Etno Village Grill
Lincoln Park is known for its college feel and upper class neighborhoods. There are a number of fine eateries, which you will most likely find a number of DePaul students in as well as business professionals. Etno village grill is something that I have passed numerous times and had always caught my eye (especially since they have a giant cow on the roof)
I have heard nothing but good things about Etno village grill and after sitting down the other day and opening up Time Out Chicago I was presented the perfect opportunity. The recent Time Out Chicago issue featured some of Chicago's top burgers and of course on that list a some what hidden gem, Etno Village Grill!
Before I begin I just want to talk about the all around experience that I had when walking into the place known for serving, "real food fast!" Etno does nothing but this! The food is amazing and it comes faster than some fast food joints.
Having never stepped foot into the restaurant before I was welcomed with a giant chalk board over the register that listed everything they had on menu with a number of other small chalk boards around the main one. One thing that I had noticed was a small rack below the register that had a few boxes of girl scout cookies, solid move in my opinion, and under that was an assortment of chips. The place had a nice feel with all food benches and tables. While observing the menu I could see the cooks preparing everything behind the counter as well as grilling the burgers, oh boy was I hungry too!
Striking a polite conversation I asked the girl working the register what she liked at Etno..."My favorite would have to be the Vampire Hunter!"
Well that sounded like it was just up my alley!
At Etno's you can order a large or small burger. The small is a 1/3 pound while the large is a 1/2 pound. The burger contains a mouth watering collection of asiago cheese, sauteed mushrooms, roasted garlic and chive cream spread, what else could you want out of a burger!
According to some friends of mine I couldn't pass up the parmesan french fries either, so being a sucker for food I had to get some of those too!
Vampire Hunter
Living up to its name this burger had everything it needed to kill a Vampire! The roasted garlic was a great flavoring to the burger along with the chive cream spread. The asiago cheese melted in my mouth and the juicy burger purged with flavoring with its nice medium rare grill job. The fresh lettuce and assorted greens provided the experience with a nice crunch and a clean crisp taste. The mushrooms were big and juicy and absorbed the flavoring the burger perfectly. There was not a dominate taste over all, the mushrooms didn't take over the chive cream spread and the grilled garlic didn't leave my breath smelly. This I have to say is one of my favorite burgers and I look forward to going back to Etno's to try some more options out!
Parmesan Fries
The fries had a thick cut to them and were seasoned and salted just the way that I liked them. I wish they had a little more crunch to them, but don't take that statement as they were soggy (I just like my fries with some more crisp!) The fries had a type of grainy parmesan on top of them. The cheese had a great flavor and this was also the first time that I ever had paremsan that way, new but not bad.
Over all my experience at Etno's was nothing short then the rants my friends went on. I will no longer look at that goofy cow on top of the roof with skepticism anymore, but knowing that Etno's serves great burgers with fresh produce. Although they are a little pricey, the food is worth the money!
