THE RESULTS ARE IN....

The research process was grueling... intensive...meaty... and delicious.

And now the results are in....

But First, lets look back at the Burger's of blog's past (Que video montage).

It began early in October in the year 2010, a thought was born and this thought became reality as we headed out on an adventure that would change our lives, and our waistlines. The Great Burger Tour of Toronto!

Stop One - the Burger Shoppe in the east end of the city was a formidable foe. Fresh, tasty, and made to order. The result an astounding score and full bellies.

Stop Two - The Great Burger Kitchen also in the east end, sounded great, but failed miserably.

Stop Three - Gourmet Burger Co. with two locations to serve you, an excellent choice by Sammy and a delicious choice for all.

Stop Four - W Burger Bar, a bustling mid-town sit down joint with awesome selections and great service.

Stop Five - Burger Bar and Tequila Tavern, Kensington Market, a disappointment with a side of salt.

Stop Six - The Burger's Priest, thank God for Burger's Priest.

Now the results.....

THE BEST BURGER IN THE CITY GOES TO..............

The Burger Shoppe with the highest average score of 81.75% as voted on by its admirers. All around the best burger in the city.

• Top quality and tasty/juicy meat
• Excellent variety of toppings, served fresh and made to order
• delicious sides (fries, sweet potato fries, onion rings

The runner up goes to W Burger Bar, which is just as delicious and offers the convenience and comfort of being served in a restaurant setting.

And for God's sake, do check out Burger's Priest, you're a sinner if you don't, especially if you are in the east east end!

And that folks, concludes the Great Burger Tour of Toronto. We hope mouths everywhere will be better armed to enjoy the awesome tastiness that Toronto has to offer. 

Stay tuned.... we're thinking pizza next ;)

STOP SIX: THE BURGER'S PRIEST

Date: Thursday Nov 4th, 2010

Location: The Burger's Priest (Queen St East at Woodbine)

Recommended by: Random choice

Website: http://www.theburgerspriest.com/

TOTAL COLLECTIVE SCORE:188.4/240

AVERAGE SCORE: 31.4/40 (78.5%)

 

 

DISCUSSION

Stop six on the Great Burger Tour of Toronto was a little place in the east end called The Burger's Priest, which much to our surprise was an enlightening, mystical experience. The cheeky motto on their website, "redeeming the burger one at a time" it lived up to it's promise, TESTIFY!

The menu is simple offering up classic choices, such as the cheeseburger. The only "gourmet" or specialty topping is "The Option" which is a mushroom stuffed with cheese, deep fried and placed on top of the meat... delish. Extra toppings are simple, yet effective, and include fried onions and bacon. The result, a burger worthy of praise. TESTIFY!

Sides includes fries and chili cheese fries. TESTIFY!

Most participants chose the cheeseburger, which was topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, mustard, mayo, ketchup. Everyone had fries on the side. The price was right, around $11 for burger, fries and drink, much lower than the other places on the tour. Extras can add up though, such as when you add more meat or "The Option". Overall everyone was pleased with the price.

All burger's were cooked to order, cheese was melted to perfection and topping choices were bang on.

The fries were crispy and yummy - no complaints here.

Now to the main event - the burger...

The Bun - Mostly 4's all around (William gave it a 2, because it became soft and unstable after trying to hold the weight of 2 patty's.... William! That's not the bun's fault!)

The Toppings: Fresh, simple, delicious.

The Meat: Super fresh, very juicy, cooked to perfection.

And how did we feel after consuming this little piece of heaven? Pretty-darn-good.

THE RESULT

Fan-Freakin-tastic! Delicious classic burgers, made super fresh with the help of Jesus. TESTIFY!

Dear God, 

 

Thank you for the Burger's Priest.

STOP FIVE: BURGER BAR & TEQUILA TAVERN

Date: Thursday October 28, 2010

Location: The Burger Bar & Tequila Tavern (Kensington Market)

Recommended by: Random choice

Website: http://www.theburgerbar.ca/

TOTAL COLLECTIVE SCORE:156/240

AVERAGE SCORE: 26/40 (65%)

DISCUSSION

Stop five on the tour was the Burger Bar & Tequila Tavern, a restaurant style burger place in Kensington Market.

