Episode #5 of the Yeg Burger Odyssey takes me to Whyte Avenue, and a couple burgers I had suggested to me by readers.

Tasty Tom’s- 9965- 82 ave Edmonton

First up is Tasty Tom’s, a small bistro on the east end of the avenue that was a favourite of mine years ago but fell out of favour for a number of reasons. Tasty Tom’s was a real gem when I was a regular, with delicious comfort food, and fair prices for large portions. As is common with small restaurants though, things started to slip when the owner wasn’t there cooking; which was more and more often. The food got inconsistent, and the prices started to rise. That’s a fatal combination, and one that slowly drove us away.

When we arrived last week to try their burger, I was surprised to learn the restaurant had changed hands almost a year ago. The restaurant looked very similar, the menu had a lot of the dishes I remembered and I was happy to see the prices looked more reasonable than when I last went a few years ago. Hey, maybe Tasty Tom’s had turned it around and would be that great, homey little dive I remembered so fondly!

Of course I had to get one of the burgers that was an easy favourite of mine in the past – the Mushroom Garlic Burger.

Tasty Tom’s Mushroom Garlic Burger

• Meat- When I asked, I was told that the patties are made fresh, and never frozen and they have that homemade look to them for sure with plenty of moisture inside and out. In fact the outside was covered in a greasy sheen that might put some people off, but I’ve eaten so many dry-ass burgers on this Burger Odyssey that I welcomed it. The grind on the meat was quite fine which, in part, makes the texture closer to meatloaf than I’d prefer ideally. The first few bites tasted decent, but as I continued eating it a strange aftertaste, something similar to a “dirty grill” taste started to develop. I peeked into the kitchen as I was leaving and the cooktop looked clean to me, so I’m not quite sure what to make of that.

• Bun- I’m starting to sound like a broken record here, but again we find the standard issue grocery store white sesame seed bun. I’ll tell you what- Though there’s nothing atrocious about them, I’m starting to get pretty tired of these same old buns. Curse the epic cheapness of the white sesame seed bun!

• Toppings- The old Tasty Tom’s put an obscene amount of garlic and mushrooms on their burger – you needed to be quarantined for 2 days after eating it, but you were crazy safe from vampire attacks. This one still has a good amount of mushrooms, but the garlic was present in name only. The usual suspects of lettuce, tomato, and pickle were there, along with a small dot of thousand island dressing on the top bun. A slice of swiss cheese finished it off, but was probably a touch small for the size of the patty.

The aforementioned grease sheen

A great burger should taste great start to finish, but I liked this one less and less with every bite. I started out thinking it was ok, but about halfway through I had enough. I always ask myself before I leave “would I come back for this burger?”, and obviously the answer is no here.

Side note: The home fries that the burger comes with were really good and super crispy. Probably some of the best “fries” I’ve had so far.

Cost: $14.00, served with home fries

Pourhouse Bier Bistro- 10354 Whyte Ave. 

When I’m looking to have a bite to eat and a drink in the Whyte ave area, I tend to be a creature of habit. I have a favourite watering hole in the area, and I default to it almost religiously.

Pub food and pints is a religion, right?

A couple suggestions to try the burger at Pourhouse steered me out of my tunnel vision, and into this funky little pub that’s a favourite of some “twitter friends” of mine. Would the Pourhouse’s Short Rib Burger live up to the hype?

Pourhouse Shortrib Burger

• Meat- I’ve never been a huge fan of shredded meats mixed into burgers- I think it screws up the texture too much- but, as a pairing, this was pretty successful. The texture was good, and the patty was nice and moist. There was a pretty strong garlic flavour, but it was hard to tell if that was just from the crazy garlicky mashed potatoes I had taken a bite of before trying the burger. Overall despite needing a few more grains of salt, a pretty decent patty.

• Bun- Memo to restaurants serving those cruddy white sesame seed buns: go to Pourhouse and take a lesson in hamburger buns. The Pourhouse’s brioche bun was soft and moist (there’s that word again), and yet had an awesome slightly crispy top. Hands down the best bun of the Yeg Burger Odyssey to date. I hope it wasn’t a fluke.

• Toppings- Topped with curried ketchup, smoked cheddar, homemade mustard, lettuce, and tomato. Smoked cheddar is delicious, and expensive. Not surprisingly the cheese wasn’t exactly dripping off the edges with quantity, but there was enough to get the job done. The mustard flavour was strong, but it was good mustard… not that neon yellow junk. I’m not sure I found the curried ketchup noticeable, so a little more of that condiment would have been nice. Though the moistness of the patty made that less of an issue.

Pourhouse Shortrib Burger

As you know, I’m a fan of dripping, sloppy burgers as a rule. This definitely wasn’t that kind of burger, but I liked it all the same. It would probably appeal even more to folks that prefer the kind of burger that doesn’t require a full shower after consuming it.

Sides note: The garlic mashed potatoes we had on the side were really potent with raw garlic. I’m not a fan of that, but I know some of you would love them. The gravy however may be my least favourite gravy. Of all time! It’s a beer gravy, and it tasted like a dish of boiled beer to me. It was thin as beer too. No need for our usual fork jousting over the last drops of gravy with that one. We couldn’t even eat it.

Cost: $14.00 with choice of side.

Of these 2 burgers there’s no question which one I’d go back for. It’s the Pourhouse by a mile. Better patty, much better bun, and better cheese – it’s a slam dunk…as long as you don’t have to dunk in that gravy.