As a big fan of Max’s Deli sandwiches, as soon as I saw the sign go up (while still in construction) on West 8th Avenue at Cambie, I got really excited. Max’s Burgers is located just across the street from Whole Foods and only a few blocks from my house, so I was constantly walking by, staring, and dreaming about those burgers. I figured if the burgers were anything like the sandwiches, they’d have it made. Waiting, waiting, waiting for the restaurant to finally open was agony: I love me a hot beef injection.

The menu at Max’s is unpretentious, which is exactly how a burger joint menu should be. While they have dogs, milkshakes, and floats, I kept my attention on the burgers. Their signature burger is the $9 Big Max. Clean and simple, this burger comes with a 5 oz. fresh Alberta chuck patty, lettuce, tomato, and Big Max Sauce on a brioche bun. A side of hand-cut Kennebec fries accompanies this basic burger. You can ask for “Max’s Style”  (fried red onions) or for a chicken burger patty at no extra cost. You can make it a double burger for $3. Toppings, like cheese, bacon, or mushrooms, are an extra $1.50. Pretty reasonable for sure.

If you don’t feel like building your own burger, they offer a selection of “Fabulous Pre-Fabs.” When Big Man and I went we each ordered one of these specialty burgers.

Big Man got The British Columbian with bacon marmalade, applewood smoked bacon, cheddar and “the fixins’” for $12.50. Big Man really liked this burger, despite the fact that he said the bacon marmalade was “a bit much.” He said that the next time we visited, he would order the Big Max and add bacon and cheddar. He loved the patty, which he felt had a bit of a “kick,” and he also loved the soft brioche bun. Overall: thumbs up.

Max's Burgers | The British Columbian, $12.50

I got the Pushing Buttons with sautéed mushrooms, truffle mayo, swiss cheese, lettuce, and tomato for $12.50. I made it “Max’s Style” to add sautéed red onions, which complemented the other ingredients.

I found my patty to be a bit too peppery. Although Big Man liked this about the patty, I thought it slightly detracted from the flavour. The meat was high quality, so this helped. The truffle mayo, swiss cheese, and mushrooms were a perfect medley of flavour. The Total Flavour Package was a win (in spite of the peppery patty).

Max's Burgers | Pushing Buttons, $12.50

But, the best part of the experience was actually the fries. Wow! Normally, fries are the side dish. At Max’s, they are the star. Fried in beef tallow, these crispy spuds have a potatoey taste that socks you in the taste buds. When I walked past the kitchen and saw stacks of boxes of uncut local potatoes, I realized why. You just cannot beat local BC potatoes, freshly cut on site. You can’t beat it! The fries here are truly fantastic.

Fresh + Local BC Spuds

If I have one word of advice for Max’s Burgers, it would be to cut back a bit on the pepper in their patties. Other than that, it’s all a go. I will definitely be back to Max’s Burgers.* It fills a serious burger void in the area and I’m thrilled to call this place my local burger joint.

Max’s Burgers
521 West 8th Ave.
Vancouver, BC V5Z 1C6
604-873-MAXS (6297)

*Note: So I did go back, like the next night. I had a Max’s Burger with cheddar cheese and fried onions. Again, the patty was a bit too peppery, but the burger was still very tasty. The fries were just as amazing the second time around. Here’s the kicker: we tried the strawberry and banana milkshakes and there were stand-out in the extreme. One of the best strawberry shakes that I’ve had in Vancouver, possibly the best.

This isn't the first action this car has seen: http://vancouver-bites.com/2010/07/03/la-taqueria/

Needless to say, I’ve been feeling a little down. I was craving Mac’n'Cheese, that oh-so-comfy comfort food that makes everyone feel better. In particular, I was craving “The Brooklyn” from The Mac Shack. When I tweeted my predicament, The Mac Shack told me they would bring it to me.

Predicament:

car crash + sadness = need for Mac

= need for car to drive to get Mac + no car

= disappointment and thwarted desires

Bring it to me? Yep, they said it sounded like I’d had a rough week and I deserved a little comfort. A RAOM, they called it: a “Random Act of Macness.”

