Urban Spoon Rocks...

Vinny's burgers & fries

During one of our burger quests we saw Vinny's while driving down Princess Street.  Of course, if you're trying to taste test burgers in Kingston, it made sense to try an establishment that calls itself, "Vinny's Burgers & Fries".  Located at 292 Princess, we heard that originally they opened as "Vinny's Fine Italian Sandwiches", however reopened several months ago with a focus on take-out burgers and fries.  Boasting a $2 burger, we just had to try it.

Now it's unfair to assume that all of the establishments we review are compared on a level playing field.  Different restaurants tend to choose their own particular niche market or target clientele.  In some cases, high end gourmet offerings at one end of the spectrum, and at the other end of the spectrum, low cost fast food.  In our opinion, Vinny's is going after the low cost fast food audience - one step up from the chains.  Head on so to speak as "McDonalds" is right across the street and can be seen looking straight out of Vinny's front window.

Vinny's in our opinion is not a restaurant - but rather is set up as a take out (although there are stools against a counter so that you can choose to eat in if you so desire).  The decor is red, white and black and on the wall there are a couple of nice "Godfather" movie posters-on-board.
I like the posters but I didn't really see the connection with the theme of the restaurant.  The menu was very straight forward and visible on the walls.  No nonsense offerings at VERY reasonable prices.  The burgers are flame broiled and all food is made to order (meaning it's not cooked until you order).  The server then adds the toppings chosen by you (somewhat like Harvey's).

Jo's Review - I ordered the single banquet burger #3.  A banquet burger is cheese & bacon and in my case, on a single burger with fries and a drink.  We were the only people ordering so I have to say that the service and attention was excellent.  We received our orders quite quickly.  For my review, I'll start with the positive....  everything was fresh, including the bun, the lettuce and tomato.  The fries were cooked to a nice crisp and were golden brown.  The drink was a can of pop rather than soda fountain pop and the bacon was plentiful and cooked to perfection.  The portion sizes were quite generous and you won't go away hungry.  On the "not so positive....." the fries were frozen fries with very little taste, the hamburger patty was a frozen patty (& it didn't taste like a high end frozen patty) and although fresh, the bun was like a supermarket bun - not much flavour.  Having said that, for a complete meal @ roughly $5.25, it was a deal and one could get the #3 for less than $5!  In my opinion, if Vinny's is targeting a young, less discriminating customer who want a fast burger for a low price, then Vinny's has hit the mark.  My suggestion for improvement though is to explore suppliers who could offer better tasting fries and patties within the same price point.

Stephen's Review - As Jo noted, we saw the sign for Vinny's on a trip down Princess Street one day. After asking around, we had understood this spot to be exactly what Jo said; a quick take-out burger joint for a really good price. It certainly was that!
First, I must offer an apology for the pic's... we were so hungry when we dropped in for lunch, we just forgot to snap the photo's before we had chowed down on almost half of our burgers! Oops...

Again, as Jo noted, this basic burger and fries are just that... basic. The offerings are fresh from the perspective of being prepared once you place your order but they are a basic frozen product (both the burger patty and the fries). I would agree that the patty is certainly no high-end frozen patty but just your everyday frozen product found in any frozen food section of your local grocery store. I suggest the same applies for the fries.

I ordered the Cheese Burger at $3.25 and added fries and a diet Coke. What brings this fair a cut-above your average burger chain is that the condiments; lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, etc... are fresh cut.  I found the bun although basic, again was very fresh.  The cheese was a decent quality and the nicest surprise for the bacon and cheese burger was that the bacon was prepared fresh when ordered! Another big positive for us was that the diet Coke was a can of diet Coke! Kudo's for all of this.

Now when you consider that the total price for both orders, that's the two burgers, two fries and two diet Coke's was only $10.51 total... wow!  Thats right... just over $10 bucks for all of it!  Double Kudo's for the price! Overall, it's a very basic burger and fries... just as the sign says and for the money... a pretty good value if you're in a hurry and you're hungry.

Kelsey's

On our way to Kingston's Garden Festival, we decided to go to "Goodies" for lunch as it was recommended by our oldest (Garrett).  Well my dear, we couldn't follow up on your recommendation because since you moved to TO, the premises was being renovated and it looks like to a different restaurant.  We don't know if the new premises will be with new owners or not... but it looks like Goodies is no longer.  So, being in the area, we headed to Kelsey's for their burger fare. We have gone there on numerous occasions in the past for dinner and snacks (nachos, spinach dip, etc.) but neither of us had tried their burgers before.  Kelsey's Neighbourhood Bar & Grill is a Canadian bar and grill restaurant chain headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario owned by Cara Operations.  Cara Operations also owns other restaurants including Swiss Chalet, Coza!, Milestones, Montana's and Harvey's.  

