Patty and Franks (Toronto, On)

Gourmet Burgers and Hotdogs.

"Gourmet Burgers and Hotdogs." "Signature" burger. Sigh.
Here is another case of not judging a book by it's cover. When I see things like "Gourmet" attached to burgers and such it makes me think that they're really over thinking things. Gilding the lily doesn't make it better. When I see the use (or in many instances, over use) of buzz words like "Signature" it makes me wary. That there's a corporation just trying to sell a concept based on a craze. Cutesy names are another red flag. Like you need to sell the sizzle because the steak isn't good enough to sell itself. "Beau Thai" is a good example of a name that's a turn off. Sometimes I'm right. Sometimes of course those things should just be over looked. Such is the case with TO's newest burger emporium, Patty and Frank's. Which doesn't fit the first two warning signs and walks a fine line with the last.
 
Perhaps they should've led with this: "At Patty and Franks Gourmet Burgers and Hot Dogs, we create juicy burgers from family recipes and offer real food without any fillers or preservatives!" That's the kinda thing I like to see. That's the kinda place I love to visit. Let's face it, there's nothing inherently "Gourmet" about ground beef or a simple hot dog. They're simple yet tasty concoctions and in no way need gussying up.
 
So, once I was able to silence the alarm bells and give P & F's a chance I was glad I did. Opened in the fall (of 2013) they're, as you can imagine, doing burgers and dogs (Patty & Franks, get it??) along with some of the normal sides and terrific shakes. Located in Greektown their off to a fast start. Immediately grabbing the attention of the GTA's burger loving crowd and so far, the early reports are great. Both links and disks come in preordained creations or you can mix and match parts and accessories to create your own masterpiece. The best part is, everything is house made. Yes, even the Onion Rings.
 
From the outside it's yet another store front along "The Danforth." Mixed in amongst many restaurants it's bright and simple outward appearance makes it stand out from the rank and file.
 
Inside I loved the space. It's kind of a cross between retro a burger place and a modern burger place. Bright, white and clean like an operating room it has some subtle reminders of the glory days of the diner. Chrome napkin and straw dispensers with vintage Pepsi logos on them are a nice homage to days gone by.
There's some hardwood on the walls with real tables and chairs (not quasi booths) filling out the dining room. There's a prep kitchen in the back and an open assembly kitchen in the middle of the space.
 
So let's get a look at what's cookin' in those kitchens.
 
P & F Style Frank: A hot dog with cheddar, real bacon bits, chopped up burger and sautéed onions. I loved it. The wiener was good quality and everything had a nice balance with the exception of the burger meat. It was rather lost in there.I added only mustard and was rewarded with one of the best dogs I've had in the GTA. Perhaps anywhere. Sadly for you self proclaimed "Purists" out there the dog doesn't have the natural casing and snap that y'all see as a deal breaker. I'm not as picky and worry more about taste than anything else. On this second issue, they deliver in spades.
 
BYO Burger: I liked, not loved the burger. It's 5 oz. AAA CAB (yeah) that is seared on a flat top and then finished on a grill. I ordered my usual bacon cheeseburger. It tastes very much like it's a grill burger not a flat top. As such, there's just no way I'm gonna love it. It's just not my style. I spoke with one of the owners and had a debate on the merits of the grill or griddle. He loves the searing of the flat top but thinks that it NEEDS to see fire. I disagree but this is Canada and we're not only allowed to, we're better off because we can. So, all that said, a good burger is a good burger no matter how it's prepared and this is certainly one. I'd order it again.
 
Traditional Poutine: Probably the closest to the real deal I've had in TO. It's made with beef gravy (which isn't traditional) but at least they seem to understand that it's more of a sauce than actually a gravy. The best I've had is at the Montreal Pool Room and this seems close. The flavour and consistency is very good. The curds were massive and melted nicely. The fries on their own were nice, crispy but a bit under salted. Perhaps because they were being covered with salty condiments. It's better to err on the side of under salted so no big deal. The purists here will lament the lack of squeak but as I've said in the past, I like my curds to melt so they wouldn't squeak anyway.
 
Onion Rings: Also very good. Home made they passed the pinch test although some of the breading did shatter and fall off. The pull test they passed with flying colours. They were tasty in a basic way. Not a lot coming from the breading other than crunch so the onion had to and did carry the dish. They were a bit greasy even for rings. I mentioned it to one of the owners and he said he knew that and is working on it.
 
