Tag: food

High Level Diner

A friend and I had supper at High Level Diner (10912-88 Avenue) last night. I had previously sampled their daytime fare, but this was my first dinner visit.

The Diner is located near the University of Alberta campus, just off the busy 109 thoroughfare, so parking can be an issue. Luckily, as we pulled in, there were a few curbside spaces free. We expected a thin crowd, as the temperature was easily twenty below. To our surprise, the restaurant was nearly full.

The dining room was dimly lit, furnished with aged wooden tables and chairs. Paintings by local artists adorned the walls, available for customer perusal and purchase. It was evident that there was a lot of care behind the restaurant as many personal touches were observed, such as the vase of real flowers in the bathroom. Overall, the decor evoked a warm and inviting atmosphere.

The evening menu boasted ethnic-inspired diner favorites, seemingly more creative and unique than the comparable Blue Plate Diner. I would name sample dishes, but as my memory is shoddy, and there is no website to refer to, I will abandon specifics in this case. I opted for the Ural Burger (lean ground beef patty, lettuce, tomatoes, cheddar and sprouts on a whole wheat bun) with fries while my friend ordered the daily special (which for that night was pan-fried shrimp, spinach, and mushrooms tossed with fettuccine in a cream sauce).

Our food arrived in no time, although we were in no rush, enjoying the air that buzzed with tones of hushed conversation. My friend said the pasta was disappointing – not bad, but uninspired, and easily surpassed by our favorite pasta hangout, Olive Garden. The burger was generously sized, but a tad too greasy for my taste, and I found the sprouts actually overpowered all other toppings. The fries were homemade from whole potatoes, so naturally, they had less shape and crunch than those made and processed from potato flour. Still, the thinner slices tasted best, crispy and reminiscent of fried potato skins.

With exceptionally friendly servers, comfort food and ambiance typically found only in intimate coffee shops, High Level Diner is a great place to have dinner and catch up with friends.

Table with a view – “Untitled” painting and twinkle lights
Daily special pasta dish
Ural Burger
Table with a view deux – we let the car warm up as long as we could!

Real men make quiche, too

It seems that I am on a baked egg kick. On the heels of my frittata experiment last month, I enlisted the help of a friend and his spacious kitchen (in that order, of course) to test out a Better Homes and Gardens quiche recipe.

We opted to use frozen pie shells (why make from scratch what can be purchased “off the shelf?”) and chose smoked turkey breast as our filling ingredient. Like frittatas, “mix then bake” was the order of the day. Everything on the recipe was straightforward, even though we did prematurely combine the cheese and the flour with the wet mixture. Honestly, the most difficult part was waiting for the quiche to cook; nearly fifty minutes passed until we decided the egg had set enough to eat.

A photo of the finished product is below; it’s safe to say I’m pretty proud of our creation! We paired the quiche with a simple romaine salad (it seems that grape tomatoes taste infinitely better when you know the pint cost $4), but I think a vegetable or tomato soup would have worked just as well as a side. Next time, I would also consider adding a layer of cheese on top of the quiche before baking for extra flavor and texture.

Needless to say, I can now add quiche to my growing repertoire of cookery.

Quiche x 2

Plated and ready to eat! (Disclaimer for foodies: we knew white would have been the more appropriate wine pairing, but we only had red on hand…)

Urban Diner

Just returned from brunch with a few of my girlfriends in celebration of a birthday. We went to Urban Diner (12427 102 Avenue), located in the upscale High Street district. I have been there for dinner on several occasions, but this was my first taste of their breakfast menu.

We went in without reservations, so we had to wait about twenty minutes for a table. Although the time went by fairly quickly, I would advise calling ahead to book a table, as there isn’t really a proper waiting area set up in the restaurant.

I love the feel of the place – the staff are friendly, the dining room is clean and bright, and the food is comfort-oriented. Above the cash counter hangs a chalkboard advertising their daily specials, ‘shakes, and wine; I think it’s a nice touch.

Besides coffee (a must!), I ordered the frittata (with sausage, bacon, spinach, portabella, peppers, tomatoes, leeks, swiss & mozza, served with Diner potatoes and toast). My friends chose the smoked salmon bennie (with basil pesto, roasted bell pepper, spinach, cheddar & cream, served with grilled French bread and Diner potatoes).

