Alberta – Vincent Tedjasaputra, Ph.D.

On the laziest of rainy Labor Day Mondays, following an epic weekend in Canmore, a strong urge for casual but fine French fare moved me to act.

Enter: Café Bicyclette.

Located in La Cite Francophone, across from the University of Alberta Campus St. Jean, Café Bicyclette is a quaint little bistro-style French Café, with a very warm, welcoming feeling as soon as you walk in, framed with hand-drawn menus in colorful chalk.

Clean decor with exposed brick, hanging lights and elegant black and white photography

This place is one of my favorite spots in the city. After much deliberation I decided on the Sandwich au Poulet ($9), served on a massive Croissant.

Served cold, slices of chicken breast are served up with grainy mustard, maple syrup, and a dusting of cinnamon, served on a house baked croissant made with dough imported from France. A topping of arugula cuts through the richness of the sandwich. Meat was a touch dry, as chicken breast usually is, but a lovely dish, nonetheless, and wonderfully filling.

Liz opted for a Sandwich à la viande fumeé ($10), a lovely version of a Montreal smoked meat sandwich, pressed in a grill press.

My single bite was deliciously meaty, with a nice crunch to the homemade bread, pickled onions, dijon-mayo and gruyère cheese. Perfection!

Also, a lovely medium sized poutine ($7) rounded out the meal nicely. I haven’t had a better poutine in Canada yet! Crunchy fries with a fluffy interior, chicken gravy and delicate cheese curd.

Overall, this is a cute little date place for breakfast, lunch, or dinner (on F, Sa, Su) with a nice warm decor and a year-round heated patio. But bundle up with the provided blankets and keep the sun out of your eyes if you forget your sunglasses.

Order at the counter and they’ll bring you food, or come in on the weekend and they become a full service dinner restaurant. Reasonably priced, nice portion sizes, delicate flavors, and very friendly, helpful staff make this a great spot not to be missed.

Overall Grade: A-

Check it out, and comment below what you think!

http://www.cafebicyclette.ca/

@CafeBicyclette1

8627 91 St

Edmonton, AB T6C3N1

Summer is here! A gorgeous camping trip to Banff, AB. with @karbuthnot24 and @matdowling, few days spent in the woods, nothing but smiles here!

Amazing mountain biking through the gorgeous landscape, rolling terrain, perfect berms, technical features, rock gardens galore. Check out the pano view of Lake Minnewanka. Sweet eh?

Stopping in at Canmore on the way home to fit some more riding in, at the world renowned Nordic Centre, riding EKG Loop, a lung busting, leg jello-ing challenge that leaves you satisfied, but still wanting more.

After such a trekking, a refuel is needed. Being the pizza aficionado I am, I executed Ms. Arbuthnot’s recommendation of Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co. in downtown Canmore.

Cute little place, and eating alone I expected to be served quickly. I wasn’t in a hurry though, as the sun was shining and the day was perfect. Nice view outside!

Needed a little liquid libation, and opted for a Grizzly Paw Grumpy Bear ($4.75), a local brewery favorite.

Paired nicely with the daily special, a pizza adorned with yellow onion, roasted red peppers, dried apricots, smoked garlic, moroccan spiced lamb sausage, baby spinach and fresh thyme ($12).

First criticism will always be the crust. I enjoy a light, crispy crust, but strong enough to pass the tip-sag-test, akin to the NYC style pies.

Well, crust is a bit stale, not in the nice chewy, heavily developed gluten that I like, either. If they were aiming for a true flat bread, they certainly nailed it. A bit bland however.

The toppings did deliver, though, with the fresh ingredients being the real star of this show. Nicely balanced herbage, not over crowded, visually appealing.

Would I come back? Sure. But I wouldn’t make a trip of it. Wait time was especially long, given a table of 1, and no lunch rush. Beer was nice, and I am always glad to see local establishments promoting other local offerings, and sustainability of local organic produce. Free Wi-Fi is a plus, and friendly staff, and clean facilities cajole me to rate this establishment:

Grade: B-

Check em out!

Home

838 – 10th St.

Canmore, AB

twitter: @flatbreadCo

Tag: Alberta

Labor Day Special: Café Bicyclette

Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co.