I really wanted to like Flipdaddy’s Burgers and Beers in Mariemont’s on Wooster Pike. Locally owned, burgers, beer. It checked all of the right boxes in my mind. I wanted to like Flipdaddy’s so much so that we even ventured out of the house on the coldest night of the year about a week ago when it would have made a whole lot more sense to curl up on the couch with a hot bowl of chili. I kind of wish that I would have stayed in for the night.

If you asked me what I hated about Flipdaddy’s, I would probably not be able to come up with anything other that the fact that the interior temperature was nearly as cold as the exterior temperature that night. I literally wore my wool peacoat the entire time I was eating. But that small fact aside, nothing was so offensive that I feel compelled to tell everyone about it. On the flip side, (get it? Flip side. Now I fancy myself a comedian as well. You’re welcome.) there was nothing that I care enough about that I want to tell all my friends about it either. Meh.

I think the best part of my evening was the sample of Blank Slate Opera Cream Stout that the server was kind enough to bring me to try. As some of you may know, Opera Cream Torte from The Bonbonnerie is my favorite dessert in the whole wide world so when I heard that Blank Slate Brewing Company was collaborating with The Bonbonnerie to create a stout beer flavored with Opera Cream coffee beans I was over the moon. It was very heavy, as is typical for a stout, but met and exceeded my every expectation. It was probably not a beer that would pair well with a burger so I ordered a Brooklyn Lager with my dinner. On a side note, the server also pointed out the Blank Slate Three Way Porter, which she erroneously said was flavored like Cincinnati style chili. Sounds nasty, right? In actuality it is flavored to complement Cincinnati chili, but I didn’t have the heart to correct her.

I did actually really like the Beer Cheese appetizer served with pretzel bites that were almost drenched in garlic butter. In my opinion it is very difficult to mess up pretzels, but these were better than most, crunchy on the outside and chewy and warm on the outside. The chicken noodle soup was good as well, or maybe we were just freezing and boiling water would have been delicious. I guess we will never know.

I ordered the French Connection burger, served with a somewhat bland aioli, crispy fried red onion straws, and boursin cheese. Boursin is a soft cheese, not unlike cream cheese, but seasoned with garlic and herbs. While I ordered the burger medium rare, it was delivered to the table nearly medium well. Perhaps the chefs were shivering as well and were unable to accurately cook my burger to temperature. I think I was expecting something akin to the renowned Boursin burger from Arthur’s in Hyde Park. Needless to say I was somewhat disappointed. The burger was closer to a JTM frozen burger that might be served at a tailgate than a gourmet burger at an independent restaurant. The fries also fell into the so-so category.

Flipdaddy’s has big ambitions in the Cincinnati market. In addition to the flagship Mariemont location, there are also outposts in Symmes Township and Union, as well as another under construction at Newport Pavilion. They are clearly aiming for a mass market approach, which is exactly what they seem to be achieving. In my humble opinion, I don’t think that’s a good thing. I suppose that there are many worse things to put in your mouth than Flipdaddy’s, but in a town with burgers like Quatman’s, Zip’s, Terry’s Turf Club, and even Oakley Pub, there are so many better things too.