Route 99 !
Oh wowza. How do I begin? Well, I definitely wish I knew about this place way sooner. To be quite honest, everyone in Edmonton really should know about it. My dad was sharing some Edmonton diner history with me, like how there used to be plenty on Jasper Ave. It's unfortunate that a lot of these places are all gone now and being replaced with many franchise and common chained restaurants. Now, this was my first time eating at Route 99, so I haven't experienced plenty of their menu, but eventually I will. I have high hopes that I'll feel the same way about this diner.
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| Donair Burger with tomatoes, onions, lettuce and tzatziki sauce |
Alrighty, so this is the lovely Donair Burger. Not going to lie, I'm quite excited to share my thoughts about this burger because it brings back one of my favorite memories. Now, this is kind of a random, long-shot question, but ever try a donair from Mr.D's Greek Deli at the Pike Market in Seattle? (http://mrdsgreekdelicacies.netfirms.com/) Those of you who have, you know what I'm probably thinking, best donairs ever! Those of you who haven't well I'll just tell you a little something something about them. First, my mouth is watering right now just thinking about them. Second, their donairs are so refreshing. Now, I'm not hating and saying the local donair places aren't good here. They are, but personally I feel like it's all the same; heavy, spicy, greasy donair meat with standard pita bread, tomato, lettuce, onions, cheese and sweet sauce/tzatziki sauce. Mr.D's donairs...woahh. Their ingredients are the same, but oh so different. Major factor, the meat that they use. They have the regular beef and chicken, but also have lamb. Fresh vegetable ingredients and their tzatziki sauce....oh my Lord. Let's just say this, describing it is one thing, but experiencing it is another. Back to the point, the burger. This reminded me of all of that delicious experience that I had and each and every part, up to the tzatziki sauce, was amazing. Tzatziki sauce is very important to me because I'm not a big fan. The only places that I'll ever have it is at Mr.D's and now Route 99. I've tried grocery ones, ones from one of the Banff restaurants...don't like it.
This may not seem like a big deal, but I definitely noticed that even their Caesar salad tasted better than places like The Keg. I could be wrong about this, but from what I tasted it seemed like they mixed in lemon juice instead of dropping a slice for customers to squeeze it on themselves. Also, my dad suggested it could be because they make their own Caesar salad dressing. I'll keep it in mind and ask the next time, but I thought that was a nice small detail that needs recognition.
K so...I'm having difficulty uploading the other pictures so I'll have to post them when it works. This is all for now, but come back to check out the other dishes!
