La Charcuterie Delicatessen

*Restaurant is closed*

If the name La Charcuterie seems familiar, you probably remember when it was located on the corner of Kingsway and Boundary in Vancouver. Yes, you'll find the same "Sandwich Nazi" who madly made monster sandwiches at the old location. It's now in the oddest of places, out in an industrial area in Port Kells. Once you enter the place, you are at the whim of the guy who runs the place. You may or may not get what you ask for and you may be subjected to crude insults. Warning - don't bring your kids here. What you'll find are some of the largest and best sandwiches you'll ever find anywhere. I'm serious. I've been to NYC and although they have big sandwiches there, you won't find one for $7.00CAD. In addition to being big, the meats and cheese are freshly sliced when you order, guaranteeing freshness and flavour.

Today, Miss Y, Kc and I made our way out to 96th near 192nd to grab some sandwiches. Yes, we were pretty dedicated and determined to suffer abuse. At the front door, there is a disclaimer indicating "This deli contains Coarse Language and Nudity!" Fortunately I only experienced coarse language, I'm not sure if I wanted any nudity with my sandwich. I really thought his spelling of foccacia as "fuccacia" was hilarious and also his description of the sourdough bread as "long and hard but soft inside". There was a lineup when we got in and a lineup when we left. It appears that these sandwiches are a draw no matter where the place is located. Salam (who reminds me of Borat) hurls insults and jokes a mile a minute. He noticed how Miss Y was so quiet. Quoting Salam: "She must be a screamer!" Suffice to say, that got the whole place laughing. He kept on indicating how much he liked "Brokeback Mountain" and that he watched it 4 times. Every time, he never finished watching the movie since he couldn't "contain" himself. Also, he proclaimed that cheese helps improve a man's sperm count. He insisted on giving me extra cheese for my sandwich. I really do not need more sperm (I have all the kids I need), thank you very much. If you're into Seinfeld humour, this is your type of venue.

Jokes aside, Salam is really a nice guy, he even gave the Miss Y and Kc some chocolate sticks to go with their sandwiches. His schtick is very much like the Soup Nazi and it's entertaining. The sandwiches are very, very good with enough meat to make 6 equivalent Subway sandwiches. I couldn't even finish half of one. Despite having a menu with several different sandwiches, in the end we all got the "What Salam wants to put on your buns". And yes, he really did put whatever he wanted. Make sure you bring cash, he doesn't take plastic. Also, do not forget to feed the tip jar, he needs enough money to get laser hair removal.

The Good:
- Fantastic sandwiches - freshly sliced meats and cheese
- Very large
- Salam is a riot
- Incredible value at $7.00

The Bad:
- If you are a bit sensitive, you might not want to come here
- In the middle of nowhere

Business Hours:
10:00am - 4:00pm (Mon - Sat)

Sundowner Pub

*Restaurant is closed*

Alright, I normally do not eat a lot of burgers to begin with. It's not that I don't like burgers, I actually love burgers. But, I need to at least attempt to eat a bit healthier, despite the fact I'm really not doing so. So what do you think my reaction was today when my colleagues decided on the Sundowner Pub's Toonie Burger day? Well, I did offer up a bit of a resistance, suggesting we eat at Porto Fino Express instead. Alas, my half-hearted attempt failed and I found myself munching on the complimentary buttered popcorn at the Sundowner. Trying very hard to not have the burger, I was enticed by the $2.00 price tag (you must order a drink though). I folded like a cheap lawn chair and not only ordered the burger; but also a plate of hot wings. Was it guilt that I only ordered a $2.00 item or was it that I wanted more greasy food? Whatever it was, I continued munching on the buttered popcorn.

The hot wings were pretty good. There was just the right amount of hot sauce coating the wings. Wings were crunchy on the outside and fairly tender on the inside. However, I think the ones from the one20 were better in terms of size, price and execution. So to temper my guilt, I chose a green salad instead of the fries. *GASP*!!!! Salad!?!?! Yes, the guilt was so overbearing, I had to forgo one of my favourite food items for rabbit food. In terms of the burger itself, it was your standard frozen beef patty on a bun. Nothing much to look at and to eat for that matter. It also had this multicolour thing going on with it too. But hey, it's $2.00. MN had the Beef Dip again, she had it at Sammy J's just last week. Well, unlike Sammy J's, this one had real roast beef in it and it was pretty decent. I still can't believe a chain such as Sammy J's used cold cut roast beef.

