(Turkey) Burgers and Fries

Cost: $9

Prep: 30 minutes

Wo Wanton and Turkey Burgers

Cost: $12

Prep: 20 minutes

I know these dishes don't go, but the plan was for turkey burgers. Matt was going to make us an appy of wanton soup, as we needed to use up some wantons that his father had made and were in our freezer. When I went in the kitchen to see what he was doing, he wasn't making an appy but a full pot of soup, so we just ate it as the side dish instead.

The soup was awesome. Light and crisp, full of veggies. Charlie like it too, and has taken to asking for soup constantly.

For the turkey burgers, which we grilled, I made a light coleslaw to go on the burger buns. It was a nice change, as these burger tend to be dry.

Canada Day Turkey Burgers

Happy Canada Day!

We had a completely awesome, perfect day today. It left me barely able to move by 3PM, but I enjoyed myself immensley.

We left for the day at 8:40AM, in a rush trying to make it for the start of the bike parade on the Gorge. We were a little behind, so Matt took Charlie on his decked out bike to catch up while I waddled behind, and caught up quite a ways later.

At one point, I told Matt I couldn't keep up. Matt responded that I should take bigger steps. I told Matt that if I took bigger steps, this baby would fall out. But I managed. I did. It was fine.

We intended to get the pancake breakfast at the Craigflower end, but when we got there, the line was SO long. So instead Charlie played with his friend Ainsley and then his cousins Mike, Emma, and Keira while waiting for his best buddy Steele to show up.

Chuck and Ainz of their decked out bikes

At about 10:30, we left the Craigflower side and began our walk. We reached Gorge at about 1PM because there was a lot to see, do, and eat.

The first food stop was to see Carlos at Don Carlos Tamales. Matt has literally been looking forward to this all year. We ordered 2: chicken and veggie. I was supposed to only eat 1/2 the chicken one, but I didn't care for the veggie one, as it tasted like mashed potatoes to me, so I ate the entire chicken one. These are the best tamales I have ever had. Seriously. These are as good, if not better than anything we have ever managed to get in Mexico. And Carlos and his wife, also a teacher, are simply good people. If you see this stand, check it out. Eat here. I think he is usually at the Moss Street market.

Out next food stop was to share a sweet potato tornado. I am not sure who the vendors were who were serving these as well as langos, but it was a treat!

Then, we stopped for some fruitsicles. It turns out we are beyond the stage of not being able to give Charlie his own treat. He ended up stealing mine, as we all ended up sharing. I had the pineapple/coconut, and Matt had the lime/cream. These were more like a popsicle than the deliciousness at Fruition, which had a much nicer texture.

Look how impressed he is to share MY popsicle with me

The next food stop was Spaghetaboutit (spelling?). It was like Italian/diner food. We had the crispy gnocchi to start. Very good. Matt liked the sauce, but I thought it tasted like Chef Boyardee, which, coincidentally, is what Matt's Italian grandmother called all jarred sauces.

We also had a deep fried Mars bar here. It was pretty much the best thing I have ever eaten in my entire life.

The last stop was to buy a couple of buns for dinner at Fairways on the way home, but we finished off our 3 hour lunch with a big pint of raspberries on the way home.

Charlie was a really good boy, especially considering he was on his bike almost the entire time, missed his morning nap, and was out of the house from 8:40AM-1:30PM. When we got home, Charlie had a nap from about 2PM-4PM. I basically didn't move the entire time.

Then, dinner was upon us. Luckily for us, we ate the (now cold) tortellini Matt had made for him and Charlie while I was partying the night before. It made a nice pasta salad of sorts and contained peppers and chicken. He also cooked a few turkey burgers (2 for him, 1 for me, 1 for Charlie) on the grill, and I prepared the buns and vegetables (onion, lettuce, pickles). It was a light, easy dinner on a hot day when we were exhausted.

We finished it off with cherries, 1 that looked like testicles, and 1 that looked like a butt (it rolled in the photo). Charlie finished his dinner off with his favorite snack food: roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds.

Red Robin

The problem with trying to go out to dinner on a Friday night is the after-work crowd. We went to go to the Fernwood Inn, and although it was early, we weren't able to get a table, especially one that can accommodate a highchair. I guess that is the menace of trying to go somewhere "hip". Don't get me wrong: we like the FI and they are family friendly, but it was a bad choice on our part to go there on a Friday night.

So, instead, we went to Red Robin. Time was moving on, we all were hungry, and one of us has a seven o'clock bedtime.

Entertaining himself: he loves to eat lemons and limes

Now that we have a real life-sized toddler, I totally understand the appeal of Red Robin. It has always been decent on our list of chain restaurants, but this experience took it up a notch.

1. It is loud, but not crazy music loud, just goings-on loud. So, when a young boy screeches because you aren't giving me a fry past enough, it is lost in the din.

"How do I fit this lemon in this hole?"

2. It is FAST. Like, really fast. We had our food probably within 10 minutes of ordering it. Now, this doesn't speak highly to the quality of the food, clearly they aren't making anything fresh, but sometimes having to entertain a little monkey is more difficult.

