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Castle Rock, Colorado: Crave Real Food
Today's reader recommendation comes from Dallas P. (aka ModMan on AHT/Serious Eats). Thanks, Dallas! If anyone else wants to share some burger intel, here's how to do it. —The Mgmt.

Cubano burger. [Photographs: craverealburgers.com]
Crave Real Food
3982 Limelight Ave. Castle Rock CO 80109 (map); 303-814-2829; craverealfood.com
Cooking Method: Griddled
Short Order: Big menu of creative burgers made with hand formed fresh ground chuck will have you coming back for more
Want Fries With That? What do you want? Golden, crispy steak fries? Crunchy sweet potato fries? The world is your oyster.
Price: 8-ounce burger, $7 to $11
Notes: Get there early; this small space stacks up a wait list at meal rush times
Chef Jeff Richard has quite the resume: graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, former kitchen staff for Emeril Lagasse, and successful chef/owner of several well established restaurants like The Old Stone Church.
So what's the buzz about at Crave Real Food? Jeff and his kitchen staff asked themselves, "What would a chef do if he made the perfect burger?" The result is an explosion of flavor dripping down your arms as you cradle hamburgers as big as your head.
Take the Cubano: You start with eight ounces of hand formed ground chuck, top it with ham, chorizo sausage scrambled eggs, breaded fried pork loin, split and griddled hot dog, avocado, tomato, and chipotle mayo in between two egg buns. I've dubbed it the "Crack Burger." Oh, and wear sans-a-belt slacks to eat this one—you'll be loosening your belt to consume this monster of meticulously manicured meat.

The 3 Little Pigs starts with a beef patty topped with pulled pork, ham, bacon, and cheese melted over this carnivorous cornucopia. With a wink and a nod to the line cooks in the open kitchen, they'll "Wolf it" with fried onion straws and sauce. And if you're feeling up to the challenge, order the Big Bad Wolf: three 3 Little Pigs stacked on top of each other. Finish it under 45 minutes and besides not having to pay the $25 price tag, you get a t-shirt to boot.
Once you've burgered at Crave, the rest will seem like bush league.—ModMan
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