Fatboy
$4.20 ($4.75 with taxes)
Score:
3.8
Bacon Cheeseburger
$5.10 ($5.75 with taxes)
Score:
4.2
This week Burger Club visited a hidden-in-plain-view burger gem in the North End. It’s red and white striped, right on Main Street and has a festive sign over the window proclaiming itself as Angelo’s Chip Shop. How could I have missed it?
Two weeks ago I walked in and was greeted by Angelo like a long lost friend even though we'd never met. I took one look at the burger patty covered grill, and the stools lined up along the counter across from the stainless steel milkshake machine, and I knew Burger Club had to dine here!
On Tuesday I called to let them know we were coming, and when we arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to see three booths set aside for our group. That's more than half the restaurant! Geoff remarked “
The restaurant is one of those places you can drive by dozens of times without noticing, but once inside, it's memorable. An old school style diner.”
We got there early and beat the rush, but by the time we left people were waiting for our tables. Angelo greeted each of us as we came in, his wife Susan took our orders, and his mom Helen made sure the tables were all set up and clean and we had everything we needed. It’s truly a family restaurant! Angelo’s father, John, opened the diner as the North End Chip Shop in 1974 but later renamed it to Angelo’s. Angelo has been running it since 1990. John is still a regular visitor at supper time.
When taking my order, Susan made sure she got my burger specifications right and there were no misunderstandings. She looked me in the eye and said “
Do you want relish?”A burger is a personal experience and everyone likes theirs differently.
As I was ordering and trying to decide if it was a single or double patty day, my gaze took in the grill that was already loaded up with patties. I could see they were thin, so a double it was! It was only $6.20 (the $7 menu price includes taxes), so why *wouldn't* you order a double, bacon cheeseburger? The best part of the patty is the grill seared crust and with a double, your patty has four sides!
April commented “
My burger was served within a few minutes of ordering. Accommodating my needs of removing stuff from the burger (pickles, chili, relish, onion) didn't faze them.“ A thin patty cooks fast, and the food came out quickly. Angelo and his family are on top of their game when it comes to service! Angelo's mom made me feel like I was in my own mother’s kitchen and brought me a wet wipe when she noticed I was covered from head to toe in chili. I loved the chili, and with fried onions too - that's my kind of burger! Russ wrote “
Nicely flavoured beef.“
Dani liked it too: “
Bacon tasted nice, light and smoky. Patty was nicely spiced, very flavourful.” My double had a big slice of processed cheese between the patties and two full slices of bacon making an “X marks the spot” so I knew where to dig in! I thought the Kaiser bun was perfect - soft, right-sized, and held together to the last bite. The crust was slightly elastic – it absorbed all the handling without crumbling. The buns are from City Bread and Angelo told me when he picks them up in the morning, still warm from the oven, sometimes he can't help but eat one right out of the bag.
The Fat Boy was loaded with fresh produce, and if you'd like to get a good taste of the beef too, make it a double for only $5.30. Brian noted on his review slip “
Burger thin but tasty, crispy lettuce and tomatos.”
Dave wrote“
I am used to not being able to finish, but quantity of burger and fries was perfect.” Like
V.J.’s,
Dari-Wip,
Mrs. Mike's and
Burgerbend, Angelo’s has a chili sauce that makes the whole burger package come alive. Make sure you ask for chili!
When he brought out my double bacon cheeseburger, Angelo asked if I wanted fries. I said "
No thanks, I'm going to eat his" gesturing at my booth-mate Brian. When Brian's plate came Angelo pointed out that he'd heaped it up even more so I could have some too. The fries were fantastic - crispy on the outside, soft and hot on the inside. Nobody left wanting for fries. Cary said “
Chili fries good.” Esther wrote “
Nice buns! I was unable to finish my Poutine. The fries were really good too. Nice fresh ingredients. Did I mention the buns are great?”
Russ had the Poutine too: “
The fries are as good as they say. Great tracts of .. Poutine.” Dani had Poutine envy: “
Just got a gander at Russ' Poutine. It's a work of gravy slathered art!” Everybody seemed to really enjoy their fries and Geoff summed it up best “
The real prize here though, are the fries (with gravy). There's something about the oil they use, the temperature, or how long they cook for, but they nailed it at Angelo's. Worth coming back for indeed!”
The menu includes Triple and Quadruple Bypass Burgers as well as Flatliner Fries cooked in pure lard. Heart Attack Grill is also known for its nurses and spanking. If you don’t finish your burger, you get spanked.
When you enter you're greeted by nurses who put on a wristband and help you into your hospital gown. My bacon Christmas Tree t-shirt was met with squeals of delight from the nurse-hostess who immediately wanted a picture.
That was fine with me.
Our enthusiastic nurse-waitress Katya was lots of fun, and when asked, she said “it’s a B+ burger but people come for the atmosphere.” Yup.
I ordered a Single Bypass bacon chili burger that comes standard with five slices of bacon. The double has ten slices on it. Brett ordered the double because he wanted to make sure he couldn’t finish his. “I did not come to Vegas NOT to get spanked.“ Burgers taste even better with a milkshake, and in Las Vegas style they are made with Vodka – lots of it.
I had the vanilla ice-cream with whipped cream flavoured Vodka. I highly recommend it. Brett opted for the chocolate with bacon flavour. The shakes were large and came in their steel mixing cups and made me very happy before I was even halfway through. If you order wine, it comes in an IV bag.
We didn’t wait too long before our burgers were served in little check paper lined baskets. They were very handy for containing the inevitable fallout. The burgers were skewered with a toothpick so bonus points for assembly.
Brett commented the patty was “a bit gristly and not well seasoned, otherwise good!” We all liked the bacon as Jacques noted on his little review slip: “Bacon was thick and flavourful.”
The chili made up its own stratum in the burger; it was more sweet than spicy and added some nice texture and sloppiness. The fresh Kaiser bun was right-sized to the job. The burger was big, but of course you don't actually want to be able to finish it. I think Brett was looking forward to his impending spanking “Katya was worth every bite!”
Our waitress Katya clearly enjoyed this part and had a huge grin on her face as she stepped into her swing with a wooden paddle. Jacques wrote afterwards “Our waitress was a meanie” and “That proves it! I'm not into BDSM!”
