Date Visited: Lunch on Saturday Sept 28, 2013
Company: Casual outing for a meal nearby with +Lilian, +Will, and his brother.
+Lilian and I had just come up from Oshawa, and were going to meet up with +Will and his brother for lunch near his place before heading out for our separate plans in the afternoon. We had originally planned to get Thai, but +Will wasn't exactly sure where the restaurant was located so ended up wandering and finding out that it was closed. We were at Church and Front so I suggested Great Burger Kitchen for lunch. I had only gone once before, late at night after St Patty's Day and really enjoyed their poutine, so I wanted to try it again to see if it was as good as I thought it was.
GBK is a promoter of organic and locally sourced food, the beef they use is also from naturally raised cows in Ontario. Their prices are pretty decent considering this. They have a range of different burgers and poutines to satisfy anyone's preferences. For me, all of options looked delicious. Their menu is right on the wall beside where you order in large font which makes things easy for customers to read, but not so much decide what they want. They also offer a Burger/Poutine of the Day which is written on a blackboard below the menu and outside the restaurant that always looks appealing every time I walk by.
After we placed our orders at the counter, we found a booth to sit at. The restaurant isn't huge but it has enough space as only about 1 out of 5 tables has been occupied both times I've been here. Ours orders were made at a reasonable time by the one server at the counter, and we were called up one by one for our various foods. I ordered the Greek Burger with Feta, Tomato, Red Onion, and Tzatsiki. The bun was grilled lightly and the patty was cooked perfectly, it was just a classic and simple burger (with Greek toppings). The burger tasted great and the toppings were refreshingly fresh. In addition to the burger, we also got poutines to share. We got the Mexican Poutine with Salsa, Cheddar, Guacamole, & Sour Cream. This was basically having nachos, but with fries instead of chips. +Lilian pointed out that this was probably the healthiest poutine ever... due to the lack of gravy. There was a nice surplus of toppings for the fries but they still remained crispy. We also got the Poutine of the Day which had Bacon, Jalapeno, Salsa, & Cheddar. This was somewhat similar to the Mexican Poutine but with more of a kick of flavour. Both were good, but I probably wouldn't get them again in the future, need some sauciness to the poutine IMO.
Overall, this is a great place to come if you want something more than just a fast food burger, and are willing to spend a bit more time and money. I think it's still a great deal for what you're getting here because it's definitely cheaper than going to a sit-down restaurant. It supports the local farming culture and you can tell that a lot of work as gone into making your food for such a small place.
Food: 4/5 - Fresh, natural, and organic! Delicious AND you don't feel as bad eating it.
Decor: 3.5/5 - Small but local favourite feel to the place.
Service: 3/5 - Good wait time.
Willingness to come back: 5/5 - I'm totally a fan of GBK, definitely would come back! So much more to try.
Overall: 4/5
Website: http://greatburger.ca/
Date Visited: Late lunch on Sunday Oct 6, 2013
Company: Grabbed a meal with +Will after he dropped me off in Oshawa.
I got a ride from Will back to Oshawa after the weekend and we decided to grab some lunch before he started making his way back to Toronto. I looked up on my phone to see what kind of places we could go on a Sunday and decided on Stuttering Johns. I wasn't actually sure if it was open but knew that Buster Rhino's was nearby enough to be our backup plan. We arrived in downtown Oshawa, parked right in front of Stuttering Johns and of course it's closed. We made our way up the street to Buster Rhino's, a similar type of restaurant, known for its Southern BBQ. It was about mid-afternoon so the place wasn't very full but about 4 tables were taken, we grabbed a seat near the back where football was playing on the big screen. The restaurant is very spacious with ample walking room between the tables. There were some people working on some construction near the back in a separate room... maybe an expansion?
There were paper menus already on our tables so we checked out our options as it was our first times there. The menu was simple and helpful, advising some favorite dishes and providing 'combo' options that come with a side and drink. They had all the classic BBQ items and sides but at reasonable prices ($9.50 for a sandwich combo!). I went for the Beef Brisket Sandwich with Onion Rings (Staff Favourite) while +Will went for the Pulled Pork Sandwich with Fries (Most Popular).
