"Grape D-Vine" - PEI Burger Love - 2018 - Part 5

Final weekend of PEI Burger Love, after being away for two weeks of the month I was feeling a little guilty that we hadn't gotten to try as many burgers as we normally do.The plan was to remedy this injustice over the next couple of days.

We set out Saturday to try a few that we had been hearing good things about during the month. Thankfully we split them and don't order a side. Even so, eating several half burgers over the course of 6 hrs is a task on itself.

We decided to make the trek to Charlottetown to try a couple but on route we stopped at Family & Friends restaurant in Kensington to try the "Grape D-Vine", the reviews were really good so we wanted to try it too.

The burger consists of: 6 oz Balsamic-glazed Island Beef Patty, Feta Cheese, Smoked Gouda, Bacon, Roasted Garlic Aioli, Caramelized Onion, Candied Walnut, Housemade Quick Dilly Pickles, Crispy Pita Strips, Red Grape Slices on a Toasted Potato Scallion Bun, topped with a Crispy Pita Chip, Cucumber and a Red Grape.

I'll admit seeing cut up grapes on the burger kinda freaked me out a bit at first but after that first bite I was sold. Burger was seasoned well and juicy, the smokey flavour of the gouda and roaster aioli offset the sweetness of the grapes. The candies walnuts were a nice touch.

Definitely near the top of the list for this years burger love.  

Rating - 9/10

If someone says putting fruit on a burger is crazy they might be right but still tastes pretty good. Family & Friends in Kensington @PEIBurgerLove entry "Grape D-Vine" is great. #PEIburgerlove pic.twitter.com/bnZPQqGUjn

— Rod Gallant (@Rod_Gallant) April 28, 2018

"Beauty-n-the-Beef" - PEI Burger Love 2017 - Part 9

Stop #9 of the 2017 Burger Love tour.

So after a couple of weeks away from little 'ol PEI it was time to get back into some burger love action.

It was a friends birthday this past Wednesday (26th), and another friend does trivia at a pub near their house so it was an easy decision to check out "Beauty-n-the-Beef" at Friends & Family in Kensington.

Their burger was made up of a 6 oz Island Beef Patty with Pepsi-Glaze, Roasted Garlic Cream Cheese & Caramelized Onion Spread, Arugula, Dill Pickle Slices, Apple Matchsticks, Havarti, house-made Bacon Jam, Roasted Red Peppers on a toasted Garlic Buttered Brioche Bun topped with Apple Petal & Cherry Tomato with Pickle Leaf.

A really good burger, even without bacon on it! The flavours really melded together well and the apple matchsticks added a nice sweetness to each bite.

Only a few days left and so many burgers.  Hope to be able to sample a few more before the end of the month.

Rating 8.5/10

Solid @PEIBurgerLove entry from Friends and Family restaurant in Kensington. Loved the apple slices. #PEIBurgerlove pic.twitter.com/TGeoKTOfZq

— Rod Gallant (@Rod_Gallant) April 27, 2017

"Life on Mars" - PEI Burger Love 2017 - Part 4

Stop #4 of the 2017 PEI Burger Love tour.

I don't even know where to start with this one. It is definitely unique, but based on their previous creations it wasn't a surprise. We had no intentions of stopping at the Frosty Treat but when we were driving by it didn't take much convincing for us to pull the car in. Boy am I glad we did. 

Such a crazy combination of ingredients, the Life on Mars included 5 oz Island Beef Patty, Bacon, Deep Fried Mars Bar, Caramel Sauce on Two Funnel Cakes and topped with a Sprinkle Vanilla Ice Cream Cone!! I know it sounds crazy but it works.

It's a tricky one to eat since the bun is funnel cake, yep cake! We had to use a fork and knife to deconstruct and eat it, but tried to get as many flavours with each bite as we could.  We all really, really liked this one.

The cake was nice a crispy on the outside and moist and full of flavour on the inside. The burger had that great, unique, dairy bar taste, plus the bacon (need I say more). Top it off with a deep fried mars bar drizzled in caramel sauce. Delicious.
   
Even if you don't try the burger, if you've never had a deep fried mars bar, I suggest stopping in and having one. So good.

It's early in the month but this burger takes the club house lead and suspect that it'll stay near the top of the list.

Rating 9/10

This may well have been the most ridiculous yet delicious @PEIBurgerLove I've ever eaten. "Life on Mars" from Frosty Treat. #PEIBurgerLove pic.twitter.com/NjYbluhzd8

— Rod Gallant (@Rod_Gallant) April 2, 2017

"Meat Me on Broadway" - PEI Burger Love 2017 - Part 3

Stop #3 of the 2017 PEI Burger Love tour. 

This was my first visit to Broadway 45 in Kensington. It's been open for less than a year but has already established a reputation as a great spot to eat. Very open concept with 20+ ft ceilings and an additional loft area with extra room for dining plus lounge chairs and couches if you wanted to enjoy a drink in front of the fireplace. We were seated in the loft area and it was a great spot to enjoy our meal.

Craft beer fans will also enjoy the variety of different brews on tap from several of PEI's microbreweries. I went with one of my favourites, Blueberry Ale from PEI Brewing Company. Friends with us went with the selection from Moth Lane Brewery.

