Monthly Archives: October 2012

Darrell’s Restaurant

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Halifax Burger Quest
Category: Gourmet-Style

If you are just tuning in, please refer to my last post where I featured Relish for my first Halifax Burger Quest! Currently I am tackling “gourmet” burger restaurants, but this burger quest will eventually take me to pubs, diners, and drive-ins. I don’t use a numerical rating system. I do review veggie burgers. Now that you are briefed, let’s take a look at the Hali-favourite, Darrell’s.

Halifax is in love with Darrell’s. But I’ll let my bias be clear: I’ve always thought they had mediocre frozen patties, albeit excellent milkshakes. They win every year in the Coast Awards for best hamburger, and for years this was probably somewhat accurate. Halifax was a burger wasteland. Halifax is now becoming a burger-friendly city, yet in 2012, Coast readers still awarded the burger crown to Darrell’s. Reader’s digest has declared it the 7th best hamburger in Canada (though I don’t trust a list that puts Calgary’s Peter’s Drive-In on the same list as Ottawa’s The Works). Haligonians insist the peanut butter burger is the most drool-worthy creation since the donair. But with all the new gourmet burger joints popping up, I am fairly confident that next year Halifax will see a new champion.

The peanut butter burger.

I went into Darrell’s with an open mind and no expectations. I had it on good authority that Darrell’s does NOT use frozen patties, after all. They do, however, use that Certifed Angus Beef Brand which hails from America and uses Alberta beef. The “Darrell fries” are obviously frozen. Strangely enough, the menu brags up the use of an “Annapolis Valley fried egg” on another burger. Suddenly we’re fresh and local? Oh well.

I brought my vegetarian correspondent, as well as a kitchen insider who said we just HAD to try the newly coined “Nacho Typical Burger”.

Nacho-Typical-Burger

Well, this was yummy! It’s basically nachos on a burger… cheesy, crunchy, with a burst of salsa. I’ve been searching for a burger just like this. My only complaint is the one I suspected. I know the beef isn’t frozen, but its consistency tricks me into thinking it is. How does this happen? It is also thinner than I like.

Look – there are two types of burger advocates: thin burger eaters, and thick and juicy burger eaters. The former group prioritizes the toppings, with the meat being a team player. The other group wants a big, thick, juicy patty first and foremost, and that’s my bias. When it comes to Darrell’s, I just can’t get into the beef.

The peanut butter burger.

The peanut butter burger is the Halifax favourite. It is not a creation unique to Halifax, though I’ve seen Haligonians eagerly recommend it to tourists. It sounds strange to the uninitiated, but the rich creaminess of peanut butter is actually quite pleasing on a hamburger. There is also bacon, cheese, ketchup, mustard, relish, mayo, tomato, lettuce… the usual suspects, and they surprisingly don’t clash with the unlikely peanut butter.

Onto the veggie burger; the oft neglected member of the burger and pub food family. The menu claims this is another Coast Award winner. Best veggie burger, I’m guessing? (I couldn’t find it on the Coast’s web site). It’s a soy-based patty with standard hamburger toppings. Kinda boring, but how does it taste? Average. With my first bite I could swear I could taste the soy (yes, carnivores, this is a bad thing), but after my taste buds were introduced to my own burger, I found the veggie to be very bland.

I’m guessing that this burger won the Coast Award the same way many Coast Awards are won: Haligonians vote in categories they know nothing about and/or they are uninspired to explore other options. This is well understood if you consider the percentage of Coast readers who are students, and the location of Darrell’s.

I will credit Darrell’s with having awesome milkshakes. They also sell 16 oz draught for $4.19 “8 days a week”, including Garrison products and their own Darrell’s lager (probably supplied by Garrison). Mondays are buy one burger platter, get the second one for half the price. There is free wi-fi and and cozy diner-style booth seating. Service was just okay, but I don’t like to dwell on service or include it in my burger evaluation. Basically I am looking for good beef, and I’m not finding it at Darrell’s. The Nacho-Typical-Burger and the Peanut Butter Burger are great sandwiches, but they are not amazing burgers.

Only 3 times in my life have I bitten into a burger and was compelled to pause in pleasure and awe. I hope to one day have this experience in Halifax.

Darrell’s Restaurant
5576 Fenwick St.
Halifax, NS
(902) 492-2344
Website

Darrells Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Relish Gourmet Burgers

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Halifax Burger Quest
Category: Gourmet-Style

Welcome to the first entry of my Halifax Burger Quest! Here is how it’s gonna go down: I will be reviewing burgers from 3 different categories: Gourmet-Style, Pub Style, and Diner/Drive-In Style. I will also review the vegetarian burgers at each location. I don’t like numerical ratings, but I will eventually declare the winner and runners up.

Originally, my intention was to order the most basic burgers on the menu, in order to make fair comparisons. However, I have found that ordering standard burgers does not do a good job of showcasing their potential. So I will be ordering burgers that represent more of the signature style of the restaurants.

I am very excited to finally be starting this quest, so with no further ado, I present unto you, Relish Gourmet Burgers.

Relish is a gourmet burger chain originating in New Brunswick, and a recent addition to the previously non-existent Halifax burger scene. When we walked in, we immediately realized we had walked into a gimmick. We were greeted with a scripted “Welcome to Relish!”, which is kind of annoying, but I have to give the girl at the cash credit because her friendliness and helpfulness persisted beyond her script. The decor is also very “nice”; it’s clean, colourful, modern, and perhaps an indication of the ridiculous amount of money you’re about to spend on a hamburger.

