Urban Burger Bar & Sono Wood Fired

Urban Burger Bar & Sono Wood Fired

Poker buddy and long-time neighbor John McLean is opening two restaurants, side-by-side, at once: Urban Burger Bar and Sono Wood Fired.

Last year, I sampled a bunch of food he’s going to serving at these places, and I like it quite a lot. I shot some pix, but I've been asked to hold off on making them public (another local food journalist has the exclusive -- and I'm not 100% certain either place is actually open to the public at this moment; haven't been able to get through on the phones yet).

Wandering by both places in the past few months, it looks like he’s got a lot of space to deal with – but he is opening right in front of the new Apple store, so he may need that capacity.

Talking to Edzo recently, I mentioned Urban Burger Bar, wondering aloud if the burger trend had crested. “People will always be interested in hamburgers,” he said, or something very close to that, and he’s probably right.

Similarly, Sono (a play on the “south North Ave” neighborhood acronym and also Italian for “I am”) rides in the draft of several years of popular wood-fired pizza places, but this “trend,” too, may be eternal.

Location, I’ve heard, is important in real estate, and one benefit of locating near the Apple store is that the Cupertino company is making an effort to upgrade the neighborhood, starting with what used to be – and in many ways still is – the open-sewer-like Clybourn Red Line station.

Urban Burger Bar
1578 N. Clybourn
http://urbanburgerbar.com/

Sono Wood Fired
1582 N. Clybourn
http://www.sonowoodfired.com/

Funny. I keep driving by looking for signs of opening. It's literally, around the corner from us.

Today I pointed it out to DH on the way home from my 3rd visit, since Monday, to Franks and Dawgs.

pairs4life wrote:Funny. I keep driving by looking for signs of opening. It's literally, around the corner from us.

Today I pointed it out to DH on the way home from my 3rd visit, since Monday, to Franks and Dawgs.

You'll be glad to know that UBB is going to be featuring veggie burgers that are supposed to be fantastic (this according to John's wife).

Any word on how the burgers will be prepared? Flat grill patties or chargrilled? Home grind? etc.

And estimated opening day?

Thanks for the headsup, DH!. . and if those poker games get juicy let me know if you need another player

Urban Burger Bar opens tomorrow according to a few sites...

http://www.thrillist.com/chicago/urban-burger-bar

A video on there as well as menu... looks promising

Finally,

Food in my neighborhood.

We ate dinner there this evening. DH had the sashimi tuna burger. It wasn't what he was expecting (he wanted it raw) but once he got it he really enjoyed it.

I had the veggie burger. This was the first housemade veggie burger that I enjoyed. It's still too soft, but they are already working on this. As an aside, I've been wondering whether it was time to try my hand at some sort of bean patty that would taste good on bread any how.

The milkshake I ordered, was consumed by my non-sweet loving husband. It was vanilla with whipped cream (in house as well) and full of expensive vanilla bean flecks (justjoan taught me all about that).

Pleasant space and they hope to have their liquor license next week.

Chef John was kind enough to show us SONO wood fired that he's opening next door. It's gorgeous and yes there will be char on those wood-fired pizzas coming out of an oven that gets around 900 degrees, if I recall that correctly.

These spaces will be welcome in my food dessert.

The milkshake I ordered, was consumed by my non-sweet loving husband. It was vanilla with whipped cream (in house as well) and full of expensive vanilla bean flecks (justjoan taught me all about that).

I hate to burst your bubble, but flecks don't always mean expensive. There are plenty of places that purchase "spent vanilla beans" http://www.americanspice.com/catalog/21975/Vanilla_Beans.html just to put the specks in so people see them and assume that.

(not saying anything about the flecks in this particular shake, just ftr!)

elakin wrote:

The milkshake I ordered, was consumed by my non-sweet loving husband. It was vanilla with whipped cream (in house as well) and full of expensive vanilla bean flecks (justjoan taught me all about that).

I hate to burst your bubble, but flecks don't always mean expensive. There are plenty of places that purchase "spent vanilla beans" http://www.americanspice.com/catalog/21975/Vanilla_Beans.html just to put the specks in so people see them and assume that.

