Lester's Deli

When people think Smoked Meat in Montreal, the first thought would be Schwartz's.  Now that is not a bad thing as I've had great meals at Schwartz's in the past.  However, they are not the only game in town where my personal favourite is Snowden Deli.  I've been to Dunn's and well, it is "ok".  One place I've been meaning to hit for quite some time is Lester's.  It is also a long time favourite and some would even argue it is the best in town.  Well this visit would be finally where I get to do a comparison.

For this to happen, we needed to get the Super Smoked Meat Sandwich.  This was a considerable amount of hand-sliced smoked meat on rye bread.   The first thing I noticed about their smoked meat was that it was super juicy and tender.  It was giving me ham vibes due to the wet brine rather than the dry brine used at Schwartz's.  Hence, there was less natural meat texture.  Bread was soft with some structure where it held everything together without getting soggy.  The meat was a good balance between sweet and salty with minor smoke hits.  Overall, it was a good sandwich but I personally prefer the meatiness and drier texture of Schwartz's.

We wanted to get something to compliment our meal that wasn't another sandwich, so we opted for their Hot Dog with coleslaw and relish.  Really enjoyed the buttered and toasted bun which had a nice crispy exterior that gave way to a fluffy soft interior.  The grilled all-beef wiener was smoky and juicy with a nice charred exterior.  It worked well with the crunchy and tangy coleslaw where it had sauerkraut vibes.

We ended up with a side of Fries as well as the Poutine.  I thought the fries were quite potatoey and had good potato flavour.  However, they were too soggy and need more exterior crispiness.  We also had to add extra salt to coax more flavour of the fries.  However, this was not an issue with the poutine as the gravy was thick and full-flavoured.  The ample bits of cheese curds were partially melted with some unmelted ones, just like it should be.  Solid poutine.  Overall, we found Lester's more than acceptable and a great place to grab a Smoked Meat Sandwich as well as other things.  Although there can be lineups here, they are generally shorter and the vibe is much less chaotic than Schwartz's. 

The Good:
- Ample tender meat in the sandwich
- Lower key spot
- We got really great service

The Bad:
- Fries could be crispier

 

Brathaus

*Now located in Main Street Brewery*

We sure have a lot of places to grab a burger in town.  From fast food joints to classy fine dining establishments, the choices seem endless.  However, when we talk about hot dogs, it is a totally different story.  No, we are not talking about Costco and Ikea here (although they are great values).  I'm talking about spots that specialize in hot dogs and preferably, the gourmet variety.  Can you think of any?  You see, it isn't very prevalent.  Well, there is one located on Abbott in Downtown Vancouver called Brathaus.  Jackie and I checked it out recently after already having dinner...  Second dinner!

We went straight for their featured monthly dog in the Speedy with green chorizo, pico de gallo, guac, pickled jalapenos, sour cream and chipotle aioli.  Yah, one look at these and no, they were not a "regular" hot dog.  The sausage in this was texturally appealing with a meatiness that was complimented by notable spiciness.  There was so much going on with this hot dog from the tangy jalapeños and onions that was tempered by the cool sour cream and gauc.

As for the Pete, it sported a Guinness beef sausage with guac, bacon, pickled onions, red jalapeno and lime aioli.  The sausage itself was the star of this hot dog as it had the unmistakable hit of Guinness.  Now if you have had this beer before you would know there are some rich chocolate notes, so that was completely evident here.  The acidity of the onions and aioli helped keep things light despite the meatiness of the sausage.

If you love cheese, then the Bosko would fit the bill.  This had a Texas bison sausage with gouda, mozzarella & cheddar cheese crust, onions and bell peppers.  There was so much cheese, you could barely see the sausage.  Hence, you'd better like cheese!  That I do and the texture of the cheese was different as there was some crispy portions to go with the melty gooey parts.  The bison sausage was a bit leaner as expected, but was not dry. 

