Burger Claim

After a predictably mediocre (that's being nice by-the-way) buffet dinner at The Loose Moose in the Great Wolf Lodge, we were not going to do that again for breakfast/lunch.  Rather, we walked across the parking lot over to Burger Claim right next to the Chevron.  I had actually put this on our itinerary since I wasn't going to pay $15.99 for a breakfast buffet.  So we slept in and ate lunch right at 11:00pm.  We could've gone earlier as they serve breaky as well, but really, for a place named Burger Claim, we had to try the burgers!

Viv decided to go for something lighter in the Grilled Salmon Burger which took longer than the rest to be prepared.  Despite the place being predominantly a beef burger joint, the salmon was actually not severely overdone.  Instead, the middle was actually moist while the outside was only slightly dry.  It was dressed with tartar sauce that was not really all-that-noticeable.  My daughter stayed with theme by selecting the kid's Fish Sandwich with a side of fries.  The decent-sized piece of fish was lightly battered and mostly crispy.  It was a bit over-seasoned bordering on salty.  Once again, the tartar sauce was too weak to be noticed.  The fries were not exactly crispy and were a bit dense probably due to the choice of potato (Idahoan russet).

My son went for the kid's Miner Cheeseburger which was a bit small in his opinion.  In hindsight, we should've ordered a full-sized burger for him instead.  He did like it though as the patty was made of fresh beef that was not overcooked.  It was a bit crumbly and still moist.  For myself, I had no other choice but to get the Shaft Burger consisting of 4 x 1/4 beef patties, lettuce, tomato, onion, cheese, pickle and miner sauce.  This 1 lb monstrosity was a chore to eat in terms of both physical and portion size.  I actually finished the darn thing because the meat was pretty tasty especially with all the cheese.  I felt the IGA bun did a pretty good job of keeping things together despite being somewhat soft.

For our sides, we got the Onion Rings and the Garlic Parmesan Fries.  Fried up super crunchy, the onion rings were pretty good.  Inside, the onion was tender and not dried out while the outside was easy on the grease.  As for the garlic parm fries, they were so garlicky, we could smell them from afar.  Also, they didn't skimp on the Parmesan.  This meant they were super flavourful on their own.  However, the already moisture-ladened fries were even more so with the toss of the garlic oil (which meant they were greasy too).  Ultimately, we needed something fast and relatively inexpensive so we could get back to the water park.  Seeing how the food at GWL was not very good, Burger Claim did the job.

The Good:
- Juicy burgers
- Okay pricing

The Bad:
- Fries could be crispier
- Greasy (but what did we expect?)

The Loose Moose (Buffet)

Alright, all the warnings were there, including web reviews and first-hand accounts by friends, but we decided to do the buffet at The Loose Moose in the Great Wolf Lodge anyways.  It was purely out of convenience as we didn't want to waste time driving somewhere and miss out on valuable water-slide action!  On second thought, a full stomach full of mediocre buffet food and dizzying water slides may not be the best combination...  Well, it was too late to reconsider!

I started things off with the Chicken Orzo Soup and it was lukewarm at best.  It did taste okay with a dominant lemon zing while easy on the sugar.  The orzo was pretty soft while the chunks of chicken were dry and chewy.  My first dish of food consisted of the Roast Pork Loin, BBQ Ribs, Corn on the Cob, Mashed Potatoes, Zucchini and Mushrooms.  Encrusted with black pepper and kosher salt, the pork loin was adequately seasoned albeit mostly dry (but to be fair, it usually is).  The ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender, yet the BBQ sauce was too sweet.  Completely obliterated, the corn was inedible.  On the other hand, the veggies were on point being barely cooked and mildly seasoned.

For my second plate, I decided to get a little bit of everything including Fried Fish, Pork Skewers, Wings, Seafood Pasta, Creamy Tortellini and Curry Shrimp.  Completely oil-drenched, the fish was actually decently moist while at that the same time mushy.  The pork skewers were probably the best thing I had all meal (relatively-speaking) since they were juicy and tender on the inside while sporting a caramelized char on the outside.  The pastas were all forgettable because they were soft and over-sauced.  To be fair, that is usually the case for any pasta sitting in a buffet chaffing tray.  Viv had almost the same items on her plate except for some things from the Asian section including Potstickers.  These were a bit hard where the filling was mushy.

