In case you don’t recognize it, the cheeseburger at the top of this post is from the Apple Pan on Pico Boulevard in West Los Angeles. The late great film critic, Gene Siskel, turned me on to it and I owe him one. Big time.
He used to bring them back with him on the plane and one flight, I turned around and asked him what gave with the carry-out.
He then told me all about this fabulous burger place- really just a counter- and the rest is hamburger history.
But the Apple Pan is only one joint in the Ellen Ross Hamburger Hall of Fame. Me and burgers? We go way back.
It started at Henry’s. As in Henry Bresler, the ice cream king. In 1954 Bresler’s Ice Cream Company was looking for new outlet to promote its malts and shakes. Under the name “Henry’s Hamburgers,” the franchise grew rapidly.
By 1956 Henry’s had thirty-five locations throughout the Chicago area.
And one of them was on Skokie Boulevard near Fun Fair and we went all the time. I was crazy about their fifteen cent hamburger and their cheeseburger deluxe.
I usually got to Henry’s by bike. And my bike also made it over to Bell Ringer’s Grill in Edens Plaza and Edward’s in Old Orchard. (I was an equal-opportunity hamburgerist at both early shopping malls.)
But then Hershey grilled his way into my life.
Hershey’s was a small yellow box on Dempster in Skokie that served up great Vienna hot dogs.
But not to me.
To me it was burger nirvana.
I was crazy about his cheeseburgers and “secret sauce.” (Which my brother Kenny- with his refined palate- swore was just catsup and mustard mixed together.)
Who cared? Hershey cooked a burger that was out of sight. I always started to drool like Pavlov’s dog when I saw him put that little lid over the patty on the grill to melt the cheese.
Alas, Hershey’s is long-gone. Like the dodo bird. And like the dodo, I’ve always heard that Hershey had gone to Australia to seek bigger burger fame and fortune.
The aching gap his defection left in my heart was (almost) filled by Boobies- currently on Milwaukee Avenue in Niles.
Unfortunately named or not, in high school I loved their Boobieburger satellite locale on Frontage Road down the road from the Edens Theater in Northbrook.
This was a radical departure for me.
Boobie charred his burger. But I was willing to overlook this lèse-majesté because he had ingeniously piled on barbecue sauce, grilled onions, cole slaw and a great pickle on top of his creation.
The bbq sauce alone was habit-forming. I could eat it on cardboard.
In college at Madison, I had to placate my burger jones with the KK, the Pub- and when I was completely tapped out- yes, sadly, Burgerville.
The frat boys liked to play “pinnies” there. I actually ate their wretched refuse.
But my unfortunate burger eating habits ended when I transferred to Sophie Newcomb at Tulane in NOLA.
A local friend, Jack- now too sadly gone- turned me on to the Camellia Grill. And did he ever do me a solid.
CG was a Tara-like, white-pillared diner on Carrollton on the St. Charles street car line. Almost daily, I devoured their cheeseburgers dressed (with lettuce, tomato and mayo) and coffee freezes.
The place was a landmark, the waiters were wonderful and the burger kept me away from many a muffulletta*** or po’ boy. (Although I did manage to fight my addiction and head over to Central Grocery and Mother’s at least once a week, too.)
***This is the way they spell it. Do not write in.
An abortive kidnap/carjack/robbery ended my Louisiana eating idyll. And then it was on to Baltimore to finish college and marry the guy who had saved my life.
What a bust. Both husband-wise and hamburger-wise.
During the entire four years I languished in Charm City, I never found one decent burger. They only had a single lousy franchise called Gino’s- started by ex Baltimore Colt, Gino Marchetti. His Pro Bowl stats and NFL Hall of Fame induction proves he was a great defensive end.
The fact that he is still alive today proves that he never ate his own hamburgers.
In 1975 I ditched the husband and the town, and after a wonderful sojourn alla italiana, I returned to Chicago to get a divorce.
I met Bill Ross and although it was November, he motorcycled me to
That’s the snowy order call box at the world-famous drive-in, Superdawg, at Milwaukee and Devon in Chicago.
And at long last, this cheeseburger, whoops, nope, sorry, Supercheesie on a bun with everything on it and grilled AND raw onions, filled the gap left by Hershey’s emigration.
This is currently my number one favorite Chicago burger.
And for a while there, Bill was batting two for two. He also took me to Steak ‘n Shake. But not by motorcycle. By plane.
He always had a puddle-jumper of some kind parked in a hangar somewhere. He had gotten his pilot’s license at the University of Illinois and he had also gotten a taste for Steak ‘n Shake on Green Street.
