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Burger & Brew Fest, Round 25 - Yellowbelly
The reality of today’s world is that at any point, we could be told to stay in our homes. That does kind of make me want to get all 36 burgers out of the way as soon as possible, because I will be heartbroken if we are prevented from going Pokémon mode and catching them all. With that in mind, Sarah and I decided to squeeze in a trip to Yellowbelly before picking up the kids from D&D. Yellowbelly was one of the few burgers I tried in the first year of this competition, and two of the three years I have really enjoyed it. This year they are offering the Beef & Bacon burger: Fresh beef from Halliday’s Butcher shop, crumbled bacon, tomato, lettuce, tomato aioli, onion jam, breaded fried provolone cheese, deep fried pickle spear, crispy prosciutto on a brioche bun. Wait...breaded and fried provolone? Oh Lawd, my arteries hardenin’.
This thing was huge. We probably should have split this one, but I was stubborn. A shocking revelation, I know. In a way I am glad we didn’t, because it was absolutely amazing. The patty was deeply flavoured, juicy and just...moreish. The tomato aioli was creamy and did a nice little duet with the actual tomato, making for a stronger tomato flavour than one would usually expect on a burger. I don’t really like the expression “symphony of flavour” but I don’t have a better one to describe this.
The crispy prosciutto was so good that Sarah actually thought it was bacon (a theme for the day, apparently). The one element that seemed to tie everything together though was that provolone cheese patty. Once it had had a chance to cool (at least we know the burger was served fresh!), it was delicious and creamy and seemed to be interacting with everything on the burger in a different way. The breading amplified that effect making for a truly memorable dish.
The onion jam, while good, was perhaps a little sweet. With the tomato aioli being so good, the onion jam really didn’t need to be as sweet as it was. The crumbled bacon was hard to detect, though Sarah thought it might have been in the patty.
The biggest drawback I can find was all the slippage. By the end of the burger I had way more provolone than patty left, but at the start they were essentially the same size. Some degree of slippage is inevitable but when there’s that much on the bun it makes it harder to enjoy the whole burger as the chef intended.
Those gripes aside, this is definitely the best offering Yellowbelly has had, and is pushing for the top spot with Jack’s, Waterwest and The Rooms. If you had asked me at the start of the contest to pick my top four at this point, I would have had one of those at most. Go and get this burger. Now.
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Burger & Brew Fest 2020, Round 24 - Mill Street Brewpub
Look, all the preamble you need for this one is that it’s on a donut. A freaking donut. It also has a great pun name, the Glazed and Confused: Scratch made peanut butter stout glazed donut, chuck beef patties, house smoked pork belly, and lingonberry hot sauce and American cheese, served with fries. Donuts and pork belly? This was one of my most highly-anticipated burgers of the entire month.
One thing that worried me going in was that most of the photos I had seen beforehand make the donuts look like cake donuts. That would be a very heavy bun and likely would have sopped up far too much grease. Fortunately the chef did not fall into that trap, and the donut-bun was the lighter type of donut. It was nicely sweet, which danced beautifully with that lingonberry hot sauce. Fun fact: lingonberry is another word for partridgeberry. Another fun fact:I would sit down and eat that hot sauce with a spoon. It was divine. The sweetness of the donuts helped tone down the heat but you could taste that it was there, and the berry flavour still shone through.
The patties were delicious and very clearly house-made smash style. The pork belly was thinly sliced and well-smoked, to the point that I would have thought it was just chewy bacon had I not read the description. Reflecting back on it, there were subtle differences that should have clued me in but it’s not like it was a bad thing.
Honestly, this reminded me a lot of a Wendy’s Baconator on a donut, including the fairly hefty drawback I have always associated with the Baconator: it needs something that isn’t meat. The American cheese was almost there purely for aesthetics, but what this really needed was a vegetable. All four of us thought that some raw red onion would have been perfect, both to add crunch and to give a fresh taste to cut through the grease. Even a quick pickle on the onion could have been good.
One other small point: I could not have told you there was any peanut butter in those donuts.I can’t say I’ve ever tried stout, so I can’t comment on the presence or absence of that flavour.
