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Thursday, January 26, 2012

About seven years ago, I took a Food Service Management class at the University of Alberta as part of my Nutrition and Food Science degree. For my term project, a couple classmates and I visited Hardware Grill for a day. We shadowed and interviewed the owner, Larry. I was impressed with how the place was run and how they made a point of getting the best quality ingredients available.

For anyone interested, click here to see their menu.

Even though it's pricey, we decided to bite the bullet. Last Thurday, Marielle and I went here for our monthly date.

Here is a visual walkthrough of our experience.

After being seated, we ordered a bottle of Cedar Creek Chardonnay. It's a great wine made in the Okanagan Valley.

I started with the House Applewood Smoked Salmon. It came with truffled potato perogies, grain mustard sauce & Canadian salmon caviar. The distinctive smoky flavour of the salmon was very pleasant.

Marielle started with the Butter Braised Lobster Risotto. It was very creamy and rich. It tasted great, but Marielle found it too chunky. She would have preferred more rice and less vegetables.

For my main course, I ordered the Porcini Crusted Sea Bass. The sea bass was perfectly cooked: tender and very juicy. It came on top of lobster-truffled potato crêpes, which were amazing. The garnish really made this dish stand out as superior to any other sea bass dish I've had. 

Marielle tried the 45+ Day Aged Canadian Prime New York Steak. She found that it had a unique flavour and tasted fresh. She was very amused by the cup the fries came in; it was actually ceramic, though it was shaped to look like a crumpled plastic cup. She thoroughly enjoyed her entrée and found that the medium-rare temperature was just right.

We ended with the Warm Prairie Gingerbread Cake. The server let us know that it would be a monster, so best if we shared. He was right. The cake had just the right amount of sweetness and was the perfect way to end a great dinner. Even though the dessert was so good, we were so full that we struggled to finish.

The service was excellent and quick, though we ended up dining for about four hours, enjoying every morsel of flavourful food.

February 12 - Zinc

As a special Valentine's Day event, Zinc offered a tour of Matisse's work at the Art Gallery of Alberta in addition to a four course menu. This is the best restaurant I've been to in terms of food presentation. I just noticed on their menu that you can now order bite sized portions of any dinner item. This is definitely a restaurant I'll have to come back to.

Amuse Bouche - This was a trio consisting of a one-bite burger sandwich thing, a shot of dill vodka, and some sort of soup (which turned out to be a great chaser).

Pan Seared Digby Scallops - These were very nicely presented. Everything about this dish was exceptional.

Compressed Honeydew - An interesting palate cleanser.

Beef Tenderloin - Not bad, but not the best.

Cheek to Cheek - A duo of halibut cheek and beef cheek. The dish itself wasn't so good overall, but it looked great.

Macaroon, Ice cream and Crème Brûlée - Bad, good and great.

February 21 - Wildflower

Great selection of menu items. The orzo risotto that came with the sea bass is perfect. Perfect texture, consistency and flavour. I'll be returning. (Note: Do not get the lemon souffle dessert; it is not good at all.)

Three Mushroom Ravioli - This tasted great. The cheese inside the ravioli really added to the flavour.

Kobe Meatball Trio - Three sauces: Asian teriyaki sesame (not good), Swedish with red currant jam (my favourite) and Filipino almondigas style (Ailee's favourite).

Roasted Chilean Sea Bass & King Crab - They were out of Chilean sea bass, so they replaced it with striped sea bass. The fish was not good at all. The king crab legs were very good. The orzo risotto is amazing!

Beef Tenderloin - This was supposed to come with lobster but they were out, so they replaced it with prawns & scallops. The beef wasn't so good but the mashed potatoes and scallops were great.

February 26 - Sabor Divino

The first thing I noticed about this restaurant is its huge menu. They seem to specialize in sea food. Ailee was very pleased with her monkfish and lobster risotto.

Broiled Eggplant Package - Not bad. Presented very nicely.

