Max’s Burgers (Crossroads, West 8th and Cambie)
So, you remember Chef Connor Butler, of Connor Butler fame, and a few other restaurants. Well, he’s at the helm of the kitchen at Max’s Burgers. And he’s not being shy about it. Last night, I was invited to the media preview of Max’s Burgers. And I will say, JT will probably approve (and he is such a burger snob). The prices? Unbeatable, for the quality (the burgers start at $8.99). A close competitor maybe the Sunshine Burgers which I reviewed recently in Yaletown.
But what I really liked about this media opening is that, while it was a media event, it gave me the access to the chef, the owner and tasting the food that I would try were I to visit on a normal day. In fact, I’m coming back to Max’s Burgers once it actually is open (this coming Tuesday). Just to note, during the media opening I noticed that it was kind of hard for the folks of Max’s Burgers to have to tell people that they were not open yet and turn them down. There’s THAT kind of excitement for Max’s Burgers to be open and ready to serve delicious burgers to the public.
Max’s Burgers is the brain child of crazy Chef Connor Butler (Connor Butler Restaurant, Pearl on the Rock, C) and Redpath Foods, the team that’s brought you Max’s Deli and Stuart’s Bakery for decades. So, after some beers and some bets, things got real rough. About 1000 days after the Deli @ 8th & Cambie closed, up popped a burger joint with a mission (Attitude).Now, we’re making ‘perfect burgers*’, and serving them and their cousins with refreshing cold bevies and stuff fried in yummy tallow. Rabbit vegetarians are welcome here too though and EVERYBODY will want to get their mitts into our handmade dessert case.
I am not a cheese consumer, so don’t take my word for the poutine, but I totally loved it. I had slider-versions of the Rooster on a Tailgate (you had me at chilpotle mayo), tried a sample of the deliciously-chock-full-of-meat Max’s House Chili and the vegetarian Gargomel’s Stuffed Toadstools. Overall, I wish my tummy could have handled more food, because I could have continued to eat.
The boozy drinks were tasty too, though I’ll add that my Mudslide or whatever that thing was called was out-of-this-world. Milkshake with alcohol? Yes, please! Overall, it was a lot of fun to see several of my food writing friends, many of whom I don’t often see because I am on such a reduced event blogging schedule. Thanks for the invite, Max’s Burgers! I’ll be back!
Some photos of the evening here and on my Flickr account.
Disclosure: I was invited to a media opening, and thus this post doesn’t in and of itself constitute a review. I will be back (as I usually do with restaurants) so I can write and form my own opinion about it!).
