by Robert Deckard

Created on: March 30, 2009   Last Updated: March 31, 2009

When asked for their favorite cuisine, some folks will profess their love of Italian cooking. Others have a hankering for spicy Mexican dishes or the bite of Indian food. You won't hear any of those words roll off my tongue when offering up my favorite vittles.

Nope. Having lived in Northwest Ohio my entire life, it is blue collar all the way, and nothing represents that lifestyle better than the good old American cheeseburger. If you have not already guessed, I am American fare all the way and at the top of the list is the hamburger topped with a slab of American cheese.

But you are not reading this to learn someone's life story or be told the history of the hamburger. You love the cheeseburger and want to know what part of the world has the best one. Look no further than Hamway's on the Main in Sylvania, OH, a suburb of Toledo.

Hamway's is a quiet, unassuming restaurant tucked into a strip mall just off of Monroe Street, a rather busy road in the town. Stepping through the front door, you will find a wet bar to the right, equipped with a smattering of TVs above it on which to watch sports.

To the left is the restaurant section of the eatery, separated from the bar by a low wall so that diners can enjoy the games on the televisions as well. The dim lighting throughout allows the patrons easy escape from the bustle outside. Remember, this is the industrial, northwest corner of Ohio, not the glitzy strip of Las Vegas.

Upon perusing the menu, the usual American staples such as steak, chicken breast sandwiches, and perch appeared alongside the available beverages. When trying out a new restaurant, however, I only need to find the cheeseburger.

I found it of course, and was a little leery of the $6.99 price tag affixed. But, not one to shy away from the prospect of discovering a new favorite burger, I took the risk. It did come with a side dish (it's a cheeseburger, go with the fries), so that helped alleviate the worry of an overpriced experience.

The cheeseburger comes topped with your choice of American, Swiss, or cheddar cheese and your choice of lettuce, tomato, and onion. Bacon, fried onion, and mayonnaise can be added for a little extra cash. Here was a restaurant that appreciated the basics.

Not to discount Red Robin or other gourmet burger joints, but sometimes cheeseburgers without the glitz and the glamour are what is called for. At the end of the day, it is a hamburger, not a herb-and-spice burger. Being a no-frills kind of guy, I went the American cheese, lettuce, and onion route.

After a very short wait, our friendly waitress arrived with the burger. The reason behind the slightly above-average price soon became unflinchingly clear to me this thing was huge. The side of French fries was huger. The beef patty itself was perfect. Being a stubborn mule, I insist on well-done hamburgers. The cooks in the back earned their stripes on this day.

The burger was grey all the way through and the juice was still flowing. Even better, they did not create some artificial flavor with tons of seasoned salt or garlic powder; this is blue-collar country, after all.

There was simply a hint of pepper, allowing the taste of the meat to stand on its own. It was delicious; that smooth Angus flavor, seared on the top and bottom and cooked to perfection. The lettuce was crisp and the onion was firm. The helping of French fries was still huge.

I needed a take-home box that day. I had once heard tell of these boxes, but until now, had never encountered one. So if you are ever in the Toledo, OH area, (yes, there are fun things to do here) head on down Monroe Street into Sylvania and stop by Hamway's on the Main. The take-home boxes are free.

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