Revival

“We’re kind of losing touch with great American food,” said chef Thomas Boemer. “We’re losing that lure of traditional cooking.” That sense of a fading heritage is the impetus behind his popular Southern restaurant, right down to its wildly popular diner-style cheeseburger. It’s the thin, griddled-patty formula (the beef is an ultra-fatty blend of house-ground short rib and grass-fed brisket), topped with restraint: gooey American cheese, clove-scented bread-and-butter pickles and an impressive slab of house-cured bacon. A killer bun, too. A monster pile of hush puppies stands in for fries.