A Hamburger Today - AHT: Chicago

Chicago, IL: Dense Beef at Old Town Social

2013-04-05T14:45:00Z

The Animal Style burger. [Photographs: Dennis Lee]

Old Town Social

455 West North Avenue, Chicago, IL 60610 (map); 312-266-2277; oldtownsocial.com.com
Cooking Method: Griddled and grilled
Short Order: The ingredients are solid, but the beef is just too dense
Price: OTS Burger, $13, Animal Style burger, $11; fried pickles, $4; fries, $5

Let's rewind the clock to about a month back, when I was in Las Vegas for a trade show for my day job. I'd been working for three straight days, I was finally done, and I had only a few hours before my flight back to Chicago. I only had one mission: To get a burger from In-n-Out. So I cabbed my little Korean butt to the nearest In-N-Out ($13.50 cab fare each way, ouch) to get...that's right, an Animal Style burger. We don't have those here, and that is the saddest thing in the world, other than my incessant jokes. It was fast food heaven.

Fast forward back to present time, where I've been daydreaming about an Animal Style burger ever since. I'm doing my AHT research when Old Town Social popped into my brain, after doing this Mac and Cheese Roundup, and it turns out they have an Animal Style burger. I cried with joy, the tears streaming down my face, as I stepped into the pouring rain, looking into the sky, Shawshank Redemption style.

The Animal Style burger ($11) comes out looking sexy, wrapped up tightly in a little brown paper number, dressed with lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, cheddar cheese, sweet homemade bread and butter pickles, and Thousand Island. Because it's griddled, the server let me know beforehand that it'd come out either medium or medium-well, and that's precisely how it arrived, with a nice layer of griddled crust. But once I sliced it open, I knew something was up.

As you can see from the picture, the meat is dense, with a fine grind, and upon first bite, you'll notice the texture is chewier than it should be, similar to breakfast sausage. I have two theories: that the meat is a superfine grind and packed tightly, or that the meat is pre-salted before cooking, which is a burger sin. Just ask Kenji. Due to the texture, I'm leaning towards the latter.

The OTS Burger ($13) is also picture perfect, dressed with Gruyère, crisp bacon, and an egg, a tried and true combination of toppings. The Gruyère is very mild and its nutty Swiss-ness gets lost from the bacon and vinegary sweetness of the pickles.

But again, the meat suffers from the same problem. Even though it's cooked to the requested temperature, the texture is still disconcertingly like sausage—perhaps even more so due to the patty being bigger. It's a fatal flaw. All the ingredients are high-quality, from the sweet eggy bun, to the ketchup, to the beef itself, which is butchered in-house, so the execution on the beef is puzzling to me.

The fried pickles ($4) are like puffy beignets with sweet bread and butter pickles hidden in the middle. The pickles are very sweet, almost like candy, tempered somewhat by the batter and the spicy aioli (which isn't too spicy).

The Belgian-style frites ($5) are thin and blonde, but they do have a light crispness to them. The house-made ketchup is sweet and heavy on the toasted clove, which lends a strong spiced flavor to the condiment. There's aioli, too, which doesn't have much of a taste in and of itself, so take it or leave it.

Chef Jared Van Camp even mills his own flour at his other restaurant, Nellcôte, so it's disappointing the patty on the burger doesn't do the beef justice. Justice, that's it. In the end, that's what the beef needs. Sweet, sweet, justice.

About the author: After a failed attempt at starting a chain of theme restaurants called "Smellen Keller," Dennis Lee traveled the world to discover his true passion. Sadly, midwifery didn't pan out. Now he works in a cubicle, and screws around as much as possible. Follow his shenanigans on Twitter.

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Chicago, IL: Get Your Goat On at Little Goat

2013-02-22T15:30:00Z

The Korean Burger with goat patty. [Photographs: Dennis Lee]

Little Goat

820 W Randolph St, Chicago IL 60607 (map); 312-888-3455; littlegoatchicago.com
Cooking Method: Griddled
Short Order: If you're willing to explore, definitely try the Korean Burger with a goat patty. For traditionalists, the All American is satisfying too.
Price: Korean Burger with goat, $12; All American, $12, Wing Style Burger, $11; smoked fries, $5; onion rings and fried pickles, $7

Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard is the chef and co-owner of wildly popular Girl and the Goat, and Little Goat is her foray into good old-fashioned American diner food. Of course, her diner's got a fine-dining twist with some interesting ideas tossed in along the way, one of them being a goat meat hamburger—I mean, the place is called Little Goat. Did you expect any less?

When you order, you have three choices of patty—beef, goat, or veggie—then you pick a style. My favorite is easily the Korean Burger ($12) with, yes, the goat meat, which comes as sort of a surprise to me. The tender, griddled goat patty has a bit of funky gaminess to it, which isn't overpowering, but you can tell it's not beef. Another difference is its texture is a little softer. It's decked with kimchi, bacon, fried egg, and spicy mayo on what they call a "squish-squash" roll.

The autopsy shot reveals a thick, pub-style, medium-rare patty. The waitress said that all burgers typically come medium-well to well-done, but all the burgers we ordered came out at medium-rare, which is what I wanted anyway. It's a mess, with all the egg yolk dripping down the sides. The toasted springy orange-colored bun is buttery, much like brioche, and is sweet. The kimchi is done admirably well, though not quite like my aunt's; it's heavy on the fish sauce, and surprisingly, rather than a young kimchi, has a good bite of acid, meaning it's seen some aging. If I had to nitpick, the bacon flavor is almost too powerful for the burger. As a whole, this is definitely a burger to check out, especially if you like really strong flavors which work very well with goat meat.

The All-American Burger ($12) has the same flavor setup as a Big Mac, with American cheese, pickles, onion, lettuce, tomato, and "special sauce," which is pretty much Thousand Island, all on a sesame seed bun. The meat sports an impressive crust, meaning it's cooked on a ripping-hot flattop, with a coarser grind than the goat. The quality of the beef is solid, and as the waitress was kind enough to inform me that it's definitely never frozen. The toasted sesame seed bun is sturdy and holds up for most of the experience.

Overall, since I'm a fan of Big Macs in general, for me, this is another successful burger. On the other hand, my friend who isn't a fan of Big Macs thinks the dressing is too strong. It's really up to your personal preference.

The Wing Burger ($11) is okay in theory—we've seen buffalo wing burgers on AHT before, done with some success—but this one just doesn't work. The wing sauce just doesn't have enough vinegar kick to it, and somehow the flavor of butter puzzlingly overwhelms the entire burger, even though it's covered with frizzled onions, celery, and blue cheese. I realize butter is a component to wing sauce, but in this case, it hogs the spotlight.

