Maw's Eatery (closed): 4/5

Cheeseburger
Score: 3.9
Platter: $12



Charlie Sheen
Score: 4.0
Platter: $16

Burger Club spans a wide demographic with some of us remembering Maw’s as the Old, Old Spaghetti Factory and some more recently as Sound Republic. The bartender, Cody, said her dad used to win the limbo competition every week when it was Brandy’s. The restaurant at 111 Princess is named after the pioneering building – Maw’s Garage - built around the turn of the century. The other end of the original Maw’s Garage extends to King St. next to the King’s Head.

Maw's Eatery and Beer Hall, a.k.a. Maw’s Garage, has two personas. The eatery side offers a seating style for any mood. There are tall chairs in front of big, bright windows, short chairs and a high backed bench along one wall, and couches and coffee tables centered in front of the stage or tucked away in a cozy nook. You can also sit at the bar. It’s a high, roomy space with heavy wooden pallets suspended from the ceiling. An area for smaller performances is backed by curio cabinets with the stage defined by a rug and microphone stand. It’s a very welcoming, comfortable atmosphere. The beer hall was empty at lunch time today, but on weekends it’s a large music venue complete with a long bar and balcony overlooking the stage and hall. Between the two sides, there are shows every day.

When we arrived they didn't seem to have our reservation, but were very quick to set us up comfortably together. Our waitress, Amy, was fast and cheerful, happily answered all our questions and took a couple of group pictures. She was on top of our drinks and the food didn’t take long.

Meals were served on a variety of large plates and platters – some right out of Maw’s china cabinet. Except for Dani’s – she opted for no side and her sandwich came in a bowl. The burgers were a bit of an optical illusion – the tiny homemade brioche bun perched on top of the double Charlie Sheen made the assembly look small – but it wasn’t. The two patties were thick, juicy and flavourful - nobody left hungry.

My Charlie Sheen came with two perfectly cooked slices of bacon lolling off the side and way more burger than bun. I ate it like an ice-cream cone – nibbling my way around the patties before reaching the bun.

Those that tried eating it by picking it up with both hands and digging in found themselves juggling a handful of meat – the patty quickly fell apart with the bun containment overwhelmed. Russ said it best: “Like Sheen himself this burger was an exciting mess, when pressed it fell apart completely.”

Brian reviewed: “The burger arrived, stacked high with cheese, and bacon clearly visible.  Also immediately noticeable was the size of the bun, small compared to the beef patties jutting out in all directions.  The beef was seasoned well, though a little greasy, the bacon was cooked fresh and the cheese portion was generous.  The other condiments where almost invisible, and that was a great disappointment.  There was supposed to be a jalapeno relish, promising a little heat, that didn’t materialize.  Overall a good burger, but it was missing the promised heat, and a little pricy.”

Karen had the single cheeseburger and scribbled “The burger looked a little small, however proved to be just right in portion size. The patty was good quality beef, dense and finely ground. Simple ingredients were nice. Nothing in condiments distinguished it in flavour.”

The flavour of this stack was all about the beef patties. Esther ranted “Burger was good but menu said pickles and it was relish. They are not the same thing!” I couldn’t discern the jalapeño relish either and there seemed to be prepared mustard on mine. The leafy bed of spinach wasn’t mentioned on the menu. I don’t remember having spinach on a burger before and it worked quite well in flavour and grip.

Staying on theme, Stephanie tweeted on her rating slip “Eating the Charlie Sheen at Maws #winning”. Mike wrote “Burger-to-bun ratio was a bit off (too much meat). The taste of the burger and bacon was good. Couldn't detect any tiger's blood though!”

Everyone enjoyed the crispy fries, the only gripe - they were too short to dip into the little jar of ketchup – we really are a critical bunch! Cary had the Sexy Fries – they looked spectacular with their pizza topping. He said they were “interesting.” Cary didn’t share so we have to take his word for it.

Karen and I opted for the tomato soup side – it was creamy, and thick enough to spread on toast - with a delicate, fresh tomato flavour. It came served in the bottom of a mostly empty soup cup that left me wanting more. The dollop of soup was a $1.77 add-on to my $16 Charlie Sheen burger. Karen wrote “I started with the tomato soup with crunchy croutons. It was very tasty and the crunch of the croutons complimented nicely.”