Ive alwasy been a huge fan of Kuma's since the place went up. Come for the Riverview nostalgia, stay for the portion sizes. Truly one of the city's best belt busters.

Their beer menu lists Surly as $6. It's here: http://www.kumas-corner.com/beer.html.
I thought that Metropolitan's Copper Lager was a fine beer, given the "limitations" of being a lager. I admit, I have not tried it with food, but as an afternoon beer, or first beer of the night, I would recommend it. It has some delicious malty flavors. I would suggest drinking one while you wait for your food, have a Surly with your burger, and have a stout or porter to accompany your last pick'ns of fries or "frizzled" onions.

I was in Kuma's about a month ago and saw the Bender on the menu for $9. Maybe they moved it back to $6 but it was $9 the day I went.

How crowded is it on a Sunday at around 5:00?

Dave148 wrote:How crowded is it on a Sunday at around 5:00?

uh....i'm trying to think of a good answer to this. The whole sardine expression would be an understatement...i don't know, there's like a 9 hour wait. There will be like 400 people. You won't get a burger or you'll wait and be mad about it.

I get the hint. Thanks.

Come for the Riverview nostalgia, stay for the portion sizes.

You sure you're not mixing up Kuma's decor with that of Riverview Tavern at Damen and Roscoe?

Mike G wrote:

Come for the Riverview nostalgia, stay for the portion sizes.

You sure you're not mixing up Kuma's decor with that of Riverview Tavern at Damen and Roscoe?

No, G, Im thinking of Kumas Corner. Perhaps im ageing myself here, but Kumas is situated right near the ruins of Chicagoland greatest amusement park, Riverview. but if you arent at least *cough cough* years old you probably dont know what im talkign about.

It works conveniently into my schedule to go to Kuma's for lunch tomorrow (Saturday). How early do I have to show up to get a seat when they open at 11:30?

NAV MAN wrote:

Mike G wrote:

Come for the Riverview nostalgia, stay for the portion sizes.

You sure you're not mixing up Kuma's decor with that of Riverview Tavern at Damen and Roscoe?

No, G, Im thinking of Kumas Corner. Perhaps im ageing myself here, but Kumas is situated right near the ruins of Chicagoland greatest amusement park, Riverview. but if you arent at least *cough cough* years old you probably dont know what im talkign about.

If proximity = nostalgia, Hot Doug's is a heck of a lot closer.

NAV MAN wrote:

Mike G wrote:

Come for the Riverview nostalgia, stay for the portion sizes.

You sure you're not mixing up Kuma's decor with that of Riverview Tavern at Damen and Roscoe?

No, G, Im thinking of Kumas Corner. Perhaps im ageing myself here, but Kumas is situated right near the ruins of Chicagoland greatest amusement park, Riverview. but if you arent at least *cough cough* years old you probably dont know what im talkign about.

Not really that close. I went to high school directly next door to Riverview over on Western and Roscoe. That was the northeast corner of Riverview, which continued south to Belmont and west to the river.

In any case, Nav Man, you might want to check out Riverview Tavern. It's no Kuma's, but the food's perfectly solid bar food, and the place is decorated with all kinds of Riverview memorabilia.

Riverview Tavern
1958 W. Roscoe St.
Chicago, IL 60657
773-248-9523

turkob wrote:It works conveniently into my schedule to go to Kuma's for lunch tomorrow (Saturday). How early do I have to show up to get a seat when they open at 11:30?

There was no wait at 11:30. By noon the place was full and there were a couple parties waiting. The make your own mac and cheese was awesome. The burgers were great, but not spectacular enough to warrant a two hour wait. Definitely worth a 15 minute wait though, or in our case, no wait at all as long as you show up early enough.

Alas, it would seem the time is finally upon us. Kuma's is set to air on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives this Monday night.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/diners-drive ... index.html


We know the "Check Please effect", but anyone familiar with the "Guy Fieri effect"? Just when I'd figured out the right time of day to be able to get two spots at the bar or a table for dinner, along comes this..... I'd be happy for the owners were it not for the fact that they're already at full capacity, and I would imagine, don't really need the extra attention.

Ralph Wiggum wrote:I'd be happy for the owners were it not for the fact that they're already at full capacity, and I would imagine, don't really need the extra attention.

