A Spot of T

TnT Reviews - The Créperie

I have been asking to go to The Créperie restaurant for as long as I can remember now.  It was always met with a scrunch of the nose by my significant other and so it has never happened.  A few years ago I added The Créperie to my Bucket List and hoped upon hope either hubby would eventually change his mind or another opportunity would arise.  That opportunity arose when my sister-in-law invited me out for supper last night.

As *Holly and I were planning on where to go for supper a couple of weeks ago, she wrote back at one point and said she knew this great place where her hunky boyfriend takes her all the time and how about we go there.  You guessed it....it was The Créperie she suggested.  I screamed when I saw that name looking back at me from my computer screen.  I immediately replied back with a resounding YES!

To say I was excited is an understatement.  So excited in fact that I forgot my camera at home.  Photos or no photos, a missed romantic evening out with the one person I had always wanted to go to The Créperie or not, the memory of my evening at The Créperie will stay with me forever.

My first thought when I walked into The Créperie was romance.  Candles flickering on the tables, the lighting just perfect, small private tables for two...as well as tables for larger groups....were strategically placed around this elegant restaurant.  Bookshelves full of books, cozy, warm, need I go on?

From the host who seated us to our lovely waitress, the service could not have been any better.  Very punctual and answered any and all questions we had with knowledge and grace.  Now let's get to the food shall we.  And when you click on the menu link, don't forget to scan across the top to see all the menus, which include a wine list, a children's menu, as well as a gluten free menu.

I started with Escargots Provencales while *Holly started with the Croustille Au Fromage.  My Escargots Provencales were submerged in a bath of tomatoes, herbs and garlic butter.  There was supposed to be a french baguette with the Escargot but is it possible our waitress knew I have been severly cutting down on bread and that is why she didn't bring it with my Escargots?

My sister-in-law *Holly insisted that no way could I go to The Créperie and not try their famous Croustille Au Fromage.  I'm glad I tried it because if I ever go back, I will be ordering it as an appetizer from now on.  Or...ok maybe not giving up my beloved Escargots, but finding someone willing to go halfsies with both appetizers.  Croustille Au Fromage are deep fried, slightly seasoned cheese crépes.  And if those aren't sinful enough, they are served with a garlic flavoured dip that will make you hope your romantic date will try as well for fear of being the only one with garlic breath afterwards.

*Holly and I both had their Three Course Meal Deal...minus the salad because we had the appetizers...and I ordered the Crépe Cordon Bleu while my date ordered a Vegetarian Crépe that was supposedly no longer on the menu but the waitress said would be fine to order anyway.

My Crépe Cordon Bleu was devine.  Served with seasoned rice and steamed vegetables as a side, the flavours could not have been more perfect together.  I didn't try Holly's Vegetarian Crépe but she orders it all the time so it is obviously tried and true and is a favorite.

Our course ended with a 'Combination' for dessert.  This consisted of one small piece of the Crépe Framboise Cardinal, which is vanilla ice cream wrapped in a sweet crépe, topped with a hot raspberry puree, whipped cream and toasted almonds as well as the Crépe Glace Au Chocolat, which is vanilla ice cream wrapped in a sweet crépe, topped with a hot Belgium chocolate sauce, whipped cream and toasted almonds.  Both pieces were small enough as to ward off any guilty feelings of having such a rich and flavourful dessert.  And of course my standard Bailey's and coffee to top off the entire evening.

*Holly and I don't get together often enough, so when we do we have been known to spend hours chatting away and leaving the world behind us.  Our reservation was for 5:30pm and when we finally looked at our watches, it was 9:30pm.  We apologized to the waitress for being there so long but she assured us it was no problem at all.  As a matter of fact, there was still a table of eight people sitting in the restaurant as we left and something tells me The Créperie was going to cater to this crowd, like they did for us, for as long as they needed.

My first dining experience with The Créperie was everything I thought it would be and much much more.  I will be making a point of going back to this elegant restaurant and I will not be waiting another 20-some years to do it.

I give The Créperie 5 stars out of 5

And I give a huge thank you to my dear sister-in-law *Holly for not only making a Bucket List wish come true...but also paying for the wonderful experience as well.  It could not have been a more perfect night.

The Créperie

111, 10220 - 103 Street NW

Edmonton, Alberta

T5J 0Y8

Phone:  780-420-6656

Reservations can also be made online at OpenTable

*Name has been changed

T n T Review - Culina Highlands for Breakfast

Joy's Review:

Culina Highlands is a small restaurant but oh so quaint.  At one point I counted the number of people in the restaurant and there were 27 with three of those 27 being small children.  With 27 people there was exactly one table-for-two left empty so I'm guessing the entire restaurant could comfortably seat around 30 (?) people.  I loved it, because even with 27 people in one small area, it was a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere.

