Birthday Genisys Burger at Red Robin (West End)

If you sign up for Red Robin's eClub, you get a two-week window to enjoy a free Gourmet Burger. The fine print says "Participating Locations Only", and fortunately the Robson Street location participates. As soon as you walk in, there's a banner that says so.

What is not included are customized burgers, non-burgers (e.g., their sandwiches), and their Angus Beef "Red Robin's Finest" burgers.

Their current Terminator Genisys promotion, at about $1 more than their usual Gourmet Burgers, DOES qualify.

As Red Robin touts itself as the "Burger Authority" (as indicated in their colourful, child-proofed-by-lamination menus), I should really not cut them any slack on burger engineering and execution... so I won't.

Genisys Burger ($12.99) jalapeño-cornmeal bun, fresh avocado, roasted jalapeños, bacon, pepper-jack cheese, 100% beef burger patty, comes with unlimited fries (other unlimited substitutions available)

• Patty check: Dry patty, slightly burnt. FAIL. They overcooked my patty. As the "burger authority" there should be stricter quality control on the essentials of a burger. Like the patty.
• There was a tiny chip of bone in my patty. I'm going to call it a fluke this time.
• The bun did in fact have bits of jalapeño. But no heat whatsoever.
• The avocado slice was approximately in the middle of the burger. If you bit the wrong part, you got no avocado.
• The roasted jalapeños were in two whole slices. Long enough to stick out of the burger, but not enough to cover the whole cross section. So if you don't eat this burger along the path of the roasted jalapeño, you might get no bites of it.
• Definitely try a bite with the roasted jalapeño because there is only mild, slow-building heat but a certain amount of bitterness, which is off-putting with nothing to complement that flavour. Bitter is tricky to make tasty. You may want to take the roasted jalapeños right off, to be honest.
• Overall, a rather boring burger and it definitely didn't make me think "Terminator" at all. Maybe a crunchy burger wrapped in silver foil might have done the trick.

Mint Brownie ($4.99, +$1 to make it "Monster" by adding a refill tin) Mint milkshake with brownie bits

• More like bubble-gum style peppermint flavour. A bit weak and only average as mint milkshakes go.
• Brownie portion in small cubes (slightly less than 1 cubic centimeter) of what looked more like cake, to be honest, but could very well have been brownie.
• Came with a regular straw, which can't suck up the brownie chunks. Should have come with a bubble tea straw, or a deep spoon.
• Overall, not worth it compared to Bottomless Beverages, which are in turn only worth it if you are staying a long time (e.g., a large party, so you are staying a long time) and likely to be able to drink more than one glass.

As my trip before to Red Robin, food is OK, but where the burger chain really shines is in portions for price -- unlimited sugar and other carbs are available if you want it, at no extra charge.
One extra order of their bottomless fries seemed to take forever to come, but when it did, it was piping hot and therefore, I am assuming, fresh.

Also, it appears they are willing to cut burgers in half. I saw this served but haven't tried asking for it myself. This could make it a really cheap night out combined with a birthday burger offer.