Welcome to part 8 of this burger series. As a reminder, this is a series based on a top 10 list of burgers published in Toronto Life.
Now that we are in the final stages of this burger challenge, I have to hand it to this guy. We are struggling to eat a burger once a month, and yet this guy was able to build up the courage to eat a burger EVERY SINGLE DAY. Is there anything you do outside of brushing your teeth, putting on contacts (if you have them) and drinking water that you do every single day?
So far this year, I’ve gone
– at least 24 hours without eating (intentional fast or non intentional travel fast)
– at least 24 (probably more) hours without showering (camping/cottaging)
– at least 24 hours without drinking coffee (and probably was pissed off about it)
And those are some basics you think you do daily yet I have managed to skip them. This guy held to a a daily diet of burger. It must have been tiring. You have to admire the guy’s dedication.
For the 8th burger episode, we went to Richmond Station, a place known primarily as a restaurant opened by a Top Chef winner, who also coincidentally used to work at Marben, which had a really good burger. Expectations were definitely high.
Station Burger
lettuce, beet chutney, aged cheddar, milk bun, rosemary fries, dill pickle, garlic aioli – $22
At $22, it was tied with Carbon Bar for most expensive. Both are fancy places but $22 is quite high for me. I soon found out that the patty is made of “brisket, sirloin and round for his burger, then stuffs it with braised neck and short rib” which could explain the high price. Most likely it’s because it’s a fancy place though.
The Verdict
At first, when I saw this burger, I was like … this is all I get for 22 dollars? But then after the initial bite, I realized the error of my ways. Like the quiet person in the corner of a table during a company meeting, I realized that I shouldn’t sell something short based on initial appearances. This burger may have been small, but it was dense.
The assortment of beef parts rolled into this patty was pressed pretty tightly and just came off as thick. It had a very meaty taste which is something that I guess shouldn’t surprise but I just feel like I really was consuming the essence of the animal.
Because it was made from not just ground meat, the patty did have a decent chewiness to it, which I’m not sure how I felt about.
Complements
By now, we have seen restaurants of all kinds try to give their burger some extra edge by accompanying it with innovative ingredients. This burger was no different. Aside from your standard lettuce and aged cheddar (which you know, is pretty common), the burger was accompanied by a beet chutney.
I assume it was to provide a little bit of sweetness to the otherwise meaty burger, but frankly, I didn’t really taste too much of it so I can’t really comment on it. The meat taste of the burger was pretty overwhelming, for better or worse.
Handfeel
The burger was definitely a bit greasy as it was dripping if not right away, then fairly soon afterwards. The bun itself had a cute little shape to it, and was baked in house. One thing I found surprising was that Sarah’s bun was noticeably darker then mine. Perhaps this inconsistency is a product of baking, I don’t know.
Overall
I think I enjoyed this burger. It may have been too dense for me, which is surprising given my affinity for devouring meat. I think it overwhelmed some of the accompanying flavors a bit and really was quite heavy. Still, I enjoyed the burger, but not at the levels of the Wickson or Bar Buca. Was it worth $22? Probably not.
Here is fellow burger enthusiast Sarah’s take on it:
“It was a filling burger, so it had that going for it. It’s not a burger I would go back for but I’m glad I had it once.”
Oh yeah, the fries were fairly average, which was a bit disappointing.
Burger Scale
Amarillo Burger, Casino El Camino – $10 USD
The Burger, Wickson Social – $19
Bombolone Burger, Bar Buca – $15
Station burger, Richmond Station – $22
Burger, Rasa – $17
Prime Beef Double Cheeseburger, Museum Tavern – $19
Skyline Burger, Skyline Diner – $14
Brisket Cheese Burger, Carbon Bar – $22
Game Burger, Antler – $18
Vegan Mac Daddy, Doomies – $16