Repulsion at Dangerous Dan's

[SxCx]

Well, I finally checked out the infamous east-end diner with my girlfriend today, and it was certainly memorable -- the abysmal quality of most everything we ate will be with me for a long time.

I'll entertain the idea of an "off day", but this was obscene. Spongey, unseasoned chicken, mealy green tomatoes, flaccid strips of grey-coloured bacon, all topped off with a congealing snotball of processed mozzarella. The most appetizing part was the bun, and nothing in between.

Before the arrows start to fly, understand that I'm no upper-crust snob too elite for greasy diner food. I grew up on that stuff, like many others. This experience charts as one of the most nauseating meals I've ever had to pay for, and I can't help but feel dismayed from seeing this place get so much praise - from Hounds and other foodlovers alike.

Was this an anomaly? Did we order the wrong thing? The fries at another table looked alright...(though you'd have to be bedridden to fuck that up)...

[FlavoursGal]

For great Jamaican, try Albert's Real Jamaican at the corner of St. Clair W. and Vaughan Rd. (there are other locations, as well).

Only a couple of bar stools, so I always take out. They have the best oxtail (the sauce is great!), curry goat, and jerk chicken (always moist) around. And their rice and peas are well seasoned and delicious.

[embee]

See my recent post about the St Clair Alberts. While I hope what I experienced was an aberration, there is too much good Jamaican food in Toronto to justify my going back.

[TwinklyTerrapin]

I think bestansworst meant the corner of Queen and Broadview, where Dangerous Dan's and The Real Jerk are both located.

[bluedog]

For what its worth i have been to both places (DD's and TRJ) once, and was underwhelmed by both. Had the ribs at DD's which were OK, but everything else was artery hardening and they were proud of it. If the food wasn't bad enough, having to listen to the ramblings of the guy who runs the place (or did at the time) put me off the place pretty much for good. He seemed to feel that DD's was a legend in its time.

And TRJ....well the overpriced jerk chicken I had was dry and the portions were not huge. Much better jamaican in the city IMHO.

[starvin]

The best burger in T.O. is at "The Burger Shack!" ( Eglinton Ave and Oriole Parkway ) The corner that Dangerous Dan's is on is gross...it makes me lose my appetite!

[bestandworst]

Off topic for the thread, but speaking of that intersection...I have to say I think the jerk pork at The Real Jerk is fantastic everytime. I can't say the same for the chicken which often comes out dry but the pork chunks are juicy and there are lots of them. The ribs are very good too. The wing appetizer is very spicy and worthwhile.

[perl]

where exactly is this 'the real jerk' place on eglinton? the only one i found on the internet is the one on queen st. and that one has gone downhill...

[Scruncheons]

I was surpised a while ago to see how much people liked DD's because the one time I went there I could have sworn the burger had filler --bread or cracker crumbs-- in it. Whether it did nor not, it was dry and nasty.

[jen2202]

I'm happy to hear other ppl think this place is nasty. i read so many posts about the poutine being good there, i finally made the drive. i got there and was so disgusted by the look of the place. i couldnt bring myself to sit down on old van seats with french fries stuck to them, not only that, it looked like it hadnt seen soap in a long while. thank you, for letting me know i made the right decision to walk out of that place as soon as i walked in.

[bestandworst]

It's a scary place that isn't worth the fear. 100% quantity and price over anything.

[embee]

I appreciate that Dangerous Dan's helped clean up a really scuzzy corner. Beyond that, it isn't a very nice place. The old car seats are always dirty and I smelled of grease and moldy car seat whenever I left.

Yes, they are known for their burgers, but mainly for the publicity they get due to the burger size. A couple of the burgers they sell can feed 4 normal appetites and, in my opinion, they they all taste totally, irredemably, awful. I tried one because I couldn't resist. I tried another because I couldn't imagine there wasn't something wrong with the first. This is a strong example of quantity above quality. We sometimes order ribs for home delivery, but we never eat in any more.

The beef ribs are the only thing I find consistently palatable -- long bones braised in a too sweet, but ok tasting sauce. It's kind of a waste, since these are the rib steak bones - not short ribs -- and they would be delicious when quickly grilled. They also make a good sandwich from the rib meat and the steak sandwich is tasty and cheap.

The mashed potates were real last time I had them and they served pretty good shakes.

Everything else? The salads are usually as previously described. The homemade Caesar dressing might as well come from a No-Name bottle and the croutons come from a package. The fries are frozen and very ordinary; The rings are frozen and don't taste good.

I once had a grilled chicken sandwich, which I did find OK for nutritional purposes but would not go out of my way to have again.

The atmosphere is "interesting" and it does appeal to many people -- slightly sleazy, yet family friendly. There's sometimes a bit of theatre when they handle panhandlers, drunks from Jillys, and the drug deals attempted in their doorway -- they do this efffectively and with occasional panache.

[mainja]

i'll weigh in here too...

i don't know, i ordered the burger, and it was okay but nothing to write home about. sure, it was big, but pretty flavourless. the caesar salad was indeed terrible, and the fries were so so, but frozen, not fresh.

i'm not saying i wouldn't go there again, i would if i were around and hungry, passable food at a reasonable price. but i wouldn't go out of my way to go there again.

[Herb]

Yes, you ordered the wrong thing - chicken and salad at a place known for its hamburgers.