Given that the restaurant seemed especially busy, the food was quite prompt. I’m a sucker for novelties: the frittata arrived in its own mini cast iron pan! I’m not sure how many eggs they used, but I can say I was rather stuffed at the end of it. Still, I wouldn’t really call the dish a ‘frittata’ per se; it is more aptly termed ‘scrambled eggs and then some.’ I am also happy to report that thankfully, I did not taste the leek!

Urban Diner never disappoints; I highly recommend it for brunch or dinner!

The quaint view from the window

Smoked salmon bennie

Frittata

Doan’s Restaurant

Vietnamese pho has long been a favorite of mine, with southside’s Pagolac (9642 54 Avenue) claiming my vote for pho supremacy in Edmonton. However, I decided to put that title to the test when I visited Doan’s Restaurant (10130 107 Street) with a friend on Friday night.
Doan’s has consistently won See Magazine‘s annual readers poll for “Best Vietnamese.” And though I once sampled their pho in a take-out order, this was my first dine-in experience to date.

The decor is a classic case of Asian misinterpretation of Western flair. Although the pink walls, solid wooden tables and seat covers are nice enough, the palm trees (yes, I said palm trees) and Oriental art accents create an apperance of trying too hard. To underscore this point, the water was served in wine glasses.

To eat at an Asian restaurant without tea is a foreign idea to me, so we ordered a pot of green tea ($2). We were surprised to find they used a tea bag instead of loose leaves or steeped tea. Pagolac, on the other hand, offers a brewed variety, and doesn’t charge for their tea.

We decided to start with a half plate of cha gio (spring rolls) while for the main course, my friend settled on Pho Dac Biet (special beef noodle soup with brisket, medium rare beef, well done beef, and beef balls) and I ordered my usual Pho Tai (medium rare beef noodle soup).

The food arrived promptly. The sping rolls were crispy and not greasy, but my friend noted that they were smaller than their Pagolac counterparts. As for the pho – it was simply delicious. The broth was rich and flavorful, with enough cilantro garnish to keep me happy. They were also extremely generous with the portions – the bowl contained noticeably more noodles and beef than Pagolac’s version. So for approximately $1 more, Doan’s offers the better value.

Though I enjoy Pagolac’s laid back atmosphere and free tea refills, the quality of the food at Doan’s gives Pagolac a run for their money. I’ll definitely be back for another round.

Palm trees!

Pho Dac Biet

Pho Tai

Tim Hortons’ Breakfast Sandwich

On Sunday morning, I finally made it to Tim Hortons to try their new hot breakfast sandwich, which I haven’t stopped talking about since seeing the advertisement (it appears that they allow their Canadian customers to have their sleep and eat too, offering the sandwich until noon on weekends but only until 11am in the States).

I have always been a fan of the Sausage McMuffin at McDonald’s, but if I had to compare English muffins with biscuits as a base, the latter would win every time. For this reason, Tim’s sausage sandwich is my clear favorite. It is marginally bigger than the McDonald’s version (with 60 more calories), but at $2.49 plus tax, it’s fairly pricey; for that amount you could almost buy an entire meal at McDonalds. Still, it would be well worth the occasional “splurge” when you’re craving a cheesy, egg-tastic treat to start out your day.

For the record, my dining companion consumed both the sausage and bacon versions, and claimed he felt “sick” afterwards. Weak.

Understand that I never intended on taking a photo that seems to undercut the appeal of the sandwich…

Ricky’s All Day Grill

Two friends and I visited the Ricky’s All Day Grill in Edmonton City Centre Mall (10200 102 Avenue) before heading out to see a play on Saturday night. With four locations in the city and another on the way, it’s surprising that none of us had eaten there before.

The restaurant is brightly lit, with funky multicolored light fixtures on the ceiling and 50’s-inspired art on the walls (perhaps harking back to the safety, security, and family values of times past?). The menu features breakfast items (pancakes, waffles, and omlettes, ohmy!) served daily until 4pm. As someone who has a penchant to sleep in, I can say that I will be back one afternoon for brunch.

