A Tale Of 3 Chicken Sandwiches

Lately I’ve noticed that I eat a lot of sandwiches when I’m out so here is a brief sampling of 3 of the latest chicken sammy’s I’ve chowed down on lately.

First up is the cheapest out of the bunch, it’s Mc Donald’s new “McBistro” line of chicken sandwiches and came in at $5.99 before taxes.   I chose the crispy version of this because I was of the understanding that it was a new version of the crispy breast they had before but the sandwich I got from my local Mickey D’s had the old breast and came packaged in the old line of sandwich boxes but was on the new whole wheat bun, I went with the BLT version out of the 3 choices, the tomatoes could have been fresher and I took them off after taking the picture~you could tell they weren’t sliced that day and the chicken was really tough.  In the end it was a meh kinda sandwich and let’s just say I wont be having another one~there pretty much the same line of “Supreme” sandwiches they had previous but just on a different bun.

Next up and in the middle position price wise is the Fatburger Classic Grilled Chicken Sandwich, it was the special of the day so the combo ended up only costing me $9.79 plus tax.  I’ve never had the grilled chicken sandwich at Fatburger before, the chicken breast was nicely seasoned with a lemon pepper blend and had a nice tang, it was juicy and tender, toppings wise it was kept simple with lettuce, tomato, mayo and pickles.  I must say that I really like the fries here compared to other fast food places, there crisp and tender on the inside and seasoned with a bit of salt, also there cooked to order which makes all the difference.

Lastly we have The Big Chick from Vera’s Burger Shack over in Kits, again I stopped in on the day when all combo specials were available so the combo ended up costing me around $12 after taxes.  The Vera’s crew marinade this chicken breast in bourbon and the burger is topped with sautéed onions, provolone cheese and bacon, veggie wise it had lettuce, tomato and a pickle.  I’ve had this before when I first tried Vera’s and it’s a good chicken sandwich but for some reason this one refused to stay in the bun and the chicken breast slid out more with each bite so needless to say this gets the messiest sandwich award.  On a flavor note I’d suggest getting cheddar or something else as the cheese on this because the provolone totally dominated this and it wasn’t a good thing.  My meal also came with fries and a drink, the fries here are hand cut and fried to order but the ones that I got needed to be cooked more and lacked seasoning so  2/3 of the basket were not eaten but at the end of the day it’s not about the fries and the chicken sandwich was good and the quality of the toppings were there.

So out of the 3 sandwiches I’ve mentioned the one at Fatburger is the one that I’d go back for or eat instead of a burger, the seasoning on the chicken was unlike I’ve had at any other place in Vancouver and definitely made the sandwich standout against the others.

McDonald's (Robson & Bidwell) on Urbanspoon

Fatburger (Dunsmuir) on Urbanspoon

Vera's Burger Shack (Kits) on Urbanspoon

Vera Your Meat Got Beat!

Lord knows I love burgers and with all the great places that have opened that specialize in burgers and also those solid restaurants that have put a great burger on their menu it’s really become clear to me when I get a bad burger and also when the price is way out of line for what is served.

I’ve had some good meals at Vera’s Burger Shack and the one by my place in the West End has put a smile on my face in the past. Recently I was craving a burger and not wanting to hit the other burger place up the street when I have been to a few times recently I thought I would mix things up and grab BBQ Burger combo at Vera’s and watch the game for a bit~I usually just grab and go eat at home but I dined in on this visit.

I got the BBQ Burger and made it a combo, the burger on its own costs $8.99, the combo comes with the fries pictured above and a fountain drink that is equal to the medium size at any fast food restaurant and is bottomless and all this came to $17 with a $2 tip included.

It was a decent sized burger and I got all the usual toppings on it but it wasn’t so BBQ’y tasting~it tasted more like a greasy grill and I say this because I’ve had this burger a ton of times in the past and it’s one of my favorites so it was a huge disappointment when it lacked so much in the flavor department and what really gets me is the price for this combo, for the same $$ I paid I could have spent $2 more and got a burger from Hawksworth Restaurant at the Hotel Georgia~a burger really worth $20 so I think it’s really time for Vera’s burger Shack to rethink their because the prices now don’t equal value for money.

Vera your meat has been beat by every burger joint in town that specializes in burgers as well as some other places that don’t. My fries were the best part of my meal~something I shouldn’t have to be saying from a place that specializes in burgers.

