Sunday, May 26, 2013

Logan's Lunch

Stephen's review - Jo and I are huge fans of street food and we have often commented on the lack of food trucks in Kingston, especially in the gourmet category... until now! Logan's Lunch - Gourmet2Go... is located just off Centennial Drive in the Princess Auto parking lot directly across from Costco. Logan's Lunch, where everything is fresh and fabulous, is brand new. In fact today was day one! Not the best weather but we brought along a healthy appetite so our attention was clearly on the food and not the weather.

Melanie, who is the owner, operator, front-person and mother of Logan, has started with a limited menu but it is a very encouraging start and offers a good selection of the Logan's Lunch version of some favourites. Gourmet Burger, Mediterranean Chicken Wrap, Pulled Pork, Gourmet Grilled Cheese, etc... along with a daily special and as expected, some absolutely fantastic 'chip-truck' fries that were to die for! Today's selection also included Fresh Baked Banana Bread with organic banana's, dark chocolate chunks and made by Logan herself!

Of course you can't do a burger blog without a burger so for me, it was the Princess Auto Burger. I added the fries and diet coke to make it a full combo. This burger comes with fresh lettuce, caramelized onion, tomato and pickle and as always, I added mustard and ketchup. The bun was a very fresh gourmet sesame bun, kaiser style and the burger was a hand-packed, nicely seasoned, perfectly cooked mountain of burger bliss! Ok... so I loved it!

As you can see by the pic's, this was a meal and then some. On top of the huge burger were those mouth-watering french fries. Hand cut, perfectly cooked and for me seasoned with a little vinegar and salt, and were the perfect combination to this great meal. Simply an awesome burger along with awesome fries!

For me, Logan's Lunch and the Princess Auto Burger scored into the top three of all the burgers we have rated on the Best of Kingston's search for the best home style burger in Kingston! Try it out... you will be very pleasantly surprised.

Jo - Having experienced street food in other parts of the world, we wondered why the idea hadn't come to Kingston yet.  We were pleasantly surprised when we heard about the opening of Logan's Lunch (and to steal a phrase... their offering of "curbside cuisine").  We weren't disappointed when we decided to have lunch there on opening day.

Okay, so I didn't order a burger this time.  That is because I was sooo tempted by the gourmet grilled cheese combo.

This was one serious gourmet grilled cheese.  Maple smoked bacon, carmelized onions, havarti, swiss cheese, and thin slices of crunchy green apple, grilled to perfection on artisan bread (sourdough I think, but I forgot to ask).  What a lovely combination of flavour and textures!  And those fries... as Stephen said, "to die for"... especially if you love those authentic chip wagon fries. The portions were generous and made to order.

I did exchange bites with Stephen and the burger was excellent.  The vegetable ingredients were fresh and the combination was delicious.  Salad greens instead of plain lettuce was a nice touch.  I also like the fact that the drinks were ice cold (and not from a soda fountain).  So Logan's Lunch is highly recommended!  Gourmet food on the run, reasonable prices, fresh, local ingredients and service with a smile.  What more could you ask for?

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Sir John's Public House

Last summer we spontaneously went into Sir John's Public House for lunch.  We were sorry that we didn't have our camera with us because our lunch was delightful so we vowed to return.  What better evening than dinner at a Scottish Pub and then off to the K-Rock Centre to watch ladies national curling (the "Scotties") later at the K-Rock Centre?

When we arrived at Sir John's, they were seated at capacity.  The waiter's were very courteous and were so apologetic about the fact that we had to wait for a table.  However we did not have to wait long.

The establishment is very intimate and embellished in the style of an old pub.   We love the ambiance of Kingston history when we go downtown.  It would be nice to see even more establishments exploit the theme of the Historic Limestone City.  If you've ever been to Savannah, Georgia (where the downtown core maintains their architectural heritage) you know what I mean.

Jo-Anne's take - The menu is pub style Scottish fare.  It offers a great special of appetizer plus entree plus dessert, however I was not hungry enough to take advantage of this option.  With its generous portions, this would have been a great deal offered for a flat rate of $20.

