Breakfast: Eggs or sausage and sauerkraut or kimchi.

Dinner: Chicken breasts stacked with elk prosciutto, artichokes, mushrooms, olives, melted Swiss cheese, and Hollandaise sauce.

Lunch: Salad with steak + avocado + mango + watercress + chives + lettuce + olive oil (assembled daily).

Snacks: Dark chocolate, almond butter.

Now I have food for most of the week – such is the joy of batch cooking :)

What are you eating this week?

Do you cook with ghee? If not, you’re missing out. Ghee is a kitchen staple for me, and I scramble to replenish my supply as soon as I run out. I use it regularly as one of my primary cooking fats, along with coconut oil and beef tallow. It’s tasty, has a high smoke point, and is good for you – think butter without the dairy. Luckily, it’s also very easy to make.

What Is Ghee?

Traditionally used in Indian cooking, ghee is basically butter minus the milk solids and moisture content. Removing these results in a cooking fat with a high smoke point that you can use for all sorts of applications in which butter would burn, like frying and grilling. The smoke point of butter can be as low as 250°F, whereas for ghee it’s approximately 485°F – which is even higher than coconut oil (350°F for extra virgin and 450°F for refined).

Also, the lack of milk proteins translates into a long shelf life of up to 6 months when refrigerated. Some people keep their ghee on the counter (for up to 2 months), but I prefer to play it safe by keeping it in the fridge. Even though it solidifies when cold, it’s easy enough to scoop out whatever you need.

And perhaps most importantly, removing the milk proteins eliminates the lactose and casein, making ghee ideal for those avoiding dairy, and thus paleo compliant!

Ghee Versus Clarified Butter

Although the terms ghee and clarified butter are often used interchangeably, there’s actually a difference between the two. Clarified butter is butter that’s been cooked to the point of removing the milk solids. But ghee is basically clarified butter that’s been cooked further, eliminating most of the water content as well. Doing so increases its shelf life, as well as its smoke point. Also, cooking the ghee longer causes the milk particles to become brown, which imparts a tasty, slightly nutty flavour.

How To Make Ghee 

You can buy ghee – the best I’ve come across is 100% organic grass-fed ghee by Pure Indian Foods. But making your own ghee is easy and more cost effective – plus, you can use your favourite pastured butter. And that way, as long as you have some butter in the fridge/freezer, you’ll never be out of ghee.

I myself was a little apprehensive when making ghee the first couple of times. If you read various recipes, there’s no clear consensus on whether to skim off the foam, or how long the process should take. But ghee really is simple to make, as long as you understand the process. All you are doing is clarifying the butter, meaning you are removing all of the milk solids. And then you are further cooking the clarified butter to remove the moisture content. With that in mind, here are the instructions:

1) Decide how much ghee you would like to make: You’ll lose about 25% of the volume of butter that you use (1 pound of butter makes 1.5 cups of ghee). Preferably, use unsalted butter. But if you need to make ghee and all you have on hand is salted, that’s fine also – just remember to use less salt when seasoning whatever you cook with the ghee.

2) Melt the butter: Cut the butter into large cubes. Place the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat, making sure you have some excess room for the foam that will rise to the top. Stir occasionally to make sure the butter doesn’t burn as it’s melting.

3) Bring the butter to a simmer: Once the butter has melted, turn the heat up to medium high. Once the butter is simmering, reduce the heat as low as possible while still maintaining a simmer. If the heat is too high and the butter is boiling, it is more likely to burn before it clarifies. If the heat is too low and the butter is not simmering enough, the process will take unnecessarily long. I was able to maintain a good simmer on my stovetop’s lowest setting.

4) Skim off the foam: The milk solids will rise to the top in a frothy foam. Gently skim off the foam with a tablespoon, removing the white foam but not the yellow butter. You don’t have to remove every last bit of foam, as you’ll be straining the ghee at the end. The purpose of removing this foam is towfold: 1) so that you can see the butter better to know what stage it’s at, and 2) so that you can tell if more new foam is being created. Both of these will help you judge if the ghee is done. I discard the foam and all the milk particles, but some people like to eat them (typically on non-paleo items like toast and pasta).

5) Continue skimming the foam: Do not stir the butter, as there are milk solids collecting at the bottom of the pan that you don’t want to disturb. The majority of the foam will be created at the very beginning. A second round of foam will follow. After that, the foam creation will slow down considerably.