As good as this was, I keep coming back to the comparison to the Baconator and wishing it could be less accurate. Everything else - size, balance of sweet and savoury, heat, flavour combo - was amazing, but that lack of anything not animal-based hurts the overall package. It’s definitely worth trying, if only for the sheer curiosity, the hot sauce, or because you like the Baconator.
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Burger & Brew Fest 2020, Round 20 - Exile
Yet another restaurant in a hotel, Exile has been a competitor in the previous two contests and on both occasions had great and unique ideas. Last year’s donair burger sadly lacked in execution, but the prior year their portobello mushroom burger was both unique and beautiful. This year they went with the Bueno Beef Burger: 8 oz. house ground beef patty, Chili roasted pico de gallo, avocado mayo, lettuce, crispy jalapenos, provolone cheese, side of corn chips and salsa. Half a pound eh? Guess we have the answer to the age-old question.
I feel dirty for doing that.
It’s rare that Sarah and I will disagree so thoroughly on so many aspects of a burger. We both really enjoyed the patty (which never felt like half a pound, to its credit), and the pico de gallo was delightful. The corn was a really nice addition, and one that you just don’t see enough on burgers. The crispy jalapeños were a revelation; they kept their crunch and added a nice pop of flavour without ratcheting the spice up to uncomfortable levels. The cohesive theme of a Tex-Mex burger definitely carried through, and was helped by the novel choice of side.
Where we differed the most was on the toppings. I don’t understand the choice of provolone over something like Monterrey Jack. I don’t know if it was the cheese or the chili seasoning, but there was a strange taste in the background that wasn’t working for me. Similarly, I strongly felt the lettuce was too much. Like the burger at Pinnacle, you can see the lettuce overflowing the sides of the bun. It was iceberg lettuce, so it was largely devoid of flavour too. Shredding it or at least tearing at and reducing the amount would have helped immensely, and would have contributed to the feeling of a taco burger. Sarah on the other hand liked the same taste that had me balking, and had no issue with the lettuce.
The only other gripe here was that the avocado mayo was virtually invisible. With all the other strong flavours that’s hardly surprising, but it’s worth pointing out. I can’t help but wonder if the salsa would have fared well on the burger, but it might have turned a quite harmonious flavour profile into a cacophony. Nobody wants a cacophony.
Despite my dislike of a couple of elements, I have to say that this burger delivered. Sarah would likely go even further than that. Exile is a great spot for food and I heartily recommend checking it out, both for the burger and after this month.
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Burger & Brew Fest 2020, Round 17 - Garden Grille & Bar
The Hilton Garden Inn opened relatively recently here in town, so we can be forgiven for not yet having eaten at the restaurant in there. Not to worry, we’ll fix that! What would a very new restaurant in a new hotel have to offer with their Mouthwatering Malta? This Mediterranean Lamb Burger is bursting with Bacon & Tomato Jam, Tzatziki, Crumbled Feta, topped with Juicy Tomatoes, Fresh Arugula, Crispy Red Onions on a Toasted Rosemary Kaiser. An ambitious idea for sure, with a coherent theme.
Going in, I was not sure how much I would like this burger. I do enjoy lamb, but generally Mediterranean cooking isn’t my style. I tend to find feta too salty, and tzatziki isn’t my favourite sauce-style...thing. I’m very happy to say though that I really enjoyed this. The patty was fabulous, probably one of the best we’ve had. Tender and very flavourful with a wonderful char on it. The tzatziki and feta were perfect choices for the patty and just sold the entire package as a Mediterranean burger. The fresh veggies gave us a much-needed crunch to round it out. Sarah also felt like the bun was perfectly toasted, but I did find it a touch flaky.
It doesn’t take an eagle eye to notice that that is not arugula on the burger. It’s also somewhat disingenuous to say “crispy red onions” when what you actually mean is “raw red onions.” Not that either of these was detrimental to the overall taste, but I can’t help thinking the onion change in particular would have made a good burger even better. I also can’t help but wish there was some mint in here somewhere, my all-time favourite pairing with lamb and not out of the range of Mediterranean flavours.
All told this was a solidly delicious offering that pushed into the top tier, despite the issues with the description. It’s rare that neither Sarah nor I can find anything with which to take issue, but here we are. Everything worked so well and delivered a full flavour that worked with the theme. Highly recommended.
