you got the beet

What:      The Chop
Where:    Railtown Cafe  (397 Railway Street, Vancouver BC)  http://www.railtowncafe.ca
Why:       I’ve become a fan of the Railtown Cafe for a number of reasons but mostly because of the options you have when ordering. You can pretty much create your own salad from scratch or alter the existing items on the menu. The Chop is more like a cobb salad to me with one exception… beets! Normally not happy with these little rooters, more so because what ever I’m wearing will advertise beets for free, but in this dish they are incredibly yummy! And because they are such a healthy choice it makes me think I’m choosing a good thing. All the regulars are here in big chunky fashion … chicken, avocado, tomatoes and bacon. Old chedder is a nice touch, the sharp tangy taste makes the savoriness of the bacon addictive, however I’ve been experimenting with the cheese and I’ll ask for chunks of cheddar (instead of slices) with blue and that adds a bit of creaminess to it all, with some nuts and dried cranberries for an added zing. Railtown adds a quaint little pitcher of dressing, which I can give or take. I find the more I eat these types of salads the flavour of all the other ingredients tend to create a party of their own in the bowl making lettuce and dressing unnecessary accessories which I’ve been requesting to have less of.

reviving a classic

What:      Cobb Salad
Where:    Deacon’s Corner   (101 Main Street, Vancouver BC)  http://www.deaconscorner.ca
Why:       A while back a friend posted a photo of a dish he ordered called ‘the macho bowl’, which essentially was a cobb salad without the lettuce. I’ve yet to find such a thing outside of my kitchen but Deacon’s comes pretty close. There are generous portions of all the favourites … avocado, bacon, blue cheese, tomatoes, corn and chicken, piled onto lettuce in a big bowl and topped off with a hard boiled egg. This dish is a meal in itself and with just salt and pepper added it seems so much healthier than a salad slathered with dressing.