Stampede Bison Grill
5 Brock Avenue
416-534-4999
Dinner for two with all taxes, tip and beer: $30
The space next to the LCBO on Brock Avenue in Parkdale has played host to a few different food businesses over the years. For the longest time it was a KFC, then a take-out joint called Rosie’s that would set up a BBQ on the patio on weekends to sell burgers, hotdogs and Jamaican patties to locals on their way to the liquor store. A few weeks ago, the space opened again after extensive renovations as Stampede Bison Grill.
Featuring a compact menu of six burgers and sandwiches, two salads and the usual cast of side dishes and accompaniments, the most prominent item on the menu is, as would be expected, the bison burger. Lower in calories, fat and cholesterol than most other meats - including lean meats like chicken and pork - as well being high in protein, iron and vitamin B-12, bison meat is the new darling of carnivores across the land. Stampede’s menu touts the use of all-natural, Peterborough-raised bison meat reared with no additives, antibiotics, stimulants or animal by-products.
The real question is – does it taste good?
We tried the bison burger ($4.75) on our first visit, and didn’t specify our degree of doneness. Topped with mushrooms and onions, a bite or two revealed a slightly pink centre, a tender texture, and a sweeter flavour than beef. The roast bison on a bun ($5.50) that we had on a second visit offered more of the bison flavour, which was stronger than in the burger and a bit gamey. The meat was tender and was complemented by the sautéed onions and BBQ sauce included on the sandwich. Good, yes, but possibly a bit of an acquired taste, and they offer a regular beef burger ($4.50) for those who prefer beef over bison.
The grilled chicken breast on a bun ($5) was tender and juicy, and springing for extra toppings like the mayo (free) and avocado ($0.95) gave it a southwest flavour that was really enjoyable. The “best ever” veggie burger ($4.50) had potential, as the patty is filled with shredded carrots and kernels of corn, but while it showed nice grill marks on the exterior, the centre was mushy and only vaguely warm – it was the only thing we tried that we didn’t finish.
Both the fries and sweet potato fries ($2.25 each) at Stampede are addictive – crisp, non-greasy and are salted just right. The sweet potato fries can be a bit delicate, though, and were slightly limp by the time we got them the 4 blocks home as part of a take-out order. Poutine ($3.50) is a fine mess of fries, vegetarian gravy and Quebecois cheese curds that we will go back for again and again. Onion rings ($3) only come about 5 or 6 to an order, but they’re huge and cooked to a crunchy golden brown with not even a hint of sogginess to them.
Beverages are the standard fare of sodas and beer, but the recently acquired liquor license means Stampede can now offer milkshakes spiked with Sailor Jerry’s rum ($7.25), as well as fresh-squeezed lemonade ($2) that also comes in a spiked version ($4.25).
The space has received a complete overhaul since its KFC days, and now offers tables and counters inside as well as a patio out front dotted with umbrellas and colourful plastic chairs. We haven’t seen a lot of patio activity during our few visits – the close proximity to the panhandlers who loiter outside the LCBO next door making a drink on the patio a bit of a weird experience.
Inside, the service sometimes requires a bit of patience. While each customer’s order is created on a separate slip, with names being called out when orders are up, staff are still having trouble ringing things in, especially now that they have booze on offer and the taxes are different. Getting a printed receipt was a failure on both visits.
However, once Stampede gets the kinks worked out, it’s sure to become a neighbourhood favourite. On both of our dinnertime visits, take-out business was brisk, and with food on offer until 3am on Fridays and Saturdays, the place is certain to attract the after-club crowd from the nearby bars and lounges that have started to dot the Parkdale landscape. And in a month when school is back in session, Stampede is sure to earn its name as students from Parkdale Collegiate queue up at lunchtime to sample the menu as they did when the place was a chicken joint. As the closest place in the ‘hood to get burgers and fries since Jerry’s Fish and Chips closed down last year, Stampede has a built-in customer base. All they have to do is keep serving good grub, and the customers will stampede to the door like cattle… er… bison.
Hi Sheryl.....
It's news to me that there is any such thing as all natural bison coming out of Peterborough. Unfortunately, most Ontario bison are either fed grain from who knows where at some stage, and/or because bison in this province is grown on small pastures, most are also subjected to chemical parasite controls.
Like all other ruminants, bison are not designed to digest grain. Grain is best avoided for the sake of their health and ours; 100% grass feeding with some mineral supplements is best. But finding a 100% grass-fed bison burger in this city is next to impossible.
As for parasite control......there are a number of ways to avoid the use of chemical parasite controls, but most bison farmers just don't have the time or money to implement better practices.
I noticed it last week and wondered what it was like. I'll try it!
Hey Peter,
I didn't ask the specifics about the bison meat, I'm simply going by what their menu says.
Also - please refrain from using TasteTO as a soap box for your personal causes. If you have an issue with what they're serving at Stampede, please take it up with them.
I gotta say I found this place to be ok and all, but how could you give the poutine a glowing review!?...the veg gravy on the is the the worst gloppy gluey substance I've ever been served...why not just use proper chicken gravy/poutine sauce??...this place is first and foremost selling read meat, what's with the veg choice anyway?
