Billy Goat Tavern @ the Taste

Well I’ve come to the end of my 2008 Taste of Chicago experience. The 3rd of July is not for the faint of heart. Not saying I was, but at a point you grow out of crowds.

So, we come to my last analysis of the Taste and how you react according to your stage of life. At 30 I’m mainly there to try new food, discover new restaurants, and hang with my friends. Since my mid-late 20s to now at 30 I go to the Taste exclusively after work with friends. We don’t drink because it’s too expensive. We don’t act like idiots because we have sense. We still don’t care what people say. Sometimes though, we do still flirt and sneak in alcohol.

This brings me to the last burger at the Taste: A burger with which many Chicagoans and I are very familiar. Billy Goat. I will review the burger in one of the taverns one day and then I will recount my first experience. But for now let’s focus on why this is by far the best burger at the Taste.

First and foremost let’s establish that this is the exact same burger you will get in any Billy Goat anywhere, anytime. Go to Lower Michigan, same. Go to Wells, same. Go to Merchandise Mart or Midway airport, and you get the same burger. There is a comfort knowing that they can do what they do all day and night everywhere.

They bring in their grills and fry them on the spot just like in the restaurant. No changing the cooking method to fit the venue. No special burger to fit the occasion. Just Cheeborger, Cheeborger. Once you fall in love with this you will be happy that it is a reliable burger. Comfort food, if you will. I chose this as the last burger because I knew what to expect and honestly was not looking forward to it. I rarely get food at the Taste that I have had before. No Connie’s pizza, Robinson’s ribs, or even cheesecake. But by the time I was ready for my Billy Goat, I was really ready for my Billy Goat. And, it was so worth it.

I got a basic Double Cheeseburger for 9 tickets, or $6. This is expensive for the double burger. It is normally 4 something at the restaurants. But, that’s the price you pay at the Taste. It came wrapped in this nice wax paper that became transparent with grease. Always a good sign. It also held in the heat as I made my way to a table next to the booth to eat. It was served with pickle and yellow mustard. It needs nothing else.

I have always found the bun to be a bit excessive but that is a whole diatribe for another time. Here, as with other burgers at the Taste, it helped to make sure you did not drop your food. But a third patty is always better.

This burger is the simple old school fried burger. Thin and with minimal seasoning. The meat is flavorful and greasy. That’s the appeal. The bun soaks up most to the greasy goodness and traps the cheese. If you have had one, you’ve had them all.

It was a great haven at the end of the night when the young crazies were descending upon Grant Park for the fireworks. I got out just in time.

Tutto Italiano

Ok. My second trip to the Taste was a solo project. It was the 3rd of July and I knew what I was in for.

The next big shift in attitude toward the Taste happens in your 20’s. That’s when you can finally legally drink there. They don’t make it easy on you. Alcohol is 8-10 tickets and always increasing. Also, for domestic it’s excessive. But when you’re young, you buy it. Or you sneak it in. (Again Mom…other people) Then, going to the Taste becomes what you do at night, and in your 20’s, you are hardly ever there before 5pm. You and the crew get a bunch of food and find a shady spot to chill. This is the Taste at its best. Now, not only don’t you care about the old (over 30) people, but you really don’t care about the teens. You can be on your own little world with your friends. I used to go in my 20s and just take pictures by myself until my friends arrived. Those were some of the best days of my life. I tried to channel my 20 something self but you can’t go home again. Also, there was no light at the end of the rainbow, because none of my friends were crazy enough to come out on the 3rd of July. And I thought I was the smart one.

Crowds are the name of the game and they did not disappoint me.

My first place to hit was Tutto Italiano.

This is a Steak Burger with blue cheese and a mustard sauce. They had assembling these down to a science it being the 3rd and all. This evening was nonstop action. One set comes off and another goes on without a break in the action. It is a marvel to watch though sometimes the burger looked a bit incomplete.

This was my burger with the mustard sauce and smattering of lettuce. But hey, on the 3rd presentation may fall short. That’s ok. It was a decent burger. The seasoning was pretty good, flavorful and not too peppery. The grill took care of adding additional flavor. Also points can’t be lost for the generic patty. I had to ask for additional blue cheese (dressing). That was ok, and they did not complain. The mustard is on the bottom and it was hard enough getting this shot without dropping anything, so I opted not to try.

