What makes me happy ?
Burgers.
Burgers are the items of unification. If you eat meat, you eat burgers. And if you eat burgers you have a favorite one, or something like that. Burgers cheer me up when I’m down. Keep the fun going when its already there. And bring a conversation to the table every time you dig into that beautiful bun. Let’s dig in.
In recent weeks, I’ve come into making burgers once again in my life, only this time at a two Michelin star restaurant. Something I didn’t think I’d be doing this year, but, am I mad about it? Hellll, no. Getting the best possible ingredients for your burger has become critical and essential. There are so many things that go into a good burger, it’s hard to know where to start. But, after eating Wendy’s and Sonic in the last couple days, we have to do a better job at eating better meat and eating less convenient meat. We’re making ourselves feel terrible at no benefit, the crap doesn’t even taste good. If you have the cash and oppourtunity to not eat fast food meat, then don’t, you’re saving the planet and yourself.
A few months ago I asked all of you what your ideal burger was and I was just messing around. Now, we’re getting real. I want to shout-out my small restaurant friends and maybe big brands alike. Nothing excites me more than drooling over a delicious burger in the most surprising ways. I’ll give you top 5 moments and tell me one to make me laugh and maybe we can talk about it on the next podcast.
5. First we start off with the most recent of the bunch. Causwell’s in the Marina of San Francisco, was one of those burgers where you eat terrible quarantine food for 3 weeks straight and you finally need to eat something delicious. Weeks after hearing Leo Tavoy speak glorious wonders from the rooftops about this burger I finally decided to get it. American cheese, special sauce, lettuce, pickle, onion. I got a fried egg and bacon; you would too, don’t judge me. This burger came at a time when all hope was lost. When more things seemed more wrong than right and when food was losing its appeal because of all the boring takeout options. This burger is capable of turning a bad day into a good one. Even though it took 35 minutes on 3 separate occasions to get it delivered, (Not complaining, just pointing something out that typically ruins the quality of good food) it was the definition of a big boy burger that just melted in your mouth and you can’t think of one complaint the whole time you eat it. Absolutely nailed every time. Go get it if you’re a friend living in the Bay Area.
4. Next I have to go back to my roots. Slidin’ Dirty taught me a lot of things like every mayonnaise based sauce in existence that I use on everything and always will. But, they also taught me how to make a damn good burger and a lot of them. The OG Slidin’ Dirty menu had about 15 burgers on it. I still have the menu memorized in my head. But that’s a story for another time. When I started we had packed all the burgers, seasoned to order on a flat top and cooked till crispy on the outside and mid rare on the inside. The best burger is the Hangover. Mid Rare slider with a fried egg, cheddar cheese, bacon, chipotle cream sauce, and arugala. I could eat 15 (I Did) (Another Story) Anyways, the sheer variety of burgers is awesome, and you can’t go wrong. Order six, sit at the bar, which I couldn’t do because I wasn’t old enough to drink, drink some cider, and pound some sliders. One of the best things happening in Upstate New York.
3. The next burger comes from Charleston, SC. Little Jack’s Tavern. The most quaint little restaurant that has about 10-15 tables and an awesome, small bar. I saw that this was ranked around the 38th best burger in the country around 2017 and I said that sounds like a place that needs to be checked out. MIND BLOWN. I went about 15 times during my one year tenure in Charleston. Never disappointed. A double tavern burger is the order you must get, along with herbed fries and garlic mayo. Few things this simple, have made me so spectacularly, happy. They put some kind of secret sunchoke relish on the burger with grilled onions. It’s worth a trip. From a far away place. The service is awesome everytime I go, and I only get the burger. I miss it so much. It was so beautifully built to such an esteemed stature every time that it distracted me from all other life issues as soon as I took that first bite. This burger is an escape from reality. Go get it.
2. Finally, one of the best days of my life came earlier this year when I was wandering and working around Chicago looking for things to eat and things to drink, searching for the next and already greatest things. I happed upon the best two burgers I’ve ever eaten with about a four hour window in between them. The latter burger of the night was eaten around 12:30 AM, at a place called, Au Cheval. A Chicago burger staple to many, but me, it being my first time in Chicago was welcoming any food after a trying day in a brand new kitchen. So this Au Cheval was around the corner and they have a burger! Then, as I sat down at the bar, they ask me what I do, I say I’m a cook, (5 Seconds Later) Root Beer Float arrives at the table. (Already sold) Then I watch as they crank out about 45 burgers at once in true diner fashion and am amazed at how perfectly these line cooks are frying eggs and griddling bacon past midnight so I definitely indulge in the bacon and fried egg upcharge. Next thing I know I’m eating tater tot nachos and am just falling in love. The burger arrives. Stacked high, perfect round fried egg, two, half inch, slabs of bacon and two griddled to glory perfectionist patties with cheese. It was like being presented a medal at the Olympics. The cooks know they did good, and no one had to tell them. They watch you eat it and smile ear to ear.
1. The final and best burger I’ve had in my life so far comes from Chef John Shields genius mind and even has it’s own personal Instagram page because it needs it. This burger in Chicago comes from the Loyalist the upscale casual restaurant from 2 Michelin Stared Chef John Shields and his wife Karen. I had the pleasure of touring the kitchen for a couple days and was blown away by the professionalism, ingenuity , and thoughtfulness that went into every single bite on the tasting menu. The burger is no different. It’s onions galore. Onions everywhere. I won’t share secrets but the burger speaks for itself. It needs no selling and everyone knows it’s probably the best burger on the planet until someone proves me otherwise. I obsessed with it for 4 years, and usually things you overhype for years and years just end up okay. This burger, no no no, this burger deserves more hype than Michael Jordan unretiring, Tiger Woods making a comeback, or Gordon Ramseys new TV show on Fox. The point is you should be excited about it. You should try it, and you should follow a burger on Instagram. It’s called the dirty burg as a nickname, you’ll find out when you eat it. Just please go and support this restaurant as soon as you can and keep buying this burger so it never goes away. Don’t forget fries, and don’t forget to get as messy as you can.
Thanks for reading and send me your favorite burgers if you haven’t already.
Tim Buell
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