I’m always looking for the perfect burger.

I definitely have my favourite, and I’ll tell you about it next week. This week, though, it was time for something new. Well, something new to me.

Burger Shack (233 Eglinton Ave. W.) has been serving up hand-formed patties as well as Greek favourites for nearly 30 years.

On a sunny Saturday afternoon, it was packed to the brim with young soccer players and their siblings looking for a little post-game refreshment.  The motley crew included an adorable four- or five-year-old who pretended to drink the table-top vinegar, then licked the metal cap. And the ketchup. I’d wager she would have moved on to the salt and pepper shakers had her mother not intervened.

At my two-person table, complete with chairs that flip up like the wheelchair row on the TTC, I wiped down my condiments with a wetnap.

Because I like my meat with a side of meat, I had the banquet burger ($5.25). The crispy on the outside, soft in the middle beef patty sat on top of of perfectly crisp bacon strips and melted cheese.

One woman took my order, two men worked the grill and a fourth manned the topping station. It looked like Harvey’s, with its rows of metal bowls, but I’m nearly positive caramelized onions aren’t available at that chain.

I had fries with a side of house-made gravy ($3.30), my favourite part of the meal. The much-recommended onion rings ($3.50) – #7 on blogTO’s top 13 – weren’t the slightest bit greasy, but the piping hot treats had too much batter for my liking.

There are two glass cases full of canned and bottled drinks both mundane and exotic (Coke, Dr. Pepper, and several different kinds of lemonade) but I rounded out the meal with a chocolate milkshake ($3.35).

It was thick and actually tasted like both chocolate and milk and the best part was, it was made in one of those mint green old-school machines that were popular 30 years ago.