Dining Week Success

Last week was Edmonton's Downtown Dining Week, finally a valid reason for me to hit some restaurants and try their menus. I only went to two restaurants: Niche and Tzin, because I was thinking on behalf of my wallet and not my tummy. But both were successes and with great food, and conversation what more can a girl ask for?

Wednesday night, me and Erika headed to Niche. I went for the 5 course for $50 and hers was the 3 course for $25.





Yellow Lentil and Braised Pork Soup

We both ordered the soup, it was a very generous portion of a big bowl of soup. The texture of the lentils along with its color reminded of this Chinese dessert pudding I ate while growing up. However it was very savory and hearty and a great way to start the meal.



Spring Creek Beef Carpaccio in a Dijon Sauce finished with fresh Parmesan



Antipasto Plate: Prepared Meats and Cheese served with complimenting condiments and preserves



Erika's main: Confit of Brome Lake Duck with Golden Mashed Potatoes and Lemon Thyme Gravy

Her duck was so tender and falling off the bone, I'm pretty sure she enjoyed the dish very much.



My main: Maple Sage Brown Buttered Salmons with Golden Mash Potatoes

Usually I don't like my meat with a sweet sauce. But after I was done with this dish, I used my knife to wipe the brown buttered sauce off my plate until there was no more. Maybe it was the brown butter sugar that enticed me but it really worked all together and gave a different and tasty element to a simple dish.



Erika's dessert: Salted Caramel Brownie with Honey Lemon Cream

Though good, it was rich and heavy after the meal we just had. The salt was also very noticeable and made a sharp contrast of flavor when usually there should just be a hint of salt.



My dessert: Chai Masala Spiced Bundt Cake

This dessert surprised me, the chai worked great in this cake and it just me wanting to finish every last bite.


Niche
11011 Jasper Ave
Edmonton, AB




------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's been too long since I visited Tzin and I missed the warmth of the restaurant and the delicious food the place offers. And when I found out they had a dining week menu, I knew it was one of the places I had to make time and money for. It was a great deal too: 3 tapas for $50. We had 4 people and ordered 9 tapas to share. Not only was there great, attentive service from the staff and owner, the view of the working kitchen and its aroma just added to the evening.

All in all, in was a great night. There was good conversation, laughs and entertainment from the owner himself. Thank goodness I made reservations early, the owner had to turn so many people away throughout the night. They never rushed us to finish eating, I think we spent a good solid 3 hours in there. In fact they provided us with more and attentive service which proves they focus more on quality of serive for their customer than the numbers they bring in. I glad to state it will not be my last time at Tzin.



Wild Boar Pate: served with Grilled Flatbread & Cranberry Chutney



Lobster Crostinis: Lobster with Spanish Onion, Gruyere Cheese and Sauce American



Antipasto Plate: featuring Cheese & Cured Meats



Chicken & Sausage Strudel: In a lightly Smoked Tomato Sauce, Served with Lemon and Chive Aioli

Hands down this was the winning dish of the night! Everyone raved about it and wanted more. Not only is it the perfect finger food to share and fight over but it was packed with taste and texture. The pastry was so flaky and crunchy and with the hit of flavor that came from the chicken and sausage. It was a lot coming from a triangle strudel.



New Zealand Lamb: Grilled & Served with Raspberry Vinaigrette

Little rack of lamb, doesn't it look so cute? It also tasted very good too. Usually I tend to avoid lamb because of its strong smell and distinctive taste, but this NZ lamb was way milder and was very tolerable and tasty.



Creamy Chili Prawns: Pan Seared, Finished with Cream & Warm Chilies

I just love this dish. Perfect prawns and awesome sauce. I would just love a bowl of the sauce and some bread.



Scallops with Chorizo

Hmmm, scallops. The scallops with the tasty chorizo together gave great flavor and texture.



Filet of Beef: Served with Potatoes & Lobster Cream

They were very good potatoes, and the filet of beef was also very tender and smoky in flavor.



Chocolate Cake



Lemon Tart from next door Queen of Tarts


Tzin Wine and Tapas
10115 104 Street Northwest
Edmonton, AB T5J 0Z9

Red Ox Inn

In light of Fork Fest Raeanna and I wanted to take advantage of this awesome dinning opportunity and try some new places. I really like what the Red Ox Inn had to offer for their menu so we headed there. It was a three-course meal at $45.00 from their current menu! (BTW our server told us that their website was hacked into so their menu may be different in person than on the website. Why a restaurant website? No idea)



I love how small and quaint the restaurant is, very dim restaurant lighting which is so bad for my pictures but perfect for a dinner date.







My Appetizer: Creamy butternut squash with creme fraiche and duck confit.

This soup although a bit sweet than I would like was great. Great color, texture and just added warmth to me. The braised duck was the texture and taste of Peking Duck was added a bit of salt to the sweet soup. All in all it was a great pretty bowl of soup.



Raeanna's Appetizer: Golden Beet Salad with Arugula with candied walnuts and pear vinaigrette.

This salad looked so light and fresh, the pear vinaigrette added great tartness to the salad according to Raeanna. I love the little bits of candied walnuts, a added bonus to taste and texture.



My Main: Duck: Grilled breast, butternut squash caponata, crisp risotto cake, red wine reduction

This was a very hearty main. The duck had the perfect crispy skin and fat with a medium rare inside. The Risotto cake just reminded me of the grilled cheese Raeanna had in Prague. But it was ok, since I am not the greatest fan of risotto to begin with.



Raeanna's Main: Char: Pancetta wrapped roast garlic stuffed Arctic Char, chorizo potatoes, and sherry vinaigrette

She enjoyed her dish very much. However the bite I had, I wished there was more pancetta flavor.






Raeanna's Dessert: Individually baked warm chocolate cake served with vanilla bean ice cream



My Dessert: Blueberry and white chocolate bread pudding served warm with creme anglaise

My oh my how looks can be deceiving. This simple cut of their bread pudding was deadly. Warm, gooey and full of blueberry and chocolate flavor it was going to make me over stuffed for the evening.



Red Ox Inn
9420 91 Street Northwest
Edmonton, AB T6C 1Z5
(780)465-5727

Gathering at Allegro

A couple weeks back, I went to Erika's Bday Dinner at Allegro. However, I was terribly sick and could not truly taste what I was eating. Sad I know, the only thing I was able to do was comment on texture. So the following are just some pretty pictures to savor at.








Baby squid lightly floured served with spicy marinara sauce ($14.95)



Chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, garlic, olive oil, white wine and feta cheese ($18.95)



Homemade pasta stuffed with milk fed veal and cheese with mushroom cream and marinara sauce ($17.95)



Breast of Chicken sauteed with mushrooms in a sherry cream sauce with pasta ($24.95)



Combination of shrimp, calamaretti, clams, mussels and scallops, served in white wine sauce, garlic and olive oil ($20.95)

Allegro Italian Kitchen
10011-109 Street
Edmonton, AB
(780)424-6644