Red Persimmon Taiwanese Cuisine
2133-4500 Kingsway
Crystal Mall
Burnaby, BC

Ah… Crystal Mall… The parking hell hole of Burnaby… Whether by design or due to how it is used, I don’t care. Whenever I need to go there, I just take Skytrain or just park at Metrotown. However, that brings the other question: why to go there to begin with? Yup, their well known food court. While not as modern as, say, Aberdeen Centre, one thing and lacking some options as in Yaohan Centre, one thing it can’t be taken away: it has good eats of it’s own. So, I was there one of these days looking something for dinner but was a bit too tired to think. In other words, hoping to go there and decide based on what was available or fancied. On that night? Red Persimmon.

One of the reason I remembered Red Persimmon was that, some long time ago, I visited another stand in the same food court called Beijing Restaurant. While this one closed (to be replaced by Xiang Yuan Qiao Bridge Rice Noodle), what I did remember from Beijing Restaurant was rou jia mo, aka, Taiwanese burger. From what I got afterwards, in addition to this place, there was one other that sell the same goodies: Red Persimmon. That was the reason I ended up here. Now, I am jumping ahead… First, another dish I ordered that night:

While I wasn’t extremely hungry, I was “hungry” enough and knew the “burger” won’t be enough. Looking at the menu, I found this rice bowl + pork for just under $3. What? $3? Yup, no typo here. For under $3, you get rice in a bowl plus some minced pork. In a way, this would be the type of food I would be eating in a down day – a comfort food of sorts. Was it good? The ground pork ain’t necessarily a fancy cut: it could have been “butt” but, again, it really does not matter. What did matter was that it was cooked through and, when served, it was served with the juices as a result of the cooking, which moistened and flavoured the otherwise bland rice. Furthermore, they had a small container of hot sauce. And, let me tell you, “hot” might be an understatement. If it wasn’t because I added it only on one side, I would have certainly regretted it, as it was spicy enough to make me sweat profusely… Now, would I order their larger version? Probably no, unless it came with some veggies, as otherwise,

And here it is, what in the menu appears as a burger, but, far from it being a burger, this looks more like a braised pork sandwich. Once again, at under $3, this is a deal. Better (and cheaper!) than a Big Mac or a Whopper. Why should one go for those if you can have one of this? Well, probably if you are not used to this. Regardless, it is a good option. The pork was soft but not extremely so. Enough for it not to “break” down when eaten but not too mushy. The pickled mustard greens gave a bit of crunch as well as some contrasting flavour. The layer of peanut (?) and sugar (?) added another layer of contrasting flavour. Overall, the combination worked quite well. However, for some reason, this is not something I necessarily want to eat on a daily basis, despite it is pork… For some reason, it was starting to feel heavy after eating it halfway. Probably as a once in a while…

So, indeed, Red Persimmon is a good option in Crystal Mall food court. With the departure of Wang’s (for XLB), I was starting to wonder which of the remaining stands would make me come back. In the case of Red Persimmon, it seems to be a good starting point. Hope the rest of their menu were as good as these two dishes I ordered.

Romer’s Burger Bar
1873 W 4th Ave
Vancouver, BC

When I wrote my post on Delux Burger Bar (located in Edmonton), at the very end, I added a note about a place I had visited in Vancouver but, for other reasons, I didn’t write about it yet and required a revisit. As you can guess by now, that place was Romer’s Burger Bar. While I already had an idea about it prior to visiting Delux, would my additional knowledge/experience would make this a better or more complete post? Or by revisiting after Delux would provide a better perspective? Keep on reading to find out!

First, the details of my first visit. In an odd way, that visit was marred by epic fails after epic fails. After seated and making my order, I brought out my camera just to find out it wasn’t working. At that moment, I panicked. WTH?! Then I realized that the battery had completely discharged. Darn! Well, backup plan: my iPhone 3GS. So, here are the pictures of my visit!

