Raging Bull Chop House

The Raging Bull Chop House is a brand new establishment down on Ontario Street, located on half of the former Stoney's premises (the other half is now the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery bar). The Raging Bull, as you may have guessed, is a steak house, and will be going head to head with The Keg, although I don't have high hopes. Ontario street is a tough gig (as Johnny Macs, Juice, Mexicali Rosas, Cocamo, Joy Supper Club, Stoneys, and countless others will attest to) so the Raging Bull will need to pull up its socks in a hurry if it wants to be around next summer.

But, sticking to the subject at hand, I present the Kitchen Sink Burger, touted as a prime sirloin burger, smothered in cheddar, bacon, grilled onions & mushrooms, for $12.95.


The Raging Bull seems to be having a tough time deciding whether its going to be classy or not - linen napkins, but little plastic packets of condiments. Expensive cuts of beef, crappy hamburger buns that disintegrate while eating. These may just be growing pains, or they may stem from lack of attention to detail.

The burger itself was flavourful and moist, but between the patty, the onions, and the soggy bacon, it was too much for the cheap flimsy bun to take and it all came apart before I finished. The cheese, however, was a lovely old sharp cheddar, and the bacon was nonetheless tasty.

The fries were the same 'dark style' that are offered at Fanatics and the Brew Pub, and once again, tasted faintly of burnt.

Overall, a rather underwhelming experience. 2 pickles out of 5

New Scoring System

After much consideration, and also burger eating, I have come to realize that my scoring system is a bit inadequate. Not so much that a numerical rating out of 5 is inadequate, but rather my own perception of the scores.

It turns out that there are a lot of medicore-to-pretty good burgers out there, and since any thing less than 50%, in this case 2.5 pickles out of 5, sounds like a failing grade to me, I was handing out a whole lotta 3's and 4's, and really not making any distinction between the burgers.

I have, therefore, decided on the following scoring system:

0 - terrible
1 - meh
2 - decent
3 - good
4 - excellent
5 - fan-freakin-tastic

Half points to be awarded as necessary.

Happy eating!
Anne

ps - I have retro-graded the existing posts, in case anyone was worried about unfair comparisons, a la the SAT scoring fiasco(s).

Copper Peny

For some reason, I had never been to the Copper Penny before this. It was pretty popular when I was a student, owing to its laid back atmosphere, decent food and low prices, but I just never got around to it. But it's downtown, and so I went this time.


According to the menu, this 6oz burger 'all but guarantees it's going to be the best-tasting burger you've ever had'. Sadly, it did not quite live up to the hype.

The burger - in my case, the Cheddar Bacon Burger - was kinda on the processed side. The patty was clearly not made in house, the cheese was processed, the veggies kinda wimpy, and the bun soft and flimsy. Also, the condiments came in little packets, which seemed weird for a sit-down restaurant. The bacon, however, was excellent. It's hard to screw up bacon.

The whole thing was soft, greasy, and yet tasty. This was a cheap burger made with cheap ingredients which often makes for the best kind of comfort food.

Oh, and the fries. Copper Penny serves the same fries as Stooley's so please see that post for a full description of how awesome these fries are.

Burgers start at $7.59 with 7 different variations listed on the menu, including the Mushroom Bacon Burger, the Penny Burger (egg & bacon), and the Mexi Burger (salsa, cheddar, & jalepenos).

2 out of 5 pickles.

Kingston Brewing Company

The Kingston Brewing Company is better known around town as The Brew Pub. Founded in 1986, the Brew Pub really does brew its own beer on premises and is, without question, the most interestingly decorated establishment in Kingston. Or possibly anywhere.

The menu at the Brew Pub is pretty standard for a pub-restaurant, but with little twists on many of their items, like the UN Chicken Sandwich with swiss cheese and alfalfa sprouts, or the High Roller Special - a pound of chicken wings, accompanied by a bottle of Dom Perignon. There are 3 burger options - beef, buffalo, or lamb.

I had the Buffalo Burger, which the entertaining menu told me came from Pykeview Farms on Wolfe Island. The burger was juicy and very meaty-flavoured. Apparently buffalo has to be cooked rare or medium rare or it gets too dry, so despite my concerns of food poisoning, I ordered mine rareish, and the pink interior was a bit chewy, but not too much.

