Omnivorous

Dave Zino in a test kitchen at the Beef and Veal Culinary Center

Bruce Powell

The Meat Pushers

A downtown skyscraper houses a beef-industry brain trust.

By Mike Sula

February 28, 2008

With ground beef recalls, mad cow scares, and the environmental hazards of industrial livestock production in the news, it’s getting tougher to sell red meat these days. In 2006 Americans ate an average of 65.8 pounds of beef, according to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. If that sounds like a lot, consider that that’s down from more than 75 pounds in 1980, and the trade organization predicts a continuing decline.

But each week in an office suite on the 18th floor of a Michigan Avenue skyscraper, down the hall from a psychotherapy practice and the Poetry Foundation, the staff at the Beef and Veal Culinary Center goes through that much meat and then some, trying to figure out ways to keep people eating it.

The center, which operates under the auspices of the NCBA’s marketing arm, develops some 100 recipes each year for the organization’s consumer and food-service divisions. It also does product testing for manufacturers. One recent morning several employees were evaluating two commercial marinades and four rubs on some burgers and steaks they’d grilled in the test kitchen. A pair of rib eyes that had been steeped in a whiskey-flavored marinade for 15 minutes got the thumbs-down. The meat had an assertive, treacly, artificial odor, and the marinade had somehow inhibited the Maillard reaction, a chemical reaction responsible for browning. The steaks looked sickly and gray next to an unmarinated pair exhibiting a tasty-looking char.

“That’s terrible,” said Jessica Gordon, the center’s senior culinary manager.

“Flavor companies are in the business to sell flavor,” said executive director Dave Zino. “I think sometimes the attitude is, ‘If one is good, ten’s gotta be better.’”

The center was the first tenant to move into 444 N. Michigan back in 1976. At the time it operated under the auspices of the National Livestock and Meat Board, which later merged into the NCBA. It’s currently funded by the Beef Checkoff Program, an initiative started under the 1985 Farm Bill that assesses $1 per every head of cattle sold. In the words of the USDA, the program is designed “to strengthen the position of beef in the marketplace and to maintain and expand domestic and foreign markets and uses for beef and beef products.”

Zino, a Kendall College grad, has been the center’s director since 2004. He came on board three years before that, near the beginning of the beef industry’s big push for flatiron steak, a muscle that until then typically had been ground up with the rest of the chuck. “We basically did a dog-and-pony show,” says Zino, who acted as a chef-spokesman for the project. “We went to meat packers, steak cutters, retailers, chain restaurants. My role was basically cooking the steak up, maybe coming up with some recipe ideas.” Many of the dishes the center devised—like sesame-soy steak stir-fry in wonton cups and mini steak tacos with pico de gallo—made their way into ads or brochures or onto sealed packages of supermarket meat. “I probably cooked more of those steaks than any human being,” Zino says.

The center is equipped with both a professional kitchen and a consumer-oriented test kitchen stocked with supermarket staples, a microwave, and ordinary gas and electric stoves. Here the staff uses mostly middle-grade choice cuts (mostly sourced from Jerry’s Quality Meats in Skokie) to approximate the average household’s cooking and eating habits.

“This is a big country, and not everybody will have Thai curry paste,” says Zino. “So we need to be careful when we’re developing consumer recipes to make sure that they’re available basically around the country.”

Even bearing that in mind, the staff will occasionally overestimate consumers’ kitchen savvy. Zino tells me about a focus group the center assembled to evaluate some of its recipes: one participant said he didn’t like the ones that called for dry red wine because he could never find it in powdered form at the grocery store.

Last month the NCBA launched its latest ad campaign. Created by Leo Burnett, it features a series of fantastic giant landscapes, or rather “beefscapes,” like something Homer Simpson would dream about: towering beef mountain peaks topped by creamy Gorgonzola snowcaps, a river of sauce running over a bed of mushrooms and lentils between steep tenderloin banks. “Discover the Power of Protein in the Land of Lean Beef” is the clumsy tagline, delivered in radio ads by Matthew McConaughey. The campaign was designed to integrate two themes the NCBA previously used separately—the nutritive qualities of beef and the American “passion” for it.

