Annual burger event delivers the beef, and more Local eateries part of weeklong food fest
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/08/2019 (2251 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
WHERE’S THE BEEF?
If meatless is more your thing, there are a few vegetarian and vegan options this year that just might do the trick (all of which just happen to fit into our global-eats theme):
The Middle Eastern Burger
$13
Shawarma Khan, 225 McDermot Ave.
The Middle Eastern Burger can be made with a vegan falafel patty, which will then be topped with a sharp cheddar cheese, caramelized onion, beet hummus, baby arugula and a mint-parsley garlic sauce on a potato scallion bun.
The Middle Eastern Burger
$13
Shawarma Khan, 225 McDermot Ave.
The Middle Eastern Burger can be made with a vegan falafel patty, which will then be topped with a sharp cheddar cheese, caramelized onion, beet hummus, baby arugula and a mint-parsley garlic sauce on a potato scallion bun.
The Leeky Guinness Burger
$17
Fionn’s Grant Park, 1180 Grant Ave.
Here, a plant-based patty and fried mushrooms can be subbed in for the listed beef and bacon. In addition, the Leeky Guiness Burger features shredded lettuce topped with a house-made spicy Guinness cheese sauce, breaded and deep-fried jalapenos and leeks with a grainy mustard mayo, all on a toasted brioche bun made fresh by City Bread.
The Plant-Based Calzone Burger
$18.99
Garbonzo’s Sports Pub, Health Sciences Centre, 720 William Ave.
This vegan option includes two Lightlife smashed plant-based patties, plant-based blended cheese, green peppers, mushrooms, banana peppers, sliced green olives, yellow onion and pizza sauce, wrapped in handmade pizza dough.My Handsome Italian!
Boon Burger Cafe, 79 Sherbrook St.
$14.25
Boon Burger is offering a vegan burger with creamy garlic “mayo,” pesto, lettuce and tomatoes on the signature boon patty. This burger is topped off with house-made, meatless pepperoni slices, dairy-free cheese sauce and crispy onions.
Grand Pinoy Keso
$19
Brazen Hall Kitchen & Brewery, 800 Pembina Hwy.
The beef patty in this burger can be swapped out for a house-made veggie patty (just ask to nix the bacon ketchup and pork crackling), on top of which you’ll get adobo cream cheese, melted edam cheese, mango aioli and fresh greens all on a soft toasted scallion bun.
— Erin Lebar
The days are getting shorter, the weather is getting cooler and our bodies are just about ready to start prepping for winter hibernation mode, so what better time for Le Burger Week With Cheese to roll into its ninth year?
The annual weeklong burger bonanza starts Sunday and runs through Sept. 7 and this year, a whopping 124 local restaurants (the most of any of the 13 participating cities in Canada by a long shot) have grilled, pickled, melted, aiolied and fried their way to creating some of the most unique bites you’ll ever get between two buns in an attempt to win your votes for the grand prize of Public Choice.
In particular, there seems to be a world-food theme to a lot of the offerings this year — a global smorgasbord of flavours, if you will — that have combined less-common ingredients to get (hopefully) delicious results. Here are a few internationally influenced burgers that caught our eye that you should consider adding to your must-eat list for 2019:
The Aztec–Mexican Chili Burger
$17
Where is it? Bailey’s Restaurant & Lounge, 185 Lombard Ave.
What’s in it? Ground beef chuck patty, jalapeno jack cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo, lettuce, chipotle mayo, Mexican chili, onion bun, topped with cheddar cheese bites.
Why try it? We’re not entirely sure what Mexican chili is, but if it’s got black beans and spices, it’s probably going to be delicious.
El Rio de la Plata (The Silver River)
$26
Where is it? Hermanos, 179 Bannatyne Ave.
What’s in it? Ground steak patty, sweet pickled zucchini, garlic chimichurri, crab chêvre cream sauce. Garnished with an Argentine garlic cilantro shrimp skewer.
Why try it? Two words: shrimp skewer.
One World
$18
Where is it? The Merchant Kitchen, 314 Donald St.
What’s in it? Smoked jerk chicken, maple bacon, provolone, crispy onion, grilled pineapple, mango and black garlic slaw, sesame bun.
Why try it? Just look at that flavour combo. Jerk spices, sweet maple, melty cheese, tropical fruits… it’s all the best bites the world has to offer on one bun.
Hamburguer de Churrasco
$19
Where is it? Carnaval Brazilian BBQ, 270 Waterfront Dr.
What’s in it? Barbecued steak pieces from the grill, sauteed mushrooms, farofa (toasted flour mixture), tomatoes, pickles, lettuce, mozzarella, tzatziki sauce on a pretzel bun.
Why try it? The classic combo of steak and mushrooms will get a hit of brightness from that tangy tzatziki.
Maui Melt
$12.48
Where is it? Kyu Grill, 1 Forks Market Rd.
What’s in it? AAA Angus beef patty, garlic-buttered brioche bun, lettuce, Saputo mozzarella, red onion, panko-crusted fried mozzarella, pineapple-corn salsa, chili oil aioli.
Why try it? If double mozzarella isn’t enough of a reason for you, we’re betting the pineapple-corn salsa and chili oil aioli will hit just the right sweet/spicy balance.
My Big Fat Greek Burger
$18.95
Where is it? Santa Lucia Pizza, 4 St. Mary’s Rd.
What’s in it? Beef and lamb patty with grilled feta, mozzarella, tomatoes, arugula, pickled red onions and finished with spicy caper and roasted red pepper aioli, served in a house-made toasted focaccia bun.
Why try it? A patty with two proteins always adds an extra dimension to the overall flavour of the burger. Also, capers are an ingredient not often seen during burger week, so we figure it’s worth a taste test.
The Big Bang-Kok
$13
Where is it? Magic Bird Fried Chicken, 61 Sherbrook St.
What’s in it? Crispy fried chicken thigh brined in lemongrass, Thai herb slaw, crushed peanuts, umami mayo, fried rice noodles and wontons on a butter roll from Sleepy Owl Bread. You can also choose the heat level on your chicken: no heat, mild, hot or scorcher.
Why try it? Being able to choose the spice level of your chicken is a huge bonus for those of us who are wimps when it comes to hot food, and how can you turn down a sandwich that has both fried noodles and wontons?
Heights Polskie Klupskie
$16
Where is it? Silver Heights Restaurant & Lounge, 2169 Portage Ave.
What’s in it? Certified Angus ground chuck blended with Polish sausage, Saputo jack cheese, shredded cabbage, tomato, beet ketchup and smoked bacon between two potato pancakes made with seasoning, peppers and spinach.
Why try it? It’s like a dinner at babcia’s house in one bite. And, unrelated to the taste, the tagline is “Hold on to your babooshkas!” which gave us a good giggle.
Le Burger Week With Cheese runs Sept. 1-7 at various restaurants around the city. Visit leburgerweek.com for a full list of participating eateries and to vote for your favourite burgers. The event has partnered with United Way Winnipeg by donating $1 dollar from each burger sold at participating restaurants to support after-school and breakfast programs for kids and cooking programs that enhance life skills and provide meals for families living on low incomes.
erin.lebar@freepress.mb.ca
Twitter: @NireRabel
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