Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Pulled Chicken in Adobo at Situation Brewing

Pulled chicken adobo sandwich. #yegfood

A photo posted by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on

Situation Brewing is a new microbrewery and pub on my favourite block of Whyte Avenue. I finally got a chance to try it this past weekend, and of course ordered a pint of one of their beers. All pints are $7 which is good value. I had the Afternooner Tea Saison, which was an Earl Grey Blackberry ale. It was a pleasant, smooth ale, but I really could not taste the Earl Grey or the blackberry. I was disappointed, as I love both tea and fruit beers.

For my food, I chose the pulled chicken in adobo sandwich. It was a mountain of pulled thigh meat in a tasty adobo sauce, topped with avocado slaw. I loved the slaw, as it was full of avocado flavour, and I love avocado. The bun was also spread with avocado. However, I am not a fan of slaw in sandwiches, as the slaw tends to get room temperature as opposed to cold, and the hot filling cools down. Still, the sandwich tasted good enough for me to overlook this. Plus, there was a mountain of fries, perfectly crispy and seasoned, that I was simply unable to finish.

I would try Situation Brewing again, but definitely make a different beer choice and perhaps try some of the other menu items that caught my eye.

Sunday Brunch at La Ronde

Birthday brunch with my friend Duane #yegfood

A photo posted by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on

I had the privilege of being invited to a special birthday celebration for a good friend a few weeks ago at La Ronde. We had Sunday brunch, and it was my first time dining in the slowly-rotating restaurant. I loved the view, and the food was divine. There was a huge selection of traditional breakfast items, an omelette station, desserts, pastries, salads, and even prime rib. It was like breakfast and supper together. I especially enjoyed a freshly-made omelette, the prime rib, and a roasted salmon dish, as well as the cold smoked salmon, and the mashed potatoes as opposed to the hash browns one typically finds at brunches. The photo above is my first helping, and the bottom my second. I was almost too stuffed for dessert, but I had a blueberry tart and brownie. The desserts were all from scratch and I was impressed by the offer for the chef to make me an Eggs Benedict to meet my dietary specifications when a comment I made that I don't eat pork products was overheard by an attentive server. She even cleaned out the pan for my omelette. My coffee and fresh orange juice kept flowing, and I did not need to eat for the rest of the day. At $42 per adult it is not for every week, but not out of line for special occasions. Plus, I got lots of great photos of the view through the windows. I look forward to coming back some day.

Brunch: round 2 #yegfood

A photo posted by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on

Funghi Pizza at Famoso

Fun funghi at Famoso. #yegfood

A photo posted by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on

An organizational meeting over lunch led me to Famoso on Whyte Avenue on a recent weekend. I ordered the "pizzetta" (7 inch) size of the Funghi, which may not sound like an appetizing name, but to a mushroom lover like me, it sounded delicious. The creamy mozzarella was topped with a generous portion of caramelized onions, oyster mushrooms, roasted white mushrooms, and the decadent finishing of truffle oil. I held the parmesan crema, as I am not fan of parmesan. It was rich and delicious, with a great texture.