#1 - DMK Burger Bar - Lombard, Il

 One of the things I am enjoying about my burger quest is that I'm able to enjoy it with friends. I mentioned recently that a few of us have formed a "burger club". This concept has worked out so well that now they go burgering without me. But that's OK. It's good to continue the burger education process no matter who you are with. The guys recently stumbled upon DMK Burger Bar. One guy has actually been a fan for a while, but they opened a new restaurant out here in the burbs not too long ago. Len has been there so many times that the wait staff now knows him by name and knows what the likes.
So finally getting a break from work we were able to set up a time to get me to burger up. Meeting up with Len and Chris and bringing our wives (most of us) we headed out for a fantastic lunch. DMK is all about craft burgers, homemade sides and micro-brew beers. As a matter of fact, the Buds and Millers of this world are completely excluded from the menu.
They have a complex listing of side items including french fries covered in bleu cheese and bacon and another with Wisconsin cheddar and scallions. Macaroni and cheese with gruyere, smoked bacon and charred balsamic red onions, and they even serve deviled eggs... but on to the burgers.
They have 9 red meat burgers on their menu. 8 are beef and one is bison. The bison (#5) has pickled red onion, fresh goat cheese and a blueberry BBQ sauce. A favorite of our friend the doctor. Melissa loves mushroom and swiss burgers. She opted for #6. It has marinated portobello mushrooms, blue brie cheese, griddled scallions and dijonnaise mustard. Personally I'm looking foreword to trying the #2. It has chili rubbed onion strings, Amish bleu cheese and homemade spicy chipotle ketchup. That's right homemade ketchup. Yup!
But for this meal I opted for the #1. You know where I'm going with this. It's a BBQ sauce, smoked bacon, aged cheddar and charred balsamic red onion burger. I love that bacon & BBQ sauce combo.

DMK uses a 5oz. grass fed beef patty and homemade fresh baked buns. The freshness of the burger and it's ingredients really stood out. I've got to say that everything about this burger was perfect. The bun was so stinkin' fresh with a good toasting. It was soft, but held up very well. The onions were devine. So much flavor from the balsamic marinade, and the bacon was smoky and salty. I read a few reviews where the customers complained about the size of the burger. I guess a third of a pound can seem a bit small, but it shouldn't be about the size of the burger. Go to Fudruckers if you want a big burger. This place is about the quality, and it doesn't disappoint. It was cooked to a medium well (i think) with those awesome crispy bits around the edges. The meat itself probably had more flavor than any other burger I've had.
But the kicker for this burger was the BBQ sauce. It was smoky, as BBQ sauce should be, and a little bit sweet with just a little bit of tanginess. But the part that stood out was that I could swear that I was eating BBQ ribs with that sauce. I don't know if they use pork fat in the sauce, or if they simmer ribs in it before they put it on the bun, but the sauce stands alone. If they made a milkshake with this sauce, I would drink it. (that's not a challenge)
So we missed the company of our friend Todd that day, but it was nice to be with the friends that could make it. I'm looking foreword to going here again but with the whole group this time
I'm gonna say that you've got to try this place. Great food, good drinks, and wonderful service in a comfortable setting. Go ahead and try whatever looks good, and then go again and try something else. That's what I'm gonna do.