"Not Pot Pie" at The Moth (9449 Jasper Ave.)

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"Not pot pie" filled with vegetables in a crunch whole wheat crust. Deceptively filling. I am glad I ordered the half avocado to lighten it a bit. The iced cashew chai is my new favourite drink. #yeg #yegfoodie #yegeats #yegfood #plantbased

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Sep 9, 2018 at 10:54am PDT

"Not pot pie" filled with vegetables in a crunch whole wheat crust. Deceptively filling. I am glad I ordered the half avocado to lighten it a bit. The iced cashew chai is my new favourite drink.

Brisket Pot Pie at Brick and Whiskey

Brisket pot pie with grilled zucchini and garlic mashed potatoes. The crust was divine, with a filing full of shredded brisket - I just wish the filling to crust proportion was a little more even. The potatoes were very garlicky, so if that’s how you like them, you’re in luck. Comfort food, and a huge portion of it. #yeg #yegfood #yegfoodie #yegeats #nofilter #brickandwhiskey #potpie

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Jun 24, 2018 at 1:58pm PDT

Chicken and Mushroom Pot Pie at District Café

Chicken and mushroom pot pie #yegfood #yegeats #foodporn

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Nov 15, 2017 at 9:02am PST

An organizational meeting brought me to District Café a couple of weeks ago. I figured that in addition to coffee, I may as well have lunch. I had a chicken and mushroom pot pie, which was extremely fresh because the baker had just made another batch. While the size did not seem large, it was deceptively dense (but in a good way). The flaky, buttery crust enrobed the chicken and mushroom filling, with a side salad to lighten things up. This is comfort food at its best.

Festival Food: Interstellar Rodeo

I attended the Interstellar Rodeo music festival for the first time last weekend, as I was covering the event for a couple of publications. Like at most of Edmonton's festivals, food played a role. Food trucks were organized in several areas in the ampitheatre in Hawrelak Park and included some food choices that were new to me in this sort of venue.

The vegetarian chili pot pie with a corn bread crust from The Pie Eatery was the perfect combination of spicy and sweet. The zesty, rich chili was balanced by the sweetness of the crust. There was some cheddar in the crust making it non-vegan. Interesting, The Pie Eatery is operated by the same people who do Smokehouse BBQ.

No festival is complete for me without some kind of fried potato. In this case it was the crisps from Drift. The combination of seasonings on the thin chips was definitely a step up from simple salt. The dipping sauce was also incredible - I could do shooters of it.

Speaking of potatoes, the roasted ones from Kitchen by Brad (Brad being local chef Brad Smoliak) were small, tender, local, and delicious. A great alternative to fries. The generous dollop of sour cream added creamy richness.

The Mercury Room brought vegan fare to the fair (sorry about that - I couldn't resist), and the perogies were a hit. I had the potato-filled ones (mushroom and sauerkraut was the other option), which were served atop a bed of greens and covered in vegan sour cream, fried onions, and sauerkraut. As someone who generally does not like sauerkraut, this was fresh and not overpowering. The "sour cream" was the best part - it definitely did not taste like sour cream. It was more like a non-dairy tzatziki, but it added needed moisture to the dish.

I went back to The Pie Eatery for something sweet. The pecan pie proved they know what they are doing. Pecan pie is not just pecans on top of a butter pie. Here, the pecans were integrated in a filling that included raisins and chocolate. I just wish I had a stronger fork - mine was too flimsy to stand up to the dense filling and hearty crust.

Filistix was offering a variety of rice bowls. I had the green lentil vegetarian bowl, which also featured a variety of vegetables atop rice, with their signature slaw. I had a half portion and it was large enough. The full portions were simply huge (and also rather price at close to $15). The bowl was filling, flavourful but not spicy, and definitely a healthy option. Although I normally love the slaw, I actually did not think it went well with the flavour combination in this case.

For a light supper on the Sunday, I had the chaat papdi from The Spice Rickshaw. Crispy samosa strips covered in yoghurt, red onion, chutney, and seasonings. Very flavourful, and very wet. I thought the serving could have been larger for the price ($7) but it was refreshing.

I ended where I began: The Pie Eatery. Their tarts of mini-versions of their sweet pies, and I had a chocolate peanut butter one. The centre is thick, gooey chocolate, while the peanut butter is baked into the soft crust. A win if you are a fan of this combination.

