Monthly Archives: September 2022

Eating all the tacos @ Wilbur Mexicana

Man, I don’t think we’ve had any tacos since we got back from Texas. It’s been a little while, bro! But last night, I got this crazy Taco Tuesday craving, so we headed down to King St West to Wilbur Mexicana, this funky joint that’s only open for takeout, serving up eight different kinds of tacos — so you KNOW we had to try em all. Hey, there aren’t many things I’d do in the rain, Bro-ran Juice Jones, but eating tacos is definitely one of them!!!!

Now, these tacos came in three takeout containers, and I just happened to open the one with the vegan tacos first. But man, this is some of the best vegan food I’ve ever had in my life, bro! This mushroom taco is full of tender, chewy shrooms, and they’re packing sweet potatoes on top for a little extra something.

This grilled avocado taco is soooo next level, bro! They take a great big chunk of avocado, grill it up nicely, and put it in a tortilla with pico and cheese, so you get that creaminess in every bite!

This Taco Supreme is like a teenage dream in Flavourtown! Seasoned chicken, topped with a whole lotta guac and cheese in a hard shell. Better than yo mama used to make!!!!

This fish taco didn’t really stand out among all the fish tacos I’ve had. But it still wasn’t bad, with a nice crunchy slaw and a bit of a kick from the donkey sauce.

I think the chicken tinga taco uses the same chicken as the Taco Supreme, but this one has a little more flavour, with lettuce, pico and crema on top.

This bulgogi beef taco is like a fusion explosion in my mouth, bro! About the only thing on the menu that wasn’t authentically Mexican (or at least Tex-Mex), but one of the tastiest tacos here. Beef had quite a bit of a kick, while the onions and slaw added a nice crunch. I could use a beer to wash it down…but I’m eating outside in the street, son!

This carne asada taco is taking it up another notch, bro! Nice, chewy grilled steak — but the crispy onions on top is what makes it!!!!

Now, last but not least, we’ve got cochinita pibil. Nice, tangy pulled pork, with some crunch from the onions and a healthy helping of queso fresco. I could pound a few more of these, bro!!!!

Overall, I’m gonna say carne asada first, bulgogi beef second, and the mushroom taco taking a sneaky third place on the podium. But I don’t think there wasn’t anything here I wouldn’t get again, and that’s saying something!

Too much linguine? No, not really…

Now, I would ride or die with Clint Eastwood, bro, but if he ever asks this fat fuck to climb a fence, my answer’s gonna be “Too much linguine.” Good thing that at Enoteca Sociale, this “Funky spot offering Italian small plates” (couldn’t have said it any better myself!) you don’t get too much linguine when you order. I still ain’t climbing no fence, though!!!!!

Speaking of small plates, their arancini only come one to an order — I guess that makes it arancino? But hey, it was still a nice, hot ‘n cheesy rice ball… I guess for six bucks, you wouldn’t get more than one, eh?

When it comes to their squid ink linguine (linguine nero di seppia), the ball of pasta is more than a little bit bigger than an arancino. It also comes with some nice bites of snow crab and a whole lotta zucchini. But I think I finished this thing in like six or seven bites — let’s just say I definitely still had room for dessert!

And when I’m eating Italian, you KNOW I’m having tiramisu for dessert, bro! I was making hand gestures when I saw them bring it out in a coffee cup, but even if it’s not how Nonna wouldda served it, the flavours here are still on point.

And speaking of Italian flavours, this Figo Italian-Style Pilsner hit the spot. Too bad I had already finished my pasta by the time it arrived at the table (it was my second beer of the evening), so I can’t tell you how it paired with the linguine…

Whole lotta seafood @ Ivar’s Salmon House

Now, you can’t go to Seattle and not eat seafood. That would be like going to Texas and not eating BBQ, or going to Nashville and not eating hot chicken. So we’re hanging out at Ivar’s Salmon House, this funky little seafood joint that’s right on the water — not the Pacific, but Lake Union…which does flow into the Pacific, though.

