A Follow-Up To Tee Jay's

Hey all, just wanna relay an experience at a Tee Jay's in Brampton that I had.
My friend ordered a Backyard BBQ Burger with onion rings. This location served the same bun, but the pickle was a spear instead of cucumber like slices, and the onion rings were different. They were a lot thicker, and had less coating on them.
I just find it weird that a 'chain' restaurant could be so different in things when they are in the same city. This adds to my confusion of the whole Tee Jay's vs. Turtle Jack's thing.
Just thought I would share a non-burger eating experience I had. This just reinforces my thought about going to Tee Jay's again and having a plain, major sized burger. Now I am wondering if I need to judge each location differently as well.

Burger Review: Tee Jay’s Sports Kitchen

Tee Jay’s Sports Kitchen.

This place has confused me for the longest time. Originally called Turtle Jacks, it was a off-duty cop hangout known through-out Brampton. Now, Turtle Jacks seems to be a Muskoka grill that is not found anywhere in Brampton. And news is both the Brampton locations will be changing names to “Locals”. Is Brampton not good enough for a Muskoka grill? Known more for their wings then their burgers.

First, the extras. Walked into a pretty dead bar area, and was greeted quickly. Ordered the Classic Grill House burger, minor size, with onion rings, and a beer, just because. Menu says the burgers are made with fresh chuck. Ketchup was on the table when I sat down, and mustard and relish squeeze bottles were brought to the table. Burger was dressed with lettuce, tomato, pickles and red onions.

Appearance

Burger was brought open faced to the table. Produce on the bun looked to be in good condition, with the pickles looking more like slices of cucumber. Patty looked like it was made from fresh ground beef, but looked like it may have been a little over cooked and slightly burnt in areas.

Bun To Meat Ratio

The bun used was a fairly thin sesame seeded bun. Bun held up well through eating, and didn’t get soggy or fall apart at all. Didn’t really taste the bun, as I will explain later. The minor sized patty may be too small for this bun.

Meat Taste

Meat was an enigma. Slightly burnt on the outside, but still slightly pink on the inside. Tasted like fresh ground. Was a little dry, and could have used some salt and pepper to help the flavour.

Overall Taste

Here’s where I am torn. I hate squeeze bottles for condiments. The ones that are no mess, stand up and squirt bottles. Maybe there is a problem with me, but I always seem to end up with a lot more condiment then I had wanted. And the squeeze bottles of relish seem to end up dispensing more relish juice than actual relish. I suppose the burger tasted good, but the bite full of mustard, then the bite full of ketchup kinda ruined it for me. Perhaps another visit is in order, one where I use no condiments.

Overall, a satisfactory visit. I wonder if there is any difference in meat quality between the 2 sizes of burger offered? Is the same size bun used for both the small and large patty? So many questions that need to be answered. I shall refrain from forming a judgment until I make a return visit.

Burger Review: Sonny's

Sonny’s.

The food haven for the bar closing crowd in Brampton for years. I myself have found myself here after a little imbibing. Everything seems to taste really good, but is that just the booze talking?

First, the extras. Small little building with no indoor seating. Walk-up order counter, cash only. Ordered a burger and fries. Mustard, ketchup, relish, mayo, lettuce and tomato. Small wait as everything is cooked to order, but the wait time was minimal. I forgot to ask for a receipt, but believe me, I paid cash.

Appearance

Unwrapping the burger and found an odd looking bun. It was hard to tell the top of the bun from the bottom of the bun. There were sesame seeds on the bottom of the bun, and it just didn’t look quite right. The produce on the sandwich looked fresh and crisp. Oval shaped meat patty.

Bun To Meat Ratio

The white bread bun wasn’t too thick, but sturdy enough to hold everything in for the entire eating session. No sogginess to be found. The bun complimented the sandwich well.

Meat Taste

The patty tasted like something you could buy from the freezer section of your local grocery store, the package of burgers labeled “Meat patties”. They look like they cooked it from a thawed state though, which is a little weird. Beef may be found in this burger somewhere, but it is well hidden. The char-grilling must be a big selling point.

