Bacon Dinner, Edmonton

Lux Steakhouse, Edmonton, hosted the 2nd Annual Bacon Dinner. Yes that does mean every course with bacon. Started with a bacon caesar and bacon popcorn, then ended with two bacon desserts.
Here's a few highlights:

Charcuterie

The salad course

Cauliflower au gratin

Mashed and Cassoulet

The roast

Chef takes a bow

Dessert #1

Dessert #2

Feeling full after looking at these? Imagine how we felt after tasting it all! Can't wait for the 3rd!

Charcoal Sushi & BBQ Restaurant, Vancouver

Slightly hidden upstairs in a bit of a concrete maze, Charcoal was a hopping location.
Charcoal Sushi & BBQ
250-7997 Westminister Hwy, Richmond, BC
Date: July 27, 2011
Occasion: BC road trip, stopped at Wells Gray Park

Ambiance: Clean and simple, with a sushi bar as well as bbqs at tables.
Service: was good, even though it was fairly busy. Wouldn't go if in a hurry though.

Left the Korean-style BBQ for another time. Tried a few rolls and dishes from the menu.
Highlights: Snow White roll (has shaved coconut on top giving it a sweet bite at the end) - so well rounded.

Mentaiko udon: Like a Japanese carbonara, creamy with popping tobiko (flying fish roe). So love this.

Price: $$.

Overall: A good find. Different selection of rolls is great.

Japadog, Vancouver

After No Reservations and Samantha Brown stopped there, we put it on our list of things to do while in Vancouver. Of course we also were envious of Vancouver's food truck culture, which was just building in Edmonton.

JapaDog food cart

Waterfront Station, Vancouver, BC

Date: August 2, 2011
Occasion: BC road trip

Ambiance: The lovely waterfront views of Vancouver's harbour

Service: quick and organized



With those choices, why wouldn't you try Japadog?!

Price: $.

Overall: Hyped, unique. Don't think we'd go everyday, but fun for something different.

Alta Bistro, Whistler

Near the heart of Whistler, this skinny restaurant is a popular location. Reservations recommended.

Alta Bistro

#104-4319 Main Street, Whistler, BC

Date: July 31, 2011
Occasion: BC road trip

Ambiance: long and skinny restaurant with limited dining space. The definition of moderne.

Service: attentive and hilarious!

Drinks: Great house-imagined cocktails served with flair. Mr CDW enjoyed Endless Summer while Mrs CDW enjoyed a bit of liquid Bergamot- yummy.

Ordered (and shared) two of the three-course set menus plus dessert.
1st course:
Soup - butternut squash with coconut and ginger. Velvety, with potent ginger - very good.
Charcuterie - cured duck breast, lonza, block garlic saucisson, bresaola. Chutney was awesome. And an amazing pate with cranberry crustini.
2nd course:
Prawn cocktail with advocate-lime sorbet - interesting texture, like gelato. Shrimps were fantastically prepped. Cocktail sauce matched perfectly. Luscious.
Beef carpaccio with frizze salad and cheeses. Cheddar almost overwhelmed the beef but it really stands up.
3rd course:
Chicken - cooked perfectly. Right balance of herbs - didn't overwhelm the chicken. Paired well with mini ratatouille and mash.
Lamb ribs - lovely with a nicely salted pomme. Salad was extra.
Dessert:
Chocolate cake - cherries were good. Very flavourful, nicely poached. Homemade ice cream and toasted almonds.
Creme brulee duo - 2nd is chef's crazy idea(!) was a mini mint. Tasty. Shallow brulee - more sugar would've been good.

Price: $$$$.

Overall: Another recommendation if you're in the region. Or drop in for a cocktail made by their fabulous staff!



alta bistro's menu when we visited



Pig Roast, Whistler

As part of the Canadian BBQ Championships in Whistler, they decided to do a whole pig roast. Here are a few pictoral highlights. Trust me it was mouthwatering!

