Review: Next Act Pub

I had heard many about “Theater Sports” down at the Varscona Theater, and though it sounded like a fun new thing to try. I bought some tickets online for their weekly show, Friday at 11:00. 11:00 is kind of an awkward time for anything to begin, so I thought, what can we do for an hour or two before a show. Obviously good eats and good drinks was the most obvious option. So, in the spirit of the Theater, and the inspiration to try a new place, we went to the Next Act Pub on the corner of 104 Street and 83 Ave. The pub was small, but luckily we found seats. It was Friday night, so unfortunately it was a little loud for regular, sober communication. Good thing I always speak above proper room volume. The clientele was something I also noticed. Everyone was a little older, and looked more refined than the usual Whyte Avenue Friday night crowd. This I liked, mostly because I can appreciate a pub that’s devote to food, drink and good conversation.

The Menu, both food and drink, looked amazing. Diverse, yet comfortable choices, and most importantly, burgers. I will definitely return again to explore the other components of the menu, however, that night I chose the “Class Act” burger, very fitting if I do say so myself. Mr. D order the Macaroni and Cheese with the additional bits of bacon and jalapeno’s. To drink, we ordered a pitcher of Steam whistle. Probably not worth it as it was just less than 3 pints, and a single pint cost 6$. There were some really  nice beer choices, however, not as deep and diverse as you’ll find at Sugarbowl.

The Burger included cheddar cheese, bacon, and an overeasy egg. The egg was cooked perfectly which allowed the delicious yolk to flow throughout. mmmmm. The Patty though, was seasoned so perfectly. The meat was juicy and cooked very nicely. I consider myself someone who knows a good burger as it’s my favorite food and I’ve consumed far too many in my lifetime, and I can easily say, this was one of the best I have ever had, ANYWHERE! damn. I’m craving it right now.

Mr. D ordered the Mac and Cheese which was baked and steaming hot as it arrived at the table. It was creamy and not overly rich, and the bacon bits were, well, bacon bits so delicious. The Jalapeno’s were a nice touch, however, they were really hot and overpowered a lot of the other components in the dish. If you can handle them, they’re great, but next time we’ll sans the Jalapeno’s.

Overall the meal was delicious, hot, and fresh. The ambiance was great, the menu tantalizing, and the servers friendly. I would absolutely recommend the Next Act to everyone! Whatsmore, they have a foodtruck on the way this summer people! Here’s the website if you want more info,  http://www.nextactpub.com/.

The Creperie

The Creperie, Downtown Edmonton.

From the website verbatim, typos and all:

The Creperie is a unique affordable French Style Restaurant. Voted “Most Romantic Restaurant”, the Creperie’s atmosphere is cozy and warm with its small intimate rooms and flickering candlelighT.

The Creperie is a perfect destination for all your “celebrations of life” whether it be just for 2 or 20 and more.

Enter 4 Highly esteemed University faculty members of discerning academic and culinary opinion, 2 Professorial candidates, and 1 mild-mannered American PhD student.

Rule #1 of blogging: Know your audience. Company shall remain nameless, save for an honorable mention below. On to the review. Sorry for the lack of pictures: an obvious failed attempt in discreet snobbery.

The ambiance of The Creperie, designed with the intent on achieving the self-proclaimed title of Edmonton’s Most Romantic Restaurant,  falls short of wooing it’s clientele. The experience would likely be different for an actual couple dining out, but the illusion of intimacy is unfortunately mistaken for cramped spaces. Yet, I hardly think dining in a closet qualifies as romantic, but oddly reminiscent of teen trashy romance novels in the 90′s. Customer service note: Don’t cram 7 adults into a booth when the remainder of the restaurant is completely empty.

However, what The Creperie lacked in environment, (read: space) it made up for in the culinary aspect. A surprisingly limited wine list (for a romantic french style restaurant) forced our resident sommelier/teen-heart-throb/mad scientist Dr. Michael Kennedy to make quick work in selecting a fine ‘middling’ wine for the evening; an Argentinian Malbec that was tasty, yet not impressionable enough for any of us to remember the label.