Overall Taste

If you are looking for a ‘meat’ burger, this one tastes pretty good. If you are looking for a juicy, beefy burger, you are best served to look elsewhere. Tasty indeed, but not what I am looking for in a burger. I feel like I could make the same thing at home being lazy and using a frozen meat patty.

This will remain a place for me to enjoy when I am in an intoxicated state, and I am just looking for something to get in my belly. Sober me will be looking for something more.

Burger Review: Burger King

Burger King.

The perpetual second fiddle to McDonalds in the fast food food chain. Known for the Whopper and the creepy looking king mascot guy. Every childhood visit resulted in a torn paper crown littering the floor of my parent’s car. Can the King take the crown?

First, the extras. Was a difficult decision as to what I was going to order. The steakhouse burger they have has the thicker meat patty, but the toppings don’t tie in with what I am comparing. The Whopper has a thinner patty and matches the topping profile I am going for, but seems like it’s not in the same league as the other burgers I have tested or am planning to test. Given no choice, the Whopper it was. Onion rings with the combo (the zesty sauce is yummy in my tummy), no pickles or onions on the burger. Away to my table I went.

Appearance

Unwrapped the sandwich and found a large round bun, with about 1/3 of the meat patty hanging out. Took the top off and found a sparse covering of lettuce and some not quite totally ripe slice of tomato. Not a good first impression.

Bun To Meat Ratio

The burger was served on a very slightly toasted white sesame seeded bun. The bun started to get a little soggy on the bottom, not sure if it was from grease or the seeming large amounts of mayo that was on the burger

Meat Taste

Like most fast food places, the meat is cooked until there is absolutely no chance of even the frailest person ever to get sick from eating it. This tends to leave the meat dry and tasteless. What a surprise, this is what I got. Larger than normal patty, but thinner than almost anything else out there.

Overall Taste

Bland meat taste, getting soggy bun, too much mayo and sub-par toppings made for a poor dining experience. Mayo overpowered the taste of everything, which isn’t hard when eating a burger patty no thicker than a piece of corrugated cardboard. Not as sloppy as I remember.

Sorry BK, it will be a while before I go to you to satisfy my burger cravings.

Burger Review: Giggling Tomatoes

Giggling Tomatoes.

The Brampton only eating establishment that could very well fit in on an episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. You certainly don’t come here for the service, you come for the food and the breakfast specials. Order at a counter, grab you own cutlery and condiments and wait for your order to be brought to you.  Feel like pasta? No problem.  Steak? Got that covered too.  All day breakfast, shawarma, sandwiches and seafood, they have all the bases covered.

First, the extras. Walked in to a pretty empty restaurant. A slight wait at the counter as the server/order taker was in the kitchen doing something. Ordered up and took a seat, waiting for my burger to arrive. Ketchup, mustard, relish, mayo, lettuce and tomato went on the burger, and I went with onion rings (which were very tasty) to round out the plate. And sorry for the picture quality, and little blurry I know.

Appearance

The burger was brought to my table with the lid off, letting me see the toppings and the patty. Some of the thicker, coarser bits of a head of lettuce on the sandwich and not just the choice leafy parts. The patty was interesting looking, but we’ll get to that later.

Bun To Meat Ratio

The burger was served on a very slightly toasted white sesame seeded bun. The bun itself was firm enough to hold everything in place, yet airy enough to not be too chewy.

Meat Taste

OK, back to the burger patty. One thing you can tell for sure is that it was made out of fresh ground beef. It looked like a chunk of ground beef was taken, smushed down and cooked up. It was not a typical round patty shape. It was more like a bear claw shape and had several crevices around its edge.  The taste also told you it was fresh ground beef. Juicy. This is how a burger should be made. Meat flavour definitely took the forefront, and the only complaint I would make is that it could have used a little salt and pepper to help accentuate the flavour.

Overall Taste

Everything worked well together on this burger. The meat held its ground and blended well with the other toppings.  The bits of lettuce that probably should not have been used, but didn’t really detract from the burger, and the abundant quantity of the ketchup, mustard, relish and mayo, which made a nice mess on the plate, would be my only complaints.

