The burger-munching masses in Milwaukee and beyond rejoiced earlier this week upon hearing news that Dave and Melanie Sobelman, the proprietors of Sobelman's Pub and Grill, 1900 W. St. Paul Ave., are going to be selling hamburgers at the location formerly occupied by Patty Burger, 1952 N. Farwell Ave.

Sobelman's in the Menomonee River Valley is great, the fans said. Another Sobelman's -- on the East Side -- will be twice as great.

As a businessman, Dave Sobelman was thrilled with the attention, free publicity and the fact that his loyal customers seemed excited about the news item.

There was, however, one slight problem.

The new location, which will be named Sobelman's Tallgrass Grill and is slated to open early in June, is not designed to be an exact replica of the original.

"All this attention is great, but I'm afraid there may be a little confusion," Sobelman said Wednesday morning. "People want another Sobelman's, but what we're trying to do is a little different. We want the new place to have a different identity."

The first clue about the identity is in the name. The meat at the new location will be supplied almost exclusively by Tallgrass Beef Co., the business started by veteran journalist Bill Kurtis.

In a letter to customers on his Web site, Kurtis explains the benefits of his product thusly:

"Tallgrass cattle are humanely treated throughout their lives and are not confined to feedlots. Our cattle spend their lives in pastures, meadows, and prairie. The genetics of our cattle are select heritage breeds which we can trace back to the original European bloodlines imported into the United States over a hundred years ago. Our cattle are never fed antibiotics, artificial growth hormones, steroids, or animal byproducts. We use ultrasound technology to scan, measure, and select only the highest quality and most tender beef. Tallgrass cattle are raised in a manner that is better for the environment than conventional beef because our cattle never leave the pasture and fertilize next year's grasses... Our beef not only tastes great, but it is good for you."

Sobelman said he had been selling Tallgrass burgers at the St. Paul location for awhile before deciding to use the brand to expand his business.

"I probably go through a case or two cases a week," he said. "When Bill Kurtis came to town (recently), I thought it was a perfect idea for a new restaurant and that the East Side was a place that would accept a different concept.

"I wanted the new place to have its own identity. For starters, we don't have a liquor license. At least we won't right away. So, there won't be any Bloody Marys. We don't really have a lot of space (at the Farwell location) to do that, anyway. So that's going to be different."

The menu will be slightly different, too.

"My idea was to use this beef to do an upscale burger," Sobelman said. "Sobelman's is a blue-collar burger. This will be more of a white-collar burger. It's all Tallgrass beef. I believe in that company. It's better beef and it's a better burger.

"But, we're also going to use better cheeses. Not that there is anything wrong with the cheese we use at Sobelman's. But, the cheese will be a little different. We're going to use different produce and different sauces. Instead of canned mushrooms, we're going to use fresh mushrooms.

"One thing that will be the same is the bun. I can't find a better bun anywhere than the one we use (at St. Paul), so that will be the same."

Another thing that may stay the same -- the signature sandwich.

"We probably will have to find a way to have our Sobelman burger on the new menu," he said. "It's so popular. Probably 50 percent of the burgers we sell (at St. Paul) are Sobelman burgers, so we'll have to find a way to do that."

In a way, Sobelman is like a popular musician trying to explore a new genre. He wants to stretch out a bit, exercise his creative muscles and expand his audience without upsetting the loyal fans who made him successful.

"We're just trying to raise it up a notch or so," he said. "I know a lot of people are excited and they're expecting "Sobelman's II," but this is going to be different. It's still going to be good, but it's going to have its own identity."