Hot burger in the city....

A friend of mine and her sweet little family is coming to visit us this weekend.  She is a Western alumna, so knows her way around the city.  We have a little debate going on though that I'd like to try and clarify here, and get a poll going on my facebook page. 
So, between the two families, we have four kids all ranging from 4 months to 6 years old.  We want to go out for a nice, juicy burger because, frankly, I don't feel like making my own at home this weekend! My friend LOVES J Dees Market Grill, downtown on King and Talbot across from the Covent Garden Market.  I love Prince Albert's Diner on Richmond Street (think classic 50s diner here).  What do YOU think, London? Where's a great place to go and feed three hungry kiddos, plus four burger-loving adults? Actually, two are on a carb-free kick right now... so taking into account "specialty diets" too. While pondering these two places, I've also decided to make a list of other great burger joints in the area.  I'm probably not going to list a place on here today if the word "Entrée" or "Three course" is on the menu. Sorry guys! Love to love these places, but right now, I'm thinking fast, kid-friendly and local (I'd like to stay away from chains for today, although I need to send a shout out to Montana's Steak House - my older kiddo's FAVE place to go).  Check out this list I've compiled of the burger joints I am familiar with.  As always, feel free to add your faves below :)

J Dees Market Grill

A place to go if you are feeling like a homemade, juicy, almost gourmet burger.  The cream cheese topping seems to be a favourite with a lot of folks, me included.  I like the atmosphere - large airy space, close to lots of downtown fun (especially if you want to catch a Knight's game on Friday) but I'd book ahead, as seating can get filled up fast. Check out their facebook page on the title link.

Photo courtesy of tripadvisor.ca

Prince Albert's Diner

 This place has been around forever.  It even made the show "You Gotta Eat Here" where host, John Catucci ate their famous peanut butter burger.  I personally LOVE going for their shakes.  Their milkshakes are classic and SO delicious.  The place is small though, so if you're looking to go with a larger family or friends, make sure to go on off times, if at all possible. But if you end up waiting, you usually don't wait long and it is VERY worth it. 

Norma Jeans

Although this place is known for it's great bands and rock gigs, they also offer some fantastic food, namely in burgers.  Now, I haven't actually been here yet (shame on me) but I am taking this advice from friends that DO go.  You can find them on Huron Street (North East London).  Choose earlier times with the kiddos to go (like, 5ish?) if possible.

Photo courtesy of www.facebook/globallylocal

Globally Local Restaurant

If you've read my blog posts, you'll know I'm a HUGE fan of this business and the people that run it. Check out my blog post on them here.  For years, they have been known around town as an all-vegan organic food delivery service plus organic food grocer, but now they have opened their own (the very first in Canada.. what?!) all - VEGAN restaurant AND food truck (be still my heart)! The restaurant can be found on Dundas Street right across from the Public Library.  They offer the infamous McInnes Burger (think Big Mac but vegan) and so much more! Go check them out - you'll be glad you did, even if you're not vegan.

The Early Bird Café

Ok, so I'm breaking my own rule (a teeny tiny bit) and mentioning this fab place.  You want an amazing sandwich COME HERE. So it's technically not a juicy burger place (but they do have burgers!). This place is known more for their amazing breakfasts and great service.  All around a good place to go if you're in the mood for an egg on your sandwich (you know the kind... that fried one that oozes down your fingers when you bite into the bread).  It was also featured on "You Gotta Eat Here." John Catucci ate the turducken sandwich, which is a must-try if you feel like having Christmas in one bite.  YOU GOTTA EAT HERE. Sorry, had to.

The Little Beaver

If you are from London, chances are you know about or have been to the Little Beaver out in Komoka.  A great, classic diner that is run by an awesome local family, this place offers yummy, classic diner food.  The burgers are no exception.  Great burgers, great fries and a great family atmosphere.  When I lived in Byron, my family used to go so often that the serving staff knew my little girl (she was 8 months at the time) by name and what she liked to eat, and would give her free ice cream to boot.  The best thing going for this place, other than the fantastic down-home cooking, is the friendly atmosphere. Come here for family food and fun. Love you, Little Beaver!

There are SO many more places that I could mention - little jewels peppered all around the city.  This is where you come in: Comment below with the local burger joints that you know and love.  Now go out and treat yourself and your family to some good old fashioned burgers!

Have a great day, London.

To go organic or not go organic...is that really a question?

Luckily for us, living in the age that we do, we have so many choices with how and what we choose to eat.  Whether you are vegan, vegetarian, paleo or maybe you have true health issues that prohibit you from eating certain foods, the options for eating in an alternate way are so much more diverse than, say, even 5 years ago.
I personally, was never very conscious as to how I shopped and where, when it came to food.  That is, until baby #1 showed up.  All of a sudden I became concerned with pesticides, GMOs, produce that had been shipped from afar, only to ripen in trucks over 1000's of kilometres.... you get the idea.  My baby wasn't going to eat that kind of food!  I became more aware of the locally grown products that are provided to us on a seasonal basis, and I delved into the world of organics.   Now, let me stop here and just say that I am NO true convert - meaning that I still buy regular grocery store fresh produce and groceries. But as a new mama, I was determined to feed my child only the BEST there was to offer.  This, sadly, slowly changed from "organic and local always" to "organic and local sometimes" for us as my first got older.  Some will say that I didn't make a lifestyle change, and I will whole heartedly agree with you that nope, I didn't.  Am I more conscious of what I buy and from where I buy it? You bet.  And boy, have I found some great little places to shop at that, even as a "part time organics gal" I have absolutely come to adore.

The one place I want to share with you today is a little gem of a store/business enterprise called "Globally Local." A vegan, and organic store and delivery service. A few years back, it started off as an organic, fresh produce delivery or pick-up service, comparable to a few other businesses that are in and around London.  I chose to go with this particular organic produce service because I was very happy with their pricing (it was extremely reasonable) and also very happy with the fact that I got to select the kind of produce they would deliver to me, rather than just get a box of their weekly specials (which is a great idea too by the way, since it can encourage you to be adventurous in your meal planning!).  Well, they now have a store all on its own, plus the delivery service, PLUS they offer some very cool kits where you get fresh produce and recipes to go with it for a week. Oh, and they also deliver healthy and delicious boxes of snacks to your office. A-mazing.  And all organic and as local as possible (these guys try their best to ensure local produce but if they can't go local, they insist on getting to know their global organic providers. SO great!).

By the way, Globally Local doesn't just have fresh produce, they also offer an awesome selection of groceries and organic products and if you go to their store, they have amazing organic coffee available for your sipping pleasure and even a pop up restaurant offering delicious lunches/dinners and sweets! They also have freebies for you to try, and giveaways, fundraising initiatives for schools, and oh so much more. Another great fact, is that they have expanded their delivery service to many places all around Ontario!

All this being said, I encourage you folks to make the trek out to Globally Local on Colonel Talbot Road past Lambeth and take a look-see yourselves.  One thing is for sure, you won't be disappointed. 

Here's all the info to find Globally Local:

Website: www.globallylocal.ca
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/globallylocal/

How to get to Globally Local


Have a great day, London!