The smoked fries ($5) come out in a gigantor bowl and are of the slim, skin-on, hand-cut variety. Don't let the word "smoked" get in the way—the smoke flavor is undetectable, and they turn out to be a well-executed mountain of French fries.

For another side, there's the fried pickles and onion rings ($7), which come mixed together. They're fried in a tempura-style batter and served with ranch and a curry mayo. My first bite into what I thought was an onion ring came with a bit of a surprise—the onions are pickled too. Personally, I think I'd rather eat a regular onion ring, especially when it's served on a plate with fried pickles. The batter is light and airy, but like all tempura, when it sits for too long, the crust gets soggy with oil rather quickly. Out of the two dipping sauces, I much prefer the bold-ass deep yellow curry mayo to the lighter, milder, and thinner ranch, which reminds me of raita.

Little Goat's menu is distracting, and I won't blame you for going for breakfast, sandwiches, or the "Kimchee & Bacon & Eggs & Pancakes Asian Style Breakfast Tasty Thing," (you get a pass for that name just once, Stephanie). Everything on the menu has plenty of fun thrown in. But if you're in the mood for a burger, definitely try the Korean goat burger. I'll be baaaaaaaaack (get it?). And, also, watch this video:

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Chicago, IL: The Ace Burger is Up Your Ace at Three Aces

2013-01-03T15:00:00Z

The Ace Burger [Photographs: Dennis Lee]

Three Aces

1321 West Taylor Street, Chicago IL 60607 (map); 312-243-1577; threeaceschicago.com
Cooking Method: Grilled
Short Order: Order the Ace Burger easy on the bacon jam, and it's one great burger.
Price:Ace Burger, $13; add bolognese to fries, $3

Multiple people have told me that the burger at Three Aces is, well, aces (see what I did there?). I wanted to see if my mouth agreed with them, so I headed down to University Village with Betty, my beat up, broke-ass looking Honda. But when I first set foot into Three Aces, I was immediately miffed at the fact that the place was pitch black, which meant that taking photos of the food would not be easy. In fact, I almost turned around and walked away.

But then I noticed that all the televisions were pumping out a foreign film (read: softcore porn), and so I was convinced to stay. It was a difficult decision. If you think a nice red wine or a crisp beer is a perfect pairing for a hamburger, you'd be wrong. Apparently, it's boobies. So, now faced with the issue of darkness ruining my chance at photos, I scoped out the rest of the place with no luck—except for the well-lit photo booth in the corner.

Yes, my friends, I took my plate and ran off into the photo booth, which is either the saddest thing I've ever done, or the most awesome thing I've ever done. Either way, that's commitment. The Ace Burger ($13), the only burger on the menu, is a hulking grilled beast on a pretzel bun, topped with aged cheddar, bacon jam, aioli, lettuce, and red onion. The menu also says it's supposed to come with some heirloom tomato, which was missing, but since we're way out of tomato season I think that's a safe bet.

Check this bad boy out. I received it as requested, medium rare. I realize the picture makes it look raw in the middle, but before you get up in arms about it, it was spot on for my tastes. The outside of the patty has a really impressive crust from the grill, in the best way possible, and is well salted, beefy, and juicy. The pretzel bun has noticeable hash marks from the grill, which is a terrific detail, and the bottom bun actually holds up to the valuable onslaught of burger juice.

The toppings are bold—the aged cheddar is strong, sharp, and funky, almost like blue cheese, and while the aioli's flavor gets lost in the battle, it adds silky fat to each bite. But the topping that I'm torn about is the bacon jam. Yes, it's delicious, delicious, bacon. However, it's also salty, salty, bacon. With a well-salted burger, the addition of salty and smoky bits and pieces puts the salt level over the top for me. I suggest ordering the bacon jam on the side so you can control the volume of the sodium, otherwise it gets pretty noisy.

And the topping you see on the accompanying fries is a rich and meaty bolognese (+$3), which is a fun topping for the hand-cut fries, kind of like an Italian coney sauce. The hand-cut fries are otherwise great by themselves, and they come with a side of housemade ketchup and aioli, which is just as good if you're not in the mood for more meat.

I'd totally come back to Three Aces for boobies, burgers, and bolognese, I'd just dial back on the bacon. And I think I should bring food into a photo booth more often. See below.

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Chain Reaction: Maid-Rite

2012-11-28T16:00:00Z

The Loose Meat Sandwich. [Photographs: Dennis Lee]

Maid-Rite

2429 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago IL 60614 (map); 773-687-9250; plus multiple locations across the Midwestern US; maid-rite.com
The Schtick: It's all about the loose meat sandwich, an interesting regional take on a hamburger that should be experienced at least once.
The Burger: A loose meat sandwich is like a soft crumbled hamburger, or sloppy joe without the slop.
Want Fries with That? Absolutely. Fast-food fries are spot-on, and the cheese curds are great when hot. Great shakes, too.
Price: Original Maid-Rite, $3.99; The Cheese-Rite, $4.49; Maid-Rite Beef Sundae (single scoop of mashed potato), $4.79; french fries, $2.49; white cheddar cheese curds, $4.99; malts and shakes, $4.99

The first time I heard that a loose meat sandwich was a real thing, I inadvertently started laughing my ass off. I mean, it's called...a loose meat sandwich. I'm even laughing now. I'm sorry, I know, I'm 12, I admit it. "Loose meat sandwich" is like a nickname I would have had in college. I have even ruder jokes up my sleeve, but I like this gig, and I don't want AHT editor Robyn to get mad at me. I like her too much. Loose meat sandwich. Loose meat sandwich. Okay. I'm done. (No I'm not.)

Some of you Roseanne fans might know that these are the sandwiches she served in her sitcom television show back in the '90s. But loose meat sandwiches (sometimes called tavern sandwiches) from regional chain Maid-Rite have been around since the 1920s. Chicago's very first outpost opened up in September, and of course, I jumped at the chance to dive headfirst into a loose meat sandwich.

The little sandwiches come neatly wrapped in paper with a spoon tucked into the wrapper's fold. Trust me, you'll need the spoon. You'll be lucky if you can eat half of the meat on the bun without it falling out, and if you want to get your money's worth, you'll need the meat shovel.

The sandwiches themselves are as simple as they look. This is 80/20 ground beef, never frozen, very finely ground, and cooked to the point where it's very soft but still retains its beefy flavor. The meat is seasoned with more than just salt and pepper (the flavor mix is a trade secret), but the seasoning is mild and serves to accent the flavor of the beef. The Original Maid-Rite ($3.99) comes without cheese, and ordered with everything is decked with ketchup, mustard, raw onion, and pickles. Upon my first bite, lo and behold, I found that it does indeed taste like a fast-food hamburger. Big surprise there. I could have sworn the meat is steamed, but the friendly and enthusiastic owner assured me that it isn't, even going so far as to show me the flat bottomed cooking vessel in back.

