Vital Information wrote:PJ Clarkes: Have I mentioned this? really one of the best in the city

Ok, 48, then.

And, yes, I agree, that's a good one.

EDIT: After consulting my list above--which includes several other establishements not found on PitD's list, i.e., Bad Dog Tavern, Smoke Daddy, Bistro Campagne, Silver Cloud, Parlor, Dublin's, and Five Star--my current tally is 55.

E.M.

I'd like to hear from someone who's tried the burgers at both PJ Clarke's in NY and Chicago. I know the places are related by name, mostly, and little else, but the burgers at the NY original are probably my favorite in the country. I was really blown away by the medium rare on my last visit to Manhattan, so much so, I ordered a second. The burger at the hyped and hard to find Burger Joint did nothing for me.

figmolly wrote:Well I may be biased because I work there, but I think Poag Mahone's should be on your list. I know you guys want to be different, above the fray, and probably don't want to agree with GQ or Oprah, but we have a damn good burger. Do I think it's one of the best in the country? Probably not, but I hate "Best in the Country" lists anyway. What it is in 9 oz. of choice sirloin, grilled with a pretty good char & basically unadultered (unless you want to add cheese, grilled onions, sauteed mushrooms, sauce, etc.).

Give it a try:

Well, I have tried it, on a regular "great burger quest" that I and one of my clients have been on whenever we have lunch together. And I have to say it is right up there near the top. I used to fancy Smith & Wollensky as one step above Poag's, but the last one there erred on the side of overdone for my medium-rare request, and was not nearly as good. Having had 4-5 Poag-burgers over the last 8 months, I would put it at least tied for 1st-2nd place, with Boston Blackie's hanging right in there. I thought that Moody's was a nice setting, but was very underwhelmed by the burger itself. Monk's Pub has another nice burger, consistently an A or A-. I really have to try the Rosebud Steakhouse's burger.

Erik M. wrote:
... EDIT: After consulting my list above--which includes several other establishements not found on PitD's list, i.e., Bad Dog Tavern, Smoke Daddy, Bistro Campagne, Silver Cloud, Parlor, Dublin's, and Five Star...

E.M.

Oops. Sorry. I missed the fine print I will update the list in a week or so...

Vital Information wrote:I'm at 27 too. Is the list all the burgers mentioned in this thread or all the burgers Panther has tried?*

Burgers mentioned in this thread. I might of missed a few.

Vital Information wrote:*How 'bout these:

Booby's in Niles: Big C with pickles, cole slaw and bbq sauce Wolfy's on Peterson in Chicago, a surprisingly decent char burger
PJ Clarkes: Have I mentioned this? really one of the best in the city
McCormacks in Lake Bluff (see mine and Cathy2's posts)

Will be added soon!

By the way... I am at a paltry 21. I better get going!

I'm not a huge burger fan. I'll never reach the numbers that some people are reporting, but sometimes I get in the mood.

The latest that I enjoyed came from Photo's Hotdogs in Palatine. Photo's makes the thin, flat variety, with a good char outside while still pink inside, under a dressing of mayo, ketchup, red onions, tomatoes, lettuce and sweet pickles. I like it better than the hot dog here, which is decent but not stellar (skinless Vienna with toppings including cucumber and -- at this location -- a seedless bun). Photo's is a fun place with a big menu, load of pictures on the walls, a photo booth and lots of seating sized for groups.

I also had a very good burger at Tony's Steamers of Winfield. These are square patties made from meat ground fresh daily by the Wheaton Meat Co., char-grilled to a faintly pink medium. Tony's also has a huge menu, plus beer and wine service and a real pinball machine.

These are both fast-food style burgers, nothing gourmet.

Photo's Hotdogs
www.photoshotdogs.com
301 N. Northwest Highway, Palatine
(847) 705-1111

Also: 1706 E. Kensington Road, Mount Prospect
(847) 635-6200 (seeds on the hot dog buns here and beer and wine available)

Tony's Steamers of Winfield
Prairie Trail Center, 23W213 Geneva Road, Winfield
(630) 665-2050

In the loop, heaven on 7 has a great burger--they grind their own meat. luv the chiliburger. Poag's is excellent. coco's fried lobster has a very nice burger for $4.25. still waiting for pattyburger several other new places are on my list to try.

the miller's post above is nothing but a tout, and, of course, it slams their rival excheqer down the street.

Interesting thread.

I like a good burger, but don't indulge that often and have only hit a dozen of the joints listed in the recap.