Kelsey's offers 5 burger choices including 1 veggie burger.  All meat (except the veggie) burgers are a substantial half-pound, Canadian beef and served with a pickle spear and choice of side:  crispy fries, coleslaw, soup, or salad (house or Caesar). Depending on your burger selection, there are a number of condiments added that range from lettuce, tomato, red onion, onion rings, bacon and a few cheese options as well. It's interesting to note that although the menu says "all burgers" are served with a pickle, neither of our orders had one.

We have evolved toward ordering two different types of burgers and then splitting them for comparison.  Therefore we ordered the "Cracked Peppercorn Sirloin Burger" - a patty lightly coated with cracked black peppercorns and topped with melted Swiss cheese, 2 crispy beer battered onion rings, peppercorn ranch sauce, tomatoes and shredded lettuce. This was paired with a side of french fries.

Our second choice was the "Cheddar Bacon Sirloin Burger" - topped with melted cheddar cheese, double smoked bacon, tomatoes, shredded lettuce, red onions and mayo.  As you can see in the pictures, the buns were a yellow egg bread style (a favourite) with sesame seeds and lightly toasted.  This one was ordered with a Caesar salad side and both burgers were priced @ $11.99.


Stephen's Review - Kelsey's has been one of my favourite restaurants, especially when out for dinner and a movie and we have rarely been disappointed in any way. This visit was no exception. Friendly greeting upon entering and smiles all around through the whole experience from all of the wait staff. The food was served hot and as you can see from the pictures, it looked pretty tempting. Serving sizes for the sides was very much appropriate in my books  and enough to share with little to no wasted leftovers. Just the way it should be! As you can also see from the pic's, the burgers were substantial. Jo and I cut the burgers in half so we could each share in the taste-test and quickly jumped into each burger.

Now as I have noted before, I am not the most 'adventurous' diner and tend to stick to my own tried-and-true selections... most of them pretty safe. I have never been a big pepper fan although I have had a few steaks with awesome 'peppercorn sauces' so, I was looking forward to trying this Cracked Peppercorn Sirloin Burger. On first bite, initial impression was of a moist, well cooked patty; not overly done in any way and some very fresh condiments. I didn't really taste the pepper until after swallowing that first bite and it was not bad. I see the patty had a nice sprinkling of cracked peppercorn and coupled with the peppercorn ranch type dressing and the balance was very nice. I was surprised that I did not find any noticeable taste or texture from the onion rings, which I was looking forward to; this was neither a pro or a con, just an observation. Perhaps a little bit crispier may have made a difference. The bun was very fresh, lightly toasted and as an egg-style-sesame-seed bun... my all time favourite that really added to the whole experience. This was a very good burger in every way, especially I would assume for someone who has a better appreciation for the taste of pepper.

Now on to the Cheddar Bacon Sirloin Burger. Again, first impressions were very good. (Just take another look at that picture above!) This was a big burger with a really great taste! For me, this is what I would call the 'classic burger'. Classic in that it had a nicely cooked patty, very moist with a little char on the edge (best part), fresh fixings including red onion, lettuce, tomato, real cheddar and a fantastic smoked bacon that was just the right side of crispy; all contained (overflowing actually...) on a very fresh egg bun, lightly toasted. This is my definition of a classic burger! There was no disappointment here in any way-shape-or-form. A very tasty burger indeed.

I should also note that on this visit and for both burgers I did not add any additional condiments (mustard, ketchup, relish) at the table like I would normally do. I was trying to let the real flavours of the burgers come through without masking them in too many condiments. However, with only a few bites left in my Cheddar Bacon Sirloin Burger, I added a little ketchup and mustard. Wow! This burger with those condiments that I have almost always used really pushed this burger over the top in my books! Lesson learned: if you know how you like to garnish your burger from years and years of experience, don't change! Those last few bites, dressed the way I would normally do it, were exceptional.

As for the sides, the fries were pretty solid as was the caesar salad although as I have said before, I am not a fan of a heavy dose of salad dressing on any salad and for my taste, this caesar had more than enough dressing... good flavour, just a little heavy for me.  Overall for me, these were two of the better burger plates I have had and I would rate the Cheddar Bacon as one of my favourites, especially when it was dressed to my tastes!

Jo's Review - I agree with Stephen that the service was excellent - friendly and sincere.  The restaurant was nicely busy  with about 70% of the tables full.  We received our orders in a timely manner and dove into our burgers.  One thing I love about embarking on this quest is that although I'm much more adventurous than Stephen when it comes to trying different foods, until now, when it came to burgers I would normally order a plain cheeseburger.  I am enjoying burgers that I would never have tried if it was not for this review.

For my taste, both burgers were cooked to perfection.  I particularly liked the flavour of the sirloin - in spite of the fact that it is not a hand-packed burger.  Yes I know the purists are rolling their eyes up but unless a hand-packed burger is seasoned and cooked to perfection (stop squeezing the juices out by flattening them with a spatula while cooking!) it is too dry and flavourless for me.  Not the case with either of these burgers.

The Cracked Peppercorn burger had a nice heat to the after bite and the condiments were very fresh.  The flavour of the mayo really complemented the burger.  I agree with Stephen that there was little flavour to the onion rings, and they were not crisp, however they did not at all detract from the burger.

