“A Perfect Burger Is A Culinary Masterpiece”-Karl R. Kopp

Elsa Kopp, the pioneering woman who started one of Milwaukee’s first custard stands that later became a staple to Milwaukeeans like fish fry’s, is paid tribute by her son Karl Kopp who runs the 3 Kopps custard restaurants in the area, by naming his upscale bar and restaurant after her.

Located on Jefferson St across from Cathedral Square, it is a social spot to go after Jazz in the Park or Bastille Days is over or any other day for that matter just to have a cocktail and watch the people that come in. You can see anyone from minor local celebrities to professional sports celebrities to people dressed to the nines before going to the theater or a show to someone in cargo shorts and a t-shirt and everything imaginable in between.

The menu is mostly sandwiches and divided between burgers, pork chop sandwiches (try Pork Chop Variation 2) and others too. The burgers all start out with ground sirloin and are served on a very good Italian roll and are served with waffle cut fries and fruits and vegetables that are in season. From there you have your choice of toppings that are paired together and named accordingly.

You can choose from some of the best burgers in Milwaukee right here, Burger Au Poivre (pepper crusted in burgundy sauce), Au Poive Variation with the addition of Gorgonzola and bacon, Burger Las Brisas (Monteray Jack, avocado, jalapeno, lettuce, onions and a little salsa), Greek Maiden (marinated in white wine, topped with Feta cheese, black olives, fresh mint and onions), Daisy Mae (thin sliced turnip, radish and cucumber marinated in a fresh lemon dressing) and Burger Alfredo (tomato slices, fresh spinach and a sauce of Parmesian cheese, butter and spices.

Extras include; avacado, different cheeses and dressings, mushrooms, pecans, tomato ($1.50 each), bacon and turkey are a pricier $3.50. This gives you plenty of options to find a burger that sounds good to you or customize one to your tastes.

I’ve had the Burger Au Poive and the Greek Maiden burgers. Both are very good but the Maiden had a little more flavor with the Feta cheese and olives. My only complaint is that the burger patty was on the small and dry side, there was no juice from the meat at all. The pairing of the toppings do work together to add good flavor to each burger.

Reviewed By: Tom Graber

type=”text/javascript”>

Wayne’s Drive-In; Great Malts and shakes.
Wayne’s Drive-In; your taste buds can’t wait.

You can’t listen to the radio too long without hearing the familiar commercial for Wayne’s Drive-In in Cedarburg. Cedarburg is in the northern suburbs of Milwaukee but it’s worth a little drive if you are looking for a great burger.  Being a drive in can sometimes mean cramped parking lots but Wayne’s has a nice large one.  Drive-ins are such a 50’s throwback that you half expect the parking lot to be full car hops bringing burgers and malts to guys and their dates in souped up Chevys, Chryslers and Fords. But nowadays you are more likely to find Honda and Toyotas well as Chevys and Fords.  And there are no longer any car hops, you have to go in the drive-in yourself for service.

There still are vintage car nights at Wayne’s which still give it that 50’s and 60’s feel and the 1949 Patty Caddy along with the vintage Harley posters make it a stop on  many bikers trips.  The feel to Wayne’s is definitely vintage as is their menu.  Classic burgers, fries and shakes make up the bulk of the menu and even a classic fish fry on Fridays.  The malts and shakes are made the old fashioned way, by hand and taste old fashioned too.

The burgers are so good in part to the butter bath they take.  The burgers are very buttery not so much in the Solly’s tradition but more of a bath the burgers get before serving.  There is a little pool of butter at the bottom of the little serving plate the burger and fries come to you on.  It makes these burgers pretty irresistible.  Looking at them they seem pretty average in appearance but the butter along with the toppings really make a Wayne’s burger what it is.

The burgers are all a quarter pound Choice Black Angus beef on a Wisconsin hard roll (single $3.34 double $4.59).  From there you have your choice of toppings that are all very reasonably priced from .25-.75 and include lettuce, tomato, cheese, bacon, onions mushrooms and even sauerkraut. I like the big Wayne which is two patties, cheese, double bacon, lettuce and tomato.  I’ve had it before but only have pics of the single which is still good but for me, not as filling as the Big Wayne.

You can even get a Johnsonville brat ($3.49) which is kind of nice if you want to bring someone new to the area and let them taste a part of Wisconsin tradition.  As much as the brat is a staple of just about every get together every summer in Wisconsin, I’ve seldom seen it on many restaurant menus.

You’ve heard the jingle on the radio a million times (OK, I’m lowballing the number) but it is catchy and has memorable lyrics:

Wayne’s Drive-In; Great Malts and shakes.
Wayne’s Drive-In; your taste buds can’t wait.
Wayne’s Drive-In, huge burgers made with Black Angus beef
Wayne’s Drive-In has chicken too,
Wayne’s Drive-In has great fries too,
Wayne’s Drive-In, won’t you buy a Big Wayne for me?
Just 43 it’s a short car drive, come in Friday night for a great fish fry.
Yummy ice cream in a cone or dish, satisfy your appetite’s every wish.
Wayne’s Drive-In in Cedarburg
Wayne’s Drive-In where food’s the word
Wayne’s Drive-In, you come back-wait and see

Reviewed By Tom Graber

Wayne’s Drive-In

1331 Covered Bridge Rd

Cedarburg WI 53012

262-375-9999

“What’s all this, then?”

