Lounge Burger Closed?

[Russic]

Originally Posted by Jbo

Good Riddance. Place was actually really good wheb it opened up, but went downhill real fast.

Absolutely. The first time I went you could Frankenstein yourself a burger and it was awesome. A few months later they abandoned that (I can't imagine it made things efficient) and all the novelty was gone. The last time I went it was $16 for just a burger on a dense, multigrain bun. No business will last last long after that garbage.

[corporatejay]

Originally Posted by Table 5

To me Lounge Burger epitomized the worst of the Calgary food scene during the boom times....crappy service, high prices, mediocre food.

Well then "The Still" won't impress either. Was very very underwhelmed.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by calumniate

From what I've seen, hipster stuff tends to be a little more recession proof

Naturally. You have a target market which is generally unemployed or underemployed, but still buying whatever you sell.

[Northendzone]

I had been to lounge buger a total of three times - all about 1 year apart, and enjoyed every visit.

perhaps if I had gone more, I may have grown to dislike it or noted how the quality had gone down hill.

[csnarpy]

pfft... talking to the owner/manager? they initially wanted to emulate the Burger Bar by Mandalay Bay, in Vegas -- the only problem is that Lounge Burgers burgers didn't come close. If you can't get a medium or medium rare burger then why bother. Leather is leather and it can't compare, no matter how many toppings you put on it.

Seriously, is it a rule in Canada that you can't sell a Med or Med Rare burger? You just have to hold a temp for a certain amount of time and you get the juiciest burger ever. At home its 150 degrees at 90 secs for me.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by csnarpy

pfft... talking to the owner/manager? they initially wanted to emulate the Burger Bar by Mandalay Bay, in Vegas -- the only problem is that Lounge Burgers burgers didn't come close. If you can't get a medium or medium rare burger then why bother. Leather is leather and it can't compare, no matter how many toppings you put on it.

Seriously, is it a rule in Canada that you can't sell a Med or Med Rare burger? You just have to hold a temp for a certain amount of time and you get the juiciest burger ever. At home its 150 degrees at 90 secs for me.

Probably has to do with the fact health inspectors would probably put a stop to it relatively quickly. The restaurant would have to be very confident in regards to where they are sourcing their beef and would have to get the blessing of local health inspectors or it's a non-starter in Canada. Frozen patties for sure are a no-go in regards to being cooked medium rare.

[MrCallahan]

Originally Posted by csnarpy

pfft... talking to the owner/manager? they initially wanted to emulate the Burger Bar by Mandalay Bay, in Vegas -- the only problem is that Lounge Burgers burgers didn't come close. If you can't get a medium or medium rare burger then why bother. Leather is leather and it can't compare, no matter how many toppings you put on it.

Seriously, is it a rule in Canada that you can't sell a Med or Med Rare burger? You just have to hold a temp for a certain amount of time and you get the juiciest burger ever. At home its 150 degrees at 90 secs for me.

Go to National, you can order a medium/rare burger there, and toss on the fried egg for extra deliciousness.

I believe the rule for burgers, is that the meat needs to be ground on-site to be allowed to cook it that way. Not sure how true that is, but that's the explanation that was given to me at some point.

[Kiran403]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Probably has to do with the fact health inspectors would probably put a stop to it relatively quickly. The restaurant would have to be very confident in regards to where they are sourcing their beef and would have to get the blessing of local health inspectors or it's a non-starter in Canada. Frozen patties for sure are a no-go in regards to being cooked medium rare.

Places that serve med/med-rare patties exist but they are few and far between. The only one I've ever come across was Ayden in Saskatoon. One of the best burgers I have ever had. The meat was sourced from a local farm about 15km outside the city and delivered every few days. I believe it was also ground onsite as well. I think that was the only way they could meet the health requirements.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by MrCallahan

and toss on the fried egg for extra deliciousness.

Not for this cowboy

[Weitz]

Bucannons in eau claire also does med rare burgers.

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by Weitz

Bucannons in eau claire also does med rare burgers.

Yup but they use a quality of meat that means there is no concern.
They also cook it perfectly.
Wonderful burger.

[Russic]

If you watch Americans on youtube cook burgers you'll quickly wonder how the entire nation is still alive based on what we as Canadians have been told about hamburger safety. Even though I don't believe it's nearly as dangerous as we've been told, there's a psychological barrier there that's hard to overcome for me.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Table 5

To me Lounge Burger epitomized the worst of the Calgary food scene during the boom times....crappy service, high prices, mediocre food.

Gave me nasty food poisoning for Christmas three years back. Went on the 23rd for dinner and was knocked out for Christmas Eve, Christmas and Boxing Day.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Russic

If you watch Americans on youtube cook burgers you'll quickly wonder how the entire nation is still alive based on what we as Canadians have been told about hamburger safety. Even though I don't believe it's nearly as dangerous as we've been told, there's a psychological barrier there that's hard to overcome for me.

To me it's not even that I may not get sick. It's knowing how ground beef is created and handled. I have nothing against a nice medium rare cut of beef but ground beef is something I would rather be cooked through.