by Lee Barrie and Cindy Kurman Barrie
Everest Burger
91 Green Bay Rd., Glencoe, IL
The organic sustainable food movement has pretty well gone mainstream, reaching most corners of the culinary world. We figured that burger joints would be the holdouts – after all, if burgers aren’t broken why fix them? Americans, in droves, continue to eat burgers of all shapes and sizes without, it would seem, apparent concern for their healthfulness. But perhaps we were mistaken.
According to Mark and Margarita Challenger, there are many people who would jump at the chance to eat a good healthy burger. And parents, they say, long for a healthy alternative to Mickey D’s to satisfy their kids’ burger crave. So the Challengers opened the new Everest Burger and Bakery in Glencoe, which serves only hormone-free, steroid-free and antibiotic-free burgers and other good stuff. The Challengers are parents and part of their reason for launching the restaurant is to help other families feed their kids with good food they’ll enjoy.
So our hats go off to this husband and wife team, which has already brought healthy, authentic Mexican food to the Glencoe area with their Guanajuato, a contemporary Mexican eatery a few doors away from Everest Burger.
Everest Burger
Everest Burger is “the peak of better burger joints,” says Mark. It’s somewhat kitschy but not over the top, with a Himalayan/Mt. Everest theme. There is a huge stone wall at the entrance and the mountain theme continues inside, including a ceiling-to-floor, larger than life mural replica of a painting of the Himalyas by artist Nicholas Roeich.
The restaurant is a casual, come as you are place. One side has an open kitchen where you can watch your food being prepared. The other side has a bakery display case which showcases the day’s fresh baked goods which can be purchased to take home.
Freshness and quality are the mantras here. After months of searching for healthy, great tasting beef products, the Challengers chose the 100 percent hormone-free, steroid-free and antibiotic-free beef from Montana Brand Ranch. Other ingredients, including the chicken used for chicken burgers, are sourced locally. Fresh wild Alaskan salmon is flown in every week.
It gets really interesting once you choose your burger and enjoy the experience. The menu offers many original burger creations or you can build your own burger from the long list of toppings and ingredients.
Diners choose their burger recipe and their choice of protein: beef, turkey, chicken or wild Alaskan salmon. There are also vegan versions using portabella mushroom, black beans or walnuts. Burgers are served on fresh, baked-on-premises buns: whole wheat, whole wheat white or gluten free.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a traditionalist or a food adventurer or a burger lovin’ kid; Everest Burger has something that will “peak” your interest.
Aloha Burger
On the traditional side, you can order a straight-ahead Base Camp Burger, served with lettuce, tomato and onion, or you can get more sophisticated with choices such as the Everest Burger, with lettuce, tomato, onions, avocado and kalamata olives, topped with organic blue cheese. Odysseus’ Feast includes lettuce, tomato, onion, kalamata olives and feta cheese grilled with olive oil. The Aloha Burger comes with lettuce, tomato, onion, pineapple and Swiss cheese; the BLT Burger is served with lettuce, tomato, and onion topped with home-made turkey bacon; and the Texas BBQ, lettuce, tomato and onion topped with home-made regular or spicy BBQ sauce.
If you’re in the mood for adventure your expedition can choose from such unique options such as The Australian, pineapple, beet, lettuce and tomato topped with a fried egg and grilled onions in a tangy blend of mayonnaise and chilies; The Fez, a secret Turkish burger recipe combining spices and grains to create a spicy, nutty flavored burger; Fiesta Burger,
Fiesta Burger
a spicy Mexican burger cooked with chipotle peppers and topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, jalapenos and cheese; and the Chimichurri Burger, onion, cloves, cilantro, oregano and some special sauces for a spicy South American taste.
For vegetarians and vegans, the Black Bean Burger, Mushroom Burger and the Walnut Burger are all delicious and healthy options.
Chimichurri Burger
Hot dogs haven’t been forgotten: Everest Dogs are prepared in-house using Everest’s own high-quality beef.
Guests can add a side of Organic fries to any burger or hot dog order, with a choice of regular, parmesan, Cajun or cheesy varieties. The fries are made from organic potatoes freshly cut and fried in rice bran oil to give the cleanest and best taste possible.
The children’s menu includes Children’s Burgers, beef, turkey, chicken or black bean, with or without cheese;
Meatball Slider
Meatball Sliders, three meatballs with marinara sauce on a child-sized bun; Chicken Tenders and an Everest Beef Dog.
Guests can top off the meal with Everest Organic Frozen Yogurt, prepared in-house using fresh and organic ingredients.
The bakery features croissants, breads and churros as well as fast breakfast items such as quiche, breakfast burrito, croissant egg sandwiches, scones, muffins, and Danishes all made using organic flours, fresh ground coffee and herbal teas.
The best news is that a trip to this Everest doesn’t require months of training. So hop in the car and treat yourself to something delicious and healthy. You’ll be as proud of yourself as those brave souls who have conquered the mountain. Well, maybe not, but…
Everest Burger & Bakery soon will be open for breakfast and bakery orders. Here’s a sample of their offerings:
DineWise Chicago is written by Cindy Kurman Barrie and Lee Barrie, the principals of Kurman Communications, Inc., a Chicago-based marketing and public relations agency. The DineWise column appears weekly in Streetwise magazine. Please visit their blog at www.gotbuzzatkurman.com and check out all DineWise articles at www.dinewisechicago.com.
