Alberta Beef Tacos at Brewsters

Alberta Beef Tacos, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

It has been a while since I ventured to Brewsters. Several of the new menu items intrigued me, particularly the beef tacos.

Two large soft taco shells were packed with pulled short rib meat, on top of a bed of coleslaw and topped with sweet caramelized onions and cilantro. There were a lot of flavours going on here, particularly sweet with heat, accentuated by the addition of the pico de gallo on the side.

The fries went well with the meal, but I think something like a southwest style salad with corn and beans would have elevated the dish to another level. That said, the tacos were filling and delicious.

Getting My Fry on - Five Guys

French Fries, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

An impromptu trip out to Southside Common made trying the new Edmonton location of Five Guys an easy decision.

The completely white and red decor (including the washrooms!) was a bit disconcerting for me. Boxes of peanuts to much on while waiting for one's order were all over the place.

The menu was very limited - a selection of around five burgers, a few hot dogs, and a couple of vegetarian sandwich-type items. Burgers could have many toppings added to them for free.

As my stomach was a bit out of sorts, I opted to only try Five Guys' other specialty besides burgers: fries. Regular or large, they come either Five Guys style or cajun.

My regular order of Five Guys fries was a meal in itself. I was full after eating what was in the cup alone - in addition, a healthy portion was dumped into the bag. A portion which is typical in and of itself for other places as a small order. Wow. The fries were excellent, hand cut with skin. I did not find them too salty either.

Beside me, the cajun fries were coated in spice, while the cheeseburger being consumed was huge and dripping with toppings. When I return, I will opt for a small burger, as the regular contains two patties - far too much for me to handle, along with fries, which I will refuse to forgo!

Grilled Beef Vermicelli at Ho Restaurant

Grilled Beef Vermicelli, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

The last few times I have visited Ho Restaurant (corner of 97 Street and 107A Avenue) I have enjoyed the pho. This evening, I decided to try something different.

I opted for vermicelli bowl with grilled beef. The size and price of the bowl was in line with other Vietnamese restaurants in the area, at around $9. The noodles were plentiful, atop a bed of salad, and topped with lots of thinly sliced, well-done beef. The beef was a bit on the spicy side for a plain grilled beef bowl, and tasted heavily of lemongrass. It got to be a bit too much towards the end of the meal.

Also, I learned something important: although there are soy sauce containers on the tables, what is inside of them is actually fish sauce. I don't care for fish sauce, which is traditionally served with a vermicelli bowl, and opt for soy sauce and hoisin instead. So, my lesson was learned the hard way. It would have been even harder for someone with a seafood allergy.

I am probably going to stick with the pho at Ho - and suggest to the owner that the fish sauce be labelled.

The Pho Files: Pho Ga at Ngu Binh

Pho Ga, a photo by raise my voice on Flickr.

Lunch today was at Ngu Binh (15620 95 Avenue). I opted for the Pho Ga (chicken pho), in part lured by the menu description of chicken breast.

The broth was chicken instead of beef, which made for a lighter texture. It had fewer layers of aromatics than the beef counterpart (at least, the last time I had it), but it was a deep, rich chicken broth. The fried onion bits dominated a little (I have no idea why those are often used in pho ga).

The chicken was mostly fresh, white breast meat as promised. And there was plenty of it.

Overall, this was a very satisfying bowl of pho, and while I prefer the beef-based variety, a nice alternative.