felix the hound's Profile
new to very west edmonton/anthony henday
Rice Paper has good Vietnamese food with a bit of a pedigree, served in a""nontraditional" atmosphere ( e.g. no formica tables and incongrouos music) on nice modern plates and bowls. For instance the grilled lemon grass chicken tastes like the chicken you could find round Edmonton some years ago before Vietnamese food became more mainstrean. The pedigree bit is that the owners were or are related to the original owners of Than Than ( which since has become a popular westernized oriental restaurant with Vietnamese overtones) -Worth a try.
Private Dining/Restaurant Rental (Edmonton)
We had good experiences at Murrieta's on Whyte Avenue and at Packrat Louie's celebrating some important birthdays. Murrrieta's has a nice private room for up to 35 people, we had cocktails and canapes at the bar and then a sit down dinner in the room. At Packrat Louie's we took over the room to the left of the entrance, where the bar is , the space is good for up to 40 people and it worked out very well, allowing for mingling before and after dinner.
Depending on your budget, Blue Pear is an excellent option, if your guests will appreciate and enjoy that type of food. The Dish and the Runaway Spoon would be a more mainstream option.
Promising addition to Edmonton's West End: VIVO
We have been meaning to try Cibo and Corso 32 as well. We spent a week in Florence last October and both restaurants look like the best local options in terms of similar regional italian fare. Now that fork fest is over these might be our next two dinner outings
My wife was at Corso 32 for dinner after it first opened and found the music too loud, and they refused to turn it down ( "The chef likes it that way" was the response) .It must be his pub pedigree. But I have prepared and enjoyed some of his recipes posted on their website, without music.
Have you tried Marcella Hassan's recipe for bolognese? It is a staple chez nous,together with her veal ossobuco.
Best Pho in Edmonton?
Bon Bo Hue is my favourite Vietnamese soup and I tried it at Trang Tien last Wednesday. here is post
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/814562
Updates on Vietnamese restaurants in Edmonton
I tried the Trang Tien for the first time last Wednesday. I ordered the Bon Bo Hue even though I read somewhere that the original cook had moved on. The soup bowl looked good when it came to the table, nicely arranged with a cabbage mound, and the broth was good but overall it was unremarkable. The noodles were a bit overcooked and lacked texture, the one meat ball i bit into was hard, and the temperature was not as hot as it should have been when first served. Certainly not the best Bon Bo Hue in Edmonton as advertised.
I might go back and try their vermicelli bowls but the prices on the menu look high when compared to Ninh Kieu and Golden Bird.
Promising addition to Edmonton's West End: VIVO
Thanks Bob Mac
How does it compare with Cibo and Corso 32?. Has anybody been to all three?
Tell me your favorite downtown Edmonton lunch spots!
A similar request received 23 replies three months ago.
Check http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/813150#6892680
Best chinese resturants in Edmonton
We were there a couple of times in 2011, it is Shanghai food, good quality "home style" cooking, a good alternative to the Cantonese fare that is prevalent in Edmonton. And they also have a Gueilo menu. I think it was cash only but I am not sure.
In search of great Vietnamese, Chinese, and Latin in Edmonton
I agree with anonymoose.
I tried the new the Century for Dim Sum in the last year and have no reason to go back, even though it is conveniently located for lunch. For the same price or less you get much better quality at Delicious Delicious.
There is no "Great" ( Vancouver /Richmond level) Dim Sum in Edmonton. Golden Rice Bowl and Cha for Tea still have the better Dim Sum in town with GRB being slightly better most of the time.
Urban China was just OK the last time I was there. And Emperor's Palace does nothing for me
In search of great Vietnamese, Chinese, and Latin in Edmonton
I read elsewhere on this board that the best Bon Bo Hue has migrated from Trang Tien to CoDo Hue on the northside - together with the chef
Has Jack's Grill improved with the new ownership and Chef?
A slow braised lamb shank can be sublime comfort food in a wintry Edmonton night. But it wasn't at Jack's yesterday
Fork Fest provided us with a low risk opportunity to sample the "new" Jack's , the current version of Jack’s Grill, an establishment that in its last years had been coasting on its reputation as one of the top eateries, a reputation established in the last century, soon after it opened in 1989.
We ordered the fixed price menu, starting with mussels with chorizo, followed by braised lamb shank with corn bread and vegetables, and with toffee pudding for dessert.
Temperature was an issue with the whole meal (except dessert) and I am not talking about the room. The mussels were tepid and unremarkable, their flavour overpowered by the smokiness of too much chorizo. The bread in the basket was good but it was slightly cold as if it had been recently been thawed sitting on the kitchen counter.
The braised lamb main looked good on the plate, with all the right colours: a nicely browned whole lamb shank flanked by a yellowish corn bread muffin, a miniature carrot, half a golden beet and a stem of broccoli. But the flavour was missing. The barely warm lamb was cooked long enough and “fell off the bone”, but it tasted flat, one-dimensional, and had no aroma. The vegetables were crisp but cold and the corn bread muffing was spongy. It was a rather underwhelming execution. The food was the junior partner to the inexpensive and assertive Argentinian Malbec we had ordered.
