Alley Burger

I love hamburgers and I have been trying to locate the best hamburger in Calgary. I had known about CHARCUT's alley burger phenomenon for a long time but I was never able to attend due to my work hours. For those not in the know, CHARCUT is a restaurant across from the Calgary Tower and offers a "local chef driven, uban rustic cuisine". With all those ambiguous buzz words, you know the foodies are all over it. Whereas the everyday Joe I talk to has never heard of it. The alley burger was something you had to hear word of through twitter or facebook. You had to line up in an alleyway in back of CHARCUT at the designated time with droves of foodies and wait to be included in the head count so that you may get your $5 hamburger. Luckily, with the repressive food truck bylaw removed, CHARCUT has brought the alley burger to the streets. With all the hype I had absorbed from the foodie community concerning these alley burgers, I set forth on a mission to see how they fare amongst the hamburger kingdom.

The original Alley Burger.

I first tried the original alley burger, since that is what the original hype was all about... before the advent of the food truck hype. I am still skeptical about the food truck hype. "Hype" apparently has a price tag on it, and there is a lot of it when it comes to food trucks. Fortunately, I was impressed with my alley burger. A local garlic and pork sausage patty, with bacon, cheese curds and chimichurri aioli. The flavours worked together really well, and it was a very tasty burger. My only mistake was getting a double. Props to you if you can handle a double... there was a little too much sodium and fatty meat for me. But one patty would be delightful. I also ordered some fries, which came in a paper bag. There are various flavours of salt offered, which you can dump into your paper bag and shake up with your fries. Very good.

Now, my thinking was this: if AlleyBurger makes such an awesome novelty burger, then their regular hamburgers are probably awesome too. They refer to them as "whole truck burgers", and you can pick what toppings you want from the order sheet provided by the window. Basically you select whether you want an alley burger or a whole truck burger, how many patties, what toppings, and which sides. This time I went for a single, and to hold the bacon. I wanted cheese, mustard, chimichurri aioli, pickles and tomato. 

When I got my burger, it was a mixed blessing. I guess the option to circle or not circle bacon is a rhetorical question... as my burger came with bacon anyway. Also, circling mustard will do you no good. There is mustard and ketchup on the counter that you can apply for yourself. So what is the point of the order sheet?! The only real freedom of choice I felt I had was the addition of tomato and pickle to a burger that was otherwise dressed exactly like the original alley burger. I was expecting cheddar cheese but got cheese curds. The lonely strip of pickle was lost in the sizeableness of the burger. But it was a sizeable, structurally sound burger, and the flavours played together quite well, just like they did with the alley burger.

The burger was a nice package, requiring a two handed grip. Very comforting. There was one problem. And this is a very big problem, in my opinion. 

The patty.

The circumference was plenty. It was a little thin but completely passable. The problem was the texture. I could swear this patty was frozen and machine pressed. I can just tell by the texture of the ground beef in a patty whether or not it has been made fresh and lovingly by hand. There just wasn't the texture and flavour that I expect from a patty when I've paid 8 dollars for a hamburger. I would have enjoyed a never-frozen patty from Wendy's over this patty. I think Wendy's patties will be my new standard for patty criteria. If you can't do better than Wendy's, why should I eat you? Unfortunately, the originally unwanted bacon stole the show. I could have just eaten the perfectly cooked bacon with the rest of the toppings and been happy.

See the texture?

So what I want to know is.... why is CHARCUT providing such a quality burger as the alley burger, but selling it alongside the mediocre whole truck burger? If I am going to pay 8 dollars for a burger, I would much rather go to Rocky's, Boogie's or 5 Guys to get some real juicy meat. I don't mean to slam Alley Burger. As I said, the original alley burger was epic, and the fries were great. The toppings worked together to make a very flavourful overall package. I would go back to eat this simply because the flavour package was supurb. But when I crave a hamburger, I want meat. Even if the beef is AAA Alberta beef, it doesn't matter when it when it's been overly processed. I think most people are so caught up in the hype that they will keep paying top dollar for something that is actually mediocre. I believe this is a plague that many Calgarians suffer from, but it can be avoided by a little experimentation and critical thinking. 

Am I being too judgemental? I would love to hear your honest opinions about the alley burger vs. the whole truck burger. What do you think?

Alley Burger 

It's best to follow on Twitter or Facebook to find their location.

Website

@AlleyBurger

CHARCUT

101 889 Centre St. SW

Calgary, AB

403-984-2180

Miku Sushi - Vancouver

When in Vancouver, one must eat sushi. It is simply fresher and cheaper than sushi elsewhere in Canada. But when travelling with a parental unit, one must eat fancy, expensive sushi. My dad and I researched a few places and decided on Miku Sushi in Gastown, since it was close to our hotel. Also, it really isn't all that expensive... $17 for 8 pieces of sushi might seem expensive, but when you consider the quality, freshness, novelty and craftmanship of the sushi at Miku, it kind of seems like a steal. Reservations are necessary if you want to dine at the peak of lunch hour. The restaurant was packed, and loud. The staff in the open kitchen were busy and yelling and basically contributing to a dynamic eating experience. 

Pictured above is my Aburi Select platter. Miku specializes in aburi sushi, which is sushi that gets a little lick from a blow torch. They also specialize in oshi sushi, which is pressed into a rectangular shape. I found these variations a delightful departure from the norm. The other mind blowing thing was that Miku didn't serve its sushi with soy sauce and wasabi. Nope. Each piece of sushi is garnished with its own special sauce and/or accompaniment.

