10740-101 Street 780-428-8899
Dave's Selection
We have decided to title this Dinner Club: "I can't believe it's not..." Padmanadi is a vegetarian/vegan/non-alcoholic Indonesian restaurant. Immediately upon entering, BOOM, there was a huge Buddha to the right and cool wooden chairs that Angela thought resembled the letter A. Bree thought they weren't loungey/comfortable enough. The walls have framed photographs of various employees and the wallpaper became funkier the farther one got into the space. We ordered three appetizers: gado-gado (a tofu salad with peanut sauce), salty chicken* with hot sauce (not real chicken) and roti with curry (a crepe-like bread). The salty chicken was great but Bree especially enjoyed the salad. The restaurant's concept encourages sharing and not only with the appetizers. The three entres we chose to share were ginger beef* (also not meat), spicy string beans, and Indonesian rice with vegetables. Bree liked to call the last dish 'crazy rice'. We're not sure why. Oh well. The food was served very quickly and it was piping hot. The waitress brought us enough water to drown in. In other words, the service was prompt and efficient. We were well fed and well hydrated. The meal was delicious, however, the desserts did not have a wow factor. From the many choices, Bree was quick to pick chocolate lava cake. Angela set her sites on a pineapple cupcake with coconut frosting. Dave made the safe choice and took on a vanilla cheesecake drizzled with berry sauce. The chocolate cake lacked flavour. The cheesecake wasn't dense enough. That leaves the cupcake with the distinction as best dessert. It actually had flavour. Despite the lack of alcohol (Bree couldn't satisfy her beer craving) and the speed of the experience (we were in and out in an hour), we did enjoy a change from the ordinary meats and treats of our previous restaurants. Come to think of it, the time has flown so fast! This is the third year anniversary of Dinner Club. That would make it the longest relationship Dave has had with a woman. Two women actually! Let's hope for many more to come!
Corso 32 - September 9, 2011
10345 Jasper Avenue 780-421-4622
Bree’s Selection
As we approached we could not help but notice Corso 32 was situated below Penthouse Massage. Interesting. Despite holding reservations for 10:00 pm (Corso 32 appears to encourage late night dining) we had to wait twenty minutes to be seated during which time Dave seriously considered ducking upstairs for a quick “massage”. This ten to twelve table restaurant was dimly lit which is why we noticed the cool light fixtures first. There was also an illustration of a pig on the wall with its various sections labeled. Yum? Awkward? A bit of both. We certainly didn’t need to know that prosciutto comes from a pig’s butt. The menu was simple: we started with antipasti. Bree had prosciutto with baked cheese and egg on it. It tasted like breakfast! Angela selected the arugula salad. Dave had pasta stuffed with ricotta and egg yolk on the side which was runny and yucky in his opinion. Of the three, Bree’s was best. Before we move on to the main course, let’s talk about our cold waitress… all business there! We didn’t even bother to learn her name. Ok, back to the food. Bree tucked into gnocchi with wild wild boar. Angela is not nearly vegan so she sucked back half a hen (like a champ) with wicked shaved zucchini/lemon mint sprinkled on top. Dave’s house made ravioli with brown butter and chopped asparagus was delicious. Our three way cage match didn’t decide whose entrée was the best so we’ll give them a tie. There were only three desserts on the menu so we ordered them all. Angela chose the chocolate torta which was super rich but she did enjoy the salty hazelnuts (also like a champ). Bree had vanilla panna cotta with Okanagan fruit. “It was a light, refreshing end to her meal,” says Angela Zawada, Bree’s unofficial spokeswoman. Dave’s dessert won the night. It was morsels of deep fried fluffy batter with a hint of lemoncello in the center of each. So good! The atmosphere was great. The food was superb. But the best part of the evening was the “stimulating” conversation. Sorry non-dinner clubbers, can’t repeat it here. We are pinky sworn to secrecy. Insert elitist laugh here… bah ha ha – ahem.
