Rick's Bar & Cafe

This is the best cheeseburger you will never have.

Well maybe the "will never have" factor belongs more to the Yukon Burger. This is more of a Mission Impossible Burger.

Preparation. Timing. Luck. These are the steps involved in acquiring this burger.
Prep-Read the menu, food is only served during specific hours. Most notably missing are weekend hours. And being someone with a 9-5 job, the daytime food service is of little use to me. So if you are like me, then there are 10 hours a week in which you can get fed. Seriously Rick, please rethink this.
Timing-Basically don't run late. And make sure they know you want food. Sometimes service stops unexpectedly.
Luck-Because sometimes during food service time, there's no food.

Some background on Rick's. This is not some out of the way place in B.F.E., or some shack only open on weekends in the summer when the owner is not on vacation. No. Rick's is a bar on Taylor and Western, blocks from Jeff"s and my place. It was actually something of a factor in moving there. Many of you have been there at various times of night. And no matter what time of night, you've never eaten there. No Tater Tots, no frozen pizza, no chips and salsa. Nothing except peanuts and pretzels...and you have to pay for those (sometimes)! But one day, Jeff managed to time it right and got fed. He reported to me that they had great burgers (and great food in general). This is a topic that we generally agree upon, with the notable exception of South Loop Club which I borderline hate and he says has a great burger. I decided to look into it...and was amazed. I had been looking forward to having another cheeseburger since I finished the first one.




I planned my trip, called first, and told the bartender I would be ordering. I had two Hacker Pschorr beers and then ordered my cheeseburger. I settled on the Rick's Deluxe and got it to go so I could take it home for it's photo shoot.

Nice paper wrapping to hold in the heat.

Nicely toasted bun kaiser bun

Fresh toppings, albeit way too much onion





This is the only negative about this burger. So I will get it out of the way early and never speak of it again.

Nice bacon. Only 2 slices, but hey, only $.50

Now this is a fresh patty charbroiled with minimal yet great seasoning. It's not powerful and it allows the cheese to do it's job. You may recognize that cheese "sauce". It's some kind of Merk's derivative. If you have not had Merk's, get some. It is the best spreadable cheddar around. Cheesy, creamy and a wonderful unmistakable sharpness. If you like it, you will crave it. Next is the Rick's Special Sauce.

This is not your normal 1000 Island, just dressed up. It's creamy but not exactly a mayo base and is sweet. I'm not sure what it is, but it is amazing.

Nice and pink good balance with toppings

Another thing about the Merk-like cheese is that it stays in place.

See

Also, while they don't photograph well (or maybe I haven't figured out how to shoot them) these fries rock. Usually fries are an afterthought. But these are really good. Very McDonald's-esqe but better. Take a great batch of McD's fries and subtract the generic feeling they evoke no matter how good they are, and you come close to these. Nice and crisp with a soft but not mushy inside. They were also sreved hot and fresh.

This is SO destination burger. Not only because it is amazing, the fries are very good, and you can get beer there; but because you have to put effort into getting it. If you have one you will cherish the experience. If you have a craving for one over the weekend or late night, it will make you appreciate it even more. Go to Rick's and get fed. Call them first. Then call me.

Rick's Cafe
2348 W. Taylor St.
312.421.4860