Eater Chicago - Every Story From Eater Chicago's Burger Week 2015The Chicago Restaurant, Bar, and Nightlife Bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52682/favicon-32x32.png2015-04-16T14:50:01-05:00http://chicago.eater.com/rss/stream/81776342015-04-16T14:50:01-05:002015-04-16T14:50:01-05:00Know Your Burger Buns: 7 Bun-Tastic Chicago Bakeries
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<img alt="Turano" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Zwq3npYUDwdHEips2ekOsljNDdI=/0x76:640x556/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46140818/11146190_10153154622213376_2378537940167772181_n.0.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Turano | <a href='https://www.facebook.com/TuranoBread/photos/pb.107361438375.-2207520000.1429207528./10153154622213376/?type=3&theater'>Facebook</a></figcaption>
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<p>Many of these bakers have been around since the Cubs last won a World Series. </p> <p>What good is a burger <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/2015/4/13/8404373/nice-buns-burger-week-2015" target="_blank">without the proper bun</a>? From brioche, to kaiser to pretzel, Chicago's bakers have been working hard to ensure your burger has the proper venue for maximum enjoyment. With that in mind, here's a list of Chicago-based baking companies that supply restaurants with the right buns:</p>
<p>1) <a href="http://www.gonnella.com" target="_blank">Gonnella Baking Co.</a>: The baker's roots go back to 1886</p>
<p>2) <a href="http://www.srosens.com" target="_blank">S. Rosen's Baking Co.</a>: Polish immigrant Sam Rosen founded his baking company in 1909.</p>
<p>3) <a href="http://www.turano.com/about-us/" target="_blank">Turano Baking Co.</a>: Italian immigrant Mariano Turano in 1962 founded the company that would bemuse Turano.</p>
<p>4) <a href="http://marconibaking.com/q--a.html" target="_blank">Marconi Marking Co.</a>: Marconi continues to hand-bake goods, the same way they've been going it since 1911.</p>
<p>5) <a href="http://www.highlandbaking.com/chicago/about.html" target="_blank">Highland Baking Co.</a>: While founded in 1984, they're share the same bloodlines as S. Rosen Baking Co., which was sold.</p>
<p>6) <a href="http://www.redhenbread.com/view/locations/index.html" target="_blank">Red Hen Bread</a>: An upstart to this group, founding in 1996, Red Hen has supplied restaurants with an artisan option for their burgers and sandwiches.</p>
<p><b><i>UPDATE</i></b>: As pointed out, there's a notable omission.</p>
<p>7) <a href="http://www.labriolabaking.com/our_story.htm" target="_blank">Labriola Baking Co.</a>: One of the reasons Labriola has <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/maps/best-new-burgers-chicago-heatmap" target="_blank">one of the hottest burgers</a> in the city is the bun. Rich Labirola started his bakery in 1996, and bakes out artisanal breads for a variety of restaurants.</p>
https://chicago.eater.com/2015/4/16/8431379/6-chicago-bun-tastic-chicago-bakeriesAshok Selvam2015-04-16T14:40:02-05:002015-04-16T14:40:02-05:007 Burger Chains That Got Their Start In Chicago
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<img alt="McDonald's" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PqOf8L32TplqvgceJFt5duWGvVg=/316x0:5435x3839/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46140602/GettyImages-468383742.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>McDonald's | Joe Raedle/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Several burger chains debuted in Chicago including you know who.</p> <p><img alt="mcdonalds" src="https://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3613992/mcdonalds.0.jpg" align="right">1) <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/mcdonald-s" class="sbn-auto-link">McDonald's</a>: Founded in 1955, McDonald's celebrates its 60th birthday this year. The original location remains standing in northwest suburban Des Plaines. Sales totaled $366.12 on its first day, according to McDonald's official site.</p>
<p><img alt="white castle chi burger" src="https://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3613982/whitecastle.0.jpg" align="right">2) <a target="_blank" href="http://www.whitecastle.com">White Castle</a>: While the company sticks to the story of the first White Castle being founded in Wichita, Kan. in the 1920s, the turret shape of White Castle's familiar castle buildings comes from Chicago's original Water Tower, which survived that Chicago Great Chicago Fire.</p>
