Terra Burger: Anyone been lately?
After experiencing an awful, hard, dried-out burger when this place on Eglinton first opened a few months ago, I haven't returned. I'm wondering whether anyone's been there recently and if there's been any improvement.
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pinkskittles
May 17, 2009 12:21 AM
I've been here and enjoyed my bison burger. I found it was quite nice how they put herbs in it (it seemed) like rosemary. Very yummy. I wouldn't get the salad again though, it was disappointing. I'd definitely go again!.. but only for the burger.
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flying101
May 15, 2009 06:15 PM
Went there again, giving them a final chance.... some pics
Cajun Wedges, and Fries
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lricharz/3534826630/The Bison Burger, I did not press the bun down like that, it came flattened
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lricharz/3534825464/sizes/l/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lricharz/3534825688/sizes/l/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lricharz/3534825888/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lricharz/3534008913/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lricharz...Fries still good, burgers have gone downhill... sad, I had a lot of hope that they would go back to their original buns.
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Second try on this place.
My initial take on it was that it was a nice room that looked comfortable and had a few beers on tap. Bonus. They also go to great lengths to display how environmentally friendly and organic they are through various posters and displays. Nice concepts.
The service. Perky and friendly young folks take your order and bring the eat-in food to you. More Stepford than efficient though. If you ask them challenging questions about which combos apply to which special burgers, they're confused. And the ability to excise unwanted ingredients seems inconsistent, bordering on inattentive. It doesn't help that the various boards provide conflicting information on what comes with what.
The food. The fries are decent, though there are some of those dark spots on the skins that most people would cut off. A little to cut in trying to emphasize the fresh cut. The sweet potato fries were decent. The cajun wedges were soft and flavourless.
The burgers. Many have complained that the burgers are overcooked and flavourless. Like the lack of communication and attention on the accompaniments, I have now ordered twice with the specification that they be medium. On both occasions, I received the culinary equivalent of roofing shingles with decent sides, though not in balanced proportions. On the second occasion, the server mentioned that they could not serve rare (which I didn't ask for) due to health requirements.
Enviro-friendly? No, not particularly. Same amount of packaging as most fast food restaurants, and, ye gods, they serve Nestle bottled water. BOTTLED WATER!
My general impression is that this is a showroom for someone's insincere enviro-franchise concept. With the rents and the apparent volume, it can't possibly be set for profit, and the attention to service and fulfillment suggests that they're not in it to do anything apart from sell a vision. Sincerity is a big factor in 'green' businesses, and it's clearly lacking here.
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re: Davwud
The enviro-friendly angle seems a little questionable. I don't think they are certified be anyone. Many ingredients are not local or available year round. Great name though.
As far as taste, it was dry and lacking in flavour. The Craft organic burger is very flavourful.
Has anyone tried O-zone? They are another organic, fast-food, burger outfit.
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flying101
Apr 17, 2009 10:52 AM
So yesterday I decieded to break passover with some Terra Burger...
and god how they have changed.... for the worse :(I used to want to defend this place, but my experience yesterday was the worse it has been.
They have changed.... just about everything.
Here is their new menu
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lricharz/3448536540/sizes/l/Poutine? Yes they didn't have it before... So I picked it up, along with sweet potato fires, Bison Burger and a Tiny Terra...
First they made a mistake with my order, (I wanted no tomato and it was missing the pickle I wanted
)Bison Burger: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lricharz/3448598310/sizes/l/
The first thing I noticed was the bun... gone was the crusty roll they used to use, replaced with a basic buy from a bag grocery store wonder bread? style soft and tasteless bun. The bison burger was dry and underwhelming.
Next the poutine... some say the gravy @ Smoke's has too much herb flavour, Terra Burgers Gravy is EVEN MORE so... I couldn't finish it... no curds here, just bagged pre-shredded cheese mix.
Poutine: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lricharz... (please note the canadian tire money that was on the table is actually worth more then I am willing to pay for this
)The best part of the meal was their sweet potato fries... still good and tasty...
I am disappointed that this place has taken a turn for the worse...
I am going to give them one more chance (as my friends find it hard to believe it has gone bad) and when I take them to show them I will report on that visit...›3 Replies-
re: flying101
torontovore
Apr 17, 2009 02:29 PM
You're going to have to work on making your photos less appetizing.
