The Stockyards – Animal Style Burger

Date: October-21-10

Restaurant Name: The Stockyards

Location: 699 St.Clair Avenue West

Phone: (416) 658-9666

Email: info@thestockyards.ca

Web: http://www.thestockyards.ca/

Price Range (Burger): $8-$12

Price Range (Total Meal): $13-$19

Service/Style: Lunch Counter

Reservations: Not Required

Short Review: A “smokehouse and lardery”, with options for ribs and chicken as well as burgers. They make a mean “animal style” burger as an ongoing special! Tasty and different

The Meal

Meat Type: Custom Ground Beef

Patty Weight: 2x 3 oz. patties

Cheese Type: American Cheddar

Bun: White, Toasted

Toppings: Pickles, Lettuce

Garnishes: Special Sauce

Sides: Fries

Drink: Ginger Ale

Service: Friendly – service counter with a tolerable wait

Presentation: Basket

 

The Ratings

Burger: 8.0

Sides: 6.0

Service: 6.5

Atmosphere: 6.8

Overall: 7.0

 

The Long Story

On a last minute lark, I decided to join a couple of friends who were going to The Stockyards for lunch. They were trying the fried chicken, but when I got there I noticed the “”Specials”” chalkboard had an “”Animal Style”” burger listed. For those who aren’t familliar with In & Out Burger, an Animal-Style burger is basically a double cheesburger with pickles, lettuce, and special sauce – think a Big Mac with no centre bun. Having never visited the legendary In & Out chain myself, I decided to give this interpretation a try.

I was not disappointed 🙂

After seating myself with my friends at the counter (which is the only option at The Stockyards – take-out is also a readily-available), it was a short wait for my burger, which arrived with my fries in a basket. Cosmetically, the burger was gorgeous. Off to a good start, and upon biting in, the verdict was final: delicious.

Beef nerds: This Animal-Style burger was two 3 oz. patties, listed as custom-made, which I assume means made in-house. The meat was perfectly-cooked, with a slight hint of cripness on the outside, leading to a light-brown juicy interior – one wouldn’t expect to see pink from such a small patty, but although well-done, t had the flavour of a medium-well cooked piece. On its own, the beef was tender and had a tiny hint of pepper. With crisp lettuce, pickles, and the special sauce on top of a melting pile of cheese, I was in heaven.

Although listed as a special when I went, I’ve gone back to the Stockyards twice since, most recently just before Christmas, and it was still on the chalkboard then, so if you’re in the area of St. Clair and Christie, most definitely make sampling this burger a resolution!