Founded in 1934 in Normal, Illinois by Gus Belt, Steak ‘n Shake had a lot to commend it. The burger was thin, the onion was tasty, the flat pickle spear a triumph.
Sadly, I can no longer endorse the chain. They sold out and sold out.
But I will always be grateful that Fate introduced me to Bill- for the Superdawg knockdown alone.
In 1978 we had Natasha. And it became our Saturday afternoon routine to drop her off at my parents’ and head over to
Charlie Beinlich’s. Beinlich’s is a tavern on Chicago’s North Shore. It’s got some quirky little habits- cash only, no menus, no coffee. Their only dessert is “with” or “without”- Hershey Bars with almonds or not- and their burgers are different, too. They’re grilled but they’re kind of soft. I can’t explain them. You’re going to have to taste for yourself.
Their cole slaw is habit-forming, their fries better than average and they do a terrific grilled/raw onion combo, too.
And even though she was stashed at my folk’s house for safe-keeping, somehow Beinlich’s got into Natasha’s food DNA. This Northbrook temple of gastronomy is her favorite burger in Chicago- and maybe the world.
A brief shout out now goes to California. Home of Fatburger, In-N-Out and Cassell’s. And all worthy of my patronage.
And on the other side of the country- Voss’s in Yorkvile, New York. A barbecue shack only open in summer until Labor Day but well worth ferreting out.
They make a yummy burger and they hand out children’s alphabet blocks as your pick-up receipt. A nice, old-fashioned mom and pop touch.
My beloved Nora Ephron gets the last word.
“When you are actually going to have your last meal, you’ll either be too sick to have it or you aren’t gonna know it’s your last meal and you could squander it on something like a tuna melt…I feel it’s important to have that last meal today, tomorrow, soon.”
Me too, Nora. No crummy tuna melt for me. I know what I’m having for my last meal.
A Hershey’s cheeseburger.***
***If you know where he is in Australia, do write in.
And Gene, Jack and Nora? Wait for me.
I’m buying.
Ellen—I am surprised that you haven’t tried the real Hamburger Heaven in Palm Beach, FL. A real icon that has been in business over 50 years. The Boehm family started eating there in 1969, and we even made up a song about it to the tune of Pennies from Heaven. I’ll sing it to you at Post-season, 2014.
No, I’ve never been there. Every time I go to Palm Beach I’m too busy dining at the Everglades and the B and T. (Kidding.) Next time I’m down there, it will be my first stop.
Looking forward to Post now more than ever, Bing. Thanks.
I’m hungry. The late night cheeseburger at the Arber in Eagle River was awesome. We called it a feather burger and I would eat two at 10PM as a late night snack after 3 incredible Ojibwa meals. It’s long gone and that’s probably a good thing for my 60 year old stomach!!
Very nice. An Eagle River burger. And late nights have never stopped you from stopping in at Superdawg after baseball. Why worry now?
My early years were spent in St. Louis so I was exposed to SteaknShake at an early age and of course White Castle. There was also a small local chain called ChuckaBurger which made huge cheeseburgers long before the Whopper…and they were great! However my all time favorite (surprised it didn’t make your list) after moving to Wilmette has to be Hackney’s. Loved the dark rye and of course you had to order the loaf of onion rings to go along with the burger. In addition to the burger list, I have to add a little hole in the wall in San Diego that my buddy exposed me to last summer called Nessy Burger. It will be on my list of places to go again when I go back this summer for my burger fix.
Very nice, Steve. A stroll down burger memory lane, the ultimate onion loaf shout out and that joint in San Diego just got added to my burger bucket list. Thank you.
Very true! A midnight Super cheesie on the picnic table on Milwaukee and Devon is something special. No Northern Lights. Just the glow of the giant Maury and Florie burger and dog winking at me!!!
It sounds so romantic to hear you tell it…sigh. Thanks for seconds, bro.
O’Connell’s on Rush St and Diversey Pkwy (Chicago) were favorites in the 1940’s and 1950’s. In addition to fine hamburgers, they had delicious milk shakes, waffles and schneckens (pecan rolls on their card-like menu). One of my friends customarily ate one of each item for an after movie snack. After the war (World War 2), hamburger prices soared from, I believe, 15 cents to 22 cents.
I miss O’Connell’s!
Herbie
That’s what I love about this blog. My readers! I loved O’Connell’s and haven’t thought about it in a million years. Thanks for reminding me, Herbie. I miss it, too. And you.
My son just moved to near north side and the memories are flooding back. Every Sunday Mom took me to o’connell’s after Sunday school. This was 1946-47. Always had a waffle with butter and syrup, and a burger, no cheese just mustard and a pickle. The best.