My first entrée selection was Escargots a la Chef ($12.5), narrowly edging out the steak Tartare (although after having such stellar Tartare at Accent, (see review), I knew I was setting myself up for disappointment. The Escargots were nicely done, set in the traditional 6-shooter terrine, and prepared with garlic, onions, spinach, cream, on mushroom caps baked with hollandaise. Accompanied by French Bread with herb butter, it was a nice lead-in to the Main Course. Of course I much prefer Escargots de Bourgogne- Burgundy Snails, (A specialty I discovered at Tapenade in La Jolla, CA).

My main entrée was the Breast of Duck ($29) cooked medium, with reduced pomme granite-blackberry juice compote, with rice and steamed vegetables. The meat was cooked nicely, I would prefer it to be cooked slightly more rare, but was too hungry to send it back. Loved the strong fruit of the compote, and the salty-crispy skin of the duck made it a delightful meal.

Around the table,  my compatriots had probably ordered equally enjoyable food, as the conversation tends to die down when the food is exceptional, in my experience. (One fellow diner was thoroughly enjoying her Virgin California Salad.) I was too consumed with my own culinary descent to notice. Of note was their gluten-free menu which Docteur Kennedy took full advantage of, ordering a Creep Jambalaya that clearly did not disappoint. (no, not a typo).

Third and final course was the Crepe Caribbean ($7.5), holding dark-rum soaked bananas topped with chocolate sauce, fresh whipped heavy cream, and toasted coconut. A fitting end to the meal.

While I applaud the execution of the food, service and environment left much to be desired. If I were to judge a restaurant by food alone, this would receive an A. However, the apparent lack of serving experience, haphazard waitstaff, and mis-timed serving (tip: serve everyone at the table at once, even if it takes a bus-boy or two. Making hungry people wait for others to get their food makes for an uncomfortable situation). One could argue that I’m nit picking here, but good French restaurants take pride in their cuisine, and the back manager should trickle down this lesson for future parties.

Overall grade: B-

Bigvinnysd

http://www.thecreperie.com

111, 10220 103rd Street NW

Edmonton, AB T5J OY8

 

PS: If you’re looking for a nice crepe, quick and friendly customer service, go see Gill at Crepe Symphony on 101A. Ask for the Chicken-Mushroom Crepe ($7). Literally steps from the Central LRT station. Don’t worry, full review soon.

Langano Skies

Any of you regular readers know that I have a real passion for authentic Ethiopian food. First time was on New Years Eve in Downtown San Jose a number of years back with some close friends- wonderful atmosphere, and you know if you’re the only non-Ethiopians in the joint, and not playing cards or dominos or smoking cigarettes, you’re in the right place.

Since then, I’ve attempted to find the really great hole-in-the-wall type places, in San Diego: Muzita Abyssinian Bistro (definitely not hole in the wall, on Park Ave in Uni Heights) is a jazzier, very clean varietal of these restaurants, site of one of the first non-date date that I had with Claireadaire back in the day. (other great Ethiopian places: Awash, Red Sea, etc… look it up, this is an Edmonton blog, after all!)

But I digress: Langano Skies, I believe one of the highest rated places on Yelp and Urbanspoon for the Edmonton area. Pretty conveniently located on the corner of Whyte Ave and 99th St, you might miss it if you drive too fast, and certainly will have a little trouble finding parking. PS from the University, the 7 bus will take you right to 99th (along with other Bonnie Doon and Capilano bound buses, the 4)

Ok: Jumping right into the review: A very ravenously hungry pair of international students go to an Ethiopian restaurant. Sorry Matheus, I forgot to tell you that this food, and generally the wait, is longer than normal.

No such qualms when the food came out though. We ordered Yemisir Kik Wot (bottom right, lentils), on suggestion from our waiter, Yegbeg Wot (lamb, top right), Siga Tibs (steak cooked in butter and jalapenos, bottom right)

Immediately what strikes you about Ethiopian food: the scent is powerfully seductive. Now once you regain the other senses you realize, wow this is a ton of food. Also, where are our utensils?

