Buffalo Bill won’t blow you away
by Robin Stanford
Frites Alors! – Buffalo Bill $12
The Buffalo Bill burger from Frites Alors!, made with a beef and bison patty, has potential but unfortunately it falls short.
The first thing you notice is the sauce and toppings. It tastes fresh and creamy without being overpowering. After the second or third bite, the taste of bison starts to poke through, similar to beef but slightly gamy. Although quite pleasant in itself, the meat falls short as the patty itself is rather dry. When paired with the overpowering sauce, it lacks the balance of a great burger.
All the elements to make an exquisite burger are there but simply don’t come together to make something special. Hopefully the next time the Buffalo Bill is placed on the menu, it will be revamped so as to let the meat shine.
6/10
Sometimes you eat the burger, and sometimes the burger eats you
by Sara Baron-Goodman
Burger Bar – The Dude, $14
Last year, Burger Bar on Crescent Street won the People’s Choice Award for their Burger Week delicacy, The Hangover Burger. This year, I was anxious to see if The Dude burger, inspired by The Big Lebowski’s titular character, would live up to the restaurant’s former glory.
The Dude’s patty was a triple threat ̶ made with AAA beef, pork, AND veal, it was a carnivore’s wet dream. The meat was tender and flavourful, and was the shining component of the dish (as it should be).
The burger was topped with Burger Bar’s homemade ketchup, Monterey Jack and Mozzarella cheeses, and crispy fried onions.
The texture of the crunchy onions was a nice contrast to the juicy, melt-in-your-mouth cheeseburger, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Dude was a great take on a classic burger, made gourmet by the three-meat patty and house ketchup. However, it did lack creativity, especially compared to Burger Bar’s winning burger last year, which was topped with a fried egg, truffle oil, caramelized onions, bacon, and a mini poutine. Fortunately, the Hangover burger is still on the menu.
8/10
Return of the Mac is not your average burger
by Robin Stanford
Lucky’s Truck – Return of the Mac, $10.00:
Return of the Mac is the ultimate comfort food. It starts with a patty, consisting of homemade macaroni and cheese, encased within a crispy coating. Although not what one would typically think of as a burger, the addition of coleslaw, tomatoes, bacon, and spicy mayo certainly make it feel like one. This is not due to the fact that such toppings are typically found on a hamburger, but rather the overall blend these elements bring.
What makes Lucky’s offering the perfect burger is its texture. At once the Mac is both soft to bite into yet still retains a satisfying crunchiness. The mixture of sensations provides the illusion of a juicy burger without any meat patty being present.
Currently it is unknown if the Return of the Mac will be a permanent feature on Lucky Truck’s menu. All that we know is that this is one of the most creative burgers out there. Whoever the mad genius that thought it up is, hopefully we will get to see even more creative food combinations from Lucky’s soon!
9/10
Le Majestique BB is burger royalty
by Nicole Yeba
Hinnawi Bros Bagel & Café – Le Majestique BB, $9.99
This majestic dish known as the Bagel Burger offers a spin on the classic burger with the buns replaced with a sesame bagel.
The sandwich is a triple decker, with two slices of Swiss cheese, a homemade patty, confit onions, roasted tomatoes, lettuce, and spicy garlic mayonnaise, accompanied by a little plastic cup filled with their secret maple meat house sauce placed between three bagel halves. Their secret house sauce impressed me — it was a nice little touch for those of us with a sweet tooth. The burger is served with chips and small pickles.
The best thing about this burger is that it was not too heavy, even though the buns were replaced by bagels. You can also add extras to the burger for an additional cost.
The burger was available at Hinnawi Bros Bagel & Café located at 372 Sherbrooke East in the middle of Quartier Latin.
8.5/10
My big fat greek burger
by Nicole Yeba
Zoe’s Food Truck/ Sandwicherie – Mad Moose-aka!, $12 :
This burger was inspired by the Greek dish moussaka. Moussaka is traditionally made with layers of meat, eggplant and tomato. Zoe’s version has minced beef meat, fried “saganaki” (a Greek fried appetizer) cheese, grilled eggplant and slow-roasted cherry tomatoes. The bottom of the burger has oregano garlic fries and is topped with a cheesy “Mythos” beer beignet.
This humongous burger is not easy to eat as a whole. Most of the fries fell out as I was taking bites so I ended up eating them before and leaving some aside. The flavours of the burger worked well with the fried cheese, meat and vegetables. Some fine herbs garnished the burger over the cherry tomatoes, adding a hint of spice.
I put the beer beignet aside to savour as a dessert. The beignet was light, contrary to appearances. You can taste a bit of the beer flavour and more melted cheesiness. It was a good way to end the meal.
I really enjoyed this burger, which was different from typical American style burgers. I love Greek food so I knew I was going to enjoy this Greek version of a burger.
The burger was available at La Sandwicherie Zoe’s located at 8855 ave du Parc and at Zoe’s Food Truck, which travels around the city.
9/10
