Burgoo (Lonsdale, North Vancouver, BC)

I've had this post on the back burner for the longest time. So long, in fact, that the restaurant has changed its seasonal menu (we went in the earlier part of this year).

We were on the North Shore running some errands - I believe we were picking up Ms car, as he does not drive if he's been drinking. And if he's been watching the hockey game at a friends house or pub/bar, he's been drinking. Drink responsibly, people! However, there have been times (once, maybe twice!) that we've enjoyed visiting with Ms family so much, or that we've enjoyed the afternoon / day so much that we've been on the Highway 1 off ramp heading for home when we collectively scream, "D'oh! We forgot [Ms] car!" Yes kids, perhaps the Yum-O-Rama team is getting a little forgetful in our old age... :p

Burgoo is at the foot of Lonsdale, within walking distance from the Lonsdale Quay, and also has three other locations in Vancouver: one in Kitsilano, and one on Main. To see my friend HK / HHs post on Burgoo on Main, please click here. It was only that I read her post that I remembered that I had to blog about my experience at Burgoo!

It was one of those weeks after the Olympics where it started to get gradually colder and cloudier. We just wanted something warm and to relax a bit! The mead was on special that night - a warmed sweet red wine. We ordered one of each while we looked through the menu; one was a sweeter version with apple notes, and the other was a spicier (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice) version that went well with our appetizer - the Fonduemental.


I've written before about how M created a monster when he introduced me to cheese. In fact, I've wanted to visit Burgoo for a long time just because they have fondue.  The Fondumental is a cheese fondue created with gruyere and emmenthal cheeses. It was served with chunks of red apple (gala I believe?), red grapes, grape tomatoes, and crusty bread. Since the bread was neutral and the fruits were sweet, I was really missing something salty to dip in the fondue. Some gherkin pickles or briny olives would have been really nice. Even if I had to pay a couple bucks to add those on, it would have been perfect. That being said, $13 for a shared appetizer, we felt, was moderate value.

This next dish is no longer on their menu. The Goulash was part of the winter menu and is a stew consisting of beef, onions, carrots, celery and tomato served over gnocchi. It really hit the spot. It was warming and comforting. We were glad that we saved some crusty bread from the fondue as the several pieces of gnocchi were far and few between (there were about 8 knobs of potato dumpling in the entire dish, which was sad, as they were really good!). The portion, aside from the limited number of gnocchi was perfect. We shared everything that night (as we usually do) but I could definitely picture myself finishing this up and not being overly full, nor still peckish after the meal.

I also had my eye on the Beef Bourguignon - yes I know, a fondue and two stews does not exactly make for exciting photos but it was comforting to the heart and tummy! The beef bourguignon was accompanied by mashed potatoes. I found the stew to be hearty yet not too rich. Chunks of beef, button mushrooms, carrots, tomatoes and red wine made up the stew. We finished every morsel of our dinner that night, and returned home with contented bellies.

We even remembered to pick up Ms car!

Dinner came to $65 with tax and tip and we'd return again for a meal again.

Burgoo (Lonsdale)
3 Lonsdale Avenue
North Vancouver BC
P: 604-904-0933

Recipe: French Onion Chicken Stew

Had our annual general meeting for our strata last night. It was a JOKE.

Knowing that we basically had to go straight home last night, wolf down a quick dinner, then to the meeting, we knew that we had to have something preplanned. Something fast. Something that required no fuss!



Behold, Michael Smith's recipe for French Onion Chicken Stew. It looked interesting and simple enough when I had seen it on his show, Chef at Home while eating breakfast one morning. The ingredients were simple, I had a Costco-sized bag of onions to use up, and I've been dying to maximize effort and time to use the slow cooker!

I adapted the recipe to my slow cooker - it wouldn't hold the entire recipe, and also added some extra seasonings.

Ingredients (adapted from Michael Smith's recipe)
9 chicken thighs, skin on, bone in, rinsed and patted dry
8 garlic cloves
8 yellow onions, peeled and sliced
1 cup white wine (I used a Californian Sauvignon Blanc)
2 T ground thyme
4 heaping tablespoons of dijon mustard
1 t oregano
4 bay leaves
salt, black and white peppers
pinch of cayenne

Method
I used a cast iron pot to brown off the chicken thighs which were first seasoned with a generous amount of kosher salt and pepper. I did not use oil in the pot as I figured that the chicken skins would render off enough oil to cook the meat in. I was right.

I layered the ingredients into the crock pot, starting with a layer of onions. I scatted a couple cloves of garlic on top of that, then lowered in some chicken. I dotted the chicken with dijon mustard, then seasoned with thyme, salt and pepper, oregano and bay leaves. I repeated the layers once more, and topped everything off with a layer of onions.

This was all done the night before. Before I went to work, I removed the crock pot insert from the fridge, poured in a cup of wine, then plugged the slow cooker in, turned it to low, and went to work!



When we got home yesterday, I boiled up some pasta and served the chicken and onions atop noodles. It was one heck of a comfort meal!

...Before and after the annual strata meeting. :o\