Big Smoke Burger Review

Big Smoke Burger

This week I visited Big Smoke Burger on King St West.  Big Smoke used to be known as Craft burger.   Craft burger was always a place people talked about when you brought up burgers. 

The location was fairly small.  There is a single bench along the wall with chairs across the small tables lined up in single file.  The tables are crammed so tightly that you cannot pass between them if you’re sitting on the bench, and everyone has to get out of the way if you need to go to the washroom.  This is worse than getting up in front of everyone in the middle of a packed movie theatre.

They offer chicken, lamb, beef and vegetarian patties.  There are a whole bunch of gourmet burgers; I ordered a Big Smoke Burger which horseradish mayo, caramelized onions, smoked cheddar, tomato & lettuce.  They offer fries, onion rings, poutine, and salads as sides.  There are 8 signature burgers to choose from but unfortunately the choices feel limited.  All the burgers seem similar and they don’t seem to encourage customization at all. 

My Big Smoke burger with fries and a pop came up to just under $15.

The only issue is that for $15 for a burger, I expect to be full and bursting when I’m done.  Maybe I've crossed the threshold of pure gluttony as the folks next to me were complaining about how stuffed they were, but I could of ate another burger without stopping to take a breath.  Don’t get me wrong, it was delicious; the meat was tender, and the horseradish mayo gave it the perfect tang, but it was just a tad too small. 

I'm leaning towards pure gluttony as the problem

The fries here were good, but they were either cooked in lard or the oil had not been changed in a while and that left the fries with a strange, smoky taste. (Description of fries was given by my girlfriend who accompanied me. For the record, I seem to be completely oblivious to these sorts of things and now bring her along). 

The staff were very friendly and the wait was 8-10 minutes.  The location was dimly lit and had a nice atmosphere.

Pros:

·         Friendly staff.

·         Fair price.

·         Nice Atmosphere.

Cons:

•      Not filling.
•  Tight space.
• trange taste on fries.

Big Smoke burger does everything fairly well, but larger portions will definitely add value.  I know there isn’t much wrong here, but there’s nothing that stands out in any way.  I’m a little disappointed with everything.  It’s not bad, it’s just not great.

6.5/10

The Works Review

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So I found myself in London Ontario where I was going to review Relish burgers.  I saw it on “You Gotta Eat Here” and have been there twice.  The first time was great but the second visit was completely disappointing.  I decided I wanted a change and after googling “Best burgers in London Ontario” I found The Works to be overwhelmingly popular, and Relish to have unanimously gone downhill. 

Luckily after visiting The Works I can see why it’s London’s choice, and fortunately for the rest of you, there are locations all over Ontario.

The Works is set up more like a restaurant than a fast-food joint.   Although the speed of service was excellent, a restaurant set up is not the most convenient thing when you’re ordering burgers.

The menu has a build-your-own burger setup where you pick your bun, meat, toppings, and side.

There is a large selection of burgers and you can choose from such as beef, chicken, turkey, elk, or a mushroom cap.  Instead of listing toppings to choose from, they just list a ton of topping combinations each with its own theme.  It is very time consuming to pick as there is over 50 selections, but there’s definitely something for everyone. 

I ordered a beef burger covered in peppercorn, with goat cheese, and bacon ($13.95).  The bun was the perfect density and never slid or broke apart.  The bacon wasn’t too greasy, and the goat cheese was amazing, as goat cheese always is.  My only complaint would be the seasoning as there was way too much peppercorn that it overpowered everything else.  Luckily I had a nice cold beer to wash it down.  Yes, another joint that serves beer!  Portion was average (I could’ve destroyed another). 

The Good:

·         Great selection.

·         Good service.

·         Nice atmosphere.

The Bad;

·         A bit pricey for just burgers and fries.

·         Restaurant style is inconvenient.

·         Over-seasoned meat (probably just for burgers with peppercorn)

I actually wanted to go back to The Works within hours of leaving.  I will definitely go again and try another of their great choices.  You definitely must try it, and I’m sure there’s a location near you.

9/10!

Lick's Homeburgers Review

Lick’s Homeburgers was the first place that I’ve been to that I really felt was a burger joint.  The love that the staff put into those burgers, the taste, the portions, it was all new and amazing to me.  Lick’s is a chain of restaurants and I questioned their inclusion on this list but I owed it to them.

 I’ve seen a few locations close down and every time it hurts a little.  Unfortunately, after being exposed to some of the other independent burger joints in Ontario, I can’t say that I’m surprised.

When you walk in Lick’s seems to have it all…Great selection of burgers, salads, poutine, chili, onion rings and desserts.  Menu is simple and there is definitely something for everyone.  There’s turkey, chicken, beef, and veggie burgers as well as carb-free options and even wrap versions of their burgers.

I ordered a burger and fries, after only a 3 or 4 minutes wait; you pick your toppings for your burger.  Slim pickings here, there’s only lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, and cucumbers.  They also have their own version of mayo called Guck sauce.  This stuff is amazing and I highly recommend it.  You can buy it at most grocery stores so you don’t necessarily have to go to Lick’s to get it.

The burger was a perfect size on a perfect toasted sesame bun.  Not enough people toast their buns!

The burger tasted great and I was definitely satisfied, but something about it was bland.  I think it may be the lack of toppings, but the burger was missing a wow factor that so many joints have.  It was just a typical burger.

Now for the worst of the worst I’ve had so far…the FRIES!  seriously…from frozen, tasted terrible, as if they microwaved left over McCain fries.  Stay away, get onion rings instead!

Prices are pretty good at only $5.49 for a burger.

Pros

·         Good value

·         Decent burger

·         Guck Sauce!!

Cons

·         Few toppings

·         just…nothing special

·         WORST FRIES!!

