Save-On-Meat

[Daddy-A]

As a side note, I have been reading this other thread...it is really funny and menthions before mentioned establishment:

GASP! You read another web site? I feel so betrayed!

Funny stuff Chef.

A.

[Jeffy Boy]

Our Neve Campbell (party of five) all ordered bacon and cheese burgers which surprised us by housing double patties.

I had to read this twice. At first I thought "Wow! Neve Campbell went to Save-On Meats for a burger?!?"

[Chef Fowke]

As a side note, I have been reading this other thread...it is really funny and menthions before mentioned establishment:

GASP! You read another web site? I feel so betrayed!

Funny stuff Chef.

A.

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I would hate to hijack this thread...

Yes, I once read a post on another board! I feel so dirty...

NOW LETS GET BACK TO THE TOPIC BEFORE I GET INTO TROUBLE!

Cheap meat in a bad part of town...

[inanimate]

How honoured to have my site mentioned here.

For another good burger in a bad place, my coworkers and I go to the Korner Cafe on Richards st across from Madame Cleos. They're renovating currently, and I hope ownership isn't changing.

A burger platter is under $6 and features what seems to be a patty (or two) made in house, with thousand island dressing, lettuce/tomato. Sounds simple enough, but it's a pretty tasty burger and I'd say my favourite in the yaletown area against the likes of milestones and carlos and buds (which has rather good veggie burgers). it's not a gourmet burger by any stretch, but it's good and lovingly called a "whoreburger" due to it's location.

The fries are decent, and helped out with the gravy even if the gravy isn't really very good in itself.

[Jeffy Boy]

Hi inanimate,

Let me be the first to welcome you to eGullet! There's some interesting, funny stuff over on your website, though I haven't looked too much further than the gem that Chef Fowke found. Hope you find good things here and opportunities to contribute!

[Chef Fowke]

How honoured to have my site mentioned here.

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Yes, your site has offered many hours of amusement. Welcome to the Forum...Chef Wyles will particularly be pleased to see that you post here, he still talks about the lunch description you posted when he first opened! Really, it wasn't because he hated you, more...he ran out of food! He had just opened! LOL!

Great writing and I look forward to reading more.

Now back to cheap food, awful areas of town….

[butter]

A few Sundays ago, around 9 a.m., an out of town guest gets off bus looking for my friend's very cool loft across the street from Blarney Stone (very near Blood Alley and Pigeon Park) where he will be staying for a few days. Suddenly, he is being shot at, so he thinks, and huddles under some bench, more gun shots and a man nearby collapses to the ground (dead). Within minutes police show up and he spends the next 5 hours at a police station being questioned as they are suspicious about him being in the area at that time (I guess it's fairly quiet there then.) and he didn't see the person with the gun. Whoops, wrong time, wrong place. I am going to said friend's loft for a dinner party tonight and I'm nervous about it. Just hoping there is parking right outside and lots of people lined up at the Blarney Stone. Feel safer in numbers, but still won't go there to just buy cheap meat.

[inanimate]

There's also the overrated Prime Time Chicken in Gastown, "always good taste, always good price" I think is their slogan. The chicken while not terrible isn't anything to rave about but it sure is cheap.

That it's in a terrible area makes it more of an adventure I guess, but most people just go there after a night out at the purple onion when their stomach is leading ahead of their tastebuds.

I think you can get a 6 piece meal with fries for about 4-5 bucks or so. I'll pass.

[Daddy-A]

There's also the overrated Prime Time Chicken in Gastown, "always good taste, always good price" I think is their slogan. The chicken while not terrible isn't anything to rave about but it sure is cheap.

That it's in a terrible area makes it more of an adventure I guess, but most people just go there after a night out at the purple onion when their stomach is leading ahead of their tastebuds.

I think you can get a 6 piece meal with fries for about 4-5 bucks or so. I'll pass.

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I dunno ... cheap doesn't seem to work so well with poultry for me. Don't ask why it's different for beef ... except I've never got food poisoning from beef. Dumb luck I suppose.

Welcome to eGullet inanimate! Judging from your website it looks like you've got the on-line addiction thing all figured out!

A.

[stovetop]

There are just as many crack heads in kits, you just don't have to step over them, and they usually have some kind of home, remember Campbell won the election because he was going to continue with the three pillars, every one else would not handle the issue.

Go to the area around noon to three PM and just mind your own business and do not give any eye contact pretend they are not there, they generally leave you alone. Crack heads generally are not violent until they have no crack, so this time of day they are in the fix so they are usually busy being high.

