Price: $4.29
Availability: 11 A.M. – 5 P.M., Mon. – Sat.; call to be sure
Location: 1724 S. River Rd., Des Plaines, IL 60018 (map); phone: (847) 699-8590
Rating: 5 out of 5 – great
Status: independent
Judging by the regular restaurant hours listed above, you can see how this decidedly non-chain establishment doesn’t really cater to the dinner crowd. Reports seem to indicate lines out the door on Saturdays, so the 5-10 minutes I might wait on any given weekday to make an order might appear quite reasonable in comparison. If the time (and fuel spent) driving out to this northwest suburb from the city only makes a trip out to River Road that much more doubtful, take heart: the Char Cheddar Burger at Paradise Pup is destination dining for this Snob, and it’s well worth your money.
The picture above represents the bright but brisk Tuesday when this clearly medium to medium-rare burger found its way into my possession. (The squeamish might request a more medium-well char to their meat.) The weather remained cold enough to prevent dining out on the round picnic tables outside, so some shade — perhaps from this very photographer — snuck its way into a sandwich pic yet again. What could not be ruined, however, was the mix of Merkt’s cheddar cheese and grilled onions to produce one of the finest specimens of the cheddar burger around.
For additional examples of the proper char cheddar burger further east and in the city proper, you could try the versions offered at Poochie’s in Skokie, Wiener and Still Champion in Evanston (less greasy), or Wiener Circle in Chicago (perhaps more so). If, as a cultured omnivore, you’ve never had the pleasure of Merkt’s cheddar slathered on your burger up to this point, then a sampling at one of these outposts is strongly recommended. While not as goopy and artery-hardening in sensation as when poured over French fries, Merkt’s could still be quite a shock for neophytes driving half an hour out of their way for a first impression. Others have acknowledged the Pup’s merits, but make sure you order the Char Cheddar Burger (presumably starting with a third of a pound of beef) and not any other for a true taste of Paradise.
As a final topper, the slightly charred bun provides an appropriate contrast to the gooey burger’s insides. Just make sure to call if you’re planning any special trips out here, however, especially around the holidays; last December, they were closed for two weeks starting from the 22nd. Makes sense, but phone first?
Tags: 1/3, bun, burgers, char, cheddar, cheese, cheeseburgers, Chicago, des plaines, Evanston, gooey, great, grilled, independent, medium, non-chain, onions, Paradise Pup, review, Skokie