Steamworks Brewing Company

Happy Canada Day everyone. Michael and I tried to get in to our patriotic shoes on the special day and celebrated it with some of his friends. It was a busy day in Downtown Vancouver, we thought we were going to get a chance to eat some fabulous food carts, but surprisingly they were nowhere to be found.

We came across Steamworks Brewing located at 375 Water St in Gastown, Vancouver. The pub was pretty quiet surprisingly, the ambiance of the place was just like any other bar, stools, tv with the sports network on, and the menu was like any other bar menu as well - wings, burgers, soups and many other bar tapas.
 

Coffee-rubbed shaved brisket dip

For Michael's lunch he was intrigued by the name of the dish and decided to order it, and as well as his his friends, who were always astonished by the name of this dish. The coffee-rubbed shaved brisket dip ($15.99) with a side of french fries of course so I can munch with him. The sandwich is made with beef braised in coffee with parmesan butter, crispy onion, mayo, and all of this yummy goodness was squeezed between two ciabatta buns. Michael thought the gravy dip that came with the dish could've been thicker, but it was a 'beef dip' type sandwich, so can't ask for much. Otherwise he thought the beef was really tender and thickly piled on - the fries were thick cut too to make sure you won't leave hungry.

Southwest chicken salad

For myself, even though I was hungry I didn't want to be too full, so I chose the southwest chicken salad ($14.49), chicken rubbed with southwest spice, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, tortilla chips, romaine lettuce, and a light vinaigrette dressing. But hold the black beans for me please. I never liked the taste of beans. The chicken wasn't too dry. The southwest seasoning gave it a nice smokey flavour but there were times I thought it was a little too seasoned that it made it difficult to swallow the chicken.

But other then that the salad in general was nice, there was a little kick of heat to it but it was balanced out with the creamy sour cream and guacamole. The romaine was lightly dressed with the vinaigrette, and I also liked the tortilla strips mixed into the salad that gave it a nice crunch. Overall, it had a nice tex-mex feel to it. But in the end I did feel full and the sour cream just started to taste heavy to me. And as fabulous my salad sounds,  everyone at the table was eating a lot faster then I was, which made me feel like I had to eat faster, so it felt like I couldn't enjoy the salad as much as I would have.

Steamworks, I don't find anything special to the place other then it's just another old pub that Michael and I walk by all the time. There isn't anything on the menu I feel that I need to return for except for their chocolate hedgehog ice cream pie. It sounds delish!  Apparently a combination of chocolate and hazelnut ice cream mixed together. How decadent. Hedgehog pie, I'll see you next time. As for Michael, I am not sure how eager he wants to return, but I did point out on their dessert menu that their Tiramisu is well known throughout Vancouver. Maybe that will keep him thinking.

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