Epic Burger lives up to its name!

**** Everyone knows that I am a “Burger Freak”. I am the guy who will order a burger in the fanciest of establishments. Why? Because I love a good burger. Hot dogs are also on my list of perfect meals ( sometimes in a beanie and weenie casserole, but mostly in a bun-Chicago style). Tonight, we went to Old Orchard to try the EPIC Burger. With all my traipsing around, how did I miss this one?

There are five of these eateries- Lincoln Park, South Loop, Gold Coast, Evanston and Skokie (with more to come). They are celebrating their anniversary this week. Yes on September 15th, all day at all locations you can get a burger and fries for $5.00- check out at  www.epicburger.com.

Jane and I met Frank and Carrie in Old Orchard’s location ( right by Crate and Barrel) 4999 Old Orchard Center. This is one of the typical fast food type where you place your order and then pick-up. The menu is very huge, even though most of the items are the burgers, but after all, that is their name, and they are epic. I laughed as EPIC has many meanings. Epic can be size! Epic can be short for epicurean. The word in Greek mythology means a long-form poem relative to larger-than-life heroes, or even just larger-than-life. As they brought us one of each to see and taste, we could see that in fact, their menu is larger-than-life burgers that can satisfy any taste.

The BYOB ( build your own burger) is where it all starts. Buns can be brioche, wheat or even “bunless”. The patty can be beef, turkey, grilled chicken, beyond, veggie and fried chicken. then you can add toppings that will satisfy any taste and if that is not enough, there are add-ons galore. The bacon is very crispy and the egg is the icing on the burger. For those who are ravenous, you can do a double or even a triple.

They offer lots of French fry options as well. Epic fries, Sweet potato waffle fries, garlic parm fries and the fully loaded fries ( this could be a meal). Many families have one member who is not a burger guy, so they have a great grilled hot dog and you can dress it up any way you want. Of course they have chicken tenders as well as the chicken sandwiches to satisfy the little chicken lovers in your group.

Since there were 4 of us and we wanted to try everything, they cut every sandwich into four sections with the exceptions of the hot dogs. There they did two dogs cut in halves, so we each had 1/2 of the dog. Frank, Carrie and jane had milk shakes ( I tasted them, of course) and I enjoyed a soft drink. By the way, the shakes were very rich and creamy, reminding me of those we used to get at the soda shop or malt shop back in the day!

While they were all delicious, my favorite burger was “The Cowboy” premium black angus beef, bacon, cheddar, grilled onion, pickles, BBQ sauce, epic sauce on a brioche bun. YUM!

The “Farmhouse” was another tasty treat. Again, black angus beef, cage free egg, bacon, pepper jack, lettuce, tomato, pickles, grilled onion and epic sauce ( of course) on a wheat bun.

The “Turkado” was a big surprise for me. While I know it was lean ground turkey, with avocado, cheddar, lettuce, tomato and all the other items, I thought it was a normal burger. I did not realize it was turkey until Frank told me it was. Frank felt the same way with the “Beyond Burger” which was pretty much the same as the burger, except without the meat..

Epic Burger provides more people an opportunity to eat non-processed, all-natural food at a reasonable price. Their beef and grilled chicken are both certified halal.  By offering a premium product,  they  stimulate thought around how food is raised, grown, transported, processed and packaged. They  chose the most iconic of American meals – hamburgers and French fries. Preparing these items without drugs, artificial colors and flavors, nitrates, phosphates, preservatives and numerous other additives found in our everyday foods, they can make it taste truly delicious.

This is why Epic Burger is “A More Mindful Burger”. They truly care about you ( and your pocketbook).

The website is www.epicburger.com

They also have an amazing cookie ( we missed them, so we are heading back). I think next trip, we might just do a triple just to see if I can get it in my mouth. Maybe, Frank will do that one!

Check it out! If you are a burger freak, you will be in heaven!