Here's to Great Burgers and Fries, down with the rest!

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

DMK Burger...Do You Need a Famous Chef to Make a Burger?

Dry, Dry, Dry! This is my first impression of the DMK Burger Bar burger. Even the bun taste dry, a special made potato number. What a huge disappointment, because I really want to like this place.

So now we enter the beginning of a brave new world. That of the Chef Driven Burger Bar, it has finally reached Chicago. Already I am reading about M Burger, part of the 4 Star TRU (Lettuce Entertain You Empire). Can Chef Paul Kahan be far behind? If this is the future of burgers, I'm not a happy camper.

The place is a nice mix of Industrial Chic and Tavern. Table service and a big bar are there for your seating pleasure. Presented with a concise menu of apps, salads, sides, fries, and desserts, Burgers are the Star. Many combinations thought up by the "Celebrity Chef" Michael Kornick of MK fame. So you are treated to, and are to consider yourself lucky to have his culinary guidance. This was pointed out to me on more than one occasion. What you don't get is the authority to request how you like your Burger cooked. Medium Rare? no way. Rare? This place is not for cannibals or Tartars', they will tell you how your Burger should be prepared, after all this is a Chef Driven operation, to bring your Burger, and you, to a new and higher culinary experience. All Chef Burger Creations are the same price, $8.00.

This visit I ordered my blog burger, cheese and raw onion, although I have had the Chef designed burgers on previous visits. The Burger arrives; there is some type of marinated onions along with tomato, lettuce, and a couple of pickle chips. It is not an impressive looking object, but I take my first bite, resulting in the aforementioned DRY and not pleasing response! As I work my way in I'm hoping it is just a border issue, as many Burgers get juicer towards the center, but alas, just wishful thinking. A closer examination reveals a rather thin well done specimen, devoid of much flavor. I had inquired as to the weight and was told it was around 6 ounces of grass fed beef, I doubt its 6 ounces, and as far as the grass fed origins, I'm not impressed. This just is not a very good Burger.

Now for the good news, the fries are pretty good. Fresh cut, golden brown and crispy. I enjoyed them so much I had a second order. The only oddity, or maybe it's a Chef touch, they arrive seasoned with salt and pepper. Next time definitely no pepper for me. There are also some fry creations of course; sweet potato and truffle aioli come to mind.

All said, I will return to DMK as the overall experience makes for a nice way to spend an hour or so. Comfortable layout, pretty good service, a reasonable selection of beers at reasonable prices. Maybe next time I'll just get something besides the Burger, with an order of fries. However, if this is what the wave of Chef driven Burger concepts are all about, I'll take a grill jockey to make my Burger, medium rare of course, anytime.

The Damage:

Cheese Burger             $ 8.00
Small Fries                  $ 2.00
Half Acre Draft Beer  $ 5.00

Ratings: ( 1* - 4 **** )

Burger 1*   Fries 3***

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Intro

I've been asking myself for a very long time, why is it so difficult, and sometimes seemingly impossible to get a great Burger and/or Fries in our beloved Chicago??? So having spent a great deal of time pursuing this simple but critically important quest, by eating, reading, and researching this almost obsessional (for me) topic, I will report my findings here in the Chicago Burger and Fries blog.

Prolouge...........................

In 2009, I  ate the object(s) of our desire at numerous venues, including the following establishments (in no particular order):  Moody's Pub, Flub a Dub,  Sweets and Savories, Weiner Circle, Socca, Kuma's Corner, 5 Guys, DMK Burger Bar, Duffy's Tavern and Grill, The Counter, Clybar,  White Castle, Onesixty Blue, Stella's, Burger King, Hot Doug's, and David Burke's Primehouse.

My Picks for 2009...........................

The Best Burger: Kuma's Corner ****
The Best Fries: Hot Doug's ****  (regular and duck fat) I love them both.

Thats the standards that all will be judged by this year. I look forward to reading, eating, and writing  about Chicago Burgers and Fries in 2010.