I ordered the vegetarian teriyaki bowl (stir-fried veggies with teriyaki over oriental noodles). City counselors are always encouraging for the growth and development of facilities in the downtown district, and really, for suburbanites to stay or play downtown after hours, the service and selection must be superb so people will overlook parking complications and other difficulties. Know too that although I am a great advocate of the downtown experience, if I am allowed to use this one occasion at Ricky’s as an example of what the core has to offer, I am certain no one will be flocking to the area anytime soon. Not only was the waiter slow at taking our drink and dinner orders, but the kitchen also got my order wrong (they included chicken in my dish).

Sure, the portion was a decent size, and there was a fair balance between the noodles and stir-fry, but our dinner was rushed and thus rather unpleasant because of the poor service.

When I do try Ricky’s again, I will be heading to one of the other locations.

50’s-inspired art

Teriyaki bowl

Homefire Grill

Last night, a friend and I had dinner at Homefire Grill (18210 100 Avenue). I read about the restaurant a few months ago in Vue Weekly, but hadn’t yet had the opportunity to check it out.

The dining room itself is painted in mute autumn tones, which helps to evoke the cozy atmosphere the name suggests. On the other hand, perhaps I’ve been brainwashed by too many Restaurant Makeover viewings, but eateries that attempt to cater to every possible crowd often end up diluting their overall quality. Homefire Grill seems to suffer from such an identity crisis. While the menu lends itself to family-friendly meals, and the Navajo-inspired symbols that adorn the walls, sconces, and drop lamps provide a dash of ‘mom’s kitchen kitch,’ the fireplace centrepiece and room-wide dim lighting create an environment more aligned with adult dining (I find food to be quite the afterthought in these reviews. Who knew I’d be more interested in the aesthetics?).

There were some interesting menu options (the “nice little salad” for one, and the buffalo meatloaf which I will surely return to try), but I settled on the country ham and pineapple pizza while my friend chose the Singapore sling stir-fry.

Although the pizza was somewhat tasty (the hickory smoked bacon flavored the generous topping of cheese quite nicely), the soggy crust prevented it from any elevation above the fare available in most high school cafeterias. The beef in my friend’s stir fry was seasoned and grilled to perfection, but a lack of noodles and the use of frozen vegetables led to a dish that left much to be desired.

We split a creme brulee for dessert (actually quite unusual for me…all of my meals typically begin and end with an entree). Instead of the torched sugar we expected, the brulee was topped with a thick layer of caramelized sugar. It definitely took some effort to break through the coating to reach the disappointingly cool custard beneath. I’m not enough of a creme brulee expert to know what they did wrong, but the dish was disappointing, to say the least.

Reading over this review, I acknowledge that it appears I had a negative experience – and that wasn’t the case. Our waiter was polite and attentive (he even took the time to tell us about Mick McGeough’s blown call), and I would definitely recommend this restaurant to adults who are looking for a quiet, comfortable dinner venue. Next up on my return trip: buffalo meatloaf!

Restaurant interior

Centre fireplace

Country ham and pineapple pizza

Singapore sling stir-fry

Creme brulee

Cupcakes!

I am not afraid to admit that I have a cupcake fetish, or at the very least am in the midst of a cupcake phase.

Ever since Magnolia Bakery hit it big in New York, gourmet cupcake shops have been springing up in major centres across North America. Even Edmonton, as small as we are, currently supports four cupcake franchises: two physical stores and two home-based businesses.

