Before I get into the delicious details of this burger, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone that supported Life of Burgers over 2015. It was a great year for LOB, from being the Burger Week Ambassador to winning a Best of Halifax Award, and all the awesome stuff in between. I’m extremely grateful that you all have put up with my burger addiction and have given me so much positive feedback! Here’s to a great, burger-filled 2016!
A big milestone has been reached for Life of Burgers with the arrival of burger number 50! For this one I wanted to leave it up to my readers so I conducted a poll on Twitter where everyone could pick, from 4 local burgers, what they wanted number 50 to be.
It was back and forth between Cheese Curds and Krave but eventually Krave took the win with 57% of the vote, and it was time for me to prepare for the burger beast that is The Big Cheese!
Stats
From the menu: “2 seared beef patties, cheddar, mozza, smokey shoulder bacon, pulled pork, onions, ketchup, mustard and Krave sauce, with a grilled cheese in the middle of it all”
Appearance (7.75/10)
With a burger of this size, you can’t help but stare at it for a few minutes before taking a bite. I loved seeing all the different components and layers to this burger, even though it was slightly overwhelming. They did not hold back on the pulled pork, and there was a nice, thick slice of juicy bacon included. You could see both condiments and melted cheese dripping out the sides, and this was truly a mouthwatering moment for me.
My one concern was with the grilled cheese. Even though this burger prides itself on it’s size and generous quantities, I was a little worried that there would be too much of a bread presence while eating this creation.
Taste (8/10)
Given the number of elements to this burger, there is a lot to say about it so bear with me!
I have to give it up to Krave for the quality meat they use in their burgers. The generous amount of pulled pork on this burger tasted great, and I absolutely loved the thick slice of smokey shoulder bacon. The local, grass-fed beef, which is ground in-house, never fails to impress me. I was worried that all this meat was just going to be excessive, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was pretty satisfying.
There was also an appropriate amount of cheese on the burger, as each bite was able to include a bit of that melted texture that everyone loves. My initial worries, about the grilled cheese causing there to be too much bread, were soon squashed. I actually found that the extra bread really helped balance out the amount of meat on the burger, so it was a welcome addition.
With a burger of this size, you would usually expect a high level of messiness, especially with the various condiments on the burger (all which tasted great, by the way). While the bottom bun did end up disappearing about halfway through, and at one point they brought me over a fork and knife “just in case”, I was surprised to find out that this burger held up really well, and there was very little mess.
Cost vs. What You Get (7/10)
The price of this huge burger is $17.49, plus another $3.49 if you want to make it a combo. It is the most expensive item on the menu, and it would most likely be more than you want to pay if you’re visiting Krave, but you can’t deny the quantity of food that you get, and the quality level is right there with it. I would usually only pay this much for a burger at a fine dining restaurant, or for a special occasion which is why I was completely fine paying the extra dollars!
Overall (7.58/10)
I assumed that after I finished this burger that I would feel grossly full. However, that wasn’t the case, and I actually was at a pretty content level of fullness (it probably didn’t hurt that I didn’t eat anything else that day in preparation for my visit). I know that this probably won’t become a regular burger choice for everyone, as there are more sensible burgers on the menu that are just as delicious, but if you’re feeling adventurous it is worth a try!
Krave Burger
5680 Spring Garden Road, Halifax, NS
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