6) Watch the butter: While it’s clarifying, you’ll see milk particles being brought to the surface via the simmering bubbles. It’ll be somewhat difficult to see the bottom of the pan (even more so if you’re using salted butter which foams more). As you near the end point, the butter and the bubbles will become increasingly clear, and you’ll be able to see the bottom easily.

7) From clarified butter to ghee: Once no more new foam is being created, the butter looks clear, and you can easily see the bottom of the pot, you are almost done. At this stage, you have a very well clarified butter. Now, allow the butter to simmer for a few minutes longer to cook out the moisture, and to allow the milk particles stuck to the bottom of the pot to turn a nice golden brown. Watch the butter carefully, as you want the color to remain golden, and not to burn and turn brown. The milk solids at the bottom shouldn’t become any darker than a light brown. At this point, remove the pot from the heat.

You may not need those extra few minutes at the end if the ghee is already golden and the milk particles are light brown as soon as it stops foaming. The length of time for the whole process depends on the quantity of butter being clarified. (The last time I made ghee, it took 40 minutes once the butter had melted, and that was for 2lbs of salted butter).

8) Strain the ghee into a clean glass jar: Use a fine mesh sieve, lined with a cheesecloth or a coffee filter. Do not close the jar until the ghee has cooled.

9) Storage: I recommend storing your ghee in the fridge (for up to 6 months). It can also be frozen for the same length of time.

If you enjoyed this recipe, please remember to share it (pinterest, facebook, twitter, etc.). Thanks!

I visited Acme Café with a single target in mind: their lemon meringue pie. I’m doing some meringue “research” (no, really, it’s for potential future recipes), and Acme is purported to have the best lemon meringue pie in town. In fact, it’s been featured on the cover of Vancouver magazine as part of their list of 101 Things to Taste (2011).

It was quite the successful Acme outing. Not only did I claim their last piece of lemon meringue pie, but they had two other types of meringue as well! I sampled their chocolate dipped orange meringues as well as their chocolate meringue cookies with white chocolate chunks.

First, the pie. Its towering mountain of meringue was impressive. Light, and not cloyingly sweet – well done! The lemon filling packed a lip puckering sweet/sour punch. A little bit on the sweet side, but still very enjoyable. The crust was very thin, which made avoiding it easier (I don’t eat gluten). The best in town accolades make sense.

The chocolate dipped orange meringues were surprising – they were moist and citrusy on the inside. Great textural contrast to the crunchy exterior. They were too sweet for me, but that’s to be expected – a meringue is simply egg whites and sugar, after all.

I also enjoyed the crunchiness of the chocolate meringue cookies. They were also too sweet for me, but I did like how intensely chocolatey they tasted.

My friend tried the blueberry pie, and was very pleased with it. I sampled the blueberry filling, and could see why – very tasty.

The space was retro diner-ish, welcoming but sparse. The service was great – very friendly and welcoming. Overall, as far as meringue goes, and treats in general, Acme Café exceeded my expectations – nice variety and execution.

Dinner: lettuce wrapped tacos with guacamole

Lunch: salad assembled daily: lettuce + sausage + avocado + strawberries + watermelon radish + nuts + olive oil.

Snacks/dessert: Flourless poppy seed cake, dark chocolate.

Now I have food for most of the week – such is the joy of batch cooking :)

What are you eating this week?

Bibimbap. BiBIMbap. BibimBAP! Admittedly, I may have annoyed a few people when I batch cooked this dish. It’s SO fun to say. The correct pronunciation is BEE-beem-bop. Try it. No really, give it a shot. And you know what, it’s even more fun to eat! I was a little giddy every time I admired the contents of my bowl before digging in. So colorful, so many flavors and textures!

Bibimbap is a Korean dish that literally means “mixed rice” – and since this is a paleo/primal site, I used cauliflower “rice”. Personally, I liked chopsticking away at each quadrant of my bowl separately, but most people stir it all together once it’s assembled – do whatever feels right!

And that’s the great thing about bibimbap – anything goes. The main components are rice + beef + veggies + egg. From there you can let your imagination run wild, or simply be guided by the contents of your fridge. Feel free to use the recipe below as a starting point for your bibimbap adventures! (And don’t worry, it’s not nearly as labor intensive as it looks).