I know you loose meat sandwich purists might scoff at the idea, but I preferred the zany loose meat with American cheese, also known as a Cheese-Rite ($4.49). The cheese adds a sort of salty and, well, cheesy cement to the mix. It's not surprising since I prefer cheeseburgers to hamburgers anyway, but since the beef is relatively unadorned, the cheese adds flavor. The squishy white bun is relatively sweet, for bread, and does an admirable job of holding structural integrity during consumption, but the bottom bun does eventually sort of cave in from the moisture of the beef and toppings.

Don't skip the sides. The fast-food french fries ($2.49) are the relatively pale blonde kind, and they're perfectly salted with a crisp exterior and soft interior. If you like fast food fries, these are the kind for you. And the battered white cheddar cheese curds ($4.99) are great too, but eat them while they're hot as they cool off rather quickly. I found myself visiting the savory ranch dipping sauce rather than the slightly watery marinara for the curds.

Is it sad that I like animal-shaped food? For some reason a milkshake topped with a cheerful smiling bear cookie or cracker will always make me smile, and yes, I just admitted that. The milkshakes ($4.99) at Maid-Rite are pitch-perfect diner shakes with just the right thickness and sweetness. They're served with the remainder in the cold metal mixing cup in case you just can't get enough—and the pumpkin malt is a good seasonal flavor to try, adorned with a dash of fragrant pumpkin pie spice on top of the whipped cream.

I sort of blew out my budget with this one, but I couldn't help but try the Maid-Rite Beef Sundae ($4.79). Instead of ice cream, there's smooth mashed potatoes, topped with beef gravy, tomatoes, loose meat, and cheese. It's pretty much an Americanized shepherd's pie without vegetables. Plus, I get to proudly say I've now eaten a beef sundae.

And now the big question: Would I go back for a loose meat sandwich? I'm torn. For you fans, I totally see why you like, even love, a good loose meat sandwich. I respect you one-hundred percent. A loose meat sandwich presents beauty in simplicity, just like me (couldn't resist that one). I liked it. I'm fascinated by it. Even now I'm thinking about it and want just one more bite to decide how I really feel, and I think that says just enough.

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Chicago, IL: Choppers, Home of the Choppak

2012-10-04T14:45:00Z

The Choppak. [Photographs: Dennis Lee]

Choppers

1659 North Ashland Avenue, Chicago, IL 60622 (map); 773-227-7800; choppers-chicago.com
Cooking Method: Grilled
Short Order: The regular burgers are too charred, but the Minis are simple, balanced, and delicious.
Want Fries with That? The steak-cut fries are big, thick, and droopy, while the coleslaw is disappointingly soggy cabbage with mayo.
Price: 1/4-pound burger, $2.89; Choppak, $5.59 (comes with fries and slaw); The Mini by the Dozen, $12.59

After I moved into Wicker Park about eight years ago, I would drive by Choppers and see its sign, proudly stating that it was "Home of the Choppak." Every time I passed it, I wondered what the hell a Choppak was. My imagination ran wild. I had visions, imagining that a Choppak was a thing, an amazing food invention involving unicorn meat, rainbow sauce, french fries (everyone loves french fries!), and flakes of pure gold. A few years later, when I finally visited for lunch, I was sorely disappointed to find out that a Choppak is really just a combo meal consisting of a double char burger, steak fries, and homemade coleslaw. Oh well. Can't win them all.

I hadn't been back in years, so I thought another visit would be in order. Choppers is one of those places you smell first, blocks before you see it. During peak hours, you can see and smell grill smoke billowing out the rooftop, which beckons you to come in with its siren song of charred ground cow discs.

So now that you know what a Choppak ($5.59) is, how does that double cheeseburger taste? These pre-formed, tightly ground, frozen beef patties are salted well enough, and are grilled to order—but they suffer from a fatal flaw. They're cooked over a high flame, charring the periphery of the patties to the point where they taste like charcoal. The acrid taste carries over into every bite and hijacks the flavor of the burger. If you like burned backyard burgers, then you might enjoy it better than I do. I won't judge you.

The bun is a commercial sesame bun, which, unfortunately, isn't toasted, and is entirely too thin for the meat. After just a few bites, the bottom disintegrates into a mushy mess. I noticed that the toppings for both burgers were on the bottom for whatever reason, which contributes greatly to the death of the bottom bun.

In terms of meat-to-bun ratio, the single works much better, mostly because the bun is fairly thin when compressed. And when you ask for everything, like I did, you get lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, mustard, mayo, and ketchup. Aside from the fact that the onions are grilled and mustard is added, you've got a burger that's strikingly similar in flavor to Burger King's Whopper.

The french fries at Choppers are the thick-cut steak ones, and unfortunately, they're pretty soggy and lifeless. Even the smaller ones are soggy. The homemade coleslaw is heavy on the mayo and, well, tastes like mayo and wilted cabbage.

The Minis ($12.59), only available by the dozen, are the real surprise. While the Choppak is the big seller, I like the Minis much better. They have less of the acrid burnt taste from the grill, and are adorned simply with American cheese, grilled onions, and slices of pickle. They come on commercial, pillowy, little white buns that are the perfect size. The combination of flavors is classic—you've got sweet, nearly caramelized griddled onions with slightly charred grilled beef, silky melted American cheese, and a little tart crunch from the pickle. There's no mustard, but you know what? You don't need it.

I secretly like small food, though, because I have small hands. And no, that's not my silver nail-polished hand in the picture. Or is it?

The malts and shakes are about what you'd expect: really sweet and large by default (the regular is 20 ounces). You can mix and match flavors, if you like, so that's exactly what I did. The chocolate banana has real banana blended in, and its always nice to get some fresh bits of banana mixed in with cold, sweet, thick, chocolate malt.

So, maybe I didn't get any unicorn meat with rainbow sauce, but I did find myself surprised at how much I liked the miniature cheeseburgers. And now, in conclusion, here is my grammatical, yet mathematical explanation of the name Choppak. (Choppers - pers) + (Pack - c) = Choppak. I'm what you call a scientician, you see.

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Chicago: Standout Char Burgers at Phil's Last Stand

2012-09-21T16:15:00Z

Editor's note: Blake Royer has been on Serious Eats in 2007—starting with Dinner Tonight and more recently, Sausage City—but this is his first time reviewing burgers. Please welcome Blake to AHT! He'll be alternating Chicago burger coverage with Dennis Lee.