Not much can be said about this place, no one seemed at all satisfied with their burger choices and all were in agreement that the burgers and the side were way too salty. (salt is great, but this was out of hand).

The price for the combo was pretty standard, around $15 for a drink, burger and side but since it was a sit down style place you had to factor in the tip too. Bun, topping, meat - salty salty salty.

The Post-Burger Feeling - Stomach aches and even sickness for William!

THE RESULT

Don't even go there! Not worth it, we'd even send you to Craft Burger over this place. If you're in Kensington Market, save the money you'd spend here and buy yourself a musty smelling hat instead.

STOP FOUR: W BURGER BAR

Date: Friday October 22, 2010

Location: W Burger Bar (College & Yonge)

Recommended by: Selim

Website: http://www.wburgerbar.com/

TOTAL COLLECTIVE SCORE:194/240

AVERAGE SCORE: 32.3/40 (80.8%)

DISCUSSION

Stop four on the tour was W Burger Bar, a trendy restaurant style burger place at Yonge and College that not only serves up traditional burgers, but also Kobe burgers, bison burgers and veggie burgers! Everyone can get what they desire at this place. 

Holy burger-bar Batman was it ever busy! Thankfully we made reservations in advance! So upon arrival we were seated at a table and greeted by our server. We were also greeted by three little trays of carrots and celery with dip, bonus!

All participants chose to create their own burger with different toppings from fried egg and avacado to portobello mushrooms and bacon. Many toppings were complimentary except for all the best stuff, like the toppings just mentioned. The table decided to share a large order of onion rings and fries, which proved to be enough for 5 people.

Since a combo was not purchased it was decided to rate the "price for a combo" as a general price, which seemed to be pretty average. Come think of it, most of these burger places are on par with each other price-wise.

Most burgers were made to order, a few people received the wrong buns (whole wheat for white and vice versa). Too bad, especially since the waitress took our order with an automated wrist device, you'd think it would have be a perfect system. Made to Order ratings were mostly 4/5. 

The variety of toppings was great pretty much the same as the other burger places and it received a few 5/5 (the avocado was delicious chunks of fresh avocado, not a spread or even mash up pieces, that was a welcome difference).

Now to the main event! The actual burger....

The bun - fresh, a little too soft and doughy though. It received low marks 2/5.

The toppings - excellent, all fresh, made to order, melted cheese! 5/5!

The meat - a choice of char-broiled or grill top cooked... everyone chose char-broiled. It was cooked to perfection, 1/2 inch thick and covered the bun surface, not too over-powering and worked well with the toppings. 

Side orders - fries and onion rings, like I said were shared. Onion rings were fantastic, rated the best so far. The difference was that these rings were panko crusted, which made them crispy, delicious and not soggy what so ever!). 5/5

The Post-Burger Feeling - pretty-darn good!

THE RESULT

Fan-freakin-tastic! If you're looking for a sit down experience with a server this is your place. And if you're especially looking for amazing onion rings and a burger to match W Burger Bar is where it's at. Bonus, they serve alcohol and for those friends of yours who don't eat burgers, they serve a few other items. A true crowd pleaser!

STOP THREE: GOURMET BURGER CO.

Date: Thursday October 14, 2010

Location: Gourmet Burger Co. (Carlton & Parliament)

Recommended by: Sammy

Website: http://www.thegourmetburgerco.com/

TOTAL COLLECTIVE SCORE:189/240

AVERAGE SCORE: 31.5/40 (78.7%)

DISCUSSION

BUUUURRRGGGER! Yum! When Wednesday hit, our mouths were watering just thinking about Thursday's lunch hour and the burger-goodness that would ensue. (Of course, anything would be better than the Great Burger Kitchen, click her for a refresher BOO-BURGER!) 

So you can imagine our excitment when we set out on the third leg of the burger tour. Gourmet Burger Co. gave us high expectations, especially considering Sammy was the one to recommend it and Sammy is no fool when it comes to delicious food.

We decided to hit up the Parliament and Carlton location, assuming it wouldn't be as busy at the Yonge street locale, we were right!

