Trying to
get out of my usual ritual of Elements, Dups, Sachi Sushi and Pasta Lupino, I
found myself grabbing a burger at Dusty’s Bar and Grill in Creekside.
Just a hop
skip and a stumble from Bayshores, I thought why not try out what’s for eating
in my own neighbourhood? Other than the usual Sunday morning breaky at the
Southside Diner – some rituals should always be, well rituals.
So brie
French toast with side order of two eggs over easy wasn’t an option at 8 p.m.,
no more than my in-case-of-emergency can of baked brown beans blankly staring
at me from the drawer in my empty search for a quickie dinner.
Always a
favourite place for après with mountain-sized beers and nachos with a side of
The Hairfarmer’s live music set, I had never really considered Dusty’s a dinner
hangout.
I passed by
the salad, sandwich and entrée sections of the menu with prices ranging from $7
to $12 and went straight for the burger highlights. The winning burger from the
Canadian BBQ Championships held last summer in Whistler was featured on the
menu. If it’s good enough for veteran barbecue judges, I’m sure my taste buds
won’t argue.
The stack
of beef patty with pulled pork, thin crispy onions, tomato and lettuce
satisfied my burger craving, with my friend only too grateful to polish off the
other half that I couldn’t finish. Bring your appetite for these brutes. Or
maybe, it was because I polished off the butt-rub fries, every last one of
them. And yes, that’s butt-rub as in just slap it on your thighs with the
coordinated butt-rub mayo dip. The butt-rub spice is the same they use on their
barbecue meats.
For once, I
didn’t have to ask if I could have half fries and salad with my burger. The
Dusty’s champ comes that way. Mixed greens with balsamic was a nice surprise.
My only complaint ist that the fridge must have been in overdrive because the
salad was frozen. But the beer was icy cold as well, so who can really
complain.
The biggest
surprise of the evening was the apple crumble with ice cream for dessert. It
really tasted like something my mom used to make. Apples were still firm, not
too sweet and I scraped the plate clean. I was glad I paced myself with the
burger.
It was a
beautiful day in the neighbourhood at Dusty’s with burger and fry staples,
friendly service and only a walk away from home.
Toasting a
pint to the environment
Toast the
environment with Green Drinks on Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. at Black’s Pub
with Hilltrip and the Association of Whistler Area Residents for the Environment.
This
monthly gathering invites members of the community to talk with other
like-minded environmentalists over a special menu of green drinks and
appetizers, as well as live music from Kostaman.
Attendees
are welcome to bring business cards, brochures, information, magazines and
newsletters for guests to take home with them.
Australian
national symbol both tasty and green
Kangaroo
meat would be jumping onto every menu in Whistler if Mark Hills of Hills Foods
certified organic meats had his way, with the full support of Greenpeace.
While
Aussies celebrating Australia Day last weekend might find the statement
offensive, to eat more of the land down under’s national symbol,
environmentalists are saying otherwise.
Greenpeace
energy campaigner Mark Wakeham has encouraged consumers to substitute some red
meat with roo, according to an article in the Herald Sun.
He says
this lifestyle change would reduce the effects of global warming by reducing
the damage from land clearing the beef industry causes.
The recommendation
is included in a report, Paths to a Low-Carbon Future, commissioned by
Greenpeace.
According
to the report, nearly a quarter of the planet’s greenhouse gases come from
agriculture.
If the
world reduced its beef consumption by 20 per cent, fifteen megatonnes of
greenhouse gases would be cut from the atmosphere by 2020.
Kangaroo
also happens to be healthy and low in fat to boot.
Hills
recently hosted a kangaroo dinner sampling prepared by Hilton executive chef
Jay Lynn, with wine from Australia’s McClaren Vale.
Guests
dined on marinated and seared loin of roo, ravioli stuffed with kangaroo tail
in garlic cream and “kangaroo sliders”: ground kangaroo in petite two-bite-size
burgers on a brioche bun.
Kangaroo
meat is available in the freezer case at the IGA grocery store. Try the
breakfast links and chicken butter sausages as well. Beats a mystery-meat hot
dog any day, and the meats are spiced, organic, quick to prepare and reasonably
priced.