First and foremost the waitress was amazing.  I don't know if she is an owner or simply works there but I say whatever Culina Highlands is paying her, she deserves a raise.  And I wish her name was put on the bill but it wasn't so I can't even call her by her name here.  Attentive, great mood, just enough conversation with our table and an uncanny ability for appearing at just the right time when she was needed.

At 10:30am I didn't blink twice when I was asked if I would like to start my morning out with a Mimosa.  I say more restaurants need to offer Mimosas in the morning.  Coffee was served to those who wanted it and finally a restaurant for breakfast where I can say I enjoyed their coffee.  Also?  Nice cold cream was brought from the back and put on the table for our coffee.  You probably don't think this is a big deal, but I can't tell you how much seeing milk or cream sitting out on the table bothers me.  I was also pleasantly surprised to see a small bowl of raw sugar sitting beside the milk for our coffee.  I switched to raw sugar a number of months ago and prefer it over white sugar any day.

There were four of us for breakfast this particular morning and it appeared we were all equally impressed with our meals.  I had my usual order of bacon and eggs but there was nothing usual about Culina's Bacon and Eggs which is served with in-house applewood smoked bacon, cheese frittata, potato hash, mushroom cream and toast.

The potato hash was wonderful and with the mushroom cream over it, well it was a little peace of heaven is what it was.  The cheese frittata was nice and light and again with a bit of the mushroom sauce covering it.  I felt the applewood smoked bacon was a bit greasy for my liking, but when I asked if anyone at the table wanted some, there were three people who kindly helped me take it off my hands.  I didn't ask if they felt it was greasy as well, but it disappeared pretty fast so maybe it was just me.

Michael had the Ukrainian Breakfast which consisted of cheddar and toasted caraway omelette with kubassa and pyrohy.  I asked Michael to give me his review and this is it.  "Very good.  Perogies are almost better then grandmas."  Now this is saying a lot because I am telling you, Gregg's mother makes the best perogies in the world.  And that's about all I got out of Michael for a review.  He's a man of few words that one.

I really enjoyed Culina Highlands.  Kelsey and I have decided to make it a regular breakfast spot of ours.  I'm excited to go back to see what their lunch or even supper menu is like.

 

5 out of 5

Thanks to Dave for sending the photos from his cell phone

Kelsey's Review:

I have found my regular breakfast spot.  I loved Culina Highlands from the moment I drove up to the small, bright, adorable building.  I was practically giddy when Dave and I sat down.   For once I was early and I was so excited I actually sent a text message to my mom that read "OMG it is SO cute!".  From the bright smile on her face when she walked into Culina Highlands, I knew we shared the same feelings.

This is a very tiny restaurant, decorated almost B and B chic.  Large windows facing out onto the busy road, real napkins, real coffee spoons, and Mimosas!  The waitress was a very sweet girl that, although seemed a bit shy by nature, was very pleasant and even laughed at my early morning pre-coffee, unclever jokes.

I ordered a Shirley Temple and although my mother laughed at me, I thought it was the perfect drink for this restaurant.

When it came time to order I decided to live on the edge and try the Dill Crepes with Smoked Salmon, which also contained two poached eggs, spinach and a spicy hollandaise sauce.

I was told the salmon was actually not smoked but almost pickled in beets.  When our waitress brought out the meal it looked perfect.  Finally a restaurant who takes some pride in the presentation of their food.  Yes even for breakfast.

Of course this was the one time I was without my camera so the pictures are from Dave’s iphone; which on a side note he was very patient with my mom when she took a huge interest in his phone and began playing with it.

The food was excellent.  Eggs poached perfectly, crepes were a wonderful texture and the hollandaise sauce was...well...heaven.  The salmon was a beautiful beet colour and although very tasty, was a tad too rich for my taste so early in the morning.  Around 1:00pm?  It would have been perfect.

I was impressed with the Chef, who made a point of coming up to us as we were leaving and asked us how we enjoyed the food and also to apologize for the wait.  We looked at each other and can honestly say no one noticed having to wait for anything.  A true test as to how much we were enjoying ourselves.

The waitress was wonderful and was always there to refill coffee cups and check to make sure we had everything we needed.   She wasn’t overbearing as some waiter/waitresses can be and she seemed to be able to read that we were there for a relaxing slow paced meal...and that is exactly how she served us.

