Today Pickles had a special guest on her burger tour. Claes Oldenburger was available and as a connoisseur of all things greasy, I decided he would be a fine addition to the tour. We struck out for Oh Boy Burger Market on Queen St. West, an establishment I'd read many a review of, mostly favourable.
The interior of OBBM was warm and diner-ish, with big red vinyl booths and cozy barn wood walls. Although the website makes it look a bit like Hooters, this was not the reality. Our server was friendly and chatty, and not at all a big-bosomed seductress. She immediately offered coffee or tea to warm us up as it was a chilly January day.
Claus B. was quick to get the combo of Cameron's beer, the classic burger, adding bacon, and fries. I also went for the Classic, but added swiss cheese with a side of onion rings. We also ordered deep fried pickles.
Starting with the all-important burger, we both agreed that it was very meaty, and dense. I actually couldn't finish all of mine. They were very tasty, but a bit dry. Claes found the bacon extremely tasty but not overpowering. My cheese was likewise generous but not overdone. I did question the existence of the garlic-mayo spread. I tasted mayo but no garlic.
Now, I realize that a bun is a very personal thing. I prefer the bun to be barely existent, basically a small barrier between my fingers and the meat, others (like Small Fry) like a huge fluffy bun. This bun was huge and fluffy - too much for me, but fresh and tasty. How would Small Fry feel about this bun? I'm not sure.
Claes' fries only rated a 6 out of 10. Although they were real potatoes, and generous, he said they were undercooked. The onion rings, however, were very good. We both felt that they did a good batter. Also, the rings maintained their onion-ness and firm texture inside the batter.
The biggest hit were the deep fried pickles. Once again, a good batter, 5 pickle spears, served piping hot (all the food was served hot), with dipping mayo (garlic? not sure). The batter was crisp and so were the pickles. These were a great success and deemed 'excellent'.
The condiments were extremely basic - mustard (which had gone empty) and ketchup, along with the lettuce, onion and tomato. I did notice dipping sauces for $1 on the menu and I guess these could be used on the burger as well. The website menu looked a lot more extensive than the one at the restaurant.
Drinks were basic. The usual selection of pop, but milkshakes as well, and it was licensed under LLbO.
The atmosphere was fine but they were clearly understaffed for lunch hour. We saw two people leave because they weren't served or acknowledged as they sat for a few minutes unnoticed. Our server was very nice and clearly trying to keep up. As we weren't in a rush, it wasn't an issue.
Also, the burgers were served on those tin trays that are becoming favoured in these joints. The place itself is actually nice and these gave it a cheesy quality. The tray is lined in trad looking black and white checkered paper, and Claes didn't like how the food touched the side of the trays. It had the feeling of the tray being re-used but not washed. This was just an impression, and probably not reality, but would it kill them to use a plate or cover the tray completely?
A couple of other things I noted: On the website it shows Hand Made Artisan Ice Cream. I saw our server running by with a tub of Breyers.
I realized all too late that they have a corn-dog on the menu, called a Coney Island dog. I have always maintained that the corn-dog is un-nature's perfect food. I realize this is a burger tour so I suppose it's best that I had the burger. This only means that a return trip is needed to experience the corn-dog and another round of deep fried pickles.
I can probably only give Oh Boy a 6.5 out of 10 for now, as far as the burger tour goes. It really couldn't compare to some of the other tour stops. However, I will be back for the pickle spears and corn-dog.
www.ohboyburger.com
