Roan and Sable
Apparently, if you’re a burger junkie like me, you go for the burger. Twice. Without regrets. The menu at Roan and Sable is loaded with some delicious and interesting food choice but, since I was only reviewing the burgers this time I had my directives cut out to only focus on one section of the impressive menu.
I was recommended the cheese burger with blue cheese and caramelized onion, not being a big fan of blue cheese, I was skeptical, but decided to go with the recommendation. Since a perfect burger experience is never complete with some craft beer, I did order the Stellies lager. The cold larger was perfect which now increased the expectations on the burger that I could see was being bought to the table. At the first look the plating was exceptional. The chips golden brown crispy and stacked nicely, salad looked fresh and now for the hero of the dish, the blue cheese burger. There it was the buns on the first impression was less puffy and sporting a bigger diameter. My preference for the meat was medium rare and on the cut through for inspection the beef was, warm through the middle with a hint of red, most of the center was pink and the sides were well browned. The smoky aroma of the medium cooked beef with the blue cheese hit me on the first bite and it was amazing, the only downside being the caramelized onion and the onion rings, but the perfection on the beef, the buns and the blue cheese is what make this burger a must try.
Ambiance – 4/5
Service – 4/5
Food – 4.2/5
Fox and Hound
Enter Fox and Hound in Foxdale Court, a buzzworthy restaurant ever since it opened a couple of months ago, which only started serving burgers recently. But why start now? It’s not the type of place that needs to draw in less adventurous diners and serve a common burger, but clearly the level of excitement to add their take on the classic is something that many chefs and restaurants can get behind, if nothing else than for the mere enjoyment of it all.
The 220gms Cheese burger description on the menu is all it takes for you to order with no second look at the rest of the menu. In the grand scheme of things it’s impressive; The fresh bun is crackly on the outside and soft and bouncy on the inside, it’s as good as any fresh loaf of bread you’ll find, in bun form. The patty is tall and round, but packed into a tidy little package so even though it doesn’t look massive, there’s a lot of meat in here. The patty is very juicy and very well-seasoned burger with a hint of char and sufficient beef flavor. The dominant flavor is not beef though, as an onslaught of cheese completely overtakes this one. If you are a cheese lover this is the burger for you, but the beef will hit you in almost every bite. The onion rings are made to perfection and I would say that they are some of the best I have eaten. The Stellies stout does add a flavor to the already impressive big patty burger.
Ambiance – 4/5
Service – 3.5/5
Food – 4.5/5
Hussar Grill
The upmarket fine dining restaurant located at East Park park mall, mainly know for their aged steaks, but I was drawn to the photo of their Hussar Burger. The picture looked cheesy and juicy. They say you eat with your eyes first and my eyes said this burger would be delicious. Also the sauce selection is impressive with Mushrooom, Madagascan pepper, monkeygland, garlic, mustard, cheese or blue cheese sauce.
The burger looked great, but unfortunately the patty was rather too small. Nothing too fancy here, this was just a good, good ol’ fashioned burger with shredded lettuce and tomatoes. Even without knowing which ranch the beef came from or where the bread was baked, there was something distinctly craveable about this burger. The patty stood out as one of the greats, you can tell its been ground specifically and that a bit of care has gone into it. It had a really good texture and didn’t fall apart to easily.
Ambiance – 4.3/5
Service – 3.5/5
Food – 4/5s