And let me tell you, it was just what I needed. We devoured that thing.

Of course, it has been quite the journey to get to this point. I’ve had The Mac Shack three times and it wasn’t until today that I felt ready to write a review. Full disclosure: I realize now that only once did I pay for my meal, and that was a partial payment. This does not influence my review, as you will see.

The first time I had The Mac Shack was on Grand Opening day. I was really excited, since you know, Mac and Cheese is kinda my thing. I was lucky to find out about The Mac Shack via Big Man, after he’d been trolling around on Twitter. I freaked, like I do, and this was before we realized they were giving away free Macs to their first 500 Twitter followers. Whaaaaaa?!

So Big Man and I followed them and received our coupon codes for free Macs. On opening day, we drove all the way over to West Blvd at W. 38th Ave. When we got there, we were turned away! Temporary closure due to the overwhelming response on their first day of business. I was pissed and I didn’t hide it. Like any sleazy snob, I vented my frustrations on the Internet behind my semi-opaque mask of anonymity. Immediately, I got a tweet to return to the restaurant as it was just a miscommunication.

Grumble. Grumble. This better be good, I thought.

So, we snuck back in. As usual, I didn’t pay attention to the menu and assumed that the three sizes of “Regular,” “Ultimate,” and “Jumbo” equated to “A Little Hungry,” “Fairly Hungry,” and “Really Hungry.” So, for the three of us, I ordered a regular Lobster Mac ($15), a regular Classic Mac ($6), a regular Bacon Cheeseburger Mac ($8), and an ultimate Royale ($16). We used two of our coupons and only had to pay for the Lobster Mac and the Royale.

That's a lot of food

So, it took about 45 minutes to get our food, which was tiresome, but understandable considering this was their first day of business. Overall, I liked the Mac, but I didn’t love it. I wasn’t blown away.  The portions were large and the value was there. A “Regular” feeds 1 person, an “Ultimate” feeds 2, and a “Jumbo” feeds 3-4. I would’ve known that if I had read the menu. The Macs were good, particularly the Classic and the Bacon Cheeseburger, but I feared that my expectations had been a little high. Remember, I’m always looking for the Mac that takes me back to my childhood.

The Royale comes with bacon, bell peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, chicken, chorizo, and shrimp with Mozzarella and Gruyere cheese in a rose sauce

Obviously, no self-respecting reviewer would publish a review based on a Grand Opening experience. Of course, I don’t have any self-respect, but I still waited to write the review.

Thwarted in my attempts to get back to The Mac Shack, I wasn’t able to return incognito. About a month or two after their Grand Opening, they had a media event and I made it on the guest list (I’m not usually one of those bloggers who gets these types of invitations). So, I headed back and was able to try their re-worked menu. This was a great experience because I was forced to try a lot of Macs, some of which I would never have ordered on my own. And that is how I met Brooklyn.

Brooklyn is a lovely Mac made with Naramata Blue Cheese and AAA Sirloin Steak, with caramelized onions and mushrooms in an aged balsamic reduction and rose sauce. Blue Cheese in my Mac? Whaaaaaaa?!

But it was The Brooklyn that really caught my taste buds at the media event. Sure, I also enjoyed the Lobster Mac (yet again), which comes with a hefty portion of lobster even when you aren’t at a media event (yes, it did the first time I tried it too). The Veggie was tasty, although not something I would personally order on my own. The breadsticks with tomato dipping sauce were better than expected. And the Bacon Cheeseburger Mac was good the second time around.

But only one of these Macs lingered in my memory: The Brooklyn. (My musings on why we are drawn to certain Macs can be found here.) The rest were good, but only the Brooklyn would keep me coming back. It is something about the sweetness of the caramelized onions mixed with the tanginess of the blue cheese that just makes me crave it. The large slices of tender steak don’t hurt either.

Which brings us back to the present time. Today, The Mac Shack brought me an ultimate Brooklyn. Whenever I get free food (which is very rare), I have to ask myself one very crucial question:

Would I pay full price to eat this?

