Holeman & Finch's Burger

I had heard about this burger from a number of different sources including Food & Wine and Food Magazine.  And after Alton Brown recommended it as the best burger in the country, I knew I had to try it.  So I found about tonight: the one night they are serving their infamous burger during dinner hours.  That's odd you might say.  Wouldn't they always serve it during dinner hours?  No.  Chef Linton Hopkins at Holeman & Finch public house only serves 24 each night.  At 10pm he calls out on a bull horn "It's burger time" and 24 people get to share in the experience that is the Holeman & Finch burger.  But tonight, you got to enjoy unlimited amounts of their burger from 5pm to 1am. 

I did feel like I was cheating a bit by coming tonight.  I feel like being one of the 24 to get a burger is a great privilege. I also figured that people only considered this as the best burger they have ever eaten because they are usually a couple beers or cocktails deep by 10pm and a burger sounds oh so satisfying.  But either way I had to have one and I had been looking forward to this for awhile.

We ended showing up around 6:45 to a packed house (it's pretty small inside) and they said it was a 3 hour wait.  Well, bring it on.  We headed to the bar where it was first come first serve if you could find a table and luckily for us within the hour we found 2 seats.  By the time we ordered, I was already feeling like one of those couple beers deep folks who were craving a hamburger (so I didn't totally cheat).  It also didn't help that we were sitting right next to the kitchen where I watched them create numerous burgers.

We finally were served.  The burger itself was very simple.  It consisted of 2 patties with cheese, red onions, and homemade pickles on a toasted bun served with hand-cut fries and a homemade ketchup and mustard on the side.  While we were waiting, we had seen a couple being served around and I thought to myself, "Is this really what the fuss is about?"

Then I took my first bite. The meat itself was so flavorful and rich that it almost tasted creamy.  It was lean and juicy and I knew why it was so plain.  There was no reason to dilute the taste of this beef with any sort of gimmicks.  We both thoroughly enjoyed the burger and I was on the verge of ordering one more to take home.

I know the 10pm experience is probably very cool and I can't wait to find myself there again, being one of the proud and the few to get to eat one of the burgers.  While we may have cheated tonight, don't cheat yourself and go try one.