Refiner Diner is permanently closed as of April 2014. Huge sadface!
Address: Varies
Phone: (250) 884-5643
Website: http://refinerdiner.com/ - social media has updates with recent locations
Price: ~$11 for a sandwich and fries
Notes: Classy diner food out of a food truck
The Refiner Diner was at the first "mini-maker faire" this past weekend, and I was excited to check it out for the first time. I liked the aesthetic of the diner truck - a little bit rough around the edges in appearance, but with super tasty, well-executed food. I really liked that they customized their menu for the makerfaire crowd (at least in title of the items) serving dishes like the 8 bit burger.
At the moment it seems like they don't have a fixed address, and are floating between special events, but fingers crossed the food cart initiative they are discussing at City Council will include this tasty take on a greasy spoon!
Food:
July 28, 2012
My partner-in-food-and-life tried the fishwich earlier in the day, and was very very impressed. The report was very nice ocean-wise piece of fish cooked and sauced perfectly. Sorry, no picture!
Cheeseburger on a brioche bun
Within thirty seconds of taking a bite I had burger juice all down my shirt and shorts. But I didn't mind too much - the burger was fantastic! I liked the addition of sesame seeds to the brioche bun. Good example of what I think they are trying to do - fancy ingredients that still have the essence of Diner. I really enjoyed the patty - super well seasoned, and while it was cooked all the way through it wasn't at all dry (hence burger juice). I was so hungry I didn't note the toppings any more than omg cheese & delicious! Very nicely sauced, whatever the secret sauce was!
Truck Fries
The fries were most excellent as well - double-fried so they were perfectly crispy. They came with a side of mayo, which is a nice choice. Everyone who I walked by that snagged a fry was quite impressed.
Service:
July 28, 2012
I'm not sure if they were quite prepared for the onslaught of hungry geeks, they seemed a bit stressed. When asked if they were a new food truck, the response was that they weren't new (which confuses me, because every shred of evidence I have says they only just launched this month). So I'm a little confused, but I suspect it was an 'i'm really thinking about something else' response.
