[Photographs: Daniel Zemans]

Given my predisposition towards burgers made from a half-pound of fresh high quality beef, I've grown accustomed to burgers that run $10 or $12. And that's especially true if I'm hitting up a place like River North where the rent is high and the burger options are plentiful. At the same time, if a place is going to charge lunch entrée prices for a simple burger, my expectations are going to be a bit higher.

Chef Heather Terhune spent a decade at the Atwood Café, the featured restaurant in Hotel Burnham where she consistently put out better food than the hotel guests and the Loop office workers who ate there demanded. When the company that owns Hotel Burnam opened up the higher end and significantly trendier Hotel Palomar earlier this year, they brought along Terhune to run the kitchen at that hotel's flagship restaurant, Sable Kitchen & Bar. Sable offers a very good burger for $15. But for that kind of money, 25 percent more than the David Burke's Primehouse burger sells for two blocks away, the Sable burger disappoints.

The $15 price tag for the Farm House Steak Burger includes the option of bacon, cheese, avocado, and/or fried egg. If one were to get all four add-ons, an argument could be made that the burger is reasonably priced. Of course, a burger with all four would also be an overindulgent mess. I opted for bacon and cheddar along with the caramelized onions that are standard with every burger. In addition to the fries, the burger comes with a medley of vegetables that seem to have spent a little bit of time soaking in vinegar.

I ordered my burger rare and got one that was close enough. The incredibly juicy patty came completely coated in a moderately sharp cheddar and sat on a pretzel roll that was up to the task of holding up to the dripping juices. The caramelized onions were the sweetest I've ever had on a burger and would have been a significant problem if not for the excellent salty, crisp and chewy bacon. The onions were actually the only problem with the burger, but while the rest of it was good, there was nothing particularly special about it. For the price, I expected to be wowed, but instead I got a burger that was no better than one I can get from a dozen places within a 15 minute walk for significantly less money.

The thin fries were fine but not particularly good. They didn't have a strong flavor and as I suspected, they arrived at the restaurant frozen. Also working against them was they were slightly undercooked and had barely a trace of crispness. I did like that they were well seasoned with large grains of salt and pepper, but that wasn't enough to get me to eat more than half of the order.

While I was put off by the price of the burger, I decided to try to convince myself it was acceptable by adding $3 to turn my burger lunch into a three-course meal. I was given the choice of a salad or a bowl of soup for an opening course and I went with the roasted butternut squash-apple soup with pumpkin seed oil. It sounded delicious and looked great, but the squash and apple flavors fell a little flat and allowed too much oil to shine through.

The whoopie pies were a nice way to end the meal, though I can't fathom why the only option is to get them served in a carry out container.

There's a lot to like about Sable. Chef Terhune is very talented, the drinks from former Violet Hour bartender Mike Ryan will not disappoint anyone, and the sleek décor makes for a nice atmosphere. I'd go back, but given the price and the other options in the neighborhood, my return visit would not be for the burger.