Category: Burger

The Block Public House

THE BURGER:

The burger came with a 6oz. patty. It was cooled well with a crispy exterior, yet it was still very juicy. I got it topped with a slice of cheddar cheese. The house aioli was very good. The vegetables were fresh, though I would have much preferred (iceberg) lettuce over the mixed greens. It was all held by a fairly dense sesame seed bun that was nicely toasted.

Burger Rating: 9.3/10

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THE POUTINE:

The fries were a little thinner than standard hand-cut with the skin on. They were quite crispy. There was a generous amount of cheese curds. The gravy was pretty standard brown gravy, but a little too thin.

Poutine Rating: 8.2/10

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Overall, this was a really solid meal. The burger was the standout for me. I don’t know how they managed to keep a burger cooked to that doneness so juicy. The poutine was good too, just not on the same level as the burger.

The Block Public House is located at 122 Main Street West in downtown North Bay.

Pulled Smokehouse and Welcome Centre

THE BURGER:

The burger was labeled as a smash burger but outside of having 2 relatively small patties, it shared none of the characteristics of a smash burger (thin patties with lacing/crispy edges). The patties were actually a little thick and very soft, almost as if they were slow-cooked rather than fried/grilled. This resulted in them tasting more like ground beef you prepare for a bolognese, than a burger. They were topped with processed cheese and held on a nicely soft bun, similar to a potato bun. 

Burger Rating: 5.9/10

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THE POUTINE:

The poutine was unique in that it used seasoned potato wedges rather than traditional fries. It had just enough cheese. I thought the gravy was really nice. It tasted like a 50/50 mix of beef and chicken gravy together.

Poutine Rating: 7.9/10

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Overall, this was far from my favourite meal, but I also recognize that neither item is their specialty. This was a BBQ place, not a burger place. This place was almost worth visiting based on its location alone, being perched on a cliff next to rapids at the bottom of a dam.

Pulled Smokehouse is located in a Welcome Centre building at 170 Ryerson Centre Road in Burk’s Falls.

Trackside Fries

THE BURGER:

The burger came with a patty that might have been a bit more than ¼ lb. It was cooked well-done and topped with a slice of cheese. The vegetables were ok, but there was way too much lettuce, which was easily corrected. The bun was large, brioche-like and likely toasted.

Burger Rating: 8.7/10

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THE POUTINE:

The poutine came with real, hand-cut, skin-on fries. They were nicely crispy on the outside and still soft in the center. I ordered it with a combination of shredded cheese and cheese curds, of which there was a lot. The gravy was fairly standard brown gravy, maybe a little thinner than I’d hoped.

Poutine Rating: 9.2/10

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Overall, this was a really good meal. The burger was better than most chip truck/stand offerings, and the poutine was very competent. I actually think the fries were so good, I’d recommend that people just go with that instead of a poutine.

Trackside Fries is located at 548 Main Street in Powassan.

Gervais Restaurant

THE BURGER:

The patty was approximately 1/4lb cooked well-done. It was topped with a piece of processed cheese. I liked that the onions were chopped, but left rather large. I’d asked for lettuce but didn’t receive any, so I can’t comment on that aspect of the burger. It was all served on a slightly oversized sesame seed bun that was lightly toasted.

Burger Rating: 6.7/10

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THE POUTINE:

The poutine featured some frozen fries that were smaller than standard, but not quite julienne. They did not hold up well to the gravy and became quite pasty. It had a little bit of shredded cheese. The gravy was very thin and lacked any real flavouring.

Poutine Rating: 3.7/10

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Overall, this was a bit of a disappointment. The burger was quite decent, but the poutine was a rare case where I gave up mid-way through and tossed it into the trash. In fairness to the restaurant, while they have an extensive “Canadian food” menu, they are better known for their Chinese food, which I can attest is quite good.

Gervais Restaurant is located at 169 Front Street in Sturgeon Falls.

Riv Chip Stand

THE BURGER:

The burger had a patty of approximately 1/4 lbs. It was a hint over-cooked. It was covered with a slice of processed cheese. The vegetables were excellent. The bun was very toasted, in a good way.

Burger Rating: 7.9/10

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THE POUTINE:

The fries were skinless and hand-cut. They were sweeter than most. Not totally crispy, but not mushy either. I got mixed (curds/shredded) cheese. There was a good amount of it. The gravy was of a good consistency. It has a hint of spice to it that reminded me of chicken dipping sauces. 