Bibimbap

(Serves 8)

Beef bulgogi

• 1 pound steak, thinly sliced (preferably sirloin or rib-eye)
• 1/2 cup coconut aminos
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon water

1. In a small bowl, combine honey and water, whisking with a fork until combined.

2. Add the honey water mixture and all the ingredients except for the steak to a large bowl or ziplock bag. Stir well to combine.

3. Add the steak. Place in fridge and marinate for 1 hour minimum (or overnight). If using a bag, shake it a few times during the marinating process to keep the meat well coated. If using a bowl, stir the contents.

4. If you have a BBQ, the bulgogi would taste great grilled. Otherwise, place all of the beef on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make sure your oven rack is 4-6” from the top element. Broil the beef on high for approximately 5 minutes. Flip the meat and broil for another 5 minutes or until slightly cooked through and slightly brown.

Cauliflower Rice

• 1 cauliflower
• coconut oil

1) Trim off the cauliflower leaves. Using a knife, remove and discard the cauliflower core. Break the cauliflower up into florets.

3) In batches, place the florets into a food processor and pulse until chopped into small pieces. Don’t overprocess – you don’t want the cauliflower to turn into mush. Think jumbo grains of rice.

4) Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Lightly grease pan.

5) Cook the cauliflower for approximately 5-10 minutes until it’s tender and cooked through. I like mine slightly golden for the bibimbap.

Cucumber

• 1 large cucumber, thinly sliced (preferably using a mandolin)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1) Place the sliced cucumber in a colander and toss with the salt. Let stand for 20 minutes.

2) Rinse the cucumber and squeeze dry.

3) Transfer the cucumber to a small bowl and add the rice vinegar, sesame oil and red pepper flakes. Combine well and allow to chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Mushrooms

• 1 pound mushrooms (preferably Portobello and/or Shitake), thinly sliced
• coconut oil
• salt
• pepper

1) Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Grease pan with coconut oil.

2) Pan fry the mushrooms until tender and cooked (approximately 20 minutes). Make sure to drain the liquid from the pan several times while cooking.

3) Remove the mushrooms from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spinach

• 4 bunches spinach, rinsed well and stems trimmed off
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• sesame oil (or coconut oil)

1) Boil some water in a large pot.

2) Wash the spinach well. Add the spinach to the boiling water (you may have to do it in batches depending on the size of your pot). Cook just until wilted (approximately 3 minutes).

3) Drain the spinach into a colander. Let cool. Squeeze liquid out of spinach.

4) Heat a large pan over medium high heat. Grease pan with oil.

5) Add the garlic and cook just until fragrant and starting to brown (approximately 2 minutes).

6) Add the spinach, coconut aminos, and sesame seeds. Cook for approximately 5 minutes until flavours have combined.

Carrots

• 4 carrots, julienned
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• sesame oil (or coconut oil)

1) Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Grease pan with oil.

2) Pan fry the carrots until slightly tender (approximately 5 minutes).

Other

• 1 egg, fried sunnyside-up (per serving)
• kimchi (optional)
• hot sauce (optional)

Bibimbap Assembly

1) Spread the cauliflower rice along the bottom of each bowl.

2) Place the fried egg on top of the rice, with the yolk at the center of the bowl.

3) Arrange the beef bulgogi, vegetables, and kimchi (optional) around the fried egg. Serve some hot sauce on the side (optional).

If you enjoyed this recipe, please remember to share it (pinterest, facebook, twitter, etc.). Thanks!

I was shocked to see Café Regalade on Groupon. They’ve been on my radar for some time, have great reviews, and I thought they were doing quite well. Perhaps it’s due to the recent construction along 4th Ave., which is probably hurting all of the businesses in that area? I don’t know, but obviously I jumped at the chance to eat there at a discount.

Café Regalade is a little French bistro in Kitsilano, sister restaurant to West Vancouver’s La Regalade. It is operated by Steeve Rayé, son of Alain Rayé, two-time Michelin star winner, and owner of the West Van location.

The interior is styled much like a quaint French bistro, with red tabletops and curtains, chalkboards listing the day’s specials, and plenty of pig décor throughout.

We were immediately off to a good start. The server noticed me fumbling for my Groupon as I sat down and told me not to worry about it, to just use it as I would a gift certificate. How refreshing to not be made to feel unwanted for using a Groupon. Plus, other than it only being good for dinner, and only before 6:30pm on Saturdays, there were no restrictions.