I got the Fentiman’s soda for kicks; I usually order diet soda. I am sure that a lot of people would be after my throat for comparing mass produced pop like Coca-Cola or Pepsi with small shops. Well, here is one thing people must consider: I usually order soda for the fizziness, not necessarily for it being Coke or Pepsi. Granted, I could order carbonated water but they are seldom bottomless (and I usually drink a lot in my meals). So, in the end, it falls back to diet pops. As for Fentiman’s, I will quote what I told the waitress: It tasted something similar to Buckley’s…

As for the burger, I went for the Man’s Man Burger with a side of garlic fries. Since the burger and fries arrived at the same time and I was hungry, I grabbed a fries and started taking pictures of the burger. That was a critical mistake which lead to the major epic fail #2: The garlic was so strong that it literally obliterated my taste buds for the rest of the afternoon. Don’t get me wrong, those who like garlic will love this; however, for my purpose, that meant I won’t be able to taste the burger. Still, I can tell you one thing about that burger: I wasn’t necessarily impressed by the texture. OK, while it wasn’t made into a meatloaf like Delux’s, for a “burger bar”, I would expect the meat to be crumblier or a bit more loose. For some reason, it felt as if it had a bit too much of a binding agent. I could be wrong on this one, of course, just that, well, the expectations of calling yourself a burger bar, plus charging over $10 (fries NOT included and the dip is another extra!), will kick in. And, one more thing: I did NOT like the brioche as bun. Here is the reason: it added a sweet tone, something that managed to go through the garlic taste, which I thought contradicted the savouriness of the meat (assuming I would have been able to taste it).

Because of this combination of factors, I thought, nope, that would be sort of unfair so I decided to leave my thoughts after a second visit, which, once again, came after my return from Edmonton. On that second visit, I ordered…

I could have ordered the Man’s Man Burger again but, instead, went for the Righteous Rib Burger. Hey, how could adding a piece of short rib make it any worse? And, learning from my mistake, this time I ordered it with truffle oil reggiano fries.

Let me get the fries out of the way, given the meat of the matter is the burger. One word will describe the fries: overrated. Now, here is one of my eternal complains: in that eternal vicious cycle, restaurants add a “fancy” note to entice the customers, which a lot of times makes the customer say it is “good” regardless if that is true or not (most likely to convince themselves the fanciness is worth the $$$ spent). After a while, it becomes so common the restaurant has to create another such “fancy” note again and leading that cycle again. That is the case with truffle. OK, this is not the real truffle; in fact, it could be a chemical mix to taste similar to what truffle should be. Regardless, I tasted more the cheese than any earthy notes that could have existed from that truffle oil. Needless to say, $7? The only sort of saving grace was that it was a large serving but, then again, I could go to McD’s for your basic fries. And, you know what? Despite we bash McD’s left and right, nobody can deny their fries taste good.

Moving to the burger, I did some disassembly here by taking out the piece of rib to see how it looks. Alas, I needed a fork to “shred” it. Probably it needed a bit more time braising? Otherwise, it was what it was supposed to be. A bit more moist could have been better, but, in the end, still workable. As for the burger itself, the same issues as my first visit happened here. I guess they didn’t change the recipe probably because people like it that way? Regardless, my expectations were different; otherwise, I might have as well gone to BK! And, this time, I was able to test the issue with the brioche bun and was reinforced: I didn’t like it because it added a slight “sweetness”. Nope, I would have preferred something neutral, savoury or, preferably, herby. One thing that I didn’t mention in the first visit was how “juicy” the patty was. Well, it wasn’t juicy to the point you needed loads of napkins but, at least, it wasn’t dry. Alas, the same “issue” happened here. Once again, could it be they have it done this way because people seem to want it this way? I don’t know about you but shouldn’t people like to want to get themselves dirty with juices flowing around? Oh, wait… That didn’t sound right…

So, what does that make Romer’s? Truth is, at over $10 burger only, it is definitely not worth the $$$ in my books. However, given the environment, I am sure people won’t be coming here for the food but to watch sports (considering all the TVs hanging around) or for drinks. But, as my blog name suggests, I was only there for the food and that didn’ work.

Delux Burger Bar
9682 142 Street NW
West Edmonton Mall (Location visited)
Edmonton, AB

I have an issue with restaurants which takes something “simple” and, for the heck of it, they complicate it by changing its name. Such is the case of gastropub. What is wrong with pub fare? OK, if you want a fancier environment, fine, just call it a “restaurant” instead of a pub. Of course, that’s my line of thought and it hasn’t stopped anybody from opening fancier versions of regular fare. In this case a “burger bar”. So, while in Alberta, which produces tons of beef, well, why not give this a try? And that’s how I ended up going to Delux Burger Bar.