However, I'll add 2 other places that make burgers I enjoy from time to time, and didn't see mentioned, for your consideration:

Illinois Bar & Grill
4135 W 47th St
Chicago 60632
Phone: 773-847-2525

http://chicago.menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp?areaid=0&restaurantid=19452&neighborhoodid=87&cuisineid=0

Assembly
2570 Hassell Rd
Hoffman Estates, IL 60169
(847) 843-3993

http://chicago.citysearch.com/profile/35338944/hoffman_estates_il/assembly.html?specialty_id=28

I too miss the Come Back Inn and its Kodiak Burgers (RIP).

To reveal my age, anyone else besides me remember a drive-in joint on the NW corner of Grand Avenue and Mannheim Rd. in Franklin Park named Dave's Hamburgers? Great childhood memories of the place, which is long gone.

Ahhh, Grizzly's mention of Daves Drive In brings back a lot of great memories. An excellent, thin, hand pattied burger done to order. I could be wrong, but I remember Dave's as the first drive-thru, as opposed to drive-in, place that I ever encountered.

Spotted Pig has a good burger. Bit of a drive, tho.

LAZ wrote:I'm not a huge burger fan. I'll never reach the numbers that some people are reporting, but sometimes I get in the mood.

The latest that I enjoyed came from Photo's Hotdogs in Palatine. Photo's makes the thin, flat variety, with a good char outside while still pink inside, under a dressing of mayo, ketchup, red onions, tomatoes, lettuce and sweet pickles.

Hmm. Ive been to Photo's a couple of times I think - a fun place, with a
photo booth and lots of pictures as you say. I had the burger only once
I think, and took it to go, but didnt really find it anything special (not nearly as
good as many nearer options for me, also fast-food style - as in Poochie's,
Weiner and Still Champion etc are better, IMHO).

BTW, have been on a bit of a "great burgers aroudn the midwest" tear the
last week or so Had some very fine burgers too. Weiner and Still
Champion (Evanston), decent fast food burger. Also made Paradise Pup again
yesterday - that really is an excellent burger, one of the best in town
IMHO (tried their 3-layer fries yesterday, good but a monstrous
heart-attack-on-a-plate).

In addition, 3 "non Chicagoland" burgers this past week (hey, if Kewpee's
in WI makes the list... thats a good burger too BTW, have had it a couple
of times but not this week; good, but not great; but best good/cheap
combo, their cheeseburger is about 4 bucks with fries I think

Anyway. Outside Chicago... Duffy's in Utica. Fresh-ground never-frozen
meat advertised, but it was only an OK burger IMHO (taken to go). Fries
were very good however - this is the second time Ive done Duffly's, the
last time 2 years ago I ate in, and the fries were among the best Ive *ever*
had. If Iam ever in the area again, I will definitely have the fries here, at
the very least, even to-go fries (steaming for a couple minutes in
styrofoam) were excellent! Why are good fries so rare here?

Tried Hansen's Tavern in Beloit WI (which is currently mentioned in
the Outside Chicagoland) section. A terrific place, and a very good (but
maybe not *great*) burger. *The* greatest very-good-burger-cheap for
that one day, however - on Sunday's its 2-for-1 day, 2 very good
burgers-and-fries for a total of about 6 bucks (and 3-4 TV's to
watch the NFL on). If I lived in Beloit Id go every Sunday for the
Packer's game (because if I was born in Beloit Id be unfortunate
enough to be a Packers' fan, I suppose

And finally, the fifth of the burgers Ive had this week... Todd's Grille
in Oconomowoc, WI. By far the best burger Ive had in a while - and
clearly the best this week despite some excellent competition. Ive
now been to Todd's 3 times for burgers IIRC - one was good, and
two were fantastic. Id heartily recommend it to anyone in the area
(if youre driving from Madison to Milwaukee, its a must-stop IMHO -
even if it is, like Hansen's, a bit of a Packer-Bar on Sundays). If
it was nearby, Id probably go a few times a week - its just a
terrific place.

c8w

c8w wrote:

LAZ wrote:Tried Hansen's Tavern in Beloit WI (which is currently mentioned in the Outside Chicagoland) section. A terrific place, and a very good (but maybe not *great*) burger.

c8w, I pretty much agree, the burger at Hansen's fell a step short of great, but it's a funny thing, I just woke up a few hours before I should, and I found myself thinking of that burger from Hansen's (which I had about a week ago), and how nice it was to have a hand-shaped hamburger, all irregular and crispy around the edges, rather than a milled and manufactured corporate patty. It was a touch dry, a condition somewhat allayed by having a slab of cheddar on top and a slathering of catsup.

Hammond

David Hammond wrote:but it's a funny thing, I just woke up a few hours before I should, and I found myself thinking of that burger from Hansen's (which I had about a week ago), and how nice it was to have a hand-shaped hamburger, all irregular and crispy around the edges, rather than a milled and manufactured corporate patty.

