Seven Burgers and Lies

When seven Wolfies (as we’re affectionately known) boldly stepped into Five Guys Burgers and Fries, we did so with high expectations. If word around town was to be believed, we were about to experience one of the best burgers in the lower mainland. We had been giddy with anticipation all morning, punctuated by the occasional bout of euphoric screaming in the office.

The ambiance was certainly promising; the entire restaurant had a charming fifties burger joint feel, with white and red the only colors visible. The burger chefs were similarly adorned, and friendly. Fellow ‘burger researcher’ Greg had called ahead to reserve space for all seven of us, and the chief cook was kind enough to have a table prepared for us. In addition to complimentary beverages, we also sat down to peanuts in the shell as appetizers. Nice.

We ordered the Cheeseburger with ‘the works’, all the standard burger toppings including mushrooms. With the hunger at the table palpable as the freshly made burgers arrived, we collectively tore off our foil wrappers and went to work.

Opinion was mixed on the finished product. We agreed that the size was ideal and the ingredients were very fresh. This contrasted nicely with a burger patty possessing just the right amount of grease to create a satisfying feeling of sloppiness.

Views on the bun were polarized; some felt its soft, squishy feel was ideal in a burger, others used the descriptor ‘soggy’. There was also debate on the onions; some preferred the sliced style presented here, while others yearned for the chopped variety.

An agreed upon weakness was the cheese. So defining to a fantastic cheeseburger, the cheddar cheese had a flat, processed taste that didn’t provide the top note of flavor a few of us were yearning for.

In the end, the burger finished with an average score of 6.85 out of 10. If you’re hunting for a simple, sloppy burger with fresh ingredients presented in a fun setting, Five Guys Burgers and Fries is for you.

Heinrich - Foodie and Burger Specialist

Check out the video of the burger review:

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

Heinrich will have the review of Five Guys Burgers and Fries up on Monday. Heinrich is the true foodie on the panel and I expect the review to be shocking and contentious. Stay tuned.............

Greg - Burger Researcher

The Waiting Game...

So, since this is, without question, pretty serious business, we felt that we needed to make it more official. What better way to make something official than with business cards?! We got a great deal on these ones from VistaPrint so we decided it was well worth the shipping costs to legitimize this outfit.

Now we play the waiting game...

...Awww the waiting game sucks... let's play Hungry Hungry Hippos!

-Erin - Wolfgang Burger Connoisseur

UPDATE: The cards are in as of the 2nd of March! Now it's officially official: We're Official.

Burgers Etc. and Etc.

First up on our burger adventure was Burgers Etc.  A relatively new burger joint on Hastings in Burnaby with a burger voted "Best Burger in the Lower Mainland" by CTV news.

As it was our first place we probably made a few mistakes (no problem with going back to re-assess at a later date), notably showing up at lunch time trying to find seats for 7 people all in one place.  As it was a fairly small place we had to split the group up.  That being said I think we were pretty consistent for being seated at different tables.  No group-think phenomenon (or double group-think...hmm...)

We all ordered the Chargrilled Burger with cheddar cheese.  Overall it was a good burger and everyone agreed on that.  I tend to be a harsh critic so my rankings will consistently be lower than the average - good thing we're not judging figure skating and throwing out the top and bottom marks or mine would probably never count.  If I am asked to rank a burger 10 will have to be the BEST burger I have EVER eaten and a 5 would be an average good burger. (I'll defend my ranking, I think there should be a distinct difference between each number, not all burgers can get 7's!)

Some of the good feedback on the burger:
Good Bun, the proportions were good, size of the meat to bun ratio was good, the vegetables were crisp, and it had a good char on it.

Some of the bad feedback on the burger:
Not a great bun, the onion was overly powerful, needed more grease or a greasy aspect, the burger was too flat and wide (needed to be thicker and smaller), the tomatoes were tasteless and the meat was really nothing more than just meat (ie: not really seasoned in any way, not spicy or spiced)

So some conflicting reviews.  Basically it was a pretty good burger.  Had I been allowed to SMOTHER it with onions and mushrooms and cheese it would probably have received a higher rating from me.

So overall, with all 7 of us there, Burgers Etc. got a 7.14/10 rating from us.  Pretty darn good burger.

And I know were not rating sides here but the Macaroni salad was pretty awesome.

You can check out Burgers Etc here: http://www.burgers-etc.com/

-Erin - Wolfgang Burger Connoisseur

How it Works

Every Friday at 12 noon the office staff at Wolfgang is meeting at a specified burger joint to evaluate a burger with cheese. The evaluation is easy. On a rating of 1 to 10, how would you rate the burger? We will be reporting our findings here. You can checkout the rules on the "Rules Page" of the Blog. You can join us at any Wolfgang Burger Friday and make your opinion count!

Wolfgang Burger Fridays Prelude

We are at an epic moment in Wolfgang's history! Using the brain trust of Wolfgang Commercial Painters, we are embarking on the most aggressive research to-date. If done right, we may influence every man, woman and child in the Lower Mainland. As only the Wolfgang team can, we will resolve beyond a reasonable doubt "who makes the best burger in the Lower Mainland".

Greg

Researcher - Wolfgang Burger Division