An Exercise in American Excess

50 Burgers in 50 Days

[50b-50d]

Day 51: Bonus Burger at The Bad Apple

I had a happy hour lunch at The Bad Apple on February 21st 2012

The Bad Apple in is a very neat place to say the least. With a big menu, more than a dozen craft brews on tap, and an incredibly knowledgeable staff this could very well be my new city side hang out.

I went to The Bad Apple for one reason and one reason alone.  It was supposed to have Chicago’s richest, most expensive, and over the top burger. Craig the owner of the Bad Apple has taken the burger to the next level. Sure there are a few dozen Waygu beef burgers in the Chicagoland area, but how many use a 45 day dry aged prime rib of Waygu flown in from NYC once a week to make that burger? The simple answer is only one.  The Bad Apple.

The Bad Apple starts serving this burger on Waygu Wednesdays and serves it through the week until it's gone. I wanted this to be my 50th burger but logistically that was not an option. I was lucky enough that Craig put a patty aside for me as soon as the meat came in, and I was able to make it the icing on my burger adventure cake.

When I arrived I just asked for the burger.  You don’t pick what you want on it because that’s the chef’s choice.  Also don’t bother telling them how you want it cooked because they know better than you. I asked the bartender to pour me a beer that she thought would compliment my burger best, and she took the time to find out what the chef was topping it with before pouring me something boozy and delicious.

After a fairly short wait the city’s most expensive burger arrived. The burger was perched atop a fresh glossy pretzel bun and topped with a fresh fried egg that  concealed insanely thick (3/8”) cut peppered bacon. I couldn’t wait to try this thing.

I put the top of the bun on, broke the yolk and dove right in. My first thought was, "wow this burger is dripping down my arm," but then I tasted it. This burger was unlike any burger I had ever had.  The meat, though very lightly seasoned, had a flavor like nothing I have ever eaten; very earthy, and a bit gamey in a good way. This is the only burger that I have had that has stayed super moist all the way through.  There was a puddle on my plate and still plenty of juice in the burger. The bacon exploded with flavor.  It was an exceptional contrast in flavor and texture to the subtleties of the beef. The fried egg was a nice touch.  I personally feel that egg yolk is natures perfect sauce.

In the end this was one heck of a way to finish off my burger adventure. This is a spectacular burger, though at $26 likely prohibitively expensive to many. If you are up for it and feel that you can truly appreciate it, this is most certainly a burger worth trying.

P.S. They have a ton more beer I want to drink (51/50)

[peepmeat-blog]

One of our favorite Peepers just ate 50 burgers in 50 days. His cardiologist said “You’re crazy.” His friends said “I feel sorry for your toilet.” But we here at Peepmeat couldn’t be more proud of this historic accomplishment. Congratulations, Camel.

[50b-50d]

Day 50: John Barleycorn

I had an early dinner at John Barleycorn on February 20th 2012

I came here alone with the soul intent of having my 50th burger and I did just that.

Upon arrival I looked over the menu and got right to ordering. John Barleycorn had only one burger option and it was a build your own burger menu. With a slew of ingredients it was not easy picking just a few to make my burger right, but in time I managed just that.

My burger was a half pound of whatever it is they call beef, pepper jack cheese, caramelized onion, fried jalapeno, and jalapeno cured bacon. I think it goes with out saying I was in the mood for something spicy.

My burger arrived and I have to say that the fried jalapenos were not what I expected, they were just fresh jalapenos dropped into the deep fryer. The rest of the burger looked pretty average, caramelized onions, melted cheese, and jalapeno cured bacon.

I dove in and surely a few things stood out from the get go. The bacon was very good as were the cheese and onion. That is pretty much where the positives stopped, something was just wrong about the meat. I am not sure if the meat quality was poor or if it was just a poor grind choice but the texture just wasn’t right. The meat also lacked seasoning which it self is quite the killer. The bun though toasted just lacked substance.

I want to say this is not a terrible burger and I have likely grown increasingly picky of what I expect, but there are simple things that no place should miss.

I know this is my 50th burger and I want to thank you all for following along in my journey, it has been a lot of fun to say the least and now I am looking for other things to write about. I have no intent of just wrapping it up. I will continue to post here in the future so keep an eye out.

P.S. Look for a bonus burger tomorrow :)

(50/50)

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Day 49: Ellyn’s Tap and Grill

I had a late dinner here on February 19th 2012

Ellyn’s is your regular hometown sports bar and restaurant, fully equipped with large TVs, high tables and a-holes (more on the a-holes later).