Vera's Burger Shack (Denman) on Urbanspoon

Max’s Burgers~Bacon Marmalade Topped Goodness

Attention burger lovers and addicts~there’s a new dealer in town and his name is Max and he’s gonna have you coming back for more!

Chef Connor Butler is the chef and rain’s behind the menu and the space used to be Max’s Deli owned by Bruce Redpath and Redpath Foods, he’s still the owner of the building and is the owner of Max’s Burgers.

It’s a step up from Vera’s and Sunset Burgers and is ment to appeal to the Stackhouse Burger Bar and Romer’s Burger Bar crowd with fresh ground chuck brought in from Alberta and in-house made Brioche bun’s, with extra add-ons like blue cheese, applewood smoked bacon and house-made bacon marmalade!, Hollandaise sauce, red onion rings, sautéed mushrooms he’s really setting himself apart from the others on the market. Besides burgers the menu also features ancho-chili spiced Sloppy Joes, pigs in blankets, real black truffle mayo dips, crab po’boys, a $55, 24 ounce “Behemoth” burger that comes with a pitcher of beer and all the types of fries they have~it’s gonna become a Vancouver go to spot for burgers I totally think.

My visit was on their 2nd day of opening, I walked in just 12pm and it was totally packed so I went and relaxed out of the pouring rain at the Starbucks close by. I got back in around 1:30 and it I got a table without an issue. When you walk in your intuition tells you to walk up to the counter and place your order and grab a seat but it’s not the case here and confused me and a lot of other people~grab a seat if you want to eat in and a server will come over and take your order.

The menu is full of really great sounding burgers and sandwiches and the boozy shakes sound great and something that I’m definitely going to try in a future visit.

For this adventure I wanted to try something that I heard great things about~the British Columbian Burger for $12.50, it has their house made bacon marmalade as well as Apple Wood Smoked Bacon on it as well as all there usual toppings~shredded lettuce, tomatoes and fried onions that are a free option as well as their house Big Max Sauce. All burgers come with hand cut Kennebec fries.

This bad boy was totally delicious, the different flavors from the bacon marmalade and the beef went totally beautifully together, I had to employ the Tripple D Guy Fieri move~the hunch, the juice would have totally ran down my arms!, it’s a 3 napkinr’ and a definite must try.

My fries unfortunately were the weakest part of the meal and needed to be cooked longer~I left 3/4 of them and just chowed on my burger, I’d totally try the onion rings that they have~I saw some orders of them and they looked really good.

Max's Burgers on Urbanspoon

Rogue Kitchen and Wet Bar

One restaurant that has really embraced all forms of Social Media and there customers as well is Rogue Kitchen and Wet Bar at Waterfront Station. They offer daily specials if you follow them on Twitter, contests via Facebook and free gift certificates for drinks and menu items if you “check in” on your visit on Foursquare and that’s just what they have in the works right now, @MaryInVancity introduced me to this place and informed me of the deals they offer via social media, it’s definitely on her usual dining and drinking spots and her post in it can be found here.

The space is great and with the high ceilings it’s afforded them the opportunity to really split the space up and make intimate dining areas that are great for any sized group.

pardon the green spots on the picture

They really create a nice atmosphere at night with the candlelight and over sized Jetson like chandeliers.

These are the drinks we scored for following them on Twitter, the specials change daily and today it was any drink off the menu, I went with the Central City Raspberry Wheat Ale~Infused with raspberries from the Fraser Valley, this wheat ale is crisp and clean with a subtle fruitiness. The toasted crystal malt from England balances the natural acidity of the raspberries producing a beer that is refreshing and a delightful taste experience, Mary went with a glass of Gewürztraminer, at $11 for the wine and $6 for my beer it’s a no brainer to follow them on Twitter.  They have a HUGE beer list and some killer cocktails and shots so if you’re looking to hit a bar and watch the game Rogue is the place for you.

Asian Potstickers were up next for us, recommended by our server they were a hit, they were nicely fried and filled with seasoned pork and served with a sesame soy and sriracha dipping sauce for $8.99.

