Elgin, IL – Elgin Public House Reviews

Geez I love to be surprised at a restaurant, especially one that has got a rep for burgers – you know, that’s what I write about. Like I was supposed to be amazed at Los Angeles’ Umami Burger, but wasn’t. Across town in West L.A., tho, I was blown away by the burger at Golden State Cafe. Go figure.

Elgin Public House Review

Bleu Horse Burger

I am delighted to say I was surprised  at the Elgin Public House, a massive bar in downtown Elgin, IL.  They’ve been open eight years, and have an incredibly deep menu for hand prepped items.  They have a big selection of burger choices, including two Wagyu, two veggie options, a turkey, and bison.  The beef burgers come in a lot of pre-determined configurations, or you can start from scratch, pick your protein, bun and toppings.  All burgers are served with a choice of a side from a very long list of options.

Mrs BurgerDogBoy went straight for the “The Bleu Horse,” a burger crusted with blue cheese and horseradish, onion straws, and she added pickles and a tomato slice to the brioche bun. She chose Cajun fries as her side. I didn’t try one, but she reported they had a little more heat than she expected.

I went with something way off the usual path for me, their “Saltimbocca Burger,”  topped with prosciutto, fresh Mozzarella and bruschetta.  It was served on a ciabatta roll slathered with red pepper aioli.  I went with their regular fries, which they call “pub fries,”  and they are somewhere between a shoestring and a steak fry in size and texture.

We both ordered our burgers medium rare, and they came……medium rare!  The hand-formed patties had a nice little char on them and a smash treatment.  Tough to get a smashed burger medium rare, kudos to chef.

Anyway, I was blown away by my burger.  These elements come together so perfectly I am at a loss to describe it.  The mozz and bruschetta were chilled, and the aioli brought it all together.  Hot protein, chilled vegetable, great bread durable enough for a heavily topped burger, and a little spice with the aioli.  Magnificent.

Add over the top service from Molly to the experience.  Two burgers, two soft drinks, $24.95.

If there’s a ‘next time,’  I’d give the Wagyu with garlic  Boursin a shot.  I’ve no doubt it would be superb.

Here’s their lengthy menu.

Elgin Public House Review

Burger Saltimbocca

 

Elgin Public House on Urbanspoon

Elgin Public House Reviews

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