Burger Week 2019

Photo - Burger Week 2019 Facebook page

I love my city and my province. Every year, Halifax has Burger Week towards the end of March which raises money for Feed Nova Scotia. It has grown to be really big with over 140 restaurants participating in 2019. Each place has a special burger for the seven days, most times one that is just for this event and most will have a donation made however there are about forty restaurants that have $6 burgers that do not include donations. These places I guess have to put money towards the cause themselves to participate. Restaurants are all over the city with a majority in downtown Halifax but a number are in Dartmouth, Bedford, Sackville, Clayton Park, etc. The 7th edition, Burger Week 2019 was held from March 28 to April 3.

I tried six actual burgers while there was also a cute burger macaron. Here are my thoughts on the ones I tried. 

Stop #1: The Old Apothecary - Bug Mac(aron) $7 (FeedNS donation $1)

This was one I wanted to try last year but didn't get a chance to pop in. The Old Apothecary is a bakery on Barrington Street in downtown Halifax. When I saw they were having their macaron again, I stopped in before I went to meet my mom. You got a package of three for $7 with one dollar being donated to Feed NS. The description says 'a dessert burger with a flavour combo of chocolate, vanilla, bacon, maple, bourbon and peanut butter.' I wasn't sure what to expect as I've never had a macaron before but it was pretty good. I could really taste the chocolate ganache that was in it. 

Grade: 5/10

Maple Bacon Burger

Stop #2: Clay West Bar & Grill - Maple Bacon Burger $6

My mom and I went to this one together for lunch. We had their burger last year which was the Smokehouse (it's on their normal menu) and enjoyed that really well. I had high hopes for this one and I was a tad disappointed. Not with the flavour, it was really yummy and how can you go wrong with maple bacon? The presentation was what disappointed me; the bacon was hidden beneath the cheese on mine and the patty was smaller than the bun. My mom's looked better. It did keep both of us full for a very long time which was nice. 

Grade: 8/10

Stop #3: Vandal Doughnuts - Birthday Sex $9.50 (FeedNS donation $1)

Doughnuts and hamburgers, two things I really enjoy but didn't think it would taste so good together. The Birthday Sex burger was explained as 'a 5-oz beef patty with melted cheddar cheese, spicy chipotle sauce, mixed greens and crispy bacon, and a glazed doughnut bun with rainbow sprinkles.' The new Vandal Doughnuts shop doesn't have any seating which sucks during the winter so I had to take it home. i'm glad I did because I probably would've bought another one if I had stayed, it was so delicious. It was spicy for me but even so I ate the whole thing, it was also a bit messy. This was my favourite burger of the week.

Grade: 10/10

Stop #4: Evan's Seafood - Classic Fishburger $7 (FeedNS donation $1)
There seemed to be a number of fish burgers this year and Evan's Seafood was one of them. Evan's is located on the lower level of Alderney Landing, I never noticed it before but you can see the sign outside. You were able to get it with spicy tartar sauce which I didn't do. The breaded fish was nice and light and flaky but the whole burger was nothing special.

Grade 5/10

Stop #5: The Watch That Ends The Night - Meatball Marina Burger $10 (FeedNS donation $1)
I've never been to this restaurant either but I had stayed at work late so I decided to pop in here for supper on my way home. The Watch That Ends The Night is a cute little place in one of the King's Wharf buildings. They had a meatball burger with whole meatballs so that made it a bit hard to eat especially right out of the oven but it was still yummy. I might've added a little more marinara sauce, however that's always a hit or miss thing.

Grade: 4.5/10

Stop #6: Krave Burger - Bacon Jam Cheeseburger $6
Krave has had this burg every year I believe and people enjoy it so much that they normally bring it back for the weekend after burger week and a couple of more times during the year as well. This sandwich was only surpassed by the Birthday Sex burger. I really like their burgers normally and adding bacon jam to their cheeseburger was definitely a smart idea.

Peanut Butter burger

Grade: 9/10

Stop #7: Darrell's Restaurant - Peanut Butter Burger $6
I wanted to try this one as well, even though it is on Darrell's regular menu I didn't want to pay almost fifteen dollars for a burger that I might not like or be able to finish. I'm really not sure how I feel about this one, the peanut butter was good on it but I had a few bites that it was too much and I'm really used to having lots of mayo on my hamburger so it was definitely different. I'm glad I only paid 6 dollars on it.

Grade: 5/10

Thanks for reading my review of the burgers I tried. I can't wait to see what restaurants come up with for next year and try more hopefully.