Beech St. Burger

In mid April, as I was walking Gwenny around the neighbourhood I began to notice signs for "Beech St. Burger" now open on (shocking) Beech Street just blocks from my house.  And even though I'd seen the signs around the neighbourhood for a few days, I hadn't yet seen the place.  So I made a point to walk Gwenny along Beech Street, between Rochester and Preston Streets, to check it out.  Beech St. Burger took over the location of the former "Danny Panini" sandwich shop which, I swear, had been there literally just weeks before.  And the shop has had a total re-vamp.  I couldn't hardly believe it was the same store front.  Even though I'd never been to Danny Panini, I couldn't wait to check out this new burger joint ... and see if it was comparable to my burger love:  Hintonburger.

As the days grow warmer there is a small patio out front

 

The night before I was leaving for Vegas, Bonnie and I agreed that we would get the burgers for dinner since (a) I had no food in the house and (b) wouldn't feel like cooking after arriving home from Montreal just hours before and (c) having to leave the house at 4:30am to catch my flight the next morning.

We arrived for dinner and the place (although it is small) was packed.  A very good sign.  We were given a very warm and friendly greeting upon arriving and the cook (who we later learned was the owner:  Danny, formerly of Danny Panini) gave us some much appreciated advice on ordering:  the regular Beech St. Burger is a double patty and the "Baby Beach St." is a single patty.  Both Bonnie and I went for the Baby Beech St. Burger with cheese and bacon along with the baby fries on the side.  There is a fountain machine off to the side so you help yourself to the pop.  After ordering, Danny brought us out our food when it was ready.  You order and eat, and when you are finished you pay for your meal at the end.  That's a bit different.

chalk-board menu above the grill

lots of stainless steel gives a clean and industrial feel

 

The burgers are fresh made when you order and they are using local beef.  Fries are fresh cut.  They are definitely doing things right.

 

No shortage of bacon (very key) or cheese.

Super crispy and large portion size

 

The moment of truth -- the first bites:

 

 

 

The verdict:  a very good burger.  There are a few growing pains to work out.  My burger could have been cooked one or two minutes less as it was just a teeny bit on the dry side but still tasty.  I didn't like the cheese which was put on the the bun side of the burger along with the other condiments.  I prefer my cheese on the beef so it gets melty.  The fries were excellent.  Cooked perfectly in fresh oil so they were not overly dark coloured.  They were hot and crispy, exactly as they should be.

 

Danny, the owner was extremely friendly.  He made the decision to close down the sandwich shop and give the burger thing a try and I think this was an excellent decision.  He was also very open to feed back on how the meal was and you could definitely tell he was very keen on making sure his customers were happy and would do whatever he could to make sure that was the case.  A good burger place in this neighbourhood was definitely needed and I have no doubt Beech St. Burger will make a great addition to the neighbourhood.  It will definitely give Hintonburger some competition ... and for me it's literally only 5 blocks from my house so it is slightly more convenient ... but ultimately it has not replaced Hintonburger as my favourite ... not yet anyway.

 

I would definitely recommend Beech St. Burger.  The service was excellent - warm, friendly with a great neighbourhood feel to the place with strangers at different tables chatting both to one another and to Danny.  The food was very good, fresh made, hot and tasty.  Portions are very good and the food is a very good value, reasonably priced.  A convenient location with street parking for those of you not close enough to walk, like me.  Definitely a geat addition to the Rochester/Preston corridor.