In a departure from previous campaigns, Zino and his crew were directed to develop their recipes after the ads were created rather than before. So for an image of meat canyons split by a golden brown stream, they came up with crumb-crusted top sirloin and roasted garlic potatoes with bourbon sauce, a dish that might sound a little involved for the kitchen novice but in fact calls for nothing more exotic than prepared mustard and ready-to-serve beef broth. For a scattering of beef boulders set atop a whole-grain beach, they developed Moroccan-style beef kebabs with spiced bulgur, which gets its whiff of the Orient from pumpkin pie spice and golden raisins.

Zino, whose computer alerts him to the arrival of new e-mails with the sound of a lowing cow, says that despite all the beef he eats on the job he still eats it when he’s not working. But then what else would he say? “I see myself not only as a chef but as a marketer,” he says.   

For more on food and drink, see our blog The Food Chain.

Hamburger Heaven

Billy Goat Tavern
430 N. Michigan | 312-222-1525

$american, burgers, bar/lounge | Breakfast, lunch, dinner: seven days | Open late: Saturday & Sunday till 3, other nights till 2 | Reservations not accepted | Cash only

More than 25 years after the heyday of the SNL skit, the Billy Goat is still trading on John Belushi’s famous tagline, “Cheezborger, cheezborger, cheezborger. No Pepsi, Coke. No fries, cheeps.” Tourists continue to find their way into the subterranean dive under Michigan Avenue, and journalists remain among the regulars, drinking and risking heartburn against a backdrop of yellowing Royko columns and Billy Goat curse memorabilia. The cheeseburgers, flat and greasy, are probably best ordered in the form of a double, but they’re helped along by raw onion and an unlimited supply of dill pickle slices. —Kate Schmidt

Boston Blackie’s
164 E. Grand | 312-938-8700

F 7.6 | S 8.0 | A 6.0 | $ (5 reports)American, Burgers, Bar/Lounge | Lunch, dinner: seven days | Open late: Monday-Saturday till 11 | Reservations accepted for large groups only

rrr Raters like the low prices and the big burgers, which come in everything from plain to the namesake Boston Blackie Burger, with bacon and caramelized onions. “It is undeniably delicious and filling,” says one, “and you can walk out for under $8 a person.” Another likes the deco-inspired room, saying it’s “kind of like a place where old-time Chicago gangsters would have met up.” This place can get very crowded, and service is mixed. —Holly Greenhagen

Diner Grill
1635 W. Irving Park | 773-248-2030

$American, burgers | Breakfast, lunch, dinner: seven days | Open late: 24 hours every day | Reservations not accepted | Cash only

Open round the clock and offering counter service only, the Diner Grill has the grizzled, noirish look of a 70s art film, but the food is great, especially the burgers. Like my buddy John says, it’s the decades’ worth of grease built up on the grill that provides the flavor. For the true Diner Grill experience, get the Slinger: two hamburger patties covered with cheese, topped with two eggs, blanketed with hash browns, then inundated with a couple of scoops of chili and served with slices of white bread on the side. It’s impressive and, best of all, tasty (though I did put in a little A.1. to jazz things up). If you finish the whole thing, the cook will give you a little certificate testifying to your prowess. —Chip Dudley

Hackney’s Printer’s Row
733 S. Dearborn | 312-461-1116

$Bar/Lounge, American, Burgers | Lunch, dinner: seven days | Saturday & Sunday brunch | Open late: Tuesday-Saturday till 11

The sole city location of the largely suburban family-owned minichain has the feel of a neighborhood pub and is frequently packed with regulars. Hackney’s, founded in 1939, is best known for retro-ish specialties, particularly the daunting french-fried onion loaf and the Hackneyburger, served on either a bun or dark rye. Other old-school offerings include a strawberry and spinach salad, chicken Waldorf salad, and tuna salad in tomato. That’s not to say that Hackney’s is behind the times: there’s a California burger stuffed with chorizo and queso fresco, a turkey burger stuffed with spinach and feta, and several vegetarian options, among them black bean and veggie burgers and a hummus wrap with apples and carrots. Desserts here attract cult followings, with some favoring the red velvet cake, others the Snickers ice cream pie or chocolate chip sundae (allow ten minutes for baking). There’s a decent selection of beers on tap.—Kate Schmidt

