EDMONTON: The baron’s burgers

Whenever we visit Edmonton, we try to satiate cravings for things we can only get there. Last time, I won with my urge for satay pho, so it was definitely Jason’s turn to pick.

He was dying for … Burger Baron. The closest one to Calgary is in Red Deer, but there are more than a dozen franchises in the Edmonton-area. It began in Lethbridge in 1957 as the first restaurant to adopt the drive-thru concept in Western Canada before the huge chains with clowns and kings moved in.

The Baron has persisted though, usually taking over abandoned locations of other fast-food chains and turning them into part of his small, but mighty, empire.

I’m very partial to the Mushroom Burger ($3.75) with mushrooms and mushroom sauce, while Jason’s usual is the Bacon Cheeseburger ($4.35) with onions, pickles, lettuce, tomato and their special red sauce.

You can get single, double or triple patty variations of any burger at the Baron, and they’re all made fresh to order, which is worth the wait.

The fries ($1.95 small) are thick-cut and the onion rings ($2.25 small) are hot and crisp. Everything is served in white paper bags.

Make sure you get a milkshake ($2.85 small); they’re really good and thick. Jason likes that he can get one in root beer flavour.

Burger Baron, 7007-82nd Ave., Edmonton. Other locations in Alberta, Kelowna and Fort. St. John, B.C. and Regina.