Day 13 – Culina Mill Creek (9914 89 Ave), BiBO (9918 89 Ave)

We’ve made it to our 13^th adventure, and it’s a bit of a special one. Christa and I hatched the idea for our 99^th Street Adventures over six months ago. It was one of those ‘wouldn’t it be cool if we actually did this?’ ideas, and I’m happy and proud that we’ve been able to keep it up so long and document it for others to see. The original idea was that we would wrap the whole thing up in style at Culina Mill Creek, the well-known and celebrated restaurant that sits right at the northern end of 99^th street before it descends into the river valley. Well, we may have visited Culina for our 13^th night out, but our adventures aren’t over yet! Since we are still lingering somewhere between Argyll Road and Whyte avenue, Christa and I decided that we would skip ahead to Culina for a very special occasion, her 25^th birthday. The fancy dresses, button up shirts and dress shoes all came out of the closet, as we got ready to celebrate Christa’s passing of a quarter century in style!

For a Wednesday night, Christa and I are looking pretty good. We hop in the car and make our way to Culina, or at least somewhere reasonably close to park. After circling for a while, we find a place about a block away. By the time we walk to Culina, Christa’s feet are already hurting from her fancy shoes, it pains her to be looking this good. Dinner is at 8:30, and it’s only 7:15, which is perfect because it means we have time to enjoy a glass of wine at my favourite wine bar in the city. BiBO is right next door to Culina, in fact, they are both part of the same family of restaurants. BiBO is the smallest wine bar in Canada, it seats only 12 people, and that would be a very cozy 12 bodies. As Christa and I enter, we are greeted by the laughter and chatter of what seems like close friends. The narrow room has a long bar with stools, and one table at the front. We are just able to squeeze into two spots at the bar. Small chat starts almost immediately with the bartender, with the other patrons; BiBO is just that kind of place. You have to be comfortable enough to give up a bit of your personal space at BiBO, as you will be privy to other people’s conversations, and they will be privy to yours. This, however, should not deter one from the BiBO experience, it just might be good to know what to look forward to when you step foot through their doors.

The entire bar is beautiful, it feels like we’ve stepped into somewhere much more cosmopolitan than Edmonton. Dark wood, dim lighting, mostly from candles, a wall of wines and other spirits, and a warmth and intimacy unrivalled anywhere else in the city make up the joys of this tiny wine bar. Since Christa hardly drinks wine and my palate is more accustomed to the $15 and under/bottle variety, so we rely on the advice of our server for our choice of vino. I request something red and full-bodied, Christa requests something white and delicious, and our server obliges. Due to a case of writers block, this entry is being written several weeks after our night out, so the actual brands of wine will remain a mystery, both in this blog and in my memory. What is not lost, however, is the wonderful experience of having a high quality glass of wine whose textures and flavours are slightly beyond my ability to appreciate but completely within the my ability to enjoy thoroughly. We also order an olive tapenade, which is a perfect accompaniment to a night of wine sipping. The pecans in the tapenade provide an unorthodox yet complimentary flavour companion to the kalamata olives. To put it simply, the atmosphere compliments the wine which compliments the food which compliments the crowd which makes both Christa and I as happy as can be. After about an hour of slowly twirling and sipping our wine, we decide to head next door to Culina for our meal. If you are planning a trip to Culina Mill Creek, you would be doing yourself a disservice to not stop in for a glass of wine at BiBO. The two almost go hand and hand; you might even say they compliment one another. Onwards to Culina!

We are just on time for our reservation. Business at Culina tends to be slightly unpredictable, so a reservation is recommended, even if you show up to find only two or three tables occupied. The room at Culina is bigger and brighter than next door at BiBO, but still retains a feeling of intimacy. We are seated in a quiet corner by ourselves, the kind of privacy one can only hope for on a romantic birthday dinner with your sweetheart. Birthdays are also a time for revelatory celebration, so we decide to order another drink. I search the drink list for something with whiskey and choose a Devil’s Manhattan, which adds a cinnamon liqueur for kick; Christa orders a peachy gin cocktail. We also order some spicy fried chickpeas for an appetizer. Our server is a pro; she is casual and informal but informative. Christa and I make a few inquiries about the menu, and she decides on the Moroccan Vegetable Tagine with grilled flatbread. Having exhausted the vegetarian side of the menu, I opt for the vegetarian special, tofu spring rolls with oyster mushroom miso soup. We sit and sip our respective cocktails and make googly eyes at each other while our food is being prepared.

Our spicy fried chickpeas arrive shortly, and we are startled at the enormous meal sized bowl of chickpeas we have just received for a mere five dollars. Our waitress laughs and admits she isn’t sure why the bowl is so huge, that usually the portion is about half the size of the one we have in front of us. A few drinks into the evening and in no mood to complain, we dig into the enormous bowl of spicy garbanzos. The chickpeas are absolutely delicious in their simplicity. It’s a huge bowl of lightly battered spicy fried chickpeas, exactly as the menu suggested. They are also wickedly addictive. After several handfuls, Christa and I have to restrain ourselves in order to leave room for our entrees. After a few minutes of tensely staring at a still-sizeable mound of fried chickpeas, our entrees arrive and we both immediately forget the chickpeas in favour of the beautifully plated food that has just arrived in front of us. The tofu spring rolls are perfectly flaky and complimented by a tangy homemade dipping sauce. My miso soup is more like a miso meal; huge meaty whole oyster mushrooms float in a delicious miso broth with fresh watercress on top. The soup has been adapted enough to set it apart from the small bowls we are so used to in sushi joints, yet still retains the recognizable tenants of the traditional soup. I am amazed by the gigantic oyster mushrooms; they are the most meaty mushrooms I have ever tasted. It is easy for mushrooms to become slimy or too mushy through overcooking, yet these mushrooms retain their fresh meaty texture while absorbing the flavours of the broth. The only downside is that the bowl of soup is so big that I slowly find myself tiring of eating broth and mushrooms; I’m not sure I was ready for such an impressive quantity of brothy soup. Christa’s tagine is equally delicious. It contains an assortment of vegetables (eggplant, red pepper, onions etc…) and chickpeas and is served with a delicious grilled flatbread. The dish is simple but the combination of flavours and spices is perfect. There is so much food that we cannot finish it all. Christa packs up her tagine and we ask for a large to-go container for our mound of chickpeas, perfect leftovers for our long drive the following day. Our bill for the entire night out (BiBO and Culina) comes to about $120 including tip, which is by far our most extravagant adventure yet. Of course though, it’s all worth it for my sweet partner on her 25^th birthday. Culina is one of those places that can impress and accommodate pretty much anyone. If you have a friend that eats at nothing but chain restaurants, take them to Culina and they are sure to be impressed by their meal. If you want to impress your new partner’s parents, bring them to Culina and you’ll be in like sin. I would be hard pressed to find anything negative to say about Culina, it just seems to be one of those restaurants that are doing everything right. So grab your partner/parents/sister/aunt/client or whoever it is you want to impress, and take them out for a wonderful dining and wine experience. Enjoy!

