Sometimes life gets in the way of cooking. Sometimes life even
gets in the way of dining out… or in our restricted dining age, Mother Nature
puts a stop to the affair. It’s times like these that I still turn to delivery.
After doing it for over a year, quickly ordering something from an app has
become second nature. Don’t feel like cooking? Break out the app.
In all fairness, these lazy days are also when I get to experience
different “fast food” places. In the past, McDonald’s was an occasional treat
and Maker’s Pizza would generally fill in the rest. But, with all the lazy days
I’ve experienced, we broke tradition and started ordering from other places
instead. That’s when my husband read out great smash burgers in Toronto and
realized there’s a Rudy in North York.
The Rudy burger ($6.99), with it’s smashed beef patty, is
what drew him in. Quite frankly, I’m not sure why people like these burgers; to
me, it tastes like having a burger patty in jerky format as all the juices are
squeezed out and you’re left with crispy edges. It’s topped with tomato,
lettuce, cheese, and their special sauce, but I still found it lacking in
moisture. My husband tells me it’s supposed to be like this and it’s that caramelized
crust that breaks through the soft bun that people like. I’d much rather get
that crunch from raw onions or dill pickles any day.
I’ll just stick with their chicken burger, the Valentino
($8.49), where the chicken patty is thick and juicy, but still arrives with a crispy
lightly battered crust. The protein is amazing. Where there’s room for
improvement is the bun – it’s way too soft becoming sticky and mushy and barely
holds together.
At least they provide the sauces on the side or else that
bun would have no hope. The Valentino sauce is sort of like a watery ranch and
while the consistency is great for drizzling, it could be saltier. Once you
really soak the patty with their light hot sauce and everything mixes with the
coleslaw it does get tastier. Overall, a decent chicken sandwich.
Their fries ($4.19) are a little pricy but a fair size and
can be shared amongst two. It just needs to be double fried, so it doesn’t
arrive so soggy. And unlike the golden arche’s fries, these barely have a lick
of salt. You’ll want to save some of the chicken burger sauce to dip these
into.
I’ve certainly had my fill of chicken sandwiches and fries
during the pandemic. Rudy hardly leads the pack, yet it wasn’t a disappointing
experience either. Maybe I need to go beyond the chicken and broaden my palette
by trying more smashed burgers – is it me, or do they seem to be all the rage
lately? It’s certainly a possibility, because with life right now, I’m just so
tired of cooking. Anyone feeling the same?
Address: Various locations
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Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never order again
- 6 - decent for delivery and takeout, but there's better
- 7 - this is good, for delivery and takeout
- 8 - great for delivery and takeout, it's almost like you're in a restaurant
- 9 - wow, it's like I'm eating at a restaurant
- 10 - I'd happily order this for delivery or takeout instead of dining in any day!
Is That It? I Want More!
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