Burgerhaus (Valparaiso)
3304 Calumet AvenueSo, we had these big plans for Mother’s Day. J and I took the kids to a hotel in Portage, IN. They had a splash pad for the kids so I knew they’d have fun. J got her own room so she could sleep a night with no one touching her or yelling at her in their sleep. Then on Sunday, we were going to meet my parents for lunch so I could see my mom on Mother’s Day.
I started looking for restaurants in the area of Portage, IN and didn’t come up with much but Valparaiso isn’t too far away. I found several there that looked fantastic but most of them were doing brunch. We’re not brunch people…especially for the price. Eventually, as I expanded the search, I started finding other options.
I picked Burgerhaus on the northeast side of Valparaiso. The burger restaurant is tucked into a strip mall on the corner of Calumet and Bullseye Lake Road just barely within the city limits.
My parents had met us at the hotel in Portage and followed me as we weaved our way through Porter County, Indiana. We got to the restaurant a little after the 11:00 opening and were relieved to see it wasn’t super crowded yet.
The host station is right inside the door. They had to push a couple of tables together for us because they’re really not set up for parties over four. The restaurant is a mix of pub tables, booths, and a few standalone tables that have chairs on one side and a shared bench seat on the other. The decor is sleek and modern using black trim, spotlights, and shiny hardwood to keep the mood subdued.
Our waitress came over for drink orders as soon as we sat down. Everyone ordered water or pop until it got to me. I ordered a beer…because there was a brewery on the list I had never been to.
I picked Coconoats by Burn Em’ Brewing in Michigan City, IN. This beer is a pale ale brewed with oats and wheat then fermented with Toasted Coconut. The beer is one of those delightfully sippable beers. Unfortunately, I had to take a misbehaving toddler out of the restaurant before I could finish. I told my dad to drink it. My dad….who has drank Strohs Light and Miller Lite his entire life….actually drank it…and liked it. The funny part of the story is he likes coconut in beer. A few years ago I shared a Goose Island Prop with him and he loved it asking where he could get more….silly man.
Once I ordered a beer, J changed her drink to something a little more fun. She picked a Sangria that came with an orange and a lime slice in a snifter.
So, the burgers are the star of the kitchen here but they do have other options. I would never pick a burger place…on Mother’s Day if J didn’t see something she wanted to eat. There is a small sandwich list but J was drawn to The Valparaiso salad. Mixed greens line the plate and then are topped with Bartlett pears, fennel, candied walnuts, craisins, bleu cheese, and a Champaign vinaigrette. The salad is quite large and features a good balance of crunchy, sweet, and bleu cheesy.
I picked this place because I like burgers and there’s so many to choose from. I picked The Aussie. This sandwich served on a whole wheat bun comes topped with thick Applewood smoked bacon, smoked Gouda, a fried egg, mayo (I left this off), butter lettuce and slices of beefsteak tomato. When I place calls themselves a Burger House, they better deliver and this Burgerhaus did. The meat was slightly pink but warm all the way through. It was so juicy and once I bit in to the sandwich, the yolk on the fried egg burst to create a delicious sauce of egg yolk and burger juices. The bacon was slightly chewy from being so thick but added another level of smokiness alongside the Gouda. The burger came with Haus Fries served in a little fryer basket alongside the sandwich. The skin on fries were perfectly golden brown and crunchy on the outside with that softness and steam on the inside that escaped with each bite.
There’s a pretty simple kids menu consisting of just three items but three items almost all kids enjoy. L, however, just wanted a salad. My mom ordered a burger and didn’t want fries so she picked a side salad for her side and gave it to L.
B kept telling us he didn’t want anything. He wasn’t hungry. Now, to be fair, he did have a fairly big breakfast at the hotel but we had swam and that was early in the morning so we had to get him something. We picked the Great Grilled Cheese for him. The sandwich is sourdough bread that just perfectly toasted so it’s crunchy but still soft for those little teeth. He sandwich came with choice of side and we got him fries knowing someone at the table would eat them. B decided he was going to be difficult while we ate. He took a couple of bites then wanted to run around the table and pick on J. It finally got to the point he and I had to leave the restaurant so we didn’t start distracting other people. It was very frustrating and he left a really delicious sandwich behind. My mom and J picked at his fries so at least they didn’t go to waste. 
At this point, I left the restaurant so I didn’t get to see what our final bill was. My dad also had a burger but I was pretty distracted trying to keep B occupied so he didn’t ruin the day for J and my mom. I didn’t really succeed.
Burgerhaus has a couple of restaurants in Indiana including one in Indianapolis. They put burger right in the name and like I said earlier, if you’re going to that, you better have damn good burgers and, in my opinion, they succeed in living up to that expectation.
SW Michigan Dining 