March 2018 Issue #15 March 2018 Issue #15, 4GUYS | Page 23

Let me preface this by declaring
my love for dirty burgers. For me,
the best burgers don’t need to be
stacked with gourmet fixins on bri-
oche - I like my burgers basic, with
cheese and a not-too exotic assort-
ment of toppings. I like that dirty
burgers have seen a recent resur-
gence at places like Burger’s Priest
, but I also have a soft spot for old-
school haunts like Golden Star and
Burger Shack . Johnny’s might have
even remained on this shortlist, if
only I’d skipped this reunion.
The veal fares no better. It’s almost
certainly the boxed variety composed
of processed bits reformed into a
cutlet-like shape and breaded in the
same crust you’d find on low-grade
freezer aisle chicken nuggets. To be
honest, I couldn’t tell that it wasn’t
chicken - the texture was mushy and
aside from the toasty bun and pickles,
did not require chewing.
The fries, which were once endorsed
by Scarborough native Mike Myers for
ultra-crispness, thanks to a double-dip
in the fryer, don’t live up to their rep-
utation. The first few I ate are still
tasty straight from the fryer, but once
plucked from the steaming paper bag,
they’re sadly limp and starchy.
Onion rings are decent, but overall
the nicest thing I can say about John-
ny’s is that dinner for two came in
under $15.
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