Burger Review #3: Hole-E Burger

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Date Visited: November 7, 2014
Location: East York (Permanently Closed)
BurgerTours Rating: 8.3/10

Taste	Messiness	Price	Venue	Pluses
Awesome	Messy	$6-$10	Fast Food	Veggie, Liquor

Website

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Crazy Canuck/Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Drew's Review

Food heaven is real and Hole-E Burger offers it.

This restaurant sitting on Coxwell Rd. has caught my attention for some time before I walked through their doors. This location in particular only opened up pretty recently and they’re already looking to expand to Eglinton and Yonge in the near future. I’ve heard so many things about them; saw ads and even overheard people talking about it, that it was a definite, "let’s do this". Even before we went there, I was browsing their menu online and saw the list of signature burgers. It’s places like this that should get more recognition. 
 

A signed Sidney Crosby Hockey Canada jersey hangs on the wall/Photo by Mark Avila

Being a true Canadian, I thought I might give the Crazy Canuck a try. It was loaded with Canadian peameal bacon, Canadian cheddar cheese, sautéed mushrooms and Hole-E Burger’s signature BBQ sauce. When I first started this burger tour, I always had the thought of out-doing myself everywhere I ate at. I was thinking this was going to be the start. Plus, how crazy can the Crazy Canuck be?

Consensus: it was pretty crazy alright. I wasn’t expecting the burst of flavours after taking my first bite. First of all, I was a little concerned having peameal bacon on a burger, but it was worth a try. The slab of peameal bacon sat nicely on top of the grilled meat, sandwiched in between two light brioche burger buns. The toppings I added were a nice blend that balanced out the flavours of the burger itself. The overall main taste I got was the peameal bacon and the BBQ sauce; smoky and barbecued.

The fries I got on the side were like heaven. In other words, they were the best French fries I’ve had to this day. They were lightly salted, soft, crisp fries, and they weren’t burnt. It was actually a nice combination to the Crazy Canuck.

Overall, Hole-E Burger does burgers right. The one thing I liked the most was the option to create your own burger by choosing from a variety of toppings, meats and buns. Even if burgers aren’t your thing, they offer healthy salads to deep-fried pickles. And the one thing I liked the most was they also had beer and wine on the menu. So whether it is date night, or just a simple business lunch, Hole-E Burger exceeds my top recommendations for burger joints in Toronto.

8.1/10

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Mark's Review

Chipotle Turkey/Photo by Mark Avila

Who would’ve thought that a burger joint like Hole-E Burger was located right outside my doorstep? I passed by this location many times before, yet I never really took the opportunity to discover the awesomeness that was waiting for me.

Entering the restaurant I was surprised by how empty and quiet the space was; despite being in a highly commercialized area, and with a public school down the road, I was expecting this place to be bustling. It was quite spacious with lots of seating, and had that bar & lounge aura which I’m sure is what this joint turns into at night when people want to chit-chat or watch a sports game over burgers and beers.

Photo by Mark Avila

Looking up at the menu board, the one burger that caught my eye immediately was the Chipotle Turkey. I don’t know what it was but the combination of Chipotle and Turkey seemed quite appealing. I could just taste it in my mouth even before ordering, so I knew that out of the seven signature burgers on the menu board, this was the one.

It was a chipotle marinated turkey patty, resting on a layer of red leaf lettuce, and topped with guacamole, a squirt of lime, and chilli aioli. Having the burger made as it was described on the menu board was a better experience for me. Not having to choose or include any additional toppings made all the difference when taking that first bite.

The juiciness of the turkey combined with the guacamole and chilli aioli brought out some heat and spice that exploded inside my mouth. The taste of the lime kicked in at the end to balance out the flavour and ease off the spiciness. The burger creators definitely knew what they were doing when coming up with the recipe for this burger. It may look appetizing and simple, but the taste was just amazing and full of awesomeness. Other than the burgers, the fries I had on the side were by far the best I’ve ever tasted. They were simply golden brown, not too salty, and cooked to perfection.  

Hole-E Burger definitely knows how to make the perfect combo with burgers and fries, and outdid themselves when it came to the quality of their food and customer service. I highly recommend this joint if you’re looking for a hangout spot on a weekday/weekend afternoon or a late night joint to end off a busy work week. 

8.1/10

Burger Review #2: Lick's

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Date visited: October 30, 2014
Location: Eglinton Corners
BurgerTours Rating: 5.4/10

Taste	Messiness	Price	Venue	Pluses
Good	Some Drip	$6-$10	Fast Food	Veggie

 
Website

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Drew's Review

Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Not everyone is a fan of traditional burgers, but it’s what Lick’s has been doing since 1980. On the menu, you have a choice of a Homeburger, which is a beef patty; the Nature Burger, for the vegans; the Gobbler, which is lean ground turkey and Chick’n Lick’n which is a BBQ chicken breast. I decided to stick with the traditional route and go with the Homeburger. I decided to top it off with ketchup, mustard, onions, pickles and tomatoes; keepin’ it simple.

I picked up my combo a few minutes later with a side order of french fries. The meat was thick and well-done. No additional flavors added. The mustard and ketchup really did a fine job dripping from the sides of the burger. The buns were oddly shaped because of the way they were sliced. When it came to eat, the top bun was always slipping off. It was hard to get a firm grasp. Sure enough, with only a few bites to go, the meat decides to fall out leaving nothing but the toppings inside the two buns. Great, I thought.

The fries were okay. They’re your usual fresh-cut-potato fries that you could get practically anywhere else. The only difference is that they don’t put any salt or seasoning on them. You either have to ask or stack up on cups full of ketchup. But overall, I was full by the time I even touched the fries. There were a few burnt ones I had to throw away too.

Overall, Lick’s offers traditional burgers and everything else a burger joint should have; not to mention they have a huge selection of shakes available for when you finish your burger and still have a little room for dessert. And now, I agree that their menu is big and has everything to offer, but for a burger joint whose specialty is burgers, that should be the one thing they focus on.

4.8/10

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Mark's Review

Chick'n Lick'n/Photo by Andrew Hockridge

Was it going to be the Gobbler or the Chick'n Lick'n? (AKA the Turkey or Chicken?) They both looked very appetizing from what I was imagining in my mind, though, after all, I decided to go with the Chick'n Lick'n. It was a BBQ Chicken breast that was topped with my choices of tomato, lettuce, onions, ketchup, and mustard at no extra cost. I took the simple route once again with my topping selection so that it tasted...simple.

After my first bite, the flavours surprisingly brought out the overall taste of the chicken. The chicken breast itself was grilled to a certain level of tenderness that was quite startling for my taste buds. The cost of the Chick'n Lick'n combo came up to decent price between $10-15. I definitely got what I paid for.

Overall, my experience at Lick's was quite casual. Being there after peak, the service was fast and laid back for both us customers and employees. However, it was unfortunate that we didn't get acknowledged from when we walked in until we ordered, which was disappointing. It's definitely a place to go to if you're craving a traditional style burger for a fairly decent price. 

6/10