Tag: restaurant reviews

Charity Auction Dinner: Ric’s Grill

Last fall, the Edmonton Sun’s Graham Hicks approached Mack to see if he would like to be a part of the 2009 ATCO and Edmonton Sun Christmas Charity Auction. He would be paired up with a restaurant, and people would bid on the chance to have dinner with him, with proceeds going to charity (coincidentally, my agency is one of the four that benefit from the funds raised).

Ultimately, a bidder paid $140 to have dinner with Mack at Ric’s Grill downtown, and we arranged to meet up with the winning party this past Wednesday.

Though we were expecting a pair of diners, we ended up being joined by four people – it turned out the bidder, Terri Lynn, had actually done this once before, having secured the opportunity to dine with Vinomania’s Gurvinder Bhatia and CBC’s Ron Wilson the year prior. Along with Terri Lynn’s friends Kelly, Sue, and Ginette, the night was filled with good conversation, and of course, wine (a lovely Malbec that my usual sweet palate didn’t mind at all – good choice Ginette!).

Mack didn’t get much choice in the restaurant that he would be paired with, but since each establishment had donated a certificate that would cover most of the costs (in this case, $300), we were thankful that Ric’s Grill stepped up to the plate. My last meal at Ric’s was nearly two years ago, and given the experience I had, I wouldn’t have considered coming back without a push.

Although our server gave us a tad too much time and space (perhaps she was deterred by the amount of laughter emanating from our table), it was a solid evening overall. Mack, the goat cheese lover between the two of us, enjoyed the almond goat cheese crostini ($12) starter, a cheesy, rich cousin of garlic toast.

Our steak dinners were equally agreeable. My six ounce, bacon-wrapped filet mignon ($31) was nicely prepared, perhaps on the medium rare side of medium. My side of celery root and cauliflower soup was the standout part of my meal – creamy and well seasoned. The crispy leeks (reminding me a bit of fried onion straws) added some textural flair.

Celery Root and Cauliflower Soup with Crispy Leeks

Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon with Chef’s Potatoes

Mack’s sirloin Oscar deluxe ($33) was topped with sautéed prawns, scallops, asparagus and housemade Béarnaise elicited no complaints. He said that the scallops in particular were cooked well.

Sirloin Oscar Deluxe with Rice Pilaf

I’m glad I had the opportunity to visit Ric’s Grill again. And while we don’t usually eat out at steakhouses, I would consider giving them another try in the future. It was good to meet all of you – thank you for a great night!

Ric’s Grill
10190 104 Street (2 other Edmonton locations)
(780) 429-4333

Marvellous Meat and Potatoes: Kabsa the Divine Dish

Before the most self-aggrandizing Pecha Kucha to date, Mack and I had dinner at the nearby Kabsa the Divine Dish on Jasper Avenue and 103 Street. I had heard good things about the Middle Eastern restaurant from a co-worker, and though its location makes it a prime spot for post-work dining, I hadn’t made the effort to visit prior to that day.

Walking in, the black and white colour scheme is as stark as it is notable. Save for a few tiny black mirrors and framed monochromatic prints, the interior is bare. This drew attention to the fact that the restaurant is extremely well kept (particularly on a day where salted sidewalks meant tracked-in slush), and matched the establishment’s seemingly no-frills philosophy. I have to say I would have appreciated some background music (even the radio would have helped) as overhearing other conversations didn’t make for a pleasant dining experience.

Kabsa doesn’t have a posted menu – instead, the clerk lifted the lid of each of the trays and named each dish underneath. Our choices included Tandoori chicken, chicken with garlic, roasted lamb and smoked lamb. Each entrée is served with rice and the day’s vegetable (kabsa refers to a meal of meat, rice and vegetables), and runs in price from $10-14 (on a side note, I had to laugh when the clerk, instead of accessing a till, calculated my bill total on her iPod).

The portion sizes were huge! The large meat serving was complemented by an even larger mound of rice, as well as a handful of potatoes. My roasted lamb was fork tender, and fell off the bone with no effort at all. I’m almost certain the flavourful meat would turn those unsure of lamb into stalwart fans.

