For those who worship meat—specifically, bacon—a relatively new eatery may just represent their nirvana.
Burke's Bacon Bar ( 610 N. Rush St.; www.burkesbaconbar.com ), as its name would indicate, might be a carnivore's paradise. Burke's, which opened in August, is a "grab-and-go" eatery that employs a creative menu of mini-sandwiches, salads, sides and even desserts with bacon themes. ( The sandwiches—four dollars each, or three for $11—are actually called "handwiches" because they can be held with one hand; the name is innovative although, to be honest, there have been "sliders" around Chicago for ages. )
Among the offerings are the CBLT, a favorite of mine that combines cheddar cheese, black pepper bacon, Romaine lettuce, heirloom tomato and bacon mayonnaise; the Chilly Willy, which has creamy shrimp salad, crisp black pepper bacon, lemon, apple and celery leaves on a soft bun; and the Hawaiian-themed Big Kahuna Sandwich, which features barbecued Spam ( yes, you read that correctly ), pineapple slaw, bacon crumbs and homemade pickles on a King's Hawaiian bun.
Thankfully ( for the sake of variety ), bacon isn't front-and-center with every dish, as celebrity chef David Burke and David Burke's Primehouse Executive Chef Rick Gresh use creative and subtle applications with some of their handwiches. For example, the River North Bacon Dog has jalapeno bacon jam among its toppings while the Angry Reuben has spicy bacon kraut. There's also a handwich option of vegetarians: the smoked eggplant meatball parmesan ( although bacon can be added for an extra dollar ).
Salad offerings include chopped, quinoa and glass noodle ( the latter with five-spice duck, miso dressing, cucumber, carrots and cilantro ), with only the first incorporating bacon. However, even the desserts use the revered meat, including bacon chocolate-chip cookies ( which tasted like chocolate with a hint of smoke ) and even bacon peanut brittle. Other sweets include cheesecake lollipops and soft-serve flurries.
It will be interesting to see how Burke's accommodate visitors in the winter. I imagine lunchtime and even rush hour could be hectic, and the space is tiny. ( However, the wait time averages only five to 10 minutes, which could entice patrons. )
Burke's offerings are, admittedly, not as expansive as some other restaurants'. However, the items it does offer are done quite well.