The Sushi Bombs 2.0 are a new thing to me but one of the things the Rogue is known for, they are sushi rice rolled in a ball and topped with albacore tuna, tobiko, wasabi flying fish roe, sriracha & sesame seeds and chased with wasabi soy shots~you put the whole thing in you mouth and squeeze the soy wasabi shot in your mouth as you pull it out.  They were OK~I thought the wasabi roe along with the sriracha on top along with the soy mix was a bit hot for me, the tuna was really understated compared to the other ingredients in this dish.  For $9.99 it was a neat thing to try but I wouldn’t order it again.

Mary went with the Coconut Poached Chicken Salad, it had snap peas, red & yellow peppers, mango, mixed greens, cashews, thin Asian noodles and sesame soy dressing, for $14.99 it was a filling meal and a pretty big salad, the coconut poached chicken really added a nice Thai touch to the meal.  Mary said she enjoyed it and from what I tasted I would order it sometime.

With my never ending burger hunt I just had to try the 9.2oz Rogue Burger, it was totally ultra juicy, a two napkin-er, made from house ground sirloin burger cooked to 160 F, placed on a sesame brioche bun and topped with bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, pickle, sweet relish & mayo, served with your choice of fries~they have 4 or 5 different varieties or a salad for $12.99 it’s a solid choice, I went with their regular fries on this visit

they use Kennebec Potatoes for all their fry variety’s and were munched on by the both of us.

With the great service we got, the diverse food choice along with all the specials~both via Social Media and regular daily in house specials Rogue Wet bar is going on my go to list for drinks and good eats and would suggest it to anyone~especially if you’re visiting our fine city in the Gastown area.

Rogue Kitchen and Wet Bar on Urbanspoon

Fat Burger on Denman St

Fat Burger is an American chain that has made its way up to Canada about 4 or 5 years ago. With a location on Denman street it’s not far away from my place but to be honest I made a visit here right after they opened years ago and they had a bit of a different menu~and it wasn’t a good thing, the prices for a burger, fries and a drink were over $14 and the value for money wasn’t there, I made the decision not to come back~till a couple weeks ago!

The decor inside is very American Diner and the walls are adorned with record albums from classic American artists and each location has a Wurlitzer Jukebox and the seating consists of booth type seating and some tables.

I ordered up their “Big Fat Deal”, it consisted of a bacon double cheeseburger, an order of their skinny fries and bottomless fountain drinks for $9.99. This was a better priced option that what I had before and made a lot more sense to me for value for money.

After placing your order at the counter your burger is cooked fresh so they give you a number and bring out your meal to your table when it’s ready~nice touch in my eye’s. They have all the usual condiments at the table as well as their brand of MSG free seasoning, I like the fact it’s MSG free but it’s still high in unnecessary salt so use it sparingly.

After waiting for 5 minutes my food was delivered to my table, it’s a nice amount of food and the burger looked like a classic bacon double cheese and would satisfy any burger lover.

The fries here have changed since my first visit~the potato skins are new and they are a bit thicker now, still they were good fries~not soggy and well seasoned but as I got to the bottom of the container they were soft from sitting.

My burger on the other hand was just what a bacon double cheese should be and it definitely kicks the Golden Arches in the butt!, the bun was soft yet it held together throughout the eating of the burger.

It was almost like my burger had a bacon tongue!, the burger size here is very similar to Nimby Burger in Kits, there not as big as Vera’s Burgers but still I didn’t walk away hungry.

With a good meal on this visit I’d come back and try them again,  the restaurant is also really kid friendly, while I was eating dinner a coupe Grandparents came in with 3 little ones and the staff hooked them up with toys to draw on and keep them occupied while waiting for dinner and it totally worked and the kids were quiet with Grandma and Grandpa smiling away!

Fatburger (Denman) on Urbanspoon

Ensemble Tap

Top Chef Canada winner and hometown hero Dale MacKay has opened the doors to his second restaurant this week and all I can say is the boy has been busy building a dining empire and all this success has happened within this year.

The new space is big and open, the flat screens all around the restaurant shows the games of the day and there are 17 different beers on tap here hence the name~Ensemble Tap.

The menu is focused on upscale pub food and when you stop and think about what big chain restaurants charge for food Ensemble Tap’s prices are right on par with the big guy’s but the quality of food is leaps and bounds above the big guy’s.

I started out with some beer and the staff here are knowledgeable about the different beers here and were happy to recommend this based on what I like in beer and boy was it a great choice.

