Tag Archives: Burger Week

BURGER DAY: The Grand Finale…

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Alas, it seems the weather gods weren’t smiling on Burger Day, as evidenced by the dark clouds overhead.  With the afternoon forecast calling for rain, my mission was to get in and get out without getting wet.  Mission accomplished.  For 25 bucks, one could purchase five sliders and one beer, which seemed like a pretty decent lunch to me.

I started off with South St. Burger’s “spicy, smoky pulled pork on a beef patty, topped with Quebec cheese curds” (not pictured).  While I know this sounds amazing in theory, the execution was a little off.  There simply wasn’t enough topping to offset the taste of the beef.

Nearby, E11even was serving up prime shoulder chuck with a myriad of toppings, including jalapeno havarti and sliced avocado.  This one had a nice little kick to it.

 

The Caldedonian was offering something slightly different: haggis and lamb burgers topped with “Highland chutney.”  I gotta say, those sheep’s stomachs were quite savory…

 

Of course, I had to get a taste of the Drake’s 28-dollar burger with “chuck and short rib with Grand Chevalier, arugula, red onion and tomatoes.”  It was quite good.  Not sure I’d pay 30 bucks for it, but I was satisfied with the three-dollar portion.

 

Even by noon, there was already quite the line in front of the Barque Smokehouse stand.  I figured with this many people waiting for their smoked brisket burger, it’s gotta be good, right?  Well, I would say it was worth waiting for, a nice juicy patty with sweet house-made pickles adding some tangy zizzle.

 

Washed it all down with a nice plastic cup of Muskoka Summer Weiss.  Man, this is some good stuff.  Gonna hafta look for it at The Beer Store or something…

La fin.

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BURGER WEEK: Ultimate Bacon Burger? Don’t mind if I do…

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Today being Saturday, I decided to shake things up a bit and go for one of the Black-Tie Burgers.  Y’see, while three-dozen restaurants are offering five-dollar burgers this week, there’s also a handful serving up specialty burgers, ranging in price from 13 (Utopia Cafe) to 28 (Drake Hotel) dollars, with five bucks from each sale going to The Stop Community Food Centre.  I suppose you can say I did my good deed for the day, and boy, was it delicious!

Although it’s the most affordable of the gourmet burger options, don’t let the price fool you: Utopia Cafe’s Ultimate Bacon Burger is some high-end eatin’.  I mean, they pretty much give you 13 dollars of fries, as seen above, so you’re definitely getting your money’s worth.  As for the burger itself, well, it merges ground beef, ground pork and ground pork belly into a thick, juicy patty.  You can taste the bacony goodness even though there isn’t a single slice of it in sight.  It’s a Burger Week miracle!

With the tangy white sauce dripping down, it’s also a little messy, though I didn’t really mind.  The smoked provolone on top added a nice sharpness along with your traditional toppings (lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles).  Man, I almost wish I had another Bacon Maple Ale to wash it all down.  I give it a “Happy Trails!” and a “Buckin’ Bronco!”

Location: 586 College St

Reservation: None required.

In-and-Out Time: 25-30 minutes

BURGER WEEK: Holy Chuck, that’s a greasy burger!

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With this terrible weather we’re having today, I didn’t wanna spend too much time walking in the rain.  So I headed up to Holy Chuck, which is just around the corner and down the street from St. Clair Station.  I got there around five minutes to noon, which allowed me to beat the rush.  By 12:05, there was a lineup eight deep, and by 12:15, it stretched back to the door.  Me, I didn’t hafta wait in line at all…

Holy Chuck’s five-buck burger is the Depressed Cow (regular $8.99), which consists of fried Spanish onions sandwiched between two thin beef patties, with nothing more than mustard and large pickle slices on top, served on a traditional burger bun.  The burger was nice and hot, and you could feel the grease dripping off of it with every bite.  I grabbed a buncha napkins beforehand, but I had to go back for more, it was that messy.  (Fries were thin, but heavily seasoned with salt and oregano.)  Clearly, Holy Chuck doesn’t cater to the health-conscious.  My kinda place.  I give it a “Howdy-doo!” and a “Git’ along lil’ doggies!”