There are lots of great food places in China Town and around Hastings area, this area was a great food place and was part of little Italy, which has moved up to the Burnaby/ Van border.

My main point is we do not need to become victims and be afraid of our own city, at this time of day you have the same odds in kits to be hassled as on Hastings street, the crack heads are in every place in Van even Kerissdale has them; they are generally not homeless in this area but are still crack heads.

steve

[maxmillan]

Well said stovetop. I find it quite the adventure to go to places like this. Maybe I've hung around certain crowds and places and have dealings with people strung out on drugs that the area doesn't really faze me.

There is such a nice family that rents out the restaurant area of SOM and we had a good chat and you'd be surprised what you can learn if you open your eyes. I like the staff and the people that eat there (and similar places) because they treat you with genuine openness.

I agree, that I get hassled more at Kits than I do on Hastings and Main. You've just got to use some street smarts when walking around this area.

[Chef Fowke]

I agree, that I get hassled more at Kits than I do on Hastings and Main.  You've just got to use some street smarts when walking around this area.

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Come on, you both got together and wrote the last two posts...you cannot be serious! This is a joke. Again, I state & stress...we are talking about cheap meat in Canada's worst neighbourhood! Not Canada's best meat, with an adventure behind it...

I thought this forum was about everything great in food and wine!

[Chef Fowke]

I agree, that I get hassled more at Kits than I do on Hastings and Main.  You've just got to use some street smarts when walking around this area.

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And secondly, I have spent time in Kits...are you joking?

Did you read the previous post? The guy got shot and killed outside Save-on-Meats...the meat is cheap, not good!

Let's all shake our heads and move on!

[stovetop]

Hey; there was a guy killed at kits pub and someone shot and killed someone at another club in kits in the last decade so it is not just downtown that has its atrocities, chef my head is quit on straight, I just can not get that excited about the so called bravado of downtown East Side, the convergence of the Queen and King scares me more then any area Vancouver has to offer, there is not such an area in Vancouver that even Cops, Taxi and Pizza Drivers do not go, Toronto has such areas, even the brave of heart become fools in the eye of the needle, Vancouver is quit tame compared to the Big City.

The West Side is not invisible to the Crack head, it is their fav target, the amount of B.E.’s has doubled in the last five years, just walk down Broadway or West fourth and you will see the invisible changes; the Naive kits has grown up, it shows signs of damage, property damage, not one building has been spared from the grasp of the crack head.

The eyes wide shut will definitely lend to ones inability to see reality; even the rich and elite can not hide from the grip of addiction; it tends not to judge but smell any opportunity that might present itself, the thing is Media tends not to broadcast such afflictions done to its citizens, one would not dare harm Westsider’s in their own realm, one is a victim no mater where you live in Vancouver.

My eyes are wide open and I see some things that have been done to Vancouver and hiding in the West Side will not keep you safe from the grips of addiction so I say go out in the greatest community in Canada and take back the power of the street; Enjoy some of the other great things that China Town and Down Town has to offer, such a thin line between Gastown and Cracktown, almost invisible, weaving in and out; a thin line, almost visible; showing itself but once again vanishing between the bodies of the poor.

steve

[stovetop]

we are talking about cheap meat in Canada's worst neighbourhood

Not even in fifth place, by the way it is one of Canada's poorest places, not the most dangerest, although go to the towers of Young and Bloor, I forget the exact cross streets, man if you leave your car in that area un proteted, it will be gone or broken into in like ten minutes, Hastings can be that bad but it does not own the problem of crime.

[Jeffy Boy]

I'm not sure where this discussion is going. Is it a review of the burgers at Save-On Meat, a search for the cheapest meat, or an exercise in plotting the bad areas in Vancouver?

I can find meat plenty cheap enough for me at my local Safeway or Save-On. But then I guess I'd miss the excitement of the crack heads.

Edited November 13, 2004 by Jeffy Boy (log)

[2roost]

Back on Topic

I have been a regular Save-On Meats shopper for many years, and while the neighbourhood is sketchy it is not threatening during daylight hours.

The shop is spotless, there are always at least 6 counter staff and 2 butchers working. The staff is courteous, fast and don't try to give you a pound and a half when you ask for a pound (a la Meinhardts - "Oh it's a little over, is that OK?").

The butchers happily cut anything you want to order, including shaving frozen tenderloin for carpaccio. I have never tried the lunch counter at the back but I'm sure it is fine.

