Beef Dip at Brewsters

Beef dip - the roast beef was piled high with tangy onions and savoury horseradish aïoli in a pretzel bun. #yeg #yegfood #brewsters #yegfoodie #nofilter #beefdip #sandwich

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Aug 4, 2018 at 5:41pm PDT

Just Desserts: Blueberry Bread Pudding at Brewsters

Blueberry bread pudding. #yegfood #dessert #blueberry

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Sep 1, 2017 at 12:41pm PDT

A late evening trip to Brewsters a couple of weeks ago had me ordering a dessert instead of a meal. I had been wanting to try the blueberry bread pudding for a while, but am always too full after meal to even entertain the thought of dessert. The pudding was served warm in a skillet, with vanilla gelato offsetting the heat. Very dense and rich, the blueberries were not overwhelming but added colour and texture in addition to flavour.

Turkey Drum at Brewsters

My first trip to the Meadowlark Brewsters in quite some time led me to order something off of the Irish-inspired special menu. It was a turkey drumstick - a whole drumstick grilled with crispy skin, a drizzle of a lemon aioli, and a slightly spicy barbecue sauce on the side. The meat was tender and juicy, coming away from the bone with only the use of a fork. The side of apple fennel slaw was a disappointment, though - it tasted pretty much like run of the mill slaw with a few apple slices thrown in. An additional small side of a starch would have rounded out the meal nicely - perhaps some tater tots?

Fish and Chips at Brewsters

Thursday night is British Pub Night at Brewsters and this meant a two-piece haddock and chips at a reduced price, with Pimms and Sprite as a drink special. So, guess what I had? The Pimms and Sprite was an extremely light and refreshing cocktail. I could see myself enjoying this more often during the summer months. Pimms is gin with a sort of caramel taste (and colour). The drink went well with the fish and chips, in a crispy beer batter full of moist fish. The tartar sauce had a slight citrus flavour to it, and the coleslaw was made with grainy mustard, which I found quite unique flavour-wise as far as coleslaw goes. I actually enjoyed dipping my fries in the tartar sauce more than the fish. In general, I found the whole British-inspired meal to be jolly good.

Frogburger at Brewsters

An evening function near the Meadowlark location of Brewsters made the restaurant the perfect location for supper last week. I was craving a hamburger, so I tried the "Frogburger" featuring "Frogsauce." The sauce was like a kicked up Thousand Island dressing and definitely added flavour to the perfectly grilled pressed brisket. The red onions were grilled and sweet (normally I hold onions on burgers) and I had some mushrooms instead of cheese. With a side of fries and gravy, overall this was a very satisfying burger.

Just Desserts: Mud Pie at Brewsters

The desserts at Brewsters are so huge, that it took me as long to eat my piece of Mud Pie as it took the other person I was with to finish a meal. The Mud Pie is a huge hunk of expresso flake ice cream in a chocolate graham cracker crust - simple, yet decadent. And yes, I drank beer with it. Beer goes with everything.

Cheers! Beerlini at Brewsters

I stopped in to Brewsters at Meadowlark on Saturday for a nightcap (which was actually an evening-cap in my case) and tried a drink on the specialty menu that had me curious for a while: the beerlini. It is a pint of any of the beers on Brewsters' menu topped with peach bellini, which is sweet and has peach schnapps. I have had many a beer at Brewsters and numerous bellinis, but never thought of mixing them together. So, I ordered a beerlini with the Original Lager as the base. On my first sip, I tasted the bitterness of the beer first, with the peachy sweetness finishing off the flavour. The bellini made the drink extra cold - I could really see myself going for this in the summer - and got sweeter the further down the glass I went. Next time though, I would pick a less bitter beer like the Flying Frog or Wild West Wheat Ale.

Bavarian Turkey Dip at Brewsters

I went out for supper this week with my brother to the Meadowlark location of Brewsters. I tried a menu item I have been eyeing for a while: the Bavarian Turkey Dip. Served on a pretzel bun, thin slices of turkey breast is piled high with tart cranberry sauce and mayo. I held the provolone. The dip part was the turkey gravy to the side. It was one of the best turkey gravies I have ever had: thick and flavourful without being too lumpy or spicy. It also went well with the fries I had to the side.

Braised Beef Short Rib

Braised Beef Short Rib, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I haven't been to Brewsters in a while, so when I saw some changes on the menu I was excited - especially when I noticed the braised beef short rib.

