Save-on-Meats

It's no secret that I think Mark Brand is the second coming, and his latest outing has proven to be another safe bet for dining on the East Side. Happily, Save-on-Meats is a lot easier on the wallet than my favourite arm of his multi-pronged business. After two visits, I now feel qualified to comment on the diner side of things. I can't speak to the other aspects of the reborn Save-on-Meats, but my trust in Brand runs deep, so I'm sure they're great.

For reasons I can't quite pinpoint, the food here is almost secondary. It's certainly good enough, and you simply can't argue with the prices. Save-on-Meats is more about the experience and the atmosphere, and they've nailed both. A, E and I had a collective girl crush on our server Kelcie, and we would have been happy to have her hang up her metaphorical apron and sit a spell with us. A friendly fellow behind the counter let us sample a bacon chocolate chip cookie before we committed our dessert calories elsewhere. The space is airy and spare, save for the many charming old-timey posters by local artist Dan Climan.

Biking there and back to work off the large portions topped off a truly perfect summer evening. I hadn't been to the original, but I think this incarnation deserves at least as long of a run.

Docker's Diner

This particular post has been a long time coming, because Docker's was the first place I ever frequented in my new neighbourhood. I've been out of the habit but a few recent visits have reminded me to put it back in my rotation.

The place looks like it's been there for decades, but it's actually less than ten years old (I can't remember exactly how old). Joanna, the owner, has done an amazing job right down to the worn patina of the red fabric booths.

Initially, I was prepared to be disappointed by some aspect of Docker's. It all seemed too good to be true, and right down the street from my apartment. Happily, I couldn't have been more wrong. I've eaten both breakfast and lunch there more times than I can count, and it's always dependably great. The food is basic, but delicious, the service is wonderfully sweet or delightfully crusty (but always attentive!) depending on who you get, and the value simply can't be beat. The standing breakfast special is two eggs, bacon or sausage, real hash brown potatoes and toast for $5.45, including HST!

Docker's is justifiably popular with everyone from the blue collar set to young families and hipsters to cops. Give it one chance and you'll understand why.

DTES Delight

This past weekend my mom was visiting from Calgary, and we embarked on an eating out bonanza, the likes of which hasn’t been seen in my life since the last time my parents visited in August. First stop: Acme Café for a cozy dinner on a chilly evening. My mom is one of those out-of-towners (and they are legion) who hear East Vancouver and think Downtown Eastside. In my time living here, I’ve been able to show her that there’s more to East Van than just the DTES, and it was finally time to demonstrate that this particular area has its own charms.

A short walk from our parking spot took us to the Acme Cafe. Much virtual ink has been spilled debating the wisdom and sensitivity of opening a café at this pricepoint in this particular location, but I don’t see any harm in a warm, welcoming and thriving business of any kind. Plus, I don’t think $12 dinner entrees homemade from quality ingredients are stratospherically expensive. Every time I’ve eaten at the Acme, I’ve been among people from all walks of life, which is part of what make East Van (including the DTES) so appealing. I guess it’s outside of some people’s comfort zones, but cookie cutter suburbs are waaaay out of my comfort zone, so there you go.

On this particular night, I overheard one of our fellow diners ask “Cocoa what?” when the server told him the daily crock pot special, which was coq au vin. I’m fairly certain another patron was a local character actor who I keep running across (at the Cultch’s Burlesque New Year’s Eve party, and then again at Canada Screen Casino Jack). It’s a small world, after all. A would-be customer tried to pass a counterfeit twenty, and he too was treated with respect.

But on to the food! I always have a cookie as an appetizer when I come here, simply because they’re so nicely on display and I can’t help myself. This time it was an incredible peanut butter sandwich cookie with chocolate chips.

For the main course, I went out on a limb and tried the High Falutin’ Grilled Cheese with the chicken noodle soup. The sandwich was good, but I think I would have enjoyed the classic grilled cheese more. I kept expecting non-existent turkey, since the High Falutin’ version comes includes some kind of cranberry spread. I usually order the chicken pot pie with salad, which is consistently perfect. My mom loved her shrimp guacamole sandwich with potato chips and broccoli slaw. The real stars of the show here are the desserts. I’ve tried the lemon meringue pie and countless varieties of cookies, but this time we split a slice of key lime pie. It was absolutely delicious: not too sweet, with a golden brown graham crust. Heaven.

I love Lucy's

Last Sunday I sidled up to the counter at another eastside diner, appropriately called Lucy’s Eastside Diner. I was meeting a carless friend who lives nearby so while it’s not the most convenient location for me, I can definitely see myself making a repeat visit, perhaps in the middle of the night, since Lucy’s is open 24 hours.

The place is blink-and-you’ll-miss-it small, but this only adds to the charm. We received very friendly service that I suspect I can only partially attribute to the server’s obvious crush on my dining companion. The food was yummy, though again I didn’t venture very far off the beaten path (artichoke, mushroom, pepper, and goat cheese omelette). I’d better start being more adventurous lest I bore you with an endless parade of omelette reviews!

The décor is 1950s hipster, which I can really get behind. My very favourite part was the bicycle handlebars mounted like trophy heads on the wall. Very clever.

My only complaint is the lack of depth between the stools and the counter. I’m not exactly working with Gisele-style pins here, and my knees had no place to go. It’s a small quibble though, and one that’s easily solved by sitting at one of the tables. Then again, maybe they’re just keeping it real; surely those midcentury types were shorter on the whole than we are now.

Jump on the Red Wagon

With the Canucks doing so well these days, the buzz word around town seems to be bandwagon. I'd like to talk about a wagon of a different colour, that is, The Red Wagon. I've been a couple of times, most recently this past Sunday for brunch with a friend/former co-worker and her lovely cousin. It's the brainchild of Brad Miller, late of Au Petit Chavignol, Bistro Pastis, and West.

I arrived first at 11 am, and found myself third in line for a table since the "neighbourhood joint" was jumping. Why, yes, I would love a cup of tea while I wait! What a nice touch from a very friendly server. It is a diner after all, so we didn't have to wait more than 15 minutes for a table. There are also a couple of seats at the counter, which I would love to try out solo or en deux someday soon.

The menu is part standard breakfast fare (such as my perfectly turned out spinach/'shroom/cheese omelette), and part more inspired creations like the pulled pork pancakes with Jack Daniels syrup that my friend ordered. These looked so incredible that I almost abandoned the no-red-meat ship to have a bite (I know, I know, it's the other white meat, but still). G assured me they tasted as good as they looked, and I managed (barely) to take her word for it.

As of this writing, they're still closing daily at 6 pm, but various sources state that dinner is coming soon. I'll certainly be back to check them out once that comes to pass, if not before.