Downtown Edmonton – Vincent Tedjasaputra, Ph.D.

Mercer Tavern

May 10, 2013August 16, 2018 by Drvinnyt, posted in Downtown Edmonton, Foodmonton, Uncategorized

The return of the prodigal daughter: co-foodie extraordinaire (code named: The Blonde, who apparently isn’t naturally blond) called for a visit to an establishment I’ve driven by numerous times, but never previously patronized: Mercer Tavern.

Finding a primo parking spot, after 6pm, and now quite warm, spirits were as high as my expectations for this place. Nice open area, wood accents and olive drab, amber lighting in mason jars gave this place a tavern-y feel, with a slight hipster vibe but lacking the attitude, thankfully.

The Blonde states she’s never eaten here, but frequents here to let men buy her drinks. Pure class. Thursdays: $13 Charcuterie plate and half off wine by the glass and by the bottle. Great daily specials, written in chalk above the bar. I dig it.

Opted for a draft of Granville Island Honey ($5.25) to start things off, and somewhere along the night The blonde downed a pair of Caesars… the Canadian equivalent to ‘merca’s Bloody Mary. Menu seemed, pubby, the usual offering of sandwiches, burgers, salads alike. After hearing our waiter rattle off some of her favorites, I settled on a Reuben Sandwich ($13.5) and my compatriot, dual Mahi Fish Tacos ($12.5).

While our hunger mounted, the Charcuterie plate came, and boy, it did NOT disappoint. Goat cheese, gorgonzola, and some aged grueyere (?) alongside prosciutto, some sort of soppresata or spicy salumi, and some other cured meat that currently escapes my recollection. (I’m not an expect on cured meats, I just play one on TV). Condiments were two types of onion chutney/marmalade, balsamic tossed arugula, and some of the most delicious Guinness Mustard I’ve ever tasted.

This plate scores an A+, and I’d gladly pay full price for it on non-Thursdays.

Our entrees finally came, with much anticipation. Unfortunately I didn’t catch a picture before eating it, but our collective response to the first few bites were just, meh. My Ruben was reminiscent of some Hormel canned corned beef iteration that my mother served to us as kids, but perhaps it’s unfair to judge what is supposed to be a mastercraft of the Jewish Deli community, ala 5th St. Deli and/or Katz deli in NYC, but I digress. And the Mahi tacos were quite bland, just passing as tolerable. Again, nothing beats a real fish taco (GO TO SOUTH BEACH BAR AND GRILLE in OB, San Diego). Yes critics, I hear you, we’re in Edmonton, blah blah blah. What salvaged the second course was my beer pairing in Hopworks Organic IPA ($14), sure made me homesick.

The plusses: Beer, ambiance (although music was just a touch too loud for dinner service), the charcuterie plate was superb, and a smiling dinner date.

The minuses: Entrees were short on flavor, and lacking any panache, too bad.

Overall: B-/C+ The charcuterie plate saves it.

Check it out for yourself:

10363 104th Street
Edmonton, AB T5J 5G5

http://www.mercertavern.com/

@mercertavern

@bigvinnyab

The Creperie

April 12, 2012August 16, 2018 by Drvinnyt, posted in Bigvinnysd, Downtown Edmonton, Foodmonton

The Creperie, Downtown Edmonton.

From the website verbatim, typos and all:

The Creperie is a unique affordable French Style Restaurant. Voted “Most Romantic Restaurant”, the Creperie’s atmosphere is cozy and warm with its small intimate rooms and flickering candlelighT.

The Creperie is a perfect destination for all your “celebrations of life” whether it be just for 2 or 20 and more.

Enter 4 Highly esteemed University faculty members of discerning academic and culinary opinion, 2 Professorial candidates, and 1 mild-mannered American PhD student.

Rule #1 of blogging: Know your audience. Company shall remain nameless, save for an honorable mention below. On to the review. Sorry for the lack of pictures: an obvious failed attempt in discreet snobbery.

The ambiance of The Creperie, designed with the intent on achieving the self-proclaimed title of Edmonton’s Most Romantic Restaurant, falls short of wooing it’s clientele. The experience would likely be different for an actual couple dining out, but the illusion of intimacy is unfortunately mistaken for cramped spaces. Yet, I hardly think dining in a closet qualifies as romantic, but oddly reminiscent of teen trashy romance novels in the 90’s. Customer service note: Don’t cram 7 adults into a booth when the remainder of the restaurant is completely empty.