Note: After our dinner, we proceeded to a local watering hole where several of our friends were having a few drinks. Our casual wine and cocktail sipping soon turned into birthday shots of whiskey and jagermeister, which resulted in both Christa and I having the worst hangovers we’ve had in recent memory, which was spent on a 15-hour road trip to visit family in rural Manitoba. The final portion of our evening is not recommended as a part of your dining experience!

Day 12 – Bauernschmaus – 6796 99 Street

This week’s adventure is brought to you by Mike’s usual co-diner Christa, along with special guest, Simone.

You met Simone in our visit to Wendy’s, where she had a taste of her first ever pierogi. She was visiting Canada from Germany on a 6-week internship as a requirement for completing her English degree. During Simone’s visit, Mike and I had been talking about having her as our guest curator to a German restaurant that we knew was coming up on our journey down 99th. It was nearing the end of Simone’s six-week stay, so an adventure had to happen sooner rather than later if we were to get some genuine German insight on our next stop. However, after a weekend trip to Jasper, Mike decided to join his pal for an impromptu drive west. So, with no Mike and Simone leaving in a matter of days, I was forced to make the difficult decision of going this round without my trusty dining partner.

So here we are arriving at Bauernschmaus, German for ‘farmer’s feast’, as I soon find out. As we enter, Simone finds the place immediately amusing and somewhat gaudy. Personally I have a love for the wonderfully tacky, and I feel welcome in the small room. It is surprisingly full and even the empty tables are marked with ‘Reserved’ signs.

I notice that many of the patrons are over the age of sixty which doesn’t surprise me much as traditional German food never struck me as something that the under thirty crowd has dubbed hip. With the place hoppin’ as it is, Simone and I feel lucky to be seated so quickly. It should be noted though, that the quickness with which we are shown our table would not continue through the rest of our dining experience. Shortly after we are seated a young server (possibly the youngest guy in the place by a good number of years) takes our drink order. We each get a beer, as we feel it only appropriate in our German surroundings. The selection is okay, although not at all extensive.

As we peruse the menu, I’m surprised to find the ‘Vegetarian Delight’ amidst the exhaustive selections of pork and veal. As I have only been vegetarian for about six months, I have experienced a fair amount of traditional German food in the past. From my Mom’s homemade rouladen (a bacon wrapped pickle wrapped in beef with some mustard and onion, ie. not vegetarian.) to currywurst and pommes, my encounters have all been very meaty. In fact, talking with Mike about our upcoming German experience, he had made clear his apprehensions regarding the availability of veggie options from a country known for its schnitzel.

Simone and I decide to split the only vegetarian entree, and sample some side dishes. I ask our server if the pasta is vegetarian and he says it is. We order the pasta (nockerl), red cabbage (wiener rotkraut), and buttered potatoes (butterkartoffle).

The salad that comes before our entree is probably the most fresh and flavorful (not to mention quickest) part of our meal. When the entree arrives close to an hour later, it is noticeably lacking in color. With a dumpling drenched in gravy, breaded veggies (cauliflower and mushrooms), and breaded cheese, the plate was an unappetizing neutral shade. The three side dishes arrive moments later and do not look any more promising. The same gravy that covers the dumpling is  drowning our pasta, the brown color makes me nervous, but as the waiter assured me it was a vegetarian dish, I take a few bites. As I said before, it has been mere months since I have last tasted meat and I am ninety percent certain that this brown gravy is not vegetarian. I decide to continue being ignorant to my instincts regarding this matter and take a quick bite of dumpling. I figure, as part of the ‘Vegetarian Delight’ it should be fairly safe. As the waiter passes I grab his attention and ask what kind of gravy is smothering half of our meal. The response? “Probably beef”, he says with a smirk, seeming to know full well that beef, even in liquid form, does not qualify as vegetarian.

I feel kind of insulted by this trickery, and at the same time guilty that I have cheated on my diet. Simone has taken an interest in adopting a more vegetarian diet as well, although admits that it might be tough in her small town of Witten. She too feels slightly angered by the gravy situation. I don’t think the kitchen intended on fooling us, I just think that old-school Germans don’t really understand the concept of vegetarianism. I really should have known better and so too should our server.

So, long story short: Mike’s apprehensions were well founded, nothing at this restaurant is remotely vegan (even the red cabbage contained a heavy dose of butter or shortening of some sort), the vegetarian options aren’t even vegetarian, and aside from all of these things, the food wasn’t even very good. This dining experience was memorable for all the wrong reasons, and I think Simone would agree.

 This is likely the last you will hear from me, as writing is too much like homework. But stay tuned for Mike’s triumphant return and our classy (turned trashy) night out at Bibo and Culina!

 

Day 11 – Billy Budd’s Restaurant and Lounge – 9839 63 Ave

Before we get started on this week’s adventure, let’s rewind about 10 years, to 2001. I was 18 years, old, had just finished high school, and was working at a warehouse picking parts full time. It’s fair to say that a lot of things have changed in the past 10 years, and one of those things is that in 2011 I do not care about professional wrestling in any way, shape or form. In 2001, however, this was certainly not the case. I think my interest in professional wrestling dropped off around 2002, as I became more interested in punk rock and less interested in professional sports or athletics. But in 2001, I was still enough of a wrestling fan that I wanted to see Wrestlemania X-7 on Pay-Per-View. When I was younger, a bunch of friends would each chip in two bucks and we would go to someone’s basement to watch all the big Pay-Per-View wrestling events. Inevitably, a rumble would start and the mom would kick everyone out after a lamp got knocked over. Since these days were long gone by 2001, I knew I would have to find a bar to get my wrestling fix. I called around to a few places, and finally found out that Billy Budd’s was showing Wrestlemania, and it cost 10 bucks to get in. For whatever reason, I didn’t end up by making it out to Billy Budd’s for Wrestlemania X-7 that year. It was the first and last time I ever considered going to Billy Budd’s in my life … until now.

