Brunching it at Milestones

Milestones Grill and Bar
2966 W 4th Ave
Vancouver, BC V6K
(604) 734-8616

Working in the service industry rarely affords me with the opportunity of actually being a customer instead of  just serving one. That all changed last Saturday when my manager called to tell me not to come into work, and to instead go out and enjoy the sunshine ( her actual words!). With a skip to my step and a ridiculous smile on my face I set about my glorious day off. We gathered some of the besties and decided to try Milestones for brunch.

The first thing I noticed was the architecture of the restaurant: the sunlight streaming through the solarium seating area was very cool. We got there at 1pm and the place wasn’t too busy. Immediately we ordered caesars and alcoholic coffees (Hey man, this was a celebration).

The first of only two complaints was that the waiter seemed, at times, to be in LaLa Land. Phil asked for a coffee with no whipped cream, and mango sauce on the side of his french toast. The coffee arrived with whipped cream and the french toast drizzled in mango sauce. We’re a pretty easy-going bunch so we didn’t make a fuss about it. It just seemed odd since our waiter was overly competent with everything else. Then again, maybe he just didn’t like Phil!

My ex-vegetarian gluten-intolerant friend ordered off the comprehensive gluten-free menu: A burger with bacon, and a side salad with lemon chardonnay vinaigrette for $12.99. She said it was amazing to eat a real hamburger again and that it tasted great. Glad you enjoyed it, and welcome back to the club!

Phil had the Strawberry French Toast for $12.99

Thick cut cinnamon vanilla French toast, fresh strawberries, agave syrup and mango cream garnish.

Phil is Mango-phobic, and avoids dishes that come with the exotic fruit. Despite asking for the mango cream garnish on the side  (to dip each bite into, he claimed),it came drizzled all over the plate. But Phil found it surprisingly delicious! I’m happy he enjoyed this breakfast treat, and it looks just as good as it tasted. Using baguette slices instead of bread was a heartier and unique twist on a classic breakfast item.

He also ordered a side of bacon for us to share (thanks Phil!).

Torn between choices, I asked our waiter’s opinion and he suggested I try the Grilled Shrimp California Benedict for $13.99. This was not my first choice, – it sounded kinda weird, and honestly I was hoping he would recommend the Pear and Coconut Pancakes. Alas, his opinion was one of conviction, and I tend to trust staff recommendations.

THE BENNIES WERE AMAZING!

Grilled Shrimp, double-smoked bacon, and house-made avocado salsa over English muffin slices

The shrimps were big and juicy, and they gave you a fair deal of them. The avocado salsa was not over bearing and really complimented the dish. What really rounded out the meal was the Mediterranean salsa served over the breakfast potatoes. It was especially good with a mouthful of the avocado in the Bennie. The hollandaise was alright, not too thick and didn’t overpower the other flavours.

Our other friend ordered the classic Eggs Benedict for $10.99, it looked exactly like mine but less filling. Even if I had wanted to take a photo of it he had devoured half the plate before I got around to taking a picture.

OVERALL IMPRESSION:

The prices were reasonable but we all complained about still being hungry. The dishes were beautifully presented and everything tasted great, but we wanted more food! I mean, how much do breakfast potatoes cost to make, really? And only two pieces of fruit per plate? Unimpressed.

The thing about brunch is, you’re hungry enough for lunch but craving breakfast food. You want breakfast priced options but with lunch sized portions, and that was our second complaint about Milestones: tiny portions. Everyone felt this way except Phil, but he has the appetite of a small child, and we were ravenous bears just waking from hibernation.

Taste: 4.5/5
Portion: 3/5
Service: 3.5/5
Ambiance: 4/5

Lucy’s Eastside Diner

Lucy’s Eastside Diner is a 24 hour restaurant serving up 1950′s inspired diner dishes. The place is cute and definitely a fun experience day or night, however it’s very hit or miss. Some of our meals came out spot on while others were blah to downright bad. I gave Lucy’s 3 generous stars out of 5.

*** Upon revisiting Lucy’s months later, I  beg people not to get their hopes up. It looks like a great dive, but unfortunately the food is  bland, bland, bland and overpriced. I revoke my “generous 3 stars” and demote Lucy’s to a 2 out of 5 ****

First we went for brunch. FYI,  Lucy’s  serves breakfast all day and night.

Pulled Pork Eggs Benny

The Pulled Pork Benny was dense and delicious. I hate to leave food on my plate but this Benny got the best of me. After eating one I was stuffed. What I liked best was the  hollandaise sauce, it was tangy and tasted home-made. After just having tried the Pulled Pork at the Five Point, I had high expectations. The dish as a whole was good but the pulled pork on it’s own was boring, dry and had no sauce! I remedied it by adding ketchup and a bit of hollandaise and egg… still, I want my food perfect when it arrives.

Fried Chicken Sandwich

The Fried Chicken Sandwich was a hit with my comrade: the chicken was moist, the bread fresh and the hash browns were the best we’d had in a while. Perfect golden brown, lightly seasoned, and not dried out inside.

I stopped by at 11pm for a late dinner: the classic Cheeseburger and Fries.

Shoestring french fries were greasy and nothing to brag about. The hamburger however was delicious, it was like a backyard bbq hamburger, nothing fancy just a good burger. Not the best pic but you get the point.

** When I returned to Lucy’s I ordered a Cheeseburger with bacon. The bacon was so overcook it actually cut my mouth – I hate when restaurants cook the S*&# out of bacon, leaving it hard to chew and tasteless. The meat was not seasoned either. The “Fry Sauce” is so bland you need to eat a whole mouth full to get any flavour, very disappointing. Again, Lucy’s is very HIT OR MISS**

We also tried the Pulled Pork Mac’N Cheese sandwich, sounds great on paper but was a real disappointment.

First and foremost, it looks disgusting. I could justify eating all those carbs if the macaroni was cheesy and flavourful however it was beyond bland, the bun was lame-old-white bread ( and very chewy), and the pulled pork was dry and tasteless. I do not recommend this dish, to anyone, ever.

The Winner Winner Chicken Dinner also sounded great on the menu and was visually very appetizing however, its looks were deceiving.

Not so Winner Chicken Dinner

The problem was the veggies tasted frozen, and the mashed potatoes lacked that quintessential thick creamy warm mashed potatoey goodness. I didn’t like the seasoning on the potatoes at all, it tasted watered down. The chicken was moist on the inside however the outside overdone. The gravy was O.K.

Stumble into Lucy’s on your way home from the bar for a late night snack or for a milk shake on a hot afternoon but don’t expect too much.

Lucy’s Eastside Diner
2708 Main Street, East Vancouver B.C.
Phone (604) 568 1550
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