The preparation - Friday evening

After a whole day to bbq, with some mopping and checking

The move

A happy pig?

Aura, Whistler

A lovely boutique hotel on the shore of Nita Lake.

Aura
Nita Lake Lodge
2131 Lake Placid Road, Whistler, BC

Date: July 29, 2011
Occasion: BC road trip

Ambiance: Beautiful view. Does the cross between elegant and rustic well.

Service: Amazing. Fantastic waiter, keen on ensuring we enjoyed ourselves and entertaining with some personal stories.

Drinks: Mrs CDW had Only in Dreams, had a foam with shaved white chocolate on top - amazing! Mr CDW enjoyed a cocktail with rosewater and muddle grapes with vodka and grapefruit juice.
Wine: A french 5-grape blend, rose.

We opted for the five-course tasting menu.

Amuse bouche: demi-tasse of pea soup with avocado and olive oil drizzle. Mr CDW gave a thumbs up.
1st course: Beet infused white salmon with sorrel and lime injected melon, with some deep fried dehydrated beet chips. A nice little dish. Fresh.
2nd course: Scallops with white carrot, shaved jalapeno, black garlic and cabbage slaw, kinzio mayo. Favourite so far. The mayo really stood out.
3rd course: Charcuterie: 3 in house cuts. Salami, Loin, shoulder. Wow - so much flavour. Went well with wine.
4th course: Sesame beef. Warm potato salad with rooftop (yes they have a garden up there) frizze and bacon.

5th course: Chocolate ice cream with banana chips, orange foam, coconut molasses. Seriously mmmm.

Price: $$$.

Overall: What a great meal, service and lovely location. Totally recommend.

Painted Turtle, Clearwater

On the Dutch Lake, with a peaceful setting, a little dining oasis in a campground setting. Arrived and then read a new chef had recently taken on the restaurant.

Painted Turtle
Dutch Lake Resort
361 Ridge Drive, Clearwater, BC

Date: July 27, 2011
Occasion: BC road trip, stopped at Wells Gray Park

Ambiance: Sitting on the covered patio is the way to go, unless the bugs are really bad. You are separated from the lake by a narrow trail. Looking over lily pads to mountains is a lovely way to wait for your food!

Service: was good, handling large groups well. *Although they do make arrangements for tour buses to stop - couldn't say then!

Drinks: St. Hubertus Fizzante rose. Slightly bubbly, sweeter dark rose.

Appies: Mr CDW really enjoyed hte Seafood Chowder. Sweet with corn and crab, a really different and good variation. Bread - foccatia was fresh and not too herby. Especially nice toasted along side soup. Mrs CDW had the Spring Greens salada with fresh crsip accents. Cucumber lime dressing wasn't noticable.

Mains: Mr CDW tried the Pork Tenderloin with a mushroom wine sauce and basmati rice. Pork was a bit overcooked, a watery sauce didn't add much. Nice bacon. Good ingredients. Mrs CDW ordered the Penne Pasta with ragu sauce and 5 homemade meatballs from local beef. Good sized portion, good seasoning. Really watery ragu, meatballs mushy.

Dessert: New chef schooled in pastry, so looked forward to trying his talents. Mr CDW had the Strawberry Cheesecake - dense with a nice Graham cracker crust. Additional raw strawberries would've been a nice touch. Mrs CDW tried the Cherry Pie a la mode. Nicely warmed, tasty filling, but the crust was disappointing.

Price: $$$.

Overall: Seemed like the chef had access to good ingredients and good ideas, but not the able to put them together yet. We wonder if the menu was inherited. Will give another go if in the area. Definitely for a latte and dessert with a peaceful view if nothing else.

Urban Diner, Edmonton

With two locations in Edmonton, we visited the newest one on the southside of the river.

