Red Robin
Red Robin
Multiple locations in the US and Canada
4640 Kingsway (Location visited)
Burnaby, BC
Something random about me: I suffer from motion sickness. Although I have outgrown that problem on some modes of transportation (when I was small, I couldn’t be inside a car for long; until recently, if I was in a boat, I had to sit somewhere where I could see the horizon), one that I can’t seem to shake away is airsickness, i.e., that related to flying. Now, before people start giving me suggestions, I will say “thanks, but no thanks”. I don’t mean to rude, rather, other than dimenhydrinate (aka, Gravol or Dramamine) I am not that willing to try them. Once, I did not bring it with me and, in desperation, at the airport, I purchased and took “natural” Gravol (which contains a form of ginger instead – it was the only one available). Result? I had to use not one but two barf bags on a 4.5 hours trip from Vancouver to Toronto…
Now, what does that have to do with food and Red Robin? Well, not much other than after a business trip, I was back in Vancouver and was looking for something to eat. Still under the secondary effects of Gravol, driving was not such a good idea. Instead, I just took transit and went to the nearest mall, Metropolis at Metrotown to get something to eat. Could I have gone to other places? Sure, I could but, then again, I was not thinking straight… ^_^;;;
Red Robin is billed as a casual dining; however, I have the odd feeling they are stretching that definition by having mostly burgers and sandwiches/wraps in their menu. Anyway, food is food…
Again, since I was not really thinking straight, the decision taking process boiled down to coin flipping. Not really, just that my stomach over-wrote whatever was in my head. In the end, I ordered sautéed s’hroom burger which, as the name suggests, is a burger with mushrooms.
A complain I had in the past with Red Robin is that they don’t add salt their fries as soon as they are out of the fryer. Skip this step and the salt won’t “stick” to the fries, which results in somewhat bland fries. This time was no exception… But, putting that aside, some people might think that’s a bit too little fries for the order. Well, not really: fries are “bottomless” so I could have ordered more.
Now, as for the burger, the beef patty was somewhat dry. However, the mushroom made up for that dryness. Have I mentioned I love mushrooms? Somehow, after the second bite, eating it became a chore more than anything else. I did finish it; after all, I was hungry and needed to fill up my stomach.
Overall, I was reminded why I don’t drop by this place. I think I should have walked a couple extra walks and gone to Lao Shan Dong instead. But then again, given my state of mind, I think this post ought to be taken with a pinch of salt…
I like that Red Robin location, every time I’ve gone there they’ve been very patient and pleasant…which is important since I only go when visiting with the kiddies!
Aww sorry that the burger wasn’t overly fantastic.. maybe you should come visit the Red Robins in san diego!
I don’t dine out at Red Robin that often but always order a burger when I do. Their guacamole burger is terrific, and I think it would be hard to tell if it was dry because guacamole does wonders to everything IMO, so it’s unfortunate you suffered. Strange you mention the fries, as my father was just commenting the other day how he wasn’t impressed with the amount he received. He didn’t know until I mentioned it that he could just ask for more. I wonder how many people are unaware of the ‘bottomless’ fries.
I always order their whiskey burger. The onion straws does overpower the burger, but tastes great. Also, they do a decent job on the caesar salad, but that varies from restaurant to restaurant. Oh, also try their onion ring stack!
Mushroom burgers are so nice, but so few places do them. You made the burger look nice (although you say it wasn’t).
Everybody, thanks for your comments. I think I should make more emphasis on the “I was under the influence of Gravol” part, hehehehehe. Based on your feedback it sounds like (1) I have not given this place a fair chance; (2) I should have try other burgers.
Pearl, is that an invite? If I drop by San Diego for some reason, can I give you a call? ^_^;;;
Monchichi, almost all burger places here have mushrooms as an option. BTW, good lightning (to take pictures) always help.
The california chicken burger is heaven
Another vote here for the Guacamole and Cali Chicken burgers.
Love the fries, they’re huge and I get two baskets.