Haro's Restaurant and Bar, Sidney BC Canada

Sadly the burger at Haro’s Restaurant and Bar was pretty much exactly what I expected. In corporate performance appraisal speak the Haro’s burger met expectations but sadly at 8/10 it did not exceed expectations.




Haros is the restaurant attached to the Pier Hotel in Sidney. The Pier is "the" high end Sidney hotel, on the waterfront, very new very modern very metropolitan very clean very antiseptic if you know what I mean. So, from the restaurant I was expecting a gourmet burger using top end ingredients delivering a very good burger. And sadly, again, it's pretty much what I got.


haro’s burger: courtenay cheddar, smoked bacon, house bbq sauce on house made brioche bun


The cheddar was tasty and perfectly melted. The bacon had extraordinary flavour the house baked bun also extraordinary. But then the patty was a letdown, made fresh in house, which is good but then overcooked and tasteless. In the end you get a good burger with some extraordinary components but much like the property a bit antiseptic.



I'd have it again, at least the Blue Buck on tap was cold and tasty, it was a ho hum good burger and certainly better then monstrosity of a burger across the street at the Beacon Landing Pub and Restaurant.



But then again there are many more burgers along the Sidney waterfront to explore.

Good Dog Bar and Restaurant, Philadelphia PA, USA

My first Triple D burger. I’m very excited. I love this show there are some drop dead, brain numbingling, greasy, salivating good looking burgers featured. The Good Dog Bar in downtown Philadelphia is my first experience, my first test to see if the food eye candy from the TV screen translates to the palate.



I'm happy to report the Good Dog burger rocks. First off when I ordered they asked me how I would like the burger done. “Yes please, I'll have the Good Dog Burger and I'd like it medium rare, pink and juicy in the middle”. And that's how it arrived pink and beautiful and thick and blue and cheese stuffed and exploding with beefy blue cheese sauce. The patty was stacked with a heaping mound of sweet sautéed onions and the whole thing was nestled in a soft fresh bun. How can I not give this thing a 10/10? Maybe I'm biased by the euphoria of following Guy Fieri to this place but this burger was excellent.

Yet sadly I can not go 10 for 10 overall on account of the fries. They were served combination style with potatoes and yam fries all tossed together. The potatoes were great, especially when that gooey blue cheesy sauce dripped out of the burger and ran on to the fries. But the yam fries were chewy like leather and the chipotle sauce that often comes with yam fries was so watered down it was like drinking orange yogurt. So a 1 point deduction for yam fries gives this lovely creation a 9/10. Oh… if only I just got regular fries...

Check out this place it looks great for other stuff as well (excluding the yam fries). A. Trendy, taverny type of place with thousands of dog portraits on the wall, eclectic music, sex pistols a 80's bubble gum pop, setting the mood.






I'm looking forward to my next Triple D experience?

Bacchus Restaurant and Lounge, Vancouver BC, Canada

Everything about the Bacchus Lounge screams upper crust. The grand bar, the Relais & Chateaux sign at the front door, the high back plush clubish super comfortable chairs, private big money clubby. There is Pamela Martin having lunch with Wally Oppal. Very curious what they are chatting about? Is Pamela still working for Christy Clarke?


I'm here with a couple of friends for lunch. I'm going to be pedestrian and order the burger. My friends choose the fancy stuff.


The burger:

Grilled “AAA” 8oz Sirloin Burger: red onion marmalade, 3 year old aged white cheddar, parmesan and truffle aioli


Really, there was truffle in the mayo? This burger is all about the patty. Tremendous beef flavor, juiciness, thickness, pinkness. One of the best patties I’ve had in a long time. Overall I'm giving the burger a 9/10, just a few shortcomings nothing even worth mentioning. I don't know why I didn't add bacon to this burger, I could very well have covered up the shortcomings and propel this burger to a ten.


And in case you’re interested this is the fancy food my friends ordered:


Avocado and Shrimp Salad



Lamb Shank and Smoked Duck Pasta

Browns Social House. Port Moody BC

I can’t believe I haven’t been to Brown’s in almost a year and a half. The last time was at their Richmond restaurant and I had the Kobe Burger which was really good I gave it a 9/10. So it wasn’t that I haven’t been back because of bad burgers but, really, so many burgers so little time.

This time I find myself at the Port Moody location. The Kobe burger is on the menu but I decide to expand experiences and pick the Mushroom melt BURGER housemade cheese sauce I add bacon. Look at this burger it looks awesome. It arrives at the table in its own little paper sac. Subconsciously I’m excited about this paper sac. Subconsciously I’m thinking wow this is going to be so juicy so drippy so succulent that the only way the restaurant can morally and ethically deliver this burger to me is in a paper sac.


Billed as Two Handed Burgers, I grab the burger both hands and dig in. First bite and I’m bewildered, the juicy, greasy, cheesy explosion is there but buried in its presence a dried crumbly chunk of ground meat. So very disappointing, so much potential killed by an overdone tasteless piece of cardboard beef. Still overall, based on the creamy cheese sauce, the tasty mushrooms and soft bun I bestow upon this burger a disappointing 7.5/10.


If I could only replace this patty with a Kobe patty I had last time and I’ve got myself an absolutely killer burger.

Grant Achatz makes the ultimate burger

 Grant Achatz is chef/owner of Alinea in Chicago. Grant is one of those crazy chefs that makes stuff that looks like stuff but isn' t stuff and then serves it to you on a scented pillow of air. His burger looks pretty good and semi normal. I am intrigued by the apples.
Check out the video on how he makes a French inspired  burger.
Published in Men's Health.
I love when burgers make it into health magazines ;)

Food and Wine Best Burgers in the US.

Food and Wine  just published it's picks for best burgers in the US.

Wow, time to get into the Winnebago for a US burger tour. If only reality didn't get in the way.



Just one comment on the list, what is up with America's infatuation with In-N-Out Burgers? Sure they are good, probably one of the best take-out/fast food burgers. But at the end of the day they are still just fast food burgers.
The rest of the list looks absolutely awesome.

Romer's Burger Bar, Vancouver BC Canada

I was at Romer's last September and had a great burger, check out my review. I'm back with Dan a friend of mine for a casual B & B lunch (burger & beer). This is only my second time at Romer's, I’m not in Kits too often, but I really like this place. I like the feel. I like the flat screens. I like the taps and I like the burgers.


Both Dan and I had the THE ULTIMATE KOBE CLASSIC


Premium Kobe beef, horseradish jack, chanterelle mushrooms, onion strings, truffle mayo, organic watercress, garlic mustard, robust red wine demi-glaze on the side



Dan gave the burger a 9/10 and I have to concur, everything comes together. Everything works, but then, how could it not, look at the ingredients. Quality ingredients with soul and bang you got a fantastic burger.




I asked Dan what it would take to give the burger a perfect 10/10 score and his answer was simple; add an avocado. A surprising answer but after some thought I think I can get on that boat. BTW, while we are on the avocado topic, if you want a burger with a killer avocado check out the Fat Elvis burger at the Sunshine Diner on Broadway and Chef Big D’s in Squamish.


Adding avocado is a good suggestion but for me a 10/10 could be achieved by increasing the size of the patty. There were bites of this burger that were sublime and then sadly bits with little to no meat that was just a bit of a let down. Or perhaps, if there was ever a “double patty” option, Oh boy! That would be outstanding. Hello Mr. Romer, call me when the double patty option is available! I'll be there.