blue plate diner - edmonton, ab

blue plate diner
10145 104 street
780.4290740

*A quick thought on the food from my previous visit/foodie get together.

I didn't really know what to expect as I made the trek downtown on this particularly cold evening. Combine a first time visit to the restaurant with a side of unknown dinning companions and you understand. Food however, being a great equalizer, has a habit of bringing things together.

After some brief chatter, it seemed most people had taken a peek at the online menu before heading over. As I'm typically the only person in my social group who would ever contemplate doing this, it brought a smile to my face knowing I was dinning with actual food fans. While the long table made for uneven converstaion between everyone, I felt lucky to have Marianne, from loosen your belt and eat around edmonton, sitting to my left. As a regular patron of the diner, I figured she could steer me in a good direction, so I asked for her thoughts. Of the 3 dishes she mentioned, she claimed the vegetarian burger was superb. A delicious veggie burger? I've had my fair share, and most aren't anything to write home about. So, when someone claims that a vegetarian burger is that good; you have to try it. The burger was described as being made in-House with Beets, Turnips, Zucchini, Carrots, Sunflower Seeds and Rice. Topped with Cheddar Cheese on a Whole Wheat Bun with Lettuce, Tomato, Red Onion, Pickle and Herbed Mayo.

I opted out of the cheese, wanting to give the patty a chance to shine, and finished the plate with a side of fries and grilled vegetables. To say the burger was good would be an injustice to the culinary team at the blue plate. This may be the best veggie burger I have ever had. The patty was thick, moist, and didn't crumble apart like so many I've had. The bun was fresh, soft and combined with crisp lettuce, 2 slices of tomato, pickle, red onion and a dollop of mayo made a great base for the patty. The skin on fries, my favorite kind, were plentiful but I found them limp. The side of vegetables was grilled nicely, which is a shame because the serving size was too small for my liking. I'm beginning to wonder if my love of vegetables is so unusual. I see plenty of restaurants happily serving giant mounds of rice and/or fries, yet the average vegetable side is made of a few small pieces. Somedays I want a mound of vegetables without ordering a salad!

Overall the experience was great and the restaurant was an awesome venue for this gathering. My fellow diners seemed to enjoy their meals, with quite a few taking home the left overs, and with so many of us I was able to see a wide variety of dishes. The shrimp stir fry and enchiladas are definitely on my list...that is if I can stop myself from ordering the vegetarian burger again.