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Category: Reviews

Famous Frenchy’s

Back in July Ron Eade wrote about Famous Frenchy‘s, a new burger joint in town.  Since I love a good burger, especially when they have names like “The Triple Bypass,” I figured I’d have to check it out for myself.

We walked into a smoke filled kitchen – apparently the hood fan was running at 20%.
Regardless of the smoke, they were pumping it out!

The place wasn’t packed, as it’s only been open for a few weeks – though I’m sure this will change shortly as word of mouth spreads.

As we approached the cash we were greeted by Shonn Bidner, one of the owners.  I’m a curious cat, so I pushed him for some details on the cost of opening a restaurant, food producers and suppliers, local chefs, and finally the burgers.

First things first: these aren’t gourmet burgers.  They are good old fashioned chip truck burgers. Seasoned ground beef and that’s it. No filler like eggs, bread crumbs or any other junk.  The seasoning is the secret ingredient, so of course as soon as I received my order I tried to break the code.

I was able to pickup some distinct flavours that lead me to think they were using some version of a steak spice.  I won’t try to dissect it all here, but Shonn says the secret seasoning is the brainchild of Louis Charest, executive chef for the Governor General.

The patty itself was a generous portion, cooked to perfection – nice and juicy.

My dad ordered the Triple Bypass and killed it.  This burger is a monster.  Three of their large patties piled a mile high on a burger bun.  After seeing the pic on Ron’s blog I had assumed it was served with cheese and bacon, lending some truth to it’s name.  Unfortunately @ $5.35 for this monster bacon and cheese are extra.

I guess you have to pay your own trip to the hospital. 🙂

My mom and I had the bison burger that was equally as good, and we shared a family fry with gravy on the house!
Thanks Shonn

Play Food & Wine

Play Food & Wine

This is my first post @ finediners.ca

Just got back from Play food & wine, Stephen Beckta’s new “entreprise”.

This was it’s second day open to the public. The setting is quite stylish.

Being an industry person (cook) I immediately made my way to the kitchen to check it out. The kitchen is open concept, with all the bells and whistles. Spoke with the Chef (Michael Moffat and his crew). They were excited, told them I was looking forward to “play with their food”

Mini Review: Moonroom

Had the whole FineDiners.ca gang out on Saturday night at Moonroom on Preston Street, and the general consensus was that we’re going to have to hang out there more often!

This cool, funky little place is owned by Tracy Turnbull of Trio Bistro in Westboro fame.  The place looks amazing with reclaimed barnboard floors and poured concrete bar, and a straight-out-of-the-70s juke box in the back (although it didn’t seem to be setup for use when we were there).

When we arrived, there wasn’t much more than a 2-top table open for our group of 6, but no matter – the place is setup for casual mingling with all high tables and stools and we just setup between a back table and the bar.  The food lends itself to this casual style as well with a diverse selection of small sharing plates that were tasty and fun.

Some of the big hits:  Sausage Pot (a mason jar of sausages served warm and topped with cheese – yum!), Stuffed Dates (make sure to get a double order!), the Moon Board (a small cheese/meat plate), and the Grown Up Smores (orgasmic according to the ladies in our group).  The food portions are small – but so are the prices – keep in mind that this is not the place to go for a proper dinner.  Late night drinks and bites is what this place is about.

The wine list seemed pretty decent, with most or all available by the glass, and on tap were several microbrews (including Beau’s!).  The service was really friendly and the overall vibe in the place was great.  Will definitely be returning for more!

Mini Review: Fraser Cafe

Had lunch at Fraser Café with some work peeps today, and it was great!  Our party was mostly split between the Cheeseburger with Smoked Bacon and the Pulled Pork Sandwich, though one person did venture to order the Quail, and the starters that hit the table were the Broccoli Soup and the Beet Salad,  and all were well pleased!

Located in New Edinburgh, just off Beechwood (in the original location of The Works), the place is small and bustling and has a great fun atmosphere.  The service was exceptional and the restaurant’s namesake brothers were welcoming and friendly.  Apparently it can be pretty tough to get a reservation for dinner here, but lunch is a great value and definitely a good introduction to the place.  Can’t wait to get back there for dinner!