The Humane Choice S.'s Profile

Without hesitation, DMK Burger Bar deserves five stars when it comes to sourcing humanely-produced ingredients for their sandwiches and sides. The food is also incredibly tasty, which is a major selling point.  We indulged in several of their burger and fry options, including the #2 (awesome chipotle ketchup) and the #4 (the roasted green chili gives it a nice kick). We also particularly enjoyed the parmesan fries with truffle dipping sauce. Even though the restaurant is relaxed and casual, its commitment to using organic and grass-fed ingredients is second to none.

First and foremost, the burgers are made with Tallgrass Beef.  Tallgrass Beef is completely grass-fed and grass-finished, meaning that the cows are never fed grain. We have yet to find another restaurant in Chicago that only uses grass-fed beef in their menu items. This sets DMK apart from the competition.

The rest of the ingredients are grass-fed, and in many cases also organic. Their bison meat comes from the North American Bison Co-op, an association of ranchers whose animals have never been fed hormones and thrive on a diet of natural, free-range grazing. DMK sources organic lamb from Black Earth Meats in Wisconsin. This farm is also certified by Animal Welfare Approved, an independent organization that certifies for excellent humane husbandry practices.

The cheddar cheese that tops the burgers and fries is from Otter Creek Organic Farm and the turkey burgers are made from Golden Legacy Organic turkey. Otter Creek emphasizes rotational grazing and pasture-based living for their organic cows when the weather is hospitable. Eggs come from Milo's Organic Poultry.  In a recent report by the Cornucopia Institute, Milo's Organic Poultry provides ample outdoor space and encourages their birds to go outside.  According to the report, the farm offers the birds an excellent outdoor environment, often either rotated pasture or well-managed outdoor runs.

If there is one area where DMK could improve, it would be to list their sources (brands and farms) on their website.  DMK Burger Bar should be very proud of their success in procuring and using grass-fed beef and other humanely raised products. Customers are interested in knowing where their food comes from, and would be impressed with the fine list that DMK has to share.  

The Humane Choice is a project of Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT).  This restaurant was reviewed by FACT staff members Larissa McKenna, Lisa Isenhart and Jacki Rossi.  FACT is a Chicago-based non-profit organization dedicated to improving the way animals are raised on farms.  For more information on our work and mission, please visit http://www.foodanimalc....

If you don't live in the Bridgeport neighborhood, it's worth the trip to visit Nana. We found the food to be delicious and the restaurant's commitment to sourcing humanely-raised items to be exceptional.  We appreciate that the farms and brands are prominently listed on the menu and website.

Nana uses chicken and pork from Gunthorp Farms.  The free-range birds spend a lot of their lives outside as they are pastured at three weeks of age. The pigs are raised "farrow to finish" on pasture without animal by-products in their feed. They are raised free of confinement in crates.  The quality and taste of the pork in the Carnitas Burrito Platter we tasted was phenomenal!   Nana currently uses Eggsland's Best Organic eggs, which means that the hens are not in cages and are fed organic feed. However, in a recent report published by the Cornucopia Institute, Eggsland's Best is docked points for not providing adequate access to pasture for their birds (see http://www.cornucopia....).

Nana sources its beef from Heartland Meats and Dietzler Farms.  Neither of these farms uses synthetic hormones and Dietzler Farms never uses antibiotics (unless a cow is sick).  Dairy and cheese products come from Capriole, Cedar Grove, Farmers' Creamery, Hook's Cheese, Saxon Homestead Creamery and Sassy Cow Creamery.  Cream of the crop is Sassy Cow, which is a family-run organic operation based out of Columbus, WI.   The cows eat a considerable part of their diet from grass on the organic pastures located on this farm.   The Cornucopia Institute gave Sassy Cow an "outstanding" rating for organic dairy operations (http://www.cornucopia....).

Room for improvement?  Consider sourcing beef products that are completely grass-fed and grass-finished to protect cattle health and improve nutritional value. Purchase eggs from hens that have meaningful and adequate access to the outdoors.

The Humane Choice is a project of Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT). This restaurant was reviewed by FACT staff members Larissa McKenna and Lisa Isenhart.  FACT is a Chicago-based non-profit organization dedicated to improving the way animals are raised on farms.  For more information on our work and mission, please visit http://www.foodanimalc....

Frontera Grill, one of Rick Bayless' Chicago restaurants, aims to please savvy, sustainability-minded customers.  We found their selection of humane animal products to be impressive.  The menu changes every several weeks, but the restaurant's commitment to sourcing welfare-friendly ingredients seems to be a constant.  Information about specific ingredients can be found on the restaurant's website and also on its menu de jour.  

Frontera Grill uses chicken and duck that comes from Gunthorp Farms.  The free-range birds spend a lot of their lives outside as they are pastured at three weeks of age.  The Pollo en More Amarillo entree we ordered was quite tender and delicious.   Cage-free eggs come from Little Farm on the Prairie where the hens live outside as weather permits.

The restaurant sources it lamb from Crawford Farm, where the animals roam on pastures and eat seasonal forages.  Cheese and dairy products come from Prairie Fruits Farm and Otter Creek Organic Farm.  Prairie Fruits is a completely grass-fed operation while Otter Creek emphasizes rotational grazing and pasture-based living for their organic cows when the weather is hospitable.

Beef is from Creekstone Farms or Tallgrass Beef.  Tallgrass Beef is completely grass-fed and grass-finished, meaning that the cows are never fed grain.  Pastured goat is purchased from Pleasant Meadows Farm.  Frontera Grill buys pork from Maple Creek Farm in Wisconsin.  There the pigs are fed sustainably farmed soy and corn. They are semi-confined but allowed to roam regularly.