[Photographs: Blake Royer]

Phil's Last Stand

2258 West Chicago Avenue, Chicago IL 60622 (map); 773-245-3287; philslaststand.com‎
Cooking Method: Grilled
Short Order: Phil's puts a spin on California-style skinny burgers by giving them plenty of smoky char. It works very well.
Want Fries with That? Yes you do, as long as they're extra crispy; inconsistency means you need to ask.
Prices: Single Fatso, $4; Double Fatso, $5.40; w/cheese, +50¢

A few days ago on twitter, Phil's Last Stand declared itself "the best fast food burger in Chicago." And that tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the place. In a grand Chicago tradition of hot dog stands, Phil's is combining the values of fast food (unabashedly caloric, indulgent, delicious, fast counter service) with a connoisseur's vision of great old-fashioned American food. With a healthy dash of Chicago attitude, of course.

Besides hot dogs, fried shrimp, and mac and cheese, Phil's serves up a classic and obligatory Chicago "char burger," the subject of this review. They call it the Fatso and it comes single ($4) or double ($5.50), with our without cheese (+50¢). Chances are, Phil himself will take your order at the counter, at which point his strange army of hipsters will cook and prepare it.

Either way, the burger begins with a layer of "Fatso sauce" on the bottom bun, which is essentially the same Thousand-Island style mayo-based mixture you see at In-N-Out (more on In-N-Out later). Next comes lettuce and tomato (a pickle doesn't come standard; you have to ask for it), and the patty or patties.

Then, you have to make a couple choices: How will you take your onions, and what kind of cheese will it be? American cheese and grilled onions are an obvious choice, and a good one, which is how I ordered the single.

But I'd suggest instead a dollop of their Merkt's-style cheddar spread, which is how I ordered the double (rather than using Merkt's, Phil's offers Verns from Chilton, Wisconsin. He demurred on why that's the case, and I couldn't promise that I'd tell them apart in a dark room.)

Cheddar spread on dogs and burgers is becoming a common thing in Chicago, and it's a wonderful development. You get that all-important creamy mouthfeel that only a processed cheese can provide, but a little more tang and flavor than plain Jane American slices. Remember, this is fast food we're talking about.

And it also makes for wonderful cheese fries ($3). The fries at Phil's are excellent and well-seasoned, though you have to make sure they're well done; two orders of fries at the same visit came out two distinctly different levels of doneness.

The burger's meat comes from a butcher in Skokie that Phil has known for 40 years, and it's ground and pattied just for them. The meat has a fine grind, and I wish it was a little looser, but it has a decent beefy flavor and most importantly, it's seasoned well. They don't ask you for a temperature, and it comes pretty much cooked through, though at times you'll see a hint of pink.

So, single or double? I'm actually a stickler for bun-to-meat ratio, and too much meat in a burger without the appropriate balance of bun and toppings is a huge turn off. But in this case, double is definitely the way to go. By stacking two patties, you get the right amount of beef but more crust. The bun is substantial enough to handle the extra patty and and if they apply enough Vern's cheddar, this is a very, very good cheeseburger.

What's the takeaway? Phil's puts out a very good burger. In many ways Phil's Last Stand is quite similar to Edzo's. Both serve elevated fast food (with slightly elevated prices), both use skinny patties, and both draw deep inspiration from California-style fast food burgers like In-N-Out.

But while at Edzo's, the griddle is king, Phil's stick to their Chicago guns and grill their skinny patties over an open flame. The beefy flavor is there, but what really makes this unique is the smoky flavor. In this context, you expect a griddle burger, the toppings seem like they belong to a griddled burger, everything else makes it seem like In-N-Out (even down to Phil's "secret menu" that Joe Roy recently explored). But no: This is a char burger, Chicago-style, in a city where most char burgers are made from frozen pucks of beef.

And for that we should be thankful: a freshly-made Chicago-style char burger done very well. Order a double, grilled onions, plenty of Vern's cheddar, and extra crispy fries. It'll be a happy moment.

About the author: Blake Royer is a food writer, photographer, and filmmaker based in Chicago; he has been writing for Serious Eats since 2007. You can follow him on Twitter @blakeroyer.

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Chicago, IL: Kiss Your What, Poag Mahone's?

2012-09-06T14:30:00Z

Stockyards Burger [Photographs: Dennis Lee]

Poag Mahone's

333 South Wells Street, Chicago IL 60604 (map); 312-566-9100; poagmahone.com
Cooking Method: Grilled
Short Order: Great char, but mild on the beef flavor.
Want Fries with That? Neither are all that great.
Price: Cheeseburger $11; Stockyards Burger $12; BLT Cheeseburger $12; add $1 for sweet potato fries

Back in 2006, GQ's food critic Alan Richman unveiled a list of The 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die. Poag Mahone's is seated at #18 on the list, which isn't too shabby for a place who's name loosely translates into "kiss my ass" in Gaelic. And now, I finally have a reason to say "kiss my ass" in a review without getting in trouble. Dreams do come true! Wait, was 2006 really six years ago? Damn, I'm really late with this review.

Coincidentally, I happen to work across the street from Poag Mahone's (affectionately called Poag's, at my office), and we drop by a drink or five after work now and then.

One of the signature burgers on the menu, and one of my favorites, is the Stockyards Burger ($12) featuring grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, and Thousand Island dressing. The 70/30 patty comes from grass-fed beef, and thanks to the helpful waitress, I learned that it's supplied by a company creatively named, well, American Grassfed Beef. It's pre-ground, but always fresh and never frozen, and the patties are hand-formed in-house.

Ours was ordered medium well, and it came out right on the mark. There's an impressive char on this beef with some serious hatch marks from the grill, imparting a pretty serious crust. Since the grind is a little tight, and the meat is packed pretty tightly as well, there isn't much room for excess juice in the patty. But somehow, the meat stays moist without being terribly juicy. The mound of grilled onions is sweeter than it looks, and the sautéed mushrooms add a bit of extra savoriness and moisture to each bite.

The BLT Burger ($12) is exactly what it sounds like: a hamburger patty with bacon, lettuce, and tomato, with the addition of American cheese. Come to think of it, it's just...a bacon cheeseburger. It was ordered medium rare and came out slightly overdone (it looked medium, but tasted much closer to medium rare despite the picture).

Throughout both burgers, the beef flavor is muted and just doesn't pack that deep meaty punch in the mouth I crave so much when it comes to red meat. Another common problem is that the bottoms of the very lightly toasted pretzel buns were nearly disintegrated by the time we started mowing down the burgers, which explains where all the juice went.

For the spud portion of your burger food pyramid, you've got your choice between flaccid and soggy sweet potato fries, which is a misfortune I see served all too often, and regular crinkle-cut fries, which manage to be both crisp on the outside as well as dry and mealy on the inside. To be fair, I've had some much better burger experiences after going to Poag Mahone's more than a few times over the years—maybe it was just an off day. But the fries have never been all that great.

So would I kiss an ass for a burger at Poag Mahone's? Perhaps the better question is, would I kiss an ass? Maybe not for this burger, but if you're in Chicago's Loop neighborhood for lunch and you're craving a standard burger, it's not a bad place to give it a crack. A crack! Okay, I'm done, I'm done.