We arrived, sat down, and were greeted by a very kind waitress. I had just finished playing soccer so I was fairly quick to order. I ordered the “Southwest” burger; a burger topped with cheddar cheese, sweet baby rays BBQ sauce and an onion ring.

The food came out fairly quickly, so I popped the crown onto my burger and dove in. I took a bite, the burger was moist and cooked to a perfect medium, that is pretty much where the praise stopped. The meat wasn’t the least bit seasoned, and everything else was just so so. I am not saying this was a terrible burger but it surely wasn’t stellar. when will people learn to use salt and pepper.

On to the a-holes as promised above. Before we sat down on the way to our table a man,(best guess in his early 40s jobless, ignorant, suffering from erectile dysfunction and when lucky enough to get a chubber pops off before the end of the pre-coitus theme song that he sings to himself) had the nerve to point at me and call me Al-Qaeda to his friends. When said man realized I heard him, he repeated it and then tried to high five me. I was not having this. I told him that he needed to consider who may be around before he decides to open his mouth, in addition to telling him he was incredibly rude and offensive. Needless to say I would have liked to do much more.

P.S. Try the Italian beef egg rolls, they are outstanding.

(49/50)

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Day 48: Claim Jumper The lady and I had a late dinner at the Claim Jumper restaurant on February 18th 2012. The Claim Jumper is gold rush circa 1870’s themed restaurant. Based out of California there are just a few establishments that are not on the west coast, and one happens to be down the road from where I live. We decided to pop in. The gold rush was a big deal int the 1800’s , and CJ has a menu to match. The menu here is huge, and the burger I chose certainly did not look like it would disappoint.  I ordered “The Widow Maker” and it could only be described as LOADED! This burger was at best guess a half pound of ground chuck with fresh greens, tomato, smoked bacon, hand battered onion rings, avocado, double-thick cheddar, mayo, pickles, and red relish. A short bit of time passed and my burger arrived.  This thing was HUGE! Not like “Oh my god that’s a big burger” huge; but more like, “I wish I was part asp so I could unhinge my jaw to eat this” huge. I finally mustered up the jaw dexterity to take a bite, and this burger wasn’t half bad. As I broke down the different components I started to notice a few things. The red relish was killer.  It was like catsup 2.0. I believe the red relish contained dill pickle, mustard seed, and a bit of sugar. The avocado was cool and creamy bring a bit of balance to the salt and spice. Hand battered onion rings remained crispy all the way through, and the bacon was thick cut and crisp. The burger did have a few cons, though nothing major stood out. The pickle slices were terrible. I got a piece of said pickle in one of my bites and it nearly ruined the whole thing for me, and I am a guy that seldom meets a pickle he doesn’t like. The other thing that wasn’t as evident and not as big a deal as it would normally be was the lack of seasoning in the patty. If it weren’t for the pile of stuff atop this patty it would have been a much bigger deal, so if you are considering a different burger you may want to think again. All in all this was a good burger at a little higher than fair price.  However, if you are hungry and want something that is likely fail safe, this is not a bad option. P.S. The fries here are super tasty (48/50)

[50b-50d]

Day 47: Egg Basket

I had a late lunch at the Egg Basket February 17th 2012

The Egg Basket is a breakfast and lunch diner that is open from 6AM-4PM. I came here frankly because I was in a pinch and wasn’t feeling well enough to look for anything better known for its burgers.

Upon arrival I was greeted by a fairly large Greek man who, when asked, assured me that their burgers were “Prime”. I think he didn’t realize he may have been writing checks he couldn’t cash. I sat at my table and promptly ordered the plain cheeseburger cooked medium.

My burger arrived on a toasted sesame seed bun with tomato, lettuce, and a pickle spear on the side. It was very obvious that the patty was machine made, so from there I could tell “Prime” was out. I dressed my burger with catsup, assembled it with the rest of the components, and took a big bite.

First off the burger was not cooked medium. Secondly it lacked seasoning, on the outside, and surely on the inside. Lastly the bun was more or less of the Mc variety. The burger was flavorless and fairly dry. I am not sure there is anything that could salvage this burger. You cannot make god food from bad ingredients.

There was one highlight to my burger, that was the chicken soup that came with it; outside of that the meat was a bust. I suggest the egg basket stick to their namesake, and focus on breakfast.