Christa’s depth of experience with Billy Budd’s goes deeper than mine. Her and an ex-boyfriend visited Billy Budd’s frequently, mostly on account of their mexi-nachos, which apparently are top shelf. Mexi-nachos are well and fine, but how would Christa fare now that her choices are limited to the vegetarian side of the menu? Enough with prologues, I guess it’s time to found out.

We pull into the parking lot at Billy Budd’s on a Wednesday evening. Sitting on the southeast corner of Argyll Road and 99^th Street, Billy Budd’s is hard to miss with its gigantic flashing sign out front. Already feeling the future pains of what I imagine will be a completely un-vegan menu, I express hesitation in the parking lot as to whether this is a good idea. Christa’s encouragement and the prospect of a dart board are the only things that keep me going, so we get out of the car and walk towards the front door. As we step inside, I’m blown away at just how huge the place is. There is a large pool and darts section to the left, an enormous area of tables and TVs to the right, and a sizeable area dedicated to VLTs and offtrack betting in the back. The capacity at Billy Budd’s is probably close to 400 people, maybe even more. While Billy Budd’s offers an impressive range of sports, games and gambling, it is apparent that the bar has seen better days. There are a few gigantic sports bars in Edmonton that offer everything you could possibly want in the way of sports entertainment; Schanks on the West End immediately comes to mind. I’ll bet that at one point Billy Budd’s was a pretty awesome place for sports fans, maybe even one of the first really big sports themed bars to exist in Edmonton. But these days, with so many competitors and a building that hasn’t seen renovations in a bit too long, Billy Budd’s seems to have lost their footing against the other sports bars in town. Today, the place feels like a neighborhood pub that is just way too big; this is evident as we walk past the rows and rows of empty tables and chairs to finally find a quiet table near the dartboards. Our table is isolated enough for privacy, but close enough that we can watch the pool sharks do their thing a few yards away. We sit down and begin to cruise the menu for something remotely vegetarian.

I order a coffee and Christa orders a Bloody Mary from our friendly waitress. We ask if there are any house darts, as we are eager to play on what looks like a pretty new dartboard. The pool tables begin to quickly fill up; Wednesdays must be league night at Billy Budd’s. As we look through our menus, we both can’t help but take in some serious people watching as the pool players gather to play, eat and drink. Billy Budds attracts a rough and tumble working class type of crowd. Even though I know playing pool, eating chicken wings and drinking beer are pretty normal activities, they are foreign and fascinating to me. I guess I’ve been hanging out with socially engaged punk rock vegans for so long that I’ve kind of lost touch with the leisure habits and conversational mores of your typical working class Albertan. I distract myself from my pretentious foray into existentialism by trying to decide between pizza, pasta, or mozza sticks.

The menu is pretty devoid of vegan options so we’ll have to work with the vegetarian side of the menu once again. It’s cheap pasta night, which is too much of a bargain to pass up, so we choose the vegetarian lasagna. We also order some deep-fried zucchini sticks to start, and a vegetarian pizza loaf to go with the lasagna. Our waiter informs us that the house darts have gone missing, so Christa and I won’t get the chance to reignite our longstanding darts rivalry tonight.

As we wait for our food, Christa and I chat, and do a healthy amount of eavesdropping on the pool games next to us. After a short while, our zucchini sticks arrive and we prepare to dig into some pub grub not seen since the days of Drifters Lounge. The zucchini sticks are very greasy and hot, to the point where hot dripping oil burns my mouth as I try to bite into one. After they cool down a bit and we can actually taste them, the battered zucchini is fairly flavourless. The sticks have a hint of salty deep fried flavour from the batter, and a side of sour cream helps neutralize the hot greasy oil that coats each piece of zucchini. I can’t say I really enjoy the zucchini sticks, but they offer enough sustenance to keep us going until our entrees show up, which I guess is worth something.

The loaf and vegetarian lasagna are served about 10 minutes later; it’s time to indulge in our feast. I always had this image that a pizza loaf would be a huge crusty Italian loaf cut into two and baked with fresh tomato sauce, vegetables, herbs and cheese smothered all over; our loaf doesn’t exactly live up to my lofty expectations. The vegetarian loaf is served on a 12-inch sub bun cut into two, baked with pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese and sautéed onions, peppers and mushrooms. The mozzarella must be pretty low grade, as it hardly contains any flavour at all. If this is what I’ve been missing by avoiding cheese for all these years, I’ll stick to the much tastier and much more vegan Daiya cheese. The pizza sauce tastes like it came out of a can, while the vegetables provide a bit of texture and crispness to the sandwich. All in all, it’s pretty disappointing. Two orders of pub food in, and both have managed to be bland, uninteresting and way too greasy. C’mon vegetarian lasagna, I’m counting on you! Unfortunately, the vegetarian lasagna also suffers from the complexes that plagued the previous food items. The baked cheese is lacking in flavour and the lasagna noodles have a starchy, almost undercooked texture that is distracting. The sauce is basic and the vegetables are lacking, but the garlic toast is actually pretty darn good. Because we are hungry, we at least finish our meal with empty plates and bellies full. Our bill comes to just over 30 bucks; we pay our server and get ready to leave. We came, we ate, we talked, we drank, we watched, we paid and then we left. I’m not sure why I just took 2 pages to describe our experience when I could have done it effectively in the previous sentence. You have exercised your skills in patience to read this far, only one more paragraph to go!