Shakes: The Strawberry/Banana was fabulous. (no picture) Made with real ice cream, strawberries and bananas. What an idea!! I can remember back as far was when I was a kid that being a great combination of fruit flavours.
It seems, thanks to a competitor who shall remain nameless, that while Toronto was getting a burger upgrade, a residual effect was an upgrade in the shakes being offered around town as well. At the very least, the availability of great shakes.
 
So there you have it folks. Great, (not) gourmet burgers, dogs, shakes, well lots of great stuff in one of the cities newest fast food havens.
 
You can find Patty and Franks at 467 Danforth Ave. in Toronto, On. 

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You can also find them on the web, facebook and Twitter.
 
 
Well that's all for now folks, catch ya later in the food court.

Scenic Drive

It may seem like it’s in the middle of nowhere but the little town of Wilmore, Kentucky is perfectly situated as a jumping off point for a drive through some of the prettiest country you’ll find.
Positioned about a half hour south west of Lexington it is surrounded on the west and north by horse racing and bourbon country. Large scale and craft distilleries offer tours and samples. The horse farms are nothing to sneeze at either. Millions of equine dollars are poured into the region. To the south is the Kentucky River with it’s steep palisades and thick forest. The meandering roads through here make for a drive so hair raising you’re hard pressed to catch up with the speed limit. There’s also some beautiful views of the historic High Bridge. Added to the list of Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks (#123) in 1985. Originally designed by John Roebling of the Brooklyn Bridge fame, it’s been reworked a few times over the years. It was the highest railroad bridge in the world when it opened and is still the highest over a navigable waterway in North America.
While in Wilmore a stay at the beautifully restored Potters Inn provides quaint comfort. This Victorian era farm house was saved from the wrecking ball and relocated to its current spot in 2005. Of course, you’ll need to eat and your best bet is at Tastebuds. The soda fountain come lunch counter in Sim’s Drugs on East Main Street.

Wilmore’s E. Main Street has be honoured in the National Regerster of Historic Places. The Sim’s Store dates back over 100 years as do many of the store fronts on E. Main.

Inside, the store still operates as a pharmacy to serve the community. The lunch counter takes up perhaps a third of the store if you include the few booths. There’s some leftover products from the apothecary on display and some of the old soda fountain items still decorate the place. They really don’t have a kitchen. There’s a counter with sinks, food prep stations and a small storage area with a residential fridge. I would love to tell you that they painstakingly craft their sauces, doughs and, what the heck, make their own mozzarella but sadly, they don’t. As much as they’d like to, they just don’t have the space. Heck, they don’t even have an oven. Other than the table top pizza oven that is. That’s not to say that they just run down to the local Quick-E-Mart and grab whatever’s on sale though. They try to source out the best tasting pre made food items and local ingredients which makes them Kentucky Proud. So no, this is not Pilsbury pizza dough with Ragu sauce and other cheap ingredients. What they do make, rest assured, they make very well. Things like chicken salad, pesto, pies, and pimento cheese are all scratch made.
The staff were very friendly and of course, we talked food as much as anything.

The house specialty is pizza and that’s where we started.
 I ordered a fairly standard pie. Pepperoni, bacon and mushroom. It’s a thin crust pizza and too many toppings can really screw up the balance. So keeping it pretty simple was the way to go. There was a nice crunch to the dough with a pretty mild taste. The sauce, while out of a jar was pretty tasty. The toppings worked really well. All in all, a really good pizza.

Their most popular pizza is the Spinach. I watched as piles of spinach and fresh chopped mushrooms were placed atop pesto and feta cheese. I wondered where all the water that’ll leach out would go but figured they knew what they were doing. It was just as cripsy as the other pie. I wasn’t sure how much I’d like it but it was fantastic. All the ingredients played nicely together and the bacon on top gave it a bit of crunch and and that great, salty, bacon-y goodness.

We, of course, couldn’t resist a pimento cheese sandwich. This was easily the best specimen I’ve had. I say that only because it’s very close the recipe we’ve been playing around with at home. Ours has a bit more of a cayenne hit but it had the same creaminess and pimento pepper flavour on which we’ve been zeroing in.

After complementing them about the pimento cheese I was offered a sample of their chicken salad. It was terrific. Finely chopped chicken mixed with mayo, green onion, garlic powder and, in a nice twist, red grapes. They give it a bit of a unique taste. They also have toasted almond slivers in there as well. Something I add to mine at home. Very nice.

