(Read the intro post for background on this trip.)

After our detour to Riverside, Iowa to see the Future Birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk, we stopped in Davenport, Iowa to visit a Maid-Rite restaurant. They are known for their loose meat sandwich. This is basically a burger where the beef is seasoned and cooked loose like taco meat rather than being formed into a patty. The chain has been around since 1926. Aside from the loose meat, the sandwich is set up like a burger with the same condiments, bun, etc. We had one with cheese and one without. It tasted a like a decent burger. The meat was well-seasoned and the bun-to-meat ratio was fine. The one with cheese was better since the cheese added some creaminess and mouthfeel that the other one lacked; the loose meat was all cooked to well-done. Not surprisingly, the sandwich was kind of a mess to eat too. We’re glad we tried this, but it’s not something I’d drive a long way for again.

We then drove on to Chicago and went to Au Cheval with my cousin Eric, his wife Melody, her sister Alexa, and Yuri, a friend of Eric’s who was staying with them. Au Cheval has regularly been named the best burger in America, so it was a must-visit on our trip. We had their single cheeseburgers (which are really doubles), one plain and one with bacon and egg. They were gorgeous – really lovely to look at (and post on Instagram). Easily the best looking burgers we’ve had on the trip so far.

These were smashburgers on a toasted brioche bun. The meat was well-seasoned and well cooked, still tender. It was very good, but honestly, I’m not sure how it could have lived up to the “best burger in the country” hype.  Andrew is convinced that brioche is the wrong type of bread for a burger since it disappears into nothingness; I’m starting to agree with him. The bite wasn’t as unctuous as the Jucy Lucy we had in Minneapolis; it wasn’t even as straight-forward tasty as the Double Tavern Burger at Loretta’s Northwesterner in Seattle. Andrew didn’t even finish his burger.

By contrast, he wanted to order another Jucy Lucy after he ate the first one (he would have but it takes a while to get one and we were with friends) and at Loretta’s we actually did get another burger. I really enjoyed it, but I actually liked some of their other menu items better. The foie gras with scrambled eggs and toast was decadent. The omelette was prepared perfectly – light, fluffy, and savory. And the fried bologna sandwich was like bologna sandwiches from my childhood memories kicked up 10000%.

The evening was super enjoyable. Good food and good drinks with family made for a super night.