A Mensch and a Benny at Rooster Cafe and Kitchen

“The Mensch” with gravlax. #yeg #yegfood #yegeats #foodporn

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Mar 3, 2018 at 12:08pm PST

I loved Artisan, and was sad when it closed. However, life moves on and it was time to try Rooster, the new restaurant in its place. The interior has not changed that much, which I found comforting. The servers were extremely friendly. Rooster's menu is unique and has a large selection of bagels with house-made cream cheese and different kinds of smoked salmon. I went for the "Mentch" which was a bagel, cream cheese, and choice of smoked salmon. Served on a wooden tray, you assemble your creation yourself, which also comes with capers, red onions, and tomato slices. I'm not big on cream cheese, but the lemon dill version I chose was very flavourful. I had the lemon coriander gravlax, and fond the flavour to be a bit subtle, but enjoyable. Overall it was a good, light lunch and paired with a glass of freshly-squeezed orange juice, very satisfying.

Rooster Benny with smoked salmon, poached eggs, a bagel, and potatoes. I had the hollandaise to the side. #yeg #yegfood #yegeats #whyteave #foodporn

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Apr 18, 2018 at 5:46pm PDT

On a lunch trip during the week I had the Rooster Benny. Thin slices of lemon coriander gravlax were artistically laid atop a perfectly medium poached egg, on a bagel with crispy breakfast potatoes on the side. I had the hollandaise to the side as well, into which I dipped a few potatoes. It was creamy and had a mild dill flavour with a hint of acidity. A very decadent dish.

Smoked Salmon Biscuit Sandwich at Lock Stock Coffee

Discovered Lock Stock Coffee yesterday and had an Americano and biscuit sandwich with lox. #yegfood #yegcoffee

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Sep 17, 2017 at 12:52pm PDT

I discovered Lock Stock Coffee while on Jasper Avenue looking for a place to grab a cup of coffee and maybe a quick bite, on a Saturday afternoon. Thanks to the signage, I headed down, looked at the small menu, and ordered an Americano and one of the biscuit sandwiches. My Americano was brought to me first, and it was very good. Deep, rich flavour. The sandwich had lox, arugula, pickled scallions, and dill cream cheese on an herb and cheddar biscuit. I normally don't like cream cheese, so if it is flavoured it had better taste strongly from the flavour - and indeed it did. The richness of the cream cheese paired perfectly with the fresh lox and bitterness of the arugula. I also normally don't go for cheese biscuits, but this one was so fresh and flaky, with little crispy hints of cheddar. I thought at first $8.50 was a lot to pay for a small sandwich, but it was deceptively rich and filling. The staff were very friendly and I liked the vibe of the place. I am definitely coming back!

Mushroom Soup at Zocalo

I have been having lunch and snacks at Zocalo more often, since it is conveniently located near work. The bagel and smoked salmon is my favourite sandwich there and one of the only times I eat cream cheese. I have not tried many of Zocalo's soups, but went for the cream of mushroom because that is my favourite. Zocalo's take on it is rich and creamy, with just a hint of garlic. And, lots of mushrooms. Excellent cold weather comfort.

Bagel and Lox at Block 1912

Smoked salmon bagel - a nice, Jewish brunch. #yegfood, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Block 1912 is my favourite place to go for coffee on Whyte Avenue. However, other than an occasional basked good, I have never really had a meal there.

For a light Saturday lunch I had the smoked salmon bagel (minus the cream cheese - yes, I know that is sacrilege, but I am a woman of unique tastes. And lactose intolerance).

The fresh, lightly toasted multigrain bagel made the dish filling. The lox was of good quality and the portion was quite reasonable. I love tomatoes on a bagel and lox, although the red peppers were a bit strange. The capers added some zest to the over all flavour, and I even ate a few onions - just a few, as they were strong.

A basic salad was a garnish on the plate - I would have appreciated a side of a little more substance, like a small cup of soup as I did find the dish rather pricey.

I had a regular coffee as well, and with a tip the meal came to around $15.

Breakfast for Lunch: Omelette With Lox and Mushrooms

Omelette With Lox and Mushrooms, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Today's "Breakfast for Lunch" is my most decadent yet: a fluffy four-egg omelette from New York Bagel Cafe (84 Avenue and Gateway Boulevard) with house-made hash browns, fresh fruit, and a bagel. I opted for multigrain.

Omelettes come with a choice of two fillings, and I went with mushrooms and lox. You can never go wrong with lox and eggs. The mushrooms were sliced portobellos - fresh ingredients really do make all the difference.

Add a house coffee (which is like a latte, except you pour in the steamed milk yourself), and you have one happy and full Paula.

An important note: this is a small cafe that gets very busy on weekends. There is usually a lineup, and once you get a table, quite a wait for the food, which is one reason a handout explaining the concept of "slow food" is given along with the menu. I waited close to an hour for my meal but was prepared with a book and writing materials. Nor was I in a hurry to get anywhere else after. Be patient - the food is worth waiting for.