Bill Beso and Boon

I arrived in Winnipeg last night, where I'm setting up the studio to record and edit the sound for Overland. But before laying into 3 weeks of intense sound and image work the belly must be full. I've been wanting to try Boon Burger Cafe since I saw it set to open last spring. I recruited my friend and local artist Ravi Shukla to show me the spot, give his impressions, and doodle on the waxy paper tray covers...

drawing by Bill Beso

Boon (www.boonburger.ca) is located at 79 Sherbrook St. in a cute little building that once housed the Common Ground Cafe. Boon is equally as quaint as Common Ground was, but for very different reasons. Entirely plant based, the fare is simple - burgers, fries, soup, and salad, but 9 different sandwiches offer the diner a choice of flavours. I ordered the daily special : a Falafel Burger ($7.25), which was, as expected, falafel patty on flatbread with tahini sauce, cucumbers, red onion, tomato. The patty wasn't dry and the tahini sauce was excellent. The veggies were fresh, and although the bread itself could have been warmer, overall it was incredibly satisfying. Ravi ordered the Phish Burger ($7.25), a secret 'phish' patty with faux tartar, pickles, red onion, tomato, and lettuce. I had a bite, and from that one taste I say authentic fish flavour for real. Ravi also had a Lassi ($3.75), a blend of strawberry, orange, and banana sans milk of any kind. It reminded me of working at the Orange Julius counter in St.Vital Mall in Winnipeg's south end. I would have put more crushed ice in it, but that might be an undue Slurpee influence. We split a large order of Fries ($5.95), sesame crusted thin cut russet (I believe) potatoes, cooked in enough oil to be moist while hot, but not greasy. They toughened as they cooled, but I like crunchy fries, and they had all kinds of spicy red sauces to blend and dip. The dining room houses two large, long picnic tables with patrons squeezing in together, and a steady stream of take out patrons and full benches reveal that Boon burger is a popular choice among Wolseleyites for a healthy, tasty, and environmentally sound supper. They even have a bike thru window!