  • The Cupcake Shoppe: a home-based business, they deliver, and have sold their product at St. Albert’s Outdoor Farmer’s Market in the past. I haven’t yet had a chance to try out their cupcakes, so I will withhold judgment until then.
  • BabyCakes Bakeshoppe (6861-170 Street): a cupcake bakery and tea room, I just read about this location in the Edmonton Journal. I will be sure to make a stop there sometime soon.
  • The Cupcake Bakeshoppe & Cafe (17298 Stony Plain Road): I visited this cafe a few weeks ago with a friend of mine, and after much anticipation, I was sorely disappointed. The cafe itself was quite charming, but the cupcakes were not what I expected. Because they were refrigerated, it was hard to determine whether or not they were freshly made. Moreover, the icing was of the buttercream variety – not sweet enough for my tooth. The server explained that they only use imported Belgian fruit purees in the icing, but to me, the strawberry icing atop “The Diva” tasted strangely reminiscent of artificially-flavored Pocky. I will return sometime soon, if not only to try the ‘cakes that they had sold out of (“The Don” especially), but I will remain cautiously optimistic.
  • Whimsical Cake Studio: another home-based business, they are clearly my favorite (with the best website too!). They also deliver, and sell their product at the St. Albert and Downtown Farmer’s Markets. Over the summer, Whimsical was profiled in the Edmonton Journal, which is where I discovered the company. I had my first taste of their cupcakes at the city centre market, and felt even more privileged when I managed to score the last two they had for sale that Saturday (yes, there was a little boy behind me in line. No mercy when it comes to cupcakes). The ‘cake was obviously freshly baked, and the icing was a little taste of heaven – sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. If you’re interested, Whimsical will be setting up booths on November 4 & 18 at Churchill Square. Details here.

An unidentified Whimsical cupcake (picture courtesy of a coworker with a talent for photography).

EDIT: on a cupcake-related note, I discovered Johnny Cupcakes clothing today. They make one cute shirt.

Haweli Restaurant and Steeps

Last night, a few friends and I had supper at Haweli Restaurant (10220-103 Street), located on the Boardwalk in downtown Edmonton. Haweli actually just recently won the Edmonton Appetizer Challenge at the Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival.

Although the furniture looks like it could have been rescued from a repossessed Bonanza, there were some nice decorative touches of organza around the dining area. Though on second thought, Haweli could greatly benefit from a Restaurant Makeover-style interior renovation…

I would be the first person to admit that I haven’t had much in the way of East Indian cuisine before, so much of what was on the menu was new to me. Thus, I was hoping the waitress would be able to provide some guidance, but this wasn’t the case – she was either new, or simply ill-equipped to deal with questions from inquisitive patrons. In the end, we settled on sharing orders of vegetarian samosas, garlic naan, butter chicken, navratan korma (mixed vegetables cooked in a creamy sauce), and chicken biryani (basmati rice cooked with boneless chicken).

Save for the plates of samosas and naan, all other dishes were surprisingly small. However, the food itself was excellent. In particular, the navratan korma was creamy, flavorful, but not overpowered by spices.

Our cheque divided up into roughly $18 per person, so it was definitely a worthwhile sampling of East Indian cuisine. And while I’m not sure I will be back right away, it was a satisfying experience overall.

Interior of Haweli Restaurant

Chicken biryani and navratan korma

Following dinner, we headed to Steeps (12411 Stony Plan Road). I love coffee as much as the next person, but I do drink a fair amount of tea as well. Steeps is noted for their great selection of teas, which you can check out at their handy “tea tree”: a stand with individual canisters of all of the teas they carry, available for your sniffing pleasure.

This was my first time at the “original teahouse,” as it is denoted on the website, and the atmosphere is fantastic. You almost feel like an urbanite just stepping into the place, with its old hardwood flooring, mismatched 70s furniture (reminiscent of pieces sold at The Junque Cellar), and dim lighting. This location actually reminded me a lot of one of my favorite Edmonton haunts, the Blue Plate Diner.

I settled on a small pot of “spring wind jasmine” green tea. I am not enough of a tea aficionado to suss out the subtle hints and tones of the brew, but I can say that it produced a comforting drink to accompany fine conversation.

A great cup of tea!

Mini Frittatas

Although I’ve dabbled in baking here and there, my experience creating appetizers and entrées have been limited. That’s why I’m always on the lookout for fast and easy recipes, particularly from my favorite TV chefs. Yesterday, I decided to replicate a frittata recipe I saw on an episode of Giada De Laurentiis’ Everyday Italian. Below is a picture of the result:


(So few product were captured because I ate the majority of them before the shot was taken…)

In my opinion, the recipe is foolproof, and you can substitute whatever you have on hand for the filling. In this case, I used mushrooms and turkey breast slices, though I admit a little greenery wouldn’t hurt the presentation. Another tip: if you fill the muffin tins about 3/4 full, the frittatas come out perfectly concave. This recipe would make a great appetizer, brunch item, or afterschool snack. I encourage you to try this out and share your favorite filling combinations!