I have the fame of doing crazy things and I will admit, for this trip, it was no exception. Delux has two locations and the one I ended up going was the one in West Edmonton Mall (WEM). Nothing crazy about it. Except I walked 11Km from Downtown Edmonton (where I stayed). Did I mention winter conditions? Heck, even local Edmontonians thought I was crazy! I guess I wanted a reason to go all out eating and that 11Km walk should have given me that “buffer”, hehehehe.

Located in the Bourbon Street of WEM, other restaurants include Hooters, Old Spaghetti Factory and Earl’s. I guess some restaurants can be found pretty much anywhere… Since it was a weekday, it was quite slow and was given the choice to sit anywhere. This place is not necessarily for me but, oh, well, since when these types of restaurants are??? However, I am always good to try new places so that was good enough excuse.

From the menu, I ordered their namesake burger, their Delux burger. It was pretty much everything but the kitchen sink. And, I will have to say, it has the largest pieces of sauteed mushroom I have seen in a while! How big? About the size of a toonie (about 2″/5cm for my non-Canadian readers)! The bacon was there but… Nah, it lacked crispiness. As for the lettuce and tomato… Well, it is lettuce and tomato. The bread was actually good, in the sense it hold the burger in place plus it didn’t get into the way of dampening the rest of the components. However, after that, it is where the epic fail kicked in. If you look closely, that ain’t a burger in the same sense a “burger” would be defined to me and most of you: This was a meatloaf. See, if it is a burger, I would expect meat that could crumble, i.e., the “grounding” part of the meat – in this case, beef. However, here, it was almost a solid pieces bound by an agent. Stale bread? Bread crumbs? Egg? Whatever it is, the end result is completely different, to the point I could say a McD’s one would better qualify it as a burger than this.

The sweet potato fries didn’t help much either. In this case, they were not large pieces; rather these were small chunks which, in the end, I had to end up eating with the fork. The chipotle mayo-like sauce was actually decent, as it was creamy and a bit tangy. However, saying a dipping sauce was the best part of a meal might not be a good thing to say in the grand scheme of things.

So, how bad it was? It was bad. And the $11 price tag was just insult to injury. Could it be a case of high expectations? It could be but, given that Chris’ (Eating is the Hard Part) thoughts sounded as if he was holding something back didn’t help (not to mention another source warned me about it yet I partially “forgot”). In the end, it is a real shame…

(On a side note, before somebody says Romer’s Burger Bar in Vancouver, yes, I have been there but, due to a technical “glitch”, I need to return. Based on the original visit, it is slightly better than Delux; however, that might not mean much, as it had it’s bad moments as well).

Elephant & Castle
Chain restaurant, several locations
385 Burrard Street (location visited)
Vancouver, BC

A small reminder from 11 months ago: During the Winter Olympic Games, due to what was perceived as “difference in culture”, some restaurants imposed a mandatory gratuities to the final bill. As a result of that, I banned myself from some restaurants. Whether I will continue not supporting them, well, that might be up in the air; however, for this post, I ended up with PO in Elephant & Castle, one of those restaurants in that said list, for convenience purposes out of all things. Damn me…

I arrived first because PO had to make a small detour (part of the reason why we ended up here). Walking in… Well, you could easily tell it is not a restaurant similar to, say, Earl’s or Cactus Club or similar kin. The feeling was different. I would have said “British pub!”; however, since I haven’t been in a real one, saying that might be wrong. The restaurant itself was larger than what you can imagine from outside. In fact, there was a second level, which is where we ended up seated.

Here is something that we had to crack a joke at. When was the last time you were served Guinness with a straw?! Nah, actually, I just ordered pop but we couldn’t help but laugh at the fact it was served in a glass with the Guinness logo in it! Now, also as a note, see the far back to the right? Well, it is not soy sauce nor Worcestershire sauce; rather that is a bottle of malt vinegar. Did I say it was a British pub???

