Reviewing Burger Week
Delicious bites and where to find them
Have you ever heard of Burger Week? Burger Week is an event that takes place in Regina Downtown in the Warehouse District. It is where a great majority of restaurants create special burgers just for this week for you to try.
This event runs from September 11 to September 24. A few restaurants that are running in this event are Fresh Carnival, which made a Chipotle Bacon Burger; The DoubleTree, which made a Saskatoon Smokehouse Burger; Circa 27, which made a Surf and Turf Burger; The Cure Kitchen + Bar which made a ground chuck beef patty with aged white cheddar maple and peppercorn pork belly; and Lancaster which made a Mushroom Swiss Burger with double smoked bacon on top.
I stopped in at The Cure Kitchen + Bar and Lancaster Taphouse to try out their burgers and do a review and interview with each location.
At The Cure Kitchen + Bar, I spoke with Tyrone Doucette who is the chef who made my burger. He said the inspiration for the burger this week was, “a burger [we did] like this in the past with a bison patty compared to the beef patty with the pork belly on top.” Based on personal reflection, bison burgers are a hit and have a unique taste so it is good to see this alternative for those who do not like the unique taste. However, if you miss the chance to come down to Burger Week, I talked to Doucette and his recommendations from the restaurant on a regular basis based on ordering frequency are the Tacos De Birria and Cubano Burger.
Plus, “if the customers miss out on Burger Week, they can come in and order our regular beef burger with an appetizer of the pork belly and do a ‘make their own’ of the special burger.” It sounds like The Cure Kitchen + Bar has some great options for customers to try and I would absolutely come down for an appetizer of the pork belly, as it was super good on the burger.
Now that we know a bit about The Cure Kitchen + Bar and the menu, let’s talk about the burger itself in a personal review. So, The Cure’s special burger is a ground chuck beef patty with aged white cheddar, maple and peppercorn pork belly, with toppings of tomato, pickle, and a house-made brioche bun. I found the burger to be really juicy and moist but also tender at the same time. As you bite into the bun, you start with a nice and soft house-made bun then you can taste the tender burger, with the melted cheese on top which is honestly my favourite part. Now, the toppings of the burger are a good mixture of the sweetness of the maple peppercorn pork belly but also the tanginess of the pickle.
To me, what is a burger without cheese and a pickle? It is simply not a burger. But this is absolutely a delicious burger. If you get the chance to stop downtown for Burger Week, I would definitely check out this one at The Cure Kitchen + Bar if you are in for a western style burger.
The second location that I checked out for Burger Week is Lancaster Taphouse. I stopped in to chat with Matt Gaillard, an executive chef at the downtown location. The burger that was created for this week is a Mushroom Swiss Burger. He drew his inspiration from Burger Baron, a former mainstay in the Regina burger scene. “It is a grass-fed patty from a local farm in Saskatchewan. The beef comes into the house and we grind it, pressed it in-house, and seasoned it as well. The burger is seasoned with a homemade mushroom sauce and a brioche bun, toasted with garlic butter, and topped with double-smoked bacon. This burger will be made available full-time come October.”
Well, that sounds delicious already! I also asked Gaillard what some top items that are highly ordered here at Lancaster, and he said the top orders are the pretzels and burgers themselves.
After I talked to Gaillard, it was time to give the burger a try for myself. The first thing that hit me was the creaminess, giving me a flashback to childhood comfy vibes of eating creamy mushroom soup. As you bite down, you taste a very doughy and soft bun but a very tender, well-seasoned burger. The burger is delicious. You get a good taste with the mushrooms and swiss cheese. I know mushrooms are not everyone’s go-to vegetable but to be quite honestly, I would say that this type of burger and mushrooms mixed with the cheese and the meat is one to try! Plus, I almost forgot to mention the double-smoked bacon. It sort of sneaks up on you with all the other flavours. This burger is a go-to to try if you are more on the creamy side compared to the western side of burger vibes at The Cure.
After talking with both the chefs at the restaurants, my closing thoughts are: both these burgers are very delicious! Would I try them both again? Yes! Would I come down to the restaurant again and try some other options on the menu? For sure!
What do I like about both these restaurants? I like the vibes of both locations. Each of them is a local restaurant but both have a bar and social vibes, as well as the opportunity to listen to live music and socialize with your friends and family. I am absolutely impressed with my first time being involved with Burger Week. By the two burgers that I have tried and the list of burgers that you can see on the Regina Downtown Facebook page, this is a cool opportunity and moment to motivate the chefs to try something new, and an opportunity for you as a guest to try something new. All the burger options are delicious and unique, so ensure you go and try out some burgers this week to finish off Burger Week by September 24.
