just comparing to steakhouses I went in Vegas, the filet and New york strip @ hy's just tasted burnt and bland, very little seasoning

there wasn't a WOW factor compared to other establishments.

comparing the steak price to other restaurants, there are just better options.

Other options globally or within Vancouver?

I'll chime in on the steak.

It is the shittest thing to cook in a restaurant, from the different cuts to variety of "doneness", I was told its the #1 most sent back item in a restaurant. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Here's my take; 4 things. Grade, age, seasoning & cooking method.

Not going to talk about grade and doneness. Let's assume it's the same grade and both are medium rare.

Aging

It makes a HUGE difference. It is to intensify flavor and improve the tenderness of the cut. I've seen / heard of wet aging (vacuum pack + age in its own juices.). Dry again is best and it does make as huge difference in flavor.

Cooking method.

There are 2 main ways I see, grill / cast iron pan. Restaurant versus home cook. I enjoy cast iron the best.

There is actually 3rd type, sous vide. I was told in a hotel / wedding reception, when you have 400 people, you literally don't have the space. What they do is sous vide and flash fire the steak.

Lastly, is seasoning.
Blah blah blah, a good cut = just sea salt + pepper.

I like it when they put in a good garlic & signature spice. To top it off, some places put on a quick marinade/liquid sauce or a slab of homemade butter

All in all:
Cast iron + signature spice + flavored garlic butter + dry aged beef is what my go to.

There are times when you do CUT into a steak, you make the "OMG" sound.

2 most memorable OMG sounds I've made a) a well done steak b) japanese Omakase in Osaka.

I’d say generally people are idiots when it comes to meat and they don’t know what they are asking for. Then they go to any half decent place that can cook a proper steak and when it comes out the way they asked it’s not what they expected.

I’ve had great steaks at Hy’s, I’ve also had bad ones. Gotham on the other hand every experience I’ve had there has been garbage.

As said above, if I want a great steak I’ll probably cook it myself in cast iron. People who say omg!! Best steak done on the bbq!! Dun know nuttin

It literally grinds at my soul when I hear some clown get a burger or somthing and is hesitant to eat or wants to send it back because it’s the slightest bit punk

I am of the opinion that it is not realistic to use Las Vegas as a benchmark for quality of steak, or food in general. I'm not sure what kind of a wow factor there is when it comes to eating steak. It tastes great, or it doesn't.

Did you provide any feedback to the manager about your experience? If you feel so strongly that you were wronged in your dining experience, I feel that it would be fair to at least give them feedback. If you ate the whole thing and didn't say anything, then I'm afraid you have no real recourse, but at least give a chance to the restaurant an opportunity to act on the feedback.

If you think Hy's is bad then you must've not gone to Black+Blue. Went there no more than 5 times and each and every time its overcooked and bland. The one time I ordered Beef wellington and they tell me the steak has to be well done. WTF??!! Even the people I was with who aren't foodies said Black +Blue was terrible.

My go to for a steak

Proper crust+good seasoning+melt in your mouth+flavoured freshmade butter

Best steak I ever had, bone-in Filet Mignon at Joes Seafood in Ceasers Palace.
Hit all of my criterias

anyone try the new Chinese restaurant "New Mandarin" on Kingsway beside the new T&T supermarket ?

I've only ever had dim sum there once. It was not bad, but damn, was it expensive.

Had dinner there. Hella expensive. Talking about $50 for a dish of organic broccoli and $80 for free range chicken with a smear of "truffle" on a side plate. Dinner did not satisfy on so many levels.

Tried dim sum the other day just feels like some East Side joint pretending to be something they are not. A little try hard on some dishes being super fancy. Food was not good.

Word on the street is that the original chef from Fortune Terrace in Richmond left, and started this restaurant, hence the massive screen on the wall, and the wannabe fancy food.

I wished that they could just be a bit more authentic, catering to the local East Van crowd, and reflect that in their prices, I'd be willing to go back a bit more. When I walked into the place for the first time, I couldn't help but wonder if this was a trap or not.