Fresh ground beef gets me every time. A for sure, soon to visit again rating. Congrats Giggling Tomatoes!

Burger Review: Lick's

Lick’s.

It has been a long time since I have graced one of your establishments. In fact, the last time I was there I was talked into trying the Nature burger. I must admit, from past memory, that if I were to have a vegetarian burger again it would be from Lick’s. I remember a bustling kitchen area with the staff singing songs and appearing to be having fun. Is it still the busting, fun-filled environment serving great burgers that I remember?

We’ll get the extra stuff out of the way first. I walked into what seemed to be an atmosphere more akin to a funeral home than a burger joint. No singing, few smiles and no real atmosphere at all. There was a lady in front of me waiting at the counter, and while there were staff around doing stuff, there was no acknowledgment of either of us. No “Hi, I’ll be right with you”, though there was eye contact so they knew we were there waiting. Order placed, and a short wait for the bun dressing to begin. Ketchup, mustard, relish, lettuce and tomato. The ‘dresser’ was nice enough to discard some rather nasty looking slices of tomato so they would not end up on someone else’s sandwich. Everything on my tray, I sat down to eat.

Appearance

When first unwrapped, it appeared I had a toasted bun. Nothing was sticking out from around the bun. The bottom of the bun came up so high that you could not see the burger patty. I had to take the lid off in order to take a picture of anything but the bun.

Bun To Meat Ratio

When I unwrapped the burger, I was sure that there was going to be way too much bun. It seemed to cover the whole burger like a bun suit of armour. However, this was not the case. The lightly toasted sesame seed covered bun was a good fit with the sandwich.

Meat Taste

Here’s where the whole thing falls apart. There are a few things that I want from a burger patty. Good colour, flavour and texture. This Lick’s burger had none of the above. The meat patty is what is best described as a greyish coloured hockey puck. The flavour is a heavily spiced/seasoned one, with a hidden beef taste. Hidden beef taste is not good, not for a ‘burger joint’, not for anyplace that sells anything to do with beef.

Overall Taste

Sadly, the overly seasoned ‘meat’ patty overpowered the taste of anything else. If you are a fan of the Lick’s burger, might I suggest you get yours plain, because anything that you add is just for show, not for flavour.

One down, many more to go. One name firmly and completely scratched off my list of possible burger heavens. Here’s hoping the next place is a step up.

Who's bright idea was this anyways?

From great ideas comes the hard work to follow.

At first when I thought of doing some kind of burger review thing, it all seemed so easy. Go into a place, order a burger, and rate it. Then I actually started to think about it. How many different types of burgers are there? How many places that I don’t know about or never thought of to go for a burger are there? Do I include fast food places? What qualities should I be looking for when I am rating? The mind swirled with different scenarios and what ifs. Never mind how I would spread the word of my findings. Twitter, Facebook and blogger are all relatively new for me, but I shall try and use each to their full potential.

I’ve decided that I will order the same type of burger from each establishment that I visit. I am looking for a ‘plain’ burger, one that comes with at least lettuce and tomato, some form of onion and pickles. I think this will work for many reasons. It stops me having to compare a $1 hamburger from McDonalds or Burger King to a $10 burger from a roadhouse type of place. It will help to equal the playing field as everyone offers some sort sandwich that meets these criteria. It also helps make sure that I am comparing apples with apples. Many places offer burgers with toppings that could boggle the mind. I myself love western burgers, bacon, cheese BBQ sauce and onion ring. It wouldn’t be fair to judge one of those to a place that doesn’t offer the same. When I visit a place the lets me choose my toppings, I will keep it to the same standards.

Here is what I can promise. I will take a picture of the burger when I receive it and am sitting at a table. I will grade on bun to meat ratio, meat taste, overall taste and appearance. Too much bun and the burger becomes too chewy and mealy. A freezer burnt meat patty is the quickest way to turn my stomach. The way everything works together is very important. And finally, a sloppy mess presented in front of you is not a good way to start a meal.

I hope this helps explain a bit what I am trying to do here. Burgers are and easy thing to make, and an easy thing to do wrong. I look forward to trying a variety of sandwiches and finally critiquing them to find my future burger heaven.