(not saying anything about the flecks in this particular shake, just ftr!)

No bubbles burst on this end.

Stopped tonite about 7:30....thought they had their liquor license after seeing the website and menu with the beer and wine selections....oops....not yet.
Had the burger with horseradish cheddar, bacon, fried egg....it is was not the best burger I have had, it was right up there. Perfectly cooked to my liking....touch below medium. Ordered the regular fries and they were OK....could have been hotter and crispier but pretty good.
Both the chef/owner and his partner stopped by to chat and were asking our opinions on the food etc. These guys are good operators, both worked for Levy for a long time. They are opening Sono next door in a couple days but they have been through this many times and will handle it with ease.

Looking forward to enjoying a great beer with a great burger.

IMHO, they have Kuma's beat and so far, no lines.

Another positive hit for the the UBB last night. After checking out the menus of both places - our group had just snacked on pizza so Sono didn't really have a chance - we chose UBB. Decent looking pizza-heavy menu at Sono, however, so I am sure we'll return at some point to check it out.

UBB has two handsome rooms - TVs in the bar area only - with a sleek, industrial feel - think big star with more wood. There are also some tables outside in the parking lot, which may have been more enticing had it not been hot butter outside, so we chose the non-barroom side.

UBB is now serving beers and a couple of wines by the glass and bottle. Not sure if they've instituted the full program yet, as there were numerous beers listed on the board above the bar, but only 6-7 drafts and 10-15 by the bottle. Bell's IPA hit the spot, and there were a couple of other interesting choices, but again, I'm not sure this is a the full story yet on the beverage program. In addition, there were a lot of interesting milkshake options - my wife got the nutella and banana, which from my stolen sip or two was very good.

After getting some instruction on the burger/stacker/other portions of the menu (there is a "Golden Ox" stacker - nice props but not very enticing: thuringer, kraut, swiss), our table ordered an en feugo, a stacker with, I think, jalapenos and avacado, among other things, and a tallgrass burger with mushrooms/jack/poblano. Both perfectly medium rare and scarfed down in short order. I spent the majority of my time with the tallgrass, and it had a nice, beefy flavor and a bit of crisp on the outside. Nice product, and one befitting the $13 price tag (with fries). Skinny fries were good (I like a few less than perfectly crispy and this was a mixed batch to my liking), and the dipping sauce selection, while not exaustive, was interesting enough and well-executed. We also shared an order of the fried zucchini, which I had a hard time fully enjoying without a side of skordalia, but enjoyable nonetheless (in really long strips - pretty interesting actually), mac and cheese, which was unremarkable, and a couple of salads, which looked fine, although I didn't try.

Agreed with the earlier posters on filling a need in the area. If I still lived in Old Town I am sure I would be going to this place regularly.

pairs4life wrote: This was the first housemade veggie burger that I enjoyed. It's still to soft, but they are already working on this. As an aside, I've been wondering whether it was time to try my hand at some sort of bean patty that would taste good on bread any how..

Best veggie burger I've ever had is the slider @ Mana Food Bar on Division. The chili is fantastic as well, among the best I've ever had.

are the burgers cooked over fire?

Went back for the second time last night. The first time, which was the day they got their liquor license but weren't set up yet, was a disappointment. Ordered the En Fuego burger mid-rare, came out very rare. The meat was bland, mushy (over worked) and under-seasoned. The burger was good looking, very good bun, but the star of the burger, was awful. Ate less than half. Fries were over cooked and soggy. The fried pickles were very good by the way.

Last night. Ordered apps. 10 mins later ordered our burgers. The burgers came out before the apps. Of course the server puts all the plates in front of us which was offensive. My burger was way over done. I ordered it Medium, but said "I want a true mid rare, last time I ordered mid rare, it came out very rare, so I am ordering it med, but I want mid-rare, so however the kitchen needs to have it ordered"...of course, I got well-done (and cold), same with the fries. I ordered Da Blue x 2, which was a nice looking burger, but it was not for eating. The short rib/burger was apparently good, but I did not try it as I wanted to get out of there and it took some arguing with the managing partner to get a bill (I insisted on paying for it). I want to like this place, the menu reads well and the burgers look good. The execution has been unacceptable both times I was there (they weren't very crowded last night either). I may go back in another six months, if they are around, but I am not wasting one more nickle in that place. Lots of potential, total pass at this juncture.