For my appy I went with the classic French Onion soup for $8.  This was a classic french onion soup topped with Gruyère cheese, the broth was rich and full-bodied

the soup was packed with caramelized onions like any great French Onion soup should be.  One benefit of it being served in this camp style bowl was that I was able to pick it up and tilt it to get all that yummy stuff out of it.

For my main I wanted to try the recipe that won him a challenge on Top Chef Canada and is also served at his other restaurant Ensemble, the Pulled Pork sandwich with apple horseradish slaw, served with a side of Baked Beans and a cup of trademark Ensemble Kennebec Fries for $13.

The fries were cooked perfectly and not greasy yet totally crisp, these were some of the best fries I’ve had in a while and reminded me of Belgian Frites.

The baked beans were not overly smokey and had pulled pork in them, they were a delight to eat and I would have licked the ramekin clean if I were alone!

The pickles on the side also were tart and crisp like a good dill should be.

Now for the star of the show!, a nice soft bun that held together nicely, delish apple horseradish slaw and saucy smoked melt in your mouth pork,,,I’m hungry for one right now!, as far as pulled pork sandwiches go its one of the best I’ve had and is a must try for anyone coming to the restaurant, the slaw wasn’t to strong with the horseradish.

I’m really happy Ensemble Tap has opened it’s doors and I think it’s going to be one of those classic go to local restaurants for many years to come.

**Updated post December 14, 2011**

I went back for some more awesome food and Ensemble Tap~I was craving the Pork Chop dish and some good beer so here is the food!

Ensemble Lager $5.50, this is the house beer brewed for them by Big Rock Brewery, it’s a crisp lager that would go well with almost any dish on the menu and is a safe bet if your unsure of what to try.

Next up is the Tree Thirsty Beaver Amber Ale $7, this was a medium bodied beer that had a clan finish to it with a bit of hop flavor, I usually don’t go for amber ales but server recommended this and I’m glad she did~it is defiantly on my drink list.

For my appy I went with the Popcorn Prawns with Spicy Mayo for $12.  Crispy battered juicy prawns with a kaffir lime scented mayo~what more can I say besides they were AWESOME!, I gobbled these up quick and the mayo has that nice mouth tingling effect.

The garnish for the prawns is tempura battered sea asparagus, I’ve never had this before but have seen it on Food Network, it was nicely battered and tasted like the ocean~I found the taste interesting.

This is what I was craving for a couple of days, its inspired by one of Dale’s favorite childhood meals~pork chops and sauerkraut!.  This is a  kicked up version of a basic pork chop meal, the chop is brined before hand and then smoked and served with a mustard and panko/herb topping.  Along for sides it has grainy mustard, glazed carrots and house made sauerkraut

it was definitely a killer plate and I can see why it’s one of his favorites.  For $19 it was  a full meal and the kraut was more sweet that sour and had nicely chopped bacon in it so if your scared of sauerkraut you might want to give this a try.

Again it was a great meal at Ensemble and I’m looking forward to many more!

ensemble Tap on Urbanspoon

Dunn’s Famous Open’s in Vancouver

Dunn’s Famous has opened up shop in Downtown Vancouver and it’s being embraced with open arms by tourist’s and locals.

Myer Dunn founded Dunn’s Famous Restaurant in 1927. Due to Myer Dunn’s unique recipes and high quality standards, Dunn’s Famous quickly became a local institution for Montrealers and visitors alike.

I made my visit on their 3rd day after opening and the place was packed but because it was just me dining I was able to get a table right away.  The space is big and split into 2 rooms~one bigger open space with the bar in front with nice high ceilings and a smaller space up some stairs in the back that’s more intimate but one complaint~they have the tables packed pretty tight so getting up and moving between the table next to you and going to the bathroom or leaving if you’re sitting along the wall on the wall banquettes is very, very tight space wise, other than that the seating is really comfortable.

Food wise seeing this was my first visit and real experience with Dunn’s~I had a sandwich once at the  Costco lunch counter and it wasn’t good~the meat was really dry and  I was thoroughly disappointed but this place is a world of difference.  I ordered a  6oz Super Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich for $10.99 with a Poutine Québécois upgrade for $3.50, the sandwich plate also comes with coleslaw and a dill pickle.  You also gave a couple other options for side dishes for your sandwich like Caesar salad for a bit cheaper than the poutine option.