I think that Billy Budd’s suffers from the same problem that plagued Drifter’s Lounge when we visited it months ago: I’m a vegetarian who enjoys high quality food who is seeking a meal in a place that serves a meat-heavy menu with lower quality ingredients. I’m sure Billy Budd’s is a great place for pub food; I just think that I don’t really like pub food. All of the items that we ate at the two pubs on our adventure so far (we had bruschetta and nachos at Drifters for those who don’t remember) are things that I could enjoy eating, but I would prefer to eat them with things like homemade salsa, fresh basil, and homemade tomato sauce, to name a few. I guess I can’t really give Billy Budd’s a bad review. I can only say that my culinary interests and the food that Billy Budd’s serves are at odds. If you want to enjoy some greasy comfort food and domestic beers in a place where you can watch sports, gamble, and play pool, then you will probably enjoy Billy Budd’s. I, however, am interested in none of these things, so I can’t say that I really enjoyed any of the items I was served during today’s adventure. If my 18 year old self had gone to see Wrestlemania X-7 on that day some 10 odd years ago, chances are I would have drank a few Kokanees, ate a few dozen wings, and raved to my friends the next day about what a great place Billy Budd’s was. In 2011, I think I have experienced my first and last trip to Billy Budd’s. Looking forward to moving on, with my mind always on the next adventure.

Day 10 – Wendy’s Gourmet Perogies – 4532 99th Street

It finally happened. Christa and I had almost given up on Wendy’s Gourmet Perogies. We tried the evening. We tried the weekend. Since Christa works daytime hours, I reckoned we would never get the chance to see just how gourmet Wendy’s perogies really were. But, with a little determination, we were finally able to make it happen. This is how it went down.

Christa and I decided a few weeks ago that since Wendy’s schedule was not accommodating to ours, we would accommodate to hers. I had an upcoming Wednesday off work, so we hatched a plan to make things happen. After a satisfying day-off sleep in, I put my walking shoes on and head out into the bright sunny day. I head south, walking mostly down 96^th and 98^th street, with enough Fleetwood Mac on my Ipod to make the trip just right. It takes me about an hour to walk to Wendy’s, and when I finally get there, I breathe a sigh of relief when I see the lights on and customers inside. Wendy’s is a pretty basic cafeteria-style place, where you order at the counter in the back. Everything in the restaurant, from the booths and tables to the decor, reminds me of a lunchroom cafeteria; evidently, Wendy relies on the quality of her food to bring customers through the door. I approach the counter and Wendy herself gives me a hearty greeting. ‘I’ve got some bacon and cheddar and tex-mex left’ she says to me’. ‘Uh-oh’, I think to myself, as I sheepishly ask her if she has any vegetarian perogies left. Wendy tells me to hang on a second, as she goes to the back to check. She returns and apologizes but says she is out of vegetarian perogies for the day. I meekly say ‘oh okay, well thanks anyways’, as I begin to prepare for the long walk home, empty-handed. But Wendy is not about to give up on me so easily. ‘When do you want to eat these perogies, right now?’ she asks me. ‘No’, I reply, ‘I was hoping to get some frozen ones for dinner tonight’ I reply. ‘WELL WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY SO?’ Wendy chastises me as she leads me to a big freezer at the front of the restaurant. Inside, I find a huge selection of frozen perogies, with plenty of vegetarian options to please. Wendy informs me that she always has a huge selection of her frozen vegetarian perogies available, and to feel free to take my time looking around. Dinner tonight is for Christa, Christa’s cousin Simone and myself. Simone has been living with Christa while she does a 6-week work placement as a part of her English degree in Germany. Despite living just west of Ukraine and Poland, Simone has never heard of or tasted a perogy, so I decide that we’d better get a good selection. I pick out 4 types of perogies: chedder cheese, feta and spinach, cottage cheese, and swiss and dill, as well as an order of cabbage rolls. Wendy asks me how many people I plan to feed with this food. She laughs when I tell her 3. ‘That is way too much food!’ She tells me. She explains that her perogies aren’t the tiny store bought ones we are used to. ‘Well, we’re up for the challenge!’ I reply. She tells me to come back soon and let me know how it went. I like Wendy. She is friendly, helpful, and treats you like an old friend, even if it’s the first time I’ve ever set foot in her restaurant. I haven’t even tasted her perogies yet, yet I’ve already decided I like her restaurant. I leave with 48 perogies, 12 cabbage rolls, and my wallet $50 lighter, and begin the long walk home. On the way, I pick up a can of diced tomatoes to cook the cabbage rolls in, and we’re set. Tonight we will stuff ourselves full of so much dough and cheese, our digestive systems will cry and beg for fiber; I can’t wait!

I put the cabbage rolls in the oven with about an inch of water at 5pm. Wendy has told me they will take about two hours to cook, whereas the perogies need to be heated in the oven for just 15 minutes. At about 7, we put the perogies in, and patiently wait for our feast to be ready. While we wait, I fry up an onion, and put out the Earth Balance and Sour Supreme. We laugh at the irony of using vegan butter and sour cream on non-vegan perogies. The only vegan item is the cabbage rolls; Wendy does not make any vegan perogies at all. I have been eating more and more cheese lately, even outside of our adventures, but I still don’t like the idea of doing it. Adding real sour cream and butter to the amount of cheese we are about to eat is too much, so the vegan condiments are a nice compliment to both my conscience and our bellies. I dump half the fried onions and the diced tomatoes into the pan of cabbage rolls and let it heat up for a bit. After a few minutes, everything is piping hot and ready to eat.