P.S. I should have eaten at the sonic across the street.

(47/50)

[50b-50d]

Day 46: Flip Flops Tiki Bar & Grill

I had dinner here February 16th 2012

Flip Flops is your standard Hawaiian themed restaurant. I didn’t waste much time once we arrived, I decided on the sunset burger. The sunset burger is made with the half pound signature Angus beef patty, BBQ sauce, a few onion rings, and I added American cheese.

The burger was quick to arrive, but didn’t look great. Everything on the burger appeared muted. I put the bun on and took bite, my suspicions were true. This was an average burger at best. The meat was over cooked, and I thought under seasoned till I tasted the crust and got a salty blast. All of the seasoning was on one side of the patty. The seasoning could have been very good it been throughout the burger. The bun that was labeled as gourmet was more of a sweet sponge.

As hungry as I was I was not able to finish this thing, it was quite large in addition not that good. For 10 dollars I would opt for quality over quantity. If you are in the area I would skip out on the burgers here and hit some other establishment.

P.S. They do make tasty coleslaw 

(46/50)

[50b-50d]

Day 45: Burger Bar Chicago

I had an early lunch here on February 15th 2012

I had never been to burger bar before but had heard a great deal about it before hand. Upon arrival we were greeted and seated by a very kind waitress who gave us the run down on the menu and what this place was about.

In the waitresses’ pre order spiel she covered a special burger that used to be on the menu but no longer is; it was at that moment I decided what I was having. This burger was a half pound of grass fed ground chuck with caramelized onions, a hand full of red wine braised shredded beef short rib, and topped off with a house made garlic aioli. I just couldn’t pass it up.

After about 15 minutes the food arrived, I was a little intimidated by this thing. It was big, had more than just a dollop of aioli on top, and there must have been nearly half pound of short rib on it.

I assembled it quickly and dove in, I didn’t want anything to get saturated and fall apart. The first bite was savory bliss, as were the second and third bite. The juices from the burger and short rib were dripping down my arm. The garlic aioli was strong but not over powering to the subtle flavors in the beef. The caramelized onions were as delicious and delicate as one would expect. I was also very surprised that the bun held up.

This was a damn good burger. I know some would argue that with the extras this is more of a sandwich, but who am I to argue with the chef who made it. I would definitely suggest burger bar for any of your burger cravings, as long as a $14 price tag doesn’t scare you off.

P.S. They have truffle fries!!

(45/50)

[50b-50d]

Day 44: Westwood Tavern

I had a late dinner here on February 14th 2012

Westwood tavern is a place I frequent drinks but I seldom eat here. On this particular occasion I was pressed for time so I decided to give one of their three burger options a shot. I ordered the Chicago burger cooked medium. This burger is fresh ground Angus beef topped with sharp cheddar, apple wood smoked bacon, a sunny side up egg and all of this served on a very fresh sesame seed roll.

I have to say I did not have high hopes. The few times I have eaten here the food was mediocre at best. The biggest draw here is the pour your own beer taps at a handful of the tables. In what seemed to be seconds after ordering my burger arrived.

I peppered my egg, topped the open face burger with the buttered toasted bun and started eating. I have to say they most certainly did not disappoint. This burger was done extremely well. The meat was seasoned all the way through, the rest of the ingredients were of high quality and plentiful. The bun was very good, kind of sweet, a bit chewy with a slight eggy taste. For all that this burger had going on I had only one complaint, the bacon was under done. I am not one for gelatinous fat on my bacon. I LOVE pork fat, but it needs to be liquid or crispy.

For all its worth this place does two things well, booze and burgers. I recommend you don’t skimp out  on either if you are visiting the area.

P.S. Check out the attached breakfast joint if you are passing by earlier rather than later.  

(44/50)

[50b-50d]

Day 43: Real Time Sports Bar and Grill

I had lunch here on February 13th 2012

Real Time is a huge sports bar with a menu to match. In the menu they have a number of signature items, one of which is a stuffed burger which I decided to order.

I ordered the stuffed burger cooked medium with bacon, cheddar and mushroom. I didn’t expect the burger to take terribly long as I was the only one in the restaurant (I eat fairly early), but it took about 20 minutes.