Mushroom Pie at Cafe Blackbird

Cafe Blackbird is located in the Crestwood neighbourhood where Jeffrey's Cafe was located for many years. Cafe Blackbird has kept the wine bar, redone the interior slightly, and totally revamped the menu. The small menu of sandwiches and salads are featured on a blackboard, along with the soup of the day, the savoury pie of the day, and a few other items. A variety of baked goods are in a display case. The menu was developed with help from Culina and the coffee from Iconoclast Coffee, as well as other local businesses. There is still live music, and the place has a neighbourhood charm to it. A sandwich will run you about $9 while a soup and sandwich combo is $14.

I had the featured pie, which was creamy mushroom. It was small and rich, with lots of mushrooms in a flaky pastry. I did not realize from the description on the blackboard that there would be cheese in it - this was a problem for me. It was also served with sweet chutney, which I did not understand flavour-wise in context with the pie. I also found the price to be a little high given the small size of the pie. The best part of the meal, for me, was actually the coffee. It was fresh and aromatic. I would definitely head back here for a coffee in a heartbeat. As for the food, I hope in the future there is more of a selection and that the descriptions are better presented.

Pub Grub: Chicken Pot Pie

I had supper at Sherlock's on campus last night following the World Cup final, and ordered a chicken pot pie to help me drown my sorrow after Argentina lost to Germany. Served in a deep bowl, it had a lot of potato and chicken chunks with peas in a creamy sauce - definitely comfort food. The crispy, flaky top crust was perhaps the best part. My friend kept digging his fork in to share the goodness.

Pub Night: Guinness Beef Stew

Guinness beef stew pie at Canadian Brewhouse, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I did not actually intend to have supper in a pub this evening, but The Canadian Brewhouse was directly across the street from where I had to attend an event. I decided on a pint of Strongbow and the Guinness beef stew, which was served in a deep bowl with a pie crust on top, cleverly branded with the word Guinness and decorated with a Canadian flag on a toothpick. The stew was full of large chunks of sirloin and potato (including the skins), in a rich Guinness broth. This is one of the best pub pies I have had, including ones from "English" and "Irish" themed places.

Steak and Mushroom Pie

Steak and mushroom pie #yegfood, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

A quick lunch at the downtown Sherlock Holmes Pub on Rice Howard Way in between events on a busy afternoon. The Steak and Mushroom pie was more like a stew or soup - a hearty one at that - with a large piece of puffed pastry instead of bread. There was a lot of meat, potatoes, and mushrooms.

My main complaint was that the service was a bit lacking. Despite the fact the majority of the lunch crowd had cleared out, after being ignored for at least five minutes we had to get up to get our own menus, which finally caught the attention of our server. The rest of the meal went relatively well.

Heritage Festival 2012: Cornish Pastie

Heritage Festival 2012, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

The Cornish Pastie, found at England's tent, was one of my favourites from last year. It reminded me of a beef pot pie, with lots of liquid, veggies, and bits of meat.

This year's version is radically different, and quite disappointing. The ground meat is almost absorbed by the amount of dough within, which is dry. There are a few vegetables here and there. The look and texture of the pastie was not very appetizing. It was grey, and, to put it in English terms, quite stodgy.

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I have been spending a lot of time at Wild Earth Cafe lately (85 Avenue and 142 Street). Most of the time, I am drinking coffee. However, on Saturday I ventured there for lunch after a long hike through Buena Vista Park after attending the Silver Skate Festival.

I was quite hungry, indeed. I ordered a chicken pot pie ($8) and enjoyed the densely packed chicken and vegetables that were housed within the tasty crust (which I wish was a bit crisper on top). Unlike many pot pies I have had, this one did not have a lot of liquid in it, making it quite substantial for a small pie.

But like I said, I was quite hungry, so alone the pie was not enough. Fortunately, Wild Earth sells a number of salads and soups which go well as a side dish. I'll get to that in a moment!

Ricky's Christmas Menu: Turkey Pot Pie

Turkey Pot Pie, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Ricky's All Day Grill introduced their Christmas menu this week. My friend and I were the first to try it at the St. Albert location.His turkey reuben sandwich was thick with turkey, corned beef, and sauerkraut, accompanied by a mountain of fries. He was happy.

I had the turkey pot pie. It was served in a ramekin, topped with filo pastry. I was surprised there was stuffing under the pastry. Although the combination of pieces of turkey, vegetables, and potato in a creamy broth was nothing to complain about, the portion was a bit on the small side. The side of salad or soup was also diminutive. I opted for the soup, which that day was bream of potato - it went well with the pie's stuffing.

At. $8.99 it's not a bad value - just don't be overly hungry.