The burger: So this is how my mind operates. One bite into the burger at BoneYard Kitchen & Bar, and my brain immediately went flying to the 1966 novelty pop hit, "I Love Onions," kazoos and all. Yeah, I know. Anyway. My point is that onion lovers will flip over this bruiser of a burger.
"It's my grandmother's hamburger secret," said chef Jason Bush. "Growing up, she was the one who taught me how to make the hamburger meat. She'd finely mince the onions until they were really mushy. She'd squeeze the juice out of them, then add that onion pulp to the burger meat, ending with a splash of Worcestershire sauce."
The flavor of those carefully chopped onions really comes to life under the grill's heat. The patty is taken to a straight-up medium, bordering on medium-well, without sacrificing juiciness.
"My grandmother was old school," said Bush with a laugh. "She came from the generation that cooked their burgers to well done, and if they were thick, they'd turn out like hockey pucks."
Which explains why, under close examination, you'll see that the single, noticeably thick patty is actually two quarter-pound patties, stacked together, with a slice of white Cheddar draped over the top of each. That format turns the cheese between the two patties into a kind of stroll down Juicy Lucy Lane.
More onions come in the form of a garnish, a cap of thick-cut red onions that Bush rubs in olive oil and dresses with his fried chicken's spice blend, grilling them until they take on a smoky goodness. The final touch, onion-wise, is channeled via a sturdy, lightly toasted onion bun, baked at Breadsmith. Add crunchy iceberg lettuce and a few generous dollops of housemade mayonnaise, and you've got yourself one terrific burger.
Price: $10.95 at lunch and late-night, $11.95 at dinner.
Fries: Included. They're cottage fries, and I can't endorse the greasy, overtly garlicky and over-fried results.
