Rob Feenie's Burger de Maison at Le Crocodile pairs Wagyu with port jus and foie gras

Rob Feenie's burger history runs deep in Vancouver. For decades, the burger has been inseparable from his name — starting at Feenie's next door to Lumière, where weekend brunches built a devoted following around the dish. The burger followed him to Cactus Club Cafe, where it became the Feenie Burger, a menu staple.

Now, at Le Crocodile on Burrard Street, Feenie has created what he calls the Burger de Maison — a version that distills everything he's learned about the dish.

When it arrives, the plate announces itself first. A deep burgundy pool of port jus nearly fills the rim, its surface glossy and rich. The burger sits centered in the sauce, its soft brioche already soaking it up. A steak knife, fork and warm napkin arrive alongside — the restaurant knows what's coming.

"I learned this in France," Feenie explains of the jus. Early in his career, he staged at Michelin three-star restaurants in Alsace, working under chefs Émile Jung and Antoine Westermann. The sauce he uses at Le Crocodile follows classical French technique: red wine, shallots, demi-glace, and port for sweetness and depth. It's an approach he carried through his time at Lumière and continues to refine.

The beef itself is a blend of Wagyu and chuck, ground specifically for the restaurant by Two Rivers Meats. "Fat is so important in our burger. It is where the flavour is," Feenie says, explaining one of the most consequential decisions behind the blend. When cut into, the meat shows a blush of pink through the centre — a cook that's precise and intentional.

Gruyère brings sharpness. Feenie traces his affinity for the cheese back to living in Sweden in the early 1980s, where he developed a taste for sharper varieties. His original Feenie's burger used cheddar, but for the Burger de Maison, he wanted something with that distinctive bite.

The mushrooms are caramelized with garlic and thyme, then finished in that same port jus until they become almost sticky. And then there's foie gras — a touch Feenie credits to the influence of chef Daniel Boulud. It's a burger that feels both casual and deliberate at once.