So an ultimate-sized Brooklyn is $17. Tonight, this fed Big Man, after a long day of work; myself; and Little Man, a growing boy. Dinner for three for $20. Yep, that’s a deal that I would gladly pay for.

Is this the best Mac’n'Cheese I’ve ever had? No.

Is this the best Mac’n'Cheese in all of Vancouver? Maybe/Maybe not. That really depends on you. What kind of Mac’n'Cheese do you like? Let me explain.

In my quest for the best Mac’n'Cheese, I’ve heard a lot of recommendations. You can’t believe how many times I’ve been told to go to Burgoo for the best Mac in the city. And again and again I have to say, “Sorry, I like a lot of things at Burgoo, but the Mac ain’t one of ‘em.” But think about that for a minute. Why do so many recommend Burgoo? Is it that their taste buds are seriously flawed? I don’t think so. I think that everyone is different and, thus, everyone wants something specific and unique in their ideal Mac. For myself, I was lucky enough to be able to try a lot of the Macs at The Mac Shack until I found one that was the right fit for me.

Will I eat at The Mac Shack again? Definitely.

It works like this. If you love burgers, you aren’t going to stop until you try every single burger you can get your hands on. Now, once you eat your way through the city until you find your number one favourite burger, does that mean you stop eating burgers everywhere else? No way!

Similarly, I don’t plan to stop looking for that number one best Mac ever, but in the meantime I’m sure I’ll continue to crave The Brooklyn.

Find your favourite Mac at:

The Mac Shack
5395 West Boulevard
Vancouver, BC V6M 3W4
604-267-4225

I haven’t posted in a long time. I know. I’ve been busy.

Also, I’ve been trying to lose my blogger fat. It’s like baby fat, but you don’t grow out of it. You do, however, grow out of your skinny jeans. I gained 30 pounds in my first year of food blogging. Since December, I’ve lost almost 20 of those pounds. But I’ve still got a ways to go.

That isn’t to say I’ve stopped eating. Oh no. But I have tried to limit eating out to once a week. Since I’m only eating out once a week, it’s hard not to keep going back to my old favourites. You know, those restaurants I’ve already posted on. Add to this the fact that I started a graduate studies program, and you can see I’ve got plenty of excuses not to post.

But a new breakfast joint has brought me back to you, dear Reader. OK, it’s not actually that new and it’s not a breakfast joint, but their new-to-me breakfasts make me happy. And they are very reasonably priced. A bonus for all you like-minded cheapskates out there.

It’s Edible Canada. Located on Granville Island, this is classy, yet casual, (classual?) dining at a very affordable price. I don’t actually know how they do it. Rent has got to be a killer.

Take, for example, my favourite: Breakfast Tacos. Three corn tortillas filled with scrambled eggs, pico de gallo, avocado crema, and FRESH salsa for only $9. A steal to be sure.

Breakfast Tacos, $9

Or the hearty Island Breakfast for $11. This meal comes with scrambled eggs, sausage, pork belly, and home fries fried in duck fat. Oh yeah, they’re gooood.

Island Breakfast, $11

If you want to fill up on even less, try the Granville Island Breakfast Bun. For only $7, you get a round panini-style breakfast sandwich filled with melted smokehouse cheddar and scrambled eggs, as well as a substantial side of the duck fat fried potatoes.

Granville Island Breakfast Bun, $7 (pictured with a side of double smoked bacon, $3)

If you want to live high on the hog, you can add a side of sausage or bacon for $3 (get it? get it?).

Now, if you’re not a grad student like me, you might be able to order just anything from the menu, without even thinking of the price. I do admit that I splurged once and got the Yarrow Meadows Duck Confit Hash for…gulp…$14.

Yarrow Meadows Duck Confit Hash, $14

I almost broke the bank that day, but it was so worth it! Two poached Fraser Valley eggs perched on a hash of roasted potatoes, wild mushrooms, corn, and onions. This meal was packed with duck meat and practically dripping with duck fat.

Mmmm duuuuuck

Delicious, but dangerous. Not only is it very rich, you might die of a coronary. At least you will die happy.