The bun was whole wheat, which I am not a fan of (clearly, if I'm ordering a bacon cheeseburger, I'm not looking to score the extra healthy point with the whole wheat bun) but it was thin enough and didn't taste too much of cardboard. The homemade dijon mustard was excellent.

I also had a taste of the lamb burger, which in this case happened to be smothered in blue cheese which was all I could taste. I can report that the lamb is very tender, and that my husband liked it very much.

Overall, this was a pretty good burger, but wasn't anything spectacular. Prices $9.65-$10.90, with toppings $0.75 extra.

3 out of 5 pickles.

Tango

Tango, located just around the corner from Market Square, is best known for its extensive tapas menu and even more extensive martini menu. I used to eat at Tango a lot, and not just because my roommate worked there and would hook me up with extra gummy worms in my martinis. Tango has some pretty great food, a funky atmosphere, and reasonable prices.

Pictured above are the Tango Burger, the Mango Burger, assorted condiments in tiny bowls, and yes, a big cup a gummy worms. The Tango Burger ($9) is a 6oz patty with all the usual toppings on a toasted square ciabatta bun. The Mango Burger ($10) is the same thing, plus some curry seasoning, provolone, and mango chutney. We went for the sweet potato fries, but you can have your choice of regular frie, greens, soup, caesar salad, or one of their menu salads for a bit extra.

Firstly, the patty. Made in house, these burgers are very well seasoned - salty, herby, and slightly spicy. I am of the opinion that the patty is the centerpiece of a burger and should be flavoured accordingly. This one fit the bill.

Secondly, the toppings: fresh veggies, nice cheese (your choice of cheddar, provolone, brie, gorgonzola, or manchego), and crispy bacon. The mango chutney on the Mango Burger is delicious but a bit on the sweet side. I only had a bite, but I felt like it would have got overwhelming after a while.

Thirdly, the bun - and here, the downfall. A round patty on a square bun leaves you with extra corners of plain bread. To what purpose? I have no idea. Maybe it's part of the funky atmosphere. Tasty bun though.

Finaly, the fries. The oh-so-addictive sweet potato fries come with curry ketchup, but ask your waitress for some aioli too, the garlic breath is totally worth it.

All in all an excellent and flavourful burger. My only complaint is the superfluous bread corner issue.

4 out of 5 pickles.

Tir Nan Og

Oh Tir Nan Og, I take back almost every bad thing I've said about you. Except maybe the kilts you make your waitresses wear. That's kinda ridiculous.

The Tir Nan Og is located on the ground floor of the very historic Prince George Hotel, which stopped being a hotel sometime after it caught fire. Remarkably, despite its building woes and repeated changes in ownership, the 'Nog has remained where it is and what it is, catering to the tourist crowd in the summer and students attempting to sing karaoke in the winter. (Yes, karaoke. Thursday nights. It's ....interesting...).

The Tir Nan Og is actually part of a chain of pubs, including Darcy McGees and Fionn MacCools, so their menu is dictated to them by higher-ups. Sometimes this leads to interesting and awesome menu items, sometimes it leads to lazy chefs. Here, it led to one fantastic burger.

This is an 8oz prime rib burger. It was well seasoned, well packed, and nicely grilled. The bun was also grilled, was soft, and held together well. The veggies were fresh. The cheese was real. The pickle slices were big and proper briney dill pickes. The onions were seasoned and lightly deep fried making them both sweet and crispy - easily picked off, but really, better left on. And yes, that is a tiny pickle on the top. The fries were big honking chips - crispy and salty outside, fluffy inside. Awesome. The whole thing was just awesome.

This adventure is not about finding the best burger in Kingston, it's about discovering what makes a great burger. This is a great burger. Take note.

$11.49, cheese, bacon, mushroon $1.25 extra. Sweet potato fries $2.99, chowder/caesar salad $1.99. They have a veggie burger too, but who cares.

5 out of 5 pickles.

