Stella's: Vancouver British Columbia

A tradition SJ and I have when in Vancouver is to visit one of our favourite tapas bar’s, Stella’s. Now, having been introduced to Stella’s over a year ago by SJ and having great experiences since, we continue to hit it on every second or third visit to this fine city.

An always interesting mix of clientelle, this multi location restaurant in Vancouver is a place to hang out, have good conversation, and drink from a vast and incredibly unique selection of (predominantly) Belgian beers. I will never forget our first visit to the location on Commercial Drive. It is a pub atmosphere that serves only tapas, of which we had mussels served in Stella (yes the beer), Jumbo Tiger Prawns that were more like mini lobsters, and something else that fails to come to mind. Everything was amazing, thus we continue to return to either of the two locations, and recommend it to everyone we know as a place to go for great beer and tapas. As mentioned this place appropriately named Stella’s, is largely about the beer. There is a full 4-6 page menu exclusively of Belgian beers
from numerous microbreweries and trappiste breweries in Belgium.
Ironically the name Stella’s was likely chosen to capitalize on the success of said beer, however we are told that it is a beer largely looked down on by the Belgian beer elite.

On this occasion, we went to the Stella’s on Cambie, that features a dinner menu as well as tapas. Neither of us had an idea Stella’s offered dinner, so it was a pleasant surprise. SJ and I ordered the Bière des Ours, one of SJ’s favourite beers of all time and extremely difficult to find. This beer is honey in color and taste and goes down a little too smoothly. Not a beer drinker myself, I have taken a liking to it. We chose Jumbo Prawns from the tapas menu to start, as the three course prix fixe provided nothing of interest for appies, and while these were not the massive prawns we had on our first visit to Stella’s they were still relatively large. Must say however, they were a bit over cooked and rubbery, but tasted good none the less. The only comment I must make about this dish is that the Prawns came unpeeled with the shell fused to the meat and covered in a sweet sticky glaze. Some people do eat the shell, I however don’t and never will, so I painstakingly removed the shell in order to eat it. I am sure I am not the only person out there who removes the shell so I would suggest to make the experience better, that they provide a finger bowl as my fingers were sticky and covered with sauce making the experience very messy.

SJ ordered the Belgian meat balls to start and thoroughly enjoyed them. Covered in a beef based gravy these meat balls were adequately portioned, juicy and well seasoned. SJ’s brother in law, SW, opted for the prix fix including the appie and decided on the roasted beet salad. SW’s salad was well portioned and more of a salad than the typical beet salad one would expect, decorated with pecans and a few beets to offset adding a savory taste to the salad as a whole. SW thought the salad was good, but missed dressing. SJ’s sister, HJ, opted for the BC Haibut with a basmati risotto. It is important to note, this isn’t your typical risotto, it was more of a basmati rice in a creamy sauce accompanied with peas, so if you are expecting “real” risotto, as we were, you may want to steer away from this dish.

The Halibut however was done quite nicely according to HJ. SJ and SW opted for the Fraser Valley Pork Loin Chop which was accompanied with a mashed yam patty on top of a corn and bean succotash. SJ and SW enjoyed the maple glazed pork chop, SW enjoyed the succotash and yams considerably more than SJ (not so much of a vegetable guy). For dinner I opted for the Chicken Milanese which was very good. The Chicken was accompanied with potatoes which were rather dry, and I would suggest a better accompanying vegetable as it didn’t add anything to the dish other than filler. The Chicken was a rather large portion, so the potatoes wouldn’t have been eaten regardless of how good they were as I could barely finish the chicken.

As HJ had raved about the cheesecake we decided to give it a try, and wow was she right! The Mascarpone and Bourbon Cheesecake was amazing, topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with nuts, this is a MUST have... shared amongst the table we devoured it.

