SPECIAL SERIES
This is the final story in a three-part series featuring restaurants set to open fall 2015 at Liberty Center in Butler County’s Liberty Twp.
Already published Sunday: Rusty Bucket promises fresh but casual fare
Already published Monday: Pies & Pints is not your average pizza joint
Today: Flip Side's gourmet burgers feature a side of homemade sauces
ONLINE ONLY
Get all the news about Liberty Center in one place, with photos and videos online only at: www.journal-news.com/data/news/liberty-center-project/
There, you’ll find video from our tour of Flip Side’s Easton Town Center location, a preview of what’s to come at Liberty Center
FLIP SIDE
What: Cleveland-area based gourmet burger chain serving Ohio-raised, grass-fed beef
When: The first Cincinnati-area location opens at Liberty Center in October 2015
Where: Liberty Center is the $350 million development under construction in Liberty Twp. at the intersection of Interstate 75, Ohio 129 and Liberty Way
Website: www.flipsideburger.com
Employees: Each store employs 50-65 workers depending on restaurant size
Here’s what future diners of gourmet burger restaurant Flip Side need to know when the eatery opens this fall at Liberty Center:
• All burgers on the menu are sourced from Ohio-raised premium grass-fed beef, and price points range from $7.50 for a Simplicity Burger with lettuce, tomato and pickle, up to $16 for a Bison Burger topped with Boursin cheese, marinated Portobello mushroom and housemade steak sauce, according to the menu;
• In fact, all sauces served on the side of sandwiches and appetizers are housemade, restaurant managers say, such as the chile rubbed remoulade to dip Flip Side Onion Rings into, the smoked chili ketchup atop the Chili Pepper Burger, and the basil mayo layered on the Green Eggs + Ham Burger; and
• The burgers aren’t the only locally-sourced menu item. “We focus highly on all Ohio products,” said Chef Justin Lilly. In addition to Ohio grass-fed and Ohio-raised beef, the craft beer selection also shows love for the Buckeye State. “We have 10 handles that are specifically Ohio all the time for us and we do 20 altogether,” Lilly said.
Flip Side is among the dozen or so restaurants set to open October 2015 at the $350 million Liberty Center retail and office complex in Butler County's Liberty Twp. Other previously announced restaurants to date include Brio Tuscan Grille, Cheesecake Factory, Kona Grill, Rusty Bucket Restaurant and Tavern and Pies & Pints.
Flip Side, Kona Grill and Pies & Pints will introduce their first Cincinnati-area locations at the Butler County development.
“I think you can come here and you can have a great burger and you can have a great craft beer and enjoy the experience,” Lilly said.
“It’s something we focus on: Ohio-raised, grass-fed, locally-grown, locally-sourced. It’s one of our catches,” he said.
The Journal-News toured Flip Side’s restaurant at Easton Town Center on April 20, to give a preview of what future patrons can expect in Liberty Twp. Easton is owned by the same developer — Steiner + Associates — that’s building Liberty Center now.
At Liberty Center, Flip Side will occupy approximately 3,500-square-feet with outdoor seating and will be in the same building as the Cheesecake Factory, according to the developer.
Currently, the small but growing chain has three locations in Northeast Ohio and the one in Columbus for four sites in total, said Michael Schwartz, in charge of concept and design. Schwartz partners on the business with chefs Shawn and Tiffany Monday. A fifth location is expected to open over the next 60 days in downtown Cleveland, before the sixth site opens in northern Cincinnati, Schwartz said.
“We love Ohio. It’s our home. I just think that we’ve taken the burger concept to another level with everything from scratch,” Schwartz said.
Not a beef-eater? Flip Side also features milkshakes, salads, sides, and other sandwiches such as chicken, fish, lamb, bison and veggie options.
In addition to the focus on local, customers should notice attention to detail, touching everything from the made-from-scratch food product, to fresh grouper flown-in daily, the doorknob on the restroom and each chair customers sit in, Schwartz said.
“We try to go the extra mile with our cooking procedures and products,” he said. “It’s fine dining at burger restaurant prices.”
Liberty Center is the name of the mixed-use mega complex being built in Butler County's Liberty Twp. near the intersection of Interstate 75, Ohio 129 and Liberty Way. Three anchor tenants — Dillard's department store, dinner-and-movie theater CineBistro and Dick's Sporting Goods — have been announced along with AC Hotels by Marriott.
Estimates are for Liberty Center’s retailers, restaurants and other businesses to create approximately 3,500 new jobs in Butler County by 2018, according to Liberty Twp. Economic Development Director Caroline McKinney.
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