Now, this place is an offshoot of famous local chain Ivar’s House of Clams, so you KNOW we gotta start off with a bowl of clam chowder, bro! This creamy, New England-style soup has some nice little pieces of potatoes, but when you get a chunk of those chewy clams, that right there is the ticket!!!

But now it’s time for the main event! This Taste of the Northwest platter combines salmon, halibut and scallops for a triple threat in Flavourtown…

We’re starting off with salmon, which was nice n juicy, with a hint of lemon at the end.

Cod was so tender you could cut it with a fork… a nice, flaky piece of fish.

But the scallops are the star of the show. Super soft and tender, they melt in your mouth like butter! I would totally polish off a whole plate of these bad boys!!!!!

And their beer selection is just as fresh and local as the seafood. This here’s a Scuttlebutt Hefeweizen, brewed in nearby Everett, Washington. Nice and smooth with a slight citrusy aftertaste — reminds me of Big Rock Grasshopper, the brew I was raised on (which you can’t find in Toronto anymore, but that’s another story…)

But now we’re kicking it up a couple notches with Bad Jimmy’s Habanero Amber. This rich, red beer has a nice flavour profile — but I can’t really taste the habanero though. It’s definitely not spicy, bro, maybe just a bit of an aftertaste when you drink it on its own.

Now while that seafood trio was pretty tasty, it wasn’t a particularly large portion — so you KNOW we’ve still got room for dessert. We’re talking house-made key lime pie, nice and tart with a crunchy graham cracker crust and a bit of whipped cream on top. Again, it was pretty tasty, but a little on the small side. I *might* hafta stop for pizza on the way home…

A Canadian-themed hockey bar in Seattle!? Take off, eh!!!

Now, hockey season might not start until October, but when I heard about The Angry Beaver, this Canadian-themed hockey bar on Greenwood Ave in Seattle, you KNOW I had to check it out! This place is serving up all the Canadian classics like peameal bacon, Nanaimo bars and six different kinds of poutine — now that’s my kinda place!

Dude, this is body by back bacon, so you know we gotta go with a PLT. You’ve got peameal bacon on sourdough bread, with lettuce, tomato and a garlic donkey sauce. Bacon has a nice chew, that garlic sauce packs a punch, but what makes it is that fresh sourdough, bro!!!

Of course, I had to go with a side of poutine, and we funked it up a notch with their beer cheese sauce with bacon and scallions. They still put cheese curds on here, but the beer cheese is definitely the star of the show.

While they do have lots of local craft beers on tap, you can also get a few bottles and cans from north of the border like Molson Canadian, Labatt Blue and Moosehead. I went for a glacier-fresh tasting Kokanee. It’s the beer out here, bro!!!!!

Football by the lake @ The Dock

Not only can you eat seafood by the seashore in Seattle, but you can also drink beers and watch football, bro! We’re hanging out at The Dock Sports Bar and Grill, this funky joint by the lake, that’s got all the games on flat screen TVs, with plenty of local craft beers on tap (along with lots of, uh, Bud Light…)

And since the early games start at 10 am on the West Coast, we start drinking at 9:30 — I think I could get used to this, bro!

We’re starting off with an Elysian Dank Dust IPA, and the name is no joke — this beer smells like weed, bro! But once you get past the odour of marijuana, it’s a pretty tasty, hoppy IPA.

Now, maybe there’s no weed in this beer, but I’m definitely getting the munchies over here. So let’s see what they’ve got to eat…

These Ultimate Cheese Curds are the perfect game day snack. Deep fried balls of cheese that go great with ranch — not so sure about the strawberry sauce though.

On the other hand, these Dock Totchos sound better than they taste. On paper, there’s nothing wrong with tater tots topped with cheese, ground beef, sour cream, jalapeños, onions, beans and tomatoes — but the tots get soggy pretty quickly, so instead of being the main vessel, they become just another bit player in the mix.

From there, we switched to Elysian Space Dust, their signature IPA. Not as heavy or as hoppy, but it gets the job done.

This Fremont Brewing Sky Kraken might be the best beer I’ve had so far. Hazy, slightly hoppy, but still very crushable. I think I’ll have a couple more of these.