The service as a whole was adequate and the waiter engaging. [SJ’s note: SC in the past had a preference for the Brazilian type. Our waiter brought back some memories and hot flashes....lol] The muscles from Brussels turned out to be Brazilian, lucky SC as she guessed his nationality correct in our friendly wager...[SC note: guess old habits die hard- LMAO]

Location visited: 3305 Cambie Street

Ratings:

Ambiance: Casual
Cuisine: Tapas / Fusion
Presentation: Above Average
Price: $30/serving
Service: Average
Value: Average




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Blue Heaven: Key West Florida

As our previous evening at Emeril's left us with a significant amount of regret and disappointment, we decided to take a day trip from Miami to see the famed Florida Keys, and have a "do over" of our celebration. After a 3 hour drive and a pit stop in Marathon for a helicopter tour, we ended up in Key West.


Spending the first few hours shopping, where I got thoroughly ripped off on 2 dresses that I bought...but alas, a story for another time.
SJ had done a little investigation as to which restaurant we wanted to review, and settled on a small Caribbean place called Blue Heaven. The restaurant is located just off of the beaten path about a block or so from the great Ernest Hemmingway's former home, and in fact is a place he used to referee boxing matches at in a past incarnation of the building.


We were immediately seated as we entered, and chose to eat in the main part of the restaurant, which is outside. There is an air conditioned indoor area available by request, but I'm sure you would be missing the real ambiance of this place.


Our waitress was with us a few minutes later and thoughtfully brought a frosted glass for SJ's Stella...to "make it go down a little faster". Very considerate as it was a typical muggy Key West afternoon. I went with a key lime lemonade, that was a little on the tart side, but still very refreshing, recommended by our delightful waitress.


Now I have to pause here for a moment to describe the environment. We are seated in an outdoor courtyard at a table underneath some umbrellas...with a bunch of roosters running around fighting each other for some food scraps. Very unique, unassuming, and certainly not the kind of place one would expect to find dishes comparable in quality to a 5 star place in a big city.


When our waitress came back with our second round of drinks, she also took our orders. She was very helpful in recommending a few "signature" dishes such as the Sautéed Yellowtail Snapper with Citrus Beurre Blanc Sauce and the Pork Tenderloin, both of which we ordered as mains. We also ordered Seared Sea Scallops Provençale and the Caribbean BBQ Shrimp as appetizers which came quite quickly.


The shrimp were very nicely seasoned, seared with jerk seasonings, deglazed with beer, and served with freshly baked corn bread muffins. A very nice sized appie... The scallops also cooked perfectly, accompanied with a citrus beurre blanc sauce and garlic bread making this dish simply incredible! The mains arrived very swiftly and absolutely did not disappoint. Neither of us are fish people, but on this evening SJ stepped out of his comfort zone for the sake of this blog (what a guy! Lol). The fish was spectacular, splitting our mains to ensure each of us got a good sample, I couldn’t help but admit that some fish...yes some fish when one right can be very tasty!!. This fish was Flaky, tender, and accented with a ridiculously good beurre blanc sauce and pasta. I chose the pork tenderloin with a mango chutney and curry butter sauce on a bed of mashed sweet potatoes. Very nicely prepared, and the sweet potatoes gave just the right amount of sweetness to the dish. We were both highly impressed by the quality and the experience thus far...


For dessert...um, hello...could it be anything other than Key Lime pie??? Authentic tasting (and color...yellow, NOT green), and served with a large amount of meringue on top, it was a perfect end to a perfect meal.


And to top it off, our waitress suggested a great place for us to go watch an amazing sunset. All in all, the perfect evening, and a full two thumbs up, if we had more thumbs to give we definitely would. IF you are ever in the Keys, a place you must go as we will definitely ensure to recommend it and return in our travels

Location visited: 729 Thomas St. Key West Florida

Ratings:

Ambiance: Unique and quaint
Cuisine: Caribbean Fusion
Presentation: Above Average
Price: $30/serving
Service: Above Average
Value: Above Average





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Emerils: Miami Beach Florida

BAM! Somebody needs to kick this place up a notch!!