Bree’s Selection
As we approached we could not help but notice Corso 32 was situated below Penthouse Massage. Interesting. Despite holding reservations for 10:00 pm (Corso 32 appears to encourage late night dining) we had to wait twenty minutes to be seated during which time Dave seriously considered ducking upstairs for a quick “massage”. This ten to twelve table restaurant was dimly lit which is why we noticed the cool light fixtures first. There was also an illustration of a pig on the wall with its various sections labeled. Yum? Awkward? A bit of both. We certainly didn’t need to know that prosciutto comes from a pig’s butt. The menu was simple: we started with antipasti. Bree had prosciutto with baked cheese and egg on it. It tasted like breakfast! Angela selected the arugula salad. Dave had pasta stuffed with ricotta and egg yolk on the side which was runny and yucky in his opinion. Of the three, Bree’s was best. Before we move on to the main course, let’s talk about our cold waitress… all business there! We didn’t even bother to learn her name. Ok, back to the food. Bree tucked into gnocchi with wild wild boar. Angela is not nearly vegan so she sucked back half a hen (like a champ) with wicked shaved zucchini/lemon mint sprinkled on top. Dave’s house made ravioli with brown butter and chopped asparagus was delicious. Our three way cage match didn’t decide whose entrée was the best so we’ll give them a tie. There were only three desserts on the menu so we ordered them all. Angela chose the chocolate torta which was super rich but she did enjoy the salty hazelnuts (also like a champ). Bree had vanilla panna cotta with Okanagan fruit. “It was a light, refreshing end to her meal,” says Angela Zawada, Bree’s unofficial spokeswoman. Dave’s dessert won the night. It was morsels of deep fried fluffy batter with a hint of lemoncello in the center of each. So good! The atmosphere was great. The food was superb. But the best part of the evening was the “stimulating” conversation. Sorry non-dinner clubbers, can’t repeat it here. We are pinky sworn to secrecy. Insert elitist laugh here… bah ha ha – ahem.
Pampa: Brazilian Steakhouse - March 19, 2011
9929-109 Street 780-756-7030
Angela's Selection
Meat on a stick: And now for the rest of the story... Pampa is three weeks old and because of Angela's recent trip to Brazil, it was an obvious choice. The restaurant was very open - almost food court style in its layout. At the centre of the space there was a buffet so we didn't need to order appetizers this time around. There was quite an assortment of nutritious foods available. Some stand outs included quinoa, pineapple powdered with cinnamon, mango, and a refreshing apple salad. Bree, however, wasn't the biggest buffet fan. Our waiter, Chris, had an interesting sense of humour. When Dave asked him why all of the meat masters (the servers who bring around meat skewers for sampling) were men, he said it was because women skewer around too much. We told him that he was funny and he said, "I know. I have a Brazilian of them." Ha ha ha. It turns out there are nine varieties of meat on a stick. Our two favourites were the spicy sausage and the garlic encrusted sirloin. We should also mention that on every table each person has a small cardboard circle with green on one side and red on the other. Green means meat please! while red means no more (at least for now). From time to time special treats were brought randomly by the table. Dave went gaga for the cinnamon coated bananas and asked for another one. Chris was kind enough to hook a brother up. It didn't take long to feel full so we ordered desserts while we still could. Bree ordered a coconut custard that she wasn't happy with so the owner of the restaurant came over to suggest an alternative on the house. We were very impressed with the service. Hopefully the next Dinner Club pick will also allow Angela to speak the native tongue of the waiters... Obrigado Pampa!
Angela's Selection
Meat on a stick: And now for the rest of the story... Pampa is three weeks old and because of Angela's recent trip to Brazil, it was an obvious choice. The restaurant was very open - almost food court style in its layout. At the centre of the space there was a buffet so we didn't need to order appetizers this time around. There was quite an assortment of nutritious foods available. Some stand outs included quinoa, pineapple powdered with cinnamon, mango, and a refreshing apple salad. Bree, however, wasn't the biggest buffet fan. Our waiter, Chris, had an interesting sense of humour. When Dave asked him why all of the meat masters (the servers who bring around meat skewers for sampling) were men, he said it was because women skewer around too much. We told him that he was funny and he said, "I know. I have a Brazilian of them." Ha ha ha. It turns out there are nine varieties of meat on a stick. Our two favourites were the spicy sausage and the garlic encrusted sirloin. We should also mention that on every table each person has a small cardboard circle with green on one side and red on the other. Green means meat please! while red means no more (at least for now). From time to time special treats were brought randomly by the table. Dave went gaga for the cinnamon coated bananas and asked for another one. Chris was kind enough to hook a brother up. It didn't take long to feel full so we ordered desserts while we still could. Bree ordered a coconut custard that she wasn't happy with so the owner of the restaurant came over to suggest an alternative on the house. We were very impressed with the service. Hopefully the next Dinner Club pick will also allow Angela to speak the native tongue of the waiters... Obrigado Pampa!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)