little Diner Brings BIG Flavor - Dine Out Chicago

My roommate and I are frequent Groupon-ers. The coupon website offers great deals on local services and eateries, not only saving us money, but allowing us to try some amazing restaurants out there for half the cost. So when BIG & little's of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives fame offered a Groupon for two burgers, two orders of fries, and two fountain drinks for a fraction of the price, we were quick to snatch it up.

We purchased this Groupon over two months ago and had talked about going for a while, but today (coincidentally after a yoga class), we decided we were really craving a good burger. We stopped at home to pick up our keys and CTA passes, and left for what would be the greatest burgers we have ever consumed.

BIG and little's doesn't look like much. There really isn't much around, and the dining space is filled with picnic tables. But don't let that be a deterrent. It's famous for a reason, and the food (and the service) truly delivered.

Let's start with the menu. It's incredible, creative, upscale diner food. BIG and little's takes the classics and brings them to new levels with high-end ingredients and creative combos. I could have ordered every item and been satisfied. I am dying to go back and try the Pork Belly Po Boy or the Fois Gras Fries or the Raw Ahi Tuna Tacos! But our Groupon was limited to burgers, and the list was extensive.

We got to the front of the line and asked the cashier about a few of the menu items. He was so pleasant and helpful, directing us to the Zeus and Al Pastor burger. After hearing about what was on each of these, we knew immediately that these were the burgers for us.

The Zeus is mighty, just like it sounds. If a gyro and a burger made a baby, this would be it. Tzatziki, feta, lamb gyro meat, and tomato all top the juicy beef burger. Oh yeah, and don't forget the fried egg on top of that. Sounds mouthwatering, right?

But then he described the Al Pastor, which is essentially my burger soulmate. Roasted red pepper sauce, pineapple, jalapeños, and pork belly nestled with the beef patty on a soft bun. Absolutely, I want that.

Our food came quickly, and after being complemented on my shirt by the man working in the kitchen area, we took a seat at one of the picnic tables. We craftily sliced our burgers in half, traded, and dug in.

Let's start with the fries. I really wish I had been hungry enough to finish them all.  They were thin, crispy, and perfectly salted--exactly the way I like them. The truffle flavor shone through. Overall, they're probably the second best truffle fries I've had--with the parmesan truffle fries at the Healdsburg Bar and Grill in Healdsburg, California taking the cake.

But I've probably never had a burger as good as these anywhere. I say the phrase "best I've ever had" a lot on this blog, and I don't want it to be taken lightly when I say that. But I will say that these burgers were the best I've ever had because it's the goddamn truth.

The burger patty itself on each of the burgers was soft, oozing with juices, and succulent. It provided the perfect canvas for all of the craziness going on in the background. Each burger was different, but delectable in its own way--I don't know if I could pick a favorite.

I'm a sucker for fried eggs, and the first thing I did with the Zeus Burger was break the yolk and let the oozey inside drip all over the rest of the toppings. The tomato added the perfect, acid contrast to the creamy tzatziki, and each bite of feta and gyro meat was like a dream. The burger had a lot going on, but it always maintained an heir of balance, which is not something that is easily achieved. Some burger joints add all of these crazy toppings just to sound complicated. In this case, the toppings all worked together, creating a beefy masterpiece.

Now for the Al Pastor. Let me just say that the roasted red pepper sauce was probably the most delicious part of the burger. It tied the flavors together. The pineapple contrasted nicely with the pepper sauce, and the sweetness complemented the spicy jalapeños. And the pork belly...what's not to like about pork belly?

The most unfortunate part? We finished these burgers in probably about 3 minutes flat. It was almost sinful how quickly we devoured them. Part of the problem is it would be difficult to set the cut-in-half-burgers down without losing your grip. In order to obtain the perfect bites, we needed to just keep eating.

We left after the staff gave us a friendly goodbye. We were stuffed more than we could handle, but I can tell you, BIG and little's was worth it. We will be back, most definitely.