Located in the heart of South Beach Miami, attached to the Loews Hotel is Emeril's restaurant, named after the famous chef Emeril Lagasse. Parking was easy as we opted for valet. The usual cost at Loews for valet parking is $25, however if you get your ticket validated, it is dropped to a mere $16.

Now having dined at several high end restaurants, we expected much better than what we saw at Emerils. The entrance was trendy and impressive, however the seating area left something to be desired, ordinary and rather pedestrian. SJ and I were celebrating our recent engagement, and so we decided to spend it at a place we figured we were assured a fabulous meal. This being said SJ mentioned it to the hostess when she took our reservations and throughout the meal there was no mention of our celebration, quiet odd... Makes you wonder why they even bothered to ask?

In any event, we were seated immediately and handed a wine list to peruse through, but no menus. Soon after, another server arrived to fill our glasses with sparkling water instead of the still we requested. When our waiter arrived we pointed out the mistake and actually had to ask for menus....it seemed as though they had forgotten to give us them in the obvious confusion among the two servers. Our mojitios arrived and after having a few sips we both commented on the fact we were literally eating the mint leaves, as the drinks were very muddled, something we have never experienced before to such a degree...especially not in what is essentially the second home of the mojito. All this had given us time to look at the wine list where we noticed wines ranging from $40 to $4,000. Figuring that we would try something different than our regular gerwurztraminer, We mentioned that we were looking for something sweet in a white wine, but not as sweet as a desert wine. She immediately mentioned that her favorite was ice wine, as if she had not even heard our comment. So when we repeated that were not looking for a desert wine, she said she would have someone who "knew about wine" to come by to assist us. The server who arrived was not the most knowledgeable and had to flip through the wine list several times to finally recommend a wine he thought would fit our needs. Now, understand that neither of us are wine snobs in any way, but wouldn't you have a reasonable expectation that in a restaurant that has several $4000 bottles of wine on the extensive menu, that it would also have a sommolier?? The wine that arrived was nothing close to what we wanted and it was then apparent that this restaurant didn't have anyone knowledgeable enough to recommend a wine....again very odd...the only saving grace was that the bottle was in the lower price scale.

Overall the service was very sporadic and used numerous staff to serve...or not serve in several instances. Again, we actually had to ask for our menus as ample time had passed and we had not received any... When we were ready to place our order, we watched eagerly as our waiter (or the one we assumed was our waiter) walked by 5 times during which both of our menus were closed...the universal signal for "we're ready now". Finally noticing we were ready to order he came over. We got appies to share, calamari and lettuce wraps, with mains of scallops and the 8ounce filet mignon.

Shortly after our order was taken, the waiter arrived to apologize as the kitchen had run out of scallops, so I settled for the spinach and ricotta cheese ravioli instead. At this point we were very disappointed with the overall service and wondered if the food would save the day. 1 hour into our seating we still had not received our appies, this could be due to the server not having taken our food order for about 30 mins into our seating, regardless, this is still unacceptable. Shortly after the 1 hour mark we finally received our appies... And wow did they save the day. The tuna wraps were amazing, with a touch of chili sauce, giving them a little kick. The tuna, fresh and laid on a bed of crispy wonton strips, was absolutely perfect. The calamari was prepared with a New Orleans Olive Salad, Smoked Tomato Sauce, Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese and was equally amazing. Not being a big fan of olives, I couldn't help but devour this dish. Not too many "legs" and lightly breaded. The combination was delightful and unexpected.

Our dishes were cleared and, our waiting staff started to redeem itself...always ensuring that our wine and water glasses were filled, and even going so far as to refold my napkin when I went to use the restroom. Within a decent amount of time our meals arrived...after taking a small detour to another table by mistake. SJ's steak was prepared perfectly, and was the cut and quality one would expect from a place where you pay over $45 for a steak. It had a touch of blue cheese on it which certainly added to the overall taste. My ravioli was huge, and came Roasted Tomato-Sweet Corn “Vierge”, Aged Balsamic Vinegar, Shaved Parmesan Cheese; somewhat bland without it, but tasty one it was added.