TheMac wrote:"I want a true mid rare, last time I ordered mid rare, it came out very rare, so I am ordering it med, but I want mid-rare, so however the kitchen needs to have it ordered"

Next time, I'd try ordering by color (e.g. "I'd like it very pink in the middle") to perhaps increase the odds of getting it cooked the way you want. This is a more universal language than "true mid rare", "very rare", "med", etc.

Generally not a bad idea... but....

The issue is that it does not appear to have registered with the kitchen, not the information itself... heck, I would give them an exact temperature if it would help. Not sure how their order fire system works, but the definitely wanted it rare, med-rare, med, etc... after explaining to her exactly what i want in three different ways, there is no chance she didn't understand. How it was given to the kitchen, I don't know, what the line cook did with it, I don't know, how long it sat on the pass to cool off like that, I don't know... but I know it wasn't med-rare or even debatablely close to it, heck, it wasn't even close to medium.

You sure you weren't @ David Burkes?

Tuesday night we went to a media event at Sono and Urban Burger Bar.

We started at Sono, and the charcuterie looked good, but I ate only a little because I wanted to focus on what Chef McLean made (and he’s not making the charcuterie yet, though that’s in the cards). My favorite pie was probably (and it’s not an easy decision) the potato, rosemary and mascarpone. The cheese gave the pie a strangely appealing marshmallow taste that I came to like around mid-way through the second piece.



The photo above is one of the first pies out of the oven, and the crust was not 100% to my taste, but you get the idea (later pies had a much crisper crust, which is my preference though it’s not, as I understand it and have experienced it in Italy, so typical of the authentic Neapolitan pie). The potato on pizza crust seems like it would be drab carb on carb, starch on starch monotony, but I liked the texture of the spuds against the mascarpone. The potatoes made the pizza resist the bite a little, and they brought down the overall richness of the pizza.

The burgers at UBB had the beefy backbone of flavor I’ve been looking for and not finding in many recent burgers. Above pairs4life mentioned that the veggie burgers were enjoyable, and they are good, but veg v. meat is not a fair fight and there’s no way the flavor of a vegetable can stand up to the savory power of muscle meat. Here’s a side-by-side; I’m sure you can tell which is beef and which is veggie.



The center of this beef burger is reddish and warm so it doesn’t have the mushiness of a raw center though it still retains moisture and the juicy bloody redness we carnivores so crave.

We also liked the BBQ pork (with bacon and ham; each of the three types of pigmeat was easily distinguishable from one another) and the burger with brie.

I’ve enjoyed fried pickles at Violet Hour and elsewhere, but not nearly as much as UBB's longitudinally cut pickle, bejeweled with beads of fried breading.



The Wife thought the calamari was perfectly done, laced with light shreds of almost tempura-like crust, though it takes a little effort for me to eat this ubiquitous offering (of course, people love their squid this way, so I can see why it’s on this and many other menus all over town). UBB's was a very good version of this de rigueur item.

We tried a few of the shakes, which seemed fine, but I can just no longer get into a milkshake with a meal, though god knows I’ve had my share of the McDonald’s burgers accompanied by a “thick shake.” With the fried stuff (aforementioned pickles, as well as zucchini and very, very good sweet potato fries), the shake somehow seemed to work very well, but with beef, well, it’s just not for me.

Though I still miss the Golden Ox, Sono/UBB are worthy successors to the location (fun fact: the old Golden Ox sign is actually hidden beneath the current UBB sign – someday, it will be excavated).

Atmospherically, Sono and UBB have very different feels: one is warm and cozy, the other harder and more boisterous; even in summer, I prefer the Sono feel, but that’s going to vary by person and what, you know, you’re hungry for at the moment.

