Obiter Dicta Issue 12 - March 10, 2014 | Page 12

page 12 A R T S & CU LT U RE Jurisfoodence: Food Adventure #7 LUKE JOHNSTON & DAN MOWAT-ROSE Staff Writers This cold weather seems to be never-ending. So, comfort food was back on the menu in a big way this week. Hold onto your butts and give thanks, Osgoode. Meaty buns are front of mind in Midtown at Holy Chuck. Venue: Holy Chuck - 1450 Yonge Street (just south of St. Clair station) Cuisine: Burgers Food: Luke went for “The Big Chuck” ($10.99), which is HC’s take on a big mac, and rounded things out with some onion rings ($4.79). Pun acknowledged. Dan, avec gusto, dug into “Le Croissant du Paysan” ($12.99). Effectively a breakfast sandwich burger, the standard brisket patty also has French fries inside the sandwich along with bacon, cheese, and a fried egg!  This tasty morsel is nestled between two toasted croissants dripping with maple syrup. Yikes. Just for fun he also got “Raging Bull” fries ($7.99), a basket of fries smothered in bacon, processed cheese, sauteed banana peppers and spicy gravy. LLBO Licensed? No, unfortunately. However, a Coca-Cola “Freestyle” machine is a recent addition. This futuristic thirst quencher allows patrons to choose from among ~50 different varieties of fountain pop. We tried Hi-C Grape, Fanta Raspberry, Tibb (sort of like Dr. Pepper), as well as some standard offerings like Barq’s Rootbeer and Diet Coke. Do you even free refill, bro? dan chuc k ing himsel f. The Pick: Dan: So after last week’s column I figured it was reasonable to bring us back toward my comfort zone, namely Toronto hipster-elite locales. In honor of finishing my OPIR requirement, this week I wanted somewhere that offered meat-centric experiential education opportunities. Holy Chuck was an easy pick. Luke: We have ventured to various cuisine corners this year but it is indeed good to be back to the familiar land of meat, cheese, and 1500+ calorie meals! Dan: Well said. THUMBS UP to. . . reading week. The Obiter Dicta At the restaurant: The Food: Luke: My God, the menu is impressive.  There are so many interesting options -- like a double cheeseburger between BLTs or bleu ball beef patties topped with Agur blu e cheese  -- that I struggled to choose.    Dan: I love this place. Even without drinking swamp water I always feel a bit sick when I leave, but that is completely expected (just look at what I ordered). My sandwich was unbelievable. The syrup soaked croissants were a bit much but honestly it was pretty well the ideal brunch sandwich. The egg/beef patty/fries/bacon collabo combined to make this a well-balanced holy matrimony of lunch and breakfast. The overall texture was glorious, and the yolk from the fried egg really tied the entire thing together. Dan: Check out the  Coca-Cola “Freestyle” machine! I’ve heard about these from some intrepid traveller 3Ls! I don’t even like pop, but I will make an exception for our readers and just get weird with this machine. The touch screen menu is blowing my mind. Nine varieties of Fanta? Luke: I was also enthused about the pop machine, especially the all-you-can-drink part.  I made swamp water (Orange Fanta+Root beer+Dr Pepper is a good formula) like I was at Ponderosa buffet restaurant circa 1998.   Luke: Yes. I certainly wouldn’t recommend coming here unless your tolerance for grease is as wellestablished as Dan’s tolerance for whiskey.  Fortunately, we’ve both had plenty of burger joint experience.  I think Holy Chuck finds the perfect sweet spot on the spectrum: it makes inventive use