I’m not sure a hamburger needs to go gourmet.A carelessly tended yard burger, charred and flavored with grill gunk, can come as close to culinary heaven in my book as seared foie gras in Calvados.But let’s assume, in fact, you want a gourmet burger. You’ve come to the right place at the Burger Stand at Dempsey’s in downtown Lawrence. Your mouth is watering in anticipation before you walk in because the Stand is co-owned by acclaimed chef Robert Krause of the spectacularly expensive and excellent Krause Dining.Krause and his partner, former sous chef and longtime friend Simon Bates, opened the Burger Stand in February, running the operation out of a corner of an existing Irish pub, Dempsey’s.The restaurant-without-a-dining-room concept only adds to the Burger Stand’s cachet initially, as you make your way past college kids drinking Guinness to a small cash register and chalkboard at the back of a long wooden bar. But the thrill wanes rapidly after you place your order and discover you’re on your own to jockey for one of the bar’s booths or tall tables. The Burger Stand’s prices are low compared to other gourmet burger places, and you don’t get what you don’t pay for — table service and comfortable seating, in this case. Tip No. 1: Order carryout and have a picnic at Riverfront Park.All the hamburgers at the Burger Stand (except the Kobe) are made from a ground mix of tenderloin, strip steak and rib eye. Not surprisingly, those lean cuts yield a lean burger. My companions and I all found the burgers tasty but on the dry side, and not from overcooking. The chalkboard says burgers are cooked to “medium” unless otherwise specified. Judging from the four we tried, “medium” at the Burger Stand means really, really pink inside. I like my steak rare, but ground beef that is not cooked all the way through has a mushy texture none of us cared for.Tip No. 2: Order your burgers well-done.As for toppings, the Classic was the winner. Straightforward with Vermont cheddar on a toasted brioche bun, it was a pleasing combination, although the flavor of the sprinkling of microgreens was lost under the beef, bread and cheese.More tragically, we couldn’t taste the cheese in the Black & Blue. The burger was delicious, but the blackening spice and apple chutney masked the mild Danish blue entirely. We liked the pickled red onion and truffle butter on the Kobe burger, but the Pancetta & Mozzarella burger was better deconstructed than eaten as assembled.The sweet potato fries, truffle fries and regular fries were all hot and crispy and good. But the duck fat fries, which I’d been looking forward to, having feasted on goose fat pommes frites when I lived in France, were disappointing: soggy with an overly assertive duck fat flavor.I was also let down when we didn’t get the trio of house-made dipping sauces I’d heard raves about. The menu says “baskets” of fries are served with three sauces: cherry-pepper ketchup, guadillo-chili dip and parmesan-roasted garlic aioli. I failed to get the fact that individual sides of fries don’t come with the sauce trio. I hate weird menu conditions like that. If I’m paying $12 or more for a burger, fries and a drink, just throw in the sauces.Tip No. 3: Share a basket of fries instead of ordering them individually. When we were finished eating, we were sated and ready to romp around campus and Massachusetts Street. But later, the conversation turned curiously to really good greasy burger joints, and I decided we needed to check out a couple more to see how they compared to the worthy offerings at the Burger Stand.There’s nothing upscale about Jim’s Diner, at 69th and Prospect, a pea-green painted concrete structure. Jim’s has no tables, but there are a couple of park benches inside that we ended up spending quite some time on, having wandered in like amateurs without phoning in an order in advance. While we waited some 20 minutes for our food we decided to have a picnic at nearby Swope Park. As we unpacked our brown grocery sack full of food onto a picnic table, we admired a grand colonnaded shelter nearby. It was adorned with dozens of intricately detailed copper lion heads around the perimeter of the roof. (You can’t find that in Johnson County.) We gazed out over acres of rolling lawns dotted by huge trees and realized what a lucky twist of fate it was that Jim’s had no tables.As we greedily chomped into our burgers, the Quiet One said, “My lips are coated with grease. That’s good.” Touché. I was over-focusing on the generous helpings of fresh lettuce, crispy onion slices and summer tomatoes and had missed the salient point — this was one juicy burger.The fries, which we ate in the car on the way to the park, were delicious. And the onion rings were a tantalizing miss. The Comedian offered this analysis of what had apparently befallen the rings: “First, they pull them out of the fryer too soon. Then they put them in a bag and place the bag under the tires of a car and run over them, back and forth, until they are mush, then they put them at the bottom of the sack under all the other food.”But the sheer size of the big, fat onion slices beneath the mushy, yellow coating was promising. A few days later I went back just for rings and they were perfectly crispy and golden.At Max’s Burgers & Gyros, the food was spot-on for a grill joint, and the only source of humor was the crazy driving along Wornall. We joked about what kind of impact the whitewashed wooden panels erected in front of the patio area would withstand and why certain streets seemed to attract the most daredevil drivers.The burgers were excellent. As at Jim’s and the Burger Stand, every order is made fresh — no holding baskets or heat lamps. But unlike the Burger Stand, at Max’s, after you place your order inside, they bring the food out to you when it is ready. I appreciate that. Conversation and laughter among old friends flows better when everyone isn’t straining to listen for their call to go collect the food.Although the charbroiled burgers at Max’s were juicy and delicious, the thing that stuck with us in the hours and days following our visit was the tater tots. These are the best tater tots in the city. I had no reason to go back to re-check them a few days later, but I did anyway. They’re that good.<hr class="infobox-hr-separator" /> <div class="infobox"> burger stand at dempsey’s 623 Vermont St., Lawrence 785-856-5460<a href="http://www.theburgerstand.com">www.theburgerstand.com</a>Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. SundayCredit cards: Yes•Basic burger: The Classic ($7)•For a change: Black & Blue ($7.50)•Don’t-miss side: Regular fries ($1 with burger, $3 per basket)•Vegetarian choices: Falafel burger Seating capacity: 18 tablesParking: On-street and adjacent lot</div> <hr class="infobox-hr-separator" /> <div class="infobox"> jim’s diner 6901 Prospect Ave.816-363-7770 Hours: 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday Credit cards: Yes•Basic burger: Single ( 1/2 pound), $3.75•For a change: Jalapeno burger, $4.25•Don’t miss side: Onion rings, $2.50•Vegetarian choices: Catfish sandwich, $5.50Seating capacity: None; carryout only. Calling in orders by phone is recommended.Parking: Free spaces in front</div> <hr class="infobox-hr-separator" /> <div class="infobox"> max’s burgers & gyros 8240 Wornall Road816-444-6297www.maxsburgers andgyros.com Hours: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. (11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-SaturdayHours: 11 a.m.-7:45 p.m. Monday-Friday; 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday (11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday after Nov. 1)Credit cards: Yes•Basic burger: Max burger, $3.50•Mushroom Swiss Burger, $6•Don’t miss side: Tater tots, $1.50•Vegetarian choices: Veggie sandwich, $2.25Seating capacity: 14 tables outside, 19 seats insideParking: Free adjacent lot</div>

