Since the opening of the Wilde & Greene at Old Orchard, it seems that other restaurants there have been overlooked. There are many other places worth eating at when shopping at Old Orchard, and one of them is Epic Burger. Having opened at the end of September, it’s still a relatively new fixture.

Seeing as how my last review was one about Culver’s, it’s pretty obvious that I’ve been on a bit of a burger kick. However, Epic Burger is targeted toward a different crowd. Since Epic Burger uses naturally raised beef, it mainly caters to those who like to eat meat, but want to do so ethically.

Epic Burger is located at the back of Old Orchard, right across from the L.L. Bean store. It’s a very small place — as soon as you walk through the door, you run smack into the counter. There’s a good amount of tables inside, but it seems that every time I go, it’s constantly crowded, which of course makes it hard to find a seat. At each table, there’s a bottle of Grey Poupon dijon mustard and organic Heinz ketchup, the latter of which I found insanely cool.

There are four meals one can buy — an Epic Burger (in junior, regular, and double sizes), a  turkey burger, a portabella mushroom sandwich, and a chicken breast. With each meal, you get a choice of a white or whole-wheat bun, and your choice of toppings (lettuce, tomato, pickle, Epic Sauce, and a grilled or raw onion). For a little bit extra, you can also get a fried egg, bacon, and/or cheese (aged cheddar, buttermilk blue, and horseradish Havarti).

When I went, I got a junior Epic Burger with a whole-wheat bun, bacon, horseradish Havarti cheese, a raw onion, and everything else except for lettuce, which cost about $6.87. The junior size was big enough for me, especially since I had fries with my meal. If I had ordered a regular-sized burger and fries, I’m pretty sure that I would’ve exploded.

Now, down to the most important part: the patty. In all honesty, it was pretty decent. Since I’m not used to eating natural beef, I noticed a subtle difference in taste. In spite of that, it’s not like natural beef tastes drastically different than regular beef. Please note that the beef is not organic. The difference between natural and organic beef is that organic beef must follow strict regulations in order to even be considered organic by the USDA. Natural beef, meanwhile, has no additives and has only had a small amount of processing.

I also ordered french fries ($1.99), which are cooked in trans-fat free oil and are sprinkled with sea salt. They go well with the Epic Sauce that’s put onto the burgers, which tastes a bit like Thousand Island dressing. (As a side note, is it just me, or is it that every time a food place has a “secret” sauce, it ends up tasting similar to Thousand Island?) I think this is what Wendy’s was trying to accomplish when they revamped their fries a while ago. I would almost say that the Epic Burger fries are terrific, but I found my batch to be a little bit greasy.

So, is Epic Burger really epic? Not quite. The burgers are rather decent, but I wouldn’t go so far as to call them extraordinary. The massive downside to this all though is the price. Since many of the items are either natural or organic, they tend to be a bit more expensive than an average burger. Even before adding extras like an egg (69 cents), bacon (99 cents), or cheese (89 cents), the burger ends up costing around $5 ($5.99 for regular size, $4.99 for a junior, and $7.99 for a double).  The Turkey Burger has the same prices as an Epic Burger and the portabella sandwich and chicken breast are both $5.99. We’re not exactly talking about the cheapest of meals here; however, it’s not like I’m eating here every single day.

The one thing that was truly epic was the service. Every time that I’ve gone there, the employees are happy, seem to genuinely like their jobs, and make me feel like they appreciate my business. The food is made very quickly; I’ve never had to wait more than five minutes for an order, even when it’s crowded. Also, there’s always somebody going around either cleaning tables or clearing away your food when you’re finished.

The one thing that makes me deem their service epic was what I observed when I went in one time. There were two elderly ladies who decided to eat lunch there. However, they had absolutely no idea how to go about ordering, or what some of the items on the menu were.  The cashier took them to the side and spent a good five minutes or so explaining everything in great detail, and really helped them out when they were ordering. Later, when the two ladies were eating their meals, the cashier went to their table and talked to them, checking to see how they were doing and if they liked everything. I found that sort of dedication and patience to be absolutely fantastic.

All in all, I’d probably come here again. I wouldn’t go out of my way to get an Epic Burger, but I’d certainly stop in if I happened to be shopping at Old Orchard and was hungry. Seeing as how I have no interest in going to Wilde & Greene, and that Corner Bakery is the only other place I eat at when shopping at Old Orchard, Epic Burger is a nice change.