Montreal Burger Report: Le Bifteck St-Laurent & Buns Part 5

Bifteck St-Laurent & Buns Part 5 (11:18); (MP3 15MB / FLAC 120MB / Ogg Vorbis 9MB / Stream)

Buns on Blvd. St-Laurent as seen via Google Street View.

Episode 30 of the Montreal Burger Report. In this episode our heroes, Ed Hawco (also known as Blork) and Chris ‘Zeke’ Hand discover how long it takes to to cook a hamburger at Buns, Zeke becomes a diplomat, Blork can’t be objective and covets Zeke’s third burger. Our heroes talk about the logistics of grinding beef in house and then depart for Else’s

The Montreal Burger Report is a radio show / podcast / blog / something or other where upon Blork and Zeke go out have a couple of burgers, some beer and in very generalized terms try to inform you about the good burgers in Montreal, the great burgers in Montreal, the best burgers in Montreal and everything else related to burgers in Montreal.

Zeke eating his third cheeseburger at Buns on Blvd. St-Laurent

Zeke’s Verdict

I wasn’t that impressed, although drinking enough beer beforehand can make just about anything palatable.

Ed’s Verdict

I really love the concept of Buns; a small place that focuses on one thing — at a very low price. Arguably, that makes it no different from any corner casse-croûte, but I’ve had some mighty fine classic burgers at hole-in-the-wall casse-croûtes. The difference here is the fresh young attitude and the degree of focus. The result? A pretty good straight-forward no-frills burger. A great choice if you’re in the neighborhood and you want a quick and cheap bite that will hit the spot. On the other hand, the burgers were not spectacular, but what do you expect for four bucks? The only sour note was that my burger, which was quite small, was a bit overcooked. Zeke’s third burger, however, was not, which tells me the grill man needs to work a bit harder on consistency.

That said, I’ll definitely go back when I’m in the ‘hood and I want a quick burger that will make me smile, but not necessarily sing.

Bifteck St-Laurent
Address: 3702 Saint Laurent
Phone: (514) 844-6211

Buns
Address: 3673 Saint Laurent
Phone: (514) 759-7799

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(Montreal Burger Report: Le Bifteck St-Laurent & Buns, Part 1, Montreal Burger Report: Le Bifteck St-Laurent & Buns, Part 2, Montreal Burger Report: Le Bifteck St-Laurent & Buns, Part 3, Montreal Burger Report: Le Bifteck St-Laurent & Buns, Part 4.)

 

Montreal Burger Report: Le Bifteck St-Laurent & Buns Part 4

Bifteck St-Laurent & Buns Part 4 (13:43); (MP3 19MB / FLAC 150MB / Ogg Vorbis 12MB / Stream)

In this episode our heroes, Ed Hawco (also known as Blork) and Chris ‘Zeke’ Hand discuss the nature, concept, taste sensation and substance of the hamburgers at Buns. Blork states that he wants a bigger patty, then he thinks a smaller bun might do the trick, but then he decides in fact that a bigger patty would be better. He also loves the pickles. Our heroes also lament the lack of beer, and are unable to try the fries. But that doesn’t stop them from ordering a second round of burgers.

The Burger at Buns, 3673 Saint Laurent, Montreal QC.

Buns is located at 3673 Saint-Laurent, their phone number is (514) 759-7799 and they too are open seven days a week from 11:30 to 1 AM weekdays and noon to 2:30 AM on weekends.

Half of a Burger at Buns, 3673 Saint Laurent, Montreal QC.

The Montreal Burger Report is your source for the most in depth and comprehensive coverage and information announcing, describing, informing, and sometimes warning you about everything related to and involving hamburgers, cheeseburgers, and sliders in Montreal. The best hamburger, the crispiest fry, the coldest beer, the Montreal Burger Report covers it from every angle possible.

(Montreal Burger Report: Le Bifteck St-Laurent & Buns, Part 1, Montreal Burger Report: Le Bifteck St-Laurent & Buns, Part 2, Montreal Burger Report: Le Bifteck St-Laurent & Buns, Part 3.)

 

Montreal Burger Report: Le Bifteck St-Laurent & Buns Part 3

Bifteck St-Laurent & Buns Part 3 (14:16); (MP3 19MB / FLAC 152MB / Ogg Vorbis 11MB / Stream)

Before leaving Le Bifteck St-Laurent, Chris ‘Zeke’ Hand and Ed “Blork” Hawco solicit opinions from some of the bar hounds, such as Shan the Man. Across the street at Buns, Ed reads the menu, which takes about 12 seconds as all this place makes is burgers, and there are only a few variations.

