The Burger Stand in Lawrence gets national love from Zagat

• The Burger Stand
• The elk burger at the Burger Stand at the Casbah.

There are a lot of great – even fabulous – burgers in the Greater Kansas City metro, but only one was selected by Zagat Survey for its listing of “The Best Hamburgers in 25 Cities,” which was a featured story today in USA Today.

I’ve got to say this unassuming saloon, with an upscale burger shop inside, does put out one hell of a burger. That is, if you can get into the building. The brainchild of Lawrence chef Robert Krause (who formerly operated Esquina at 801 Massachussetts) can barely handle the successful business it’s doing now.

“We’re trying to make things easier for people waiting for a table,” Krause says. “We’ve doubled the number of people we can seat, and we’re trying a new strategy of offering patrons beverages to help ease the wait for a table.”

Krause was pleased with the Zagat honor, although he says he wasn’t notified in advance of today’s announcement and says he “isn’t quite sure of the criteria they use to choose the burgers. But, yes, it’s an honor.”