Culver's

We know something about hamburgers, even Wisconsin hamburgers, such as those you'll find at Culver's, the lone outpost of a Dairy-State chain in the metroplex. Yes, we have literally grilled thousands of them at a little hamburger joint in a small town that deserves to remain unnamed. We thought, in fact, that our little place served the best hamburgers we'd ever eaten. The secret: fresh ground chuck, never frozen, churned out daily at the joint's own meat plant, grilled and served with old-fashioned crinkle-cut fries in a paper sleeve. Then they opened up a Culver's a couple of blocks away. Now there was lots of stuff on the menu besides hamburgers: delicious frozen custard, excellent fish and chips and even bratwurst (in Wisconsin, anyway). But those hamburgers--they call them "ButterBurgers," because of a small swipe of butter on the bun--were the best we'd ever had. We could hardly believe it. And their secret: fresh ground chuck, never frozen, seared on a 475-degree grill to lock in the flavor, then served with old-fashioned crinkle-cut fries in a paper sleeve. It's a bit more expensive than your usual fast food, but the ButterBurgers are good value. You'll not want to miss the malts, shakes, sundaes and frozen custard (also made fresh every day). No wonder it's crowded there.