As an appetizer, we were debating between several options until we spotted the “Curry Chips”. Of course, the “chips” here are in reference to fries. These were crispy on the outside while fluffy in the inside; however, that fluffiness was a bit flat. Instead of that starchy texture, it simply collapsed. It wasn’t bad but I have had better thick cut fries. As for the curry sauce, it still had chunks of tomato and onions (both cooked through) which would indicate good curry, but that didn’t translate very well into the sauce itself as it had a powdery like feeling to it. Yes, I know, curry is made from different grind spices to form a paste so there could be an explanation. Well, no, that powdery feeling was more on the lines of a powder mix. It did complement the chips but it could definitely been better.

PO went for the blue cheese and bacon burger. Now, the description in the menu was a bit strange, specifically, that of melted blue cheese. I can’t imagine the blue cheese being melted unless in a sauce form, but oh, well… Past that, PO thought the burger was juicy and not bad at the posted $10.50 price range. The soup, which I sampled a little, was a corn chowder. Unlike the one I had in Havana Cafe, this one was on the creamy side but, similar to the one from Havana, it had its layer of sweetness.

As for myself, originally I wanted to go for the kidney and steak pie; however, I was told they might not have it (something on the lines of only that many prepared per day). Since it took them quite a while to get our orders, I told the waitress to get me a Shepperd’s pie if the kidney one wasn’t available. Yup, that’s what I got. Right from the get go, it was quite evident they weren’t holding back in terms of gravy. It was quite thick but, similar to the curry, I was wondering if this was whipped out from a powder pack due to that consistency. As for the mash on top, when I hit my fork, it was quite smooth and was starting to wonder, likewise, if this was made from dehydrated potato. That question was answered when I hit a chunk of the tuber. As for the ground meat, well, it was just OK. In a way, it was the gravy which took over almost everything. And, as a result, it was OK but not much for me. In fact, I didn’t finish this!

Overall, some of the dishes seems better than others but, in the end, it was average/decent at best. Given it is a pub, should I have expected more? Of course, if you are for beer, that might be more suitable, probably not for the food. And, as a result, for me, not in a hurry to go back.

Hamburgers
737 Bridgeway
Sausalito, CA

I have mentioned previously that, under normal conditions, I would do some due diligence and try to find out which restaurants I should visit prior to the trip. However, for this trip to San Francisco, such due diligence wasn’t really done; instead, I relied quite a bit on suggestions – with the usual suspects being other food bloggers who have been in that area. However, a very dear friend whom had recently been there also provided a suggestion outside of the main areas of San Francisco. Since I heed my friend suggestions, I saw no reason why I shouldn’t give it a try. And what place it was? Well, a burger shop which name is quite straightforward about what food they sell: Hamburgers! (<– Yes, that’s the name of the restaurant!)

One thing you will notice right away: Hamburgers is located in Sausalito, north of San Francisco if you take the Golden Gate Bridge. However, since neither Sherman (who tagged along on this one) and I rented a car, the options were either take a cab, public transit or, what we ended up doing, take the ferry. However, unlike, say, the Seabus in Vancouver, where, even in weekends, there is one every 15 or 30 minutes (depending on the time of the day), the ferry from the Ferry Building to Sausalito was once every hour (transit time of ~25 minutes, though longer distance) so that meant we only had that much time. Since we had breakfast earlier in Taylor Street Coffee Shop, it was a matter of making sure of taking the appropriate ferry at the appropriate time. Yes, at times, we spend a bit lot of time juggling things around to make the most out of it! Of course, there is that one question: What would some food bloggers in a foreign city do? How about visiting its local farmer’s market? Well, for that, you will have to wait for Sunday, hehehe…

Anyway, arriving to Sausalito was quite… Interesting. To paraphrase Sherman, if it wasn’t for fog and low clouds, you could partially confuse this place with a Caribbean town. Yup, quaint in its own ways! However, we weren’t necessarily there for sightseeing (which we sort of ended up doing while waiting for the next ferry to go back to San Francisco) but rather for one thing: burgers!

By the time we arrived, we ended up being order #3 and #4 so to provide a better idea of what they can crank out, we returned after our meals and see their cooking action… As in this!

Notice something quite particular about that grill? Specifically, how does the cook flip the burger on the far side (the one closer to me? Well, it just happens that grill is a rotary one. Think of it as a grill version of a Lazy Susan! So, it keeps spining and spinning and spinning. Come to think about it, it can serve for a secondary purpose: consistency! How so? If the recipe calls for flipping after two revolutions before flipping the burger then they know they just have to wait for it to “come back” and go from there!

