Toe High End Classics Chicago has built a reputation for being a major burger destination of the Midwest.

So who better to combine forces than with the city's hometown hero, the Spice Lord himself?

Shaun Evans.

We're going to go on an epic burger crawl with local burger expert Kevin Pang to explore the best of what Chicago has to offer.

Guys, welcome to the Burger Show.

We are long overdue for the Midwest, and we're in Chicago, Baby, it's so great to be back.

I left Chicago five years ago, moved to New York at the time I was working as a copywriter for the city's tourism board.

What was awesome about it?

You'd know about restaurant openings before they happen.

And even before that, I was doing architectural tours of the Chicago River.

Quiz me, Give me a building.

I'll tell you how tall it is.

The Sears Tower, now the world's 1451 feet tall building.

How tall is that?

Those are the towers of Marina City, designed by Bertrand Goldberg in 1967.

I can't give you a height.

Failed at their job.

Shot out.

Chicago's first lady shot out Chicago Architecture Foundation, Maisie.

We're going to three places today that represents Burger from ST Version Thio, much more classic Chicago smash version and then a place that I consider to be the finest burger in Chicago right now.

Even better than no shovel.

I'm psyched.

What makes a Chicago burger?

Well, I mean, you read the jungle when you're in high school, right?

Upton Sinclair, Cliff notes.

Me, too.

But you know, it's a meat potatoes have.

You're gonna get a lot of chefs who are doing the high end burgers, but also the ST Bernard.

I mean, I think that's kind of what we're doing today is kind of seeing the burger for the masses and then the burger for the classes.

Yes, you know, and I feel like Chicago nails that all right, I would love to sit and chat with you guys about architecture all day long.

Contextual ism, postmodern, booming twenties.

It's all fascinating stuff, but I'm hungry and it's time to eat some lunch goals.

There's I don't think that I'm overstepping when I say that this is very much a quintessential Chicago dining experience.

Down to the color scheme.

You have the Vienna beef signs all around us.

We have hot dogs that have been run through the garden.

And then, of course, this burger right here.

Yeah, Red Fastow's last and which is a This is like your classic Chicago hot dog burger stand.

This is pretty representative, the type of burgers that you're gonna find at these sort of hot dogs and looks great.

It's char grilled.

It's got to four ounce patty, so it's half pounds.

Got brio fund.

It's got their proprietary sauce.

And, of course, it's got merch.

Cheddar, which is this spreadable sharp cheese from Wisconsin, can't wait.

Let's dig in.

Oh dear, it's almost.

It's like a more complex like people my age, me for saying it like cheese way.

Take that with pride.

This is just one man's opinion, but I always feel like you should maybe go three toppings or less on a murder.

Agree.

This type of restaurant is It's like a commodity in Chicago.

There's so many of these growing up, and we'd go to Northwestern football games or bears games.

Then my dad would always take us tow Hackney's.

That was really sort of a taste of my youth.

This is the type of burger that you'll find close to schools and that after school after football practice, you come here.

This is the type of worry they don't get on that note, Shawn, A little birdie told me that you are star quarterback for one game in high school.

What was that about?

Well, as the story goes at a front Christian color and he was, he was a really good quarterback.

I had a varsity blues, any given Sunday moment where he went down with a broken collarbone and they had to be like, where?

Shawn?

Where?

Sean backup quarterback.

But I never got any reps in practice.

It was just straight space or work during the summer.

I have to go try to find my helmet.

I run out there in my first game.

I'm like Doug Flutie.

I'm rolling out.

I'm making plays, third and long, throwing touchdowns, and I'm on top of the world.

We beat Dundee crown.

You know, I feel like this is my Jonny Moxon moment way lose the next game way, lose the next game, we lose the next game we lose the next game way.

Lose the next game way.

Lose the next game way.

Lose the last game to Gray's Lake by 40 some points.

And you're the quarterback.

Yeah, yeah.

Reading burgers.

All right, Sean, you were a copywriter for the city of Chicago.

Sell me this burger elevator pitch.

True Taste of Chicago Nailed It went All right, Fat SOS.

You set a high bar.

Now it's on to the next one.

Favorite actor Danny.

He favorite drink.

Oh, Jules Bears, Hawks, socks, Bulls with guys like make curly fries Drink about four goals Grounded out to pop Flies in the village down Western Stop to get some more Brock's on Celtic in, Gentlemen, we're now That's the loyalist.

About three years ago, I came down here with my wife and I had this burger, and back then everyone's talking about OSHA ball, which was sort of the reigning champion of like the fancy Chicago burger.

And I had this and I thought we have a new winner.

Retired the trophy on.

