Forgive me for saying this, but my burger – cheese, bacon, fried onions and mushrooms literally falling out of the bun – is stacked. Top-heavy, you might say. Leaving little to the imagination. All admirable qualities in a burger.
During the summer of 2009, because of a hit to the economy, some of us haven’t been eating out as much. Or rather, concern for our wallets has changed the way we’re eating out. Kobe steaks and foie gras are perhaps not as cool now as, say, the reliable old hamburger. Earlier this summer, the popular Menomonee Valley restaurant Sobelmans Pub & Grill birthed a younger brother – an East Side place serving burgers made from grass-fed beef. Heck, fine dining-steeped Bartolotta Restaurant Group is doing fast food burgers on the lakefront.
Developer Tim Dixon was left with a vacated building when The Social closed early this year. In July, he opened his own restaurant in those digs, the bodaciously named burger joint Stacked. There’s no denying these are the Lady Gaga of burgers – more flamboyant than your average bun warmers. With competition in many corners – Sobelmans, Solly’s, Elsa’s, Kopp’s – Dixon may be wise to get Stacked. I paid a few very early visits to the burger bar and am impressed with the creative, er… cleavage these sandwiches possess. The kitchen crew is also stacking salads and onion rings, deep-frying pickles, and loading up potato wedges with cheese sauce, sour cream, Nueske’s bacon and fresh chives. There are also spiked shakes (which they were out of when I visited), and two evening happy hours (the later one is for second-shift workers).
Just like it was at The Social, the look is warehouse-y – exposed ceiling and beams, Cream City brick. In the main dining area, set between the banquettes and high bar tables, is a pool table the ripe old age of 80.
No, these aren’t $5 burgers. They are, at minimum, $10. (And for $10 and more, I’d expect these burgers to be bigger.) But they come with a side – mac and cheese (good and rich with three cheeses and a crumb topping), oil and vinegar slaw (dry and flavorless the second time ordered), potato wedges (thick, crisp on the outside and well-salted), three big onion rings (a dynamic trio of crispy-sweet onion goodness) or seasonal fruit (that’s for sissies).
Stacked doesn’t have any burger rules. For instance, why beef? Why not turkey? Or, for that matter, salmon? And what about a beer brat patty? The specialty burgers combine different meat – and vegetarian – patties with toppings like grilled pineapple, shaved celery and gravy. Maybe a little crazy-sounding, but some of them work. The Gobbler ($10) is a sage-infused turkey patty topped with gravy, celery and fried sweet potato chips on a soft white roll. The spongy texture of the patty and the not-terribly-appealing gravy made it my least-favorite burger. Don’t Mess With Texas is their name for the bison burger with barbecue sauce, fresh mozzarella and an onion ring ($10.50). Lean as this patty was, it wasn’t dry, plus it came on the go-to bun at Stacked – Miller Baking Company’s pretzel roll, which is chewy and tender. But the burger was missing the all-important fried onion ring (so sad!). The pretzel bun is the crowning glory for the Fahgettaboudit ($12.50), a ground veal and lamb patty playing a symphony of basil, balsamic tomato and shaved Parmesan flavor.
If their idea of a burger doesn’t do it for you, you can build you own for 12 bucks (unlimited toppings), beginning with a grass-fed beef or black-bean patty. I stacked my beef with cheddar, sautéed mushrooms and onions, and Nueske’s bacon. It was a dream team, the burger’s fate sealed by that far-from-pedestrian pretzel roll.
Could we ever get tired of burgers? Sure, but not for a few months. Seriously, Dixon might get some mileage out of Stacked. These cash-strapped times call for an escapist style of dining.
Stacked Burger Bar:170 S. First St., 414-273-7800. Hours: Mon-Sat 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sun 10:30 a.m.-11 p.m. Prices: starters $3.75-$7; salads $6.50-$7.50; burgers $10-$13.75. Service: cordial and quick, but then, it wasn’t busy. Dress: something… low-cut? Smoke-free. Handicap access: yes. Credit cards: M V A. Reservations: accepted only for eight or more.
