Marion Street Eatery: 4.3/5

Certified Angus Beef Burger

Score: 4.3

Platter: $12.75

The Marion Street Eatery caught Burger Club's attention with their “Tickle My Pickle” entry for #LeBurgerWeek 2014. The big, beautiful patio at 393 Marion St was calling and the sun beamed down for our visit in June.

They don’t take reservations, but we got there early for lunch and were lucky to find four open tables. A steady stream of customers quickly filled up the patio and overflowed into the comfortable indoor seating.

The service at Marion Street Eatery can’t be beat starting with front-of-the-house manager, Ellissa, who greeted us at the door, got us settled in and found a moment to introduce me to Laneil, whose family owns the hotel, and her restaurateur-partner Chef Melissa - creator of the menu and plating in the kitchen today. Friendly and fun Chelsea did a great job serving our large group on what turned out to be a very busy lunch hour.

There are five burgers on the menu, but at Burger Club we’re all about the beef so had the Certified Angus Burger. It’s their only beefy stack, but comes standard with bacon, cheddar and mushrooms, so really, what other options do you need? We tried all the sides, except, strangely, the Poutine that they’re known for.

The burgers were served bun-open in a sumptuous display of ingredients. A generous portion of cheddar cheese, two full slices of criss-crossing bacon and a little heap of fresh, sautéed, mushrooms crowned the large patty on the hot side. Bright red, ripe tomatoes on a bed of fresh green leaf lettuce waited to be brought together on the cold side.

Brian wrote “Great burger, the patty was moist but not too juicy. Bun was soft and fresh and held up while eating. Toppings were fresh and the cheese and bacon very noticeable.” Dani agreed “Big patty, big bun. A very enjoyable burger.” Chris commented “Awesome burger, bacon was nice and smokey. The roasted garlic aioli sauce was fantastic.” *Everyone* raved about how good the garlic sauce was.

There were differing opinions on the Kaiser bun. Like Goldilocks, some thought it too small, some too large and some said it was just right. Cary scrawled “It would be PERFECT if they replaced the soft Kaiser bun with something a little sturdier.”

Chris exclaimed “Fries are the best I've had in the city.” Karen was happy with her upgrade “Sweet potato fries were crispy on the outside, soft and yummy on the inside. Nice garlic dip.” Stan had “potato wedges for my side and they were nicely spiced.”

Nelson’s bun bottom was bigger that his top which caused him to break into song:

I was just a skinny lad.
Never knew no good from bad.
You make the rockin' world go 'round
It's a fat bottom burger....
lettuce all hang out.

Ooh yeah, them fat bottomed burgers

Fat bottomed burgers, yeah, yeah, yeah
Fat bottomed burgers, yes, yes.