The Carlton Grange Pub located in St. Francis but is named after the Carlton Grange, a trio of brick houses located in the North London borough of Islington and was a halfway house later turned into housing for North London University students. It gets it’s influence of hospitality from the English pubs of London along with a great selection of imported and domestic beers, fantastic fish and chips and of course, burgers.

The darkened décor of rich paneled wood and posters of the London Tube (subway) map give it the feel of a London pub as well. Have a pint of Fuller’s London Pride, Delerium Tremen’s, Strong Bow or Smithwick’s ale. Or try a special flight of 6, 4oz special glasses for $10 to sample some of London’s finest brews. They also have a number of great American micro brews as well. Whatever beer you choose will be good (unless you order a Miller or Bud for whatever insane reason).

Now to pick the burger to go along with your beer(s). The burgers are made of________ are all fashioned after the pub burgers of London and you have the London pub option of adding a fried egg to your burger for $1.50. I choose the Three Kings burger and opted for the fried egg. The Three Kings burger has bacon, cheese

Matty’s Bar in New Berlin is on a stretch of College Ave that I hardly ever have driven, it even feels like you are in the country even though it is not far from I-43 and Moorland Rd.  So, there is no excuse for not making a drive to 144th & College Ave.  If you need further proof, just check out the pics, I’m ready for another one already!

The burgers at Matty’s are build your own where the base burger is $6.95 (half pound Certified Angus Beef patty) chargrilled to your taste and comes with lettuce and tomato upon request but not extra.  You get your choice of any two toppings and then .50 each additional from there.

Your choice of cheeses are cheddar, American, Smoked cheddar, pepperjack, mozzarella, provolone, crumbled bleu cheese, baby Swiss and Monteray Jack.

Your choices of toppings are mushrooms, onions (fried or raw), green peppers of bacon.

Your choices for sauces are Cajun, BBQ, honey Dijon, Caribbean jerk, creamy horseradish, marinara or bleu cheese butter.

In addition to the burger toppings you have your choice of sideswaffle cut fries, homemade chips, potato salad, pasta salad or cole slaw.

Coming soon-your choice of bun.  Right now it is a nice Ciabatta bread bun or actually mini loaf and soon to come is one of my favorites for a burger; a pretzel roll!  (Really they are moist and chewy and make a fantastic base to build your burger upon.

And to top it off, you get a cookie too.

The toppings are a bargain at only .50 each.  I’ve had burgers that were reasonably priced but when I got the bill, the toppings cost more than the burger. (Not naming any names Hotel Metro but when you charge so much for extra toppings the burger better be outstanding).  Don’t be afraid to give your burger a little extra flavor.  If you like horsey sauce, it works GREAT on this burger. So does the blue cheese butter.  You can get the burger patty spiced with Cajun or Jamaican jerk spices too.

On Tuessdays they have a build your own burger special where in addition to the normal menu toppings, Chef Bob offers other toppings that change every week to take your burger to the next level.  Even though Matty’s is a sports bar with all of the sports memorabilia you’d expect to see on the walls and TVs everywhere including the bathroom so you don’t miss seeing Aaron Rodgers throwing a touchdown right when you have get rid of your beer, it has great food.  This is because Matty’s takes great care in creating great tasting food that is not your typical bar food.

Matty’s has even started their own catering service and carry over the attention to quality and flavor with their catered foods too.

Reviwed By Tom Graber

Matty’s Bar

14460 W. College Ave.

New Berlin WI 53151

414-427-3838

You’re Just Trying To Butter Me Up

If there is a hamburger institution in Milwaukee in it is Solly’s in Whitefish Bay. Located on Port Washington Road, it has been part of this town since 1936 and has a fanatical following of butter burger lovers. And when I say butter burgers I mean BUTTER burgers! These are not for the faint of heart or those on calorie restricted diets. These are the old fashioned burgers who get their flavor from custom ground sirloin (delivered daily), fried onions and butter. This is a burgerfor the purists who don’t like a big stack of extras. No fried eggs here buddy, you want eggs go to George Webb’s. We serve HAMBURGERS. No avacado, no blue cheese, no sauce, no jalapenos, or ciabatta bread. To paraphrase the Blues Brothers, “Son, we serve BOTH kinds of toppings, onions and butter”.

And whatever you do, don’t pass up the milkshake like I did the first time I went to Solly’s. When I told my brother in law I was at Solly’s he said to me “aren’t those the greatest shakes you ever had?” and was incredulous when I said I just had the burger, fries and a water. Doh!! I had to go back again and see what I was missing. It was worth the return trip just for the shake. It was thick, rich and very choclatey!