I put two of each perogy and cabbage roll on my plate, and already I can tell that Wendy was right when she said we would not be able to eat all of the food I bought; her perogies are huge! Christa and I decided a few days ago that tonight would be a perogy dinner/Will Smith movie night, so we put on Enemy of the State and sit down to dig into our feast. My friend Greg insists that perogies are flavourless balls of dough that are only made good by the condiments you slather on top (possible misquote), and as we dig in, I realize he may just have a bit of validity in his comments. Even so, the perogies are delicious: heaps of fried onions, Sour Supreme and Earth Balance, and delicious cheesy-potato filling, each one feeling like a barbell in your stomach as your digestive system protests at the gluten-dairy overload. But how much flavour do they actually have? Well, the vote is split on the perogies. The feta and spinach and swiss cheese and dill perogies are great, each having enough of a unique texture and flavour to stand out on their own. The cheddar cheese and cottage cheese perogies, however, do not fair so well, having a fairly indistinctive and yes, somewhat bland flavor. I am not saying that the latter two kinds of perogies are not enjoyable, I just think that they are meant to be enjoyed by people who really like perogies, such as myself. If you’re seeking a more distinctive flavour, I would recommend the swiss and dill or the feta and spinach. If you are just looking for delicious dough, potatoes and cheese with healthy amounts of condiments, then by all means, get them all and enjoy. The cabbage rolls also suffer from a lack of flavour, and are saved by the diced tomatoes and onion, which pair up well with the cabbage and rice. Again, great if you like the bland flavour of cabbage rolls, but perhaps not if your palate demands more. We end up by finishing just over half of the food, leaving about 20 perogies and a few cabbage rolls for the next few days of lunches. Feeling lethargic from our indulgence, we only get about halfway through Wild Wild West when we are all too tired to let Jim West entertain us any longer. Leftovers in the fridge, it’s time for bed. I think 1 ½ Will Smith movies is probably ½ movies too many for one night anyways.

Wendy is good at what she does, and that is making perogies for people who love perogies. Are some of them a bit bland? Yes. Did I still find them delicious? For sure! Having spent some time in Poland a few years ago, I was able to try some really interesting perogies filled with things like wild mushrooms and sour cherry, so it is certainly possible to spice up your perogies with interesting ingredients. While certain flavours like feta and spinach do offer a distinctive flavour, Wendy does not stray far from the tried and true flavours of perogy that you are used to. While I’m sure my friend Greg would not be converted by her perogies, I would recommend Wendy’s for anyone who craves perogies but hates having to settle for the tasteless frozen ones found in supermarkets. If you still have a baba or gido who makes their own perogies, it would probably be best to learn their secrets while you still can. For the rest of us, go visit Wendy and indulge in the ultimate Alberta comfort food.

Oh and what does our German co-diner think of the staple food of her neighbors to the East? She likes them just fine, thank you very much. Stay tuned for another guest visit from Simone in the near future!

Day 9 – Rice Cake House – 6605 99th Street

While this may have been slightly more appropriate for our 7^th adventure, our 9^th adventure has Christa and I feeling lucky, and we have full intentions of incorporating our horseshoes into this weeks adventure. After our visit to the now burned down Langano Skies on Whyte Avenue, we’ve backtracked to Argyll Road, and must face the decision of whether to continue north or to linger among the declining list of eateries in the Argyll Road intersection. It’s a Saturday afternoon, and we are going to my grandfather’s 90^th birthday party this evening, where Christa and I will split an order of mixed tofu and vegetables while the rest of the family enjoys various types of meats doused in different sauces (my unflattering way of saying we are having western Chinese food for dinner). Since we don’t want to spoil our appetites for the token tofu dish that awaits us at Grandpa’s 90^th, we decide to keep heading north, as our remaining options in the Argyll intersection aren’t exactly suited for light eating. As we have cheated a few times and driven the stretch of road between Argyll and Whyte Avenue (I had originally insisted that we could not drive down any part of 99^th Street that we had not yet visited, which proved to be difficult), Christa and I are more or less familiar with the selection of eateries that we will dine at in the coming weeks. Because we are seeking a light meal or snack today, the Korean Rice Cake House seems the perfect fit. We’ve been aware of the Rice Cake House all the way back to our second or third adventure, and have been waiting for the avenues to pass until the time would come to check it out. I have a good feeling about today’s adventure; after all, I am feeling lucky.

Before we stop at the Rice Cake House, Christa and I make a stop at Convenience-For-You, a small gas station and snack shop located at 6545a 99^th Street. At the moment, our interest in petrol, Doritos, and cigarettes are minimal; we are here with loftier ambitions. Since the New Year, Christa and I have been half-seriously saying that we should start playing the lottery; I’ve even kept our fortunes from Pearl River Restaurant for our lucky numbers. It’s easy to fantasize about just what exactly you would do if you came into a huge sum of money, and even though we’re both realistic about the fact that we won’t win the lottery or likely even play regularly like we’ve discussed, I step foot into the Convenience-For-You and make my way to the lottery section. It’s been about 22 years since I last filled out a Lotto 6/49 form (My uncle Lawrence helped me out, and I ended up getting 4 numbers and winning 50 bucks), so I’m pretty confused by the process. There are combos, different pricing options, and even different types of jackpots and lottery types. How am I supposed to choose between western 6/49 and regular old 6/49 when I don’t even know what the difference is? I decide to stick to the old standard and get two regular 6/49 tickets. I pay, take my ticket out to the car, but instead of feeling the thrill of gambling or potential winning, I just feel a little confused and hesitant. What if the numbers I picked for the regular 6/49 come up in the western 6/49? How would I deal with that? I get into the car and decide that the lottery probably isn’t for me and maybe some tea will help me feel better.

I really have no idea what to expect from the Rice Cake House. I imagine that there will be tea, I know there will be rice cakes of some sort, but everything else, from the items served to the means of service, is a complete mystery. As we enter the front door, I immediately feel the warmth and coziness of the tiny tea shop. I think that I should re-emphasize the tiny part; the entire shop is very small. As you enter, there is a counter where you can select an assortment of pre-made Korean rice cakes and order tea, and in each of the two front windows there is a table. One of the tables is blocked off by a baking cart so we have our choice of exactly one table. Luckily, the shop is empty, so we claim the lone table with our jackets and head up to the counter to order. To be honest, I really have no clue what exactly Korean rice cakes are, so some questions to the lone employee are in order. First of course, we ask if the pastries are vegetarian friendly. Despite a slight language barrier, the employee is very helpful in trying to answer all our questions to the best of her ability. The Rice Cake house does not use any meat or dairy products at all in their baking, so we are free to order at will. There is a large assortment of pastries I have never tasted or even seen before, so we ask for a recommendation. Apparently, the mung bean cakes are quite popular so we choose a package of 4. For tea, we have the choice between green tea or citrus peel tea; Christa and I both opt for the latter because we have never tried it before. We pay a whopping $9.50 for our tea and rice cakes and sit down to enjoy.

