Yesterday, I met up with my old friend John Stead – director, stunt coordinator, and hunter of bears.  We’d planned to meet up for a long overdue lunch, but it being the first day of the post-lockdown era (for now), I wasn’t sure which restaurants would be doing indoor dining.  So I suggested we meet in Kensington Market at the corner of Nassau and Augusta, steps away from three different burger joints.  We could just walk over and see what was open.  As it turned out – all three.  We started at Top Gun Burger where we both went with the Bobcat (beef patty, fresh onion, lettuce, tomato, pickles and top gun aioli).

“Wow. This is a really good burger,”said. John after his first bite.  And he was right.  I, as always, especially appreciated the crispy end bits.

Once we were done, I suggested we could do a Bang Bang.  A Bang Bang is a term coined by Louis C.K. that refers to the act of having two dinners.  Enjoy a meal at one restaurant, then head over to another for a second meal.  Yes, like a hobbit.  It’s usually dinner, but I’m sure lunches still apply.  John was game so we headed over to another military-themed burger joint – Burgernator.  Service here was effusively friendly and all around exceptional.  We did the Commander Burger (all beef patty, cheddar cheese, Burgernator sauce, lettuce, tomato, pickles).

John took a bite and marveled: “Wow.  This is a great burger too.”  It was!

Once we were done, I asked him: “Still hungry.”  “No,”he said, perhaps owing to the chocolate shake he’d ordered.  “You?”he asked.

To be honest, I wasn’t super hungry, but I could pass up the opportunity at my first Burger Bang Bang Bang.  And so, shortly after, we found ourselves at Ozzy’s Burgers where I ordered the Cheeseburger (beef patty, Canadian cheddar, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and Ozzy’s special sauce).

Although he wasn’t hungry, that didn’t stop John from snapping out his trusty hunting knife and cutting himself a piece.  “Wow, this is a totally different taste,”he remarked after the first bite.  “But also really good.”  And he was right.  It was!

It was great to see John.  You can catch his most recent directing and stunt coordinating work on the latest season of Pretty Hard Cases.

Happy Chinese New Year to all who celebrate – like Akemi and I who are doing so with the assistance of our friend Dr. Blackjack!

Kung Her Fat Choy!