The Alchemy Burger (Epik Burger)

Epik Burger is living up to their name with a new menu item, The Alchemy Burger! This burger is 10 oz. of Wagyu beef and 100% delicious. I was given a sneak peek this past week. Keep reading to find out how you can win one of your very own! 

Epik Burger has been putting out some of the best burgers in Jacksonville for a few years now. They are located in a strip mall along Atlantic Blvd and Girvin Rd. The menu consists of many different and tasty burgers (looking at you Huevos Burger!) and fantastic sides like their truffle parmesan fries.  With the Alchemy Burger, owner Korey wanted to create something special. When you order this burger, you are ordering an experience. The burger is $70 and comes with a side of Heritage Farms Bacon Cheese Fries, Pellegrino Sparkling water, a Ridikulous Shake, and a cloth napkin (trust me, you will need it). I know some people might be hung up on the price. Let’s dissect the burger so I can explain the cost.

The Beef – Snake River Farms Wagyu Beef, Black Label. 

Wagyu beef is known for its marbling and very tender texture. Typically Wagyu is a Japanese breed of cattle, but Snake River Farms produces an American version. Black Label beef falls on a level 5 to 7 on the Japanese grading scale. For comparison, American Prime Rib is a 3 to 4 on this scale. The beef is ground in house and formed into a 10 oz. patty.

The Cooking Process 

Epik Burger is using a sous vide method to cook the meat. This process consists of sealing the meat in a bag and placing it in a precisely controlled water bath to ensure the food is cooked at the exact same temperature inside and out. A slab of butter is thrown in for good luck and the food is heated to exactly 126 degrees. It is removed from the bag and seared with a blowtorch which not only gives the burger it’s familiar texture, it also raises the temperature to around 134 degrees (a nice medium rare.)

 The Toppings

·         Truffle Butter made with Reggiano & Modenese Cow Milk & Italian Black Summer Truffles

·         Housemade American Cheese made from Old Quebec Vintage Super Sharp Cheddar

·         Heritage Farms Berkshire Bacon – Certified Humane Raised & Handled, Pasture Raised, non-GMO Pork

·         Dijon Aioli

My absolute favorite part of the toppings is the truffle butter. I mean, butter makes everything better so this shouldn’t be a surprise. The truffle butter melts as the burger is consumed, making a mess but you really don’t care. It was running down my hand to arm but I couldn’t stop eating. Some people might call this gluttony but I just call it appreciation of a great meal.

Let’s talk about the meal

You will not walk away hungry, let me just start with that. The Heritage Farms Bacon Cheese Fries are a very large portion of shoestring fries topped with Heritage Farms Berkshire Bacon, Housemade American Cheese, Truffle Butter, Truffle Oil, parmesan, finely diced cornichons, served with Dijon aioli. Every fry was covered with a generous amount of toppings and the Dijon aioli was a great compliment. 

The Milkshakes 

(I saw a lot of boys in the yard, so you know they were good)

We were able to try both milkshakes offered with this meal. The Madagascar Vanilla Bean Shake is a 21 ounce shake with Madagascar vanilla beans garnished with blondie bars & vanilla cookie straws. The Divine Chocolate Shake is a 21 ounce Ghirardelli Chocolate Shake + Ghirardelli chocolate sauce drizzle garnished with chocolate chunk brownies & chocolate cookie straws. I gravitate towards chocolate so of course it would be my favorite. 

The Alchemy Burger is probably the best high quality burger I have ever eaten. The meat just melts in your mouth. The bacon is chopped into smaller pieces so that you can get a piece with every bite and aren’t fighting with it. I am not a huge burger lover but I could not stop eating this. It was magical. 

*Due to the cooking method, the burger takes quite a while to cook. The restaurant asks that you call ahead or order the burger online to get the process started. See the fine print below for more details.

Enter to win!!

Don't just take my word for it, try it yourself! For a chance to win a burger of your own, head on over to my Instagram page! The contest will run for one week, winner to be notified on May 18, 2018 (I will announce the winner in my insta stories that morning). 

The rules are simple and few:

1. Follow Epik Burger on Instagram or Facebook
2. Tag a friend (or 2 or 3!) who would love this burger
3. Post about the burger once you have tried it

*Fine Print: These Ridikulous menu items may not always be available and may have an extended wait time for preparation.  Ordering 24 hours in advance is advised for the Alchemy Burger, minimum preparation wait time for this burger is 1-2 hours.  Please check with us before bringing your mom across town just to treat her to one of these items.  No discounts, coupons, or special offers of any kind are accepted.  All sales are final.  The burger is  available for dine-in only.  Items may be ordered ahead for a specific dining time if paid in full.