I didn’t know Bryce Musick particularly well, but I can tell you this: He loved hamburgers.
Musick created Patty Wagon Burgers, 3600 N. May Ave., and operating it seemed to be his dream job. The eatery started life as a food truck parked by a mattress store. He was there every time I went by, eager to talk about his house-made special sauces and the care he put into all of his creations.
The young man valiantly fought brain cancer and passed away Nov. 28. I send my deepest condolences to his family and friends.
I learned all this last week while visiting the restaurant for this review. Patty Wagon continues on, and while it might feel unusual to some, I think it still deserves a review, even though I have a feeling he already knew how good the food is.
Maybe he would be most proud of his fries ($2.50), which he struggled to make in the food truck.
When he first served them to me years ago, he came out and shook his head at them.
“They’re not right,” he said, frustrated, and we talked about the difficulties of running a restaurant on wheels.
They are fresh, hand-cut, real potato fries, and they are excellent — crispy outside, seasoned right, with a creamy, almost mashed potato-like interior that wafts steam as you take a bite.
They’re right, Bryce. You nailed it.
When you visit, talk a bit with the folks at the counter. You should do this everywhere you go (if there isn’t a line) and find out what they like. The people working there know the food inside out.
When I asked about sandwiches, I was pointed to the BLT ($6.95). A BLT is a deceptively simple sandwich, which makes each ingredient all the more important.
As you might imagine, its main ingredient is bacon — thick-cut and crisp, but with a nice chew to it — and the sandwich is loaded with it.
If Patty Wagon makes money on this menu item, I don’t know how, because that was a lot of bacon.
Paired with fresh green lettuce and big tomato slices, it sits between two buttery pieces of wheat bread. Order it with the horseradish mayo; it’s wonderful.
But if you love burgers, those are Patty Wagon specialties. A single burger is $5.95, and a double is $7.50. They are made with locally raised, grass-fed, hormone- and antibiotic-free beef and are stacked on dense, lightly sweet buns.
The gourmet burgers also are worth your attention. My favorite is The Taser ($6.95), a single patty marinated in a peppery sauce, with pepper jack cheese and spicy mayo and all the usual fixings. It’s messy, but it’s not overly hot. It has lots of flavor.
One of the most creative menu offerings I’ve seen in a while is the Beanie Burger ($7.50). It’s just a normal burger topped with cheddar, bean dip, Fritos, grilled jalapeños and chili.
Yep, perfectly normal. And really tasty.
Musick will be missed in the back, where he used to work the grill, but his dream lives on.
Whether you knew him or not, it’s time for you to go and grab a burger and a basket of fries and enjoy the fruits of his labors.
And eat, and smile and celebrate his memory.
Delectable legacy; Patty Wagon Burgers was Bryce Musick’s passion, and he nurtured it from a mobile eatery into a brick-and-mortar success.
