My in-laws, Hubbs & I had a chance to dine at Delux Burger Bar on the weekend. We had heard great things about the place (reviews in the paper and by Wacky), plus we knew that this eatery was owned by the same people who run LUX. Needless to say, our expectations were pretty high.
And Delux did not disappoint. Though we didn't have a reservation, we managed to get seated in a booth upon arrival. The server came by right away to get drink orders, and their drink menu was pretty large. I opted for the virgin strawberry smoothie, which turned out to be quite thick and also very tasty (although perhaps a tad heavy for a burger meal). Though their actual dining menu was small, limited to burgers and salads and apps (plus a children's menu), we found exactly what we wanted. Our table shared an order of lobster nachos, and then Hubbs & Dad E. ordered ahi-tuna burgers while Mom E. & I shared an urban burger(a regular cheeseburger) and their deluxe signature salad.
Looking around, I noted that the decor was very much in a funky diner style, with lots of teal blue and dark browns. The patio looked very inviting, though we stayed inside where the place was adorned with both booths and tables. The bathrooms at Delux were admittedly a bit strange - they were single-toilet washrooms that shared an area for washing your hands; that is, the men's room and ladies' room faced each other, and in between were two sinks. It was a tad inconvenient when I *really* needed to use the washroom and it was occupied, but I was appeased when I saw the nice TV built into the wall inside the bathroom. Impressive, non?
We didn't even notice the time fly by and our app was alread served. Though the size of the nacho platter wasn't huge, it was a sufficient portion for 4 (although better shared by 2). As requested, Mom E.'s and my food was divided into two portions and plated separately for service, which prevented us from having to do the messy deed of cutting up the burger and divvying up the salad. Dad E. & Hubbs both very much enjoyed their large burgers, as evidenced by the fact that they ate all of it. My burger tasted pretty standard, although I must confess that in my bid to reduce carbs, I pretty much ate just the middle and left the bun. The salad was *amazing,* however, and I ate every last morsel of it. As described by the menu, it consisted of, "fresh lobster, mandarin and apple segments, candied pecans, grapes, and butterleaf lettuce with a tangy orange dressing." The dressing wasn't too heavy or too tangy, and perfectly complemented the fruit.
We didn't get a chance to try their sweet potato fries (or their regular fries) since we were so full, but you'd better believe I will be ordering that the next time I'm there =D As we observed, these fries are usually served in shopping carts. Another cool touch!
Instead, we asked for the bill, which came alongside a small tower of cotton candy. It was the perfect end to a fun and enjoyable meal, and a total throwback to my younger years.
Overall, the service was good, the price was decent ($12-15 for the burger, $3-6 for the fries), and the food was fabulous. I loved the funkiness of the ambience at Delux, and recommend this burger joint to anyone who prefers upscale burger dining.
Rating: 10 / 10
Last Friday, Ah-Lei-See, Norrie, Hubbs & I went to The Creperie for dinner. We made a last-minute reservation at 6:00 p.m. for 6:45 that night, and got a table with no problem whatsoever.
It was Ah-Lei-See & Norrie's first time there, so I was glad to be able to observe the restaurant again through newbie eyes. They both loved the quiet, cozy ambience of the restaurant, as well as the way that tables were separated into little "rooms." We were in the "kitchen" room, judging by the pots and pans hanging from the ceiling. In previous visits I've sat in the "library" as well as in the more restaurantish booth areas.
Anyway, we brought coupons with us to the restaurant in a bid to get my money's worth from my Student Union Ticket Pak. Our server was a lovely dude who very patiently explained the coupons as well as the menu to us. He also brought us warm, crispy, soft-in-the-middle buns for us to enjoy while we made our final decisions. In the end, I decided to go for the three-course meal, with a spinach salad to start, a sesame-ginger beef crepe entree, and then the combo dessert crepe (crepe framboise cardinal and crepe glace au chocolat). Hubbs opted for lamb shanks provencale prepared with red wine and herbs, while the other girls both had crepes pacific (salmon, shrimp, and asparagus in a creamy dill sauce).
Our salads came very quickly, although our entrees took a little more time. In the interim, I had a virgin chi-chi to sip, while Ah-Lei-See had white wine. Our server came by many many times to refill our ice water, and we very much appreciated his prompt service.
When our meals came, we were pretty hungry, but not enough to finish these very hearty portions. Our crepes came with veggies and orzo pasta on the side, neither of which I was able to finish eating; in fact, none of the girls finished their entire meals. Hubbs' lamb shanks were gigantic, and even he (carnivore that he is) wasn't able to complete both shanks and had to doggie-bag the leftovers. My ginger beef crepe wasn't as tasty as the other crepes I've tried, mostly because I think the whole east-meets-Euro thing just didn't work. On its own, however, the ginger beef tasted pretty good (impressive for a French establishment!).