I ordered the Angus Burger and Caesar salad for $14.  We did not have to wait long for our orders in spite of a full house.  Before any mention of the burger I have to comment on the Caesar salad.  It was created in the traditional way a Caesar Salad is SUPPOSED to be made.  Fresh romaine in a creamy (not too much) dressing with LOADS of real smokey bacon, delicious croutons and generous shavings of real parmesan cheese...  I was in heaven right then and there. The meal also came with a side of crispy delicious marinated slaw.  It was a classic bacon cheese burger assembled with a hand-packed Angus beef patty, a slice of tomato, lettuce, dill pickles, rings of red onion, mushrooms, strips of smokey bacon and melted cheese.

I'm embarrassed to say that I'm not usually a fan of burgers that have a huge patty.  That's until I had this burger.  A generous amount of beef with not a lot of filler.  The meat was flavoured with an amazing array of spices (garlic, cracked pepper, rosemary, and oregano to name a few).  It was cooked perfectly with ample juiciness complemented with a fresh bun.  The smokiness of the bacon added flavour "to die for".

This is a pub so be aware that if it's busy you will be seated in close proximity with other tables.  The bar is in the centre of the pub.  We were comfortably seated next to a couple from Syracuse.  As we engaged in conversation we learned that they came to Kingston often and were regular patrons at the Sir John's.

So that's my take on Sir John's... nice ambiance, great, friendly service and it's fairly obvious that I really liked this burger!

Stephen's take - As Jo-Anne mentioned, we had dropped in to Sir John's late last summer and were very impressed with the atmosphere as well as the food. We are both absolute fanatics of the history we have in Kingston and whenever we can frequent any of the downtown establishments who have embraced either their own or the cities heritage, we will happily partake!

Now I probably shouldn't do this but I have to mention that in our first visit to Sir John's, we had both ordered the Aberdeen Angus Burger Plate and there was one element of that early burger that was missing from this current version... home made lime zest mayonnaise! Wow... it was delicious. We loved it so much that it has become a favourite we often make at home. (Jo did mention to the Chef this evening, how much we loved that element of the previous burger and here's wishing, it makes a return.)

Now I ordered my Angus Burger with a side of fries and as you can see from the photo above, it was a plateful! Jo mentioned all of the trimmings piled high on this burger and I also, as I always do, added mustard and ketchup. I also cut my hamburger in half to get a better grip on this monster and was surprised to see just how big this burger was. The all 'Angus' beef patty was cooked perfectly and was at least an inch thick in the centre... yes, an inch thick! Definitely a hand-packed burger, seasoned well,  juicy and very, very flavourful. What an excellent meal, great surroundings, very accommodating staff (including the Chef who Jo spoke with after our meal), and an all around positive review.  Thus we both highly recommend Sir John's.

Now I can't stop without adding a little more of our experience and more to the point... what we will be ordering the next time we visit Sir John's. As Jo mentioned we struck up a conversation with a nice couple from Syracuse NY who are frequent visitors to our city. They both took advantage of the $20 all inclusive meal Jo mentioned earlier. But, I have to add a little more to that fact. For appetizers, he ordered the Scotch Egg plate and she the Deep Fried Haggis Fritters. Both looked fantastic and in our conversations back and forth... our neighbours thoroughly enjoyed every bite. For their main course, he had Balmoral Bangers and Mash while she had the Highland Lamb Shank and again... rave reviews all around. Yes, they both had a dessert course as well but Jo and I had to get going to the K-Rock and missed our new found friends' dessert review. So yes, we will be returning and I can taste that lamb shank already!

Sir John's Public House on Urbanspoon

Thursday, January 3, 2013

The WORKS GOURMET BISTRO BURGER...

298 Princess Street
It's been awhile I know.  Our lives have been a whirlwind - all very good and we'll leave it at that.

From our previous post we were not particularly motivated to go out and search for the ultimate burger joint any more because we had such a great experience in the Brooklyn Bar in Dalian, China.  However when Jo's brother and sister-in-law suggested we meet at "The Works" before enjoying a "Dala" concert, we were excited to sample one of Kingston's newest burger offerings.  "The Works" is a Canadian franchise that began in Ottawa in 2001.  It has developed quite a following and after our experience, I can see why.