One section in the buffet (other than the pizza and desserts) was dedicated to kid-friendly eats including Spaghetti and Meat Sauce, Mac n' Cheese and Chicken Strips.  Nothing interesting here and really pretty standard fare.  At least they know who their most important clients are.  Yes, the parents shell out the cash, but the kiddies are the ones that need to be impressed.  That they do well at Great Wolf Lodge since my kids were already planning the next trip without even asking if I wanted to return.  So the fact that I disliked the buffet is pretty irrelevant in the end.

The Good:
- Kid-friendly (duh)
- Decent service

The Bad:
- Food was not hot
- Food was not good

Pancake Chef

I love staying at Marriott properties, especially when there is a breakfast included.  However, since we were at the Courtyard Southcenter, there was none to be had except for The Bistro.  Seeing how I didn't want to pay for mediocre cafeteria food at restaurant prices, we ended up driving over to nearby International Blvd and visiting the Pancake Chef.  Seemingly stuck in a time-warp, the place could easily pass for the diner featured in Pulp Fiction, except without Samuel L Jackson and John Travolta.

For myself, I decided on the Crab and Cheese Omelet made with 3 eggs and served with country potatoes and 2 slices of toast.  Naturally, I was a bit skeptical about eating anything related to seafood at a place called the Pancake Chef.  However, I was pleasantly surprised with the large pieces of firm and fluffy crab stuffed inside the omelet.   There was plenty of it as well as the plethora of melted cheddar.  One thing I would've liked to see was a milder cheese.  Viv decided on the light version of the Corned Beef Hash that came with one egg and toast.  The best description of the dish would be wet and squishy.  We thought the dish could've used much more searing on the flattop. It did taste okay by being not overly salty.

For my son, he had the Junior Plate consisting of scrambled egg, 2 strips of bacon and 3 dollar-sized pancakes.  He dusted this off since it was prepared on point.  The egg was soft while the bacon was thick and crispy.  And living up to its namesake, the pancakes were fluffy and cooked just enough so it was still moist.  My daughter had the French Crepes with strawberry filling and whipped cream.  The crepe was of a medium-sized thickness and nicely tender while the filling was pretty typical being sweet. Overall, the Pancake Chef did the job, yet interestingly without many issues.  Nothing too special, but the food is pretty decent.

The Good:
- Good pancakes (it should be...)
- Homey diner thing going on

The Bad:
- Kinda expensive
- Okay food, but not memorable

Heaven Sent Fried Chicken

Awhile back, we had made our way to Ezell's Famous Chicken due to the hype from Oprah Winfrey.  Unfortunately, it was an underwhelming experience and I openly questioned Oprah's taste in food.  Fast forward to the present and the founder of Ezell's, Ezell Stephens no longer owns the rights to the name, but has set up shop with Heaven Sent Fried Chicken with 3 locations in the Seattle area.  The kiddies were enthusiastic about fried chicken for dinner as we headed out to the Renton location.

We ended up going for the 8 Piece Family Meal with half original and half spicy.  Okay, anything I said about Ezell's chicken is completely untrue about Heaven Sent.  Aptly named, the chicken was truly blessed with a firm and crunchy well-rendered skin while sporting succulent meat inside (well-brined and flavourful).  These enormous pieces of chicken were so filling that 8 pieces was more than enough for 4 of us.  The spicy version was definitely that, but not overly so. I also got a side of Fried Gizzards which were lightly battered and crispy.  With enough seasoning (batter and the gizzards themselves), they were good on their own with the classic chewy and crunchy (tendon portion) texture.

As for sides, the meal included 4 soft and sweet Rolls.  As much as these could be seen as a throw-in, this was not the case.  I could've eaten all 4 myself.  We also had the Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Coleslaw and Fries (I added the fries separately).  Soft but still a touch lumpy (in a good way), the mashed potatoes were nicely seasoned and were further amped by the thick flavourful gravy.  The coleslaw was crunchy with a good balance of acidity and sweetness.  As for the fries, well, they were fries.  I thought they could've been crispier. But honestly, it was all about the chicken and it completely delivered and more so.  I'm still thinking right now as I write this about my next visit to Heaven Sent.

The Good:
- Well-prepared fried chicken
- Large chicken pieces
- Friendly people

The Bad:
- Good food takes time, we waited awhile
- Better get takeout, not a whole lot of seats
- Not exactly cheap

Grill From Ipanema

Okay, to say that my son doesn't like fruits and vegetables would be an understatement.  Compared to him, I could be classified as a vegetarian.  So taking him to a salad bar would be considered cruel and unusual punishment.  Hence, on our recent trip down to Seattle, I thought that a visit to the Grill From Ipanema would be in his wheelhouse.  You see, an endless supply of meat brought right our table sounded like the right thing to do.

