Cage Match #1: Vera's Burger Bar vs. The Works

Vera's Burger Shack is a west coast chain based out of Vancouver, which began as a beach concession stand in 1977.  The Ottawa Vera's is located in the Butchery on Richmond Rd. (3657 Richmond Rd.) and offers counter service with some tall tables and stools:

We filled out what we wanted on this handy checklist.  We ordered the Vera's Burger (6 oz, $5.99) with caramelized onions (an extra $0.79) bacon (extra $1.29), lettuce, tomatoes, and Vera's sauce, which apparently is a garlic mayo.

Jon, about to tuck in

 The burger, as you can see, is cooked medium rare, and charred on the outside.

Jon:  This is really good.
Me:  The patty is mushy.  The fries are mushy.  This whole meal is mushy.
Jon:  This is really, really good.  I'm about to drop an f-bomb.
Me:  At least I don't have to chew like a chump.
Jon:  Chewing's for suckers.

While Jon enjoyed it (clearly) - he thought it was your classic barbeque burger - he thought also that the 6 oz of beef wasn't substantial enough.  I just couldn't get over the texture of the beef, and the sauce seemed to be MIA; you really couldn't taste it at all.  Jon went and got a little container of the sauce so we could try it separately.  It had the taste, and consistency, of slightly thickened milk.

Jon:  It's too milky.  And a bit thin.
Me:  No kidding, it's frothy on top from being poured in, for crying out loud.  And it's not so much garlic mayo as milk that once brushed elbows with garlic.
Jon:  It's milk that once received a kiss on the cheek from garlic, who then never called back for a second date.

Our final scores:

Jon: (wasn't saucy enough, or big enough): 7.5/10
Me: (hated the mushiness, not saucy enough): 5.5/10

On to the Works, Westboro location (326 Richmond Rd.) which, as I'm sure you all know, is a home grown chain that first opened in 2001 in New Edinburgh, in the location that then housed the Fraser Cafe and now currently hosts ZaZaZa Pizza.  It was sold in September of 2010 to Fresh Brands Inc., which plans to build The Works into a national chain.  It's known for the sheer number of topping combinations on their menu.  We picked the Roughriders Comeback ($13.80, 8 oz, with caramelized onions, BBQ sauce, jack cheese and bacon), mainly because it was similar to what we just had at Vera's.

Having the extra 2 oz of meat really made a difference to the heft of the patty.  I definitely preferred the meat well done, and the burger was much saucier.  I remember the Works used to have the option of having their burgers cooked medium rare, if you signed a waiver; our server told us that due to health regulations, they're no longer allowed to do that.  Jon found the patty a bit dry, and wanted more grease and juiciness. Ultimately, he thought Vera had the better patty but The Works had the better overall burger, with more sauce and crispier bacon.

Final scores:

Jon:  8/10
Me: 7.5/10

Next up: Hintonburger vs. Chez Lucien