recap: 40-day dry aged, 13-dollar burger from David Burke's Primehouse

To date, the notable Chicago burgers I've had include:

Rosebud
Paradise Pup
The $19 Rockit Burger
Goose Island (Burger Bet 07)
Gaslight (Burger Bet 08)
Hop Haus
Five Guys
Milwood
Grand Lux (with short ribs)
Boston Blackies

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Today I ventured one block to Burke's Primehouse to try their 40-Day Dry Aged Prime Steak Burker (sic: a play on the owner's name) for twelve dollars. I ordered it medium and with cheddar ($1 extra) and passed on the fried egg on top ($4 extra). It comes with garlic spinach, crispy shallots, and bacon mayo, on a toasted potato bun with a side of asiago truffle fries. Got all that?

I've been in nice, expensive steakhouses before (Capital Grille, Gibson's) but this one carries an element of chefery, a foodie air about it. Before the food came an odd, crispy roll accompanied by a pat of butter with super-coarse brown salt sitting on top.

The menu didn't say how many ounces the burger was. It's not small by any means, it was a good size, but I think I was expecting a taller, rounder burger. Here's a good picture, not taken by me. Imagine this with cheddar between the burger and spinach:


It was definitely juice and definitely not overcooked. The center was absolutely RED, while the ring around it was a nice meaty pink before getting to a fully cooked age. There was too much spinach for my taste, so I scraped off a bunch and left a little.

About half-way through I remembered that this was a dry-aged burger. So I bit into again and again trying to discern the dry-aged flavor. I couldn't. Perhaps someone with a more refined palate could, but I couldn't. It tasted good, just not any different than my usual high-quality beef.

One thing that was surprising, was that if you're going to dry-age your beef for 40 days, why bother covering up with crispy shallots, bacon mayo and garlic spinach, and especially with the fried egg offer? Perhaps with just a hint of fine mayo, the agey-ness would have been more apparent.

As for the fries, I was really excited to try my second batch of truffle fries after my having Rockit's fries. I couldn't taste the truffle oil. The fries were good and the asiago--most of which was under the fries and required me to scoop it back on--was nice, but I would never have known these were truffle fries except for the label on the menu.

I liked going there, and thought the food I had tasted good, but sort of felt like I was promised more: dry-aged beef and truffle fries.

- - -

So based on the burgers I've had in Chicago, here are my recommendations, not in a ranked order:

Rosebud (when you want a super steakhouse burger)
Rockit (when you want an exotic, wild burger and truffle fries)
Gaslight (when you want a classic merkt's, bacon and barbecue burger)
Paradise Pup (when you want that old school cheddar char-burger)

the best frozen burgers

Stockman & Dakota, six ounce premium angus beef burgers. I already went through a box of the blue cheese burgers, so they're not pictured. I haven't had the sweet onion yet, I did buy those because the calories I believe are around 380--Jalapeno & Cheddar is 450, and Bacon & Cheddar is 480, I think.

Thick, juicy, and they turn out great on the Foreman, forming a nice crust on top and bottom.

foodasfuel™ serving suggestion: You don't need any bread or bun to enjoy this burger. For last Sunday's game vs Jaguars, I made this Jalapeno & Cheddar burger, complete with fresh cilantro shavings and a tequila lime salsa. You can see the cheddar bursting out of it. Talk about a flavor explosion. And talk about plating!

(Click for burger in HD!)

chicago burger list

Right when I moved to Chicago in 2005, I found this article in the Tribune listing the top 5 burgers: (burgers I've had in bold)

Chicago Tribune, 2005

1. Rosebud
2. Naha
3. Park Grill
4. Select Cut Steakhouse
5. Paradise Pup

Then I found Chicago Mag's top 30, and noted that I had only been to #14 Hop Haus, #24 Paradise Pup, and #27 Five Guys.

And just now in preparation for this post, I found a Tribune photo gallery from this year.