Solly’s has made it to numerous best burgers lists and wereon the front of USA Today several years ago as one of the ten best burgers in the whole country and were included in George Motz’s 2008 book Hamburger America which includes his DVD by the same name which features Glenn Fieber the owner of Solly’s and how butter bugers are made. They have been a favorite here in the Milwaukee area for over 70 years and end upon on many people’s favorites list.

The Cheesehead is a much larger burger than a butter burger and features two large patties each made by pressing two regular patties together. This gives the burger 12 ounces of meat which was a little bit too much, one large patty would do which is available on the Super Burger. The key however is the soft, chewy bakery bun that makes this my bun of choice for a burger at Solly’s. Order a burger each way, with the usual bun and also the  roll. It took me a few visits to discover this but the roll makes it better in my opinion.

These burgers are for the burger lover who loves the combination of meat, onions and butter, Solly’s does NOT skimp on the butter! You can always order them easy butter if you enjoy a good burger but are concerned about all the extra calories but most people like Solly’s because they make butter burgers the old fashioned way,with plenty of pure Wisconsin butter.

Solly’s has a very loyal following of customers who love getting their butter burger fix. Many famous famous people have eaten there over the years and some seats are marked where they sat. Last time I was there I sat in the seat Bob Uecker sat in and a Milwaukee TV anchorman sat next to me as I took some of these photos.

Reviewed By: Tom Graber

Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations visits Milwaukee and Solly’s for a Midwest America edisode. Here’s a sneak peak where Tony talk’s about Solly’s Butter Burgers:

http://www.travelchannel.com/TV_Shows/Anthony_Bourdain/Video/Wisconsins_Buttery_Burger

Driving past the Fourth Base in West Milwaukee or West Allis or whatever the hell it is at 51st and National is an armpit of a bar from the outside.  Even going inside isn’t really too much of a step up but there will be a bartender that will (usually, sometimes) welcome you to Fourth Base.  It is filled with sports memorabilia from floor to ceiling, especially baseball.  There is even the original pitchers mound from the old county stadium before it was torn down and Miller Park was built.

Ok, so it’s a sports bar and I’m sure they have decent sports bar food like chicken wings and burgers you’re thinking.  Well they do have burgers and I’m sure if you ask (or challenge) them they will not only be able to make chicken wings for you, the cook (it’s hard to think of them as chefs) will pull the most amazing wings out of their ass for you.  So to speak.  Walk to their little “kitchen” is in the back and get a look at the steaks, chops, seafood and some of the biggest freakin’ lobster tails you’ll see anywhere.  You just don’t expect to see them here. I mean come on, look at the place!

But these are no ordinary cooks.  Tell them what you want (you’ll have to, there are no menus) and see if they can make it for you.  Give them a challenge, they can do some amazing things.

The striking thing about the bar is that it looks like a dump on the outside (debatable inside) but the food is so unexpected.  You can get a steak that can rival Mo’s or The Chophouse but the ambiance and surroundings will be a night and day difference.  ?  You pay for all of that luxury at a fancy steakhouse. And at Fourth Base, you just do get it there.  This is the part about Fourth Base that has a reputation.  You can pay in excess of $50 or $60 for a meal there but you won’t know it until your bill comes.  There are no menus and you can have just about whatever you want there but you will pay for it too and they aren’t shy about their prices and this makes for mixed feelings about Fourth Base.

Don’t ask  Mark Belling what he thinks of Fourth Base, he will go into a  rant every once in a while on the air, I never heard the full story but suffice it to say you’ll never run into him there.  Also, when Dennis Getto was still alive he gave it a half a star in his Milwaukee Journal food review mainly about how Fourth Base charges you.  All I can say is you’ve been warned and when in doubt, just ask your server what everything costs when you order to prevent any surprises.  Their burger was about $12 which isn’t cheap but right in the ballpark (get it?) with other burgers in the area once the extras are added in.  Oh yeah, that’s why you’re here, to read about the burger.

First of all it is a big burger! When the burger is done, the cook will walk over to you (at least at the bar) and with the burger in the pan filled with grilled onions and peppers and the plate with the bun in the other, will slide the burger onto the bun along with all of the toppings right out of the pan.  This is one burger that won’t be cooling on the line in the back while the waitress is busy with other customers.  I never told him what I wanted and he never asked what I wanted, I just told him to make me a great burger and he did.  It was properly grilled and full of flavor mainly from the mix of peppers, mushrooms cheese and butter.  Fantastic!  If you like it a little different, just give the cook some idea of what you like and then put it in his very capable hands.

The fries were fresh and hot and served with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and a few bits of parsley for color.  They are fresh cut straight to the basket since they are very dark brown since they are full of starch but it also makes them full of flavor.

You’ve been warned, the Fourth Base is a place you will love or hate but much of will depend on you.  If you ask for the prices and can give and take with your server or bartender, you’ll have a great time.  They will remember your name and make you feel at home on your next return.