After we had finished our meal, the service reverted to it's previous quality. Our plates had been cleared and we had refused dessert, yet waited over 30 minutes for our bill, and actually had to walk up to the server's station to have somebody process our payment, as we had been sitting at our empty table for quite some time waiting.

Overall, I would absolutely NOT recommend this restaurant, unless you are very patient, or have low service standards.

Location visited: Emeril's Miami Beach

Ratings:

Ambiance: Trendy
Cuisine: Contemporary
Presentation: Average
Price: $50/serving
Service: Below Average
Value: Below Average




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Century Grill: Edmonton Alberta

Celebrating my 35th birthday we decided to have dinner somewhere we hadn’t been in a while. We recalled that we had enjoyed the food here before and thought it was time to revisit The Century Grill in Edmonton. While it was 6pm on a Wednesday, the parking lot was completely full. This could partially be because the restaurant is located next to two of the busiest restaurants in Edmonton, Red Lobster and Olive Garden. Restaurants, I might add, that have gone downhill horribly since the early years, so don’t expect us to review them anytime soon. It would likely just be a bitchfest. Anyhow, back to the Century Grill. As it was raining, SJ being the gentlemen he is, dropped me off at the door and went to find a spot. Waiting for him in the door way I briefly took note of the layout and ambiance of the entrance. The entrance is modern, the lighting soft, and to the left of the dining area is a raised private dining room surrounded by white curtains. Something I would think may be quiet interesting for private parties. The restaurant was busy, and as we were seated, we joined my family and ordered our usual cocktails. Our waiter was pleasant and knowledgeable, and arrived shortly thereafter with our drinks. For appetizers we chose three dishes to share: Parmesan chicken balls, calamari and gyoza.

The chicken balls came 4 to a bowl and were quite large. I think they thought size would outweigh quality in this case, because they were breaded and bland. The tomato sauce which accompanied them was sparse and did not do very much for the lack of spice or taste in the chicken balls. I would have expected a better seasoning in the breading, but for this dish it seemed obvious that they expected the sauce to offset the blandness...a disappointment in our eyes as they did sound good on the menu. Reality however was not dissimilar to something you could get frozen in the appies section of the grocery store.

The calamari however, were excellent. Not leggy (just rings), they came slightly peppered with Serrano peppers scattered to give a nice kick to the dish, and accompanied with a garlic dip . We were all very impressed with this dish. The Gyoza were also great, pan seared and lightly basted with a sweet soy Wasabi glaze that was great. The mushroom bed they were served on were tender and added quiet well to the dish.

SJ would almost call what I have a chicken fetish, because I LOVE chicken...(mainly breast- don’t like bones or skin...yuk!) This being the case I opted for the Free Range Chicken. When I ordered, I politely asked the waiter if there was bone and skin on the chicken, as the menu didn’t specify skinless..(a lesson I learned in Vancouver after ordering Coq Au Vin once only to find it was dark meat, and had skin and bones! So now I make sure to ask!). Advising me that this dish did indeed come with the leg bone in and the breast skin on, I asked if he could have the kitchen remove the skin from the dish, a request they complied with happily. The chicken was very good and tender (without skin) but the risotto was cooked a bit too much for our taste. It was (as many restaurants make the mistake), over cooked and bland. The sauce however when mixed with it made up for the lack of taste and texture.