The meat was very good. The blue cheese was a great addition but the extra was necessary. Lettuce tied it together nicely, but the mustard was a bit lost. The bun was pretty good; a bit big for the burger even with drowning it in blue cheese sauce. The blue cheese was thick and did not soak the bun like the BBQ did. But to Tutto’s credit, they remembered the venue. For a burger that I had to eat standing up in a park with 500,000 of my closest friends, the bun did its job.

Now for the all too familiar refrain…why isn’t it a destination burger? All together now, because you can’t get it again. Yes this was created specifically for the Taste and is not available in the restaurant. Still, it may be around next year. When I asked, they said they did not know yet. If it is, check it out. It was a good food experience from a great restaurant.

Grazie @ The Taste

The next time of life when the Taste changes, is in high school when you go without adults. It’s a great place to meet friends, flirt and act obnoxious with your friends because your parents aren’t around and you don’t care what the other adults around you say. (And I mean other people, Mom, not me) The teens will never disappoint in this respect. You can always count on them to come in numbers, dress to impress, and act like, well, themselves.

This is the time of life when you’ll make an entire day of going to the Taste. Not that you’re going to be there all day, but you’ll prepare all day. “Going to the Taste” will be the single focus. You’ll meet at someone’s house to get ready and then all go in a big teen mob. Pile on the El or put 15 people in a car and head down. Good times.

As an adult, it’s not fair to complain about these obnoxious “know it alls” that wander Grant Park in packs. Just try to avoid them and know that they and the 20-somethings own the night.

The next stop on “Chris and Eren do the Taste” was right across from Vermillion at Grazie.

Yea, I’d never heard of it either. They’re up in Des Plaines.

We had the BBQ Buffalo Burger for 6 tickets or in Taste price about $4. Not a bad price for not a very interesting burger. Now of course, this burger suffered from having to follow an awesome burger, but it would have trouble holding its own anyway.

Just look at it.

Nothing exciting. A pre-formed patty with some nice grill marks and no cheese. Cheese would have given it some of the additional flavor it needed. It was a bit dry and had very little resistance while chewing. It just gave up. I had to add more sauce to beef up (no pun intended) the flavor. The bun, however, was fresh and soft. They could not have done a much better job selecting it. It seems big for the burger, but considering that you need to drench it with sauce, it becomes an acceptable size.

Overall it was not that great, but like the Vermillion burger, it is only available at the Taste. So, you and I never have to repeat this experience again. In fact there is not even a burger on the menu at the restaurant. There is good and bad in that statement. This burger has potential. While I don’t eat a lot of buffalo, I think it’s worth a try to make this burger great, and it could be done. If they made it a double and drenched it in sauce it would be a good start. Then add some cheese and it would be even better. Also keeping with the whole healthy thing, add a veggie or two. Basically make is a real burger and put some effort into it. Don’t just put meat on a bun and call it a day.

So blah, blah, blah…. not a destination burger. Not even a burger that will be served again. And in its present form, without some major revisions, that’s not a bad thing.

Vermilion @ The Taste

If it is early summer in Chicago then that means Taste of Chicago time. Now, the Taste changes for people as they get older. When you’re a kid and go with your parents, just being there is fun. All those people don’t register as sweaty filthy crowds. The food is good and you are happy you get eat it in the middle of the street. You don’t register the absurd prices and long lines. The fireworks are pretty fireworks, not cover for gunfire. But as a child, the negatives aren’t your concern. More Taste commentary as the Taste series continues.


My friend, Eren, and I set out after work one day (which is how 30 year olds do the Taste). We were on a mission to get some burgers for the blog and since Eren does not eat red meat, we had to get creative. Scratch that…we didn’t have to get that creative. Two of the four burgers at the taste aren’t red meat.



Our first stop was Vermillion, a Latin Indian fusion restaurant. We had a Chipotle Madras Curry Turkey burger which was 8 tickets, or in Taste price, like $5.33. The burger was topped with an amazing curry sauce and served with grilled green pepper and onion.



Can you believe they did not have a knife.

These are not ingredients that normally work for my palette. I don’t love green pepper and only recently began to tolerate curry. But, this worked well. Not only did it work well, but it worked in a manner kept you wanting more. By the time your taste buds processed all the flavors, it was over; and all too soon. We split this one and regretted it from the first bite.




