Tag Archives: bacon cheeseburger

Lamb bacon is takin’ this burger to a new level!!!

So, we’re hanging out at The Dog & Tiger, this funky little gastropub right in the heart of Little Italy. Now, when I saw they had house-cured lamb bacon on the menu, and also a signature cheeseburger, I was like, dude, can I get some lamb bacon on my D&T Burger? Turns out that no one else had ever asked that before… but there’s always a first time for everything in Flavourtown!!!!

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Now, there ain’t no bacon strips here — this lamb bacon is thick like pork belly, with a nice chew. Maybe a bit too thick for them to put two pieces on top, but when you get a bite of that lamb, along with the beef, oozy melted cheese and maybe a little pickle, that right there is the ticket!!!!!

Man, if Christopher Walken walked in to this joint, he’d probably say “Actually, I think there’s enough cowbell.” This place is serving up five different beers from Cowbell Brewing — three on tap, two more in cans. Now, you KNOW we don’t fear the reaper on Triple B, but when I saw they had a couple of German-style beers from True History, I figured I’d try those instead.

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After getting schnitt-faced in Munich, this Mostly Foam Dortmunder definitely had my name on it. Mind you, they kept the foam to the minimum here — and that’s alright with me. This beer kinda reminded me of Germany — a crisp, easy drinking lager. Too bad they don’t serve it in a stein, though…

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But now True History’s taking it up a notch with this Watch Me Dive festbier. This one’s got more of a malty bite to it, kinda like the Hofbrau Oktoberfest beer I had…in New York City, of all places. Man, I should totally check out the True History Brewery one of these days!!!

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But you didn’t think we’d be full after that big burger, didja? Yeah, we’ve still got room for dessert — and this dessert is soooo next-level, bro! Turns out, since we showed up a couple days after V-Day, they still had a couple of these Dulce de Leche S’mores Tarts left over from their Valentines menu. Dude, this is like Campfires Gone Wild in Flavourtown! You’ve got toasted marshmallows, graham cracker crumbs and a hot chocolate ganache, all inside a crispy crust. Happy Guy-intines Day, bro!!!!

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CHITOWN CHOWDOWN: Burgers and Beers of Doom @ Kuma’s Corner

Man, I have been wanting to go to Kuma’s Corner ever since I first heard about the heavy metal-themed craft beer & burger joint a few years back. So there’s no way I was gonna leave Chicago without checking this place out, bro!!!!

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With so many awesome burgers on the menu, it’s hard to pick just one…but I went with the Sourvein, named after the North Carolina sludgesters. Basically, it’s a thick n juicy bacon cheeseburger topped with fried chicken n waffles, smothered in maple syrup and a spicy donkey sauce, which I scarfed down to the tune of “Deadly Sinners” by 3 Inches of Blood. Man, even the chicken is pretty good on its own…but throw in the beef, bacon and a bite of that waffle, and that just takes it to the next level, bro!!!!

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When it comes to beer, we’re starting off with a Zombie Dust IPA from Indiana’s 3 Floyds Brewing. Clean, crisp and not too hoppy, checking it at 6.5%. Gotta love that awesome artwork too!

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This Blueberry Sleazecake from Wake Brewing is a fruited sour that tastes like blueberry juice, and is deceptively strong at 6.5%. Man, this would go great with some Motley Crüe on the stereo — but it seems like the playlist here is mostly modern melodic death and Viking metal. (They’re pretty heavy on Lamb of God and Amon Amarth.)

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But it only gets heavier from here, bro! This Imperial Blood of the Unicorn from Pipeworks Brewing is a red IPA that checks in at 9.5%. This is quite tasty — a nice balance between the malt of an amber and the hops of an IPA. But let’s just say there’s a reason why they serve it in a little snifter…

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And since they don’t have a dessert menu, I am going for some liquid dessert with this Dino S’Mores Russian Imperial Stout from Off Color Brewing. Rich, chocolatey, and 2.5 times as strong as a Guinness — you ain’t drinking this one for breakfast, bro!!!!

