merlin

LOL...tell us what you really think about the King and I. Must confess I share your antipathy. There are better places in town to get thai but Eric Wah was the first I think to go the restaurant route. If you are going to the Japanese Consulate then you will be right smack in the middle of what passes for our downtown. I am not much of a breakfast eater but the only spot which springs to mind when you mentioned "diner style" would be the Silk Hat between 102 and 103 Streets on Jasper Avenue. It is an "Edmonton Institution" and just may be the oldest restaurant in the city. Formica table top, stools, juke box, all day breakfasts, etc.etc. Although you mentioned that you were not particularly interested in Italian my favourite "lunchtime haunt" is Sorrentino's on 100 St, just "kitty-corner" from the Westin. The chef Sonny Song is one of the best in town and their menu although primarily Italian in nature covers mosts of the bases. In the Scotia Building nearby is Boulevard. I thought it was one of the best spots in the city to dine when it first opened last year but I have heard disappointing things of late. The Manulife/Commerce Court/Holt Renfrew complex houses Chance. It is a nice room but I have not been back to it in some time. Varied menu. Lots of "suits" from the law and accounting offices nearby. If you do not mind a short walk [most of which you can do inside via the pedways and tunnels that link many of the buildings] try the Hardware Grill which is on Jasper Avenue just east of Canada Place. Pretty good lunch menu housed in the restored historic building which used to be the W.W. Arcade hardware store, hence the name. Emphasis on regional cuisine or at least regionally raised produce and meats. A little closer to downtown on the edge of the river valley good food can be found in the Harvest Room of the Macdonald Hotel. It's maitre 'd Brian Welsh is one of the best in the city. New chef who came to Edmonton from Quebec City's Chateau Frontenac replacing Roary MacPherson who headed "home" to the Hotel Newfoundland in St. John's...our loss, the "rock's" gain. I think the new fella may have replaced the menu with his own by the time of your March visit. Friendly professional service and a beautiful room especially if the sun is out. In Edmonton Centre you can find l'Azia and Four Rooms. The former is an asian influenced large restaurant serving all types of lunch food. Not particularly impressed. I think of it as "upper end food court dining". Four Rooms is usually busy. "Fusion-styled". Busy at lunch. On Rice Howard Way just east of 101 St you can find Bistro Praha. Another long time Edmonton dining landmark. Originally opened by a now deceased Czech expat but is very European, Austrian in nature. Lots of schnitzel, goulash, trout, etc. Dark wood, classical music. A little further afield is The Copper Pot which is situated in an office tower at the north end of the High Level Bridge, west of the Legislative grounds. [www.copperpot.ca] It has a beautiful view of the picturesque surroundings. Primarily seafood and it is open for lunch. It is not far from the Grandin Station of the LRT so within easy walking distance assisted by public transit. In the area north of 104 Avenue is the Blue Iguana. Southwestern cuisine but again emphasizing regionally sourced products. Good wine list. Normand's on Jasper Ave is similarly disposed. Known for its game dishes like venison and duck. Not one of my favourites but others swear by the spot. If you head to 124th Street there is Cafe de Ville and The Manor amongst others. Not sure about their hours and whether they will be open for lunch on a Monday. In the Old Strathcona/Whyte Avenue area I would have suggested Packrat Louie's but I am pretty sure they are closed for lunch on a Monday. Indeed, that is why we have ended up in the King and I on a couple of occasions when strolling along Whyte Avenue on a holiday Monday. I have not eaten here myself but the Varscona Hotel on Whyte houses l'Attitude which replaced a Sorrentino's. The menu looks good and the reviews I have read were positive but I do not personally know anyone who in fact has eaten there. There are a lot of Japanese restaurants in the downtown area. The Japanese Village, East Bound, Mikado, Shogun to name but a few. How authentic they actually are may be another question. Lots of places in town purport to be Japanese but may be a potentially confusing combination of all things asian mixing kim chee with pho with spring rolls with sukiyaki with chow mein with sashimi...you get the picture..... You inquired about Hungarian food. I cannot think of a particular spot that offers that cuisine in the areas you'll be near. The Goulash Pot has been closed for years and I am not sure that it in fact was Hungarian or not. Like the Bistro Praha downtown there are spots like the Continental Treat and another with the owner's name which currently escapes me in the Old Strathcona area which offer central and eastern European inspired food. That list should get you started. If you have more specific questions feel free to post and I'll do what I can to get additional details. Edmonton dining has "grown up" a lot over the years and there is a lot to choose from even on a Monday afternoon.

