My Calgary hamburger research kept leading me to a downtown neighbourhood restaurant called Buchanan's. Apparently they are known for their selection of fine whiskeys, and also for their hamburgers. Notable, of their hamburgers, is that you can order them rare to well done, and anything in between. A typical Canadian, and a daughter to my mother, I was brought up to avoid undercooked hamburger meat like the plague. In dimly lit restaurants I have been known to send back a hamburger if I even suspected the faintest hue of pink. But much reading on the issue has informed me that true hamburger snobs prefer their hamburgers as they prefer their steaks: mooing and bleeding.
Of course, it isn't always safe to eat undercooked ground beef, particularly in these days of industrial farming and slaughter. For a kitchen to serve its ground beef rare, it has to trust the source of its meat as well as the kitchen who prepares it. After my first meal at Buchanan's, a lady came over who I assume is the owner or manager, and she asked us how we liked our meals. She informed us that she has red seal chefs in the kitchen, grinding the sirloin for burgers. It was obvious that a lot of care had gone into our meals, and that the restaurant management is receptive to customer feedback (we were also asked how we had heard about Buchanan's. The answer, FYI, is Chowhound).
Usually the burger platters here are a whopping $18. But to my delight I discovered that Buchanan's has a happy hour bar menu between 3pm-6pm when you can get the burgers for $10, an excellent deal. You can get a Deluxe Bacon Cheeseburger, Blackened Hot & Spicy Onion-Jalapeno Jackcheese Burger, or a Roasted Veggie Burger with papaya-avocado salsa. These come with fries and coleslaw.
At first you may think that the fry portion is small, as they come in a little ramekin. However, they are quite filling; thick and poofy on the inside, with a crispy outside. I found myself happily eating the coleslaw, which sometimes gets abandoned on my plate. I think there were little slivers of hot peppers in it, giving it just the slightest kick.
My "Blackened Hot & Spicy" Burger, on the other hand, had no real kick to speak of. However, it was very tasty, as was the Cheeseburger, which I ordered on a previous occasion, sans bacon:
As you can see, this is a really thick baseball of a burger. When I bit into it, reddish coloured juices streamed onto my plate. Yet the burger itself wasn't too greasy or too bloody (I ordered it medium and it had just a pinkish hue in the middle). The burgers are reportedly Alberta AAA 100% Extra Lean Sirloin. The buns they use are also neat, and just barely hold it all together, whilst soaking up some of the juices.
When I eat a burger like this I sorta feel like I am eating a steak. It is evident that it is ground sirloin because I am conscious of what would be little chewy bits of steak, that have been ground down to being almost unnoticeable. The patty is also very dense. I'm not sure if this is my favourite type of burger, but it definitely blows away most of the burgers I've eaten in my lifetime.
One thing did confuse me, during my second visit to Buchanan's. The bartender was so friendly and came right away to my table to offer me a beverage, but he never offered me a menu. I sat around for some time with my beer wondering if a server was going to take care of me, but nobody even looked my way. I eventually had to go up to the bar to request a menu. Once I did this, the service was again very friendly and prompt but I am confused as to why I was not offered a menu. After my meal, I asked if I could wrap up a tea biscuit I had not eaten. My server, who had apparently taken over the responsibility for me, wasn't exactly very warm, but she showed her kindness by supplying me with not just one tea biscuit, but three! That was a nice touch.
I think there is a good reason why Buchanan's is considered by some to have the best burgers in Calgary. There is definitely no shortage of meat or quality here. There is also a nice English pub atmosphere, and a large selection of spirits, which the staff can access with a little ladder behind the bar. I'm glad I live close to this place, as I'm sure it won't be too long before I'm craving one of these juicy meaty baseball burgers!
Buchanan's Chop House & Whiskey Bar
738 3rd Ave SW
Calgary, AB
403-261-4646
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