G Wiv wrote:

gleam wrote:Has it occurred to you that maybe not everyone loves Patty's burger? Perhaps he's had it a few times and doesn't get the hype.

Ed,

You use of hype implies you don't think Patty's is a particularly delicious burger. On that I disagree.

My use of the word "hype" implies that the burger gets a lot of hype on this forum, on par with Doug's foie gras dog. I didn't intend any negative or positive connotation. I've never had the burger.

My point is that reasonable people can disagree about whether a particular dish is tasty or not, and often do. It's absurd to suggest that a restaurant is being excluded from the list because Chicago mag readers don't want to go to scary and far-away Skokie, as foodmex suggested here:

foodmex wrote:Did you really think majority of the Chicago Magazine readers are going to trek to Skokie to have the best hamburger?

See, and here I thought that the majority of Chicago Magazine readers live closer to Skokie than downtown.

dropkickjeffy wrote:Hey folks. Jeff Ruby here. Thrilled to see you discussing the burger feature. I put a lot of time and effort into it, but of course, in the end, it's just another man's opinion.

There was no political motivation for any of it, other than to try and get a variety of styles, areas, and levels of complexity. No one ever told me what to include or what not to include. I had no agenda whatsoever - at least none that I was aware of - other than to cover as much ground as possible and have fun with the writing.

As for repeat visits: you're killing me. I did the whole thing myself and ate burgers basically all summer so even with one visit per place, I could not possibly cover the kind of ground that would satisfy everyone. I am only one man, and this is far from scientific. As someone (I think it was BR) pointed out, not all of these places are necessarily consistent. I loved Cortland's when I went, but lord only knows how it would have fared the next night. Take that for what it's worth.

Why no Patty's? Aaron Deacon wins the prize. I had heard rumors that the place was not long for this earth, and the last thing I wanted to do was anoint a place as one of the best only to see it close in the meantime. I'm glad I was wrong, and it's still open. I took a chance on That's-A-Burger, which was having problems with its landlord, and that has been nerve-wracking enough.

Anything else? My psyche is about as fragile as boulder. Take your best shot.

Best,
Jeff

Thanks for throwing your hat in this particular ring, Jeff, and for confirming what is pretty clear to many of us, which is that there's no way there's a conspiracy afoot to undermine all the really good burger places and that this review, like just about all others, is based on one person's experience and likely not multiple visits to all places reviewed.

David Hammond wrote:Thanks for throwing your hat in this particular ring, Jeff, and for confirming what is pretty clear to many of us, which is that there's no way there's a conspiracy afoot to undermine all the really good burger places and that this review, like just about all others, is based on one person's experience and likely not multiple visits to all places reviewed.

Gotta love the fact that this had to be said!

Thanks, Jeff. Nice list, even though I generally prefer a side dish of conspiracy with my burger.

=R=

Darren72 wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Thanks for throwing your hat in this particular ring, Jeff, and for confirming what is pretty clear to many of us, which is that there's no way there's a conspiracy afoot to undermine all the really good burger places and that this review, like just about all others, is based on one person's experience and likely not multiple visits to all places reviewed.

Gotta love the fact that this had to be said!

Oh believe me, something like it will be said many more times before LTH vanishes into the mists of history.

I love conspiracies more than anyone else. I have always wanted to be a part of one. This, alas, ain't it.

As for Skokie, Josh is right. I always assumed our average reader was a 48-year-old woman living on the North Shore. I am none of those things, so it's amazing that I've managed to hang on to my job for 12 years.

Jeff

dropkickjeffy wrote:As for Skokie, Josh is right. I always assumed our average reader was a 48-year-old woman living on the North Shore. I am none of those things

You sure? I thought Jeff Ruby was actually a 42-year-old suburban bottle blonde dipsomaniac named Delores.

dropkickjeffy wrote:I love conspiracies more than anyone else. I have always wanted to be a part of one. This, alas, ain't it.

As for Skokie, Josh is right. I always assumed our average reader was a 48-year-old woman living on the North Shore. I am none of those things, so it's amazing that I've managed to hang on to my job for 12 years.