Ultimately, my favourite hot dog was the basic Felix with beer bratwurst, sauerkraut, pickles, chives and horseradish mustard.  The brat in this was so juicy while the outer casing had a firm snap.  The tangy crunch from the sauerkraut gave this hot dog classic vibes and something I am very familiar with.  I found the horseradish mustard to add enough zip and tang to keep things from being one note.

They also have Pork Carnitas Tacos on the menu as well.  A bit random, but an option for those not wanting a hot dog.  These came with green sauce, pico de gallo and jalapenos. I thought they were pretty legit with tender pork that was meaty and natural-tasting.  The addition of the fresh and bright pico de gallo kept things light despite the amount of pork in each taco.  We added some of the available sauces including jalapeno mayo.  This was pretty mild, but added some creamy moisture.

They also have a selection of Monster Shakes and we had probably the most whimsical in the Om Nom Nom featuring a "Cookie Monster" theme with Cookie dough ice cream, milk, blue food colouring, Biscoff spread, crushed Chips Ahoy and chocolate chip cookie ice cream with blue sugar crystals and edible googly eyes.  This was topped with
chocolate syrup, whipped cream, sprinkles and cherry.  So yah, this was pretty sweet, but at the same time, fit with the theme of the milkshake.  Lots of nuttiness and cookie flavour that was everywhere including on the outside of the cup.  The kiddies would love this.  For me, it was all about the dawgs and they were indeed good with complimentary condiments.  Brats were high quality too.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:
- Love the brats/sausages, nice snap casing and juicy filling
- Complimentary condiments
- Tacos are good too

The Bad:
- Milkshakes were whimsical and pretty good, but too sweet for me

Superflux Beer Company

For those craft beer connoisseurs out there, I'm sure you've heard of Superflux before.  Emerging out of the shadows of Callister and Strathcona Brewing since its inception in 2015, Superflux opened its B&M store back in August 2020 with takeaway sales and limited takeout.  As of last week, they are going full-tilt with a dine-in lounge with their full array of beers on tap.  Furthermore, Chef Justin Lee (formerly of the Crowbar), is at the helm of the kitchen with a simple menu of 3 gourmet hot dogs and 3 salads to start.  Jacqueline and I dropped by for a preview before they went live.

Let's get right to the point of this blog post - the beer!  They didn't have actual flights per se, but to get a sample of what they had offer, we got 6 x 6oz tasters.  From top left and clockwise, we had the Green Hill Cider, Colour & Shape, Fresh Foam, Happyness, Coconuts and Velvetone.  My favourite of the bunch was the happyness, an IPA dry-hopped with mosaic.  This was aromatic and light with a pleasant sour finish.  As much as the velvetone is a double-IPA hopped with galaxy, citra, mosaic and nelson, it wasn't that intense.  In fact, it was balanced with a nice crisp finish.  The most surprising was the coconuts as I was expecting something too sweet, but in the end, it was aromatic with a pleasant bite.

Off to the eats, we tried the salads including (from left-to-right) the Purple Queen Turnip "Not" Caesar (with cannellini, parmigiano vinagrette and crispy butter), Castelfranco Radicchio Nahm Jim (with radicchio, green bean, fermented tomato nahm jim, fried shallots and peanuts, Endive Bolzanese (with Belgian endive, Italian egg salad dressing, pickled onion and crispy potato.  Don't let the fact these were salads fool you.  They were excellent.  The turnip in the "Caesar" was crunchy and bright while the butter soaked croutons (aka crispy butter) were sinfully addictive.  Absolutely enjoyed the South Asian flavours in the castelfranco that featured tang, aromatics and slight spice.  Creamy and eggy, the crunchy endive was also the beneficiary of the added texture of the crunchy and nutty potato bits.

