Best Burgers

I know. This project is really late.

Back in January, I had a craving for a burger that went unfulfilled. And so, I swore that I would search for what I thought was the perfect hamburger in Ottawa, figuring that I would take a couple of months and report my findings at the end of March.

I quickly realized, as I ate beef patty after beef patty, that I just couldn't eat enough burgers in a two-month period to make this taste test worthwhile. For me, eating more than two burgers a week is a bit of a stretch (even more than one burger in seven days was a chore). Because of my current mobility issues that make bicycles or treatmills turn into torture devices, eating that much fat was not helping my waistline.

(I swear, as soon as I recover from my surgery, I'm shedding all the pounds I've packed on.)

When I began this search, my criteria was pretty simple: visit as many pubs and restaurants as I could and order a hamburger. The burgers all had to contain bacon and cheese, and usually had the same toppings of lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. The sauces could vary from barbecue sauce, hot mustard, or the house specialty.

But as March was coming to a close, I realized that my scope was far too vast. There are far too many pubs and restaurants in Ottawa, most of which flip burgers. In order for me to take a fair enough sample, I would be eating burgers into Christmas.

I narrowed the scope to look at locations that specialized in burgers. Where the patty was what defined the spot. And with that criterion, I said goodbye to some places that made some mighty fine hamburgers.

The top three pubs that I visited, if you're interested, where the burger absolutely shone, were as follows:

• Greenfield's Gastro Public House, in Barrhaven—generous portion and juicy
• The Barley Mow, in Ottawa South (Bank Street)—all the flavours between the buns meshed perfectly
• The Black Dog Bistro, in Manotick—by far, the best burger of any restaurant that I've ever been to, anywhere

So, I've spent nearly six months, eating burgers, but eventually focusing on those establishments where burgers are there bread and butter. And from them all, I've narrowed down the top five burger joints that are a must for any person who wants more from their patty than any Macdonald's or Wendy's can crank out.

In order of best to best-est, here is my list:

5—Vera's Burger Shack

 

If it weren't for the fact that I have been to this Bell's Corners joint many times over the years, if I had based my judgement on my past two visits, while I was conducting this search, Vera's would not have made my list. In previous visits, I would have put this burger shop at the top of the list for it's fresh-made patties and its char-broiled grilling, along with the fresh ingredients, the toasted buns, and Vera's homemade sauce.

But when I visited The Buchery (where Vera's is a part) at the beginning of my competition, I found that my patty was overcooked and dry, with bits of the ground beef even burned. My bacon was also singed, making the whole burger a big letdown. It was still a decent burger, overall, but would not have made my top five.

I returned to Vera's a few weeks later, convinced that the person who had been flipping the burger was simply having a bad day. On my return, I ordered the exact same ingredients.

This patty was better than the previous one, but it still was a bit on the dry side, not the moist, juicy burger that first made me fall in love. Again, the bacon was a bit singed.

Overall, this recent burger was at least as good as I could make at home (I make a pretty mean burger), and taking all the prior experiences I've had in the past, Vera's made my list, but just barely. Hintonburger was knocking at its door.

DW had a turkey burger and said it was the best non-beef burger she's ever had. I had a bite and agree.

4—Burgers & Shakes

 

I learned of these folks back in the years where my kids were playing soccer (that's quite a few years ago). Every once and a while, their teams would play out at the pitches where Mitch Owens and Limebank roads met, well-beyond Manotick. The one saving grace is that there was a tiny hut that served milkshakes, which we would get for our girls as a reward for a game well-played.

On one visit, where I hadn't eaten dinner, I decided to try one of the shack's hamburgers, and I was blown away. Lots of flavour and the patty dripped with juices.

Years later, Burgers & Shakes opened its second location in Barrhaven. While it's in our end of town, it's on the opposite side of our community. But it's well worth the drive.

Nothing has changed in the new spot and after many years of absence. However, in this location, the servers will assemble the ingredients as you pick the toppings. I find the lettuce (iceberg) is pretty lame, and they chop it into chunks, which inevitably roll off the patty as the burger is assembled. It can be a painful experience to watch. (Psst... guys... go for leafy lettuce and shred that shit!)

There's no glitz or glamour to the shop, so my family and I always take the burger to go. And this burger is a family favourite.

