The chef at Gahan House in Charlottetown says a good burger is all about balancing out the flavours all the way through it.
With his Not’cha Burger, Dwayne MacLeod hopes he has created a mouth-watering delight that will win him P.E.I.’s Most Loved Burger title this year.
Gahan House is one of 31 participating restaurants across the province competing this month in the third annual P.E.I. Burger Love, a month-long celebration that sees each restaurant offer 100 per cent pure Island beef, topped with a wide array of garments.
The Old MacDonald burger at Hunter’s Ale House in Charlottetown is a burger sandwiched between two grilled cheese sandwiches with chicken fingers inside and outside the actual burger.
MacLeod wanted to combine Gahan House’s nachos with his burger creation.
“It’s pretty much just having fun with it,’’ MacLeod said following a news conference in Charlottetown Tuesday to launch P.E.I. Burger Love.
“I thought ‘What will work good with nachos? Doritos go great with a burger and that’s what I thought right off the bat, ‘Why not throw some nachos on top of the burger’?’’
P.E.I. Burger Love was created by Fresh Media and is presented in partnership with the P.E.I. Cattle Producers, Department of Agriculture and Forestry, P.E.I. Flavours, P.E.I. Potato Board and P.E.I. Restaurant Association.
Ivan Johnson, with the P.E.I. Cattle Producers, said Burger Love promotes Island beef as well as local restaurants.
“It does a lot for our Island economy, for small (beef producers) at this time of year,’’ Johnson said. “Their sales increase and it’s all Island beef. We hear more from Island consumers, too, that they do want to support Island products.’’
Last year, the campaign grew from the initial launch of 14 restaurants to 22 participants that, together, sold 16,150 burgers in one month, equaling more than 7,850 pounds of beef. With 31 restaurants taking part this year, organizers are looking for bigger numbers.
Organizers also chose to run P.E.I. Burger Love in April when restaurants are quieter than in July and August when tourists are chowing down.
“April is a traditional month where people really aren’t on the move a lot. You have to create reasons for people to get out and dine out. The Burger Love campaign does that and it’s at a price point where people can afford to go out and buy a burger,’’ said Carl Nicholson, president of the P.E.I. Restaurant Association.
It should be noted that the HST has lowered the price of burgers by 1.5 per cent.
Nicholson said not only do people venture out to try all the various burger creations but they will go into restaurants they don’t normally frequent.
Melody Dover of Fresh Media said they’ve even got one franchise chain on board this year — East Side Mario’s (The Mob Hit is their creation).
“From the start, one of our goals was to encourage restaurants to buy Island beef and this proves that it is possible,’’ Dover said.
Al Douglas, a social media blogger who has been assigned the task of tasting each of the burgers and reviewing them, has one piece of advice for anyone who plans to partake in burger love — it would be a good idea to go for a 20-minute walk afterwards.
Twitter.com/DveStewart
By the numbers
- P.E.I. Burger Love runs until April 30.
- It was created in 2011 to promote Island beef.
- It has grown to involve 31 restaurants this year.
- Last year, 16,150 burgers were devoured in one month, equaling more than 7,850 pounds of beef.
- Garnishes used in the burger love campaign include bacon jam, deep fried carrots, wontons, kale, donair meat and much more.
- Participating restaurants include The Big Orange Lunchbox, BOOMburger, Brothers 2, Cedar’s Eatery, Cross Keys Bar & Grill, Daniel Brenan Brickhouse, Dundee Arms Inn, East Side Mario’s, Eden’s Gate, FiveEleven West, Gahan House, Hunter’s Ale House, The Loyalist Country Inn, Lucy Maud Dining Room, The Maple Grille, Mavor’s, The Merchantman Pub, Olde Dublin Pub, The Old Triangle, The Oval, Papa Joe’s (defending champion), Phinley’s Diner, Pilot House, Quality Inn on the Hill, Redwater Rustic Grille, Red’s Corner, Sims Corner, St. James Gate, Turf’s Bar & Grill and West End Bar & Grill, Urban Eatery, Water St. Fish & Chips.
- On the Web: www.peiburgerlove.ca.
