Battle of the Chicken & Waffles!

Earlier this fall, Andrew and I went to The Common with our friends Jon and Katie. They told us that the must have dish was the chicken and waffles, and we obliged. During the meal, we talked about how the Sugar Bowl also serves something similar. Being satisfied with how chicken and waffles tasted together, we were open to trying the chicken and waffles from the Sugar Bowl. We made it a mission to compare the two in a battle of the chicken and waffles!

The Common
9910 109 St
Two crispy chicken strips were served with quartered pieces of waffle. The waffle batter had wild boar bacon mixed right in, which added another level of complexity to the taste of the waffle. Andrew proclaimed that these were the best waffles he has ever eaten. The chicken was nicely cooked and moist and the coating stayed crispy until the last bite. In addition, pickled watermelon was served on the side. I was a bit leery of the name, but it ended up being fabulous and the marinade was very subtle and didn't detract from the sweetness of the watermelon. The plate was topped with a drizzle of maple syrup and a mild chili paste.

Sugar Bowl
10922 88 Ave
When our plates were placed in front of us, we were greeted by a warm and buttery aroma. The thick and fluffy waffles were drizzled with maple butter, but an extra helping of the maple butter also accompanied the dish. The waffle batter itself was already sweet, but the maple butter also helped to moisten it. The chicken was succulent and savoury, and the flavor was enhanced with a dash of maple butter. The only drawback to this was that the chicken didn't stay crispy for long and the batter fell off the meat after a while. Alongside the chicken and waffles, a handful of spring mix was scattered on the plate.

So what did we think?
We were very pleased with The Common's version of chicken and waffles because of the addition of unique features like bacon in the waffle batter. We couldn't stop thinking about the next time we would return to have chicken and waffles. However, we weren't left feeling entirely satiated after the meal. The Sugar Bowl gave generous portions (a big, thick waffle and 2 large pieces of chicken) and I was stuffed before even finishing the plate.

The Common's version cost us $16.50 while we were only out $12 at the Sugar Bowl. Since our visit to The Common, the cost of the dish has increased to $17 and instead of watermelon, it is now served with goat cheese and blackberry on the side.

With only taste and quality in mind, the chicken and waffles from The Common clearly win as we were blown away by it. But when comparing other factors such as the price tag and serving size, the Sugar Bowl gains more points which now makes it difficult to choose between the two! Bottom line: if you want bacon in your waffle and crispy chicken in a hip and modern setting, go to The Common. If you want something more filling with a better value in a warm and cozy atmosphere, go to the Sugar Bowl!

De Dutch = Delish

De Dutch Pannekoek House
10030 Jasper Ave
(587) 520-8841

My coworker Cheryl has mentioned how much she loved this restaurant and would go each time she visited family in BC. It was announced earlier this year that the De Dutch franchise was expanding to Alberta. Being a huge fan of breakfast foods, I eagerly awaited its arrival to Edmonton. It finally opened downtown earlier this month and I jumped at the opportunity to go.

My first encounter with pannekoek was in Calgary at the Pfanntastic Pannenkoek Haus; I absolutely loved it. Today's experience was no different. I knew I wanted to try something savoury and sweet. For my savoury pannekoek, I was drawn to the picture featuring The Hash on the menu. It is a pannekoek lining a large plate, topped with a large ramekin filled with hash browns, bell pepper, onion, mushroom, and cheese, with a choice of ham, sausage, turkey bacon, or DeBakon. All of this is topped with Hollandaise sauce. I decided to try the DeBakon, which is back bacon. When my plate arrived, I was unsure of whether to eat the hash browns separately from the pannekoek. Eventually, I figured out that the best way to enjoy my meal was to dump some of the hash brown mixture on top of the pannekoek, add some ketchup, and eat it all together. I quite liked the texture of the pannekoek: crispy on the outside and very moist and slightly doughy on the inside.

The Hash: $13.25

Andrew chose the Meat Lover ($14), which had ham, DeBakon, sausage, and turkey bacon mixed in with the pannekoek batter. It was topped off with slices of edam cheese and tomato. His selection was incredibly tasty as well.