1. The Grafton
2. Hot Chocolate (#2 on Chicago Mag)
3. Sola
4. Capital Grille (#13 on Chicago Mag)
5. Top Notch (#8 on Chicago Mag)
6. Sweets & Savories
7. Paradise Pup (on all three lists)
8. Rosebud/Carmine
9. Burke's Primehouse (#9 on Chicago Mag)
10. Schoop's
11. Labriola Bakery
12. Kuma's Corner (#3 on Chicago Mag)

Plus, here are the unlisted burgers that I've already had (there may be some I'm forgetting):

The $19 Rockit Burger
Goose Island (Burger Bet 07)
Gaslight (Burger Bet 08)
Grand Lux (with short ribs)
Hop Haus
Five Guys
Milwood
Boston Blackies

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So all of that said, here's my new list of burgers to have, based on critical acclaim, yelp reviews, descriptions, pictures, and proximity:

The One I've Heard The Most About
Kuma's Corner, 2900 W Belmont

Steakhouses (and near my work)
Capital Grille, 633 N St. Clair
Primehouse, 616 N Rush (went 12/4/09)

Wicker Park & Upscale
Hot Chocolate, 1747 N Damen
Duchamp, 2118 N Damen

Under $10
Flub a Dub Chub's, 3021 N Broadway
Marc Burger, 111 N State (7th floor, Macys)

Suburbs
Labriola Baking Company, 3021 Butterfield Rd, Oak Brook

Best Burgers in Chicago*

according to Chicago Magazine's 30 Best Burgers

They also have a separate page just to explain why big names, including the $19 burger from Rockit didn't make the list.

I've only had burgers at #14 Hop Haus, #24 Paradise Pup, and #27 Five Guys. Basically all three of them were at one end of the foodie spectrum, opposite where the Rockit burger is.

For what it's worth, the burgers from Epic Burger, Duchamp, Naha, and Kuma's Corner were all on my radar. Also, Capital Grille and Primehouse are literally only a block away, so if I ever wanted to spend $20 on a burger for lunch, I know where to go.

Capital Grille is where I had one of the best meals of my life: a 24-ounce porterhouse for $40. So while I have no doubts about their burger making skills, it almost feels like if you're going to go to Capital Grille and shell out serious cash, why not order a dry-aged steak?

What Does A $19 Hamburger Taste Like?

I've never spent $19 on a hamburger before. Yesterday, I ate the Rockit Burger. A burger made with kobe beef and topped with melted brie, fried shallots and a medjool date aioli. Served with a side of truffle fries. I've still never spent $19 on a burger--work covered the tab.

So what does a $19 hamburger taste like? And what the hell is a medjool date aioli?

For that you have to go to Rockit.


Oddly enough, on their menu they have a section called "sandwiches/burgers" and the Rockit Burger is not listed there. It is under "entrees." Well then.

This is the first time I've ever had a Kobe burger. I had heard that in America, sometimes when they say Kobe beef, it's really Kobe-style. Whatever. I have no idea if that cow was really Wagyu or from Japan or Peoria.

I ordered it medium. Also, it's important to note that we got the food delivered. So by the time it got to me, it was still warm, but the cheese was completely melted and the beef had time to rest. I think this only made it better. The burger was actually closer to medium-rare, so I definitely think the extra delivery time only helped the consistency. It's possible that burger could have been too pink and mushy if I had been eating in.

After seeing this picture on yelp, I'm glad the cheese had a chance to melt. I think the brie would have been overpowering in that state, but melted it was subtle and delicious. The fried shallots were not as overflowing in the picture on Rockit's site. And the date aioli? It was a good sweet sauce that paired nicely with the cheese and the beef.

Ultimately, what made the burger so amazing was the way it all came together. I didn't really taste these as separate elements. The bun was perhaps the best part, a onion brioche, I believe, and the way it soaked up the sauce and beef juice was perfect. It was slightly crunchy on the outside, warm and soft on the inside. The cheese, sauce, shallots and bun were there to highlight the taste of the meat and it worked to perfection.

This was also the first time that I had truffle fries (or truffle anything). If you hadn't told me they had truffle oil, I might not have noticed there was anything exotic. They were just really good in a way that I hadn't really had before. Addictive fries.

