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| - First impressions are everything.
I walked in wondering what South St. could offer me that no other burger joint in Toronto could. In that spirit:
Counter Guy: "Hi!"
Me: "Hi! A friend told me to try this place. What are you guys all about?"
Counter Guy: "We do burgers."
Me: "I know. I read your sign." *
Counter Guy: We do beef, chicken and veggie burgers."
South St. is yet another entrant into the Toronto Patty Party, yet another hamburgerdasher offering a new twist on the same-old. If my first point of contact can't tell me why I should be dining there, then maybe I'm not missing anything. For a full account of my Counter Encounter and a deeper investigation of the South St. Niche, see the bottom of this review. I want to talk food first:
++ Food:
While not artfully assembled, the burger was tasty. I never realized until after I left how good the bun was. The patty was tasty, but its consistency and flavour reminded me of Harvey's to the point where I'm suspicious - are they affiliated?. I like Harvey's, but it's just Harvey's.
Toppings were fresh and tasty. I had run into some consternation at the topping bar while my burger was being dressed - the wide variety creates a path-dependency and with it a risk of painting oneself into a condiment corner via such a delicious-but-incompatible topping selection as wasabi mayo. I had my burger barista dole out the Dijon horseradish instead on the premise that it would play nice with the other toppings; my lettuce, tomato, cucumber and jalapenos appreciated the forethought.
Were this my restaurant, I'd offer more or different toppings. Also, I'd use spatulas for applying condiments instead of the kind of plastic knives that get busted out at a family barbeque.
I also had onion rings, which were delicious (though cold, as they were on my tray well before my burger was ready). They were made with red onions, and the batter had a nice half-crunch as well as a hint of rosemary. I want to have these again, but will insist on fresh, hot ones next time. My iced tea sucked, thanks to a Pepsi contract. Lipton Brisk is terrible.
++ Décor
I like this place. Dark tile floor, crisp and clean interior and a host of seating options. I went for the counter-and-stool combo facing Yonge Street and enjoyed the view (the windows are actually sliding doors for the summer!), but they also have high tables in the middle of the restaurant and some really cool-looking circular booths with comfy-looking seats that would be neat for groups.
++ The Counter Encounter
I asked for a beef burger, at which point I was quizzed on my bun preference (white or whole wheat) and desire to add cheese or bacon. I was prompted for sides with "Do you want fries or onion rings?" They don't do frings (a half-and-half fries/rings medley popularized, incidentally, by Harvey's in the early 1990s).
Notwithstanding my obvious ignorance of the restaurant's offerings, I was then asked "Do you want anything to drink?"** I opted for iced tea.
The rest of the staff were great, totally down with the fact that I needed a moment to confront the vast choices I found myself presented with at the topping bar. Not that it's a big deal, but it reinforced my belief that the staff weren't up to speed on the restaurant's "fancy toppings" concept when they kept calling the aioli "garlic mayo."
++ The South St. Niche (my take, from the website):
South St. Burger seeks to carve their niche in the fast-escalating urban burger battle by delivering a decent-quality patty, a smorgasbord of garnishes and condiments,*** and sides that come with the pedigree and parentage of the fast food industry's potato patriarch.
Spawned from New York Fries, South St. boasts of fries and onion rings second to none. Their fries are the hand-cut, skin-on NYF originals; their rings are made from red onions and dipped in a uniquely seasoned batter.
Besides choosing one of two buns, three patties and four cheeses (including goat, my lacto friends!), you'll have your say on 9 veggies (including green and black olives, cucumber, red onion and jalapenos), six mustards and ketchups (including Dijon and Dijon Horseradish) and seven other spreads such as wasabi mayo, guacamole, mango chutney and aioli.
Milkshakes, I'm advised, are made from scratch with hand-scooped premium ice cream. I'd have tried one had it been suggested to me, and will try one next time for sure.
______________
* OK, I didn't actually say that. But I wanted to. Instead, I looked at Counter Guy until he provided a slightly more fulsome response.
** This would have been a great opportunity to upsell me on a milkshake with something like "Our milkshakes are made from hand-scooped premium ice cream. Would you like to try one?" or even "Our milkshakes bring all the boys to the yard."
*** I submit that the difference between a garnish and a condiment is spreadability. You can't spread a garnish, but you can spread a condiment.
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