Lunch at Share at the Westin

A colleague and I were staffing a table at a conference recently at the Westin Hotel. We decided to lunch at Share, the hotel's restaurant, for convenience's sake. We had missed breakfast, but were able to take advantage of the fixed price lunch menu, which included coffee, a main, and a dessert for only $15.

Corn fritters on guacamole. #yeg #yegfood #yegeats #foodporn

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Feb 10, 2018 at 5:42pm PST

To start, we decided to share an order of corn fritters. Crispy and slightly sweet, the warm maple vinaigrette went well with them, as did the guacamole, which was a surprise. An interesting flavour profile, but it worked in a Southern kind of way.

Avocado toast three ways. #yeg #yegfood #yegeats #foodporn

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Feb 10, 2018 at 5:44pm PST

We both had the avocado toast three ways, which led to jokes about why this meant we would never have nice things. Jokes aside, the finger-sized toasts were piled high with avocado, as well as three different toppings - smoked salmon (my favourite), caramelized onions (with feta, that I held), and tomato with balsamic dressing. A heaping pile of arugula was on the side.

Crème brûlée. #yeg #yegfood #yegeats #foodporn

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Feb 10, 2018 at 5:42pm PST

Our dessert was the creme brûlée, topped with some fruit and garnished with a small biscotti. The top was perfectly crispy and not burned. It was a great end to a great meal.

Lunch at Tony's Pizza Palace

A business lunch brought me to Tony's Pizza Palace last week. I had not had their bruschetta in ages, so I decided to start off with a half order. I soon realized I could have made this my lunch. The portion is quite generous, and delicious: crispy baked dough with a topping of tomatoes and seasonings.

I did not know that ton'y had a special lunch menu. I ordered a chicken and salad dish, which featured one large, juicy breast infused with flavour, breaded and baked in the oven. On the side was a garden salad tossed in Italian dressing (what else?) and a warm bun. At around $10 it was a very good value. I don't normally like salad on the side, but the addition of black olives kept the flavour interesting, as well as the fact that it was tossed entirely in the dressing.

Breakfast For Lunch: Tutti Frutti

Although the name could be confused with the frozen yogurt chain, Tutti Frutti Breakfast and Lunch (169 Street & 107 Avenue) is also a chain. Like Cora's, it originates in Quebec and the menu is very similar in many respects. There is a huge variety of French toast, crepes, egg dishes (which can be served with anything from wieners to fried bologna to baked beans to ham and bacon), and lunch specials, including a basic hamburger. The atmosphere of the restaurant is a lot more mature than Cora's, which is something I appreciated. I went for the VIP Breakfast, which includes a crepe, two pieces of French toast, and a mountain of fresh fruit on top. On the side I ordered the home fries, because they looked so wonderful in the menu pictures, and a fruit cocktail as my drink.

The fruit cocktail was like a smoothie without the dairy. I could just feel the freshness of the fruit, with a texture that was not too thick. Very refreshing. My breakfast plate was huge. The French toast was sweet with just a hint of cardamom or all spice or something to give it a slight kick, in a pastry sort of way. The crepe was thin, plain, and benefited from the syrup on the table. The fruit went perfectly with everything, and I loved how seasonal fruit like plums and nectarines were included, not just grapes and melon.

As for the potatoes: for less than $3 we got a rather substantial plate of pan-fried, seasoned, sliced home fries. Because they were pan fried instead of deep fried, the texture ranged from soft to crunchy, which I quite like. I look forward to having these with an omelette or burger on my next visit.

Lunch at the Hotel Selkirk

I head to Fort Edmonton Park at least once or twice a year. It is my favourite outdoor attraction in the city. I love riding the train and streetcar, seeing the interpreters in period dress, exploring all of the old buildings, and learning more about Edmonton's history.

I visited the park today and had lunch at the Hotel Selkirk. I've consistently been underwhelmed by the food here, but it's nicer dining there than in the Masonic Hall cafeteria.

The chicken and corn chowder is an original hotel creation that is excellent. It is thick, full of tender chicken and corn, and the corn chips add colour and crunch. If they offered a meal-sized bowl I would certainly order it.

The fish and chips featured two crispy pieces of cod and beefsteak fries. The fries were of the frozen variety. The accompanying tartar sauce tasted like Kraft's, and the coleslaw was fresh and tangy. I am always amazed when restaurants don't make their own fries and tartar sauce (especially a more upscale establishment) because neither is difficult. Overall, the meal was adequate though nothing special.

I also found the service to be lacking. We sat for quite a while after our meal was completed before I finally had to go over to a server to get the bill. Service was good until that point.

Eugene Onegin Opera Brunch

I love brunch - when I have time, it is my favourite thing to do on Saturday mornings. And although I love the arts and music, I have never been to the opera.