Jeff

Jeff,

I really enjoyed the Burgers Made Me Dumb piece, too. I just figured that's why Patty's wasn't on the list. Like Gary, I'm looking forward to my maiden visit to Flub a Dub Chub. All in all, it's a good list, though there are a couple I question and a couple that I would have replaced them with. Of course, I'm sure everyone you meet will pretty much say that.

stevez wrote:

dropkickjeffy wrote:I love conspiracies more than anyone else. I have always wanted to be a part of one. This, alas, ain't it.

As for Skokie, Josh is right. I always assumed our average reader was a 48-year-old woman living on the North Shore. I am none of those things, so it's amazing that I've managed to hang on to my job for 12 years.

Jeff

Jeff,

I really enjoyed the Burgers Made Me Dumb piece, too. I just figured that's why Patty's wasn't on the list. Like Gary, I'm looking forward to my maiden visit to Flub a Dub Chub. All in all, it's a good list, though there are a couple I question and a couple that I would have replaced them with. Of course, I'm sure everyone you meet will pretty much say that.

Yes, a very nice piece, which can be found on-line, here: Burgers Made Me Dumb.

=R=

Now then.

Speaking of burgers that didn't make the list, here's La Briola Bakery Cafe's Richie Burger:

richie burger @ la briola, oak brook


Great burger, cooked beautifully and well seasoned. Look for it on the second season premiere of The Cheeseburger Show. Per Kevin Pang, the fries are cooked in beef tallow and the bacon (which I stupidly forgot to get) is Nueske.

I'll also say that the service was about as great as I've experienced in a cafe of this type, with three different authority figures (expediter in the kitchen and two managers) checking in and making sure everything had met my expectations.

dropkickjeffy wrote:Hey folks. Jeff Ruby here. Thrilled to see you discussing the burger feature. I put a lot of time and effort into it, but of course, in the end, it's just another man's opinion.

There was no political motivation for any of it, other than to try and get a variety of styles, areas, and levels of complexity. No one ever told me what to include or what not to include. I had no agenda whatsoever - at least none that I was aware of - other than to cover as much ground as possible and have fun with the writing.

As for repeat visits: you're killing me. I did the whole thing myself and ate burgers basically all summer so even with one visit per place, I could not possibly cover the kind of ground that would satisfy everyone. I am only one man, and this is far from scientific. As someone (I think it was BR) pointed out, not all of these places are necessarily consistent. I loved Cortland's when I went, but lord only knows how it would have fared the next night. Take that for what it's worth.

Why no Patty's? Aaron Deacon wins the prize. I had heard rumors that the place was not long for this earth, and the last thing I wanted to do was anoint a place as one of the best only to see it close in the meantime. I'm glad I was wrong, and it's still open. I took a chance on That's-A-Burger, which was having problems with its landlord, and that has been nerve-wracking enough.

Anything else? My psyche is about as fragile as boulder. Take your best shot.

Best,
Jeff

Very well stated. And of course, as I'm sure you already know, burger debates stir up a lot of emotions. But I'm curious about how many burgers you tried which didn't make the list. With all of that burger eating, I'm sure you must have tried some that you just wanted to throw on the floor.

Oh well, my conspiracy theory didn't materialize, not that I thought there ever was one. But they are fun.
Till next time enjoy your burgers.

BR wrote:

dropkickjeffy wrote:Hey folks. Jeff Ruby here. Thrilled to see you discussing the burger feature. I put a lot of time and effort into it, but of course, in the end, it's just another man's opinion.

There was no political motivation for any of it, other than to try and get a variety of styles, areas, and levels of complexity. No one ever told me what to include or what not to include. I had no agenda whatsoever - at least none that I was aware of - other than to cover as much ground as possible and have fun with the writing.

As for repeat visits: you're killing me. I did the whole thing myself and ate burgers basically all summer so even with one visit per place, I could not possibly cover the kind of ground that would satisfy everyone. I am only one man, and this is far from scientific. As someone (I think it was BR) pointed out, not all of these places are necessarily consistent. I loved Cortland's when I went, but lord only knows how it would have fared the next night. Take that for what it's worth.