Urban Diner
8715 109 St., Edmonton

Date: July 17, 2011
Occasion: Brunch and checking out the new location

Ambiance: slightly renovated from the old Fiore restaurant, it's still a cozy place with a patio. At 1pm it was only a 1/4 full.

Service: was good. Of course it wasn't a full restaurant.

Drinks: Coffee (okay) and freshly-squeezed orange juice.

Brunch: off the menu: Overall tasty and decent portions.
Mr CDW: Diner hash. Mrs CDW: French toast (really tasty) with pork maple sage sausage. Guests took on a Frittata and Diner hash.

Price: $$.

Overall: Will return. Brunch is offered (at this point) Sundays, 9am-3pm.

corso 32, Edmonton

An exciting new restaurant - on Jasper Ave by 104th Street - the hottest area downtown.

corso 32
10345 Jasper Ave., Edmonton

Date: May 29, 2011
Occasion: family birthday dinner

Ambiance: Long and skinny makes for interesting table arrangements. From our angle we could see into the kitchen. Enjoyed watching Chef Costa in action. Interesting yet simple decor and lighting.

Service: Decent; although it wasn't busy as we were on the early side.

Drinks: the 2007 Sur de Los Andes malbec reserve was tasty and complemented.

Appies: Shared the special house cured Proscetto de Parma - subtle flavouring, figs were so gorgeous and brought out the flavour of the meat. Arugula Fennel salad - light dressing, maybe needed a little more fennel.

Mains:
Mrs CDW had to try the Rabbit Special - beautifully breaded, juicy with grilled spring onions and fresh lemony sauce. Mr. CDW gave into the hand made Pagatelli with Short Ribs - nice, rich and tasty.  Guest 1 raved about the Halibut - tasted fresh and light. Guest 2 found the Flat Steak flavourful.

Dessert: How could we say no to fresh Zeppole with limoncello (always can use more limoncello...) - so yummy. The guys enjoyed Pistachio & olive oil cakes but also wanted a share in the ladies' zeppole.

Price: $$$. Not outrageous and appropriate from someone with a passion that shows in the food.

What more should we say. Was a curious mix of guests, from the regulars/ maybe off-duty staff? at the front table, to the young couple in jeans, to the older table with a tie. Good food for everyone... using local ingredients... means Top 5. Reservations needed.

Pampas Brazillian Steakhouse, Edmonton

We've seen it on TV - wait staff wandering the restaurant with meat on a stick. Who can resist. Ok... what carnivor can resist.

Pampas Brazillian Steakhouse
9929 - 109 Street, Edmonton (where Mirabelle's used to be)
http://www.pampasteakhouse.com/

Date: April 2, 2011
Occasion: heard about new place.

Ambience: 6/10 Looks like every other new restaurant, decor wise. The open grill part of the kitchen and mega salad bar are nice.Noisy atmosphere, large groups in our area.
Service: 6/10. We sat in the very back corner in the back section. We could hardly get out to the salad bar ourselves, never mind the hungry patrons that would before us, so wasn't getting much to our table. We did complain and service for meat delivery vastly improved. Had a waitress who said her and other waiter would take care of us but never saw her again or other guy. Had another server who took over and took  care of us.

Set price for all you can eat salad bar and 10 different meats. Plus drinks and dessert. 

Drinks: Caipriaria muddled drinks - strong but tasty. Strawberry- lime and raspberry, blackberry and lime. $9.50 each  Piña colada really smooth. 

The Meats: Chicken leg, thigh in bacon
Pork sausage, loin (overdone)
Bottom sirloin, beef tenderloin, rump roast
Rib eye
Lamb
Most meat cooked med-rare. 
Some waiting in between - when they only give smaller bites, having such waiting periods is good for digestion but they should have enough for a full restaurant.

Good salad bar with many options that needed more frequent refilling as when there where meat breaks that's where we went.

Ps. Watch the floors as they can be slippery.
 
Quality control- the special beef carved on table in front of you was apparently not cooked correctly and they didn't serve. Which is a shame as we were hoping to try all 10 meats.

