Breakfast for Lunch: Two Eggs with Smoked Salmon

Two Eggs with Smoked Salmon, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Almost a year has passed since I dined at Murietta's on Whyte Avenue. As a special treat, I went here on the weekend for brunch prior to an International Women's Day event.

The brunch menu has been incorporated onto the lunch menu and now consists of only about a half dozen items: a number of eggs benedict, and two eggs with bacon, hash browns, grilled panini, bacon, and tomatoes with olive oil and basil. I opted for the latter, substituting the bacon with smoked salmon.

The results were amazing, My eggs were cooked perfectly to order, with some tasty crispy areas. There was much more smoked salmon than I anticipated, and while not a huge tomato fan, these were delectable.

The hash browns had both regular and sweet potatoes, and were a little on the greasy side (with some of the sweet potato cubes slightly undercooked). This was the only criticism of an otherwise fantastic meal. The coffee here is excellent also.

Sablefish at Murrieta's

Sablefish at Murrieta's, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I love certain kinds of fresh fish, and was excited to hear about the sablefish special at Murrieta's last weekend. It was cooked in a light crumb coating atop a sweet piece of cornbread, surrounded by roasted vegetables with just a bit of a spicy kick to them. The fish was cooked to perfection: hot all the way through, but so moist and fork tender. The coating and corn bread worked really well together, while the vegetables added colour, moisture, and texture to the dish.

Dinner at Murrieta's

I was excited to have supper on the weekend at Murrieta's. I was in a vegan state of mind, so opted for the quinoa saute, which was a deep dish of the delectable grain with roasted vegetables, lentils, and chickpeas, finished with olive oil and herbs. The flavours blended very well and all of the protein in the chickpeas and lentils really filled me up. I especially liked how the tomatoes added moisture to the dish.

A healthy main course made me feel less guilty about having dessert. The flourless brownie was so rich, it was almost like eating a chocolate bar, except gooier. The ice cream added moisture and the berry compote was a little too sweet - it was already a sweet dish.

Breakfast for Lunch: Murrieta's

Eggs with smoked salmon #yegfood, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

A couple of weeks ago on a busy Saturday, I took time out to enjoy brunch at Murrieta's on Whyte Avenue. I have had supper here a few times, but never breakfast.

I had the basic two eggs and toast dish I normally get at all of the chain places where I have breakfast. This was definitely the champagne and limousine version. The potatoes were hand cut and fried to perfection while the organic grain toast was so excellent, it was almost the highlight of the meal. And I was given two slices instead of just one!

The eggs were wonderful. Locally sourced, they were cooked to perfection and the flavour and yolk colour made them quite distinguishable from their factory farmed counterparts.

I had smoked salmon as my additional protein (bacon, sausage, and other choices were also available). The portion of it was reasonable. So was the price - at around $10 it was delicious and affordable.

Steak Dinner at Murrieta's

Sirloin steak and mushrooms. #yegfood, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

For the second week in a row, Murrieta's was the place for supper on Whyte Avenue.

I had an eight ounce sirloin steak, served with mashed potatoes and vegetables. I opted for the wine reduction sauce (bearnaise was the other choice) - it was very rich and went well with the meat. I was also drinking red wine, which tied everything together nicely.

My steak was cooked to perfection and bursting with grilled flavour. Adding another level of richness was the side of sauteed mushrooms. This is definitely a meal I would want again for a special occasion. If another apocalypse is scheduled, I would also consider it for then.