Hot Chocolate: The Burger

Posted by Edmund in Chicago, Eclectic, Featured Articles, Restaurants | 0 comments

Cuisine: Dessert, American.
Location: 1747 North Damen Avenue, Chicago, IL 60647-5508.
Price: $13 for a burger.

I was on the last leg of my burger run through Chicago. I had already had 4 other burgers that same day, ranging from the intensely gourmet foie gras-loaded burger at Sweets and Savories to the most basic, bare-bones burger at Billy Goat Tavern. I had, however, been repeatedly disappointed, to put it lightly. I was feeling the side effects, too, as my stomach was near critical mass, and I was beginning to have trouble moving by that point. If I hadn’t found a legendary burger by now, chances were that I wasn’t going to find one in Chicago.

I had one stop left on that burger hop, though, and I was determined to see it through. I know what you may be thinking: “A fifth burger? You must be mad!” And I admit that I probably am, but there was a reason I had to make it out to this restaurant.

Whereas the others had been typical pub or restaurant experiences, they had been bland, dull, even lifeless. My next stop, though, was one of the hottest places in town, a place so packed that it draws crowds until the late hours of the night.

Even more interestingly, that restaurant, Hot Chocolate, is first and foremost a dessert specialist. In fact, the owner/pastry chef, Mindy Segal, has been nominated for “outstanding pastry chef” 4 years in a row by the James Beard Foundation. If you’re not up on the culinary world, that’s one of the highest honors you can receive.

Not surprisingly, the restaurant boasts what I’d heard was the largest, most complete, most delicious chocolate menu in the whole city, in addition to serving up one of the best burgers in town. A renowned gourmet burger and an exquisite cup of hot chocolate? Those are two of my absolute favorite foods together in one unforgettable combination. How could I pass up that kind of opportunity?

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one thinking that way, either. As soon as I stepped inside, I noticed that there was at least a 30 minute wait, and this after 9:30 pm, too. This is the first place I’ve gone to in Chicago where I’ve actually had to wait at night, and that’s saying a lot, since I typically go as one person and can usually snag a seat at the bar pretty easily. Not this time, though. Hot Chocolate is just so hot that even the bar is packed.

There’s a reason, though. As you walk in, you enter another one of those dimly lit, modern, chic restaurants that I’ve been seeing plenty of in Chicago. But that’s not all. You even have bright yellow Christmas lights along the top, large spherical glass panels through which lamps reflect light, a comfy lounge area with gigantic couches that are perfect for groups, and plenty of loud dance music. It’s clean, sleek, and simple, with a really casual and young air about it. In fact, none of the waiters or bartenders I saw was out of his/her thirties.

Hot Chocolate really has the food to back it up, too. As I mentioned, it’s a dessert specialist, but I’ll focus on that another time. Here, I want to just zone in on the burger, which was not only the best burger I had in Chicago, but also the only burger I had that I’d consider comparable to the other truly extraordinary burgers I’ve had across the nation. It came topped with only the freshest ingredients: 4-year aged cheddar, house ground heartland beef, organic bacon, housemade pickles, and a fried egg. Notice the theme? Everything is housemade, organic, aged, etc., and while that might not seem like such a big deal—as I myself would be the first to say—the quality of the burger and the taste of the ingredients really speak for themselves.  The meat has no mushiness, even though it’s relatively thick. The cheese has a slight bitterness from its ageing that I find refreshing as a counterbalance to some of the other flavors. Most importantly, though, the synergy just works, as everything melts together in the yoke of the fried egg, which also controls the level of salt and bitterness.

I wasn’t quite as impressed with the overly salty side of chips, nor have I ever been a fan of the idea of subbing fries for plain potato chips, as many trendier restaurants have begun to do. In my book, messing with as sacrosanct a formula as fries and a burger is a culinary sin, but that’s just a matter of personal preference. Regardless, I was here for the burger, and it came through with flying colors.

The price wasn’t all that bad, either. For the whole combo of burger and chips, I paid $13. It wasn’t the largest burger I’ve had, but it actually was more than filling, especially with all the fat from the fried egg and the bacon. Moreover, although the simplicity of the ingredients may suggest that the burger wouldn’t cost all that much to produce (since there are no overtly gourmet toppings), you have to pay for the extra freshness, i.e. the organic, homemade, and aged ingredients.

This fifth burger of mine may have been the most difficult to eat, as I had to literally force it down my bursting stomach, but it was by far the most satisfying. Hot Chocolates produces, to me, the definitive burger in Chicago against which I will judge all of Chicago’s burgers henceforth. And you get it served not just with a side of chips, but also with one of the hottest scenes in town and an incredible dessert menu. Really, how can you go wrong with a combination like that?

What I Tasted

1. Burger (Fried Egg, Wildmer 4-year aged cheddar, house ground heartland beef, organic bacon, housemade pickles, toasted garlic bun): Best burger in Chicago, no ifs, ands, or buts about it! As soon as I pressed down on this burger, the yoke just exploded, creating a whole puddle on my plate. I thought to myself, “Hell, this is going to be one mess of a burger!” And I was right, but boy am I glad that I was! I will admit that I could have used a slightly harder poached egg so it didn’t get everywhere, but as a general rule of burger-eating, the messier it is, the better it is. The meat is succulent and perfectly cooked, medium as I asked it, with no mushiness in the middle, even though it’s a relatively thick patty. And it’s an all-organic variety of beef that the owner gets fresh and grounds herself, so you know it’s got to be fresh, which you can immediately tell just by tasting it. As for the bun, it’s nothing extraordinary on first sight—just a plain burger bun. But it’s done nicely, as a bit of oil or maybe the yoke from the egg soaks into it on the inside, softening it up. Surprisingly, it can withstand the weight of the burger really easily, even after absorbing the yoke. It also adds a slight garlic freshness to the burger. Moreover, the cheese has that mature slight bitterness that only a good aged cheese can have. It makes the burger just slightly too bitter at the end, but it’s fantastic nonetheless. Overall, though, it’s the synergy that stands out. The burger is crisp, just salty enough, and cooked very well. The egg is a fantastic idea, as the yoke helps bring all the flavors together with its richness, on top of adding some nice texture. Oh, and it’s all filling beyond belief, despite how small it looks.  4.6/5.0
2. The chips (i.e. the fries replacement): I’m really not a big fan of this forced replacement. Burgers with chips just don’t work, and these chips show just exactly why. They taste like plain potato chips. I do like the thinness, which gives them a really satisfying crunch—i.e. one that you can hear from a mile away. They’re pretty flavorful too, not relying too much on that cloying oiliness that potato chips are known for. At the end of the day, though, they’re really nothing you can’t find at the store. Plus, they can get salty at times. Needless to say, you can’t eat them with ketchup or anything to help out the flavor. 2.5/5.0. Still good potato chips, just not a great choice for a burger.

Scores

Ambience: 4.6+/5.0
Service: 3.0/5.0 (not factored in, since I was at the bar)
Taste: 4.2/5.0. 4.6 for just the burger.
Value: 4.2/5.0
Overall Score: 4.3+/5.0. 4.5+ for just the burger.