Meat Lover

For our sweet pannekoek, we shared the Peach Melba and Whip ($12.50). We didn't ask, but the server had indicated to the kitchen staff that we wanted to split it, so it came to us nicely presented on separate plates. I absolutely enjoyed this pannekoek too. The diced peaches were firm and not mushy like typical canned peaches. The raspberry sauce wasn't seedy and didn't detract from the taste of the peaches. The only thing that could have improved my sweet pannekoek experience is to have the fruit served warm as well.

Peach Melba + Whip

I was a bit put off by how much my tea cost ($3), especially when it wasn't something I considered fancy tea (it was Bigelow orange pekoe tea). Andrew had also ordered a side of hash browns ($2.75) and we were laughing at the fact that my tea cost more than a plate of potatoes.

I knew I would be frequenting this restaurant again in the future, so I opted to sign up for their De Club loyalty program. For a $5 fee, you are given a card to collect points on purchases (1 point per dollar spent). For every 125 points collected, members receive a $10 voucher. There is also a $10 gift certificate given upon activation, to use on a future visit. In addition, there is a special offer for members on their birthday (I have yet to find out what that is).

I was very satisfied with my visit to De Dutch. The service was a bit slower than normal and the person who brought us our food was confused by what table she was supposed to bring the plates to. I'm attributing this to the fact that they had only been opened for a week and a half and I am hoping that the level of service will improve. It was -11 degrees the morning we visited, and we sat near the front of the restaurant. The restaurant doesn't have a set of double doors at the entrance, so a large draft of cold air entered the restaurant each time patrons entered or exited.

De Dutch is only open for breakfast and lunch (7 AM - 3 PM on weekdays and 8-3 on weekends). I only wish that they would be open for dinner as well. In addition to pannekoek, they serve a variety of other breakfast foods such as eggs benedict, toast, scrambled eggs, and fruit with granola. Their lunch items include sandwiches, wraps, and burgers.

The atmosphere and decor was pleasing. Their color scheme is a tasteful blend of orange, yellow, and brown. The front section of the restaurant offers bright natural light, whereas the back of the restaurant is separated by a fireplace and has more a diner feel to it. I have high hopes for De Dutch and am rooting for the addition of more locations to Edmonton.

4.5/5

Hardware Grill

Hardware Grill
9698 Jasper Ave
780-423-0969

Hardware Grill has been in business for over 15 years but it wasn't a place I was familiar with until Andrew suggested going there to celebrate our anniversary. Getting here was the hard part due to the current construction taking place on Jasper Avenue and the lack of a parking lot dedicated to restaurant patrons. When we arrived though, we were greeted and seated immediately.

Our server was patient, courteous  and professional. His recommendations for a starter included the Kobe Beef Carpaccio and the Crispy Duck Leg Confit. We went with the beef carpaccio. It was topped with broad slivers of parmesan cheese and served with a dollop of truffle aioli and a side of sea salt potato chips. We absolutely loved the large, thinly sliced, and perfectly seasoned chips; they tasted even better when dipped into the aioli. While the beef was decent, I much preferred the chips and dip on the plate!

kobe.beef.carpaccio

For the main course, the server suggested the Duo of Bacon Wrapped Elk & Slow Braised Beef Short Ribs or the Porcini Crust Sea Bass. I had a hard time choosing, but in the end, I went with the elk ($46) while Andrew had the 60 Day Aged Spring Creek Ranch New York Steak ($48). The short rib on my plate was by far the best short rib I have ever tasted! The elk was served medium rare and was wrapped in crispy bacon. Three sides came with my entree: butternut squash puree, creamed spinach, and a polenta square. The polenta square was my favorite; the crispy edge was absolutely delightful.

elk.and.short.ribs

The taste I had from Andrew's main course was good, but I felt that my meal was better. The parmesan fries were very tasty and were really long for fries. I felt that there were too many creamed onions as a side, but the grilled tomatoes were juicy and full of flavour.