We kind of looked at each other at first as if to say, “Are you going to finish that”? Then shot each other the response look of “Hell yea. Stop looking at my food”. The turkey patties were grilled over an open flame and got a nice light char on them that worked perfectly with the curry and grilled pepper and onion. They exceeded expectations on meat alone by avoiding the common turkey burger pitfalls. They did not dry out, fall apart or taste overly seasoned.



Now that I have told you all the pros about this burger and you are ready to run to 10 W. Hubbard to get one…it’s time for the other shoe to drop. It’s not there. They only make the burger for the Taste. In fact, while they do have a burger trio for lunch, this is not one of them. While the menu rotates all the time, and the day you read this there may in fact be a turkey burger on the menu, it won’t be this one. This one is only for the Taste and only for this year.

So there you have it. It can’t possibly be a destination burger. For all of its wonderful, amazing, rock star qualities, and I do mean wonderful, amazing, rock star taste, texture, blend of different flavors, and proper bun…you can never have one again. And that’s just sad.

It could be a nice recipe, though.

Someone needs to crack this. You, out there reading this.

Make it so.

Jason Cajun

Long overdue an a recipe.

This is my friend Jason:

He is one of those people that is just a great cook. And person:) He also likes to entertain people. Not that he will dance for money (I'm lying he will), but he likes people to come over and have a good time.

This particular day Jeff and I were sitting around thinking about dinner. Getting ready to start cooking something, when Jason called and said he had burgers. So off we went.

When we arrived these were in the oven.

13 burgers for 5 people (Danny and Alton were also there). I like those odds.

These were on the oven.

I went with sesame seed.

And Sweet & Spicy.

Great toppings. The tomato fit the bun and perfectly grilled onion was plentiful. Little mayo and mustard and I was ready to add burger.

Along with some fries and butter soaked corn and it's a complete meal.

The Jason Cajun was a very well executed burger. Look how nicely everything fits.

The Cajun spice worked well with the meat and toppings. The sweet onion still had some crunch and buttery flavor. The meat was perfect. Flavorful and juicy without being greasy.

So how is it made?

3lb Ground Beef 70% fat variety

1 cup bread crumbs

2Tbsp garlic powder

1/2 bottle Cajun seasoning

Form into 13ish patties and cook.

I imaging cooking method can vary and still be successful but the baking allowed all of them to cook at the same time and cook off the excess grease.

Overall very good meal. We all drank, ate, drank, and we were merry.

I look forward to blogging more of your burgers soon.

White Castle - Single Cheeseburger

Hey! Alright! Someone is actually reading this one.



This was my initial thought about White Castle. The Porcelain Palace. But White Castle is better than that. Sure the food isn't great and may give you the schlitz in the morning but you don't go for good food. You don't need to read this entry to know without a doubt that it is not only a destination burger but The Destination Burger! There is a movie about just this topic!

The Slyder has history and should be shown respect. They aren't just to be consumed when you're intoxicated or at 3am. The problem is that the whole "Crave" thing only hits when you're intoxicated and at 3am. When was the last time you had a Slyder during daylight hours, and dawn after an all nighter does not count. But hey I have fond memories of them growing up. And they (because you can't eat just one) do qualify as burgers...so here we go.




I selected the single cheeseburger for this initial blog. It is so cute in it's little box.


I don't usually have the time or inclination to add anything to this burger. But if I remember to ask for mayo at the Drive Thru or get it home where mayo is a plenty, it really is better (for me). Not taste wise unless you pour it on, but it helps me deal with the onion.



This burger is very difficult to photograph. It is very grey under there. And the bread and patty mush together making separation difficult. But if ever there was a burger you weren't supposed to dissect for your blog, here it is.



But we progress. The mini patty with it's 5 holes are "steamed-grilled on a bed of onion and served with pickle on a soft bun". They taste like...well, White Castle. I know that's not really a description, but nothing else tastes like them. Not Krystal's, and certainly not all the LGB fake sliders in bars. This is a unique blend of onion, pickle and just enough "meat" to bring it together. The single in this case was purchased for it's classic appeal. I used to get the double bacon but that is a bit of a rip off price wise. My favorite is the double. I have yet to try all of the other flavors and don't know if I will. My stomach wants no part of a spicy pepper jack slider. And it's on the fence about the French Onion. I may sandwich them between some fish or chicken for padding.