I've been to each restaurant once (so far ). At UBB I ordered a burger made with Tallgrass beef, white cheddar, sauteed mushrooms and crispy onions. The burger was very good, but the beef could have used a little more seasoning. Their selection of beers is awesome. I think there were 15 beers on tap when I was there (mostly micros) and quite a few (30 or so) interesting offerings in bottles. It also helped that drafts were only $3 that day! The next week I took my girlfriend to Sono Wood Fired. She loved the atmosphere of the place and the food as well. We had two bruschettas which were excellent, but a little expensive at $3 per piece. The two pizzas we ordered were nicely charred and the flavor combinations worked well. The crust was a little flat for me (sorry), not much flavor besides the char as if the dough hadn't been allowed to ferment long enough to develop flavor. I also thought there were too many tomatoes on the soppresata pie I ordered, they started to release their juices after baking which quickly pooled on the plate and made everything a little bit messy. We enjoyed the food at both places and will be going back in the near future.

I've had two Urban Burgers so far and have been quite happy with them. The basic burger ($9) is a grilled half-pounder on a toasted, lightly buttered bun. Other than good meat, one thing that really sets UBB apart is the wide choice of toppings offered gratis. My first burger had mushrooms, onions and (as a result of miscommunication) jalapeños. Fries (sweet potato in this case) and a dipping sauce are also included.



An excellent burger—nicely charred but not overdone and the bit of butter lent a richness that enhanced the meat. The red onions are lightly marinated in vinegar giving a tangy edge without changing their basic flavor. My new favorite burger topping. Jalapeños were prepared similarly. Pretty darn hot but I liked them a lot. Mushrooms (nicely prepared) were completely lost here. Sweet potato fries, though well prepared, didn't seem like a good match. I used one or two dips of chipotle mayonnaise then ignored it.

Urban Burger #2 had those same great pickled reds as well as caramelized onions and arugula. An extra $1 got me truffle fries and aioli.





I think I can finally say I don't care much for truffle oil after many tries (including an awful meal at Sweets & Savories where almost every dish was overwhelmed with the stuff). Plain fries or a salad for me next time, thank you. I may have found my ideal burger toppings—pickled onions and arugula, nothing else.

As mentioned, the beer list is interesting and I like the airy, open feel of the place with constructions using found materials by local artist Juan Angel Chavez.





Urban Burger Bar
1578 N Clybourn Av
Chicago
312-255-0055

This summer I've been eating cheeseburgers like they are going out of style. Chicago is lucky to have such an abundance of some amazing places serving them that my friends and I have been trying to sample most within the city.

Saturday, I suggested that me and some of my friends go to UBB, per David's pictures and review's and we were all pretty excited. When you walk in, you notice this bright and very clean venue (went during lunch) that played decent music. Nothing to loud or forceful, I recall it was mostly wxrt type music. We had a hard time deciding what to order because so many things looked so good on the menu, but we all decided to stick with the burgers for now. I ordered the Les Urbain which was brie, onion jam and dijonaise with regular fries with urban sauce and a vanilla shake. I wish I would of taken photos, because my burger came out perfectly medium and the brie with onion jam just did it for me, the gooeyness and tartness from the onions was pure love. The fries were really good as well, very fresh and crisp and had a nice bronzed color to them, much better than the fries at Epic and Kuma's, in my opinion. The vanilla shake was really good as well, very very thick and actual vanilla bean in it, I wouldn't be shocked if I learned they used Breyer's vanilla ice cream, just tasted very authentic.

Let's shoot to the point, it was better than 98% of the burgers I've had in the city. Was it better than kuma's? I cannot really say yes or no, it's two different experiences; one dark and dingy with awesome metal and awesome food, the other light, clean with awesome music and awesome food. I will say, I highly suggest going, when we went there was not a lot of people in the afternoon and you can easily walk right in and eat within the hour. If you are going to go, I would suggest to go now. The space is pretty big, a lot bigger than most burger places in the city and they have a nice little area out back so you can sit outside. I will be going back very soon, my friends and I joked about not telling people about our UBB b/c we don't want it over taken, but then again, that is what's so great about our city, these experiences that were allowed to have with food. So go and enjoy.

http://www.burgerbarchicago.com/

I went shopping for beer to gift today and stopped at UBB for lunch. To start, I had the "colossal" chicken wings (which weren't really that big). These were grilled nicely with just enough char to give them some character. Consistency-wise, the sauce was pretty light with a one-note sweetness. I liked the wings, but they're not reason to go to UBB. I also had the En Fuego, which comes with pickled red onions, jalapeños, pepper jack and guacamole.