Reviewed By: Tom Graber

Fourth Base

5117 W. National Ave

414-647-8509

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

“Who’s Your Bigg Daddy?

Bigg’s Roadhouse, located in the shadow of Hwy 45 just south of Mayfair mall, is Roadhouse bar filled with license plates and beer signs on the walls and TVs everywhere you turn so you never miss a play of the game. They have drink specials so often that it would be difficult to be in the bar when there isn’t a drink deal to be had. Every day during the week happy hour is going on from 2-6pm. I stopped by in the early afternoon and was greeted with hello from the bartender and an offer of free potato skins. I like this place already! I’ve been here all of two minutes and already have a great snack.

But I’m not here for the skins, I’m here for the burger. And just my luck, they have a great Bigg Daddy Burger ($9.95), the operative being BIG. This is one big, fat juicy burger. The patty itself is 13 ounces of Black Angus beef, 3 oz short of a full pound! This is supported by a grilled bun and topped however you like with your choice of cheeses, mushrooms, onions, bacon, mustard and ketchup. It is grilled to medium  unless you specify otherwise and leaves plenty of juice to dribble down your arms as you eat.

You have a choice of fries (waffle cut, seasoned), tater tots, homemade potato chips,cottage cheese or a cup of soup. I had the fries which were hot and crispy.

In addition to the Bigg Daddy burger there is a cheeseburger, Baconcheeseburger, Cajun, Mushroomswiss, Blackjack and Turkey burgers. There is also an extensive menu of pizza(1/2 price Tuesday Nights), ribs, steaks, great apps, desserts and other specialty sandwiches.

In addition to their great burgers they have a lot lot of specials and a large variety of choices.  One thing you’ve GOT to try if you’re a rib fan is theirall-you-can-eat ribs (and chicken) on Wednesdays for $14.95.  First of all AYCE ribs is a great deal for $15 but when they are as good as Biggs its a fantastic deal.  I love ribs and live near Famous Dave’s and have enjoyed their BBQ there and their ribs are good but are not nearly as tender and fall of the bone as these are and the sauce is awesome too.  Haven’t tried the chicken yet but I have tried their fish fry.  Go with the cod over the walleye,  both are good but the cod is slightly better and AYCE.

I haven’t tried anything else at Biggs but I have read a number of reviews at Yelp or Urban Spoon that they have a fantastic steaks and for much less than a steakhouse.  Maybe not the same ambiance as Mo’s but very high quality.

Reviewed By Tom Graber

Biggs Roadhouse Website

1900 N. Mayfair Rd

Wauwatosa WI 53226

414-256-9000

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

You’ll Fit Right In

Located in a residential neighborhood in West Allis, the Ugly Mug is the type of bar you wished you had around the corner from you.  It is very casual but is a fun bar to hang out in and the bartenders are friendly and want to get to know you.  It is located on 64th and Main St. which up until recently I don’t know if I ever went down Main St in West Allis even though I have lived in the Milwaukee area all my life and I KNOW like the back of my hand.  Yet somehow I missed out going down that stretch of road and knowing the Ugly Mug was there.

The bar is relatively small but lively, even during the day there is usually someone at the bar.  There are also a decent number of tables to eat and a pool table (which I think is required by law in West Allis).  But we are here for the burger aren’t we?  It says right on their sign “Milwaukee’s Best Burgers” (which Dave Sobelman of Sobelman’s might challenge) so they must be good right?  Not so fast Ugly Mug,  I’ve been burned before by that claim before.

The Carolyn burger, named after the owner is the signiture burger at the Ugly Mug.  It includes Pepperjack cheese, mushrooms, jalapenos and a garlicky chipotle mayo which gives it a little kick but also makes the burger.  The spice level is lower than you’d expect with both a spicy mayo and sliced jalopenos on the burger but it gives good flavor without excessive heat.  The beef has very good flavor and is cooked to your preference.  The seasoned fries are pretty run of the mill but good.

The Ugly Mug has a great burger but if you are there on a Saturday night, you might want to check out their super deal if you like steak.  They wanted to offer their customers a special bargain in light of the recession and came up with a steak dinner for $7.95.  This includes a vegetable and seasoned garlic mashed (real) potatoes.   Oh yea, and it is a 6oz filet mignon.  The filet also comes with a red wine deduction sauce.  Now this is a neighborhood in West Allis with more tattoos than you’ll see at Mo’s or Coerper’s but here you’ll get a whole filet steak dinner for what you might pay for a side ala carte dish at one of the high end steakhouses.

One thing that is great about doing this website is that everyone I talk to has an opinion about who has the best burgers in Milwaukee and for the most part of tried most of them at least the ones that are on most people’s list but every once in a while I’ll bump into someone who is a raving fan about a burger that somehow escaped my list of places to visit.  I was at a function downtown and met these guys who worked in Thiensville and swore their favorite bar had the best burgers in the area.  All right, I put them on the list although I was a little skeptical since I never saw their name on a list.  Well, I was wrong to be skeptical; Skippy’s has a fantastic burger!