Jayt90: I am not in the cattle...Kobe or otherwise...raising industry so cannot vouch for the methods employed. My knowledge of the Japanese rearing of Kobe beef is probably limited to my reading of the James Bond novel many years ago which was centred in Japan However, American Kobe beef or Kobe-styled beef is certainly sold locally. It may not be AS expensive as Kobe beef from Japan if you could get the same here [i believe it may still be banned as a result of their "mad cow" issues] but it is REAL expensive comparitively speaking nevertheless. I do not know of the name of the Alberta producer. A chef who is a friend of mine did not tell me the name but he does have an Albertan supplier. Snakeriver Farms from Idaho was producing the product Urban Fair was selling. www.snakeriverfarms.com You can draw your own conclusions.

SteveW: I hope you do not mind me "butting" in with regard to your question to Junior. I would not agree that Cdn Angus beef is "junk". Quite the contrary. Certainly the striploins I buy from Urban Fare are delicious. Nicely marbled, very tender. In Edmonton I would not say that there is a particularly good steakhouse. I guess the closest to a true steakhouse would be Hy's. I am not a fan. Most of the better restaurants serve decent steaks but are not steakhouses per se. Some serve Triple A. Have never seen prime. Occasionaly, "Kobe" beef produced in Alberta or Idaho makes an appearance. In Calgary there are more steakhouses. Caesar's, Hy's, Smugglers, Carvers, Owl's Nest [more old fashioned fine dining than a steakhouse].

Foodie in Vancouver: SOBO is, or at least was, when we visited in October a catering truck parked behind the surf shop and grocery store off the highway. It was/is a place you walked up to and read the specials off the blackboard and then got your food and sat outside at the few tables or took home. Unless Chef Ahier has changed her format substantially to deal with the Tofino "winter" ? {this from an Edmontonian who has been dealing with minus 40's not too long ago} it is not a place for reservations or candlelit dining. The fish tacos are great.....

Have read with interest, the discussion above. We buy BC wines and to a lesser extent due to availability ON wines, whenever we can and always when visiting the Okanagan, Vancouver Island or the Niagara/Beamsville Bench regions. There is no question that the quality of wine has improved significantly over the past few years and certainly since, as EatBC has pointed out, the industry has become focussed on vinifera bottlings rather than the big bottles of plonk of the days of Calona Red, Brights and the like. Great wine? Perhaps not, but certainly good wine especially the whites and I have seen some promise with the reds too. The "problem" to a certain degree is price. There does come a time when I have to put a ceiling on patriotism. Most of my favourites have been mentioned above. We had a lovely bottle of the reserve/striped label Blue Mountain Pinot Noir with dinner last nite. I would venture the observation that it would compare favourably with any other New World pinot. With Burgundy? Likely not but now we are really talking ridiculous money. I also thoroughly enjoy their sparkling wine, pinot gris [the varietal which I think BC does the best of any whether it be Lang, Burrowing Owl, Gehringer, Alderlea or someone else], chardonnay and gamay noir. I have enjoyed the Old Vines Foch from Quails Gate. More so when Jeff Martin was the winemaker before going to La Frenz. It prompted a "cult following" here in AB some years ago and the prices skyrocketted up to the $28 or $29 mark so that factor combined with what I perceived to be a deterioration in quality [ie. less dense and intense] stopped me from buying more. Now the price has decreased in some stores to close to what the winery will charge and I have enjoyed it again. I had a bottle on week-end of the Red Rooster Meritage. It was terrific. Hugh black fruit with a structure that I think will improve with some more time in the bottle. However, at $32 locally there is a lot of competition if you are prepared to pay that price. I see it is about $9 cheaper at the winery. Ditto, for the Jackson-Triggs Proprietor's Grand Reserve Okanagan Meritage. Expensive but delicious. I am really enjoying the syrah and cabernet Franc from Burrowing Owl. I agree with those who have endorsed the Note Bene from Black Hills. It was our "wine find" during our annual trip to Tofino a couple of years ago. I mentioned La Frenz. I like their merlot, semillon and viognier but they are impossible to find locally except that I heard that one of the private wine stores I frequent will be bringing it in. The Alderlea Pinot Gris we had at the Long Beach Lodge Resort last fall was delicious. Like some from Lang it was a deceptive colour. Salmon-berry like. You thought sweet but it was vinted dry. Again quirky and expensive the offerings from Venturi-Schulzte with their crown cap closures. We are looking forward to heading back out to the coast to have some more good BC wine.