My burger arrived open faced and looking rather unappetizing. When I get a burger I typically like to see some sort of moisture on the outside of it, call me a traditionalist. This burger just looked dry. I dressed my burger with catsup and the provided vegetables; assembled it and took a big bite. Wow, this is really not good, and most notably not worth the $10 price tag. The meat was incredibly dry and flavorless completely lacking seasoning. The patty though impressively large was very underwhelming, lacking any respectable amount of filling and without recognizable char or caramelization. The bread was average at best, and nothing else was worth remembering let alone writing about.

Frankly this stuffed burger was an absolute bust. I will be having a salad the next time I come here (if I ever choose to); I don’t think they can screw that up. Save yourself the trip and don’t bother stopping by to watch the game or to get a bite because you are guaranteed to be a loser in at least one of them.

P.S. Spend your money elsewhere.

(43/50)

[50b-50d]

Day 42: Pinstripes

I had dinner here on February 12th 2012

Pinstripes is a pretty neat place. With a handful of indoor bocce courts and a bowling alley this place takes food and fun to another level. The food here is largely Italian themed, lucky for me they have a burger on the menu and that is what I was here to have.

After arriving and standing there for a while at what we thought was the host stand we were eventually directed to the actual host stand and were promptly seated. I sat down and ordered the one and only burger on the menu, the Black Angus burger with sweet pickle, lettuce, tomato and onion. I was asked how I wanted it cooked (medium) and what kind of cheese I would like (surprise me).

After about 20 minutes the food arrived, I wouldn’t have expected it to take as long as it did but they were quite busy. The burger looked darn good. A thick pub style hand formed patty about 8ozs, on a sweet sesame roll, topped with melted gorgonzola. I added a bit of catsup, assembled and got to the eating.

The burger wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. The meat was a good bit under seasoned, and the cheese was scarce. The bun was good but fairly untoasted and there was just a great deal of it. The vegetables were very fresh and the sweet pickle relish added a nice contrast.

I don’t think I would ever order a burger here again.  Not because it was bad, but rather I feel as if they better focus their efforts elsewhere. Come here, play a little bocce, enjoy a meatball and an imported Italian wine, but skip the burger.

P.S. They make a pretty stellar calamari here, as well as very fresh tasting herbed dipping oil.

(42/50)

[50b-50d]

Day 41: Butcher and the Burger

I had an early dinner at Butcher and the Burger on February 11th 2012

Butcher and the Burger is unlike any burger place I have been to. From the ordering to how your food is served it is all very different. Upon first arrival I was very overwhelmed. The concept here is build your own burger with a twist. You pick your patty from 3 beef options, pork, elk , a handful of vegetarian and pescetarian options, as well as a turkey patty. All patty options are ground fresh that day. Next you pick your spice to have blended in, and frankly the sky is the limit here. Bun selection is next, followed by free topping and a few paid extras.

My burger was:

-6oz Grass fed prime beef patty cooked medium -Ghost pepper spice blend -Pretzel bun -Griddled onion & goat cheese - Black Truffle Mayo

I also had some fresh cut heirloom potato fries. Price tag $15.50.

I was a bit stunned at the price for a place where you order at the counter, but I paid, took a seat and waited.

The food took about 10 min and was brought out on a cutting board. I snapped a few pictures and dove in. The burger was dripping juice, and the cheese was oozing from between the bun and burger. I took a bite, the flavor was outstanding. The goat cheese was a cool creamy contrast to the heat from the ghost pepper blend. The black truffle mayo and griddled onions took the savory burger to the next level adding an incredible depth of flavor. The pretzel bun really held up against the strong flavors betwixt it, not falling apart bringing its own flavor and texture.

This is an outstanding burger, yes it was pricey but it was by no means a rip off. The skin on coarse salt seasoned fries were even done exceptionally well. I am excited to come back here and try more of their options.

If you are easily overwhelmed I strongly recommend taking a look at the online menu before visiting this place. If you do visit and really know what you like I do not see a way you will be disappointed.

P.S. I hope the employees are more well informed the next time I visit.

(41/50)

[50b-50d]

Day 40: Wild Onion Brewery

I had dinner here on February 10th 2012

The Wild Onion was to be further up on my list but the first time I tried to go here they were unfortunately closed for renovations and I ended up at restaurant 38 on my list. So anyway I called the Wild Onion to make sure they were open and that there was going to be a burger on their temporary limited menu; There was.

The roommate and I headed towards the Wild Onion for dinner, it was snowing so 10 miles and an hour later we finally got there. This place is a banquet hall and restaurant so parking is at a premium. We parked headed in and were immediately seated. On the menu was a standard burger, and a patty melt. I ordered the patty melt cooked medium, and the strongest beer on the menu.

