Entries tagged with 'Chicago'
Posted by Robyn Lee, November 17, 2008 at 5:00 PM
Photograph from Jason DeRusha on Flickr
SaveTheChooChoo.com has been set up by The Choo-Choo's owner Jean Paxton in response to the announcement that her beloved burger joint in Des Plaines, Illinois, may be torn down to make way for a new police station. Fans can sign a petition through the website to be sent to city officials. The Choo-Choo has been open for 57 years and features a toy train outfitted with baskets that goes around the counter to delivers burgers.
Des Plaines mayor Tony Arredia says there are no current plans to build anything due to lack of funds, and that there are two other locations in the running, but Paxton's landlord told her last December that the the city contacted was interested in buying the property. The city may not make a decision for the next year or two.
The Choo-Choo
600 Lee Street, Des Plaines IL 60016 (at Miner Street; map)
847-391-9815
thechoochoo.com
It's not on the menu, but on Friday nights you can order a burger at contemporary American restaurant Vie in Western Springs, Illinois. Sky Full of Bacon reviews the burger, made with "bits of the whole steer they dry-aged at Eickman's in Seward, Illinois." The burger comes with fries, pickled onions, ramps, and homemade ketchup. [via Gaper's Block]
Posted by Robyn Lee, October 22, 2008 at 12:00 PM
In honor of their new 40-day dry-aged hamburger, Primehouse in Chicago is selling the normally $15 burger for only $5 this week. Phil Vettel of Chicago Tribune's food blog The Stew reports that the "seriously good" half-pound burger is topped with garlic spinach and fried onions on a potato bun with smoked-bacon mayonnaise. The burger is only available at lunch (11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.) until Friday, so Chicagoans, get your burger now!
Primehouse
616 North Rush Street, Chicago IL 60611 (b/n East Ontario Street and East Ohio Street; map)
(312) 660-6000
Virginia-based burger chain Five Guys is coming to Chicago by the end of this year. Two locations are set to open in November and December.
Posted by Robyn Lee, October 6, 2008 at 6:00 PM
Serious Eats Chicago correspondent Michael Nagrant reviews three recently opened burger spots for Newcity Chicago in search of the best griddled patty: Epic Burger in the South Loop, Marc Burger in the Macy’s food court, and The Counter in Lakeview. Here are some key points of his impressions of each place, with Marc Burger being the best:
Marc Burger: "I might even say this particular burger was one of the best I’ve had in the city, though the patty was a little thin, making the ratio of beef to bun found in a Kuma’s Corner burger still supreme." Macy's, 7th Floor, 111 N State Street, Chicago IL 60602 (map); (312)781-4884
Epic Burger: "What held Epic back was the dense, extremely fine grind and thinness of the patty. While it was seasoned well and juicy, it was also grilled to well-done, with nary a shade of pinkness." 517 S State Street, Chicago, IL 60605 (map); 312-913-1373; epicburger.com
The Counter: "The burger was thick and cooked with a nice amount of pinkness, but lacked juiciness or seasoning." 666 W Diversey Parkway, Chicago IL 60614 (map); 773-935-1995; thecounterburger.com
Posted by Adam Kuban, August 15, 2008 at 5:20 PM
According to Advertising Age magazine, the rapper and entrepreneur has the rights to bring ten locations to the Chicago metro area. The first will open next month.
The rapper, producer and sometimes political activist isn't the first celebrity franchisee to stake new territory for the 56-year-old chain. Fatburger has focused on African-American tastemakers to aid its expansion. Last year, talk-show host Montel Williams opened stores in Colorado and rapper Pharrell Williams opened the first locations in New York. Former Baltimore Raven Orlando Brown also bought rights to open Fatburgers last year in Washington.
Posted by Sarah Wolf, May 27, 2008 at 1:15 PM
Patty wants to take care of you.
Get psyched—tomorrow is National Hamburger Day! Of course, this is a holiday that should really be celebrated every day (just like Earth Day... well, sort of). But for those Midwesterners who want to make it a truly special occasion, Patty Burger will be offering a free single with cheese, an order of fries, and a drink in exchange for a burger from anywhere else.
As owner Gregg Majewski has proclaimed, "No one should have to celebrate this special day with a bad burger." He also added, "Give me your tired, your poor, your underweight, overcooked, neglected patties. Bring me your soggy buns, wilted lettuce, under-ripe tomatoes, and other tasteless toppings."
The offer is good from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, May 28, 2008, at Patty Burger's Chicago and Milwaukee locations.
Patty Burger
72 E. Adams Street, Chicago IL 60603; 312-987-0900
1952 N. Farwell Avenue, Milwaukee WI 53202; 414-271-3800
pattyburger.com
Posted by Adam Kuban, December 18, 2006 at 11:55 AM
After a brief hiatus, ladies and gentlemen, Grilled is back. This week's installment is Peter Meehan, who has discovered and relayed the news of some of New York's finest burgers in the pages of the New York Times. Because he wishes to retain his anonymity for the purposes of his reviews, we do not have a photograph—apologies to those of you who enjoy rating the relative hotness of each new Grilled subject as compared with my sister. Without further ado, let's get Grillin'! —The Mgmt.
Name: Peter Meehan
Occupation: "$25 and Under" columnist for the New York Times
Location: New York City
How often do you eat burgers?
Once or twice a week at most. Back before I was reviewing restaurants, I probably ate three or four burgers a week.
Where did you eat your most recent one?
BLT Burger. I’ve taken a short burger break after bingeing at BLT.
Cheese: American, cheddar, other?
American, I guess. Seems like the patriotic answer. But I am open to almost any melty cheese on a burger. I have more specific feelings about what cheese choices I object to: I love blue cheese and mozzarella, but I don’t think either belongs on a hamburger; and I don’t like burgers blanketed in any outré or overly pedigreed cheese.