Service, when there, was terrific – knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. But they were severely understaffed, with only one server for the entire bistro, which meant that service was much too slow. Also, just an observation: when a staff member is visibly sick (coughing, etc.), it’d probably be better if they didn’t interact with customers.

To start, I ordered a kir, a traditional French aperitif of white wine with crème de cassis liqueur. I loved it – bright, acidic wine, punctuated by a slightly sweet yet tart fruity flavour.

For an appetizer, I ordered the smoked herring with potato salad. The presentation was very cute, with the herring served in a sardine can. I’ve never had smoked herring like this before – it reminded me very much of smoked salmon, but more fishy – it was very tasty. I was surprised that the potato salad was served warm! It was delicious with tons of finely minced shallot.

My friend had the French onion soup, which I had to sample even though it wasn’t gluten-free. It was okay, but a little bland. It definitely needed some more seasoning. Also, I believe there was some tomato in there, which isn’t traditional, and I didn’t particularly like. I loved how that gooey, melted Swiss cheese covered the entire soup though.

For the main, I had the gigot, a 7 hour lamb. It was fatty and tender, but the flavours didn’t blow me away.

Same with my friend’s beef bourguignon. It tasted strongly of red wine, but not much else in terms of flavour. I wasn’t impressed by the sauces of either dish.

We both liked the gratin dauphinois, which accompanied both dishes. It was very garlicky, and nicely flavoured with ginger and nutmeg.

For dessert, we shared the floating islands (îles flottantes), soft-poached meringue floating on crème anglaise and drizzled with caramel. The texture of the meringue was awesome – light and fluffy. The sauce was also very good, although with the addition of the caramel (as it’s traditionally served), the dessert was a little too much on the sweet side for me.

The food at Café Regalade was very good, but didn’t exceed my expectations. My appetizer was the highlight of my meal. Service was good – as good as can be, considering they were understaffed. I think I would’ve been more satisfied with the experience if prices were lower – in my opinion, those dishes shouldn’t have crossed over the $20 mark, which starts to exceed the “café” price point. The Groupon obviously helped in that regard.

Overall, I enjoyed my experience at Café Regalade, but I am still on the hunt for that perfect French bistro experience in Vancouver.

Seeing these cheerful, bright radishes on my plate puts a huge smile on my face. If that plateful doesn’t look like spring, I don’t know what does! Luckily, radishes are available for most of the year, but it’s in spring that they make their first appearance and are the most plentiful.

I’ve always loved eating radishes raw on salads, and I also enjoy the French way of serving them, dipped in some butter and sprinkled with salt. But roasting radishes transforms them into an almost entirely different vegetable. They mellow out slightly, losing some of their bite.

The flavour of roasted radishes is quite unique – if you like raw radishes, then I’m quite certain you’ll enjoy these. But what’s more, if you find raw radishes a little too much to handle, then roasting them might make you a fan of these cute veggies. I’ve been eating them all week alongside my morning eggs, but they would make a wonderful, colorful side dish to any meal.

Ingredients:

• 2 bunches of radishes
• olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme (optional)
• salt
• pepper
• butter, at room temperature (optional)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 450° F.

2. Trim ends of radishes, leaving a tiny bit of green. Reserve the greens. Rinse the radishes well and pat them dry with paper towel.

3. Place the radishes on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cut larger radishes in quarters or halves and leave small ones whole.

4. Drizzle the radishes with olive oil, sprinkle with the thyme (optional) and a dash each of salt and pepper. Roll the radishes around to cover them with the olive oil and seasoning.

5. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven. Bake for approximately 20 minutes until the radishes are golden and slightly tender when pierced with a fork.

6. Rinse the radish greens well. Mince the radish greens. Set aside.

7. Remove the radishes from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

8. Place the radishes in a serving dish and toss with a generous pat of butter and a sprinkling of minced radish greens. Serve warm or at room temperature.

If you enjoyed this recipe, please remember to share it (pinterest, facebook, twitter, etc.). Thanks!

Dinner: Bibimbap! (That just feels like it deserves an exclamation mark). And here’s what’s in it: cauliflower rice, pickled cucumbers, spinach, beef bulgogi, mushrooms, carrots, kimchi, and fried egg (not shown). (Recipe coming soon!)

Lunch: Tarragon chicken salad.

Snacks: Dark chocolate, almond butter.

Now I have food for most of the week – such is the joy of batch cooking :)

What are you eating this week?

