Sitting in what a few short years ago was a cow pasture, Buckhead Square has since blossomed into a bustling shopping strip with varied businesses, including a few eateries. In the space that used to house Jetter’s Homemade Burgers sits Jimbo’s Grill, one of the few non-chain burger joints in town. I’d been looking forward to a visit for some time, but to be honest was a bit skeptical of the Spartan menu. As grandma says, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” We had a very good meal there.

I’m a big fan of the “sloppy burger.” To me, a perfectly coiffed burger sitting on perfectly baked buns that support perfectly chopped fillings screams out “Caution! Industrial Food.” I like a hand-prepared burger with the ingredients chopped by someone who’s not worried about cutting to the exact millimeter. The burger ought to be a bit heavy in its basket. It ought to be a bit sloppy. It shouldn’t look like it was prepared at a corporate headquarters in the middle of Illinois and shipped around the world in a sterile container.

So it was heartening at Jimbo’s to see boxes of potatoes ready for cutting, and cooks pulling out handfuls of ground beef to shape into patties. Say what you will, but when they cook like that, more care goes into the whole operation.

I had been craving a burger for a few days, so there was no question for me: a cheeseburger with Swiss, lettuce, tomato and a bit of raw onion. Cooked just right, the juices mingled with the melted cheese, lettuce and tomato – this was a tasty burger.

Another burger with cheese, mayonnaise, jalapenos and pepper jack cheese was just as good as the first. The cheese and hot peppers were spicy, but not overly hot. I was particularly impressed with the crispy, crunchy freshness of the jalapenos.

The toppings here are extensive and fresh. Asking for a sandwich “Jimbo’s Way” gets the customer a heaping mound of lettuce, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, chili, cole slaw, green peppers, A1 sauce, barbecue sauce and hot sauce. It sounds good and I’ll try one like that on my next visit.

The Philly Cheese Steak came with a surprising amount of chopped bell peppers and onions and a generous helping of shaved beef. Chopped together, griddle-fried and smothered in cheese, this was my favorite dish of the meal. Jimbo’s offers American, provolone, Swiss, cheddar and pepper jack cheeses. We chose American cheese as the closest thing to a traditional Philly cheese steak (generally made with Velveeta), and it was quite good. The flavors of the meat and onions blended into each other, accented by the sharp tang of the bell peppers. Despite the burger craving that led me here, I think this was the star of the meal for me.

I also had two different kinds of fries. The regular fries weren’t bad. A standard shoestring that seemed freshly cut, and that had just come out of the fryer, it lacked a bit of salt but was otherwise pretty good. The Cajun Fries, on this outing, had already been sitting under the warmer for a while when they were served to us somewhat limp and lifeless. By the time we got them, the flavor had passed its prime. But this was probably more a function of the late hour than anything else.

On the other hand, everyone really enjoyed the thick onion rings, which had an extra crispy outer shell. One in our party, who doesn’t normally eat a lot of rings, commented that they were interesting and very good. As someone who loves onion rings, I found them quite enjoyable.

With free Wi-Fi, free soda refills and a pleasant, smoke-free atmosphere, Jimbo’s wouldn’t be a bad place to take an extended lunch. That they make good food only sweetens the deal.

— Our anonymous food reviewer gives new restaurants a six-week grace period before reviewing. To comment, contact Managing Editor Andy Dennis at 783-3235 or via e-mail to adennis

@bgdailynews.com.