Over the weekend, a friend and I went to The Grid's Burger Day 2013, which took place at the Artscape Wychwood Barns (06.02.2013). The burger event was from 11:00 am to 5:30 pm. The both of us got there around 12:30 pm, after the rain had stopped. I was unable to attend last year’s event but I read that it was $3.00 per slider. This year, they opted for an AYCE concept where $30.00 gets you all-you-can-eat burger sliders. Desserts, drinks, and alcohol tickets were sold separately. I thought that this year was awesome as it allows visitors a chance to taste test different vendors.

Each participating restaurant created their own version of a (burger) slider, and there were 67 restaurants there that day. The line ups for some vendors were relatively long but I was fortunate enough to have tried 10 different sliders that day before they ran out.

Insomnia Restaurant and Lounge -- Beef patty with thickly cut maple glazed bacon, caramelized onions, lettuce, and balsamic aioli on a milk bun.

The presentation of the slider looked a little plain, but it tasted quite good.


Barque Smokehouse -- Smoked-ham burger with tomatoes, arugula, aged cheddar, and spicy cherry jam.

This was the first slider that I tried and I was not disappointed at all. I thought that the beef patty had a very tasty beefy flavor and wasn't dry at all. At first, I was a little hesitant about the jam but it really added flavor to the slider, and I enjoyed it a lot. 
 
Big Smoke Burger -- Ground chuck with lettuce, roasted red pepper, goat cheese, and house-made “green” sauce.

Although this vendor is part of a burger chain with multiple locations in Ontario; it was still pretty good. There was a mild taste of beefy richness and the "home-made" sauce was tasty too.


Fidel Gastro's Lisa Marie -- Coarse ground beef with house-made pineapple-chili ketchup and banh mi slaw.

This was absolutely my favorite slider out of all the ones that I've tried. The bun was heated, the beef was rich in flavor, and the banh mi slaw provided a nice tangy taste.



The Happy Hooker -- Crispy shrimp patty, tartar sauce, lettuce, jalapeños, tomato, and two strips of bacon.

I thought that the crispy shrimp patty was an interesting twist on a burger. The establishment's take on the slider was decent but I am not too particularly fond of shrimp patties in general.


Lick's -- Jerk burger stuffed with a mozzarella/cheddar blend, sautéed onions, and peppers.

The bun wasn't heated and kind of cold, but the patty had a good jerk flavor.
Real Sports Bar & Grill -- Spicy fennel sausage, cured bacon, BBQ pulled pork, peameal bacon, and bacon-maple mustard sauce.

The only vendor that I went to that provided a burger size container which I re-used as a holder for the next two sliders. The beef was finely grounded and the bacon slices did add a very smoky flavor to the slider, wasn't bad at all.

Shakey's Original Bar And Grill Inc -- Porchetta-style Rowe Farm's pork burger with braised bitter greens and smoked-asiago “Cheese Whiz.”

It was a decent tasting slider; wasn't bad but wasn't memorable either. 
The Stockyards Smokehouse & Larder -- Chicken fried–steak burger stuffed with smoked pimento cheese, topped with gravy mayo, sausage gravy, and pickled greens.

The line ups for The Stockyard was insanely long; I think we waited about 20 minutes for our sliders. I absolutely love their chicken so I was excited to learn that they would be coating the beef patty with their deep fried batter for their version of the slider. Although I liked the crispy crunch and texture; I thought that it was way too salty. 

The Works -- Chipotle ketchup, havarti cheese, four double-smoked bacon slices, and caramelized onions.

The only vendor that I went to that provided a burger size container which I re-used as a holder for the next two sliders. The beef was finely grounded and the bacon slices did add a very smoky flavor to the slider, wasn't bad at all.