10418 124 St
(780)705-3710
Andrew had dined at The Makk with a pal several months earlier. He loved it so much that he insisted the two of us go together, and we finally did.
After ordering our drinks, a beet tartare amuse bouche arrived at our table, followed by a couple of cheese biscuits with truffle butter.
We skipped ordering an appetizer and went straight to the main course. My choice was the Surf n' Turf ($28). It wasn't the traditional steak and lobster, which made it pique my interest. Instead, it was roasted sablefish paired with Berkshire pork belly. I found the two to be absolutely fabulous and I would say that this is even better than the traditional definition of surf n' turf! The sablefish was delectably tender and moist while the pork belly was succulent and flavorful. The soy foam on top of the sablefish made for both an interesting visual display and a variation in texture. The side was a succotash made from corn and white beans. This was my first experience with succotash and it was a simple, yet tasty side.
Andrew quite enjoyed his Alberta Lamb Cannon ($35). Being a guy who loves all things pie, he was pleasantly shocked to see a lamb tart on his plate, in addition to the cannon of lamb. I thought both versions of lamb were well-prepared. The lamb tart was filled with a sweet yet savoury mixture of tender flaked lamb and onions. The lamb cannon was juicy, tender, and well-seasoned.
For dessert, I made the decision for the both of us. The goat cheese ice cream ($8) sounded very intriguing. It was served with a cone made from rye, with buckwheat honey laced on the side of the platter and honey comb and pollen sprinkled on the opposite side. The ice cream tasted as interesting as it sounded. It was quite nice - not super sweet like a typical ice cream to allow the goat cheese flavor to shine through.
When the bill came, we were presented with small box containing two little bites of espresso fudge to take home. Sadly, I forgot to grab the box after putting my coat on, so I'll never know how delicious the fudge was!
The Makk is conveniently located on the corner of 124 St and Stony Plain Road. Street parking was pretty easy to find when we arrived shortly after 6 PM. The restaurant was just over a third full on a Wednesday night, with one staff member in charge of hosting, serving, and bartending, though she did get help from another fellow for a couple of instances. Because of the lack of staffing, I felt that the service was slower than normal. I didn't like the fact that we were ignored for so long before being greeted and seated, but after that first impression, things got better from there and the server did seem to work hard for the diners. There were other little gems in the overall service, such as garnishing the water glasses with cranberries and serving water and pop refills from fancy vessels.
The Makk uses a complicated combination of local ingredients for some of their dishes, but the overall taste was anything but complicated. While the food was delicious, I was left feeling just satisfied and felt that the portions could have been a tad more generous for the price we paid. In spite of this, I would still return to this restaurant.
4/5