Hamburger Mary’s
5400 N. Clark | 773-784-6969

F 7.2 | S 7.3 | A 7.3 | $ (9 reports)American, Burgers, Bar/Lounge | Lunch, dinner: seven days | Open late: Friday & Saturday till 11:30 | Reservations not accepted

The cartoony logo, the heavy-handed, slightly risque puns sprinkled throughout the laminated menu, the proud lavender facade—it’s all part of this San Francisco-founded franchise’s campy, gay-friendly shtick. Obviously, the specialty is burgers, specifically, half-pound 100 percent Angus patties in combos like Buffy the Hamburger Slayer, with garlic aioli, red wine sauce, and Swiss. I hunkered in for the Meaty Mushroom burger only to find it light on the mushrooms and a little dry. I could just manage about a quarter of it, but I polished off my veggie slaw, a welcome alternative to sides of fries or bacon potato salad. (You can also sub veggie, turkey, chicken, or buffalo patties on any of the burgers.) The cloyingly cute menu never lets up: there’s “cala-mary” served with “mary-nara” sauce and a selection of cold sandwiches that also get the treatment (Tuna Turner, anyone?). All this with a disco beat, karaoke in the upstairs lounge a couple nights a week, and special menus for the kiddies. —Kathie Bergquist

Hand-Burgers
11322 S. Halsted | 773-468-4444

$ American, Burgers | lunch, dinner: Monday-Saturday | reservations not accepted

In business since last spring, Hand-Burgers carries on the south-side tradition of hand-formed griddle-cooked patties served with fresh-cut fries. Burgers begin as five-ounce balls of fresh meat that get mashed down into irregular circles on the griddle. After crisp edges form, the patty is bedded on a buttered and toasted bun and dressed with your choice of condiments (don’t skip the grilled onions)—nothing complicated but very well executed. Skin-on fries are good with only a sprinkle of salt, or you can order like a south-sider and have them doused with mild, vinegary hot sauce. The basic burger with fries will set you back just $2.75, an astonishing bargain. Like many other south-side burger emporiums, Hand-Burgers also features a turkey burger that gives its beefy counterpart a run for the money. The spicy Hip Hot Burger or the pepper-and-onion-studded Meat Loaf Burger are also worth considering. While you wait—and you will wait, as each burger is made to order—take a moment to admire the stepping memorabilia scattered around the restaurant. Be warned that profanity will not be tolerated; a list of approved expletives (shucks, heck) is posted by the cash register. —Peter Engler

Hop Haus
646 N. Franklin | 312-467-4287

$$Bar/Lounge, American, Burgers | Lunch, dinner: seven days | Open late: Saturday till 5, Tuesday-Friday till 4, Sunday-Monday till 11 | Reservations accepted for large groups only

Brewpub meets sports bar in this concept restaurant from the owners of Leona’s—and the sports bar wins. Televisions cling to every spot with a sight line in this cavernous River North space, and the walls are decorated with photos of mildly risque sports bloopers. The burger menu—­dreamed up by a couple folks from Alinea—includes “global” takes on the basic steak burger and exotica like kangaroo and ostrich. The German burger was pretty good, topped with rich butterkase, sauerkraut, and robust brown mustard. But the wild boar was a disappointment, the meat tough, greasy, and well past medium rare. Both come on weirdly puffy egg buns that can’t bear the weight of their contents and are accompanied by seasoned potato wedges. But the beer list is excellent, with close to 40 imports and craft brews bottled or on tap and suggested beer-and-burger pairings helpfully provided, though we went off menu with some refreshing Reissdorf Kolsch. With the kitchen open till an hour before closing I suppose you could do a lot worse for late-night sustenance—especially if you’re looking to catch the SportsCenter recap. —Martha Bayne

Jeri’s Grill
4357 N. Western | 773-604-8775

$American, Burgers | Breakfast, lunch, dinner: seven days | Open late: 24 hours every day | Reservations not accepted | Cash only

