Canada, meet your ultimate burger
Beef, bacon, lobster and syrup, all for $18.67
A few months ago, U.S. fastfood chain Carl’s Jr. introduced the “Most American Thickburger,” a half-pound of beef adorned with a split hotdog, potato chips and “American” cheese (that’s processed cheese for us north of the border).
The result was a grotesque parody of over-the-top American fast food, but it led us to wonder: what would the ultimate Canada burger look like?
So we asked The Burger’s Priest — an expanding Toronto-based burger chain known for its artisanal cheeseburgers — to grill its take on the ultimate Canadian burger.
The result was more understated, decadent and tasty. Just, dare we say it, like the nation of Canada itself.
The Burger’s Priest invited us to its Etobicoke location in west Toronto to show us exactly how the burger was put together and for a taste test.
“(It’s got) a straight patty, beautiful Nova Scotia lobster claw and maple bacon,” the restaurant’s founder, Shant Mardirosian, told us as he pressed a ball of beef flat on the sizzling hot stove top. The patty is flipped just once — allowing each side to form a crispy crust around a softer middle.
The Ontario bacon was infused in Quebec maple syrup. The cooks at The Burger’s Priest chose not to use “Canadian” back bacon because they felt that would be too on the nose and wouldn’t taste as good with the syrup.
Before the burger was fully constructed, Mardirosian dipped the lobster claw into the syrup and then put a big dollop of the viscous liquid into the sandwich itself.
The final result is a sweet, bacony, beef and lobster burger confection.
The review: The syrup and bacon manage to tie the flavours of the lobster and beef together. (And made me consider maple syrup as a dip the next time I eat lobster). The decision to forego cheese was essential, as the taste would not have meshed well.
I wolfed down the meal faster than politeness demands and certainly enjoyed it more than any burger with a hotdog and potato chips on it. Go Canada!
The Burger’s Priest thought its ultimate Canada burger was tops, especially considering the cooks concocted it in less than 24 hours after we challenged them, even though it was expensive for them to make. (Lobster claws bump up the price of everything.)
The Burger’s Priest was so pleased with the end result it has decided to make the ultimate Canada burger available to the public, on Canada Day only — for the very patriotic price of $18.67.