Brgr time

>> Diner classics get a high-toned twist

by MARK SLUTSKY

High-toned comfort food: the concept may not be entirely new, but the trend doesn’t seem to have crested yet. It’s kind of brilliant, when you think about it. You make fancy versions of familiar favourites with quality ingredients, serve them in an upscale atmosphere and charge a premium. For a business clientele that wants to eat something non-challenging in an environment professional enough to conduct a business lunch, it’s a no-brainer. You wouldn’t take a client to a greasy diner, but a place like the new restaurant M:brgr: not a problem.

M:brgr specializes in, as the ridiculous name implies, the hamburger. It’s the brainchild of the people behind Moishe’s Steakhouse, so you can be reasonably sure they know what they’re doing with beef. And, in an admirable gesture of charity, the menu indicates that a portion of all sales (they don’t say how much) is donated to Montreal childrens’ charities.

Located on an anonymous block of Drummond above de Maisonneuve and below Sherbrooke, M:brgr is close enough to the cinema to grab a bite before a movie, which is a big plus for me; that’s one area of town that could always use some improvement, or, to be honest, the faintest ray of hope, in the restaurant department. The decor is, well, expensive-feeling, with lots of blonde wood, and it seems to deliberately look nothing like a burger joint. With a large board displaying a variety of fruity Absolut-based cocktails (“m:rtinis”), it doesn’t feel like one either.

Burger-wise, you’ve got a few choices. The standard is the “AAA” burger ($8.75), which also comes in a “lunch box” combo with fries and a drink, for a reasonable enough $12.75. There’s also an organic version ($12), a tuna burger ($17.75), a veggie burger ($9.75), and for the truly decadent, a Kobe beef option ($19.75).

Not unreasonable prices, though the toppings is where they really stick it to you: ranging in price from $1–$4, the standards include house smoked applewood bacon, grilled peppers, mushrooms, pineapple and asparagus, hummus, a fried egg, cucumber mango relish and a variety of choices. Under the heading “Crazy Expensive Toppings,” you’ll find truffle shavings and aioli, ranging from $10 to “market prices.” Well, they did say crazy expensive.

The burgers themselves are, I’m happy to report, quite delicious. The meat is fresh and tasty and ground well; the patties are soft but hang together well, and every one we tried was cooked to perfection. Eating one with cheddar and bacon, I did find it a little salty for my taste, but it wasn’t a huge complaint.

Of course, being a Moishe’s enterprise, there has to be steak on the menu somehow, and it comes in the form of a sandwich ($18). This is one good steak sandwich; the meat is cooked a perfect medium-rare and it’s topped with grilled onions and oyster mushrooms. It’s a treat. There’s also an “Angus all beef” hot dog available if you’re not in a burger mood, regular or Michigan-style ($6.75 or $8.75). I’ve never heard of an Angus hot dog before, but it didn’t taste any different than any other kosher all-beef hot dog. Not bad, but nothing special either. I’d stick with the burgers. Fries, on the other hand, which come extra save for the lunch box ($4, which is a bit much), were perfectly crispy and golden.

And yes, they do have milkshakes, and floats too ($5.75 each). The chocolate milkshake I tried was tall and creamy, if maybe a tiny bit too thin (though the waitress asked me my opinion on it, as apparently they’re still tinkering with the formula). I would have liked it to come with the metal milkshake blender cup, but whatever. (Hey, in a perfect world, I would have liked it to come minus the stomach cramps I get as a mild lactose intolerant too.) There are four varieties of floats, which mix ice cream and soda pop in a way that would make Archie Andrews proud. M:brgr may be a tony take on the classics, but it does right by them too.