Eddie Lakin, a former cook at TRU and Nacional 27, presents his take on a straight-up fast-food joint with downtown Evanston's Edzo's Burger Shop. Located in an area with plenty of options for lunch, Edzo's stands out with simple food and a few lovable twists.

Lakin has crafted a burger that's simple but satisfying, with beef that's ground daily, so the patties are fresher than your typical fast-food sandwich. Choose between the four-ounce griddled burger (with as many as three patties), which resemble a better version of the Steak 'n Sheak's thin patty; or the eight-ounce char burger, a more gourmet, thicker patty, with the possibilities of unorthodox toppings like jalapenos, garlic butter or fried egg.

The burgers may be solid and straightforward, but the fries are another story. The freshly hand-cut French fries find themselves in a whole host of contexts. Crazy fries come with chili, cheese and chopped onion; Taylor Street fries are served with Italian beef gravy, sweet peppers and giardiniera; while loaded fries are accompanied with cheese, bacon, green onions and sour cream. The rest of the menu is your typical Vienna beef stand affair: Chicago-style dogs, Maxwell Street Polish, and a Sheboygan brat for visitors from the north. Wash it down with Pulp Fiction's infamous five-dollar milkshake, which brilliantly costs $4.

While the '70s retro logo and orange-rainbow design spruce up the place here and there, Edzo's mostly feels like part of a rickety-old warehouse with one coat of paint barely covering the cracks. Between that and the smooth blues radio, Edzo's has a gritty, urban feel, which should appeal to both townies and local college students.

Average cost: <$10

Centerstage Reviewer: Andy Seifert