Most participants chose to create their own burger since many of the specialty toppings were complimentary (BONUS!). And a couple people picked the "Works" which was a pretty standard burger, with (I'm sure you guessed it) the works. Rose added pickles and Victoria, our guest judge swapped out the cheddar cheese for goat cheese, good pick Vic!

The price for the combo seemed pretty average, about $15 for a burger, drink and side. The rating for it was pretty high, I'm sure mostly due to the disaster that was last week, we would have paid anything for a better burger.

Mostly every one's burger order was made to order, with ratings between 4 and 5 out of 5! I like those odds!

We all agreed that the variety of toppings available was a fantastic 5/5. Especially considering most of the gourmet toppings that other places charge for were complimentary, such as avocado, sauteed mushrooms, etc.

Now to the main event! The actual burger....

The bun - fresh, soft, like a kaiser bun, which gave it home-made flare.

The toppings - like I said early, delish and varied. Bacon, Cheese, Mushrooms, Onions, Lettuce, tomato... are you hungry yet? The only qualm, which came from Clarisse, was that she expected avocado chunks, not a spread, so she penalized them two points.

The meat - mostly rated as a 3/5 was tasty, but some people felt it wasn't thick enough. It was wide, covered the bun surface and was about a 1/4 inch thick, depending on your preference, that could be a good or bad thing. The group was divided on this one, the women loved it the men wanted more meat. pfft typical.

Side orders - fries, poutine and onion rings... awesome! Onion rings, dare I say it, were rated higher than Burger Shoppe.

The Post-Burger Feeling - pretty-darn good!

THE RESULT

Totally worth it! If you're looking for a fresh, home style burger with yummy toppings, this is your place and with two locations to serve you, you can prob grab it at lunch time even if you're working down town. BONUS!

STOP TWO: THE GREAT BURGER KITCHEN

Date: Thursday October 7, 2010

Location: The Great Burger Kitchen (Gerrard & Jones)

Recommended by: A birdie told Rahim, Rahim told Rose, Rose added to the list as hers even though she had never been there! (Don't blame Rose)

Website: http://www.greatburger.ca/

TOTAL COLLECTIVE SCORE:105/200

AVERAGE SCORE: 21/40 (52.5%)

DISCUSSION

This week, we had a guest judge on the tour, Lior "Load Em Up" Amar from the BV! Media Montreal office, who saved the day by replacing Selim. Thanks Lior for taking time to participate!

The stakes were high for the Great Burger Kitchen... we had just come off a mouth watering burger-high at the Burger Shoppe, so we were hoping for the best. Unfortunately, the overall experience at the GBK was sub-par and left a bad taste in our mouths, pun intended.

Most participants chose the Burger of the Day, which was a burger topped with sauteed mushrooms, bbq sauce, Swiss cheese, lettuce tomatoes, pickles, ketchup and mustard. The Great Burger was also selected, consisting of a double patty and the works.

The price for the combo seemed pretty average, about $15 for a burger, drink and side. The combo deal offered was $1 off. Most people gave it a 3/5, which rated it as being "Okay". 

Mostly every one's burger order was made properly, except William who received the "Greek" burger instead of the "Great" burger that he ordered. Clearly he didn't enunciate his vocab very well, or the lady who took the order misunderstood. The result, he gave them a 0/5, we don't blame him. Everyone else rated it as a 4/5, pretty-darn good.

We all agreed that the variety of toppings available was average 3/5 (okay). There wasn't anything too out of the ordinary available, such as pineapple, but that's neither here nor there I suppose.

Now to the main event! The actual burger....

The bun - too soft and fell apart easily, it received low scores. 

The toppings - the cheese wasn't melted on any of the burgers, boooo! Who wants to eat a burger without melted cheese?!?! Oh ya... William. The other toppings were good, tasty pickles!

The meat - mostly rated as a 2/5, some people even gave it a 1. It was overcooked, a little chewy, and once in a while contained the little hard bits that no one likes to encounter. SICK!

Side orders - fries and onion rings... not very good. Soggy... boring.

The Post-Burger Feeling - disappointing... a few stomachs were hurting and Lior asked to go to Burger Shoppe.

THE RESULT

DON'T EVEN GO THERE! It was definitely not worth the drive to Jones and Gerrard.