Why no Patty's? Aaron Deacon wins the prize. I had heard rumors that the place was not long for this earth, and the last thing I wanted to do was anoint a place as one of the best only to see it close in the meantime. I'm glad I was wrong, and it's still open. I took a chance on That's-A-Burger, which was having problems with its landlord, and that has been nerve-wracking enough.

Anything else? My psyche is about as fragile as boulder. Take your best shot.

Best,
Jeff

Very well stated. And of course, as I'm sure you already know, burger debates stir up a lot of emotions. But I'm curious about how many burgers you tried which didn't make the list. With all of that burger eating, I'm sure you must have tried some that you just wanted to throw on the floor.

Like the sawdust meatballs of Goldyburgers in Forest Park.

Yeah, Pang told me about the Labriola burger after the fact. Would have loved to have tried that one for the piece. It looks amazing.

Santander, I tried Goldyburgers and I'm convinced it's a case of people's memories tricking them into thinking it's great. It's such a charming place, but really, is there anything special about those burgers? Not that I experienced.

BR: How many did I eat that didn't make the cut? I honestly lost track. I kept notes on the ones that deserved it, and that was about 70 burgers. But there were so many duds - even among the places that were highly recommended.

dropkickjeffy wrote:Yeah, Pang told me about the Labriola burger after the fact. Would have loved to have tried that one for the piece. It looks amazing.

Santander, I tried Goldyburgers and I'm convinced it's a case of people's memories tricking them into thinking it's great. It's such a charming place, but really, is there anything special about those burgers? Not that I experienced.

BR: How many did I eat that didn't make the cut? I honestly lost track. I kept notes on the ones that deserved it, and that was about 70 burgers. But there were so many duds - even among the places that were highly recommended.

You did a nice job with Sirott on WGN this afternoon, by the way. Please let me take you out for hot dogs, though - I can show you some significant differences and maybe get some excitement going on that front as well.

Hey Jeff,

Wondering what temp you requested your burgers cooked to, and if how they came out cooked factored into your judging?

Out running a couple of errands today, I stopped in to try the burger at Flub a Dub Chub's.

This place is an absolute gem.

The menu is probably 60/40 hot dogs/burgers (they also have tamales, cheese sticks, etc). The burger starts with a half-pound patty served on a pretzel bun. They are cooked to order, and the default seems to be a medium well (but a juicy medium well). The burgers are all in the $7-ish range and come with fries.

Flub a Dub's is family owned and operated. The matriarch of the family, Roe (she of the Roeburger that made the Chicago Magazine list) was manning the register today, taking orders, checking on tables, and willing to chat about anything from the Chicago Magazine article ("It's like a lottery ticket!") to Todd Stroger. The decor is appropriately kitschy, and includes a Wall of Shame filled with pictures of people caught putting ketchup on their hot dogs.

Onto the burger. I just got a regular burger with cheddar cheese (actual slice of cheese, not cheddar sauce). I really liked it. The meat was nicely seasoned and charred to the point where you could taste it but it didn't overwhelm the whole thing. Fries were (I believe) food service, but were fried nicely and had a bit of seasoning.

While the burger is good, it's Roe and her family that have really sold me on Flub a Dubs. I would highly recommend it if you're in the neighborhood.

Flub a Dub Chub's
http://www.flubadubchub.com/
3021 N Broadway
Chicago, Il 60657

gleam wrote:

G Wiv wrote:

gleam wrote:Has it occurred to you that maybe not everyone loves Patty's burger? Perhaps he's had it a few times and doesn't get the hype.

Ed,

You use of hype implies you don't think Patty's is a particularly delicious burger. On that I disagree.

My use of the word "hype" implies that the burger gets a lot of hype on this forum, on par with Doug's foie gras dog. I didn't intend any negative or positive connotation. I've never had the burger.

My point is that reasonable people can disagree about whether a particular dish is tasty or not, and often do. It's absurd to suggest that a restaurant is being excluded from the list because Chicago mag readers don't want to go to scary and far-away Skokie, as foodmex suggested here:

foodmex wrote:Did you really think majority of the Chicago Magazine readers are going to trek to Skokie to have the best hamburger?