Location: 1450 Yonge St.

Line Time: None, as long as you go early.  Otherwise, I’m guessing 10-15 minutes.

Prep Time: 8-10 minutes

In-and-Out Time: 23 minutes

BURGER WEEK: This Grindhouse will make you lose your appetite (by filling yer stomach, natch!)

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Whereas Burger Brats had nothing to indicate it was Burger Week, aside from some copies of The Grid on a table, the event was front and centre at the Grindhouse Burger Bar.  Not only was it mentioned on the chalkboard outside, but there was a prominent sticker right when you walked in.  Before I even had time to sit down, the server asked me if I wanted the special.  Don’t mind if I do…

The Vacas Locas burger was topped with sour cream, chili, kidney beans, hot peppers and guacamole.  The kidney-bean chili jumped out at me from the first bite, with the sour cream and guac adding a cool creaminess to balance out the kick from the hot peppers.  The burger itself was nice and thick, well-cooked but with still a little pink in the centre.  Paired with a nice Muskoka wheat beer, it brought a little slice of summer to this less-than-balmy day.  I give it a “Yeehaw!” and a “Ride ‘em Cowboy!”

Location: 365 King St. W

Prep Time: 10 minutes

In-and-Out Time: 20 minutes (I only had one beer!)

BURGER WEEK: Beat on the brat, beat on the brat, beat on the brat with a bacon smokeshack!

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Were it not for Burger Week, I might never have known about this place, since I tend to stay away from the Entertainment District unless there’s a screening at the Scotiabank Theatre for TIFF that I wanna see.  I got to Burger Brats around noon, and there was already a sizeable lineup; it would be about 10 minutes before they took my order.

Their five-dollar special was a (scaled-down?) version of their Smokeshack burger, with bacon, cheddar, smoky BBQ ranch sauce and a coupla onion rings thrown in for good measure.  The patty was thinner than I expected (which is why I reckon it might’ve been scaled down from the eight-dollar version) but was hot and fresh.  The burger had a nice smoky flavour from the sauce and the onions, and the bacon was soft and chewy.  They used real cheddar cheese—not of that processed crap—too, which was a nice touch.

The fries were old-school, cut with the skin on like you get at a good fish ‘n chips shop.  Twas all a bit greasy, but hey, if it ain’t greasy, it ain’t good, right?  Overall, I give it a “Yahoo!” and a “Howdy Pardner!”

Location: 254 Adelaide St. W

Line Time: 10-12 mins

Prep Time: 10-12 mins

In-and-Out Time: About half an hour

Burger Week could soon become my favourite Toronto festival–and that’s saying something!

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When I first saw the ad in the paper, I could hardly believe my eyes.  You mean, they’re dedicating a whole week to hamburgers in this city!?  Well, not quite.  Burger Week only runs from Wednesday to Sunday, but close enough.  Over that stretch, a 24 of local restaurants will be offering burger deals, culminating in a day-long burgerfest June 3rd at the Wychwood Barns, where five-dollars admission gets you access to three-dollar sliders and five-buck beers.  You could say I’ll be shaking hands with beef aplenty this week.

But I’m a bit bummed out by The Grid’s non-interactive map, because it seems that most of the participants in this glorious event are a good deal west of downtown.  Not so convenient for those of us who work on Bay St.  That said, I still intend on indulging in a different five-dollar burger each day of this Burger Week–while putting aside a few bucks from the grand finale.  Check back here for my daily reports (with pictures!) from now until Sunday.

How can a man consume nothing but burgers for five straight days, you ask?  Well, I am from Alberta, after all… ;)

DAY ONE: BURGER BRATS

DAY TWO: GRINDHOUSE BURGER BAR

DAY THREE: HOLY CHUCK

DAY FOUR: UTOPIA CAFE

DAY FIVE: BURGER DAY!