I don’t think there is ever an occasion to spend $20 with tip and tax on a burger platter. But if there was such an occasion, I would expect the beef to be local, grass-fed, free-range … hell, I’d want to be able to shake the farmer’s hand. Relish proudly serves fresh Angus Beef, but unfortunately, it is from Alberta. Other options include a veggie or ground turkey patty.  The fries are produced by McCain and are enthusiastically marketed as “Atlantic Canada Fries”. Though frozen, they are thawed before getting dumped into the deep fryer, which gives them a crispy exterior and lush buttery interior.

I ordered a burger unique to the Halifax location: “The Halifax Explosion”.

Halifax Explosion from Relish

The Halifax Explosion features habanero pineapple, pancetta bacon, aged cheddar and curried onion frites. These toppings are in addition to the standard base toppings of shredded lettuce, tomato, roasted garlic mayo, and beet relish. The burger is impaled by a wooden spike and topped with a pickle slice. The bun is sturdy and graced with poppyseeds. The patty is a little thin for my liking, but the texture and flavour of the beef are agreeable. I didn’t find it to be too overwhelmed by the toppings, which were lovely. Don’t be intimidated by the habanero; it is powder gently sprinkled on the pineapple and just gives the burger a pleasant kick. The onion frites contribute a nice crunch, although I couldn’t taste the curry.

The fries were a huge surprise! They were perfectly crispy on the outside and the inside was something I could only describe as … poofy, like a buttery cloud of awesome! I’ve never come across French fries quite like these. Usually I would prefer that a restaurant make their own fries from scratch, but in this case I had to let the fries speak for themselves. And they did.

Another cool thing about Relish is that you can get fry dippers for $1.50. I got the creamy goat cheese, but I also had my eyes on the curry mayo.

I brought along my vegetarian associate, Brie (like-the-cheese), to help me rate the veggie burger.

Veggie Burger at Relish

The vegetarian patty is a “secret mixture of ground button mushrooms and chickpeas”. Brie ordered the “L.A. is My Lady”, which, aside from the base toppings, involves avocado, roasted peppers, basil pesto, and goats cheese. We both enjoyed the softness of the patty; it was not dry at all and was pretty tasty. I don’t know if there was enough goats cheese on it, because she kept stealing my creamy goat cheese fry-dip. Out of 5 she gives it a 3.5, with a 5 being my home-made veggie burgers ; )

Other vegetarian friendly burger styles are the “Harvest Jazz” (blue cheese, havarti, caramelized onion, walnut pesto), “The Greek Tycoon” (feta cheese, marinated peppers and onions, kalamata olives, tzatziki sauce), and the Cabo Diablo (tomato jalapeno salsa, guacamole, sour cream, hot sauce).

Overall, I was impressed with the service, ambiance, and food at Relish. I wasn’t particularly impressed with the price. Stay tuned, and see how Relish Gourmet Burgers compare to the other gourmet-style burgers in Halifax!

Relish Gourmet Burgers
6024 Quinpool Rd.
Halifax, NS
902-474-4152
Website

Relish Gourmet Burgers on Urbanspoon

Tips for the Scotian Newfie

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Buckets full of cured and salted meats.

Judging by my readership, I would say I have a decent amount of homesick Newfies stumbling onto my blog (this post). Are you a homesick Newfie living in Nova Scotia? Well this one’s for you!

I have been asked: “Where can I get bakeapple jam in Halifax?” First of all, you can actually find this in Superstore and Sobeys marketed as “Cloudberry Jam”. (Yes, this is what the rest of the world calls it. Strange, eh?) But more importantly, you can get bakeapple jam at The Newfoundland Store! Hell, you can even get whole bakeapples.

Whole bakeapples at The Newfoundland Store on Willow St., Halifax

Need a huge hunk of salt beef for a Jiggs Dinner? This store has you covered. Personally, I am not sure how I feel about buckets of meat in brine open to the wonders of the world….  I’m sure the brine would kill anything harmful, right? I will leave this up to your discretion! There are also fish products stored and sold from freezers.

Also available at The Newfoundland Store: Pineapple Crush! … and hard tack.

Now, if you are really craving a back-home treat I suggest you drive to Berwick. There you will find Jonny’s Cook House, a local hotspot owned and operated by Newfies. There is Newfoundland memorabilia on the walls, and the menu features none other than fries with dressing and gravy. Real Newfoundland dressing too, not Stovestop.

Fries w/ dressing & gravy at Johnny’s Cook House

You can also get fries, dressing and gravy served poutine-style (which I think I would prefer). Please note that they do not use traditional cheese curds, but local Foxhill mozzarella. I had a peanut butter milkshake with my meal that was out of this world! Jonny’s is a Dairy Bar as well as a “cook house” and they have a little window serving up some excellent looking soft serve ice cream. Most importantly, however, Jonny’s makes the best hamburgers in Kings County using none other than local “off the bone” beef and locally baked bread.

This was a pretty good burger experience. I love the taste and texture of fresh hand-pressed beef burgers, and the subjective enhancement of eating local. The beef did a good job of holding it’s own despite the minimal seasoning in the mix. It was a little sloppy, as the bun couldn’t really secure everything properly, and it lacked the savouriness of a good sauce. (I ordered the basic burger so as to not be swayed by the luxuriousness of toppings and sauces, but next time I would recommend going for something with a little more kick. The burger pictured is my buddy’s burger – which had kick).

The point is, I would go back. This is a great local gem with fresh quality products and a Newfoundland theme. Killer milkshakes and local beef? Can’t go wrong!

Jonny’s Cook House & Dairy Bar
4287 Hwy 1
Berwick, Nova Scotia
(902)-375-3033

*Jonny’s Cook House closes down for the off-season! Get there before November 6th to get your cravings fixed! 

The Newfoundland Store
6061 Willow, Halifax, NS
(902) 423-6209 ‎