Sounds like you need to take a break from these forums.

Cogito wrote:

David Hammond wrote:but it's a funny thing, I just woke up a few hours before I should, and I found myself thinking of that burger from Hansen's (which I had about a week ago), and how nice it was to have a hand-shaped hamburger, all irregular and crispy around the edges, rather than a milled and manufactured corporate patty.

Sounds like you need to take a break from these forums.

Trust me. He'd be thinking about the burger with or without LTHForum

The discussions are fueled by our obsession, not the other way around.

thick wrote: I could be wrong, but I remember Dave's as the first drive-thru, as opposed to drive-in, place that I ever encountered.

I could be wrong as well, but that's how I remember it too.

And, if I remember correctly, Dave's began as a drive-thru only, with covered parking area, and adding the eat-in dining room later on.

David Hammond wrote:

c8w wrote:

LAZ wrote:Tried Hansen's Tavern in Beloit WI (which is currently mentioned in the Outside Chicagoland) section. A terrific place, and a very good (but maybe not *great*) burger.

c8w, I pretty much agree, the burger at Hansen's fell a step short of great, but it's a funny thing, I just woke up a few hours before I should, and I found myself thinking of that burger from Hansen's (which I had about a week ago), and how nice it was to have a hand-shaped hamburger, all irregular and crispy around the edges, rather than a milled and manufactured corporate patty. It was a touch dry, a condition somewhat allayed by having a slab of cheddar on top and a slathering of catsup.

Hammond

You can, of course, get hand-shaped and irregular burgers here too - the last
one I had was at Thats-a-Burger down on 79th I think. Maybe I wasnt
complimentary enough fabout Hansen's - it was a very good burger, really,
far better than Thats-a-Burger IMHO. But I think it just paled in comparison
to Todd's a couple fo days later. (I saw Hansen's being prepared, BTW -
they start similar to TAB, huge chunk of meat, pushed down as the
burger is created. )

I dont mind if its an independent patty or a corporate patty, as long as it
tastes good, really I dont know which Paraside Pup is, for example -
all I know is that it tastes really good (better than TAB, which i know is
hand-formed, for example).

My Hansen's burger was probably similar to yours - very good, but a touch
dry maybe, which kept it from the "great" category on the day. But, also as
you said, it didnt feel very dry, because of hte big hunk of cheese, and
ketchup etc.

c8w

Grizzly wrote:Illinois Bar & Grill

I had one of those. Very good!

How about a good diner burger?

10 to a pound, a slice of cheese, grilled onions, a pickle slice or two...

Maybe lettuce and tomato on the side but more likely a bowl of chili.

Like Gossage Grill [RIP] used to make.

Gossage Grill [RIP]
7225 North Ave
River Forest
Currently River Forest Grill (A shadow of it's former glory)

Mike G wrote:Their half pound burger is the first burger in years I've felt the need to cut in half. The beef quality was good but I have to admit that I'm not wild about a burger that big being fried on a standard kitchen griddle; I'm fine with thin little patties done that way but I want a thick slab of beef like that to be grilled or something, I prefer that flavor over a big slab stewing in its own juices.

Note that at top notch you can order the half pound version as two 1/4lb patties, instead of one 1/2lb behemoth.

The jalapeno jack cheese is also a nice change of pace.

Cross-Rhodes in Evanston has a very good char-burger, served with their greek fries in lemon-herb dressing. $5.65, I believe.

Cross-Rhodes Restaurant
913 Chicago Ave, Evanston
(847) 475-4475

germuska wrote:Cross-Rhodes in Evanston has a very good char-burger, served with their greek fries in lemon-herb dressing.

For years, Cross Rhodes has served one of my favorite burgers. They are not huge and they don't come with a lot of options (just lettuce, tomato, onion and a pickle spear). They are just good basic char-grilled burgers. I like my burgers rare, which can be a pretty risky proposition. I trust Cross-Rhodes to always serve absolutely fresh top quality ground beef. The owner takes great pride in the quality of his burgers and has the preparation down to a science. His cooks can make a rare burger that is perfect, charred on the outside and still bright red on the interior. The only negatives are the lack of bread choices and no spicy mustard, but that fits the owner's philosophy of delivering a simple burger made with fresh ingredients and perfectly cooked to order. When I am in the mood for a more creative rendition of America's favorite food, I go to The UBaa.

Bamboo Blue in Homewood has added a kobe beef burger to their menu. I happily ordered one last week. It's served with blue cheese and carmelized onions and comes with pomme frites on the side, although I prefer Bamboo Blue's fries to the frites.

