Tag: wine

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 Cooking Required: Charcuterie, Cheese and Wine

I had picked up some duck breast ham from Greens, Eggs and Ham earlier in the summer, and was intent on saving it for a special occasion. That went out the window when I decided that Saturday would be occasion enough.

The plan was to assemble a Proof-worthy charcuterie and cheese board that would include, among other things, the duck breast ham and Mack’s favourite, garlic chicken sausage from Sunworks Farm. Where better to shop for fine meats and cheeses than the Italian Centre and Paddy’s International Cheese Market?

It was insanely busy at the Little Italy location of the Italian Centre, but the many optimally efficient staff on hand managed to pare down the line quite quickly. We picked up some parma prosciutto and speck, and headed to High Street.

Though I’ve purchased cheese from Paddy’s before (12509 102 Avenue, 780-413-0367), they were always familiar commodities. This time, our visit was blind and we relied on their guidance. A friendly staff member expertly directed us to two varieties based on our specifications – allegretto (a sheep’s milk cheese from Quebec) and rougette (a creamy, mild cheese). We also bought some applewood smoked cheddar, a recommendation from Adam.

Our last stop was the Wine Cellar. We requested help to find a bottle of semi-sweet white wine – a staff person provided a few suggestions, and we settled on a German Spatlese (it was a little sweeter than we wanted, but was a smooth, easy-to-drink wine overall).

While we could have provided some accompaniments to the board – honey, applesauce, fruit – we kept it simple, and just served it with some toasted sourdough from Tree Stone Bakery (8612 99 Street, 780-433-5924). It was an indulgent (and relatively expensive) dinner, but so worth it.

Charcuterie & Cheese Board

Our charcuterie and cheese board (click through for the Flickr photo containing embedded notes)

Capital EX 2008

Though I loathe to admit it, I am not immune to the pleasures of Capital EX, even though now most of my enjoyment comes not from amusements, but from immersing myself in the atmosphere.

The midway at dusk

Mack and I started our evening in the cool recesses of the Agricom, specifically at Sip! The event I was most looking forward to, Sip! is set-up to be a showcase of alcohol and food in that order. At the gate, we were handed a small booklet containing a comprehensive list of liquor merchants and the wares they were showcasing, not unlike the pamphlet provided at the Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival.

Sip! in the Agricom

We ended up buying 13 tickets (at $1 a pop), and tried Mojo (an “alternative vodka beverage”), wine from EnSante Winery, Alberta’s only organic-fruit cottage winery (too cool, wine made from alfalfa and rhubarb, among other varieties), and Firecracker Shrimp (cayenne-dipped, phyllo-wrapped, tempura-battered, served with a mango habanero sauce). The chefs at each of the food stations we passed were so eager to tell us not only how their products were made, but why the flavours complemented each other – count me impressed.

EnSante Wines

Firecracker Shrimp

We decided to stick around a little longer when we noticed a few people setting up at the CookTop, a stovetop and counter with an angled mirror installed above for easy viewing (like Home Economics class in secondary school). Sebastian Lysz of Devlin’s (10507 82 Avenue) led the session, and prepared Spring Creek Ranch flank steak and sauteed vegetables. Mary Bailey, an ISG certified sommelier and noted local food writer, spoke about appropriate wine pairings. The best part about watching the demonstration was the free food – we received two wine samples each, and a small plate of steak and vegetables. Based on what we paid for the shrimp, we were sure that quantity of food would have easily been $10. It was darn good steak, too.

Sebastian Lysz cooks

Flank steak, vegetables, au jus

After chowing down, we had just enough time to head to the next hall for a performance of the Birdhouse Factory, a show of acrobats in the same vein as Cirque du Soleil. Besides still wondering why the theme of a “birdhouse factory” was necessary at all, the show was great. It was definitely worth staying through the entire forty-five minutes. My favourite acts were the gymnastic tango and the trio of agile trampoline performers. The soundtrack really did enhance the show – made it more exciting and upbeat, or whatever mood the scene required.

The rest of our evening consisted of wandering the grounds, perusing various exhibits, including the ETS Centennial display, ED Fest (where Raine Maida was performing, alongside his wife Chantal Kreviazuk), Little Ray’s Reptile Zoo, and the Family Fun Town.

In the driver’s seat (I stole this caption from Mack)

Art walk

E

ED Fest

 

Scary python (thank goodness for the cage)

Too corny (heh)

Like a memory from my childhood

We also tried our hand at skee-ball, but ultimately decided that we belonged at Chuck E. Cheese.

Shoot for 50!

In our quest to find the most unusual food on the midway, we came across deep-fried Oreos (which actually looked quite sad), deep-fried cheesecake, and last year’s sensation, deep-fried Coke. “Taco in a Bag”, essentially Doritos tortilla chips, ground beef, cheese and other taco fixings in a bag to be eaten with a spoon, was around last year as well, but this was the first time I had seen it. Needless to say, we bypassed all of the above in favour of our summer festival standby – mini doughnuts.

Happy with mini doughnuts in hand

To end the evening, we took in the fireworks at the racetrack, finding a comfortable bench to wait out the anticipatory period. In total, the show was six minutes long – respectable, and both of us were quite impressed with the finale (with pops and whizzes louder with the sound bouncing off of the grandstand). To be fair, we were happy there were fireworks at all – they had been cancelled at our last Capital EX outing the year before.

In all, it was a nice way to spend a summer evening in Edmonton. Mack’s pictures are here.