Bordertown Mexican Grill in Blaine on Peace Portal (next to the chevron)

$8 USD for a plate of 3 (soft) tacos, beans and rice. I got double the rice, skipped the beans. You know how typically the rice pales, compared to the tacos (or mains)?

Well with this, the rice was a solid 5/5, while the tacos was a 3/5. Nothing amazing on the tacos. But the rice, oh man

Atlas steak and seafood at Grand Villa Hotel. 8/10

Had the Tomahawk steak and was told it would be good for 4-5 people. True if everyone has 2 small slices and ordered 3-4 sides with tableside bread which was the case for us. I'd say it was more for 2-3 people with a couple sides. Service was kind of slow for a Friday night as it took 30 minutes to get our drinks. I'd say the food is the saving grace here otherwise I would've rated this place a 6/10.

Tomahawk was cooked to a perfect medium rare, good crust/char and seasoning but it also took 45 minutes due to their cooking style and the size of the steak. The table side bread with Blue cheese butter was extremely tasty, grilled squid was tender and flavorful. Tomahawk pork chop was tender juicy with a good crust/char.

Despite the slow service I would actually come back again. 8/10

Not a sit down place, but check this food truck out instead for mexican next time in Blaine.
https://www.yelp.ca/biz/el-noa-noa-taco-truck-blaine

So i finally went there & the one beside it.

Bean Banh Mi is definitely cleaner, nicer and welcoming place. Their buns wasn't as crispy as I liked, I did like the pig ears as they were super generous.

If I had to sit down, I'll go here; if I was to go do take out, I'll still go to the mom and pop shot right next door.

This is the same place. They moved next to Starbucks, it's called Bordertown Mexican Grill now

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The one beside it has this nasty odour as soon as you walk in. I can't even order and take out from there 🙁.

Can’t beat Paso Del Norte’s tortilla soup in Blaine. Margarita Monday’s are a good day to go :D

Dave Chang opening up a Momofuku Noodle Bar in Vancouver next year at Vancouver House.

Either gonna be packed, or people will realize the buns and ramen are nothing special and way overpriced.

I went to Kojin in Toronto last month, that was pretty solid. Nice 45-day dry aged strip loin, caviar fried chicken.

Joe Fortes 5/10

Not sure what's the hype about this place. Steak was overdone, I asked for medium rare and they gave me well done. Having eaten steak everyday for 3 months, I'm pretty sure I have a really good idea of what medium rare is. Ironically, the steak tasted better after I blasted it in the microwave.

Oysters were alright, not their usual standard apparently. I'm not sure cause I don't eat seafood. Beef carpaccio was alright.

Drinks were very good. But not sure if they were high quality drinks or if I accidentally drugged myself, since I need to take allergy meds when I could potentially eat seafood LOL.

:heckno:

It was rough. I did keto for like 3 months. It works but dear lord, a dishwasher would have been nice

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With the recent lockdowns impacting restaurants while they're down, thought I'd bump up this thread to share some of my locally owned favourites in hopes to get others to support them.

Would love to see other people share their local favs as well!

Cocoru chicken - great Korean fried chicken in Richmond

Say Mercy / Mackenzie Room - sister restaurants with amazingly unique and delicious menus.

Britannia brewing - great gastropub in Stevenson whith solid beers

Boy with a knife - open weekdays only, hidden gem in an industrial area of Richmond for burgers sandwiches and salads

Superflux brewing - love their beers

Gringo - hole in the wall in blood alley. Unfortunately not open with the lockdowns, but support them regardless when they re-open. Amazing chill vibes.

Been hitting Bells & Whistle lately on Fraser after someone told me it was kid friendly (I have a 2 year old) and it's not just kid friendly but the food is great. The Royale with Cheese burger is like a Shake Shack burger combined with a Big Mac - crispy patties with American cheese and secret sauce that makes it just a touch sloppy. The soft serve is also great - my kid's eyes got saucer sized when she saw it.

Definitely worth visiting (once inside dining reopens) whether you have kids or not as there's lots of grown up food there and great beer selection.

BWAK has been a work favorite for the past few years. Deli better than the grill imo. The grill is like cactus pricing, and I just want a cheap lunch. But the grill offers drink specials.

Fav is defs gonna be The Cuban



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