Great Burgers at The Great Dane in Madison, WI
Great Dane
123 E. Doty Street, Madison WI 53703 (map); 608-284-0000; greatdanepub.com
Cooking Method: Broiled
Short Order: Outstanding burgers offered in a good variety keeps people filling up the massive restaurant just off Capitol Square
Want Fries With That? Yes, they're well-seasoned, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside
Price: Sustain-A-Burger, $9.25; Brat & Bacon Pretzel Burger, $10
Notes: 3 additional locations
Filling a massive space that was formerly the Fess Hotel in downtown Madison is the original location of The Great Dane. In less than 15 years since it was founded in 1996, The Great Dane has added three more locations and has established itself a favorite for burgers among Madisonians.
The building itself is a beautiful structure on the National Register of Historic Places and is actually two different structures that have been merged into one building. The restaurant, which is also a brewery, has a huge main floor divided into two rooms (one in each of the original buildings), an 80-seat Rathskellar with the original stone walls dating back over one hundred years, a patio/balcony, and a large outdoor seating area in a peaceful walled-in garden. As nice as the building is, the burgers are even better.
Great Dane offers eight different burgers, and on each of them diners have the option of trading in their beef patty for turkey, veggie, buffalo, grass-fed beef, or increasing their patty size from 1/3 of a pound to one-half. The first burger I tried, the Sustain-A-Burger, is a little different in that it starts with a choice of grass-fed cow or buffalo. Everything on the Sustain-A-Burger, which is one of the most basic burgers offered at Great Dane, comes from local farms.
We opted for buffalo, cooked to medium rare, and were more than a little happy with the results. The burger comes with "seasonal cheddar," which in this case was an excellent thick piece of medium sharp white cheddar. Finishing things off were organic greens and a thick slice of an outstanding tomato. It's not flashy, but the Sustain-A-Burger is absolutely delicious; a shining example of a simple burger made with top ingredients at a very reasonable price.
Great Burgers at The Great Dane in Madison, WI | A Hamburger Today
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