And talking about patty, one thing we noticed right away: Did you think these were frozen patties? Nope, we saw some meatballs in the back counter which we saw were shaped before they were placed on the grilled. Short of grinding the meat to order, I think this is the best a restaurant can do! So, let’s go to the goods:

WTF?! That’s not a burger?! Yup, indeed that’s not a burger. And, yes, we indeed ordered one; however, since we were going to split a burger, we thought about ordering something else. Between BBQ chicken, hot dog, turkey burger or burrito, we thought a steak sandwich would be a “better” option. Alas, that wasn’t necessarily the case. The sirloin was quite thin; however, it was overcooked by a revolution. Had they left it a bit more on the rare side it would have been better. The way it ended up being cooked… No: it felt chewy. Furthermore, it lacked something (seasoning?) which we thought was disappointing (Actually, we did see some seasoning being sprinkled; however, when it was cooked already). In the end… No.

Yeah, THIS is their burger, specifically, their cheese burger. By textbook definition this is a perfect example of a good burger: bread, whole lettuce leaves, sliced tomato and onion for veggies. For dressing, they added catsup, mustard and relish. And all of that in a bun with sesame seeds. Does that look good?

One another detail that very few places do? Medium rare. Despite it wasn’t necessarily juicy to the point of messy, it still had some juices. It felt crumbly but didn’t break down when you bite into it. However, past that, the rest of the burger… Well, it could have been better. Specifically, we thought that the bun was the epic fail that dragged the whole burger down. It felt too thick, which resulted in it dampening the flavour of the meat. As a result what I ended up doing is removing the top bun and eat it as an open face sandwich. Yes, it was strange… One detail that can go either way was the (Monterrey Jack) cheese: It didn’t really melt so it kept a bit of that unmelted cheese taste. So, depending on how you like it, it might be a pro or a con.

Just for kicks, we also ordered some fries. OK, one small detail I must mention. You didn’t really have to look closely to find out that a lot of components used are from Sysco. And while I am no fan on most of their drop-to-the-fryer-and-serve food, for ingredients, it is still a workable solution. For example, their catsup was vinegar-y rather than sweet so that worked for me. As for their fries… Well, I think the visuals are enough…

Overall, from the patty only perspective, Hamburgers actually delivered what they promised: a good burger patty made of simple ingredients. In other words, simplicity at its best. Alas, my perspective of a hamburger has changed and, rather than the patty only (which, again, I thought was good), it is the whole package that failed a little bit. And, as such, there is room for improvement which can somewhat easily be address. Still, in the end, I believe it is a good option.

In-N-Out Burger
333 Jefferson Street
Fisherman’s Wharf
San Francisco, CA

In Vancouver, one of the burger shops that I have said everybody should give it a try, despite (or probably because) it being a total dive is Burger Burger. It is cheap, it is simple, it is messy. What else do you want from a burger? Of course, this being Vancouver, a “fancier” simple burger version type restaurant had to open (despite this statement sounds like an oxymoron). This place is, of course, Nimby Burger, which, despite there will be naysayers, it is inspired in In-N-Out Burger, a well-known chain in the Western side of the US. This has been blogged by Sherman and Mijune; however, it is not the fact it has been blogged but rather the enthusiasm. With that in mind, I knew that on this trip to San Francisco, I had to visit one of such location.

Due to some delay in our flight to San Francisco, Sherman and I just before noon; however, because the airport isn’t in the city itself, it took us a while to arrive to the city, check in and then finally go to the Wharf. I was quite hungry and walking through the hills wasn’t an easy task at that moment. But, it was a case of, the wait would (hopefully) make that meal more interesting. Grateful Sherman would tag along (hey, more stuff to try!), when we finally go there, there was a decent lining waiting for their orders so I was really hoping our orders won’t take long. Since we were supposed to have dinner in ~5 hours later, we sort of held back in how much we ordered but, to establish some threshold, we started with the plain burger.