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Daniel Zemans' Top 15 Burgers in Chicago

2012-08-10T16:30:00Z

VIEW SLIDESHOW: Daniel Zemans' Top 15 Burgers in Chicago

[Photographs: Daniel Zemans, unless otherwise noted]

When I thought I was writing my final words for this site about Chicago burgers two weeks ago in my review of Chicago Cut Steakhouse, I signed off by noting how much the burger scene had improved in the last few years. It turns out I have a little more to say on the subject. Of the 15 best burgers in the area I've reviewed on this site, over half them didn't exist just 5 years ago.

With sincere apologies to bopNgrill (reviewed here) and Hot Chocolate (reviewed here), and fully expecting outrage from those who think Kuma's (reviewed here) remains among the best in town, I present the best 15 burgers in Chicago and the suburbs (in no particular order) that have appeared on AHT so far.

Click through the slideshow to see the details »

David Burke's Primehouse »
Vie »
Top Notch Beefburger »
Edzo's »
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About the author: Daniel Zemans is bidding adieu to A Hamburger Today, at least as a regular contributor. He babbles in 140 character increments @zemanation.

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Chicago, IL: Is Lockdown Bar and Grill the Kuma's Corner Killer?

2012-08-09T14:45:00Z

Editor's note: Please welcome Dennis Lee (perhaps better known as Fart Sandwich), one of our new regular Chicago contributors! He's been around the burger block before, but only sparingly. From now on you can expect to get his burgery views once a month.

The Lockdown Warden burger. [Photographs: Dennis Lee]

Lockdown Bar and Grill

1024 North Western Avenue, Chicago IL 60622 (map); 773-451-5625; lockdownbar.com
Cooking Method: Grilled
Short Order: The toppings here are strong, but the beef just can't bring the noise. At least the toppings bring the funk.
Want Fries with That? The hand-cut fries are, sadly, soggy.
Price: The Lockdown Warden, $14; Hawaii 5.0, $13 (both w/one side)

Hi everyone! Chicago correspondent Dennis Lee, reporting in for duty on A Hamburger Today! Before I launch into things, I'd like to send a shoutout to my man, Daniel Zemans. Just over a year ago, he let me tag along on his review of The Weiner's Circle, which is fitting, considering my huge affinity for weiner jokes (yes, I am a perpetual 12 year old, except I'm allowed to drink whiskey), and his reviews, whether they be about pizza, burgers, or sandwiches, never steered me wrong. Thanks, Daniel. You rock.

The reason why I picked Lockdown Bar and Grill as my first burger review is because more than a few of my friends recommended this place. A few of them even dared to say that it's better than Kuma's Corner, which I like to think of as the Hot Doug's of hamburgers. And of course, that's a bold statement, considering Kuma's Corner is excellent. It's hard not to draw comparisons between the two places; they're both laced with heavy metal, and the burgers all have irreverent names and menu descriptions. But how about the food?

The signature burger at Lockdown is the Lockdown Warden (see the jail theme?). Officer, cuff me now and toss me in the cell with the 10 ounces of fresh pre-ground beef! The coarsely ground meat is blended with bacon, garlic, and shallots. It's stuffed with Merkt's cheddar, which I can never seem to get enough of, and it's topped with frizzle-fried leeks and shallots. As you can see by the picture, this is a grilled burger. And unfortunately, you can also tell that when ordered medium rare, the meat doesn't come well-crusted.

The burger arrived medium rare as requested, which I imagine is a tricky task for a stuffed burger. It's positively oozing Merkt's cheddar, which is tangy and delicious, and what really stands out are the fried leeks, which pack a ton of concentrated green oniony flavor. They're well salted and tossed with a minimal amount of truffle oil. The restraint pays off, and at no point does the truffle oil overwhelm. While the slight edge of the pretzel bun indicates that it might have seen the grill, there was no toasting that I could see or taste, but it stands up particularly well.

But the main problem is the beef itself: It's not particularly flavorful or juicy, and the exterior lacks salt. The lack of crust makes for a mushy patty, and that fact is hard to overlook. The bacon, shallot, and garlic infused in the beef is nearly nonexistent, making me wonder if it's even there in the first place.

Don't kill me for this one, guys, but my girlfriend, no matter how much begging or pleading, only orders her burgers well done. And you know, it's okay with me—it's her meal anyway, as much as some of you might cringe. If she's happy, I'm happy, and I tell myself that so she doesn't stab me in my sleep.

And that's how we received the Hawaii 5.0, well-done, topped with pulled pork, grilled fresh pineapple, raw red onion, and barbecue sauce. This bad-boy sports a good crust, but, as expected, is bone dry when cooked well done, and the lack of salt on it is too much to overlook. And the pulled pork was also dry and just too ropey. What helps, however, is the sweet and juicy grilled pineapple, making me wonder why I don't have pineapple with meat more often.

The hand-cut fries are soggy, most of them limp, so if you're into flaccid fries, you'll be in heaven, but otherwise, they aren't that great.

So is Lockdown Bar and Grill a Kuma's killer? Not quite, and the comparison is superficial at best, but I can't stop thinking about those fried leeks. They can arrest me anytime. Hey-o!

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Chicago: Steakhouse Burgers Done Right at Chicago Cut Steakhouse

2012-07-26T14:00:00Z

[Photographs: Daniel Zemans]

Chicago Cut Steakhouse

300 North LaSalle, Chicago, IL 60654 (map); 312-329-1800; chicagocutsteakhouse.com
Cooking Method: Broiled at 180° F
Short Order: 12 ounces of prime, dry aged beef is every bit as good as you'd expect
Want Fries With That? Crisp, soft, potatoey, but focus your energy on the burger
Price: Burger or patty melt (w/fries), $14; onion rings, $9
Notes: Patty melt only available at lunch

I've never fully understood why so many high end steakhouses are content serving mediocre burgers. After all, the chefs certainly know their way around beef and have access to high quality meat, so it ought to be easy for them to deliver outstanding burgers. Now, I've certainly had excellent burgers at steakhouses. David Burke's Primehouse, one of my first posts on AHT, still serves my favorite burger anywhere. But for the most part, the upper end of steakhouse burgers are on the level of the ones I had at Benny's, which is to say good but not great.

A few months ago, during the tremendous adventure that was Burger Day 4, I stumbled a great burger at Chicago Cut Steakhouse, one of the city's newer fancy beef emporiums. Because that post was not conducive to full coverage of the burger, I knew I had to get back. So when I came to the conclusion that my days as a regular contributor to AHT had to end, I decided to go out with a bang and write about the beast of a burger at Chicago Cut. It turns out the burger I sampled several months ago was no fluke: Other than my beloved Primehouse, Chicago Cut is putting out the best steakhouse burgers I've had.

