3938 Notre-Dame
Laval, Quebec

Visit: April 26, 2011

Bus: STL 26, 46, 60, 66, 151

http://www.marathonsouvlaki.ca/

This was the second time I’ve been to this restaurant during the last school year. The first time I was there, I forgot to take pictures, so this time, I was ready for action. The servers in this establishment are very hardworking and cordial. For what is was worth, the value for the lunch menu was good, as the portions were really huge.

Doner Gyros Small Plate

Tried: April 26, 2011

This dish contains a Greek salad, potatoes, rice, and beef.

This was the dish that introduced me to this restaurant. I had this the first time I was here and I was going to have it again. The portions are huge and I had trouble finishing it. Being the competitor I am, I always finish, and that’s what I did. The potatoes are nothing out of this world, as is the rice. The highlights of the meal are the beef and salad. I usually save the best parts for last. The last two things on the plate were the beef and the feta cheese.

3035 Boulevard Le Carrefour
Carrefour Laval, Laval, Quebec

Bus: STL 39, 42, 50, 56, 60, 61, 63, 66, 70, 902, 903

Visit: February 22, 2011

http://www.table51.com/

Once again I find myself in the confines of the Greater Montreal Area’s largest mall, Carrefour Laval. Tucked right behind the food court sits the restaurant entitled Table 51. The service seemed fine, though it seemed like the division of labour wasn’t so good. There were times where the owner and management picked up the slack from the servers and hostess. It seemed a little disorganized. I should also note the special effort made by the clearly Anglophone server when dealing with me in French. Even if things seemed hectic, the staff did take good care of each of the customers I saw, including myself.

Cheeseburger w/Bacon

This burger contains Savoura tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, and bacon. There are a few things to note about this burger. When I noticed other people’s sandwiches getting served sliced in half, I knew. I knew that I was getting a burger sliced in half, not my preferred method of serving. I like holding a burger. The second issue was the meat. Though flavorful, it was tiny. I had more of everything else than the meat. At one point, I felt like I ordered a BLT because I could barely detect meat. The taste is fine, but the lack of meat was kind of disappointing, especially for the price. Another point that can’t go without mention were the french fries. There were too many of them and it took salt to make them significant. The french fries, without the salt, tasted like a bag of potato sticks, and I don’t like potato sticks.

2135 Boul. des Laurentides
Laval, Quebec

Bus: STL 17, 31, 39, 41, 73, 74

Visit: February 8, 2011

http://www.fiveguys.ca/

This is another example of a big American chain making its debut in Quebec. Being only the second location of this restaurant, the unique American ways are now finding themselves in Laval. The ordering process starts at the cash. Once ordered and paid, you wait for your meal further down the counter. You then eat, re-fill beverage if you must, then leave. It’s that easy.

The service was pretty good. I didn’t even have to get up to pick up my order, as the cashier brought it to me. Every time someone was approaching the door, the workers would yell, “2 à la porte!!!” The name even fits the way this place runs. There are exactly five guys working the floor. The count then comes off a bit since there was a sixth female worker. When more locations come (Old Montreal, Brossard), this will be something worth trying.

Bacon Cheeseburger

This burger contains lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, mushrooms, cheese, and bacon. This double patty bacon cheeseburger may look sloppy, but don’t let the appearance fool you. The taste is pretty consistent throughout. The only concern was with structure and me being able to keep this gargantuan concoction together. All in all, a pretty good taste where you don’t have to fight with the meat and where it’s good up until the final bite.

My big issue with the trio was with the fries. The issue was that there were too many fries. I open the bag and all I see are fries. I did and I dig, still fries. I had to put some fries on a napkin. I had to take out the container of fries. Even still, there were still plenty of fries in the bag after I took out the tin-foil wrapped burger. Ordering a “regular” sized fries was not a good idea. I had more fries that I knew what to do with. They were literally coming out the wazoo. My choice was the Cajun variety, which was supposed to be spicy. Whenever I hear spicy fries, they never are spicy, and I am mostly always right. They taste okay though.

165 Promenade du Centropolis
Laval, Quebec

Bus: STL 42, 56, 60, 61, 66, 70

Visit: December 21, 2010

http://www.sterlingsrestaurant.com/

This was another case of me feeling way under-classed for this place. Then again, I was quickly reassured when I saw the guy in a t-shirt at another table. It seemed that the owner of the place was very hands-on. Droves of people kept on coming in, which was a good sign. The service was cordial, even though there was a fair bit of waiting.

Steakburger

This burger contains lettuce, tomatoes, onions, swiss cheese, and bacon. This first thing that caught my eye was the immense amount of cheese. For some that might be a good thing, but I felt that it masked a lot of the bacon and steak flavor. The bacon itself was too crispy, but that’s what the menu said. In my opinion, there are differences between crisp bacon and burnt bacon. The meat wasn’t bad, but was overwhelmed by the whole cheese. Not a bad burger, but nothing too memorable either.