The bison burger photo actually looks pretty good.
Too bad looks aren't tastes! -
re: flying101
torontovore
Apr 17, 2009 02:50 PM
Just had a look at your photo of the menu board.
Noticed that they no longer serve elk burgers. I guess that was a stretch for the average burger eater since it does have a distinctive venison taste.
Organic bison burger, well it must be imported from out west or the USA because there are no Ontario 'organic' bison farms. I suspect that these bison burger patties must be frozen which makes it doubly difficult to cook them successfully.
I'll choose 'grassfed' over 'organic' any time.
A burger focused restaurant, that grinds their meat fresh each day, would be my ideal. I know there are a few restaurants in Toronto that grind their own, but none of them features burgers and burgers only.
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flying101
Feb 25, 2009 08:53 AM
Again, this place is not Kosher,
and have 2 kinds of bacon,
http://www.terraburger.com/menu.aspTho they might not have the 'best' burger in the city (i find this board is full of burger snobs who will never find 'the burger' and if they have it isn't based on taste but emotional attachment to the establishment and are in denial), the fries are consistently good, I have been multiple times and all my friends that have come with me have enjoyed their food. especially the sweet potato fries.
The burgers can be sometimes dry, and not cooked to your liking, and the price is a little steep, but they have good deals on some of their specials from time to time. Also their toppings and spreads are always tasty, fresh and top quality ingredients in my experiences.
I have had, the beef (tasty, can be over cooked sometimes), bison (dry), and elk (over seasoned and very little 'elk' taste) burgers, and plan on trying the veggie patty on my next trip.
Again only complaints would be the price, if you are used to spending under $10 on a burger and fries combo might have a hard time at this place.
One of my friends really enjoys their milkshakes (I have never had one), and my 2 female friends that I have taken their (sorry to generalize) prefer the tine terra burger and find it the perfect size for them.
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re: acd123
flying101
Feb 25, 2009 09:08 AM
Sorry, I re-read my post and see how it can be misleading,
Yes it is more expensive then 'mom and pop' style burger places, and i don't mind paying the extra amount because if find the quality is worth it. But I can see how people who are on a budget or like stretching their dollar might disapprove of their prices. In contrast tho, I frequent Goldenstar, and even there in recent years they have drastically raised their prices as well... guess the burger industry isn't recession proof
I have had perfect, well cooked burgers, from there, but I have also had dried out over spiced ones. But even in the worse case, i still enjoyed my meal. And will return.
Bison is always going to be dryer then beef as it is leaner and an inexperienced chef would over cook it, as this place is new they are still working out their kinks, and I am sure they over season the Elk because some people don't like the 'gamey' flavor and they tried to hide it . Now while I am witting this I realize that they shouldn't be doing that, and I disapprove, but I am sure that is the reason for it.
To sum up, Yes I enjoyed my meals at Terra Burger, even the dry and over seasoned one.
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re: Davwud
Yes, just teasing.
I've never been to Terra Burger so I'll have to try it. But that would be hard with Burger Shack being so close. That's the place I know and love, so why mess with that? Also, I usually enjoy 'diner' type burgers more than 'gourmet' ones. Exceptions: Allen's, and the burger at One was good but too $$$ (like over $30) if I remember correctly.
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re: acd123
Davwud
Feb 25, 2009 11:04 AM
I'm with ya on the diner type burger. I'm not an "Organic" person per se. So that's a knock in my mind. It's too "Gourmet" for me so that's another strike and I'm guessing it's grilled not done on a flat top. I'll pass. I may or may not like the place but there are other options I'd rather explore.
DT
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re: Davwud
When I went in, I ordered my beef burger medium rare and got it medium rare. I wouldn't say it was dry but I wouldn't say the juice was dripping down my arm either. The meat is top quality though and the taste really comes through. Not sure what it's spiced with but it's addictive.... I would rank it in the top 5 burger places in the city. I think it got a ton of "haters" who never even tried the place.
The fries are fantastic. I haven't had better in Toronto.
A friend of mine told me the same thing about the Milkshakes (they are really good) but I've yet to try.
I had a meal and it came to about $8 with the special they had on. Not to bad at all...
If I had any thing to suggest it would be to get rid of the bun. I found it dry.
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