From the 3 salads, we went to the 3 hot dogs including The Mortadella (with a Black Forest Premium Bavarian dog, corn ragout, mortadella, lemon mayo, pistachio, grana padano and olive oil), Beet Ranch (with the same dog, beet and white onion salad, baby cucumber, house ranch, dill, potato crum and olive oil), and The Oscar (with Two Rivers all-natural dry-aged beef dog, oven-dried tomatoes, dressed rock crab, bearnaise sauce, smoked paprika, chives and olive oil).  Our favourite was the beet ranch with its combination of textures, dill and sharp onion.  In the oscar, the tangy impactful tomatoes really brought the hot dog alive as well as providing a jolt of acidity to the creamy bearnaise.  As you can see, the food is limited at the moment, but they really do go with the beer (even the salads!).  Nice spot to grab some superflux bevvies to go with your food.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:

- Well, the beer!

- Surprisingly good salads

- Solid hot dogs

The Bad:

- Dining space limited due to Covid

Dogs N Roses Food Truck

Before the expansion of street food (ie. food trucks and food carts) in the Lower Mainland, all we were allowed to experience was the good ol' hot dog.  Yep, my memories of Mr. Tube Steak are still fresh in my mind (albeit not overly excited about it).  That is also why we got Japadog since the owner wanted to do something different and all they were allowed at the time was a hot dog cart.  From there, we now have everything from Neapolitan Pizza to Spanish Tapas.  However, sometimes things come full circle as we can see with one of the newer trucks in Dog N Roses.  Yes, they do serve up hot dogs, but they feature house made sausages and truly interesting ingredients.  I was recently invited to try their wares while they were parked in front of Moody Ales in Port Moody.

We ended up trying all of their dogs including the Pork Smokie with kimchi mayo, green onions, black sesame spread, furikake sprinkles, fried onions and green apple pearls on an organic brioche bun.  I actually got to sample the smokie separate from the hot dog and it was meaty, juicy and not overly fatty.  There was a nice snap to the casing while the meat was well-seasoned.  When combined with the rest of the ingredients, there was naturally an Asian flavour to it with the slight spice from the kimchi mayo and nuttiness from the black sesame.  The pops of sweet tang from the pearls was actually a nice compliment.  Next, the Pork Kebab "burger" was served with artichoke sumac cheese, green onions, asian sesame coleslaw and yogurt pearls.  This being more of a meat patty rather than a sausage meant that the texture was more robust and less moist.  It wasn't dry though and I enjoyed the spices mixed in with the meat.  Lots of crunch and freshness from the coleslaw and once again, the "je ne sais quoi" from the yogurt pearls was welcomed.

My favourite was the Spicy Bolgogi Chorizo with sesame coleslaw, green onions, gochujang mayo, pineapple pearls and cilantro.  Once again, I got to try the sausage on its own and wow was it ever fantastic!  Beyond the firm snap of the casing, I got large chunks of tender and meat that was definitely spicy, but balanced.  There was enough fat for the sausage to be moist and juicy without being greasy.  The coleslaw brought the heat down with a tangy crunch as well as the sweet pearls.  Moving onto the Beef Weiner, we found it nestled in the same organic brioche bun with organic sauerkraut, dijon mustard and fried onions.  As simple as this one appeared, I thought the tender savoury beef weiner was accented nicely by the tangy sauerkraut.  Of course the mustard added another layer of tang and a bit of bite.  I wasn't sure if there was actually a whole lot of fried onions as most of it was raw on top which was good, but a bit overpowering.

Lastly, we sampled the Poutine with 5-spice gravy, cheese curds, fresh house made kimchi, furikake sprinkles, greens, friend onions and cilantro.  Once again, the Asian influence was front and centre here as the gravy had that unmistakable essence of 5 spice, in particular from the star anise.  There was a lot going on here and in some sense, a little less moisture would've been ideal.  However, the flavours were strong and the fries were crispy.  Well, for a "hot dog" food truck, there was more to it than a tube steak.  Rather, we found delicious house made sausages combined with interesting ingredients.  Good accompaniment with your beer.

