Fort Edmonton Food Update

Fort Edmonton Park has long been one of my favourite outdoor Edmonton attractions. It reopened this summer after a couple of years of renovations. Some of the new features include the Indigenous Peoples Experience and an enhanced midway. 

The food has also changed from the days of simple burgers and chicken fingers. The menus for the several food places at the park have some similarities, but different price points, with the Selkirk Hotel being the most expensive.

I had the Fort fingers and fries at Kelly’s Saloon. My three fingers were slightly over cooked,and chewy. Otherwise, the buttermilk coating was light and crispy. The curly fries were excellent - crispy and slightly spicy. The garlic mayo dip that came with the fingers also went well with the fries. 

My friend’s smoked meat sandwich was very thick. He enjoyed the side of slaw. The meat looked lean and tender to me. It’s on my list to try next time. 

You can also get an assortment of local craft sofas. I enjoy the Annex brand, especially the tangy, lemony ginger beer. In fact, you can also get actual beer from local breweries. 

Chicken Tenders at Rose and Crown (10235 101 Street)

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Chicken tenders - small, but plentiful. Excellent coating. #yegfood #yegfoodie #yegeats

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Sep 9, 2018 at 10:49am PDT

Chicken tenders - small, but plentiful. Excellent coating.

Breakfast for Lunch: Unforgettable Bowl at Friends and Neighbours

Unforgettable Bowl - chicken strips, scrambled eggs, potato chunks, sautéed onions and peppers. And toast. Too much to eat. #yegfood

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Sep 23, 2017 at 2:47pm PDT

Friends and Neighbours (10834 82 Avenue) is one of my go-to places for brunch, and this past weekend I tried the Unforgettable Bowl, one of the cafes unique creations. Three large chicken fingers were served with scrambled eggs, sauteed peppers and onions, fresh tomatoes, and a base of cubed potatoes. The menu said avocados, but those were not there. The eggs and chicken paired surprisingly well, and the chicken was actually my favourite part of the dish. The potatoes, however, were a disappointment. They were greasy and some had a sweet off-taste as though the oil had not been changed in a while. The result was less than appetizing, and I was unable to finish - a pity, because the portion was more than ample. This is one of those dishes that seemed like a good idea at the time, but the execution does not work because there was nothing tying the dish together, like a sauce. Or, the eggs could have been sunny side up or over-easy, the yolk creating the sauce. I would order the chicken fingers by themselves (or with fries) at a later time, because those were really good.

Chicken Tenders at Ricky's

I met up with my brother and father for supper over the weekend at the 109 Street location of Ricky's. I was craving some comfort food, and chicken fingers (or, tenders as they are called on their menu) is my favourite in such a category. I opted for the regular portion, which was six small to medium sized tenders in a crispy coating, served with my choice of fries, wedges, or chips. I had the wedges, which were also very crispy, hot, and comforting. The tenders (and wings) take up a full page of Ricky's menu - I can definitely see why.

Tandoori Chicken Popsicles at Naanolicious

I stopped in for a quick lunch at Naanolicious on Saturday, in between attending a couple of events and heading to the afternoon jam at Blues On Whyte. I was eager to try a new menu addition: Tandoori Chicken Popsicles. Two freshly fried chicken fingers on a stick were presented to me with Naanolicious' signature dipping sauce and a small cauliflower salad. The chicken tenders were not overly seasoned, with just a hint of sweetness from coconut milk. Really good bar finger food.

Pub Grub: Chicken Fingers and Veggie Plate

I enjoyed one of the World Cup matches at the University location of Sherlock Holmes with friends last week, and needed some food to go with my libations. I had the chicken fingers, which was listed under Appetizers but was huge enough for a meal. Five plump fingers with a mountain of fries. I could not finish - a rare happening indeed.

Later on I did find some room to share a veggie plate, with lots of fresh carrots, peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, and other veggies, along with pita bread, hummus, and tzatziki. The tzatziki had a lot of garlic, and the hummus was very dense - a little of each went a long way. This is a slightly healthier idea for sharing than my first choice!

Chicken Tenders at Hudsons

Chicken Tenders, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I sometimes hang out with a group of friends at the campus location of Hudsons Canadian Tap House. In addition to my Happy Hour-priced beer from Hudsons own label, I had an order of chicken tenders for supper.

Chicken tenders (or fingers, as they are commonly called) is my favourite pub comfort food. So I had been rather disappointed that the previous three or so times I had asked for them, Hudsons was sold out. Finally, I was able to get an order.

It was worth the wait. The four huge (around the length of the palm of my hand) tenders were thick, juicy, and had a delicious crispy coating. I loved the grainy mustard dipping sauce and used as much of it on my fries as I did on the chicken.

I go here mostly for the company, but I am glad I can also enjoy one of my favourite meals.

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.

Chicken Fingers at Santo's

Chicken Fingers, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

It was a dreary, snowy, mid-April day, and I was in Little Italy on business. Not wanting to walk any further than I had to, I lunched at Santo's.

Santo's has draught beer and appetizer specials every day of the week. A small (12 ounce) glass of beer is served with one of the restaurant's appetizers, for one low price of $9.95. Today's special happened to be what I wanted to eat anyways: chicken fingers.

Chicken fingers is my favourite bar comfort food. The three fingers were thick and juicy, served with a heap of crispy fries. What really made the meal was the honey mustard sauce - it was creamy and had grains in it. I found myself dipping my fries in it and ran out before I was finished my meal (note to self: next time, ask for more). The addition of pickled hot peppers on lettuce was an interesting way to liven up the plate a little.

My small glass of Stella was refreshing, and just enough beer for me at this time of the day (yes, there are jokes that can be told here by those who know me, but we'll just ignore those for now).

A full listing of Santo's' appetizer specials are on a board inside the main lobby, and also listed on their website.

Chicken Crispers

Chicken Crispers, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

When I ordered Chicken Crispers as my main at Chili's last night, I thought they would be the restaurant's version of chicken fingers (which happens to be my favourite comfort food). What was presented before me was five large chunks of white, juicy breast meat in a beer batter. It was like eating fish and chips, except this was chicken instead of fish. The huge portion of fries and coleslaw only increased my need to share the meal with my date. I found the fries average, but the coleslaw was superb - I like it fresh! Chicken Crispers takes chicken fingers to the next level.

Comfort Food: Chicken Fingers, Fries, and Salad

Chicken Fingers, Fries, and Salad, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Chicken fingers is one of my ultimate comfort foods. Breaded, deep-fried strips of breast meat makes me happy.

I ordered chicken fingers at Avenue Pizza for supper yesterday evening. I received three huge strips of chicken, a mountain of fries, and a small sald on the side, which came as a surprise. The salad wasn't just lettuce either, but a mix of greens. It was a nice contrast to all of the fried food on my plate.

Unpretentious, not too greasy, and filling, this chicken fingers meal was indeed very comforting.