However, to balance off the abundance of meat, we hit up the Salad Bar.  Of course this was without my son as he was there only for the meat.  There was a pretty decent selection of items including 2 soups (cheddar chowder and tomato basil), cooked food, salads, grilled veggies and fruit.  I found the soups pretty forgettable (as the tomato basil was more akin to a salty pasta sauce) but the rest of the items were more than acceptable.   In particular, the green beans were cooked just enough that they weren't raw while maintaining a fresh crunch.  The grilled zucchini sported an appealing char while lightly salted.  As much as the soy mushrooms looked tasty, they were also very salty.

Another distraction from the meats was the plate of Cheese Biscuits and Fried Banana that was offered continuously throughout the meal.  Due to the use of tapioca, the cheese biscuits were dense and gummy.  However, these were better than the last time I had them (at another restaurant).  They were plenty cheesy, warm and soft.  As for the fried banana, the breading was firmly crunchy while spike with a good amount of sugar and cinnamon.  Very tasty, but a touch too sweet for me.

Onto the meats, there was a good selection including Sausage, Bacon-Wrapped Steak, Pepper Steak, Garlic Steak, Tri-Tip, Sirloin, Parmesan Pork, Chicken, Beef Ribs and Grilled Pineapple. For those who haven't dined at a Brazilian Rodizio before, these meats (on skewers) were brought to our table by wandering gauchos where we would use our tongs to place it on our plates.  On the table was a card with a green side and a red.  Green meant "keep it coming" while red would imply that you stuffed yourself silly and wanted no more.  We did eventually flip the card to red, but I changed it back to green when the ribs finally showed up at the very end.

The highlights of the meal definitely included the Parmesan Pork and the Tri-Tip Steak as well as the beef ribs.  We found the pork to be sufficiently moist (except for the edges) while plenty seasoned by the ample Parm and salt.  The tri-tip steak was juicy and tender, yet sporting far too much salt.  As expected, the beef ribs were fatty, fairly tender and plenty flavourful from the nice char on the outside.  When I finally finished the piece of rib, it put me over the top and I was too stuffed to eat anymore.  Yup, that is probably what you can expect at a Brazilian Rodizio and the Grill From Ipanema was no exception.  Most of the meats were pretty good (albeit very salty) and there was never a shortage of it.

The Good:
- Fun way to eat especially for meat-lovers
- Plenty of meats floating around
- Spacious dining space

The Bad:
- Pricey
- Salty
- Service was decent, but hard to flag down someone

Good Choice

When will I learn?  I need to make sure a restaurant is actually open, or in this case still in business, before we trek all the way across town.  After Sunday hockey, we thought that hitting up Moon Cafe on Fraser for some HK-style cafe food would be a good idea.  Wrong.  We were greeted with a sign explaining that the place will now be replaced by a Vietnamese restaurant.  Fail.  So off we went down a block over to Good Choice for some backup Dim Sum.  I've been here before and yes really, it was a good choice.

We started with the Shrimp Spring Rolls which were served super hot and crunchy.  Despite the fairly thick exterior wrap, the entire roll was fried masterfully with defined layers.  By virtue of proper oil temperature and draining, the rolls were not greasy.  Inside, the whole shrimp filling maintained a buttery snap while seasoned aggressively.  Next up was the Fried Daikon Pudding with XO Sauce.  Not too soft while not too firm, the cubes of daikon pudding were not crispy on the outside.  Despite this, the wok toss in XO sauce and proper wok heat allowed for caramelization of flavours in addition to some spiciness.  I liked how the dish wasn't overly greasy despite the deep fry and subsequent stir-fry.

Onto the standards, the Haw Gow (Shrimp Dumpling) and Sui Mai (Pork & Shrimp Dumpling) looked the part.  For all intents and purposes, they played the part too.  Although a bit small in size, the haw gow featured whole shrimp filling that was buttery with a cold-water snap.  It was well-seasoned with flavours that trended towards the sweeter side.  I got the essence of sesame oil as well.  Although oversteamed and sticky, the dumpling skin was not overly thick nor doughy.  I actually felt the sui mai was even better with a 50/50 ratio of crunchy shrimp and bouncy pork.  Again, the dumpling was well-seasoned with balanced savoury and sweet flavours.

