FOOD REVIEW: Epic Burger - In Honor of National Burger Day

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With the motto of "A More Mindful Burger," I envisioned some meat substitute being erroneously called a burger.  I also imagined my fatness being sad while I attempted to smash some science experiment passed my taste buds.

What I actually received was so much better! 
This place definitely earned the manta of "Epic Burger."



I was fresh off covering the first day of the NFL Draft in Chicago, IL, and after being around so much testosterone, tapas will not due!  You need something filling and you need something All American in nature, since I just finished covering American football.  I was strolling down many unfamiliar streets and came across a place that had two words of mystery and wonder on their moniker, Epic and Burger.  Well, what is more American than a hamburger combo?  Now it is not lost on me that the hamburger is probably a German invention named after Hamburg, Germany, it truly is not, but I am sure the way we tweaked the item makes it quite American!



Epic Burger

 

 I walked closer to the door and terms like “humanely raised” and “caged free” made me feel as though I let America down with meat substitutes for this omnivore with tendencies that leans towards carnivore!  Ready about freshly baked bread is never a bad thing, but for some reason, when you start tinkering with meat, I just get nervous about the product!  They were advertising nitrate free this, cheese from Wisconsin that, organic milk whatever.  Wait, isn’t milk organic anyway?  I digress!   I decided to walk pass the doors and at least smell the place.

When you walk in, you are certain that there is actual meat in the place. You cannot step far into this place without noticing several good write-ups from various media outlets about this place.  I was not drinking the Kool-Aid, so I was definitely going to be unbiased in my tasting.   I was not sure what to get, so a quick look at the menu let me know two things, with the first being, this place is pricey.  The second thing being that they keep a small menu, which means that you have the potential to get tasty food and not filler items to make up for lack of taste.  I was uncertain what I should try, so I went with the manager’s suggestion and got a cheeseburger fully dressed, with egg, and the same with a turkey burger but with cheese and an avocado slice.

 Can have a grain fed, all natural beef burger make a difference in taste and texture?  I am happy to report that it does.  The meat does not have quite the rubbery feel you get from eating burgers that has plenty of fillers inside.  The taste is almost sweeter to the palette as well.  You definitely feel the difference in the freshly baked bread as well.  They use real butter on the bread, so that was a great treat, but I think the real star of the night for me was the sauce.  I enjoyed the fact that my beef and turkey were not only juicy, but also spiced well, but something about that sauce sat right with me.  I appreciated that the fries were texturally very sound and season quite well also, but if I had the sauce for my burger to dip my fries into, I would like them much better.






I must admit that they options they have for your burger, such as Wisconsin cheese, avocado slices and caged free eggs, blend really well with your main dish.  They keep the add-ons low because they know they have a quality product that does not need the taste of inferiority masked.  All in all, this expensive meal was worth doing at least once.  I opted to get a fountain drink because I want to have an excuse to come back and try one of those organic milk shakes along with a chicken sandwich that time!  If you look at the menu, they even have vegetarian options which include a mushroom burger and freshly made real fruit smoothies.  You can even get your burger without a bun if need be.  They have all types of customizations for your preferences and enjoyment.

 Make sure you ask about cross contamination from peanuts, if nut allergies are in your DNA, because they do use fresh ingredients all around, and not only with the meat and buns. They ensured me that they do keep nuts away from everything else, but better safe than sorry.


They have multiple discounts which includes students and law enforcement, so they definitely have an added bonus for doing so. You know I am a fan of loyalty card programs, and this place definitely does have that.  They also are a BYOB establishment, but there are some beers that they don’t allow on premises, so contact them, or their website for those exceptions.  There is also an email list, so I am sure that will provide you with even further discounts.




I normally would allow for a burger chain to only get 3 out of 5 stars, but I feel confident giving them an extra star for all of the healthy options that you are presented.  You can actually check their napkins for further explanation of the many healthy options you have. Dinner at Epic Burger is fat man approved, but definitely not frugal meter approved!  The sauce though - the end!

Manager - Nathan Romero

Menu

Turkey Burger looking juicy inside