In high school, Boston Pizza used to be at the top of our restaurant repetoire. I suppose it still is a frequent fallback choice for large group gatherings, but not as often as in the past. While undoubtedly comfortable and low key, I’ve found the food at BPs unforgivably inconsistent, so I deign to eat there unless absolutely necessary.

Dickson and I found ourselves there for his friend’s birthday dinner, and needing to quiet our hungry stomachs before a night at the symphony, we ordered a new menu item to share – Boston’s Poutine ($6.25).

It was thankfully quick, but nothing exceptional. For that price, I could have ordered nearly two of Route 99‘s generous servings of poutine.

Inspired by a true 2-for-1 coupon offer, Mack and I met up at Allegro Italian Kitchen (10011 109 Street) for dinner on Friday night.

I have been to Allegro only once in the past, lured there by the promise of a live piano player on Saturday evenings. It was my fault for ordering what I did, but the chef used an amount of orange zest only reconcilable for those with scurvy.

Walking in just before 5:30pm, there was only one other table occupied. The efficient hostess sat us near the kitchen, which I didn’t mind for the relative warmth it provided (and the distance away from the door – it was freezing outside). As I surveyed the dining room – with a piano situated in the corner and a dessert case and bar along one wall – it occurred to me that Allegro was more of a bistro than anything else. Sure, the dim lights and tabletop candles provided some ambiance, but with awkward metal furniture and an open space that couldn’t have been filled with more seats, Allegro fit the archetype of a restaurant more suited for the jostling lunch crowd than a quiet dinner.

I completely forgot to snap a picture of the menu, and thus, the food details will be few and far between in this review. The name of Mack’s pasta order has been lost on me, while I ordered the veal-filled cannelloni. To avoid any possible rudeness with the bill later on, I mentioned up front to our server that we intended on using the Entertainment Book offer. She acknowledged this, and remained friendly throughout the evening.

Our entrees arrived very promptly, and I don’t think our portion sizes suffered at all from the mention of a coupon. My cannelloni was drenched in a lovely, rich cream sauce, peppered with mushrooms just slightly cooked (the best way to eat them, in my opinion).

I have no real complaints about this experience at Allegro – great service and good food. But as a whole, I do think it is more conducive for daytime meals; the price and lack of real ambiance just don’t mix.

Lunch options around my workplace are few and far between. While our location is great for those who are looking for a mid-afternoon jolt of fresh air via a stroll in the park, the only quick food spots are the Copper Pot (expensive to eat-in, but better than their take-out menu) and Zuppas (has a cult following because of a dearth of neighbourhood choices, I think, as their mainstay wraps and pastas are just not that good).

A few coworkers and I were looking for fresh ideas, and I remembered Saigon Givral (11005 Jasper Avenue). Offering a healthy and interesting alternative to sandwiches, their Vietnamese subs were praised by many, including May.

Though we really could have bundled up and walked, we took the easy way out (or more challenging, actually, having to navigate the one-way roads) and drove. My coworker dropped me off at the non-descript strip of businesses beneath an apartment complex and drove off to find parking.

Entering Saigon Givral, it is clear that their primary mode of business is takeout. The space is dominated by the counter, where the subs are made fresh to order. There were a few small tables and folding chairs set up against the perimeter of the entrance, but I’m sure for the most part they functioned more as a waiting area than anything else. I was greeted by the friendly proprietor, who promptly took down my multi-item requests. It was early for the lunch crowd (11am), but likely the chilly weather deterred what is usually a brisk time of business for them. The lack of accessible parking reveals the nature of the typical Saigon Givral customer – those within walking distance in the towers nearby.

For $5.25 (including tax!), I was given an oven-toasted 12 inch sub filled with either satayed chicken or beef, mozzarella, pickled carrots, cucumber, onion, green peppers, cilantro, homemade mayonnaise and black pepper for some kick. I agreed to split half of my chicken sub for half of my workmate’s beef version, so I was able to try both types of meat. In my opinion, the beauty of these subs was the absolute melding of flavours. The cheese melted between the crevices in between the vegetables and the meat, and the mustard-y mayonnaise rounded out the sandwich nicely. My only modest critique is that Saigon Givral uses regular submarine bread (as opposed to the more traditional French baguette), but even that can be overlooked for the sheer portion size and the preference that some people have for softer bread.

The proprietor recommended calling ahead to order (hours are 10am-7pm, Monday to Friday, and 11am-5pm on Saturdays) for prompt pick-up, but as my brief wait was pleasant, I don’t think I would mind just dropping in again in the future. And really, for $5.25, the deal cannot be beat by anyone else within walking distance of Saigon Givral.

Dickson and I had originally intended on sampling Cafe de Ville (10137 124 Street) in December, but an unfortunate series of circumstances kept us from the restaurant. We finally rebooked our trial engagement for Friday.

On a very chilly weekend, we bustled into the small, dimly lit dining room, already about half full. Intimate and cozy, the restaurant had a mostly mature clientele who seemed to fit in well amongst the aged (or is it classic?) decor.