The burger was delicious and cooked to order, which in my case meant rare. They also offer three mini-kobe burgers on their appetizer menu. I'll be back for these little treasures soon.

Suzy

Sorry if these places have already appeared somewhere else in this thread (I tried to read through), but I thought I'd chime in with my votes for 'cheap eats' burgers.

As a constantly hungry AmeriCorps volunteer, the Tuesday (?) $1 burgers at Lion Head Pub were surprisingly satisfying--juicy with just the right amount of smokiness. I've been back since my volunteer term ended, and the burgers still taste good. The crowd is pretty mixed there at 6pm on $1 burger days.

Lion Head Pub
2251 N. Lincoln

I also like the burgers at Mellow Yellow in Hyde Park, a place I tried at the suggestion of chicagoist.com. I'd never had a long burger served on a french roll before. Maybe it's just the novelty of the shape, but those burgers hit the spot--definitely better than burgers at Medici, which I think are too mealy in texture.

Mellow Yellow
1508 E 53rd St, Chicago 60615
Btwn S Harper & S Hyde Park Ave
Phone: 773-667-2000

Medici
1327 E 57th St
Chicago, IL 60637View Map
(773) 667-7394

I've proselytized before about the lump-charcoal-grilled, cooked-to-order burgers at Charcoal Delights. I'm fond of the 1/2-lb. cheddar burgers.

In need of extra protein after a long and meal-less day, I had an idea.

Here's the 1-lb. cheddar burger, medium-rare. Not on the menu. I had to speak with the manager, who carefully inquired, "Are you sure you can take it?" Eight bucks, juicy, perfect.



BTW: the portion was nice -- 3" from top to bottom.


Charcoal Delights
3139 West Foster Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
773-583-0056


Cheers,
Wade

List updated...

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=96137#96137

ekreider wrote:From Jury's October newsletter but also on their home page:

Monday
One meal free with purchase of one at equal or greater value! $10 maximum, after 5pm, dine-in only, please.

Wednesday
Burger Mania! All day our “Best of Chicago” burgers are only $5.50 with fries. Cheeseburgers only $5.95.

Not exactly two for one burgers on Monday. Jury's used to have two for one burgers on Wednesday but haven't for some time.

Had this a week or two ago - on Wednesday's it is 6 bucks for a cheeseburger,
as you say above.

Once again, IMHO, a decent but not great burger - Iam not sure I didnt
prefer Paradise Pup the last time I was there (and thats a "fast food
burger", not a "pub burger", really). And I still dont know why Jury's
doesnt even offer the option of American Cheese for their
Cheeseburgers - surely thats the default option for most people? (I
know the Cheddar is popular - but Ive eventually come to the
conclusion that, for me, I prefer American to Cheddar even when its
Merkt's cheese at Paradise Pup).

And once again, BTW, neither of these burgers are a patch on
Todd's Grille in Oconomowoc Wisconsin

c8w

c8w: I agree completely about American vs. Cheddar for burgers. It's truly annoying when it's not available as an option.

Panther in the Den wrote:How about a good diner burger?

10 to a pound, a slice of cheese, grilled onions, a pickle slice or two...

Maybe lettuce and tomato on the side but more likely a bowl of chili.

Like Gossage Grill [RIP] used to make.

Gossage Grill [RIP]
7225 North Ave
River Forest
Currently River Forest Grill (A shadow of it's former glory)

I think it's been mentioned elsewhere, but this business is for sale. Who wants to own a diner?

I think, for a place as sleazy as the River Forest Grill is, the burgers are surprisingly not bad. OK, it's no Smith and Wollensk, but for a greasy, thin burger, it can really hit the spot.

One thing I realized last week, after a dissapoitment at Paradise Pup, I really am not a big fan of the gas derived char burger. We've debated a bit before about how much gas one can taste, but I really find that an over-charred burger (and who does not these days), picks up too many off flavors from the gas grill. It really detracted from what could have been a good burger. For cheap burgers, I'd rather have one off a griddle.

c8w wrote:And I still dont know why Jury's
doesnt even offer the option of American Cheese for their
Cheeseburgers - surely thats the default option for most people? (I
know the Cheddar is popular - but Ive eventually come to the
conclusion that, for me, I prefer American to Cheddar even when its
Merkt's cheese at Paradise Pup).
c8w

Maybe it's a labeling thing, that they like the word "Cheeseburger" and just don't want to call it a "Processed Cheeseburger".

There are about 30 bars or so in the city that offer $2 or less burgers on specific nights of the week, kind of a loss leader to get you in the door to spend money on drinks. I'm guessing most of them are ok, anyone know of any standouts in that category?