Weekend Seventy-One: Steveston Diner No.1

We left our secret location early to do a lot of running around. With Dave leaving early on Sunday morning we had to complete all the tasks on our list on Saturday. Our day was packed but some how we made time for brunch. Since we were up early to make a run to Point Bob, we decided to stop in Steveston for brunch.

After some aimless driving and a google search, we stopped at Diner No.1. It's large, trendy, graphic menu on the outside of the building attracted us to it and the food on the menu was appealing, so we popped inside.

We were greeted by a very perky waitress. She was friendly and uplifting. She promptly filled my coffee cup and brought Dave a pulpy, fresh squeezed orange juice. I ordered the Classic Benny with bacon instead of ham (9.49), while Dave ordered the Canuck Omelette (11.99).

Our food arrived quickly and looked really good. My Benny was great, the hollandaise was a little sweet and a little spicy. Dave's Omelette had crispy onions on the top (I stole quite a few) and he said it was delicious. We both agreed that the hashbrowns were just okay, not bad but not awesome.

I very much enjoyed the atmosphere, service and food at Diner No.1 and would return regularly if I lived closer to Steveston.

Weekend Seventy: Fissel Family Roundel Roundup

Catie's parents were in town, and like us, they were hungry for brunch. We sped away from our various secret locations and made a plan to go to the Red Wagon. When we arrived, the lineup was outrageous. People scattered here and there all over the sidewalk! Standing around on Hastings is not what we wanted to experience on a weekend morning, so we headed up the street to revisit the Roundel Café.

There was only one table that was occupied, and so we had our choice of seats. The window it was, and our server ran down the list of specials. I was tempted by the Mexican-style benny ($9), but the others ordered from the extensive regular menu. Orange juices, coffees, and teas followed, as usually happens.

For Catie, the Benny with Bacon ($9.75). As before, the hard-poached eggs were done just right. Thick slices of bacon, fluffy English muffins, and tasty Hollandaise sauce rounded it out. Hashbrowns made with sweet potato and regular potato, as well as a small salad, completed her plate.

Jim selected the Ham and Cheddar Omelet. Was it $10? I think so. I was a bit jealous, because it looked so good, and Jim agreed that it was a fine quality omelet. Big size, and real cheese.

Two Eggs for $7 (and a side of toast) for Kim. She mentioned that the salad was a bit strange to find sharing a plate with a traditional breakfast, but it was a good bit of health for the meal.

Linda chose the Benny with Ham ($9.75) She said it was tasty and finished the whole plate, so we believed her.

Everyone enjoyed their brunch, but I enjoyed mine the most. It was a special, so it won't be available every day, but... imagine this: a thick tortilla, covered with black beans, two poached eggs, green tomatillo salsa, sour cream, hashbrowns and salad, all on one plate. Delicioso! You should go and hope that it is on the menu. Maybe they will make it a regular item.

 

During our meal, the café filled up, and when we left there was a sizable lineup. The moral of the story? Go early, order the special, and brunch happy. Bring some friends or family to start your demuerzo (desayuno + almuerzo?) off right!

Weekend Sixty-Nine: Re-Up BBQ Brunch

Today brought a hunger that no mere eggs-and-toast brunch could satisfy. We knew that there was only one choice for us. Our destination was the River Market at New Westminster Quay, and so we left our secret location and headed down the hill. Re-Up BBQ was our choice for today, a place where we had enjoyed lunches but never a brunch. 

After arriving, we looked at the breakfast menu, but we didn't need to read for long because there is only one item on the brunch menu - biscuits with eggs and your selection of meat. Our choice was with bacon, and a voice piped up beside me asking for pulled pork as well. No problem, replied the server, and it was settled. Sadly, there was no option for orange juice. I decided on their house-made strawberry-rhubarb soda (for $3!), and it was good. Catie went far afield to find a coffee, as Re-Up didn't seem to have any available. The coffee (from an Italian bakery with either indifferent or surly servers) was ok.

After a brief wait, we picked up our meals. Plates overflowing with meat, sauces, biscuits and eggs, we found ourselves some seats and settled in for a protein-rich experience.

Well, we were not disappointed. Re-Up delivers good taste by the plateful! The bacon was thickly-sliced, though not crispy enough for Catie. I loved the pulled pork, and the red sauce (featuring the tomato) was delicious. The biscuits were light and fluffy, and we suspect they had just come out of the oven. The eggs were yellow and white, and sadly unremarkable. That being said, we were not unhappy, as the rest of the meal had more than enough flavour for us. Totally recommended.

So, if you are a vegetable preservationist, an anti-vegetarian, or a bodybuilder, come on down to Re-Up and start your day with barbecue.
 

Weekend Sixty-Eight: Big Star Sandwiches, Everything is Bigger in New West

It was a sunny day outside; spring had sprung. We had eaten a little pre-brunch at home and I was searching the internet for crazy stuff when I came along Big Star Sandwiches. Big Star is something I've watched being built in our neighbourhood with much anticipation. Their facebook page (website still under construction) said they were now open at 10. Dave and I hussled to get our shoes on and ran out the door.

Walking a short distance up the street from our secret location, we soon came to Big Star. They are in the building next to the tattoo parlour on 12th St, and seem to do quite a good business from the surrounding area. The Friendly-Owner-Man, who was the only one working as he hadn't hired staff yet, was amazingly friendly and told us all about the production of the Sandwiches and where all the ingredients hail from, as well as how he cooks them. All the meat is cooked by FOM in house. The smells coming from the roaster were outrageously mouth watering!

Friendly-Owner-Man tempted us with the #5 Roasted Beef, Bacon, Cheddar, Hickory Sticks, Mayo, Mustard, Lettuce, and Tomato Sandwich. I was apprehensive with the idea of Hickory Sticks in a Sandwich instead of beside it but FOM said it was fabulous. I'm glad we trusted him.

We ordered a whole Sandwich to share. Big Star Sandwiches weigh a whole pound and cost $9 or you can get a half Sandwich for $5. We also couldn't resist getting a Pop Shoppe Pop each (52 grams of sugar per bottle). $14 for all that plus a coffee is extremely good value.

The pictures speak the truth in this blog. I wanted the whole Sandwich, even though it probably won't all fit in my mouth at once. Dave wasn't super happy to share but we managed to get along as the Sandwich was sizable. It was truly the best Sandwich I've ever had! Epic!

Maybe Big Star is more Unch than Br but it was so awe-inspiringly amazing that I couldn't help writing about it. You all should go. Really. Go.