I think I like this because a CZ we talked about the ethos of simplicity, right?

It's cheese and onions, onions, onions, onions, onions.

Essential yet on your mayo.

Got pickled onions Have got raw onions, cucumbers Every time we go to like a nice place, You know, I put that dont bust out the big, but I put the bedrock.

You know, it's serious.

Yeah, it's delicious.

There's, like different kinds of textures.

You could tell that there's a custom blend in this chuck and short rib.

Delicious.

You definitely feel like this is an elevated dining experience.

I've always been a strong believer of beef and onions being best, and this one takes it to the next level.

You told Chef, maybe a classic diner burger, and this is what he would come up with?

What are your thoughts with baller snacks being that you ate gold leaf chicken wings with Casey Neistat?

I did.

I mean, for whatever reason, I mean, they're extremely high, are extremely low.

So I like food.

Yeah, kind of.

But I like to eat food off of a truck, and then I like the most expensive thing in the category.

The middle doesn't do anything for understood.

If somebody is like, it's our fine dining take on the Big Mac, that peace may I come in?

Yeah.

Oh, every time I'm on the gram right now and this burger has clout.

Yeah.

So it has its own instagram.

We have 5180 followers on Lee following me.

A Khalifa.

So this is one of the more famous burgers via Khalifa Things.

Burger has guys the lawyers burger.

Fantastic.

You know, those places that but like, uh, like a piece of pork belly on there, You're like beef brisket.

Yeah, like No.

Fuck those *** don't know.

How would you pitch this?

There are worse ways to spend $16.

Get wind with your line.

Barrett's favorite drink.

Gentlemen, we are at the region who in Roscoe Village in Chicago.

And, uh, this, I think, is Illinois and Indiana's greatest contribution to the burger gastronomy.

Okay, this is the Smashburger.

Now I know that it's big at shake shack, steak and shake, but this takes the Smashburger to the extreme.

And so the way I like to describe it is it looks like the planet Saturn.

Yeah, you know what?

The meat it's got rings.

This restaurant was inspired by a chain out of northwest Indiana call shoots and the chef here at the region actually worked at shoots when he was a kid.

The beef here, as you can see, is that it's not just smashed, but he takes a a trowel like Like what a bricklayer uses Any rest is it?

It's like a piece of chip like a ship.

It's a beef crisp.

The smashed burger is probably my favorite style of burger.

It looks like it's like 20 ounces, right?

Yes.

Seven ounces more burger than anything we've.

Yeah, not that we need more burgers are more burgers?

Amazing.

Try this.

Wow.

The edge.

Perfectly seasoned.

This is a Smashburger turned up like Mach five.

I think the thing that I love about the smashed burger is that it's so idiot proof, You know, making it is so simple.

And then the burger as a simple man with simple tastes just meat, cheese bun.

Chris Penis.

Yeah, you have experience doing You've done it before.

Shots babish.

Right over.

Right away.

So easy.

You cannot fuck it up.

Try really hard.

You can't.

You know, it's it's super exciting to actually taste this from a restaurant because I've actually had this at George Moz.

His house.

He made us to ah, Lacey Edge Burger.

And he showed us the technique where you're, like smashing the burger and then your tapering out all the edges.

You know, you have this hyper influential super regional burger That is not touch my radar.

This has been going around in this area for a really long time in L.

A.

This is hot.

This is new.

This is the new way.

Like there's like guys popping up out of nowhere, making this style of burger.

It should be known it should be.

No is where it's from.

We've been doing this burger, this stuff, like 75 years.

You know, the hottest trend in Burger comes from the Midwest, and the one in Chicago gives a fuck.

We don't give a shit.

It's like, This is a good burger.

We enjoy it.

Period, period.

Maybe if we can change one thing about people's eating habits when they come to Chicago, right?

They come to Chicago.

They could see the Sears Tower, then go to the Navy pier, right?

Don't eat the deep dish pizza.

Forget what copywriters who written for Chicago Tourism Board says, or try to sell you an elevator pitch, right?

Like, just come to burger places, go to the fat so's the loyalists and the regions of the world.

And, like, try something that is uniquely Chicago.

I know what Chicago is about through meat cheese, and it's amazing.

Hold hands for a second just to achieve this understanding of Chicago through the burger way before we close out, I just want to say thank you to you guys.

You know, I always love coming back to Chicago, and today I feel like I saw a different side of it.

You know, it is always hot dogs and pizza at the front of the conversation.

And the burgers need more shine.

And I'm happy that we did that today.

Hell, yeah, It was great.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That was fun.

Through meat, cheese and bun Burger show, baby.

What's up, Burger Fam?

It's Alvin Cailan from the Burger show.

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