new.york.steak

To end off our meal, we were intrigued by the Small Endings on the dessert menu and the variety of dessert samplings it promised ($15). Upon taking our dessert order, our server asked us if we were celebrating anything that night, and we told him that it was our anniversary. It was a lovely surprise to see "Happy Anniversary" written on a thin slice of decadent milk chocolate. Other sweets on our plate were two rich chocolate truffles, 12-year old Glenlivet butterscotch pudding, almond pound cake, rhubarb shortbread, a lemon meringue square, and last but not least, a chocolate brownie. It was a lot to take in, but my favorite was the brownie and Andrew's was the pound cake. He also loved the slab of rock the desserts were served on.

small.endings

We were entirely satisfied with our meal. My glass of Duck Pond pinot noir from Oregon ($15) accompanied my meal well, but it took me too long to select a wine from their nearly 30-page wine list! The science nerd in me loved how they used Erlenmeyer flasks as wine decanters. The premium filtered Q Water served seemed to taste pure and refreshing, but I may be imagining things and I would need to do a blind taste test in the future.

The restaurant doesn't have a dedicated parking lot, so finding parking nearby can be tricky. We didn't like the table we were seated at because it didn't give us enough room to stretch out our legs. While the tables can be moved, moving it further away from our booth seats would bring it far too close to the table across the way. The host and servers were professional and knowledgeable (and surprisingly all male), but I found that our busperson had no personality and seemed too reserved to be working in a customer service area. Overall, this is a restaurant I would recommend to others to host a business dinner or to celebrate a special occasion.

4.5/5

Pho Huong & Mama Pizza

Pho Huong & Mama Pizza
10531 107 Ave

Before today, if you asked me where you can get pho and pizza from the same establishment, I'd be drawing a blank. But now, I have an answer for that! Pho Huong and Mama Pizza is where you can go!

I've driven by this place a couple of times and thought it was intriguing that both pizza and Vietnamese food were served by the same restaurant, but was too afraid to go based on the sketchy location. Earlier this week, Daniel suggested going to this place. Seeing that it had a rating of 98% on Urbanspoon, we figured, why not? Our goal for this visit was that we had to order both Vietnamese food AND pizza. I ordered #24: a Vermicelli Bowl with Grilled Pork and Spring Roll ($8.95).

The guys had large bowls of #15: House Special Beef Noodle Soup (pho dac biet) - $8.00.

We then shared the Mama's Special Pizza ($24) in the LARGE (14") of all sizes.

I was pretty impressed with the food. The grilled pork and the spring roll in my vermicelli bowl were tasty, and I liked how I got the equivalent of 1.5 spring rolls with my noodles (compared to one roll elsewhere). I also liked how in addition to lettuce and bean sprouts at the bottom of my bowl, there were strips of julienned cucumbers. The sampling of the pho I had was also very enjoyable and the broth was quite nice. The special pizza had a huge variety of toppings: bacon and pineapple (both of which got me sold on this flavour), pepperoni, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, and olives. This pizza had a wonderful and crispy crust and the toppings were delicious together. One thing I got to do here was drizzle Sriracha sauce onto my pizza - who needs chili flakes and parmesean cheese when you can add the magical Sriracha sauce??

Surprisingly enough, the three of us polished off everything. We were stuffed and felt lethargic for the next few hours, but it was all worth it.

Being in a rough looking neighbourhood, it is surprisingly clean and modern looking inside with both table and booth seating.

The restaurant was over half-filled on a Saturday at lunch, so it seems like it's doing alright. I did find that the speed of the service and time it took for us to get our food was slower than the average Vietnamese restaurant. However, I'd still be happy to return again in the future. This place has almost ruined me though. Next time I go somewhere else for pho, I'll be expecting to have a slice of pizza on the side too!

