The Church Key

Tired of waiting for her burger-lovin' pals, Pickles struck out on her own. Burgers wait for no one! A family visit took me off the beaten path to London, Ontario. London seems to swing between roadhouse chain restaurants like Casey's and Jack Astor's, to upscale fine dining on Richmond Row. I had heard from Burger-Mamma a fine burger was to be had at The Church Key, a small downstairs pub directly across from the Grand Theatre. The pub itself is warm and cozy, with brick walls and large windows. The smell of something good lures you in for a pint or glass of wine. Although I was tempted by the daily special of rabbit masala, I was on a burger mission.


I realize that this isn't a so-called burger joint, and I've strayed away from our usual path, but I felt I had to include this burger. It was simply delicious. The generous meat was moist and perfectly done, meaning not over and not under. The toppings were stilton, organic arugula, carmelized onion, and tomato jam. This combo was delicious. The tartness of the stilton melded perfectly with the sweetness of the onion, the slightly bitter arugula and then a little kick from tomato jam, which was like a slightly sweeter tomato paste. The ultimate winning item, however, was the bun. It was meltably soft and fit the burger perfectly. There was no question of leaving the bun butt (where you hold on to your burger) - that would mean leaving some of the sandwich itself.


The fries were fresh cut, delicious and hot. Although there was no sweet potato option, our server explained that most places serve frozen sweet potato fries and they didn't want to do them if they couldn't do them right.


If you are ever in the London area, hit Richmond St., between Queens Ave and Dufferin on the east side. There you'll find one of the best burgers I've ever experienced.

www.thechurchkey.ca

The Burger Shoppe on Ossington

I never knew this great little stretch of funky shops and cafes existed down Ossington Avenue. Just south of Dundas is one of several Burger Shoppe locations in Toronto. This location features a great patio, high ceilings inside, and natural wood finishes. Some of my fellow meat-eaters had tried the location at Queen and Broadview, to rave reviews. It was a beautiful day when we went to the Ossington location, so we sat on the patio. One bonus was the selection of micro brewery beers with great names like Big Wheel.

We were able to choose our style of beef from chuck, angus or sirloin, apparently ground on the premises and priced accordingly. This differentiation may or may not have come into play later.

Hamburglar went for the Banquet burger, a classic cheddar and bacon, with chuck. He gave it an 8 out of 10 but still prefers Craft Burger. Small Fry also went for the Banquet, but said his was cold in the middle. Although he said the taste was good, he prefers South Street's burger, giving this a 7.5.
Pickles here went for the Shoppe, ground chuck. It was awesome, done medium, with carmelized onion and horse radish. Why in heaven's name I never thought of putting horseradish on a burger before, I'll never understand! The garlic aioli was deliciously drippy. I'd give it a 9/10.

Burgermeister went for the Sirloin B&B (blue cheese, bacon, red onion & dijon). He gave this a 9.5 due to it's steak-like flavour. Words like "outstanding" and "sirloin-y" dripped from his mouth when he wasn't stuffing it with more beef. The whole grain bun was a 10 on its own.

Other adjectives bandied about during our meal were delectable, stuffed-inducing, classy and like a 3D movie experience. We all agreed the ingredients were clearly of high quality and worth the slightly higher price.

On to the sides. We ordered fries, onion rings and poutine. The fries were great, and we all scored them at 9. The onion rings were just ok. Although they were big and clearly hand-made, they lacked flavour. The poutine was gloriously lumpy and full of delicious globs.

We had an amazing dessert of creme brulee, that tasted like it had little caramels on top. Even the usual grumpy Small Fry gave it a perfect "10" saying he'd return just for this!

The service was friendly and casual. Our server was great at making recommendations and describing the food and beer. We had a tippy table, which was annoying, but our server tried hard to even it out for us. Ultimately it was a great evening on the patio and I would've been happy eating my way through the menu if I hadn't been so sated. Also, they were dog-friendly and had no issue with our little furry friend leashed just on the other side of us on the patio.

Unfortunately I do have to mention one disparaging side effect that struck all but one. The three of us who ordered 'chuck' for our burgers suffered 'the trots' shortly thereafter. It was swift and thorough. I would have chocked (or chucked) it up to something else, but since three quarters of us suffered the same thing, Small Fry felt it would be misleading not to mention it. However, Burgermeister had no ill effects from his sirloin. This wouldn't stop me from going again, but I think I would upgrade to either Angus or Sirloin next time.

