Burger shack aces burgers
Deana Lancaster deanal@telus.net
NOTHING says summer like sand in your bathing suit, sunburned feet (where you forgot to apply the sunscreen) and lousy concession stand hot dogs on a stale bun.
Not in West Vancouver.|
When it comes to beach fare, West Vancouverites have got it made in the shade at Vera's Burger Shack, located against the northern border of Dundarave Park.
The park has played host to the burger spot since 1977, when the little concession stand that could began to make a name for itself by serving up big, juicy burgers that customers are willing to wait in line for.
These days - despite a change in ownership (Vera retired in 2000, when she handed over the spatula to family friend Gerald Tritt), and a new building - not much has changed.
My little family took advantage of last week's warm evenings and made a trip to the seaside park just for a burger dinner.
"You can smell the grease from here," said Big J as we reached Bellevue Avenue.
In no time, we were lined up with a host of other park users, many decked out in board shorts and bikinis, flip flops and not much else.
Dinner at Vera's is tres casual.
The menu, etched on chalkboards behind the counter, includes: the classic Vera Burger; the Vic, with a double patty, double cheese, double fried onions and "double bypass"; the Frank, with a patty smothered in double cheese, double fried onions and half a dog; the G-Money, two patties with double cheese, double fried mushrooms and "double odds"; the Drunk Chicken burger (marinated in Jim Beam); and a Veggie Burger.
A group of teens - most outfitted in braces and discussing the merits of watermelon lip gloss - got in line behind us.
"The G-Money? . . . Drunk Chicken?" read one.
"What are these guys smoking?" wondered one of the boys.
"All I know is, I won't eat anything gross," said one of the girls. "Nothing with mustard."
As well as burgers, the menu includes dogs of all sizes; a Turkey Dog and a Veggie Dog; sandwiches; and sides like Homecut Fries and Beer Battered Onion Rings.
We placed our order and I took a seat nearby while Big J and Little J went off in search of a grassy spot to lay our blanket.
I sat there for 40 minutes.
"If I was that guy," said the man seated next to me, nodding in the direction of the Beach House at Dundarave Pier, "and I saw the business going on over here, I'd be cutting a hole in the side of my place and serving gourmet hamburgers."
Not a bad idea - because as Big J pointed out when I finally arrived with dinner, the long wait wasn't because of slow workers.
In fact, the little kitchen looked crowded with staff eyeing the lineup of orders, flipping burgers, manning the fryers and serving drinks.
The wait comes because the little shack is incredibly busy and there's no way they can keep up with the volume of orders.
Back down on our blanket we peeled open the hot bag of steaming food. Was it worth the wait?
Absolutely.
The patty on my Vera Burger (tasting of a hint of herbs and spices?) was topped with fresh grated cheddar and sauteed mushrooms. Big J's G-Money burger was huge, juicy and delicious.
We could have easily made do with one order of Homecut Fries between us - neither one of us was even close to polishing off our helpings. The only disappointments were our peach-lemon "Smoothies." They'd be more accurately named Slurpees, containing just crushed ice and a tart flavour syrup.
We could have gone back for dessert - the Burger Shack serves up a variety of sweet treats including baked goods and ice cream bars. Instead we decided to work off our giant-sized beach dinner with a stroll on the seawall.
So how does dinner for two at Vera's add up? It depends how you look at it. Our dinner was pricey for a concession stand, but a good deal for a quality meal: $26.95.
Vera's Burger Shack is located near Dundarave Pier in West Vancouver. It's open seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., rain or shine, right through September. Call 604-603-8372 for more information.
North Shore News dining reviews are conducted anonymously.
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