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Rush

Rush

100-207 9 Ave. S.W.

403-271-7874

Burger: Spring Creek beef burger ($19). A thick patty topped with butter lettuce, a morel mushroom and cheese curd ragout, Dijon mayo and tomato petals on a toasted sesame seed bun.

Sides: Fresh-cut fries served in a stainless steel cup.

Atmosphere: Rush was named No. 3 in enRoute magazine's 2009 list of Canada's 10 best new restaurants. It's high-end but not hoity-toity, and the lounge is very comfortable. The wine cellar is a thing of beauty and the interior decor is stellar. And, seriously, I could live comfortably in the bathrooms.

Menu: Rush is on the forefront of the locavore movement, sourcing all of its ingredients as close to home as possible. A tasting menu is available for $95, and entrées include gnocchi, lamb, sablefish, duck and more. Rush also uses the Nordaq FRESH water system, bottling its own complementary H2O in-house. The Kansas City blue plate special for two ($68) — a Spring Creek 30-ounce ribeye and steakhouse sides — definitely caught my eye. I will head back for that one.

Decision: Justin Leboe, Rush's executive chef, takes pride in all of his food, and that includes his burgers. Virtually everything is done in-house, including the buns, grinding of the meat and even the mayo. Without divulging his secrets, Leboe is using some cutting-edge technology in the production of his patties, and it pays off. Having critiqued 40 burgers, it's becoming harder and harder to rank higher up on my final "best of" list, but I can say without hesitation that this was one of the best burgers I've ever had. The morel mushrooms added a density that you simply can't get with button mushrooms, and complemented the premium beef patty, cooked to order. The bottom half of my bun became soggy as the ragout and flavourful juices from the patty spilled out, but I resolved this quickly by flipping the burger over and forging onwards into Happytown. This burger actually improved my mood.

Not too long ago, I surmised that fancier places are predisposed to fancy buns. Rush proved me wrong on that one. They've also convinced me that I should try to make my own buns at home, but that's a story for another time.

Next Up: 1410 World Bier Haus, 1410 17 Avenue S.W.

Please email burger suggestions to darelleats@gmail.com.