After the first bite, I find that the mung bean cakes are not at all what I was expecting. The greenish exterior is almost rubbery, and has a salty taste that is counterbalanced by icing sugar or a sweet flour dusted over the cake. The paste inside of the cake has a grainy texture, and is a sweet counterpart to the salty exterior. Upon first bite, the texture and flavours are all a bit too much to deal with, and I am unsure if I want to take another bite. But after adapting to both the uniqueness of the cake, I start to slowly come around to the idea of a mung bean cake. The entire cake is a somewhat bland, and the texture takes some getting used to, but after a few bites, I find it to be a delightful accompaniment to our citrus tea. Oh yeah, the tea! The citrus tea, which is served in beautiful Korean tea cups, stands as one of the top 5 cups of tea I’ve ever tasted in my life. Fresh lemon rinds are stirred in to the tea as well as some sort of sweetener to give it a wicked sweet and sour zing. Dried goji berries float on top for colour; our tea is almost too pretty to drink. Christa and I slowly munch on the cakes and sip our tea, enjoying the excellent company as we go along. As I get near the bottom of the cup, the citrus rinds and pulp begin to overpower the tea. If you enjoy very potent citrus taste, which I do, then the bottom ¼ of the cup will be a pleasant treat, but if eating lemon peel isn’t your thing, maybe leave your cup a ¼ full.

As Christa and I sit and finished the last of our tea and rice cakes, I can’t help but think about what a gem of a tea house we have just found. From the outside, I didn’t really know what to expect, so to find a tiny beautiful tea shop and bakery, where all the baked goods are made fresh in store, with friendly, accommodating staff and delicious tea was certainly a pleasant surprise. During the whole hour we spent at the tea house, there may have been one other customer who picked up a few packages to go, so they could certainly use your support. For the reasonable prices and unique experience (I’m not aware of any other Korean rice cake houses in town, but I could be wrong), I strongly recommend giving the Rice Cake House a chance. I look forward to more tea and the chance to try different types of rice cakes on a lazy Saturday afternoon sometime soon.

Oh yeah, and we didn’t win. Back to work on Monday for us.

Day 8 – Langano Skies – 9920 82nd Avenue

April 7th Update: It pains me to have to edit this post today. Less than 12 hours after I posted this entry, Langano Skies was destroyed by a fire. I can’t imagine the pain of having to deal with the complete destruction of a family business that so much time, effort, and heart have been poured into . My best wishes go out to the family who owns and runs Langano Skies, and here is hoping that we will see an open sign in the window of Langano Skies, whether on 99th street or not, sometime in the future.

Quick update! I’m excited to complete this post because it marks the last of my outdated entries from the winter. Christa and I took a couple months off our adventures in February and March because I was out of work and my disposable income was at a minimum. So Adventure #9 and onwards will be both more time-sensitive and will include photos, two things I’m super excited about. Thanks to everyone for reading, and I appreciate all the feedback!

Our 8^th adventure finds us cheating a little bit. It’s Saturday, January 22^nd, and after days and days of heavy snow, the roads are a nightmare. Driving is the last thing that Christa is in the mood for, so instead of trying to find our way to Argyll Road by bus or on foot, we decide to skip ahead 20 blocks and head somewhere that is within walking distance. It’s been about 5 years since I first ate at Langano Skies. Before I had ever been there, it seemed this mysterious African restaurant that was always closed, where I heard you scooped your food up with pieces of flatbread instead of using utensils. To the uninitiated, this seemed much stranger and exotic than it actually is. Since then, I’ve made regular trips to Langano Skies, and even had a chance to try out some of the other Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurants in town. A few weeks ago, Christa and I visited the vegetarian buffet at Habesha on 118^th Avenue. While I enjoyed the casual but bustling lounge atmosphere, the buffet was empty of about 5 of the 8 chafing dishes at a time, and the food lacked the quality that I was used to at the Whyte avenue standby. Tonight, it was back to familiar ground, as we entered the doors at Langano Skies and were greeted by its earthy aromas and warm comforting feel.

I’m guilty of ordering the same thing over and over at Langano skies. There are about 7 vegetarian options along with 4 or 5 appetizers, yet I’ve sampled less than half of the veg menu. Today, I’m determined to try at least a couple new items. We order some Ethiopian tea and search the menu for new dishes. After a few minutes, my friend Lisa pops out of the back and comes over to say hello. Apparently, she’s been working at Langano Skies for about a year. Lisa’s exuberant and warm personality always puts a smile on my face wherever we meet, and even though she won’t be our server tonight, it’s an added treat to run into her. On recommendation from a friend, we order the Kategna, crispy injera with jalepeno butter, for an appetizer, and red lentils, split peas, and vegetable tibs as our entrees. Our delicious tea is the perfect way to warm up as we wait for our food to arrive.

The Kategna comes out on a huge plate. My first bite of the crispy flatbread catches me off guard with an intense flavour of jalapeno. It is both delicious and wickedly spicy, which has me reaching for the water glass with one hand and for another piece of kategna with the other. I have a fairly high threshold for spicy food, and the Katenga sits perfectly in the ‘really hot, but still enjoyable’ category. Christa’s threshold for heat is a bit lower, and the Kategna seems to be thoroughly kicking her ass. After we finish the last bite, Christa comments that her mouth is on fire, and remains that way for several minutes afterward. We get refills on our waters, cool down, and await our entrees.