Mrs. Sippi’s chocolate, caramel shake was excellent. I opted for a chocolate, peanut butter malted, shown here on the left. Again excellent. They’re made with real milk and Blue Bell ice cream and are blended in an old fashioned shake blender.









So there you have it. Some really terrific food served up from a small lunch counter in the middle of nowhere.

You can find Tastebuds inside Sim’s Drug Store at 319 East Main St, Wilmore, Ky.

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You can also find on the web and facebook.


Well that’s all for now, see ya next time in the Food Court. 
Davwud

Chuck Ya

Eccentric English writer Charles Caleb Colton would be lost to the sands of time had he not offered up one of the most famous quotes in history. "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." By my estimation The Burgers Priest should be very flattered.

When local restaurateurs Johnny Prassoulis and Bill Koutroubis needed a new challenge they decided to get in on the burgeoning flat top burger craze in Toronto. They approached Burger’s Priest about opening a franchise but were declined. So they decided to reverse engineer another age old adage and took the “If you can’t join ‘em, beat ‘em” mentality and opened Holy Chuck in late summer 2011.

To be fair, Holy Chuck isn’t a Burger’s Priest doppelganger. They too are doing the classic American burger. But the Priest didn’t invent that. He didn’t invent it either but Ray Croc built an empire on it. Sadly lacking in TO, BP merely reintroduced the GTA to it’s juicy goodness. Call it Classic American, California style or “Smashed” burgers as they do around these parts (they’re put on the flat top as a ball then “Smashed” flat with a spatula).  When done properly, it’s the best burger on the planet in my opinion.

You could almost call HC the Burger’s Anti-Christ. Where the Priest has a secret menu, Chuck’s menu is there for everyone to see. Where the Priest has a more hip, edgy vibe, Chuck is more generic and family oriented. Chuck has white board specials as well. BP tries to keep the menu small. HC's "specials" feature burgers like duck or lamb as well as regional burger styles like the Oklahoma burger. Popular in its namesake state and characterized by a layer of sautéed onions cooked right into the patty. Feel like punishing yourself?? HC has the "Go Chuck Yourself" challenge for those brave enough.

So if HC is taking on BP in the flat top burger genre, they better bring their A game. They do. Meat is ground in house and just about every other menu item is made from scratch and the milkshakes are  blended to order.

So how does Chuck’s food stand up?? Well, let’s have a look.

The Holy Chuck Fries are fresh cut shoe string style fries covered with cheese slices, bacon and their chili. Over all I'd say these are okay but broken down my mileage differs. First off, as a fry alone, it's very good. Definite potato flavour and cooked to a gorgeous, rich brown colour. So that's good. I'd prefer real cheddar rather than sliced on my chili fries. So there's problem for me. I thought the bacon was pretty much lost under the chili and thus didn't offer much. I did manage to get a taste of bacon, cheese fries and it was terrific. The chili I'm not a big fan of. Not bad, just not my cup of tea. It seemed to be lacking any heat and didn't bring a big "Chili" flavour. So chili cheese fries would be okay. Bacon cheese fries would be much better but bacon, chili, cheese fries just didn't make it for me. I'll order them naked next time and dip in ketchup. 

The Holy Chuck burger is right in my wheelhouse. 2 quarter pound patties done on a flat top with bacon and sliced cheese. This one comes dressed up with sautéed onions. I had an interesting dilemma with this burger. On the menu it says "No toppings allowed!" The conundrum posed by this is one on which I just can't seem to come to an opinion. Part of me says, "It's my food, I decide how I'm gonna eat it. Not you." The other part understands completely that sometimes you are going for a certain thing and an alteration would screw it up. Kind of like ordering a Hawaiian pizza and subbing bell pepper for pineapple and adding onions. It's just not the same thing anymore. So as is it's a fabulous burger. I'd be interested to add some pickle and mustard and see how it turned out. Only because I thought there was a certain succulence to the burger that wasn't balanced out by something sharper.

A slight row occurred when they unveiled a specialty burger. I won’t tell you the old name out of respect for those who were offended but for now (Aug/12) it’s unnamed.
Consisting of 2 patties that are a 50/50 mix of beef and bacon topped with cheese and a ladle of their spicy chili it’s one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. As far as specialty burgers go that is. The patties, loaded in bacon are, naturally, tasty and juicy. The reborn chili (they’ve played with the recipe since I last tried it) had a slight zip to it and was a nice touch on top. The cheese tied it all together. I opted to add fresh, chopped onion and after a bit of experimenting found that mustard was a nice complement as well. Truly excellent all around.

