How to eat a hamburger in 3 easy steps at MODERNE BURGER!

1.  You arrive at an art-deco seafoam green diner world of fun, fab food offerings.
2.  Choose from a menu that is simple, sophisticated and preservative-free.
3.  Eat like a mad woman (or man) and enjoy yourself silly...

At Moderne Burger (2507 West Broadway, Vancouver) you are treated to a refreshing Mom and Pop shop of old, complete with milkshakes that overflow and smiling and attentive servers.  I witnessed more than once Randi, our fantastic server, offer her help to other diners when most servers nowadays would have let the diners down.  We were coached by Peter (the owner)'s gentle directions on how to eat a hamburger without it separating and succeeded (truth be told: more by my fellow diners than by yours truly!).  We ordered two burger platters, there were three of us and the hand-cut fries portions are plenty to share, a burger on its own and two creamsicle milkshakes.  Yes, that's right, the orange-encrusted, cream-filled goodness as a drink.  The steak burgers were cooked well through and its adornments simple to have the meat's flavour shine through.  Vegetarians and Fish eaters are more than welcome with their offerings of veggie and salmon burgers all served on a warm brioche bun.   Thank you Kathy, Peter and Randi and the staff for some fun in the sun.

Well worth the drive to Kitsilano...  check out their link here: http://www.moderneburger.com/

The fantastic palm-tree fringed sign beckons you in complete with bright brushed metal.  There is also a palm tree INSIDE the diner.

Glass windows, we were lucky enough to take the booth to your right.

Clean art-deco decor and roadster memorabilia to boot displayed in the cases.

Orange creamsicle milkshakes at $4.45 a pop.  Made with real ice cream!

The piece de resistance: the Steak Burger platter with a generous portion of hand-cut fries at $10.95

Look at this mouth-watering morsel of goodness.

On its own at $7.45, garnished with a cute little olive on top.

And the leftovers of the shake, served in its overflow cup is enough for ANOTHER milkshake, thumbs-up!

Jack Shmack....

Cookie Sundae.. Sugary, sliding goodness.. yum, period.

So I sold out tonight and ate at Jack Astor's in my old 'hood (Progress Ave. in front of Scarborough Town Centre's The Bay) and expected to be bamboozled by extroardinarily orbitant prices of the usually uninspired offerings of pizza, a burger and every other deep-fried meat imaginable.... however, I was wrong (insert shame here). Amongst the backdrop of a lovely birthday (insert teenage-esque shout-outs to Ge Diza here) I was greeted with a perky server who came with my caesar pronto... yes, I drink caesars, lots of them... and was refreshed by a spiced pickle/bean/pepper/onion spear and the stalk of celery, lobster cheese dip with warm pita triangles and homemade tortilla chips (12.95). Upon first glance at my buffalo tenders saturated in medium, buttery goodness (12.95) I thought they had forgotten the rest of my tenders, however upon searching underneath the golden carb fry-fest were the rest of these "fingers". However, that wasn't the only the only surprise, Hot Tamale had the Seafood Papardelle (17.95) and I must say, was well worth every penny. And of course, let's hear it for the dessert, a white chocolate chip macadamia nut (Hawaii's nut export business should be untouched by this recession) cookie sundae that oddly resembles a beige cow patty... with 5 berries bizarrely pressed into the vanilla ice cream. At 5.95, compared to the dessert bonanzas at Cafe Mirage (another Scarborough offering), the price can't be beat. Just focus on breaking up that cookie and not missing your mouth.

Celebrating at The Bedford Academy!

After a grueling, well, that's too dramatic.... full-fledged schedule for the last 3 months due to taking a course twice a week and working full-time, the sweet taste of liberation (or was it the Stella?) was a welcome night out at The Bedford Academy. A staple on the U of T pub crawl circuit in a beautifully restored Victorian mansion on Prince Arthur, this institution offers a wide range of drink, food and not to mention a gorgeous patio. Our fine company, including an expert ex-server, was quick to point out that alas, although we were in a large group and quite forgiving, our servings of simple sweet potato fries, nachos and a tuna melt, took an eternity to arrive at our table. The cheese was not as lightly golden as they had described in the menu and I was a tad disappointed that they had a haunting resemblance to Kraft Singles. Was it me or did the english muffin that was described in the menu transform into foccacia by the time it came? It remains a mystery... Still, definitely worth the visit nonetheless! Check them out at: http://www.thebedfordacademy.com/

Relaxing at the Cafe Mirage

Why not? Since the Cucina Manila's in-house desserts weren't available... we drove to Cafe Mirage (Kennedy Road and Hwy 401) for some dessert. One of three establishments in the franchise (the others out west and midtown on Yonge), the menu boasts offerings for breakfast, lunch, dinner, selected coffees, teas and... drumroll please... DESSERT. We settled for the East vs. West ($10), a waffle (could be served on a crepe) covered with ice cream, seasonal fresh fruit, whipped cream and chocolate and strawberry drizzle... but wait, we're still hungry... why not have a Jamocha Almond Fudge Cake? Imagine the famous Baskin Robbins ice cream flavour in cake form, mocha meringue layered with mocha-chocolate cookie topped with oozing fudge and chocolate shavings ($6). Open late until 1am (or later at times)... enjoy the savoury or the sweet at this Scarborough hot spot.  Be warned, service here is spotty at best.

Bride talk at Brass Taps Pizza Pub...

Thursday evening saw a reunion of sorts; my girlfriend Bride-to-be has arrived from London, UK with a ring on her finger! After a second round of bridal dress shopping, B2B, myself and Ginger caught up over cheap pints, nachos and a tandoori chicken wrap ($7.95) Check it out at Brass Taps Pub at Danforth and Logan. The evening was topped off with some wine and pastries from Europa Fine Pastries and Bakery at Danforth and Pape, the best Portuguese flaky parcels of goodness in the city.

Kelsey's, oh Kelsey's

As to why I'm even commenting on Kelsey's here, I really don't know as the food is pretty common place and "diverse" in the most generic Metro/Loblaws supermarket sense, only to say this people, "DON'T GO THERE!" if you want decent service and a glass of wine... relaxed after work atmosphere and delayed wine service is not a good combination..ugh... next! http://www.kelseys.ca/index.aspx You'll notice the tagline, "Cheers to Good Food!".... riiiiiight....