I was all about the onion and the pickle. The pickle rocked! Thanks for chiming in here, Alex.
What about Charcoal Burger? RFV Burger legend.
I have eaten it out of sheer desperation. Come to Chicago Big K. and I’ll show you how we burger here. “This is how we do it…” Thanks for coming up for air and commenting today, Kev. See you after 4/15. I have an addendum here. Denver has two burgers definitely worth mentioning. My Brother’s Bar and The Cherry Cricket. Both worth a stop- and I love MBB’s condiment box. So Colorado can hold its head up.
There’s a good little place in Tempe the next time you hit Az check out the Chuckbox. I seem to remember the smell of A&W Papa burger coming out of Roffe’s cabins in the mid 70’s
Nice! On the list! I loved Pishke’s Paradise but it’s gone now so I’ll have to replace it. Kenny’s out running. When he comes back I’m sure he’ll get a kick out of your comment. Thanks, Mark. Wish I was there.
HI ELLEN; WAS JUST AT APPLE PAN IN L.A. WITH MY COUSIN MARCIA.THE BURGER IS ONE OF THE RICHEST IN FLAVOR I HAVE EATEN..ALSO SHARED A PIECE OF BANANA CREME PIE..OI VEY….NEXT TIME IM IN SAN DIEGO I’M GONNA TRY NESSY BURGER GONNA PUT IT IN MY GPS..I’LL LET YOU KNOW WHAT I THINK OF ITS BURGERS…HUGS LAURIE
A talent scout! I love it. Thanks, buddy. Love to all my Cali buddies. Keep some for yourself.
The Apple Pan is *still* the best old school, traditional burger in LA. My favorite gourmet burger is Father’s Office. There are no substitutions – the joint doesn’t even serve ketchup – but it’s absolutely DELICIOUS. Umami is very good, but will never be my favorite. Apple Pan still stands for a reason!
Good to know, my LA Gourmet. A new one for my readers and my credibility holds up. Thanks, Julie. You are a doll.
Glad a reader corrected your unthinkable oversight of the totally unhealthy, but delicious Hackney Burger on Dark Rye (told once they’re deep fried) …. Here’s another you may recall…green pepper and onion burger from the long gone but not forgotten Acorn on Oak. I’ve unsuccessfully tried replicating it on the BBQ. Norton’s in Highland Park tries too, but also misses the mark.
No oversight. Hackneys was all about the onion loaf- not the burger. Yes! Acorn on Oak! Awesome burger, Arnie. The Drake International Club had a version of it that was almost as good. Never to be forgotten- or duplicated. Thanks for the yummy memories.
For those of you that have never experienced Thursday night hamburger cookout between the fourth week of June and the third week of August along the shores of Catfish Lake, I feel sorry for you!!
Another Ojibwa touch. Very nice. But c’mon, Bernie? No great burgers on the South Side?
As a matter of fact, Ellen, there was. It was called “The Hot Dog Pit”. Located at 83rd and Stoney Island. The hamburger (cheeseburger) was served naked but all the condiments were on the table for you to customized your own.
While we’re at it, I might as well put my two cents in on what were the best ribs…”The Tropical Hut”, (no longer there) just off the U of C campus in Hyde Park.
I suppose you can now write another blog for ribs……………
That’s what I’m talking about! Good to know they made a great burger, too. Thanks, my friend, for representing here. Ribs, hmmmmm? Yeah, maybe. I’ll take it under advisement.
Where to start. First, I didn’t know Henry’s was the Henry Bresler, soon to be put out of business by a little start-up company, McDonald’s, because Mcd’s had the best fries.
Then there is Boobies where I worked for a summer. Having worked there, I never recommended anyone ever going there – too many stories, all of which would kill your appetite.
Sophie Newcomb – never knew you went there. I unfortunately built the first hurricane proof, flood proof home in the world only to have NOLA take it apart because it didn’t meet code. Took a bath on the project.
And the final coincidence. Just opened Rev Burger in Carol Stream. We serve only hormone/antibiotic free meats, organic black bean burgers, organic frozen yogurt shakes, etc. Check out our website.
Hope to open in River North in July just down the street from me. Bon Appetit.
Yeah, I had forgotten that you had worked at Boobie’s. Bruce reminded me of it yesterday. Said that you quit, he never got a raise and Arnie Granat was the manager. Really funny. Good luck on the project. I want a free burger.
Ellen, your reposting this blog made me think of 2 great additions to
the hamburger hall of fame. First is Au Cheval, second I’d Kuma’s Corner. Both have out of this world burgers!
Better late than never, Mitch. My kids would agree on all the above. Thanks- and now I want one. Yum.