You know when you buy a new car, and then you keep spotting that car everywhere you drive, as if it were the most popular car on the planet? Well, I don’t know if it’s just because I’ve been experimenting with panna cotta recipes of late, but I’m seeing this dessert everywhere – on every restaurant menu, reality TV cooking shows, etc. I’m not sure if panna cotta is enjoying a resurgence, or if perhaps this lovely Italian dessert never really left the spotlight.

Either way, its popularity is much deserved. It can be made ahead of time, and sits patiently in the fridge until its turn comes. And considering how impressive it looks and how luxurious it tastes, no one would ever guess just how simple it is to prepare. But what I love most about it is its versatility. Because panna cotta pairs so well with all sorts of flavours, it’s a dessert chameleon, changing with the seasons to allow endless variations.

This recipe showcases rhubarb – I’m thrilled that it’s currently in season, and can’t seem to get enough of it. The rhubarb’s bright red colour dramatically contrasts the panna cotta’s snowy white. And its tartness is gently tamed with some honey and vanilla, both of which complement the cream’s inherent sweetness.

Whether you make this panna cotta with rhubarb, whichever fruit is in season, or another flavour combination, I hope you enjoy this tasty dessert as much as I do.

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

Panna Cotta

• 2 cups (500 ml) heavy cream
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tablespoons honey
• Zest of 1/2 lemon, in large strips (use vegetable peeler)
• 1/2 vanilla bean, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 packet unflavoured gelatin (approx. 2 ¼ teaspoons or 10g) (I use GoBIO)
• 3 tablespoons cold water
• Coconut oil (if unmolding)

Poached Rhubarb

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup honey
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Zest of 1/2 lemon, in large strips (use vegetable peeler)
• 1/2 vanilla bean (both the pod & the scraped out seeds, reserved from the panna cotta), or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pound rhubarb stalks

Preparation:

Panna Cotta

1. If you will be unmolding your panna cotta, lightly grease your ramekins with coconut oil to prevent the panna cotta from sticking. Place your greased moulds in the fridge to chill. If you will not be unmolding, skip this step.

2. Add the cream, 1/2 cup water, honey, and strips of lemon zest to a saucepan. If using a vanilla bean, split it in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the back of a knife. Add half the pod and half the seeds to the saucepan and reserve the other half of the pod and the seeds for the rhubarb. If using vanilla extract, do not add it in yet.

3. Bring the cream mixture to a simmer over low heat, stirring frequently. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Cover and allow to steep for 30 minutes.

4. Bloom the gelatin: Pour the 3 tablespoons of cold water into a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the surface of the water so that it is not all clumped together. Let stand 5 minutes.

5. Reheat the cream mixture, bringing it to a simmer. Remove from the heat. Remove the vanilla bean pod and the lemon peel. If using vanilla extract, stir it in now.

6. Add the bloomed gelatin to the cream, stirring until all of the granules have dissolved.

7. Strain the panna cotta mixture. (Don’t skip this step! Straining ensures a smooth panna cotta by eliminating any bits of vanilla pod or lemon peel that were left behind, as well as any undissolved gelatin granules).

8. Pour the panna cotta mixture into your ramekins. Allow to cool.

9. Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap and place the ramekins in the fridge. Allow to chill for 4 hours. If you are making panna cotta in advance, still follow the next step and unmold after four hours, then return the unmolded panna cottas to the fridge.

10. Gently slide a thin, sharp knife around the edge of each panna cotta. Dip the ramekin into a bowl of hot tap water for 5 seconds (not allowing any water to enter the ramekin). Invert the ramekin over your serving plate* and gently shake the panna cotta to help it slide out. Be careful if you are using a thin glass vessel that has just come from the fridge, as placing it in hot water may cause it to shatter (not an issue with ramekins, custard cups, Pyrex, and other heatproof materials).

Rhubarb

1. In a saucepan, bring to a boil all the ingredients except the rhubarb. Reduce the heat and maintain at a simmer.

2. Trim both ends of the rhubarb stalks, making sure to cut off all remnants of the leaves, which are toxic. Slice the rhubarb on a slight diagonal into 1 cm pieces.

3. In batches, add the sliced rhubarb into the simmering liquid, so as to not overcrowd the rhubarb. Poach the rhubarb for approximately 3 minutes, until it has started to soften, but before it becomes mushy – it will continue to cook once removed from the liquid. Use a slotted spoon to remove the rhubarb. Place the rhubarb on a large plate in a single layer. Continue poaching the rest of the rhubarb in batches.