Roasted Lamb

Mack similarly enjoyed his chicken which was equally tender and moist. In particular, he loved the aroma and consistency of the rice. His cardamom-scented rice actually reminded me a lot of the Somali rice I had not too long ago.

Tandoori Chicken

Our meal, with a can of pop, totalled $28.30. While not the cheapest meal in the area, the quality and serving size blew me away. For these reasons, I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending Kabsa as a dinner destination downtown.

Kabsa the Divine Dish
10345 Jasper Avenue
(780) 421-1366
Monday-Friday 11am-10pm, Saturday-Sunday 6-10pm

Setting the Decor Standard: Basil Leaf

I met up with Dickson, my stalwart pho companion, earlier this week to give the newest addition to Chinatown’s ever-revolving dining scene a spin. Basil Leaf, dubbed a Vietnamese restaurant and sports bar, opened about two weeks ago in an unfortunate location. Not unfortunate so much for the ghosts of the failed restaurants past, but for its sight-unseen building, tucked just far enough down 107 Avenue to be missed by most passing by.

Interior

Though this was my introduction to any incarnation of the space,  it looks like the new operators gutted the place, with stunning results. The dark wood floor, intimate leather banquets, and Cactus Club-esque artichoke lights elevate interior design expectations of Asian restaurants. Moreover, the dish and flatware were surprisingly modern, with beautifully curved tea cups and soup spoons in place of more traditional pieces. Between Basil Leaf and Urban China, the bar for the design of Edmonton’s Asian restaurants has been set. Though Basil Leaf does support a “sports bar” in theory – a high, granite bar encircles a mounted television screen, an area separated from the main dining space by a partition – it seems to be a footnote, and shouldn’t detract would-be diners from visiting.

Table setting

The menu was fairly standard for a Vietnamese restaurant, stretching several pages with numerous stir-fries, vermicelli bowls and soups. Prices also seemed match those found at similar establishments, though I can only really speak to pho, which is always my dish of choice.

My predictable pho with medium rare beef was $7.75, while Dickson’s usual deluxe pho with all of the fixings rang in at $8.25. The green onion cake starter was $4.50.

As in Paula’s review, the service was borderline too attentive, with the servers at numerous points hovering over our table, and constantly checking to see if we needed a hot water refill for our tea. For some reason, it wasn’t off-putting – perhaps because they appeared to be genuinely interested in our dining experience.

Of course, with food being the focal point of our visit: I liked the green onion cakes well enough, though the batter had not been evenly seasoned. The pho also could have been better – the curved bowl my dish was served in was another plus, but the flavour of the broth was one-note, and could have been enhanced with more aromatics and spices. Dickson and I also agreed that the beef was overdone, becoming tough and unpleasantly chewy too quickly.

Green Onion Cakes

Beef Noodle Soup with Medium Rare Beef

Deluxe Noodle Soup

While Basil Leaf may not become my destination for pho, I would gladly visit them again. Perhaps for dinner when I might be able to take advantage of a booth , and when the lighting will better highlight the space.

Basil Leaf
10023 107 Avenue
(780) 756-8880

“You win some, you dim sum”: Urban China

You can thank Mack for the eye-rolling title quote.

It’s always nice to have more options within walking distance of the office, so when signs of a new restaurant where Rosie’s used to be on 106 Avenue and 100 Street appeared, I was excited. Urban China opened up in the fall, and I was eager to give them a try.

Dickson and I met up for a dim sum lunch one afternoon. A handful of tables were occupied, with one or two non-Asian groups seated when I entered. The host immediately greeted me in Chinese, to which I ungracefully replied in English, and was led to a table.

The interior had been completely redone, with fabulous results. Unlike most Chinese restaurants that utilize too many gold accents and fake fauna, Urban China chose the sophisticated route of dark wood, leather chairs, bright aquariums and a single red accent wall. It is a sleek space that seems destined to become popular for special occasions and banquets.

Interior

Of course, that previous statement would only be true if the food matched the expectations set by the décor. At Urban China, dim sum is both a cart and paper affair. For the limited number of tables, it seemed rather silly for the restaurant to offer carts at all, even though I prefer the jostling atmosphere incurred by drive-by hawkers. Because of their limited pre-cooked selection, we ultimately ended up ordering a few dishes directly from the kitchen anyway.

