As many of you know I have an addiction to beef. But really, who wouldn't if you lived in Alberta for all your life? I remember one week I tried to do a detox cleanse where you eliminate Coffee, Beef and Dairy... it was not pretty.
Coffee- Easy to do because I get migraines when I drink too much of it...
Beef- Apparently all the carcinogens are really bad for you and can cause some cancers.... But I love Beef. Didn't help that I went to Ruth's Chris with Mike right before my detox... I lasted 3 days in and ended up frying my own steak in the middle of the night because I wanted one so bad!!!
Dairy- That's just crazy. I accidently broke it when I went to Zenaris and there was a bit of cream in the pasta with some shredded parmesan on top.. Delicious... When cheese touches my lips I swear my eyes dilate with pleasure!! (Sorry this is turning into food porn)...
Here is a short comparison of some of the steaks and prime rib that I had in Edmonton.
Canadian Tap House (West)
11062-156st
I went here for the volleyball team pow wow and we all got free steak dinners. The steak was average but it completely surpassed my expectations for bar food =) They even made the extra effort to differentiate the different cooks of steak by putting different colored cow picks into the meat. And you can also add saute mushrooms on the side.
Vons
10309 - 81 Avenue
I highly recommend Vons. You get more bang for your buck when you go on Tuesdays as well for their two for one prime rib night! The prime rib at Vons is always a melt in your mouth texture because the marbling in the meat is very nice, the crust of the prime rib is salted and spiced with fresh herbs (you can see the spices). They also have freshly grated horseradish on the side with a lovely au jus. Everything is done so luxuriously that I feel spoiled every time I go. As for the side always get a stuffed potato! They use real bacon to top the potato!!!! *drool*
Blush Innovative Kitchen and Bar
2640 Calgary Trl NW
Blush is where the old Ivory Club was and the renovations make the building look very modern now. The food here was actually not that bad! It was almost like fine dining! Their steak was good they have unique vegetable sides. It was good =) However, Nothing else on the menu really impressed me. They had this grilled prawn skewer that was good too!
Brewsters
11620 104th Avenue
Again, a bar for steak? I actually really like the food at Brewsters. I love their spinach dip and nachos =) Their steak was good but not overly memorable like Blush and Canadian Brewhouse. But it is a good steak, cooked to a good medium rare =) Try with their raspberry beer.
Ruth's Chris
9990 Jasper Avenue Northwest
There are lots of mixed reviews about this place. Some people say it's worth it, some people say it's overrated. One thing we can agree with is that yes, it is pricy. A small steak is around 40 without the side. Everything on the side is a la carte. The crab cakes are recommended for appetizer, the potatoes au gratin, asparagus with hollandaise sauce, sweet potato mash is recommended for sides. The first time I went was better than the second and third time. The problem was that the second time was not as rare as I like medium rare, the third time I ordered a ribeye (top pic) instead of my petit filet mignon and I found the marbling in the ribeye a bit too much for me with too much fat everywhere. However every time I go I always order the USDA steak where the cows are corn fed. The steak taste different from the Alberta steak, It's not as robust in flavor but the meat is very soft. A unique thing about this steak house is that the steaks are served on burning hot plates and the butter is still bubbling on top of the steak and that you can't have at home unless if you have an industrial commercial oven. And let's not forget, the service there is always superb, the wait staff know their stuff don't forget to ask them to choose a wine for you =)
Copper Pot
101-9707 110 Street Northwest
As you know from my past posts I love Copper Pot. This is the steak I had on their summer menu where they had a pat of gorgonzola butter on top. The steak is nested on top of a bed of mashed potatoes and everything on the plate just goes so well together. The steak is cooked perfectly and to this day that steak was very memorable. Gorgonzola + Beef = Excellent
Let's save crazy diets for another day.
King Noodle
#33 Small Bun Bo Hue
Spring rolls *a must whenever* the spring rolls were sitting for a bit before I had one and when I had one the center was still very hot =) I wish they gave me more lettuce so that I could wrap the spring roll in it... Nevertheless it was great =)
Chicken breast stuffed with Zucchini, Spinach, Hot Genoa salami and Provolone. The Chicken breast is then encased in some pastry.
In Jamie's original recipe he just used mushrooms for the center of the chicken.
The steps are... fry some garlic with some olive oil. Chop up zucchini, spinach, salami and put into the fried garlic. Set mixture aside. Cut Chicken breast lengthwise, stuff with warm garlic mixture and put a piece of provolone into the pocket. Use some Pilsbury breadstick rolls dough wrap around chicken breast to keep the pocket closed. Put in casserole dish and do a light egg wash over the pastry dough. Bake in a preheated oven (400 F) for 30 minutes.
Ta da!!! Happy cooking everyone =)
Canadian Tap House (West)
Vons
Blush Innovative Kitchen and Bar
Ruth's Chris
Copper Pot
