The 30 Greatest Chicago Burgers

Chicago Magazine's September issue is dedicated to burgers - more specifically the best to be found on Chicagoland menus in establishments ranging from fine dining restaurants (Custom House) to taverns dedicated to the cause (Kuma's Corner).  "A Thick and Juicy Guide to Chicago's 30 Best Burgers" considers the burger in it's many forms and ranks them as follows:

1. Prairie Grass Cafe (601 Skokie Blvd., Northbrook; 847-205-4433)
2. HotChocolate (1747 N. Damen Ave.; 773-489-1747)
3. Kuma’s Corner (2900 W. Belmont Ave.; 773-604-8769)
4. Custom House (500 S. Dearborn St., 312-523-0200)
5. Marc Burger (Macy’s, 111 N. State St., 7th floor; 312-781-3693)
6. Naha (500 N. Clark St.; 312-321-6242)
7. Abigail’s Bistro (493 Roger Williams Ave., Highland Park; 847-849-1009)
8. Top Notch Beefburgers (2116 W. 95th St.; 773-445-7218)
9. David Burke’s Primehouse (The James, 616 N. Rush St.; 312-660-6000)
10. Cortland’s Garage (1645 W. Cortland St.; 773-862-7877)
11. That’s-A-Burger (2134 E. 71st St.; 493-2080)
12. Bull & Bear (431 N. Wells St.; 312-527-5973)
13. The Capital Grille (633 N. St. Clair St., 312-337-9400)
14. Hop Häus (7545 N. Clark St.; 773-262-3783)
15. District Bar (170 W. Ontario St.; 312-337-3477)
16. Zak’s Place (112 S. Washington St., Hinsdale, 630-323-9257)
17. Duchamp (2118 N. Damen Ave.; 773-235-6434)
18. Small Bar (2049 W. Division St.; 773-772-2727)
19. Flub a Dub Chub (3021 N. Broadway; 773-857-6500)
20. Erwin (2925 N. Halsted St.; 773-528-7200)
21. Cross-Rhodes (913 Chicago Ave., Evanston, 847-475-4475)
22. Nightwood (2119 S. Halsted St.; 312-526-3385)
23. Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab (60 E. Grand St. 312-379-5637)
24. Paradise Pup (1724 S. River Rd., Des Plaines; 847-699-8590)
25. Yoshi’s Cafe (3257 N. Halsted St.; 773-248-6160)
26. Bin 36 (339 N. Dearborn St.; 312-755-9463)
27. Five Guys (2140 N. Clybourn St.; 773-327-5953)
28. Moody’s Pub (5910 N. Broadway, 773-275-2696)
29. Epic Burger (517 S. State St.; 312-913-1373)
30. The Assembly (2570 Hassell Rd., Hoffman Estates; 847-843-3993)

Vote for your favorite on Chicago Magazine's website now and get the full story in the September issue currently on newstands.

Note: Top Notch Beefburgers also recommended by Chef Ryan Poli of Perennial in the article "Chefs' Top Cheap Eats" in the September issue of Food & Wine magazine.

What to do with a bottle of White Zin?

Recently, a large (1.5 liter) bottle of White Zinfandel appeared on my kitchen counter.  I will not go into further detail of how this bottle came to be in my home in order to protect the innocent (i.e. - my sister).  I do love rose and pink blends, but most people would agree that there is a fine line between rose and White Zinfandel.  I would say there is a wide berth. 

The bottle has been sitting on my counter now for a month. I can't throw it out (I am too frugal) and I can't regift it (I am too proud).  So I am left to come up with a creative use.  Easier said than done.

My own initial thought was to cook with the wine, others noted that this wine is probably too sugary for cooking.  I haven't ruled it out altogether, as I occasionally cook with sherry or port. 

The best suggestion so far has been to make a "pinkish" sangria with lots of fruit and even watermelon.  This is an inspired suggestion!  Thanks to the person who suggested it.  You know who you are, smartie pants. 

I thought this might be the perfect weekend to creatively disguise the wine as sangria and bring it to a party.  In searching for a recipe, I came across a Chowhound blog with the very same topic!  It was both hilarious and informative, even including a suggestion for strawberry jello using White Zin.  Below is by far my favorite recipe:

One bottle of white zin.
Two med size carrots.

Slice both carrots into medium sticks. Simmer one of the carrots in the white zin for about 5 minutes.

Throw the white zin/carrot mix out and eat the remaining fresh carrot sticks with a sauce of choice and a glass of good chilled Pouilly Fume.

Also, if you find yourself in a similar dilemma, check out the attached Chowhound article with a recipe for White Zin Jello. 

"Strawberry white merlot 'Jell-o' ... I outdid Martha Stewart"

First Oysters of the Season

Crystal and I celebrated September as the official start of oyster season by going to Shaw's at 21 E Hubbard. Shaw's has a daily happy hour Monday through Friday between 4 and 6pm where they serve 1/2 priced oysters.

Shaw's was serving 12 different brands of oysters. Six from the Crassostrea gigas and six from the Crassostrea virginica species. Unforunately, no Kumomotos (Crassostrea sikamea). The Oysters were all delicious and after 3 dozen we could have kept going had we not hit the 6 o'clock hour.

