Nelson Streets new Sunset Burgers (at Seymour) stands out from the rest of the areas less expensive offerings on account of its kitschy 1980s California theme. The decor in the 27-seater is pretty spot on, if a little cheap-looking, with its day-glo retro-script branding, baseball shirt staff uniforms and multi-coloured palm-tree cut-outs. Its weird and original, without being too far out. I love the walls, which are wrapped in a brightly coloured mural that riffs on the sexy, era-appropriate art of Patrick Nagel, with each of the stylized subjects holding an edible of some type or another.
Nagel was one of the most notorious Los Angelinos of the day, and an homage to his work in a burger joint is quite fitting. The artist who did the cover art for Duran Durans 1982 album Rio, as well as illustrations for Playboy and Budweiser was a lover of indulgence who suffered a massive heart attack and died while doing the most 80s of activities: aerobics. This, in a time and place where the Happy Meal and the McRib were debuting, and In-N-Out Burger was expanding from 18 local shops to 90 nationwide.
Sadly, the soundtrack which should have been the easiest thing from the decade to replicate is woefully under-considered. Most of the music is from the 90s and 00s, which is to say... Oops. Nevertheless, the general aesthetic still charms in a half-assed, Grade 10 history project sort of way.
On a more positive front, the burgers are mercifully better than those flipped in California in the era Sunset Burgers tries so hard to evoke. But are they superior to those at Stackhouse on Granville, Romers on West 4th, Moderne Burger on Broadway, or Au Petit Chavignol on East Hastings? Nope. Not even close. But theyre a good sight cheaper and faster than all four, and that counts plenty to those whove just shelled out for scalped Canuck tickets or live in the hood suffering from mortgage-shrivelled bank accounts.
The beef patties are nice and juicy (despite being cooked medium-well-ish), and the buns are soft without being too dainty. One can choose from a variety of add-ons, ranging beyond the predictable fried onions and grilled mushrooms to include uncommon delights like cajun spice coats and strata of pickled beet and avocado. Most are free, and those that arent fried egg and guacamole, for example hovered in $1 territory. Its refreshing that they arent gouging their customers for them. Accordingly, the burger prices are low. With a basic selling for just $5.49 and a bacon cheeseburger for less than $2 more, its nigh on impossible to feel taken advantage of here.
I had my first burger with bacon, Swiss cheese and barbeque sauce, and though I was annoyed by the outsized lettuce leaves (blooming inches out past the diametre of the bun), there was no denying its tastiness, which was amplified by a self-indulgent Rolo-flavoured milkshake. (They have a couple of beer options as well.)
My second tilt was a chicken burger, which I ordered brushed with hot sauce and topped with jalapenos and processed cheese (for the full-on trailer park effect). Again, entirely satisfactory. The breast meat was hot and tender, and my chosen sides of thick-cut onion rings and crispy, sea salt-heavy fries were without fault. My youngest son adored his grilled cheese (who orders grilled cheese in a burger hut?), mostly because it had been melted in a waffle iron and had the tell-tale impressed grid on the bun.
If I have any beef pardon the pun with Sunset Burgers, its hardly a substantive one. I just dont like how theyre trumpeting their patties as being freshly made with Kobe beef. While theres no local law against marketing beef from American or Canadian-raised Wagyu cattle as Kobe, its still rather dodgy and in my mind akin to selling sparkling wine as Champagne or a Sangiovese as a Chianti. Of course, their supplier might be selling them meat thats packaged as Kobe, but if it hasnt come from the Tajima breed and isnt processed in Japans Hyogo Prefecture, its inauthentic and comparably sub-par. Ive long thought that it would better serve the customer if the substitute was designated Kobe-style lest they not be as well blown away as they should be when treated to the real deal. To be fair (or less annoyingly pedantic), the malpractice is already widespread in Vancouver, so Sunset Burgers is merely following an unfortunate trend. They might not even be aware of the difference.
Though they appear to be doing a brisk take-out trade, Ill stick to the full experience. The counter service is very earnest (execution is swift) and Im not all that put off by the interior (I had a Nagel poster in my room when I was a teenager). I especially dig how theyve positioned themselves in a neighbourhood of same-same and done something different but not wholly unfamiliar, which is seldom a cinch to pull off. In the end, however, restaurant reviews should always come down to an estimation of taste and value, and they do no wrong in either department. If you go once, expect to go again and again.
550 Nelson St. | 604-566-9949 |
