Working My Way Through 'The Works': Barking at My Cow

A popular gimmick for food blogs is to eat and review every item on a restaurant's menu. This blog is no exception, as these are the observations I've had while eating my way through the burger menu of The Works, a Canadian burger restaurant with locations across Ottawa and Ontario.

The WORKS Orleans (900 Watters Road)
Burger Description: "Smoked brisket, Barking Squirrel Beer BBQ sauce, caramelized onions, jack cheese & bacon"
($17.27)

The Barking at My Cow

March 6, 2019
Most of the burgers I've eaten at The Works have been from this location. I wouldn't say I'm a regular here though. Once my family and I walked out after being ignored in an empty restaurant on a lazy afternoon. I vented to management, they apologized, and after a couple of months, I went back. Because you got to give a place you like a second chance; like their customers, restaurants have their off moments. I arrived for this meal at around 12:30, and was surprised at how busy it was for a place tucked away in the suburbs. I'll have to remember to get here earlier, this was the crowd I excepted for lunch at the Glebe location. Twenty minutes later, my Barking at My Cow lunch arrived. My first bite was juicy, with the brisket layer an excellent companion to the beef patty. The bacon added a salty, crunchy texture that is always a welcoming addition. I usually go with cheddar when it comes to cheese on a hamburger, but I was fine with the Monterey Jack. As BBQ sauces go, Barking Squirrel makes great beer, though the sauce's spiciness did blend nicely with the sweetness of the onions. Everything about this burger worked for me. This is what you want when you go out to a fancy hamburger joint. I would have loved to have paired a pint my meal with a Barking Squirrel lager but I was teleworking, and I don't drink on the job. Of all the burgers I've eaten here, and of the two I've written about, this is the best I've had to date.

5 out of 5 stars - The burger every other burger will be judged against; this is the measuring stick.

Best song heard while eating: The Who, "I Can See For Miles"

How To Celebrate Pi Day Without Baking

Mathematicians have been telling us for centuries that pi is the symbol used to represent the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, just as bakers for centuries have been telling us that pie is a baked dish made with a pastry dough casing that covers or completely contains a sweet or savoury filling. On March 14, Pi Day is celebrated, allowing math and dessert fans to indulge in their love of both. You don't have to be good at math to take part in the fun, nor do you have to have amazing baking skills to take part. With this recipe below, you'll have ample time to calculate the area of all the circles in your home to your heart's content.

Ingredients:

480 mL heavy cream
15 mL fresh lemon juice
260 g graham cracker crumbs
100 g blueberries
100 g raspberries
100 g unsalted butter, melted
50 g sugar (use first)
25 g sugar
1 can (415 mL) sweetened condensed milk, chilled
1 can frozen lemonade concentrate (do not thaw)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (176 °C). In a medium-sized bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and the melted butter. Press the mixture firmly on the bottom and up the sides of a 23 cm pie pan. Bake for 7 minutes and let it cool completely.
   (Note: This step can be skipped completely if you use a pre-made graham cracker pie crust and follow the instructions that come with it.)
2. In a cold medium-sized bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks begin to form. In another bowl, mix together the condensed milk and the frozen lemonade. Gently fold the lemonade mixture into the whipped cream, then pour the filling into the crust. Stick the pie in the freezer and let it for 4 hours or freeze overnight.
3. About an hour before you're ready to serve the pie, toss the berries in a bowl with the sugar and the lemon juice. Set them aside until you ready to serve the pie. Let the pie come to room temperature for at least 10 minutes before cutting, then top each slice with the berries.