That's when the prices usually get jacked up to discourage some of the crowds.

Heard about DD&D and ran in at 4pm today to squeeze in one last pre-Food Network tourist meal ~ I learned my lesson after Hot Doug's was on Bourdain. We got a table right away and, in anticipation of the even greater throngs of diners that will be coming here, we ordered our all time favorites, a Kuma's Burger, a Mastodon, and a bacon/prosciutto mac and cheese.

Food came out in a record 20 minutes and was amazing as always. Our waitress told us that they are going to be posting a sign with some guidelines soon to help make the ever burgeoning crowds aware of the way they operate - it takes time, you may have to wait, the kitchen is tiny, they like it like that, etc.

Overall, another great meal, I'm looking forward to coming back in a month or two once the Fieri groupies have dissipated a bit and the patio is open once again.

anyone know the burger special for this month?

Hero wrote:anyone know the burger special for this month?

The Lynrd Skynrd - Deep fried Artichoke Cheddar Grits, Fried Picked Green Tomatoes, Canadian Bacon, Balsamic Brown Sugar Sauce.

Quite tasty.

Ursiform wrote:

Hero wrote:anyone know the burger special for this month?

The Lynrd Skynrd - Deep fried Artichoke Cheddar Grits, Fried Picked Green Tomatoes, Canadian Bacon, Balsamic Brown Sugar Sauce.

Quite tasty.

Sounds epic, but I think it would be funnier if it came with one free chicken wing on the side.

Ursiform wrote:The Lynrd Skynrd - Deep fried Artichoke Cheddar Grits, Fried Picked Green Tomatoes, Canadian Bacon, Balsamic Brown Sugar Sauce.

This "joke" i miss. Can someone explain the punchline?

I don't think there's a joke per se, just a definite Southern tinge.

I thought the joke was a reference to the song "Free Bird" (one free chicken wing) by Lynyrd Skynyrd. But maybe I'm looking into it too much!

Ursiform wrote:

Hero wrote:anyone know the burger special for this month?

The Lynrd Skynrd - Deep fried Artichoke Cheddar Grits, Fried Picked Green Tomatoes, Canadian Bacon, Balsamic Brown Sugar Sauce.

Quite tasty.

I've seen fried green tomatoes. I've seen pickled green tomatoes. I've never seen fried pickled green tomatoes.

Am I missing out?

I suppose it would work, fried pickles do, mainly I assume it's the consequence of those being the only green tomatoes they could find in April.

Ursiform wrote:The Lynrd Skynrd - Deep fried Artichoke Cheddar Grits, Fried Picked Green Tomatoes, Canadian Bacon, Balsamic Brown Sugar Sauce.

Mike G wrote:I don't think there's a joke per se, just a definite Southern tinge.

Yeah, a Southern tinge, with a trace of Canadian, and a dash of Italian.

Bleurgh. Sounds like a big mess.

chezbrad wrote:This "joke" i miss. Can someone explain the punchline?

I figured it had something to do with the fact chickens can't fly.

Jamieson22 wrote:I figured it had something to do with the fact chickens can't fly.

And, ultimately, Lynrd Skynrd didn't fly very well.

It's like trying to make sense of the words to an old Bob Dylan song. The problem starts when you assume it is supposed to mean something.

I went to Kuma's for dinner with Mrs. hotsauceandbluecheese two weeks ago today. (Incidentally, we arrived just before six o'clock and were seated within ten minutes.) I ordered the Lynrd Skynrd and thought it was damn good; perhaps not a transcendent burger experience, but exactly the sort of experimentation that separates Kuma’s from the pack. The deep fried artichoke cheddar grits came in the form of a patty sitting on top of the burger, and I mashed them open with my fork before eating to spread the southern flavor around, which worked out quite well and certainly made the Lynrd Skynrd more of a cheeseburger than it would have been otherwise. This was a rather salty burger, which I like, and the saltiness was balanced very nicely with the hint of brown sugar. The tomatoes were not particularly memorable, and the two huge slabs of Canadian bacon were a bit much. One huge slab of Canadian bacon would have been (more than) enough. But all these parts somehow hung together and delivered on Kuma’s unspoken promise of a unique and tasty burger experience with every visit.

Burger of the month anyone?