ICE ICELAND BABY: This bar fuckin’ hates The Eagles, man…

I dunno guy, but I don’t remember the part in The Big Lebowski where The Dude goes to Iceland… but they still named a bar after him in Reykjavik, bro! And as you might expect, Lebowski Bar specializes in White Russians, with 24 different takes to choose from:
This here’s a Cocoapuff Casian, where they take your standard Caucasian (vodka, Kahlua and cream) and then stick some Cocoapuffs on top. You’ve got the creaminess from the Kahlua and cream, mixed with the chocolatey cereal… Dude, it’s magically delicious!
The other thing they do here is burgers named after characters from the movie. I ordered The Walter, a bacon cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato and onion on a grilled bun. Beef was nice and tender, and you get a few nice bites of bacon… Shomer Fucking Shabbos bro!!!

This bacon, egg & cheese burger is gluten-free…so that means it’s healthy, right?

Now that football season has started, you can guarantee that I ain’t going for Sunday brunch until at least February…but a couple weeks ago, we headed out to Almond Butterfly Bistro, this funky little joint on Dundas West that’s pretty much right next to Old School (and across the street from the Collective Arts Toronto Brewery). These folks are serving up all-day brunch every day, along with burgers, tacos and fish ‘n chips…oh, and it’s all gluten-free. So that means I’m not gonna gain any weight after I destroy this great big burger, right???

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Their signature A.B. Burger is topped with nice, crispy bacon, two kinds of cheese — white cheddar AND smoked gouda — along with tomatoes, pickles and onions, swimming in a sea of donkey sauce. I also paid two bucks to add a fried egg, cuz hey, it is brunch after all.

Let’s just say it’s about to get messy. And I actually didn’t notice this, but the bun is gluten-free. Many moons ago, I had a gluten-free bun that tasted like cardboard, but this one wasn’t that bad…

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Of course, these fresh-cut fries are gluten-free anyways, so there’s nothing wrong with that. I actually asked for onion rings…but it turns out they only serve ’em as an appetizer, not a side dish. Although they did tease me by leaving one single onion ring on my plate — and it was the best ring I’ve tasted since that one time, at onion-ring camp!

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Dude, this place is so committed to the cause that they only serve gluten-free beer, bro! Now, I’ve never had a gluten-free “pilsner-style” beer before, or even heard of Lakefront Brewery… but it’s from Milwaukee, so I figured it had to be at least as good as Glutenberg. I gotta say, something did taste a little different — I mean, it’s brewed without wheat OR barley — but I still pounded like 3-4 of these, cuz it’s not like I can have just one beer, Mark Bro-ssier!!!

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LE BURGER WEEK: I’m soooo hot for Priestley, bro!!!

Back when Toronto had its very own Burger Week, from 2012 to 2014, it was pretty awesome. You had all these funky joints all over the city dishing out one-off burgers for charity, and then they all got together on the last day for a Burger Day where they were serving up sliders in an outdoor space — one year it was even AYCE!

But that died in 2015, along with the short-lived alt-weekly that sponsored it, just as Le Poutine Week/Le Burger Week was first picking up steam…in Montreal, anyways. While it has supposedly expanded to every province across Canada, Le Burger Week has never really caught on in Toronto. The last time I tried writing about it, there were so few places participating that I ended up eating at two different Hero Burgers. And not much has changed in the 5 years since.

But last week I got an email from DoorDash offering 6 bucks off 15-dollar orders at participating Le Burger Week restaurants. So I went into the app, only to find there were only five places within delivery distance — plus, one was vegan  and another one only does dessert (cheesecake is NOT a burger, bro!) But hey, six bucks off is six bucks off… so I guess I might as well try the other three burgers, eh?

