Raised Bar, Chicago IL

It was a super cold night in downtown Chicago. Windchill at -10 degrees. We had a room at the Marriot Renaissance for the night. In town for the Interpol concert at the Chicago Theater, across the street.
Most of the time, I wouldn't dine at the hotel restaurant just because the prices and a lot of times, the food is good but not worth the $$$.
Throw that one out the window! I'm glad we were afraid to go out in the cold to scavenge for mediocre food. Nice and warm with a view of downtown Chicago. During the warmer seasons, the rooftop is made available. We started with Edamame and a drink. I had a Tequila based "Old Fashioned" I plan to stick with Whiskey or Brandy in the future. The Edamame, something I've never had before was delicious. When it came time to order dinner the choice was clear, a burger. Grilled beef, smoked bourbon pork belly, pickled slaw and butterkase (cheese) on a seeded brioche bun. Presented beautifully and cooked perfectly. What a burger! I'm thinking this may have been one of the best I've had. At least the top five.

4.75 of 5
Forget the price. It wasn't that high anyway. What you get is worth it. I took part back to the room and warmed it up later, still delicious!

Ok at Joe's K Ranch

A couple of weeks back I was having an all Cudahy day with my great nephews. (both are great and well, great) We went bowling at Motion just off of Packard Avenue. Unlimited bowling for two hours, shoes for $8. Milwaukee area at it's best.
Generally, when I'm out with these guys, it's a burger run. Why be any different this time, right? Quite a few places offering a burger in the area were closed on Sunday. The one place, Joe's K Ranch on Whitnall Avenue suggested they have a tasty temptation. In business since 1958, surrounded by industrial buildings, auto scrap yards, upholstery shops and just down the road from Ladish Co., the location must have seen Cudahy/Milwaukee during the boom.
The interior has been modified to accommodate larger groups but, the original bar area shows a vignette of what it may have looked like before.
We all ordered burgers. One stripped of almost everything, another with cheese and not much else. Mine came with the works, raw onions.
They are big burgers. 1/3 pound and I think that's after cooking. I got the haystack onions. They were good but not amazing. The burger, cooked almost perfect. A little pink. Seasoning was just enough. The bun was griddle toasted making it a bit more tasty.
Over all, it's good stuff. Price was pretty much aligned with current market pricing.

4 of 5
I'm not going to say it was the best, certainly not the worst. The atmosphere was a little to family dining for me. The large party room wasn't separated making it less cozy. That didn't make it taste bad. It just sort of took away from the experience.

Paradise Pup. Hot Doggy!

We were on our way home from a short trip to Chicago and decided that we needed to find an interesting (and tasty) place to stop for lunch. You might never guess what I was hoping to have, a burger. Well, my wife is down with that. So, a quick search along our path home produced a couple of interesting places. The stand out one was Paradise Pup on Des Plaines River Road.
Guy Fieri stopped by this funky little place during his 2nd season. He gave it two greasy thumbs up.
I agree. The building is tiny and the parking, at this time of year is a bit of a challenge.
Once inside, you see the magic happening. I felt like I was getting the insider's view of Santa's factory. The team of guys working the grill area had the perfect system to keep the orders moving. One of my favorite things was this huge pile of onions resting on top of the griddle. I would think they serve a couple of different purposes. One, to "season" the griddle and two of course, future toppings to a burger.
We went with the suggested Char w/Merkt's Cheddar plus "the works" which includes raw onions, tomato, pickles and mayo. We paired it with an order of Crinkle Fries. The only thing that I wish I would have done, ordered a shake.
A thick juicy burger, fresh seeded bun. The sandwich dripped from the combination of pickle, tomato and mayo. Make sure you have something under it to catch it.
Great taste. Seasoned but not over the top. Everything worked.
The price was decent. I think the total was $9.80

4.5 of 5
I would love to visit during the Summer and sit outside, sipping on a shake.

Lokal Serves it with a dash of nostalgia

We were in Coconut Grove Florida for a couple of days and as is usual, looking for a good local place to grab a bite. If it happens to be a burger, well that would be okay.
Lokal was a short walk away and according to what we read online, they serve a decent burger.
We got a table outside. Inside, the decor was pretty much what you might expect with one exception. The bar front was covered with cassette tapes! In the one corner, a telephone booth that had a sign that said "time machine". Interesting... through the back side of the phone booth was a "malt shop" that was created to appear similar to the owner's parent's place back in 1986. Part of that included video games that were popular in that time. I had to play a couple of games of Galaga.
Our order came. The bun on my burger had the Lokalz logo "branded" into it, (always a cool touch) Cooked just right, a little pink. Everything was tasty. The girl suggested going 50/50 on regular fries and sweet potato fries.
A bit pricey but, I think that's just how things go down there.
Rated: 4 of 5
I loved the scene. The food was darn good. Glad I went there.