Yup, just your bun, lettuce, tomato, dressing and a single patty. I won’t deny that, had it being this the burger I got without any other feedback, I would have said this is an overrated burger. It wasn’t bad, the patty was OK, not dry but not moist and there wasn’t anything else. In fact, I would say that some comparisons to the plain McD’s burger can be done (no offence…). However, as most people who have been to In-N-Out, that’s NOT how you order it. Instead, according to their not-so-secret menu, you have to order it animal style. And what does that mean? Well, let’s check my order:

I went for the double-double… No, not a Timmy’s coffe, rather, two patties with two slices of cheese. But, not only that, by making it animal style – “Burger of your choice with hand-leafed lettuce, tomato, a mustard cooked beef patty; add pickle, extra spread, with grilled onions”. (The “spread” being their dressing/sauce). These extra set of ingredients/condiments kicks the burger up a couple of notches in term of flavour, not to mention, moistness of the patties. Now, THIS is what I can call a burger… It was savoury, it was messy…

I made my order a combo which, actually is just putting the burger with fries and drink – in other words, pricewise was exactly the same as if they were ordered individually. Also, I made them extra crispy… Ahem, “fries well” to give it more of a crunchiness. And, indeed, it was almost to the consistency of chips. The reason behind this was to avoid soggy fries resulting from a single fry job.

Overall, I don’t think there is much for me to say that people haven’t said about it: It is a really good burger. And while it is not the best burger in the world, based on their price, it delivers a really good product. So, in that value/cost ratio, it hits a really sweet spot. Would I go back? Of course!

Update: Sherman’s post of this visit, here!

The Famous Warehouse
989 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC

Months ago, just after the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games (though it was barely 7 months, it feels as if it was ages ago!), I wrote a post where I mentioned I have self-banned from several eateries, most of them in Vancouver’s Downtown area. The main reason behind that self ban is related to that of gratuity charges, where it was made mandatory. Alas, I ended up going to one of such places: The Famous Warehouse… (Formerly know as The Furniture Warehouse) And, while I am guilty of breaking my own rules, I will have to say that, at least, now I have even a better reason NOT to go back. Ever… But, that still begs the question: Why I ended up going there in the first place?

In this case, I will have to finger point Elaine of Parker Pages. See, a couple of months ago, Elaine went there and mentioned the prices of their dishes, namely everything for $5. (Actually, it is $4.95 plus tax. But, it is easier to say $5 than $4.95!). Burger? $5. Several appetizers? $5. Basically, if it is in the menu, it is $5. WTH?! I thought. C’mon that even beats Burger Burger, despite it is greasy, I consider it to be one of the best, in terms of cheap burgers! I guess that reason was worth giving it a try…

And here it is, just as the menu mentioned: The Works Burger – housemade 8 oz AAA beef patty, onions, mushrooms, lettuce, pickle, bacon and cheese on a lightly toasted bun for $5. Oh, boy, we are not talking about a plain burger here! It was served with cheese and bacon! However, no tomato but, instead a pickle. From a price perspective, yup, it indeed gives Burger Burger a run for its loonie so that brings the question: how it would be?

On the flip side, I will have to admit it was one of the best pieces of bacon I have had in a while in Vancouver. Last time I recall ordering it was when I made the Canadian version of the maple bacon donut. In that case, the bacon was quite greasy. Here, it was crisp without any major signs of fat. So, from that perspective, we have a winner!

From the fries perspective… Well, it felt average, as if it was out from a package, fried and served. I mean, notice the coloration? It was starting to take on a orange-y colour! I wonder if it has anything to do with the oil where it was fried. But, again, $5 for burger and fries…

However, from here on, things started to go south. The bread was average at best. Should I have expected much given the price? Not sure about that… What really killed it though was the patty itself. It felt… Generic? OK, I am exaggerating here; regardless, I thought it was way subpar. Heck, I was partially willing to think that a Big Mac was better than this (though I haven’t had one of those in ages). And the fact a GFS truck was parked outside during my meal didn’t help a single bit.

See, when I see a cheap dish, it can go both ways: you go for “cheap” alternatives like Sysco or GFS (cheaper here might not necessarily be true but, for this example sake, let’s assume it is) and, as a result, you can lower some of the prices, specially if you manage to hit their discount thresholds. Or, you have a good following and, as a result, a large demand for your goods. In that case, you also have a good kitchen and manage to lower prices because, rather than getting processed food already, you go for the source and prepare everything in house. Given what I ate, unless somebody can prove me wrong, my line of thought would be that of the the first route. Now, before somebody start bashing me, my pet peeve with Sysco or GFS is that, as a result of them being the major players in providing food for small (and in some cases medium) restaurants, it over simplify the offerings, as a result, leads to some standarization on what is served at some restaurants.

