Wisconsin has been making the news a lot. The Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl without superstar Brett Favre. Controversy swept the state capitol when Governor Scott Walker approved legislation stripping public union workers of their collective bargaining rights. On the metal front, Milwaukee has been synonymous with Milwaukee Metal Fest. Milwaukee has churned out some diverse metal in recent years, though. One of these bands is Northless, with their burly riffs and even burlier doom and gloom.
A menagerie of complex, exquisite ingredients adorn the Northless burger. Kuma’s veterans Luke and Pauline explained to me how it was made. Homemade garlic butter blanketed the 10 oz. beef patty. The garlic butter brought out flavors from the patty not manifested in previous burgers. Underneath the beef patty was a layer of caramelized onions. They melted along with the beef with each bite.
The ingredient that stood out was the roasted red pepper coulis. This method, from what I’ve been told, is common in French cuisine. The coulis was achieved by roasting red peppers on an open flame, then peeling the burned, papery skins off. The seeds were taken out, and the remaining parts were pureed to an 80% reduction with olive oil. This yielded a fresh yet smoky flavor that is beyond description. I couldn’t get enough of this sauce. Fresh mint leaves accentuated the coulis.
I would recommend a subtle beer like a pilsner or a bock to go with this burger. One can fully appreciate its flavors without being distracted by the beer. This burger needs to be appreciated slowly, so that its flavors come to a subtle, multi-faceted bloom.
. . .
Carm occasionally sacrifices his arteries for the sake of this column.
. . .
Today is the last day of our full album stream for Northless’ album Clandestine Abuse.
. . .
This sounds unbelievably good.
I envy each and every one of you living in or near Chicago.
Perfect…I’m heading to Chicago to see Dawnbringer this weekend and now I know what’s gettin crammed in my eatin-hole before the show. That looks (and sounds by your excellent description) totally boners!
@Pappy O’Gravylake
If your visit is anything like mine was, I suggest you show up with plenty of hours to spare. It took us 2 hours to get in and another 1.5 hours to get food and eat.
Not worth the wait. Go to Bad Apple.
I hear Kuma’s lets you substitute a veggie paddy for each one of their burgers. Confirm/deny, anyone?
@ Asa
For some burgers, yes. The server will usually give you a rundown of the burgers that can be modified to be veggie-friendly.
Bangin’. Will have to keep that in mind the next time I’m in Chicago. Excellent review as always, Carm, by the by! I like that you add your two cents on proper beer accompaniment. These matters are important!
Bad Apple? LOL. Yeah, they do a decent burger for a bar, but it’s not anywhere near the level of Kuma’s. I enjoy Bad Apple, but any comparisons to what Kuma’s is creating is laughable.
@ Asa
Cheers! Keep me updated when you’re gonna come over for a visit.