I had a high hunger level at lunch today, and since I didn't have plans I headed over to the new Sobelman's Tallgrass Grill, 1952 N. Farwell Ave.
This, Milwaukee burger lovers, is no Patty Burger -- a burger that in my humble opinion wasn't too good. The former Patty Burger space, though, does retain much of the stainless steel look but it's now much brighter and more user friendly than it used to be. Tables, booths and a counter occupy the clean, sleek space.
As for the burgers at this new Sobelman's, they are all made with meat supplied by Tallgrass Beef Co., which was founded by TV journalist Bill Kurtis and feeds its cows grass rather than corn, which is believed to make the beef more flavorful and lower in fat.
I ordered a cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato and mushrooms ($6) and a bottle of water. The total bill was $7.25. Total satisfaction was very high. The burger came perfectly done, a strong medium with a bit of juice oozing into the freshly baked country butter rolls that are baked exclusively for Sobelman's. Add a side of fries, a pickle and the very nice touch of a real steak knife to cut the 1/3-pound burger in half and I was one satisfied diner.
All basic burgers come with your choice of toppings (lettuce, avocado, tomato, jalapeno, raw or friend onion or fresh mushrooms) and fries. Also on the menu are six specialty burgers, including "The Sobel 02" that comes topped with Colby marble jack cheese, bacon, fried onions and jalapenos.
All in all, a fine meal and an amazing leap forward from the previous beef that occupied the East Side space. One tip for the suggestion box, though, kill the blaring local radio. It was annoying and unpleasant and could easily be replaced with something more fitting for a place that calls itself "Milwaukee's Healthiest Burger."
A life-long and passionate community leader and Milwaukeean, Jeff Sherman is a co-founder of OnMilwaukee.
He grew up in Wauwatosa and graduated from Marquette University, as a Warrior. He holds an MBA from Cardinal Stritch University, and is the founding president of Young Professionals of Milwaukee (YPM)/Fuel Milwaukee.
Early in his career, Sherman was one of youngest members of the Greater Milwaukee Committee, and currently is involved in numerous civic and community groups - including board positions at The Wisconsin Center District, Wisconsin Club and Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. He's honored to have been named to The Business Journal's "30 under 30" and Milwaukee Magazine's "35 under 35" lists.
He owns a condo in Downtown and lives in greater Milwaukee with his wife Stephanie, his son, Jake, and daughter Pierce. He's a political, music, sports and news junkie and thinks, for what it's worth, that all new movies should be released in theaters, on demand, online and on DVD simultaneously.
He also thinks you should read OnMilwaukee each and every day.