Khaopaat wrote:

TheMac wrote:"I want a true mid rare, last time I ordered mid rare, it came out very rare, so I am ordering it med, but I want mid-rare, so however the kitchen needs to have it ordered"

Next time, I'd try ordering by color (e.g. "I'd like it very pink in the middle") to perhaps increase the odds of getting it cooked the way you want. This is a more universal language than "true mid rare", "very rare", "med", etc.

I tried to order my burger medium rare and then describe the amount of pinkness I wanted, but my waiter cut me off politely to say, "We can just do it rare?" I conceded, and rare is what I got. The outside had a respectable amount of char, which made the inside all the more impressive--mostly raw, as in some of the meat felt cold. Apart from the doneness (or lack thereof) and heat (again, or lack thereof--I saw a lot of jalapeños but didn't taste any heat), I enjoyed my burger.

I was craving fries, but I spied fries at the table next to me, and they looked much skinnier than the fries in Rene G's photo with the pickled red, caramelized onions and arugula burger. Is it possible that UBB uses a thicker cut with the truffle oil? Not a fan of Hot Doug-skinny fries, I opted for the chips, which were fresh but under-seasoned. I really want to like UBB because it's closer to me than all of the other new-burger places, and I like the interior a lot. I'll go back and try again.

I stopped in here for dinner a couple weeks back. I liked it. Nice selection of beer and the burger wasn't too shabby at all. On our night visited there was a decent sized crowd and it was pretty loud inside there, some people might not like that. I went with the "en fuego" with bacon added on and my girl got the "Hey Shortay" which is a patty topped with braised short ribs, warm onion and fennel slaw.


en fuego with bacon

My burger was pretty damn good. It was cooked to my specifications and I enjoyed the combo of toppings all paired together. Since they use fresh sliced jalapenos I'm guessing the heat can vary based on how hot the batch of peppers used is b/c mine were hot, I needed another beer fast after my first few bites and I am no stranger to heat. The fries were fresh cut but skinnier than say Gene and Judes, 35th st. and Jimmy's etc...still pretty good, I liked them.


Hey Shortay!

I got to eat half of the shortay and it was good but a little too much and not as flavorful as mine was. I wouldn't order it for me when I find myself back there. You can also substitute a salad for fries and that wasn't bad either. Seeing as how its close to where I'm at, I can see myself back here before or after some Bulls games this winter/spring for some burgers and beer.

Urban Burger Bar
1578 n. Clybourn ave
Chicago, IL 60642
(312) 255-0055

I've been to Urban Burger Bar three times now and find myself enjoying it more each time. I've tried three different burgers - En Feugo, Hey Shortay and the Belly Up. Each time, they've nailed the requested temp. (something even my favorite burger spots can't do consistently). The burgers themselves are good quality, perhaps lacking a little oomph in the seasoning. The En Fuego was my favorite. The Belly Up had a nice balance with the apple slaw balancing out the caramelized pork belly. I enjoyed the Hey Shortay as well, although the combined effect of the toppings is a little dense. This might be fixed by adding on an acidic component.

Regular fries are good, sweet potato fries are better, and I love the dipping sauces (chipotle aioli and pesto aioli both very tasty).

Best of all, the two bartenders I've been served by are true professionals - patient and ready with great recommendations. If you're not inspired by what's on tap, ask them for a recommendation and they won't steer you wrong.

This is a great option if you're in the neighborhood of North and Clybourn.

Visited Urban Burger Bar tonight. The parking is certainly urban ($5 for the adjacent lot), but the burgers were very good. I had the Wild Bill, a bison burger with goat cheese, arugula, and a tomato chutney on a pretzel roll. It was VERY messy, but that's often what you get with a good burger. The patty had a nice, fall-apart texture. I asked for medium rare--half of the burger was as ordered, the other half was medium, FWIW.

