That's a Big Boy

Parkdale restaurant and bar Parts and Labour recently won best burger on a reality TV show on the Food Network. Flushed with this success, they decided to open P&L Burgers near Queen and Spadina (in competition with A&W, Hero Certified, Burger's Priest and a host of others) this past week. Before starting my Christmas shopping, I stopped by on Saturday for lunch.

The long and narrow space is painted in black and white. One wall is adorned with a giant graffiti of some sort of mutant, rampaging Hamburglar monster. There is a stretch of stools along the wall. The order counter occupies the middle space with some additional seating at the back. But these are right in front of the only washroom so don't seem appetizing. The kitchen is tuck away at the back with a counter where a cook will holler your completed order.

I got the combo ($13) with The Philly, fries, and some root beer. The burger was quite large, especially when compared to Burger's Priest at a similar price point (around $9 for just the burger). The meat was loosely packed which made for a sloppy bite, even before the sauteed mushrooms, hot peppers, mayo and American cheese. The patty was good, but could have used a bit more seasoning. The cheese was an error on my part because it tasted like Kraft cheese slice. That certainly makes it an "authentic" Philly cheesesteak flavour but sat like bad memory on my tongue. The bun was soft but thick to hold the gooey insides. The fries were reasonable but not great.