Everyday Places for Everyday People

I’m a huge fan of local restaurants, mom and pop shops and independent food trucks just like every other foodie out there. However, we can’t ignore the big chains nor can we neglect the ones that have become staples in society.  Everyday places that allow everyday people to enjoy budget friendly meals with good quality food, they exist. For lunch, my husband and I dined at the other end of the spectrum to a massive food chain that spans North America: Red Robin Gourmet Burgers.

Gastronomical Adventurer devouring Red Robin's memorable items

When I told my Mom, she looked at me quizzically, posing the question, why would you put Red Robin’s in your blog? That combination of that look and question is exactly why I’ve blogged about it! In a foodie city like Vancouver, we’ve forgotten about these chains that were the go-to places in the 60’s, 70’s and part of the 80s. That famous quote from the movie When Harry Met Sally, “restaurants are to people in the 80’s what theatres were to people in the 60’s”, has continued to this very day. But these big chains like Red Robin’s are no longer considered a big deal; we do not Facebook, twitter or blog these types of restaurants. 

Red Robin Towering Onion Rings

So here it is, a blog post about a chain that initially started in the 1940’s called Sam’s Tavern near the University of Washington in the United States. In 1969, this tavern transformed into Red Robin restaurant and eventually in 1985, made its way to Canada in our very own province in Burnaby, BC. Definitely known for their variety of burgers, bottomless steak fries and singing Happy Birthday servers, this place has some memorable items on their menu. Let’s start with the infamous appetizer the Towering Onion Rings. Like many others, I crave greasy food but it has to be good. I can’t be wasting my time on empty calories that are tasteless. This tower starts at the bottom and works its way to the top from largest to smallest ring. It is visually stimulating as I felt my mouth begin to water, looking forward to the first bite!  I believe I counted 13 rings; each one was breaded and fresh fried to perfection. When I took that first bite into the ring, I was able to hear the crunch, taste the flavor and I didn’t pull the entire onion out and leave the breading behind.  I feel these 3 qualities are musts for a successful onion ring. I have to say, I’ve eaten many onion rings in my day and still consider these one of the best.

Red Robin Prime ChopHouse Burger

We chose the new burger that was introduced to the menu, the Prime ChopHouse Burger. The buns are onion buns that are surprisingly soft on the inside and lightly toasted on the outside. Filled with a good piece of meat, cooked all the way through (important since there is currently a red meat scare, again) covered in horseradish sautéed mushrooms, provolone cheese and onion straws. Now that I have your attention, imagine that bite….can you taste all those ingredients combined in one place? I thought it was ingenious. The hint of spice, the crispiness of the onion straws and the melted gooey provolone cheese surrounded by this soft onion bun was delish!

Big chains exist, they may have multiple locations which take away from their uniqueness but they still have little things to offer. As my sister says, don’t forget about the little things because they are the big things.