Even after months and months of trying different burgers and AFTER I already tried the Skippy burger, a very good friend said “Hey, you should go to Thiensville, just behind the old fire station is a place called Skippy’s that has THE BEST burgers”. I thanked him for the late tip but I already decided to put them on the site.

Skippy’s is located across the street from the Milwaukee River and it has a small creek in the back of it.  It is a Wisconsin landmark that was built in 1853 and was originally a hotel.  Today it is just a corner bar that has great bar specials ($2.50 drinks Mon-Thurs 3-6), great food and a great burger.

The burgers (there are 11 options) but the Skippy Burger is the one that is most popular.  There isn’t even that much special in it’s appearance, it looks like a lot of others but it’s a different story when you bite into the burger.  It has so much great flavor much do to the “secret sauce” which is a little like Thousand Island but not as thick and more flavorful.

Skippy’s

113 Green Bay Rd.

Thiensville WI

262-512-1240

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Milwaukee’s Best Burger?

That is the name of Sobelman’s website and their claim to the Milwaukee area’s best burger.  In fact, Sobelman’s is so well  known for their burgers that they were challenged to a burger contest by AJ Bomber’s to who had the best cheeseburger in Milwaukee. That will be decided on the Travel Channel’s Burger Challenge that was recently filmed in Milwaukee to end the debate.  The challenge was to make the best cheeseburger but neither burger that you get by going to either Sobelman’s or AJ Bombers were used in the challenge and so it really was not a true measure of who makes the best burger in Milwaukee.

The Sobelman burger starts with a great country butter roll which a is key start to a great burger.  It then has a 1/3 pound fresh Black Angus patty topped with tree kinds of cheese, American, Swiss and Cheddar. It then gets topped with grilled onions and sliced jalapenos.  Don’t worry, these are pretty tame for jalapenos and aren’t very hot.  You can always get a few more added and some hot sauce on the side if you do like more heat.  This is definitely a CHEESEburger as you will see as you bite into it and the three cheeses are all melting over the patty(s).

I say patty(s) because at Sobelman’s, you can add as many patties as you want to create an ever increasing big burger until you have one that Adam Richman from Man Versus Food on the Travel Channel may have second thoughts about.  When Dave first started out on the edge of Miller Valley, there were a lot of construction workers that would come in to Sobelman’s for lunch and after work.   Dave had to have a way of satisfying some very large appetites and that is how the Big SOB was born.

Sobelman’s is also known for their Bloody Mary’s which come topped with their own salad bar and a good sized beer chaser.

You can even watch your burger being made on the Burger Cam.  There is a live feed to a monitor in the main dining area that shows the burgers on the grill upstairs.  On Saturdays the grill is pretty much covered in burgers all day long.

With Sobelman’s being on 19th and St.Paul Ave, it is easy to get to from the freeway but if you are on the East Side and want to have a Sobelman’s burger, you are in luck because there is Tallgrass, Dave’s other burger shop on Farwell Ave on Milwaukee’s East Side. They have the same burger at Tallgrass, but it is made of grass fed beef which gives the meat a slightly different but good flavor.  The ingredients are all fresh and made to be healthier than your average cheeseburger.

You can get a Fresco Burger that has chipotle Jack cheese, avocado, tomato and raw onion and if you ask the they can make the same burger with a black bean patty on top of the grass fed beef patty and topped with jalapenos for a more Mexican accented healthy burger.

If you live on the East Side, you can even have your burgers delivered right to your door by Tallgrass’ delivery service!  That is convenient especially when parking on the East Side can be tricky at peak times.

If you live on the East Side, you can even have your burgers delivered right to your door by Tallgrass’ delivery service!  That is convenient especially when parking on the East Side can be tricky at peak times.

Reviewed By: Tom Graber

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Killer Burger, Killer Fries

Restaurants come and restaurants go on Brady Street faster than you can keep up with. About the time you show up to see what the food is like, you discover that it is already a different name. Along with long timers like Jo-Cats and Mimma’s is the High Hat Lounge and Garage. While the Garage is relatively new, the Hi Hat has long been know for it’s good sandwiches and upscale bar food. The addition of the Garage provided more room to be able to have a meal with bibber tables not to mention more light. It is quite cramped and very dark in the bar and the additional room to eat was needed. The garage has the look and feel of well, a garage. It has large open windows that open onto the sidewalk to give diners the al fresco option.

The Garage recently opened for lunches and since it is located around the corner facing Arlington Pl and when it is cooler out and people aren’t seated outside, it becomes slow since people aren’t aware it’s open for lunch. It may revert back to its 3:00 opening time over the winter so check first before going for lunch.