The dim sum litmus test of ha gao and siu mai ($4.25 each) wasn’t overly positive for Urban China – the shrimp dumplings were the better of the two, but for the price and wavering quality, we were better off at a cheaper establishment.

Shrimp Dumplings

Pork Dumplings

The rice crepes with shrimp ($4.75) were probably the best of our dishes that day, which contained a fair amount of shrimp encased in a silky wrap. My BBQ pork buns ($3.75) on the other hand were poor, a congealed meat filling with an almost pasty quality in every bite. Dickson was similarly unimpressed with his steamed egg yolk sauce buns ($3.75), commenting that the frozen versions at T & T were better.

Rice Crepe with Shrimp

BBQ Pork Buns

Egg Buns

Sharing small plates for lunch is always a nice way to go, particularly in a clean and chic environment. But at least for dim sum, Urban China doesn’t provide the best value or quality. I’ll have to come back to try their dinner menu to see if it holds up.

Urban China
10604 101 Street
(780) 758-1888

Consistent Quality: Origin India

Given the news that another Indian restaurant is joining the Old Strathcona fray (where New Asian Village, Daawat and Origin India have already staked their claims), it looks like Whyte Avenue is becoming quite the hotbed of Indian cuisine.

Origin India is my favourite in the area, owing to their elegance and attention to detail. Their dining room, accented with spot lighting and dark furniture, is intimate and polished. The naan, prepared fresh to order every time, is excellent, and their service is gracious and timely.

Mack and I dined there again in the late fall, but this time opted to order from the a la carte menu, a departure from our usual buffet harvest. We were told by our server that two dishes would suffice to share, though we ended up having to supplement our basmati rice accompaniment with an additional side ($3.00).

Mack, ever the butter chicken faithful, made that dish a necessity ($16.00), while my personal favourite, mutter paneer ($15.00), rounded out our meal. It was a quiet night at the restaurant (we were the only party early on), but it did allow for quick kitchen-to-table service.

Naan

The plates were beautifully arranged – tiny pomme frites in a rainbow of colours and an artful mound of rice bookended each entrée serving, and made it seem like we had ordered a buffet for two. Their butter chicken is one of the best in the city – moist and tender, I find the heat just perfect for my palate. The mutter paneer was equally good, the velvety cubes of cheese and pop of peas enrobed in a thick and creamy sauce.

Butter Chicken

Mutter Paneer

Even with the competition, I think Origin India will remain my favourite – its consistency and food quality will keep me coming back, regardless of its neighbours.

Origin India
10511 82 Avenue
(780) 436-0558

A Love Letter to Local Food: Farmers’ Market Dinner at Madison’s Grill

When I saw the menu for the third Farmers’ Market Dinner at Madison’s Grill, I couldn’t look away. Sylvan Star Cheese fondue? Nature’s Green Acres short ribs? Greens, Eggs and Ham duck confit? Not only did every dish sound delicious, but the ingredients for nearly the entire dinner had been sourced locally. Moreover, several producers would be joining us for the meal. We were in.

The fact that the dinner cost $70 per person (plus $30 for wine pairings) was a moot point when I made our reservations two weeks prior. But after the fact, I can wholeheartedly say that the experience was worth every dollar.

It was a little comical that we made our way to the Union Bank Inn on Friday via public transportation, but then again, it didn’t make sense to drive, particularly in the dinner’s context of sustainability. After our coats were taken, we joined a couple seated at one of the two tables in the Vintage Room, right by the fireplace. Meals at a communal table have to do with the luck of the draw sometimes, but fortunately for us that night, Monique and Patrick and Slow Foodies Nicole and Steve provided us with good company, and enhanced our evening with lovely conversation.

My only criticism was the packed quarters – I felt bad for the servers who had to work between a too-narrow space between the two tables (resulting in a few dropped dishes). I had to wonder if the decision to include an additional eight seats beyond their original limit of twenty was the right call.

The cocktail hour was accented by dainty hors d’oeuvres – including smoked salmon, beef tartar, and Fairwinds Farm goat cheese tartlets. The beef tartar was particularly excellent.

