Two things of importance to report today. Actually, make that three.
1.) I am still on a carbohydrate high from all the perogies, rice, noodles, pasta, and dessert consumed during Mosaic this weekend. Hope that everyone indulged just as much as I did at this great annual event that showcases just how diverse our city is.
2.) A few weeks ago I posted a review of The Mercury Cafe. Since that time, a number of people have posted comments about the place. Last week, one reader alleged that the Mercury's burgers were not homemade, contrary to what it says on the Mercury's menu. Here's what she wrote:
Anonymous said...
I was expecting a homemade hamburger when the menu stated all burgers were homemade. To my surprise (and disappointment), I watched the cook take a box of burgers out of the freezer and place them on the grill... there was nothing homemade about them. I will admit they were good burgers for storebought box burgers but definitely not homemade. :(
May 26, 2010 9:37 PM
I was a bit shocked by this. I really believed the burger I ate was homemade -- both the look and taste of the burger did not seem like they came from Safeway across the street. Then again, you never really know unless you're in the kitchen standing next to the chef. Today, I posted two more comments on this topic, presumably from employees at the Mercury. They said:
Anonymous said...
Actually you couldn't be more wrong. The burgers are 100% home made and not store bought - NOR FROZEN. Not sure what you were smoking that day but you were hallucinating. If you are interested in our process of making the burgers talk to the owner next time you are in and he will be happy to show you.
June 4, 2010 9:59 AM
Dave said...
Don't post lies. All the burgers are home made!!! Have a look next time you are in.
June 5, 2010 6:39 PM
I have to say, I'm willing to give Anonymous and Dave the benefit of the doubt. With that, I think this matter is settled. The Mercury's burgers are homemade. And they're good, too.
3.) The former Cafe Orange on Robinson Street has reinvented itself as Orange Izakaya (izakaya is Japanese for pub). While the doors have reopened, the place is back to serving coffee for the next couple of weeks until the new menu and lounge atmosphere are fully ready. Early reports are good.
This from my frien d LRadd on Twitter: " Cafe Orange has been majorly sexified -can't wait for the bar to open. For now having a coffee on the patio. If ur in the 'hood stop by."
And with that I'm off to enjoy this awesome sunny Sunday. Happy eating.
Need I really point out to you that today is St. Patrick's Day?
And what do you do on St. Patrick's Day? Well, you drink beer. Green beer, if you can stomach it.
CBC News just aired a story at 6:45 a.m. on the celebrations taking place in Halifax. By the looks of it, some of their pubs are already packed with people. I realize that Halifax is a few hours ahead of Regina, but wow. I don't think we get that into things here.
Locally, I'd suggest Beer Bros. downtown for the widest variety of beer and some good eats. Otherwise, McNally's on Dewdney Avenue or O'Hanlon's on Scarth Street downtown are both safe bets. But get there early! It will be a first-come, first-serve kind of night.
Until about a month ago I'd never ventured into the warm and cozy world of Skara restaurant.
I don't exactly know why this is.
Maybe it was Skara's former life as a middle-of-the-road family restaurant that kept me away -- it's hard for a restaurant to reinvent, after all.
Or maybe it was the fact that until quite recently I lived and worked downtown. A jaunt to South Albert Street wasn't as routine a thing as it is these days.
Maybe I just didn't like Skara's red-and-black colour scheme. Or its aura. OK, kidding about that last part.
Whatever my reasons, I've come to realize they were wrong. All wrong. I've now been to Skara twice with plans to go back for more.
The first thing that struck me about Skara was the size of the place -- a lot bigger than I'd imagined. The restaurant houses a moderately sized dining room with plenty of comfortable booths; a lounge with more booths, several tables and TVs for watching sports; and a private dining room large enough to seat 30 or 40 guests. Even the bathrooms are roomy at Skara (truth be told, I can only speak for the men on that point). The best part of Skara's decor? There's plenty of deep, dark wood and dim lighting. It's like an old-school steakhouse without all the velvet. And it's very relaxing.