If you are looking for a killer burger and killer fries, try the Caliburger. It is a half pound burger topped with basil mayo, crab cake, bacon and avocado. The thing that really makes it is the basil mayo, it adds a really good flavor to the burger that just works. The avocado adds a richness along with the bacon and crab cake which admittedly is an unusual burger topping but it all works together to make one of my personal favorites on the list.

The fries are really good too.

After sampling so many fries looking for the best burgers, it’s a pleasat surprise to come across one that is different and so tasty. They have a sort of thicker crust to them like a thin batter and are a crisp fry with a lot of taste and even better when dipped into one of the many side dipping sauces available for .75 each on the side in a little cup. I tried the Cilantro Lime Sour Cream, Roasted Garlic Aioli, Lemon Aioli and Wasabi Mayo. Many were desingened for other dishes but they make a nice change of pace from ketchup. The Wasabi Mayo worked best with the fries although they do have Ranch available too which works well with fries as anyone knows who has had Saz’s fries at Summerfest. The other sauces available are: Sweet Saki Ketchup, Barbeque, Honey Mustard, Bleu Cheese and Buffalo. No shortage of options here.

In addition to the Caliburger($12), there is the Hatburger choice of Swiss, Cheddar, Pepper Jack, Cream Cheese, Crumbled Bleu, Goat Cheese (.50) or Brie Cheese (.50)($9)., the Cowboy burger sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions($9), bbq sauce and the Deluxe burger with prosciutto ham, cream cheese and a fried egg($11).

Nate the manager steered me to the Caliburger and I’m glad he did since it is toward the top of my own favorites list in my own personal Quest for the best burgers in Milwaukee.

Reviewed By: Tom Graber

MMmmmm, Sriracha Mayo…

Café Hollander is a recent addition to the Milwaukee restaurant scene with a location on Downer Av on Milwaukee’s east side and in the village of Wauwatosa. They have an attractive ,open design with patio seating which is very popular in the Wauwatosa location being near the (not so scenic) Menomonee River. It is also right next to the railroad tracks and the village of Tosa to make a very nice setting for an outdoor meal. The Hollander also has a well appointed beer tapper tree with lots of choices for a cold draft beer to go along with one of their good burgers.

There are 4 burgers on the menu, Bleu Cheese, Lion(Gouda/ ale-braised onions), Hollander(Mushroom/Swiss), Tulip Turkey. Turkey would not normally be my choice instead of a beef burger but it turned out to be a very good choice. The turkey itself was not that flavorful on it’s own but thanks to a Sriracha Mayonaise and curry Ketchup, it gives the burger abundant flavor with a little kick. The Sriracha mayo has great flavor and a little heat but mild enough for most every one. The ample sized Brioche bun was toasted which gave it more flavor and structure.

All the sandwiches are served with Frites (French fries) and they were very good as well.. The Hollander offers a Holland burger trio as an appetizeras well as other apps and a limited daytime menu. One area they shine is with their dipping sauce selection (.75 ea.) for the appetizers. The list includes both the Curry Ketchup and the Sriracha Mayo which were on my turkey burger but also include, Spicy Dijon mustard, Honey Mustard, Roasted Garlic Aioli, Indonesian Peanut Sauce, Remoulade, Basil Aioli, Roasted Red Pepper Coulis, Pesto Mayo and Ranch sauce.

The Sriacha Mayo and Curry Ketchup really made the turkey burger come alive with flavor and I’d be tepted to try some of the sauces on theother burgers like the Red Pepper Coulis on the Lion burger or the Pesto Mayo or Garlic Aioli. The flavors added by the sauces can really take these burgers to the next level.

I like both stripped down burgers with no toppings and just the meat and cheese like the Kobe burger from Lagniappe, or one piled high with toppings but the flavor has to be there. More is not better. More flavor is better. That’s how I roll.

Reviewer: Tom Graber

Wild Horses Couldn’t Drag Me Away

Walking into the Palomino is like walking into a funky retro bar from a different time and place. The décor is definitely old school and the numerous drink specials every day make it hard not to find a great beer or adult beverage of choice to accompany the great food at the Palomino. Whether you sit at the bar or one of the cozy booths in the back, the vibe will take you back in time.

Burgers on the other hand have been updated to the latest in beef trends by going with grass fed rather than corn fed beef. There is a definite taste difference and the flavor of the beef really shines. Whether you are a burger purist or one that likes a lot of added elements to your burger, you won’t be disappointed. The beef patties are juicy and very flavorful with a more intense beef flavor than most other burgers.

There is also a good selection of toppings and sauces you can choose from to go on your burger. I had the Haymaker burger ($9.95) which was a 1/3pound burger of grass fed beef, swiss cheese, mushrooms, horseradish sauce, lettuce and tomato. Somehow mine was missing the haystack onions and I didn’t even realize until after I left the bar. The bartender was filling me in on the Blue Pig which she recommended as her burger of choice which is smothered in Blue cheese butter and bacon. She also highly recommends the Velvet Elvis, a sandwich of peanut butter, banana and grilled bacon on white bread, thank you very much..

