Rating / 5 out of 5 stars

We’ve driven by Thomas Haas Fine Chocolates & Patisserie a number of times on West Broadway. I felt it was finally time we paid him a visit. I love enjoying a piece of fine chocolate now and then, and Mr. Haas has gone above and beyond to craft freshly made chocolates that are not only pretty to look at, but tasty too.

The Patisserie is nice and spacious — a few tables scattered throughout the room leaving room for customers like me who like to run around and peek at everything. My heart fluttered when I saw all the beautiful chocolates lined neatly in rows at the front display. Tre noticed my excitement and reminded me to stay focused on the chocolates we were actually going to buy.

We selected an assortment of chocolate truffles: Cognac Truffle, Marc de Champagne Truffle, Jamican Rum Truffle, Passion Fruit Tahitian Vanilla, Green Cardomom with Whiskey and Almonds. But we couldn’t stop there, we also ordered macaroons, a couple of Thomas Haas’ famous croissants and a cup of Americano to go.

(Clockwise: 1. Parade of decadence. 2. Flaky, buttery croissants. 3. Americano)

All the truffles were pure awesomeness! Delicate truffles filled with ganache, rolled in dark cocoa powder and perfumed with a shot of booze. The only truffle we weren’t too fond of was the Passion Fruit Tahitian Vanilla: dark chocolate ganache paired with passion fruit and tahitian vanilla, topped with hand painted chocolate plaquette. That particular mix of fruit and chocolate didn’t taste like a natural pairing — it looked much prettier than it tasted.

The Pistachio macarons were delicious — light and airy filled with cream. The croissants were perfect — flaky and buttery. Our double shot Americano hit the spot and gave us a nice buzz for the day.

(Clockwise: 1. Pistachio Macaroons 2. An assortment of chocolates, just waiting to be devoured. 3. Standardized chocolates for baking and cooking — or you could just gnaw on one for a little while, why not?)

Our bill including taxes came to just under $23. The chocolates are more on the pricier side at $1.10 a piece. It costs a bit more if you want it gift boxed, but as an occasional indulgence — it’s worth it.

Perfect for: Spoiling yourself silly.

The Details

2539 West Broadway, Vancouver
604.924.1847
thomashaas.com

Rating / 1 out of 5 stars

Joe’s Grill is a diner on West 4th. Case and I used to frequent the one on Davie and had fond memories of the eggs for breakfast as well as the corned beef hash. We’ve been to the West 4th location a couple times prior, but were consistently underwhelmed. We found ourselves once again on West 4th seeking a quick and inexpensive brunch. Bypassing our West 4th default, the Gypsy Rose Cafe, we headed onto Joe’s Grill to seek redemption.

(Top to bottom: 1. Reuben Sandy on a diet. 2. Packaged salad dressing. Sad.)

We went straight for the bulletproof dishes: sandwiches. Case ordered the Tuna Melt on sourdough with a side salad. I had the Reuben — also with a side salad. What we received instead were two of the saddest sandwiches we’ve ever tasted. The grease from both our sandwiches left blotches of visible residue on our plates. Although the bread was fried, the Tuna Melt was utterly soggy and runny. The Reuben was incredibly anemic with the sauerkraut easily doubling the mass of the barely existent corned beef. As with the Tuna Melt, the bread, although grilled, was soggy and dripping with grease.

What put the nail on the coffin that was our meal was when the dressing for our salad arrived in a packet of Kraft Signature. Our entire meal including two coffees came to just over $20 including tax and tip. Woefully overpriced.

Perfect for:

If the lineup at Denny’s is too long.

The Details

2061 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver
604.736.6588

Rating / 2 out of 5 stars

Taco Shack attempts to bring Californian style Mexican food to the sun-bleached shores of the Kitsilano neighborhood. The dearth of good Mexican food in Vancouver has left Case and I on the perpetual lookout for some good south-of-south-of-the-border cuisine.

We entered the shack. The lone server/cashier stared at us with blank eyes; expressionless. Despite the bright weather, stepping inside brought our entire vibe down a few notches. Undaunted, Case and I proceeded to order Nachos with salsa and the Fish Tacos.

The nachos were — well — nothing special. The salsa, however, had some great flavours and was certainly homemade, which was a nice change of pace from the usual bottled dribble served at many restaurants. The fish tacos were unfortunately, poorly assembled; the watery sauce soaked into the tortilla and rendered it as sturdy as a wet paper napkin. Eating the meal was near impossible as sauce and vegetable alike dripped all over. On the inside, the fish and the sauce was under seasoned, lacking any distinguishable flavour.

The meal set us back under $15. With the exception of the salsa, the overall experience was completely forgettable.

Perfect for:

Not a whole lot, really.

The Details

1935 Cornwall Ave, Vancouver
778.239.5102
tacoshack.ca

Rating / 4 out of 5 stars :

There’s been few restaurants whose re-opening has been as heavily anticipated as Moderne Burger. After going down for the count for renovations, and then running into all sorts of problems that delayed the re-opening for months, the question remains: Is Moderne Burger still worth the hype?

It doesn’t take a genius to cook burgers and fries. So, any fool should be able put out a decent burger, right? Not so. It seems in an attempt to one up each other, trendy chefs add their “signature” to burgers by drenching overcooked, dry-as-cardboard meat patties with unspeakable sauces. They wrap this hideous creation between sad, brittle buns and overcooked fries. Moderne Burger bucks the trend and starts with the most basic: simple, fresh ingredients made with love and care. The menu is poetically brief: burgers, fries, sodas and shakes.

Case prefers the Modern Steak burger, a freshly homemade beef patty with no fillers or seasonings. I like the Turkey Burger with cheese. We share a gigantic plate of fresh cut fries. No meal is complete at a 50′s style diner without a classic fountain drink — may we suggest the Vanilla Coke. Moderne Burger’s re-opening was bitter sweet. I’m glad they’re back — but the half dozen seats that were added hardly seemed worth all that trouble.

The Details

2507 West Broadway, Vancouver
604.739.0005
moderneburger.com