Now one thing you may have noticed by now, is the complete lack of fish dishes in any of our reviews. This is on purpose. Neither of us are fish lovers. Frankly speaking, for the most part it always tastes like...well...fish! And all of you out there who in your minds are saying "that's because you haven't had it prepared with...", please stop. Trust me...it still tastes like fish. The exceptions to this rule are Salmon (occasionally), shellfish, and TUNA!! But there is a catch. You must have the Tuna seared, and not cooked. Yes, it's raw...get over it. But it's the best thing on earth to eat, and in fact, the more you cook it, the more it starts to taste like fish. Ironic. Having lived in Bermuda for a few years, SJ got turned on to Tuna...no, not the canned variety...and even went so far as to go fishing for it on a few occasions. A story he tells ad nauseum that involves tuna, a shark, and blah blah blah. Anyways, SJ opting for the Ahi Tuna, crusted with Captain Crunch cereal....yes you read that right. The texture was excellent, but you really couldn't taste the Captain Crunch. Fortunately there was a good sauce drizzled over and around that nicely complimented the dish.

Now completely stuffed, SJ and I shared a desert with my father. My dad, never having had crème Brule was convinced to order it, which he loved. The desert a vanilla bean crème brulee was amazing, the right texture and very tasty. YUMMY.....

The manager, having heard that it was my birthday, stopped by to thank us for choosing the restaurant to celebrate my special day, and handed me a $10 gift certificate for use on a future visit. In my opinion, it was a very classy move...for a moment there I was worried the staff would pop out from behind his back and start embarrassing me...(something I have always found tacky for a restaurant....SOOO glad they didn’t do that here or it would have seriously tainted my perception of the overall experience.)

Overall, the experience was decent. The staff was friendly and attentive, the food and the ambiance mostly good. I did think it was a bit louder than I would have preferred, as it was difficult to carry on a conversation around the table we were seated at, but for the price, the day and the company...we thoroughly enjoyed the celebration.


Location visited: 3975 Calgary Trail

Ratings:

Ambiance: Trendy and Fresh
Cuisine: Contemporary
Presentation: Above Average
Price: $30/serving
Service: Above Average
Value: Good



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Zaika Indian Bistro Bar: Edmonton Alberta

This Indian restaurant in Edmonton, is a fresh spin on traditional Indian cuisine. As soon as you enter, the fragrance of Indian spices and fresh naan fills the air. As a lover of Indian food, I have been here a few times without disappointment. I have tried both the buffet and the menu, and have loved both. Very busy this specific evening we were fortunate to be seated immediately. The decorations in the restaurant are ultra funky and modern. The light fixtures hanging from the ceiling, provide a soft light which illuminates the entire dining area and establishes an ideal ambiance for relaxation. Ordering our usual cocktails we decided to peek at the drink menu and were enticed into trying one of the unique drinks that they serve (more detail further down). When our drinks arrived the waitress had missed the “tall” glass, making my drink stronger than I usually like, however, with only two waitresses serving this entire restaurant, I can understand. Sharing the responsibilities of hosting and serving, a second waitress (which we would discover was the owner) came by to take our orders ensuring to ask our preferred spice level. Ordering the Samosa trio, (substituting the vegetable Samosa with another beef as SJ is not a veggie man) and chicken wings (hot) for appetizers, we decided upon something different than our "usual" as entrees. Now I LOVE butter Chicken, and Beef Vindaloo, and this place does both very well, but as we opted to step outside the normal Indian food box, we ordered the Lamb Korma and Mint Chicken (medium). Each entree comes with Basmati rice and naan bread, so no need to order more.

Mainly occupied with patrons of Indian descent (always a good sign), this restaurant never ceases to deliver a wonderful modern Indian meal. The Samosas were easily the best we have ever tasted, not greasy at all, and accompanied by a house made chutney and sauce. Excellent combination of spice and flavour, the meat wasn't over cooked or tasteless, and we dove in and devoured them without a second thought. The chicken wings were mildly disappointing however. They came presented well, however were drenched in a tomato based sauce. The sauce had the consistency of a typical Italian spaghetti sauce, and although it was rather good, it was still all over the wings making them very messy to eat. In our opinion, a little less sauce would have done the trick. Furthermore, although we asked for hot chicken wings, they were far closer to medium than hot. Maybe looking at SJ’s white face the owner thought his stomach couldn’t handle hot sauce. SJ tends to eat spicier food than I do though, and that’s saying a lot...considering my Caribbean roots. He is definitely full of surprises!

