Tasting Lawrence - Dempseys Burger Pub

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 The other day I tried a new, (to me), burger place in Lawrence. I was pretty impressed and would have to say I enjoyed it more than The Burger Stand.

Their menu wasn't a typical burger menu because they like to add fried eggs and other ingredients like shallot marmalade and foie gras mousse. I can't think of any other place that offers those ingredients, and I like it.

When I went, I ordered the Egg Burger, which comes with a fried over-easy egg, Gruyere cheese and bacon all on top of a burger cooked to order. I loved it. The egg was runny and flowed over the burger and melting with the Gruyere cheese, which is like Swiss cheese but better - and the crispiness of the bacon was perfectly contrast with the softness of the egg. The bottom bun was only a little soggy, which made it a little difficult to eat as I got halfway through the burger, but because it was soggy with the runny yolk from the egg, I didn't mind that much. It was pretty messy, though.

The fries were crispy and seemed to be house-cut, but who knows, they could've been frozen. I don't really care, they were good. What I liked was that they serve different dipping sauces with each burger, for the fries. Served with the Egg Burger was the Old Bay and Tomato Coulis Aioli which was a little sweet with a hint of spice. An aioli that I enjoyed, but it wasn't served with my burger, was the Sriracha aioli -- just spicy enough but you could still taste the Sriracha without it being overpowering. I liked dipping my fries in that one.

The atmosphere is that of a sports bar. I went on a Friday night so there were a lot of college students hanging out, having a beer or two. It was loud from people talking and the music was turned up a bit, so don't plan to go if you're on a first date. The service was good, although I tried to pay the bill and she ignored me so that my brother-in-law could pay, but that's not a huge problem.

Prices were about what you would expect, $7 to $9 for a burger with the fries coming separate for as little as 99 cents. Wings, sliders and fish and chips are also offered, so if you don't want a burger, they have you covered.

Check out their MENU to see what other sauces and items they offer at Dempseys.