100 out of 5

Although I may be biased now that it is my new favourite breakfast spot.  I already have the perfect table picked out for our next visit.

Kelsey - Dill Crepes with Smoked Salmon, poached eggs, spinach and spicy hollandaise sauce.  $15

Joy - Bacon and Eggs served with in-house applewood smoked bacon, cheese frittata, potato hash, mushroom cream and toast.  $15

Michael - Ukrainian Breakfast consisting of cheddar and toasted caraway omelette with kubassa and pyrohy.  $14

Dave - Belgium Waffle served with maple-berry compote and créme fraiche.  $13

Culina Highlands
6509 - 112 Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta
Phone:  780-477-2422

TnT Review - Barb and Ernie's for Breakfast

Kelsey's Review:

I have driven by Barb and Ernie's a trillion times over the years and every time I did, the look of the old building really caught my eye.  I have often thought of going in but the opportunity has never presented itself.  So when my mom/Joy called last week and said it was my turn to pick a place to eat so we could write a breakfast review, I panicked, procrastinated and then decided Barb and Ernie’s was to be my saving grace.

Inside the little building of Barb and Ernie's is a very German restaurant, complete with the owner in lederhosen.  Ernie greets everyone as they come in and although I don’t know how I feel about him calling my mom a sexy lady, it is no doubt said in fun.  Besides, who doesn’t want to be called pretty, beautiful and even sexy first thing in the morning.

After being seated, the waitress was right there to bring us coffee or beverage of choice.  Again, I was the only one at the table who enjoyed the coffee and I was happy the waitress was eager to always make sure we had a full cup.  Speaking of the waitress?  Well I can't remember too much about her so she didn’t leave a lasting impression.  She was neither good or bad...just there.

For breakfast I had the Coral Isle Scrambled, which is scrambled eggs with cheese on an english muffin with bacon and hollandaise sauce.  Unfortunately it was a poor choice on my part.  The dish itself was ok and the hash browns were awesome, but Barb and Ernie’s is known for their eggs benedict and after ordering all I could do was think about how I should have stuck to my instincts and ordered one of their 16 varieties of eggs bennie.

As far as my Coral Isle Scrambled went, the eggs were fine but nothing special.  The english muffin was ok and the bacon was much too crispy for my liking.  The cheese was not good and almost flaky in texture.

The restaurant was packed with people and I found it hard to enjoy idle breakfast chit-chat while Mr. Loud Lederhosen was in the room.  To say Ernie is loud is an understatement.  His booming voice echos well above everyone else in the room.  And I do mean EVERYONE.

Where we were seated, I was in direct view of the rather tiny kitchen.  I could also see Ernie did not hesitate to go into the kitchen and reprimand his staff.  And here's the irony...he would tell the kitchen staff to "keep it down" if they were talking too loud.

All in all a very interesting experience.  Far too loud and crowded to make it a regular breakfast spot, but if you like the hustle and bustle and a little German entertainment, this is definitely the place for you.

2.89 out of 5

Joy's Review:

HELLOOOO BEAUTIFUL!  HELLOOOO GORGEOUS!

This is what Kelsey and I were greeted with by Ernie, the owner, the minute we walked in the door of Barb and Ernie's Restaurant last Sunday morning.  From what I understand, this does not make us special in any way because it is Ernie's trademark hello to the female persuasion who enter his restaurant.  Meh.  I'll take a fake "hello gorgeous" from a guy who wears lederhosen. To be honest, after dealing with weather and traffic to get to Barb and Ernie's that morning, the boisterous welcome made me laugh and lowered my blood pressure.

Kelsey suggested Barb and Ernie's and I jumped at the chance to go.  Barb and Ernie's is renowned for their extensive breakfast menu and I have wanted to go there for awhile now.  Maybe it was my German roots calling to me as Barb and Ernie's is a German restaurant. 

I had my usual sausage and eggs (scrambled) served with hash browns and extra fruit instead of the bread.  Thank you to another restaurant willing to substitute bread for fruit.

The portions were huge!  My plate runneth over with hash browns, eggs and sausage.  Presentation-wise the plate of food was not much to look at, but the food was plenty and good.  I was surprised to see my fruit plate had generous portions of watermelon on it and all the fruit was sweet and freshly cut.

There were a few instances where Kelsey and I were talking and when Ernie came into the room, his loud voice had us completely distracted from what we were saying.  With a room already full of the sounds of...what seemed like....a hundred customers, Ernie's booming voice added to the distraction of trying to have a decent conversation.