Dude, these Buffalo wings are outta bounds, bro! Beyond the buttery heat, they’ve also got a lemon peppery kick. And the meat is super-tender — I don’t think I’ve had a chicken wing that melts in my mouth before!!!!

On the other hand, while the parmesan fries were hot and crispy, the hardened layer of cheese on top doesn’t really add much. You’d be better off with the plain fries.

Post-game victory burger at Dick’s Drive-In

Man, after the Seahawks’ big win over the Broncos, sending Russell Wilson back to Denver a big loooooser, you KNOW we painted the town green and blue, bro! But after pounding enough Rainiers to make a beer snake about as tall as the Space Needle, we’ve got one last stop before calling it a night.

Dick’s Drive-In is a local legend, serving up super-legit burgers and fries since the 50’s. And while their prices have gone up a bit since then, they’re still fairly reasonable — all the food you see here will only set ya back $12.25!

Ok, so what we’ve got is a Dick’s Deluxe double cheeseburger with fries and a chocolate shake. There’s no Biggie sizes, either — what you see here is what you get.

Burger is pretty tasty. Patties are thin, but nicely grilled, and you get a nice tang from the mayo and relish. Definitely hits the spot at 2 am, son!

Fries are thin, but crispy and just a little salty. I could easily eat three times as many.

But the chocolate shake is what makes it! Nice and creamy, with a rich chocolatey taste. It takes McDonalds and sacks it for a six yard loss, son!!!!!!

Going on a Seattle pub crawl (cuz Russell Wilson sucks balls!)

^^(This was never supposed to happen…)

Now, we’re longtime Seahawks fans right here on Triple B, so when Russell Wilson whined his way outta town, got traded to Denver, and then was scheduled to play the Hawks on Monday Night Football to start the season, you KNOW we had to be there, bro! And suffice to say this is not a game we wanna watch while sober. So before the game started, we made our way down the Link light rail line, grabbing a couple drinks at each stop along the way…

This craft beer pub is Big Time, unlike the Broncos!

We’re starting off at Big Time Brewery & Alehouse, Seattle’s OG brewpub, brewing it up and pouring it fresh in the U District since 1988. This place only has its own beers on tap, and with 13 to choose from, I could be here all day — if it wasn’t so far away from the stadium.

But we’re starting off with an Irish breakfast smoothie in the form of their Coal Creek Porter. A nice, chocolatey beer checking in at 5.5%. Nothing wrong with that at all. (It’s probably a safer bet for breakfast than the 8.5% S’moredor Imperial Stout.)

But alas, one can not drink all these beers on an empty stomach, so I’m going to town on these pork verde tacos, bro! Pork is braised in porter (not the one I just drank), and they put so much meat on here that you need two tortillas to handle it. You’ve also got some salsa verde, onions and Mexican cheese — but the pork is definitely the star of the show.

From there we’re going for something summery and fruity — Passionfruit Blondeshell Ale. Believe or not, but I’ve had a few passionfruit beers before…and this one comes the closest to capturing that passionfruity flavour, bro!!!

Lovin’ me some lamb @ Americana

So, we headed a couple stops down the line to Capitol Hill to check out this funky little brunch spot called Americana Restaurant. (It looked like the only place in the area that served beer and was open around lunchtime.) Cuz with all the drinking I’m about to do, I figured I could use a second breakfast, bro.

Now, while they had Elysian Space Dust IPA on tap, the tap wasn’t working that day or something, so that’s why I ended up drinking a Blue Moon. Hey, it’s not bad for a brunch beer — it basically tastes like orange juice, bro.

But the main reason we’re here is for the lamb burger. A nice, thick, juicy patty, served simply with tomato and arugula. It comes with tzatziki on the side, but you’re gonna wanna put it on top of the burger. Man, this stuff even tastes good on sweet potato fries — which automatically come with the burger.

If this place is a chain, it’s the chain I wanna see!!!

We’re hanging out at The Yard House, this funky joint across the street from the Westlake Center in Downtown Seattle. Apparently, this place is a chain with locations across the country…but with 130 beers on tap and classic rock all night long, I’m not opposed to checking this chain out. Man, I was only here for about an hour, but I heard them play Africa by Toto twice…

We’re starting out with a Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA — one of those legendary American craft beers that you can never find up here in Canada. Nice, crisp and only slightly hoppy, it’s super-crushable at 6%.

