Red Burrito
Locations downtown, Commercial,
and North Van, see Homepage

The Red Menace
a Quick Bite

By Jason
Eat Vancouver writer

Burritos have been a staple in the Southwest USA for at least two decades now. Coming in sizes as large as a human forearm and stuffed with ingredients like rice, beans, potatoes, fresh salsas, and several varieties of braised or grilled meats, a burrito can be a meal in itself. Portable, delicious and often more healthy than a burger, the trend has recently spread to the rest of the States with several big chains ensuring that stumbling across a decent burrito is about as easy running across a bad George Bush joke in an academic talk. McDonald’s commands the surprisingly not-as-bad-as-you’d-expect Chipotle chain and Wendy’s oversees the pretty-bad-if-not-for-the-salsa-bar Baja Fresh chain. There’s also Qdoba, which offers a fine burrito and a rewarding customer loyalty program, one outlet being found in the food court at the Seatac airport.

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Vera’s Burger Shack
Multiple locations around Vancouver
See homepage for details

Hours vary by location

A Tale of Three Burgers

By Lorna Yee
Eat Vancouver Columnist
Monday, April 25th, 2006

** (of four stars)

After reading the rather interesting burger brawl on this site, I was eager for my first experience at Vera’s. I got the cheeseburger with “the works” (the usual sauce condiments, plus tomato, lettuce and onions–all at no extra charge) at the Davie location. I’ll skip the comments on the decor, since Dan and Jason have both given their opinions. The Davie store was clean, and the service was friendly enough. The kaiser bun was good and fresh, as were the veggies. I didn’t ask for my burger to be cooked medium-rare or medium, opting instead to receive what I would assume is the “typical doneness” of a Vera’s burger. The patty was cooked all the way through, and rather dry. There wasn’t too much bread for the patty, and the burger held together well as I was eating. All in all, I thought the burger was OK. It wasn’t bad. I’m not complaining. I’m sure the taste would be improved if the patty was cooked to a juicy medium-rare or medium, though I’ve read Gerald’s comments and realize that half his clientele don’t want to see pink in their burger.

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Vera’s Burger Shack
Multiple locations around Vancouver
See homepage for details

Hours vary by location

A Tale of Two Burgers

–
In an attempt to establish inter-rater reliability, this week’s edition of Eatvancouver features two points of view. Expect a third next week when columnist Lorna Yee chimes in.
–

It was the best of times…

By Jason
Eat Vancouver Editor
Sunday, April 16th, 2006

UBC location: 1/2 (of four stars)
Other locations: * and 1/2 (of four stars)

When I moved to Vancouver a few years ago, Vera’s was one of the first restaurants I visited. I was pleased to find out that what my friends were telling me was true: Vera’s Burger Shack made a name for itself serving well-designed burgers, with fresh meat and toppings and hadn’t deviated from that in twenty-odd years of service. My romance with the burger shack continued, marked by casual encounters whenever I found myself in the vicinity of a Vera’s, usually the Denman or Davie locations. I appreciate a place that takes burgers seriously, uses ultra-fresh ingredients and greets me with a smile – heck, what’s not to like about that? Walk into most Vera’s locations and you can expect a pretty simple atmosphere: wooden tables with napkin dispensers, a couple of bottles of vinegar and a bottle of ketchup, maybe a few signs on the wall explaining the place, and no absence of that smiling, young ginger with a cow-print chef’s hat. The burger, again at most locations, is quite good. To break it down, you’ve got your beef patty, seasoned ever so slightly to bring out the flavor of the meat. There is a kaiser bun that just the right size as to not hide the underlying filling, but big enough to aptly house the burger and allow for hands on eating. The toppings are many to choose from, and always fresh. I don’t like to overshadow the meat so I usually order my vera burger with lettuce, tomato, chopped onion, hot peppers, pickles (sliced nice and long), hot sauce and vera’s sauce. Oh, their poutine is top-notch as well.

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Moxie’s Classic Grill
Address: 1759 West Broadway
Tel: (604) 678-9973
Homepage

Hours:
Mon-Thurs 11am-Midnight
Fri 11am-1am
Sat 9:30am-1am
Sun 9:30am-Midnight

Full of Moxie, Little Else

By Russell Ball
Vegan/Vegetarian Columnist
Saturday, October 1, 2005

* (of four stars)

A national chain of upscale casual dining fully-licensed restaurants, Moxie’s has over 45 locations from BC to Ontario, four in Vancouver alone. Some Moxie’s are company-owned and others are franchise operations, which according to their website, forms the basis of their planned rapid expansion.

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Steamrollers
Various locations
Homepage

Hours:
Vary by location

A Steamrolled Burrito Gathers No Flavor

By Dan Fishman
A special to Eat Vancouver
Tuesday, September 20, 2005

no stars (of four stars)

I went to Steamrollers’ Robson St. location on a hot, sunny Vancouver evening after an afternoon of shopping. Steamrollers claims to cook all their food using steam, which supposedly “prevents shrinkage, locks in moisture and nutrients and tastes great!” I had heard good things about Steamrollers in the past, and I was on the mood for a burrito, so I suggested to the Oakman that we check it out. He agreed.

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