Taking a stab at The Butcher and The Burger
The burger is one of the simplest dishes to make, but it is also one of the hardest to make exceptionally. Nevertheless, it is a fun endeavor to explore the way in which various establishments pursue quality above the norm. On this occasion, I ventured into Butcher and the Burger. The Lincoln Park restaurant takes a different approach to burgers by, firstly, being a butcher shop as well. Apart from usual the claim of high quality meat, Butcher and the Burger gives the customer various choices of seasoning blends to your meat as well as multitude of toppings. With a rather unique approach, how was the experience at Butcher and the Burger ? Let’s have a review
The space itself is simple with chalk menus and a bold yet rustic aesthetic that looks an old time diner from a small town. The loud upbeat music and friendly service makes for a casual and group friendly setting. As for the food, I ordered a burger with the house-blend seasoning. I ordered it to be prepared Medium rare and included Dijon mustard, mozzarella, lettuce, tomatoes, onion and jalapeños.
The burger was served on a small wooden tablet and partnered with a knife. As soon as I had my first bite, the first noticeable trait was the excellent temperature. The burger was hot but ready to be eaten. Meat was soft and easily digestible. The burger season with enough salt and what appeared to be pepper. The balanced was quite reasonable. Moreover, it was not dripping in protein juice and was reasonably crispy. The Dijon mustard and the jalapeños complimented the meat well. Unlike other places, the jalapeños were not watered down, making for an enjoyable spicy experience. As one would expect, the lettuce and tomato helped contrast themselves from the meat and bring out the best of its flavor. Overall, the burger was solid and worth trying at least once.
I also drank it down with some Filbert’s cream soda. Being that it is not house-made beverage, I will not go into much further detail, but it was of standard quality. Apart from that, the service was friendly and the ETA for the food was more than appropriate. However, one minor complaint is the spacing near the front of the entrance. There are a couple of tables there that work well, but they too close to the stool seating behind them. It hard to move my chair and avoid the people sitting behind me. This is not too much trouble when the hours are slow but should be cautionary for the restaurant during the busy hours.
As I mentioned earlier, good burgers are hard to find. Butcher and the Burger definitely takes a step to try and live up to its commitment to quality declared on their website. Are they best burgers in town ? Probably not, but they should be commended for trying something different. Regardless, Butcher and the burger provides solid burgers and pleasant service that is worth trying out.