3—Bite Burger House

 

This is probably the most upscale burger joint in the city. From the outside, the restaurant looks like an expensive bistro in the ByWard Market. You climb a half-flight of stairs to get into the entrance, which looks like a swanky bar, with lots of natural wood and hanging lights, and shelves fully stocked with wine, moving to the table area, the lights are low and the decor is perfect for a first date.

At the back of the restaurant, you can eat in an enclosed, private patio that offers some shade from the summer sun.

But it's the food that brings you back into the world of burgers.

The first burger on the menu is called Bite Me and is my perfect choice—a bacon cheeseburger. The bun is fresh and shiny, and the toppings include lettuce, tomato, and pickle (the latter, I meant to omit from my order).

The burger was perfectly cooked, served piping-hot, and was dripping with juices. It's one of those burgers that, once you pick it up, it's hard to put down. I think I only set it down twice, pausing only to savour the accompanying French fries, which were perfectly cooked—super-crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and well-seasoned.

You would think that with such a highbrow decor, the burger would be priced accordingly, but at $15 for the Bite Me, including the fries, this burger is matched with all the burgers in my list.

So bring your date here and treat him or her to a great meal, without breaking the bank.

2—World Burger

 

If you're the type of burger meister who likes to take your sandwich experience to the max, this is your burger joint.

With extravagant creations such as the Sydney Burger, with a massive onion ring and a sunny-side-up egg, to the Montreal Burger, with Montreal-style smoked meat, to the Tokyo Burger, with Teriyaki mayo and an Asian-style salad. The choices of superburgers is out of this world.

I chose the Ottawa Burger, minus mushrooms (I don't eat fungus). I was thrilled with the spongy bun, which was lightly dusted with flour, as it seemed to make the burger lighter. Though the lettuce was a bit lacking, and pale, and the overall presentation was messy, it's the taste that matters, and the taste was everything.

On my first visit to this Parkwood Hills shop, my youngest daughter and I were so impressed that we had to return the next week, with the whole family. We all agreed that the beef was fresh and tasty, and there was enough variety to keep you coming back and enjoying a new part of the world each time.

A sign outside boasts that this burger joint has been voted the best in the city, and I think that that's almost true. And, in fact, it held the top spot on my list until I visited one place that left it miles behind, eating dust.

Which brings me to my number one choice...

1—The King Eddy

 

The first time I visited this restaurant, in the ByWard Market, I went looking for a pogo stick, and one of my Twitter friends told me that these were the best in the city. And they are. But when you're looking for something more, their burgers far overshadow those batter-wrapped hot dogs

This is a true build-your-own-burger joint, but the added bonus is that the basic burger starts with two patties and cheese. I added bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and the King Eddy sauce, which is like a garlic aioli with a kick.

Ground fresh daily, the beef is flavourful and juicy. Even though you have two patties, they are of modest size, but filling. Cheese is between the patties, with another on top, for good measure. And the King Eddy sauce just works so well (I even got some extra as a dipping sauce for my sweet-potato fries).

After my first bite, I almost said aloud, "Holy Sh...!" but caught myself. This is the burger to seek out!

By far, The King Eddy is the king of Ottawa burger joints. Excellent hamburger, great local craft beer, crispy sweet-potato fries, fabulous service (actually, I had great service at most of the places I've visited over the months).

This has been one of my most difficult comparison reviews, and by far the most fattening. I'm now going to spend the rest of the year trying to shed the pounds I've gained.

But at least, when the craving of a burger hits, I know that there are places across town that will satisfy my needs.

Mama, Ohh... I Wanna Burger!

It started with some binge TV and developed over a bad experience at a fast-food joint.

Ever since my family and I dropped our cable-TV service and I was too lazy to install a digital antennae before the snow came, we've been watching a lot of programs on Netflix and through Plex. We finished watching Shameless and The Walking Dead, as far as Netflix would allow, and then caught up on more recent episodes of both through the other streaming feed.

Before we gave up cable TV, DD16 was hooked on the Fox cartoon, Bob's Burgers. For those who haven't seen the show, it centers on a family in a small town on the northeaster American seaboard—possibly, New Jersey—and the burger shop that is less-than successful. Bob and his wife, Linda, have three highly dysfunctional kids, Louise, Gene, and Tina.

The show is well done and can give The Simpson's a run for its money.

When we abandoned cable, DD16 went through a bit of withdrawal from this cartoon, but now that it has made its way to Netflix, all of us will sit and watch the episodes. The problem is that when I watch the show, I develop a craving for a burger.

