Thursday, February 14, 2008

Shamrock Burgers

I had the craving for a burger this afternoon so I hit Shamrock Burgers (6109 Kingston Rd) at the Highland Creek Overpass. I have been a customer of theirs since I was a teenager many moons ago. I have always been impressed with their homeburgers, and today I had a home banquet burger and onion rings. Their regular burgers are a bit cheaper but they are preformed patties and not as flavourful.

The home banquet burger ($5.45) is a 7 ounce home made patty, bacon and cheese on a sesame seed bun. I added onions, pickle, lettuce, hot pepper, mustard and mayo. The beef is nicely spiced and had a wonderful texture, not much filler if any at all. I chose onion rings ($3.25) as the side. They are not traditional rings because the batter is rather thick and crunchy, almost like a fish and chip batter. They are fairly greasy but I guess that is to be expected.






Saturday, February 9, 2008

Pita Deli - Falafel

A few months ago I was introduced to a pita place in Oshawa called Pita Deli (285 Taunton Road East). It's located in the Five Points Mall at Ritson Rd and Taunton Rd. I have been back quite a few times since then. Their pitas are very large and the owners take pride in their food, even taking the time to show me how they trim the sirloin steak for their beef shawarmas. The beef shawarma is not cooked in the traditional manner of roasting it on a spit, they bake it in the oven. Unfortunately when you order a shawarma they reheat your portion in the microwave. Saying this, they are very good.

Recently I started ordering their falafel sandwiches ($4.50) which are a couple of dollars cheaper than the shawarmas. It comes loaded with fattoush salad (a lemony oil and vinegar tossed salad with tomatoes, fried pita chips, and liberally hinted with sumac). I always order it with their hot spread, garlic sauce and tahini, a garlicky combination that is incredible. The falafels are very tasty but my only complaint is that they are pre-cooked and wait for you to order them. The sandwiches can be a bit salty so if you are monitoring your sodium intake, I suggest to go easy on the sauces.

There is a second location (1600 Champlain Ave #2) at Champlain Dr and Thickson Rd in Whitby. During the lunch rush expect to line up at this location, seating is very tight here as well.

As you can see from the pictures, the sandwich is huge, taking up a large portion of a dinner plate. The cross section shows the garlic sauce and tahini combining to form a little rivulet of heaven.