Burger Post: Kuma's Corner, Chicago

Kuma's Corner
2900 W Belmont Ave

Since this is my first burger post, I should probably start with the queen mother of Chicago burgers. I will say right now that Kuma's in my favorite burger place in Chicago and this was decided after my first visit.
I've since been back twice and Kuma's has proven to be one of the most consistent burgers I've had the privilege to enjoy. My first outing to Kuma's was in March of 2008, the day before Easter. I had heard a lot about this north side eatery and a lot of it sounded like hype and gimmick. "They blast metal and they name all of their burgers after metal bands!" The caveat was that the burgers were actually really good.
Upon walking in on that Saturday afternoon, the room was jam packed. We were told that the wait was going to be an hour and the waitress suggested that we "stalk someone at the bar" and snag a seat. We did this and within twenty minutes, we were seated and ordering beers.
Their beer selection is excellent. All micro-brews and craft beers, with the exception of Pabst Blue Ribbon. They carry Two Brothers and Abita, which are some of my favorite beers, as well as several others. I ordered a Two Brothers Cane and Ebel Red Rye Ale and a Neurosis burger.
The Neurosis consists of Cheddar, Swiss, Sautéed Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions, Horseradish Mayo. Melissa, my then Fiance (now wife) ordered the Black Sabbath, which is Blackening Spice, Chili, Pepper Jack, Red Onion and our friend Sarah ordered the Clutch, which is Cheddar, Swiss, Jack, Smoked Gouda.
As stated in my previous post, I always order my burgers medium rare and my friends and loyal readers, a medium rare burger I received. This burger did not just melt in my mouth, but it pretty much exploded with juiciness. I was afraid that all of the extra toppings would take away from the flavor of the meat, but it really didn't. The toppings did what toppings are supposed to do: add flair to the burger.
The meat itself was lightly seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked quite literally to perfection. I managed to eat 3/4 of the burger, leaving enough for breakfast Sunday morning.
I decided that I would most definitely be returning to Kuma's and found myself craving their burgers for the next several weeks. I decided that I was going to take a day off one Tuesday in April and headed over to Kuma's for lunch. I was so curious about the Black Sabbath burger that I needed to give that a try.
This time, I ordered an Abita Turbo Dog to go with the burger. On a side note, I have to admit that my in-laws introduced me to the wonderful world of Abita beers. They're enthusiasts and along with allowing me to marry their daughter and my father-in-law giving me a chunk of his vinyl collection, introducing me to Abita beers was one of the nicest things they could have done for me.
I chose to sit at the bar again, despite there being several tables open. I watched the cook prepare burgers and I can now fully appreciate the talents that the kitchen at Kuma's exhibits. He checks the readiness of the burger by touch, instead of by piercing the burger or using a cooking gauge. Also, when preparing the chili for the Black Sabbath, they use cold chili and rehydrate it in a frying pan using Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. Cringe all you want, but anyone who knows anything about chili knows that it's always better the second day and everything tastes better with beer.
Again, I ordered the burger medium rare and once again, it was cooked to perfection. This time though, the Black Sabbath did take away a little bit of flavor from the meat, as the chili is bit over powering, but it doesn't matter, because it's delicious. This is hands down my favorite burger at Kuma's.
The beauty of Kuma's is that if you're on a strict no-red meat diet, you can get a chicken breast instead. They also have a veggie patty as well as a portabella mushroom burger, so your veggie and vegan friends can eat there as well and not cry about their dietary needs.
This is a great choice for anyone who likes amazing burgers, enjoys their sandwiches with a twist and most of all likes metal and punk. Be warned though, if you go during dinner hours, you'll have at least an hour to two hour wait. Don't cry about it though, because they're doing their best with a small kitchen and limited seating. My suggestion is, watch the bar for opened seating. It's your best bet. Week day lunch and early afternoon is the best time to go.