Why Does One City's Most Hyped Restaurant Flop in Another Town?

For Chris Hall, the hype about the hamburger at Chicago’s Au Cheval is justified. “If you’re really a burger lover, that’s a helluva burger,” he says. “Pickles to give it some acid, a toasted bun and everything else that’s good about a hamburger. I love that it’s so gloppy. ”

Hall, the chef/owner of Atlanta’s Local Three, further calls this burger “one of the best hangover cures in...