The Great Burger Hunt - Daly Burger

Where a delicious mess awaits you

So I fucked up.  Not a bad fuck up but I did.  I chose Daly Burger as my next stop for the Great Burger Hunt for a reason.  I have a Groupon for Daly Burger.  But of course…. I did not use it.

Curses!!!!

Oh well, at least this time I treated James , who treated me a couple months back.  The Daly Burger on Pembina, not Corydon, was the stop for us.  While we waited for our burgers James and I discussed, or maybe it was a debate, the newest season of Doctor Who.  Which is probably a post for another time….

As we talked I jotted some notes down, like the type of food Daly Burger serves, which, you know, is mostly burgers (beef and chicken).  They also serve a few sandwiches, gyros, chicken fingers, salads, fries, and ice cream.

We waited a bit longer then expected for our food considering that it was not very busy but our number was called and soon we each had a deluxe cheeseburger and fries sitting in front of us!  A sign on the front loomed in the corner ----->

The fries be perfect.  Hands down the best I have reviewed yet.  They were crispy, seasoned and salty, and soft on the inside.

A deluxe cheeseburger at Daly Burger consists of lettuce, tomato, pickles, cheese (albeit a gross processed slice), chili, and onions.  It was a yummy mess to eat.  As we ate there was a silence while we struggled not to make too big of a mess.  Oddly enough the bun was cold, like it was just pulled from the freezer.  It was not filling burger, with a small patty and not much chili, and I actually finished all the burgers and fries, which doesn’t happen often on the Great Burger Hunt.

Did it live up to the Winnipeg’s Best sign?  I don’t know about that, but it definitely is very, very good.  I recommend trying one if you get the chance.

What I got - Deluxe Cheeseburger and Fries (10.45 after taxes)

Burger Taste : 3/5

Fries Taste : 5/5

Price Value : 3/5

Menu Selection : 4/5

Overall : 3.75/5

St-Ambroise Oatmeal Stout

A beer where people tell me my taste buds are off

Beer : St-Ambroise Oatmeal Stout

Brewery : McAuslan Brewing

Brewed In : Quebec, Canada

Style : Oatmeal Stout

ABV : 5%

Price : $3+

Notes : Available year round.

Story : Kevin brought this beer back from Edmonton.

Appearance : Poured vicious pitch black with a tan head, that is quite thick.

Smell : A little espresso scent but not much at all to the aroma of this beer.

Taste : Coffee and espresso was the most I could pick out.  Unsure but there might have been a bit of a toffee taste as well.

Mouthfeel : Surprisingly not as full bodied as expected

Drinkability : Not sure if its me, but I really look forward to trying Oatmeal Stouts and they are always underwhelming.  Not impressed, even though my buddy Kevin loves it.  I would consider this an average beer.  Definitely a sipping beer too, it really took me a long time to finish the glass.

To Fringe!

Yes it begins again!!!

I love Fringe Fest. The free shows in Old Market Square, the lemonade, mini donuts, street vendors, and of course, the great theatre I get to take in.

This year started with a meet up of a few friends for some poutine and drinks at King's Head before I headed off to my first show of the year.

Bonus - it was free thanks to Zack Adams !

Figured I would give a quick review before I head out for another night of Fringe!

Now the show, Zack Adams: Love Songs For Future Girl , is a one man show.  A one man (or woman) show usually is amazing, like last years UnAdulterated Me, but sometimes they can be just atrocious.

Thankfully Zack, all the way from Australia, put on a hell of a good show. Keeping the crowd involved and telling his story of love, or lack of love, depending on your perspective through story-telling songs. Zack sings some hit songs, to show his feeling about the girl he is speaking about, from Billy Ray Cyrus , Third Eye Blind , and another (I think) I can't remember. But not only that, Zack sings his own songs and they were funny, heartwarming and full of ginger beards!

I'd definitely say mark this on your list of shows to see for this year’s Fringe. It is a very solid one-man show! Thanks again to Zack for hooking me up with the free tickets!!!!

Hockley Valley Brewing Hockley Dark

A light step into the darkness

Beer : Hockley Dark

Brewery :  Hockley Valley Brewing Co

Brewed In : Ontario, Canada

Style : English Brown Ale

ABV : 5%

Price : $2.84

Notes : Year-round availability in cans or bottles.

Story : My first run in with a can of Hockley Dark came at Luxalune when the waitress brought my buddy Kevin one and the pour was a good 5 fingers of head that went a 4 inches above the top of the glass and it was so thick it didn’t teeter over.  Colour me impressed.  Then Kevin raved about the beer for the rest of the night.  A week or so later I picked up a couple cans.  Been drinking it ever since.

Appearance : Pours dark reddish brown that is nice and clear minus the odd bubble floating to the surface.  Thick tan head, this one didn’t pour a two finger head like Hockley Dark normally pours.  I was very confused by that.  Does that show that I have drank this beer more than once?

Smell : The aroma isn’t very strong but I get roasted malts and a bit of chocolate.

Taste : A roasty chocolate flavour with a bit of coffee.  The finish is a little watery with a little dry biscuity flavour.

Mouthfeel : Light body and light carbonation.

Drinkability : I enjoy this beer from time to time and recommend trying it but I do not love it as much as my buddy Kevin does.  This is a very easy, and decent tasting, drinking beer that you could drink quite a few of in one sitting.

Smoke’s Poutinerie

Does it live up to the hype?

Some stores and restaurants have a hype to them when they open. Smoke’s Poutinerie is one of those places. It may be the lack of good poutine, or so I'm told, in this city (Winnipeg) that created an unreal amount of hype for Smoke's the days before it opened. But the line up was out the door and some people waited 90 minutes to get their taste of poutine done right.

Double Pork

So was the hype valid?

Now before I get into my review I should state that I am not a poutine guy. Yes I was excited to try it but poutine has never been something I went out of my way for. Sure I love cheese, and fries, but gravy is something I will never understand. That would be the reason I did not just review Smoke’s after one taste. I have gone multiple times now. Tasted different varieties and made by different cooks to give my palette and biased view a good chance to review it fairly.

My initial reaction, after waiting in line for 45 minutes, was a good one. I ordered the bacon poutine, which had the right amount of bacon, lots!  But the lack of cheese curds kind of confused me. Although they did not put much gravy on it and that was probably the reason I enjoyed it so much.

Since Smoke’s took my "real" poutine virginity according to some, like Ryan , although I have had "real" poutine a few times before, I have returned multiple times with lots of other tasty, non poutine, options sitting right by Smokes.

Bacon

Other poutines I have tried from Smoke’s has been the pulled pork, double pork, Canada Day special (with 2 types of bacon and mushrooms) and the nacho grande poutine.

All were excellent with an exception of the last trip I made to Smoke’s. Previously all the poutines I had eaten there were lacking copious amounts of cheese and gravy. And while the lack of cheese was disappointing, the lack of gravy made the poutine superb.  This time though.... it was slathered in gravy. And it was far too much.

I've heard some complain about the gravy, which I don't think is terrible, but it could definitely be less salty. That being said, if you get a poutine not loaded with the gravy it is excellent. Tons of gravy though, you may not enjoy it as much like me. Of course I will eat at Smoke’s again. Probably a few more times unless they are consistently loaded with gravy, and if that is the case I may just go and ask for light gravy.