REVIEW- Holy Grill

Holy Grill
827 10th Avenue SW

The Burger
Just around the corner from Bumpy's, who serve Calgary's best espresso, is Holy Grill, a great little place that makes a strong case for the same title in the burger department. You order your burger at the counter (like fast food), you pick up your burger at the counter (like fast food), but believe me - this is not fast food. Both in food quality and time spent salivating over the prospect of a juicy (two patty - its the minimum) burger, Holy Grill more closely resembles a sit-down restaurant than anything else, and the atmosphere upholds this standard as well. A vaulted ceiling, and wonderful artwork make this restaurant, in which seating is hard to come by and passionately fought over, seem big and bright. And when your name is FINALLY called, you are in for a treat. Each Holy Grill burger comes with two patties, and considering their thickness, this is a necessity. Though thin, they are exceptionally cooked and extremely flavourful. With a slice of cheese in between, large chunks of crisp red onion, mustard and a ripe tomato slice, the basic Holy Grill burger is divine, with add-ons including bacon, barbecue sauce and the like just adding to the experience. The bun is fresh and hearty; on par with any I've had in Calgary and a great final touch to one of the best overall burgers in town. Everyone raves about the grilled paninis at Holy Grill, and the fact that I haven't been able to pull myself away from charbroiled near-perfection to try one attests to how good these burgers are. A must-try.
8.9

French Fries and Sweet Potato chips
These fries are fresh-tasting and lean more towards mealy than crispy (a plus in my books). The sweet potato chips, on the other hand, were disappointing. Tough and leathery, they didn't hold a candle to the sweet potato creations you can get at, say, Tubby Dog.

Price
Very reasonable, especially if you get just the burger (no combos here, and water is free!). Even with fries, you can spend less than $10.
$$

REVIEW- Cadence

Cadence
6407 Bowness Road NW

The Burger
This past Sunday, I stopped by Cadence for the first time, and managed to maneuver my way through about a hundred cyclists (the place was overrun with them, as I'm guessing is often the case on weekends) to a table. The atmosphere is a real mix between classic diner (vinyl chairs and shiny, chrome-trimmed tables) and coffee house (orders are placed at the counter, and java is the sole intent of many who enter), and as such, I was not too sure what to expect from their burgers. Diners, on one hand, traditionally have some of the best burgers, while coffee houses... not so much. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. A thick and juicy patty, accompanied by a melty slice of real cheddar cheese and expertly-done bacon (just the right amount of crispy). Whole leaf lettuce and a good* slice of tomato added to the burger nicely, but its strongest feature was the bun.

*You will learn, as more of my reviews are posted, that the tomato is a total deal breaker for me; if it's ripe, red, juicy and flavourful, it can add greatly to the burger, but if it's green and hard, the burger is surely doomed.

Whole wheat and almost certainly freshly baked that day, with nuts and seeds that added a wonderful texture, this was one of the better hamburger buns I've had. And bun quality should not be underestimated. All in all, a very good burger I would certainly order again, although perhaps not on my very next visit, as they had some grilled sandwiches and wraps which looked mighty tasty! 8.5

"Home Fries"
These were in no way french fries, but instead were hashbrown-like, large potato chunks not unlike those served at the many Nellie's breakfast places around Calgary. They were better than Nellie's (which isn't difficult, as I find Nellie's hashbrowns to be their weak point), and added nicely to the meal as a whole.

Coffee
Cadence reps their coffee as being "superfine". It was. The Oso Negro dark roast (grown organically in Nelson, BC) I had was one of the best (2! free refills!) cups of coffee I have had in a long time - highly recommended.

Price
Reasonable, considering the diner-like atmosphere and set-up. $$

Burgerduction

Hey guys,

Here's the lowdown. Burgers are wonderful culinary miracles as far as I'm concerned, and I'm on a quest to find the best one here in Calgary. Mostly this blog will be a place for me to post reviews of burger joints in Calgary, and for you to throw in your two cents (just try and avoid talking with your mouth full...).

• Any place that serves burgers in Calgary is fair game; fast food chains, independent burger joints, and sit-down restaurant chains will be included - if they have a burger worth mentioning, that is.
• I will first and foremost review the burger at each restaurant reviewed - that's what we're all here for anyway - but I will likely throw in my opinion of other noteworthy items I tried, like fries or maybe a milkshake on occasion. All reviews will be on a 10 point scale.
  
• Besides telling you how the food tasted, I will give an approximate indication of price. If the featured burger, plus a side and a drink (often in a combo) will run you under $8, this will be indicated as $, $8-$12 will be $$, and $12+ will be $$$.

Thats pretty much it, guys! I've obviously been to many of Calgary's fine burger joints so far, but I want to revisit each restaurant before I post a review, so that the experience will be fresh in my mind. We'll start with a couple reviews and grow from there! Here's hoping this will be a burgertastic summer, and that you'll be along for the ride!!

Steve