The poutine Québécois was not was I was expecting, the cheese curds were not squeaky like a true Quebec cheese curds should be, other than that the poutine sauce was flavorful and the cheese curds did taste good despite not being the texture they should have been.  I’d order there poutine again as a meal on its own because some of the options they have look really good and they offer a smoked meat poutine that I’d like to try.

This is the standard side that comes with every sandwich plate, the coleslaw here is  a vinaigrette based slaw with the cabbage finely shredded and there is also some carrots in the mix.  For me this slaw was kind of bland, the vinaigrette didn’t come through and I’ve realized that I like creamy dressed slaw~I’m also hoping that there still working there kinks out in the kitchen and things will improve with the sides.  The pickle on the other hand was delicious and made up for the slaw let down.

This was the real star of the plate and meal.  This is a small sandwich that is a 6 ouncer on light rye with mustard and it’s not toasted unless you ask.

You have the option of light, medium and fatty for your meat~you didn’t have this choice at Costco and it made a great difference, I went with medium and the meat was melt in your mouth tender and was stacked super high as you can see!

Over all my first experience at Dunn’s was pretty good and I left with a full belly, I saw some huge plates of food going out and I’m looking forward to going back and trying some of their other signature sandwiches~the double decker Ruben looked pretty amazing and the couple sitting next to me from Montreal did give the thumbs up for authenticity of food so I’d say that Dunn’s is going to settle in quite nicely in the Vancouver dining scene .  You can check out the Dunn’s BC website here and there also on Facebook.

Dunn's Famous on Urbanspoon

 

Edible Canada At The Market

Edible Canada and the Granville Island Public Market has opened it’s doors and is offering something that is a perfect fit on the island and is serving up some authentic local fare that is partially sourced right from the on site public market. It’s more than just restaurant here though, they offer public market tours, chef table market dinners and one of the best patios in Vancouver.

They also offer a store featuring all Canadian products, you can also get Championship BBQ Pit Master Rockin’ Ron Shewchuk’s BBQ pulled pork that’s vacuumed sealed and just needs to be reheated and enjoyed. One other thing to note is all the planter boxes outside contained edible items, from the one pictured with different lettuces to flowering lemon thyme and other herbs and they also feature electric vehicle recharging stations in front for you to use for free.

The purpose for this visit was to try there burger and there fries but these aren’t just ordinary fries-there cooked in duck fat and served with a bacon aioli!

My burger was made from meat sourced from the market and was cooked perfectly, the toppings were BC double smoked bacon, Canadian cheddar cheese, farm fresh heirloom tomatoes and it’s served with a homemade ketchup and housemate dill pickle served on a house made roll. I love the idea of a burger made completely from local products, the burger itself was OK, the meat like I said was cooked perfectly but the local greens on top added a grassy flavor and the housemate pickle was a disappointment-it tasted like was seaweed smells like and didn’t work with me, other than that the other ingredients of my burger were good.

Next up we have the duck fat fries, I loved the extra flavor from the duck fat and the fries were really crispy and I wish more places offered these. The bacon aioli is a bit on the salty side but I love the idea and this was a good way to really see what their homemade ketchup tasted like, compared to the famous brand we all grew up with this one was more sweet than sour. One negative was the fact a lot of my fries were small-like little fry nibs, once I got thru the big ones on top the rest of the fry cone was these fry nibs-perfect for poutine but not on their own.

At the end of the day the rest of the menu at Edible Canada is really good and they provide the best dining value for your buck on Granville Island and is the best way to sample some real Canadian cuisine.

Edible Canada at the Market on Urbanspoon

Ebisu Robson

I was lucky enough to win a Cheers Ebisu dinning package from @vaneatsca a couple of weeks ago. I took @maryinvancity with me to check this out and it was good times all around .
This package ended up selling out in a couple of days and I can see why-it’s great bang for your buck and is a great way to try a number of items off a menu and a new restaurant as well, it consisted of a pitcher of Sapporo Premium draft beer and a selection of 6 set menu items for $25.

photo credit for this to Mary

We were served this right away-my kinda place when the beer starts flowing quickly!, the Sapporo was nice and cold and stayed that way thanks to the chiller pitcher. Normally the beer is $15 alone.