We gave JuJu a hard time about ordering the Xiao Long Bao and Chiu Chow Dumplings since being a Cantonese restaurant, the chances of these dishes being good were low.  So it was no surprise that the XLBs featured a somewhat thick and doughy dumpling skin.  With that being said, it wasn't too bad in relation to other dim sum joints.  There was actually a small amount of soup inside to compliment the tender meat.  It was mostly sweet without the classic ginger and wine flavours.  As for the Chiu Chow Dumplings, the skin was really thick and sticky (it generally is, but overly so in this case).  Inside, the filling was fairly loose and consisted of dried turnip, dried shrimp, water chestnuts and green onion.  Strangely, there were no peanuts.

With the ball jokes flying at the table, we of course had the Beef Meatballs.  These were processed to the point where they were soft and only a touch meaty.  Usually, I prefer the meatballs to be a little less buttery, but I didn't mind these ones as they weren't mushy either.  They were lightly seasoned where a bit more green onion would've helped diversify the flavours.  Onto the Bean Curd Skin Rolls, we found them to be quite good.  Most times, I find that the bean curd wrap to be overly wet and soggy.  It wasn't in this case as it still exhibited a bite and appealing chewiness.  There was a minimal amount of sauce that kept things less goopy.  Inside, the filling was mostly pork that was moist with some natural textures.

To ensure our fullness, we got 2 filler items including the Pork Spareribs on Rice and Rice Noodle Rolls with Brisket.  We could barely see the rice due to the generous amount of spareribs, baby bak choy and chicken foot on top.  However, the rice itself was a bit too wet and that became even more evident when mixed with the sweet soy.  The spareribs were good though with a tender rebound texture while properly seasoned with lots of garlic.  Onto the rice rolls, they were pretty firm which was a good thing as the starch-thickened sauce added lots of moisture.  Although dark in colour, the sauce itself wasn't overly salty while the brisket was generally tender with a touch of chewiness.

To further drive the point home about adding filling items, we had the Lo Mei Gai (Sticky Rice) as well.  Served as 2 rather than 3 wraps, the sticky rice retained more moisture.  Hence, the rice was a little soft, yet still appealingly glutinous.  There was an adequate amount of ground pork filling with Chinese sausage.  The flavours were mild which allowed the aroma from the leaves to come through.  In the end, it was a good choice to visit the restaurant with the same name, not because it was a last minute backup decision.  Rather, it should've been our first choice due to the reasonably-priced and well-prepared Dim Sum.

The Good:
- Above-average Dim Sum
- Fairly good service
- Reasonably-price

The Bad:
- A little cramped
- Not a small menu, but limited nonetheless

Mediterranean Donair House

Often, when I want to grab a quick meal that is not necessarily McD's nor Wendy's, I default to Subway.  Hey, it's predictable, "relatively" healthy and convenient (so many locations...).  However, there are really better and more unique things to eat for the same price (or in some cases, cheaper).  Yup, those include gourmet slice pizza, banh mi, Chinese pastries and donairs.  When heading home one day, I chose the latter for myself and Viv for lunch.  Since I was passing through New West, I stopped at Mediterranean Donair House (which I spotted from across the street last time I was at Anny's).

I decided to get one each of the Beef and Chicken Donairs.  For regular size, these were packed solid with meat.  Watching the guy construct each one, he was pretty methodical and precise, making each one with care.  I liked how he placed each of them in the oven to warm up the pita shell. I found the beef to be moist and tender with plenty of spices.  The chicken was fairly moist with a few dry parts.  It was also well-seasoned.  The usual sauces were creamy and super garlicky while the hot sauce was on the sweeter side.

For myself, I had the Lamb Plate which featured actual shredded lamb.  As such, it was a touch drier and chewy than the formed lamb.  I did enjoy the flavour as it was appealingly gamy while dressed in the same garlicky and creamy sauce (possibly too much sauce, which made the rice wet).  As for the side of hummus, it was more sesame tasting than garlic and lemon.  But it was super smooth and still appealing.  Overall, I thought the donairs were pretty good where it gives Donair Star and Paradise Donair a run for their money.

The Good:
- They don't skimp on the meat
- The pita is warmed up in the oven
- Real shredded lamb

The Bad:
- A tad over-sauced
- Hot sauce could be less sweet