Our desserts came in pre-frozen portions, with vanilla ice cream centers surrounded by crepe and then drizzled with raspberry puree and chocolate sauce. It was delicious and satisfying portion that definitely marked the end of a great (and filling) meal.
When the bill came, it wasn't completely outrageous, either. I think each person's share ended up being around $27 (excluding gratuity), and we almost had to roll out the door since we were so full.
I definitely recommend that everyone try The Creperie at least once or twice. The menu is quite extensive and has other entrees besides crepes for patrons to enjoy, the service is impeccable, and the price is right.
Rating: 9.5 / 10
Okay, so this isn't a review, but a shameless self-promotion of my tastiest pasta yet, as well as reminder to myself on how to replicate it.
Today, after preparing the pasta (flax-seed rotini), I returned it to the pot and added my newly-cooked, self-seasoned ground bison & bison juice, over very low heat. After I mixed the two together, I slowly added the Healthy Choice Garlic & Herbs Pasta Sauce and combined it with the ingredients in the pot. Then, I let the whole thing simmer over low heat for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
The pasta tastes way more well-blended than my previous pastas, which always tasted like pasta + sauce. I think that adding the meat & meat juice separately to the pasta before adding the tomato sauce, made the difference.
Anyway, I rate my own pasta a 9.5 / 10 for deliciousness, the - 0.5 being that I slightly overcooked the pasta beyond the point of al dente.
Bison - the best red meat to cook with and the healthiest member of the cow family to eat! =D
Call me Debbie Downer, but I had a miserable time at Heritage Days this year, save for being with my Hubbs, the only true highlight of my 4.5 hour experience.
The brief run-down: the LRT was crowded, our Park-n-Ride bus was crowded, and the whole entire freakin' park was crowded at 3:45 in the afternoon. Line-ups were really long and confusing to locate, and several venues (Mexico and Jamaica, to name a few) ran out of several of their entrees by mid-afternoon. The Chinese food was mostly inauthentic (save for the ones I had mentioned in a previous post) and there was no place to eat, unless I wanted to sit on the grass in the sun near the garbage cans (all of which were overflowing with waste).
There was only one real highlight to the festival, which you can read about here.
The foods we tried and liked: Jamaica's beef patty, Scandinavia's almond danish, China's & Hong Kong's green onion cakes (the former was grilled, the latter was deep-fried), and France's crepes.
Overall, though, we either went at the wrong time of day, the wrong day, or in the wrong city. Heritage Days was not at all a fun and educational experience for us, since we spent the majority of our 4.5 hours in line-ups for food. We may not return next year, and channel our Taste of E-town and Heritage food voucher money towards a better cause, like going out for dinner.
Rating: 5 / 10
Recently, I rediscovered a favourite of Hubbs & mine - bison burgers. They're not inexpensive ($10.99/6 frozen patties @ Save-On-Foods) but they are an excellent source of protein and a great lean alternative to beef burgers.
We usually grill ours on the George Foreman for about 3-4 minutes (post-defrosting) to ensure that it is properly cooked but not overcooked and dry. They taste almost exactly like beef, but without the disgusting aftertaste of fat on your tongue afterwards. The only drawback is that they are very easy to overcook, so you have to be incredibly careful.
Anyway, this comes highly recommended by me, because I am always looking for good protein-rich foods that don't make me sick or require many hours of my time to prepare. Bison burgers - quick, easy, tasty, and healthy.
Rating: 9 / 10
Another great discovery we've had recently in the protein department has been chicken bacon. It is the lean alternative to bacon, and is essentially a strip of chicken and bacon meat combined, and made into the shape of bacon strips. We have been buying the Maple Leaf Breakfast Grill brand (sorry, couldn't find a picture), but I think these are available in several other brands as well. The Maple Leaf version costs about $3.99 on sale at Save-On.
We usually prepare them in the microwave, sandwiched between two layers of Bounty paper towel, and they usually come out quite crispy (especially the "end" pieces near the edge of the plate) and very non-greasy. They don't taste entirely like bacon, but they do taste very good and they are quite low-calorie (50 calories for 2 strips!), so you don't feel so bad about having 4 strips.
We have also tried the turkey bacon, which I also enjoy, but Hubbs is particular to the chicken bacon, which he claims is the better-tasting of the two.
If you're looking for more protein at breakfast and you're sick of eggs, I definitely recommend that you try chicken bacon. Once you've had it, you may never want to give it up (I have it almost every morning now).
Rating: 9.5 / 10
