Food Digest

Made the most of my mid-week day off by going with a friend to Kuma’s Corner for a heavy metal hamburger. Normally you have to wait up to two hours to get a table here, but we lucked out and were seated immediately.

Three things about Kuma’s: You’re out of place if you don’t have a sleeve of tattoos, the music is loud, and all the burgers are named for metal bands.

I got the Pantera burger, which features roasted poblano pepper, bacon, cheddar, monterey jack, ranchero sauce and tortilla strips on a pretzel bun. A great burger, if a little greasy and slippery. And it’s always great when your waitress is wearing a Melvins t-shirt.

The perfect burger? Very possibly. Edzo’s in Evanston, Ill. Single griddle patty with cheddar cheese, fried egg, giardiniera, ketchup, mustard, onions and pickles.

A cheeseburger, fresh off the grill from the backyard barbecue. Served on a grilled ciabatta roll with pickle, onion, a little ketchup and a drizzle of mustard.

Cheeseburger from Five Guys in Wilmette, Ill., with ketchup, mustard, jalapeño and pickles. A good burger. I think the secret is the bun. It’s not overly bread-like. And maybe the aluminum foil, because it makes it nice and mushy and wonderful.

Had not one but two evening assignments to cover, so in between I stole a half-hour to fuel up. Went to the relatively upscale hot dog joint U Dawg U, in Northfield, where I got a cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, ketchup and mustard. Ordered a cup of cheddar on the side, but it was so coagulated that it made me feel gross just looking at it, all clumpy and hanging off the end of each french fries.