The Works Gourmet Burger Bistro

June 28, 2014

My friend and I were looking for a place with either (a) a ton of TVs or (b) a big screen to cheer on my favourite team at the World Cup and luckily, we saw the patio on the rooftop of The Works as we were wandering around the St. Lawrence market. 

I was starving - so I decided to get a burger instead of a beer. 

Hamburger Mary with bacon, egg, cheese, mayo and tomato on a soft bun with sweet potato fries and chipotle mayo
The chipotle mayo had a bit of heat and they were great with the thinly cut sweet potato fries.
The burger was really good! I think putting a fried egg in there was a fantastic idea - it added this gooey runny texture and with the melted cheese and crispy bacon - it was superb!

April 15, 2014

The Works' 13th anniversary is today and to celebrate they're offering 8oz. Works burgers and a signature side for $5! It's a crazy deal considering most of their regularly priced burgers are in the $11-$15 range. 

War Pig and Onion Rings
The War Pig was a Canadian beef patty with mushrooms, smokey BBQ sauce, cheddar and bacon
This was classic burger deliciousness! The sharp melted cheddar cheese and sweet sauteed mushrooms were fantastic and it got better with the salty bacon on top. The onion rings were amazing! Definitely worth the extra upgrade for the onion rings.

Porkgasm and Poutine
The porkgasm had chipotle ketchup, caramelized onions, havarti and bacon - it had a nice kick with the chipotle ketchup, but I think the mild havarti cheese just didn't quite pack a punch the way the cheddar cheese did on the War Pig. The poutine was so yummy with the huge cheese curds and the right amount of gravy so not to overwhelm it.

Side view of the big burgers! Mmmm

Sept 17, 2013

Toronto finally has The Works! I loved the one in London, so I was excited to try out the one near St. Lawrence Market:

Still quirky and awesome with the lightbulb salt and pepper shakers and the measuring glass cup.


The Toronto Menu

Neil Young Burger with a side of Varsity Poutine
Neil Young came with grilled eggplant, fresh avocado, salsa loco and feta cheese
It looks really good, however as we kept eating the burger - it just tasted really salty and kind of lost its flavour. It probably needed more cheese and more sauce. Definitely not as awesome as the one I had in London. The poutine was super salty with Montreal Smoked Meat, salty gravy and salty fries - probably not the best combination.

KBC Elk Burger with Lumpy Potatoes and Gravy
KBC had tomato, avocado, beechhouse sauce and havarti cheese
The beechhouse sauce was really good with a nice garlicky flavour, but there wasn't enough of it on the elk burger. The elk burger was pretty good, but I wasn't wowed by it either.
The lumpy potatoes were rather pureed-like and I didn't like that they had the red potato skin still in the mix. The gravy that they served with the potatoes was different from the poutine gravy (and I probably would have preferred a saltier gravy to complement the bland potatoes).

Overall: A very pricey burger meal (considering I paid about $20 for the elk burger and side); the selection is great and all, but the burgers weren't that amazing to justify the price tag.

Website: http://www.worksburger.com

Jack Astor's @ Yonge & Dundas

Jack Astors is pretty popular during the World Cup! There were so many screens so I could catch up on Football, unfortunately, my favourite team wasn't playing today.

  

Menu

Seasonal Lobster and Crap dip! 

Steamed lobster, crab meat, cream cheese, mushrooms, peppers, onions and nacho chips and warm pita bread triangles

Pretty awesome! It was good with the pita bread, but the nacho chips just didn't do anything for me with the dip. The dip was heavy and creamy and you could definitely taste the seafood. 

Chicken Quesadilla

Asian Shrimp Pick-ups: Soy marinated tofu pockets with rice, shrimp, cucumber, red peppers and avocado

Really nicely presented - they're so bright and colourful! 

Chicken Dippers

Texas Roadkill sandwich with sweet potato fries and chipotle mayo

Blackened grilled Cajun chicken breast served on a soft doughy bread with guacamole, mayo, lettuce, tomato and red onion. 

I barely tasted the blackened chicken or the Cajun mix on the chicken, but the bun was good and the rest of the ingredients were fresh. I liked the sweet potato fries and the chipotle mayo had enough heat to make the fries even better. 

Bombay Chicken curry

Savoury and spicy curry with chunks of chicken breast, tomatoes and cauliflower. The creamy lime cucumber mix, jasmine rice and naan helped offset the heat from the curry. It was okay. 

Overall: Jack Astor's has one of the best atmospheres for sport games and there's always a pretty big crowd for a big game. The food is okay, but the service is pretty slow. I guess most people get caught up in the games and forget about the rest. 

Website: http://jackastors.com/