<p><img align="right" src="https://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3613958/mburger.0.jpg" alt="mburger">3) <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/m-burger" class="sbn-auto-link">M Burger</a>: Started in 2010 as a special burger menu from Lettuce Entertain You's Tru, the concept attempted to blend the tastes for In-N-Out and <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/shake-shack" class="sbn-auto-link">Shake Shack</a>. There are five M Burger locations in the city and 'burbs.</p>
<p><img align="right" src="https://cdn2.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3613944/epicburger.0.jpg"><span>4) </span><a style="line-height: 1.5;" href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/epic-burger" class="sbn-auto-link">Epic Burger</a><span>: The first Epic Burger opened in 2008, and now the mini-chain counts seven locations. They aim to focus on making burgers from healthier ingredients. </span></p>
<p><img style="line-height: 1.24;" src="https://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3613894/meatheads.0.jpg" align="right">5) <a target="_blank" href="http://www.meatheadsburgers.com">Meatheads</a>: There are 16 Meatheads locations in Illinois and Indiana, as the chain started seven years ago. Like Epic Burger, they're not interested in value menus, instead focusing on higher-quality menus in a fast-casual setting.</p>
<p><img alt="revburger" src="https://cdn1.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3613916/revburger.0.jpg" align="right"><span>6) </span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.rev-burger.com" style="line-height: 1.5;">Rev Burger</a><span>: The gourmet burger spot has two locations with plans on becoming a chain. They only launched in 2014 in Carol Stream and then added a River North location.</span></p>
<p><img align="right" src="https://cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3613932/wildburger.0.jpg" alt="wildburger"></p>
<p><span>7) </span><a style="line-height: 1.5;" target="_blank" href="http://www.americanwildburger.com">American WildBurger</a><span>: Earlier this year American WildBurger arrived in Chicago, opening in Lincoln Park, hoping to build on the success of its sibling restaurant in Des Plaines. The suburban location opened in 2012.</span></p>
https://chicago.eater.com/2015/4/16/8430495/burger-chain-restaurants-from-chicagoAshok Selvam2015-04-16T14:25:02-05:002015-04-16T14:25:02-05:00Rock N' Roll McDonald's, Saturday at 5 p.m.
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<img alt="Rock N Roll McDonald's" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Ud2QmcbEmc-KwFn25WklG8_IfOE=/36x0:605x427/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46131022/17116187495_83249a2067_z.0.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Rock N Roll McDonald's | Marc Much</figcaption>
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<p>Welcome back to the photo series <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/eater-scenes">Eater Scenes</a>, where an Eater photographer visits one of the city's establishments at a certain, and very specific, time of day. For Eater's Burger Chains Power hour, the Rock N Roll McDonald's.</p> <p>It's a lovely Saturday afternoon in downtown Chicago. That means school kids from out of state, tourists and nearby workers are stopping by the famous <strong>Rock N' Roll <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/mcdonald-s" class="sbn-auto-link">McDonald's</a></strong>. This 24-hour, two-story behemoth isn't like a standard Golden Arches. Duo drive-thru lanes, escalators, large glass windows and a rock music/pop culture collection make this restaurant unique. McDonald's has evolved <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWWsWP9bPAg" target="_blank">from Wesley Willis' time</a>, as workers armed with laptops or children checking Facebook on their smartphones happily hangout and enjoy their burgers and soft-serve ice cream treats.</p>
<p>It's okay to crave a Big Mac™ while looking at the photos from this revived classic.</p>
https://chicago.eater.com/2015/4/16/8421331/rock-n-roll-mcdonalds-images-burger-weekAshok Selvam2015-04-16T14:10:02-05:002015-04-16T14:10:02-05:0011 Burger Chain Restaurants That Should Come to Chicago