Am enjoying this thread because Kates is one of the reasons I get the Saturday Globe & Mail. I often chuckle reading her reviews. My all time favourite has to be the one where she did a "hatchet job" on one or two Whistler restaurants while she was on a BC "road trip". I do not recollect whether it was the Bearfoot Bistro but it definitely..from her description...was one of those upper end spots in the Village. She went on about the snooty service and how consescending the service was as they were more interested in serving the Americans who had a lot of cash. She noted one table in particular where some "bluebloods" were living the high life with someone who purportedly was a formula one driver. The waiter said that the chef was cooking a treat for them. A particularly "special" ham called, "jambon" She continued on like that before commenting that that Formula One driver subsequently turned out to be that French con artist who was recently convicted in Victoria for fraud who had been passing himself off as a French Rockerfeller or Rothschild or the like duping rich folks from Long Island to the west coast. It had me in stitches.

vox: Probably should not have read your post before eating lunch as I am now ravenous. The cornish hen dish in particular sounds wonderful. One of the advantages to living in the "big smoke" I guess is that chefs like Kennedy can be adventurous with the offerings given the population to draw upon. Out here in Edmonton there is nothing like that. I would love to find a restaurant which offered smaller plates with the idea being to "graze" on appetizer sized portions combined with wines by the glass. A couple of wine bars tried to make a go of it out here but did not last very long. The closest I have found in these parts is Divino Wine & Cheese on Stephen's Avenue in Calgary...and if you know Alberta and Albertans you realize how much it pains an Edmontonian to complement anything in "C town"

Johnathon: What about Shelter?

Here is a follow-up URL with regard to the petition [not vouching for its authenticity] that I found with the assistance of the "good folks" at Google http://coffeecrisp.org/

alacarte: It is a chocolate bar containing waifers made by Nestle. Usually about the size of a Mars bar but with the texture of a KitKat only larger in rectangular form rather than "fingers". try this site: http://www.nestle.ca/en/Products/Browse_by...offee_Crisp.htm I had no idea that Nestle did not market it in the US of A and have no idea why if that is so.

most lawyers I know...and "let me make this perfectly clear" I am not doing a mea culpa..may want to be with, but rarely want to be seen with their receptionists.... that having been said the whole steakhouse serving a "roast" with a la carte sides has never been my thing....the receptionist on the other hand.....

Thanks for the web-site link. Looks terrific. Just the kind of spot that I would enjoy...except for the minor factor that I am four hours by plane away <ruefull grin> Nice selection of nibblies and terrific wine selection. Nothing like it here in Edmonton I am afraid. I like the idea of being able to unwind with a good bottle of wine and some lighter fare than a big meal. Prices look fairly good compared to what I recollect from trips back to Montreal in the past. Another excuse for a trip back to Montreal.

10 minutes away from the noon hour and someone mentions smoked meat...ymmmmmm There is actually a bar close by that does serve decent smoked meat...I am not sure who their Montreal supplier is. Being another expatriate from Montreal just the thought of smoked meat evokes memories...Ben's, Dunn's [why I needed a smoked meat sandwich and a slab of Dunn's cheesecake in the wee hours of the morning after all that liquor remains one of life's mysteries] and of course Schwartz' The next time we are out in Vancouver will have to check out Frenchies

I can "second" Tofino's recommendation of SOBO. The "killer" fish tacos were great last year at the Long Beach Lodge Resort and just as good at the new location despite the absence of the waves crashing into Cox Bay. Sorry we missed you Chris [you were in Vancouver at a meeting] but one of the gals at the front desk showed us around the beachside extension....one day if I win the lotto we'll rent that upstairs/downstairs dog friendly suite

Funny how this site can bring back memories. Elio sponsored a soccer team called the "Elio Blues" for years in Montreal that I used to play against "generations" ago. I have not been back in a long time. Someone mentioned a spot on Dante. The gentleman who sponsored our team Tony di Palma owned Dante Pizzeria, Trattoria dai Baffoni. Does it still exist on Dante just off St. Laurent?

Thank you Lesley

Somewhat off topic .... Whitefish commented that the chef at Beckta had been in the kitchen atKinKi replacing Joel Watanabe. One of the few shows I have enjoyed of late on FoodTV [an increasingly rare event given the drivel that usually is broadcast] was the season opening partial retrospective of some of the restaurants they had featured on Opening Soon. I noticed that Watanabe was apparently working in Montreal but could not make out the name of the restaurant when he answered the phone. Can anyone assist?

Identifiler: Having just got back from 12 days in Tofino your recollections of surf life [at least at this time of year] are not too far wrong from what is currently happening...missed those Scandinanavian women though I think many posters here are taking the article much too seriously. Lisa Ahier at SOBO makes great "killer fish tacos" but really, one of the best new restaurants in Canada? Not likely. However, it is an interesting and novel addition to the dining scene on the Pacific Rim... Did not get to Temple in Victoria which also made the list...maybe next trip.

Just got back to Alberta from almost three weeks on at least this occasion, the very "wet" coast. Had a brilliant time in Tofino. Had cooking facilities this time so did not get out and try the local restaurants very much apart from a couple of lunches at the Long Beach Lodge Resort and another at the Wick. The lunches at the LBLR were inconsistent both with regard to portion size and quality. The Wick's lunch was delicious but the prices make it difficult to justify multiple samplings. Did get some fish tacos from SOBO. They were as good as what I had remembered from last year's lunch when she was at the LBLR. Cafe Jabez which had been mentioned by others was closed down. I could not find it and then asked at the liquor store and was told it had closed a couple of months earlier. Dave Dolina's pizza from Surfside still pleases as does his very garlicy caesar salad when "yours truly" does not want to cook. Made reservations at Shelter for one nite but had to cancel. Perhaps just as well given Saucey's comments above. Cafe Pamplona and the RainForest...both recommended by people I had spoken to...will have to wait for next year when we return....both were good on past visits.

