11.3.13

Burgernator

http://theburgernator.com/

In exploring our quick dinner options, we walked up Augusta. The idea was to have something good and relatively healthy. I remembered about the burger place recently opened with original design - I used to pass it on my way to work.Behold the Burgenator - an army themed burger joint!

APPEARANCE
ruby red, very dark and viscose
Inconspicuous from the outside (kind of camouflaged) and yet distinctly different, the place definitely attracts attention. Lots of well executed white type and small imagery occupies black walls inside.

NOSE
a hint of cherry, some cured meats
We spent first five minutes just walking around in awe and literally reading the walls. Everything, from quirky menu items to "you'll be back" type next to exit, was screaming with originality and a sense of good design touch. An interesting interior element - large sheets of plexiglass covered in writing about their locally sourced milkshakes and never frozen patties.

SWIRL
long legs with more intense smells coming out
A very friendly Lebanese owner (he chatted with us aftermath and we established his nationality) greeted us and offered to seat ourselves. Atmospherically, this place was definitely a step up from your regular burger shack. We made our choices, paid on a check-out repurposed iPad and seated ourselves.

PALATE
clay, savoury, heavy tannins
Now our meal - I got myself the Sergeant burger and ma cherie went for the turkey option (The Resistance). The vanilla milkshake made from local ice cream was ordered as well. Five more minutes of staring around and chatting about the place and our burgers landed on the table. The milkshake (which came two minutes before) was delicious! I am no big fan of ice cream, but this was truly well balanced. Not too sweet, just liquid enough to be enjoyed through the straw and not overly cold. A real delight. My Sergeant burger was relatively small (4 oz patty) and looked lonely when served in a metal tray without fries. Very tasty nonetheless. I would only complain a bit about dryness, but I find most beef burgers dry anyway. Grilled bun accented the charcoal notes in beef and made it well rounded. I added some relish to it, but probably should have dropped more condiments in. Since the patty was small, it would have helped for me to ask to grill it lightly.Ma cherie's option was more interesting - masala turkey burger with some curry. The meat was more tender and indian spices made the overall taste interesting. It was definitely loaded with sauces and veggies. She added some mustard as well. I would recommend hers over mine any day. Although, to be fair, my burger was only $5 comparing to $8.50 for the Resistance.Both burgers went well with the milkshake.

FINISH
A heavy, but well rounded aftertaste. Lighter than what was originally expected. 
A bit more chatter on the way out with our host/restaurant owner. The place was designed by a recent immigrant lady from York University from start to finish. We agreed that it was quite an accomplishment – original and well balanced.I was kind of tempted to try their Burgenator challenge from the Burgers of Mass Destruction side of the menu. Uh, well...next time...the writing on the wall told us to be back and will gladly oblige.

Overall... a relatively young Chianti, I would say.
The Burgernator on Urbanspoon


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