Butcher & The Burger
WHAT: Butcher & The Burger
WHERE: 1021 W. Armitage Ave.
OUR RATING: Chance It!
(butcherandtheburger.com)
A lot can be said for this lovely little spot that takes the old fashioned concept of the burger and gives it a modern twist. In keeping with the times, Butcher & The Burger allows for full customization, with patrons picking their meat (a choice of prime beef, turkey, grass fed beef, pork, salmon, elk, lentil brown rice, portobello, shrimp or bison), spice blend (everything from kosher salt and black pepper to umami), bun and toppings. All of this is served on a chopping block, which accentuates the location’s butchery credentials.
(butcherandtheburger.com)
The ambience is old-timey and evokes an epoch where your local butcher was your friend and the burger shop a major hangout for the kids. No McDonalds back then, and a good thing too. While space is extremely limited, the coziness lends something to the experience that makes you okay with being squeezed up against the wall.
Adam: OK, I know what you’re going to say: why did you order the vegan option at a burger joint? And the answer is: it just seemed right. My philosophy is that if a place is going to have a solid menu, then the vegan option is perhaps the most important part–if you can succeed at that, you’re pretty much good all around. And boy, did they succeed!
(butcherandtheburger.com)
My lentil burger was meaty and full, and only fell apart towards the end, which is more than I can say of other vegan burgers I’ve had. I went with the Chicago-style steakhouse rub, for a bit of traditionalism, which gave it a rather local kick. Encased in a whole wheat bun and topped off with lettuce, tomato, onion, wasabi mayo (this is great!), pickles, BBQ sauce, and goat cheese, I felt I was in luck.
So why, you might ask, did I say you should only chance this spectacular burger experience? Well, it’s the little things. For example, on all our burgers, the cheese was a sprinkling at best, providing practically no flavor and therefore making me wonder why it was being offered. I also observed that some of the spices (such as sun fiery ghost pepper and coconut curry) were so very spicy that they overwhelmed any other essence in the burger. Such flavors need to be a little more balanced when it comes down to it.
(timeoutchicago.com)
Another issue was the price vs. size/what you get ratio. My burger cost $7.50 (they range up to $14.50 with no extras), and that included no sides, no drink, no nothing. You might argue that this is a gourmet restaurant with a special experience. The burgers are pretty good, but not that good. They should at least throw in a fries or drink, otherwise, the pretentious a-la-carte nature of the menu outweighs the homestyle cooking. I’m sorry, but you just can’t have a soup called Grandma’s onion soup and foie gras on the same menu. My verdict: perhaps go once to try it out and get a super customized burger you can’t get anywhere else. Then, don’t bother coming back.
Alicia: Yes, I went vegan too, but one of our guests went for the prime beef, so we do offer an account of an actual burger in this review. She ordered the burger medium on top a pretzel bun (which happens to cost $.50 extra, and worth it, according to her) with some other accoutrements. The burger came out crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, and boy was it vertical. Medium-sized patty at best, but darn tasty.
(butcherandtheburger.com)
Meanwhile, I went a little crazy with my order. I really wanted a portobello burger, but they were out of that (disappointing), so I went with the lentil-brown rice option with their coconut/curry/honey spice blend, goat cheese, delicious dijon mustard and wasabi mayo, onions, pickles and -get this- a LETTUCE bun. All of this placed between two slices of iceberg lettuce. You’d think all of these additions (and on top of that a burger made of lentils) would be the messiest thing I ever ate. Not the case! It all stayed perfectly within the ‘bun’ and I was able to enjoy all of the tastes without muddying it with bread (I hate that). The coconut/curry/honey spice blend was the perfect level of spiciness and uniqueness without being too un-burger like. All-in-all, a win!
(butcherandtheburger.com)
Final thoughts: We give Chef/Partner Allen Sternweiler’s place props. They’ve offered a location where foodies and those who just like burgers can both be happy. On top of that, it’s BYOB, so you can carry in your favorite 6-pack without breaking more of the bank than your burger might already. But would we go back again? Perhaps not for their normal lunch or dinner burgers, but we WOULD come back to try their frozen custard perhaps, and definitely their breakfast burgers, which cost the same as they do at lunch and dinner but also come with two eggs any style and small fries. Fancy a burger brunch anyone?