This series maps out our editors’ picks for Vancouver’s best and most legendary comfort foods. We encourage readers to steer us towards their favourites in the comments or by using the hashtag #ScoutYVR on social media.

I’ve probably enjoyed well over a dozen burgers in the cocktail lounge at Hawksworth over the years. If I even have a whisper of an appetite when I’m within a block of the place compulsion tends to do its thing. I’m sure some of that has to do with the coddling comfort of the lounge itself and the good service within, but I’m there for the burger, not the scene. According to my notes from several years ago, the grind is a mix of tenderloin, ribeye and chuck with plenty of fat, plus some onion, garlic and long peppercorns. The perfectly formed disc wears a glistening coat of the house sauce (a blend of Worchestershire sauce and brown sugar lit with smoked paprika, ancho chilies and herbes de provence). On top is a melt of aged Canadian cheddar, thin slices of double smoked bacon, a single perfectly deep fried onion ring (with a diameter that exactly matches that of the patty), iceberg lettuce, pickles and tomato. It’s all delivered between the halves of a toasted sesame seed bun. Beyond the taste of the thing (superb, it goes without saying), the draw is sustained by an appreciation of consistently perfect presentation, the kind of attention to detail expected of a fine dining establishment.

Hawksworth Restaurant

Neighbourhood: Downtown

801 West Georgia St.

604-673-7000

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