Around Town

No one knows who first draped a slice of cheese over a burger as it sizzled on the grill.

We can identify—sort of—the inventor of the burger itself. Marauding Mongols saved meat by jamming it under their saddles, where it was generally mashed up and abused. German sailors popularized a portion of punctured beef, which Americans associated with the port city of Hamburg. And perhaps two dozen restaurants in this county lay claim to the version placed inside a bun.

But the cheeseburger? Well, there’s a guy in Pasedena, a family restaurant in Louisville, a spot in Denver…

What we recogn...