Smoked salmon tartlets

Before the meal began, Chef Blair Lebsack invited the two producers up to provide some background on their farms. Andres Gruenberg (of Greens, Eggs and Ham) and Eric and Ruby Chen (of Peas on Earth), gave us snapshots of their production, and were ever gracious about the work that they do. Blair then proceeded to introduce the appetizer course – descriptions also accompanied every subsequent dish, and was much appreciated. It was obvious that Blair has a lot of respect for local producers (having visited their farms and all), so it was great to hear about some of the cooking processes he used to create the dishes.

The Sylvan Star Cheese fondue came in individual servings, much to my delight (not that I wouldn’t have shared, heh). The grilled apple, Saskatoon berry compote and spicy pine nuts were fancy accompaniments, but I probably would have been happy just with baguette slices and cheese. Yum.

Sylvan Star Cheese Fondue

The Northern Alberta Pike fillet (from Lesser Slave Lake) was a favourite of some around our table. Wrapped in Pembina Pork bacon and topped with candied bacon(!), it was a surprisingly subtle course, with each element holding its own. The fish had been cooked perfectly, and the underlying shellfish and golden beet broth lent an earthy note to the dish. Not surprisingly, Mack loved the candied bacon.

Northern Alberta Pike Fillet

The cleverly named Duck, Duck, Goose was my personal favourite. Andres had asked Blair why he hadn’t been ordering goose, which spurned experimentation in his kitchen. Both birds were served two ways – in-house smoked duck breast atop potato-onion hash, an absolutely sublime pulled duck confit with braised leeks and parsnip puree, slow roasted goose breast with sour cherry pan jus and goose rillette on toast points. The servings may look deceivingly small, but it packed a hefty punch – and had Mack been momentarily distracted, I would have swiped some of his duck confit.

Duck, Duck, Goose

As I had the chance to visit Nature’s Green Acres last summer, I was looking forward to trying their Nouveau Beef again (butchering at seven months lends the beef its name). The braised short ribs did not disappoint – meltingly tender, the flavour in the meat was inherent. The mushroom confit and mushroom-marrow farce were great accompaniments, and mirrored the beef’s richness.

Braised Nouveau Beef Short Ribs

By that point in the meal, I’m sure I would have been satisfied with flavoured whipped cream for dessert, but of course, Blair did not disappoint, and ended the dinner with a bang. The white chocolate pecan brownie had been doused in a duck egg-EnSante wine sabayon and macerated berries – every bite was a textural firework of nutty, tart sweetness.

White Chocolate Brownie

The dinner was a love letter to local food, no question, and I was especially thankful for the opportunity to share a meal with some of the city’s wonderful producers. Shopping at a farmers’ market or even visiting a farm is one thing, but breaking bread is something else altogether. Blair said that another Farmers’ Market Dinner is in the works for March, though patrons would probably get something similar by ordering the chef’s 6-course “Menu Surprise” – a tasting menu that allows the chef to utilize producers that cannot offer great quantities of ingredients.

Thanks to Blair and the staff at Madison’s Grill for a wonderful evening!

Madison’s Grill (in the Union Bank Inn)
10053 Jasper Avenue
(780) 401-2222

Salad Nights: The Greenhouse

Mack and I were attending a seminar over the supper hour on Wednesday, so needed a place near the University to grab some take-out. I remembered Chris’s post on The Greenhouse, a salad bar that shares a space with the Good Earth Cafe on campus, and after consulting their website, decided to give them a try.

Salad bars are all the rage in larger metropolises, and fall into the trend towards healthy, fresh fare. Though The Greenhouse does have an option for the “undecided”, I was impressed by their very creative menu. For example, the “Sleepless in Seattle” features a Bailey’s and espresso dressing and  white chocolate garnish. The Caribbean-inspired “You Jerk”, includes (of course) jerk chicken, mangoes and a coconut lime vinaigrette – these are definitely not your average salads! I also like their “80% healthy, 20% naughty” philosophy – in moderation, particularly when the base greens are nutritious anyway, it’s only right to include some *other* embellishments!

I called in my order about a half hour before, and when we arrived, we found our meal nearly ready, and took some time to chat with the friendly owner while waiting. They’ve been open for about four months, and though many of their customers have been calling for their expansion, he said they are still coming to terms with this location. We commented on the lovely decor – bright green walls with red accents and a cozy fireplace – he responded that they had to do quite a bit of work to liven up the space. The only change we would have recommended would have been an easier-to-read menu. Posted high above the order counter, the font size could have been increased somewhat.

