Kuby's Sausage House - September 15, 2010

This week's burger quest took us to Snider Plaza to visit Kuby's Sausage House which is a combination meat market and restaurant. We have had good luck in the past with meat market burgers so we were hoping that Kuby's would prepare a great burger. Kuby's was opened in 1961 by Karl Kuby who is still present at the restaurant these days. When we entered the restaurant all the tables were taken so we sat at the counter where we were promptly greeted by our server who took our drink orders. She served me iced tea and I ordered the German style burger cooked medium with cheese and bacon and a side of fries. Total price of the burger and drink was $10.55. About ten minutes later, the following burger was placed in front of me:





When the burger arrived I could smell the herbs used to season the patty which was covered with a nice amount of crusty bits that formed during cooking. The patty was placed on top a fairly thick bun from the Kuby's bakery. A pile of bacon was then placed on top of the patty and the bacon was then covered with two slices of Swiss cheese. The burger was served open-faced with a slice of pickle and a stack of shoestring fries. I put mayonnaise on the top bun and then took a bite of the burger and was overwhelmed with the flavor of Worcestershire sauce. The patty was infused with parsley, chopped onion and a blend of German seasoning and unfortunately was cooked well done. I am not sure if Worcestershire sauce was used during the cooking process or was mixed in with the ground beef but I suspect it was a little of both. The bacon was thick and crispy and the buttery nutty flavor of the Swiss cheese helped to offset the flavor of the Worcestershire sauce. The bun was thicker and denser than the average hamburger bun and was lightly toasted before serving. The bun and the bacon were probably my favorite parts of the burger. The bun had a slightly sweet taste and held up well to each bite of the burger. Finally the fries were cooked crispy and then dusted with a light coating of seasoning.


Overall, I thought Kuby's cooked a unique burger. It was almost as if the restaurant wanted to create a variety of sausage that got turned into a hamburger patty instead. The bun, cheese and bacon were really good but the most important part of the package was not my favorite. The patty could have used a little less seasoning and a little less cooking time. I will back to Kuby's in the future but it will be for Kasseler Rippchen and Potato Pancakes instead of a burger.


Ratings (1-25):


Bun - 20, thick dense bun with good flavor; held up well to burger


Meat - 15, funky seasonings, overcooked but good quality meat, patty somewhat dry to being cooked well done


Appearance - 19, nice picture of bacon and melted cheese, bits of onion sticking out of patty were nice


Taste - 15, too much Worcestershire sauce, seasonings would have worked better in sausage


Overall - 69