Showing posts with label Victoria BC Canada. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Victoria BC Canada. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Floyd's Diner, Victoria BC

I came across Floyds Diner on an episode of Food Networks You Gotta Eat Here.



Fresh ingredients, huge all day breakfasts, eclectic somewhat campy interior, they didn’t do a burger but looking at the other stuff I’m guessing their burger has to be good. I wasn’t disappointed, I got what I expected, a pretty darn good home made burger.

I got excited for a second when waitress said ok to my request for some pink in the middle patty, but alas, hopes were soon crushed when she returned and to me that the kitchen said my request was illegal. I'm getting tired of this debate. We settled on please don't kill my burger.

 
I'll give this burger a 7.5 - 8/10. A solid burger with generous guack and fresh ingredients. The patty itself although perhaps not dead did arrive comatose. This burger is another of those meatloaf burgers; I'm seeing a lot of those lately. This one had a nice hint of cumin. In addition to all the other stuff the kitchen mixed in. I'm a bit of a burger purist, just give me good quality beef perfectly cooked and I'm happy. Please leave out the spices and the breadcrumbs and the eggs and spices and filler. Still not a bad burger at Floyds, the filler works.


BTW, Check out the staff baby staff photos on the wall, what a great idea. As one of the servers put it “That’s all of us, we are family here”. I like that. I like Floyds.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Cactus Club - here we go again

Crap, here I am at the Cactus Club, again. This time in Victoria, having another Fennie Burger, again. This after promising not to have another Fennie Burger ever again a few blog posts ago.


What can I say? My work colleagues like the Cactus Club and I have the willpower of a nat.


Once again, it’s not that the Fennie Burger is a bad burger, it’s actually pretty good. But it should be better than just pretty good. I blogged about the burger a few years ago and not much has changed. Actually probably nothing, an 8 then maybe 7.5 now. OK, lower score, just because I’m bitter.

Shouldn't just pretty good be improved on?

Shouldn't they shake things up a little?


Or is that the best they can do?


Or do they not care because week minded souls like me will keep on ordering this above average mediocrity?


I don't know? But for sure this is the last Feenie burger for me.


Until, of course, I have my next one.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Glo Restaurant and Lounge. Victoria BC

Burger killed by heat lamp.



My pickle was dry and limp.


It’s a shame really because the rest of the burger was really really good, great potential, especially the sauce, loved it but couldn't really crack the code on its ingredients, sweat creamy cheezyish, its driving me crazy I just can't get it. But it was good. The patty was big and juicy, fresh but not ground in house, nice touch on the oven dried tomatoes, together soft and melty, I give the burger and easy 8/10 even with the heat lamp crisping.


Imagine what it could have been. Stay away from the artificial radiation (the place is called Glo, right? Never mind) and there is a winnner burger here.


The Glo Lamb burger is good as well check it out here.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

West Coast Taphouse, Langdale, BC

From the menu:


Tap House Beef Burger

Our award winning beef burger is made in house combining a perfect mixture of ground sirloin, brisket, and veal to create a burger of exceptional flavour and consistency 13.95-



The conversation:Me: what award did your award winning burger win?
The Server: (smiling) oh I don't know. I've only been here for 5 months.
Me: so it hasn't won an award in the last 5 months?
The Server: ( now a nervous smile) ha ha your so funny! ( as she backs away and disappears into the darkness)
Hey wait a second stop; I was going to order the burger.
It was a simple question. Luckily she came back and I was able to order said award winner.

I have since learned from the Taphouse website that the award in question was: Top Three in Jack FM's Best Burger Competition.

Really? Award winner? The voters at Jack FM need to get out more.

The patty was a super cooked, yummy tasteless hockey puck.

OK, nice pretzel bun.

It was an ok burger a perfectly adequate pub burger, 7/10, but not in my mind an award winner.

Unless I have business at the Sheraton I’ll have my burgers elsewhere.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Spinnakers Gastro Brew Pub, Victoria BC

I like brew pubs. I figure if the place is so passionate about their beer, to craft it themselves, that has to translate into a decent food program and of course into a decent burger. There are a couple of exceptions, most notably Taylor’s Crossing in North Vancouver comes to mind but generally speaking if you need to take a chance on a burger and there's a brew pub around it's usually a safe bet.



I'm not really taking a chance with Spinnakers Gastro Brew Pub in Victoria, I've been there many times, the beer is great, the pub upstairs has a fantastic view of the harbour and a laid back feel. I'd say it's one of my favourite places in Victoria to have a pint and relax.

Lunch with a View


I also like their take on food:


"the promotion of local food is a movement we endorse & live by"


The burger:
"highland bound beef burger, brewery spent grain fed highland beef burger, bakery fresh kaiser, house made bbq aioli, beer braised onions, dragonfly farms tomato relish, organic greens, ipa vinegar pickled cabbage."


I added bacon and cheese (naturally) and it was a very fine burger hovering somewhere around 9/10, but to be frank this score combines not only taste but also Spinnakers overall food program. Using local family farms and suppliers is important; I’m a big fan of small local farms and local ingredients.


Great flavour from the Highland Bound Farms meat patty, the server old me it was from up island, but surprisingly no info online on this place and I'm a suspicious bastard when it comes to marketing claims. But taking them for their word how can you not like this burger, everything is fresh and real. The purple pickled cabbage was a nice and unique touch. The only miss from me aside from the patty being too well done was the whole wheat, dried basal infused bun. Whenever I is see dried basal leaves in dough I think of crappy 99¢ pizza by the slice, hole in the wall takeout. But that's just me.

I’ll be back, many times.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Glow Restaurant Lounge
Victoria BC, Canada
Prime Rib Burger
Glow has been getting some talk as one of the best burger in Victoria, so I had to check it out. My rating: 8/10. Not a bad burger at all. It’s big burger that’s for sure. The chipotle mayo adds excellent spicy flavour. My complaints are that the bun was not fresh and their patty is preformed frozen (at least it looked that way). Give me a fresh bun and a fresh beef patty cooked pink in the middle and you got yourself an outstanding instead of a good burger. The fires were pre cut frozen as well, but they saved them by sprinkling on a salt cumin spice mix that was fantastic. Usually I like fresh cut homemade but I’ll give them this one.
Lamb burger on the menu for my next visit.
Check them out at: http://www.gloeuropub.com/