I should also mention that the menu varies slightly from each location, so check it out first. I'm sure the experience will be memorable no matter which one you choose.

http://www.theburgershoppe.com/

On the road again at Craft Burger

Finally I was able to get at least 3 of the burger buddies together again for a feeding. Sadly, Small Fry was stuck at work, but Burgermeister, Hamburglar and myself, Pickles were up for another leg of our journey.
This tour tour took us to Craft Burger on Yonge St., just north of Bloor across from the Reference Library.
Upon entering, the decor is nice. Dark wood panels gives the feel of an old church or school house. Maybe that doesn't sound too appetizing but it's relaxing and warm. We could see the food was served on rectangular tin trays, which made me think a bit of prison, but in a romantic kind of "Johnny Cash" way.
First I'd like to say that the staff were excellent. Our server told us that the beef was fresh Ontario AAA ground chuck, grass fed, from somewhere near Bolton, and the burgers were handcrafted one at a time. They have a good system, where you go to the counter and order, and you place your number on your table, where a server/runner brings it by when it's ready.
Burgermeister is a sucker for blue cheese so he went right for the Craft Blue. He gave it a high rating of 8.5. All agreed that the fries were really good, though greasy. But that's what makes them good!
Hamburglar had the classic burger but added avocado. He loved this burger and gave it a 9.5, not worrying a bit about blowing his whole rating system on one burger, so early in the tour.
I went for the Craft Spicy which was very tasty, though not that spicy. I can't fault it for much though, as it was thick and juicy, and just plain delicious. I was sorely tempted by the Lamb Burger, but that'll have to wait until next time. I also went for the onion rings, which were basic, but good. I think next time I'd go for the fries, as it's hard to find good fries these days and these were bonafide.
They also offer poutine or mixed greens.

After our meal we decided to go for the Old-fashioned shakes. They were thick and delicious and they served them with the big tin mixing cup so you get every drop. Our server also treated us to one of their oatmeal chocolate chunk with toffee crunch cookies. It was heavenly.
Another offering on the drinks menu was Boylan's soda. I love this stuff, so we each had one. Our only problem (and seriously, the only one!) was that the soda was a bit warm.
They didn't have a ton of toppings, not even bacon(!), but with the basics plus a few delicious (but pricey at $1.25) options, like carmelized onions, mushrooms, and roasted red peppers, I can't say I really missed anything.
Overall we ended up with an average rating of about 8.25, with Hamburglar topping out at 9. Craft Burger isn't cheap, but it was delicious and the portions were good.
This place is definitely worth another visit.

You don't have to be a Bison to Stampede to this Grill!

With my burger buddies away camping, Pickles was left on her own to continue her beefy journey. Since it's difficult to convince downtowners to journey anywhere past Bathurst, I figured this was a good opportunity to experience the Stampede Bison Grill, located in Parkdale on Brock Street, just north of Queen and conveniently located next to the LCBO. I've passed by the Grill's patio many times and it always seems to be thriving. The other day they even had a couple of musicians entertaining the diners. It's a funky, bright and inviting patio.
Since there was only one of me, I can only comment on the menu and what I had. The menu was big and varied with a lot of toppings, sides, and fresh squeezed lemonade or hand scooped shakes.
They have a good base menu, of bison, beef, chicken, veggie, club or roast bison. Toppings are plentiful and divided by price, from free to 95 cents. At the .95 level, they have bacon, avocado, sauteed mushrooms or onions, cheddar or goat cheese. I would have liked a few more cheese options but you can get an onion ring on your burger too. I think .95 is a bit steep for avocado.
Sides are the usual that most burger joints are offering: fries, onion rings, sweet potato fries and poutine.
I went for the bison burger and really enjoyed it. It was tender and juicy, perfectly done with a wee bit of pink in the middle. The sweet potato fries were nicely done, but they were the typical fries that everywhere seems to be serving. The fresh-squeezed lemonade was a nice touch.
One drawback is the long wait time and seemingly disorganized (however friendly) counter staff. Perhaps turnover is big, but it seemed like everyone was going through training, and I've heard this from other visitors as well. Patrons were coming back in from the patio asking if they'd been called yet.
A bonus is that it's licensed, and they have a decent patio.
I would definitely like the return with the entire burger pack and enjoy the patio while trying a few more options.
All in all I'd give the Bison an almost 8, or a big MMM. I preferred it to Hero, for sure, but also probably for the neighbourhood atmosphere.

The Conquering Hero

The Burger pack had all tried Hero Burger at various times and experienced various stages of satisfaction. Much of the success seems to depend upon the location. Hamburglar was vehemently not a fan and leery to try again, however I had always had great experiences at my First Canadian Place location. In fact, I was always the envy of the lunch room crowd with my thick juicy burger, dripping with burger goo, and yummy fresh cut fries. Burgermeister and I had both tried the Toronto General Hospital location and it was definitely lacking. Perhaps it's the 'hospital smell' that doesn't go with burger, but our separate experiences at this locale left us with a dry burger and blah tastebuds; however, very nice counter staff.

Burgermeister and I tried the Church St. location. Both of us had a good experience here, however the counter staff is infamously unpleasant. They're not downright rude, they just look like they'd rather be somewhere else. We both were perfectly satisfied with our meals. What I do like about Hero is the plethora of toppings available, including different kinds of cheese, and the option of a whole wheat or thin bun. They also have good basic sides, like fries, onion rings or poutine. They also carry fresh made milkshakes. I'm always a sucker for this! The burgers are fresh and juicy, and the Hero sauce is very nice. Burgermeister had a Canadian version, which includes Bacon, cheddar and Hero sauce. He was very happy with this combo.

