Sunday Brunch ~ Rosso Pizzeria

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Oh brunch in Edmonton. Since visiting cities like Portland and New York, where going for brunch is a given, I'm always trying to find solid versions of the meal here at home. Giant lines twist outside of casual spots like Sugarbowl, High Level Diner and Urban Diner throughout the weekend, and my favourite homes to weekend brunch - Manor Bistro, Under the High Wheel and Next Act - can be just as busy. Fingers crossed Elm Café will one day add some sort of permanent brunch to their lineup on 118th Ave, 'cause the brunch offered during Deep Freeze was too delicious to just be a pop-up.

When we lived in Garneau, we regularly enjoyed large glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice and fluffy frittatas offered at then DaCapo. With that in mind, we met up with friends at Rosso to check out their weekend brunch situation earlier in February.

As assumed, patrons were lined up outside other spots at the intersection, but when I arrived at Rosso around 10:30 (a half hour before our scheduled meeting time, just in case), I had my pick of tables. I still miss the café style ordering system from DaCapo, but someone stopped by soon enough with a menu, and to take my latte order. It took a while for the latte to come out (at least 10 minutes), but their super milky version is wonderful. Sadly, the juice machine is no longer there, which means there is no orange juice on offer.

Other than the granola, all the dishes on the menu are savoury, and the general theme is, 'Put an egg on it'. Charles selected the Canadese pizza (sans the egg) whilst I went with the Calabrese pizza. Our friends opted for the granola and a 'breakfast skillet' of sorts.

I loved the topping combination on my pizza, with the bitter rapini and fennel sausage playing well. Unfortunately, the eggs on top suffered from the heat of the wood fired oven and weren't in a good state by the time they reached the table. Next time, I'll likely opt for a side of poached eggs and add them afterward.

A moment of praise, though, for the pizza crust. When I visited just after the DaCapo-Rosso changeover, I didn't notice much improvement pizza wise, but it seems they now know exactly what they're doing. Crispy, chewy, slightly charred - Hands down the best in the city.

The Canadese pizza - with potato, bacon, rosemary and olive oil - hit the spot, especially with that latte on the side.

They aren't kidding when they say 'large cup' of granola. It's really a gigantic goblet. The granola and fruit were very good, but what makes it is a generous layer of their house made ricotta. Very creamy and fresh.

And finally the 'skillet' (Patate arrostite con salsiccia e peperoni) - Probably the favourite of the table. Perfectly poached eggs, with their rich tomato sauce, potatoes, fennel sausage, peppers and some of their homemade bread on the side.

We wouldn't hesitate to head over for brunch again, especially with brunch lineups in the area being what they are. They lose points for lack of orange juice (and breakfast specific beverages), but they easily overcome that negative with those lattes, and pizza for breakfast.

The brunch menu is available from 10am-3pm on weekends and holidays.

Café. Walk. Café. Walk.

{Are you a food or drink blogger in Edmonton? Come to The Common on March 4th and meet up with fellow food bloggers from our fair city! Details here.}

Just before I went to Berlin a couple summers ago, Isabelle introduced me to Sandra Juto's blog, and I still look at it daily. She walks and drinks coffee (and enjoys her city) like nobody's business. So when I found myself without work commitments a couple Saturdays ago, I decided to do the same.

Stop one - A short walk to a Kashmiri chai with almond milk at Remedy downtown.

Construction, construction, construction in our city right now. Not without its drawbacks (mostly blocked sidewalks and other pedestrian routes, on my end at least), but nevertheless exciting. It sounds like the promenade outside the old federal building on 108 Street, and some of the meeting spaces inside, will be lovely.

It was about -11 or so that day, with a little wind. At the start of every winter, I forget about the icy breeze that blows across the bridge, and right across your cheeks. Nothing a solid hood can't help. Time for stop two - A cappuccino at Transcend Garneau.

I saw this horse and buggy going down Whyte earlier in the day and was happy to see it again across from the market (I know the Old Strathcona Business Association was doing buggy rides leading up to Christmas, but I didn't know it was still happening Saturdays). Afterward I wandered over to Under the High Wheel for a croque monsieur, and then hopped the number 7 back downtown. And that was my über luxurious day off.

Hope your weekend (regular or long) was wonderful!

Catfish Tacos

Catfish tacos made up last Friday's dinner, all enjoyed out on the patio. Hope you're all out savoring the sunny evening!

Fort Edmonton Park- Johnson's Cafe, JHH Bakery and Kitchens

We decided to head over to Fort Edmonton Park this afternoon for Victoria Day festivities and the opening of the park itself for the summer season. Activities included a toast to the Queen in the Fort courtyard, entertainment from the Edmonton School Boys Alumni Band in the bandshell, and Victorian themed activities around the park. And of course, there was food.

The Bakery at the Jasper House Hotel (1885 Street)

The bakery on the main floor of the Japer House Hotel is always a fun stop, and it was worth our lengthy wait in line today. Fresh bread, cinnamon and cheese buns, rhubarb cake, brownies, cookies and raspberry lemonade make for a refreshing stop after the Fort area, and we certainly took advantage of it.

Everything was great - chewy gingersnaps, sticky, sweet cinnamon buns, a crumbly piece of  rhubarb cake and a rice crispy square got us around the park for the rest of the day, and made great after dinner treats at home this evening.

Johnson's Cafe at the Hotel Selkirk (1920 Street)


Hoping for a new menu to kick off the season, we decided to check out Johnson's Cafe in the Hotel Selkirk to see if anything had changed since our visit last summer. Arriving around 2pm just after the lunch rush, a table for two was immediately available.

As expected, their menu is short and to the point, trying to appeal to everyone who steps foot in the door, and it appeared to be similar to the one we perused last July. Both of us thought the menu was lacking in personality, and after spending a nostalgic day wandering through the park, it seemed unfortunate that , considering its surroundings, the restaurant was not offering any regional or 'period' dishes. In the end, Charles decided on the Wellington Burger with salad ($10), while I went for the roast beef sliders with salad ($8).

Our food was brought out shortly after ordering, and we found the real thing no more intriguing than its write up on the menu. Charles' burger was dry, thin and seriously lacking in flavour, and while the roast beef in my sliders was alright moisture wise, the squishy white buns the beef sat on didn't add anything to the sandwiches, and the horseradish mayo topping them was lacking any sort of bright, spicy kick.
And while the idea of sliders is lovely, I wish they would take the concept further, maybe offering different toppings on each of the sandwiches. The salad was certainly the best thing on both our plates. While standard, the combo of greens, apples, cranberries and a berry vinaigrette always works for me.

While we understand the restaurant's need to play it safe, we left disappointed and bored, wishing the restaurant would take a chance, be inspired by their surroundings and offer patrons something fun and inventive. Next time we will likely head over to the Masonic Hall for a bison burger, or the Jasper House Hotel for chili or soup.

Kitchens

Either we've always missed it, or there were a few more parts of the various houses open today with the season's opening celebrations. Anyhow, here are some kitchen things we enjoyed:

Fort - Rowand House

Gingersnaps at Egge's Stopping House

Lauder's Bake Shop and Residence

Rutherford House