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<img alt="A yellow lighting bolt behind In-N-Out sign." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bMDfiQ1isCnD7qi-j2eXtoYV67M=/61x0:1986x1444/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46139582/in-n-out-burger_signage_flickr.0.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>In-N-Out Burger | In-N-Out Burger</figcaption>
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<p>Chicago loves a good burger chain.</p> <p>Chicago's recently seen a spat of national chain burger expansion with the arrivals of long-lusted-after names <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/shake-shack" class="sbn-auto-link">Shake Shack</a> and <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/umami-burger" class="sbn-auto-link">Umami Burger</a>. But that shouldn't signal to burger executives that there isn't room for more beefy goodness. <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/mcdonald-s" class="sbn-auto-link">McDonald's</a>, which celebrates its 60th birthday, was the start, so that should show other national chains that they would do well to consider Chicago as their next move. Here's a list of 11 that would be welcomed:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><i>1) <a href="http://www.in-n-out.com" target="_blank">In-N-Out Burger</a></i>: Many Chicagoans want the chance to order from this west coast burger heaven's <a href="http://www.eater.com/2015/4/13/8382523/secret-menus-in-n-out-fast-food-burger-animal-style" target="_blank">secret menu</a>.</p>
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<p><i>2) </i><a href="http://www.awrestaurants.com" target="_blank"><i>A&W</i>:</a> The closest A&W is Schaumburg in the northwest suburbs and Oak Lawn in the southwest suburbs. But washing down a burger with a famous root beer float isn't an option for city dwellers.</p>
<p><i>3) <a href="http://www.jackinthebox.com" target="_blank">Jack In the Box</a></i>: Those ads maybe a little creepy, but having another burger option would be worth putting up with the restaurant's mascot.</p>
<p><i>4) </i><a href="http://whataburger.com" target="_blank"><i>Whataburger</i></a>: This southern chain stretches as far west as Arizona and to the west to Florida.</p>
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<img alt="Whataburger" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/a_LB94XPblj6rsobdLqhaeb1IY0=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/2752552/whataburgerSS.0.jpg">
<cite>Phillip Lange/Shutterstock</cite>
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<p><i>5) <a href="http://www.steaknshake.com" target="_blank">Steak 'n Shake</a></i>: Those griddles patties have homes in suburbs, but the haven't made their way to the city proper.</p>
<p><i>6) <a href="http://www.culvers.com" target="_blank">Culver's</a></i>: Yes, butterburger babies will eventually get their fix next year when the delayed Culver's is supposed to <a target="_blank" href="http://chicago.eater.com/2015/3/19/8257979/plywood-taco-in-a-bag-culvers-wrigley-scone-city-more">arrive in Wrigleyville</a>, but burger fans can be impatient.</p>
<p><i>7) <a href="http://www.fuddruckers.com" target="_blank">Fuddrucker's</a></i>: Four suburban locations aren't enough for Fudd's where burger customization comes in the form of a large toppings bar.</p>
<p><i>8) <a href="http://bobbysburgerpalace.com" target="_blank">Bobby's Burger Palace</a></i>: Chicago would be the ideal midwest expansion for the chain that was developed by celebrity chef Bobby Flay.</p>
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<p><i>9) <a href="http://www.cookoutnc.com" target="_blank">Cook Out</a></i>: Anyone that's lived in Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee or Virginia knows about the joy and value from a meal from Cook Out. <a target="_blank" href="http://deadspin.com/5883076/i-hung-out-with-dukebags-and-discovered-the-greatest-value-in-the-history-of-drunken-eating">Especially college kids</a>.</p>
<p><i>10) <a href="http://krystal.com" target="_blank">Krystal</a></i>: Chicago shouldn't be limited to just one place to find small, square-shaped, steamed sliders. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0366551/" target="_blank">Harold and Kumar</a> would be happy.</p>
<p><i>11) <a href="http://www.fatburger.com/Country-Select/" target="_blank">Fatburger</a></i>: Sure, <a target="_blank" href="http://chicago.eater.com/2011/6/10/6675575/kanye-dumps-fatburger">two attempts </a>to bring the California-based burger chain to the Chicago area have failed, and Kanye West has seemingly washed his hands of his association with the chain. But it's sad that Kanye can't have a burger presence in his hometown. No one likes a sad Kanye.</p>