Poutine Rating: 9.0/10

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Overall, this was a solid meal. The Riv is one of 2 famous chipstands in Sturgeon Falls and despite going through a couple of ownership changes, the fries have remained the same through the years. 

The Riv is located at 235 Main Street in Sturgeon Falls.

Beef N’ Brand

THE BURGER:

The burger came with a rather thick 8oz patty grilled well-done. It was topped with a nice piece of cheddar. The vegetables were fresh, though I wish they’d used iceberg instead of leaf lettuce. The bun was a nicely dense sesame and poppy seed bun.

Burger Rating: 8.6/10

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THE POUTINE:

The poutine had some frozen fries as a base. While I’m not typically a fan of frozen fries, these were of pretty good quality and were a little bit seasoned. There was a generous amount of cheese curds. The gravy was excellent with a strong beefy flavour and a thick texture.

Poutine Rating: 7.4/10

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Overall, this was a very serviceable meal. I expected the burger to be good based on the theme of the restaurant (in fairness, it is more of a family restaurant than a steakhouse), but the poutine was a bit of a revelation. Had the fries been real, it would have ranked even more highly for me. 

Beef N’ Brand is located at 260 Pinewood Park Drive in North Bay.

Bay Truck Stop

THE BURGER:

The burger came with a 6oz patty cooked well-done and topped with a slice of cheddar cheese. The vegetables were fresh. It was all served on a fairly standard sesame seed bun. I would have loved the bun a little more toasted. 

Burger Rating: 8.3/10

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THE POUTINE:

The fries were hand-cut, skinless fries. They were quite crispy. There were just enough cheese curds. The gravy was standard brown gravy, but a little thin for my liking. I needed to add quite a bit of salt to it.

Poutine Rating: 7.8/10

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Overall, this was pretty much exactly what I was expecting. Bay Truck Stop is known to make homemade food which consists mostly of diner classics and this was just solid stuff.

Bay Truck Stop is located at 3060 on Highway-11.

Monique’s Chip Stand

THE BURGER:

The burger had a 1/4lb charbroiled patty topped with a slice of processed cheese. The vegetables were fresh. Everything was on a smaller, plain burger bun that seemed like it could have used more toasting.

Burger Rating: 7.7/10

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THE POUTINE:

The poutine was made with skinless hand-cut fries. They were well cooked but they left an oily film in my mouth. The gravy was a pretty standard gravy. I requested mixed cheese (combination of curds and shredded), of which there was just enough.

Poutine Rating: 8.4/10

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Overall, this was ok, but the fries leaving that oily film just bugged me a little bit. It was still better than a lot of chip stands/huts/trucks. It was just not up to the level of the other two better known chip stands in town.

Monique’s Chip Stand is located at 276 Nipissing Street in Sturgeon Falls.

RJ Spudz Sizzle ‘N’ Grill

THE BURGER:

The burger featured a pre-fabricated patty that had a rubbery texture and little flavour that was covered by a slice of processed cheese. The vegetables were good. The bun was a decent quality sesame seed bun, but it really could have used some toasting as it was a little dry.

Burger Rating: 5.2/10

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THE POUTINE:

The fries were quite crispy. They were actually a little bit dry. The gravy was a little thin and required extra salt. There was a reasonable amount of cheese curds.

Poutine Rating: 7.2/10

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Overall, this was not one of the stronger chip truck/stand offerings I’ve had so far. The poutine was definitely decent (apologies for my worst photo yet), but the burger was pretty underwhelming.

RJ Spudz Sizzle “N” Grill is located in Corbeil Corners, 6 Highway-94.

Field of Dreams

THE BURGER:

The burger came with a patty of about 1/4lb. It had nice grill marks. It might have been a little too lean or a little over-cooked because it was a hint dry. It would have benefitted from a thicker slice of cheese. Maybe the weakest aspect of the burger was the shredded leaf lettuce which became soggy under the heat of the patty. It was all served on a nice kaiser bun, though.

Burger Rating: 7.1/10

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THE POUTINE:

The poutine was made up of nicely crispy hand-cut fries with the skin on. It had a generous amount of cheese curds. The gravy definitely appeared to be homemade with a really nice consistency. I’m pretty sure it also had a significant amount of thyme in it.

Poutine Rating: 8.6/10

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Overall, this was pretty typical chip hut/stand/truck fare, though the gravy was certainly the best reason to visit. 

Field of Dreams is a food truck located at 581 Lakeshore Drive.