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

The Good:
- Well made and textured house made sausages
- Not your typical toppings
- Focused menu

The Bad:
- A little on the pricier side (but sausages are house-made)

Food at McArthurGlen

So what is the first thing that comes to mind when we think of McArthurGlen?  Okay, let's see...  Airport, Richmond, Designer, Luxurious, High-End, Airplanes...  How about food?  Ever since it opened, there have been gradual additions in terms of restaurants and food choices including Caffe Artigiano, Neptune Wonton, The BiBo, Japadog, Hugo's Churros and Ryuu Japanese Kitchen (with 2 more in the works, Qoola being one of them).  When phase 2 is completed, there are even more on the horizon.

For now, we were invited to try 4 of them as a means to exhibit the other side of the outlet mall.  We started off at a familiar name in Japadog.  Here we were presented with a tray consisting of 3 classics and 3 newer items.  These included their most popular items being the Terimayo, Oroshi and Okonomi.  There were also 3 I've never tried before in the Ebi Tempura, Love Meat and Avocado.  For me, the Terimayo still rocked with the tasty combination of mayo, teriyaki sauce, onions and nori.  We were also served their Shaked Fries in 4 flavours - Aonori, Butter & Shoyu, Ume, Katsuo and Shichimi & Garlic.  I've had these before and they are relatively crispy considering that they are tossed in wet ingredients.  I personally love the shichimi and garlic due to the spiciness and also the butter & shoyu.  

From there, we walked next door to Ryuu Japanese Kitchen where we were served Takoyaki, Philly Roll and Dragon Roll.  Surprisingly, my favourite item was the Takoyaki as it was warm and appealingly soft with a tender pieces of octopus.  It was dressed just enough for flavour without being too saucy.  I found the sushi rice for the rolls on the softer side, but it was hardly mushy.  The rolls were carefully constructed where they appeared clean and stayed in one piece when picked up.  I preferred the dragon roll since I've never been a fan of cream cheese in my sushi.  

If we weren't a satisfied with some of the bites we'd had so far, our appetites were easily quenched at The BiBo.  In addition to both Meat & Cheese Boards, we were served 2 different pastas including Gnocchi with a creamy sauce & Italian mushrooms as well as Ravioli stuffed with ricotta and spinach served with Italian datterini tomato sauce.  I found both pastas to be on point where the gnocchi was tender with only a mild density.  The ravioli was al dente and not over-stuffed where it maintained its texture with every bite.  I preferred the tomato sauce more though as it was bright and flavourful.  

Moving onto the Neapolitan-style pizzas, we were served 4 of them including the Margherita, Diavola, Montanara and Crudo.  For me, the classic and simple Margherita did the trick for me.  Its simplicity meant the crust stayed more dry where it was thin and chewy with a semi-charred exterior.  I also enjoyed the Montanara with only a touch of truffle which was enhanced by the porcini cream.  The Diavola was a bit salty due to the pepperoni, but the pizza stayed dry which meant the crust was not soggy. 

Our last stop was at Hugo's Churros where we sampled the soon-to-be-released Hot Chocolate dip with churros.  This was addictively tasty with a thick and rich chocolate dip that was purposefully sweet.  It featured marshmallow fluff on top which made the mixture sweeter (otherwise, the chocolate alone had a nice bitterness).  The crunchy churros went well with the silky hot chocolate.  We also had the Gelato with churros and this was a pretty sweet concoction.  I found the gelato to be richly creamy though.  

The Ice Cream Sandwich with pistachio gelato was certainly an interesting dessert.  Crunchy while holding up to the ice cream, the churro sandwich was pretty sweet.  For me, I much prefer the classic churro all by itself.  Hugo's certainly makes a really good one and it's too bad that I live far away from them (or is it a good thing?).  These 3 treats were a fine way to end an introduction to what one can dine on while at McArthurGlen.  As we were leaving, we could see more to come.  Maybe I'll just have to come back for those and some churros...

