Our columnist Harris David explores the intersection of heavy culture and great eats.
We are in the heart of leftover season. With that said, we do hope you’ve thrown out those Thanksgiving plates and gave your mom back her Tupperware. Let’s take advantage of this lull before Christmas and enjoy a few meals at some of favorite restaurants. We have put together another awesome menu full of burgers, pizza, and milkshakes. And remember, calories don’t count in December (merely the belief of the fat guy typing this and not rooted in anything even resembling science).
All year we have come strong with finding you great burgers, pizza, drinks, the occasional taco and Vegan food; well December’s menu isn’t any different. To wrap up the year, we have you covered with a heavy dose of monthly burgers and pizza. It may be cold where you’re at but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a monster milk shake or two. December is delivering new monthly menu items from our friends at Grill Em All, Kuma’s Corner, Sizzle Pie, Epic Deli and Zombie Burger + Drink Lab. We hope you dig December’s menu as much as we do. Cheers!
First off, a huge congratulations to Grill Em’All for making it into the LA Times 2022 Best of the Southland. This Los Angeles burger staple was started by Chef Ryan Harkins and former professional wrestler Matt Chernus. They served gourmet burgers out of a food truck back in 2009. Before opening up their heavy metal themed brick and mortar they won the first ‘Great Food Truck Race’ and were featured on the ‘Best Thing I Ever Ate.’ Their popularity led them to lay their food trucks to rest and serve burgers and fries out their restaurant in Alhambra, California.
This month’s featured burger pays respect to Los Angeles metal legends, Armored Saint and is a nod to Grill Em’ All’s wrestling roots in respect to Mexican luchador ‘Hijo de Vikingo.’ This special burger has jalapeño bbq ranch, avocado, pickled habanero & red onion, roasted corn & black bean salad, cilantro, cabbage all on the signature half pound burger patty.
Kuma’s started in 2005 with its flagship location at the corner of Belmont and Francisco avenues in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood. From their origins as a corner bar with solid American bistro fare, they’ve grown to five locations that offer the finest burgers available on this planet or any other.
Our Fierce Bites faithful know Kuma’s Corner comes correct with a crazy burger and a stacked Mac N Cheese of the month. This month’s offerings are another tribute to Armored Saint who recently played two shows in St. Charles, Illinois. This tribute burger takes a 10oz Kuma’s patty and tops it with chipotle mayo, pepper jack cheese, caramelized onions roasted red bell peppers, roasted poblano peppers and a farm fresh egg.
It’s only right that you pair the Burger of the Month with Kuma’s Mac of the Month and like the burger, Armored Saint serves as their muse. Mac of the Saint takes Kuma’s Mac mix, jalapeños, roasted poblano pepper, roasted red bell pepper, a farm fresh egg and a drizzle of chipotle mayo.
Founders Matt Jacobson and Mikey McKennedy came together and envisioned an independent pizzeria that would serve up the perfect slice. In 2011, they opened up their first location on East Burnside Street in Portland, Oregon. Since then, they have consistently ranked in the top 10 independent pizzerias in the country. They serve East Coast style slices and pies with a healthy blend of West Coast flair by turning the freshest, highest-quality ingredients into tried and true classics with bold new pizza visions in a variety of meat, veggie, and vegan options.
Sizzle Pie is very Vegan and vegetarian friendly and we often spotlight one of those options but December is for the meat lovers. The Hellraiser is topped with “copious amounts of classic pepperoni, and abundance of sausage and a bunch of bacon.
Zombie Burger + Drink Lab are famous for their inventive flavor combos and once you look through their menu you’ll see just how inventive they can get. The GOREmet eatery evokes a classic roadside burger stand but in a ‘post apocalyptic chic’ setting. They proudly pair fresh ingredients with expert preparation. Zombie Burger features their very own custom three-cut beef burger blend, specially-crafted buns, and hand-mixed shakes.
To celebrate the tapping of Goose Island’s Bourbon County Coffee Stout 2022, Zombie Burger has created the Zombie of Bourbon County. The burger is stacked with crispy Bourbon County Coffee Stout braised beef short rib, jalapeño bacon, Cheddar & Monterey Jack cheese, fried egg, crispy tobacco onions, mayo, pickled mustard seed and Bourbon County Coffee Stout jus.
Once you’ve paired your burger with the featured stout, may we suggest the Pineapple Upside Down Cake Shake. The shake is blended with vanilla ice cream, white cake batter, graham crackers, pineapple whipped cream, grenadine, and the you could always spike it with Dr. McGillicuddy’s Vanilla Liqueur.
This popular McHenry, Illinois eatery is known for their subs, sandwiches, chimichangas, crazy appetizers, craft beer, cold brew coffee, and dessert. Whether you’re Vegan, vegetarian, keto/low carb or just an over-indulging carnivore; they have something for you.
The Scut Farkus is Epic Deli’s take on the the grilled cheese and tomato soup. This grilled cheese is panini pressed with bacon, American cheese, mozzarella cheese, and tomato soup dipped croutons.
The Frozen Junior Mint Hot Chocolate Shake doesn’t need much of an explanation but we’ll give you one anyway because if you say it slow, iy sounds kind of sexy. The shake is blended with vanilla ice cream, Junior Mints, hot cocoa mix, Girl Scout Thin Mints and topped with whipped cream and crushed Thin Mint cookies.
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