Did you ever fantasize about having a place down the street where you can get a good burger and watch sports? Well, I think I’m living out that fantasy because the local bar, all of one block away, has a killer burger and lots of TVs and really nice people. I didn’t discover this until about a year ago, but now my arm hurts from pinching myself. Also, my jaw hurts from laughing so hard at my own jokes.
Hah, not so funny. Sorry. Get back on topic.
I’m talking about place called DeLux on a forlorn strip of Milwaukee Avenue between Grand and Chicago where people drive too fast.
Slow down people!
Stop at DeLux. Have a burger.
The DeLux burger is a half pound, hand-formed, charred burger done however you like it. It’s juicy and tasty. I just do it with the included garnishes of lettuce, tomato, pickle, and onion. That’s it. There’s no need for additional moistening agents like mustard, ketchup, or mayo. It feels great in my mouth.
I’m still trying to sort through the juiciness factor. It’s meaty and firm yet juicier than I would expect for a charred burger. This results in a fair amount of lower bun saturation (LBS), which makes the sandwich difficult to hold after a while, especially after I stack the veggies on top. This is not abnormal and it happens at most places where a half pounder is served. So far, only Edzo’s has been able to ace this; they make the easiest-to-eat, LBS-free half pound burger ever.
I had a long conversation with Gail about this juiciness issue and her theory is that Edzo’s may be letting the meat rest for just the right time, allowing the juices to be absorbed back into the meat before serving it, thus decreasing the leakage, preserving the flavor, averting LBS, etc… Sounds plausible. I can see a bar/restaurant like DeLux not really letting the meat rest.
I floated an alternative theory that Edzo’s just doesn’t set the burger directly on the lower bun, instead using the condiment stack as the juice barrier, so the juice runs off and doesn’t saturate the bun. Edzo’s is the burger everything is compared to, but it’s not a fair fight really because Edzo’s is a damn burger shop.
DeLux is a neighborhood bar. My neighborhood bar – with great food. Step back and think about this folks, DeLux has a gourmet burger that rivals anything out there and they can serve it to you with any number of great beer options in front of a bank of flatties tuned to any sporting event you request. That’s special (thus the pinching).
But wait. Hold on to your hat grandma, there’s more. This thing was $5. Yeah baby, they churn this thing out at lunch every weekday for $5. Every. Weekday. That, folks, is insane. You won’t find a better burger deal in the region. It’s worth cabbing it up to DeLux from the loop with your crew for lunch some day, this is a $10+ burger at half the price so you’re going to easily make up the round trip cab fare.
No brainer.