More than a Pit Stop at the Burger Garage

The Pileski's behind the counter, sweating and dressed in auto repair shirts, are the type of business owners diners like to see. Garnishing burgers and working the Fryalator with authority, they're putting the work in and it shows in the food.

I posted up at the counter and ordered a burger the same way I always order a burger. "Cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, bacon and a little bit of mayo". It just so happens that's how Jim likes his burgers too. I knew I was in good shape when he told me how he caramelizes the onions for three hours on the lowest flame possible, coaxing every bit of flavor out of them.

I waited for my burger while sipping on Abita Root Beer, drawn from a tap and actually brewed at the Abita brewery. It's not alcoholic but it's a pretty darn good root beer and aside from regular beer, it's my favorite burger accompaniment.

And there she is. Everything about this burger is an A+. The meat is a blend of chuck, brisket and short rib that is ground fresh every night and delivered fresh to the restaurant every morning. The patties are griddled until they have a crispy crust and then are blanketed in melted cheese. The bacon is thick cut and the onions are sweet and rich. The buttered and toasted potato bun holds everything together remarkably well with virtually no loss or dripping of burger toppings and remains soft but never saturated. Well constructed and delivering the goods on every level of flavor. This burger is firing on all cylinders.

Their classic french fry gets the job done but it's my least favorite of their fried side items. The paper thin onion strings can and should be eaten by the handful, but next time, I want them on top of my burger with some of their soy marinated jalapenos. The star of this plate was the sweet potato fries. Crunchy, sweet, salty and fluffy, these are the best sweet potato fries I've ever had.

My friend ordered his burger with American cheese, pickle, home made coleslaw and tomato. A little too much of a garden on top of my burger for me, but it earned rave reviews from a true burger aficionado who had already been to the Burger Garage four times.

Clockwise from the left: home made brownie, vanilla ice cream, strawberry ice cream, banana ice cream, coffee ice cream, and chocolate ice cream. Too much dairy for me but at least I tried every one. Every ice cream I tried was better than the last one and I ate the strawberry last. The banana is also a star and the strawberry and banana together and a force for deliciousness. Next time I'm getting those two in a shake.

One of my favorite things about this restaurant is that they have Sriracha in the sauce caddies. It sits next to the classic Heinz yellow, A1, and brown mustard. It's little things like this and their gluten-free hot dog and hamburger buns (made with rice flour), that have the Burger Garage taking the checkered flag and running laps around other local fast food.

The Burger Garage is plainly one of the best burger joints in the city. That very day I had taken an out-of-towner to Shake Shack and had the two burgers for back to back meals. The Burger Garage wins hands down...which gave me an idea. Look out for a new column called "Evan's Best", featuring my votes for the neighborhood's best eats.