When we left the restaurant, there were people standing in line waiting to get in.  People were coming and going and Barb and Ernie's is obviously well known in the City of Edmonton.  As Kelsey and I left, Ernie shouted out "GOOD-BYE SEXIES" and I was shocked to say the least.  For some reason "hello gorgeous" didn't bother me, but "Good-bye sexies" did.  Maybe it was because I was with my daughter and no mother likes to hear an older gentleman call her 20 year old daughter sexy.  Something so wrong about that and a little over the top perhaps?  Anyway.  I would go back to Barb and Ernie's again but I would not make it a regular breakfast spot.  Too noisy and one "sexy" a year is plenty enough for me.

3 out of 5

Location:

9906-72 Ave., Edmonton

Hours:

Monday to Friday - 7 am - 8 pm
Saturday -  8 am - 8 pm
Sunday - 8 am - 7 pm
Phone:
(780) 433-3242

T n T Reviews - Brewsters Brewing Company and Restaurant For Breakfast

Review from Joy T:

Don't ask me how I found out Brewsters Brewing Company and Restaurant serves breakfast because after about an hour on the internet one evening, I forgot how I stumbled upon it.  To be honest, at first I didn't believe the restaurant actually did serve breakfast.  So I called and guess what?  The very polite and enthusiastic gentleman at the Brewsters at Lakeside Landing in Castledowns said "We sure do serve breakfast!  Every Saturday and Sunday from 10:00am-2:00pm."

There were three of us for breakfast that morning and we were at the restaurant right at 10:00am.  We were the only ones in the restaurant and I'm going to admit I was in a little bit of heaven.  Nice and quiet and a good atmosphere in Brewsters.  Our waitress Samantha was very attentive and poured us our first cup of coffee of the morning.  Two out of three of us thought the coffee was...not so good.  Orders were placed and visiting commenced.

Our orders were brought in a perfect amount of time and the next time I go back to the restaurant, I will be taking pictures and placing them in this review.  Why?  Because both Kelsey and I forgot our cameras.  Our new motto as Reviewers now is "Always be prepared...and bring a camera".  Or something like that.

Kelsey had the Breakfast Quesadilla ($9.99).

Dave had the Steak and Eggs ($13.99).  And because he's a bit weird, ok not really but he doesn't like eggs, he asked for extra hash browns instead of the eggs.  Not a problem.  According to Dave the steak was...perfect.  It certainly looked very good.

I had the Two Egg Breakfast ($8.99).  Eggs scrambled along with a fruit cup/bowl as well as sausage.

This is where I give an extra bit of kudos to Brewsters.  I haven't eaten bread in months now and the one thing I have found with a lot of restaurants is this....a lot of them won't substitute bread for anything else.  It's "Sorry, bread is what it's served with." or "Sorry, no substitutions."  I am going to say this right here and now...I don't like this policy one.  little.  bit.  Then if you do manage to get a fruit cup substitution...the fruit is disgusting and old.  Not at Brewsters though.  I found the bowl of fruit they served was a nice size, had a good variety of fruit and the fruit was fresh.

Our waitress Samantha seemed to be the only waitress in the place and it was getting busy by 11:00ish.  Food servers were bringing out the food to customers but it seemed like Samantha was the only waitress there.  I could be wrong on this.  Still, even if she was the only waitress in that morning, the service was very good.  Even though I didn't really care for the coffee, I had not really exactly 200 cups that morning.  Thank you Samantha for being on top of that.

My first time for breakfast at Brewsters Brewing Company and Restaurant was a positive one.  I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a pleasant atmosphere, wonderful service and most importantly good food.

3.75 out of 5

Review from Kelsey T:

I found the restaurant to be on the small side but very clean.  The staff were nice and the Manager was quick to seat us and make pleasant small talk with us while we waited for mom/Joy to arrive.  The waitress was good and we didn't have to wait too long to place our orders.

The food came out in a timely manner.  I had the Breakfast Quesadilla (which consisted of scrambled eggs, cheese and red pepper) served with hash browns.

The plate was brought out and I felt the food presentation was pretty unimpressive.  No garnish or thought as to the layout of the food but maybe because it was breakfast, the chef was too tired to care.

The taste of the Quesadilla was good and I enjoyed the coffee, although apparently I was the only one at the table who did.

I think Brewsters Brewing Company and Restaurant is a good place to keep in mind for last minute breakfast plans, but I personally would not make it my regular place for breakfast.  The menu was on the small side and it was missing breakfast essentials like pancakes and eggs benedict.

2.5 out of 5