Jeri’s Grill at Western and Montrose might be the only place in town with a “jailhouse special”—fried bologna with eggs, hash browns, and toast. Menu standards include pizza puffs and Beefaroni. The patty melt is so greasy it all but slips out of your hands, but the bacon cheeseburger is juicy and happy-making. Dessert specials often include homemade bread pudding, which, the waitress says, “is what made my jeans tight.” No credit cards, no checks, no lingering in booths for more than an hour. —Anne Ford

Jury’s
4337 N. Lincoln | 773-935-2255

F 6.0 | S 6.0 | A 5.6 | $$ (5 reports)American, burgers | Lunch: Monday-Saturday; Dinner: seven days | Open late: Friday & Saturday till 11

Every hot and happening restaurant row should have one old-school place still chugging along, resistant to all trends, and that’s the function Jury’s serves on this stretch of Lincoln Avenue just south of Montrose. (The sign, like the clientele, says “Since 1979,” though it’s actually only been in this location since 1996.) With its white-tablecloth interior and supper club menu, the place clearly aims for more sophistication than the other taverns along this strip, though its main claim to fame is still its hamburger, which won a best-burger-in-da-city contest some years back. For once one of those things got it right: this is a terrific example of the classic bar burger, a half-pound slab of quality beef seared to a steaklike char and accompanied by nothing more exotic than Grey Poupon and a manly mound of steak fries. Not surprisingly, the same char crust turns up on the steaks themselves, which rank among the city’s best in their midrange price class. Otherwise the menu is the usual middle-American fare: baby back ribs, pasta, and fish dishes, all calibrated to the tastes of a mostly older audience—a Caesar salad had the absolute minimum hint of garlic and anchovy required to legally qualify as one, and fried calamari, while perfect in texture, was oddly flavorless. Stick with the red meat and Jury’s acquits itself well, especially on Monday nights, when entrees are two for the price of one (up to $10). —Mike Gebert

Kevin’s Hamburger Heaven
554 W. Pershing | 773-924-5771

$American, Burgers | Breakfast, lunch, dinner: seven days | Open late: 24 hours every day | Reservations not accepted | Cash only

Kevin’s Hamburger Heaven is a 24-7 “city that works” diner in a light-industrial area a few blocks south of Sox Park. Early morning you’ll find steel-toe-shod working stiffs fueling up on good-size portions of crispy hash browns, nicely spiced (though somewhat dry) sausage, three eggs over, and toast. Those needing a little extra to stoke the engine opt for hot-off-the-griddle pancakes or creamy grits with dollops of butter winking up at you in defiance of future cholesterol checks. Burgers rule at lunch, and these are juicy, rich, flavorful patties, roughly formed and sizzled on the grill. Topped with pickle slices, grilled onions, and a toasted bun, they satisfy in a way that’ll make you swear off drive-through McQuickies forever. But it’s nighttime—more specifically, the hours after the bars close—that’s given Kevin’s its citywide rep as the ne plus ultra of greasy spoons. The sotted and soused come from far and wide for coffee, chili burgers with mounds of fries, or steak and eggs served with Kevin’s house-label steak sauce; late one evening I heard a guy say blearily, “Gimme one of everything on the breakfast menu.” The late-night security guard sits at the counter as unobtrusively as a man tough as nails and armed can. —Gary Wiviott

Kuma’s Corner
2900 W. Belmont | 773-604-8769

F 8.0 | S 7.2 | A 7.6 | $$ (6 reports)Bar/Lounge, Burgers | Lunch, dinner: seven days | Open late: Saturday till 3, Friday till 2, Monday-Thursday till 1, Sunday till midnight

The menu at this gussied-up corner tap is focused squarely on bar food—but finger-lickin’ bar food it is. Kuma’s serves whopping hunks of juicy, lightly seasoned meat on delicious, chewy pretzel rolls in 18 metal-themed iterations (the Motorhead, the Mastodon, etc), each also available as a chicken sandwich or garden burger. My Iron Maiden burger, topped with a sinus-clearing load of cherry peppers, chipotle mayo, and pepper jack, was filling yet oddly clean-tasting—refreshing, even, for meat. It was so good I almost forgave the kitchen for running out of avocado. There’s also a make-your-own mac ’n’ cheese option, appetizers like the mussels cooked in Allagash white ale with garlic and chiles, and an excellent beer list. Next time I’m trying the Slayer: a pile of fries topped with a half-pound burger plus chili, cherry peppers, andouille sausage, onions, jack cheese, “and anger.” —Martha Bayne

