to change that.

I’m not completely sure where it all stems from. I suppose I can partially blame it on an alcoholic father who became verbally abusive when he drank, though fortunately he was only home on weekends so we probably didn’t get the full effect of his mistreatment. I’m sure the death of one of my best friends at the age of fifteen didn’t help. I have two other theories as well:

1. Perfectionism

My perfectionism emerges most obviously as the comparison of myself to others. “Harry’s painting is so awesome, and mine looks like two birds shit all over a windshield.” “Susie has rock hard abs. She’s naturally beautiful and has a sparkling, go-getter personality. She’s also very kind. Oh no, my boyfriend’s going to drop me as soon as he talks to her!” It doesn’t matter that Harry’s been working on his technique for over 20 years or that Susie has been working out five days a week for the past 3 years (and may have been blessed with certain other traits or attributes from the start) to get that hot bod. I should be able to do that/look like this now.

So maybe more importantly, being a perfectionist causes me to berate myself for not being better. If I’m not perfect, which I consciously realize is impossible, then I have failed. If I ran my best mile, I could have run faster or longer or done it in world record time.

Strangely, my experience with perfectionism has most often played out as a form of mental paralysis. Where other perfectionists are overachieving and still believing they come up short, I have tended to avoid doing anything at all if I don’t believe I can be the best or at least know how to do it well on my first try. I haven’t wanted to put in the work if I won’t ultimately be able to achieve something close to perfection. If I do something well, I tend to write it off as, “anyone could have done that.” I used to pride myself on being a “jack of all trades,” but now I understand that I just never allowed myself to master a one.

2. Overthinking

My mind never shuts down completely. Most often, I’m worried or anxious about something I’ve said or done (or not done). For instance, I’ll replay an event repeatedly in my mind to analyze how it could have turned out if I had done this or that differently. Even simple decisions become more complicated because I want to weigh out every possible scenario in my mind before I take action. The uncertainties of life cripple me. I constantly second-guess myself or play out “what-if” scenarios in my mind, typically ones with negative outcomes. My inner critic kicks my ass on a daily basis.

I think coming up with such theories is extremely helpful in understanding what’s brought you to a certain place. At some point, though, you have to take responsibility for the fact that you’re almost 38 years old and you’re still letting these issues, particularly ones related to the past, hold you back. We can’t change what has happened to us, or the mistakes we've made along the way, but we can always strive to be better, to do better, for ourselves and for the other people we choose to allow into our lives.

I’ve been thinking a lot about ways in which I can overcome these confidence and self-esteem issues, and slay my insecurity. I feel like I’m halfway there. I believe half the battle is in consciously understanding yourself and where things are going wrong or holding you back. Only then can you create an action plan for moving forward. I’m not sure I know exactly everything I need to move forward yet, but I have some basic ideas for where I can start:

• Write more. It has always helped me discover and re-discover myself and it makes me feel accomplished because I’m always referring to myself as a writer, but I’ve been a wannabe for a very long time. I’d like to ultimately write fiction, but for now, my renewed blog is helping me make writing a habit.
• Read more. I used to read all the time. A lot of fiction and non-fiction. I think I need to get back to this. I’d like to read some classics and teach myself some new things. Maybe I’ll read some self-help guru type of stuff. The goal is to to keep my mind distracted on something positive.
• Pep Talks. Ted Talks? YouTubes? Dave Ramsey podcasts? There are different perspectives out there for everything. I know none of these things can make the change, but I’ve found that you sometimes need some little piece of advice at the right time and it ends up setting you off on a new journey.
• Keep putting myself out there. I need to take small risks so I can gain a bit of confidence to work up to the bigger ones. Sometimes I’d like to be that person who jumps right in without a second thought, but baby steps for now. I have to learn to trust myself first.

Getting healthier and stronger, plus continuing to meet new people through my Meetup adventures, should also go a long way in helping me feel like myself again, or better yet, becoming the person I’m meant to be.