Burgers and Taters and Dogs Oh My!!

Owning a hot dog stand was the dream. It wasn’t however, the dream of Markin Dornan but that of his father. For about 35 years Mr. Dornan had wanted to have his own hot dog stand in his native Montreal.

On business in Birmingham, Alabama, Montrealer, Markin met a young UAB student named Kim. As fate would have it they fell in love, married and set up life in Hazel Green, Alabama where they started a family. They also decided to go into business together. They’d realize Mr. Dornan’s dream but add their own spin. In 2010 after a year and a half of tasting and testing, testing and tasting in their home kitchen they had it down. It was time of take the “Leap of faith” and open Taters n’ Dawgs in neighbouring Meridianville. Hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, all fresh, never frozen in a family friendly atmosphere.Kim and Markin almost literally poured their hearts into the business. Aside from food development they also tried their hands at (among other jobs) architecture, painting and carpentry. Kim says the local contractors were very patient with their “Crazy ideas.”   The interior they designed is basic. Tables with benches line the wall in a white almost operating room like setting. The kitchen is open and reveals one of my favourite things. The flat top. This is where ground beef (and many other foods) turn into culinary gold. Outside they also have picnic tables for those who want to enjoy the weather.

As we know though, the weather sometimes turns vicious in that area. Fortunately there’s people like Kim and Markin. Following the April 2011 tornado outbreak that devastated parts of northern Alabama TnD held a fund raiser in support tornado relief. It was of course a huge success and shows the commitment they have to the community. As does their nightly support of a different local charity.

So on with the food they crafted. Taters, dogs, burgers and drinks (they serve coke products.)

For those who’ve never heard of it, poutine is a staple dish in the Montreal area. Fresh cut fries are served up with cheese curd and brown gravy. Described by Tony Bourdain as a “Gastronomical train wreck” it’s high cholesterol at it’s artery clogging best. TnD’s take on it swaps mozzarella cheese for the curd flawlessly. The other two components are perfectly executed as well. The gravy is spot on and the fries are fresh cut and great. The “Tater melt” as they call it is excellent.

The chili dog is terrific. The wiener itself is all beef and very tasty. The home made hot dog chili isn’t spicy and very tomatoey. They messed with the notion of having beans but a good dog chili doesn’t have beans. I added some cheese as well. The whole mess comes on a steamed bun. I think next time I’ll add some diced onion.

The cheese burger was simply fantastic. When I say simply, I actually mean it. It’s the classic American burger. A simply seasoned 1/4 lb patty with sliced cheese and a simple bun. Standard toppings as well. Keep it simple. This is my favourite type of burger and this one ranks right up there with the best.

The “Slawdog” had a nice, fresh cabbage slaw with very little in the way of vinegar or creaminess. It had a good crunch and worked well. Again the dog itself was very good and would be great plain.

A very enjoyable lunch was had by all.

You can find Taters n Dawgs at 12835 Hwy 231/431, Meridianville, Al.


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You can also like them on facebook
 

Well that’s it for this time in the foodcourt. Y’all come back now ya hear.

Davwud

Big Fat Burrito

Ask any burrito lover in the GTA who’s been to San Francisco and they’ll tell you, you can’t get a good burrito in Toronto. Save for Mission Burrito at Village by the Grange I guess. Citing the mission style as THE only burrito that’s any good they pooh, pooh everything else. So I guess it’s time I dipped my toe into the great Toronto burrito debate.

For the most part, the burritos served by independent places in the city are grilled not steamed. So for most, this means they’re not good. Rather closed minded in my opinion it’s like blaming chocolate for not being vanilla. I have no idea why people can’t just like something for what it is and not dislike it for what it isn’t. So I will deal with what some in these parts call a "Toronto Style Burrito.” Stuffed, rolled and placed on a flat top until golden brown and delicious on both sides.

I’ve made no secret about my love of the flat top so as you can imagine, I’m a big fan of anything that has a date with it. The result of this flat top grilling is a nice crispy "Skin" and another dimension of flavour not found in a steamed burrito. The wrappers maintain a certain chew that I enjoy. Contrasted that with the more tender and (in my mind) less interesting shell that results from being steamed. I personally have plenty of room in my heart and my stomach for both styles. As I’ve said in the past, taste trumps all and if it’s tasty I’ll enjoy it for what it is.

One of the GTA’s finest examples of this culinary bomb is Big Fat Burrito. Now 3 locations strong, they began life in Toronto’s Kensington Market neighbourhood and where Mrs. Sippi and I paid a lunch visit.

Much like all burritos you choose your flavour and then garnishes. BFB offers steak, chicken, pork and their signature filling, yam. One of the things that make them stand out is the use of refried beans rather than whole pinto or black beans. A substitution that works extremely well as far as I’m concerned. They also have 5 levels of spiciness with a simple 1 – 5 choice that’s right there from which you choose.

Enough with the small talk, let’s get on to the food.

Our lunch consisted of a burrito and a root beer each. We also sampled a taco.

BFB serves Boylan’s products. This family owned company has been in business for almost 125 years and serves up one of the best root beers you can find from their old family recipe.

The taco was pretty simple and tasty. A hard shell with a typical cumin based seasoning for the ground beef. Tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, sour cream and hot sauce round out the filling. The thing that made it was how the sour cream and hot sauce blended to form their own sauce. I’m sure the purists will lament the use of a hard shell but I liked it and that’s all I care about. It's like a better version of the taco kit you buy in the grocery store.

Now the big question, how were the burritos??

Mrs. Sippi’s yam burrito was very good. The sweetness of the yam balanced the hot sauce very nicely. She opted for medium hot (2) and that was hot enough. The filling was rounded out with lettuce, tomato, cheese, burrito sauce and refried beans. There’s a rumour that you can order off menu and get yam and pork that’s incredible.

My steak burrito was fantastic. The marinated cow meat was very tender and the “Regular hot” (3) heat level added a really nice kick without being overbearing. I love the use of refried beans as they give the whole thing a nice earthy tone I don't find from whole beans. I also find that RFB's play nicely with hot stuff. 
All in all, having never been to San Fran and tasted one of their Mission style burritos it's somewhat unreasonable to make a fair assessment of which is best. I will however say that having had a burrito at Mission Burrito here in TO and a few of the chain offerings (Chipotle, Moe's, etc.) which are Mission style as well, I think I'll take the Toronto style myself. As I said above, I'll take either way if it's well executed.


So check your burrito prejudice at the door and give Big Fat Burrito a fair shake. You may prefer your burrito Mission style but you can’t disregard this tasty treat. Enjoy it for what it is.

You can find BFB’s original location a 285 Agusta Ave. in Toronto, Ontario.

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They can also be found at 112 Dundas St. W. and 529 Bloor St. W. inside Lee’s Palace.
 

Well that’s all for now burrito fans. We’ll see you again in the food court.

Davwud