The Excalibur

Name of Burger: The Excalibur

Establishment:

The Pilot House- Charlottetown

Size: Single 6 oz

Toppings:
100% Island Beef
Brew Braised Onions,
Maple Smoked Bacon,
Gouda Cheese,
Tomatoes
Lettuce
Pretzel Bun
Cracked Peppercorn Onion Rings.


Price: $13.99

Rating: 2 out of 10 my belly hurts

Comments:
I guess when I started this blog I knew the day would come where I'd have to be hard on a burger. Well that day has arrived. This was pretty bad. "It's not all rainbows and unicorns" (Thanks Steven)  Good onion rings and pretzel bun but that's where the praise must end.  What part of the cow did this beef come from. Ugh, it tasted somewhere between pork,beef,turkey or a combination of all 3. Add in these sloppy tasteless braised onions and you got yourself a big pile 'o something or other. Add to that a 13.99 price tag, wow. I want to sit in the corner and cry my burger blues away. 

The Executive

Name of Burger: The Executive

Establishment:

Daniel Brenan Brickhouse - Charlottetown

Size: Single 6 oz

Toppings:
100% Island Beef
Double Smoked Bacon,
Peppercorn Gouda,
Leaf Lettuce,
Spicy Aioli
Crispy Onions
Homemade Buttermilk Pretzel Bun
Deep Fried Gherkin Pickle.


Price: $11.95

Rating: 8 Mmmmmmmm

Comments:

This was the prettiest of the PEIBurgerLove bunch. The rose amongst thorns, if you will. If you want to call the rest of them thorns that is. I wouldn't since thorns likely don't taste near as good as these burgers do.

I was intrigued by this burger when I was informed the battered deep fried pickle was worth the price of admission. Although it was good I'm not convinced it was that good. This burger held it's own with or without the pickle though. Lots of great flavor and toppings. I loved the bacon, onions and aioli.  It was held together nicely with the pretzel bun. The bun however was my only issue with this burger. It was a whole wheat bun which I felt had a strong taste which took away a bit from the rest of the burger. Make it a white pretzel bun and we have a winner. Never the less I'll highly recommend trying the Executive while you still have a few days to go.

Happy Hour Burger

Name of Burger: Happy Hour Burger

Establishment:

St. James Gate - Charlottetown

Size: Single 8 oz

Toppings:
100% Island Beef
Alexander Keith's Secret Sauce,
Jamieson Irish Whiskey BBQ Sauce,
Guinness Cheddar,
Apricot Brandy Candied Double Smoked Bacon,
Black and Tan Onion Rings,
Lettuce,
Tomato
Pickles
Toasted Onion Kaiser. 


Price: $13.95

Rating: 8 Mmmmmmmm

Comments:
As PEIBurgerLove is starting to come to an end the Happy Hour burger is one that I heard good things about and had to try it for myself. It wasn't disappointing. St James Gate always makes good burgers and this was no exception. Lots of flavor in the beef and a hint of beer in the onion ring batter. The burger filled out the bun from edge to edge, very filling, and it came with a side. The downside however was the price. At $13.95 it was a bit pricey especially for lunch. If you are out for supper looking for a burger, give the Gate a try, I'm thinking this burger would likely go good with a pint of beer.

Kaiser Von Burger

Name of Burger: Kaiser Von Burger

Establishment:

Globe World Flavours - Charlottetown

Size:  double 1/2lb burger

Toppings:
Two 100% Island Beef Patties,
Caramelized Onions
Sauerkraut,
Double Smoked Bacon,
Romaine Lettuce,
Tomato,
Whole Grain Mustard,
Emmental Cheese
Toasted Sesame Kaiser with a Gherkin on top.



Price: $9.95

Rating:   6.5  Mmmmmm

Other Comments:
 Two things were new to me with this burger, I've never had sauerkraut on a burger before and have never eaten emmental cheese. Actually, I didn't even know how to pronounce emmental until yesterday. (Thanks Amber)  What hit me first with this burger was that it was charbroiled which gave it a nice flavor.  The cheese also was very tasty. There was a small amount of bacon and an overabundance of lettuce which was a bit disappointing.  I wasn't able to taste much of the sauerkraut and mustard but my dining partner, (the previously mentioned Amber) did not like sauerkraut and was turned off by the taste of it in the burger.
Strangely the burger also came with a side of ketchup. My last few bites I added the ketchup to get a bit more flavor but it actually took away from the overall taste, so I'll recommend going sans ketchup with this one.  The upside with this was the price. At $9.95 it was the least expensive one I've come across so far and allowed us to add a side salad at still a decent price.

24/7

Name of Burger: 24/7

Establishment:

Casa Mia Cafe - Charlottetown

Size:  6oz patty

Toppings:
100% Island Beef
Candied Bacon,
Aged Cheddar,
Maple Espresso BBQ Sauce,
Grilled Tomato
Fried Egg,
Toasted Sesame Bagel.