Recyclor - sounds like either you caught them on a bad gravy day, or we caught them on a good one, as the poutine we were served was fantastic, even after carrying it home.
I'm also a bit confused by your reference to expecting "proper chicken gravy", as the traditional gravy for poutine is generally a brown gravy that is either beef or mushroom based. I don't think I've ever been served a poutine in Quebec made with chicken gravy.
And as for the veggie burger, it's a standard offering at pretty much any burger place nowadays, from fast food joints to "gourmet" places like Craft Burger, Burger Shoppe and Stampede. And when you're catering to the hipster market, as Stampede appears to be doing, you're gonna have a fairly high percentage of vegetarians coming through your doors.
Aw Recyclor - don't be a hata. Vegetarians gotta eat too.
To be fair, Greg ate more of the poutine than I did, but on a second visit I had fries with gravy on the side. Maybe it's that I spent 7 years as a vegetarian and am used to veggie versions of meat-based foods, but I found the gravy really thick and flavourful. Gloppy and gluey - maybe if you let it get cold - but the same thing happens to regular gravy.
And I don't necessarily agree with Greg that it's specifically catering to the hipster market - but I do think it's a wise decision for restaurants to offer a variety of vegetarian options, and by using a vegetarian gravy, Stampede offers an additional vegetarian choice, without affecting the meat-eating customers in any detrimental way.
Hey Greg, my experiences with poutine gravy in Quebec have somehow been the opposite of yours (??) typically chicken gravy (ala St.Hubert poutine sauce), although there are a range of styles offered and then the whole can of worms being personal preference...oi! lets not go there!...check this site out, I love it:
http://www.montrealpoutine.com/history.html
And, Sheryl, there's no need to take offense, I don't hate on veggies, but if I was a vegetarian I don't think I'd expect to find a meal at a place called Stampede that's pushing bison burgers as primary fair...to compromise an otherwise promising product (curds and all!) is a let down...why not offer both? then it'll be all gravy...
Recyclor - very cool site, thanks for pointing it out.
I wouldn't be surprised if the type of gravy used on poutine varies from region to region, or even restaurant to restaurant. Which probably leads to some great late night drunken arguments on the merits of chicken vs. beef vs. veggie... ;)
I also misinterpreted your "what’s with the veg choice" comment as referring to the veggie burger, not the veggie gravy. Offering both meat and veggie gravy options might be an idea (a gravy made from the bison roast drippings could be interesting, although given how lean the meat is, they might not get much). It's a pretty small kitchen, though, so they may not have the time or space to bother with both.
Agreed with Greg re: the small kitchen issue. In a room that small, an extra pot on the stove takes up a lot of space. And gravy is a lot of work to do every day.
Plus, if most people think the veggie gravy is just fine, then why bother making two kinds just to satisfy a few customers?
It's not that vegetarians *expect* to find something they can eat at places like that, but in groups of people dining out, it will ultimately be the person with the special diet (vegetarian, kosher, food-allergies, etc) that determines where the group ends up eating. So from a business standpoint, it's a very wise move to offer a couple of vegetarian options, even if the jist of your menu is meat-based, if only to keep potential customers from going somewhere else where the vegetarian in the group *can* find something to eat.
I noticed people not knowing where to get free range grass fed bison;at highlandbison there's lots of them looking for eaters;pete wenkoff;highlandbison.com.......we're waiting to get a mobile abbattoir to kill them properly..not a commercial just a note that it's out there and we'll make it happen ;have patience and demand the best.That's how to make it happen.
As far as cliche boutique burger joints go Stampede falls way short of the benchmark of mediocrity set by most of the others that have gone before. I'm reading alot of excuses for poor product and poor execution in what is a simple thing if done correctly by professionals. All the cutesy challboark written items aren't going to save you from the shortfall of a sub-par burger and fries. First off they don't know how to cook fries which is pretty crucial I think for a resto fo this nature. They were underblanched and improperly fried and eneded up being nothing more than a limp intertwined mass with no redemption-I ate one and proceeded to throw the oil soaked box out on my walk home. The funny thing is that I overheard the cooks/owners tallking to themselves about the quality before my order even came up so surely they knew they were sending out sub-par product but didn't care. they were however more than pleased to take my money for them.
The burger itself offered very little reward either on any front. The bun was nothing special at all and the toppings were bland and most likely from the local Price Chopper. I had the "aged cheddar" and it was nothing more than some low end mealy mass that was a result of them throwing it on the bottom of the bun instead of properly melting it on the burger. The burger itself was nothing more than a preformed frozen patty devoid of proper seasoning or moistness.
More emphasis needs to be put into the product instead of all the cutesy worded menu items that are nothing more than a ploy to take your money. You don't need a massive kitchen to make proper burgers by hand or make your own mayo and castup or gravy for that matter. You just just have to have some pride in using great products and giving customers a product full of love.
I didn't feel the love.
F*CKING GOOD.
Super cute.
My friends and I luv it there
(We like to go there on our cheat day!)