Au Petit Chavignol, Vancouver BC

Au Petit Chavignol is a restaurant built on cheese. And yet the restaurant is so small, you would think it would be enormous to accommodate all those cheese lovers out there. I think this is a Vancouver hidden gem, a tiny, cozy oasis of cheese. If you like cheese do yourself a favour and go.



I was eying the fondue but then I’ve heard so many good things about the burger here, I’ll leave the fondue for next time.



I had the cheeseburger, with 3 year old raw milk Quebec Cheddar, double smoked bacon and an egg.

Always add the egg because I think that Canadian dietary guidelines on levels of allowable daily cholesterol are way to low and plus there is this ooie gooie thing the egg does to a burger that for me is quite appealing.


Life like investing is really all about risk vs. reward. The risk in this case is elevated cholesterol levels leading to arthrosclerosis an early cardiovascular episode and eventually an agonizing death.


On the other hand adding an egg can send an ordinary burger into the realm of the sublime and that’s the reward in life enjoying ethereal tastes and pleasures.


I choose the egg. Ironically, perhaps both.

Here my burger was bordering on the sublime. Yes the egg pushed it in that direction but the damn patty was way too small and overcooked. Still, an easy 9.5/10. Oh, but what could have been? Perhaps a double patty next time?

Or maybe I’ll get the fondue and the burger at the same time and dip the burger in the fondue. Ooo, but no, that’s just crazy speak ;)

Original Joe's Restaurant and Bar, Vernon BC

“Frozen Patties” the waitress replies somewhat ashamedly.



“But the meat comes fresh we portion it out and then freeze it and it’s not in the freezer long”.


Well then, that makes all the difference, if it's only in the freezer for a short period of time, sign me up! It’s the original Original Joes Burger for me, enhanced of course with bacon and avocado.



Original Joes is a chain, this one in the beautiful town of Vernon BC. In the whole chain hierarchy a step down from Earls but perhaps a step up from Boston Pizza. Does that make sense?


There motto gives you a good idea of their marketing positioning: Because you can’t get beer at a drive thru!


The burger is a step up from fast food for sure, but all in all a very average pub/grill restaurant burger, lets say 6.5/10. The bacon looked great, maybe that’s why they serve the burger open face but overall I couldn’t really hear it much in the orchestra of the burger. I think in this case the orchestra was playing a generic Britney Spears song from the days that she still had the cute factor and the avocado called in sick.

This was my first visit to Joe's. It is what it is. I’ll probably be back one day but I’m not in any great hurry.

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.

Wild Apple, Kelowna BC

The first Handsome Burger review from Kelowna at Wild Apple in the Manteo Resort Hotel. Right off the bat I’m happy, enjoying the look of the colourful home made pickled veggies and Okanagan fruits in syrup on display. I like. It signals to me that the chef is engaged and passionate about his or her craft. I think Chef Bernard has it going on.



Fancy and colourful pickled jars from Costco signal something entirely different. I wonder why other restaurants bother. We are in real deal country here and happily the burger is also the real deal.


This is a gorgeous looking burger with taste to match (even though its served open face, I hate that). Orange tomatoes, nice touch. How often do you see that? Sometimes it’s these little things that make the difference between mediocrity and something special.


I'm going with a 9/10 for this beauty.

So now you're thinking, all I have to do is add orange tomatoes to my burger and I get a stellar review on Handsome Burger? Well, yes and no. Yes, orange is nice but it’s not all that. If you read this blog regularly you can figure out the rest.

Rockford Wok Bar Grill, Prince George

I ordered the burger at the Rockford Grill in Prince George because I was impressed by their markeing claim, a chain using natural beef, I have to give it a try.




we use only spring creek ranch 100% naturally raised, hormone-free albertan cattle for all our beef burgers. our burgers are char grilled and served on our signature golden-top bun with house sauce, lettuce, tomato, onions and pickled cucumbers

I ordered the:



bacon + blue cheese burger crumbled blue cheese and two strips of smoked bacon

The good: I ordered this burger because of the beef but the standout was the bun, phenomenal. Smooth and shiny on the outside soft tasty on the inside.



The bad: Everything else. Even the bun couldn't save this thing. Natural beef cooked to a piece of charcoal is a shame. Total disappointment and I had such high hopes. I really really wanted to like this burger.


I had a bit of a debate with the server when I tried to order the burger medium rare. I'm getting tired of the "oh we are not allowed to do that" explanation. I shake my head and grit my teeth and I smile.



You notice a trend here at Handsome Burger?



6 /10 and thats just because of the bun.

Bobs Burger and Brew, Tulalip, Washington, USA

Bobs Burger and Brew is a concept restaurant. Think Red Robins for adults.


I'd like to be critical because I'm not a big fan of concept chains like this but I have to admit they make a pretty darn good burger.


I had the: Bacon Burger - Plus Guacamole.

This is one of our favorite burgers. We top our 6 oz. charbroiled burger with melted American cheese and three rashers of fresh lean Hormel smokehouse bacon and place it on a bed of crisp lettuce, pickles, a slice of tomato and savory sauce.


Sure Bob's burgers straddle that fine line between fast food and gourmet burgers. And sure the buns are Wonderbread like and could be considered fresh for years, and sure Bob's is a proud

purveyor of Hormel foods ( Makers of SPAM and $7.9 Billion 2011 revenue) but this is one tasty industrial burger, an easy 8.5/10. Big juicy and meaty and yes ordered medium rare and pink in the middle. God Bless America.


Hey, when you have burger in the name of the restaurant you better deliver on said burger. Bob's does.

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.