I highly recommend sharing this with a friend. Maybe you can pair it with their fruit and yogurt parfait, which seems like a much healthier option (though probably not as good!).

Big Man says the breakfasts are good, but a little pretentious. I heartily disagree. I don’t know of another place that serves up ingredients of this quality at such a reasonable price. Plus, service is friendly even when you arrive sweaty from your morning bike ride. If you haven’t been, check it out!

Edible Canada at the Market
on Granville Island
1596 Johnston Street
Vancouver, BC
604-682-6681

This Saturday, all of my loves come together in the extravagant extravaganza that is the Afro-Brazilian Block Party! This party is going to blow the pants off of the much anticipated, but sorely lacking BrazilFest  of last summer.

Axé Capoeira is hosting the ABBP, with help from some very big name sponsors like the City of Vancouver and Latincouver, among others.

Honestly, I’m not really sure what is the best reason to go. There will be dancing; singing; capoeira; musical performances; a kids’ show; gorgeous, scantily-clad women; and hot, muscled men.

Oh wait, the FOOD!  That’s right, I’m going for the food!

Without further ado, here is the food vendor line-up:

• Eh! Restaurant
• El Cocal
• Mogiana Coffee
• Quejos
• Jamaican Pizza Jerk
• PazzaRella Pizza
• Mr. Cool Ice Cream
• Jugo Juice
• Lelo’s Grandma

Personally, I’m saving myself for Lelo’s Grandma.  Okay, that does not sound good, but trust me the coxinhas that she makes are very good. If you love coxinhas, like I do, you’ll get there early and bring your cash because I’m betting those babies go fast! That woman knows her Brazilian cooking! Nom nom nom nom.

Got food news or event information for me? Tweet me @VancouverBites!

*Photo by Gursimaran Singh.

Disclosure: I have inside information from a former employee.  Yes, back in high school, my husband worked in the Market Grill.  That is a testament in itself: if a former employee is willing to eat there, you know the standards are high.

Most of the ingredients are locally sourced. The tomatoes and lettuce are from the Public Market. The buns are baked fresh every day. The hamburger is purchased fresh every morning from a butcher in the Market. The chicken is local too and is delivered twice a week (Big Man says the best time to order a chicken burger is mid-week, because the biggest pieces go first). The secret sauce is made on site.

When we go, we always order the same menu items.

I get a “Market Special” beef burger with secret sauce, Swiss cheese, mushrooms, onions, and tomato. For $8.75, this big burger comes with thick potato wedges. I get a Peachstone Vrroom (or, as I like to call it, “Peach Drink”) to wash it down with.  MMM MMM! I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!

The patty is usually a little bit too well-done (for my taste) to be called a perfect patty, but it is fresh and tasty nonetheless. The onions have bite, the mushrooms are aplenty, and the tomato is always ripe and red, but it is the secret sauce that makes for the home run. It is sooo delicious! Like Plankton in Sponge Bob Square Pants, I’d love to get my hands on the secret formula, but Big Man won’t spill the beans (I think he just can’t remember and likes to see me squirm). Watch out, this is one messy burger. As my mom always said, “It isn’t good unless it’s dripping down your elbows.” (You can see where I get my class from.)

Market Special (beef) with fries, $8.75

Big Man always gets the “Californian” chicken burger with Rondelé cream cheese, bacon, mushrooms, guacamole, mayo, lettuce, and tomato with fries for $9.75. He describes it as “creamy-bac0n-guacalicious.”

Californian (chicken) with fries, $9.75

Little Man always gets a hot dog.  While he gets an All Beef dog, they also have Jumbo, European, Zinger, and Bavarian Smokie varieties, running $2.95 to $4.00. The fries are always golden brown, soft and warm on the inside and crispy on the outside. We add the seasoned salt (available on the counter) and dip them in a side of mayo, Australian-style.

The Market Grill is an old standby for burgers. In all the years that we’ve been eating there, we’ve never had a bad experience. I highly recommend the burgers!

Market Grill
in the Public Market at Granville Island
104 – 1689 Johnston Street
Vancouver, BC
604-689-1918