Truffle fries are okay, though the version at Franks and Dawgs is more truffle-y. Others in the party had the Tallgrass Burger (e.g., "design your own") and appeared to enjoy them. The sweet potato fries were done nicely--a crispy exterior with a pillow-soft interior. Beer selection was good, service was attentive.

The milkshakes were also very good--I had the banana & nutella shake, which (except for 2 large chunks of banana at the bottom) was excellent. Another person had the weekly special: Bailey's Irish Cream milkshake. Both of these are worth attempting at home.

All in all, it worked out to $110 for four people including tax and tip. I'd definitely go back to try some of the other burgers on the list. As burgers go, this was among the top 3 I've had in Chicago (Kumas's and Jury's are 1 and 2, respectively).

Tried to go to UBB at about 8:30pm last Saturday, only to be asked whether we had a reservation. My honest first reaction was, "Reservations....for a burger bar?" Not that I am opposed, just surprised, that UBB took them. Alas, I will know better next time.

The rumblings in the belly region meant we couldn't wait the modest 30 minute wait, so we decided to go to Sono Wood Fired next door. Also pretty full, it had space at the bar, meaning we could get right to eating.

And eat (and drink) we did. A nice little "fancypants" cocktail menu drew me in right away with a St. Germaine cocktail. Man, I love that stuff. Sister's vodka+muddled strawberries+cucumber+soda martini was fresh and light, if not particularly mind blowing (unless you count how strong it was, especially on an empty stomach).

The drinks were nice starters along with the two bruschettas we ordered, Humbolt (humbolt fog cheese, caramelized cippollini onion jam, lavender honey) and BLT (sun-dried tomato tapenade, arugula, crispy copa). The bread certainly might not be, but it tasted and felt either house-made or baked that day, not day-old like the perfectly acceptable role day-old bread is usually given to hold bruschetta toppings. The BLT was OK, but the Humbolt was awesome - creamy, sweet, tangy. The honey and onions complemented but didn't cover up the cheese...I want another one right now.

We switched to beer (Lagunitas Czech Pilsner, i think, and Two Brothers' Bitter End - nice, if limited, beer list they have) for the pizza. We kept it simple and classic by ordering the Salsicca - sausage, roasted peppers, and basil with mozzerella and parmiggiano. The mozzerella seemed a little overly chewy, and didn't have too much flavor. The parm must have been sparingly applied. But the surprisingly spicy sausage, roasted peppers, and bright tomato sauce were all great - as was the crunchy, crackly crust.

Overall - we loved the pizza and devoured it all in embarrassing speed. In a moment of (perhaps young, infatuated, blinded) love, I declared it my favorite over CoalFire, although a bit of distance has me remembering that CoalFire's chewy, charred cornicione is almost unbeatable. Still, the uneven CoalFire pizzas (and their higher price) has my yet-halfway-blinded-by-pizza-love eyes putting Sono up around their tier of awesome.

Will I go back? Yes, and soon. Is it the best pizza in town? Despite my over-reaction, like a teenage romatic soap opera, no - but it's pretty damn good. Once the tide of lust recedes, I may form a more objective opinion. Until then, I'm riding it through.

We kept it simple and classic by ordering the Salsicca - sausage, roasted peppers, and basil with mozzerella and parmiggiano. The mozzerella seemed a little overly chewy, and didn't have too much flavor. The parm must have been sparingly applied. But the surprisingly spicy sausage, roasted peppers, and bright tomato sauce were all great - as was the crunchy, crackly crust.

Overall - we loved the pizza and devoured it all in embarrassing speed. In a moment of (perhaps young, infatuated, blinded) love, I declared it my favorite over CoalFire, although a bit of distance has me remembering that Coalfire's chewy, charred cornicione is almost unbeatable. Still, the uneven CoalFire pizzas (and their higher price) has my yet-halfway-blinded-by-pizza-love eyes putting Sono up around their tier of awesome.

