Magoo's in Etobicoke Burger Review

Went to Magoo’s  in Etobicoke on a recommendation but I must tell you it was not my first choice.  I desperately wanted to review Dangerous Dan’s; however, when I arrived there they had some problems with their equipment and told us to come back thirty minutes.  I could not wait this long and after longing into the window from across the street wondering if they were ready, my friend and I gave up and hit a pub on the corner.  So screw you Dan you won’t be making the final list! I'll be reviewing Magoo's this week instead.

Now onto Magoo’s, this is gonna be a short one.  Basically it’s as if there used to be a Lick’s in the same location that was sold to Mr. Magoo, and then Mr. Magoo decided not to change a damn thing.  The appearance, layout, and set up is the same as Lick’s save for some colour choices, and the menu is very similar plus or minus some minor details.  There’s 50’s music and it seems like a place to take your kids, in fact, everyone else had kids with them.

The burgers come in 4oz or 6oz and you can get a combo with fries and a pop for $10.  I ordered a 6oz with cheese (.95) and bacon (1.50) for a total of $12.62, about $4 less than I’ve been paying at most of Toronto’s burger joints. They also have regular fries, spicy fries, onion rings, chili fries, and poutine.  There are no substitutes with combos so you’re stuck with regular fries, they won’t even let you pay the difference.   They have all the standard toppings with the few exceptions of guacamole, bruschetta, and Magoo sauce (AKA Lick’s Guck Sauce). The burger was good even though it was well done; the only problem was that the cheese was not melted; it was just kind of sitting there hating its existence. 

The fries are where the difference from Lick’s comes through.  If you can remember, Lick’s fries were the worst I’ve had so far and thankfully Magoo’s are better.  Fries were fish n chip style and a bit bland.  A friend of mine ordered the spicy fries and they are much better.  They’re not spicy despite their name, but they’re the perfect crispness especially compared to the soggy regular fries.  Very pissed that I got trapped into getting the regular fries when I asked if I could get spicy fries!!  If you wanted to order a-la-carte style, you’d be spending quite a bit more and it just seems like they’re gouging you at that point.

Note the classy trays

I must say that most of the staff were incredibly friendly and seemed to know the customers very well. 

I honestly can’t get over how similar Magoo’s is to Lick’s.  It’s not a bad thing, Magoo’s and Lick’s are both good places, it’s just disappointing to review two places that are so similar.

Pros:

·         Good Value.

·         Friendly Staff.

·         Great Spicy Fries.

Cons:

·         No gourmet toppings

·         Non-melty cheese

·         Can’t substitute my fries?! You kidding me?! Change that ASAP and your score would go up half a point!

The few changes from Lick’s make Magoo’s the better joint, but not worth passing a Lick’s on your way there.

7/10

Little Louie's Burger Joint and Soupery review

So I’m sitting in an economics class in College in Toronto, and the Professor is trying to make a point about something to do with economics.   He says ‘Little Louies in Cambridge makes the best burgers anywhere’.  Now I have no idea what this had to do with anything but it’s probably the only thing I remember from that course.  My girlfriend lives in Cambridge and hasn’t even heard about this place so I figure I have to see for myself.  But if College has given me any benefit, it’s given me a damn good burger joint.

This place looks like a dump from outside.  It’s basically a trailer in the middle of a gravel parking lot, but you’ll forget all about the esthetics once you try it.  Inside is pleasant and has a bit of a country feel.  Lots of lighting and adequate seating with tables, something I’ve missed with all my Toronto visits.

Now I must be honest, my review is based on a visit I made a couple of months ago because I wasn’t able to make it there for this week.  Why?  Because they have the absolute worst hours of any burger joint I’ve reviewed so far.  They’re not open on Weekends! And they close at 6!  WTF!! Cambridge isn’t some sort of hipster town where being the first one there gives you bragging rights…let people with jobs try it to!

Now on to the food, this place was actually opened just to promote another restaurant so I guess that explains the crappy hours.  But this may explain why the burgers are top notch quality.  The burger menu uses a checklist type system where you pick your meat, buns, and a wide variety of gourmet toppings.  They have soup and sandwiches too written all over the place but I had my eyes on the prize.  I ordered an 8oz burger (you can also get 5oz wimp) with bacon, smoked Gouda, fried onions, and roasted red peppers.  The meat was perfectly done and juicy, the cheese was starting to melt, and everything was perfect.  The best part oddly enough, was the bun.  I think its called an egg bun? but regardless it’s the perfect bun for a burger, chewy and delicious. 

Seriously, where do we have to drive for this?!

I skipped fries and ordered crispy fried onions as my side.  You know those little onion straws they put on steak sandwiches usually.  While I really do appreciate them offering these (seriously, I freaked out) they were a bit too greasy and they give you so much that eating them all is a cry for help.