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Burger & Brew Fest 2020, round 4 - Blue on Water
Blue is one of a handful of restaurants that has been in each of the burger battles I can remember. They have never failed to deliver, culminating last year in a top 8 finish with a Thai-inspired burger. This year’s offering was already out to an early lead in the name contest (there isn’t a name contest): Curry on My Wayward Bun: Curry Burger with a blended beef patty of beef chuck, stripling portobello and shiitake mushrooms, herb and chilli mayonnaise, cucumber slaw, fried-onion bhaji, vindaloo ketchup. I do love a good curry, and onion bhaji is one of my favourite side dishes on the planet, so we were off to a promising start.
Couple of things right off the bat for bonus points: the option to have a side salad instead of fries (my scales thank you), and a bonus fried papadum on top. Really helped bring home a level of commitment to the theme without actually doing anything to the overall taste of the burger.
This combination worked, and worked well. Mushroom/beef blends tend to ramp up the earthiness and...I’m going to say “fullness” but it’s not the best descriptor. I guess it adds a level of depth to the flavour of the patty without changing the consistency, not an easy feat. The cucumber slaw carried a slight pickle, again adding to the Indian feel of the burger while complimenting the curry seasonings in the patty. And of course that onion bhaji...onions on a burger are always going to be a classic, and this was a great twist that thematically fit.
As you may be able to tell from the photo (my skills with a camera are somehow degrading...) I was not blessed with a surfeit or the herb and chilli mayo, The vindaloo ketchup was similarly hard to detect, possibly last in the other strong flavours. Both would have put a level of punch in the burger that I think would have elevated it to the top spot so far.
I was in the minority on this, but for me the burger was just a touch too salty. Not enough to ruin my enjoyment of it, but definitely notable. It’s an easy trap to fall into with Indian cooking, and might have been helped by a more robust (and possibly slightly sweet) bun or a raita instead of the herb and chilli mayo.
Overall a great effort that is probably second or third this far. If you like curry at all, this is worth a try.
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Burger & Brew Fest 2020, Round 1 - Piatto Midtown
We’re baaaaaack! When The Overcast folded this time last year, I was very worried that our annual February feast of the Burger Battle would fall to the wayside. For a while it certainly seemed that way, but Destination NL and Quidi Vidi Brewery took up the mantle with this replacement. It might not be perfect in its first year, but with 36 burgers to try and some first-time entrants I certainly won’t be complaining! Without delay, we jumped in (for the second year in a row) at Piatto Midtown (each branch has a different burger this year) for the Four O’clock Meeting: “ Haricot Farms ground beef, seasoned and cooked to perfection. We add balsamic glazed Portobello’s in a Five Brothers Avalon cheddar & QV cappuccino stout cheese sauce; Then Chinched pancetta, crispy fried banana peppers, parm aioli and BBQ sauce. All of this on a baked-to-order bun, straight out of our wood-fired oven, made from our Neapolitan pizza dough. “
Let’s start with that bun. For the second year straight they went with a pizza dough bun, but this year they trimmed the excess dough and it vastly improved everything. Pizza dough burger buns, for the record, are phenomenal. There’s something about the softness of the dough that just compliments a burger so well.
The likely star of this burger though was that balsamic portobello cheese sauce. I’ve never used the word “unctuous” in my life, but this sauce was unctuous. I would not have guessed that balsamic glaze would pair well with a cheddar sauce, but oh my heavens did it ever. This isn’t the first time that the QV cappuccino stout has been used in a sauce, and each time it has delivered. TO the surprise of nobody the pancetta was delicious, but the crispy banana peppers were a pleasant surprise. Generally I find banana peppers to be too strong on the pickled taste, leaving them providing little but vinegary heat. The frying process seriously reduced that vinegar taste, leaving the small kick of heat and a nice burst of flavour that contrasted well with the somewhat sweet cheese sauce.
It was only on re-reading the description of this burger that I realised it was supposed to also have a parmesan aioli and BBQ sauce. While the latter could easily have been lost with the QV stout in the cheese sauce, I cannot imagine many flavours completely overpowering parmesan. Maybe it was omitted, maybe it was a small amount, but that flavour was definitely absent from my bites.