I offered to pick up the tab for the 3 of us and it really didn't cost me much since LG also ordered the $2.00 burger. Service was a bit slow since there was only one server for the whole place. However, she was friendly and as efficient as she could possibly be. Overall, the food was what I expected - standard pub food. I think the one20 has better food and more servers for approximately the same price. Unless I only have spare change and really needed to take advantage of the $2.00 burger; I'd go to the one20.

The Good:
- Inexpensive, especially with their daily specials

The Bad:
- Lack of servers
- Food is just okay
- Outside needs a makeover

Splitz Grill

*Restaurant is closed*

Fresh off a relatively disappointing visit to Wally's out in Cates Park, I really needed a good burger. It was Monday again and the softball team was quite hungry after another win. We milled around for a bit deciding where to eat. Somebody suggested E Bei Sushi, but most of us were not really in the AYCE Japanese mood. We considered Richmond since we were out in Oakridge; but that didn't get much support either. I finally piped up and suggested we go to Splitz Grill for some burgers. Most people seemed okay with the idea, so we headed over to Main Street for the 2nd straight week. In fact, we were going to be only a few stores down from last week's choice - Grub. Despite the proximity of Splitz Grill in relation to Grub, we were still a bit worried about Miss Y. Last time, she almost didn't make it, luckily Milhouse provided his GPS skills.

So what makes a burger worth $6.00 or more on it's own? Well, first of all, the meat should be high quality and fresh. Moreover, different choices of meat such as lamb and bison help. The freshness and large selection of toppings are very important as well. On the surface, it seems that Splitz Grill has this all covered. I decided on the 1/3 pound Splitz Burger with cheese. I actually added pancetta bacon and Splitz-Sized it once I found out Miss Y was paying. Too bad they didn't have a lobster burger, I would've milked this for all it was worth.

I was quite impressed with all the fresh toppings and condiments that where available. Mind you, the toppings and condiments are not available for you to choose until after you order your burger and they call you up. There are some really cool dressings including Baba Ghanoush and Roasted Garlic Mayo. You can ask for some of these on the side for your fries as well for no extra charge! I now need to give Judes all the credit for this discovery because she was munching on her fries when I noticed the mayo dip she was using. In terms of my burger, it was a bit hard to eat because I had chosen quite a few toppings; but once I got a bite into my mouth it was not bad. As I kept eating it, I noticed that the meat wasn't as juicy as I would have hoped. It was a solid burger no doubt; but it wasn't outstanding. Most of the other people concurred. Even Judes' Chicken Burger and Bear's Lamb Burger were dry.

The sides such as the fries and onion rings were decent, being crispy and all. Miss Y had the milkshake and you guessed it, it was decent, but she's had better (like Hamburger Mary's). I think you get the theme here, it's decent food; but it won't wow you. For the price we paid, we probably got our money's worth; but nothing exceptional. On a personal level, I much prefer the burgers at Vera's, Moderne and Burger Heaven.

The Good:
- Quality ingredients that are fresh
- Good selection of toppings and condiments
- It's a decent burger

The Bad:
- Meat(s) were a bit dry

Bon's Off Broadway

When dining at the Golden Phoenix last week, I was eying Bon's Off Broadway. I haven't been to Bon's in quite awhile and I was wanting to have their $2.95 all-day breakfast. Yes, that's right, for the price of a used Milli Vanilli cassette, you can dine on 2 eggs, 2 slices of toast, hash browns and your choice of bacon, sausage or ham. Of course, for that price, it comes with some compromises. Bon's is a dive. Yes, even Guy Fieri would be proud of this place with it's 1970's decor, mismatched chairs and random pop culture posters.

After a fun gymnastics session at preschool, my son and I made our way to Bon's. It's almost ironic since my dad took me to Bon's when I was in preschool (we only lived a couple of blocks away then). Despite arriving well after lunch, the place was bustling with activity. We seated ourselves and waited for service. We waited and waited some more. Yes, for these prices, you have to make exceptions. However, when we did get service, it was friendly and very efficient. Naturally, I got the $2.95 breakfast and also added the soup of the day, which was Beef Noodle. My son got 2 pancakes, which incidentally cost as much as my breakfast. Let's just say that if you want pancakes, go to IHOP or something like that. The pancakes here did their best impression of a rubber mat. Luckily for me, I just doused it with an obscene amount of syrup and my son was more than content. He was also content on dipping the sausages I gave him into the syrup as well. I think he'd make Will Ferrell proud, just like in the movie Elf - syrup on everything.

