- Address:
- 3868 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago, IL, 60613
- Phone:
- 773-327-3868
- Overall User Rating:
-
(114 ratings)
- Hours:
- Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday-Friday Dinner: 5:30-10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 5:30-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday (closing hours subject to change) Brunch: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
In a perfect world, national burger competitions would take place every week. Imagine the outcome! Burgers everywhere would be elevated as chefs tried to outdo one another for glory and riches. Much to the Great Burgerelli’s chagrin, they do not. So when a big one does come along, such as the annual Burger Bash at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival in Miami, I take notice. This year, two local chefs, Rick Bayless and Sola’s Carol Wallack, took part in the February event. Though Season 4 "Top Chef" contestant Spike Mendelsohn bested everyone, Wallack walked away with top honors for her parmesan-truffle fries. Again in a perfect world, the Great Burgerelli would have been invited to host this celebration of burgers. Alas, Rachael Ray got the call. But I put aside my pride and paid a visit to Wallack’s North Center restaurant on a recent Thursday (the only evening the burger is available; it’s also on the Thursday-Friday lunch menu) to sample the goods. BURGERELLI'S BREAKDOWN The burger: Thick, compact and made with a half pound of Wagyu beef—which perhaps explains the shocking $18 ($13 at lunch) price—this juicy patty is a thing to be savored. The texture was delightful. The bun: Oh, how I love a pretzel bun! This one, all buttery and soft, is a lovely example of the subset. My only quibble was with some sloppy slicing, possibly an isolated case: The tiny top was only about an inch thick, while the bottom bun was unusually hefty. The fixings: Rarely do I see such a thoughtful combination: house-cured bacon, sweet caramelized onions and fresh arugula, with creamy cambozola literally dripping down the sides. No ketchup required. Everything else: I was all atwitter over the award-winning parmesan-truffle fries, so perhaps I set myself up for a letdown. They were not bad, nor were they the finest specimen I have encountered. Save for a touch of truffle oil, I didn’t find them much different from other parmesan fries.
Burgerelli’s bottom line: Don’t bash this burger—it’s a winner in my book.
The Great Burgerelli is a connoisseur of burgers. E-mail him with suggestions for his next meal. gburgerelli@tribune.com
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