The Great Burger Hunt - Cousins Deli & Lounge

Hit all the right spots

After a couple hard fought battles of squash, which I cannot recall who won, Kevin and I headed for some food.  Both starving we decided to make it a stop for The Great Burger Hunt.  Originally we were going to a place off of Academy Road but found out, as we were on the way, that they are closed for business.

Stumped we had no idea where to go, but Brett had told me about Cousins Deli before, and we were kind of headed in that direction, so off we went.

Cousins Deli is a small restaurant on Sherbrook St.  Not really sure what we were to expect.  I can say it smelled fantastic when we walked inside.  A quick look at the menu and I knew that this was not going to be a regular burger hunt though, as they do not serve french fries here.  Blasphemy I know but when serving a healthier style of food the deep fryer is the first thing to go.

Instead of fries Kevin and I both got the coconut-curried lentil soup with our burger.  This soup was all kinds of delicious.  It was very filling and hit the spot as well as being a great compliment to the burger.

Now I have heard the veggie burger is the burger to get at Cousins, and as much as I love vegetarian food, I was in the mood for classic style beef burger.  I was considering getting the veggie burger with bacon on it but decided that was probably a sin of some kind.  So I just got the regular burger, with bacon of course.  Prices were relatively cheap; it was $3.55 a burger, and another $1.25 for the bacon.

This is one of those burgers where the burger patty itself is not anything special.  Do not get me wrong, by no means was the burger not tasty but it could have had a little more spice in it.  But Cousins Deli makes up for that by putting the average burger on a spectacular whole-wheat bun with lots of toppings.

Tons of lettuce, tomato, pickles, red onion, and cheese covered the burger.  The right amount of mustard and ketchup were there as well.  Not to mention the delicious bacon, I mean bacon is always delicious, but this bacon was thick slices and cooked perfectly, in that bacon phase of heaven when it is crispy but still soft.

The rest of the menu sounds just as delicious, as they have curry (mmm curry), roti (mmm roti), salads (greek, pesto, pasta, or garden), and sandwiches (I fail at taking notes as I did not get the type of sandwiches they have).  And if you are a vegetarian they have most of those as meat free dishes as well.

What I got - Burger, coconut-curried lentil soup, and a coffee, $10.90 (after taxes).

Price Value : 3/5

Menu Selection : 4/5

Burger Taste : 4/5

Fries Taste : 0/5 (N/A)

Overall : 3.6/5

55 Sherbrook Street

Winnipeg, MB

(204) 783-4695

Beer Potluck!!

The best type of potluck!

A joint blog post between Adrian , Brett , and I!!!

Saturday night is a night for beer and pizza.  So we made that happen.  Not only did we make it happen but we decided to do a little beer tasting before the pizza arrived.  The 5 of us (actually 6 but one is not a big beer drinker) all brought a different type of beer to have a beer potluck night.

It was a night of fun stories, tasty beers, pizza, hockey playoffs, snacks, some games, and just good times.  My favourite moment of the night would be Adrian explaining how hard it is for someone with a British accent to order a glass of water.

Adrian *in a British accent* - “I’d like a glass of water.”

Waitress - “What?”

Adrian - “Water.”

Waitress - “Sorry?”

Adrian - “WATER.”

Waitress - “I’m unsu…”

Adrian *in a frustrated Canadian accent* - “A glass of water.”

Quite a bit of beer, and a good variety of beer, was drunk before we even got to the tasting.  Some of the beer consumed: Half Pints Bulldog Amber Ale, Samuel Adams Noble Pils and Boston Lager, Hockley Valley Brewing’s Dark, Brouwerij Huyghe’s Van Diest Fruli Strawberry, Binding-Brauerei’s Schofferhofer Grapefruit Hefeweizen.  There could have been more, I’m not sure, as a lot was consumed.

Here are our thoughts, the ABC’s, of the beers we all brought for the potluck.

Peroni Nastro Azzurro : Brett started the beer potluck off with a lager brewed in Roma (Italy) by Birra Peroni Industiale.  5.1% ABV.

Why did he bring this : Brett mainly drinks Guinness so that is what everyone expected him to bring. When he was walking around the LC he noticed an old familiar beer that he only drank in 2007.   Brett got to taste the wonders of Roma again, and throw everyone’s expectations out the window!

Adrian says – This beer stinks of skunk. It is probably at the top of the worlds stinkiest beers list. However, it does taste quite refreshing. I am not much of a lager drinker so I can't say I'll be picking up a pack anytime soon, but I won't disown you if you drink this either.

Brett says – I was drinking this beer in Roma, smelled just like I remember (a skunks bum). However the taste is smooth and it is an easy beer to drink so don’t get discouraged by the smell!

