"If the melting pot exists, the cheeseburger may well be its most palpable product; to take a bite of it is to take a bite of history..."

-Elizabeth Rozin, Primal Cheeseburger

Who could argue with that statement? Checked out Delux Burger today; Delux is a burger joint that gets some serious buzz and numerous Best Burger awards from the local media. They are also a late night favorite since they serve food until 2 AM. This gives them street credit in my opinion.

The mystery dining companion, otherwise known as L. joined me for this burger excursion this evening; we arrived around 10:00 PM for a late supper. The seating is a bit cramped in the dining room and the patio. The Delux menu is very nicely limited, meeting my personal rule for just do what you do best. We both ordered the signature entree, the "Delux Burger"($9.5), starring a half-pound of freshly ground Harris Ranch beef; supporting cast includes a toasted demi baguette topped with Maytag and Gruyère cheeses, sweet caramelized onions, applewood smoked bacon and organic arugula. We also ordered the Combination Fries "a la cart" ($6) which came out before the Burgers. The fries were fantastic! They were served in a mini shopping cart (making them easy to share) and included french and sweet potato fries. Two sauces were also included with the fries, a standard ketchup and a house aioli which resembled a thousand island type sauce with some kick. 

The burgers came out shortly after the fries. They were impressive looking before we took the first bite - robust in size and the beef was perfectly cooked. Delux recommends to order their burgers at medium rare allowing them to showcase the juiciness of the beef; L. and I ordered our burgers medium and they were prepared perfectly. As we bit into these works of art, the beefy goodness oozed wonderful flavor onto our palate. The beef truly is the star of this show, however supporting cast complements it nicely without taking away from the magnificent flavor of the beef. This burger really hit the spot.

I was able to command and conquer this burger, however L. was only able to master one half and took the other half home. Adam from Man Vs. Food would have been so disappointed with her. A few other good factors that Delux offers: Good service, fantastic beer selection, which are primarily microbrews from across the country, and reasonable prices. If Delux has a weakness, it's an atmosphere that's a bit trendy and possibly even slightly pretentious, but the burgers are so good that it's overruled.

Overall, a fantastic experience... and another bite into burger history.