Wasn’t planning on getting food, but when I saw the Jumbo Bavarian Pretzel on the menu, you KNOW I needed one of these in my life, bro! This bad boy was coming in so hot, I couldn’t even touch it, but once I finally ripped in, it was worth the burn. Comes with a whole buncha beer cheese and just a bit of Dijon mustard — I’d say the cheese to mustard ratio was about right.

Here’s another beer you won’t find north of the border — Rogue’s Nitro Chocolate Stout. Smooth and creamy like a Guinness, but with a richer, more chocolatey taste — and noticeably stronger at 5.8%.

One last stop before the stadium…

At this point, it’s about 90 minutes till kickoff. We’re getting off at Pioneer Square, where all the bars are pretty packed. So we stopped into a place called Shawn O’Donnell’s, where the bar was standing room only.

Didn’t feel like Guinness after that Nitro Chocolate Stout, so I went with a Drubru Peach Sour. Light, tangy and fruity…this should tide me over until kickoff.

Crushing a couple craft beers at the ballgame…

Ya gotta love that there’s a beer named after the old stadium on sale at Lumen Field. This Kingdome Kolsch goes down smoothly like an implosion, with a nice, malty finish. Now how bout them Hawks????

Manny’s Pale Ale is a Seattle classic. Pretty sure I had one of these at a bar after the Seahawks season opener in 2010 — you couldn’t get craft beer at the stadium in those days. This one’s more like an English pale ale than an American IPA… not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Now, never in my wildest dreams did I actually expect Seattle to win this game. I was just hoping they could keep it close, so I could keep booing Russell Wilson until the end. But with the Hawks up 17-13 at the half, I started thinking they might have a chance. And with the two teams combining for just 3 points in the second, 17-13 turned into a 17-16 win. Uglier than this Tim Tebow tattoo, but we’ll take it!

(This sign is both mathematically and metaphorically accurate. Better luck in 2026, Russ!!!)

This lomo saltado makes me go Nuna-Nuna-hey!

Dude, you KNOW that Dragostea Din Tei is my favourite Moldovan pop song, so we’re cranking it up in the Camaro on the way to Nuna, this funky Peruvian joint in Parkdale that just opened up where Vegandale used to be. (Gee, whatever happened there???)

Now, you definitely don’t see lomo saltado in Toronto very often — the last time I had it was in 2017. And hey, I’ll eat anything that has steak in it, so you KNOW this is heading straight down my piehole, bro!!!!

This dish is definitely a lot less fancy than the last place I had it. It’s pretty much just steak and potato, a couple peppers and onions, served in a teriyaki sauce with a side of rice. The beef’s not bad on its own, but the sauce is what makes it!!!!

Started off with some panko-breaded shrimp, which come five to an order — Red Lobster, this is not. But you can’t get lomo saltado at Red Lobster, bro!!!!!!

And then for dessert, we’ve got tres leches cake. Unlike that Indian place that turned gulab jamun into tres leches, this is more like what I was expecting… although the whipped cream and chocolate chips are maybe a Canadian twist? Not that I’m complaining when you add chocolate to any dessert though — just as long as it’s not tiramisu, bro!!!!

Curryish in a hurryish on Queen West!

Now, we’re no strangers to Indian food on Triple B. Curry, biryani, samosas… I could eat that any day of the week! And there are plenty of great Indian joints all over this city — but this new place on Queen St, just a couple blocks west of Bathurst, is really funking it up a notch. This is Curryish Tavern:

We’re starting off with some cheese curd samosa turnovers. You KNOW they had me at cheese curds, bro! And these definitely ain’t your average samosas — the pastry is more like an apple pie, and the filling reminds me of empanadas. The only thing is, I didn’t really taste the cheese curds, bro…

Now, I gotta say, octopus curry is definitely not something you see every day! But the sea monster is nice ‘n tender, with a bit of tangy tamarind in the sauce. And you KNOW we gotta eat it Indian style with some garlic butter roti, bro!!!!

