by Andrew Morrison | We’ve printed plenty about Mamie Taylor’s already, from the arc of its journey toward opening day to the coming of its Great Wall. What we have yet to do, however, is write a word about the food. I suppose the owners – Simon Kaulback and Ron Oliver – are such well known bartenders (formerly of Boneta and The Diamond, respectively) that the tasty plays on Americana from Chef Tobias Grignon (ex-Bistro Pastis) were always going to take a back seat to their Tequila Boulevardiers, Pisco Punches, Sazeracs, Mai Tais, Brown Derby’s [2], and Mojitos [8]. But the truth of it is the kitchen is cranking out good, honest eats at fair prices – dishes are in the $3.5 to $22 range – and they should be up front and driving the new restaurant’s reputation instead of the drinks.

The deep fried olives stuffed with blue cheese and saddled with currants, for instance, are worthy of particular praise. Just look at ’em [1]. It’s not easy to make olives any sexier than they already are when stark naked, but these little jobs – crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and killing it with great flavour – are the second best olive treatments going in Vancouver (second only to addictive, super smoky gems available at Wildebeest). Also on the small-but-delicious side is the bbq duck and foie gras terrine [4], even though I’d happily dump the brioche (everyone does that) and sub-in the spiced cornbread slab and biscuit wedge [5] for heartier, more flavourful tools to attack terrine with. The biscuits are repeated on the Fried Chicken plate [7], which comes with a forgetful mustard green and pepita salad that looks and tastes awkwardly out of place. The dish is all about the salad, which just confuses the hell out of my chicken-eatin’ mouth. The watermelon is a nice, electric addition, but I’ll hold out for whipped potatoes and gravy before I order this again (a shame really, as the chicken is fantastic).

One thing that I will order again and again is the burger, a thickset six ouncer of sirloin and brisket on a sesame seed bun loaded with melted fontina cheese, tomato relish, house-made yellow mustard, mayonnaise, pickles and raw white onions [3]. Was it better than the bacon burger at Pourhouse? Yes. As good as the Angus burger at Edible Canada? Just by a hair, though Edible Canada makes much better fries to accompany theirs (in duck fat, yeah, for the win). Is it better than the Leerdammer cheeseburger that still looms like a ghost over the now defunct Au Petit Chavignol? Of course not. But to date, Mamie’s burger is my favourite item on their menu, and the best burger I’ve had so far in 2013. I don’t want to call it Vancouver’s “best” before I’ve had it a few more times and find it’s up to it (glad to, thanks), but it’s damn fine and simple, which I appreciate to no end, with all of its components perfectly apportioned and ably doing their own particular tasks in the mouth (except for the Fontina, which lazily spreads itself over everything like a slob). Ugh, just writing about it is making me pine, so forgive me for moving on to something just as good…

Four words: Veal Tongue Monte Cristo [11]. Say it like a mantra. Wear it on a shirt. Whisper it slowly in your lover’s ear. It’s a tiny, adorable thing – a starter, really – but it has tremendous impact on the palate, and the dollop of accompanying house-made Thousand Islands dressing lends a not unwelcome Reuben touch that softens the salty licks of the sandwich (were it any larger it would probably overwhelm).

And speaking of perfectly-sized items…the saucy, coriander-licked, bacon-infused meatballs in triplicate are served [10] a la Goldilocks (any more and you’d feel a pig, any less and you’d feel cheated). Every dish I’ve mentioned so far has been meaty, so I’ll close with the bright salad of carrots and beets [9]. The roasted roots are firm on the molars but give way nicely, with lashings of feta, citrus and mint creating a brighter envelope of base flavours. It’s the most colourful dish on the menu; more than just a reluctant afterthought nod to the many who aren’t red in tooth and claw.

I’ve already shown you the room (see the shots below — taken just before opening day). It’s cavernous and bricky, stocked with good tunes and lined with dead animals who look more bemused and confused than ferociously concerned about the conspicuous consumption of their distant brethren (though that duck by the bar looks somewhat nervous). The big takeaways are that the drinks are not as expensive as most of our cocktail-forward joints (hooray), and that Grignon’s food is dirt cheap when you consider the quality of his cooking (it really should be the star of the show). Kaulback and Oliver are two idiosyncratic personalities. The fact they’ve never owned a restaurant before might show with the occasional service mishap (waters slow to be refilled, etc. – nothing serious), but it’s early days yet and they deserve a hearing beyond their expertise with booze. Get in now and you’re golden.

251 East Georgia Street | 604-620-8818 | mamietaylors.ca | Mon-Sat 5pm – Midnight

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