4/5

Moriarty's Bistro & Wine Bar

Moriarty's Bistro & Wine Bar
10154 100 St
780-757-2005

Following my trip to Halifax and my visit to Obladee Wine Bar, I wanted to scout out the wine bars in Edmonton. When Passion for Pork week came up, I sent the info to my pork/bacon-loving buddy Garson, and he replied with a list of his three choices of restaurants to visit, with Moriarty's being one of them. I had wanted to visit Moriarty's for a while, so off we went.

While Andrew and Garson wanted to try the pork menu, I was more interested in their cheese and charcuterie boards and small plates. I chose to have a board with 3 selections: Rustic Pork Pate, Fairwinds Chevre, and Candied Salmon ($18) paired with an 8 oz glass of the Olivares rose wine ($9). Other additions that accompany the cheese and charcuterie board were pickled vegetables, condiments, and crackers. Overall, I was disappointed in my board. Both the pate and chevre were alright, but nothing outstanding and memorable. The candied salmon was almost unpalatable. I was expecting a dried smoked salmon marinated in a sweet seasoning mix. The stuff on my board was raw, fishy salmon with a severe lack of any sweet taste.

cheese.and.charcuterie.board

In addition to the cheese and charcuterie board, I ordered a Small Plate (a reduced sized entree) of the Spring Creek Organic Short Rib ($16). The short rib was savoury and tender. It passed my standards for short rib, as I define a good short rib as one where a knife is not needed to take a forkful. On the side were a couple of stalks of white asparagus, chorizo gratin potatoes, and stilton aioli. My favorite side was the potato. I loved the crispy coating and the al dente texture of the potatoes. I was a bit confused by the aioli. While it was tasty, I wasn't sure what part of my dish I was supposed to eat it with, as everything else had enough flavor.

spring.creek.organic.short.rib

I was given a little taste of Andrew's pork menu selections. The appetizer consisted of a base of cheddar grits, followed by a layer of fried pork belly, a poached egg, and a few pieces of arugula on top ($13). This was incredibly tasty and I would have been happy with this selection if I had ordered it.

country.fried.pork.belly

The entree, however was another story. It was a 12 oz pork chop with a side of wild mushroom bread pudding, creamy salad greens, and peach chutney ($26). There was a major discrepancy between the size of Andrew and Garson's pork chops. But that wasn't the huge issue. When I had a taste of the pork chop, it was so heavily salted that it felt like it was corroding my tongue. I instinctively grabbed my water to chug down with the piece of meat. Both Garson and Andrew agreed that it was too salty, but didn't complain, but if that had been my entree, I would have sent it back to the kitchen. Other than the nasty pork chop, everything else on the plate was acceptable. There was a third item on the pork menu, a maple bacon ice cream, but we never got to try it as the kitchen had run out. We ended up passing on their other dessert offerings.

pembina.pork.chop

The service was mediocre. At the beginning of the night, our server was inefficient and it felt like she unnecessarily interrupted our table too many times. Fortunately, it improved as the restaurant got busier. One thing I dislike about some establishments is their push for customers to order sparkling water or bottled water, which is what happened here. I could go on a rant on water quality, but I'll refrain from doing that here.

Based on tonight's experience, there wasn't enough of a draw to bring me back for a full meal, but perhaps drinks. Moriarty's would be a great, modern place to gather for happy hour drinks and light meals. I felt that they could improve on the cheese and charcuterie menu and number of items on that list. In terms of wine, they offer quite a few by the glass and bottle. An ad accompanied our bill that promoted a Tuesday night special: 2 Small Plates for $20. This is a decent value considering the price of their Small Plates range from $12-16 each. This might be the only reason why I would consider returning to eat.

3/5

Dutch Pancakes and Moroccan Cuisine in Calgary

Pfanntastic Pannenkoek Haus
2439 54 Ave SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 243-7757

My cousin (whom I affectionately call Boohead) suggested going to this place after he saw it on "You Gotta Eat Here". Anytime someone mentions eating breakfast food, I'm always game. I was also overjoyed to hear that they were open for dinner on a Saturday evening. There's just something about eating breakfast for supper that makes it even more special to me! What's special about this restaurant is that they serve Dutch pancakes in both sweet and savoury flavours. Dutch pancakes are large and thin, with most ingredients incorporated right into the batter.

