Burgers with attitude coming to Grand Boulevard

BROOKFIELD – Craft burgers, craft beers and craft liquor are coming to Brookfield, all under one roof.

A new business, aptly named Burger Antics, is moving into the former Toscanino’s Italian Market location at 3740 Grand Blvd.

Dan Velcich and his wife, Brenna, told members of the Brookfield Village Board on Jan. 26 they have signed a lease and hope to open for business in the beginning of March.

Velcich also has applied for a Class 11 liquor license, which would allow Burger Antics to sell beer, wine and alcohol for consumption on the premises only. The application is expected to be approved when the Village Board meets in regular session Monday.

Velcich said the restaurant will focus on artisanal food, beer and liquor and also will provide a forum to support local artists by providing space to display art. The couple also is inviting local musicians to send tapes and CD’s to them, which they will review for inclusion on their iPod list to be played in the restaurant.

As for the restaurant, the burgers are the true stars, Velcich said, and the food reflects the couple’s artisanal philosophy.

“We do all our own shopping – we use a local meat distributor from Chicago [and] local bread from Chicago,” Velcich said. “We’re going to do as many of the local craft breweries as we can, including [beers brewed in] Lyons, Brookfield and Westmont. We want to give them a venue to show off their art as well.

The first Burger Antics was located at Willow Springs and Joliet roads in Countryside from June 2013 to August 2014. The couple then decided to move to Brookfield.

“It’s close to home, and we love going to that strip in Brookfield,” Velcich said. “My wife grew up in Brookfield. We wanted to be in a downtown area and it’s also close to our previously location for our fans. We wanted to continue nurturing the same customers we’ve has all this time. We’ve built a community with these people and we wanted a spot where we could serve the same customers.”