Fanatics Sports Lounge

I was excited for Fanatics. My previous dining experiences there had been excellent. Their wings are great. Their Reuben Sandwich on the pretzel bread is fantastic. Their burger, however, left me a little disappointed.

Fanatics is the brain-child of Matt Day, who is the actual child of Clark Day, famed Kingston restaurateur and founder of Aquaterra Bistro at the Radisson. After Shoeless Joe's lost its liquor license one too many times, Day bought the place, gutted it, installed about 693 televisions (estimates vary), and offered up a classy version of your typical bar and pub food. And the food is - usually - very good.

The burgers are made of 8oz. of ground angus beef. In a newspaper article posted by the door, Day boasts the quality and purity of the beef, stating that there is no filler in the patties, not even salt. This, I think, is where the problem lies. Plain ground beef, especially beef as lean as this, is kinda bland. And 8oz is a whole lotta bland. The burger patties are very thick, so with every bite there is a noticeable void of flavour, which I did not care for. Also, plain lean ground beef has trouble sticking together on its own, and my burger fell apart a couple times. To be honest, it was a bit of a slog getting through the whole thing.


Fanatics offers on its menu a Naked Burger, three dressed up burgers (the Fanatic, the Mushroom Melt, and the Southwest), and their veggie option. I had the Fanatics Burger. Topped with jalepeno havarti, two strips of bacon, and an onion ring, this burger was huge. Even after I removed the onion ring (I don't like onion rings), it was still a challenge to bit into. The cheese and bacon, however, were very good and whatever the mayo-like sauce was underneath the patty, was both peculiar and delicious.

I also got to try the Southwast Burger with bacon, caramelized onions, jack & cheddar cheese, and Jack Daniels BBQ sauce. I've said it before - I'm not a fan of BBQ sauce. But, like before, I found the Jack Daniels sauce quite delicious. Maybe I should rethink my stance on BBQ sauce.

The fries were the 'dark style', as I have taken to calling it. Regular size and appearing to be over done, but they're actually rather soft, just a darker shade of brown an with an ever-so-slight taste of burnt. Sometimes, this style works. Today, not so much.

The burgers range from $7.99 to $9.99, with extra for salad or poutine substitutions. Extra toppings $1.49.

2.5 Pickles out of 5.

Stooley's Cafe

The first stop on this little adventure is Stooley's Cafe at Johnson & Division. Ever since the demise of JJ's a block to the west, Stooley's is the only off-campus eatery located within the student ghetto. While students are not the only ones who eat there, they are the target clientele and they keep the place busy.

Stooley's offers nine variations of the same beef burger, plus a salmon burger and veggie patty substitutes. All beef patties are 1/3 lb - or 5.333 oz for those of us imperial unit-challenged - which makes it kinda on the small size. Additionally, it comes on a bun that's too big and on an enormous plate that really dwarfs the whole meal. But, I waddled out of there so there must have been some optical trickery at work.


The burgers are quite good. Even the plain 'Cafe Burger' is seasoned with some kind of dry-rub marinade and everything was well cooked. The cheese was processed, which I didn't mind, and the kaiser-style bun was fluffy and held together well.

I had the Cheddar Burger, while my DH had the house favourite Western Burger, which it seems has little to do with the omelet and more to do with the geographical location. The Western Burger is topped with BBQ sauce, cheddar, bacon, and several onion rings. I'll admit, I am neither a fan of BBQ sauce nor onion rings, but this was a tasty burger.

But those of you who have been to Stooley's know that the real reason you go to Stooley's is for the fries. The thick, waffle-cut, crispy-fluffy fries, seasoned with what can best be described as chicken soup mix. Each burger is served with a small mountain of them, and if you can't finish them yourself (unlikely), the other people at your table will be happy to help.

Other burger offerings include the Italian Burger (tomato sauce and mozza), the T-U-Wanna Burger (salsa, cheddar & jalepenos), the Cajun Burger (a spicier dry-rub), the Bacon Mushroom, and the Double Western Wammy. Prices range from $7.99 to $10.99 with extra toppings for $1.25. Wednesday nights burgers are all $6.99 with the purchase of a pitcher of Steam Whistle.

3 out of 5 pickles.