I do want to add here that, in the past, Piatto has been guilty of overcooking their burgers. They avoided that this year, as both Sarah and I had a nice amount of pink in the middle and there was no dryness to be found. Still a good sear on the outside though. Also a word to the wise: this one is messy. You will need extra napkins. And it will be worth it.
It’s possible that going first does a disservice to Piatto, as the 35 (gulp) that follow it will all be fresher in the memory. They have generally been middle of the pack, never giving us a dud but never really blowing my mind either. This year is their strongest so far for me, so we shall see how that holds up. The ingredients might sound outlandish to the traditionalists out there, but the whole package works together so well that you are doing yourself a disservice by not trying it.
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Burger & Brew Fest 2020, Round 15 - Bernard Stanley Gastropub
Bernard Stanley is kind of known for its burgers. Well, it’s also known for the delicious curry aioli dip that they offer with fries or kettle chips, but this isn’t the Potato & Brew Fest. Generally BSG has made some huge and ambitious entries in these contests, often falling on the “unwieldy mess” side of the spectrum but rarely failing to deliver big, bold flavours. This year they seem to be scaling back on the sauciness: 8 oz. BBQ glazed beef and pork patty with bacon wrapped onion rings, caramelized apple and onion jam, smoked cheddar, fresh mozzarella, chipotle aioli and a jalapeño slaw. It sure sounds like a lot, let’s see how it fares.
That is a lot of burger, but one I was anxious to try. Let’s try and break this down. The bun, to my utter shock, held up. Pretzel buns are truly doing God’s work with a lot of these massive burgers, and this is no exception. The BBQ glaze and the chipotle aioli combo was nice, it worked really well with the blended patty and enhanced all the flavours without making it a dripping oozy mess. The patty asserted itself into every bite; this might seem like a strange thing to mention given that the patty is central to the burger, but so often the garnishes are strong enough to muscle out the patty. BSG in particular has been guilty of this in previous years. The onion and apple jam was amazing, as expected, and played very well with the smoked cheddar.
Both Sarah and I were massive fans of the jalapeño slaw. The freshness was sorely needed with so many competing and rich flavours, and even the slight kick was a welcome addition given the surprising amount of sweetness on offer.
While not bad in any way, the bacon-wrapped onion rings really didn’t offer anything above what bacon and onions separately would have offered. Aesthetics, I suppose? Brushing them with a sriracha honey glaze could have added an element that was somewhat missing. The biggest issue though was that the choice to go with two cheeses meant that there was a bit of a greasy feel to the burger, making it both heavy and still somewhat messy. The mozza could easily have been omitted here, or if you really wanted the melt-ability of it then go with smoked mozza and cut the cheddar out.
In general I am a bigger fan of the Bernard Stanley burgers than my co-diners. I think this year they have a burger that is easier to enjoy but will still be too much for a lot of people. I am not among them. I’m going to need to try it again but as it stands, this is in my top 5.
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Burger & Brew Fest 2020, Round 14 - The Rooms
If you had told me at the end of February that there would be 36 participants in the new burger battle, and you had given me 100 guesses to get them all, I am pretty sure I would never have come near getting The Rooms. I don’t think I even knew there was a restaurant in there! The burger on offer was certainly not basic fare: Logy Bay Jack Cheese stuffed beef burger, topped with grainy mustard, Rabbit & Pale Ale Relish & fried pickled onions.That’s an ambitious idea, and given our unpleasant run-in with grainy mustard at The Gypsy Tea Room I was a little uneasy.
That uneasiness was misplaced. The mustard was a lot milder, still present and definitely contributing the unique mustard flavour, but not to the overwhelming degree of the burger at Gypsy Tea Room. The use of watercress to provide some freshness and crunch was unique and a very nice touch, adding to the somewhat rustic feeling of this burger.
The best thing on the burger though was the rabbit and pale ale relish. This burger really needed a tart sweetness, and the berries (I am going to guess partiridgeberries) in the relish provided that. The rabbit wasn’t immediately obvious but did add a few bursts of earthy flavour, and the caramelised onions in the relish completed a wonderful addition.
You might be able to see in the picture that the patty looks like it wasn’t pressed enough. While it was tender and well-seared, the ratio with the bun was off and this did affect the overall delivery. The fried pickled onion rings were OK, but didn’t really add enough tartness on their own. A smear of herbed cream cheese would really have elevated this, adding another texture that could have helped enhance the patty.