The rib was a huge slab of meat (two, actually) in a red wine reduction on top of horseradish mashed potatoes, with fresh roasted vegetables. The meat was perfectly prepared, with the red wine reduction penetrating into the potatoes. Using horseradish as a flavour within the potatoes was a nice break from the garlic mashed potatoes that seem to be on menus these days.

This is a really wonderful dish that I look forward to having again.

Bar Snacks at Brewsters

Gyoza and Bavarian pretzel at Brewsters. #yegfood, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

After a performance over the weekend, I needed some beer and food, but was not in the mood for a full meal. At Brewsters, I had a pint of craft beer with a Bavarian pretzel and gyoza - Japanese dumplings filled with chicken and vegetables. I am glad the Bavarian pretzel was brushed with herbs and served with beer mustard for dipping, because the pretzel itself would not have had much flavour otherwise. The Gyoza was similarly bland - the sweet chilli sauce helped. I think next time I will go for chicken wings.

Pub Grub: Chicken Strips at Brewsters

Chicken strips at Brewsters #yegfood, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Chicken strips (or fingers, if you prefer) are my favourite pub or bar food. Brewsters has an excellent take on the dish, with strips that are extra crispy and solid white meat. $14 may seem a bit steep, but you get five large strips and a mountain of fries.

Another unique aspect of the meal here is the dipping sauce. You can get generic sweet chilli sauce if you prefer, but my choice is the Hammerhead beer dip. There is just no other dip like it. I also like to get gravy for the fries - very rare of me to do so, but I like the gravy at Brewsters a lot.

The fries are not as thick and crispy as they used to be. They are now more along the lines of the shoestring variety.

This is the perfect dish to pair with one of Brewsters original beers.

Leprechaun Pie

Leprechaun Pie, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I don't usually have dessert after having supper out, but this evening I decided to treat myself and my guest to a slice of Leprechaun Pie at the Oliver Square Brewsters.

The mint pie is not overly strong, but sweet and cold (the pie is frozen before serving), with a creamy consistency. The chocolate drizzle and chips offset the mint flavour very well. This is Brewsters signature dessert and it is excellent.

Gurvinder's Butter Chicken

Gurvinder's Butter Chicken, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

On Saturday, a small group of us headed to Brewsters for post-rally food and libations.

I finally tried Gurvinder's Butter Chicken, which has been on the menu forever - long before other mainstream restaurants included a butter chicken. I recalled when a group from my former church used to go to Brewsters for lunch after services, and several of them would order it, week after week.

I was not disappointed. The flavours penetrated deep into the many pieces of chicken breast, amongst a rich, creamy sauce. The basmati rice was perfectly cooked, and while not authentic, the garlic naan was perfect for scooping up those last drops of sauce.

This dish went well with my blueberry beer and I would definitely order it again..

Alberta Beef Tacos at Brewsters

Alberta Beef Tacos, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

It has been a while since I ventured to Brewsters. Several of the new menu items intrigued me, particularly the beef tacos.

Two large soft taco shells were packed with pulled short rib meat, on top of a bed of coleslaw and topped with sweet caramelized onions and cilantro. There were a lot of flavours going on here, particularly sweet with heat, accentuated by the addition of the pico de gallo on the side.

The fries went well with the meal, but I think something like a southwest style salad with corn and beans would have elevated the dish to another level. That said, the tacos were filling and delicious.

Grilled Chicken Breast - Brewsters

Grilled Chicken Breast, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Brewsters is a regular stop for me, as there is one near where I live. Plus, I find their craft beer to be amongst the best I have ever tasted. After a long day of road trips and photography, Brewsters was the best way I could think of to unwind. I opted for the teriyaki grilled chicken, which was served with a corn salsa, basmati rice, and vegetables. The plate was warm, which helped retain the heat of the meal. It has been pointed out to me that many establishments serve hot food on cold dishes, thus compromising the temperature of the food.

The flavour combination was almost perfect, except Iwould have loved for a little more teriyaki sauce to go with the rice. I mixed in some of the salsa, which helped save it from dryness. The chicken breast was large and grilled to perfection, as it was quite juicy. As for the vegetables, I applaud Brewsters for using cauliflower instead of broccoli, which I also like, but is over-used by most restaurants. The beets were just soft enough without being overcooked and added bright colour to the plate, especially once I cut through them and unleashed their juices.

I paired my meal with a blueberry beer, which is a wheat beer topped with fresh blueberries. The flavour of the beer complemented the flavours of the dish very well.

Service, as always, was wonderful.