As for my breakfast, for $2.95, it was fabulous. Everything looked and tasted like it should be. Moreover, I actually like the hash browns at Bon's. They are simply sliced boiled potatoes that have been pan fried. If you look at the picture, I got 3 split sausages. That is pretty impressive for a $2.95 breakfast. As for my soup of the day, it was nothing special, just leftover beef that was made into soup. But for $1.95, it was a good deal. In fact, most of the food at Bon's is well priced. For what you pay, you will get standard diner-type food. As for the breakfast, I doubt you'd find a better deal than Bon's.

The Good:
- Inexpensive, all you need is some loose change
- It's got that "good" dive quality to it
- Good portions

The Bad:
- Although the service is friendly, it's very sparse
- Some of the food is really quite average

The Soup Meister

*Restaurant is now operated by his nephew*

It was another gorgeous day in the GVRD, much like the last 2 weeks. I had just finished up an early morning game of ice hockey at Brit and was a bit hungry since I didn't have a chance to grab a bite. I originally was planning to pay a visit to Pizza Garden which is nearby on The Drive; but they had closed the street and it was full of people. It was another car-free day celebration; but as you know, I'm not fond of lines and crowds, so I drove on by and headed home. We really needed to pick up some groceries for the week; thus we headed out to Costco for some Sunday brunch (if you don't know what this means, it's all the samples they dole out). After that, we had to head over to Michael's again, since Viv wanted to get some stuff and she could not use all the coupons at once yesterday. Being on the North Shore, we decided to head over to Lonsdale Quay for some more food. On a beautiful sunny day, we opted for soup. Yes, that's right, hot soup on a warm day. It's just like that time I had hot chocolate from Mink's on a warm day. In fact, I played ice hockey too; I must have my seasons all messed up.

Right at the entrance to Lonsdale Quay is The Soup Meister. We've been here several times and their soups are pretty good. They do not use any of that artificial or preservative stuff in their soups, just natural ingredients. The selection today was Boston Clam Chowder, Chicken Noodle Soup and Tomato Basil. It was easy for me to decide since I love creamy clam chowders. Viv had the same and we got a small chicken noodle soup for our daughter. All the soups come with a bun. I'm not really sure what the difference in size is between the large and the small because they looked very similar to me, despite the large costing $6.00 vs. $4.50 for a small.

I was really satisfied with my bowl of clam chowder as sweat was beading down my face. It was extremely creamy and buttery chock full of clams, potatoes and celery. The chicken noodle tasted very much like home cooking. The vegetables were fresh and there were big chunks of chicken throughout the soup. The broth was very light flavoured with the natural sweetness of chicken and vegetables. The soups at The Soup Meister are really good and are so full of ingredients, it is a meal in itself. Combine that with a lovely setting such as Lonsdale Quay, you can just relax and enjoy a bowl of soup soaking in the surroundings. Just don't do it on a warm day because it's quite warm in the Quay.

The Good:
- Fresh, non-salty soups
- Packed with stuff
- Great venue

The Bad:
- It's warm in the eating area, not a great place to have hot soup (take it to go and eat outside)

Wally's Burgers

Alright, we were in North Van today shopping at Michael's. Let me rephrase that, Viv was shopping at Michael's and the family accompanied her there. As much as I don't mind scrap booking and arts & crafts, I'm not all that excited about going to Michael's. Being the typical male, I'd much rather be at Futureshop or The Hockey Shop. I think the kids were having a good time, playing with the craft supplies as if they were toys. We took advantage of being in North Van to visit Wally's Burgers in Cates Park (Whey-Ah-Wichen). Kevin (604Foodtography) and Kim (I'm Only Here for the Food!) have already visited the newly revived burger joint and feeling left out, I finally made it out there.

The drive out to Cates Park from the Second Narrows Bridge is roughly 10 minutes if you are following a slow car (#$(&#$()#*$)# which we were). Or 7 minutes if you had no one in front of you (on our way back). Arriving at Cates park, there is a noticeable sign stating that Wally's Burgers is in the park. Located right next to the waterfront, Wally's is really non-descript. It is basically the old concession stand, now with a large Wally's menu in the front. It was nostalgic to see the ol' items from the old Wally's on Kingsway near Earles. However, the prices are definitely not the same as before. I decided to go full on and order the Deluxe Chuckwagon with cheese. Viv got the Combo Burger with cheese and mushrooms. For our sides, we got the Onion Rings and Yam Fries. Both came with a roasted pepper dip. With 2 bottles of water, our bill was in excess of $26.00. Cheap eats this is not.