Not only is the food super-funky, but their craft beer selection is pretty legit, too. They might only have two beers on tap, but one of them happens to be Les quatre surfeurs de l’Apocalypso, a hoppy wheat-beer-meets-IPA from Quebec’s Le Trou du Diable brewery. Dude, can I get like four more of these to go????

Instead, we’re switching it up with a Burdock Lime Gose. This honestly feels like I’m drinking lemonade, bro…

And for dessert, we’ve got this Afterglow Singapore Sling from Rorschach’s Tiki Sour series. Despite all the different fruits they pack in here, it’s still got the maltiness of a beer.

Speaking of dessert, we pretty much had to go with the Screech Rum Soaked Stuffed Gulab Jamun. Now, I was expecting gulab jamun to look a little more like this — what we got instead was kinda like a booze-soaked tres leches cake. Not that there’s anything wrong with that!!!!!

NYC DINER DUEL: Westway Diner vs. Tick Tock Diner

Now, we may be Triple B, not Triple D, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love a good diner, bro! And when it comes to diners, New York City might be the diner capital of Flavourtown. So we’re chowing down at two classic NYC institutions — which one will come out on top?

WESTWAY DINER

This Hell’s Kitchen diner is apparently the place where Jerry Seinfeld came up with the idea for a show about nothing in the late 80’s. Up on West 43rd and 9th, it’s a pretty big place — you can probably fit about 200 people in here. I heard there was a line, so I got there early…and marched right in at 8 am, when just a few tables were taken (people started filing in at 8:15.) But hey, the early bird gets the corned beef benedict, bro!!!!

Dude, these are some of the biggest benedicts I’ve seen, bro! Corned beef is nice n crispy, you get some creaminess from the egg, and there’s even a bit of mashed potato in there. And they’re two for $13.50 — that’s a five finger discount in Flavourtown!

These also come with a whole lotta hash browns. Crispy on top, but soft in the middle — dude, this is body by hash browns!!!!

TICK TOCK DINER

The party don’t stop at this classic joint, which is open 24 hours a day, on 34th and 8th, across from Madison Square Garden. It’s also attached to the New Yorker Hotel, so if you’re staying there and too hungover to go outside — not that I would know — this is the place for you!

Most people think of chicken and waffles as a southern soul food staple, but this dish was actually invented in Harlem, back in the day. We might not be quite that far uptown, but I figured I had to check out the Tick Tock’s take on this classic.

Now, the waffles were nice and fluffy, but I’m not so sure about the chicken. You can definitely call it crispy (this dish is called “crispy chicken and waffles” on the menu), but it’s not a chicken leg or chicken thigh…or even really a chicken tender, more like this vaguely Batman shaped chicken burger. Ever seen those fried chicken patties you could put in a toaster? (Yes, that was actually a thing.) This is what they remind me of.

Also, the piddly little forks they give you often aren’t big enough to spear both chicken and waffles in the same bite, which is a bit of a bummer…

FINAL VERDICT

Tick Tock might be in a great location, and it gets props for being open all night (Westway closes at 9, apparently), but it is definitely more of a tourist trap. For the real-deal diner feel, head up to Hell’s Kitchen.

BONUS: Tilly’s Diner in Monticello, NY

Sometimes, to find a real-deal diner, you gotta go upstate. We’re hanging out at Tilly’s Diner, this funky little joint a couple hours north of New York City in Monticello. This is one of those places that used to be an old trailer, until they grew big enough to attach a dining room. And it’s completely packed on a Sunday, with a mixture of locals and post-concert checkout crowd from the Best Western two doors down.

But you can still take a seat at the counter, and watch them crank out diner classics, like this three-meat masterpiece in Flavourtown, the Farmer omelette:

This bad boy is packed with three little pigs — bacon, ham AND sausage — along with peppers, onions and Swiss cheese. You’ve also got home fries and white toast, Blues Brothers style.

This is not subtle food. It’s huge chunks of meat, barely contained by a thin layer of egg, which cheese in the middle. It’s delicious. And it’s only $10.50…about the same price as a supersized sammy at Colosseo next door!!!!

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