Beverly....Hills that is swimmin pools, movie stars

The majority of the 30 burgers on Chicago Magazine's list are in the city and easily eccessable on foot or CTA, but there are a few that require some logistical planning for those without a car. One of the burgers, the is in the neighborhood of Beverly on 95th on the south side of Chicago. When planning the trip to Bevelry I knew it would be more fun if I recruited some friends. I sent email to some of my burger living compadres and was able to recruit four people to travel down via metra to 95th and Hoyne to TOP-NOTCH BURGERs.

Top-Notch Burgers is a place that upon entering you feel as though you are walking back in time. The staff is super friendly and I loved the throw-back feel to the place. The burger even though ranked 8 was not very impressive.

I know that this place has a history and many will say that it is and for every will be the best burger in town. There was nothing that distinguished it to deserve such a title in my book. It was worth the trip to Beverly for the fun advventure with good friends.

Burger #13

DUCHAMP--The 17th ranked burger in CHICAGO.

On Memorial Day weekend I headed to Bucktown with a friend to hit up the patio at Duchamp. There are many things I love about Chicago, the restaurants and summer being two of them. The summers are short, so you need to take advantage of the nice days and nights and dine at the many restaurants offering outdoor seating. The back patio at Duchamp is great, lined with a number of private and communal tables under a canopy of trees, it offers the perfect environment to enjoy a meal on a warm summer night.

This burger tour has offered me a great opportunity to try many different restaurants in Chicago, but the hardest things is sticking to the burger when looking over menus that offer such good-looking dishes. I stuck to my guns and ordered the burger.

I think the best way to describe the BURGER at Duchamp is rich.

It was VERY rich and a little to greasy for the style of burger, and by that I mean a burger that's closer to the "upscale" side than the "burger joint" side. The fries where pretty good, but I always prefer a thinner fry the the chunkier family of fries. I'd love to go back to Duchamp and try something else off the menu. All in all I would give it 3 pickle slices.

My BIG Fat GREEK Burger

BURGER # 12

In the suburb of Evanston lives a little place called Cross Rhodes—a casual Greek restaurant near the Main L-stop and home of the #21 RANKED Burger. My first time easting at Cross Rhodes was in November when I went to celebrate my Birthday with a few colleagues. I had a delicious gyros and fries, but it wasn’t till about a week later I realized Cross Rhodes was on my Burger List. Frustrated that I wasted a meal at a RANKED restaurant I waited a few months to go back.

The unique, yet fitting thing about the burger at CR’s is that it’s served on a pita. The burger is flame broiled which is not always my favorite but the fresh slabs of feta bumped it up a notch. It’s a cute little restaurant will a lot of regulars coming in and out of the door. It was ok, not the best—not the worst. I’d probably stick with the gyros or try something else on the menu the next time I stop in for lunch.

A Major disappointment and error on my part

This post is a placeholder. I went to MARC burger at Macy's State Street Store for the #5 burger one rainy Saturday. Not only did I spend $13 dollars for a "fast-food" burger, but I ordered the wrong one. I think this calls for a recall and another visit to the crabby ladies at Marc Burger who HATE their job. Regardless here is a photo, to tide the invisible people that read this blog.

RANKED #9....David Burke's Primehouse...

Just looking at this picture brings back such delicious memories of the 40 day prime aged beef burger from David Burke's delighful eatery in the JAMES HOTEL. The burger was excellent and perfectly cooked. I went with my friend SAM who is a excellent chef and fellow foodie, so his stamp of approval has some weight behind it. We also ordered the KOBE BEEF SASHIMI


and SURF & TURF DUMPLINGS appetizers that definitely deserve a honorable mention . Overall very impressed with Mr. Burke's creations.

FOUR PICKLE SLICES!

Ranked #26 . Bin 36

Talk about a disappointment, this burger which was the 9th BURGER on my journey was just plain boring. BIN36 IS a wine bar, so maybe burgers aren't at the top of their list, but since they were mentioned in Chicago Magazine's Top 30 you would think there would be a little something besides a bland piece of meat and a cheap bun. The wine flight was great and the cheese tray was good. I would not recommend Bin 36 for dinner and definitely not worth a stop just for the burger. I'd go back for the wine and cheese, but not a meal.

THE ELITE 8

INTRODUCING BURGER #1!!

