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Score on Davie

Those who know, know that Score is the long-standing sports bar on Davie St famous for their over-the-top Caesars. Not just a mix of clamato juice and spirts, the have gone great lengths to turn this classic Canadian cocktail into a full-fledged meal. And today we were in the neighbourhood to check out their latest creation, but more on that later.

It has been a while since my last visit, so I appreciated the walk down memory lane. The bar is kept dark to best highlight the sea of bulbs and paper lanterns hanging above. I liked the magnet feature wall that allowed you to play with the alphabet and the communal washroom space’s layout.

But the pull definitely surrounds their Caesars. Their latest was not on the menu, but a secret option that had a full flatbread pizza crowning the cocktail. This was a sheet of baked dough suspended over the mouth of the glass with the aid of skewers, at 5 times the length of the drink itself.

On it was a collection of toppings that included fried dark meat chicken bites, tomato, bacon bits, ranch dressing, parsley, maple bourbon syrup, spicy chorizo, cheddar and jack cheese, and red onions. As tasty as this assembly reads the flatbread itself was quick to harden and lacked a sauce. It would have been nice to have some additional ranch dressing served on the side for dipping into. But all together this was not my favourite of their entire Caesar collection. I would recommend one of the following instead.

Other Caesars include the Mac & Chaesar with deep fried mac and cheese balls, pickles and onion rings. The one with corn dogs dressed in honey mustard and onion rings is call the Scorn Dog. There is one with chicken wings as a garnish, another with grilled cheese. For a brunch option they have an Egg Mc-Caesar with a breakfast sandwich and tater tots.

We also got the Sesar with tempura prawns, bacon wrapped scallop and onion rings. The flavour of the shellfish was complimentary thanks to the clam juice already in the beverage. But the tempura came out soggy and I would have liked a dip with it for added flavour. The bacon wrapped scallops were great as is.

Hands down, my favourite of all their Caesars are the most elaborate ones, that I have tried in the past. The Checkmate and/or The Grande are available on weekends from 2:30-10pm. At $60 each they are a great deal considering not only do you get a 2oz cocktail but for the Checkmate you also get a burger, a slider, hot wings, onion rings, a hot dog, and even a brownie for dessert. And the Grande gives you a nacho bowl, burger, fried chicken slider, corn dogs, fried mac and cheese balls, and Nutella pie for dessert. All strategically fanned out in a picturesque tower. Both making for a great photo op and a fun way to share a meal with a friend.

Seeing as we were here, we also checked out a few of their regular menu item. Starting with their free run Chicken Wings tossed in your choice of seasonings. We went with the sweet chilli over hot, BBQ, honey garlic, salt and pepper, sriracha pineapple, teriyaki, and their own Score sauce. They were pretty standard for bar wings. Average in size with crispy edges, and well sauced for a sticky sweetness that you lick off of your fingers.

I liked how comforting the Hummus & Feta was. This was a creamy and slightly sweet butternut squash hummus with fragrant whipped feta, dill, and a hot honey drizzle. Served with a thin chickpea flatbread for dipping into and mixed pickles for cleansing the palate with. This was dressed up with the unexpected combination of honey and dill and it was lovely.

The Fried (pork) Ribs were braised then fried, dressed in fermented hot sauce with fried garlic and chives. Pretty unmemorable as the meat lacked depth of flavour, and to chew through to the bone was a daunting task.

The Brussels sprouts were fried and dressed with parmesan, candied pumpkin seeds, garlic sauce and chives. They were a nice interpretation; although, I have yet to meet a deep fried brussels sprouts dish that I did not like.

Fried chicken bao buns with pineapple, sriracha glazed fried chicken, kewpie mayo, pickled cucumbers, sesame seeds, sesame slow and cilantro. The chicken had a good spice to it and there was plenty of creamy sauce to pull everything together under one flavour. Not the best rendition, but great for the bar trying to offer something different in the area.

The Kimchi Grilled Cheese did not taste like it had any kimchi in it. Had I not read the name I would have assumed it simply a buttery and salty take on the classic grilled cheese. House made kimchi, house cured ham, American cheese, Swiss cheese, and spicy garlic aioli between two slices of toasted sourdough. It had so much promise. I am sad to see this one fall short.

As a bar, you walk into this one apprehensively, not knowing what to expect. You set your standards low, thinking the goal of such places is to have patrons drinking more than they eat. Therefore, I was surprised by how well dressed the plates were and how much the first bites impressed. Overall things were on the saltier side, although this is most likely to coincide with my original thought and the desire to encourage more time spent drinking in a bar.

Score on Davie
1262 Davie St, Vancouver, BC V6E 1N3
(604) 632-1646
scoreondavie.com

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