One night, in December, I had been running errands after work and into the early evening, and I didn't get a chance to come home for dinner. Because everyone at home had eaten, I decided to stop in at a fast-food spot and pick up a burger. Barrhaven doesn't have many burger joints where you can grab and go. There are a couple of MacDonald's restaurants, but I swore off them decades ago. There's DQ, but I've never been a fan of their burgers. I also find that eating their buns is akin to gorging on a thick sponge.

There's an A&W that recently opened near the new Costco, but it's way on the other side of Barrhaven from my home, which defeats the purpose of a quick food run. 

There's Five Guys and Burgers & Shakes, but those aren't particularly fast. At best, from the time you place your order until you're seated with it, you can count on 10 minutes or longer.

And then, there's Wendy's.

I've always liked Wendy's because I find that their beef is pretty hard to beat for a fast-food chain. It's the closest you'll come to a homemade patty that you can pick up at a drive-through.

On this particular night, I decided to skip the drive-through window and went inside. At this hour, the dinner rush had ended at least an hour earlier, and there was no one in line. A cashier was behind the counter, looking at something on the computer monitor, so I waited until I was called.

After about 30 seconds, or so, the cashier turned and walked to the back of the restaurant. She never looked at me, but because I was standing no more than six to eight feet away from her, there was no way that she could not have known I was there.

So I stood, and waited.

About a minute after walking through the front door, another employee came to the counter area and went to the register. As with the first server, this young woman was looking at a display on the register and never made eye contact with me. This time, I sensed that she was extra-focused on the screen, as though to say, "I'm busy. I don't have time for you." After about a minute, she too disappeared.

I wasn't bothered that they were busy, that they were unable to serve me right away. But I was feeling ignored, invisible, like my business didn't matter to them.

I told myself that I would count down from 60 seconds, and that if, by the time I reached zero no one had acknowledged me, I was going to leave. I was hungry but now, I was feeling unwelcome.

In that final minute, I saw several employees moving about, assembling meals for the customers who had opted to stay in their vehicles. I wondered if I should have done so, myself. A young girl moved to fill an order of fries and, as she did so, scanned the restaurant. Her eyes never met mine, even though she looked beyond me.

Five, four, three, two, one, zero. I turned around and walked out the door.

In my car, I was furious. I blamed the manager, who had poorly trained his or her employees, if they were trained at all. I would think that the first rule of customer service, as it was when I worked in retail, all those decades ago, was to treat a customer as though you were glad they stopped by. If someone had merely said to me, "I'll be with you in just a minute," I would have waited longer than the two minutes or so that I stood in front of the counter. Instead, I was ignored, treated like I didn't matter.

I was still hungry, so I thought of where I could go, nearby, and my mind fell to Mexican food. Mucho Burrito was just across the street.

When I walked through the door, the two employees behind the counter immediately looked at me and, in unison, said "Welcome." One of the employees was ringing through a sale and the other was preparing a burrito for another customer.

No sooner had I walked up to where the order line starts, when the young man who was building the burrito said, "I'll be with you in a moment, sir."

"No problem at all," was my response.

I was trying to decide on whether I wanted to have chorizo in my wrap or wait a little longer, and have them prepare some shrimp for me, when the young woman, who had been at the cash register, came to me and said, "Sorry for the wait, sir. What can I get you?"

I had waited less than 30 seconds. Like, maybe 15.

As I finished paying and started for the door, I told both the servers, who helped make my burrito (I was the only one left after the person ahead of me was gone), "Tell your manager that he or she has trained you well. You were awesome."

I swore I wouldn't go back to the Wendy's in Barrhaven again. Not when I had Mucho Burrito so close by. I also ate much healthier that night: no fries, no soft drink, no greasy burger.

But I still love burgers, and every time I watch Bob's Burgers, I want one.

I'm not one to make New Year's resolutions. In fact, more than 20 years ago, I resolved to never make another New Year's resolution, and I've kept that promise. However, as 2017 drew to a close, I promised that I would avoid fast-food burgers at all cost. If a burger is made for me, it should be made well, even if it takes longer and costs more.

This month, I decided that I would try several burger joints around the Ottawa area and seek out the best burger. I already have a few that I love and have gone to for years. But over the next couple of months, I'm going to really focus on why I love those burgers and I'm going to seek out new places where I can enjoy a good burger.

Sometime in March, I'll post my top five burger places in the city.

Do you know of a great burger joint? Let me know and I'll check it out.