Project Burger Baron: Drayton Valley

 

Drayton Valley's Burger Baron occupies the middle tier of the pseudo-chain's rankings, offering bland fries, a merely decent pizza burger, and a superb chocolate milkshake. This location also offers pizza and pasta, which I haven't seen at many other Burger Barons. Or is that Burgers Baron? 

The best Burger Baron locations should look as if they're about to fall apart, and Drayton Valley's Baron qualifies. The grounds are expansive and well-maintained, but the building itself is rather ramshackle and covered in cracked, peeling stickers, most of a decidedly rural-industrial outlook. The menu boards are bright orange with faded black type--faded almost to the point of illegibility for some items and prices. A swingset, not pictured here because it was behind me when I took this photo, offers fun for the kids. Children play at their own risk! 

The proprietor was friendly and genial, and would probably enjoy this poorly-composed shot of me with a tree growing out of my head. 

Should you stop at Burger Baron when you visit Drayton Valley? Yes, because even middling Burger Baron is better than no Burger Baron. But other locations might offer a more satisfying repast. 

First Baron, Last Baron

Readers of this blog will know that the Burger Baron chain holds a special place in the hearts of many Canadians, among them my brother and me. Behold this poster for The Last Baron, a documentary about the strange history of Burger Baron, for Sean gets a special credit on that very poster for being one of the very first to back the film's production. How amazingly cool is that? I hope this gets released on physical media, because I'll definitely pick it up. 
 

Project Burger Baron: Tofield

Tofield's Burger Baron offers something I haven't seen before: the Baron Brute, a hoagie with cheese, pepperoni, and ham, presumably inspired by the Boston Brute.

Of course, no two Burger Barons feature the same menu--at least not in my investigations thus far. In Tofield, aside from the usual selection of burgers, they also offer a shrimp dinner, fish and chips, and flurries.

The exterior is as dilapidated as one hopes to see when visiting a Burger Baron.

I ordered the Baron Brute, fries, and a small chocolate shake, while Sylvia had the cheeseburger, fries and Pepsi combo from the kids menu. My Brute was quite satisfactory, perhaps better than Boston's, though not as good as the Loaf available at Leduc Diner. Sylvia's cheeseburger was oversized for a child item, and our fries were slightly above average, of the sort that require salt and vinegar. Service was friendly, though prep time was a bit slower than one might expect from a fast food joint. Luckily, we were first in line; the Baron of Tofield was quite busy this Sunday afternoon.

Outdoor decor includes this drill bit situated between two garbage cans.

All told, Tofield's Burger Baron meets the humble standards established by the other establishments that carry the name. 

Project Burger Baron: High Park

The Burger Baron north of Edmonton's High Park district (specifically 152 street and 111 avenue) claims to produce the best mushroom burgers in town - but I hate mushrooms, so today I sampled the Gourmet Burger, which features ham, bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheese and "our special red sauce." It's not a bad burger at all, but I'd still rather visit the Leduc Burger Baron thanks to the quality of that location's hand-cut fries. The fries here are of the "I suspect these are just the frozen fries you get at Safeway" variety - blech.

Not long ago this location used to claim they made "authentic Halifax donairs," but I didn't see the sign this time and it seems as though ownership may have changed recently - a common phenomenon for this quirky pseudo-chain. 

Project Burger Baron: Leduc

Leduc's venerable Burger Baron hasn't changed much over the years; it still looks much the same as it did back when we moved to Alberta, save the "Grad '79" graffiti that used to adorn one side of the rooftop was eventually painted over ten or fifteen years ago. I'm not sure it's been painted again since then.

Sean and I ordered Leduc Burgers, the house specialty: the requisite beef patty topped with a thin slice of ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato and 1,000 Island "secret sauce." If you get the double it's sort of a poor man's Big Mac, only more expensive. And better, frankly.

To amuse himself while we waited for our food, Sean experimented with forced perspective photography.

The proprietors used to write amusing slogans on their sign, but today it featured a standard advertisement. Note how the smoke from the Northwest Territories forest fires add a golden glow to the atmosphere.

Leduc's Burger Baron is a tried and true favourite for the Woods Brothers - always reliable, always tasty, comfortably predictable food in a plain brown wrapper. 

Project Burger Baron: Jasper Place

The Burger Baron at Jasper Place fades with quiet dignity on 156 street and 110A avenue, kitty-corner to MacEwan University's bright orange west-end campus. It's the Burger Baron closest to our home, and the one Sylvia and I frequent most. In a neighbourhood that's starting to look a little worn, this particular Burger Baron offers genuinely friendly service and a rare menu option: the Denver sandwich.

The Jasper Place Burger Baron features a number of Burger Baron standards: the pizza burger (my usual choice), the royal burger, the Hawaiian, corn fritters and Texas Fried Chicken. Once upon a time this location wasn't open on Mondays, so today I originally stopped at the Burger Baron on 111th avenue first. To my surprise, they were closed (with a wooden board in place of the broken drive-through window), so I went to Jasper Place instead. Apparently their hours have changed, and unless my memory is playing tricks on me, the milkshake sizes have increased.

Not all the changes are positive, though, at least from my perspective; they've changed the French fry formula, and now this location's fries are the sort that have that odd crispy breaded feel. Some people like fries like this, but I'm a plain steak fries or skin-on, Swiss Chalet-style fries kind of guy.

This location appears to be family-run, and they never fail to greet Sylvia and I with a smile and pleasant chatter.

The paint may be cracked and fading, the neighbourhood aging and in need of revitalization, but the Jasper Place Burger Baron is weathering the years with pride, offering reliable comfort food to the diverse denizens of west Edmonton.

Project Burger Baron

While on my way to Bonnyville yesterday I spotted a Burger Baron as we passed by Lamont. I've always been fascinated by the Burger Baron phenomenon; no one seems to know how the chain started, menus across the quasi-chain are wildly different, and the restaurants themselves are often in disrepair.

And yet Burger Baron provides wonderful comfort food with often outstanding service. Knowing that the chain is restricted to western Canada, I thought a travelogue of Burger Barons might serve as an ambitious but achievable long-term project.

As seen on the map above, Burger Barons are concentrated in Alberta, spanning the breadth and width of the province. There are also locations in Kelowna, Regina and Prince Albert.

Here's my plan: over the course of the next five years or so, I'll visit, review and photograph each and every Burger Baron. I also hope to provide some sociological insight: what kind of communities support Burger Baron? In what kinds of neighbourhoods do Burger Barons thrive?

I'm hoping that Sean, Sylvia (who shall be named the Burger Baroness in these reports) or some of my other friends will accompany me on most of these road trips, particularly the ones that involve long drives. I think it could be a great way to explore some far-flung communities.

Next weekend I'll visit one of the Edmonton Burger Barons to begin this culinary odyssey. Hold the mayo, extra cheese!