Diner on 93rd

THE PEOPLE:

Sonja The Owner (albeit part owner,) is very nice and approachable. Also the co-owner of Peace Country Meats. Although the menu claims local supplies the term "local" doesn't necessarily mean organic or antibiotic-free.

Amber The Server was very nice and prompt with table-side service. I didn't quite trust her to give me a knowledgable item description or suggestion. I wouldn't be surprised if wait staff was simply hired and not educated regarding menu items. When I was hired as a waitress my training was at least two weeks, requiring to know every menu item, how it was prepared, knowing every ingredient in every item and guess what else? I tasted everything. My previous employer took hiring very seriously. Turnover was very low. The outcome? A well educated seller. I represented the food, the company, the entire place. I was part of the experience for the guest. Pretty important aspect.

Both ladies were dressed in business attire, definitely not what I expected for a laid-back diner place. I felt the staff was overdressed for the type of restaurant. 'Diner' does not denote dress pants. Diner means khakis. Denim. Sneakers. Maybe a little flannel if you're feeling adventerous. While they looked nice and put together, the clothing seemed out of place. I felt underdressed as the guest.

This restaurant is very clean. Bonus!

THE PLACE:

More seating, less walls than previous Fish Place. No drop-in TOGO but there is call ahead. No take out menu. "We're on Facebook." Ah, but people like to take something home with them. Maybe I'm not always connecting my hip to the internet. Paper isn't going out of style anytime soon. Create a take home menu.

Fresh potted flowers in window sills. Pictures of old style diners. Ambience is a combination of Garden and Diner. Slightly odd.

I can still see the kitchen. Cover it up. I don't want to see bucket of silverware or cups of children's crayons. Those sights are for the staff, not the guest. Unless the kitchen is part of the restaurant's "look" (i.e. open concept…which Diner on 93rd definitely is not…) make sure it's not seen. It is an eyesore.

Menu size: Perfect! Finally a place that GETS the concept "Less is More."

THE FOOD:

My favorite food things:

Bucket of fries is served in an actual bucket. Very nice touch. Cut from giant potatoes, a generous sized fry for the bite. Unless you scarf the fries down, the morsels on the bucket bottom will be slightly soggy.

Battered fish. Light. Excellent crisp. Flaky.

Homemade tartar sauce. Diced pickles. Light. Lemony. Herby. While my spouse consumes condiments for the sake of eating, I only enjoy them with something. I made an exception for the remainder of D93's tartar sauce. I finished it off and even dipped some fries in it. It was that good. I hate coleslaw. Hate! However, I enjoyed d93rds. Light. Not overbearing. Enjoyable. I'd order this again and again.

Chewy homemade burger bun. Distinct flavours throughout burger. Wholeness. A burger that you'd make yourself at home. Nothing frozen or preserved here. Absolutely worth a repeat experience.

**You won't get that "I'm eating a frozen slash premade meal sick feeling" at this joint. Portions are nice. Not giant, but not puny either. You'll feel like you're eating a restaurant meal and paying decent restaurant prices. I didn't feel ripped off.

Onion soup looked and tasted like there was a hint of BBQ sauce lingering. Not my favorite. Onion soup should be salty and onioney and cheesey and beefy. Not bbqey.

Southern Fried Chicken has a nice crisp, dipped in buttermillk before frying and the aftertaste is a slight hint of cayenne pepper. Nothing to make you sweat, just to cause you to remember the chicken. All dark meat.

Chicken Pot Pie was an interesting visual presentation. Rubbery chicken, yet an overall complimentary dish. Nothing special. House dressing is light, not burdened with oils and preservatives. Hints of lemon and freshness. Delicious.

OVERALL: Somewhere between B+ and A-

Would I recommend this place? Yup. Homemade is the main characteristic Diner has in its favor. Lose that and it's game over.

Would Diner on 93rd be the first in mind should I desire a night out? Not sure.

Diner on 93rd (near Blockbuster)

9508 93 Ave

Fort St. John

Hours: 11-8pm M-TH(possibly later in the summer)

11-9 F/S

250.785.7344

less is more, right?

Remember what I said about menu size?

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From RestaurantOwner.com - February 15, 2011
================================================================
Is It Time to Streamline Your Menu?

Independent restaurants are notorious for adding new menu items
but not retiring any for fear of not having someone´s favorite.
This often leads to a bloated menu with more variety but a
kitchen that is needlessly complex with lots of recipes and
inventory items.