I really appreciate the way that food is served at Langano Skies. First, I enjoy the idea of sharing food at restaurants instead of everyone ordering individually. Second, the sight of a big platter of injera with our entrees neatly heaped on top of it, with a large mound of rolled up injera for scooping on the side, is such a welcoming sight. I eagerly rip off a piece of the spongy flatbread and dig in. The split peas and red lentils are familiar dishes to me, both offering delicious earthy flavours, with the red lentils being the spicier of the two. The vegetable tibs, the newcomer to my Langano Skies dining experience, proves to be the real winner. Tender pieces of broccoli, red pepper, tomatoes and onions sautéed in a delicious spiced butter with some jalapenos for kick, all make for a fantastic dish. The vegetables are perfectly tender, and the flavour is poignant but not overbearing, which compliments the flavour of the vegetables rather than overwhelm them. The side salad that is always served with the entrees is fresh and the dressing is perfect. It took me a while to warm up to the potent vinaigrette of the side salad, but I’ve come to relish it over the years. I still feel a bit strange scooping up my salad with injera, it doesn’t seem to quite fit. Christa foregoes the injera and eats the salad with her fingers; maybe she has the right idea. The mounds of food on our plate begin to dwindle, and our bellies begin to show the expanding waistline signifier that we have eaten way too much bread and legumes. While I avoid feeling uncomfortably full, Christa expresses an immediate desire to go lay down somewhere, and questions her ability to leave the restaurant on her own power. The restaurant, which was almost empty when we arrived, is now nearly full, and the crowded chatter is not what our sluggish bodies are in the mood for. As I wait for Christa to pay the bill, I overhear the conversations of a couple next to us, who are at Langano Skies for the first time and seem slightly confused at the menu and process of dining. I hear our friendly server explain the methods to them and offer recommendations, which seem to be very helpful in making the couple feel right at home. Christa returns from the counter (our bill was $60 including tip), and we venture out into the cold Edmonton night.

Langano Skies is always a treat. The atmosphere is relaxed, comfortable and friendly. The food is always good, and the servers are very friendly and helpful. I don’t eat there too often, because the food is fairly heavy, and I usually end up feeling uncomfortably full after a meal. Because I only dine at Langano Skies once or twice a year, I always appreciate the experience. This was the first place in our adventures that I had had already eaten at, and expectedly, it ranks up as one of the best. Next adventure, it’s back to the south, and to see what else the roads between Argyll and Whyte Avenue have to offer. Until our next adventure!

Ps. Langano Skies offers a Vegetarian Buffet on the last Tuesday of every month. It’s a great introduction to the restaurant if you’ve never been.

Day 7: The Nutman (5113 99th Street), Bangkok Express (6234 99th Street), Transcend Coffee (9869 62nd Ave) and The Empress Ale House (9912 82nd Ave)

First. A confession. I enjoy writing, always have. I’ve always been a good writer, going back to essays in elementary school. Not an excellent writer, not a careerist writer, but a good writer. I was told in my first year of university that I should take some creative writing courses because I really had the potential to develop my craft, but of course I didn’t, so writing has always been something I would like to explore and develop further, but have never really given it a fair shake. Why this information, you might ask?

It’s time for me to be honest about the times and dates of our adventures. As I’ve been posting our adventures, they have been written in a fashion to make it seem as if the blog was posted just a few days after the adventure took place. This is untrue. In fact, Christa and I began our adventures in November. It took me over 2 months to post the first blog, because I was struggling with the challenge of getting back into writing, and the first 5 or 6 updates took a VERY long time to write. As much as this is just a local food blog, I care about the quality of my writing, and this small blog actually exists as an outlet to my creative writing interests, in fact it’s the only outlet.

So, I have been intentionally omitting time-sensitive material to give the blog a sense of immediacy. In truth, our 7^th adventure actually took place on January 14^th. I mention this now because there is time-sensitive information that I do not want to remove, as I feel it is important contextually. We have actually been on 10 adventures as of today, the remaining three currently exist in some form of rough draft that needs heavy amounts of editing. I hope that over the next couple of months, I am able to catch up with my writing, so I will actually be able to visit a restaurant on a Friday and post about it on a Tuesday. Until then, thanks for your understanding.

Signed, A struggling writer, trying to keep caught up in a new and challenging world.

Day 7

Our 7^th adventure takes place on a Saturday afternoon, which is the first time we have dined during the day. The original idea behind a Saturday afternoon adventure was that Wendy’s Gourmet Perogies is always closed at night, so we were hoping Wendy likes working Saturdays. It turns out, she does not, as we drive by a closed shop once again. I imagine that Wendy’s is only open during the daytime on weekdays, probably catering to the 99^th street lunchtime crowd. Since Christa works days, it seems our schedule and Wendy’s schedule are incompatible; we’ll just have to forget about her and move forward. We make our way back to Argyll road with thoughts of Billy Buds and Bangkok Express on our minds.

By this time, Christa has become accustomed to driving slow along 99^th Street, giving us time to see if we can find anything interesting. Even though we are headed straight to Argyll Road, Christa still drives slow, perhaps out of habit, and as we approach 51^st Ave, she spies an open sign in the window of the Nut Man and suggests we check it out. I have driven past the Nut Man many times, and given my love for salted snacks, I am surprised that I’ve yet to visit. We step inside and find a small room with a variety of bagged snacks, ranging from sweet and savoury nuts to jelly beans to pretzels. It seems the Nut Man has his fingers in all sorts of pies other than pecan. I am actually a little bit disappointed at the lack of selection at The Nut Man, as half of the small room contains gift packages with teddy bears and such, and the actual selection of nuts is limited to a few small shelves. Even with a small selection, I find a few items that I am tempted by, and have a tough time choosing between the tamari or Cajun almonds. I eventually settle on the tamari almonds, and head to the cash register, but as I do, I pass a display with various flavours of pretzels. I absolutely love mustard pretzels, so the tamari almonds go back on the shelf. I get a big bag of mustard pretzels for $5.95, while Christa picks out a mixed assortment of pretzels, rye crisps, and other crispy baked treats for the same price. As we’re headed for lunch, we hold out on opening our bags of snacks until later, and get back in the van and head north.

Even though there is a large selection of restaurants in the Argyll intersection, I’m already kind of hoping that we go to Bankgok Express today. Billy Buds definitely requires a nighttime visit, the Chinese food place next to the McDonalds looks all kinds of seedy, and Rosie’s is, well, Rosie’s. Christa is in agreement and as we pull into the Southwest strip mall, we quickly rule out Rosie’s and the Chinese food place in favour of Bangkok Express. The last two places I had Thai food at were at Boualong on 97^th Street and Thai Express in the Edmonton City Centre Mall, which were respectively some of the best and worst Thai food that I’ve tasted; I’m hoping for something closer to the former. Bangkok Express is a small place that is sparsely but colourfully decorated, with an open kitchen. You order the food at the till, and then it is served to you, which is a means of service that I’m always surprised has never really caught on in Edmonton. After finding out the mango salad has fish sauce, we decide on the veggie spring rolls and an order of green curry with tofu, both to share. We run into our friend Janis, who is also trying Bangkok Express for the first time, on the recommendation of her co-diner, who swears by the quality and affordability here.

