by Bottom Line: The Devil’s Den Burger is a hefty burger that will satisfy your appetite while adding a kick of heat.
54th Street Grill is a growing chain that features scratch-made “American Casual” cuisine ranging from burgers and tacos to pasta and seafood and steaks and more. They also have a well-stocked bar with several craft beers on tap and they mix a pretty mean margarita. Among their burger selection, you will find their “Mile-High” offerings and that includes a choice that should interest lovers of spicy food called the Devil’s Den burger.
That starts with a half-pound patty of ground beef and it is topped with their wing sauce, Carolina reaper cheese, bacon, and smoky spread, all of which is stuffed into a sesame seed bun (or you can get it on a pretzel bun for fifty cents more). It also comes with a side of ranch or bleu cheese for dipping.
This here is certainly a big burger that will satisfy your appetite. That patty is thick and cooked through and delivers a good, beefy taste. And it is not overly seasoned, allowing the meat to be the star. The wing sauce is fairly standard, delivering a good tang and a bit of heat. Fortunately, they don’t go overboard with that, which might make the burger too messy.
The bacon adds some saltiness and a bit of smoke and works well with the other ingredients. The Carolina reaper cheese does not really stand out too much as far as adding cheese flavor to the mix, though there is a bit of creaminess in there and I attribute some of the heat to it. And I did not detect too much of that “smokey spread” unless the smokiness I thought was from the bacon came from the sauce. You can get it with lettuce and tomato, but this one is better without the garden included.
Now despite the fact that they call this the “Devil’s Den” burger, it comes from a major chain that caters to the average consumer, so don’t be expecting too much heat-wise. This comes in a little bit above the Medium heat level, which is decent for a chain but I would like it if they would kick it up just a bit more. Jalapenos might get it closer to the Hot heat level, especially if they are fresh, but they don’t offer those as a topping for burgers. As it is, this is still a darn good burger that does deliver a nice kick. The average mortal might struggle with it, but chiliheads should have no problem with this one.
If you plan on getting this or one of their other Mile High burgers, be sure to wear your stretchy pants. This comes in at 1220 calories (and add on another 120 for the side sauce), and that doesn’t count your side. If you go with the standard fries, you’re adding another 380 calls, and if you want to upgrade to the waffle fries it’s 470 cals! I went with their delicious and creamy coleslaw which only adds 190 calories. (Yeah, yeah, I know saving a couple hundred calories isn’t going to make much difference here.) That also acts as a good counterbalance to the heat of the burger.
54th Street Grill is an expanding chain that currently has locations in Kansas City, St. Louis, San Antonio, and Dallas/Fort Worth. I have been going to the one near me for years now and have never been disappointed with the food or the service. Another item I get frequently that should interest lovers of spicy food is the blackened fish sandwich and they also have a good spicy chicken sandwich. You can check to see if there is a location near you at their website, and if not, one may be on the way soon.
Tale of the Tape:
Calories: 1220
Fat: 90g (30g Sat/0g Trans)
Protein: 60g
Carbs: 40g
Sodium: 2570mg
