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The one time we went, we had our youngest son with us and they brought out a high chair for him, and seemed delighted to have him there.

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Well I got drunk and I ate a chicken
I ate a chicken I found in my kitchen
Not just a leg and not just a wing
I'd like to let you know that I ate the whole damn thing

I was at Kuma's Tuesday evening with my 10 month old and they do have exactly one highchair. Also, we got there at 6:15 and were quoted a wait of one hour, but to our surprise only waited 30 min. This abbreviated wait was not due to the patio being open as it was pouring outside. The staff was unbelievably nice concerning the baby and several people stopped by to even play with him. BTW, the two people I was dining with had the Led Zeppelin and both were in heaven. I had the veggie version of the Pantera and loved the crunch of the tortilla strips. Plus, to my surprise the roasted poblanos had a little kick to them. I am personally a fan of the chips over the waffle fries, but to each her own. The baby had waffle fries, chips, a little veggie burger and some pulled pork from his dad's Led Zeppelin plus the raspberries that we brought from home.

We got an indoor table right at the back, so we just plopped his carseat onto a chair in the back corner. But as ECS and Jim mentioned, they have a high chair.

Off topic, but this discussion of high chairs reminds me of a time when I visited my brother, who was stationed out at Monterey, and we went with his family into San Francisco to have a Sunday brunch with a high school friend of mine and her partner. One of those servers-in-pajamas brunch places. Clientele nearly all gay. We asked for a high chair for the little niece. Not having one on hand, but eager to accomodate, some staff members ran down the street, in their pajamas of course, to borrow one from another restaurant.

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"I would gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today."

I figured I might as well make my LTH Forum debut -- after much reading and learning -- with a description of the July special at Kuma's.

I think I have it right; we made a few stops after Kuma's

The Baroness: burger topped with chimichurri sauce, corn salsa, fried green beans and Asiago cheese.

Very tasty -- I thought the toppings looked kind of meager at first, but it turned out they complemented the beef perfectly rather than overwhelming it. The chimichurri was nice and garlicy, and the Asiago smelled and tasted great. The burger itself was cooked medium well, as ordered (as were the medium and medium rares ordered at our table). The Baroness isn't as crazy as the Swine Flu (from the images I've seen here) or Bongzilla, but worked as a more laid-back option.

The tap list included Three Floyds' Gumballhead and Alpha King, Surly Furious, Allagash White, Metropolitan Dynamo, a saison, and maybe another.

Damn. I was there on Wednesday and they hadn't put the special up yet. Now I'm sad.

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Ed Fisher
my chicago food photos

RIP LTH.

Got there on Sunday. Rode up at 11:50 and there was a sizable line. But there were still a few seats left when we got to the door. Had a bongzilla for the first time, med rare. Very tasty and an excellent bratwurst in and of itself. Teh wife had the baroness special. I finished mine but left a few fries, and had a bite of the 30% leftovers from the baroness.

Both were tasty but I think I prefer the classic simplicity of the Kuma Burger with the egg. For beers had an Alpha King.

First bump I hit on the motorcycle on the way home jarred loose a pretty sizable belch.

Stopped by the other day in the afternoon with my bride. No line, a few open tables and there were a few open tables the entire time we were there.

Sometimes it is all about the timing.

Burgers and service were fantastic as usual. First bite loosing a flood of juice down my arms and creating a nice puddle on the plate. Cooked to a perfect medium rare.

Requested a scoop of chili on the waffle fries, no special orders, so I ordered a bowl and it was very good! Nice and meaty with a nice right amount of spice. A few drops of Sriracha (which they stock) bumped the heat up so a few beads of heat appeared on my forehead. Had enough left over for a late night snack.

The patio was doing a brisk business (not full either) and the crowd nicely mixed from the usual tattoo crowd to pairs of older ladies. The bike racks were full.

A great lunch!

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"Make Lunch, Not War" ~ Anon

There was no wait yesterday afternoon around 3:30. A couple of tables were open as well as a few seats at the bar. I enjoyed the Baroness with chips and a couple of beers. I really liked the garlic punch of the chimichurri. My friend had the Lair of the Minotaur. Both were cooked perfectly. Excellent service from our lovely bartender.

I'm glad that I was finally able to make it to Kuma's and not have even have to deal with waiting forever for a seat.

Am I wrong (and I could be--I'm not going back through 28 pages to check) to think that not that long ago, reports were coming in that Kuma's had a line even at these times of the day? If that's the case, the new "no wait at 3:30" may represent a return to rationality, in which Kuma's is perceived as an excellent bar offering excellent burgers that are worth waiting, oh, maybe an hour for at peak times.

Really depends on the day (and time of year). The wife went with a friend a couple of weeks ago mid-week about 4 and was promptly seated.

It's a little less insane right now because the patio is open for the season, so there are an extra 20 or so seats in the restaurant. Food still takes a while to come, though.

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Ed Fisher
my chicago food photos

RIP LTH.

This may be a stupid question, but just how spicy is the High on Fire? That may just be my next burger, but not if it's going to make me cry. Is it as bad as a Flaming Hot Cheeto??

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I want to have a good body, but not as much as I want dessert. ~ Jason Love
There is no pie in Nighthawks, which is why it's such a desolate image. ~ Happy Stomach
I can't go to Hollywood. I got biscuits to make. ~ Dwight Henry

Late-Nite Eats Database

If you think flaming hot cheeto's are "hot" then you should probably not get the High on Fire . But just get it anyway. No better way to build up a spice tolerance then to just make yourself eat it. Jalapenos aren't even that hot to me anymore...

I really enjoyed the High On Fire but it was significantly hotter than any other burger I've had at Kuma's.

Banner quote?