Jo-Anne's experience:  When we arrived at the restaurant, it was quite busy - not surprising for a Saturday evening at 6 pm.  We were immediately ushered to a table (for 6) in spite of the line-up.  Our waitress was very professional, friendly and helpful.

The decor was very industrial, polished metals mixed with natural stone and wood, with many neat little trinkets like the 'light bulb' salt and pepper shakers shown here on the right.  It was very clean.  Although the seating was somewhat crowded with numerous tables, it didn't bother us at all.

I have to admit that I found the menu somewhat overwhelming with so many choices.  Thank goodness the menu is well organized and it even leads the patron through various steps to create his/her burger experience.
Step 1 - Choose your patty (beef, chicken, turkey, veggie, portobello mushroom, or elk);
Step 2 - Choose your topping (70 combinations to choose from);
Step 3 - Choose your bun (white, whole wheat, or gluten free);
Step 4 - Choose your side (regular or sweet potato fries, various veggies, mashed potatoes or slaw);
Step 5 - Choose an upgrade (18 possibilities).....  SO MANY CHOICES!

Just a few left.....
We were warned to expect a 20 minute wait because our meal was to be made to order.  This was not bothersome as we planned to engage in social chatter. Besides, that gave us an excuse to order the Tower O Rings - an onion ring appetizer.

I selected the "Firestation #6", a ground beef burger topped with avocado, salsa, sour cream and jalapeno peppers with sweet potato strings.  This burger was $12.98 (fries or side included).  I know many will balk at this price, however I challenge you to find a meal in a restaurant at this price.  Remember, this is not a fast food burger joint... this is a full meal entre.  By the standards of an evening meal "out",  the bill was quite reasonable.


The 20 minutes went by quickly and oh my, the onion rings were flavourful and beautifully crisp.  The industrial theme was evident in the plating of our orders.  Very large portions were presented in large rectangular metal baking pans.  I liked the presentation and I liked my burger even more!  It was a juicy flavourful combination on a very fresh bun.  Yes, it was messy to eat and the baking pan captured any drippings but it was heaven.

Stephen's Review: Wow! Talk about choice... as Jo detailed, the amazing number of selections were almost overwhelming except for the organization of the menu. In fact, it was a topic for conversation as the six of us discovered some of the unique combinations and shared them around the table. This really got the juices flowing as several times I changed my mind about which one to order.

The "Dead Ringer"
My final decision was the "Dead Ringer". Like Jo, it was a ground beef burger patty, on a white bun and it was dressed with BBQ smoked brisket, smokey BBQ sauce, jack cheese and an onion ring, with a side of fresh cut french fries and the cost was $12.91. Now my trepidation was that what I might have just ordered would turn out to be an American style, overstuffed burger that relied on quantity rather than quality. You know, one of those massively wasteful and ugly monstrosities you sometimes see on Triple D!  Well, let me tell you that any trepidation was completely and utterly gone with my first view and that first bite. I went directly to burger heaven!

Now this was a big burger, in fact, the biggest burger we have seen in most of our many reviews but thankfully, it was not that ugly overstuffed monstrosity I feared. This was utterly delicious! The flavours were fantastic and the juicy, perfectly cooked, melt in your mouth brisket completely complimented the perfectly cooked beef patty. The BBQ sauce for the brisket along with the jack cheese and other toppings were very well matched and for me, simply the perfect combination.

I know many will scoff at the price but this is not your average burger-joint. This is a destination for a meal with great food that is very well prepared and served by very knowledgable staff who guide you to a great burger experience! For Jo and I, our time in China and that heavenly taste of home at the Brookyln Bar in Dalian will always be a treasure but, if I am being honest, my experience at the Works has jumped to the top of my list!

In summary - highly recommended by BOTH Jo & Stephen.

The Works Gourmet Burger Bistro on Urbanspoon


More yummy offerings...