Made from three-quarters of a pound of meat, the beef in this burger—a blend of dry-aged prime ribeye, strip, and filet mignon—is about as in-your-face as it gets. Thanks to 35 days of aging, the intensity is upped a couple of notches, though it was not quite as funky as I had expected.

The patties are broiled at 1800°F, virtually guaranteeing that every burger is going to come with a wonderful crust. This medium rare burger was no exception to that rule. Other than cheese, there aren't opportunities to dress up this burger, but with beef like this, that's probably a good thing. I opted for cheddar and got a glorious melted mess from Widmer's Cheese Cellars, an appropriate amount for balancing out 12 ounces of beef. All of this was served on a toasted brioche bun, made in-house, that not only avoids the overt sweetness that too often plagues that style of bread, but is somehow able to hold together under the weight of the giant patty.

The patty melt was not quite as successful, though for reasons that had nothing to do with the patty itself, which was identical in every way to the sensational one described above. The appropriate parts were all there: rye bread packed with caraway seeds from an undisclosed local bakery; a wonderfully gooey blend of Swiss and cheddar cheese; and a heap of sautéed onions and mushrooms.

But for a patty melt to work as the burger gods intended, the parts have to come together just right. If they don't come together to form a cohesive whole, diners are left a burger on a really strange bun. And unfortunately, that's what happened here thanks to three errors in execution. First, the onions were not cooked enough. They were soft enough, but there was no caramelization at all. The second and third problems both involved the bread. A properly prepared patty melt has bread that's buttered and toasted on both sides. This bread, while very good, was only toasted on one side, and if buttered as the restaurant claims it is, was not done enough for me or my dining companion to notice.

That's not to say the patty melt wasn't delicious. The meat, cooked rare as requested, was truly outstanding and demanded that I keep eating well after I was full. And each individual element was really good, even the barely buttered bread. But the execution mistakes left me without the visceral satisfaction that comes with a properly made patty melt.

The fries, made from russet potatoes, are an extremely solid rendition. They hit all the key winning characteristics of excellent fries: soft on the inside, crisp on the outside, full of potato flavor, and well-salted. But with 12 ounces of burger to eat, these are really just gilding the lily. While your afternoon is probably shot from the burger alone, if you polish off these fries as well, hours of zero productivity are virtually guaranteed.

The massive onion rings, covered in a mixture of breadcrumbs and parmesan, were fine, but largely unmemorable other than for their size. The flavor was good, but they got soggy way too quickly.

Looking back over three years of covering the burger scene in Chicago, I can't help but get a little misty-eyed over how much progress my hometown has made. When I started, Chicago was a fine burger town, but today it has to be one of the nation's best. When my first review went up, there was no Edzo's (which has only improved since my first visit), no Owen & Engine, no Bad Apple, and no BIG & little's, just to name a few of the new shining stars. Fortunately for all of us, the list of new places with highly regarded burgers seems to grow every week, and I look forward to reading about them on AHT. As for me, I'll pop up from time to time when I find burgers in my travels, but for the most part, I'll be enjoying my burgers without a camera in my hand. Thanks for reading.

About the author: Daniel Zemans is bidding adieu to A Hamburger Today, at least as a regular contributor. He babbles in 140 character increments @zemanation.

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Evanston, IL: Wiener and Still Champion Finds New Level of Excess with the Faux Poutine Burger

2012-07-12T14:00:00Z

VIEW SLIDESHOW: Evanston, IL: Wiener and Still Champion Finds New Level of Excess with the Faux Poutine Burger

[Photographs: Daniel Zemans]

Wiener and Still Champion

802 Dempster, Evanston IL 60202 (map); 847-869-0100‎; wienerandstillchampion.com
Cooking Method: Grilled
Short Order: Perhaps the most creative offering from a restaurant already known for pushing limits for burgers and fried goodies
Price: Faux Poutine Burger, $9

It's not often that A Hamburger Today covers the same restaurant twice, but when AHT editor Robyn Lee caught wind of the fact that burger madman Gus Paschalis at Wiener and Still Champion (WaSC) in Evanston had come up with what might be his most outrageous concoction to date, some reporting was necessary.

WaSC is known for four things: great old school char burgers (read my review here), an insane collection of fried foods, creative sauces, and stellar fries. It's a place that occasionally serves a Luther Burger, deep fries things ranging from gyros to chili, and offers sauces like sweet bacon ketchup and strawberry mint ranch. What makes the Faux Poutine Burger stand out is that it brings all four categories of WaSC goodness together in one over the top and extremely messy meal: grilled beef, chicken fried gravy, aioli, Merkt's cheddar, and fries in one burger.

Click through the slideshow to see what it's all about.

Chicago: Gussied Up Burgers at The Peasantry

2012-06-28T14:45:00Z

[Photographs: Daniel Zemans]

The Peasantry

2723 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60614 (map);773-868-4888; thepeasantry.com
Cooking Method: Grilled
Short Order: Upscale twists make for some very flavorful burgers
Want Fries With That? The pre-cut waffle fries are just not good enough for this restaurant
Price: Beef and bone marrow burger, $13; lamb burger, $12; waffle fries, $3.50; triple truffle fries, $6

Chef Joe Doren brought fine dining to the proletariats a little over two years with his menagerie of homemade sausages at Franks 'n Dawgs (covered on Serious Eats: Chicago). Now the alum of highfalutin spots including Blackbird and Sixteen is expanding his reimagination of common fare at The Peasantry. From Pigs in the Blanket made with housemade chorizo to a pork belly gyro to a few favorites borrowed from Franks 'n Dawgs, the menu is loaded with enticing options billed as "elevated street food." When it comes to the humble burger, the elevation consists of three different meats, each of which is topped with a combination of flavors I've never seen anywhere else.

The Peasantry's beef burger features a patty made from a blend of hanger steak and bone marrow. This combination of a woefully underappreciated cut of beef (at least in the U.S.) and an increasingly celebrated fatty treat makes for a seriously beefy burger. Mine came medium rare as requested and came with a truly impressive crust. Although the meat was a little dense for my liking, it wasn't a big deal considering the intense beefiness present, and the texture may have been necessary for incorporating the marrow.

I suppose the inclusion of bone marrow is enough to qualify this burger as "elevated," but where Doren really steps up his game is in the topping, which include a mound of shallot marmalade along with arugula, manchego cheese, and some pickled cauliflower. The bits of pickled cauliflower are the standouts among this bunch, but the sweet, soft marmalade provides the necessary balance for the tangy and crunchy vegetables. Throw in some nutty manchego and the peppery freshness of the arugula and this makes for mixture of flavors and textures that improve an already delicious patty. Add in a soft, toasted bun and you've got a very, very good burger.