3. It is accommodating to requests, both with food and otherwise. I wanted to add extra extra pickles to my burger. Done. No charge. We wanted two extra orders of fries. Done. No charge. We had 3 refills on Matt's lemonade (mostly so C could eat the strawberries). Done. No charge. Extra napkins. Done. A side-plate. Done. Another straw. Done. I hate being a pain to the waitstaff, but sometimes there are things you need or want. I really like that Red Robin does it all, and acts like it is no problem.

"B, Charlie, B."

4. The kid's menu is pretty darn good. $6.29 for drink, entree, and side. Matt got Charlie a kid's meal when they went with a friend a few weeks ago, but we are still not quite there. Still, like many of the family's around us, when you have a brood, it is still reasonable to take the kids out to eat (and not that much more than McDonalds).

5. The food is tasty. It may not be the best quality, but it is consistent. People around us were ordering the calamari (same woman who ordered a Perrier) and fajitas, and I cannot speak to those entrees, but I feel like sticking with a burger, I know I will like what I get.

Whiskey River Chicken Burger

I had a Whiskey River Chicken Burger on a onion bun with pickles. I did get fries, although I usually get salad since Matt's fries are bottomless anyways. The chicken was a little puny, but, overall, it was a great burger.

Matt had some sort of Chop House Burger. It has provolone, mushrooms, and horseradish. He really liked it, but it is definitely not my thing.

Charlie had some tomato, lettuce, beef, chicken, cheese, mushrooms, lemon, lime, strawberries, and fries. (This is an off-menu item :P)

Chop House Burger

Crack on the Cobb

Cost: $7

Prep: 30 minutes (but I was multi-tasking)

There comes a time in every boy's life where he hits an important milestone. Driving a car, going on a first date, eating his first corn on the cob.

Okay, well, maybe that last one isn't such a big deal, but it sure was cute.

Charlie got to eat his very first corn on the cob tonight. We broke the ear in 1/2, and he did great, especially considering he only has 6 front teeth (and 4 back teeth).

"Hmmm, what is this?"

"Let me just try a little lick."

Piece one: complete

The corn, which turned into the main event, was intended as a side-dish. We bought groceries today at Superstore, and we risked trying the $0.48 an ear corn. I know it is usually pretty bland at this point in the season, and the sign gave no indication of where it came from, a thought I had mid-eating. We decided to give it a go mostly for novelty, and it paid off, as this corn was really good. Charlie ended up eating a full ear, the same as me.

The corn was paired with turkey burgers from Thrifty's that we froze last weekend. Wow, are these ever good. Turkey, cranberries, and stuffing. I melted mozzarella over top. Matt ate his with a bun and the burger fixin's. I went bunless. Charlie ate a few bites of ketchup covered bun on the side.

We also bought some of that toxic coloured green coleslaw. Matt and I both like it. Charlie was not a fan, and I am sure most people would support him in that decision.

Girls' Night

Girls' Night


I joined a ladies' restaurant club with a few of my girlfriends. Last night was the first time I had the opportunity to join them.

We went to Bin 4 Burger Lounge. Wow. Am I glad we had a reservation. It was 6:30, and there was an hour wait for couples, and an hour and a half plus for more...and we were a 6, so we probably would have been elsewhere if it wasn't for forward thinking. Frankly, I am surprised they take reservations at all since they are so busy.

The decor and ambiance are whatever. Nothing special. We were tucked in the far corner, and it was way too warm in there. BUT, the service was faultless, especially in such a busy environment, and they did not try to rush us, despite the huge line.

We all partook in the Dine Around menu. (I'm sorry; there are no pictures, as it was just too dark for my little camera phone.) Five of us had the pork and chorizo lettuce wraps. We all seemed to agree that these were tasty, especially the butter lettuce. I didn't particularly care for the sauce (hoisin?) because it was too sweet and thick as a pairing, and I would have preferred something more vinegar based. One of our party had the bruschetta, which looked fresh and satisfyingly large.

For the main, three of us ordered the Sweet Corn Chicken Burger. It was lovely. The goat cheese was a really great pairing with the chicken, very delicate and creamy in flavor and texture. The cilantro was what got me though. I will remember this for next time we do at home burgers or chicken sandwiches.

Two ladies ordered the mushroom and beef burger. They spoke highly of the beef patty, although some "order envy" was expressed over the chicken burger, as it was felt that the beef was very close to something that can be made at home.

The last member of our party had the chick pea burger. She said it was great, with a fantastic blend of flavors.

Most of us had fries as our side, and these too, were very good. Anyone on Urbanspoon who didn't like their fries should try again. I had the basil aioli, and that was beautiful. My only complaint about the fries is that I clearly had the dregs of the basket. I didn't have ANY that were longer than an inch, and I had a lot of other/non-potato deep fried matter mixed in with mine. I didn't really mind, but I think it is worth mentioning, as I know this would really bother a picky person (ex. my brother).

The desserts were very good. We somehow divided 2 by 2 by 2. The lemon tart, I was told, was full of flavor and rich. It definitely did not look like Sherriff lemon filling! The creme brule looked creamy, and despite it being a very small portion, one member could not manage to finish it. I had the chocolate torte. It was very nice, rich, and full of flavor. The only downside were the nuts it was served with were so hard I feared breaking a tooth--so I ate carefully, but of course still ate it.

We all agreed that Bin 4 was well worth the trip. We had a great time.