Great Burger Kitchen

I contemplated whether or not to blog about this burger but I figured hey, what the hell- the picture I got looks pretty good. The disclaimer for this post is that I wasn't completely sober when I ate this burger, and we know that things do tend to taste better in that state. Thanks to Groupon's mobile app, all I had to do is pull out my phone and valiantly flash them the $15 coupon that I had previously bought for $7. In case you didn't know, I love coupon clipping, group buys, redflagdeals, etc. No, I am not hardcore like those guys who can buy like $800 worth of groceries for $20. 

the food menu

We went to the one at Church and Front, because we happened to be drinking nearby. This was the Friday-night-9pm-post-happy-hour-drinks-dinner; there was not a single soul in sight, aside from the lonely teenaged employee. I am going to assume that it gets a rush from the late night drinkers on Esplanade later throughout the night. I was also surprised to find that they serve beer- combine any burger, fries, and drink (pop, beer, or juice) and get $1 off. Whoopee. 

the beer menu

It's been so long that I threw out the receipt, but thanks to the menu on their site, I have an idea of what I had and the pricing. We shared the Great Burger (double patties), added brie and guacamole, and had spicy aioli and GBK sauce with a side of fries and a diet Coke (don't judge) because I was thirsty. I had absolutely no expectations of this burger, other than that it would be a nice, greasy addition to my night. I've heard reviews from friends that it was a very dry burger- I half believed it because one of them was torn between GBK and Gourmet Burger Co. when trying to tell me the name of the restaurant. 

am I right? isn't this a pretty good picture?

LOOK at the size of this monster. It was really hard to evaluate the burger as a whole when every bite I took only got a fraction of the burger. It was either beef, lettuce, or bread pretty much so I couldn't really put it together... kind of like the Quad C at Dangerous Dan's. For a grilled burger, it definitely was pretty juicy and flavourful though! I was scared at first because of the char on the outside, but relieved after I took a bite. This burger was also super filling- 2x 6oz patties. The cheese and guac were pretty good, they really added to the burger. The fries were also a greasy, soggy addition that we barely touched. I hate soggy fries. 


My verdict on this burger: I'm probably not going to try it again anytime soon. Despite my $15 off, I still had to pay a balance of $13. That's $28 for ONE hungry dude's meal!!! GBK got a bonus by catching me in my munchies state and still did not WOW me, which means it probably won't get any better. Location wise, the only reason I'd go is if I really wanted a burger after going to Bier Markt. 

Holy Chuck Burgers

Now that I've put Shake Shack on a pedestal, I might as well quit blogging. Seriously. When will I ever find such an amazing burger again??? I've eaten a few burgers in the past two months but I was so unimpressed that I didn't blog about it. Don't worry, I hadn't gone vegetarian - I was just being lazy. I ate this Bronx burger from Earl's and it was just awful - I didn't even want to blog about it because I had absolutely nothing nice to say about it. The mini mac from 416 Snack Bar was pretty good, but I wasn't sure I wanted to blog about a little Big Mac. Plus, our server told us that it was coming off the menu soon anyway! I'll never get sick of Big Macs <3.
So why does Holy Chuck get an entry? Obviously because it left a good impression!

Situated at Yonge/St Clair, I think I've found a close substitute for Burger's Priest. Holy Chuck is not so out of the way being on Yonge and all, but I'd still have to go all the way to the beaches if I want "the Option". Holy Chuck also has a deep-fried stuffed portobello mushroom which they call "animal feed", but feta and cream cheese stuffing just isn't the same. They have a pretty big menu, but I don't think I'd opt for a lamb or pork burger anytime soon.

My double cheese burger for $7.99. The only toppings I had on the burger were onions, lettuce, and mayo. The selection was even smaller than Burger's Priest- I'm guessing they prefer you eat the burger without any vegetables or excessive sauces in order to taste the beef. Frand got the Mad cow, which is the animal feed and a patty for $10.99. He also added an extra patty to the burger for an extra $2.99. Our burger chefs were ecstatic because they said we were the first ones to think of adding a patty to it, as they gathered around to take pictures of the work of art.

we'll name it one day

Again, the portobello mushroom was disappointing because we enjoy oozing cheese, not cheese chunks falling out of the burger. What we DID like about this burger was how well the buns were able to hold the weight of the patties and the portobello, where Burger's Priest had a grease-soaked bottom bun that fell apart as you eat it. The patties were juicy and tender. I may be biased, but the flat iron is much, much better than the grill. And guess what? The 4oz patties was freshly grounded in store, so they were able to keep it pink!

Verdict on this burger? The value isn't great, but it can somewhat satisfy my craving. It's pretty expensive for what it is, and I wouldn't go again for no reason. I know, it's no Shake Shack, and I somewhat wish that I haven't tried it because it makes it that much harder to find something of that degree.