355 Cure-Labelle
Laval, Quebec

Bus: STL 24, 55, 151, 902

Visit: September 20, 2010

http://www.chenoys.com/

This is my fourth ever visit to Chenoy’s. This restaurant was partially responsible for starting the Mr. Lew Great Burger Search. In 2009, I had a burger so big, that I kept on thinking about it until this very day. This is my first visit to the Laval location, but I found the service a little slow.

The Guargantua

This burger contains tomatoes, lettuce, onions, cheese, and bacon. The unique feature of this burger is the double meat patties. Now, there are a lot of burgers with double patties, but the size of the individual patty was enormous. The burger tastes good. The simple list of ingredients keeps it good. The meat was good well too. The downfall was the size. This ceased being a review and turned into a food eating challenge. For the first time in 58 burgers, I felt doubt. The bottom patty fell in two pieces. I was forced to rebuild. After the war was over and the plate was cleared, I made a vow, no more Guargantua. This was the second and last attempt at this massive burger. Don’t get me wrong, the burger is quite good, but it’s only for people who can eat, and I used to be able to eat like that, not anymore.

1739 Pierre-Peladeau
Laval, Quebec

Bus: STL 42, 56, 60, 61, 66, 70

Visit: January 13, 2010

http://www.houstonresto.com/

For a trendy place, the service didn’t live up. For one, I was kept waiting a least ten minutes for a waiter to see me so that I could place an order. I don’t mind waiting for the food, but waiting to order when you’re seated is a different story. It also didn’t help that the tables to my right and to my left were not bused. Those tables were unoccupied and were not cleared for at least 20-25 minutes.

Burger Classique

First and fore most, I came to Houston with one menu in mind and the same one at the front of the establishment. When I was seated, I was given a different menu that didn’t have one burger similar to ones published on their website.

I decided to go with a classic burger with bacon, swiss cheese, pickles, and onions. I’ll say that the meat was done rather satisfactorily to the point where I didn’t have to fight the burger. The ingredients worked well together. Even though the inner workings kept on trying to escape, the burger held together to the end.

I will also note the tasty and very much creamy caesar salad I had with the burger that included real good pieces of bacon.

1795 Pierre-Peladeau
Laval, Quebec

Bus: STL 42, 56, 60, 61, 66, 70

Visit: December 16, 2009

http://www.elixor.com/

The first thing you notice when you walk in the door is the vastness of the restaurant. Extremely busy, yours truly was lucky to get a table. Service was adequate, though I watched the waitress check on the three tables near me while I got ignored until the end. It should also be noted that the washroom was quite dark, though nice.

Notice the large portion size and the upscale cole-slaw.

It’s like I ordered a plate of french fries with a burger as a side-dish.

Cajun Burger

One of the reasons I chose the burger was because of the avocado inclusion. Unfortunately for me, the avocado fell out right at the start. I tasted the avocado separately and I wasn’t really impressed.

This burger is huge. I spent a lot of time wondering if I was going to finish. The bacon was a tad overdone for my taste. The shredded lettuce didn’t really do it for me. The mayo spread actually weakened the bottom bun somewhat, though the burger didn’t fall apart. Overall, the burger was underwhelming as I didn’t get the aftertaste after finishing it like I do with other better burgers.

3035 Boulevard Le Carrefour
Carrefour Laval, Laval, Quebec

Bus: STL 39, 42, 50, 56, 60, 61, 63, 66, 70, 902, 903

Visit: December 9, 2009

http://www.batonrougerestaurants.com/

I usually try to avoid restaurants that are located in malls, but this is one that has a big name value in the province of Quebec. A nice, dimly-lit location with nice booths and pretty good service. Despite the inclement weather outside, the place was packed at lunch.

Burger Baton Rouge

The burger tasted pretty good. It held up quite nicely throughout.

What I really want to point out was the side dish. First of all, burger search is more than the actual burger. The side dish and chosen drink is just as important than the consumption of burger. Even though it was suggested to me that I take the fries, the dish I chose just called out at me. The hot cinnamon apples were absolute perfection. It’s like apple pie without the crust. It was so good, to a point, where the burger was not the main focus anymore.

Even if the burger was not my most favorite part of this meal, it was still pretty solid. Definitely worth a try.

2565 Daniel-Johnson
Laval, Quebec

Bus: STL 39, 42, 50, 56, 60, 61, 63, 66, 70, 902, 903

Visit: December 2, 2009

http://www.madisonsnyc.com/

When I walked into this location, I felt like I wasn’t ‘classy’ enough for the joint. Then again, I was ‘better dressed’ then the other people who were wearing blue jeans. The service was extremely courteous and I couldn’t believe how fast I received my food.

Burger Madison

Interesting burger with a good taste throughout. I got worried when the bottom bun was starting to fall apart, but it did not become a big issue. The mayonnaise complimented the rest of the ingredients quiet well.

It must also be noted that the McDonald’s fries make an appearance again. I bend my head down in shame.

I’m putting this here because I’ve never seen condiment like this before.