Now to the burger, the "Meat Me on Broadway" consists of 4 oz Island Beef Patty, 2 oz Beef Tenderloin Medallion, 2 oz Braised Beef in Green Peppercorn Demi Glaze, Herb & Garlic Gouda, Green Tomato Salsa Spread, Bacon, Tomato, shredded Iceberg Lettuce, Grilled Onions, Grainy Dijon Mayo on a toasted Potato Scallion Bun topped with Pepperoncini Pepper.

A lot of ingredients but still easy to eat like a regular burger. Let me say that when you put 4 different kinds of meat on a burger you're starting off in the right column with me. The beef tenderloin medallion was tender and very tasty. Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of dijon or peppercorn and you could taste those flavours in every bite.

As far as price, it was $16 for the burger which is a bit on the high side. You have the option of adding a potato side for $3 or risotto for $6. Overall a pretty good burger but didn't have that "wow" factor. Had the sauce been something sweet like a BBQ or rib flavour I would have rated higher.

If you want an enjoyable dining experience in a great atmosphere check out Broadway 45 and if you like dijon and peppercorn, this burger will be one you will want to try.

Rating 7/10

Kensington Pit Stop - PEI Burger Love 2016 - Part 19 and 20

* Stop #19 and #20 of my 2016 Burger Love adventure.

The final week of Burger Love is always bitter sweet, so many great burgers and not near enough time.  Unless you are Dale Park, known as the "Queen of Burgers", she tries them all every year. That's 73 burgers this year.

It's a fun month to tour around with my wife and friends sampling the variety of burgers out there.

We decided to take a ride out to Kensington and check two off our list, The Home Place and Island Stone Pub.

First stop was the Home Place for the "Apple Orchid" consisting of a 6oz Island Beef Patty, Horseradish Roasted Garlic Aioli, Maple Bacon Apple Chutney, Frizzled Onions, Applewood Cheddar Sauce, and Fresh Spinach on a Toasted Brioche Bun, garnished with a Caramel Apple Slice. We were expecting good things as their burger last year, "Cabbage Patch", was one of our favourites and won the 2015 Burger Love title.

Overall a pretty good burger, but I think we were spoiled by just how much we liked the burger last year and this one wasn't quite as good.

Rating 7.5/10 

Thankfully eating only 1/2 a burger with no sides allows us to try a couple of burgers if we desire so we decided to move on to the Island Stone Pub for the "Sunday Roast". Their burger was made of 2 - 4oz Seasoned Island Beef Patties, Homemade Whipped Horseradish Cheese Sauce, Homemade Cabbage Slaw, and Homemade Carrot Ketchup on a Toasted and Buttered Potato Scallion Roll, topped with a Sticky Date Pudding Bite.

The pub in the old train station and is a great little spot, especially in the summer when they have a full patio outside right next to the Confederation Trail.

We'd heard good things about this one but I was a little apprehensive since most of the ingredients didn't resonate with me but boy was I wrong. It was a very tasty burger and the combination of flavours went very well together, plus the atmosphere there is great.

Rating 8.5/10

Run done, now time for @PEIBurgerLove, only a few days left. Home Place and Island Stone Pub. #peiburgerlove pic.twitter.com/UE62dSsoeH

— Rod Gallant (@Rod_Gallant) April 28, 2016

"Triple S" - PEI Burger Love 2016 - Part 6

* Stop #6 of my 2016 Burger Love adventure. 

What would a Sunday afternoon in April be without some PEI Burger Love? Today's stop was the Family and Friends Restaurant in Kensington.

Their burger, "Triple S" (sweet, smokey, spicy), consisted of a 6oz Island Beef Patty, Smoky Blueberry Root Beer BBQ Sauce, Chipotle Crunchy Mustard, Frisee & Arugula Lettuce, Smoked Bacon, Onion & Red Pepper Gouda, Strawberry Slices, Dill Pickle, Tomato, and Caramelized Onion on a Pretzel Bun, garnished with Strawberry and Pickle Slice. 

We had circled this one as one we wanted to try as soon as the list came out as we both love strawberries and wanted to see how the combination would play out. At first bite we were certainly glad we did.

The Triple S flavours went very well together and the pretzel bun (my favourite) was an added bonus. Really liked the smokey BBQ sauce combined with the sweetness of the strawberries. The burger was seasoned well and cooked to perfection.

This one was definitely one of our favourites so far.

Rating - 8.5/10

Another @PEIBurgerLove in the books, "Triple S" from Family & Friends in Kensington. Really tasty 🍔. #peiburgerlove pic.twitter.com/SkCjylXY7n

— Rod Gallant (@Rod_Gallant) April 17, 2016

"The Cabbage Patch" - PEI Burger Love - Part 7

* Stop #7 of my Burger Love adventure.

Our next stop on the Burger Love tour took us to "The Home Place" in Kensington.

The "Cabbage Patch" consisted of 6oz. Island beef charbroiled, homemade barbonaise sauce, romaine lettuce, homemade cream cheese pesto, grilled pear slices, beer braised red cabbage with bacon and red onions, and kettle chips on a grilled onion bun, garnished with dill & cherry tomato.

All kinds of sensations for the taste buds with this one. An assortment of flavours that have you enjoying this burger right to the last bite. The slight tartness of the beer braised cabbage is offset nicely by the sweetness of the grilled pear and barbonaise sauce.

The burger was cooked to perfection and the addition of crisp bacon and kettle chips added a bit of crunch. I suspect the "Cabbage Patch" will be among the contenders for the title at the end of the month.


Rating - 9/10

"The Cabbage Patch" - Home Place