All told I really liked this. A few more berries in the relish and that added element of creaminess could have put this right near the top. The only real complete was the patty-to-bun ratio, everything else is minor. If you can work with the less flexible hours compared with traditional restaurants, you definitely want to try this.
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Burger & Brew Fest 2020, Round 11 - The Gypsy Tea Room
Gypsy Tea Room last year was one of the major disappointments of the competition. Overcooked duck bacon, dry patty...just a confluence of errors that turned what should have been a highlight into a definite letdown. This year’s offering once again promised a lot, so let’s hope it doesn’t disappoint again: House ground AAA 6 oz. beef brisket burger garlic butter brioche, Boston Bibb Lettuce, 1892 Quidi Vidi Beer Mustard, greenhouse beefsteak tomatoes, grilled red onion, applewood smoked cheddar. Served with 1/2lb of house cut parmesan fries. Half a pound of fries...oof. That said, I love the idea of appelwood smoked cheddar and no bacon, as the flavour of that smoky cheese is almost the same as bacon and cheese together.
I’m curious about the decision to present burgers open-faced as opposed to constructed. I don’t know which I prefer, but doing it this way is definitely the minority. First impression was that we got luckier than our dear friend Katie, whose burger was not flattened at all.
Generally I will start with the positives for each burger. Sadly, they are hard to find here. Although nothing was terrible, this just did not work for me. The burger was dry (hard to do with brisket), though there was a good char on it. The mustard, which you may be able to see in the photo was on the top and bottom bun, was overpowering. It was a very forward punch on the tastebuds, and that wasn’t helped by the way it melded into the flavour of the cheese as the initial pungency of the mustard subsided. Had there only been mustard on the bottom bun, that natural flavour progression might have been magical. A real shame.
The tomato on my burger was very stingily applied, though Sarah was luckier there. The red onion wasn’t grilled and the garlic butter on the brioche was virtually imperceptible. Even the fries were a disappointment, basically missing all the parmesan that was promised.
I really wanted to like this burger, but a collection of uninspired garnishes and an overwhelming surplus of diggity very strong mustard really hurt. Given how good most of the things on GTR’s menu are, this is an even bigger letdown.
#lansdelliciouseats#Gypsy Tea Room#burgerbrewnl#food#foodporn#burger#burgerporn#yyteats#eatlocal#yyt
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Burger & Brew Fest 2020, Round 10 - Waterwest Kitchen & Meats
One of the best things about these burger contests is that they give us an excuse to go to restaurants we haven’t yet visited. Waterwest is fairly new, but we have two friends working there and the menu looks incredible. That said, the burger itself (the Waterwest Melt) was not one of the top few that appealed based on description: PEI dry aged beef patty with raclette cheese, onion relish and roast mushrooms on a house potato bun. Served with parm fries. Sure it sounds good, but it doesn’t really offer anything unusual except the use of raclette.
Once again, taste overcame description. This burger was delicious. I don’t think I’ve had raclette before, but it was delightfully melty and gooey and had a very mild, slightly sweet flavour. The onion relish was divine, adding a mellow sweetness to the burger as well as a needed burst of moisture. The potato bun as well was a very good choice, the softness belying the ability to hold everything in while also adding a touch of flavour of its own. The mushrooms, locally sourced, were a little muted but definitely present, noticeable mainly due to their texture here.
The real star of the burger was the patty, which is the way it should be. Stll pink in the middle, carrying a strong flavour, well-seasoned, and right on the line between just right and a little dry. The char on it was close to perfect, and (this might seem weird) it was perfectly sized for the bun and monch-ability. So many burgers in these contests get the bun-to-patty ratio completely wrong, and it makes for a quite frustrating last few bites.
Unfortunately this was not a perfect burger. I found it a touch too salty, much like the issue I had with Blue on Water. Sarah didn’t have the same issue, and I’ll admit that I’m having a hard time figuring out where it could have come from. Raclette is apparently salty, but I don’t think I had that much more cheese than she did.