However, what The Creperie lacked in environment, (read: space) it made up for in the culinary aspect. A surprisingly limited wine list (for a romantic french style restaurant) forced our resident sommelier/teen-heart-throb/mad scientist Dr. Michael Kennedy to make quick work in selecting a fine ‘middling’ wine for the evening; an Argentinian Malbec that was tasty, yet not impressionable enough for any of us to remember the label.

My first entrée selection was Escargots a la Chef ($12.5), narrowly edging out the steak Tartare (although after having such stellar Tartare at Accent, (see review), I knew I was setting myself up for disappointment. The Escargots were nicely done, set in the traditional 6-shooter terrine, and prepared with garlic, onions, spinach, cream, on mushroom caps baked with hollandaise. Accompanied by French Bread with herb butter, it was a nice lead-in to the Main Course. Of course I much prefer Escargots de Bourgogne- Burgundy Snails, (A specialty I discovered at Tapenade in La Jolla, CA).

My main entrée was the Breast of Duck ($29) cooked medium, with reduced pomme granite-blackberry juice compote, with rice and steamed vegetables. The meat was cooked nicely, I would prefer it to be cooked slightly more rare, but was too hungry to send it back. Loved the strong fruit of the compote, and the salty-crispy skin of the duck made it a delightful meal.

Around the table, my compatriots had probably ordered equally enjoyable food, as the conversation tends to die down when the food is exceptional, in my experience. (One fellow diner was thoroughly enjoying her Virgin California Salad.) I was too consumed with my own culinary descent to notice. Of note was their gluten-free menu which Docteur Kennedy took full advantage of, ordering a Creep Jambalaya that clearly did not disappoint. (no, not a typo).

Third and final course was the Crepe Caribbean ($7.5), holding dark-rum soaked bananas topped with chocolate sauce, fresh whipped heavy cream, and toasted coconut. A fitting end to the meal.

While I applaud the execution of the food, service and environment left much to be desired. If I were to judge a restaurant by food alone, this would receive an A. However, the apparent lack of serving experience, haphazard waitstaff, and mis-timed serving (tip: serve everyone at the table at once, even if it takes a bus-boy or two. Making hungry people wait for others to get their food makes for an uncomfortable situation). One could argue that I’m nit picking here, but good French restaurants take pride in their cuisine, and the back manager should trickle down this lesson for future parties.

Overall grade: B-

Bigvinnysd

http://www.thecreperie.com

111, 10220 103rd Street NW

Edmonton, AB T5J OY8

PS: If you’re looking for a nice crepe, quick and friendly customer service, go see Gill at Crepe Symphony on 101A. Ask for the Chicken-Mushroom Crepe ($7). Literally steps from the Central LRT station. Don’t worry, full review soon.

Drift Food Truck

March 21, 2012August 16, 2018 by Drvinnyt, posted in Downtown Edmonton, Food Trucks, Foodmonton, Karbuthnot24

After a winter of following the hibernating exploits of Drift Food Truck I was incredibly pleased to hear of their return to the streets for Spring and Summer. With great excitement I perused the online menu all morning and shot my Boyfriend a text requesting his company on my food quest. He was pleased to accept, as I have a good history of leading him to delicious eateries (most of the time). Off we went on the train to a location only two stops beyond the University (Corona). Having emerged from the underground we quickly proceeded to a bank, as the food truck takes cash only, this is an important point to remember. Next we headed toward the truck location. It was easy to spot as it is the only bright metallic green truck on the street, and I am graciously supposing anywhere else in Edmonton.

Now getting cash and finding the truck were easy, however, I was left with a serious dilemma. What to order. The truck at this point in time had a selection of the following:

On the day, the Roast Beef was calling my name. We made it two and grabbed a fries to share. The Unfortunate part, it being very early Spring in Edmonton, the weather was not conducive to a picnic so we had to make a run for the LRT and head back to campus to settle in and enjoy our meal. This is one of the shortfalls of Foodtruck eating, the weather, and the requirement of getting creative in establishing an eating space, however, if you have a car, you will be fine.

