Jebb’s Doggy Burger (photo: Megan Cole)
Close your eyes and imagine the burger joint of your dreams? Chances are there are no $20 burgers, fancy cheeses or aiolis involved. Of course, there’s a time and a place for a hand-ground, locally sourced gourmet burger with aged cheddar cheese and house-cured bacon, but any burger lover will say it’s all about a simple burger, done well. When it comes down to it a burger is working people’s food, and even when done with “cheap” ingredients can taste heavenly.
I first went to Boogie’s Burgers, the popular Calgary burger spot, last year during Sled Island Festival. I had told my cousin, who lives in Calgary, that I had once been to Peter’s Drive-In, another acclaimed burger stop, and she said that Boogie’s is better. It’s hard to compare the two, really, but I guess what is most telling is that I couldn’t actually tell you what might have been so special about Peter’s.
So yesterday, as we made our way into Calgary and were thinking of where we should stop for dinner, the only spot that really came to mind was Boogie’s, and that’s exactly where we headed.
Normally, I’m a fairly basic burger kind of girl, which meant I certainly wasn’t going for one of Boogie’s biggest burgers, Doug’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper,” which includes pretty much everything from multiple patties to an fried egg and a mini corn dog on top. Instead I went for Jebb’s Doggy Burger with a butterflied hot dog, bacon, a single beef patty and cheese. I even paired it with a Old Style Pilsner, which took the whole thing to the next level. I’m not sure whether it was that I was so hungry from hours on the road or that the burger was so good, but I ate the whole thing without hesitation, and didn’t feel the need to lay down on the floor of the restaurant afterwards.
As I sat there I found myself fantasizing and wondering why there isn’t a burger place like Boogie’s in every town, but I guess if there was Boogie’s just wouldn’t be as special. And, let’s face it, if anyone else tried it would likely just be a sad copy.
-Megan Cole
Boogie’s Burgers is located at A-908 Edmonton Trail NE, Calgary, Alberta
No Comments