The Bad Apple

The Bad Apple

It appears the Fiend’s favorite burger joint in Chicago has met its rival.

It’s no surprise Kuma’s Corner remains to be the Chi-town institution to which the bar has been set. The affection here goes beyond simply an appreciation for the “burger” in all forms…from the quality of meat and ingenuity of its topping counterparts, not to mention the unparalleled atmosphere. The lust for Kuma’s starts as soon as you walk through the door, and continues to build into a full-blown love affair only after a four-hour massage of the senses that leaves you drunk and thirsty for more. I understand for some this might be too intense, but for others it’s pure nirvana.

However, Bad Apple – an ironic and fun (clever, perhaps?) name for a restaurant – has proven itself to be a true player in the Chicago burger universe. And boy, oh, boy does that space seem vast these days, but for what Bad Apple lacks in terms of a “complete” sensory bombardment, it makes up for it in terms of the food itself…giving Kuma’s a run for its title.

Both being slightly off the beaten path of the typically easy to navigate Chicago grid, no distance shall interfere with a gourmand’s taste for raw flesh...evident still by the ridiculous waiting times (more at the former).

Proximity aside, this trip would stand as being the Fiend’s “last burgering” before his departure for New York City, so it was only fitting that he would dine with his roommates…those of which have been on many-a-burgering excursions before “The Fiend” was only a childhood nickname.

With so multiple choices at our disposal, the crew decided to sample a few different burger offerings, such as The Belly Burger, The Frenchie, Elvis’s Last Supper and The Slow Burn.

Elvis's Last Supper

Being bold, the Fiend chose Elvis’s Last Supper, which aptly featured bacon and peanut butter at toppings. Being a fan of pretty much PB & anything, I figured this would be a knockout jab. However the taste was slightly different than expected: a little confusing almost, perhaps a little too “fatty” if that’s even possible. Perhaps a few slices of banana would have been a fresh twist to loosen up the concoction, likewise building an additional layer of texture to keep things interesting. Solid burger, but not prize-winning.

The Slow Burn

The clear winner of the day was The Slow Burn. The Fiend will venture on the edge and state this is probably the single best burger tasted in Chicago. All the pieces of the whole worked in chorus to produce a masterpiece of smell, texture and visual appeal.

Lest I forget the taste. The sandwich included sautéed spicy chiles, onions, bacon and white cheddar…well conceived ingredients that amplify the overall spectrum of flavors. It had just the right amount of spice to prick the tastebuds regardless of one’s Scoville threshold, which was really no sweat to begin with because any heat is quickly neutralized by the creamy white cheddar.

And to taste Bad Apple’s hamburger meat alone – no toppings, no condiments; an absolute must-try maneuver if you want to delineate quality – is a privilege, because you are now truly tasting greatness in the form of Pat LaFrieda sourced beef. Rich, but not opulent; savory, but not obnoxiously over-the-top. You’ll just know as soon as it hits your tongue.

LaFrieda, largely unknown in Chicago, is a New York meat purveyor icon…the current heavyweight champ of beef in the N.Y.C. It’s hard to imagine that one person’s touch to a raw substance can make that much of a difference, however look at other great alchemists of their mediums – such as the Eckhouses, Carnegie and even Mr. Issac Newton himself – and it’s not hard to imagine the possibility. Now that the Fiend is an NYC colonist, you’ll inevitably be reading about a lot more LaFrieda love in the near future.

Looking critically at the experience, pound-for-pound, the Bear king finally has a worthy adversary, yet at the end of the bout the Apple still was not his overall match. However every champion must walk the streets with a bulls-eye on his back, knowing damn well all contenders are lurking in the shadows and peering intently through focused crosshairs.

So for those lovers of ground beef on a bun, I would highly recommend making Bad Apple your next stop. If access to a car isn’t a possibility, then be brazen and plan your public transportation in advance, but don’t let the distance deter a chance to experience top-shelf material.

It’s well worth the venture.

4300 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL 60618-1712
(773) 360-8406
www.badapplebar.com