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We’re starting off with Rudy, this funky little joint on Duncan that’s got some of the best poutine in the city. This Le Burger Week Special is a tribute to the second-biggest Beverly Hills hottie (RIP Luke Perry!) — they’re calling it Hot For Priestley. You’ve got a griddled double cheeseburger topped with pickles and deep-fried jalapenos, plus I paid $2.49 to add bacon — you KNOW the first rule of Flavourtown is always add bacon, bro!!!

Now this burger will already set you back $13.95, so after adding the bacon I saved about 36%. And that would be even less if I ordered a poutine, a milkshake, or any other side dish. So instead I busted out a bag of Hickory Sticks, and reached into the fridge for some Low Hanging Fruit:

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Since this sour beer is brewed with pomegranate and black currants, I was expecting it to be purple or lavender or something. But while it actually looks like a regular beer, you definitely get the tart pucker of pomegranate — I think I remember what pomegranate tastes like? — and there’s probably some black currant in there too; just don’t ask me the last time I had black currant. In any case, it was a highly crushable summer beer that helped cool off the spice of the jalapenos, bro!

 

GRAND REOPENING: Xango Burger Unchained, bro!!!

Just a couple weeks back, we were hanging out at Rabbit! Rabbit! Rabbit! this funky new Tex-Mex joint on King West. And now we’re just a few more steps down the alley at Xango, a Latin-Asian fusion joint with some really loud music and not-so-spicy squid:

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Don’t worry, these calamari were totally Instagram-worthy, with red peppers, tortilla strips and some squid ink underneath. But for a dish that’s called Crispy Spicy Squid on the menu, there was literally no heat at all, bro!!!!!!!!

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But now it’s time for the main event… This Xango Burger is coming in hot with lettuce, tomato, onions, a cream of mushroom sauce and some of the most overcooked bacon I’ve ever seen in my life. Dude, this bacon was so hard, I could barely bite into it, bro! But hey, at least they didn’t put bacon bits on the burger like that one place, on Simcoe…

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Now when it comes to beer, this joint is serving up something I’ve never seen before…even though it’s been brewed since 1821. This Rodenbach Classic isn’t as tart or as tangy as your typical sour beers — instead, it tastes more like a Belgian dubbel, just without nearly as much alcohol. Man, even a Belgian quadrupel couldn’t wash away the taste of that burnt bacon, though… 😦 😦 😦

GRAND REOPENING: BLT lettuce wraps + bacon-bit cheeseburger

Dude, patio season is sooo Triple B season, bro! We’re hanging out at SOCO Kitchen & Bar, this funky joint just a Vladdy Jr. long ball away from the Rogers Centre (maybe next month, bro?). And this place is serving up a few of my favourite things, such as burgers, bacon and beer!

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We’re starting off with some BLT lettuce wraps, these crispy, deep-fried rolls of cheese topped with onions, bacon bits and donkey sauce, served on a bed of lettuce. Only thing that seems to be missing is the tomatoes — but I guess that’s the least important part?

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Now, when I saw the SOCO Bacon Cheeseburger on the menu, I knew it was heading straight down my piehole! You’ve got two smashed patties topped with oozy cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions and special sauce — but it turns out they put bacon bits instead of bacon strips, which means you can barely taste the bacon. Look, I get that it’s a pandemic, and you gotta cut costs or whatever, but that’s still a big-time summer bummer in Flavourtown, son!!!!!

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When it comes to beer, this place has got Steam Whistle, Mill Street, Goose Island and, uh, Budweiser on tap — but I went with their rotating Collective Arts can, which happened to be Life in the Clouds, a strong, juicy New England style IPA. Funny thing, they also had their Guava Gose in a can, but I literally just had that one, so, y’know… I figured I’d switch it up some.

 

 

 

TORONTO’S TOP TAKEOUT: 50% off Bacon Cheddar Burger!