My goal upon arrival was to order one savoury pannenkoek as my main course and a sweet one to follow as dessert. My dining companions were doubtful that I could finish both myself and convinced me to share the sweet one with them. For my entree, I had the Spek, Paprika en Champignons ($10.95). It was a harmonious blend of bacon, red and green bell pepper, and mushrooms. Once the pannenkoek was cooked on one side, cheese was placed on top and the pancake was flipped over, the cheese melted and became a crispy coating.

savoury.crepe

I even tried my pancake with a few dollops of the Dutch syrup on our table. It ended up being a good contrast between the salty bacon and the sweetness of the syrup.

Crepe dressings - Maggi sauce and Dutch syrup!

After we polished off our savoury crepes, our Warm Kersen ($9.45) arrived. It was a sweet pannenkoek with warm cherries and icing sugar. There was a perfect amount of cherries and sauce for the pancake and having the fruit warmed up made it so enjoyable. I was actually stuffed after eating the savoury pancake and a third of the cherry pancake. In the end, I was glad I shared this with Boohead and Andrew, although it still won't stop me from wanting to order one of each in the future and taking my leftovers home.

dessert.crepe

The menu selection is fairly large, and with the possibility of building your own savoury and/or sweet panenkoek, the possibilities are endless! I've been told that another Dutch pancake restaurant is supposed to be opening in Edmonton any day now (De Dutch), so I look forward to the day I can have Dutch pancakes again. Until then, I long to go back to Calgary so that I can enjoy some more pannenkoek!

5/5

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Sultan's Tent
4-14 St SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 244-2333

I've had Moroccan food only twice in my life, and both times were in Calgary with my cousin Brenda. For my second Moroccan experience, we went to Sultan's Tent in Kensington.

Andrew and I had a late lunch on the way to Calgary, and this was an early supper, so we decided to forgo appetizers and order 3 entrees to share. We amicably agreed on two tagines and one couscous dish. We tried ordering dishes that had different flavours from each other. Everything is meant to be eaten with only hands here, so there is a special vat of water that is brought to the table to wash up prior to eating.

hand.washing

The first tagine that arrived at our table was the Beef Vegetable Tagine ($26.75) with spicy tomato sauce. Our server explained that it wasn't heat spicy, but instead had a flavourful blend of spices, which I agreed with.

beef.vegetable.tagine

The other tagine was the Lamb Tagine ($26.75) with lamb, dried apricots and plums, almonds, and honey. It was a tasty blend of savoury from the lamb with sweet from the dried fruit. Both tagines were served with a flatbread.

lamb.tagine

Lastly, we also had the Chicken Couscous ($25.50), which contained whole chicken pieces, and a variety of vegetables including carrots, cabbage, zucchini. It was very mild with the least amount of flavor/spice out of all of our dishes. There was unanimous agreement that lamb tagine was the best because of how much we enjoyed the sweet sauce and how it enhanced the flavor of the lamb. Between the three of us, we weren't able to eat everything. We could have had a fourth person helping us out that night!

chicken.couscous

It didn't really occur to me until my visit to Sultan's Tent that at nearly all of the restaurants I visit these days, the serving staff is fairly young. It came as a surprise to me to see almost all of the waitstaff here were middle-aged and beyond (with the exception of a high school-aged busperson). There were some instances at the beginning of our night that made me question the service. The hostess seemed confused that we had reservations, was unable to find our booking, and came back to us several times to ask us the name and phone number on the booking. Our server also appeared confused by our requests for water and when we accepted her offer of explaining the menu to us. Fortunately, the service did get better and more efficient throughout the night.

table.at.sultan's.tent

There is a colorful ambiance at the Sultan's Tent. Each table is in its own semi-private booth curtained by Moroccan fabrics. They're closed Mondays and Tuesdays and they're open only for dinner starting at 5 PM. Reservations are recommended. This is another Calgary restaurant I will have to put on my list of places to visit when I'm there next. I've tried to find a Moroccan place in Edmonton, but have had no luck. Please let me know if you know of any!

