Burger Quest: Burger's Priest

Whenever the topic of "Best Burger in Toronto" comes up - the most consistent recommendation is The Burger's Priest at Queen and Coxwell.  This weekend I decided to take a trip down to Leslieville to see for myself.

Burger's Priest at 1363 Queen Street East, Toronto

Legend has it, an Armenian priest opened up Burger's Priest - giving each burger a religious theme.  Most locals will cite The Burger's Priest claim to fame is its online-only "Secret Menu" that includes, among other things, a double cheeseburger sandwiched between two grill cheese sandwiches named "The Vatican City".

First thing I noticed is how BUSY this place is - I was there for about 20 minutes and there's a constant stream of people coming in and out.  As with Kinton, I took this as an indication of how good the burgers must be.

I went with "The Priest", a cheeseburger with 'The Option' with all the toppings (except for tomatoes) and fries.

The perfect burger:bun ratio

Lets start with the burger itself, made from scratch on site, stays moist and juicy in part because its round shape (kind of like how a fillet mignon maintains its juiciness because of its round rather than flat shape).  The burger is a cut above many of the other gourmet/designer burgers in the city - definitely great value at $9.99 (especially considering the starting price for a burger at a bar is usually north of $12)

What to say about "The Option" - its basically a second 'burger'.  Melted cheese sandwiched between two portobello mushrooms, coated in batter and deep fried.  It's the secret sauce that puts the burger into all-star territory.

The only thing I wish I'd done is dress it slightly differently - I skimped out on fried onions ($1.29) & bacon ($1.49) that would have made the meal epic.  A bit of bbq sauce would have also been a welcome addition.

Lastly - the fries are exceptional, but a bit hard to justify at $3.59. I would recommend taking a more expensive burger.

Repeat?  Definitely - see myself going back very soon.

Ramen Quest: Sansotei Ramen

A few days ago I went to Sansotei located at 179 Dundas Street West in Downtown Toronto. Walking down Dundas - there is no shortage of Ramen restaurants.  What stands out about Sansotei - its one of the few with a consistent line up.

Inside is cozy - and compared to Kenzo Sansotei has quite a bit more seating.  The interior was not quite as fancy as Kenzo though.  Functional but less stylish.

The menu featured four main types of broth [Tonkotsu, Miso, Shio, and Tonkotsu Shoyu], and two types of noodle [thick vs. thin].  Along with a variety of extras and sides.

I chose thin noodles with shio soup and a gyoza starter.

Thin Noodles with Shio Soup

Quantities are sizeable - which is awesome.  Originally I had some buyer's remorse over not getting double meat that were unwarranted.   The meat was definitely the highlight - had the right amount of fat without tasting too rich.  Soup was also tasty - but would have preferred a slightly richer broth.

Gyoza

Would say the Gyoza is great too - though I'll admit I've never really had bad Gyoza.  Trick to nice dumplings is the meat.  The pork inside was really tender and really brought the whole thing together.

While I think Sansotei is a great restaurant - its probably would loose in a face-off against Kenzo in terms of flavour or options.  This is by no means a knock against Sansotei - its great in its own regard, but its a step behind Kenzo for top ramen in Toronto.  Would give it a 4/5 and would repeat.