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<img alt="Fatburger" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/d4uXqNGwQrEqNdE1OjaaJwqEdBk=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3568376/Fatburger.0.jpg">
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https://chicago.eater.com/2015/4/16/8413395/chain-restaurants-chicago-needs-burger-weekAshok Selvam2015-04-16T14:00:02-05:002015-04-16T14:00:02-05:00Burger Chains Power Hours Starts Now
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<img alt="Burger Chains Power Hour" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XPlzIgjZhfZ8X7WNEFy8rBWJ8ng=/0x151:2640x2131/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46140844/Big_Mac_hamburger.0.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Burger Chains Power Hour | Eater </figcaption>
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<p>Check out what the chains are up to.</p> <p>Strap it down, because for the next hour we'll be checking out what's going on at some of Chicago's most beloved chain that focus on burgers. It doesn't matter if you enjoy patties ground from short-rib and dry-aged beef, because most people's love affairs with burgers started at a young age with that first visit to a fast-food joint. So keep it here for plenty of patty action, stacked up high like you like it, during <b>Burger Chains Power Hour</b>.</p>
https://chicago.eater.com/2015/4/16/8431565/burger-chains-power-hours-starts-nowAshok Selvam2015-04-16T13:08:49-05:002015-04-16T13:08:49-05:00Bill Kim's Special Wagyu Burger at bellyQ
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<img alt="BellyQ's Wagyu Burger" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_49Qr8OwtCH_RFB8LfF_nZ0n4Mo=/300x0:5163x3647/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46114486/Wagyu_Burger__1_of_1_.0.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>BellyQ's Wagyu Burger | Connor Rudny</figcaption>
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<p><em>As part of Eater's 2015 burger week, chefs at a few Chicago restaurants that don't serve burgers agreed to make a special limited-edition burger, served this week. Here now is the "bellyQ Wagyu Burger" from bellyQ.</em></p> <div class="align-right"> <figure class="e-image">
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Bill Kim</b> has shown a penchant for providing new takes on Asian food at his restaurants <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/belly-q" target="_blank"><b>bellyQ</b></a>, <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/urban-belly" target="_blank"><b>Urbanbelly</b></a> and <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/belly-shack" target="_blank"><b>Belly Shack</b></a>. Now he's taken that innovation and applying it to a burger.</p>
<p>Kim describes the "<b>bellyQ Wagyu Burger</b>" that is being served at all three of his restaurants this week. "Everything is homemade. From the sesame Chinese bun to grinding all of the beef in the restaurant. We make all of our mayo and sauce in-house. <b>I don't think anybody will be doing a burger quite the same</b>."</p>
<p>BellyQ and Urbanbelly will be serving the Wagyu cheeseburger grilled on a sesame Chinese bun with curry fries and kimchi nuoc cham. Belly Shack is using the same burger, but griddle theirs and serve it on a toasted Chinese bun with togarashi fries and curry mayo. Both burgers are priced at $13.</p>
<p>Kim's Wagyu Burger is available at all three of his restaurants, bellyQ, Urbanbelly and Belly Shack through Friday.</p>
https://chicago.eater.com/2015/4/16/8396185/bill-kim-bellyq-urban-belly-belly-shack-2015-burger-weekBrett Hickman2015-04-15T14:47:42-05:002015-04-15T14:47:42-05:00Why People Wait for Hours to Eat Au Cheval's Cheeseburger
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<img alt="Au Cheval's Single Cheesburger" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6asBdVYCZXwJv6zVtREy0W-lNbk=/114x0:1934x1365/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46100032/au_cheval_main.0.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Au Cheval's Single Cheesburger | <a href='http://www.nicholasjamesphoto.com/'>Nick Fochtman</a></figcaption>
