Our columnist Harris David explores the intersection of heavy culture and great eats.
New year, new you? Well, if the “new you” doesn’t eat dope and borderline gluttonous foods, you may want reconsider scrolling through this menu. We’re gonna be the “same ol’ us” as we have put together another awesome menu full of burgers, pizza, and milkshakes complete with Vegan options.
Every month we try our hardest to find you great burgers, pizza, drinks, tacos for both the meat-eater and Vegan crowd; and this month is no different. To pop off the year, we have you covered with a heavy dose of monthly burgers and pizza. We know it’s cold where you’re at but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a monster milk shake or two. January is dropping new monthly menu items from our friends at Grill Em All, Kuma’s Corner, Sizzle Pie, Epic Deli, Zombie Burger + Drink Lab and Terror Tacos. We hope you dig the first menu of 2023 as much as we do. Cheers!
Fresh off of making it into the LA Times 2022 Best of the Southland, Grill Em’ All is celebrating the 10 year anniversary of their Valhalla this month. 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 is named after the hooded thrash metal band out of Oakland, CA, Ghoul, and WWF Hall of Fame, “The 8th Wonder of the World” Andre the Giant. This gigantic burger is stacked with ham, scrambled eggs, Swiss cheese, strawberry jam, their signature half pound burger patty on French toast buns dusted with powdered sugar. We told “new you” to skip this one didn’t we?
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. And with every BOTM and MOTM purchase, $1 gets donated to a charity. The first offering of the year is named after the Chicago’s industrial strength horror metal supergroup, Black Cross Hotel. The monthly Burger and Mac are benefitting One Warm Coat. $1 buys 1 coat for someone in need.
The Black Cross Hotel burger takes a 10oz Kuma’s patty and tops it with bacon jam, buffalo cream cheese, fried pickles, ultra-blackened onion frizz and drizzled with buffalo sauce.
It’s only right that you pair the Black Cross Hotel burger with the Hex Mac, named after BCH’s first album. Hex Mac takes Kuma’s Mac mix, burger crumbles, blackened frizzled onions, buffalo mix and drizzled with Sriracha.
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 has started this awesome program where they partner with a different charity every month. When ordering online or through their app, opt for the ‘Sauce Heart’ to support the charity. This month’s sauce hearts support Wonderfolk, they help provide unlimited opportunities for all youth.
Sizzle Pie is for everyone, they offer plenty of meat-eater, Vegan and vegetarian options; but this one’s for the Vegans. The Purple Reign has a red sauce base topped with spinach, green peppers, onions, artichoke hearts, purple cabbage and a dusting of herbs & spices. Sizzle Pie and the Purple Reign together, “will get us through this thing called the Vegan Life.”
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 ring in the new year, Zombie Burger has created the Zombie Rockefeller. The burger is stacked with fontina cheese, crispy fried oysters, jalapeño bacon, creamed spinach, a crispy potato nest, pickled red onion and drizzled with a champagne vinaigrette.
Raise a glass to the new year, a glass filled with the Champagne Dreams Shake. The shake is blended with vanilla ice cream, champagne cake batter, whipped cream, and gold dust. And if you’re up for it, you can 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. Epic Deli creates a special menu every month along with a Vegan companion. Whether you’re Vegan, vegetarian, keto/low carb or just an over-indulging carnivore; they have something for you.
Epic Deli is looking out for those of you working on yourselves, the Keto Reuben takes their house-made corned beef and stacks it high along with bacon infused sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and yellow mustard on ‘0 net carb’ bread. The sandwich is served with a side of house-made ghost pepper ranch pork rinds and a pickle spear.
One sandwich wasn’t good enough for us, and how can we skip one named The Deebo. This sandwich might snatch the chain your grandmama gave you but you won’t cry in you car about it (OK, I’ll stop). The Deebo is a Polish ham and American cheese sandwich on white bread battered in tempura and smashed into crushed Doritos and deep fried. Its served with a ghost pepper ranch dipping sauce.
Terror Taco was started by two brothers that grew up in the 80’s, who watched too many horror films, played in hardcore and metal bands together, and ate the best Mexican food the Southwest and West Coast had to offer. They created this brand and space to make the food they wanted to eat, to listen to death metal, and to give anyone willing to walk through our doors a completely different experience. Terror Taco offers an all vegan menu of classic Mexican food including tacos, burritos and nachos. VEGAN. METAL. HORROR. TACOS.
Terror Tacos is featuring their quesadillas and Crunchwraps for the month of January. The Spicy Buffalofu Quesadilla is a oversized flour tortilla loaded with Buffalo tofu, cilantro rice, Buffalo sauce, ranch dressing, cilantro, diced jalapeños. It’s then folded up and grilled.
The Spicy BBQ Crunchwrap is filled with house-made BBQ seitan, cilantro rice, crushed tortilla chips, spicy BBQ sauce, red cabbage, sour cream, onions and cilantro.
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