Making a good burger is not as easy as it appears. I have eaten my fair share of burgers and very few turned out to be as satisfying as they should be. Sometimes the buns are too thick and you can't taste the meat enough, sometimes they are too thin and everything falls apart in your hands. The meat can be too dry, too oily, too salty or not salty enough, too onion-y, too thick, too thin, overcooked or undercooked. And finally, the condiments. Too many and you can't taste anything anymore, not enough and you just taste the meat.
I had been to a lot of ok burger places and a few good ones in my home town, Montreal, but I was yet to find a great burger joint. I was starting to despair and wonder is there was such a thing in Montreal. And then, Chez Tousignant opened in my neighborhood.
Chez Tousignant
6956, Drolet, Montréal (QC) H2S 2T3
In 2015, Stefano Faita, Michele Forgione and Yann Turcotte opened their third restaurant in Little Italy, Chez Tousignant, a 1950s type of diner. The number of places is limited and the place is always full, but it is worth the wait. Everything they serve, they make it themselves: the bread, the patties, the sausages, the fries, the custard, everything!
The first item I ordered was the cheeseburger with bacon and I am salivating just writing about it. The patty, not too thick, is seasoned and cooked to perfection. The bacon, crispy. The tomato, salad and pickles are fresh. The sauce is to die for. And the whole thing is held together by the most perfect and buttery buns that never lose their integrity. Chez Tousignant's burgers are by far the best ones I have eaten, ever!
But Chez Tousignant's menu is not limited to just burgers. The restaurant is also renowned for serving the best hot-dogs, the best fries, the best poutine and the best corn dogs in town. I haven't tasted their poutine yet but I can testify that the hotdogs, fries and corn dogs are-out-of-this-world good. The hot dogs have this amazing crunch at every bite and the bun is perfectly toasted. Pair them with the golden fries and you're in heaven!
The restaurant also makes its own frozen custard and milkshakes. The frozen custard is not always available on the menu and I haven't had the chance to taste the milkshake yet but I heard that they too are, unsurprisingly, among the best in town.
It did not take long for Chez Tousignant to become a staple for our date nights! Their food is consistently amazing and my goal really is to taste everything on their menu!
If ever in Little Italy, Montreal, check it out!