For example, here is the appetizer section of a RestaurantOwner.
com member containing the following 11 items:

- Quesadillas
- Beer Battered Cheese
- Potato Skins
- Chicken Wings
- Grilled Chicken Strips
- Deluxe Nachos
- Vegetable Platter
- Buffalo Fries
- Onion Rings
- Stuffed Mushrooms
- Western Sampler

A quick analysis revealed that the 4 top selling appetizers made
up nearly 70% of the total appetizer sales. They decided to
eliminate several of the slowest selling appetizers especially
those that required products that weren't used in any other
menu items.

The result was the elimination of 4 appetizers and several
products from inventory that were no longer needed. Their
appetizer sales, didn't skip a beat and they received only a few
comments from customers who asked about a missing menu item.

Sometimes deciding what to take off your menu is just as
important as deciding what to add.

Streamlining your menu can result in tighter focus on your core
menu offerings (that you want do to exceptionally well), less
inventory on the shelf, a more efficient kitchen and less prep.
Fewer choices can also make it easier to steer customers to select
the items you really want them to buy.

from the tip jar.

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From RestaurantOwner.com - September 28, 2010
================================================================
You know this but how long has it been since you reminded your
staff just how important your guests are?

OUR GUEST

1. Our guest is the most important person in our business.

2. Our guests are not dependent on us. We are dependent on them.

3. Our guests are not an interruption of our work. They are the
purpose of it.

4. Our guests do us a favor when they come in. We are not doing
them a favor by waiting on them.

5. Our guests are parts of our business -- not outsiders.

6. Our guests are not just money in the cash register. They are
human beings with feelings, just like us.

7. Our guests are people who come to us with their needs and
wants. It is our job to fill them.

8. Our guests deserve the most courteous attention we can give
them. They are the lifeblood of this and every business. They
make it possible for each of us to receive a pay check.

9. Without our guests we would have to close the doors of our
restaurant.

. . DON'T LET ANYONE ON YOUR STAFF FORGET THIS.

================================================================

Dear Food-Lovers,

Hopefully the word is being spread around FSJ that we want better quality in food, prices to match and good service. Period. I will be writing less reviews and spending more time with our up and coming new baby!

Quite frankly, I'm running out of creative ways to say, "Your restaurant bites." So until something halfway decent rolls my way I don't think I'll have the gusto to write about it. Check back every once in awhile and here's to great eating!

Cheers,

The FSJ Food Critic

P.S. Email me if you have an exceptional dining experience! I wanna hear about it.
P.P.S. Places I will never write about because there is just too much bad: Q Spot or Spot...I can't decide what their name is; Mastaro Sushi and Centre Dining.

Tim 'n Tyc's

"Rumor has it--Best Food in Town."

With a self advertisement like that parked in front of their old location, you know they were just asking for me to walk in the door.

In fact, previous to that display my spouse actually picked up a few different stir-fries and I remember liking them and slightly comparing them to Wok Box. But of course the price was too high for the actual party in my mouth so I didn't return.

But then there's the sign. And of course I'm a sucker for a good debate. So in I went to the new location on 100 Ave (the former Ship to Shore place.)

The good:

To my eye this place is sort of on the "dive" side. I mean, there's a slight organization to their chaos, but overall it falls into that category. It's clean, earthy, hippy, friendly, chill, West Coast vibe. And so are the owners/operators. They're not bad to look at either. The menu is small--remember my mantra? Less is more.

You can walk in anytime except 2-5 pm, usually be greeted by one of the Husko brothers and choose your own seating. The menu is short and concise and written in the ever-growing popular chalkboard style. It's readable. Seating is refreshingly different and spacious and the decor fits the owner's personalities. Nice artwork on the walls. Great flooring complete with peace signs burned in for effect. There's even an unusual-shaped fish tank hanging out at the entrance. Tyc (pronounced "Tike") smokes all the meat out back. They're passionate about their food and Ukranian heritage.

The not-so-good:

I'm not sure what the food laws are here in Canada, but I'm hoping there's a high standard. Aren't you? I've heard a few different local tales of food law violation. In other words, if you knew what a restaurant was doing, you wouldn't be going back.

My first impressions: I couldn't tell if the main/bar counter was for food prep, order taking or for customers to put their hands on while looking into the kitchen. Because really, there was paraphernalia leading back to all three ideas. Which leads me to another question: where does one order anyway? Because the till is at the door and the menu is above the kitchen. Still baffled by it.