Another of their specialty burgers is the Farmers Threesome. What you have here is one cheese topped beef patty. One cheese topped lamb patty. One cheese topped bacon patty. All topped with more bacon and sautéed onions. I found a bit of mustard rounded the whole thing out nicely. It walks the fine line between unctuous and greasy. Salty and over salty. It’s not an everyday burger. Being fatty and salty and all. But for a special treat it’s incredible. Tasty and juicy. Fabulous.

The Depressed Cow is a burger done "Oklahoma Style" which is to say they smash slivered onions right into the burger as they squish it down. A style of burger cooking popular in, you guessed it, Oklahoma. First off, if you don't LOVE onions, don't bother. I love them and found this a bit on the oniony side. Don't order it if you're on a date either as it's one of their more messy burgers. So all in all, it was a tasty burger but not one of my favourites.

Poutine, as you probably remember, is fries with cheese curd and gravy. As is the norm around here they don't make it authentic. It's beef gravy instead of chicken. That doesn't mean it's not tasty though. It's as good as any I've had in this city. I think I'll ask them to hold the parsley garnish next time. It was an odd addition in my books. 

The eye opener, the discovery, the revelation, the Oh! My! God! moment came the first sip I had from my milk shake. Made with whole milk and quality ice cream as it's base I opted for the Nutella and Salted Caramel and it blew me away. Easily the best shake I've had in the city and perhaps ever. Top two for sure. They come ultra thick but melt enough to sip through the straw fairly quickly.
I’ve since sampled a number of them and let me tell you, they’re excellent. The Bacon, Fudge and Seasalt (the bacon didn’t do much for me though), Wasabi, Green Onion and Fresh Ginger (Slight zing from the wasabi), Strawberry Cheesecake and Grandma’s Apple Pie. It seems like you just can’t go wrong with any of them.

You can find Holy Chuck at 1450 Yonge St., Toronto, Ontario.

 
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You can find them on the web, facebook and twitter.


Well that's all for now folks. See ya next time in the food court.
 

Davwud

Dogzilla

There are some places that just take you back. That are more like a time machine than a restaurant. Where you can sit and soak up the vibes of an era long since past. I’ve been to some places that have been in business for as much as a hundred years. Due to renovations and modernization though they loose their old feel. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. Nor am I saying that a place shouldn’t refurbish itself. A nice modern looking place can be good for business. However when you stumble upon these places that seem like they’re stuck in a different epoch it’s very special. 

 

Take Wright’s Dairy-Rite in Staunton, (pronounced STAN-ten) Virginia. Opened in 1952 this drive-in started as a drive up hamburger and ice cream stand. It has grown over the years and as of 1989 has a dining room. It hasn’t lost it’s feel though. It’s still owned by the same family and it’s still doing things the way they did when they opened. Ya, the Wurlitzer juke box plays CD’s instead of 45’s but the music dates back to the 50’s and 60’s. Vintage menus from days gone by are posted all over the dining room and you even order your food from your booth by phone.

Drive-in’s hit their hey day in the late 50’s and early 60’s but have been around since Jessie G. Kirby of Dallas, Texas opened Kirby’s Pig Stand way back in 1921. Much like the family owned motel that used to dominate the old state highways the drive-in has suffered with the advent of the national chain and the interstate system. Fast food giant McDonald’s grew out of this era and style of restaurant. Heck, even one of their signature sandwiches, the Big Mac can be traced back to a drive-in. Take Wright’s for example. They were making their double deck Super Burger more than 10 years earlier than the now famous bi-level sandwich. They aren’t the only ones either. Remember the Super Big Buy at The Spot in Findlay, Ohio?
So when you find one of these road side gems you almost have to stop.

And stop we did for a terrific lunch.

We followed the instructions, picked up the phone and ordered a Carolina burger, a Dogzilla, onion rings and a Wright’s Wheelie. 

All items are cooked when ordering so it takes a bit longer to arrive than you’d expect. It’s worth the wait so just sit back and soak up the experience.

I give them full marks on their rings for a few things. Battered and fried in house is a plus. They passed both the pinch and pull tests. They were however not my favourite style of ring. I prefer bigger beefsteak type onion slices and a beer batter. This was more like a breading than a batter. All in all still pretty tasty.

The Carolina burger is so named for the way they eat their hot dogs in the Carolinas. Chili, cheese, onions, mustard and slaw. Called “The Works” or “All the Way” usually, it was a third pound of delicious beef hand formed and flat top griddled.

