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(or play it here)[Audio http://www.archive.org/download/20100317/MBR_47.mp3]
This week Chris 'Zeke' Hand and Ed Hawco (also known as Blork) are joined by one of Montreal's best chefs Julie Rondeau at the Montreal Hamburger Institution, Restaurant Philippe.
[caption id="attachment_1072" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="The Restaurant Philippe Double Cheeseburger. Notice the crust formed by the Maillard Reaction."]
[/caption]Zeke starts out by pointing out what he would do if he had Resto Zeke. Blork and Julie talk about the smashburger technique which produces a Maillard reaction and how it relates to the cooking and eating of hamburgers in great depth. Everyone discusses the ethical concerns of accepting free food and Zeke makes the executive decision to avoid any and all potential conflicts of interest by paying for everything. The general consensus is that they make great burgers at Restaurant Philippe, and everyone is in agreement that they should return often and soon.
Zeke's Verdict
I gotta give major props to Jack Ruttan for suggesting Restaurant Philippe (aka Resto Phil, Pataterie Chez Philippe and Chez Phil as well) and then to John, his dad and his daughter for making kick-ass hamburgers and cheeseburgers. I could ramble on using a variety of multi-syllabic words to elucidate on the exquisite appearance and how terrificly toothsome their repasts are. But I won't, and just simply state that they make really good hamburgers and cheeseburgers at Restaurant Philippe.
Ed's Verdict
The burgers at Chez Philippe are not sophisticated, but they are almost magically delicious. Whereas many burger places try to wow you with exotic sounding ingredients, and a lot of corner casse-croutes have traded in their souls for convenience and low-rent ingredients, Chez Philippe knocks me out with its modest menu of burgers that carry more than 40 years of uncompromising experience. The folks there still do it Phil's way, and the difference comes through in the flavour. They're one of the few places around (maybe the only one) using the "smash" burger technique, and the result is a gorgeous caramelized sear on the meat that amps up the beefiness to a heavenly level. It ain't fancy, but damn, is it good!
[caption id="attachment_1073" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="The Restaurant Philippe Double Cheeseburger after one bite."]
[/caption]Restaurant Philippe
Address: 1877 Amherst
Phone: (514) 528-5957
[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&source=embed&msa=0&msid=101337671826617990441.0004725bfe498f2b4a89e&ll=45.519474,-73.563552&spn=0.005262,0.00912&z=16&output=embed]
[Previous Episodes:
Episode 43: Le Cheval Blanc & Restaurant Philippe (1/5),
Episode 44: Le Cheval Blanc & Restaurant Philippe (2/5),
Episode 45: Le Cheval Blanc & Restaurant Philippe (3/5),
Episode 46: Restaurant Philippe (4/5)]