The Cajun Tuna Tacos topped with caviar and Japanese mayo, these were ok but kinda bland, I tasted the tuna on it own and it was cooked perfectly still being rare in the middle but the mayo kinda killed any Cajun flavor, if you order these make sure you eat them with a small plate under because the shell breaks apart really easy.  There were 2 of them in the package.

Their version of Ebi mayo~Tiger mayo, was pretty good and was a favorite of Mary and myself, the chefs special chili mayo was served under the shrimp and there was a good amount, the tempura prawn was cooked perfectly and I’d definitely order this from the menu.  There were 2 of them in the package.

Boneless Chicken Karaage is part of the deal and was really good,it was moist and tender and the pieces were pretty big, the lemon totally worked to add a great tartness. They really know how to fry up some good chicken here and it shows,despite it being deep fried it wasn’t greasy.  There was 4 pieces of Karaage in the package.

This was a first for me, they call this Chikuwa Cheese, its deep fried fish cake stuffed with melted mozzarella cheese.  After reading about this I was really curious to try it, the last time I had deep fried fish cake it was made with a really oily heavy fish so it wasn’t a good experience but this was so subtle you couldn’t tell it was fish, the sauces on top was where the flavor was coming from, there was a heavy flavor of nutmeg and allspice and I actually really liked this.  There were 4 pieces of this in the package.

                                       Photo credit to Mary for this picture.

We got a basket of what they call Thunder fries in the deal, there really big sweet potato fries served with a Cajun mayo dip.  These were some of the best sweet potato fries I have ever had, they were nice and thick and the tempura batter was perfect.  Also in the basket was a fry filled with cream cheese.  Other restaurants should take a lesson from Ebisu on sweet potato fries and ditch the frozen Sysco product.

Lastly we have Kansai Steak Sliders, they consisted of sautéed sliced beef marinated in yakiniku sauce and topped with avocado, onions, mushrooms, mayo and a pickled jalapeno slice.

When we arrived and ordered our package we also order a couple other items off the menu so there would be some other selections that weren’t deep fried so we grabbed these:

Prawn Gyoza $5.95, hand wrapped tiger prawn dumplings pan fried to perfection.  I’ve never had prawn gyoza where the tail is sticking out before and it was a great touch and presentation, the wrapper was thin and tender.

Volcano rolls were lastly on the menu for us, for $6.97 you get a spicy salmon roll topped with tempura bits, tobiko, avocado and drizzled with a spicy sauce.  I personally didn’t like this~too spicy for my taste but I will say that they make quality sushi here and I look forward to trying some of their other rolls.

Keep your eyes tuned to the Vaneats.ca website and follow them on twitter to get the next great deal that they come out with.

Ebisu on Robson on Urbanspoon

The American CheeseSteak Co.

TV Chef and restaurateur Anthony Sedlak has opened the doors to his newest place-The American CheeseSteak Co. and he’s serving something right up my alley.

The sign say’s it all, the American CheeseSteak Co is totally bringing the authentic Philadelphia tradition and must eat if you’re there-the cheese steak sandwich.  Thinly sliced steak with fried onions and peppers, topped with cheese wiz-that’s the traditional cheese steak but provolone is also another traditional option.  The beauty here is the variations and primo ingredients that take the cheese steak to the next level.

I went with the beef option but they also offer a chicken sandwich and also a vegetarian option and fries & onion rings are also a side with gourmet dips.

Classic Cheese Steak 12″ $11.  I went with the Philly classic in the large size, the meat was super tender and as you can see it was STUFFED in the sandwich.  I also had sautéed onions and mushrooms in my sandwich and in the end I had to use a fork and knife to eat this cuz of the amount of ingredients.  one thing that was a problem was the metal basket the sandwich is in-when you cuz it up you cut thru the was paper and hit the metal of the basket so a plate might be better to serve it on, I would think the smaller size cheese steak would be easier to hold and eat.

ACC Fries $4, hand cut fries with garlic, parsley and Parmesan.  These were pretty good, the garlic isn’t too strong and is mixed up well with the parsley but I couldn’t really taste the parm.

I think Vancouver does have a new tradition from the city of brotherly love and so far it has been embraced with open arms by all us ravenous carnivores who love good comfort food.

The American CheeseSteak Co. on Urbanspoon