The toffee pudding desert was cloyingly sweet, and the crispy cookie, while providing some texture contrast, was even sweeter. The best part was the scoop of popcorn ice cream, sprinkled with tiny apple dice, which helped clean the palate.
The room is still nice, the service was competent, but the food reminded us of why we prefer to keep Jack’s Grill as one of our favourite memories, not restaurants.
(Note- Ryan Hotchkiss seems to have replaced Michelle DeLand as Chef)
Has Jack's Grill improved with the new ownership and Chef?
I have noticed the prices have gone up, has the food followed?
Tres Carnales - Edmonton
Tres Carnales is an excellent example of the best qualities of an owner operated food establishment. I hope that if they decide to expand they 'll figure out how to maintain the quality. So far Mikado has managed to do it, but Kyoto which was a gem when it first opened has failed miserably to do so.
Just in case I recommend you try it soon
Praise Cheeses! Good cheese in Edmonton/Alberta
Italian Centre, Hellas ( off 124th street) , and Costco are good sources for cheeses that are not "local". Planet Organic carries some artisanal style cheeses. And I think I ve seen some Salt Spring Island cheeses at Save On. Paddy's is overpriced , but the only place where I have found some French cheeses like Comte
Beer Can Chicken Stands for Purchase - Edmonton
I remember seeing them at Barbecue Country at 5682 - 75 Street NW Edmonton,
(780) 469-9970. You might want to call first.
Paella rice
Just as important as the saffron is the rice. The capacity of the rice to absorb liquid is key to the flavour and it is the factor that determines the suitability of rice for paella.
In the same way the amount of starch released withouth desintegrating characterizes risotto rice
Paella rice
I checked my cupboard and I found the same Bomba rice. I was at the Italian Centre on 95th last week and the variety of rice on their shelves appears smaller. Gone were the brands of arborio I usually buy as well as the "integrale" version. They did not have the Bomba rice . I hope it is just a temporary stock issue.
Good places for lunch around Jasper and 104 Street , Edmontoin
I tried the Blue Plate Diner yesterday and my chicken club sandwich with spinach salad was good but not good enough to overcome the unrelenting din coming from the open kitchen area. I would try other items in the menu except that the noise level in the room is unpleasant, if not intolerable. . Might be a good option for take out .
Good places for lunch around Jasper and 104 Street , Edmontoin
Thank you all, I'll eat my way through all your suggestions eventually.
By the way, Fantasia is closed and there does not seem to be a decent place for Vietnamese downtown ( at least south of 104th avenue and west of 97th)
YEG Pho
I think the current Ninh Kieu is underrated. The quality of the ingredients is always good and there is a good variety of items on the menu which are well executed.
And it is owner operated, which is always a plus. The owner/cook used to be sous chef at The Dish ( and the runaway spoon)
Paella rice
"paella rice"... includes Bahia, Balilla ( Calasparra), Bomba, and Senia. (Read more of this snippet here : http://www.cooksinfo.com/paella-rice#ixzz1diykJ0nQ
All I have seen at the Italian Centre ( on 95th) were arborio and carnaroli, which some people use as substitutes.
Dinner near Edmonton Delta South
Good choice. Corso 32 is one of the very few restaurants in Edmonton comparable to good restaurants in Toronto and Vancouver.
Where to buy kecap (ketjap) manis in Edmonton?
If that's the case, Ben's Meats on Stony plain carries products from Holland and its former colonies.
Birthday dinner in Edmonton
Ethnic food is the best value in Edmonton.
Have not been to Bul Go Gi house in Edmonton in years, but another good option (for the future) is the Ninh Kieu Vietnamese restaurant . We often go there for the vermicelli bowls and appetizers like mango salad, and see large groups dining . I second Sai Woo as well although Ninh Kieu is less hectic .
Updates on Vietnamese restaurants in Edmonton
Do you have any updates on the Vietnamese food scene in Edmonton?
Are there any new restaurants worth noting (e.g. the one accross from Ninh Kieu in the old Hoang Long location) or existing ones that are overlooked or have not been reviewed recently ( e.g. Trang Tien accross from the old Mirama)?
Good places for lunch around Jasper and 104 Street , Edmontoin
Thanks Fergie. That is a good update and answered a lot of my questions.
I did the chowhound thing and tried Sankyu (good in a pinch) and "I Love Sushi" . ILV reminded me of what Kyoto was like when they first started and had only one location. It is better that Sankyu to Go and Kyoto nowadays. Mikado is still the edmonton benchmark for me.
I checked the menu posted outside the Hat and it seems to be more of a burguer place than its previous encarnation
Have you tried Boun Thai on 107 street?
