When I was little, my Dad used to say that there was nothing that tasted like a homemade burger, and although he did make a mean burger with special spices and just the right amount of charring on the grill, some of the reason for that great taste was the toppings. We had garden lettuce, and homemade mayo, and mustard and cheese and onions… it was awesome, really. Whenever you go out to a fast food place the burgers never even come close to looking like their pin-up counterparts – they are the sad, soggy cousins the wallflowers that could not dream to hold a candle to something so vibrant. (Well okay, so maybe fresh crunchy lettuce and a slice of ripe tomato isn’t as appealing as a girl in a prom dress but you get my point.)

Everyone has their favourite burger joint, depending on all kinds of elements. I remember on summer holidays finding out that my cousins swore by the special sauce that White Spot used on their burgers. Our part of the family was not a fan of any “special sauce”, but I never thought then that made us burger snobs. I only realized later in life that coveting a special independent joint was something not everyone did. Perhaps it was part of my prairie roots – the chain restaurants were not prominent where my parents came from. When we lived in Calgary, it was Peter’s Drive-In that had not only great milkshakes but also the best burgers (if my Dad wasn’t making them, of course). Then just before I moved from Kitsilano in Vancouver there opened up a nostalgic place called the Moderne (Burger). My Dad and I and the rest of the family, depending on who was available, shared many nostalgic lunches over heaping plates of home-cut fries and cheeseburgers there.

Here in Kelowna we hadn’t found such a place until recently. Now we can happily report that we have discovered another independent joint with a cool name: George’s Gorgeous Burger, on Bernard Street. If you blink as you round the corner by the Paramount Theatre you will miss it, but if you pay attention you will notice the rather steady stream of people wandering in hungry and going away happy.

Do take note: this is not a fancy place. The cutlery is plastic, and the choices on the menu are simple. The most complicated part is deciding on the cheese you want to add! But the burgers are delicious, the lettuce was green and crispy, the tomato was juicy, and it came with a whole pickle… what more could you want out of life?

Kristin