Colin says – “Holy shit!  Who let the skunk in the room, wait, what, it’s the beer...oh.”  Once I got passed the smell the taste was actually not too bad, a little malt base with some grain flavour coming across in the finish.  The no skunk in the flavour was a surprise.  This beer is a typical European lager but the taste is very unexpected after you get a whiff of the skunkiness.

Tranquair Jacobite : This is what I brought; a scotch ale from, well, Scotland (UK) and brewed by Tranquair House Brewery. 8% ABV.

Why did he bring this :  I first had this at Christmas time last year and fell in love with it.  Figured it would be a good beer to bring.

Adrian says – I bought a few dusty bottles of this late last year. Since then, my thoughts on the beer haven't changed. It has tonnes of flavour and it leaves you wanting more. It is so rich and delicious, and unlike most Scottish beers, it isn't too sweet.

Brett says – One word: Delicious! The only complaint I have with this beer is I didn’t drink more.

Colin says – This beer is full of flavour with roasted chocolate, caramel, molasses, dark fruits, coffee, and spice goodness.  To say this is a complex flavoured beer is probably an understatement.

Rogue Mocha Porter : Kevin supplied the porter for the night from the Oregon (USA) based Rogue Brewery. 5.3% ABV.

Why did he bring this : This was Kevin’s response when I asked him why he chose this beer…. think of his response as a PSA for tasty beer.

“ Choosing a beer for me is like choosing a dessert. I'm making a choice based on how I feel, If I was having pie I would ask myself, blueberry or apple? The same applies for beer, stout or a pilsner today?

Beer should not be something we consume lots of just to get intoxicated.  If beer did not have this effect on us, decisions like what can I drink a lot of so I don’t get bloated or make me less hung over, would never come into play.

Instead when choosing beer ask yourself, what would go with my meal? Maybe a Mocha porter would accent this burger I'm enjoying, or the hoppy taste of an IPA would balance out this sweet fruit I’m eating.

There is more then enough beer out there to try and for me trying a new beer is half of the excitement.”

I guess we will never know why he chose the Rogue Mocha Porter!

Adrian says – It's a chocolaty, coffee porter. No points for originality but many points for being delicious and arriving in a large bottle :)

Brett says – At first taste I thought I was in love, DON’T be fooled. This beer is like the ex-girlfriend you regret dating. At first its good, then you have more and everything gets worse. Eventually you are at a point of regret and disappointment. To harsh?

Colin says – Had one of these a few weeks ago and it was my last Bi-Weekly Beer Tasting review .  Taste was a burnt chocolate more than coffee and the finish was bitter hops.  Overall this is another solid brew from Rogue Brewery.

Young’s Double Chocolate Stout : Rhonda brought a stout brewed by Wells & Young’s in England (UK). 5.2% ABV.

Why did she bring this :  She is a chocoholic and also enjoys great beer, so naturally she chose this stout.

Adrian says – This is a good chocolaty stout. I think the aftertaste feels a little empty though. That is a good excuse to drink more of it because it goes down quite nicely.  A fairly delicious beer and if you can find it on tap in Britain it's worth a pint or two.

Brett says – I am writing this beer review a week later… Apparently this was a forgettable beer because I don’t remember exactly how it tastes. From what I can remember I did enjoy it, however it doesn’t seem like I liked it that much if I can’t remember. “We’re not that drunk!” – Beerfest

Colin says – A very sweet and chocolaty beer that I could drink a few of.  Normally sweeter beers are not for me but I really enjoyed the hell out of this one.

Garrison’s Imperial IPA : Adrian finished the beer potluck with an imperial IPA made by Garrison Brewing in Nova Scotia (Canada). 7% ABV.

Why did he bring this : He bought this beer because it is an IPA, and Adrian loves IPA's. As IPA's go, he thinks this is probably one of, if not the best, available in Manitoba's Orwellian liquor stores. That, and Adrian knew the guys hadn't tried it.

Adrian says – I think my thoughts on this beer are fairly clear. It rocks. And it comes in a sensible-sized bottle. I'd love to get some on tap one day.

Brett says – This was a tasty beer, defiantly something I will pick up in the summer. I can taste it now after a long day playing football or relaxing on the beach! Yes I recommend this, duh!

Colin says – This was quite good, very hoppy and bitter.  I also like IPA’s, although not as much as Adrian, and I will probably drink the bottle in my fridge at home pretty soon now.

After the beers were consumed the pizza we had ordered well over an hour ago showed up.  It was a taco pizza from Vern’s Pizza, which was conquered despite it being a little soggy and cold.  It was not bad but it just was not great, especially after the anticipation from Kevin saying how good the pizza was. While we were devouring the pizza Brett explained the “fat skinny complex” him and me have to everyone.