*All food and beverages were complimentary*

Poutinerie Jean-Talon

*Restaurant is now closed*

After trying out various versions of ice-fried yogurt at On Yogurt, Diana and I were thinking something savoury was in order.  Interestingly, we had to find a place that both of us have never been to.  That was a tall order as us 2 combined have covered many of the "usual" places in the GVRD.  Alas, Diana did some research and we settled on Poutinerie Jean-Talon next to Pizza Babarella.  Despite its name, the place actually serves up Japanese-influenced items including their poutine.

We began with a Small Poutine dressed with beef stew sauce and topped with mozzarella cheese (our choice for this as cheese curds were available as well as many other toppings).  The first thing that we noticed were the crunchy fries that were closer to crisps than anything resembling a potato.  These were fried so aggressively, even the gravy couldn't soften them up.  As for the gravy, it was somewhat meaty with a mild sweetness complimented by onions and mushrooms.

For our second course, we had the Katsu Sandwich with a side of Poutine with classic gravy and cheese curds.  I thought the pork cutlet was a bit firm, yet it was naturally meaty.  It was a touch dry, but by no means was it dried out.  The panko breading was somewhat crispy while conservatively sauced.  I would've preferred more tonkatsu sauce myself.  The side of poutine was somewhat similar to the beef stew version without the meat.  There was a dominant sweet onion flavour to the gravy.  For the unmelted cheese curds, they were indeed squeaky.

Lastly, we shared the Japanese Curry with hamburger.  The curry was mild and not overly sweet.  It was certainly chunky from all the veggies, yet it wasn't watered down either.  I though the hamburger patty was moist and tender, yet I would've liked to see less onion in it as the meat texture was hidden. Although I wasn't personally bowled-over by the food at Jean Talon, I do admit it was different and unique.  There are elements of Yoshuku cuisine here which is a rarity in the GVRD these days.  Hence, if you are indeed looking for something that isn't just the regular, Jean Talon is worth checking out.

The Good:
- Something different
- Really enthusiastic service
- Reasonably-priced

The Bad:- Still not sure about the crisps (trying to be frites)
- Flavours are very onion dominated  

Bestie

*Restaurant is closed*

Due to being tied up with the Chinese Restaurant Awards, I haven't been able to make it to my Friday night hockey games.  However, there was one that was not in conflict with any of my eating activities.  On the other hand, no one was around to eat afterwards!  The horror!  Well, my trusty eating sidekick Milhouse was game.  Well, this was as good as anytime to visit Bestie since the place is small (and the menu is fairly simple). Yah, we thought sharing some sausage would be the best plan of action!

That we did starting with the Pretzel Board that looked somewhat similar to the one I had at 33 Acres.  It featured a warm and chewy pretzel (a bit hard in places) which went really well with the stinky cheese sauce.  I found the sauce to be the right consistency as well as not being overly salty.  Of course there were slices of sausage, pickles, mustards and some sweet chutney to complete the board.  The real reason to ever visit Bestie is for the Currywurst.  Since it was our first time, they suggest we try it schranke (with mayo and green onions).  This was solid with crispy and meaty fries topped with pork bratwurst.  Of course it was sauced with a tangy curry ketchup and the aforementioned mayo and green onions.  This was the perfect late-night "snack" in our opinion.
 
We tried one more item in the Elderberry and Elk Sausage atop sauerkraut.  I liked the slight resistance and snap of the casing which revealed surprisingly moist and tender elk that was nicely spiced.  It wasn't particularly gamy, which was also rather pleasant.  Even the sauerkraut was good as it wasn't too acidic.  As you can probably ascertain, Milhouse and I were satisfied with our visit to Bestie.  We shared well-made sausages and all of the other things that came with it (I'm not sure that sounded right...).

The Good:
- Solid eats
- Nice people
- Open late

The Bad:
- Not particularly spacious
- Wished the fries would be fresh-cut
- A bit pricey