After a short wait, we anxiously opened up the wrapper to get at our burgers; well, after I took pictures that is. Note to self, do not take pictures with sunglasses on, everything looks too dark! I opened up my Chuckwagon to find the requisite 2 patties, lettuce, tomato and enough sauce to make White Spot jealous. Viv's Combo had the one patty, a large split hot dog wiener, mushrooms, cheese and a little less sauce than my burger. I have to say I agree with Kevin and Kim, the burgers are... nothing special. They weren't bad; in fact, they are better than most concession stand fare. However, either there is something different about these Wally's burgers or maybe they aren't that unique anymore. It doesn't help that the burgers patties are frozen too. My hypothesis (oooo... big word!) is that I've tried many really good burgers lately and it's possible that Wally's just isn't as good. I much prefer going to Burger Burger for their $5 special which includes fries and drink.

On the other hand, we thought the sides were very good. The yam fries were crispy and sweet, while the onion rings were crispy and not oily. The roasted pepper dip was a bit bland, it was more sweet and mayonaissy (is that a word?), rather than spicy. After finishing up our meal, we took the kids to the playground and it was a great, albeit brief family outing. I had to leave because I had a hockey game (yes, I played hockey with a Chuckwagon digesting in my stomach). Funny thing was, we could see where we lived across the water in North Burnaby. Too bad we had to drive all the way back to the bridge and back again. As much as I prefer other burgers in the GVRD, I think at the very least, Wally's at Cates Park is in a unique location. If you were there anyways enjoying the scenery or hanging out, grabbing a Wally's burger just adds to the experience.

The Good:
- Beautiful, if not stunning setting
- Nostalgic
- Everything is made to order

The Bad:
- Meat was a bit dry
- Not cheap

Sammy J Peppers

*Restaurant is closed*

I sound like a broken record sometimes, at least that's what Viv tells me. But, there are not many more places that I can visit along the Scott Road corridor. It seems like I'm merely pecking away at the places I do not want to go. Today, my colleagues suggested we go to Sammy J Peppers and being the good person (hah!) that I am, I followed along. I haven't been back to Sammy J's for quite awhile. I'm not all that fond of their food, despite the nice "scenery". I really have no problem with chain restaurants in general. They serve a purpose and some are actually quite good. But when a chain restaurant serves up
mediocre food at fairly high prices, I believe that there are better places to eat at.

I know that Sammy J's is known for it's spicier food, such as their skillets and meat items. But I really didn't want to order any of that for lunch. Besides, I've had them before and they are nothing special. Today, I decided on a large bowl of Seafood Chowder and a Beef Club sandwich. Things didn't start off well, the chowder was luke warm. If this soup was kept in a warmer, and this was the prevailing temperature, I'm not sure how Food Safe this is. Moreover, the soup was quite bland. I had to add quite a bit of hot sauce to give it some flavour. The one good thing was that it was packed with seafood. The sandwich itself was a disappointment and I didn't even bother taking a picture of it. Well, not really, I actually forgot. Can you believe it? I was so busy taking pictures of everyone else's' food, I didn't remember to take a picture of my own! I was expecting real roast beef; but what I got was cold cut roast beef. If a restaurant is going to serve this as "roast beef", then I could go to Arby's or go to Superstore and grab a Club Pack. Not only was it cold cut roast beef, there was very little of it. Only good thing about the sandwich was the spicy aioli. Suffice to say, the Beef Dip was no better. Imagine dipping salty cold cut roast beef into salty powdered dip. Not good. The beef dip at one20 and E's Up were way better and cheaper too.

One dish that was pretty decent was the Monster Burger. It was pretty big and full of nicely sauteed mushrooms. The accompanying fries were very crispy, if you like the starch-covered type that is. The spinach salad was alright too, it was pretty fresh and full of toppings. The dressing was flavourful and had some zing. Despite these last 2 dishes being good; overall, I didn't like my meal and past visits to Sammy J's. It's not that the food is horrible; but it's just not great all around. In this competitive market of chain restaurants, the food has to be pretty decent on average. The food at Sammy J's is not as good as Milestone's, Earl's, Cactus Club or Joey's. If you look at the prices of some of their more expensive items such as their steaks, you really can eat anywhere for those prices. I'm in the school of thought that if you want a steak, go to a place that specializes in steak such as The Keg. I know there are better places to get a steak than The Keg, but I'm trying to compare within the same price range. With that being said, the restaurant itself is quite trendy and it's quite possible the food could be an afterthought. It's still a great place to meet up with friends, have a drink and shoot the breeze.

The Good:
- Comfortable, trendy dining space
- Service was quite good
- Large selection of food items

The Bad:
- Food is not only generic, it's not really all that good
- Pricey for what you get