But, regardless of that and, again, keeping in mind the cost, there is one that big detail that let me fuming a little bit: every single side had a not listed price “extra” attached to it. For example, when asked if I wanted mayo for my fries, I say “yes” and that resulted in a $1 surcharge. Likewise, I was asked if I wanted a pop refill (which was already at $3 a glass), it resulted in another charge ($0.75). See, I don’t mind paying for those extra charges… IF THEY WERE MENTIONED IT SOMEWHERE!!! For example, when we went to Deutsches Huas/Vancouver Alpen Club, at least they advertise the price per glass. But it was nowhere to be listed in the menu (or as far as I could see), it felt as a bait-n-switch scheme.

Am I disgruntled? Feel free to say so. And that brings back to what I mentioned originally: I didn’t like it previously because of the mandatory gratuity issue; I like it even less now for their practices. Recommendation? Save your $$$. Re-Up BBQ (heck, probably even McD’s) might be even cheaper and it does not leave up with a bitter aftertaste… Now, if you are willing to take your chances, feel free. Go ahead. Just watch out they don’t charge you for napkins as well…

Johnny’s Burger Stop
I-5 Exit 212
Stanwood, WA

There are time where I believe I am a glutton for punishment (but in a really bad way). On my way to the US, before crossing the border, I decide to “skip” lunch and hopefully find something on my way to Seattle. However, there are times you are not certain what/when to eat and you skip option after option (of course, these options are usually well known chain restaurants). Now, there is nothing wrong with your McD’s if you are hungry but, you always think “I want to get something ‘better’”.

In a wacky way, that’s what sort of happened to me: I was so darn hungry but was still at least an hour away from Seattle so I decided to take an exit and eat first. However, it was the same usual suspects for several exits and suddenly I gave up and take the very next one. When I did, I realized that, after the exit, I had to drive several Kms before hitting those chain restaurants. Almost admitting defeat, I then look at the other way and see Johnny’s Burger Stop, a place that I have seen everytime I drive through I-5 to Seattle because of a sort of unique feature: that chimney with smoke puffing out. As they say, when there is smoke…

Now, Johnny’s does not have BBQ, instead, they make burgers and only burgers (OK, OK, some variations plus sides like fries and onion rings). Being literally in the middle of nowhere, I wasn’t going to be too demanding. In fact, my only demand was “feed me!” Looking at their menu, I knew decision making wasn’t going to be that difficult, as it narrowed itself down to two candidates: their mushroom burger and their verde buger.

The first option, the mushroom one is self explanatory; the second one would be something in lines of a certain burger shop in Seattle: … Yes, verde burger here means a grilled green pepper. I admit that is quite a brilliant idea so I saw no reason not to order it.

Now, they do not offer “combos” so, in addition to the burger, I ended up ordering their onion rings. I will have to admit, their onion rings are quite good. The “batter”, which looked like a cornmeal type batter, gave it a quite crunchy external crust, while it “sealed” the onion inside. The onion, on that note, was cooked through, though, I wished it was “warmer”. Granted, you need to let these rest before serving but…

As for the burger, I will have to say that the construction of it looks quite good. Pieces of veggies… stacked and then the patty on top, with the green pepper… Taking a bit didn’t reveal an extremely juicy burger; however, tastewise, it was quite meaty. Won’t compare it to Friesenburgers; instead, on its own rights, I think it would be a burger I would eat again. There were some shortcomings, though, but I also believe it might be due to me overlooking it. For example, there wasn’t much of a sauce in the burger but, given there is catsup and mustard on the table, I guess it is up to you to add it yourself. Otherwise, I don’t think I have much to “complain” about this burger, as it is, for the most part, a textbook burger!

OK, there is one thing I must “mention”: it is not necessarily cheap. A single burger (one patty) was ~$6, which, for a basic burger, in American standards can be above the average cost. But, then again, it is located in the middle of nowhere (~10 miles; ~16 Km north from the Premium Outlets) so that demands a bonus. But, you know what, since it was quite well made, I certainly won’t mind dropping by for another one if I happen to be in that exit and I am hungry!