4/5

Violino Gastronomia Italiana

Violino Gastronomia Italiana
10133 125 St
(780) 757-8701

Andrew recently visited Violino's with Gil and loved his experience there, so we came here for my birthday dinner. To start, we shared a half order of the Antipasto Misto ($23). This was a large platter of veggies (grilled zucchini and eggplant, roasted red pepper, and mushrooms), shrimp, sugar-glazed bay scallops, smoked Atlantic salmon, Italian cured meats (proscuitto, capicollo, and sausage), and a medley of olives. Mixed greens were placed in the middle of the platter as a centrepiece. We loved the seafood - the shrimp and scallops were cooked appropriately and I always appreciate when scallops are not overdone. The smoked salmon wasn't too salty and had a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth texture. The veggies were cold and bland, but they tasted better when eaten together with the sliced meats and olives. The rustic bread served pre-meal smelled heartwarming and paired well with the appetizer.

antipasto.misto

My entree was the Costina de Manzo Brasato ($28). It consisted of sliced braised beef short ribs on a bed of wild mushroom risotto. Wilted spinach and battered finely cut onion strings were placed on top. The risotto was rich but was cooked well with a lovely texture. I liked the wilted spinach and especially the crispy onion pieces. The meat was so tender that it didn't even need a knife to be cut apart. I thought that the sauce could have been improved, however. There was a distinct taste in it that I wasn't too particularly a fan of, but it wasn't anything that would prevent me from ordering this dish again in the future. Because of the large appetizer, I wasn't able to finish my entree. Surprisingly, I thought it tasted better the next day!

costina.de.manzo.brasato

Andrew ordered the Veal Parmigiana ($37) as his main course. The veal was crispy and was topped with a tomato basil sauce and melted Boccocini cheese. The serving was HUGE (18 oz), and the piece on the plate was bigger than Andrew's head! Andrew loved it for the value, but he ate less than half before calling it quits. He also liked how the bone was kept on the piece of veal - he revelled in gnawing on it. Alongside the veal came a creamy and decadent fettucine alfredo. It almost tasted as if there was a strong cheese flavor in it. I was ok to eat my small sample portion from Andrew, but it was too rich for me to eat much more. The second side to this entree was a caesar salad. It had a garlicky dressing and was drizzled with a sweet balsamic glaze, topped with a thin crostini and a sheet of crispy melted cheese.

veal.parmigiana

The wine I sipped on this evening was the Cecchi Chianti ($7.95 for a 6 oz glass). This was based on the suggestion from our server, as I'm not very knowledgeable in Italian wines. It was a soft, medium bodied red wine based on predominantly Sangiovese grapes. It paired well with my meal. Andrew had the Casasole Orvieto (same price), which is one of his favorite wines when he actually decides to drink wine. This wine's characteristics are that it is a light and semi-sweet white wine.

giant wine glass

When our server brought over the dessert menu, I knew I was defeated and didn't plan on ordering anything. Before she even came to check on us for a dessert selection, she brought over a slice of the Decadent Chocolate Alla Dolce and sang Happy Birthday to me. Well, there was no way I was going to pass up a dessert that's sitting in front of me! It was a light cake that just dissolved on my tongue, frosted with chocolate ganache and hardened dark chocolate. It wasn't too rich, so it was the perfect way to end off the meal. As if that wasn't all, we were brought a sampler piece of fennel biscotti and Ouzo candies along with the bill.

chocolate.alla.dolce

Our server, Annie, made us feel valued as customers. She was knowledgeable about the menu and wine list, she wasn't pushy at all, and she treated us like we were the only patrons in the restaurant. It really seemed like she cared about her job and providing exceptional service. Plus her jazzy rendition of "Happy Birthday" was probably my favorite version ever. Andrew mentioned that the server he had during his earlier visit was also pretty amazing as well. Kudos to Violino's for their service!

4.5/5