Saturday, July 29, 2017

Brereton Lake Resort


Brereton Burger
$14.99 (platter)

Tex Mex Burger
$12.99 (platter)

Deluxe Burger
$12.99 (platter)

Hamburger
$10.49 (platter)


Come for the beautiful Canadian Shield and stay for the burger! Greg and Kim Ftoma bought the Brereton Lake Resort in 2002 and promptly expanded the restaurant. It’s bright and airy with comfy tables and a bar across the double-sided fireplace. There’s a spacious patio, ice-cream stand and beach within walking distance - necessities in the summer. The resort is open all year long including a store stocked with camping essentials, gas station, boat, snowmobile and cabin rentals.

Greg’s a super guy with a great sense of humour. Well staffed in the summer, he draws his labour force from the young cabin dwellers in nearby cottage communities. “They're loyal - I work them like slaves and pay them poorly but they keep coming back” Greg joked. Greg’s background is a Criminology degree which he put to good use bartending for 30 years. He learned to cook with his steel worker father and says they “cook food the way we want to eat it.

The burger is huge with chili the defining feature. The kitchen prepares 30 lbs of the rich, meaty sauce each week – Winnipeg Old Country ground beef, cumin, chili spice and garlic. The line cook ladled not one, not two, but three large scoops onto the flagship burger. They patted scoop #2 flat as a platform for the last dollop. Scott paraphrased 'City Slickers': “If chili were people, my burger would be China.”

Karen reviewed the Brereton Burger: “This was an immense burger with a prodigious serving of first class fries/onion rings. The first bite festooned my Frings with chili spatter. The cheese was lost in all the chili along with the bacon. The patty by itself was firm and fairly plain in seasoning. Quality ingredients. Lots of tomato and lettuce which I love.”

If chili isn’t your thing, the Deluxe Burger is the one for you. What it lacks in chili it makes up for in mayo and comes with all the groceries, bacon and cheese.

For a spicy stack the Tex Mex Burger is topped with grilled onions, jalapenos, green pepper, spicy mayo, BBQ sauce, cheese, bacon and fresh produce. Stan scribed: “I loved the TexMex. Just the right amount of spicy. Still got the flavour of the excellent patty. Bun held together until the last 10% which was better than expected. Really enjoyed it!



The choice of sides is stellar. I *loved* the coating and furrowed texture of the Beer Batter fries. The Frings were popular as well, because, why should you have to choose between fries and rings? If you opt for coleslaw you get a juicy pile and today’s pro-tip is hoist your burger off the plate before the bottom bun gets soggy from the dressing. Little Brown Jug on tap was an unexpected bonus!