Smoke’s Poutine

Alright, so this was neither paleo nor low carb but you know what, sometimes you just have to take life by the sweet gravy covered fries and enjoy it. Smokes Poutine gives massive portions with a variety of topping combinations to choose from. I ordered the pulled pork poutine, which was very hearty and filling, but I wished there had been more pulled pork. There were also not a lot of cheese curds, but an abundance of fries, perhaps to mask the lack of other toppings and make you feel your $9 was well spent?

We also ordered the Philly cheesesteak which I was not impressed with, at least in regards to the processed orange squeeze cheese that came on top of it. The flavour was so artificial it detracted from the steak/onions/mushrooms/peppers.

If I sound like a poutine snob it’s because I lived in Montreal for five years, and it honestly doesn’t get better than that. A good poutine isn’t about the add-ons, it’s about the quality of the gravy, the cheese curds, and for me, the thickness of the fries ( McDonalds poutine doesn’t cut it for me because those fries are too flimsy).

Smoke’s gravy has a distinct flavour, very down-homey like it was made in your gramma’s kitchen. It packed a lot of flavour, but it is also a very distinct taste. I would like to go back and try a regular poutine with no toppings because it was just a lot going on flavourwise, and overall very jumbled. The fries were thick cut and well seasoned, and that’s a major plus. The cheese curds, well there could have been more.

Cinco de Mmmmmayo Baja Shrimp Tacos

Happy Cinco de Mayo everybody! For those of you wondering what Cinco de Mayo is all about, google it! Or Wikipedia it! For us it meant splurging on delicious Americanized Mexican food, and gosh darn it the meal was amazing.

 If I can depart any wisdom on my readers it is trust staff recommendations. The first time I entered Chronic Tacos, wide-eyed and hungry, one of the colorfully tattooed cooks took me under his wing and guided me through the ordering process. Battered fish/shrimp Baja style is the way to go, and he was 100 percent right.

I ordered three tacos, the battered shrimp (pictured above), grilled fish, and the carnitas (shredded pork). They recommend getting it “baja style” which includes fresh squeezed lime, cilantro, and Baja sauce. DO IT.

The heaping tacos are made to order with fresh ingredients and varying degrees of hot sauces. My only complaint is that guacamole was an extra $1.00. Other than that, the prices are reasonable for the amount of food you receive.

I was told my battered shrimp was going to take a while, as they were making it fresh. At 9:00pm this was welcomed, proving again the freshness of their products. The shrimp was well worth the wait. There were about four large shrimp, enough for each bite to be delicious. Crunchy on the outside, tender inside, I recommend trying this. It was also loaded with fresh tomato salsa, cabbage or lettuce, and cheese. The grilled fish wasn’t as outstanding, and didn’t have as defined a flavour. The only thing that stood out for me was the taste of the tomatoes, so I don’t think I would get it again.

Baja Style Battered Shrimp Taco

By far the shrimp was my fave, with the carnitas coming in second. This taco came with guacamole,  probably why I liked it haha, but compared to the bursts of flavour in the shrimp the carnitas was only so-so. They don’t skimp on portions though, this taco came filled with meat and had a hardy spoonful of guacamole.

Carnitas

If you’re hungry and craving good fast food (yes, I believe there is such a thing), go for Chronic Tacos. Today they are featuring Cinco De Mayo drink and food specials  at all their locations, and festivities at their Gastown location!  Might just have to make a repeat appearance….

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
✭✭✩✩✩

Pulled Pork at The Five Point

Doesn’t that make your mouth water?

Pulled Pork Poutine

I tried this triple threat at The Five Point restaurant on Main and 16th. After living in Montreal for 5 years I consider myself fairly versed on what makes a good poutine. Well, The Five Point hit it spot on while adding a unique spin that has me calling this alliterative dish my new favourite.

The pulled pork was moist and juicy, the sauce, a sweet bbq, was evenly dispersed throughout the fires. Very filling but not too rich overall this meal was great, five stars for the Five Point! I think I’m addicted…

Calamari

We also ate the calamari, which was okay but nothing special ( the Pulled Pork Poutine was the star of the evening). The somewhat small portion  wasn’t overly greasy and coated in a salt, pepper, and lime breading. The breading was a bit rough, like it hadn’t been cooked long enough. Overall I wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great.

I just found out Tuesdays are 50 cent wing days at the Five Point, what a deal! Will have to go visit them and report back… until then, Happy Eating everyone.