Mussels, Clams and Shrimp Cataplana - This dish is quite big for an appetizer. Ailee's favourite were the mussels.

Dueling Wild Boar - Braised leg and grilled loin chop. This is a gigantic meal that feels homecooked.

Monkfish and Lobster Risotto - Absolutely amazing. This is Ailee's favourite dish ever. (Note: We later returned to try this dish again, and we were underwhelmed. Unfortunately, the quality isn't consistent, so you'll have to get lucky.)

At Monday night's basketball game Cory informed me about Fork Fest. A whole bunch of restaurants in Edmonton serve three course meals for a flat price of $25 or $45. Unfortunately, there were only three days left. Ailee and I managed to make it out to three different restaurants for three course meals. In these reviews I'll rate each entrée as well as provide an overall rating for the restaurant as a whole (taking food, atmosphere, service and value into account).

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January 25, 2011 - Skinny Legs & Cowgirls ($45)

You had me at bison Wellington. The second I saw this on the menu I called for reservations. Unfortunately, this was as disappointing as Terminator 3. The pastry was reminiscent of McCain Pizza Pockets; it was of low quality and lacked flakiness. McDonald's hot apple pies have better pastries than this. The meat inside was tough and dry - definitely not tenderloin. You can find much better Wellingtons in the frozen food aisle at Superstore. You know an entrée is a fail when the best thing on your plate is the garnish. The vegetables done three ways were actually very nice but didn't come close to making up for the bison puck pizza pocket. There was also a really tasty mushroom garnish. Ailee ordered the lamb shank. This was not bad, but not too good either. She liked the texture but the flavour was nothing to write home about.

Bison Wellington: 2/10

Lamb Shank: 6/10

Overall: 4/10

Bottom line: The menu is nothing special and the food quality is lacking. The atmosphere was average and lacked intimacy. We won't be returning.

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January 26, 2011 - Von's Steak House & Oyster Bar ($45)

This was my first oyster experience. We ordered some oysters from PEI and they were interesting. For my main course, I ordered the Pan Seared White Horse Arctic Char. My fish was not very good; it was firm and dry but the flavour was okay. As with Skinny Legs, the garnish was the best thing on the plate. The broccoli had a nice butter flavour. Ailee ordered the Sterling Silver Tenderloin Tip "Oscar." Lately I've been disappointed every time I've ordered beef so I didn't expect too much. Luckily, Ailee's appetite is proportional to her size, so I was able to eat half of her "Oscar." This entrée surprised me in a really good way - like Terminator 2. The meat was tender and seasoned perfectly. What really stood out in this dish was the Okanagan White Wine Hollandaise; it was delicious. This is a great beef dish. A word of caution, one of my coworkers has since visited Von's and has found that the prime rib and New York steak entrées were nothing special and not worth the price; they were a bit tough and, though they tasted good, you can get similar quality from Outback or the Keg.

Arctic Char: 5/10

The Oscar: 9.5/10

Overall: 9

Bottom Line: Dim lights and a comfortable atmosphere make this a great spot for couples. We'll definitely be returning - I have my eye on their Filet Mignon and Seafood Platter for Two.

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January 27, 2011 - Accent European Lounge ($25)

Sam, Holly and Cory joined us for the last day of Fork Fest. Given the positive steak experience the night before, I was willing to try the beef. Holly and I each ordered the steak. I was quite pleased. It wasn't the best, but it was pretty good. It came with an interesting peppercorn cream sauce that didn't really taste like anything, but it added some subtle flavour. Ailee ordered the vegetarian curry pasta. The sauce tasted great but there were way too many vegetables and not enough pasta noodles. Sam ordered the Chicken Marinara and said it was "so good." It was nice and juicy. Cory ordered the Weiner Schnitzel. He's German and he knows his Schnitzel. He was said it was really good but could use more spice. The meal ended perfectly with a triple layer peanut butter cake - the top layer was like the middle of a Lindt chocolate, the middle layer was smooth peanut butter, and the bottom layer was chocolate cake.

