When is a burger not a burger????.....

Answer: When it's an UNBURGER

www.www.eatunburger.com

So recently in my household we set a few lofty fitness goals, the biggest one for myself was to try and get back into my old "race" shape, for my wife, it was to run in her first long distance race. So we both signed up for and ran in the 10km portion of this years MANITOBA MARATHON, and I am pleased to say that for both of us it was a resounding success.  That being said, that success didn't come without a lot of hard work in the gym, and a slight change to our diet plan. So where could we go to celebrate all of our hard work, without also destroying everything that we worked so hard to achieve.

Well  a BURGER is definitely a great way to celebrate, add the facts that at UNBURGER their beef patties are always fresh never frozen, and that they are made with 100% lean Manitoba beef, or that I can get local Bison meat instead, UNBURGER was the perfect place to balance our celebration and diet needs.

So here's what I went with.

The OPAH! burger

This was an amazing, bison burger, served on a multi-grain bun ( traditional buns or lettuce wraps also available) with an olive tapenade, Feta, Gourmet Lettuce, Tomato, & Lemon Oregano Yogurt. This beauty hit the taste buds in all of the right spots,  and for you local sports fans, my wife enjoyed this delicious treat

The Blue & Gold burger

Again a Bison patty served on a multi-grain bun, but this time it was garnished with Blue cheese, Fancy tomato, Balsamic Onion, Gourmet Lettuce, & chipoltle sauce, and unlike the local team... this burger is a winner (sorry boys, I know..this year will be different. lol)

So we did both decided to splurge a little bit and get some fries, but the tough decision was whether we wanted traditional, or sweet potato fries?? well after one quick suggestion by the young lady behind the counter, are choice became quite clear.... BOTH!!!!

find this on the menu as "SHAREABLES"

The SHAREABLES comes with both regular fries tossed in sea salt, and sweet, sweet yam fries and 2 dipping sauces, from which you get to choose from Ultimate chili aioli, rosemary garlic aioli, chipotle aioli, thai curry mayo, truffle aioli (that one's an extra 50 cents), or the old stand by honey dill.

What a meal!!! the satisfaction from enjoying such a great meal balanced perfectly with the satisfaction that we were both feeling for accomplishing our goals. We went home from our experience with a smile on our face, full tummies, and a promise to return again.

Please check out the link to their web page, It is a great menu with most burgers available in beef, bison, and chicken options, there are vegetarian choices as well, and as the menu says " The answer is YES! we serve beer".  The atmosphere is fun, the decor is quirky and you will definitely make a second visit to try something else.

If you have a place that you  are passionate about that you would like to see me blog on, or if you are just curious about a restaurant, and would like me to try it out for you first, please comment on this blog or reach out to me on Twitter at @awat56

Hard work deserves a reward :-)

        So lately I have been working hard to try and get rid of some of the weight that I put on while I was hibernating over this extra long winter that we've been having, and my mission to eat and live healthy has turned into a family mission. We have included into our lives such things as gym memberships, almond milk, granola, and multi grain everything, and we have done a fairly good job of sticking to our healthy regiment and we both have seen the results we wanted. However going cold turkey from all the decidant foods that we use to eat before has been very difficult, and since we both have worked soooooo hard lol,

We decided to treat ourselves 

http://fiveguys.ca/en

Now there are a couple of things that a restaurant can do that in my mind make it one of the best.

1) Anything resembeling the classic diner look is always a win

 

2) A fun environment

free peanuts

thank you wall from cusomers (done in crayon of course)

3) And of course fresh made food!!

Now how can you go wrong with a place that the "standard" burger comes with 2 patties made from 100% fresh beef, and the "little hamburger" on the menu is the single.

 If you decide to order your bacon burger the way I did with all the standard fixins... mayo, lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, ketchup and mustard, all that you have to say to the smiling face behind the counter, is that you want your burger "ALL THE WAY", but in case you feel that your burger could use a few more toppings, you have several more ingredients that you can add such as relish, onions, jalepeno peppers, green peppers, A1 steak sauce, bar-b-q sauce, and last but not least hot saue. Combine your amazing creation with one of your favorite Coke products and a regular or large serving of their Five Guy or Cajun style fries (cooked in pure, no cholesterol, tasty peanut oil) and your perfect reward dinner is complete.

Well no regrets after this amazing meal, it was the perfect celebration meal, but its time to put down the laptop, and hit the treadmill and get back on my quest to be ready for summer.

If you have a place that you  are passionate about that you would like to see me blog on, or if you are just curious about a restaurant, and would like me to try it out for you first, please comment on this blog or reach out to me on Twitter at @awat56

Back at it

Well time to get back at it. Sorry my friends. A few new changes in my life and a couple of distractions to get past, but now it time to get down to business.

With the closing of some local landmarks lately ( The Paddelwheel, and Kelekis) I started reminiscing about some of the places I use to visit with my Father, and some of the traditions that I would like to continue with my kids. So I figured why not start with the place that was less then a couple of blocks away from the first house I ever lived in.

JOHNNY'S MAPLES PIZZA

 This Maples landmark has been at the corner of Inkster and Sheppard for as long as I have been walking, so I figured it was time to take my son there, and make some new memories.

Now I have featured a classic Winnipeg burger a couple of times on my blog already, but the very first time I ever had a FATBOY was at Johnny's. So knowing that my son was a huge fan of chili burgers, it was time to upgrade him properly.

So there we are checking over the menu and I point out the FATBOY to him, he asks the waitress what comes on it, and she tells him... chili, cheese, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, and mayo. He then tells her I'll have the DOUBLE with no onions and fries and gravy..... A little tear came to my eye. LOL. that's my boy.

And for those of you who think I'm just telling you a great story....

That's right, a burger soooo big it comes on its own plate, and fries and gravy soooo saucy that they serve it in a bowl. Well after about half an hour, the only thing left was 3 small pieces of meat, and about a quarter of his fries and gravy. WELL DONE Champ!! He has now successfully been promoted up to the FATBOY burger, and the best part of this whole experience, is the story that I know he'll share tomorrow with his friends at school , and one day with his own children.

So from the restaurant that has brought many a Maples residence special memories for generations . Happy Eating!!

If there is a recipe, or a restaurant that you are passionate, or curious about, please just comment on my blog, or tweet me @awat56, and I will test it out and blog on it for you.