Below are the Oysters that I remember:
Wianno (C. virginica), Cape Cod Bay,
Quonset Point (C. virginica), Narragansett Bay,
Barron Point (C. gigas), Skookum Inlet, WA
Eld Inlet (C. gigas), Eld Inlet, WA
Salt Aire (C. virginica), Prince Edward Island
Coromandel (C. gigas), Coromandel, NZ

We ordered the Chef's Choice sampler (twice) so we could both taste one of each oyster. We followed that up by ordering six of the Wianno and six of the Barron Point. Though they were all good, we decided the winner of the day was the C. gigas, specifically Barron Point.

The Barron Point oysters were extremely creamy with just the right amount of mineral and salt flavor.

To accompany our oyster dinner we started with the Allagash White Ale which was good. After our beer we went with a white wine flight that was meant to pair with the oysters. The flight consisted of three wines. I don't remember the vineyards but we had a Muscadet and Fume Blanc. The third escapes me. After reviewing their online menu, I noticed they serve L. Mawby's Blanc de Blanc. Had I seen that I would have choosen that wine. Great Sparkling Winery in Northern Michigan.

I would recommend those who love oysters and those who want to be a little more adventurous to try Shaw's. I only had two complaints with Shaw's: the uncut foot of the oyster and the slow service. The first dozen and the last dozen were perfectly shucked but the middle dozen were pretty much all still connected to the half shell. The service was a little slow as it took 20-30 minutes between orders but watching the amount of Oysters those two guys were shucking I can see why and I was willing to forgive. I think to make up time they weren't finishing off the shuck. We were in no rush so during our wait we were able to sit back, talk, and enjoy our food, wine, beer, and love.

Binny's Beer Expo

Next Thursday is Binny's Beer expo at the South Loop location.  The tasting includes over 150 beers, including seasonal and specialty brews from local and international producers. This is Binny's largest beer tasting event of the year. 

$15 w/Binny's card
$20 w/o Binny's card

Thursday, September 10th, 6-8p
Binny's South Loop

Call (312)768-4400 or email southloop@binnys.com for reservations.

I also noticed that they are conveniently having a Midwestern Craft Beer sale from now through September 30th.  Check out the link below for selection and prices.  I am so happy to see that they now have Uncle John's hard ciders and a huge selection of Jolly Pumpkin beers - more than what was offered for take-out at the brewery in Old Mission.

http://www.binnys.com/pages/?pid=33615

A Good Wine for $6.99

In honor of all the parties around town this weekend, I thought I would highlight a nice value red wine that you can feel comfortable bringing to a friend's house.  I can't take credit for sniffing this one out...I leave that to the experts at Food & Wine magazine (September 2009, "California's Top Wine for $15 or Less").  Though our wine cabinet is overstocked with souvenirs from our recent trip, I couldn't pass by this Trader Joe's F&W pick last week on my grocery trip.  And the final verdict is that I loved it!

The 2007 TBD Rouge from Trader Joe's is a Zin-dominant blend and listed in the "Ultra-Value Wines: Great Bottles for $7 & Less" section of this article.  For more wine options for under $15, check out the entire article in Food & Wine magazine at
http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/california-top-wines-for-15-dollars-and-less

Oink, Moo & Brew on Labor Day Weekend

The Red Canary will host a Labor Day BBQ on Sunday, September 6th.  The cost is $20 and includes BBQ, $2 domestic drafts and $3 drafts.  Since the Red Canary bills itself as a 'gastro-lounge,' those draft beers should be pretty good.  I did a quick check of the draft list and it looks like most of their noteworthy beers are found on the bottle list.  The current draft list online is very limited, listing only four draft beers - 312, Guinness Stout, Lagunitas IPA and Stella. 
http://www.theredcanarychicago.com/

In Celebration of September

I must have really poor timing.  My newfound interest in oysters started in May when I picked up a copy of Sex, Death & Oysters: A Half-Shell Lovers World Tour.  Why I decided to work up my oyster appetite by reading this book in May, the first month without an R, is a mystery for the ages.  I suppose the dramatic title seemed appropriate for summer reading.  However, oysters can be safely eaten in any month of the year, depending on their source.  The book is an anecdotal journey of one food journalist's travels around the world with the sole intent of consuming oysters and oyster culture.  I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes travelogues/food-logues.

I haven't abstained from oysters until September and have been enjoying them intermittantly throughout the summer.  My husband has even taken up shucking fresh oysters from Whole Foods.  However, now that prime oyster season (the prime season actually shifts from month to month, depending on the variety of oyster and the water tempurature where it is sourced) is upon us, I thought it fitting to post a couple of oyster events in the Chicago area.

"The Landshark Lager Oyster Fest," formerly known as the "Guinness Oyster Fest," takes place on Saturday, September 19th from 11a to 10p in Roscoe Village.  This event is controversial in the minds of many Chicagoans.  Some say they wouldn't dare eat an oyster in this setting, given the conditions of a street festival.  Plus, they have run out of oysters in the past, so it is recommended you attend early.  I haven't attended "Guinness Oyster Fest" since it was located on Division Street years ago and I think I only had an oyster or two.  I was there late, there were still oysters and they were a bit dried out and nothing to write home about, but all the more reason you should get there early if you are interested in actually trying any oysters.  I know I wouldn't miss it.

Shaw's Crab House hosts "Royster with the Oyster" at their oyster bar for a week in October, with a kick-off party at Goose Island on October 15th and a tent party at Shaw's on October 23rd.  Shaw's also has a daily happy hour with half-price oysters at the bar from 4-6p.  Keep in mind that Shaw's was voted "2009 Best Oysters in Chicago" by Chicago Magazine! 

Happy September.