So Toronto officially has an obsession with the griddle burger. Everyone was shocked (or perhaps just intrigued) that The Burgers Priest (a hole in the wall burger place in the East End on Queen Street) was ranked as one of the top restaurants in Toronto. I didn’t disagree. Their inventive, finger licking good food has developed somewhat of a cult following. It’s that place you want to take family and friends who have never been. You want to watch them take the first bite and then laugh when their eyes bulge out of their faces.
So when I heard about Holy Chuck Burger at St. Clair I decided to invite a friend and take the trip to Midtown to see what all the hub-a-balloo was all about. There seem to be two camps of thought here. The staunch Burgers Priest supporters (cult worshipers) comment that their initial offering was a total rip off of the Priest with a few additions here or there. Another camp actually prefers Holy Chuck Burger (these people speak to you in a more relaxed manner with less rage in their eyes).
Holy Chuck Burger has created a bit of a following of its own (read: Chuck Cult). They promote morbid obesity as a sport. The restaurants wall features a huge board of winners and losers of their “Holy Chuck Challenge,” which dares diners to finish a Go Chuck Yourself Burger with any of their Specialty Milkshakes in under six minutes. Important to mention the Go Chuck Yourself Burger is made up of: six beef patties, six slices of cheese, triple bacon, caramelized onions stacked between three grilled cheese sandwiches. The specialty milkshakes menu reads: Foie Gras and Truffle Oil, Wasabi Green Onion and Fresh Ginger and Nutella and Salted Caramel. I actually walked into the restaurant as a morbidly obese gentleman was racing against the clock to stuff his face with a massive burger (although it seemed his real challenge was sucking his milkshake from a straw). There is nothing more nauseating than watching someone pound food into their mouths as if they are some sort of rabid wolf. The crowd (and there was one) cheered him on as a staffer counted down the clock. The man lost the challenge and looked like he was going to fall into a coma afterwards.
I was next in line so quickly tried to erase that entire ordeal from my mind while making what I thought was a much healthier decision. Rather than declaring my favourite I would like to encourage an open discussion. So what’s your favourite? Burgers Priest or Holy Chuck Burger? And WHY?
Bacon, Fudge and Sea Salt Shake
The Holy Chuck
bacon double cheeseburger and caramelized onions
The Mad Cow
The Animal Feed (panko crusted portobello mushrooms stuffed with feta and cream cheese deep fried and topped with herbed aioli) and a jr cheeseburger
Holy Chuck Fries
fries with bacon, double cheese and topped with beer and chocolate chili
Holy Chuck since I find the patty more flavorful (beef-y taste), their fries are def better tahn BP and love tehir shakes
Amazing!