Interior

Once settled into our seminar room, we opened up our boxes. Unfortunately, for the price we paid, we were expecting a larger serving. Mack had ordered a large Sol Caesar ($12), which had a blackened chicken breast, sundried tomatoes, turkey bacon, whole-wheat croutons, Pecorino cheese and a golden Caesar dressing. While he loved the croutons and the cheese, he would have preferred a more traditional creamy Caesar dressing, or to have had no dressing at all, particularly as his salad had been quite overdressed.

Sol Caesar

I had ordered a soup and salad combo ($11.50). The tomato chickpea soup (one of their two soups of the day) was disappointing – there were no chickpeas! The Greens and Protein salad was great though – the lemon and roast garlic steak (albeit a small portion) was cooked to a perfect medium rare, and I loved the inclusion of eggs (a play on steak and eggs, perhaps?), edamame beans, chickpeas, peanuts, apricots and camembert. The slightly thicker consistency of the balsamic dressing was also appreciated, even though my salad was also overdressed. The proetin variety in my salad left me completely satisfied, though it is worth noting once we returned home after the seminar, we were both hungry again.

Greens and Protein

I would consider going to The Greenhouse in the future, if not only to see what other innovative salads they have introduced to their menu (on special that day was Tandoori chicken), but I would look to supplementing the meal with something else.

The Greenhouse
8623 112 Street
(780) 757-1731
Open daily 11am-7pm

Korean Delight: Lee House

On a fine fall day (you read that right), I met up with Annie at Lee House, a Korean restaurant tucked away almost unseen in an Old Strathcona strip mall. I hadn’t been there before, though Annie had, but the ultimate reason we chose Lee House was because of its proximity to Annie’s school and my ability to get there on one direct bus after work.

About half of the tables were full upon our arrival, but continued to pick-up throughout our stay. And though we were seated at the odd table out (most of the furniture was wood; our table and chairs were seemingly spared from an 80s furniture cull), we still benefited from the warm surroundings – wood floor, wood paneling, simple grey wallpaper and incandescent lighting. Service was conversely pleasant, as our waitress respected our desire to linger.

Neither Annie or myself deviated far from our Korean favourites – I ordered my usual stone bowl bibim bab ($12.95), while she opted for the spicy noodle soup with seafood ($12.95). I did succumb to the intriguing vegetable pancakes ($10.95), however, and selected them to start our meal.

The vegetable pancakes were the weakest part of our experience, and weren’t worth it. The plate contained what was essentially battered zucchini – the dish could have been good, but had a texture that neither of us enjoyed – not quite crispy, yet not quite tender.

Vegetable Pancakes

On the other hand, my dolsot bibim bab was fantastic. I’ve never had a stone bowl version stay hot for the entire duration of my feast (being a slow eater and all), but this bowl was absolutely sizzling. I love the combination of pickled carrots, bean sprouts, and a creamy fried egg to bind the mixture together. Of course, the bits of crunchy rice are the best – a reward for reaching the bowl’s bottom.

Dolsot Bibim Bab

Annie liked her entrée as well, and in particular, the flavour and heat of the soup. She commented that the seafood was a bit lacking though, and would have traded the large mound of rice noodles for more mussels, prawns and squid.

Spicy Korean Red Chili Noodle Soup

It was a solid meal overall with few blemishes. Lee House’s relative accessibility on public transit is also a bonus (compared with, say, B-Bim-Baab), so I know I will be back in the future.

Lee House
7904 104 Street
(780) 438-0790

Unwind with Wine: Moriarty’s Bistro & Wine Bar

I’m very happy to see that Edmonton is finally getting its wine bar groove on. Moriarty’s Bistro & Wine Bar and LIT Wine Bar (on Jasper Avenue and 104 Street) are joining the fray that already includes Bibo and TZiN. While LIT is still in the works, Moriarty’s opened at the end of December, and after the Winter Light gala at City Hall last week, Mack and I popped over to check it out.