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<p><em>Welcome to The Hot Dish, a behind the scenes look at the making of a Chicago classic dish. Today, for Burger Week, Au Cheval's head chef Annie Gano and general manager Erika Golz show how the West Loop hotspot prepares the burger that Bon Appetit declared the best in America.</em></p> <p>Open for over three years now, <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/au-cheval"><strong>Au Cheval</strong></a> has become one of the hardest spots to get into in Chicago and a lot of the reason for that can be attributed to their cheeseburger. Six months in, even before <em>Bon Appetit</em> <a href="http://chicago.eater.com/2012/10/1/6540239/bon-appetit-names-au-cheval-best-burger">declared it the best in America</a>, the Au Cheval cheeseburger had become the talk of the town. Once the <em>Bon Appetit</em> declaration was made its popularity went supernova and pretty soon suburbanites, tourists and celebrities were clamoring to get in and <strong>wait times ballooned in excess of three hours</strong>. </p>
<p>General manager Erika Golz: "Brendan (owner Sodikoff) came in the next day and said ‘I don't want you to ever say that to anybody.'" She adds her own take on what telling people that could do. "If you say you have the best burger, they're thinking about the burger that they ate when their grandma had fireworks on their porch and they were five years old and it was actually probably a really bad cheeseburger. But all of the emotions and nostalgia surrounding it twenty years later, that burger's going to be the best burger for the rest of their life. If we say we make a pretty good burger, they'll make their own assessment."</p>
<p>People are obviously not put off by the long wait times since the restaurant sells around 400 single (2 patties) and double (3 patties) cheeseburgers each weekday and <strong>up to 500 a day on the weekend</strong>.</p>
<p>The burger starts with prime beef from W.W. Johnson Farms (by way of Sysco) that gets formed into four-ounce patties and slapped onto the 450 to 500 degree griddle until medium (they will do well done, but c'mon...). A layer of Kraft American cheese goes in between and on top of each patty and then before resting for a minute or two.</p>
<p>Then the buns from local Z Baking get toasted under the salamander. "We toast both sides of the bun (in the salamander). I think (this) is where a lot of places go wrong with their burger. So you (don't) just get a soppy mess at the end. If you toast it, then it gets crispy and (adds) extra texture," Gano says.</p>
<p>From there the burger gets "dressed" with Dijonnaise (lemon juice, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard) and housemade pickles. You can add a fried egg, thick-cut peppered bacon and, if you really want to gild the lily, a three-ounce slab of foie gras for $9. "I feel like a lot of people come in from states where foie is illegal," says Golz.</p>
<p>As for strange burger requests they've seen? "It's interesting to see people wait three hours for the Au Cheval cheeseburger and then come in and turn it into something that isn't (that)," Golz says. "I got a burger request for no bun, no cheese, well done, add grilled onions, add avocado, add foie gras. By the end it wasn't the cheeseburger anymore." "It (is) kind of defeating the whole purpose of coming here," Gano adds.</p>
<p>Another one Golz remembers as "epic" is the time someone "ordered a double burger with the regular bun and a hash brown bun (for those with certain allergies), egg, bacon and foie gras."</p>
<p><a style="line-height: 1.24;" href="http://auchevalchicago.com/" target="_blank">Au Cheval</a> is, unsurprisingly, a hit with industry folks. "<a style="line-height: 1.5; background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://chicago.eater.com/venue/grace" target="_blank"><strong>Grace</strong></a> is down the street and they love to come in for a cheeseburger after their service is over," Golz says. She continues, "We're a good late-night industry spot, because they all get off work and they can come here and relax."</p>
<p>As for getting in to Au Cheval, Golz offers the following. "If you want to come in and grab a burger, avoid prime time hours on nights, especially weekends. <strong>Try and swing in here for a quick lunch or a late night meal if you don't want a long wait</strong>." Sound advice. Who's hungry?</p>
https://chicago.eater.com/2015/4/15/8393037/au-cheval-burger-week-the-hot-dishBrett Hickman