My main reason for wanting to give Cafe de Ville a whirl was due to an Entertainment Book 2-for-1 coupon I had. As such, it seemed most economical for us to order full entrees to take advantage of such an offer and make the most of our first experience there. The Chilean Sea Bass special ($30) sounded good to me, served with a basil-saffron risotto and steamed vegetables. Dickson decided upon the Chicken stuffed with wild boar bacon, sun-dried romas, feta, roasted garlic, spinach, amaretto, tomato cream ($26). He was intent on comparing their chicken with Sorrentino’s version.

While waiting for our plates, we received a small basket of warmed cheese croissants to tide us over, a lovely treat that tasted great without the normally requisite pat of butter. Our entrees arrived shortly after, and thankfully for Dickson, the portion was noticably larger than what Sorrentino’s had offered last week (the inclusion of two sides helped with this immensely). More than that however, the chicken itself was moist, and the accompanying tomato cream sauce was richly satisfying. As for my fish, it was fork tender, as it should have been, flavored with a subtle white wine glaze. Paired with a perfectly prepared plump and savoury serving of risotto, I was comfortably full at the end of it.

Dickson would like to blame me for “making him fat” over the course of our restaurant experimentations, but he didn’t struggle too much this time around when I suggested we give their desserts a try. With an on-site pastry chef, I figured Cafe de Ville should have above-par sweets. Like Manor Cafe, they had their daily selections out for display on a platter for visual consumption, and though I was tempted by the delicate handmade sugar cage atop the Coconut Tart, I ultimately chose the Molten Chocolate Cake, while Dickson ordered the Mandarin Creme Brulee.

After the fifteen minutes that was required to finish preparing my dessert lapsed, we were presented with two elegantly presented dishes. Unfortunately, Dickson’s Creme Brulee was pre-made, and hence cold to the touch. We both preferred a custard slightly warmed by freshly torched caramelized sugar, so that prevented thorough enjoyment of his selection. The Chocolate Cake, on the other hand, was great – I was greeted with a warm, melted chocolate centre dabbed with white chocolate chips that while rich, wasn’t sickly sweet.

Our waitress had been friendly throughout the entire evening, so it surprised me that when we handed her our coupon before she went on to tally the bill, she suddenly became quite brisk with us. When we asked for a clarification on the discount (they had taken off $12 instead of the value of the lesser-priced entree), she pointed to the receipt as if that was enough to clear up our confusion. I found out later, after leaving the restaurant, that the coupon itself was misleading, as it wasn’t a true 2-for-1 deal; there was actually a maximum amount allotted for subtraction. Regardless, we still gave her a good-sized tip, because she probably thought we were cheap enough, but I am of the opinion that she really didn’t deserve it, as we ended the evening on such a soured note.

So while the food ultimately stands up to allow for a recommendation if your parents or grandparents are looking for a quiet place for a meal, for the younger set, Cafe de Ville is too stuffy without the fine dining credentials to encourage frequent returns.

For a pre-show dinner within walking distance of the theatre, Dickson and I met up at Sorrentino’s (10162 100 Street) on Thursday night. I had visited this location many years ago in my university days, but don’t recall anything of note from that experience. That said, I knew that of all the locations, this was the swankiest, something reflected in the prices.

Upon entry, my coat was taken by the host (that’s post-New York number three), and I was led to a table in the back corner, along a glass wall that separated a private dining room from the main seating area. When Dickson arrived, we found out just how inconvenient this spot was, as his chair was knocked about more than a few times from patrons streaming into the private room. As the restaurant was chock full of empty tables and cozy booths at that time, we probably should have been proactive and requested a seat change, but it was curious as to why they chose to seat us in a spot seemingly earmarked for those deemed unworthy.

Menus at each location differ slightly for one another (in both selection and price), but the range of pastas, fish and meat entrees would appease any palette. I had read on Chowhound that Downtown’s Bison Cannelloni (as opposed to the more traditional veal-based filling) was worth a try, so it wasn’t hard for me to make a decision. Dickson was tempted by the fish special, but ended up choosing the Roasted Guinea Hen Portofino, stuffed with shrimp, prosciutto, provolone, mustard seed, and served in a vermouth cream reduction (for the record, he thought briefly about asking for lobster in place of shrimp).

Before our entrees arrived, our waitress (who was obviously new and very keen) offered us slices of warm bread and a chili and salt-infused olive oil for dipping. Dickson wasn’t impressed, and preferred the salted baguette offered at the southside location.

The wild mushroom reduction on my Cannelloni was creamy goodness, but the spiced ground bison was out of place; it probably would have been more suited for lasagna…or a taco. Dickson’s chicken was a bit on the dry side, though he did enjoy the rather peculiar addition of seafood to the dish.

For an Edmonton stalwart, I have yet to be blown away by Sorrentino’s. Dare I say it is encroaching Earl’s territory, being both overhyped and unexceptional?