A good burger is hard to find. At lease we haven't found it yet in the Midwest. Dave and I are still desperately seeking a good burger in Chicagoland. For the past six years, we have trekked from local burger chains, mom and pop burger joints to fine restaurants hoping to find that one special burger that will ignite, excite and make us salivate for the next bite. No luck yet.
When we left sunny California six years ago, we also left behind these beloved burgers:
Dave's favorite burger is a Fatburger (no relish!)
and I love a simple In-n-Out cheeseburger (double double, please).
Why are these burgers indelibly imprinted in our memories? Why can nothing else seem to compare to these tummy-titillating beauties?
When we first moved to the Midwest, we were full of hope that our burger quest would yield a burger we could love and write home about with raving reviews. As time passed, we remained optimistic...surely there has to be a good Chicago burger...we just haven't found it yet...we kept telling ourselves. Now, six years in, our "glass half full" outlook has changed dramatically. We are doubting that we will ever find a burger for which we can drive out of the way.
Of course, Chicago has good steaks. Italian beef sandwiches. The Chicago dog. Deep dish pizza (delish to some-- but DO NOT tell anyone in Chicago that this writer prefers NY style thin crust pizza)! But no great burger?
Case in point: Several months ago, we received a full color flyer in the mail with bold-type headline of "Voted Chicagoland's #1 Burger!" and other shining recommendations from The Chicago Tribune, West Suburban Living and Daily Herald printed all over the mailer. We thought, At last we have found the best Chicago burger! And it's almost close by in Geneva (a suburb west of Wheaton about 11 miles away). We set the flyer aside, promising ourselves that we will make some time to visit Country House who boasted the best burger for many years running.
Note to self: Can a good burger be found at a place called Country House? Dave had high hopes, but deep down I doubted that we would find it there. However, the flyer did boast other unique burgers on their menu such as Buffalo Burger and Ostrich Burger. This restaurant must be devoted to burger artistry, especially if they have choices like these!
For lunch last weekend, we flipped a coin between going to lunch at the Country House or Domo 77 (Japanese steak house). Country House won the toss fair and square, so best Chicago burger, here we come! Packed up the kids and headed to Geneva, passing some rural fields along the way. Our expectations were mixed but I think we both secretly hoped that we would find that holy grail of the Midwest burger.
The acclaimed burger is called the "Country Burger" and is described as "Award Winning 1/2 pound USDA Choice Chuck, Char Broiled to order and served on Bavarian Dark Rye or a Sesame Bun with Lettuce, Tomato, Pickle and Coleslaw (on request)." Nothing fancy. Which is ok, as long as the burger is GOOD. Dave orders it and we both agree to share each other's food (I ordered a pastrami sandwich on pretzel bread).
First off, the service at Country House is deplorable. I suppose one can put up with bad service as long as the burger is darn good (at this point and out of desperation, we are willing to sacrifice good service for a decent burger)! So, drum roll please...
...the taste results for the Country "Award Winning" Burger is, how shall I say it, JUST PLAIN AWFUL! The meat was chewy and the bun was blah. The tomato and lettuce were sorry looking and wilted. Nothing about this burger was "award winning" at all. Even my pastrami sandwich was seriously lacking--the pastrami tasted like it was a week old. Thinking back, when I decided on coleslaw as my side dish, the waitress had said "Good choice!" So I tried it and then I nearly spit it out. The coleslaw was drowning in some sort of mayo sauce and was just plain gross. Needless to say, this will be the last time we eat at Country House.
Yet again, Chicago fails to produce a winning burger!
But...I have learned something. As the old saying goes, "When In Rome..." Chicago is not Rome, but Chicago fast food is famous for the good ol' American hot dog. I can say that the Chicago Dog, served at even the most humble roadside cart, is the best dog on Earth. Maybe I need to quit searching for a burger in Chicago and settle for the tastiest dogs. Ok, give me a dog with pickle, tomato, relish, onion, celery salt, and hot peppers. (Dave--you can have the mustard, I'll take ketchup)!
First off, the service at Country House is deplorable. I suppose one can put up with bad service as long as the burger is darn good (at this point and out of desperation, we are willing to sacrifice good service for a decent burger)! So, drum roll please...
...the taste results for the Country "Award Winning" Burger is, how shall I say it, JUST PLAIN AWFUL! The meat was chewy and the bun was blah. The tomato and lettuce were sorry looking and wilted. Nothing about this burger was "award winning" at all. Even my pastrami sandwich was seriously lacking--the pastrami tasted like it was a week old. Thinking back, when I decided on coleslaw as my side dish, the waitress had said "Good choice!" So I tried it and then I nearly spit it out. The coleslaw was drowning in some sort of mayo sauce and was just plain gross. Needless to say, this will be the last time we eat at Country House.
Yet again, Chicago fails to produce a winning burger!
But...I have learned something. As the old saying goes, "When In Rome..." Chicago is not Rome, but Chicago fast food is famous for the good ol' American hot dog. I can say that the Chicago Dog, served at even the most humble roadside cart, is the best dog on Earth. Maybe I need to quit searching for a burger in Chicago and settle for the tastiest dogs. Ok, give me a dog with pickle, tomato, relish, onion, celery salt, and hot peppers. (Dave--you can have the mustard, I'll take ketchup)!
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