Moody’s Pub
5910 N. Broadway | 773-275-2696

F 5.3 | S 4.9 | A 7.4 | $ (7 reports)Bar/Lounge, American, Burgers | Lunch, dinner: seven days | Open late: Saturday till 2, other nights till 1 | Reservations not accepted | Cash only

A good place to grab a burger and beer for lunch, dinner, or a late-night snack, even on Sundays. The menu is small, its centerpiece a burger that’s been called the best in town (it’s also been called the most overrated). Also available are fries, steak and chicken breast sandwiches, a dinner salad, and fried cod, shrimp, and chicken. The beer selection is limited, but the margaritas and sangria pitcher special are outstanding. In winter the two fireplaces keep it cozy—not to say smoky and very dark—inside. Good value for hungry (but not too fastidious) people on a budget—plus there’s free parking next door. —Ellen Joy, Rater

Patty Burger
72 E. Adams | 312-987-0900

$american, burgers, ice cream | Breakfast: Monday-Friday; Lunch, dinner: Monday-Saturday | Closed Sunday | Reservations not accepted

The whole thing about this Loop fast-food joint is its made-to-order Angus beef burgers, available as singles, doubles, and triples. In fact, the place serves little else besides: a few breakfast sandwiches, fries, chili, and milk shakes round off the menu. The foil-wrapped single I ordered with American cheese and grilled onions was a sloppy mess by the time I made it to a table—tabletop napkin dispensers would have been handy. All burgers come with lettuce, tomato, onion, and Patty’s special sauce, a zingy-flavored orangish concoction that added to the overall goop factor; grilled onions are extra. The burger itself had a peppery bite, but the bun, steamed soggy in the foil, was too mushy to support it. The chocolate-peanut butter milk shake was too rich for me; I could only finish half of it. Patty Burger strives to be more than a fast-food burger joint, and the prices prove it—my burger, small fries, and small shake topped ten bucks. —Kathie Bergquist

R. J. Grunts
2056 N. Lincoln Park West | 773-929-5363

F 6.7 | S 6.4 | A 6.3 | $$ (6 reports)American, Burgers | Lunch, dinner: seven days | Sunday brunch

R.J. Grunts is where it all began (in 1971) for Rich Melman and his Lettuce Entertain You empire. He considered closing it a couple years ago, and while some Raters are glad he didn’t, others think he should have. (“I know they’re proud of never redoing the place,” cracks one, “but I lived through the 70s, and don’t want to again.”) These days getting a table usually isn’t difficult, and the quiet atmosphere can be viewed as either relaxing or a sad shadow of an earlier, livelier time. The menu offers mostly burgers, which are hearty; sandwiches, which are small and greasy; and a large salad bar that draws people in and is generally satisfying. —Rachel Klein, Rater

Ramova Grill
3510 S. Halsted | 773-847-9058

$American, Burgers | Breakfast: seven days; Lunch: Monday-Saturday; Dinner: Monday-Friday | Cash only

Fresh-squeezed orange juice, house-made chili, sesame-seed-bun-topped burgers, perfect over-easy eggs complementing greaseless hash browns and a trio of link sausage. At this south-side institution around since 1929, Tony Dinos, who bought it 1964, mans the grill with the skill and grace only years with spatula in hand can bring, while the friendly waitress efficiently “hons” her customers: “Little warm-up on that coffee, hon?” Ramova may look like just one of countless south-side diners straight out of Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks, but its God-is-in-the-details mentality elevates its simple diner food to art. —Gary Wiviott

Relax Lounge
1450 W. Chicago | 312-666-6006

$$Bar/Lounge, Burgers | Dinner: Monday-Saturday | Closed Sunday | Open late: Saturday till 3, Monday-Friday till 2 | Reservations not accepted

