One Great Dish: Burger Bar's Borrega Lamb Burger

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Oct 30, 2014 7:38PM

Photo credit: Chuck Sudo/Chicagoist

I don't do stunt eating like I used to as a hungry food writer (pun intended) looking to make a name for himself, but when posed with the chance to dance with them who brought me, I can't shy away.

Chicago's burger scene has steadily moved from the behemoth belly busters of Kuma's Corner and its clones to smaller double patties favored by joints like Au Cheval and Nightwood. Here is a burger that balances the two, from Burger Bar (1578 N Clybourn Ave).

When Burger Bar opened years ago they had a gyro burger that was my fallback order. No longer. The Borrega Lamb stacker consists of a lamb burger, lamb sausage made in house and cooked to order. The patties are topped with spinach, a charred tomato and onion salsa, manchego cheese and a mint chimmichuri sauce for a pan-Mediterranean delight that is not as sloppy as I thought it would be. The mix of textures is fun to bite into and Burger Bar's buns don't fall apart when ordering the meat to be cooked medium or medium rare. Partnered with Burger Bar's house fries or a side order of their fried pickle and you have a lunch that will weigh you down slightly but won't put you to sleep.

Burger Bar is located at 1578 N. Clybourn Ave.