A friend of mine loves Patty's burger. But only if she cooks it on the griddle. He doesn't like it when she chars it (and she usually does char them a lot - which can be good, and sometimes not so good). A different twist on a local favorite perhaps.

Recently ate at Chicago Burger Company. Given the location in a Sheraton Hotel and the flair-wearing servers, I was sure it would be awful. I went anyway, because the location can't be beat. It's on a serene stretch of the Chicago River - tables set right next to the low railing, with a beautiful, calm view of the water. On a nice summer day, there are few better places to hang out.

And the burger wasn't bad! Perfectly cooked, medium-rare, half-pound patty that wasn't packed to densely. Just a good, beefy burger. Food service fries were crisp and well-salted. Crappy beers served in paper cups and slow, clueless servers rounded out the experience, but that experience was still a darn good one.

Chicago Burger Company
301 E N Water St
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 464-1000

Speaking of all these lists, really anybody who's interested in the subject of burgers in Chicago needs to read this thread from a few years ago:

Why isn't Chicago a great burger town?

Lot of solid info and insight in that thread, and no, I don't just mean from me, even if I did start it. I started to make a couple of these points here, but you should just read the whole thing.

I've read it. Twice. Took notes, even.

And I am looking forward to the results! Rereading it, I instantly thought of you at this line:

Where is our Hot Doug of hamburgers to raise the standard and wrap lines around the block with freshly griddled, Wilshire-and-Sepulveda-by-way-of-Ponca-City classic American burgers?

I'd certainly love to be able to live up to that standard.

PigOut, you asked how I ordered my burgers while reporting. Always medium rare. And yeah, if they over- or under-cooked it, I generally frowned upon it, though I made a few exceptions if the burger didn't seem to suffer as a result. (Subjective, I know, but so is this whole enterprise.) Most notably, at Erwin's, which was bloody-rare, but the texture was somehow right, and the flavor so good I didn't care.

And at Five Guys, of course, you don't have a choice. It's always medium well. Sigh.

Who is this dares come forth to proclaim the best burgers in Chicago? The impudence! Seize him and cast him into the Iron Maiden of our discourse!!

As some of you might know I do have a love for burgers but also a love for maps.

Here are some Google Maps of some recent burger articles...

The Cheeseburger Show - 10 burgers worth your time

Tribune - This burger beats Chicago's favorite

Chicago Magazine -The Best Burgers in Chicago

So I have a rare reason to be in NWI (Hammond, but we'll drive for food) on Saturday, and my wife is cravin' burgers. She's a big fan of Top Notch, so what's my best bet for a 30's to 50's style burger in the region? Johnsen's Blue Top? One of the Schoop's locations? Miner-Dunn?

Anything else we should check out?

gleam wrote:So I have a rare reason to be in NWI (Hammond, but we'll drive for food) on Saturday, and my wife is cravin' burgers. She's a big fan of Top Notch, so what's my best bet for a 30's to 50's style burger in the region? Johnsen's Blue Top? One of the Schoop's locations? Miner-Dunn?

Anything else we should check out?

I tried Miner-Dunn on my way to Michigan earlier this month and both my girlfriend and I both really liked their burgers, fries, and sherbert. Definitely recommended.

So I have a rare reason to be in NWI (Hammond, but we'll drive for food) on Saturday, and my wife is cravin' burgers. She's a big fan of Top Notch, so what's my best bet for a 30's to 50's style burger in the region? Johnsen's Blue Top? One of the Schoop's locations? Miner-Dunn?

Yes, yes, and yes.

Schoop's most consistent, least atmosphere (80s plain, kinda like the Byron's on Lawrence). Is there a Schoop's that has a more authentic atmosphere? There might be, I've only been to a couple of different ones.

Johnsen's, most over the top classic atmosphere, 50s drive-in with a splash of Greek pimp living room. I'd probably go here just because it's such a total slice of its times.

Miner-Dunn, a little seniorish feeling, and for me a notch below the other two, but certainly better than 97% of Chicago puckburgers. See notes in my old post about the relish issue (very wet relish which tends to soak your bun).

I've tried one other place in that area, called Dari-Topper. Grody cheap-tasting beef, I took one bite and did a Pigmon and tossed it in the trash.