I still think that it was overpriced. I don't think any burger should cost over $14 or so. But it's hard to think of a better burger I've had. I love the one at Gaslight, with the Merkt's, bacon and barbecue sauce, abut I don't think it beats the Rockit Burger.

And I want to go back to Grand Lux for their Max Burger, an angus patty topped with cheddar, bacon, onion, AND short ribs!

But the Rockit Burger did not disappoint. And I'm glad I didn't have to pay for it to experience it.

the mystery of the inflating hamburger

I buy frozen burgers because I like to be stocked up for a week or two and have them ready to go when I come home from work. I'm not too brand loyal--if something's on sale, I'll try it out.

I recently bought some Glenmark Cookout Burgers. The package states "homestyle thickness" and "our biggest burger." Okay, fair enough. There's 8 in a box. The first thing I notice is that it's more of a rectangle than a circle, or even a square. It's basically shaped like a deck of cards.

Prior to the incident, I had cooked a few, and thought they were fine. Nothing outstanding, but perfectly suitable. And then one day I put one on the George Foreman and I had my sweet corn going in the microwave. After a few minutes I opened up the grill and noticed that it was puffing up, like a balloon. I put the grill down and cooked it longer. I lifted it up and again saw it almost inflating. I poked it with a spatula and tongs, and I could flatten it to normal thickness, but then when I let go of it, it inflated up again.

I wasn't sure if it was full of blood, or if it was going to explode, or what. But it looked done. So I put it on my plate, and cut into it. This is what I found:

In case you can't tell, this burger was hollow. Or at least, a definite air pocket. It looked like a pita. Or a chicken cordon blue without out the stuffing.

I ate it and it tasted just fine. I felt a little gypped but I suppose it was the same thickness. In fact, this could be a genius marketing ploy: DIY stuffed burgers--cook and then stuff with cheese and bacon and barbecue sauce for an inside-out masterpiece!

Review: Mesa Grill, New York City

After watching Bobby Flay on Iron Chef America and Throwdown, I've been looking forward to the day when I could visit one of his restaurants. So as soon as I got to Manhattan, I was headed for lunch at Mesa Grill on 5th Avenue. I'll be using the Iron Chef judging scale (10 for taste, 5 for plating, 5 for originality)



I started with an appetizer: Goat Cheese "Queso Fundido" with rajas and blue corn tortilla strips. (10.50)


My first impression was that it seemed small, but it was surprisingly filling. The cheese was incredible, and the dish was deep enough that I felt like there was more than enough cheese.

Taste: 10
Plating: 5
Originality: 5

The appetizer was perfect and beautifully set. Also, goat cheese in a southwestern dip? Very original. A perfect 20 out of 20.



For my main course, I ordered the Mesa Burger with Southwestern Fries. The burger comes standard with double cheddar, grilled vidalia onion, and horseradish mustard. (14.50)


I ordered the burger medium, and it was cooked perfectly. Great tasting beef and again top quality cheese. The bun didn't fit the burger and was too stiff. The bun starting falling apart right away.

The fries were heavily seasoned, almost too much, but not quite. And there was fresh cilantro chopped on the fries, giving them a special taste. But the fries were not very crispy.

Taste: 9
Plating: 5
Originality: 4

All the flavors were wonderful but with mushy fries and a stiff bun, I couldn't give him a perfect score on taste. The presentation was again wonderful with the use of a cast iron crock for the fries, matching the cheese dip. The cilantro was a unique touch on the fries, but there was nothing out of the ordinary on the burger. 18 out of 20.

Which brings the total score to 38 out of 40.

It was a pleasure eating there and I wouldn't hesitate to go back or try a different one of his restaurants.

World Series Burger

In honor of the impending WS WS Sweep I present the World Series Burger:

Two Beef Patties
Two Layers of Melted Cheddar
Grilled Roast Beef
Gates Barbecue Sauce
Mayo
Jalepeno Mustard
Relish
All on a Toasted Bun