Lost Dishes: Famous Barr Tea Room

Famous-Barr Tea Room: John White Burger

"We had a cook in Clayton, and his name was John White," said Eric Dahl, longtime chef for Famous-Barr and its parent company, the May Company.

"In those days, we made new menus every day." Other employees had their names on the menu, and White wanted something named for him, too. The result was the John White burger.

Eventually, the burger was offered at all of May Company's department-store restaurants. It stayed on the menus until White died and his heirs sued over use of the name.


Chef Erich Dahl	John White Burger Photo Credit Pattie Tierney

John White Burger

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 26, 2000

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef, 85 percent lean
1 onion, thinly sliced
Oil or shortening
4 toasted buns
Rarebit sauce (see below)

Preparation

According to Dahl, the secret to the burger is the onions. Slice them thinly, then cook in 1/2 inch of hot oil or shortening. Remove onions when they are light brown; if cooked too long, they will become bitter. Drain well on paper towels.

To assemble the burgers, use toasted buns, grilled or broiled hamburger patties made from ground beef that is 85 percent lean, the onions, and a rarebit sauce thick enough to stay on the burgers.

Rarebit Sauce

1/2 lb American cheese, cut into thin slices
3/4 cup half-and-half
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp dry mustard

Place cheese in the top of a double boiler. Add half-and-half, Worcestershire and mustard. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until cheese melts.