The basmati rice was cooked perfectly and presented in a small bowl off to the side. The naan, was great as well. The Lamb Korma was exceptional. Cooked tender and juicy, and didn’t have the overwhelming lamb taste as it was likely steeped in the Korma sauce. Not being a lamb eater, I thought it was great. The mint chicken was very similar to Butter Chicken, however infused with a mint in the sauce, making it a unique and "must try" dish.

Owned by one of two sisters, this restaurant (located beside the other sisters spice shop) is simply amazing. This being our third visit, and having sampled both the buffet and several menu items, this funky upbeat gem is absolutely great. The food is amazing and the service matches. Furthermore, the drinks are unique, and the mango mojitio was ridiculously addictive. Infused with mango and mint, this drink goes down too easily, and had us ordering more (and more...and more). Definitely our newest drink addiction. (A combination I will make at home as well on my way to the closest AA meeting...lol)

Location visited: 2303 Ellwood Dr

Ratings:

Ambiance: Trendy and Fresh
Cuisine: Indian
Presentation: Good
Price: $15/serving
Service: Average
Value: Great



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Coras: Edmonton Alberta

My 35th birthday morning and all I can think of is creton (Kre-Ton) and some amazing fruit from Cora’s. Now those who know me, know I am not usually a breakfast person. I don’t like greasy bacon or runny eggs, so it’s a meal I usually skip or make at home by utilizing toast or cereal. However, it being my birthday, I felt like something out of the ordinary. I had visited Cora’s a few times when I lived in Gatineau and Ottawa, and SJ has frequented it in Winnipeg as well, and we both have missed it dearly. Only recently has Edmonton been blessed with this place, so whenever we are free and feel like breakfast, we make a point enduring the inevitable lineup to go there.

Having introduced several friends to Cora’s with no bad comments, I can honestly say the food is amazing. This establishment, which can best be described as a funky diner with extreme color, almost always has a line up to get in. So on a cold day, make sure to dress warm. On this occasion we waited for about 20 minutes to be seated. Once seated however, we immediately ordered orange juice and a fruit smoothie. At a little above $4, I figured it would be a good compromise to orange juice, which I don’t usually enjoy. The smoothie came presented well in a small serving plate surrounded with a slice of cantaloupe and a wedge of pineapple on the glass. The person preparing the smoothie made a bit of a mess as it was dripping down the side of the glass which prevented me from picking it up to consume. This wasn’t a big deal until my sleeve touched the glass leaving my shirt stained red. (Thank god for Tide to go!!) Flagging down our waitress to request glasses of water we ordered our meals. SJ and I decided upon the Cora’s special, which includes: Ham, bacon, sausage, potatoes, two eggs, a crepe and toast. SJ opted to add onions and cheese to his potatoes, whereas I did not. I recall from a previous visit thinking it didn't really compliment the meal, and for the additional cost wasn’t worth it. SJ later commented that I was correct, as the onions, which were fried and greasy, were piled on top of the potatoes, and somewhat wrecked that portion of the meal.

Now, SJ and I cannot come to Cora’s and not get Creton, so we each ordered a side of that to spread on our rye toast. IF you’ve never had Creton before, it’s a Franco Canadian delicacy. Somewhat like a ground pork spread, it’s hard to describe except to say, YUMMY! Always add mustard on top...makes it taste sort of like a mini ham sandwich. It's damn good regardless.