My wife and I got back to Edmonton from our annual visit to the west coast earlier today. We left the "monsoon" rains of mid-month October and encountered snow here in "King Ralph's Domain"...we prefer the rain.... Just read through the posts above. We agree wholeheartedly with Mingus. Brasserie l'Ecole was our "find" of this visit to Victoria. We had dinner there on two of the three nights we stayed in Victoria after almost a couple of weeks in Tofino. I am sure that this spot will not work for everyone. The bistro styled food and limited menu will "turn off" some. Not us. The "frites" disappointed but everything else worked. We too tried the beet and goat cheese terrine. Very good. The servers, in our case Marne <sp?> and Richard as well as the rest of the staff do appear [as someone else pointed out] to enjoy working. My halibut and my wife's roast poussin were both terrfic. I had the Sooke trout on the next night which was equally good. The carmelized lemon sabayon tart with tayberry coulis was simply put, ouststanding. The wine list was very well chosen and priced especially with their everything [except bubblies] by the glass, ie. take the list price and divide by 5 to come to the glass price. I wish more restaurants would take their lead from Mark and co.. We also tried Zambri's based, at least in part, upon comments here and at other "foodie" internet sites. I was mistaken. I had thought Il Terrazzo was what people were commenting on when they mentioned Zambri's. The former was ok, but not great. The wine list was impressive. Zambri's was very good. Mind you we ventured up Yates at the lunch hour and were not expecting the semi-cafeteria style. Given what was up on the blackboard from the previous nite's dinner we decided to go back to L'Ecole rather than them for dinner but for lunch it was very good. The pasta dishes we had were flavourfull. The place was "hopping" for lunch. We stayed at the Ocean Pointe and were pleasantly surprised by the food at their Boardwalk restaurant. The soy marinated halibut burger was very good and a lot better that what I originally thought I would be getting as was the bottle of Poplar Grove Pinot Gris we had with it. We hope to take advantage of WestJet and get back to Victoria sooner than later. Were disappointed that the the lunch options are fairly restricted. Herald Street Cafe for example was open only for dinner whereas that had been a spot we had lunched at previously...admittedly some years ago.

chokaholic: Almost literally "just got in" from our annual trek to Vancouver Island so did not see your quaere until now. I did not get to Sugo so cannot comment. I did go to Divino several times over the space of the week and enjoyed it. Not sure that now that summer is over and winter has descended that the "drop in for a glass of wine" will work anymore. The food was good. The wine list, especially by the glass very good. In a different world altogether from its "sister" Cilantro further south which was not particularly pleasing. I found [unlike some of the comments above] that Teatro was "top notch" [a delicious picece of halibut] and the oyster bar at Catch good but all I had there was wine and several types of oysters. I did not venture upstairs after a fairly disappointing visit in the Spring. My favourite in Calgary was without a doubt Il Sogno. Across the river in Bridgeland. Had lunch and dinner. Very impressed. Excellent food.

That is indeed a shame. We had several good lunches at the Long Beach Lodge watching the surf roll into Cox Bay [much different from Chesterman]. Did not understand their practice of only selling wine by the glass rather than the bottle at lunch. Did have Note Bene from Black Hills by the glass however. I remember the fish tacos in particular being delicious. Last week the Edmonton Journal published an article from the Victoria newspaper hilighting the Tofino Food festival and mentioning places like Shelter and Sobo which I had not heard of before reading some recent posts here. Those two and Cafe Jabez are the new ones we'll try out this trip. One more month to go and we'll be "Tofino bound".

Chris: This is Bob Macdonald aka Merlin. My wife and I were at the Wick last year and we talked during several lunches. You were at the time looking for your own property until the new positions came available. Recollect discussing our trip to PEI too given your history there. We'll be out again after Thanksgiving. Merlin

hmmmm....gypsyinnkeeper...is this Chris? We'll be out Oct 15 staying at the house mid-way down the beach with the "eagle's nest" panoramic view

bigbird/dillybravo: Thanks for the input. I will try to get to Sugo..too bad about the diminished wine list. Always like the option of being able to try a number of different ones when dining alone rather than a bottle. Barbera/Chianti can both be very good or very mediocre depending uppn what is being offered. Divino is completely new. Interesting that you have "panned" a few in the Stephen's Avenue area that were recommended. Chacun a son gout I guess. Appreciate the help.