Update:

I had the Velvet Elvis and it was very unusual but also pretty good. 

There is a definite Southern and Vegan-Vegetarian influence to the menu including hush puppies, chicken fried steak, bbq, pulled pork, Vegan Gardenburger, Veggie Haymaker, BBQ Seitan Sandwich, Faux Boy, Vegan sloppy Joe and Vegan “Riblet” Sandwich. This may seem anathema to the burger lover but they have us covered as well as a dining partner who does eat meat. They even have Toffalo wings as an appetizer which are a huge hit even with the carnivorous heathen diners.

The burger comes with a huge choice of sides of which you get your choice of two of the following, French fries, cheddar jalapeno poppers, hush puppies, fried okra, tater tots, red beans and rice, jalopeno coleslaw, sweet corn, haystack onion rings, sweet potato casserole, and mashed potatoes with a white gravy I had the jalapeno poppers (2) with a side of ranch sauce and the mashed taters. It is served in a soup cup and is a potato mashed up with white sausage gravy like you find on a chicken fried steak. It was very good and different.

The bartender gets to select the music which was a little hardcore punk/alt but more welcome than the radio I’ve heard a million times. I ‘m tempted to move to Bayview just to have such a cool bar to hang out at night and great food during the day.

Reviewed By: Tom Graber

Palomino Bar

Palomino bar

Pool Tables

A Little Something Extra

Lagniappe might be the most difficult to pronounce name on the best burger list, but it did have one of my personal favorite burgers on the list. Lagniappe (lan-YAP) is a Cajun-French-Louisiana term for merchants in southern Louisiana who add “a little something” to your purchase as a small gift for making your purchase in their store or shop. Or restaurant in this case.

Lagniappe is very much an upscale restaurant located on the border of New Berlin and Brookfield on Greenfield Ave in the small, intimate building that used to house Steven Wade’s café. It is still an upscale restaurant that serves Continental cuisine, that being cuisine from different countries from around the world and what better item to have on your menu representing American cuisine but the American Hamburger. And Lagniappe perfects this creation in their Kobe Burger with 9 year old Cheddar cheese. If you want to experience as close to a “perfect burger” as you’ll find, this is it.

The Perfect Cheeseburger- True Foodie Porn

This is food porn at its finest. If you want a picture of a perfect cheese burger, this is it. No tower of toppings, no wilted lettuce, no special sauce, no secret ingredients or gimmicks to make this burger better. It stands on its own by the taste of the beef and cheese. Burger perfection. The Kobe patty is actually the American version of Kobe beef, Wagyu.

Kobe beef has strict guidelines to be called Kobe beef. It is from Tajima cows raised, fed and slaughtered in the Prefecture (state) of Hyogo Japan. It is fed a diet of special grain feed, a beer a day, and a rubdown with warn sake every day. I’m sure PETA would still think it is somehow cruel but it is pretty much the ultimate lifestyle in the bovine world.

Wagyu is the American version of Kobe beef since true Kobe beef is from those cows in the small region of Japan. America being one of the beef capitals of the world has our own version of Kobe known as Wagyu by breeding The Japanese Kobe cow with the American Angus for an animal that can thrive in our climate but tastes close to it’s Japanese cousin. Wagyu comes from the Japanese wa (Japanese) gyu (cow), Japanese Cow. They too are fed a special diet of alfalfa, barley, corn and wheat straw and a beer a day and then massaged with sake.

The result is fantastic tasting beef.

Since this is the simplest form of the cheeseburger at it’s purist, it needs to rely on all three of it’s simple components, the patty, cheese and bun. The bun itself is homemade and is big and sturdy enough for the job of supporting the large patty yet soft and yielding like a good bun should be. The patty itself is a perfectly formed patty that looks dry when it arrives with just the melted cheese oozing down it’s sides. When you bite into it however, there seems to be an invisible crust that kept all of the juices in because you are immediately met with juices running freely from the meat down your hands and arms and then on your plate.

Cheese Made While Clinton Was In Office

The patty has wonderful beef flavor an the meat is almost granular in its consistency and it is so moist and juicy that it needs nothing else for flavor except the cheese. In this case the cheese is 9 year old cheddar which adds a great tang you can clearly taste which adds depth to the cheese flavor that ordinary cheddar just can’t touch. Nine year old cheddar is hard to find in a dairy case much less a restaurant but here it helps make one of the best cheeseburgers in Milwaukee. The cheese on my burger was made while Bill Clinton was still in office!

Served along with the burger are home made gaufrette potato chips which is a fancy way of saying waffle cut chips. I was tryinhg to remember what they taste like and couldn’t figure it out until it hit me, Muncho’s potato chips. They taste like a fancy looking Muncho potato chip. You also have your choice of caponata salad, cole slaw or cottage cheese.

