I took a half-day off yesterday to watch the NFL Thanksgiving games at a friend's place who lives at Queen & Pape in Toronto. I left at around 6:00 PM and, since it was on the way home, I had dinner at Dangerous Dan's at Queen & Broadview. I'd heard a few people I knew comment about this place so I went to check it out. Their menu primarily features hamburgers and they have a few gimmick items on the menu that are worth mentioning:

The Coronary Burger Special
2 8oz Patties, 4 Slices of Bacon, 2 Slices of Cheddar and a Fried Egg on top. Served w/ Fries and Gravy, Can of Pop and Mayo as a garnish for sure!
Only $14.45

Quadruple C - "Collosal Colon Clogger Combo"
24oz burger served with a quarter pound of cheese, a quarter pound of bacon, and 2 fried eggs. Also comes with a large shake (flavor of your choice) and a small poutine.
Only $23.45

As amusing as those items were, I decided to try the place out by ordering a conventional cheese & bacon burger with a side order of poutine (that's french fries, gravy, and cheese curds for those of you that may not know). The poutine was decent and they get good marks for using legitimate cheese curds instead of shredded mozarella like some restaurants have taken to doing. The only complaint I have about the poutine is that it the gravy was very watery. You need thick gravy for good poutine. The fries were very thick-cut which isn't necessarily a bad thing but I find that thinner fries make for better poutine since it makes it easier to swirl around the fries, curds, and gravy.

The hamburger was definitely big, no doubt about it, and the bun was definitely fresh which is a big plus. The cheddar was real and the bacon was crispy which are also two check-marks. The only garnishes I ordered, aside from the cheese & bacon, were lettuce and tomatoes. The lettuce was fresh and the tomato was generously heaped on (I probably was given 2/3 of a tomato). The consistency of the tomato was a little pulpy but considering it's late November I'm not going to crab too much about that.

The only critique I'd have about the burger itself is that it was a little bland. I get the feeling that it was strictly ground beef and nothing else. The burger was good but a little seasoning could have made it great.

The best part about Dangerous Dan's, though, was the atmosphere. It's a grimy little diner that does the moniker "greasy spoon" proud. It's not "dirty," mind you... it just has that un-cleanable layer of grime and crud that no amount of bleach could ever remove and it gives the place a lot of character. Adding to this character is the fact that the seats are all old car seats covered in blankets. Classy! If you're in the Queen & DVP area at all you owe it to yourself to check out Dangerous Dan's at least once.

Red cabbage. Even though my heritage is German through and through (both of my parents were born in Der Vaterland) I have a strong aversion to cabbage and all of its forms. My mom usually makes red cabbage (or "Rotkohl" as the Krauts call it) and I think it's full on gross. Thankfully, I've never once in my life been made to eat it but I really don't like the way it tastes or smells.