4. After all the rhubarb has been poached and removed from the liquid, bring the liquid to a boil. Allow it to reduce for approximately 5 minutes until it has thickened into a syrupy but still runny consistency. If it becomes too syrupy, you can always add some more water. Remove the poaching liquid from the heat. Allow both the rhubarb and the syrup to cool completely.

5. Arrange the cooled rhubarb slices onto the panna cotta**. Pour the cooled syrup over top of, and surrounding the panna cotta. Serve right away or keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

Notes:

* Small, rimmed plates are best because they allow the sauce to pool around the panna cotta.

** You will likely have some leftover rhubarb and syrup after you’ve plated your panna cotta. It makes for a delicious snack, with yogurt or whipped cream (coconut, heavy cream, or my favorite: crème fraîche).

If you enjoyed this recipe, please remember to share it (pinterest, facebook, twitter, etc.). Thanks!

Shared with Real Food Wednesdays.

This North Vancouver restaurant has been serving breakfast and burgers since 1926, making it the oldest family-run eatery in Canada. In the past few years, it has gotten some media attention. It was featured on two Food Network shows: Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with Guy Fieri, and where I first heard of it: You Gotta Eat Here with John Catucci. A lot of the restaurants on these shows tend to focus on quantity over quality, so I was a little skeptical. But after seeing their commitment to organic, I was intrigued.

We only buy and serve 100% premium certified ORGANIC ground beef from The Blue Goose Cattle Company!

That means they ensure: No growth-hormones or antibiotics are ever administered to the herd. the animals are free to range and graze on organic pastures. The cattle receive a finishing feed of 100% organically grown grains.

Our 100% pure beef wieners are served on our special baked buns.

Yes, the cows are not 100% grass-fed, but for a diner I’d say those standards are pretty decent. So, after a hike on the North Shore, I figured it was time to check this place out.

If you visit, don’t get too put off by the kitschy gift shop and pond full of rubber duckies (what?!), especially since you’ll most likely be waiting in that area as this restaurant is always packed. But the line moves fast, and there’s no knicknacks inside, just a nice A-frame cabin-like space, adorned with Native art throughout. The interior is a little too dark for my liking – all of the dark wood along with a lack of any natural light can make it seem a bit dreary. But it’s very nicely kept up inside.

This place definitely feels like a diner. And I don’t know about you, but I haven’t been to very many real diners myself, not to mention ones that have been ticking along for 87 years, so that was an experience in and of itself.

The Tomahawk is best known for its burgers, which are named after some of the Indian chiefs that the original owner, Chick Chamberlain, had known over the years, and the Yukon-style Bacon & Eggs (5 slices of Yukon-style bacon, two country-style free range eggs served fried or scrambled, a heaping portion of golden-griddled hash brown potatoes, and two tick slices of Klondike toast).

My friend and I both opted for the burgers. I had a bunless Chief Capilano Burger (Onions, lettuce, ground organic beef patty, egg, aged cheddar cheese, wiener, tomato, and Tomahawk special sauce). My friend had the Skookum Chief Burger (Onions, lettuce, organic ground beef patty, Yukon bacon, egg, aged cheddar cheese, wiener, tomato, and Tomahawk special sauce).

I was relieved that what was placed in front of me was not a monstrosity. It was a decent amount of food (I guess even more so with the bun), but not a wasteful, stuff-yourself-silly amount. I liked the shaved  lettuce, and it looked like I was given more of it because I didn’t want a bun. I also liked the wieners (I don’t remember the last time I ate wieners!), and the patty which was pretty flavorful. I do wish that the patty was substantially larger though – it was pretty small and thin, which is probably why my friend’s was on the dry side. Neither of us could find any “special sauce”. For me that’s not a bad thing, as I always wonder that’s in the sauce. But we were still surprised by how little of it there was. I chose to have the greens instead of fries, with a nice balsamic vinaigrette. My friend’s fries were good, pretty standard.

Overall, we had a great diner meal, with organic ingredients, which is not exactly typical diner fare. There are a lot of negative reviews on Urbanspoon with regards to the service – that and wait times seem to be the main complaints. Personally, I found the line to move quickly – they were efficient with the turnover of tables. And, I found service to be friendly, helpful, and relatively quick. So, I’m happy to say that overall, I enjoyed my meal at Tomahawk.