Moriarty’s Bistro & Wine Bar

Moriarty’s is the third business in two years to occupy the space that used to house Ching’s Asian Dim Bar and Mimi’s (10162 100A Street), right across the street from Hundred. I hope the space isn’t cursed, because I do think downtown could use another place for a glass of wine, and Moriarty’s, at least from our first visit, is a great addition to the core.

Wine

Moriarty’s is owned by the same people who run Sherlock Holmes and the Rose & Crown, but you wouldn’t know it from the interior. The black and white colour scheme is sleek and elegant, with one wall lined with cozy white leather banquets (where we chose to sit). The plastic black chairs that made up the bulk of seating options didn’t look too comfortable, but they were aesthetically pleasing. I loved the oversized light fixtures, and large black mirrors on the walls.

Interior

Moriarty’s is the fourth establishment in Edmonton to install and utilize an Enomatic wine system (Vinomania, The Bothy and Hardware Grill are the others). The system allows wine to stay fresher longer, meaning wines served by the glass can be preserved for a longer period of time. We both selected a glass of wine from the Enomatic menu, with eight options to choose from. I won’t even pretend to be a wine connoisseur to say that I can taste the difference between a freshly opened bottle and one with a life lengthened by nitrogen gases, but I think the technology is neat.

We weren’t particularly hungry that day (having sampled some food at the gala), but opted to order something to share. The menu wasn’t as exciting as I had hoped for (particularly after our server told us the chef trained at the Hardware Grill), and consisted of pizza-like flatbreads, sandwiches, salads, and a handful of appetizers. We ended up with the leek and house-roasted ham French tart, recommended by our server.

The server told us the phyllo pastry was made in-house, which was a welcome surprise. Buttery, flaky and rich, it was definitely not an everyday dish, and accompanied with the crunchy shredded leeks and ham, it was wholly satisfying.

Leek and Ham French Tart

Being the only patrons that night had its pros and cons. Our food arrived in no time, but the lack of co-diners made our experience somewhat awkward. Our server was on top of us from the moment we walked in, but given his genuine nature and obvious desire to please, it was excusable. And if anything, his sincerity was much preferred to some of the more condescending service we’ve encountered in the city.

Best of luck to Moriarty’s – I hope to be back for a glass of wine after work soon!

Moriarty’s Bistro & Wine Bar
10162 100A Street
(780) 757-2005

No Caribou, No Problem: The Black Knight Pub

Mack and I ventured out into the Yellowknife cold (-42 with windchill) in the hopes of having lunch at Yummy Cafe. From the post on the lovely Life in the Knife blog, Yummy looked like my kind of place – family-run, cozy, offering fresh baked goods. Unfortunately, like many restaurants and businesses in Yellowknife, Yummy was closed not only during our visit, but for an entire month. We returned home, disappointed, and vowed to do some more research.

After consulting with Mack’s parents, we decided to visit The Black Knight Pub (and called to make sure it would actually be open on New Year’s Eve). The website revealed the promise of caribou burgers, and Mack was eager to have me try some “northern” type food.

It was actually pretty busy inside, though we had our choice of a handful of vacant tables. The Black Knight had the standard pub decor – a haphazard collection of flags, license plates, badges and the like dressing the walls.

Mack at The Black Knight

It took a few minutes for the waitress to acknowledge our existence, but given the number of patrons inside, we didn’t mind the wait. After perusing the menu of pub favourites, we asked about the seasonal caribou burger – unfortunately, the waitress told us that because of low caribou populations, a supply of meat was difficult to obtain, and a menu change was imminent. We accepted the bison burger ($15.50) alternative.

Mack’s only real complaint about The Black Knight was the beer – his pint of draft Kokanee was inexcusably thin – he compared it to beer-flavoured water. Had he known, he would have ordered a bottle instead.

Our orders arrived in good time, looking as good as they would ultimately taste. The edges of the patty were a tad charred, but it didn’t ruin an otherwise solid burger.

Bison Burger

As we were leaving, we heard the sound checks of a DJ upstairs, where Top Knight would be hosting a New Year’s Eve party later on – I’m sure it was quite the event. If you’re in town, The Black Knight Pub is a good, casual lunch option.

The Black Knight Pub
4910 49 Street, Yellowknife
(867) 920-4041