Naperville's Meatheads, Which Wich? pile on the options
In recent months, two franchises have opened - right across the street from each other - on far west 75th Street in Naperville, upping not only the number of fast-food restaurants, but taking the quality up a notch.
Meatheads Serious Burgers and Fries and Which Wich? Superior Sandwiches both claim to offer a step up in the regular franchise world, and both do provide a nice alternative.
Meatheads - out of Bloomington, Ill. - rests its reputation on "food with integrity," including never-frozen Angus burgers and fresh-cut fries. We passed on the regular MeatHead Burger to try a couple of the specialty offerings.
The Cajun Sunrise is a single-patty burger with a fried egg, jalapeño peppers, pepperjack cheese, bacon, blue cheese sauce, lettuce and tomato. While tasty, the fried egg dominated a bit (really didn't notice the blue cheese or bacon) and the burger was a little on the dry side; more sauce would have made it better.
A real winner was the Philly Burger, a double patty with provolone cheese, sauteed mushrooms, grilled onions and roasted red peppers. Exactly what a burger should be - juicy (and I mean greasy!) and full of flavor.
Meatheads' fresh-cut fries come in regular or Cajun, and you can also get chili/cheese fries. The Cajun versions were coated with a not-too-spicy dusting of peppery seasoning. Very tasty and fresh. You can also get a variety of dipping sauces for an extra charge, including blue cheese, Buffalo ranch and wasabi.
Intrigued by what "Boston-style" might mean, we also opted for the Boston foot-long hot dog. It turned out to be a long, thin dog on a split-top bread-style bun with mustard and grilled onions - but we did ask for the addition of sport peppers ala Maxwell Street.
The Naperville Which Wich? is the first Illinois franchise of the Dallas, Texas-based chain, and offers a very simple menu concept - just sandwiches (all priced at $5.10), chips, cookies, drinks and shakes. However, the sandwich selection is very large. You can order from 10 sandwich categories - including beef, seafood, comfort and veggie - with six options in each category. And that doesn't include the kids' menu.
You start by picking a sandwich bag in each category, with choices printed on the side. Select, with a marker, your sandwich, bread choice, cheese and toppings. Then, just pass it over, pay and pick up.
We ordered four sandwiches to share. We were pleasantly surprised by the Italian grinder. It came with an extremely flavorful and ample selection of salami, pepperoni and capicola with, again, ample amounts of our chosen toppings. Likewise, the pastrami sub, topped with mustard and coleslaw, was tasty and filling.
The shrimp po'boy, however, was a little bland; perhaps we should have gotten it with spicy mayo. And the gyros were a disappointment. Six precooked and reheated gyro slices came with a few tomatoes and tzatziki sauce.
Sure, it's great to dine out in style. But sometimes you just want something fast and budget-friendly. And when you do, both Meatheads and Which Wich? break the grind of the usual fast-food franchises.
Meatheads BurgersInfo: 2555 W. 75th Street, Naperville, (630) 355-6069, www.meatheads.comCuisine: Specialty burgers, fries, milkshakesSetting: Nicer fast-food setting with utilitarian booths and tablesEntrees: Burgers $5-$6Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. dailyWhich Wich?Info: 2728 W. 75th Street, Naperville, (630) 961-2000Cuisine: Sandwichs, fries, milkshakesSetting: Simple fast-food seating with small outdoor patio.Entrees: $5.10Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. SundayFalse14802000Meatheads' Philly burger packs on two patties, provolone cheese, sauteed mushrooms, grilled onions and roasted red peppers. You can wash it down with the banana split shake.Bev Horne | Staff PhotographerFalse