I hope one day when you’re driving around at lunch deciding between Wendy’s and McDonald’s, you’ll think of Lick’s and choose it instead.  At least buy Guck sauce to keep at home.

I had fond memories of Lick’s but I only feel one way now….Disappointed.

6.5/10

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

So as promised I am bringing you my first burger joint review starting with Five Guys Burgers and Fries located in Mississauga on Erin Mills Pkwy.

First off I want to explain the reason I chose Five Guys for my first review:

This man’s perfectly auto-tuned review of Five Guys has made me look forward to this day for a long time now.  I couldn`t wait for that oozing cheese and bite-back fries served in grocery bags as promised by the video.

When you walk in everything looks clean and sharp.  The menu is free from clutter above the cashier but this is where the first problems arise.   The menu is simple, yet unclear.  A Cheeseburger is actually a double-cheeseburger, and a junior burger is a normal burger.  I haven`t been to Five Guys in years and had no idea what the difference would have been.  I assumed a junior burger was for babies or cowards so I obviously ordered a normal cheeseburger.  Now that I`ve blindly chosen my burger it is time for the toppings.  They have quite a few toppings and you pick every single thing that goes on your burger such as ketchup or grilled mushrooms.  This is problem #2, you have to pick your toppings when you order, unlike somewhere like Harvey’s where you can see them and choose afterwards.  There is no additional cost for any topping so I don’t understand why it is done beforehand.  I panicked with people behind me and could not make an informed topping choice.  I ended up with ketchup, mayo, lettuce, tomato, and grilled mushrooms.  Not a bad choice but I feel I could have done better.

Five Guys doesn’t have combos, you have to order fries and a drink as separate items, and this is problem #3.  The lack of combos means that an order of a cheeseburger, large fries (medium was the only other choice) and a medium drink came to $18.21!!!!  Now this is a reasonable price for a sit-down restaurant, but this is a low service fast food joint.

Now on to the food itself, after waiting 10 minutes for my burger I must say it tasted amazing!!  The cheese was oozing perfectly, the meat was moist and tender, and the mushrooms were perfect. The only complaint was the size.  The burger was no larger than a double-quarter pounder from McDonalds, but that being said, in terms of flavour I don’t expect any burger to top this one! The fries, as promised, came in a very large cup inside of an enormous paper bag.  The fries overflowed the cup and there were so many in the bag that it could have fit into another cup.  I ordered Cajun fries over regular but they were nothing worth singing a song about.  At least they have large ketchup containers so you have enough on hand to cover up the bland taste.

My last issue with Five Guys is that the walls are covered in awards and articles, mainly from Zagat awarding Five Guys with Best Value.  My biggest issue with Five Guys is the price, and these awards posted all around seemed to mock me as I ate.

Pros:

·         Great Taste!

·         Large portion of fries.

·         Very clean.

Cons:

·         Price!!

·         Fries are forgettable.

·         Deceiving menu.

To summarize you have to give Five Guys a try, maybe skip the fries and just get the burger to cut down on the cost.  8/10 – the burger is unreal.   DAYUM!!!

Woody's Burger Bar and Grill

This was my first review based on a referral from a friend. 

I had never been to Woody’s before, I’ve never even heard of Woody’s before, but after my first I have mixed feelings.

Woody’s is a small place that has a bit of a pub atmosphere.  

When you walk in you see the grill, menu, and cashier to your right with 4-person booths to your left. 

There is a small bar eating area with a large flat-screen playing sports, in the corner.    

Seating is limited so be prepared to take it to go.

The menu is written in chalk and they do have quite a selection.  

They have beef, cheddar or blue cheese-stuffed beef, chicken, turkey, veggie, and even bison as meat options!   The way the menu works is that you pick your meat and any additional-cost items like cheese or guacamole.  You can then pick your toppings from a wide selection once your burger is ready.  

They have quite a few more options than you would usually and everything looks good, but a lack of labelling will lead to a lot of people asking for “the white stuff”.

They also have a dozen suggested options like a Greek burger with feta and onions if you’re like me and incapable of choosing for yourself.  T

hey also have pulled pork sandwiches if you’re in the mood for that.

There are no combos to choose from so you’ll have to order drinks, fries, sweet-potato fries, or onion rings separately. 

What may be the best part of Woody’s…THEY HAVE BEER!!!   

Choose from Corona, Steam-whistle, and a host of Molson products at the usual restaurant prices.

You order your food and then they give you a pager…so you can wait…for 20 MINUTES!!!  Now they do have the 20-minute wait written on their menu and at least you have a pager so you don’t have to wait around and you can call in your order in advance, but I just don’t understand why it takes so long.

Now for the actual tasting, I ordered a beef burger with pulled pork, crispy-fried onions, salsa, and I forget (maybe I had 1 too many).  

The meat was very thick and juicy and overall delicious; unfortunately, the meat-to-bun ratio was off and the meat was sliding around in the bun with every bite.  

The bun breaks up very easily and eating this burger was a very messy affair.  

I must also say the toppings lacked any flavour.  The pulled pork was flavourless, and the crispy-fried onions were cold.

Fries were OK but very greasy. 

Burgers are reasonable at $5.95 for a burger with $1.00 extra for cheese.

Overall I paid $18.00 with fries and a beer!! Which I find very fair compared to wait I would expect to pay at a restaurant.

Pros:

•  Good quality meat
• Reasonable price
• Selection of toppings
•   BEER!

Cons:

• Wait!
•   Bland topping flavours
• Limited seating
• Buns fall apart

Overall I recommend this place if you want to hang out with friends and have a beer, but I don’t think I would ever have a craving for their burgers and see no reason to get it on my own. 

7/10