This is a small, intimate restaurant (great romantic choice for Valentine’s day or other romantic occasion) that you want to wear something appropriate for and isn’t the typical sports bar type place to go for a cheeseburger but is worth the trip and definitely the $11 price tag for this perfect cheeseburger.

I’m ready for my beer and the sake massage now.

Reviewed By: Tom Graber

Bite Me

Bunker’s Mainstreet was a mainstay in West Allis that was popular because it served good bar food and had a young crowd that made the bar loud and full of youthful energy. Scott Bunker sold the bar which is now called Paulie’s and has a similar feel to it now and after a hiatus from the bar and restaurant business opened Bunker’s farther down Greenfield ave. in West Allis. As Scott has matured so has the crowd and menu as well.

The new location is much smaller and is more intimate. The menu is primarily appetizers, sandwiches and 4 entrees with some daily specials. The head chef Brad brings a culinary focus on the food which concentrates on fresh and local. He uses Yuppie Hill Farms fresh sausage and eggs, Wilson farms Bacon and of course Wisconsin cheese. Brad has a passion for food that is reflected in the menu.

Though it is small the menu consists of items that could be found in some of the more upscale restaurants in the area like the Fresh Catch Rockefeller, pan seared fresh fish smothered with bacon, spinach and parmesan cheese, broiled and topped with a drizzle of hollandaise sauce. The fall apart Braised Beef Short Ribs come with roasted vegetable and sauce foyot and are on the appetizer menu but could be an entrée by themselves. Bunker’s calls it Nostalgic Food.

The Barnbuster is a recent addition to the menu and showcases Chef Brad’s attention to detail. Instead of lettuce tomato and fried onions which most restaurants routinely use on their burgers, Chef Brad has really made the Barnbuster into a gourmet burger without being pretentious. Instead of a boring leaf of lettuce he uses a mix of baby spinach leaves and radish sprouts coated in a vinaigrette of charred tomato and tyme. Instead of a sliced tomato with no flavor he makes a tomato concassée with tomatoes with the skins and seeds removed mixed with fresh tyme, sweet vermouth, roasted garlic, sea salt and roasted to carmelize the tomatoes to give them a sweetness which really complements the carmelized onions which he makes by carmelizing them with demi glace, a reduced veal stock. This is NOT your average burger or your average bar food.

The Barnbuster consists of a ciabatta bun (more on this in a bit) that is branded with the words “Bite Me” on the top, farm fresh egg, a half pound Certified Angus Beef, smoked cheddar cheese, Wilson Farms pepper bacon and the tomato concassée or jam and the demi glace carmelized onions for a truly great burger. My only quarrel is the bun which is too stiff and flavorless and has to go in favor of a softer moister roll or bun sufficient in size for the job. This on my personal lists as one my favorites of the best burgers in Milwaukee.

The Barnbuster is not the only burger on the menu, there is a Stuffed Bleu Cheese Burger that is stuffed with Bleu cheese and topped with bleu cheese and Wilson Farms bacon and the Bunker burger which is served with the customary lettuce and tomato but you do get a choice of great toppings including the Wilson Farms bacon (just get it-don’t skimp here on this flavor packed bacon) onions, mushrooms, sauer kraut, BBQ sauce (once included on the burger but now an option-get it, it’s awesome), holladaise sauce and red pepper aioli. I love flavor and taste and these toppings give ample choices to customize your own flavorful burger.

Every Tuesday night there is an 8 ounce fillet that is only $6.99 (used to be $5.99) that makes Bunkers a great choice to be able to eat a great meal in a nice restaurant while on a budget. It is not the Chophouse or Mo’s but then the steak isn’t $38 either. Heck $6 or $7 is the price of most SIDE items at ala carte steakhouses.

Reviewed By: Tom Graber

“I’m not fat, it’s glandular”-Homer Simpson

Like other area sports bars, Beer Belly’s is a great place to come for a nice cold beer and burger. There is something about a good burger and a good beer that just go so well together. At Beer Belly’s it seems even more appropriate. The burgers here are big and flavorful. Part of the flavor comes from a nicely buttered and grilled bun which adds a lot more depth to the burger’s flavor as well as giving it more structure for the large patty that comes on the Ultimate Bacon Cheese Burger. The bacon adds a little smokey flavor and the cheese adds well, it’s cheesy goodness too.

The side choice of the Ultimate Nacho Cheese soup was a natural choice to go along with the Ultimate Bacon Cheese Burger and is Beer Belly’s signature soup. It is thick nacho cheese soup served with white corn tortilla strips for dipping and eating the soup. There were nice chunks of diced red peppers. It could have used a little more heat but there is hot sauce available for that. Very tasty.

Dennis Getto was the critic for the Milwaukee Journal until his untimely death a couple years ago and Beer Belly’s was one of his favorite burger stops and I see why. There is very good beef flavor to the thick patty and the grilled bun makes the difference between a drab run of the mill sports bar burger and an outstanding one. It’s also on your way to the airport so you can grab a decent burger before that long flight out. The peanuts on the flight just won’t cut it.