I also ordered a Chocolate Milk with my meal as it comes with a drink but it tasted a bit skunky and the waitress was very nice in returning it for a water upon my request and taking it off my bill (even though it didn't make much of a difference in the price!). Our orders arrived and were very hot off what they came from. The Beef Brisket was smoky and had great tenderness, it was simple (beef on a bun) but delicious. The Pulled Pork also was an excellent choice and I can see why it's so popular, it's sweet and packed with meat. The onion rings were a bit on the greasy side but it's expected as they were pretty thick. The fries and onion rings were also coated with a lot of salt which made them very addicting. We were extremely stuffed and satisfied with our meals afterwards, hit the spot!
I really like how Buster's has their own special events and keeps customers updated on what's going on in each of the restaurants. I follow them on FB and Twitter now and they're very active in informing people of promotions, deals, and events they have. It's refreshing to see!
Food: 3.5/5 - Authentic southern BBQ at great prices!
Service: 4/5 - Genuine waitress with great attitude and care for the customers, loved the service.
Decor: 3.5/5 - A bit too spacious but nicely lit and good space.
Willingness to come back: 3.5/5 - Have to try their famous ribs!
Overall: 3.5/5
Website: http://www.busterrhinos.com/
Date Visited: Dinner on Saturday Oct 5, 2013
Company: Group of 9 getting drinks and food before a night out.
When I saw that Ein-steins was in the area that I was looking for a restaurant for a get-together with friends, I instantly chose it this shady, but popular student bar. I prefer dives over classy restaurants and Ein-steins definitely has a reputation for a lack of cleanliness and extremely cheap prices for good food and drinks. I had walked by before while in the U of T area and my friend had recommended it to me if I was around again as it's a classic student hangout. Thus, when I had a chance to experience some nostalgia for my student days at Waterloo, I couldn't say no.
+Will and I were the first ones there, so we entered the basement restaurant to find a table for all of us. Walking around the place, they had many large tables for groups, couches for lounging and pool tables at the back. It's not very large but we found a few empty tables as it was 6PM on a Saturday night. 'Dingy' is the perfect word to describe this place, the tables were sticky, students who probably spend the whole day studying and hadn't showered in days populated the area, and very low-lighting all around.
When the whole group arrived, we all ordered food and drinks. We couldn't resist the $10 Einstein pitchers, where else could you get a deal like that? I also got a single order (10 pcs) of Hot & Honey Garlic Wings with Fries. Ein-steins is infamous for their wings, rated one of the top in Toronto, so I had to see what the hype was about. The service was really lacking the whole time we were there, we had to ask the bar for menus and always had to wave our waitress down to take orders for food and drinks. The hockey game was on a small screen near us so we entertained ourselves by taking bets with each other, for and against the Leafs.
Just being in the environment, I couldn't blame anyone for being sketched out with having their food by judging the surroundings. There was a bit of nervousness on my part to see how the food would be. When our orders started coming not too shortly after, everything looked extremely delicious and appetizing. I also got an extra basket of fries because I didn't get very many on my plate. The wings were very savoury and delicious. They were a hefty size and drenched in sauce. The Honey Garlic was my favourite of the two. The Hot was very saucy as well (which is a little weird) and not as spicy as I thought. They didn't have Medium for some reason which is my preferred spice level. I also tried +Brian's Cajun wings and they were uniquely spiced, I really enjoyed the flavour. The veggies came with blue cheese dip which I usually hate but I actually enjoyed it this time, as it wasn't too pungent. The fries were so addicting, I could not stop eating them.
Overall, this is a great place if you don't have any expectations for the night except getting good food and cheap drinks. It probably wasn't the best place for a large group of friends as some people aren't comfortable with sketchy bars. It was definitely more dirty than I had expected but the substances made up for the appeal.
Food: 4/5 - Yummy cheap eats, wings were great but not the best I've had.
Service: .5/5 - Horrific, I'm surprised they even acknowledged us when we called them.
Decor: 1/5 - DINGY & student loungey.
Willingness to come back: 3.5/5 - Like I said, I love dives. So if I'm in the area, I'll definitely be back... as long as I'm with the right people.
Overall: 2.5/5
Website: http://www.ein-stein.ca/
Overall, this is a great place to come if you want something more than just a fast food burger, and are willing to spend a bit more time and money. I think it's still a great deal for what you're getting here because it's definitely cheaper than going to a sit-down restaurant. It supports the local farming culture and you can tell that a lot of work as gone into making your food for such a small place.
