Michael Kornick's thoughts on burgers:
1. Great burgers need great toppings.
2. If beef were good for you, no one would ever eat a turkey burger.

Point one is in full effect at DMK Burger Bar, the Lakeview burger joint that Kornick opened with partner David Morton earlier this month. Each of the 13 burger options is artfully laden with intriguing topping combinations.

Point two presented Kornick with a challenge: Make nonbeef burgers that stand out as more than just a red-meat substitute.

He certainly rose to the occasion, first with an exemplary veggie burger, then with a panko-breaded portobello mushroom burger, and again with two bold-flavored turkey burgers (all $8).

Each is compelling in its own right, but it's the veggie burger that debunks the most stereotypes. The thick patty of beans, roasted vegetables and brown rice is crisped in peanut oil before joining pesto aioli and marinated tomatoes on the airy potato-flour bun specially crafted by a local bakery for DMK.

It's finished with griddled eggplant shrouded in aged Wisconsin cheddar, and the end result is a far cry from the dry, starchy patties that give veggie burgers a bad name.

We'd go so far as to call it juicy, meaty and delicious--words usually reserved for its beefier colleagues, but in this case, fully deserved.

DMK Burger Bar, 2954 N. Sheffield Ave.; 773-360-8686 or dmkburgerbar.com