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I don't know what you think about dinner, but there must be a relation between the breakfast and the happiness. --Cemal Süreyya

Do you like spicey food? I like spice, but not rediculous heat that masks flavor and this was fine to me, actually one of my favorites.

I like spicy, but not when all I taste is spice and my mouth burns like it's been scalded. I can't think of a perfectly spicy comparative food right now, but when it comes to me I'll make sure and post it.

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I want to have a good body, but not as much as I want dessert. ~ Jason Love
There is no pie in Nighthawks, which is why it's such a desolate image. ~ Happy Stomach
I can't go to Hollywood. I got biscuits to make. ~ Dwight Henry

Late-Nite Eats Database

First time for me at Kuma's after reading many of the posts here.

Grandma Bobbi and I along with one of our granddaughters (and her folks) decided to go yesterday for her 21st birthday lunch at Kuma's. All of us arrived except her Dad who was slightly delayed. We checked in with the hostess and she told us that our entire party must be there for us to be seated. When Dad arrived, about 10 minutes later, we were immediately seated on the patio. As we about to walk out there, the hostess told people walking in the door there would be a 40 minute wait. So as others have suggested, either get there when they open or else be prepared to wait.

While we were waiting for Dad to show up, I bought my granddaughter a beer. Interestingly, she did a semester in Spain and visited her cousin in London. They hit the pubs nightly because the legal drinking age there is 18.

It was a gorgeous afternoon to be on the patio. Our waitress was extremely nice and also efficient. I especially appreciated how she described some of the spicier burgers when we asked. So Grandma Bobbi had her Iron Maiden burger with the heat on the side. I had a regular Kuma Burger. Both were ordered medium rare and came cooked to perfection. As our waitress told us, "Once you've had a burger at Kuma's, you won't find a better one anywhere." She was so right! We also had enough left over for dinner.

Another thing about our waitress was she was quite knowledgeable about their beer selection. With all the crafted beers, it's tough to keep track of them. But she helped us through their beer list.

I asked her if one needed a tattoo to work at Kuma's. She told us she was 31 and had just gotten her first. She also advised our granddaughter to wait a while until she gets one. Her Dad is a bit conservative and I think he'd have a problem with his daughter getting one. He sort of blanched when our waitress suggested that our granddaughter hold off a while before getting one.

All in all, the experience was just fine. I'm glad we sat on the patio because the noise level inside seemed a bit loud. Not particularly the heavy metal music, but the conversation level.

Grandma Bobbi and I figured we were the oldest ones there. However, there were a few bald-headed guys with white hair pulled back in a ponytail. I'm not quite ready for that at age 73. Maybe I'll wait a while until I do that and get my tattoo at the same time.

Best regards,

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"It was very nice the time I was there." - my Mother whenever she was asked her opinion of a restaurant

We were also at Kuma's yesterday and I have to say I enjoyed it a lot more than my first Kuma's experience. We arrived shortly after 11:30 and had a 40 minute wait. I had the special burger of the month. It was cooked dead on medium rare and I thought the toppings really worked in a restrained sort of way (chimichurri sauce and a fire-roasted corn salsa). What really struck me the most about the burger was both how juicy and delightfully beefy it was.

Was it worth the 40 minute wait for a table and than another 45 minutes for the burger to actually arrive? That I'm not too sure about. But I will say that I haven't had many burgers better than the one I had yesterday.

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-Josh

An amuse bouche at breakfast is called a Bloody Mary - Scott Manlin

someday I'll go here. when I feel really, really patient

Yes they must make some burger, if it can take 2 hours get one in your hands.

It's not so bad - hang out, enjoy the music, make friends with the guy you're shoe-horned next to at the bar, have a beer... before you know it you'll be up to your ears in... how did jesteinf put it? goodness. I've been on insanely busy days as well as moments when Llama and I were seated without further ado and all of my substitution whims were indulged. Either way, the burgers tend to be very worth it.

There's typically no wait at McDonalds if you're in a hurry!

I like Kuma's. Their toppings are what make the burger, though. The meat itself seems to be the standard industrial preformed and frozen patties. Speaking of which, for pure hamburger flavor, I prefer Patty's.

I know you say "seems to be", but it's definitely fresh beef, not preformed-and-frozen. That said, it is pre-formed. Not sure if they're using a burger form in the restaurant or if their purveyor is doing it for them, though.

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Ed Fisher
my chicago food photos

RIP LTH.

I'm pretty sure I saw them forming the patties themselves when I was there last. Any news on this month's special? It still says Kuma Burger, but I thought that was there in July. I know the Swine Flu (RIP) was labor-intensive, but I sure hope they put another burger on the menu soon that includes chorizo. Chorizo is my new best friend.

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I want to have a good body, but not as much as I want dessert. ~ Jason Love
There is no pie in Nighthawks, which is why it's such a desolate image. ~ Happy Stomach
I can't go to Hollywood. I got biscuits to make. ~ Dwight Henry

Late-Nite Eats Database

Fresh or frozen, pre-formed or not, my actual burger patty was significantly better than any burger I've had in a long while. This was actually the main reason why I liked my burger. I wanted to get one of the more restrained burgers (toppings-wise) just because I found my last burger (the meat itself) so disappointing. For the sake of science, I had to see if my last burger was an aberration. At some point I will have to make a tie-breaking third trip.

Bottom line - any respect I have or will have for their burgers is going to come from the meat itself. I don't really see the skill in throwing a bunch of crap on a burger to cover up what might be a sub-standard patty (which is why I really don't like The Counter).

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-Josh

An amuse bouche at breakfast is called a Bloody Mary - Scott Manlin

Thanks for the clarification. I was only speculating that they were frozen. But I definitely saw a stack of perfectly formed disks. As you said, they may form these themselves.

Anyone know a place I could find a post-formed burger?