The identity crisis of this late-night lounge is made manifest right up front in its ungainly name—an 11th-hour switch from the planned moniker, Pharmacy, when legal restrictions on what can actually operate under that designation threatened to scuttle an already long-delayed opening. With a green druggists’ cross glowing over the door and bar specials like spiked milk shakes, Relax is striving for a soda-fountain vibe, but that’s confounded both by all the framed photos of the Rolling Stones in their 70s heyday and the patterned vintage wallpaper, which screams Victorian sitting room. The kitchen, such as it is, serves baskets of burgers and fries, and burgers and fries only. But they’re good: a third-pound beef patty or veggie burger on a toasty bun, your choice of cheese, and a side of hot, crisp, salty hand-cut sticks of starch. And compared to the other “rock ’n’ roll” bar on the block, the blisteringly loud Five Star, this place is an oasis of class. —Martha Bayne

Skylark
2149 S. Halsted | 312-948-5275

$Bar/Lounge, american, Burgers | Dinner: seven days | Open late: Every night till 2 | Cash only

My gawd, behold the Skylark Burger: big and juicy, topped with a dollop of tangy slaw, jack cheese, and beer-battered onion rings, and accompanied by an ample portion of supercrispy seasoned tater tots. These people know how to accessorize some grilled meat. The big bowl of mac ’n’ cheese is worthy too. Rotating specials include an open-faced turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy, and Friday’s regular fish-and-chips. This is better than bar food—it’s great food that happens to be served in a bar, and the bartenders mix up an excellent manhattan. —Susannah J. Felts

Sweets & Savories
1534 W. Fullerton | 773-281-6778

F 8.8 | S 9.0 | A 8.0 | $$$ (10 reports)American, French | Dinner: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday-Saturday | Sunday brunch | Closed Tuesday

rrr David Richards doesn’t stand on ceremony. No maitre d’ or hostess greets you when you walk in the door of his cozy Fullerton Avenue storefront. Servers wear jeans and duck under the bar to rustle up drinks; bottles of wine are grabbed off a rack by the door. But the refined, French-inflected food has more than enough power to carry the show. The menu changes frequently, but the star of the a la carte section remains the famed foie gras burger, a $20 fistful of Kobe beef topped with truffled mayonnaise and a thick slab of illegal paté. On my last visit the tasting menu—now offered nightly at five courses for $60, eight for $75—started off with a refreshing tomato-saffron fondant evocative of a spoon-friendly Bloody Mary. Pan-roasted blue-nosed grouper over rosemary-potato hash was outstanding, as was the piping hot duo of juicy duck breast and complex rabbit sausage—served with a seductively smoky white bean cassoulet—that followed. “Sweets” included a deliciously diapery Camembert with a fig-and-almond cookie, a mango sorbet, and a one-two punch of chocolate ice cream and warm molten chocolate cake. The wine list offers a range of reasonably priced options, including a 2004 Avalon cabernet sauvignon that somehow manages to be both complicated and mellow. Sunday brunch is $19 for a cocktail, appetizer, and main dish such as scrambled eggs with white truffles; on Mondays Sweets & Savories is BYO with no corkage fee and a $10 discount on the tasting menus. —Martha Bayne

That’s-A-Burger
2134 E. 71st | 773-493-2080

$ American, Burgers | Lunch, dinner: Monday-Saturday | Closed Sunday | reservations not accepted | cash only

Idiosyncratic owner, out-of-the-way location, 20-minute wait for burgers, no seating, orders placed through bulletproof glass, impatient staff, no picture taking, and did I mention idiosyncratic owner, who refuses to answer the phone? But all is forgiven after one big juicy chin-dripping, eye-rolling chomp into one of the better burgers in Chicago—maybe even the best if one factors in value. My burger of choice here is a half-pound of coarse ground beef with a sumolike ratio of fat to lean, topped with fried egg, tomato, onion, and sport peppers. It’s a purist’s pick in the face of the Whammy Burger, which is served dripping with cheese and crowned with a split Polish sausage, or the T.A.B. Special, which throws chili, cheese, bacon, and egg into the mix. Scented with sage and surprisingly moist, turkey burgers are also a draw, and turkey chili is likewise tasty. Terrific fresh-cut fries are nestled in with the sandwiches. That’s-A-Burger is takeout only; dining options are car, benches at the Metra stop across the street, or the scenic South Shore Cultural Center, which offers a great view of the skyline just a few blocks to the east. —Gary Wiviott

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