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

Melting Pot on a snowy, winter night

Last night, me and Raeanna finally made the point to head to the Melting Pot and nothing was going to stop us.











Fondue a la France
Baby Brie, Fontina, Gruyere and Raclette cheese accented with Nueske's bacon, onions, white truffle cream and fresh chives.



Sides: Granny apples: which was the best combination ever. It balanced the cheese so well without the dry taste of the white wine.
Assortment of breads and veggies: Also quite good, however the bread just magnify the dry taste of the white wine.



Salade Nicoise (or their version of it)
Containes haricots verts, tomatoes, hard-boiled egg, and nicoise olives topped with a tangy shallot vinaigrette. I like the freshness of the salad and the olives, and the shavings of beet. However branding it as a Nicoise Salad is sad, there was no tuna, and there was just a lot of extra ingredients.







Fondue Fusion: Cold Water Lobster Tail, Filet Mignon, Peppercorn-Crusted NY Strip, Chicken Provencal, Roasted Garlic Shrimp, Wentzel Farms Duck a l'orange, Ratatouille & Goat Chesse Ravioli and Fresh Vegetables



The Last 4 bites.... some down points: the duck a l'orange, the chicken provencal, and the coq au vin cooking style. The duck with the orange citrus taste was just a bad combination, the orange taste was too overpowering, the chicken had too much pepper and the because of all the red wine in the coq au vin, all the meat came out the same color and flavor wise was just one note. Raeanna clearly did not like the third course, because essentially it was just hot pot, white style.





Yin and Yang Chocolate Dessert Fondue



Plate of marshmallows, pound cake, brownie, cheesecake, strawberries, pineapples, bananas.
The highlight of the night. HMMMMMM

Famoso Saturdays

Last Saturday, I went out to lunch with Raeanna before heading to work. We met up at Famoso downtown location. It was a surprise when I entered, I had no idea it was so causal and so small. It was like a upscale, very upgraded version of a fast food restaurant with service.



My Nutella Mocha ($4)
Really rich and just full of yummy Nutella flavor, but be warned: this is a dessert treat itself!



Sandwich and Soup Combo: Small Prosciutto Arugula and Fire-Roasted Tomato Bisque Soup ($10)



Pizzetta and Caprese Salad ($13.75)
Raeanna got the Quattro Formaggi pizzetta which surprisely, was able to finish her soup, salad and small pizza for our lunch date. I could barely finish my sandwich.

Hardware Grill/Pre-Birthday Dinner

So this evening, I met up with two friends and we had a nice dinner at Hardware Grill. The atmosphere was comfortable and warm. We were probably the youngest party in the restaurant this evening, and I was probably the youngest person! We ordered a bottle of Riesling from Germany, and all of us agreed it held out quite well all night. But I was probably buzz halfway through the appetizer. I was happy when we could still order from the Early Grazing Menu even though it was one minute passed 6:30pm, and even happier when all three of us all ordered something different which means more pictures to be taken!!











My appetizer: Pepper Crusted Rare Ahi Tuna with Warm Provençale Tomato Tart, Wood Smoked Tomato Vinaigrette and Aged Balsamic.

I really like the ahi tuna, there were some non-crushed peppers on top which added a neat change of texture and a very strong pepper profile. The tuna was yummy and it was a good portion size and fun to share.



Ben's appetizer: Blue Crab Cakes with Chipotle-Lime Aioli & Corn Relish.

When Ben saw they had crab cakes, his appetizer was decided. I usually avoid crab cakes because of a bad experience before, but the ones Ben had ordered was a pleasant surprise. It was warm and smooth and creamy. HMM



Erika's appetizer: Feta-Terranean: Roasted Peppers & Portobello Mushroom with Chèvre Feta, Tomatoes, Rocket Pesto, Balsamic Syrup & Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

I loved how the colors came out on Erika's dish, even though how the dish was plated suggest something else... Anyways, she too enjoyed her dish, roasted vegetables with warm cheese inside.



My main: Truffled Mac ‘n Cheese with Baby Lobster & Shiitakes mushrooms.

I was surprised how big my bowl was, I was afraid I couldn't finish it either. It was very good but also very rich too, mainly because of the strong truffle flavor and the cheese. It was fun finding the baby lobster bites and the shiitake mushrooms which cuts the richness a little bit.



Ben's main: Hand Rolled Butternut Squash-Mascarpone Tortelloni with Truffle Butter Cream Sauce & Fresh Chanterelles.

Ben really like this dish, I would too from the bite I took. The squash was sweet and smooth and works well with the rich sauce.



Erika's main: Bison Carpaccio Chèvre Noir, Truffled-Potato Salad & Cold Pressed Organic Hemp Oil.

From the bite I took from Erika's plate, I must have tried hemp oil before because, I swear I tasted in some asian dish before. The carpaccio was quite thin and along with the crispy fries or chips it added the right amount of salt and texture.



My Dessert: Salted Caramel Crème Brûlée with Cinnamon Doughnuts.

This was some good crème brûlée, the custard was warm, creamy, and rich in caramel flavor and it was under a hard but "crackable" crunchy sugar barrier. I would lick the bowl clean if I didn't have company. hehe. The cinnamon doughnut was also quite good, warm and fresh, it was a "runaway" doughnut.



Ben's Desset: Chocolate-Hazelnut Truffle Cake with Raspberry Gelato and Pistachio Daquoise.

Another of Ben's favorite, chocolate. Though the cake had a very tough, unbreakable coating, the cake was very rich and soft. I guess that's why Ben had to ask for coffee to accompany his rich cake.



Erika's Dessert: Warm Prairie Gingerbread Cake with Rhubarb-Saskatoon Compote, Mango Ice Cream and Warm Caramel Sauce.

When her dessert came out, we both knew there was no way she will be able to finish her plate. Her cake was really, really warm and was perfect with the warm caramel sauce. But I think her most favorite part and the only reason she got the dessert in the first place was the mango ice cream and it did not disappoint her.

I was really glad and happy to share a meal with friends, it nice to not work, enjoy good food and wine and have some laughs inside a cozy and nice restaurant on a freezing cold Edmonton evening.



Hardware Grill
9698 Jasper Avenue Northwest
Edmonton, AB T5H 3V5
(780) 423-0969