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Tony Quartaro's Special Juicy Lucy Burger at Formento's

As part of Eater's 2015 burger week, chefs at five Chicago restaurants that don't serve burgers agreed to make a special limited-edition burger, served this week. Here now is the "Juicy Lucy Burger" from Formento's.

Formento's Juicy Lucy burger
Formento's Juicy Lucy burger
Nick Fochtman

Only open for three months now, Formento's is already packing guests in and getting good reviews for their elevated take on classic "red sauce" Italian dishes. When tasked with creating a special for Eater's Burger Week, executive chef Tony Quartaro looked back to his time in New York for inspiration.

"There's a place in the East Village called Whitman's, [their] Juicy Lucy was the one that hooked me," Quartaro says.

Quartaro's "Juicy Lucy" features a burger patty stuffed with mozzarella (made in-house), 1-year aged provolone ("It has a nice bite to it. Nice, strong depth of flavor. Not stinky cheese strong, but more of a peppery finish."), garlic and neonata ("It's chili based, slightly acidic, kind of rich and oily. [It] will add some brightness and some heat.").

The burger also features caramelized onions with splashes of Lambrusco vinegar and a slice of that provolone. A pickled mustard seed spread that is also used on a mortadella hot dog at Nonna's, the sandwich shop next door (which will also feature the burger during lunch hours) is slathered on a potato bun.

Quartaro's Juicy Lucy is available during lunch hours at both Formento's and Nonna's through Friday.

Formento's

925 West Randolph Street, , IL 60607 (312) 690-7295 Visit Website