I also think the burger would have been greatly improved with the addition of some sort of cured meat. Bacon is the obvious choice, adding crunch that the shredded lettuce alone struggled to fulfill, but really they could have gone with any crisped-up meat here. It would have fit the raclette theme nicely too. That said, to avoid adding to the salt level you’d need to make a careful pick, perhaps a smoky sweet one.
Even with the criticisms, this was one of the best burgers we’ve had so far. I’m not sure if it beats out Jack’s for first, but it is very close at the top now. This is a delicious burger and the onion relish with that patty are absolute stars.
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Burger & Brew Fest 2020, Round 8 - The Guv’nor
One of my favourite burger of all time was at a little sandwich place in Egham, Surrey. I went to school right next to it, and one morning they offered the Ultimate Breakfast burger. It was a heart attack waiting to happen, but because I was young and indestructible I tried it anyway. In later years I would even come up with my own, which was a full 14″ across on the custom-made bun.
When the burger list came out, I initially overlooked just how close The Guv’nor had come to my burger: Angus beef & black pudding patty topped with grilled mushroom, tomato, bacon, medium fried egg and a English steak sauce, served with house made stout baked beans & seasoned fried potatoes. I had sausages on mine and didn’t have blood pudding (mainly because I was afraid to try it), but otherwise this was spot on.
Let’s start by saying that the wording was a little confusing. I expected the blood pudding to be worked into the beef patty, but instead you had alternating patty layers of beef and blood pudding. You can see I omitted the egg from mine, but Sarah assures me it was perfectly cooked to add some moisture to the burger without being too runny. It says English steak sauce, but any true Englishman knows it was brown sauce. I understand why you would not go with that though, it doesn’t exactly sound appealing.
This was another solid effort from The Guv’nor, and it nailed the concept of a full English breakfast. The brown/steak sauce was a really nice touch that added to the authenticity, and Sarah loved both it and the egg. The blood pudding surprised me greatly, and I now regret avoiding it for so long. Sarah said she would have preferred one thicker slice to two smaller ones, but I actually appreciated the way it was presented.
The tomato was a little thin, a shame because I love grilled tomato in my full English. I was also a little surprised at how muted the bacon was, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I have been ruined for mushrooms by what Chinched served me earlier in the week, but these were fine here. One thing I think would have made a difference was the way the beans were handled. They were undercooked and too sweet, but we generally don’t penalise for side dishes. That said, I think I would have preferred them on the burger. The sauce was thick enough that it would not have made the bun soggy, and it would have added a fun texture and some moisture to the otherwise slightly dry blood pudding patties. The hash browns were also undercooked, though not as badly.
Overall this burger really delivered on the concept, with fewer stumbling blocks than Chinched had with their concept burger. Adding the beans to the burger definitely improved it, but would have been even better had the sweetness been taken down a level and had they not been undercooked. This is one of the better ones so far, definitely behing Jack’s (still in front) but pushing the others for second.
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Burger Brew Fest 2020, round 3 - Jack’s Restaurant
Jack’s returns after taking last year off. Their offering the year before was one I greatly enjoyed but not many others did, and this year seemed to be gearing up the same way as they went with blue cheese. There are not many more divisive ingredients than that! The full description was pretty sparse: 6 oz. beef burger with blue cheese crumble, honey date jam on a pretzel bun and served with fries.
There does seem to be something of a trend this year to cut down on the toppings and go for quality and richness over the typical “giant stack o’ stuff” that we’ve seen in previous years. I had no idea what honey date jam would be like, or how it would pair with blue cheese, but I was excited to find out.
It doesn’t look that big, but this was a full-size burger. And it was phenomenal. Blue cheese has a real funk to it, even as a fan of it, but that funk was completely transformed by the honey date jam to give it an a sweet-savoury edge. That taste was solidly umami and really enhanced the flavour of the beef, making the whole package into a wonderful bite of intermingled and cooperating flavours. Two of the four of us were not blue cheese fans, but raved about this combination.
The beef itself was incredibly moist, ground fresh on site. It wasn’t quite falling apart (which would have been a definite negative), but it was melt-in-your-mouth tender. That paired really well with the pretzel bun, always good for a few points in my book.
As good as the flavour combination was, I was left wondering if it might have become too sweet if the honey date jam had been applied with a slightly heavier hand. It didn’t cross that line for me but it did walk right up to it, so it may be an issue for some. I also found the caramelised onions a little overcooked, though they were such a minor part of the burger that it did little to no damage to the total profile.