The clientele is a mixed bag of locals (read disenfranchised), middle class and "old money" - I love seeing Benz's double parked while someone runs in for the prime rib.

The quality is good to very good and they have a tremendous selection of the kind of cuts Safeway or Armando's don't carry like short ribs, butt roasts, offal etc. The prices are 30-50% less than supermarket and sometimes insanely cheap (my 5 1/2 year old is addicted to their "breaded pork burgers" which work out about $2.50 a pound and lean ground beef is usually $2.29 lb.). There is also a fresh fish counter which is also good (fresh sardines @ $1.79 lb a while back), produce, not great, and bulk spices.

It is unfortunate that the elitist attitude of many people would have them assume that the butchers location would indicate poor quality.

For Shame eGulleteers.

[stovetop]

Thankyou 2roost for bringing us back on topic.

It is unfortunate that the elitist attitude of many people would have them assume that the butchers location would indicate poor quality.

I was trying to communicate this point, many were making comments about save on meats but have not gone in, they were more concerned of the hood then the store, this is not justified for them to make opinions of a place that they have not gone, sorry I got carried away.

steve

[Chef Fowke]

The clientele is a mixed bag of locals (read disenfranchised), middle class and "old money" - I love seeing Benz's double parked while someone runs in for the prime rib.

The quality is good to very good and they have a tremendous selection of the kind of cuts Safeway or Armando's don't carry like short ribs, butt roasts, offal etc.  The prices are 30-50% less than supermarket and sometimes insanely cheap (my 5 1/2 year old is addicted to their "breaded pork burgers" which work out about $2.50 a pound and lean ground beef is usually $2.29 lb.).  There is also a fresh fish counter which is also good (fresh sardines @ $1.79 lb a while back), produce, not great, and bulk spices.

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Now thats a great post!

I am leaving my house and going down to Save-on-Meats!

Thank you, I am excited....

[butter]

2roost, I don't think it was implied the meat at SOM was of poor quality (maybe one or two members). It was more about the lower price in an area where addicts are homeless (unlike Shaughnessy, Kerrisdale, Kits etc.) However, one of the discussions at dinner last night was about the taste of beef here compared to in Europe. It doesn't taste the same and this may be because of the hormones/antibiotics we use in our cattle here. (Do they not use them in Europe?) Should I start a new thread about this?

Obviously nothing happened to me last night at Blood Alley. Had an incredible meal at my friend's place which included sea urchin, raw oysters, prosciutto and basil wrapped gorgonzola, beef tataki, scallops, jumbo prawns, agedashi tofu, pink grapefruit granita, half a quail and a duck breast, a Grand Marnier souffle, followed by chocolate truffles on a bed of edible pebbles and concluded with an expensive cheese board being served, which even the 4 French friends couldn't find room for. At least 40 drunk people outside the Blarney Stone when we left at 2 a.m. and once in car around the block noticed one man obviously on quite the drug trip. He actually looked like he was having a wonderful, somewhat epileptic seizure, of a good time. I don't think he would have been able to hold onto a gun.

I will definitely frequent the area occasionally for a feast like I had last night, then and only then.

[butter]

I forgot to add, Chef Fowke, how was your trip to SOM?

[Ling]

The meat at T&T and Empire Supermarket (in Richmond) is generally very cheap. I would say it's almost on par with the deals at Save-on-Meats. I don't buy the beef at T&T though, as it can be a little tough. They have chicken breast halves (skin on, bone on) for $1.99 a pound. I bought pork shoulder for something like $2.39 a pound, regular price. My mom buys veal brisket regularly from Empire today for something like $2.59 a pound.

But the asian supermarkets don't carry "exotic" meat like buffalo, etc. Bummer. They do have frogs (really gross looking--headless, with the green and white spotted skin still intact) and turtles (also really gross--I think the butchers just slit their necks so the head is still attached) for the adventurous.

Oh yeah--and the BBQ place next to the Richmond T&T sells marinated, cooked duck wings and goose wings. They are so good, especially when you chill them in the fridge for a while.

Edited November 14, 2004 by Ling (log)

[DameD]

I am with Stovetop and 2Roost.. the area might be sketchy, but like mentioned pretty harmless..I have never tried to burger, but the meat is good. I think I would be more worried for myself if I was outside of Sharks Club on a Sat. night, too many testosroned MEATHEADS, the odd crackhead is pretty harmless in comparison. And hey need we not forget the shooting in front of Kits..it happens everywhere unfortunately.. ok back to topic. Meat~!