Steak: 8/10

Pasta: 7/10

Chicken: 7.5/10

Weiner Schnitzel: 7.5/10

Cake: 9.5/10

Overall: 7.5/10

Bottom Line: Small place with a laid back feel. Nice menu with very reasonable prices. I'll be returning to try the Beef Goulash and Classic French Mornet.

Holly and Sam

Ever since watching every Hell's Kitchen episode ever made, I've had a constant hankering for Wellington, risotto and other yummies. Even though I know nothing about food, I thought it would be fun to review some of my restaurant experiences. These are the chronicles of my food outings in Edmonton with Ailee.

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August 21, 2010 - Melting Pot

We opted for the Big Night Out Four Course Dinner. This included cheese fondue, salad, entree and chocolate fondue. This was pretty interesting and there were some good sauces, but the main course was practically an overpriced hot-pot. You might want to go for the novelty but we won't be returning for seconds. Overall rating: 6 pieces of raw meat out of 10.

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September 21, 2010 - Red Ox Inn

I ordered the beef and Ailee ordered the lamb. My first mistake was ordering the beef. Ailee was very pleased with her lamb - seasoned and cooked perfectly - although the vegetables didn't add much. Overall rating: 7 bland vegetables out of 10.

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October 21, 2010 - Characters Fine Dining

Finally, a place worth blogging about. Not sure why I ordered the Pork Tenderloin. That was my fault. This is the only place in Edmonton that I'm aware of that actually serves a Wellington (other than the Copper Pot's mini beef Wellington appetizer). It did not disappoint. Lucky for me, Ailee eats about the same amount as a medium sized hamster and I was able to enjoy two of the three cuts of perfectly presented Venison Wellington she ordered. The pastry was flaky and the meat inside was juicy and soft. This was definitely Hell's Kitchen worthy. While the pork was nothing to get excited about, the Venison Wellington exceeded all expectations and we will be returning just for this. Venison Wellington rating: 10 little garnish carrots out of 10.

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November 18, 2010 - Wild Tangerine

We visited Wild Tangerine unplanned while driving home from work. We were pleasantly surprised with the quality of food. The Siao Hseng Wine slow-cooked Ardrossan Bison Short Ribs were extremely tender and full of great flavour. The Wild Tangerine is not exactly fine dining but the quality of the short ribs was nothing short of perfection. Bison Short Ribs rating: 10 rural Alberta bison farmers out of 10.

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November 21, 2010 - The Copper Pot

Ailee was excited for the Braised Bison Short Ribs and Duck Sausage, based on our amazing experience at Wild Tangerine three days earlier. Sadly, it was a huge disappointment. The meat was tough and not even close to being as flavourful as Wild Tangerine's version. The duck sausage simply did not taste good. I ordered the Sea Bass & Halibut Duo, which was served on a bed of butternut squash risotto. The risotto was not good. It tasted bad and the consistency was dry. Despite this fail, the sea bass melted in my mouth and was the one of the best-cooked fish I'vevhad. Interestingly, a Mini Beef Wellington is on the appetizer menu...I just had to try it. It was bigger than I expected and it tasted pretty good. I don't think we'll be returning though. Overall rating: 6 risotto failures out of 10.

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December 21, 2010 - Unheardof

I ordered the Texas Inspired BBQ Beef and Ailee ordered the unheardof seafood medley. I'm not sure why I ordered the beef...yet again, it was nothing special. The seafood medley came with creamy crab risotto. This is the risotto we've been searching for. It was the perfect consistency and flavour. The scallops were perfectly cooked - tender and delicious. Ailee enjoyed the lobster tail. We will definitely be going back for the risotto and scallops. Risotto rating: 10 creamy crabs out of 10.

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Best of Edmonton: It's a tie between venison wellington at Characters Fine Dining and unheardof seafood medley at Unheardof.