At this early stage, Jack’s is in the lead. We’ve had three really good burgers, and this is comfortably the best of the three. I cannot stress enough how well the blue cheese and jam combination works, both as a tag team and a trio with the beef. This was a work of genius.
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Burger & Brew Fest 2020, Round 34 - Boston Pizza
Of the three chain restaurants in the competition this year, Boston Pizza may have been the most surprising. Given the successes Piatto (another pizza joint) has had over the past couple of years, I am hopeful that Boston Pizza will be closer to the Fionn MacCool level of success and not the Jungle Jim’s level. Their burger is the Spicy Perogy burger: a 7 oz. beef patty on a Brioche bun, topped with spicy cactus cut potatoes, nacho cheese, green onion and a dollop of our signature cactus dip. It sounds promising, let’s see how it holds up!
Oh dear. Oh no. No no no. This was not what it could have been, not at all. We were able to finish it (meaning it will finish above Shamrock City), but about the only thing I can say about this burger was that it was edible. The patty was undeniably store-bought. In fact, I have the exact same ones in my freezer right now. It almost had a congealed texture to it, suggesting it may have been reheated at some point. The nacho cheese...well, it wasn’t what you would normally expect from that description. It was literally a store-bought shredded cheese blend.
The green onions were a good addition, but they just had too much work to do. The cactus cut potatoes, similarly, would have been a nice complement to a better base burger. Here they felt like a sunroof on a car with no wheels. The “signature cactus dip” actually might have been better as sour cream with bacon bits, to at least complete the perogy feel and theme a bit better.
When the best things on your burger are fancy potato chips and green onion, you are not in a good place. There was also not a single hint of spice anywhere on this. The cactus cut chips we had on the side had more kick! That wouldn’t be an issue if they had called it the perogy burger, but when you promise spicy you need to deliver it.
It’s possible that on any given day, this might be a fine burger. But once again, context matters and in the context of a burger festival you have to do better. Frozen and store-bought ingredients just make for a dish I can easily make myself, and possibly make better. Avoid this.
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Burger & Brew Fest 2020, Round 33 - No. 4 Restaurant and Bar
The fates have conspired to keep us from trying anything at No. 4 Restaurant and Bar, as on three occasions we’ve had plans to go there that had to be changed. When Coronageddon struck, we were fairly sure that it would be cancellation number 4 at...No. 4. Fortunately we were not deprived of the ability to try the Jalapeño Pork Belly Burger: 5 oz. beef brisket patty, spicy BBQ glazed pork belly, pickled jalapenos, smoked cheddar, black garlic aioli, lettuce, tomato and red onion, on a house-made black sesame seed bun. There are a lot of words here that appeal directly to me, so the excitement was palpable.
This burger was really, really good. Of all the pork and pork belly we’ve had this year, No. 4 did it the best. It carried the spicy BBQ sauce well without losing the characteristic pork belly taste and texture. Those aspects worked very well with the brisket patty, which was moist and well-seasoned. From the first bite you got a flavour profile that was harmonious and yet allowed you to taste most of the individual flavours. That has been rare.
Raw onion has not been heavily represented this year, with many restaurants opting for caramelised, pickled or crispy instead. The raw onion really worked here, adding a bold fresh taste under the rich sauce and the two meats. Smoked cheddar is one of my favourite things to put on a burger, and it did some good work here. I would have liked more of it, but the flavour did come through.
An oft-overlooked factor is the choice of greenery for a burger. Boston lettuce was definitely the right choice here; I think iceberg would have been too crunchy and arugula would have taken the flavour in another direction entirely. The black garlic aioli did incredible work adding sweetness to counteract the heat, while also being flat-out tasty.
If you’ve been following along, you’ll know one of my gripes with this burger: I will always prefer fresh to pickled jalapeños. Especially in the volume they are found on this burger, the tart vinegar flavour really asserts itself too much. Although the aioli did add sweetness, the garlic flavour was definitely muted a little too much for me.
One thing that - I don’t want to say “bothered” but it definitely stood out - to me was the bun. It was very fluffy and voluminous. It tasted good, held up well and was nicely grilled but the extra volume did mean that the burger was harder to get through than it otherwise might have been.