Desserts: Rei Alberto meringue and Manjar de Coco creme carmelish. Was very light, a tasty end to meal - neither were heavy. 

Price: $284 for 4 including 8 drinks. 

Overall impression: Now that we have been the next time will be better. Knowing what to expect will help and being proactive with calling over servers will help.

Soda Jerks (Edmonton)

Love the idea of the old fashioned diner style restaurant.

Soda Jerks
17520 - 100 Ave.

Date: March 27, 2011
Occasion: came highly recommended

Ambience: 7/10 made up in the same style as all these new restaurants. Shelves of pop are fun.

Drinks: This is their speciality - they have pop shoppe, floats and more.
Mrs. CDW has a mandarin shake - tasty! Mr. CDW tried a Seville orange jigger he enjoyed.
Had to have burgers, of course! And don't forget the coleslaw.
Price: $$.

Guests assured CDW that we must be there on an off night. They have been there before and after with better results. We'll consider trying them again, but not on a Sunday night!

L2 Grill (Fantasyland) WEM, Edmonton

Can decent food be found at WEM? Overlooking the premium charge for tourists, of course.

L2 Grill
Fantasyland, West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton

Date: March 19, 2011
Occasion: wanted to try a new-to-us spot

Ambience: 8/10 Nice upgrade from the old restaurant. Apparently can change the colour of the lights to create different moods (we had red, not sure what that meant).

Service: Ours rocked. Fady (waiter) kept us entertained. Appreciate it when other staff walking by will take dishes/check on refills, etc.

Appies: Mrs CDW and Guest 1 enjoyed the show Fady put on as he created our table-side for two Caesar Salad. Was really tasty too. 9/10 Mr CDW and Guest 2 both had the Lobster Bisque in a very unique dual-bowl. 8/10

Mains: Mr CDW and Guest 1 noshed on Crispy Pork Loin. In spite of a good sauce and nice veggies, the pork was overcooked for both. 6/10 Mrs CDW was tempted by the Tagine of Chicken, which turned out to be more for presentation then anything. Chicken was fine, spiced potatoes were excellent. 7/10 Guest 2 had the Apple Wood Chicken.

Dessert: So we made our waiter work! Mrs CDW and Guest 1 were entertained again by Fady with the traditional table-side Crepe Suzette.. flambe and all. Was a show for that side of the room as well. Was ok. Sauce slightly overdone - was the floorshow. 8/10 Mr CDW had Touch of Gold - chocolate. Guest 2 enjoyed the Strawberry Bomb - light and tasty.

Price: $$$. This was overpriced. But they are trying to be high-end dining, and it IS at WEM afterall. Large wine list but had a premium on it too.

So maybe it's something to do with the chef? Chef Shane formerly headed up Sage (River Cree) and we had a similar experience, albeit with not good service there. Glad we tried it though and overall it wasn't a top 5 restaurant, but it might worth a try on another night.

Zaika Bistro (Edmonton)

Buffet focused Indian nosh on the southside.

Zaika Bistro
2303 Ellwood Drive, Ellerslie Crossroads, Edmonton

Date: March 20, 2011
Occasion: in same parking lot as the closed restaurant we wanted to try.

Ambience: 7/10 Same look as most of these new restaurants out there. Lounge is decent. Entertaining mix of Indian dance music and Justin Timberlake.

Service: Sat in the lounge as we were feeling a bit grubby for the restaurant. Drinks were delivered swiftly initially. Plate clearing happened eventually. Felt like we got forgotten a bit in our corner booth.

Buffet: was tasty. Large circle of different offerings. Wide variety of curries and others, some spicy and some not as much. Menu is also available. Am really curious how the Buffet To Go works out.

Price: $17/dinner. Good deal for all the choices.

Well it was an elegant buffet with lots of variety that wasn't overpriced. Can't complain about that. Will try again in the future.