Now, as for the food? On both of my visits it has been delicious. The appetizers and a number of the entrees have a Greek/Mediterranean flair to them -- the restaurant is under Greek ownership, so it figures. And of the ones I've sampled, everything has been pretty much perfect. The Calamari is crispy without being too chewy; the Shrimp Ouzeri (tiger prawns and cherry tomatoes sauteed in ouzo) was absolutely delicious, striking just the right blend of sweet and savoury.
The other night I opted to try something from the entree menu. It was a tough choice between the Skara Stuffed Chicken (recommended by our waiter), the Greek Chicken, or the Tomato Feta Garlic Prawns. In the end, the prawns won out. Mr. K, my pal and tablemate, went for the Stuffed Rainbow Trout.
Neither of us were disappointed. The food was brought to the table in good time by our excellent waiter. My prawns were artfully presented in a mound, next to pan-friend veggies and a stuffed potato. Yes, there are many stuffed things at Skara. This isn't a bad thing, in my books.
I guess my only complaint about my dish was that there wasn't quite enough of it to eat. It wasn't exactly small, but then it wasn't huge either. And I have a bit of a reputation for being a "big eater". Or so I'm told.
On the other hand, I definitely didn't go home hungry.
As I hinted above, the service at Skara has been good-to-excellent on both of my visits, particularly the last one on a Friday night. Staff seem to genuinely want to make sure that diners are happy and enjoying their meals -- not always the case in other eateries.
All in all, Skara, you have a new friend. A hungry one. See you again soon.
Beer Bros + Brecknock Beer: Meet the brewer and enjoy a pint 'n a burger for $14.99 (I guess that's a deal these days?) Happens tomorrow night, Tues. Jan. 19 from 5 p.m.
Jason Dearborn, Brecknock's founder, will be on hand at 8 p.m.
I have to admit, Regina's East End isn't a part of town I visit all that often. I make the long drive down Victoria Street East once every week or two, usually to pay a visit to Costco. The rest of the time, I prefer doing my shopping in other parts of town where the traffic is a little less likely to cause a headache and a little more likely to support local business.
As a result, I often forget about one of our city's best casual restaurants. Rock Creek Tap and Grill opened about three years ago. The sight of a locally owned restaurant among the many chains that line the East End's streets was a welcome one. To boot, the food was great and the decor was classy, without being all uppity.
I've made several more trips to Rock Creek for good appetizers and great meals since then, but my last trip was almost a year ago. Until yesterday.
We arrived around 1 o'clock and the parking lot was almost totally full. A pretty good sign for a Saturday afternoon. As usual, we sat in the lounge where a table for six was easier to come by. We made ourselves comfortable and managed to score a couple of menus (literally two). Like I said, it was busy. Drinks were a bit slow to come by, as was the waitress to take our order, but thankfully we weren't in any hurry.
When it came time to order, we stuck mainly to pub-food classics, or Comfort Food, as the menu calls it: Chicken Fingers with fries; the Hickory Barbecue Chicken Burger; the Black and Blue Burger (a Cajun-style sirloin burger with blue cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomato); and the Quance Street Club (grilled chicken breast, smoked bacon, pea shoots, tomato, avocado, jack cheese and pesto aioli).
The food hit our table in good time and we dug in with gusto. Things suddenly got very quiet. Only the sound of chewing and the odd, "Mmm, this is good," broke the silence. The portions were hearty, as were the sides. I had a spicy cup of Chicken Vegetable with my Club. With four or five slices of jalapeno pepper floating in the broth, it was an interesting soup. I'll leave it at that.
Big Poppa, my dad, was making short work of his burger with yam fries next to me. Across the table my sister, normally an adventurous diner, was munching on the chicken fingers. It was a choice she didn't regret. The Calgary Boys also had no complaints about their sandwiches. Actually, they ate them so fast that I'm not totally sure what one of them ordered.
Rock Creek's menu is a savvy one -- there's the right mix of classic standbys and new inventions to keep you interested, and to keep you coming back. On the appetizer menu, you'll find everything from Cajun Blackened Guac Scallops to good-'ole nachos (with bacon and banana peppers). The lounge has food and drink specials almost every night of the week, and a bevy of fancy TVs. Can't get tickets to the next Rider game? Try hanging out here. If you can get a parking spot, that is.
