Domino's Pizza

We decided to place an order to Domino's Pizza after the order mishap with Chicago's Deep Dish Pizza. We were set on pizza, and we were going to eat some no matter what!

When: Saturday, August 26 2006. (10:00 pm)

We say: T asked the staff on the line what was the best deal and we chose the local special #2, which consists of 1 medium pizza with 2 topping and Cheesy Bread ($13.99). We did a split pizza, with different toppings for M and T. The pizza did arrive (thankfully!) promptly and still quite hot.

Pro: Domino's Pizza is a standard amongst pizza - it is by no means fantastic but it tastes good and the product is always consistent. Service is reliable and they provide rebates through numerous coupons and special offers. Further more, they have a "satisfaction guaranteed" policy.

Con: The wait on hold while placing an order can be a little long on busy nights. Furthermore, there is nothing original about these pizzas or the ingredients used!

Verdict: T says nay, M says nay. We would rather support local joints like Nat's Pizzeria or even Panago for more playful and tastier pizzas.



Domino's Pizza
777 Denman Street
Vancouver BC
604-662-3030
www.dominos.ca

Chicago's Deep Dish Pizza

Sometimes after a rough day, there's nothing like ordering take out food and having a lazy evening at home. With this in mind, we decided to order pizza from a joint on Denman Street.

When: Saturday, August 26 2006. (9:00 pm)

During T's tally of the establishments on the West side of Denman Street, he noted that this restaurant did not look too appealing. This, with the fact that Chicago's Deep Dish Pizza was closed down temporarily in 2004 due to unsanitary conditions (see the Denman Street Restaurant Closure post for more information), led us to agree that we would only order take out to ensure fresher food.

On the drive back from Whistler, we stopped by Chicago's so that I could pick up a delivery menu. The place looked dirty and uninviting, and I nearly slipped on the entrance mat as the floor was so greasy. Anyhow, we decided to order there and get it over with.

We settled on the Chicago Special ($18.99 for a medium) and placed our order. We were told that our order should arrive within 30 minutes. 50 minutes later and no pizza, we decided to call them back. Apparently, the driver had been in an accident on Denman Street and our pizza would not be coming. The person on the phone was very friendly and offered us a complimentary pizza on our next call (which is offered with all orders above $17 as stated on the menu - but was not offered to us on our previous call).

Verdict: We will be giving Chicago's Deep Dish Pizza a second chance in the near future.

Please note: the menu does not state that they offer delivery. As well, this is a Hallal (non-pork) establishment.

Chicago's Deep Dish Pizza
721 Denman Street
Vancouver BC
604-915-7777

Vera's Burger Shack

We were hiking the beautiful Panorama Ridge in Garibaldi Provincial Park when we started to dream about burgers. The discussion became quite specific, with details of juicy meat, lists of toppings and descriptions of tasty fries. After eating camping food, it seemed like it got to us and we decided to indulge ourselves upon our return to Vancouver by paying a little visit to Vera's Burger Shack.

We were excited when we finally got to Vera's and placed our order. The place, which is crammed and small, was busy and hot from poor ventilation. Not that we cared though: we were more concerned about waiting for our food. Because every burger is made to order, this can make for long wait. And in this case waiting was especially difficult, considering that we had just completed a 35 km hike and had been dreaming of this moment for well over a day.

When: Monday, August 7 2006. (7:30 pm)

M says: I had been to Vera's before and had always found their burgers to be on the dry side. I decided to give the Lamb Burger ($6.99) one more chance and ordered it yet another time. I added shredded cheddar and the zucchini & eggplant mix for an extra $1.63, which was quite worth it. I was pleasantly surprised with my burger: it was the juiciest burger thus far, with nice pink meat throughout. Still, it was not as juicy as I would have wished for. The vegetables balanced everything: juicy and lightly marinated, they went quite well with the lamb.

To go along with our burgers, we decided to share a Poutine ($4.99). Being from Quebec, I take poutine very seriously. While the art of this classic cheese-gravy-fries combo is often lost in the West, I remembered Vera's poutine as quite the tasty one (for Vancouver that is). Unfortunately, I was really disappointed when the order arrived. The fries were quite unlike the ones I was used to from Vera's: these were pale, soggy fries and gone was the potato skin left on. The portion was also smaller than before. As for the other key ingredients, mozzarella rectangles were used instead of cheese curds but the cheese had the proper required stringiness. Lastly, the sauce had potential, but it was a bit weak and pale and there wasn't enough of it.

While talking to T, he revealed that he watched the cook prepare the poutine. What I learned was alarming: the fries used were not fresh ones from the fryer, but old ones that were already sitting in their basket, waiting for an order. The cook topped the fries with sauce and cheese and placed it under the grill to warm everything up. Doing this to poutine is sacrilegious. And yet, even with all of these things done wrong, this is still the best poutine in Vancouver that I've had thus far. I guess that I'll just have to accept the fact that I am no longer in Quebec.

T says: I ordered the Baja Burger ($7.99) with bacon ($1.09). Unfortunately, as I was expecting, the meat was dry. While waiting for our order I watched the cook working the grill, mercilessly smashing the burgers flat with the spatula and thus causing all the juices to run into the grill. It is really upsetting to see people using good quality produce and doing this to it. Done the right way, this would have been a great burger. I guess that this is the downfall of the open kitchen concept: it reveals things that you don't really want to know - in this case, about the burgers and the poutine. On the upside, the burger offers a thick patty, a great bun and good guacamole. Furthermore, the large Vanilla Milk Shake (4.29) was properly done. Thick and tasty, I could throw one of these back all day.

Pro: Great burger ideas and extensive list of topping options. Vera's burgers are consistently winning 1st place awards for the best burger in town.

Con: At just under $30, this makes for a very expensive burger meal. In the whole war of fast food burgers (aka Fatburger) vs gourmet burgers (aka Vera's), it seems that you'd be better off at Fatburger. See the Fatburger review for more info about this establishment and the burger war.

Verdict: T says nay, M say grr! I keep wanting to truly love this place as much the rest of Vancouver does but it just never happens... I keep giving it another chance but it just falls short of being spectacular. They use great ingredients and have a good concept - I just wish that they could pull it all together and cook everything properly in order to have banging food. In the meantime, I will have to give Vera's burgers a nay. It breaks my heart...



Vera's Burger Shack
1181 Denman Street
Vancouver BC
604-681-5450
www.verasburgershack.com