Chicago Day 4 – Au Chevel

The Best New Burger in America?

 I am convinced that the motto for Chicago should be something like, “Chicago: If you want the truth, go to church.”

In September of last year the crew from Bon Appetit was in Chicago for their Chicago Gourmet event.  A blog post about Au Cheval on their website said, “The Best New Burger in America?  Head to Chicago” .  A month later the Eater crew from Chicago had changed it a bit:  “Bon Appetit Names Au Cheval Best Burger".  Notice the slight difference there. The Bon Appetit article said it might be the best.

Au Chevel is located on the west edge of downtown and doesn’t have anything resembling convenient parking.  I drive an ever widening circle until I find myself on an epic trek on a particularly cold and windy day.

 I finally make my walk from the parking spot to the restaurant when I notice a crowd lined up in the entry way.  It is busy.  Really busy.

 One thing I have learned since I arrived in Chicago is that there is no hesitation in how things work.  If you hesitate, you lose.  Period.  There is no drama or discussion; if you hesitate, you are going to eat dust.  I first noticed this while driving.  In Minnesota the driving behavior I observed in Chicago would cause people to literally go insane with adolescent fits of rage - images of their elementary school teacher’s admonition of “No butting in line” ringing in their ears.  In Chicago, leave a gap for half a car; a whole car is coming and you will make room.  Driver falls asleep at an intersection; cut him off and be on your way.  What is most remarkable is the only person I heard honk a horn all trip was me.  No hesitation, no drama.  It is how things work.

I assert my place in line and make it to the hostess stand.  I prepare myself for the usual reaction I get when I tell a host I’m a party of one:  The cheerful smile that greeted me immediately turns to a concerned frown.  I quickly get a look at the back of their head as they scan the restaurant trying to imagine where to put one person.  Then a quick look at a notebook with scribbles all over it, I’m sure a ploy to avoid eye contact as they offer a seat that is one small step above sitting in an open stall of the unisex bathroom.

This hostess is different.  I can see the usual look of concern, but she bounces back quickly and I’m agreeable to sit at the bar.  She promises to find me a seat and asks my name.  I fall back into a pile of seemingly likewise rejected guests as the flurry of people being seated walk by. 

 Suddenly she orchestrates a maneuver where a couple at the bar are about to be seated.  She calls me by name and points to the people and before I realize what is going on, a server is grabbing these people.  I throw my body in front of people pushing for the open seats.  No hesitation, no drama.   I am truly amazed by her skills of managing the logistics of the restaurant while making the guests feel taken care of.  

This is my seat.  I guess to keep guests from ordering drinks while waiting in line to be seated and then getting stiffed (they don’t’ take reservations), they have installed this eye level bar around the corner of the bar near the entrance.  Strange. 

 I order the cheeseburger.  One unique feature of their burger here is that a single burger is really two burgers, one on top of the other both topped with cheese. 

My seat does let me see where the magic is made.  I expect that there is some unique, secret process that is performed by a splinter Illuminati sect that allows one simple restaurant grill to out perform another.  I haven’t seen evidence of this.  The closest I have seen are ladles of an unidentified substance tossed on the burgers as they cook.  The magic could be there.

The burgers are moved about on the grill to different spots to control the heat and pre-sliced cheese is added.  An assembly area is set up just across from the grill and the burgers go directly from grill to bun.

 I watch as burger after burger makes it from grill to bun amazed by the sheer number of burgers they have made before mine arrives!

 The burger arrives simply displayed on a white plate with a pickle and a steak knife stuck through the top.

 On top of my cheese burger is thick cut bacon and a quick pickle cucumber cream sauce with chopped scallions and just a hint of horseradish.  The bun is a firm white bun with a glazed egg washed top.

I take a bite and it blows me away.  The beef, with four sides of grill goodness vs. the usual two sides blends beautifully with the melted cheese.  The bacon and the cream sauce all work together to push the sweet, sour, salty, umami taste explosion that is happening.  I can tell that this balance of flavors was not an accident and the strong beefy flavor of the burger makes me wonder if it isn’t a beef stock being ladled onto the burgers while they are cooking.  It did everything right and nothing wrong. 

This is the best burger I have ever had.  And I’m not from Chicago!