Everyone needs to have a Slyder in their lifetime. It's something you can't avoid, they're an American Icon. Also no one should make it through college without a middle of the night run for a few 30 packs with 7 people in a 2 door car. But take my advice, if you find yourself there at 3am, get something to eat with the Slyders. Cheese sticks. Chicken rings. Maybe just a fish or chicken sandwich. Resist the Crave for the Classic Slyder by itself. Your tummy will thank you in the morning, or whenever you awake from your stupor.

Pinky's

Pinky's is in downtown Chicago in the downstairs atrium of the Thompson Center or State of IL Building if you're old school. With so many choices down there I can see how you may never make it here if you are only an occasional visitor. Be a shame to miss this burger though.


I think back to my younger days (as I am 30 now), and my mom would ask me how I knew I did not like something unless I had tried it. Now there are a few foods that even now I will not try (mostly raw or very spicy) that I don't need to try to find out I don't like them. But the Gyro Burger shouldn't have been in that category.


I can't believe it took this long to try this.

Some background on Pinky's, the regular cheese burger is bad. Not seasoned well, frozen thin patty and messy. In fact all the food is big and messy.



See. I was splitting this with my friend Chuck so we went for the 1/2 pound Double Gyros Cheeseburger. I don't recommend going at it alone.

This was a freakin amazing looking burger. Sheer size and mess was promising.

So we have top bun, Tzatziki (cucumber) sauce, grilled onion, gyro meat, cheese, burger, cheese, burger, lettuce, catsup, mustard, and bottom bun.

Fantastic. Really I am ashamed to that it took me 30 years to try this. I have been to many a small Gyro place that had bad burgers and never thought to try or ask for a gyro burger. I mean it's right there. Unlike bacon that they may not serve, the gyro meat is a readily available topping that really adds something to the burger.

Especially the bad burger. It does not matter that the patty isn't the greatest. In fact it may help. Follow me here. The thin fried patty had little give. Well neither does gyro meat. The whole thing just melts in your mouth. You do have to down this one quickly because of the mess. The bun is not up for the job. But it is the correct bun for fast melt in your mouth burger. Another reason not to go about the 1/2 pound double burger by yourself, it may take too long.

Fries. Pretty good. Fresh and soft like Al's Italian Beef. They all seem to be well done but not hard.

The only issue / oddity is no salt on them. That's a bit of a pain when you want to snack on the way back to the office.

The Gyro Burger itself is a destination burger. Regardless of where you get it. You should try one in your lifetime. Go to Pinky's for the Gyro Cheese Burger if you are in the Thompson Center for business or the area in general. Honestly take a pass on the regular cheeseburger and go for this one. If you like gyro and burgers it's a natural fit. I don't know why it took me so long to figure it out.

Pinky's

100 W. Randolph

312-372-4472

English 2 - Turkey Burger

I had been thinking that I need to cut my beef intake. So I thought a great inaugural Turkey Burger would be the big version of the LGB I had at English. Again with the wrongness. And again of feeling as if I got a bad one. So let's begin.


I love the packaging.

I came in and ordered. Then sat right at the bar waiting. There seemed little to no way to mix up my order with the 3 other people in there for lunch.


I was so excited to get back to the office and enjoy.

Good fries with a hint of garlic. Bit soggy from the walk but still good. And while it looks like a good plug of goat cheese mushroom paste, it was not.

Panini press working overtime today.

There is not much positive to say about this. The goat cheese mushroom blend that was so great on the LGB, was a bit dry here. The mushroom was lost under the cheese. And the cheese, while plentiful, was dry. I was actually sad about this burger.

I know turkey is not juicy like beef, but dry. And where are my shrooms? Come on!

And back to bad toppings.

I don't want that piece of tomato with the belly button no matter how bad the shortage.

Disappointing. Just plain disappointing. The LGB showed such promise I was sure this would be my new favorite turkey burger. I just knew I would be buying goat cheese mushroom paste by itself. But this was a huge letdown.

Back to it being a bad one. The turkey was flavored well but cooked too long. I could have overlooked that if the cheese was not dry and the mushroom was plentiful. I doubt this burger fails on all levels every day. But it did today.

The truth is I will be back. It's close to my job and has a good beer selection. The truth is I will have this burger again. My friend Julie is about to work across the street. But I will have the LGB or Fish and Chips next time.

English

444 N Lasalle St

Chicago, IL 60610

(312) 222-6200