After a very short wait the food arrived, and I was impressed at the look of it alone. The one half pound fresh ground chuck patty looked incredibly moist, the american cheese was melted just so, the onions were translucent, and the marble rye was toasted to just the right crispness. It didn't take long for me but some catsup on it and take a bite. This patty melt was outstanding. The rye was strong but not over powering, the meat was well seasoned and oh so moist. I would definitely get this burger again. I recommend this place to anyone who s into good food, beer, and service. In the next couple of weeks a full menu will be available and I will surely be coming back to try more of it.

P.S. Patty melts do qualify as burgers, and I have started the final 10 out right.

(40/50)

[50b-50d]

Day 39: Wickets

I had dinner here on February 9th 2012

Wickets is a newly opened restaurant bar and grill in the Woodfield shopping area. The place looked interesting so I decided to make it my burger place this particular night.

With a handful of burger options and one build your own burger it wasn’t long before I knew what I was going to sup on this evening. I chose the “South of the Border” burger. The burger was a hand formed 8oz patty with roasted Pablano chilies, Pico de Gallo, avocado mayo, and Monterey Jack Cheese. I put in my order for this burger and asked for it cooked medium.

After a longer than usual wait my burger arrived open faced with big pieces of roasted pepper draped over the melted cheese and half pound of beef. I spread what looked like some kind of mayo on the bun, topped with the provided Pico, assembled and took my first bite.

My first thought was “boy is this hot”. I continued to eat it and was not unhappy. The meat though a bit over cooked was of excellent quality and was very well seasoned. The bun was just the right consistency, and none of the toppings were out of balance. I have to say if you don’t mind heat this is a sure winner. I would not mind coming back here for a burger again in the near future. One piece of advice, get the fries because the potato hash just isn’t very good.

P.S. They are still getting the bugs out so I expect much more from them in the coming year. Oh and I hope they get rid of the hash.

(39/50)

[50b-50d]

Day 38: Kooker’s

First off I have to say I had absolutely no intent to visit this establishment, but the place I intended on going to was closed and this was on the way back.  “So Kooker’s it is” I said to myself and was on my merry way.

I got to Kooker’s and was greeted by a 1980’s style menu board and a couple of people that barely spoke English. I put in my order for the ½ lb bacon cheese burger no mustard and I sat down.

After about 10 minutes I was called up to retrieve my order, I didn’t understand what the person was saying but since we were the only ones there I assumed it was mine. I sat down looked over my burger and noticed a number of things. The bacon was cheap, the bun was cold and un toasted cheese was un melted.

I took my first bite, and it was like taking a bite of dirty burnt grill all I tasted was old char. As I got further into my burger it wasn’t getting any better, I could tell that the burger was cooked and reheated in addition just being poor quality filler laced meat. If that wasn’t enough the bun sucked, and I just felt cheated paying almost 7 dollars for this subpar burger. At least the last time I got a cheap burger the price tag matched the quality.

Thanks for nothing Kooker’s , clearly your spelling is as good as your food.

P.S. Krappy

(38/50)

[50b-50d]

Help me find a great burger

I am looking for suggestions on where to have my last 10 burgers. Please leave your recommendations in the comments areas.

[50b-50d]

Day 37: Anyway’s Restaurant

I had a quick lunch here on Tuesday February 27th 2012

Anyway’s is a place near work that looked like it made a decent burger so I decided to check it out on my lunch. I went in took a look at the menu and something immediately jumped out at me. It was the “Twin City Burger”. A homage to the Juicy Lucy of Minneapolis. This burger started with a Black Angus patty stuffed with American cheese, grilled to a perfect medium, topped with the part of the Big Mac song (special sauce, lettuce, cheese (inside), pickles onions), all on a butter toasted bun.

The burger came out pretty quickly and I went at it just as quickly. It was good but it was missing something, and what I felt it was missing was the cheese. I don’t know if the cheese just soaked into the meat or leaked out a hole in the patty but I assure you it was no longer present. The missing cheese aside this burger wasn’t half bad. The meat was cooked well, the vegetables were fresh and the bun was actually quite good.

For about 10 dollars I would hope to be able to taste the cheese but I will chalk that up to a fluke. If I am pressed for time at lunch again I will for sure consider this burger again.

P.S. It looks like they have a pretty stellar night crowd if you are stuck in the area.

(37/50)