Ketchup or mustard?
Mustard on the burger, ketchup on the side. I think a truly great burger needs no ketchup. (But I have a very strong affinity for ketchup, so there’s a good chance I’m still going to eat at least part of that truly great burger with it.)
Sesame-seed or plain?
That’s tough. Sesame-seed buns do seem like the platonic ideal of hamburger bun-ness. But there are many seedless buns on burgers I like. Seedless potato rolls are perfect for the Shake Shack burger. The choice of ciabatta for the smaller burger at DuMont burger is inspired. The English muffin as a burger bracket has always struck me as a pointless East Coast affectation, but it serves Gabrielle Hamilton’s lamburger [at Prune] well. Before eating at Royale, I would have said “absolutely no brioche” because every hamburger I’d eaten on a brioche bun up to that point was way too rich. Not theirs. Plus it had sesame seeds. So I’m waffling, but ultimately going sesame. Final answer.
Grilled, griddled, or broiled?
All of the above. Didn’t George Motz teach us that burgers can be steamed and deep-fried, too? Is there even a verb for what they do to the burgers at Louis’ Lunch in New Haven? I find grilling and broiling to be the surest approaches to properly cooked patties, but I have no allegiance to any one style.
And how would you like that done, sir?
Medium-rare. Bonus points if the thing gets a chance to rest for a few minutes before it’s served, though I can’t think of a single restaurant where that happens.
Continue reading »
Posted by Adam Kuban, May 10, 2006 at 5:00 PM
Here's a killer list we've mentioned on AHT but have never elaborated on. It's Alan Richman's top 20 from his July 2005 story "The 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die" in GQ. Do click through to read the entire piece; it quickly made its way onto the Required Reading list at AHT HQ. Bon appétit! ...
Continue reading »
Posted by Adam Kuban, May 1, 2006 at 5:00 PM
AOL Cityguide has done it again. In late March, the good folks there brought you the best burgers in New York. Now they've compiled the "15 Burgers to Try Before You Die" (hmm ... strange echo of Alan Richman's piece in GQ last year, "The 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die.") Without further ado, they are ...
- All-American Drive-In, Massapequa, New York
- Chris Madrid's, San Antonio
- CityGrille, Denver
- Dick's Drive-In, Seattle
- Goldyburgers, Chicago
- In-N-Out Burgers, Los Angeles [AHT's 2¢]
- Jack's Old Fashion Hamburger, Oakland Park, Florida
- O'Connell's Pub, Saint Louis
- Peter Luger, New York [AHT's 2¢]
- Roaring Fork, Phoenix
- Stanich's, Portland, Oregon
- Tessaro's, Pittsburgh
- Thurman Cafe, Columbus, Ohio
- Val's Burgers, San Francisco
- 96th Street Steakburgers, Indianapolis
15 Burgers to Try Before You Die [AOL Cityguide]
The 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die [GQ]
Posted by Matt Jacobs, April 19, 2006 at 9:20 AM
While wandering Rush Street and Michigan Avenue in Chicago last weekend, I decided I needed a little pick-me-up. Seeing as this is a burger site, that meant sliders. I happened upon Luxbar, which is a fancy-schmancy bar/restaurant from the group that built Gibson's and Hugo's. Like so many other upscale restaurants, they have four different sliders to choose from.
I got a couple burger sliders, one with cheese and one without. The waitress did some recon for me and found out that they use organic ground chuck (20 percent fat) for the patties and that they bake their own sesame seed buns. She explained that the chef tried to use organic products whenever possible. Unfortunately, it didn't result in a spectacular slider. Although it was fairly juicy, it lacked any real flavor, which is even more disappointing in a slider. Restaurants that rely on condiments to provide taste is a growing pet peeve of mine.
Then again, I'm probably being a bit harsh. I finished both sliders quickly and would probably get another if I was there. But that doesn't mean these burgers were memorable, which is my usual litmus test. If I'm still thinking about it a week later, it must be a good burger.
Note: Sometimes doing a full review isn't necessary and sometimes we're just lazy. This is why we've introduced Quick Bites. We want to get you information on as many burger joints as possible and the new format should make that easier. Enjoy.
LUXBAR
Phone: 312-642-3200
Location: 18 East Bellevue Place (at Rush Street), Chicago
Price: $2.50 per slider ($.50 for cheese)
Posted by Adam Kuban, April 15, 2005 at 7:05 PM
McDonald's celebrated its 50th birthday today by opening its 50th anniversary restaurant in Chicago. Ray Kroc, who for all intents and purposes founded the McDonald's corporation we know today, opened his first McDonald's burger stand in Des Plaines, Illinois, about 20 miles northwest of Chicago, after striking a deal with the original McDonald brothers, who founded their joint in San Bernardino, California.
We at A Hamburger Today have a love-hate relationship with Micky D's, as I'm sure a lot of you do. When we were young, it was a special treat, and we fondly remember tearing into the cardboard Happy Meal boxes in anticipation of the special toy that was included. As we grew older, though, and our tastes for hamburgers developed a greater sophistication, we came to realize that the prizes were nothing more than cheap junk—a description that could also double for the burgers.
Still, sometimes we crave the weird, unmistakable taste of the burgers we grew up on. And the fries, if done right, are as delicious as ever. And how can you not love the 50th anniversary restaurant (see illustration, top-right image)?
The chain's ubiquity nationwide—and worldwide—make it hard to fathom that it is only 50 years old. And to think it started when Mr. Kroc happened upon the original McDonald brothers' burger stand while working as distributor of the Multimixer machine that the brothers used to brew up milkshakes.
Hmm. Sounds like an order of fries and a shake are in order for a quick after-work snack tonight.
Images from McDonald's (top) and AP (bottom).