I also ordered the aburi sashimi ($23) to share with my dad. I was sold when the server informed me that the chef's selection of the day for the aburi sashimi was ahi tuna, hamachi (yellowtail) and atlantic salmon. Those are my three favorite types of sashimi. Sometimes I battle over whether I prefer red or white tuna, but atlantic salmon is a winner hands down over pacific. If you haven't had hamachi, you really have to...

Hamachi = Awesome

As you can see, the sashimi is lightly seared with a torch. The portions are sizeable, and each selection has its own accompanying garnish. Just to be different, my dad's friend ordered this "chirashi tart" ($19) which had layers of seafood in it. A very strange item indeed.

Our meals came with miso soup included in the price, which was served with our meals. We were informed that it was considered a palate cleanser as opposed to an appetizer. Fine with me! I'll take miso soup however you want to give it to me. No spoon? Sure. We gladly slurped it from the bowls. 

I should also mention that my post-dinner Americano was one of the best I've had. You don't expect good coffee at a sushi restaurant, but this isn't exactly your run-of-the-mill sushi joint. 

I'm not going to pretend that I am the authority on all things sushi. But I do eat sushi regularly, and I do like to try out different places quite often. I am not exaggerating when I say this was the best sushi I've ever had. I can't wait to go back to Vancouver to try out some other higher end sushi places so I can see how they compare. But this was just awesome.

Miku 

#2, 1055 West Hastings Street (Guiness Tower)

Vancouver BC

604-568-3900

Website

Japadog's Beef Terimayo vs. Tubby Dog's Sumo

Tubby Dog is Calgary's legendary hot dog spot. It's open late on weekends, hosts rowdy rock bands, and dumps everything on its dogs from peanut butter, to wasabi, to meaty chilli and fried eggs. In Vancouver, however, Japadog is the spot. You can find the trucks and carts across the city, and there is now also a restaurant. The product, if you couldn't guess, are Japanese-style hot dogs. Both restaurants are hyped up in their respective cities, perhaps to the point of being over-hyped.

Recently, I've had the pleasure of touring around Vancouver. I knew I just had to get my hands on some Japadog. A Japanese-style hot dog... what a novel idea! Of course, it isn't the first time I've tasted this idea. Tubby Dog has its own "Sumo" dog, with Japanese mayo, wasabi, pickled ginger, seaweed salad, and toasted sesame seeds. 

The Sumo. Tubby Dog's Japanese-style hot dog.

Tubby Dog serves big all-beef dogs, unless you otherwise specify that you would prefer another type. I have to admit, I am not a fan of the standard Tubby Dog ... dog. I think the texture is not ... hot doggy enough. With that personal bias set aside, there is always the composition of flavours to consider. The flavours are really intense on this hot dog, due to the wasabi and pickled ginger. They pack on the pickled ginger as if it is sourkraut, and the wasabi is straight wasabi and isn't much mellowed out by the Japanese mayo.  The seaweed salad has a nice sesame flavour, though it was a bit overwhelmed by the other toppings. I was excited to try it on a hot dog, but alas, I think it's maybe just a tad bit chewy. All in all, this wasn't a terrible hot dog, but I'm doubtful I would order it again.

After my Tubby Dog experience, I was a little wary of Japanese flavours on my hot dogs. Still, I had to try a place that ONLY serves Japanese-style hot dogs. Maybe they could do it right and the hype is deserved. It really is easy to just stumble upon Japadog in Vancouver, however the menu varies from location to location. I found a truck with the back opened up for service, and very friendly, very Japanese dudes back there working. I told them it was my first time and what would they recommend, and they told me to get the Beef Terimayo. 

This is an all-beef hot dog featuring Japanese mayo, onion, teriyaki sauce and nori seaweed. The hot dog itself is an ordinary sized hot dog, much smaller than Tubby Dog's. It was spiral slit and grilled and absolutely delicious. I could actually taste the Japanese mayo, since it wasn't drowned out by wasabi or pickled ginger. It played together nicely with the teriyaki, and the more traditional onions. The nori has a more subtle taste. I was entirely satisfied with this hot dog and I can't wait to return to Vancouver to try out the other flavour combinations. 

Well, so I've made it pretty clear that I think Japadog is superior to Tubby Dog. That's not to say that Tubby Dog is a bad institution. Tubby Dog plays an important role in the Calgary scene, and I really like the vibe I get from the place. It's also cool that Tubby Dog is a Sled Island venue. Sometimes it's fun to put peanut butter and jelly on your hot dog. Also, I remember the chilli being pretty tasty. I am just not a big fan of piling on toppings for the sake of novelty, so it's not my thing. I am more interested in balancing the flavours so that the product is a cohesive unit of flavour and yum. In this respect, I think Japadog is the winner. After all, Japadog is is operated by real Japanese people, whereas I get the impression that Tubby Dog was a bunch of dudes who sat around and said "Let's put some Japanese stuff on a hot dog. Yeah man... that's EXTREME!" So if I want a bacon wrapped hot dog with chilli, peanut butter, fried eggs and captain crunch cereal on it, I'll go to Tubby Dog. For my Japanese hot dogs, I'll be flying to Vancouver for Japadog. I can honestly say I think that's one of the best hot dogs I've ever had. How's that for over-hyping a place?!

Japadog 

899 Burrard St.

Vancouver, BC

Website

Tubby Dog 

1022 17 Ave SW

Calgary

403-244-0694

Website