Epic Burger

Photo: Martha Williams

EPIC CURE It isn’t quite as hardcore as Morgan Spurlock’s self-inflicted agony, but restaurateur David Friedman’s experience as a culinary consultant to various fast-food chains gave him a greater understanding of the American meat industry. That understanding grossed him out enough that all of the beef he’ll use at his new spot, Epic Burger, will come from all-natural, drug-free cows under the Coleman Natural label. “I like that they use small ranchers to raise their animals, that the animals are fed in pastures and not feed lots and [they don’t use] hormones or antibiotics,” Friedman says. For a burger joint sporting Slow Food principles (chicken is similarly all-natural and hand-cut fries are cooked in trans fat–free vegetable oil), Epic goes decidedly mod with its look, using Saul Bass–style graphic language for design elements and digital LCD menu boards. When asked if the formula was primed for national expansion, Friedman replied ambitiously, “Why stop with national?” 517 S State St between Congress Pkwy and Harrison St (312-913-1373).