STOP ONE: THE BURGER SHOPPE

Date: Thursday September 30, 2010

Location: The Burger Shoppe (Broadview and Queen East)

Recommended By: William "Hold the Cheese" Cormier

Website: http://www.burgershoppe.com/

TOTAL COLLECTIVE SCORE: 163.5/200

AVERAGE SCORE: 32.7/40 (81.75%)

 

DISCUSSION

Burgers Consumed

The Riverside

The Baby Burger

The Stem

The Big Cheese

The Burger Shoppe was an overall crowd pleaser with a high average rating on the GREAT BURGER SCALE.  

While the price for the combo was relatively average for restaurants on the same level, there wasn't a combo deal available for the Baby Burger (1/4 pound beef) option (Rose was displeased). 

There were many toppings available, but at an extra rate of $1 each. Of the most interesting was pineapple.

Mostly everyone's burger was cooked to order, although a dash of avacado was missing from both Clarisse's and Sammy's burger. 

The Bun, Meat and Toppings selected got great reviews, with a high average of 4 out of 5.

Side orders selected included regular fries, sweet potato fries and onion rings. The onion rings were a clear hit; they were large, crispy and delicious! The fries were a little greasy, but not bad.

Everyone had a good post-burger feeling!

All in all, a great way to kick off the tour, highly recommended. 

Good Pick William!

Systematic Analysis of Gourmet Burger Shoppes in the City of Toronto

The BV! Media team here in Toronto has decided to take on the greatest challenge this fine city has ever faced....

THE GREAT BURGER TOUR 

OF TORONTO

 

 

INTRODUCTION

This study was designed to subjectively determine which burger restaurant is the best in the great city of Toronto. We have assembled a team of 5 people to participate in the study. All members of the team were selected for their keen desire to find the best burger in Toronto, but most of all, each participant was here in the office when we decided to take on the challenge. 

The Study Participants

Clarisse "Big Bite" Mussi

Rose "Extra Pickles Please" Modopoulos

Sammy "All Beef" Diab

Selim "Spicy Meat" Estephan

William "Hold the Cheese" Cormier

It was decided that only gourmet burger shops were to be included in the study, which means, only restaurants specializing in burgers, no fast food establishments, no chains or franchises (greater than 2 restaurants), and must be located close enough to the boarders of downtown Toronto (since we are taking this on at lunch time!).

 

STUDY DURATION

We will visit one burger restaurant each week for 7 weeks.

Thursdays have now become Burger Thursdays here at BV! Media.

OBJECTIVE

Our study aims to determine once and for all, which burger establishment produces the BEST / GREATEST / MOST DELICIOUS / FANTASTIC burger in all of Toronto.

HYPOTHESIS

Each study participant was allowed to choose a burger restaurant to sample in the study. Each member believes their choice will turn out to be the best.... we'll see!

We also included 2 outside restaurants to even out the playing field.

Clarisse - Buger Bar (Kensington Market)

Rose - The Great Burger Kitchen (Jones and Gerrard)

Sammy - Gourmet Burger (Yonge and Bloor)

Selim - W Burger Bar (Yonge and Carlton)

William - The Burger Shoppe (Broadview and Queen East)

The Burger's Priest (Queen East and Woodbine)

METHOD

To quantify the study, THE GREAT BURGER SCALE was established. 

Each participant will objectively rate on a scale of 0-5 their preference for every burger criteria.

THE GREAT BURGER SCALE

0 - Don't Even Go There

1 - Boo-urns

2 - Meh!

3 - Okay

4 - Pretty Darn Good

5 - Fan-freakin-tastic

Note: Standard deviation of -2 will be applied to the total of participant for their selected location.

THE BURGER ANALYSIS CRITERIA

Price for a Combo (Drink, Side, Burger of Choice)

Cooked to Order

Variety of Toppings available

The Side Order

The Burger Bun

The Burger Toppings

The Burger Meat

The Post Burger Feeling (min. 1 hour post burger consumption)

RESULTS & DISCUSSION

Each week we will post our study data for each restaurant as well as our discussion.

Please check back each Friday!

CONCLUSION

The study will begin September 30 and end  November 4, 2010.