Luke’s Corner Bar & Grill

If you stick to pub fare you likely wont be disappointed at Luke’s Corner Bar and Grill. Prices are what you would expect for the neighborhood, but weekly specials will keep your wallet happy. Service and food have been inconsistent overall, yet I continue to  find myself coming back again in the hopes that maybe this time, everything will be perfect.

The Fried Pickles and Peppers are my favourite item at Luke’s. They used to have a $5 Anytime menu with these on it, sadly that menu is no more. Still, at $5.99 the P & P are the perfect share item, spicy and sour with the right amount of kick to it.

The Veggie Burger is a fantastic value at $13.99. The hearty black bean and quinoa patty was accompanied by wild mushrooms, arugula, tomato, and aged white cheddar on a whole wheat bun. Bring your appetite, this burger is filling.

The Salt Spring Island Mussels in a chorizo, garlic, and white wine sauce didn’t wow me. The menu was misleading, it didn’t indicate the sauce was cream based (not a bad thing, but on a hot summer day it wasn’t what I wanted). The chorizo was too tough for my tastes, so overall this dish was a bit heavy.With the garlic filon bread it’s $15.99, add fries for an additional $3 if you want an overpriced meal.

Avoid the Ahi Tuna Poke.

When done right, this dish can be sensational. Although the tuna and avocado were fresh, I wasn’t a fan of the almonds or fruit salad so for me this missed the mark. It didn’t help that the wonton crisps were inedible, sharp and utterly tasteless (possibly undercooked?) The server was kind enough to bring out crostinis when she finally got around to doing a quality check, by then I was already let down.

On a brighter note, the drinks at Luke’s have been consistently great. On Sundays, caesars and mimosas are $5, can’t go wrong with that! We once ordered their wings to-go and were quiet pleased with them. 

Brunching it at Caffe Barney

Mm, mm, brunch, my favourite weekend past time.

Last Sunday we decided to try out Caffe Barney, a small South Granville restaurant with a big reputation for their eggs benedict. at 11:45 we didn’t have to wait for a table, however I have seen line-ups outside the restaurant before. The atmosphere was casual; service staff were a bit hard to pick out, as there was no uniforms or name tags. Our server was friendly at first, but I think he got peeved after I changed my order (sorry dude!), and he didn’t return to our table to quality control, only to drop off the bill. Luckily for him, everything was delicious, and the couple sitting beside us shared their hot sauce and ketchup with us.

Obviously I had to see what was what and put in my two-cents so I ordered the chorizo benedict. It  came smothered in a delicious hollandaise over two perfect poached eggs and a fabulous tomato salsa. Oh, and a whole wheat English muffin. My only complaint would be there was not enough salsa or hollandaise! I’m a saucy girl, what can I say.

Phil, the egg-hater, got the cranberry turkey sandwich with a side of fries. They certainly didn’t skimp on the fries, although there wasn’t a lot of potatoes on my benny ( maybe our server was still mad about the switch? Or maybe i’m just a greedy little girl with eyes too big for her own stomach). The fries were light and crispy, although Phil particularly liked the cranberry sauce in his sandwich because it didn’t taste “artificial or canned.” 

We also ordered two glasses of orange juice. Fresh tasting with lots of pulp, these drinks were 4 bucks each. All in, we spent about $35. I would go back because I want to try more bennys!