When I was casually...yet strategically planning out this burger endeavor I knew they day would come when I would experience the #1 at Prairie Grass Cafe. The placement had to be key, I knew I didn't want to save it till the end, I also knew it would be crucial to have a few under my belt in-order to accurately rank it. So I settled for my 8th Burger, but enough of this...I just want to talk about the cheese. The cheese which they describe as a mild Amish blue cheese is OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD. Seriously it's insane! and It's what I remember the most about the meal. Yes, this burger does come bunless, which i'm fine with. It's thick, juicy, and was cooked medium-rare to a T. At this point I don't know that it's going to be #1 in my books, but it's putting up a fight.

Ranked #12. Bull & Bear

BURGER #7

With a stock market themed bar comes one price inflated burger. BULL & BEAR's american kobe beef burger is definitely not your typical bar food burger... the master mind behind the bacon aioli is a genius. I ordered it medium-rare as I always do and they nailed it. Cooked to my perfection, with a great gruyere cheese to accompany the sweet onion marmalade and fresh brioche bun. All aside a pile of yummy truffle fries. Yes $18 dollars is ALOT for a bar, even at an 'upscale' bar. Yet I'd order it again and encourage anyone interested in burgers to bypass the other burger options and go for the Bull & Bear Burger.

Ranked #6 NAHA

N A H A

A perfect Birthday Burger lunch.

Borrowing Feiner’s brilliant concept of taking your Birthday off of work, I saw November 3^rd as the perfect opportunity to have my ‘GOLDEN BURGER’ # 6. NAHA known for it’s upscale fusion dishes ‘scented with Mediterranean and California flavors’ a burger seemed slightly out of place. This could be why they only serve it during lunch M-F. The NAHA "Half Pound" Angus Beef Burger on a Housemade Sea Salt "Crusted" Ciabatta Bun with Stone Ground Mustard, Glazed Onions and "Hand-Cut" Crisp Potato Fries was fantastic.

The service was wonderful, the flavors even better, and the company...unbeatable. Thanks Kit for a wonderful Birthday meal

.

Ranked #19

. Flub a Dub Chub
5th Burger on my Quest
A modest hotdog joint situated under an astrology place near the corner of Wellington and Broadway; A place I had walked by countless times without ever giving it a second look. Well after a trip home to Rockford one weekend I thought it would be a perfect cure to my post weekend blues. I was excited to try the place that earned the #19 spot and a comment on yelp claiming it to be second best to Kuma’s. It did come on a pretzel roll (always a bonus), but besides from that It was not the heavenly experience I lived threw when I bit into the burger at Kuma’s. It was good, and that's about i,t good. The Pretzle roll was fine, nothing to write home about and the burger itself was your average greasy patty.

Ranked #3. Kuma's Korner

BURGER #4

Yum Yum Yum. Kuma's had been on my list since I moved to Chicago, yet the closest I ever got was the 77 bus on my way to catch the blue line to O'hare...until last month. It was a Tuesday night in October, fall was in the air and I knew it was going to be a good night. I arrived promptly at 6:30 and was thrilled to see no one waiting outside. I thought... YES! the burger gods are with me tonight. We put our name in, the wait, 1 Hour and 20 minute,. which word on the street for a Tuesday is not bad. Had a few good beers and our time had come. They have an extensive burger menu and many that I wanted to try, yet I persevered and stayed faithful to the rankings. The Kuma Burger.

Words cannot describe the awesomeness of this piece of meat. The Pretzel Roll, for which they are also famous for was flawless. Major, Major bonus points for the egg, fried to perfection that sits upon the cow. It was simply incredible, and great, great waffle fries....why do we not see more waffle fries in our lives.

Since I had this burger so early on in my journey I debated on my pickle score, to be safe I’m giving it 4.5 pickle slices with opportunity for growth as I get further into my quest.

Ranked #20. Erwin

BURGER #3
I was excited to try Erwin's burger for two reasons... the close proximity Erwin is to my apartment and also the rumor for the very unique flavor the burger has. When the burger came and I was a little disappointed, it was just plain boring. These days the burger competition is fairly stiff and I think Erwin's is pretty boring. The special sauce comes from Joong Bong Market, which I have no clue where/or what it is. I know one thing I was not a fan of this distinctive flavor, but in the end it was a burger so I had no trouble putting it down.

I have herd good things about Erwin, I'd like to go back and try something new. Martha had Butternut Squash Soup and it was very good. It's cozy and quaint inside and the service was warm and friendly.

1.5 Pickles to be awarded to Erwin.