The food was absolutely delicious, the ciabatta bun it was lovingly encased in was fresh and crisp, and the ingredients, Roast Beef, Peperoncini’s, Provolone Cheese and a Red Pepper Spread, molded together perfectly. Nothing over-powered or took away from the overall experience, and the serving size was just right. The famous fries which I had heard twitter rumors of for some time also delivered a flavored punch. The Drift Seasoning of roasted fennel, cumin, mustard seed and chili combined with fresh cut fries, and house made ketchup was a heavenly experience.

Since the first time, I have been back three times in as many weeks. I have tried all but the Jerk Chicken (once I do, I shall update the post), and the Vegetarian (I shall not update for this because I firmly believe in meat). The Braised Pork shoulder was a subtle, yet delicious sandwich once more. The addition of chunky pickle and cabbage gave the sandwich a beautiful fresh crunch, and the bacon, well, gave the sandwich bacon…mmmm… The other sandwhich, the Pork Belly, ahhh the Pork Belly. Easily my favorite selection of the bunch for many reasons. The first being, pork belly. This little doozy packs a brilliant punch of Vietnamese flavors with the inclusion of daikon, carrot, cilantro, and a lovely sweet chili mayonnaise. This sandwhich packs a flavorful punch and draws my eye each visit, and I must admit, I am craving one as I speak, especially with this little temptress of a photo:

The overall experience of Food Truck has been positive each visit, the owners are incredibly welcoming and kind, and the food is quickly prepared to a high standard each time. I would certainly recommend chasing this beauty down if you’re in town. The truck has a twitter acount: @driftfoodtruck and a website: http://driftfoodtruck.ca/ if you are looking for more information. And good news fanatic foodies, they attain all their ingredients from local businesses and producers!

Karbuthnot24

Tres Carnales

March 19, 2012August 16, 2018 by Drvinnyt, posted in Downtown Edmonton, Foodmonton, Mexican

FINALLY A DECENT MEXICAN PLACE IN EDMONTON.

There. I did it. Probably the only requirement for subsistence in a city other than San Diego, is a decent Mexican Food restaurant. Another one of Katie’s brilliant suggestions, I went to Tres Carnales after being sorely disappointed by crap offerings off Whyte Ave.

Welcome to: Tres Carnales!

They model themselves as street food vendors off the street, nice selection of indie music playing, cool cultural decor, but not as cool as Lucha Libre in SD, but hey, who is? The great crowd pleaser seems to be their tacos, more like tacos al carbon that I’m used to South-South-of the border :).

Now, I’ve been here twice now, first time, I drove around for 25 minutes looking for parking (apparently impossible, downtown) and settled on parking half in the street, half in a planter. I got 4 Al Pastor tacos thinking… hey, that’s my favorite street taco that I get with Tabor at Manny’s TJ tacos in North Park SD. Take em back to my car, fearful of getting a parking ticket.

Then: I black out. I have no idea what happened but I am sitting back in my seat, groaning in approval, pineapple salsa down my dress shirt. Delicious, fresh, and true to the classics. At $10 for 4, it would be super expensive to fill up a Big Fred, but it sure is cheaper than a plane ticket to San Diego.

If you’re really hungry, the Tortas are pretty big. The waitstaff will first ask you if you’ve eaten one, and then gives you a lesson on Torta assembly/massage/devourment 101. Still, I prefer tacos as the primary meat delivery vessel.

The chorizo is ok, seemed to be fairly one dimensional, but sure delivers on the grease, which many will agree is the signature of chorizo. The Pollo Asado is grilled then shredded, was hoping for cubes of diced chicken, but certainly helped with the salsa verde. Hidden gem is the skirt steak. My first try was superb, second try was a little dry, but the flavor was there!. And, really really great Guacamole. I mean like slather iton like sunscreen please. Fresh and lime-y, just how I LOVE it.

Definitely impressed by the attention to detail, copious cilantro and onion usage on tacos, big grill space and plentiful staff means your food comes out quickly, special salsas for every kind. Cute Jarritos and Mexican colas, super friendly waitstaff, and you know it approaches authentic when the Manager/Owner rolls the R when he says Camarón. This is a quick 8 minute LRT ride to Central station from the University. Jasper and 101 A st.