Beef Schnitzel and More at Bistro Praha

Tonight’s dinner: pickled herring, tomato onion salad, and Wiener schnitzel. #yegfood #nomnom

A post shared by Paula E. Kirman (@livingsanctuary) on Oct 25, 2017 at 5:58pm PDT

Bistro Praha is one of my favourite Edmonton restaurants. Alas, I do not get the opportunity to come here as often as I would like. A gift card and a farewell dinner for a friend brought me back, and I spent the evening enjoying European comfort food. I had an appetizer of the rolled pickled herring. Served with a generous dollop of sour cream, the portion brought me back to the Saturday afternoon lunches of my childhood. My main was the Weiner Schnitzel: a thin slice of beef in a crunchy, breaded coating. I ordered the half portion and am glad I did - the one schnitzel literally spanned across my plate. A full portion has two. The small scoop of fresh potato salad provided a flavour and texture contrast to the schnitzel. I opted for the tomato and onion salad which comes with mains, served as a starter. The tomatoes were so juicy and flavourful from being marinated, and the onions were sweet. This was a meal that satisfied all of my senses.

Vegging Out: Veggie Sandwich at Friends and Neighbours

I returned to Friends and Neighbours Cafe (10834 82 Avenue) yesterday for another late lunch. This time I tried the veggie sandwich, which included a load of soy bacon, spinach, avocado, and tomatoes with red pepper spread on a toasted whole wheat bagel. The sandwich was not exactly as described: the menu said there was also grilled tofu, and made no mention of the red pepper spread, but the soy bacon was plentiful and the spread worked overall to bring the flavours together. For my side I picked the hash browns, which are really more like home fries. A note to vegans: the bagels and buns used for sandwiches at Friends and Neighbours are pre-buttered (margarine, actually). However, I could not taste it and would not have known about it at all had I not asked. Still, this may be an issue for some of you, so I thought I should mention it.

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.

Tacos de Res o de Higado

Tacos de Res o de Higado, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Mamenche's (10831 101 Street) has been on my list of restaurants to try for some time, dating back to when it was still located on 97 Street in Chinatown. I finally had lunch there last week and was amazed at the friendliness of the service and freshness of the food.

This was my first foray into Salvadoran cuisine. I opted for the Tacos de Res o de Higado, which are two tacos in a fresh, soft corn tortilla with diced steak, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and avocado. The flavours blended perfectly. It was light, refreshing, and delicious.

I look forward to my next visit!

Breakfast for Lunch: Omelette at Three Bananas

Omelette at Three Bananas #yegfood, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

I have often had coffee or a snack at Three Bananas, but never breakfast. This changed last Saturday when I was in the Churchill Square area for an event, and decided to seek nourishment first.

My Greek omelette was modified without feta. The combination of avocado, red onions, and tomatoes worked well. The onions were sweet and the tomatoes added moisture and were very fresh. The avocado was a little over-rip, unfortunately. The thick slices of toast made me not miss any potato component of the meal.

Flavourful Focaccia

Focaccia #yegfood, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

As someone who spends a lot of time in Little Italy, I love heading to Spinelli's Bar Italia at the north end location of the Italian Centre for a quick nosh. For a number of months I have been enjoying the focaccia with black olives and ripe tomatoes. This week, I tried a new variety, with green olives, capers, and sun dried tomatoes. The flavours of the capers and green olives complemented each other perfectly (I feared together they would be too salty, but they weren't), while the sun dried tomatoes added a smokiness that added balance.

Persian Pleasure: Sabzy

Queen beef and chicken kebabs #yegfood, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Saturday was spent at several event on Whyte Avenue and included lunch at Sabzy Persian Grill.

I had a Queen Kabob platter. It was a long kebob of beef and chicken served with saffron rice and grilled tomatoes. The chicken and beef were done to perfection.

Although the portion was deceptively huge, I opted for a double kebob portion - the second kebob was a choice of chicken, ground beef and lamb, or vegetable. I had the chicken, which was the equivalent of a thick breast in chunks, juicy and seasoned. There was a symphony in my mouth.

I also tried the Lamb Stew, which was tender and aromatic. The bowl was filled with meat, herbs, and kidney beans.