The most surprising was the lack of aprons and gloves. Sanitation. Mr. Door Greeter also felt free to saunter back into the kitchen and start preparing food. Touching the vegetables with his hands. I know he didn't wash before doing that. Ms. Kitchen Prep was in her hoodie at the bar counter I previously mentioned and rolling up wrap-like concoctions. In front of me. Everyone was sans disposable gloves and hair nets.

Look. Treating your restaurant like it's your home kitchen is not a good idea. And it is against the law where I'm from. Your best buds aren't coming over for a beer and good meal. These are your customers and they are paying you to do what you do. If not, you will no longer be doing what you do. Lackadaisical attitudes regarding hygiene will shut you down faster than poor money management. Capeche?

The food:

Tyc, the chef de jour? I'm not sure, but he was sure enthusiastic about describing his chalk board menu. Not being familiar with the place or their style of cooking I was slightly overwhelmed at how much info he was throwing my way.

Tip: Customer never been before? Suggest 2-3 items, described in detail, including the hows and whys of the preparation process. Sell your product. Any dummy can read a menu, but if you can tell a short story and whet their appetite? Sold.

Back to Tyke. So I say: "I'll have two of your Best Whatever, to go." I could tell he'd never had that request before. He was slightly flustered and mentally grasping for ideas. But he went to work. With me watching. Food -lovers, if you're feeling adventurous and can take pretty much any flavour, spice, combination, this type of ordering will inevitably test the skill and quality of the restaurant staff. In this case, Tyc is both cook and owner.

I came back in 10-15 and snagged a bag full of the soup de jour, Chickpea and Tomato Curry, Seafood Stir fry and a Chicken Salad Wrap. My lunch tab was $32.00. For that price, it had better be good-bordering-on-make-me-salivate-until-I-can-eat-there-again.

The soup--hot, flavourful, broth-like, non-creamy base with hints of sweetness. The aroma is almost better than the bite. A nicely, satisfying curry dish.

The wrap--A nice presentation, great colors. Fresh, crunchy, a nice balance of savory and fresh veggies. Tortilla had a nice chewy texture. I would like to see grilled chicken in this item rather than canned. If 'chicken' is the first part of a title, there had better be a good amount in there and it had better be awesome. Tyc, try a grilled chicken--better flavour, color and overall appeal for this wrap. This menu item would not bring me back.

The Stir Fry--First of all, Jake told me it was the Seafood version. I received the Chicken Green Curry. Good thing I paid some attention to the menu before handing over control. This dish is a complete bomb. To be concise--very bland, very lacking in the meat department, very oily and the noodles were practically mush. Al dente, people! Al dente! Cooking noodles al dente allows for them to finish cooking by soaking up the accompanying sauce thus adding great depth of flavour. By adding a small amount of salt we cured part of the blandness, but really, this is not a great addition to the menu. I don't care if things are fresh. I would take Kraft dinner over this. How sad it that?!

The end:

For FSJ this is a great place. It's different in food, in appearance, in overall feel. It's local. Stacking T&T's against bigger city clientele? They would be hard pressed for survival. If they're going for the hippest place to have a sandwich, sure they would be competing with Whole Wheat & Honey Cafe. Food wise? I think they need a reality check. Sure you can use fresh ingredients and while that choice alone improves overall taste by leaps and bounds, HOW the ingredients are put together and finally marry is what matters ultimately. You wanna exclusively serve wraps? Awesome. Change your soup de jour so it's different every day of the year? Ambitious. Make sure each ingredient can stand alone. Do it well. Otherwise the final product is cheated and that means repeated reflections on cooking skill and operation.

GRADE: B. Cool atmosphere, okay food, great personalities.

Tim 'n Tyc's
10403 100th Ave
250.785.2525

From the Tip Jar

I want to see the local FSJ restaurants do THIS:

Guarantee Your Way to Attracting More First Time Customers
================================================================
One of our members is going to attempt what many would
consider a bold (or not so smart) move.

He's going to put a banner in front of his restaurant
that claims they have "the best Asian food in town or
your money back."

Several top restaurant marketing experts are big
advocates of offering a money back guarantee. They claim
it's attention getting and reduces the risk that people
might perceive who have never visited your restaurant.

Many operators are reluctant to make such a vow for fear
of being taken advantage of by people just wanting a free
meal, however, that's not the experience of the vast
majority of businesses who offer similar service or
product guarantees.

For example, here's Hampton Inn's pledge -

"Our friendly service and complimentary amenities are
all backed by our 100% Hampton Guarantee. If you're
not 100% satisfied, we don't expect you to pay. That's
our promise and your guarantee."