Room for improvement:  Consider sourcing beef products that are completely grass-fed and grass-finished to protect cattle health.  We would also like more information about the production practices on specific farms, namely how the pork is produced.  

The Humane Choice is a project of Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT). This restaurant was reviewed by FACT staff members Larissa McKenna and Lisa Isenhart.  FACT is a Chicago-based non-profit organization dedicated to improving the way animals are raised on farms.  For more information on our work and mission, please visit http://www.foodanimalc....

City Provisions Deli offers its customers some excellent food choices.   Seating is limited for those hoping to linger, but the samples are copious and delicious and the employees helpful and friendly.  Above all, the meat, dairy, egg and poultry ingredients used are almost all from farms that raise their animals very humanely.  City Provisions lists the many farms from which it buys on its website, which is very helpful.  An email asking for additional information on sourcing yielded a timely and detailed response from a City Provisions employee.  This establishment clearly wants its customers to know more about the food they are purchasing and eating.

Pork products come from Gunthorp Farms, La Quercia  and Faith's Farm.  La Quercia's dry cured meats are made with pork from Becker Lane Organic Farm, Organic Valley, Eden Farms, Niman Ranch and Heritage Acres.  The animals have outdoor access, or are raised entirely outdoors, without antibiotics. CPD sources its beef from Heartland Meats and Dietzler Farms. Neither of these farms uses synthetic hormones and Dietzler Farms never uses antibiotics (unless a cow is sick).  Dairy and cheese products come from Kilgus Farmstead, Prairie Fruits Farm, Organic Valley, Zingerman's Creamery, Nordic Creamery, Prairie Pure and Prairie Farms.  Prairie Fruits Farm out of Champaign, IL, for example, supplies goat cheese from grass-fed goats that graze on forage in season.

Eggs are sourced from Faith's Farm and Farmer Nick's Pasture Raised Eggs.  The hens are raised on pasture. Poultry meat comes from Gunthorp Farms, Faith's Farm and Gerber Poultry.  When lamb is on the menu, it is from Mint Creek Farm or Pinn-Oak Ridge. Mint Creek Farm, which can also found at farmers markets around Chicago, offers 100% grass-fed lamb with focus on rotationally grazing perennial pasture.

Room for improvement:  Consider sourcing beef products that are completely grass-fed and grass-finished to protect cattle health.  Make sure that creameries source all their milk from sustainable farms, if the animals are not raised on the premises.  Require that all chickens raised for meat have access to the outdoors.  If the rating scale allowed it, we would deduct half of a star for these concerns.

The Humane Choice is a project of Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT). This restaurant was reviewed by FACT staff members Larissa McKenna and Lisa Isenhart.  FACT is a Chicago-based non-profit organization dedicated to improving the way animals are raised on farms.  For more information on our work and mission, please visit http://www.foodanimalc...

We like that Big Jones goes out of its way to source ingredients from farms that use humane methods to raise their animals.  The restaurant is transparent about the brands it uses--you can find many of the farms it buys from listed on the website and often on the menu as well.  We also asked our waiter about the sourcing of some of menu items and he was very knowledgeable and forthcoming.  

Big Jones sources its pork from either Gunthorp Farms or Niman Ranch and its beef from Niman or Tallgrass Beef. Tallgrass Beef is completely grass-fed and grass-finished, meaning that the cows are never fed grain. Milk and dairy ingredients come from Kilgus Farmstead, Organic Valley, Prairie Fruits Farm, Trader's Point Creamery and Hook's. Prairie Fruits and Trader's Point are completely grass-fed operations while the others emphasize grazing and pasture-based living for their cows when the weather is hospitable (spring through autumn).

The eggs used are organic and come from New Century Farm .  Laying hens that are raised organically are never raised in cages. Big Jones uses poultry that comes from Gunthorp Farms.  The birds spend a lot of their lives outside as they are pastured at three weeks of age. The Home Smoked Turkey Breast sandwich we ordered was delicious.

Big Jones takes it a step further by butchering some of their meat, so that they can be sure of its origin and how the animals were raised. In our opinion, Big Jones is a very humane choice for those who eat animal products.

Room for improvement: Consider sourcing beef products that are completely grass-fed and grass-finished to protect cattle health.

The Humane Choice is a project of Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT). This restaurant was reviewed by FACT staff members Larissa McKenna and Lisa Isenhart.  FACT is a Chicago-based non-profit organization dedicated to improving the way animals are raised on farms.  For more information on our work and mission, please visit http://www.foodanimalc...

Uncommon Ground has been a trailblazer in the sustainable restaurant movement in Chicago. This second restaurant on Devon Avenue is devoted to supporting and showcasing sustainable producing and eating. We give them 5 stars for their sourcing of humane animal products. They list on the menu which farms the products come from (with a few exceptions).  A phone call to the restaurant yielded a conversation with chef Daniel Jacobs about where they source the rest of the animal products that appear on the menu.

For example, chicken and turkey comes from Gunthorp Farms. Cheese is sourced from farms such as Prairie Pure and Cedar Grove. Eggs come from New Century; milk and other dairy products come from Organic Valley or Kilgus Farmstead.  Beef comes from Dietzler Farms and pork comes from Becker Lane or Gunthorp, depending on the dish ordered.

Uncommon Ground goes above and beyond by also hosting Green Room Sessions, networking and learning opportunities for community members interested in green and sustainability issues. We applaud their efforts and heartily enjoyed the meal we eat in this branch of their restaurant.

Room for improvement:  Consider sourcing beef products that are completely grass-fed and grass-finished to protect cattle health.

The Humane Choice is a project of Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT).  This restaurant was reviewed by FACT staff members Larissa McKenna and Lisa Isenhart.  FACT is a Chicago-based non-profit organization dedicated to improving the way animals are raised on farms.  For more information on our work and mission, please visit http://www.foodanimalc...