Thursday, May 19, 2011

Prairie Bistro

Prairie Bistro on Urbanspoon


On a windy Sunday afternoon we headed out of town to a field in between Edmonton and St.Albert. We came upon the huge Enjoy Centre and made our way through the maze of shoppers to find the Prairie Bistro which was situated on one end of the huge, beautifully colourful space. The brunch menu was slightly different from what we had viewed online but sounded just as good.

We quickly ordered the fresh pastry starter which included 3 pastries; one mini apple cinnamon muffin, one croissant and one cheese and herb filled pastry. They didn't last long as we divided each one into a few tastes each.

We then ordered our entree selections; my mom ordered the eggs benedict, my sister the french toast with brie and berries, and I ordered the pork tenderloin with potatoes, greens and a bacon flan. When our food came we were not disappointed as we had our first bites.


When the pork tenderloin arrived my first thought was that it was a small portion. This idea however disappeared quickly as I realized the allusion created by the different components being stacked together. Some of the pork was placed on top of the bacon flan. The rest of the pork lay beside the potatoes and greens. Every flavour combined deliciously together. I was filling up quickly and with half left I offered to switch with my sister and try her french toast.


The french toast was crispy on the outside but pleasingly soft on the inside. The brie surprised me and combined well with with the sweet berries. I finished my piece and felt too full to get a coffee (they are using 49th Parallel) for the road. We are glad we caught brunch while we could, they are taking a break from it during the busy summer season as it is not possible to serve 300 people for lunch and 4000 in the cafeteria on the same day! All in all a lovely meal complete with friendly staff to boot.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Culina at the Muttart

On a rare weekday off I headed to Culina at the Muttart for lunch.



We arrived around noon and it was busy. I was pleased to see they had added more tables since I had last been there. The special sounded interesting - a mushroom and brie filled filo pastry.



I decided to go for it but ultimately wished I had gone with soup and a sandwich, which are always satisfying. The special was served on a bed of greens, I enjoyed the flavours of the brie and mushrooms but wished that the mushrooms had been sliced thinner. My sister had a ham and gouda sandwich which she enjoyed.


All in all Culina at the Muttart is always lovely. We also walked around the pyramids (we had admission tickets thanks to a Groupon deal). It was fun to look at all the different exhibits. I also purchased a lovely hydrangea plant while there. I hope to make it to weekend brunch there soon.

Culina at the Muttart on Urbanspoon