Don’t be silly. The staple of Ethiopian food is Injera, a fermented flat bread (my best estimation is a sourdough crepe) Cut into strips and rolled up. You rip off a piece and you pick up the pieces of meat or vegetable from a family style plate (which is also served on a huge piece of injera).

Close up of Siga Tibs. I wish they had made it spicier, but upon Matheus’ request, a little milder taste made all his enjoyment. Can you tell he liked it? In a word, Delicioso!

In My quasi-expert opinion? I’m really disappointed they don’t offer Tej (Ethiopian honey wine) which is really the best part. Other than that, great flavors, I really wanted to try the Kitfo, especially since I was still on antibiotics so little chance of food poisoning (Kitfo is steak tartare in berebe, spiced butter). So, barring from the fact that they didn’t have Tej, and the less than stellar lentils, I think that this place does quite well in the meats. If this was in SD, it wouldn’t break my top 5, but considering it is Edmonton:

Grade B+

Take the plunge! Go a little out of your comfort zone, eat with your hands, connect with your food! This type of cuisine is SO much fun to interact with friends, great conversation. If you have a few hours, go with some good friends and enjoy the experience.

Bigvinnysd

@LanganoSkies

http://www.langanoskies.com/

Da Capo

Da Capo Cafe:

On a lazy Sunday afternoon, still itching to find the best pizza in town. I’d heard 2 recommendations echoed- One, Fomoso’s, I’ve reviewed earlier. The other Neapolitan style pizza in town is found across from Sugarbowl and Highlevel Diner.

Here we go: Decor seems to be picked straight out of an Ikea catalogue, down to the tiles on the wall. Not really a bad thing. Clean, nice concept. However a common, but unvoiced complaint, is the layout of the restaurant lacks flow- if the restaurant is even half full, you’ll have to navigate a maze of people, chairs, and barstools.

Nice selection of beers, still on medication so have to forgo specific libations. No restriction on caffeine though. I went with the standard double americano, as is my usual test for coffee houses. Not bad, bold, certainly the perfect accompaniment to a icky day outside.

 

Nina ordered a latte… Which came in a tumbler? Can anyone explain this? The latte, apparently, was ok. But wasn’t hot for very long. Still defies logic why this was preferred over ceramic.

Order up: Nice selection of items on their menus, good variety in appetizers and pizza toppings. I opted for the goat cheese stuffed dates and roasted almond with balsamic vinaigrette reduction (~$7). Should have opted for the proscuitto wrapped variety:

Nina went for a little lighter fare: Prosciutto Crudo Di Parma e Mozzarella ($8), which was simple in preparation. Nice flavor, well aged proscuitto, but would have appreciated a little olive oil, fresh cracked pepper, or balsamic, none of which were offerred.

I was starved. So I ate the whole pizza. Almost. Pizza Di Rocco: ($14)tomato, mozzarella, house made spicy Italian sausage, roasted red peppers, fresh rosemary. The last slice:

Certainly like the crust better than Fomoso’s, at least it isn’t soggy in the middle. Decent pie, I’d say. Underwhelmed by the toppings, slightly too acidic sauce, but nice herbal flavors, especially with the fresh rosemary.

Too early to tell, as I’ve only eaten at both places once now, but I prefer Fomoso’s for their enthusiastic customer service, and overall experience. The service here was surprisingly slow for being fully staffed and not at customer capacity: My friend Pierre waited 30 minutes to get the same thing Nina ordered. They actually forgot his order, unapologetically.

Somewhat lacking attention to detail,potential problems parking, serving lattes in glass (???, unless that is some italian tradition that I’m not aware of). Nice location, as it’s quite walkable from the university (109th St). If you are craving a great cup of coffee, skip this place and go 2 blocks South to Transcend (review coming). Don’t come here (Da Capo) if you’re in a rush, but at least give this place a try. And as always, when you do, please drop me a line.

Overall grade:  B-

 

Bigvinnysd

http://dacapocaffe.com/

@DaCapoCaffe