Deluxe Chrome

Deluxe Chrome

Deluxe Moderne Burger, Vancouver

reviewed by Anne Garber

 

2507 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC
Tel: 604-739-0005

$$

review by Anne Garber

If fifties-era diners still have a place in our world, you will likely only find them reincarnated with any degree of authenticity in very few places. One of these exceptions-to-the-rule is Deluxe Moderne Burger in Vancouver's Kitsilano.

A scant half-a-block from Vancouver's BEST restaurant -- Lumière -- Peter Kokinis has had the audacity to open a burger joint offering what he bluntly claims to be the best . . . anywhere: "You have to come back several times, and then you'll decide you'll never settle for another burger."

His secret is pretty straightforward: "Every order is made from scratch. We add nothing to the hamburger meat -- no salt, no pepper, nothing. For people who want fast food, we just can't give them what they want; unfortunately, it takes about fifteen minutes to make a burger and fries, because every order of fries starts with me cutting fresh potato for the chips. None of this partly-cooked-and-stored stuff for us. So when we say 'home-cut' we really mean it. We mean cut-to-order. Everything is fresh-made . . .by me."

I first visited Deluxe Moderne Burger in April with a foodie friend, Suzi Mikaelian, who had moved to Vancouver from the New York area recently. We agreed the burgers were unbelievably good!

In fact, I found myself thinking about that sensational burger so much that I resolved I had to return immediately. As the rhythm of life would have it, events intervened that delayed my return -- until today. All this time, I had been boring my husband John with how great the burgers were. So I was delighted to find they were every bit as good as I remembered. And John declared the burgers at Moderne certainly the best in Vancouver. I would go him one better and say " . . . in Canada."

I didn't make much of an inventory of the place's ambience on my first visit, but this time I noticed decorative objects such as the real, authentic fifties television set (with about a nine-inch screen), the deco-style light fixtures and chrome stools lining the counter, the chrome table set-ups, and the diamond floor tiles.

Service was friendly and accommodating (are we becoming more and more "high-maintenance" as we age, or does everyone have their little When Harry Met Sally idiosyncrasies?) and it really didn't seem like a 15-minute wait for our food. Predictably, the food was splendid.

The place is totally unpretentious, and the staff exceedingly friendly and attentive. Nothing was too much to ask; everything was acceptance and welcome.

The menu was simple, and what one would expect in a "diner" type atmosphere: Hamburgers, fries, sodas, milkshakes, fountain drinks (Coca-cola, thank goodness -- WHAT is this trend toward that second-rater, Pepsi?), ice cream favourites and so on.

Will we follow Peter Kokinis's advice and come back repeatedly? If I were a gambling person, I would consider this particular bet a sure-thing.

 

About the Author

Anne Garber is a seasoned international journalist whose focus includes consumer product reviews, challenges and issues, internet scam and problem-solving, book reviews, travel and food features. She is an expert product and recipe tester, and pulls no punches when it comes to differentiating between products and services that perform well (five stars) and those that don't (bombs).She writes a weekly column in Canada for TV Week, and international columns online (evalu8.org, Travellady.com) and maintains a regular blog on consumer matters at http://www.annegarber.blogspot.com/. Anne welcomes feedback and ideas at anne@evalu8.org.

Automatic Funnel - Deluxe Chrome Plated