Stackhouse Burger Bar

By Andy Thursday May 31, 2012

What is “me.” Skins, bone, flesh; my brain? The neurons that synapse inside of my brain; the proteins in the cells? When you strip everything away and try to analyze the bare backbone of something, what is it that you are truly left with: what that thing truly is, or just your perception of it? Take, for example, a hamburger. Buns. A large piece of meat. One could assert that these basic elements are the primary constituents of a burger based on what they perceive, and that anything beyond that was simply extraneous. As the burger evolved over time, mankind has added more and more into this little bugger. Cheese, onions, pickles, lettuce; creativity blossomed, as we would stop at nothing until it stacked taller and taller. It could be postulated to resemble a house, with a prime foundation, roof, a main inhabitant, and all of the other trinkets that one could find in one’s home. Such fanciful creations could be discovered at Stackhouse Burger Bar.

It is located on the Granville Strip, although a bit far removed from everything else. On this occasion, I came with Diana of Foodology and “G-Money.” They have awkward middle-of-the-sidewalk parking in front, if that tickles your fancy. Good luck with traffic if you’re crossing the Granville Bridge, however.

As you can see from the above, the relatively small interior is simple and bright. This would more closely resemble something from Gastown, in my opinion.

The above is the burger bar, I suppose. It is where you can spy on the chefs and watch the servers deliver food to other tables. #forevershafted

G-Money ordered the Portabellini Burger ($14), which is 6.5oz of local prime rib patty with portabellini, Guinness cheddar, chipotle aioli, and butter lettuce, all served in a brioche bun. She seemed content with her burger. It came with a side of fries. Crafted out of Russet potatoes, these were large, fresh and tasty, with a distinct potato flavour still lingering within them.

Diana, trying to abide by the philosophy of Meatless Monday, ordered the Ahi Tuna Burger ($16), which includes a 5oz Ahi tuna steak housed in a brioche bun with miso aioli, watercress, creamy avocado, and fried onions, with a substituted side of fried pickles. You can read her opinion of it here.

I elected for their signature Stackhouse Burger ($15), which is essentially the aforementioned Portabellini burger with pancetta. This burger definitely stacked up, as it was quite large and required extensive mouth-opening. Biting into it, the meat was very tender and juicy. In terms of flavour, all of the components melded together to give the burger a rich flavour that extended beyond the taste of just the meat. I appreciated the pancetta, which had a more subtle taste and texture than your typical slices of American bacon. The shiny butter lettuce was definitely an interesting touch, although it could sometimes be a bit hard to chew through. Be warned, this isn’t something you can eat politely, what with the girth, drippings and toughness of the lettuce. Regardless, this was certainly quite filling, and the fries helped with that.

In the end, how does Stackhouse stack up to other burger joints in town? There’s no doubt that they are capable of rethinking classic sandwiches with quality ingredients and a fresh twist to things, and this was certainly appreciated here. As advertised on Twitter, they now have $10 lunch specials going on, and these include a burger and a side. I would certainly consider a revisit if I were craving a burger while downtown, although as you can assert from the above, it certainly wouldn’t be on a first date. (NB: like Andy Eats A Lot on Facebook for more gems similar to the one above!)

Conclusion: Andy ate a lot.