Acme Review

[Jamie]

A small amount of internet research before my Acme burger review made me approach the joint with trepidation. Their website promises that for a cost, customers can pay for “real cheese.� I’d imagined that with its Bathurst and Bloor location, real cheese would be a given. And as it turned out, there was no fake cheese on offer. In fact, aside from the extra cost for cheese and bacon, all other toppings come free with your Acme burger. Feel free to dress it up with guacamole, mushrooms, two varieties of hot peppers and a noteworthy range of sophisticated sauces, including roasted red pepper and Dijon mustard. This said, beware that the mushrooms are canned and the guacamole appeared to have been born from a bag (i.e. made offsite). But can we really decry gourmet burger toppings at no extra cost? In any case, the standard add-ons were certainly fresh and there were no complaints there.

The assembly area and the restaurant in general were impressively clean for a fast-food type place, almost eerily white and bright. The burger I ordered was a 4 oz Angus beef patty with cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, onions and mushrooms. The bun was quite large, lightly grilled, with a mix of poppy and sesame seeds. The seeds added a nice variation in flavor and the bun seemed to have been so sizeable because it was fresh and fluffy. It was easily squished into a manageable bite and contrary to its overbearing appearance, it went well with the main show. The cheese was placed on the bottom bun, not melted, and itself didn’t carry any flavor through the burger; I wouldn’t pay extra for it again. Altogether, the burger was constructed neatly, alleviating any socially awkward messiness during consumption. The patty itself was firm, flat and a little dry. The certified Angus beef that Acme boasted lacked in its own distinct, flavor. The strongest flavor discernable from the beef owed to its having been char grilled. – a pleasant association, for me at least, of summers and sun.

Altogether, the burger was tasty, but its goodness was not owing to the patty itself. Personally, I prefer a thicker, serving of beef because I think it helps concentrate the beefy flavor and juices. Other than the canned mushrooms, the freshness of the toppings provided the burger with a good balance of flavors that were otherwise lacking from the beef. Some sauce would have added moisture to the burger but one might reasonably expect the burger to impart that itself.

The burger passed my taste-test, but not with flying colors. While I wouldn’t go running back to The Acme Burger Company, it didn’t send me running away either. If I happened to be in the area, I would trust that Acme could satisfy my late-night burger craving. Or I might try their impressive looking poutine or sweet potato fries.