Pros:

·         Good Portion

·         Delicious

·         Lots of toppings

Cons:

·         Greasy onion things

·         Terrible hours

·         Pave the parking lot!!!

I saw my professor in the hall and thanked him for telling me about this place and then walked away.  He probably thought I was a jackass.  But since he’s not a hipster, he was probably actually happy that I got to share in the experience.

Call in sick and make you way to Cambridge.

9/10

Review of The Burger's Priest in Toronto

The Burger’s Priest has received a lot of hype in the last little while.  It’s been voted the best burger in Toronto on Blog To’s list: http://www.blogto.com/toronto/the_best_burger_in_toronto/.  I used this list as my personal burger guide for a long time until  I decided I’ll be making one on my own, and I must say that I don’t agree with their ranking.  The Burger’s Priest is good, but it’s not the best joint I’ve been to.  

The location is quite small but there is enough room to dine-in if you’re less than three people and it’s not during peak hours.  There’s a counter along the wall with some stools and it does the job adequately.  The menu is rather limited at Burger’s Priest, consisting of a cheeseburger, double cheeseburger, the Priest, The option (vegetarian) and What’s Right (double cheeseburger combo with chili fries).  They have the usual fries and chili fries with typical toppings of lettuce, tomato, pickle as well as premium topics of bacon, fried onions, and deep fried jalapenos.    The Burger’s Priest has received buzz not so much from this menu, but they do have a secret menu which includes items such as The Pope and The Vatican. You must check it out before going in: http://www.theburgerspriest.com/secret-menu/.

I went ahead and ordered the Priest off the regular menu (cheeseburger and the option, two mushrooms and cheese that are breaded and deep fried) with fries and a pop.

The price came to $16.70, which is pretty much what I now expect to pay at these gourmet burger joints..  They only take cash, no debit or credit. 

This burger had far too much cheese, I mean it was just oozing out of the option but there was so much that it wasn’t gooey, it was starting to get firm and gross.    The meat was a bit overdone and seemed to break apart into pieces.  The seasoning and texture of the burger was very similar to a Wendy’s patty, although a bit larger.  The meat was good and I wished I had just ordered a double cheeseburger and been spared the overly cheesy mess. 

Fries were only slightly seasoned and were very similar to what you would find at Swiss Chalet, which is a good thing.

The Cheese is just hiding and waiting.

The staff was friendly and seemed really into working there.  Unfortunately in the end I feel as though The Burger’s Priest has become a victim of its own hype.  I recommend you go there and check it out, but if you never do, you won’t be missing out on too much.

Pros:

·         Secret menu is interesting.

·         Good vegetarian option.

Cons:

·         Secret menu is….secret!!

·         Pray your meat isn’t overdone.

·         Too much damn cheese.

7/10

Holy Chuck Burgers

I first discovered Holy Chuck’s on Yonge and St. Clair after leaving my Doctor’s office.  I used the old Urban Spoon app and was pleasantly surprised to find a cool looking burger joint down the street.  Being told my blood pressure was on the verge of becoming high didn’t stop me from trying the place, and this is one place that inspired me to write this blog.

They have the most interesting menu I’ve seen to date.  All gourmet style burgers including one with Foie Gras that goes for $28.  I could go over the list but I’ll let you adventure on it here http://holychuckburgers.com/our-menu/. 

This was the first time I ever wanted to order a veggie burger over meat.  They call it animal feed and it consists of panko crusted Portobello mushroom stuffed with feta & cream cheese, deep fried, topped with lettuce, tomato & lemon herb aioli.  But for the purposes of this blog I had to order meat and went with the Holy Chuck Burger (their signature) which is just a double cheeseburger with bacon and caramelized onions.  They tell you not to add anything and they’re right, this thing is amazing!  First of all this is the first time I`ve been asked how I`d like my meat (rare, med, well etc.)  I ordered medium and although it did seem a bit pink, this was the juiciest burger I`ve ever had!  Cheese was oozing and dripping everywhere, this was also one of the freshest burgers I`ve ever had.  The bun was extremely soft and soaked up all of the juices making it even better.  My only complaint is that the beef was a bit too pink for me, maybe I`ll order it medium-well next time.

The burger is definitely the star of the show

The fries were soft and short and well-seasoned.  They know that the burger is the star of the show and they don`t try to take the spotlight.

The last time I came here I ordered a lamb burger, but I was much more impressed with the beef burger this time around.  The location doesn`t have a great atmosphere and you won`t feel enticed to hang around. 

$16.75 for a burger, fries, and drink is a bit steep the burger alone is definitely worth it.

The Pros:

·         Juiciest burger

·         Great menu

·         Very fresh

The Cons:

·         Not the most inviting atmosphere

·         Fries were mediocre

Overall this is a great spot when it comes to the great burgers, and I`ll definitely need to try a fudge, bacon, sea salt milkshake next time. 

8.5/10