Now, we’re all about value here on Triple B, so when I found out that Earls was dishing out half-price burgers on Skip the Dishes, I was all over that like Jason Lee’s mustache! Now, for nine bucks, you could get a Bigger Better Burger with fries, but for just a dollar more, you can upgrade to their Bacon Cheddar Burger. That’s about the easiest dollar I’ve ever spent, son!!!

Now, there’s definitely no shortage of bacon strips on this bad boy, and they cook ’em till they’re nice ‘n crunchy, just the way I like it. Combined with other classic toppings — lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, mustard and mayo — on a lightly toasted bun, and that’s some pretty good eatin’ for 10 bucks, bro!!!

Fries were about the same size as McDonald’s, but not as crispy or as salty. Came with a double pack of ketchup — dude, Double Pack of Ketchup was my nickname in Lunch Lady Land — but I still needed a couple more packs of ketchup to finish ’em off. Let’s just say that after 13 months of takeout, I’ve got a whole fridge fulla ketchup, bro!!!

TORONTO’S TOP TAKEOUT: This really nice burger needs some really big rings!!!

Now that Toronto is into State of Emergency No. 3 like a bad Lou Bega number, let’s just say I’m not getting a lot of exercise these days. So when I saw that The Irv, this funky little joint in Cabbagetown, was serving up a Dad Bod Burger, I was all over that like a fat dad on a Smartie, son!!!

These are a few of my favourite things, right here. You’ve got blue cheese, bacon strips, caramelized onions and a whisky-glazed BBQ sauce, all on top of a thick, juicy patty. This burger is sooo outta bounds, it almost held a gathering of more than 10 people, bro!!!

The only thing that brings it down a bit is the thin, weak bun that was completely soggy by the time I opened the box. So instead of a 10/10, it’s maybe like a 9…

Now, when I saw you could upgrade from fries to house-cut onion rings for just two dollars more, I was all over that like a fat dad in a Speedo, bro! And man, these were like, seriously, some of the best onion rings in Toronto. They give you about a full onion’s worth, with a thick, doughy batter that really kicks things up a notch! I mean, like there are 3-4 bites of onion ring for every bite of burger in this takeout box…not that I’m complaining!!!

Man, the last time I had rings this good was in Buffalo…but who knows when I’ll even be allowed to go to Buffalo again, bro??? 😦 😦 😦

TORONTO’S TOP TAKEOUT: Dirty Deeds… Done. With. Beef.

Now, whenever I get 30% or 40% off with Uber Eats, I’m looking for something that looks good…but I don’t really wanna pay as much as they’re charging for it (especially since Uber pays the difference). Case in point: The Dirty Double, a $32 bacon double cheeseburger from Stout Irish Pub. Now, they’re packing a pair of 8 oz patties on this thing, so you definitely get your money’s worth — but if I can take 14 dollars off, that works out even better!

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Sometimes a burger doesn’t have to be fancy, as long as it’s tasty. You won’t see any pulled pork, potato chips or mac ‘n cheese on top of this big boy — but with two thick ‘n juicy patties, a nice chew from the bacon, bit of crunch from the pickles and onions, and some oozy, schmoozy cheese, that’s all you really need!!!

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And if you want another great deal, get the Chipotle Bacon Cheese Fries. This $18 item can be added as a side for just 3 bucks when you buy a burger, bro! Now, poutine might be more popular — especially up here in Canada, eh? — but when you got a nice pub fry with a melted cheese blend, some green onions and a pretty decent amount of bacon bits, that right there is the winning ticket! Plus, unlike some other places (I’m looking at you, Tragically Maple Poutine), the amount of chipotle sauce on top adds just enough flavour without taking away from everything else.

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Now, speaking of stout, this burger pairs nicely with Unify or Die, a hearty spiced stout from Blood Brothers Brewing. I first pounded one of these bad boys with a very nice steak dinner from Jacobs (RIP), but its message definitely still applies now that we’ve been dealing with this thing for over a year. Dude, if someone comes out with a Vaccinate and Party beer in 2021, I would slam the shit outta that, son!!!!!!!

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