Our first cheese-infused "juicy lucy". Happily, Dusek's got the right amount of infusion, and the preparation held together and/or leaked out just as it should. Five of our 6 reviewers gave good marks, finding it tasty, surprisingly handleable, balance flavors, and well cooked despite the physics challenges. The bacon jam and up-to-the-task bun helped as well. We also like the ample fries, good beer/cider list, cool vibe, and attentive service. And, they'll give you a side dish of cilantro to share with the finicky diner. Still, one of us wound up with "a dried out hollow hockey puck" with some cheese, and all reviews matter. So, as near as I can draw from the disparate experience, you have an 80% changes of having a Top 10% burger. Low of 72; high of 93; average of 87.
Love, love, love: The "hush puppy" appetizers with shrimp. There was some debate about whether a real hushpuppy can have any filling other than cornmeal, but we were too busy chewing to get to an answer. Hot and tasty, with a delightful splash of hot pepper honey on top.
Hate, hate, hate: Why no real ketchup? Word to our chefs: If you're going to come at the King condiment of burger town, you better kill it. Here, the homemade variety underwhelmed; both too meagre and gross. Indeed, it was so disappointing, it colored our view of the remainder of the meal.
The burger itself: A mixed bag, sorry to say. It's proponents found it a tasty Slagel smash, nice handling, cooked to order, albeit a touch on the bland side. Fries that were "deec" and friendly, attentive service during a lunch rush. Detractors said "meh", focusing on the blandness and the priciness.
I think we'd all come back, but would order something else. Low of 75; high of 85; average of 80.
It can happen anywhere, but a busboy accident was a stain (see what I did there?) on an otherwise lovely lunch, with delicious apps, gorgeous views, and otherwise attentive service. Following the spill, the staff was most attentive in attempting to clean up the mess, fund the dry cleaning, and restore the bonhomie to our group with a sampling of complementary deserts. In short, accidents happen and the staff did everything they could to address. Putting aside that event, there appeared to be strong support for the burger, but due to technical reasons, we were unable to finalize a review. Perhaps an excuse to return some day.
In the interests of full disclosure, we note that our ratings may have been skewed by planning our outing the day after some rather raucous holiday festivities. Notwithstanding the hangovers (which I understand, prior to the coinage of that term, were once called katzenjammers), we found the variety and preparation of these burgers as interesting and enjoyable as possible ... under the circumstances. One of our group, a Bad Apple regular, was pleased with the consistency of the offering: "This was already one of my fave burgers in Chicago and it was again today. The beef just shines. Super flavorful, the star of the show even up against aggressive toppings like goat cheese and onion jam." Even the newbies were impressed with the "great taste" and "perfectly cooked to order," with only technical deductions for the presentation and house-made ketchup. Low of 89, high of 90; average of 89.