The Cheddar Bacon Sirloin burger fulfilled the desire for a classic bacon-cheese in every way.  The red onions and lettuce were exceptionally fresh and I LOVED the fresh, lightly grilled egg yolk sesame buns.  They were so yummy!

For sides, the flavour of the Caesar was excellent and a little creamy for me.  Good crisp croutons and not very much bacon (which I didn't need because of the generous bacon on my burger).  The fries didn't look particularly exceptional but they tasted very good.  They had a nice flavour and texture but weren't greasy at all.

Both Stephen and I were very impressed with Kelsey's burger offerings.  Pretty good considering it's not their signature dish.

ONLY IN AMERICA....

No, not part of our experience but this is a burger offered by a casino in California (coincidentally called Kelsey's).  They have recently challenged their customers -- and their stomachs -- with its new burger, "The Weigh-In." The five-pound monster includes a two-pound patty (made of ground premium Angus beef), sits on a 10-inch bun and is topped with six slices of cheese, two sliced tomatoes and half a head of lettuce. If that's not enough, dill pickles, sweet onions and Thousand Island dressing are available on request. Only one person has finished the $24.95 US  burger -- but he didn't even touch his fries.  My only question is.... WHY???????

Montana's - Take out experience.

The "Chipotle Firecracker Burger" from Montana's was next on our quest.  This burger was recommended by our youngest, Victoria.  

Hmmm, before experiencing this burger we discovered online that it contained a whopping 1060 calories!  Oh well, this was not meant to be a "diet" quest but we will definitely be modifying our caloric intake for the rest of the day...  and maybe step up the exercise regime for that week!    :-)

Great Canadian Burger

Jo's Review -  we followed a different MO for this taste experience.  This time we experienced take-out rather than order for sit-down in the restaurant.  I chose the "Montana's Great Canadian Burger". I ordered it with the caesar salad (no extra cost).  The price was $11.99.   Note:  all burgers include the choice of either fries, house or caesar salad.   This very large offering boasted a sirloin burger (not hand made) with a tangy apple-butter BBQ sauce, topped with 2 thinly sliced peameal bacon, Colby cheese and mayo. It was served on a very fresh and tasty seasoned bun with dill pickle, sliced tomato and lettuce on the side.   MMmmm -  I really enjoyed this burger.  It was juicy without being sloppy and the sauce gave it a unique but not overpowering flavour, marrying both sweet and smokey.  The caesar salad was excellent - creamy with real bacon bits, shavings of parmesan and spiced dark grain croutons.  I really enjoyed this burger.  Now I have to be honest and tell you that I actually split my burger with Stephen and vice versa.  Having said that, I won't steal Stephen's thunder, but in my opinion, his burger was the star of the show! 

Classic Sirloin Burger

We ordered take-out on our way to my sister-in-laws house for dinner and a movie.  Therefore we invited her (Judi) to offer a review on the "Classic Sirloin Burger" she ordered. She was happy to oblige.  The Classic burger with caesar salad was $9.99, plus 99 cents extra for cheese ($10.98 total).  It included a sirloin burger with slices of tomato, lettuce and dill pickle on the side.  Judi was quick to come to the conclusion that she loved this burger and she would definitely be a repeat customer for this burger.  She felt it was cooked perfectly for her taste and she loved the texture of the bun.  She also was impressed with the caesar salad.

Chipotle Firecracker Burger

Stephen's Review - As Jo noted, we opted for take-out this time as a part of our periodic visit to my sisters for dinner and a movie. This also allowed us; Judi, Jo and me, to try 3 of the 5 Montana burger selections. (We did not try either the Big and Bold Brisket or the Vegetable & Feta Burgers.) Although we can't really comment on the in-house service on this visit, I can tell you that when I went in to pick-up our order, it was smiles all around from the wait-staff. I was directed to the bar area where take-out is picked up and the waitress/bar keep again was very pleasant. She quickly checked on our order and returned to say it would be a few minutes and asked if I would like to have a seat and also offered me a complimentary drink! Pretty solid customer care if you ask me!   


I ordered the "Chipolte Firecracker Burger" although as Jo said, she and I split the burgers, salad and fries. The firecracker starts as a sirloin patty served with lettuce, tomato, colby cheese and bacon on top of which they add crispy deep fried cajun onions, crispy jalapenos and then smother... and I mean smothered in a Chipolte-Honey-BBQ sauce! Now you should know, that I am not the most adventurous diner when it comes to spicy, hot or almost anything out-of-the-ordinary... but this was an exceptionally flavoured treat! Yes the jalapenos were there (nice & crispy deep fried) and the chipolte was full blown, but I found that the addition of the honey-bbq sauce in the mix was enough to blend the tastes without being overpowered by any one flavour or without being overly hot, spicy or sweet. This is a burger I would highly recommend and will be on my plate again sometime soon!  Great recommendation Victoria!