Yuppie Chow!
Dad fell and tore a hole in his pants, so I met up with him at the Mark's Work Warehouse in Kingsgate Mall. After a whirlwind shopping trip that consisted of picking up two new pairs of pants, trying on a few pairs of work boots, and learning how to swipe his bank card, we needed to find somewhere to eat. After a bit of debate, we opted for Vera's Burger Shack. Neither of us had been, so we were a little curious.
After looking at the menu board, I was reminded why I'd never eaten at Vera's: The prices. A Vera Burger, which is basically a six-ounce beef patty in a bun, costs $5.69. Sure, there's a whack of condi--excuse me, extreme flavour shots--and toppings that you can add for free, but hot damn if that ain't expensive even if you pimp your Vera Burger to the full maximum. But judging by the sub-basic decor and atmosphere of the place, a fair chunk of that $5.69 was going towards the burger. Ergo, it would be safe to reason that these had to be the best burgers ever.
Ten or so minutes and $21.05 later, our order--two Vera Burgers, both with ketchup and mustard, one with fried onions, and drinks and fries for two--was up. First impressions? The shared sentiment that this was a lot of food, followed by a lot of chewing, munching, and eventual struggling through our meals. It really was a lot of food. And that's not just short and scrawny me talking, either--the person who actually first declared that it was a lot was my dad, a meat-loving dude who's over 6 feet and 220 pounds! We're talking about a guy who will eat dinner, then spend the rest of the night grazing on snacks ranging from cookies and chips to sandwiches and whatever happens to be in the kitchen.
During our meal, much of our conversation was spent reading and commenting on the menu. Between the cutesy descriptors of some of the burgers and the pure ginormousness of The Doug Burger, there was a lot to talk about. But strangely enough, we didn't really talk about the actual burgers we were eating. Maybe it was enough for us to get through as much of the damn meal as we could, but you'd think that if these really and truly were the best burgers and we were experiencing them for the first time, we'd actually be talking about them and not the fact that The Vic offered "double patty, double cheese, double fried onions and a double bypass."
Don't get me wrong, though: These were good burgers. They were big and tasty and enjoyable from first bite to that last little bit that we could just barely pop into our mouths. And the baskets of fries proved to be worthy companions, too. It's just that for the amount of hype that they get and for the amount of money that they charge, I was expecting better. Not bigger, not an abundance of food, not cutesy descriptions, but better. I was expecting a burger I'd ask for on my deathbed. But all I got was an over-priced but delicious patty wrapped in a bun and overseasoned by hype.
Well, that and a night's worth of feeling uncomfortably full.
After looking at the menu board, I was reminded why I'd never eaten at Vera's: The prices. A Vera Burger, which is basically a six-ounce beef patty in a bun, costs $5.69. Sure, there's a whack of condi--excuse me, extreme flavour shots--and toppings that you can add for free, but hot damn if that ain't expensive even if you pimp your Vera Burger to the full maximum. But judging by the sub-basic decor and atmosphere of the place, a fair chunk of that $5.69 was going towards the burger. Ergo, it would be safe to reason that these had to be the best burgers ever.
Ten or so minutes and $21.05 later, our order--two Vera Burgers, both with ketchup and mustard, one with fried onions, and drinks and fries for two--was up. First impressions? The shared sentiment that this was a lot of food, followed by a lot of chewing, munching, and eventual struggling through our meals. It really was a lot of food. And that's not just short and scrawny me talking, either--the person who actually first declared that it was a lot was my dad, a meat-loving dude who's over 6 feet and 220 pounds! We're talking about a guy who will eat dinner, then spend the rest of the night grazing on snacks ranging from cookies and chips to sandwiches and whatever happens to be in the kitchen.
During our meal, much of our conversation was spent reading and commenting on the menu. Between the cutesy descriptors of some of the burgers and the pure ginormousness of The Doug Burger, there was a lot to talk about. But strangely enough, we didn't really talk about the actual burgers we were eating. Maybe it was enough for us to get through as much of the damn meal as we could, but you'd think that if these really and truly were the best burgers and we were experiencing them for the first time, we'd actually be talking about them and not the fact that The Vic offered "double patty, double cheese, double fried onions and a double bypass."
Don't get me wrong, though: These were good burgers. They were big and tasty and enjoyable from first bite to that last little bit that we could just barely pop into our mouths. And the baskets of fries proved to be worthy companions, too. It's just that for the amount of hype that they get and for the amount of money that they charge, I was expecting better. Not bigger, not an abundance of food, not cutesy descriptions, but better. I was expecting a burger I'd ask for on my deathbed. But all I got was an over-priced but delicious patty wrapped in a bun and overseasoned by hype.
Well, that and a night's worth of feeling uncomfortably full.