The spring rolls come very quickly, and are too hot to eat without burning the roof of my mouth, which I’ve done enough times to know that leaving the spring rolls to sit and cool down is probably a good idea. After a few minutes, we dig in. The spring rolls are crispy and the ingredients are fresh, they are balanced perfectly with a dipping sauce. Bangkok Express certainly lives up to the express part of its name, as both our curry and spring rolls are delivered in less than 10 minutes. The curry is full of vegetables and tofu, and is very spicy, which is perfect for me, not so much for Christa. As I look at our food, I’m amazed that for just over $15 dollars, we have been served 6 large spring rolls, coconut rice and a helping of and green curry that manages to feed two people, almost. After the last bits of shredded cabbage have found their way into my belly, I propose to Christa that we order the mango coconut rice I have been eyeing up over the course of our lunch. Christa is happy to split a dessert with me, so I head back up to the counter to place an order. After a short wait, our dessert arrives, and is a delicious combination of hot gooey coconut rice and slimy ripened mango. The dish is a bit more gelatinous than I had tasted before, but the flavour combination of the mango and rice is perfect. Christa and I often joke about my lack of a sweet tooth, but if all desserts were as good as the mango coconut rice at Bangkok Express, I might be easily converted.

The total cost of our food at Bangkok express was just under $20, plus a few bucks I dropped in the tip jar. Even if we had ordered a second entrée, we would have had an appetizer, 2 entrees, and dessert for $30, likely with leftovers. Bangkok Express does not quite match my dining experience at Boualong, but I didn’t expect it to; it provides fast, cheap, and delicious Thai food with friendly service, and I really couldn’t ask for more. The lady who took our orders was also very helpful with our inquiries about vegetarian options, and since there are several different curries and a deep fried tofu appetizer that we skipped out on, we could dine at Bangkok Express several times without revisiting the same dishes. After the horrible food I ate at Thai Express a few weeks ago, I am glad to know that good Thai fast food is available in Edmonton, and I heartily recommend that everyone who has not yet been check Bangkok Express out. And for those who already know, well, I’m happy to be in on your little secret.

It’s still early when we leave Bangkok Express, and we’ve got a bit of time to kill. We decide to meet up with Christa’s parents at the Empress at 4 for a drink, which is exciting since it’s the first time I’ll have been back since Sue re-opened the bar just over a week ago. Since it’s right in the area, a post-meal coffee at Transcend seems like the perfect addition to our 99^th street adventures, as I’ve yet to try what has been called the best coffee in Edmonton.  We step inside the tiny shop, which only has 4 tables and a few chairs. A glass window gives the customer a look into the ‘warehouse’, where all the roasting is done. I order an Americano and Christa gets a latte. We are lucky enough to find a couple seats in the busy shop and sit down to enjoy our drinks. I have only been drinking coffee for about two years, and still only drink it occasionally, so my expertise and knowledge about good coffee is limited. What I do know is that the Americano at Transcend is one of the richest most flavourful cups of coffee I have ever tasted. It has a complexity of flavours that as a casual coffee drinker, I cannot possibly fully appreciate. I’ve never really been into coffee house culture, usually preferring to meet people over a pint rather than a coffee, but with the new Transcend location next to the Garneau Theatre, only a few blocks from my house, and my newfound sobriety, I think I might be willing to give coffee shop culture a go. For now, I’m still a novice, so Christa and I quickly drink our coffee and are out of Transcend in about 10 minutes. I guess we will need to learn to savour the coffee and brush up on our small chat abilities, as everyone else seems to be deep into conversations about their golf game or their mortgage broker or something. My barroom conversations are usually around such topics as who we think will play the Revival Tour this year and which Hot Water Music record is superior, so maybe switching over to coffee house culture is part of growing up and getting boring, or maybe I’m just looking into things too deeply. Our coffees were delicious, the service was excellent, and I’ll certainly be returning to Transcend sometime soon.

After a short detour to look at guitars, we are back on 99^th Street to meet Christa’s parents at the Empress for a drink. As I mentioned, I haven’t been back since Sue gained possession of the bar from the much-hated Sundals, and I am relieved that I can now step foot in my favorite bar in the city. I probably haven’t been back to the Empress because I’ve given up drinking, and for me, the Empress is about two things, good friends and good drink. While I miss being around the people, I’m still having a tough time with the being around alcohol and not drinking thing, and I worry that stepping into the Empress and seeing Sue’s lovely face with a pint of Guinness in hand for me will be to hard to pass up. We walk into the front doors, and find that the bar is almost full. Jody Shenkarek and her band are playing, and there are a lot of old friends and smiling faces. One of those faces is my old friend Sue, who I’m happy to see, as it seems we never get to spend as much time together as I’d actually like. I approach the bar, and Sue smiles and hands me a pint of Guinness, which has been pre-poured for me. It pains me to have to turn it away, it’s like Sue is offering up a piece of her big heart and I have to turn it down and ask for a soda water. Since I stopped drinking (which has only been 2 weeks), it is the most difficult drink I’ve had to turn down yet. I hope Sue gets some non-alcoholic beers in stock soon, as there is nothing that would please me more than actually being able to spend money in her bar.

We sit down with Christa’s parents and enjoy Jody’s music and good company. Christa and I sneak away for a game of darts, which is almost impossible because the bar is so full, I’m sure it must be near or over capacity. As the much sought after t-shirt proclaims, the Empress really has struck back, and I am so glad to see my favorite bar run by one of my favorite people back in business and booming. Christa beats me at darts, twice, and I realize I had better get reading on the Darts Bible that she got me for Christmas, because she’s getting good, quick. After a while, Christa’s parent decide to leave, and we finish our dart game and head out so we can get ready for our respective bar jobs later that night. It’s been a pretty action packed day on 99^th street, culminating in a much-anticipated return visit to the Empress. Next, week, it’s back to the Argyll intersection, and onto our 8^th adventure.

Ps. The Mustard Pretzels were delicious.

Pps. Thanks for everyone’s comments and requests for pictures. Starting on Adventure #9, there will be pictures included for every place we visit.