Price: $12.00

Rating:   6  Mmmmmm

Other Comments:
I maybe hitting burger overload for this week. This monstrosity may turn out to be breakfast, lunch and dinner all rolled into one. The burger was tasty and I'm a big fan of breakfast sandwiches so this was right up my ally. Anything that includes bacon and eggs is OK in my books. The "beef" (pun intended) I have with this sandwich is the level of messiness. BBq sauce, egg yolk, tomato drippings and a bagel that doesn't do a good job of holding it together = uncontrollable drippyness. Yes I know drippyness is probably not a word but in this case I can invent it.  All in all a middle of the road burger for me. I will say the potato hash that came on the side was to die for and I'll go back just for it.

The Mistress

Name of Burger: The Mistress

Establishment:

Urban Eatery - Charlottetown

Size:  8oz patty

Toppings:
100% Savory Island Beef,
Beef Confit,
Honey Chipotle Dusted Mayo,
Double Smoked Bacon,
Tomato,
Lettuce,
Dill Pickle,
Red Pepper and Onion Gouda with White Cheddar
Potato Scallion Bun.



Price: $12.00

Rating:   9  Mmmmmmmmm

Other Comments:
Urban Eatery you've done it again. Last year you were my favorite among the burgers I tasted and this Mistress may be hard to beat.  I can't explain the taste the beef confit and the double smoked bacon gives this burger.  I'm not sure what the chefs at the UE due to their burgers but the texture of this one was quite different than the others I had so far. It was juicy, perfectly cooked and melted in my mouth. hooray for PEI beef.  This potato scallion bun was delicious. I want more please. Hopefully the Urban Eatery keeps this on their menu all year.  "I'll be back" (In my best Schwarzenegger voice)

PS... These pics don't do this burger justice

Hoof and Tail

Name of Burger: Hoof and Tail

Establishment:

Selkirk, Delta Hotel - Charlottetown

Size:  6oz patty

Toppings:
100% Island Beef 
Lobster Tail,
Thai Cucumber,
Apple Wood Smoked Cheddar,
Green Leaf Lettuce
Avocado Mayo
Toasted Ciabatta Bun brushed with Garlic Butter.


Price: $12.00

Rating: 6 1/2  Mmmmmm

Other Comments:
I was looking forward to this one, my first burger with lobster as a topping. Unfortunately as far as the lobster goes I have to say it was a little disappointing. I guess coming from a fishing village I was expecting a bit more flavorful lobster. Although the lobster didn't add anything to the burger it didn't take away from it either. Some tasty bacon instead of the lobster likely would of made this burger a contender for the title.
The combination of cucumber, apple wood smoked cheddar and avocado mayo was delicious. The ciabatta bun also added a taste of herbs which was fairly unique.  All in all this was a decent burger but not quite my favorite. Added to the plate were some garlic fries, yum. Overheard at our table, "I'd come back just for that one fry" and "NOM NOM NOM"

The Jawbreaker

Name of Burger: The Jawbreaker

Establishment:

Gahan House - Charlottetown

Size: A big freakin piece of meat

Toppings:
100% Island Beef infused with Ground Double Smoked Bacon,
White Balsamic Onion Jam,
Panko Crusted Fried Pickles,
Cheddar Cheese,
Tomato,
Braised Pulled Pork,
Bacon,
Lettuce,
Red Pepper Chipotle Ketchup,
Ciabatta Bun garnished with Onion Rings, Pickle and a Cherry Tomato.


Price: $12.00

Rating: 5  Mmmmmm

Other Comments:
My 2nd of the PEIBurgerLove creations. This monstrosity lives up to it's name. My jaw hurt munching on this slab of PEI beef. The photo really doesn't do it justice. Not that I'm complaining because you definitely get your money's worth when it comes to quantity with the Jawbreaker. It just left me wanting a bit more in flavor department. It was a huge burger on a huge bun but couldn't taste much of anything else. The pulled pork was missing a kicking sauce, maybe the chef wanted it that way but I would of preferred at least a mild taste of pulled pork. All that considered, I skipped supper after having this for lunch, it's just that big.

The Angry Irishman

Name of Burger: The Angry Irishman

Establishment:

Olde Dublin Pub - Charlottetown

Size: Single

100% Island Beef,
Housemade Tomato Relish,
Monterey Jack Cheese,
Maple and Apple Glazed Prosciutto,
Crispy Fried Housemade Onions,
Sprouts,
Roasted Red Pepper and Guiness Ketchup,
Toasted Sesame Bun
garnished with a Dill Wedge and Cherry Tomato.



Price: $12.00

Rating: 8 Mmmmmmmm

Other Comments:
 Our favorite time of year is back, It's PEI Burger Love. All of us burger lovers can enjoy some special burger creations from our favorite PEI Restaurants and more importantly support buying local products. The Angry Irishman from the Olde Dublin Pub (my favorite watering hole from my younger days) was my first burger from this years burger love selections. I wasn't disappointed. Very flavorful, the beef patty infused with garlic and spices. Several bites were loaded with yummy prosciutto. The perfect compliments, and not to be forgotten are the relish and red pepper and guiness ketchup and crispy fried onions, Bazinga. Also, the bun was fresh, soft and likely much better than some of the others I'll encounter on my quest to test as many of this years burgers as I can. If you are only looking to try a few, my guess is you could do a lot worst than the Angry Irishman. Hopefully they do like last year and keep this on their menu year round, I'll be back.