Burdines Waterfront Marina (& Burgers!)

Recently, we spent a few days in the Florida Keys. There is plenty of fresh fish items on all the menus. Burdine's Waterfront Marina has fish and more. I was surprised to see how many variations they did on burgers. That made me think they might be a valid burger to check in to.
Our hotel was only a couple of blocks away so, we walked over. Easier said than done. Hwy 1 doesn't stop for pedestrians. Once across the road, we passed a little Cuban Cafe'. Behind the cafe', in a fenced area was a small village of trailers and campers. I would guess that they were regular housing. The outsides were all decorated nicely. As we walked along the parameter down the road to Burdine's, we got to glimpse in to a couple of them. Families watching television, eating. Far out. Then, a rooster and chickens! What a nice little added bonus to the night's adventures.
The walk turned out to be about 3/4 of a mile back in to the dock/port area. Burdines is obviously about the people that use the dock service and some locals that no where the good food is.
The restaurant is atop the dock service store and office. The posts are wrapped in license plates from all over the place. The bar area is decorated in an island theme.
How about the burger? Well, it's a fairly large patty and bun. First thing I did was pinch off just the meat to get the true flavor. Cooked just right, seasoned nicely. Not bad for a fish joint, right?
As we ate, the sun set on the bay. Smaller boats were still coming in giving us a postcard like moment.
Rated: 3.5 of 5
It was really good. I wasn't blown away. The fries are tasty. Location is special, hidden from the whole "Keys" experience. Nice.

Fred's on MKE's North Side: One of the best!

One of the most consistent decent burgers in Milwaukee has to be from Fred's on Vliet Street.
The staff is friendly and the customers that are waiting for their order are always fun to chat with.
Last Sunday, I was looking for an alternative to pizza for dinner. (the people I was hanging out with were having WyEast Pizza) Fred's is only half a mile east. My son and I headed over to grab a couple of sandwiches. He had his eye on the Italian Roast Beef, "soaked". I was thinking double cheeseburger and fries.
The burger was excellent. Fries, just how I like 'em, skinny and fried.
We walked away at about $20 after a tip. Not bad for good grub.
The thing about a place like Fred's is that the burger is cooked on the griddle and brings the characteristics of the griddle surface. Get some onions out on the top... then, drop the patties!
The bun they serve the burger on has the classic sweet edge to it. The cheese, old school grill stuff.
The only thing that didn't go exactly right, the Italian Roast Beef wasn't "soaked". Just sort of juiced.
Still, you can't beat the value and small town feel of Fred's.
4.5 of 5
Love the scene. Great staff. Wonderful food at a decent price.

The Spot, Kenosha (2X)

It's a throw back in time. Since 1945, The Spot drive-in, Kenosha has been cooking up some tasty burgers, dogs and serving up delicious ice cream based treats. Check their website for more background on the owner and the restaurant.
"Why fix what ain't broke" might be their mantra.
Cash only, so make sure you grab some before you head over. My guess would be $10-12 per person if you want a sandwich, fries and an ice cream treat.
I've been to the Spot twice in the past three months.
The first visit was a bacon cheeseburger and fries. I pulled up to the building thinking that I needed to go inside. Almost as quick as I got out of the car, I was told to sit down and the carhop will get around to taking my order. Okay. The menu is pretty extensive. A lot of deep fried stuff. The carhop took my order. Not much later, she returned with a white bag, Spot logo on the side. The smell got my mouth watering.  Big pieces of bacon slung across a griddle top patty with old school cheese. Perfect. First bite, everything worked perfect together. Not too much mustard, ketchup etc.
My second visit was just the other day. I was back in Kenosha checking in on my classic car that is in a showroom not too far from the Spot.
This time, I ordered a regular cheeseburger with the works and an order of fries. Now I felt like a seasoned visitor. I pulled up, rolled down my window and waited for the carhop to come over. A couple of minutes later, she returned with my bag of yumness.
$6.40 for the burger and fries. Fresh made. I love this place.
I'm not a big fan of the fries. Not that they are bad, just that I'm not a fan of the larger block style fries. I'm more the waffle or string fry guy. Next time, maybe I will get the onion rings.
It's easy to find the Spot, Hwy 50 gets you there so, if you are near Kenosha and need a bite to eat, I suggest stopping by to check it out. Be sure to tip the carhop.
4.5 of 5
Decent price, love the throwback style, great burgers. Can't wait to try some ice cream.