White Star Diner

White Star Diner
58 Albert St
(204) 947-6930
whitestardiner@shaw.ca
http://www.whitestardiner.ca/Home.page



 June, 2011

The Albert Diner was known for their greasy burgers and for being a dive. The Albert is gone now and the White Star Diner takes its place. With seating for four, and additional seasonal seating for four outside, the place is still very much a dive—but how are the burgers?

If you walk into the Star over a lunch hour, it’s consistently packed. You stand looking at the chalkboards and before you get to think that they only serve four items, the (assumed to be) owner points towards the stack of menus. Now you’re stuck shoulder-to-shoulder with a crowd and trying to flip through the booklet. You try to be quick, but you can’t because this tiny shack has a considerable selection. The owner suggests the pulled pork sandwich right at the top of the menu. The crowd dies off a little and the owner eagerly discusses his love of pulled pork with you. I love pulled pork too, but I prefer mine smoked. The Diner’s owner gushes in telling me how he roasts his for hours and it’s a shame not to try it.

Even though it’s not smoked, it has great flavour. The juicy shreds of meat come apart very easily to soak up the delicious homemade barbecue sauce. I always prefer to have vegetables in my sandwiches and the coleslaw makes a great accompaniment. All this comes for a mere $5.50.

Before I got sidetracked onto the pulled pork, my original intent was to taste their burgers. The Star offers a basic burger for $4.75 and you can add any (or all) of the following for an extra $1.35 each: Canadian cheddar cheese, Dutch edam, crisp bacon, sautéed green peppers, or sautéed mushrooms.

I hate processed cheese so real cheese goes a long way towards making a great burger; here you have a choice of two cheeses and I opt for the plain but good cheddar. I add the generous amount of green peppers, which taste fresh and crisp. Unfortunately, the lettuce is a little wilted but that’s not hard to forgive. The Star has it where it counts, with an outstanding patty, perfectly cooked—seared on the outside and dripping, juicy on the inside.

The Philly Cheeseburger rests in the Specialty Burger section. This rendition comes with sautéed onions and green peppers, as well as mozzarella, lettuce, tomato slices, and mayo. A lot of burger joints struggle to find a good balance between ingredients, and often one ingredient overwhelms everything else. The Star comes up with a perfect balance, again delivering a fantastic sandwich.

Poutine suddenly appears on all sorts of menus in Winnipeg and it has three spots on the Star’s plate. While the Philly Cheese poutine looks very inviting, I go with the traditional instead. With only three ingredients, they all need to contribute to deliver a good dish. The double-fried fries taste a little greasy but it provides a nice complement to the rich gravy. I prefer cheese curds on poutine so I’m a little disappointed with regular mozza. I added pulled pork to my poutine for an extra $3 and it takes the dish to an entirely new level.

I regret that I no longer work downtown, or I would keep returning to try every item on the menu. Whereas the Albert Diner was known for their greasy burgers, I come to know the White Star for its great burgers. Try to go off lunch prime hours and take a moment to talk to the owner. His passion about his food will make you enjoy it just a little more.

**** /5

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