Clash of the burgers: Buns v Picks

Nothing provokes satisfaction quite like a nice, thick, juicy burger. Although it is one of the most common items found on North American menus, a standby, its not often that you come across an exceptional burger. A phenomenon of the last few years is the Burger Bar. It’s an updated burger with more adult toppings. No more American cheese and pickles, its all now about Kobe and Provolone. Exotic salsas, slaws, and sauces now top our burgers. Exceptional flavour and taste, but now a good burger cost me upwards of 15 dollars! What happened to simplicity? Well simplicity is making a comeback in the form of Buns. Buns is a simple operation. They only have four items on the menu; hamburger, double hamburger, potatoes, soft drink /water. The most expensive item is 6 bucks. Cheese is optional and free, and you have the choice of seven basic toppings; tomato, lettuce, pickle, onion, catsup, mustard, and mayo.

It was only a few weeks ago that I passed by a similar looking establishment, just around the corner from my favourite Buns. Picks is the name, and picks is defiantly the game. It has an expanded menu, thus you have the option of a hamburger, double hamburger, steak burger, pogo (corndog), and wrap. This expanded menu continues to the toppings (you pay by the topping, hence the name picks) and the sauces for the fries. The picks can make your meal more complicated and more expensive if you go for the sauces. The median price per topping is 25 cents.

I have to admit that the variety of Picks concerned me a little but I felt it was my duty to give it a try. Buns gave me so little options yet so much love. In order to make this fair I chose the normal burger from Picks, as comparing a steak burger to one made of ground chuck is nearly impossible.

My usual order at Buns is as follows:
- Cheeseburger
- Catsup
- Mustard
- Lettuce
- Mayo
- Onion
I do not order the potatoes since they are soft and pretty flavourless.

For this experiment I ordered from Picks:
- hamburger
- lettuce, onion, relish (free toppings)
- Provolone cheese
- Catsup and mustard were put on at home
- Fries

Where to start with the comparison, hmmmm well as it stands they are both tasty burgers. The quality of the ingredients used in Picks sometimes supersedes those found in Buns. For example, Buns uses a standard bun while Picks uses home baked buns. The choices in Picks however, over-complicate the meal. You have to budget in order to get out of there without spending too much. Additionally, I’m somewhat opposed to paying for catsup and mustard, esp. 50 cents extra. Furthermore, the dip containers are far too small. They don’t give you enough to dip your whole bag of fries. Speaking of fries, the fries at picks are far superior to those of Buns. They are perfectly seasoned and salted. They have a nice crunchy texture. Eating this burger I kept reminiscing on the taste of Buns and came to realize, that even if Picks has better ingredients, it was not better than Buns. Buns has soul, something intangible that makes you swoon the first time you bite into one of their burgers. Picks doesn’t. Yes it satisfies you, yes it is tasty, but it doesn’t make you want to sing their praises to all of your friends, family and neighbours. When I first tried Buns, I became an unpaid spokeswoman. I couldn’t stop recommending it. With Picks, I have mentioned it, but usually in tandem with Buns. Still I feel that Picks is worth a try, and if I am looking for a full experience of burger and fries, I will defiantly keep them in mind.