White Spot
Several locations in Canada
1616 West Georgia Street (Location visited)
Vancouver, BC

A quick reminder of my background: I wasn’t raised in Canada and, as a result, there are a lot of things “Canadian” I didn’t grow up with. One of those things was White Spot’s Pirate Pack (and come to think about it, I didn’t even grow up having Happy Meals). So, when White Spot sent an email (*) to some of us food bloggers about this event, I was enthusiastic. Hey, why not! (After all, it is for a good cause!). So, on that day, I decided to drop by to “experience” it.

(*) As a personal decision, I do not participate in such promotions or events. If I choose to go to a restaurant, it will be on my own.

Now, this post is a bit different compared to the other post – it is more of a photo essay. How come? Because, well, I have been to White Spot previously and, in this case, things weren’t that different. After all, it is a chain!

Friesenburgers
308 East 26th Street
Tacoma, WA

Hmmmmm…. Burger…. That quintessential North American sandwich. And I will be more than willing to admit I am at times guilty to have one too many burgers. Something that can be really cheap (and done well) and something where you can also make it fancy for no other reason just because (and, in my opinion, break its simplicity). Despite its bad rap, if done well, it can be a thing of beauty. And, again, who better than Americans for this creation? So, on my last day in Tacoma, on my way back to Vancouver, I had to do a small stop for lunch and what better place, than, well, a burger shop? And that’s how I ended up in Friesenburgers.

As mentioned, there is nothing to observe from the outside – Given the general area, it can easily be considered a dive. But, then again, considering that I have been to two already in this trip, a third one won’t kill me (OK, the fat might but you get the gist). My only concern was whether it will be a mess eating it and I end up staining my work suit (fortunately, it didn’t).

Because of the time I arrived, there were no customers so, from that perspective, it was OK, unlike other places where, if it is empty by lunch and/or dinner, I would get some suspicious. Looking at the menu, again, nothing extraordinary: your basic burger shack menu. The probably “notable” item would be what they call a Friesenburger, 1/2 pound worth of patties, cheese, bacon and topped with a fried egg. Well, other places have it as well so, I guess this would be their version… But, I chose not to order that (hey, again, I am conscious of it!) and instead went for…

A double hamburger with a side of fries and drink. Now, if you were in a hurry or thinking this will be McD’s, don’t. I would say that it easily took ~10 minutes from ordering to have it ready for me taking pictures (hey, you know what they say, you have to let us take pictures first before you can dig in!). Now that you have seen it, let me ask one question: Had I not mention this was from Friesenburgers, would you say it doesn’t look quite similar (down to the wrapping) to one particular place, namely… Red Robin? Yup, that’s what I thought as well!

So, let’s start with the fries: I will have to say these were good. While could have had some additional crispiness on the outside (but this is me nitpicking), once you bit into it, there was that starch texture. Did I mention they were piping hot? One thing they did warn me about (and really appreciated) was that the fries weren’t seasoned but the fact they were still piping hot gave me a window of opportunity to do so. However, noticed in the picture above that container? Well, it just happens they have sort of a dipping sauce for it made up for some “secret” ingredients but I was told it includes mayo, catsup, mustard and liquid from relish. Whatever else is in it, let’s just say it really complemented the fries.

Now back to the burger. One thing I noticed right away was the texture of the patty: it was crumbly. Usually there is some form of binding agent (eggs, bread, et al) but here it felt… strange but in a good way. And there was something really interesting: It was quite juicy! And bite after bite, unlike a lot of burgers, I actually tasted some meat as well as some other seasoning. As for the rest of the burger, it was a text book burger, nothing fancy and served to complement the meat.

After the meal (and washed my hands), I talked briefly to the operators and couldn’t help ask one question: given how “juicy” it was, did they prepare their own patties? Their answer shocked me: They buy frozen. To paraphrase that ad, yes that “F” word. So how come they prepare such a juicy burger and have such a char and flavouring? The answer was two-fold: they season the burgers before cooking and, rather than going by time (as would a lot of places would do), they use a thermometer. As soon as it hits a specific safe temperature, it is ready. No wonder, considering a lot of places burn it to crisp in the hope of it being “safe”.

So, was this a good burger? I will have to say it was quite good. Not something I would have in a frequent basis but, certainly, a good burger shop. Alas, it is located almost in the middle of nowhere and its working hours are short (then again, due to its location, it can’t be helped).