The criticisms of this burger are minimal, and aside from the pickled vs fresh issue they really didn’t reduce the tastiness of this dish. I know No. 4 is offering this burger for takeout so if you are in a position to do so, give this one a try. It’s a great entry.
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Burger & Brew Fest 2020, Round 32 - St. John’s Fish Exchange
I’ve been writing restaurant reviews, albeit sporadically, for a few years. Rarely do the restaurants themselves actually engage with me on social media. SJFX did when I first ate there, elevating themselves in my view right away. I was a little surprised to see them on the list of participants, but their Big Jigger certainly fits their name: Tarragon panko cod filet with caramelized onions, mustard caviar , crispy calamari, jalapeño slaw, and caper dill buttermilk ranch on a toasted garlic Portuguese bun. That is a lot of fish, a lot of flavour, and a whole lot of unique ingredients. A little intimidating to be honest, but I’ll give it a shot.
That is a gorgeous burger. As usual my photo doesn’t do it justice, but just trust me. Now as you all know, I am not usually a fish fan. I have tried cod and it was OK, but calamari did not appeal to me when I tried it. In the spirit of the contest though I was determined to give it a shot...and it was (mostly) delicious. Cod is a delicate fish with a subtle flavour, but the tarragon breading worked really well with it even for me. Once I got over the slight disappointment that it wasn’t actual caviar, I enjoyed the taste immensely. Sweet with a robust undertone of that characteristic mustard kick, it added another layer of flavour complexity that was totally unexpected.
The jalapeño slaw was a beautiful counterpoint to the sweetness in the mustard caviar. The choice of red cabbage (or possibly radicchio, my palate is not discerning enough to tell) with the caper buttermilk ranch not only worked from a flavour standpoint, it also gave a lovely burst of colour. A lot of restaurants seem to have forgotten the importance of eating with the eyes first, but not SJFX.
I find myself in a bit of a tough spot because neither Sarah nor I likes calamari usually. I have had it twice now, and this time it was distinctly more rubbery. From what I can tell, that is an easy mistake to make and is due to overcooking. Sarah’s younger daughter, as big a calamari fan as I have ever met, was pretty non-committal about it. That tells me volumes right there. Having said that, there was precious little else here about which to complain.
The Big Jigger is just a beautifully constructed burger that delivers on taste and presentation. I find myself in a bit of a sticky spot to rate it, given my inexperience with seafood, but if I think it was good then the pescaphiles among you will likely adore it.
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Burger & Brew Fest 2020, Round 31 - Shamrock City
Newfoundland has a huge Irish influence in everything. The sheer number of Irish pubs downtown is a perfect example of this, and Shamrock City is one of the most well-known. I’ve walked past it a hundred times and seen their food offerings on the billboard, but had never thought about ordering from them before. I guess when you realise that St. Patrick’s Day, actually a provincial holiday here, falls in March it does kind of make sense that some of the Irish pubs would want to enter. So they are obviously going with something of an Irish theme right? Nope, it’s the Mighty Moose burger: A 6 oz. Newfoundland Moose patty on a butter grilled brioche bun with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, fried onions, mayo, ketchup, mustard and relish.
You know what’s a great word? Excoriate. It’s not a word I get to use often, and it’s not something I often do. Well I am about to excoriate this burger. I’ve been eating every burger in the competition for the last three years. I’ve had some truly unpleasant burgers, everything from soggy shrimp tempura to burned patties to a burger Lunch Lady Doris would be ashamed to serve. I finished them all.
Until now. This was just inedible. Moose can sometimes be dry, sometimes gamey...this was both. Unlike Jungle Jim’s, the store-bought condiments on here didn’t coalesce into something edible; they just contributed to the straight bad taste. The only thing that could conceivably said to be in-house was the patty, and I have serious doubts about that even. I do not go to restaurants to eat something I could literally make myself with zero effort, especially not when you’re taking part in a festival.
Let me be clear: there was nothing, not one thing, I can find about this burger to recommend or praise. This is comfortably at the bottom of the list, and it would likely take literal food poisoning to shift it. I have to assume this was not representative of their normal fare, but do not order this burger.
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