Some further comments on Sono, which also, like its neighbor UBB, provides another option for Steppenwolf and Royal George theatergoers, while being, literally, steps from the red line's North Avenue entrance.

Wife and I wound up splitting an antipasto, salad, and pizza for (along with a pair of artisanal beers) $60 (tax/tip included). Unlike Coalfire there's a fairly healthy list of antipasti and salads, and considerable care seems to be given to their selection and makeup. We had the Mista for a starter, which consisted of four samplings of excellent charcuterie, four cheeses, and a pat of paté, followed by a spinach/arugula salad, dressed with scatterings of citrus, pine nuts, and goat cheese. We, too, ordered the sausage pizza and my response to it is similar to the above. The toppings are placed with a light hand (that's a compliment), and the individual flavors for the most part exerted themselves well. Personally, I prefer Coalfire's and Spaccanapoli's crusts, but the wife, who likes a crunchy texture, gives Sono top billing, and I would venture to say that anyone who loves a cracker thin crust needs to sample this version.

We'll be back, too, perhaps for their 5-course, wine-paired $60 special dinner (in the latter part of June), since there are clearly people in the back of the house who care about quality ingredients and solid, basic preparations, the foundation for fine Italian cuisine.

Hit UBB on Saturday at noon. It was so nice to walk in and get a seat right away. I don't need to go to Kuma's ever again to be honest. My burger was perfectly prepared. I had the Burgh, probably wouldn't get it again, just because of the enormity of it and the slaw, just a little too sweet for my tastes. I just didn't need all the toppings, the burger was done as ordered, pink on the inside and charred on the outside, regular fries that were cooked crisp. We started with the fried pickle slices. They were cooked just right, extra crispy from the panko, and not overly salty. Followed that up with the short rib quesadilla. This was very delicious, all the ingredients just complimented one another, the short rib, pico, carmalized onions, and the dipping sauce. They have a very extensive craft beer list. Everything was just hitting on all cylinders and it was a good find for that area.

but the wife, who likes a crunchy texture, gives Sono top billing, and I would venture to say that anyone who loves a cracker thin crust needs to sample this version.

Returned to Sono to discover the antipasti misti to be just as good as previous (4 meats, 3 cheeses, and sondries). an expanded salad listing (the apple/fennel was fresh and tart), and to my wife's disappointment and my satisfaction, a breadier pizza (still a ways to go, IMO, tho before topping Spacca or Coalfire).

But I would also like to report that they have scheduled a second wine dinner for Th 8/25. The first, with some hits (ceviche, rack-of-lamb) and an occasional miss (skate wing--for freshness not up to previous ones I've had) was a bargain at $60, largely because, I suspect, it was partially underwritten by a wine distributor. This first dinner featured wines from Casa Silva (Chile), and turned into a profitable learning experience for me. I was particularly impressed with the Riserva Camenere, and at $14 a bottle retail, this later proved to be an excellent purchase:

(more on the wine here: http://www.corksandcaftans.com/2009/07/ ... ley-chile/)

I believe the second dinner will be featuring wines from Piedmont, and at $50 for 6 courses (with 6 pairings?), it should again prove to be quite a bargain. Here's the menu: http://sonowoodfired.com/events

I've been very happy with the Camenere I've had, and I've been drinking a lot of Chilean wine lately.

Tried their special duck burger last week and loved it. Second best burger in the city (after Edzo's). A 1/2 pound duck patty with baby arugula and topped with goat cheese and peach-apricot-cherry chutney. I asked for medium rare and they cooked it through but it was so delicious I'm thinking maybe they knew best?


Duck Burger / Burger Bar by TrackBelle, on Flickr


Duck Burger Chalkboard / Burger Bar by TrackBelle, on Flickr

And I washed down the burger with a sweet peach milkshake - also on special. I would have preferred a chunkier milkshake or a little more peach flavor. It was good cold, but by the end of the meal, had become cloyingly sweet.


Sweet Peach Milkshake by TrackBelle, on Flickr

I'll definitely be back. Next up: the bison burger and malted chocolate milkshake.