Burger Fix: part 2

Boogies Burgers, Calgary

I had another craving for a burger, and this time it was daytime so I had a few more options. I have been hearing a lot of good things about this place called, Boogies Burgers, on Edmonton Trail so I had to go and check it out. Luckily, I live nearby so it was just a quick drive up the hill.

Boogies Menu. A great selection of signature burgers, or build your own.

As you can see, the place is bright and clean. Service is friendly and fast. The food is all made to order so it's delicious. Today, I opted for one of the signature burgers, "Shawn's Burger". It is a triple patty monstrosity with cheese, bacon and fried egg with Boogie's Signature Red Sauce and all the fixings. They even bring you a steak knife in case you can't fit the thing in your mouth. Good sign.

Shawn's Burger. I added the cell phone for size reference.

With a burger this size, I wasn't gonna order fries but they do have 3 kinds of fries; regular, spicy and yam. Of course, what burger joint would be complete without onion rings. They got the rings too. The sign of a good burger is one where you can appreciate the taste of the meat, rather than the fixings all over it. Though this burger had a lot of 'stuff', I could really taste the freshness of the beef. In fact, the Boogies red sauce is not overwhelming, but compliments the overall taste of the whole burger. Sorry for getting too deep.

I ate the whole thing. WOOT!

Verdict? With places like this, I can really appreciate living in Calgary. Why do I say that? When you have a hometown, you need these kind of places that are unique...places you miss when you go away. Places you tell your foreign friends about. Dining, whether it's an elegant night on the town with a hot date or a quick lunch at a great burger joint, is an experience. So go experience Boogies Burgers!

A Late Night Craving

A vlog I made last night while I was craving a burger. I cook a lot at home, so going to McD's is a rare occurrence. I really wanted to go to Peter's Drive-In, but since they only take cash, I was screwed. I kept driving down 16th Avenue 'til I found McDonalds in Motel Village.

Hamburgers are like old friends. You always love them, no matter what. Despite the bad things people say about them, you always have a place for them in your heart, or in this case, your stomach. I remember one Christmas Day in Houston, eating our dinner at Jack in the Box. Cheeseburgers for Christmas. lol...

A Saturday in Calgary: Izakaya Kaori

The table is ready for the hungry guests.

Saturday night, I was invited to hang out at Kaori's place for a dinner party of Shabu Shabu. It's a Japanese hotpot of kombu broth with a variety of fresh ingredients that are cooked at the table. I always love hotpot style dinners because of the social aspect of the whole experience. It's interactive and always different. The evening was abundant with great conversation with new friends.

The second donabe with crab and miso broth.

Shabu Shabu is named for the sound that's made when you take your meat and swish it around in the hot broth to cook it. It's a very healthy meal since all the ingredients are fresh and the broth is very simple.

Stirring up the Shabu Shabu broth.

I am always amazed how food can bring people together and create such a memorable experience. As a person, I am fairly quiet and laid back until food comes into the picture. When I cook for people, it's better than any funny anecdote or adventure story. It's not that I'm not much of a talker, it's just that some things don't need words.

Kaori presents, my first Gyu tataki.

I had seen the chefs at the restaurant make gyu tataki a million times before, so when Kaori asked if I could make it, I was happy to oblige. It's very simple to make. It's simply beef tenderloin, quickly seared and cut into thin slices. It's served cold with grated daikon with ponzu. The guests looked on as I prepared it with the confidence that I had done this a million times. Victory!

Hardly a dent...

Crab 'tamale' with sake.

After the big show, we saved the crab heads with the precious 'tamale'. The tamale is the yellow stuff that you find inside the crab head that some people throw away. Do yourself a favour and DON'T! It's brilliant. Japanese fishermen take this golden bounty and add sake, then drink the whole thing right from the shell.

Izakaya Kaori's success prompted us to plan again for another edition. Will it be Matsuri Kaori? Teppanyaki Kaori? Time will tell.

Working...

So I've been working at this Japanese restaurant near my place for almost a month and a half. The decision to get another job was one of necessity. I needed the money, but mostly I wanted something to keep busy during the week and do something productive and rewarding. Yes, I could get a hobby, but I love cooking...and learning Japanese. So I was lucky enough to know someone at my day job that knew people in the city that ran a couple Japanese restos in the city. She talked to some people and presto! Here I am. Thanks, Miyuki. During my short time here, I have met new friends, learned a lot of Japanese and absorbed great cooking knowledge from some talented minds.

Jumpei and Tommy are making tonkatsu for the staff meal.

There's no real secret to great Japanese food. The basics are simple, yet the results are simply amazing. A great deal of care and effort are put into the most simple of dishes...love is what I call it. As an enthusiastic cook myself, I have always believed that preparing a meal should be an expression of love for the people you are cooking for. It should always be like this, since that care shows whether you're making tonkatsu or instant ramen.

Chawanmushi waiting for egg mixture before going into the steamer.

My boss, Nao san.

Back when I was 21, I used to work in a local bar and grill that served up the usual pizza and pub fare and I hated it. Mind you, I was still young and unskilled not looking past the next payday. I had no real visions, though I did have dreams. I just had no direction or plan. I can tell you now that I am older and starting over that I appreciate life. I have my health and 4 beautiful kids. I am pretty laid back and I stopped blaming life for things I could fix myself. Having problems, as I see it, are opportunities to make myself better. Trust me, you never stop learning. Why would you want to?

Jumpei's knives...well worn.

Shin san

Though I never meant this post to be some kind of motivational article, it seems to have turned out that way. To sum things up, I needed something to do to keep busy. I love cooking and learning Japanese. So I got a part time job at a Japanese restaurant. I learn Japanese, I learn to cook and I get paid. Win.

Thanksgiving 2009

It's the middle of a short week and winter has reared its ugly head. The weekend was fun though. My friend, Sue invited me to come out to a Thanksgiving dinner party hosted by one of her friends from the recent camping adventure we had. It was a night filled with new friends, good food and karaoke.





This was the first time I had Thanksgiving without my family, yet it was one of the best Thanksgivings I've had in a longtime. What does that tell you? That I hate my family? That they hate me? No, not at all. I do think though that families get wound up in drama sometimes that blinds us from the real reason we get together in the first place. Being in a dysfunctional family, we often end up going to multiple locations for holiday dinners and such. But I guess that's not new since half of marriages end in divorce, right? At least that's the last statistic I heard.

Call me odd, but I think that I would rather get together with good friends and family for a nice dinner and drinks than get another bath set or sweater with a Hallmark greeting hastily stuck on with scotch tape.

Moving Weekend

After some furious spending, I am finally moved into the new place. It's tough to start fresh since you don't really have anything but your clothes and as you do things, you discover new stuff you need. ie: cooking dinner and you open the drawer to grab a...oh shit, I need cutlery! or...assembling a new table from Ikea and getting to step 7. You thought you could put together the table with just the supplied hex tools and realize you need a...philips head screwdriver. F**k.

Well, I managed to go back to Ikea and pick up a set of tools and supplies and I can now safely say that I am settled nicely...until I think of something else I need to buy. D'oh!! Toilet paper!