Inside Buns, Zeke and Ed meet the owner of both Buns stores, who explains the concept and provides some details on the meat. (Canadian beef, 15% fat). The meat is ground off-premises, but they form the patties in-house daily. Zeke asks the burger cook if he can have his burger rare, and the reply is swift: “no.” The boss then provides an explanation as to why rare ground beef is riskier than rare steaks or roasts.

(Montreal Burger Report: Le Bifteck St-Laurent & Buns, Part 1, Montreal Burger Report: Le Bifteck St-Laurent & Buns, Part 2.)

 

Montreal Burger Report: Le Bifteck St-Laurent & Buns Part 2

Bifteck St-Laurent & Buns Part 2 (12:59); (MP3 17MB / FLAC 144MB / Ogg Vorbis 10MB / Stream)

After another round of nostalgia about Le Bifteck St-Laurent and its cheap beer, Chris ‘Zeke’ Hand and Ed “Blork” Hawco start talking about hamburgers. Specifically, they discuss their expectations of “Buns,” the new minimalist burger joint that first opened on Ste-Catherine Street and later expanded to a second outlet on The Main (Boul. St. Laurent). Will it be the best burger in Montreal? Zeke is a little worried that the burgers will be too minimalist and plain. Ed is hoping for a good “backyard” style burger. Zeke points out the role reversal when it comes to expectations.

(Montreal Burger Report: Le Bifteck St-Laurent & Buns, Part 1.)

 

Montreal Burger Report: Bifteck St-Laurent & Buns Part 1

Bifteck St-Laurent & Buns Part 1 (11:19); (MP3 15MB / FLAC 121MB / Ogg Vorbis 9MB / Stream)

In this episode of the Montreal Burger Report, Chris ‘Zeke’ Hand and Ed (Blork) Hawco head up Boulevard St. Laurent for a visit to familiar territory. Both Chris and Ed have been on and around The Main for a couple of decades, so a trip to Bifteck St-Laurent for a few pre-burger beers brings out the nostalgia. As Ed struggles to remember if he really did get some beef at the Bifteck, Zeke recalls that this is the place where he learned it was OK to “leave beer over.”

The guys get all “meta” and discuss the hamburger checklist and rating scales judiciously avoiding terms like “best,” “meilleur” and delve instead into burger rating territory with words like “grind” and “crumble,” while trying to come up with a better word than “gushy.” They decide to have another beer as they prepare to visit a newcomer to The Main, the minimalist Buns, at 3673 Saint Laurent.

 

Montreal Burger Report: Le Saint Bock & L’Amere à Boire Part 5

Le Saint Bock & L’Amere à Boire Part 5 (13:35); (MP3 20MB / FLAC 145MB / Ogg Vorbis 11MB / Stream)

In the final part of the Le Saint Bock & L’Amere à Boire episode, Chris ‘Zeke’ Hand and Ed “Blork” Hawco eat their burgers and in the end are not overly impressed. Blork’s burger had a dirty grease flavor that was so strong he didn’t even notice the bacon. In the end, the talk turns back to beer, which in this case delivered more pleasure than the burgers.

Zeke's burger. Note the pronounced grill marks -- the marks on Ed's were even darker. Unfortunately looks can be deceiving.

Blork’s Verdict

The more I ate my burger, the more I noticed a foul taste that seems to have come from a greasy grill that hasn’t been cleaned. In the end, it was the dominant flavor, and it left a bad taste in my mouth that I could still sense the next day. Perhaps it was a bad night, because this place’s reputation would sink like a lead canoe if all of the burgers tasted like that. Otherwise, it was a reasonably good sandwich, but not remarkable. The kind of thing you snarf down on a beery night out because you know you ought to eat something. Since I have been known to have the occasional beery night out, I might give this place another try — just to see if that dirty taste is still there. But ultimately, L’Amere à Boire makes my beer list, but not my burger list.

Zeke’s Verdict

As I said, initially I was anticipating something extremely good especially after reading the all the rave reviews on Chowhound about the Lamb Burger at L’Amere à Boire (one, two, three, four). Unfortunately what I didn’t realize at the time was that they were all written by the same person. I should have known better, I didn’t enjoy my lamb burger or my beer at L’Amere à Boire at all, and unlike Blork, I’m not likely to go back. Thankfully we had started the night at Le Saint Bock where the beer was delicious and the burger menu looked to be the same.

Le Saint Bock
Address: 1749 Saint Denis
Phone: (514) 680-8052

L’Amère à boire
Address: 2049 Saint Denis
Phone: (514) 282-7448

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(Montreal Burger Report: Le Saint Bock & L’Amere à Boire Part 1, Montreal Burger Report: Le Saint Bock & L’Amere à Boire Part 2, Montreal Burger Report: Le Saint Bock & L’Amere à Boire Part 3. Montreal Burger Report: Le Saint Bock & L’Amere à Boire Part 4)