I hadn’t eaten a hamburger, let alone beef, in a few months now.
Since my boyfriend Sean went vegetarian (read: “non-animals-with-feet-atarian”), I practically haven’t cooked any meat at home except for heating up wet cat food for Gucci. I was craving juicy, tender, flavourful meat, and I wanted it badly.
Friday night’s Original DB Burger at DB Bistro Moderne was well worth the wait.
Not for the faint of heart.
Nestled in a bed of greens – I had to to exercise a bit of self-restraint and substitute salad instead of the default fries, as (a) I was wearing a tight skirt and (b) frankly, I think I needed the dietary fibre – the Original DB Burger is like the P. Diddy of Whoppers. Big, loud and unapologetically in-your-face meaty, it’s a luxury burger without any subtleties whatsoever.
The patty: A square inch of foie gras embedded within slow-cooked beef shortrib meat, itself encased in a gigantic bear hug of top sirloin hamburger. Moist and juicy, each bite contained so much flavour from the foie-rib-sirloin combination I don’t think my tastebuds even had time to detect or savour the black truffle that’s also a part of this delicious burger.
However, that didn’t stop me from slathering copious amounts of house-prepared horseradish mayo on top of this beast. It’s the best mayonnaise I’ve ever had. I would have coated a great deal of other things with it had I not run out.
Finishing the burger, I felt a triumphant wave of satisfaction, a tasty climax of what was a fantastic maiden voyage to DB Bistro, an upscale but approachable restaurant staffed with friendly, patient servers and an excellent bartender, Dani Tatarin.
Even with a few attendance-related hiccups at my table, the servers made us feel right at home and kept our drinks and conversation flowing. So much wine and conversation, perhaps, that when Chef Stéphane Istel came out to greet my table during dessert, all I could muster up the energy to say was…
“Will you ever make a double-patty version?”
DB Bistro Moderne
2551 West Broadway (near Trafalgar)
Vancouver, BC V6K 2E9
604-739-7115
Food & Wine Pairing: Blasted Church 2006 Merlot
The challenge: Five women, six different dishes, one bottle of wine. I was nominated the sommelier for our table.
We were collectively eating: Lamb Couscous (new for Fall), Seafood Risotto, Nova Scotia Lobster Salad & Pheasant Tortellini, Steak Frites, and of course my meal, the Original DB Burger.
We had begun our evening with some Blue Mountain Brut, a tart Granny Smith apple and lightly strawberry-kiwi chapstick-flavoured sparkling wine with a fine bubble and crisp finish. It was decided that we would keep the local theme going and try to find a BC red.
From a list that included local offerings such as Mission Hill Merlot, La Frenz Cabernet Sauvignon (a personal fave) as well as Kettle Valley Petit Verdot, I picked Blasted Church 2006 Merlot.
Tasting Notes
With soft plum and blackcurrant aromas, smooth tannins and a Bing cherry finish, the Blasted Church 2006 Merlot was a versatile, medium-bodied pairing that was a pleasure to quaff with all of our red meat dishes as well as the rich seafood entrées. It’d also hold its own next to Korean BBQ beef shortribs or beef Bulgogi too. $26 at the winery.