Unburger Revisited
Do you recall the feeling of writing your last university exam in the spring? Perhaps, for you, the sensation is still very fresh. For me, in spite of the number of years that have past, I remember the perception vividly. Recently, I picked Daughter #2 up after her last exam of the semester. In fact, with an overseas practicum trip planned for this fall, she won’t be back at school until January 2014. Having completed a paper during the week and written two exams the day previous, she was giddy with relief. Contributing to her levity, may have been the exhaustion of studying most of the night. By the time I fetched her, she was also very, very hungry. The Osborne Village restaurant is on our route home and my husband has been encouraging me to pay the Unburger guys a repeat visit.
Since I once worked upstairs in the building that Unburger -Healthy Gourmet Burgers is located in, I knew that there was parking behind the premises. I should have read the signs that the place was hopping, as there was not a spot available. When we arrived at the entrance, we had to wedge in between the door itself and the back of the line. It was obvious that there was not an empty seat in the restaurant but what was not apparent, was the number of large orders that had been placed for pick up. Needless to say, once we put in our order, until the time that our bag of food was handed off to us, a considerable amount of time had passed. No worries. We watched others arrive and try to shoe-horn themselves inside, including Jets captain-Andrew Ladd. I had been to the game the night before, when Ladd had gotten a overtime assist on the winning goal. Ladd has always been my favourite Jet, and his recent performance has certainly solidified that. What I am saying in a long-winded way, is that time seemed to pass relatively quickly.
Daughter #2 knew exactly what she was having-a Blueberry Yum-Yum beef burger and a side of sweet potato fries with rosemary garlic aioli. I had a hankering for the Bella (I suppose I am already preparing my palette for an upcoming trip to Tuscany). Unburger marks the Bella as “A (Damn Good) Healthier Burger” and I should have continued in that vein with an “8 Grain Energy Salad” which I am crazy about, but I couldn’t resist their freshly cut fries.
The “Sweet, Sweet Yam Fries” did not survive the drive home and missed the photo shoot. I asked Daughter #2 what she appreciated about the burger as she took her first bite. She replied: “Well, it includes all my favourite foods in one place-the blueberries have a bit of a spicy punch. There is a creamy goat cheese and balsamic onions.” I can attest to this appeal, as I see these items on our family grocery list on a regular basis. She so loves the balsamic bite with meat, that I just place the bottle on the dining room table in front of her when I serve pork chops.
I am an avid beef eater but knew that I was going to be noshing on a beef lasagna for dinner that evening and that is why I chose the Bella with its “meaty” grilled portabella mushroom innards. The non-pulsed order taker and cashier, cheerfully replaced the blue cheese with goat cheese, even though I totally messed up by not remembering until after we had placed and paid for our order. Balsamic onions also adorned the daily baked, whole wheat bun.
The tastes were balanced and bold at the same time, even when I went back to finish the second half of my burger a couple of hours later. Unburger knows their local ingredients and how to assemble a great tasting, “guilt-free” burger. They also know how to help a Mom revive and refresh her diligent daughter.
Kath’s quote: “It does not matter where you go and what you study, what matters most is what you share with yourself and the world.”-Santosh Kalwar
Love-that is all.