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MY LUNCHES AT | BURGER STAND AT DEMPSEY'S, JIM'S DINER, MAX'S BURGERS & GYROS

My Dinner At | Burger Stand at Dempsey's, Jim's Diner, Max's Burgers & Gyros

By CINDY HOEDEL

The Kansas City Star

GARVEY SCOTT | The Kansas City Star

The burgers at Max’s Burgers and Gyros were excellent, said our reviewer, and she declared the tots the best in the city.

More News

I’m not sure a hamburger needs to go gourmet.

A carelessly tended yard burger, charred and flavored with grill gunk, can come as close to culinary heaven in my book as seared foie gras in Calvados.

But let’s assume, in fact, you want a gourmet burger. You’ve come to the right place at the Burger Stand at Dempsey’s in downtown Lawrence. Your mouth is watering in anticipation before you walk in because the Stand is co-owned by acclaimed chef Robert Krause of the spectacularly expensive and excellent Krause Dining.

Krause and his partner, former sous chef and longtime friend Simon Bates, opened the Burger Stand in February, running the operation out of a corner of an existing Irish pub, Dempsey’s.

The restaurant-without-a-dining-room concept only adds to the Burger Stand’s cachet initially, as you make your way past college kids drinking Guinness to a small cash register and chalkboard at the back of a long wooden bar.

But the thrill wanes rapidly after you place your order and discover you’re on your own to jockey for one of the bar’s booths or tall tables. The Burger Stand’s prices are low compared to other gourmet burger places, and you don’t get what you don’t pay for — table service and comfortable seating, in this case.

Tip No. 1: Order carryout and have a picnic at Riverfront Park.

All the hamburgers at the Burger Stand (except the Kobe) are made from a ground mix of tenderloin, strip steak and rib eye. Not surprisingly, those lean cuts yield a lean burger. My companions and I all found the burgers tasty but on the dry side, and not from overcooking.