The other two burger choices at The Peasantry are lamb and duck. While the duck burger (with coriander, dried apricot, orange marmalade, mustard greens, tarragon and foie gras torchon) sounded good, I went for the more savory onion lamb burger. As was the case with the beef and bone marrow patty, this one was delivered at the medium rare requested and featured a tremendous crust and some intense flavor from the protein. The toppings, a combination of olive aioli, green garlic and asparagus pistou, and red onion, were not as varied or exciting as the mixture on the beef burger, but they complemented the rich lamb nicely.

The ciabatta bread the burger was served on was a fine piece of bread, but it was not something I liked as a burger bun. The tough and chewy bread is a challenge to incorporate in any sandwich, and I didn't think it worked here. This was not a bad burger by any stretch, but it paled against the beef and bone marrow option and isn't something I'd order again.

If top-notch waffle fries exist, I haven't had them. Sure, when cooked properly as they are at The Peasantry, they can have a great texture thanks to the extra surface area that crisps up. But these Yukon Gold potatoes, cut long before they arrive at the restaurant, were not delicious. The fries come plain and in a triple truffle version (borrowed from Franks 'n Dawgs), which are coated with truffle oil, truffle butter, and truffle salt as well as some freshly chopped herbs. For truffle fans, I suppose these could be a winner, but the fancy stuff does not elevate the mediocre potatoes to being worthy of inclusion on the menu.

"Elevating street food" is a trend that Serious Eats fully embraces. And it's nice to see a restaurant in a part of Lakeview where, frankly, there aren't many great dining options of any variety, that devotes itself so thoroughly to celebrating some of America's favorite and most basic foods. I already started planning a return trip with my dining companion for a communal meal that would give us the ordering power to try out a substantial portion of the rest of the menu.

About the author:Daniel Zemans covers the Chicago burger scene for A Hamburger Today. He babbles in 140 character increments @zemanation.

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Chicago: Aw Yeah, the Burgers at Au Cheval Are Stellar

2012-06-15T14:00:00Z

[Photographs: Daniel Zemans]

Au Cheval

800 W Randolph Street, Chicago IL 60607 (map); 312-929-4580; aucheval.tumblr.com
Cooking Method: Griddled
Short Order: Simply one of the best classic griddled burgers in Chicago
Want Fries With That? Twice-fried in lard? Absolutely
Price: Burger, $9.95; double, $11.95; fries, $6.50, $9 w/mornay sauce and fried egg
Notes: The single cheeseburger is actually a double and the double is a triple

Though it surely seems so to a casual trend-spotting public, Brendan Sodikoff did not come out of nowhere to become one of the hottest commodities in the Chicago restaurant world. Sure, most people, even those highly aware of Chicago's culinary scene, had never heard of the dude just two years ago. But when someone learns how to cook and run a kitchen from legends like Alain Ducasse and Thomas Keller, and how to manage a restaurant from James Beard Award-winning restaurateur Rich Melman, he's going to be ready to make some noise.

After finding success with Gilt Bar, which opened just over two years ago, Sodikoff embarked on a remarkably ambitious and successful run that has no end in sight. Maude's Liquor Bar has been a huge success and The Doughnut Vault is rightly credited as leading the charge as Chicago attempts to develop a decent doughnut culture. But with all his success, the man had no burger cred. Thanks to what he's doing at Au Cheval, he can emphatically check that off his bucket list.

Au Cheval bills itself as a high-end diner, and in some instances that means seriously upping the ante on traditional dishes with twists that border on the absurd (scrambled eggs with foie gras, anyone?). But when it comes to the burger, Sodikoff and executive chef Jason Vaughan employ no bells and whistles. And as the picturesque—nay, statuesque burger hints, and the first bite confirms, absolutely nothing fancy is needed here.

The simple griddled burgers at Au Cheval are outstanding in every way. Eschewing the trend of house-ground custom blends, the kitchen takes pre-formed four-ounce patties of prime beef, cooks them to medium, and delivers one of the best examples of this style of burger in Chicago. The intensity of the beef flavor shines through thanks in large part to the beautiful crust that blankets the exterior. The crispness from the crust finds textural balance with the soft toasted bun from Z Baking.

Rounding out this picture-perfect specimen are slices of processed cheddar that melt so well it looks like they were painted on, a mild dijonnaise, and a few thin slices of housemade dill pickle.

There's not too much to say about the double (really, triple) cheeseburger other than it's like the single burger (actually a double) but with an extra patty. Same great toppings, same great bun, and, most importantly, same magnificent beef. I've never complained about too much beef in a burger and I'm not going to start now, but I did think the single was a more balanced effort. If I were to try the double again, which is a distinct possibility despite it being three-quarters of a pound of meat, I'd spring for the extra $2 to throw an egg on top to mellow out the intense beefiness.

When walking into the small 1,400-square-foot restaurant, you'll notice a shelf above the fryer covered with containers of fries that have been fried one time. These hand-cut Kennebec potatoes get one more bath in lard before they are delivered to soon-to-be-happy diners. Like the burgers, these fries are blessed with a particularly crisp exterior. The regular order of fries comes with a creamy garlic aioli that was not needed for such flavorful potatoes, but impossible to resist. The accoutrements on the so-called "crispy fries"—an egg and a side of mornay sauce along with another little tub of the aioli—are a bit too much for my tastes, but in fairness, I had already eaten half of each burger, some fries, and half of their excellent bologna sandwich before I got to the more gluttonous plate of potatoes.

The only problem with the burgers at Au Cheval, recently named the 10th best new restaurant in town, is that the restaurant is only open for dinner. And unfortunately, for those of us who wish they could stop in for lunch, there are no plans for daytime hours in the foreseeable future. In fact, the next step will likely be to move back closing time later than the current 2 a.m. But all is not lost! Sodikoff, who is showing no signs of slowing down, has plans to open Bavette's Bar & Boeuf, a steak and beer-type place that's going to have a hamburger stand attached to it.

About the author: Daniel Zemans covers the Chicago burger scene for A Hamburger Today. He normally prefers grilled burgers but on rare occasions the griddled ones make him reconsider his priorities.

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Chicago: Good Burgers, Bad Sliders, and a Stellar Shake at Allium

2012-06-01T14:30:00Z

[Photographs: Daniel Zemans]

Allium

Four Seasons Hotel, 120 East Delaware Place, Chicago IL 60611 (map); 312-799-4900; alliumchicago.com
Cooking Method: Burger is grilled; sliders are braised
Short Order: Very good burger, but the $19 price tag is problematic; sliders (lunch only) are disappointing
Want Fries With That? Extra crispy beauties are great
Price: Burger w/egg and cheese, and fries, $19; trio of sliders, $15
Notes: The butterscotch miso shake is worth a special trip to Allium

There is no question that chef Kevin Hickey knows how to make a great burger. At the 2010 Hamburger Hop, the burger celebration that kicks off Chicago Gourmet, his bison burger with candied bacon, cheese, and "lobster love" (a delicious mess of lobster, mayo, ketchup and other mystery ingredients) blew me away and won the people's vote for best burger at the event, which was particularly impressive given the stiff competition.

