Bachelor on the Cheap

By Mike Thayer

I've been traveling around the Wichita Metro, sampling the burger offerings from any joint that has burgers on the menu, local, regional, national chain, it doesn't matter. In order to determine a true champion of burgers in the metro, I'm on a mission to sample them all in the name of "burger science" (cough).  For the burger criteria, click here.

Nice presentation, pickles served on the side (pickles aren't for everybody) and a generous portion of sweet potato fries.

For my Friday night burger dinner I headed to the Green Mill.  Located on the corner of Rock and Kellogg, it's tucked away from the road a bit, hidden in the Holiday Inn Wichita East complex.  A franchise operation, Green Mill has a big presence in Minnesota and North Dakota, but has stretched its reach to Overland Park and Wichita.  

I entered the place just after 4pm and had a seat at the bar.  Jalisa the bartender greeted me nicely and hooked me up with a menu and a Miller Lite.  Checking out the menu online before arriving, I pretty much already knew what I was going to order, but it's always nice to be able to review all the choices before ordering.  They have some great looking wing options which I'll have to try on another visit.

All that wonderful beef & cheese and the bacon gets put on like this? UGH!

They have three burgers on their burger menu, all featuring bacon and freshly ground, never frozen, all-natural, locally sourced, USDA certified beef.   I ordered what the Green Mill calls the Four Cheese Bacon Burger.  Here's the description from their website:  Monterey jack, provolone, mozzarella, parmesan, bacon, roasted garlic mayo, romaine, tomato, and onion.

It took about 15 minutes for my burger to arrive, but that's actually a good sign, an indication that my burger was made to order.  TIP:  When you get a burger at a bar & grill in 5 minutes, that doesn't mean the kitchen staff is great as the server might tell you, no, it means you're not getting a fresh burger made to order.  You got something that was in a warming bin and got assembled fast food style.

Char broiled flavor!

The burger and sweet potato fries delivered to my seat at the bar had a nice visual appeal. The pickles were served on the side which is a nice touch (not everybody appreciates pickles) and what Green Mill provided would give me pickle in every bite.  After placing those pickles on my burger and taking a few pics, I took the first bite.  NICE!  I immediately picked up the char broiled flavor which I welcomed.  The beef was seasoned well and juicy.  The bacon however was a bit disappointing, it was a tad chewy and applied using the "X" method.  That four cheese blend was stellar and all of it nicely melted.  The veggies provided a nice fresh balance, the bun had a nice buttery toast but what brought everything together in a marriage of great flavors was that roasted garlic mayo.  It was Another Dose of YUM!

This was a very tasty burger

Side Note:  The sweet potato fries rocked!  Sweet potato fries can be difficult to get that good, light exterior crunch on, but Green Mill nailed it.  These ranked in my top three for sweet potato fries, I'll divulge the final results at the conclusion of this challenge.

Costing me $16.11 with tax for the burger and fries, the Green Mill Four Cheese Bacon Burger scored 58 points out of a possible 63, earning it 5 out of 5 Bachelor on the Cheap stars.  Priced a bit high, even for a bar & grill burger, it's still worthy of a repeat buy.  If the Green Mill isn't on your burger map, it should be.

Located at  549 S Rock Rd suite b, Wichita, KS 67207, Jalissa provided friendly service, but it wasn't exactly detail oriented.  No coaster for my beer (I don't know about you, but I hate it when moisture drips off the bottom of the glass, dripping on your plate and elsewhere), wasn't asked if I wanted water, wasn't provided napkins for my meal (I had to grab some cocktail napkins a few seats down at the bar), wasn't asked how my meal was or if I wanted dessert.  Those little details matter.  I probably over tipped her at over 20% (she could have gotten more), but I'm a softie when it comes to tipping, the restaurant biz is a tough one.

$pend Wisely My Friends...

Related:  Other burger joints reviewed so far

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