The chalkboard says burgers are cooked to “medium” unless otherwise specified. Judging from the four we tried, “medium” at the Burger Stand means really, really pink inside. I like my steak rare, but ground beef that is not cooked all the way through has a mushy texture none of us cared for.

Tip No. 2: Order your burgers well-done.

As for toppings, the Classic was the winner. Straightforward with Vermont cheddar on a toasted brioche bun, it was a pleasing combination, although the flavor of the sprinkling of microgreens was lost under the beef, bread and cheese.

More tragically, we couldn’t taste the cheese in the Black & Blue. The burger was delicious, but the blackening spice and apple chutney masked the mild Danish blue entirely.

We liked the pickled red onion and truffle butter on the Kobe burger, but the Pancetta & Mozzarella burger was better deconstructed than eaten as assembled.

The sweet potato fries, truffle fries and regular fries were all hot and crispy and good. But the duck fat fries, which I’d been looking forward to, having feasted on goose fat pommes frites when I lived in France, were disappointing: soggy with an overly assertive duck fat flavor.

I was also let down when we didn’t get the trio of house-made dipping sauces I’d heard raves about. The menu says “baskets” of fries are served with three sauces: cherry-pepper ketchup, guadillo-chili dip and parmesan-roasted garlic aioli. I failed to get the fact that individual sides of fries don’t come with the sauce trio. I hate weird menu conditions like that. If I’m paying $12 or more for a burger, fries and a drink, just throw in the sauces.

Tip No. 3: Share a basket of fries instead of ordering them individually.

When we were finished eating, we were sated and ready to romp around campus and Massachusetts Street. But later, the conversation turned curiously to really good greasy burger joints, and I decided we needed to check out a couple more to see how they compared to the worthy offerings at the Burger Stand.

There’s nothing upscale about Jim’s Diner, at 69th and Prospect, a pea-green painted concrete structure. Jim’s has no tables, but there are a couple of park benches inside that we ended up spending quite some time on, having wandered in like amateurs without phoning in an order in advance.

While we waited some 20 minutes for our food we decided to have a picnic at nearby Swope Park.

As we unpacked our brown grocery sack full of food onto a picnic table, we admired a grand colonnaded shelter nearby. It was adorned with dozens of intricately detailed copper lion heads around the perimeter of the roof. (You can’t find that in Johnson County.) We gazed out over acres of rolling lawns dotted by huge trees and realized what a lucky twist of fate it was that Jim’s had no tables.

As we greedily chomped into our burgers, the Quiet One said, “My lips are coated with grease. That’s good.”

Touché. I was over-focusing on the generous helpings of fresh lettuce, crispy onion slices and summer tomatoes and had missed the salient point — this was one juicy burger.

The fries, which we ate in the car on the way to the park, were delicious. And the onion rings were a tantalizing miss. The Comedian offered this analysis of what had apparently befallen the rings: “First, they pull them out of the fryer too soon. Then they put them in a bag and place the bag under the tires of a car and run over them, back and forth, until they are mush, then they put them at the bottom of the sack under all the other food.”

But the sheer size of the big, fat onion slices beneath the mushy, yellow coating was promising. A few days later I went back just for rings and they were perfectly crispy and golden.

At Max’s Burgers & Gyros, the food was spot-on for a grill joint, and the only source of humor was the crazy driving along Wornall. We joked about what kind of impact the whitewashed wooden panels erected in front of the patio area would withstand and why certain streets seemed to attract the most daredevil drivers.

The burgers were excellent. As at Jim’s and the Burger Stand, every order is made fresh — no holding baskets or heat lamps. But unlike the Burger Stand, at Max’s, after you place your order inside, they bring the food out to you when it is ready. I appreciate that. Conversation and laughter among old friends flows better when everyone isn’t straining to listen for their call to go collect the food.

Although the charbroiled burgers at Max’s were juicy and delicious, the thing that stuck with us in the hours and days following our visit was the tater tots. These are the best tater tots in the city. I had no reason to go back to re-check them a few days later, but I did anyway. They’re that good.

burger stand at dempsey’s
623 Vermont St., Lawrence

785-856-5460

www.theburgerstand.com

Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday

Credit cards: Yes

•Basic burger: The Classic ($7)

•For a change: Black & Blue ($7.50)

•Don’t-miss side: Regular fries ($1 with burger, $3 per basket)

•Vegetarian choices: Falafel burger

Seating capacity: 18 tables

Parking: On-street and adjacent lot

jim’s diner
6901 Prospect Ave.