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/