So, I was thrilled when I was invited to join the Edmonton Opera for its Eugene Onegin Opera Brunch at the Sutton Place Hotel on April 7.

The brunch is one of the diverse ways the Edmonton Opera presents the art form to audiences. It is part of a quarterly series for Opera patrons to enjoy a meal while listening to performances by cast members of the forthcoming production. In this case, it is Tchaikovsky's romantic Eugene Onegin. This production is notable as it is one of the few Russian operas the Edmonton Opera has presented.

As a result, the food had a Russian and Eastern European theme to it. Along with traditional breakfast items like eggs benedict and sausage (although in this case the sausage was turkey), there were Russian dumplings, cabbage soup, beet salad, three cheese tortellini, roast chicken in a mushroom and sour creme demi-glace, blinis (thin pancakes), and several other salads.

It was quite an unusual assortment of foods for an 11 a.m. meal indeed. Quite frankly, if served later in the day many of the items would have made a fine supper. That being said, the food was well prepared and the staff extremely helpful and friendly. I had to make a couple of inquiries into ingredients and was promptly given the answers I needed so I could make the right selections for my plate.

First, I had a mimosa, which was absolutely spectacular. I wish I had gotten the name of the champagne being used, because it was very resonant with the orange juice, without being overpowering. The coffee being served was also excellent - I drank mine black, which is rare for me.

Of the food I sampled, I enjoyed the roast chicken the most. Moist, tender, and carved, the sauce was deep and delicious. It went well with the has browns, which were sliced, pan fried potatoes that were lightly seasoned. The rice was a little watery for my taste, probably a victim of the steam tray. I especially liked the cold beet salad with walnuts - the beets were soft and flavourful, and the creamy dressing brought all of the components together very well.

The only two items on my plate that were slightly traditional were the turkey sausage and blinis. I liked the sausage well enough - someone at my table commented that they did not taste much different than the pork variety (I would not know). The blinis were slightly sweet and quite spongy. I like the flavour but found them hard to cut as a result of their texture. Finally, a cup of cabbage soup certainly felt Eastern European to be eating, although it was basically a beef soup with lots of cabbage.

By the time I hit the dessert table, I was already quite full yet tempted by the choices of cheesecakes, layer cakes, mousses, fruit, and pastries. I settled on a small croissant, which was flaky and melted in my mouth. I also had a small danish, which I think was strawberry under its lattice topping. Of course, I could not resist a serving of the decadent chocolate mousse.

Slightly earlier than indicated on the program, the performances began. Cast members from Eugene Onegin performed short selections of Eastern European opera, particularly from Dvorak, Bartok, Rachmaninov, and Tchaikovsky. I enjoyed the variety of songs and their brevity allowed for a substantial program in a short span of time. For me, these "bite-sized" portions of opera were an excellent introduction to seeing the art form live.

I was tempted to head for a piece of Oreo cheesecake after the performances were complete, but I was utterly stuffed. This was the final brunch of the season. Next season, they will take place at the Petroleum Club.

Many thanks to the Edmonton Opera for a delicious and entertaining experience!

For my full photo set from the brunch, click here.

Breakfast for Lunch: Chicken and Waffle at The Sugarbowl

Chicken and Waffle, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Enticed by a recent episode of "You Gotta Eat Here" on I headed to the Sugarbowl for its famous Chicken and Waffle brunch item.

I don't usually consider chicken to be a brunch item, but this take on a southern dish would be satisfying at any time of the day. I loved the chicken's breading in particular. My only wish is that is was more crispy. The maple butter, while delicious, was a bit too generously poured over the two juicy breasts. I would have preferred a more reserved drizzle, perhaps with some more to the side for dipping.

Speaking of the side, that is where the salad should have been (like it was presented on television). Putting it between the breasts and waffle made for a warm, wilted mess. A tasty mess, though, with the maple butter as dressing.

Presentation flaws aside, this was definitely a meal to remember - and I will be back for more.

Breakfast for Lunch: Pulled Brisket Eggs Benny

Pulled Brisket Eggs Benny, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

An impromptu visit to Ricky's for lunch led me to order off of their special diner menu.

The pulled beef brisket eggs benny was a feast. Two large slices of a bun (not an English muffin) were piled high with sauteed onions and peppers, fried onion straws, a mountain of pulled brisket in a sweet barbecue sauce, and finally topped with a poached egg. I opted for my chipotle hollandaise sauce to the side and could not finish the minted fruit that came alongside.

The flavours of all of the different elements of the benny came together perfectly. The fruit added some lightness to the dish - hashbrowns would have been impossible to deal with. This meal is a real winner and I hope Ricky's keeps it on the menu.