They've been making this guarantee as long as we can
remember and it's reported that substantially less
than 1% of their guests claim an unsatisfactory stay.

If you believe you've got really got great food, why
not step up with a bold guarantee, then get the word
out in all of your marketing materials. It may lead
to a stream of first time customers you can than turn
into loyal, long time guests.

================================================================

The 49er Steakhouse Diner

Overall opinion: LOVED IT. Let me say that again. Go to the 49er cause they rock GREEK FOOD.

They do calamari the right way. Breaded fresh and deep fried to order. Served with chopped onions and tzatziki for the Greek version....I recommend asking for a side of marinara and lemon wedges for an Italian experience. Those of you who've been with me since the beginning know how big a deal a proper calamari is to me. And I told our waitress so and also mentioned that I would come back to their restaurant just because of its greatness. Oh. Yes.

This is a VERY big deal. I'm practically jumping out of my chair to type this. AHHH!

Side note: previous owners were Greek.

Next in the line up was the Baby Back Pork Ribs, fries, gravy and veggies with Caesar salad. Also, a Chicken Souvlaki with rice, pita bread, tzatziki and Greek salad.

At this point I have high hopes. The waitress is nice, pleasant and wearing a (gasp) genuine SMILE, the calamari is heaven and I don't even care that the decor is peace country/former Greek/weird, plastic Italian man greeting me with the chalkboard specials.

Given that the 49er is a Diner/Dive I forgive many of these oddities ONLY WHEN the food makes up for it with legendary Mom 'n Pop flavour.

The short of it is this. Dish Numero Uno was a fail--burned fries (although they were freshly cut) and tough, tough pork ribs. Even a manly mouth with hunger pains couldn't rip the meat off quickly--though the accompany sauce was deelish with hints of apple and vinegar. By the time I had nearly finished my surprisingly good Greek meal, the man hadn't managed more than two bones of the full rack.

Side note: The Caesar side salad was surprisingly done well. A great dressing choice, real bacon diced on top, freshly cut greens, homemade croutons. I would have lightened up on the dressing amount and served it with a wedge of lemon.

After humming and hawing over a great experience so far my restaurant ninja skills kicked in and I finally said, "They have to know. Even if we loved everything else, they have to know these are not serve-able." The waitress was more than okay making sure my counterpart had something to his satisfaction and brought back a Spanikopita meal. Picture lots of phyllo pastry combined with spinach and gooey cheese. Served with all the fixin's of the Chicken Souvlaki meal.

Back to the food return. It sort of pained me to do this. What was this soft spot I had developed for an obscure, plain diner in my first 30 minutes of sitting within? Maybe it was due to the fact that the 49er had only three other occupied tables upon our Saturday night arrival. We had some great, uninterrupted conversation that was made even better by being the only remaining occupants a few minutes beyond that.

This elated me and worried me at the same time. Why? Because this first-time experience at a non-chain establishment is foreboding. This place WILL close if they don't have more business. Heck, they even closed earlier than their posted hours to save on labour and utilities. I'm seriously biting my nails. Right. Now.

Back to the food. Chicken Souvlaki. Grab some next time you're around there. Great flavour, tender, served on skewers. Rice is pretty bland and their homemade tzatziki is leaving something to be desired. It's missing something.....Greek herbs? The yogurty goodness is a little bit better than okay at this point. The pita bread is prepared nicely with a hint of butter. The Greek salad came complete with all the right ingredients and of course, the lovely kalamata olives and Feta cheese. Yum-o.

Our tab, sans gratuity, was around $50 bones. And we gladly forked it over. Not one other place (mainly full service restaurants) in FSJ could I honestly say that about so far.

GRADE: B+

Tips to improve: Waitress know your specials. Unprofessional to travel to the 'special board' not once, but twice to answer your guests questions. Also, it's tacky to repeatedly correct a customer on the pronunciation of a word. Especially if you're wrong. Greek is tricky so make sure you actually know the correct way to say something.

Figure out how to cook ribs. 'Nuff said.

Decent medium-sized menu. I would like to see it smaller....do less and do it well. None of the pre-frozen business (Chicken Cordon Bleu, etc.) Sure it saves time, but really, we can do that at home and save a load of money, too.

Do some advertising! I heard about the 49er through a few grapevines and that was only after making a stink about lousy places. Take away those coupons! Another foreboding notion. You start offering Buy One, Get One Free and you'll attract the clientele you don't want who don't come back without the coupons and you'll find yourself going under anyway. Wow, what a run-on.

The 49er Steakhouse Diner
8111 100 AVE
250.787.9292