All in all, Burgermeister and I would give Hero a 7 to 7.5 rating, or 2 1/2 mmm's. (mm mm m?)

Unfortunately, it does seem to depend on location. I think that they may have over-franchised, and this has caused a decline in quality. For now, I am going to reserve my burger eating for

smaller, less famous joints.

http://www.heroburgers.com/

The Burger's Priest on June 12, 2010

I struck out on my own today, my fellow burger-lovers busy with things non-beefy. In fact, it wasn't in my original plan to partake of the burger today, but fate had a way of stepping in.

I was driving along Queen St. East, and where there used to be a George's BBQ, was a brand spanking new gourmet burger joint. Now I'm generally not down with gentrification, but the sign, in basic black and white, caught my eye. The joint was obviously new, and because of the small space, packed to capacity and spilling out the door.

The slogan, "Redeeming the burger, one at a time" was interesting too, although it doesn't spill off the tongue so easily. Fortunately, your tongue may be happier doing something else here.


I was immediately greeted by the burger-man behind the counter who asked if I was a first-timer. He went through the short menu with me, and emphasized the high quality, fresh ground beef. The menu is short, basically a cheeseburger, the "Option", and fries. A combo is also available. Burger-man also stressed the soft bun. This appealed to me because I often find the burger is lost in the bun.


I opted for the cheeseburger combo because I wanted to try the fries (all in the name of duty of course!). The fries, I was told, were real potatoes, twice fried, small and thin. And they were delicious. Crispy and greasy, nicely toasted. The cheeseburger was, as promised, high quality delicious beef, and tons of melty gooey cheddar (?) cheese (as he put it, "American style"). The bun was small and soft, and certainly didn't take away from the burger at all. It was basically a meat holder.


The other menu item, The Option, looked delicious. It's their version of vegetarian, consisting of a huge portobello mushroom, stuffed with cheese, and grilled. It looked and smelled amazing. I will definitely be trying this next visit.


Burger toppings were extremely basic: lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion, mustard, ketchup, mayo. I would have liked some BBQ sauce, and maybe something spicy.


Pop selection was also minimalist, water and cans of various Coca cola products. If you're not going to have milkshakes or something special like lemonade, at least get some fancy sodas in there, or even some Fanta.

The burger was small, but there was the option for additional patties, which I thought was a better idea than the usual burger patty by weight. I never know how big 4 oz, 6 oz or 8 oz is. The one patty was plenty for me, with fries, but I know some of my co-horts could easily polish off 2 to 3 patties.


My cheeseburger combo cost $10.16 with tax, which is about normal for a gourmet burger. The
cheeseburger on it's own was about $4.60, but the option weighed in at over $6. It was, however, quite big.


The Burger's Priest was brand new, and the wait was quite long for my order. It was, however, delicious, and I'm sure with time they'll get faster on the lineup. The also take your name, a la Licks, for that personal touch. Service was very friendly and personal.

I am redeemed!

Acme Burger - May 30, 2010

The first stop on the tour was Acme Burger, located on the Queensway, near Royal York Road. We chose it as our first stop due mainly to its first proximity to Ikea, our other stop that day.

Acme has the option of various weights, 4 oz, 6 oz, and 8 oz burgers. The beef is 100% certified angus beef. The beef was nicely grilled, with a lightly toasted bun. The toppings are many, including black and green olives, and a delicious Acme sauce, which is a thick ranch like dressing.

The french fries are excellent. They are big chunky real potatoes in a nice golden hue. The sweet potato fries, which are always a welcome option for me, were 'typical'. They were clearly of the frozen variety that all the restaurants have right now. They also have onion rings, that I had on a previous visit. They're huge! This means you don't get many, but they are good.

As for drinks, it's typical fountain or bottled fare. However, they do have fantastic 'real' milkshakes in chocolate, vanilla or strawberry.

We all enjoyed it, and felt the regular fries scored major points. While we enjoyed it a lot, we did feel that it was missing that high 'mm' factor. In fact, I'd score it a 'mmm'.

http://www.theacmeburgercompany.com/

The Burger Tour

On a sunny Sunday afternoon, four friends embarked on a journey of beef. The journey would include grease; it would include cholesteral; it would include Rolaids.

It all started one Saturday evening, discussing the best burgers around Toronto, though perhaps our journey wouldn't end there. Although we all had our personal favourites, none of us had tried them all. So how could we possibly compare? We had to do the tour together, and compare as we savoured.

The journey would not only be about the burger. There were sides to consider: fries, sweet potato fries, poutine. What of toppings? And something else that concerned all of us: drinks. Is cherry cola out there? Vanilla coke? Milkshakes? Lemonade, or dare I dream, cherry lemonade?

Join the Hamburglar, Small Fry, Burger Meister, and me, Pickles, and all these queries and mores will be investigated during...the Burger Tour.