The one third pound “Dogzilla” was fantastic. I’m not usually a monster hot dog guy but this one was fantastic. The onions were nice and fresh but the deli mustard was what really made it.

The Wheelie was to die for. A fresh glazed donut (think Krispy Kreme Original Cream) topped with whipped cream and vanilla ice cream. We added butterscotch and strawberry sauces. The goop left at the bottom was enough to make you want to lick the carton.

Much like a good drive-in should they make their own milk shakes and malteds. As you can imagine, they were great.

You can visit Wright’s at 346 Greenville, Ave in Staunton, Virginia.


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You can also visit them on the web or join their facebook fan page.
 

Well that’s all for now from the food court. See y’all next time.

Davwud

A Cincinnati Classic

Since 1969, Cincinnatians have been flocking to the suburbs and Blue Ash Chili. The little family owned chili parlour has been cranking out Cinci favourites like double deckers, goetta and of course their take on the local chili. The menu has been rounded out with breakfast fare, burgers, soups and offerings from the fryolated arts. It was here in the Summer of 2006 that I was introduced to the unique flavour of Cincinnati Chili and I took to it quite well. I pick up cans of Skyline chili in the grocery store when in the area and make it from scratch at home as often as regular chili.
The place has grown but still keeps it’s small feel with the open kitchen and marshaling area splitting the two dining rooms. A veritable “Who’s who” of the rich and famous adorns the walls along with the many articles lauding them. The staff is friendly and ample so even though they were busy the wait times were minimal.
Perhaps the most famous of the chili parlours Blue Ash has all the major media outlets in town paying visits. They’re known nationally from NPR and made Maxim's list of the Top 77 Places to Eat Before You Die! Perhaps the biggest honours though came in 2010 with a visit from Guy Fieri and the Triple D gang. They also were selected as the Official Chili of the “WEBN Fireworks + Cincinnati Riverfest 2010!”

So lets get on with the food.

I ordered a 6 way. Cincinnati’s only, it’s the 3 way with beans, diced onion and fried jalapeno caps (deep fried jalapeno slices). Coneys and a chocolate malted. Mrs. Sippi had a bowl of mac n cheese, a Coney and a 3 way.

I found the 6 way to have too much stuff going on. First of all, the caps simply didn’t fit in, in my opinion. They did taste great so I just ate them on the side. The beans and onions competed with the chili, cheese and spaghetti rather than compliment. All in all it was okay but I wouldn’t order again.
I preferred Mrs. Sippi’s 3 way.
This is quite possibly the best coney I've had. I've been to the chain parlours and even BA's main competition and I think these are the best. Absolutely excellent.
Mrs. Sippi’s mac and cheese was a very pleasant surprise. Not the best “Old school” M&C I’ve had but a really solid bowl none the less. Things don’t always have to be great. They just have to be good and on that, this dish delivered.
Another nice surprise was the chocolate malted. Made with premium Algamesis Brother’s ice cream it had a great, full creamy chocolate taste. My only complain was it was a bit thick and hard to suck through a straw. It melted fairly quickly and was easier to manage.

The Coney Bowl is great. Basically a 3 Way with Pups instead of spaghetti. I liked that the dogs were cut up like they'd be in wieners and beans. I will have to remember to add onions and mustard next time though.

The GLT sandwich is fabulous. Taking advantage of 2 Cinci traditions (Goetta and Double Decker Sandwiches) for one item. Their Goetta is very tasty but slightly more oaty than other I've had. Not a complaint or compliment, just an observation. They also didn't seem to get as good a crust as I've had but that's okay. One thing I'm starting to notice about Cinci. They love them some mayonnaise. Sandwiches seem to come anywhere from loaded all the way up to bathed in the stuff. No complaints for the most part. I love mayo.

The Chili Philly is a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich topped with a good sized ladle of chili. It’s a really good sandwich however I should’ve known better and asked that the green bell pepper be excused. Anyway, the Philly itself is good, not great. The addition of the chili is a great twist on it. While not a favourite at BAC it’s certainly worth ordering again. Sans bell pepper of course.


So all in all, a fantastic visit and further fueling of my Cinci chili love.

You can find Blue Ash Chili at 9565 Kenwood Road in Blue Ash, Ohio.


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They also have a second store in Mason, Ohio.

You can find them on the web or Like them on Facebook as well.
 

Well that’s all for now food fans. See ya real soon in the food court.

Davwud