What would Scooby Do?
The question, emblazoned on a sticker posted near the bar of Raglan's Bistro, proved surprisingly useful as I surveyed the enormous burger presented to me on a recent Friday evening visit.
The burger, called The Republican, towered unapologetically some six inches above the plate, its various stuffings and garnishes precariously held in place by a bamboo skewer driven through its centre.
The Republican is a triumph of a dish, a defiant challenger of big appetites and a monumental achievement in applied indulgence. A thick beef patty provides the foundation for a layer of blue brie cheese, wedges of coarsely chopped sautéed mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, pickle and approximately two inches of stacked, crispy onion rings. The onion rings are ingeniously realized here: they are sliced into exceptionally thin ribbons, dredged in flour and deep fried until they are crispy, golden and light as air.
I imagine their success lies in the thinness of the rings; thicker onion rings tend to absorb oil and can be heavy and greasy, whereas Raglan's rings remain delicate, the onion equivalent of matchstick potatoes.
After considering the daunting burger from numerous angles I channeled my inner Scooby and squeezed the concoction down with my palm, the onions and mushrooms yielding easily to the pressure, resulting in a much more manageable sandwich standing no more than three-and-a-half inches. Flanked on either side by savvy, Republican-experienced, regular patrons offering words of encouragement, I am pleased to report that I succeeded in finishing more than two thirds of that burger.
Were I to choose the ideal format in which to describe my Raglan's experience, I would be inclined to select a third grade book report, in which I could simply say, with minimal backlash: Raglan's is neat. It is a very fun place. You should go too. The end.
You see, Raglan's is just plain enjoyable, devoid of pretension or contrivance, and simple in its ambitions. It is a surf-themed, quasi-Tiki lounge, unabashed by its kitschy tropical décor, and devoted wholeheartedly to casual cocktails and accessible food. It is also loud. On the evening of my visit I was lucky to score a seat amidst the throngs of boisterous patrons sipping pina coladas, craft beer on tap, and oversized bowls of margaritas. The music blared, the servers and cooks danced, and the food and drinks flowed steadily, resembling the atmosphere at a beach resort during a locally significant celebration.
I was able to identify more than 90 per cent of the music played over the course of my meal and felt a certain head-nodding, toe-tapping nostalgia as era-defining, cultish tracks from the likes of Biz Markie, Maestro Fresh Wes and Silverchair thumped through the sound system.
I had a moment of panic as I considered the possibility that Raglan's might actually be designed to appeal to fledgling geezers like me, thereby explaining my familiarity with the tunes, but a quick inspection of the room and its youngish population quelled that fear.
As an accompaniment to my burger I opted for a half order of the Crackerjack Bacon Caesar, a rich and garlicky riff on the classic salad with crispy fried capers and an ample portion of smoky bacon.
I washed my meal down with a delicious and potent Mai Tai served in a classic 1970s hurricane glass and wistfully wondered why these tropical drinks are now almost exclusively the domain of all-inclusive beach destinations when we clearly have the ability to execute them so well right here.
Despite its prowess as a casual dinner venue, Raglan's has also earned a loyal following for its brunch service, perhaps the ideal antidote to tropical indulgences absorbed the evening before. The room is different in the daytime, revealing some battle scars in the form of the well-worn path from the dining room to the kitchen and some knicks and scrapes on the furniture, but it is every bit as welcoming and relaxed, and features a moderately quieter soundtrack.
So, barely 12 hours after finishing my dinner there, I returned to try one of the restaurant’s signature brunch items, a pulled pork hash, recommended to me without hesitation by my server who championed it as the star of the menu.
It was indeed an enjoyable dish with heaps of skin-on fried potatoes, red peppers, sliced onion, easily four ounces of tender pulled pork slathered in a thankfully not-too-smoky barbecue sauce, and two perfectly poached eggs.
I chose the Veg Head Caesar (a cocktail, not a salad) to accompany my brunch. In keeping with Raglan's commitment to large potions, the Caesar was piled high with spicy beans, pickled asparagus, celery and lime.
Raglan's is located at 15 Lonsdale Ave. in North Vancouver. raglans.ca
Chris Dagenais served as a manager for several restaurants downtown and on the North Shore. Contact: [email protected].