The one thing you must know when coming to Cora’s is that 1) you will almost always wait in line, 2) the waitresses are also the bussers. So the service is a little lacking as the restaurant is always packed and trying to get the next table in and out of the doorway. I was thirsty, so I polished off my water and SJ’s (he doesn’t usually drink water-so it’s never a big deal), however the waitress didn’t come back to fill up our water until after we ordered. As I mentioned the service is a little hit and miss, depending on how busy they are. This visit I felt as though we needed to flag her down to order extra rye toast and creton, and the second order of toast was mistakenly whole wheat, and not the rye we ordered. Overall experience this time was consistent with our past visits, the meal great, garnished with tasty fruit and not greasy, the service rushed and nonexistent. This meal and every meal we have had here is the single reason we continue to return (besides the creton, which SJ claims he too can make...lmao)

Location visited: 2920 Calgary Trail

Ratings:

Ambiance: Diner
Cuisine: Breakfast
Presentation: Great
Price: $15/serving
Service: Below Average
Value: Great



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Joey: Edmonton Alberta

Dinner out with a girlfriend of mine and so we decided to go to my old stomping grounds and hit Joey’s. In the past little while I haven’t been back there mainly because the experiences have been so hit and miss with the service. But figuring the small hiatus may have improved things...or at least my outlook...I try my luck again.

Walking in we took a peak into the bar area and decided we would rather have a table in the restaurant. We provided the young hostess with our names, and proceed to wait for a few minutes until we are seated. This is not a problem as the waiting area is spacious enough and usually offers white and red wine, or samples of something good off of the menu while you wait. Almost immediately the manager came out from the lounge to advise us that there was seating available there, and asked if we would like to sit in the lounge. Somewhat hesitant we mentioned wanting a booth and that we were ok with waiting. Rather persistently he proceeded to “sell us” on sitting in the lounge by bringing us to an available booth. Both of us found the insistence rather odd, but seeing as the menu was the same, and it was indeed a booth, we just agreed and sat down.

Now if you’ve been to Joey’s lounge, you’ll know it’s rather dimly lit, funky, and a happening place to check people out or go for drinks with a group of friends. This time was no different. Surrounded by Cougars and Lions my friend and I proceeded to chat and order our drinks. The waitress, a pretty girl boasting a large fake smile, proceeded to take our drink orders. Within a matter of 30 seconds however, she asked us twice if we had any questions about the menu. Not quite sure if she experienced deja vu but we sure did! Ordering the grilled chicken souvlaki and china town lettuce wraps we enjoyed our drinks. Most lounges have music that almost overwhelms any chance of conversation, so I can say that Joeys, at least on this particular day, had the perfect volume.

My entree, accompanied with French fries (they call them shoes strings, but they are nowhere near as good as the original shoe strings they used to offer!) arrived without the gravy I had ordered, which the waitress promptly brought when she was alerted to it. The grilled chicken souvlaki, wrapped in paper to prevent dripping, was pretty good. I would have appreciated it served without the wrapper, but I can imagine those not skilled with messy food would make a mess, so I guess it’s ok as a standard. One thing really stuck out though...after I ordered the gravy I remembered....I don’t like the gravy here. It’s not gravy, but rather soup. I kid you not, that is the exact texture it has, plus it's watery and salty. Au Jus at best! Needless to say, I stuck with ketchup for the hand full of fries I ate. My friend, having dusted off the lettuce provided with her entree, asked our waitress for a few more pieces when she checked on us for a final time. We both could have sworn she forgot as the lettuce took about 10 mins to come out! Odd seeing as there really is nothing to do but take them off the head and wash them. Anyhow, overall the meal was forgettable...nothing particularly special other than catching up with my friend.

As we left, I was reminded why Joeys is part of my OLD stomping grounds, and will remember that there are so many better places to spend my money than. It’s not extremely bad, but far from outstanding...just average all around.

Location visited: 9911 19th Avenue NW (South Edmonton Commons)

Ratings:

Ambiance: Casual
Cuisine: Steakhouse and Fushion
Presentation: Average
Price: $16/serving
Service: Average
Value: Average



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