At the time, Hickey was running the show at Seasons, the high-end flagship restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in downtown Chicago. The restaurant had burgers on the menu, but they were decidedly less enticing versions like the "Low Carb Sirloin Burger" that seemed out of place on a menu with items like Alaskan halibut cooked in a clay pot with a kaffir lime-scented broth. But earlier this year, recognizing that diners are moving away from the hoighty-toighty, Seasons was reborn as Allium, which features a menu highlighting Hickey's high-end twists on low-brow staples. And while the hot dog (every component is housemade) and the bacon buns are intriguing, I was there to check out the burgers.

The All Natural Beef Burger starts with an eight-ounce pre-formed patty made of ground chuck from Tallgrass. I've had mixed experiences with Tallgrass patties in the past for the simple reason that the more time that passes between meat grinding and burger eating, the more flavor is lost. I'm fairly certain I didn't get this patty on the day it was delivered to the restaurant but, while it was not oozing with beefiness, it was a very good patty made even better by the rest of the components on the burger.

The egg might steal the show visually, but the flavor highlights came from the onions and the "secret sauce." The onions, which are cooked slowly in butter and bacon fat before being fried in lard, are an exquisite burger topping. The secret sauce, a tangy concoction akin to a high-end Big Mac sauce, also added some nice flavor to the burger. The burger purportedly comes with Dunbarton Blue from Wisconsin's Roelli, but mine either had none or had so little that I didn't notice it. That's especially unfortunate because that cheese, a blue-veined cheddar, is pretty much a perfect burger topping.

The grilled patty came medium rare as requested and had a really nice crust around a warm, dark pink center. Like everything else (save the missing cheese), there were no flaws at all in the execution of what was a very solid burger. That said, given the kind of magic I learned Hickey can do with a burger at the Hamburger Hop two years ago, along with the $19 price tag, I couldn't help but be a little disappointed. I got something very good that I'd be happy to eat again, but I was hoping for something I'd crave.

While I enjoyed the burger, the wagyu sliders were a massive disappointment. On paper, these things should be delicious (even if the whole wagyu schtick is a marketing sham). After all, two-ounce patties made from high quality short ribs from Strube Ranch are going to be delicious, right? Especially if they are braised in a veal sauce and coated with melted white cheddar. Sadly, that was not the case.

These thick patties, formed in-house, came across more as hunks of meatloaf than anything resembling a mini-hamburger. The veal sauce went a long way towards salvaging these sliders, but there was just no getting around the mealy texture. I'm not sure whether I got a bad batch or if these are just on the menu to placate Four Seasons' guests who will convince themselves that anything made out of wagyu short rib has to be delicious, but these were disappointing.

The fries at Allium, which come with the burger but not the sliders, are excellent. Made from the increasingly popular Kennebec potatoes, these freshly cut spuds are served extra crispy and loaded with potato flavor. They were outstanding on their own, but I dipped more than a few in the tangy housemade balsamic ketchup.

The real star of the show, and the reason I'm looking forward to returning, is the butterscotch miso shake. Traditionally a flavor combination used in savory dishes, this blend works magnificently as a dessert at Allium. The gloriously thick shake blends housemade butterscotch, yellow miso paste, and housemade vanilla ice cream. The result is basically an umami-loaded caramel shake that is among the best in Chicago. The flavors are a little confusing at first, but by the time you finish it, you'll be eager to book a room at the Four Seasons just so you can be close to this magnificent milkshake.

About the author: Daniel Zemans covers the Chicago burger scene for A Hamburger Today. He really hopes someone starts cooking proper sliders in Chicago soon.

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Burger City Guides: Eddie Lakin's Favorite Burgers in Chicago

2012-05-30T14:30:00Z

View Eddie Lakin's Chicago in a larger map

[Photographs: Daniel Zemans, unless otherwise noted]

Eddie Lakin and his restaurant's burger mural. [Photograph: Robyn Lee]

Eddie Lakin is an old-school hamburger evangelist with a modern sensibility. He's chosen to close Edzo's, his popular burger joint in downtown Evanston, each day at 4 p.m. in order to spend more time with his children. Eddie commandeers the cash register himself, taking orders for the truffle fries, Nutella milkshakes, and two kinds of patties that Edzo's serves: half-pound char burgers cooked on a grill and quarter-pound smashed burgers cooked on a griddle, both made from chuck ground daily in-house.

When we asked Eddie to share his top five burgers in the city, he selected a sample that represents the ultimate classics as well as some surprising new-school hits. For a multi-napkin extravaganza, check out Eddie Lakin's favorite burgers in Chi-town:

Top Notch's cheeseburger (SE Chicago review) [Photograph: Robyn Lee]

1. Top Notch Beefburgers is an old school diner in Beverly with Naugahyde vinyl booths, waitresses that call you "hon," fresh-cut potatoes fried in beef fat, and thin, griddled burgers made from beef ground on site.
2116 West 95th Street, Chicago IL 60643 (map); 773-445-7218; Yelp

2. Charlie Beinlich's is a slightly old-man-esque bar in Northbrook with a great Wisconsin supper-club feel. They have maybe 5 to 7 items on their menu, but everyone orders their burger, which features really fresh, finely ground meat cooked consistently to the degree of doneness that you ask for.
290 Skokie Boulevard, Northbrook IL 60062 (map); 847-291-0420; charliebeinlichs.com

The Sir Loin at Bad Apple (SE Chicago review)

3. The Bad Apple in Lincoln Square features beef from the famous New York butcher Pat LaFrieda, and you can really taste it. Their burgers have an amazingly deep, beefy flavor as a result of the custom LaFrieda blend they use. Pair that with high quality toppings, house-made ketchup, and a great beer list, and you get a really great neighborhood hang-out.
4300 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago IL 60618 (map); 773-360-8406; badapplebar.com

The Mickey from Schoop's (SE Chicago review)

4. Schoop's serves the thin, smashed-on-the-griddle style burger, but taken to the extreme. They smash it so thin that it massively hangs over the bun with its super-crispy, lacy edges of well-browned beef.
Various locations; schoophamburgers.com

BopNGrill's Kimchi burger (SE Chicago review)

5. Like Edzo's, BopNGrill is an unassuming little hot-dog-stand looking place, but the owner is a culinary school grad who really knows what he's doing. The food is a great mash-up of Korean flavors with American classics. The burger with a fried egg and kimchi is great.
Various locations; Facebook.com/pages/bopNgrill

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