It was a great night, with great beer and fun people, and it just might have to happen again.  Hopefully I, and probably everyone else, won’t be so tired from being out late drinking from the previous night!

PHOTOS TAKEN BY BRETT ENQUIST

Rogue Mocha Porter

A porter that goes good with some ice cream!

Beer : Mocha Porter

Brewery : Rogue Brewery (Brewer’s on the Bay)

Brewed In : Oregon, United States

Style : American Porter

ABV : 5.3%

Price : $7.55 for a 650ml

Notes : Year-Round in bottles and if you are lucky (guessing the Oregon area) on tap!

Story : I bought this as soon as I saw it based on the brewery.  In Winnipeg we don’t get much Rogue, other than Dead Guy Ale, so I was stoked when I saw this!  I am a big fan of their Juniper Ale, Chocolate Stout and Chipotle Ale.

Appearance : Tan thick lacey head.  3 fingers deep!  Dark black at the top but has a little dark brown in the bottom of the glass

Smell : Mostly roasted coffee grinds with a hint of chocolate.

Taste : Burnt roasted chocolate more than coffee but the coffee is still strong, finish is bitter hops, almost like bitter coffee, more bitter than I expected it to be but I quite like it like that.

Mouthfeel : Light bodied with noticeable carbonation.  Although I enjoy bubbly beers I was not expecting it from this porter.

Drinkability :  For a porter I could drink this one all night long.  It is definitely light enough and the low 5.3% ABV really helps.  I am a fan of most of the Rogue brews.  They are never too powerful but have enough flavour.  Plus I had a bowl of maple nut ice cream with this and it went extremely well with it!

Does Liam Gallahger Own A Slow Cooker?

That is the question!!

Or at least someone is asking that question as they searched for it in google and found my blog.  When I pointed it out on Twitter, a few people commented, and we even tweeted Liam to find out if he really does own a slow cooker.  Sadly we got no response.

But my friend Sam wondered what exactly Liam would cook, if he has a slow cooker.  So he came up with this delicious looking recipe: "Liam Gallagher's" Sticky Port Lamb Shanks with Blue Cheese Dumplings . I suggest you head over to his blog and check out the tasty recipe.

Desnoes and Geddes Dragon Stout

A surprise from Jamaica

Beer : Dragon Stout

Brewery : Desnoes and Geddes (Diageo PLC)

Brewed In : Jamaica

Style : Stout

ABV : 7.5%

Price : Just under $2 a bottle

Notes : Available year round.  Serve in Snifter or Tulip.

Story : This was a purchase because of the price.  The other beers I was picking up were $5+ and I figured I should try something on the cheaper side to balance out the spending I was already doing.  Good logic I know but this time it was not a complete failure in logic.

Appearance : Pours a deep dark black with a slight red hue when held up into the light.  Very little head and it was pretty much all gone by the time I got to take my first sip.

Smell :  Nose not very strong at all, I am stuffed up a bit so I really couldn’t pick out specifics.  I noticed some chocolate after I had my initial taste but not sure if that was because I tasted it.

Taste : A minor hint of chocolate with a sweet taste and the finish has a small bitterness to it.  This beer is really sweet but doesn’t actually hold a lot of flavour.

Mouthfeel : Medium to full bodied and it causes the tongue to tingle due to the carbonation, although you don’t notice the carbonation much as the tongue tingle would let on.

Drinkability : I was very surprised with this beer.  It is not anything special but I probably would not turn one down in many situations as it is better then most beer found in bars around Winnipeg.  I could also see myself buying some more, especially at the low price.  Not a beer I could drink all night though due to the sweetness.

Crop Circles At Local Tennis Court

Pictures below!!!

Local St James Deer Lodge Tennis Club was struck with crop circles in the snow on Sunday March 27 ^th , 2010.  Reports filed in midday on the 27 ^th about strange looking shapes in the snow.  Naturally I had to go check them out.

While looking at the strange shapes left in the snow I could only wonder what was there.  So I began asking some of the residents living in the area around the tennis courts.

“I have no idea where they came from” exclaimed worried resident, who wants to remain anonymous, “when we woke up in the morning they were just there.”

Another local resident swore,” there was strange lights and noises coming from outside around midnight.”  Although with a quick look at city records it turns out it was just the street cleaners.  The alcohol on his breath, and him demanding I take his picture, also tipped me off that it was probably fake.

I am unsure if we will ever know exactly what did this.  With Deer Lodge Tennis Club being beside busy Ness Ave it is garnering quite a few gazes from passing by vehicles.  All curious about what did this.

Of course… I know it was really just my insane father, and his friend, shoveling off the court for tennis season to arrive faster.