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Friday 27 December 2013

Warm up with Curry Corner

On a freezing Edmonton day in late December, we headed to a little hidden spot on the south side for some tasty Indian food with our first Meat VS Veg special guest, Becky. Curry Corner, located in Riverbend Square, is a small but cozy restaurant serving up authentic East Indian cuisine in a casual setting. Like many ethnic restaurants there are numerous vegetarian and vegan options, and in fact the menu categorizes their food as "vegetarian" and "non-vegetarian" which was a novelty for Steph, our resident veggie girl!

Friday 13 December 2013

Saturday Brunch at Creole Envie

After almost a year of wanting to visit Creole Envie without actually getting there, we finally made our way to this great little spot on 112 Avenue. What started out as a catering service has blossomed into a sweet little 40-seat cafe serving up traditional Cajun and Creole food, with an emphasis on local, organic fare. They offer everything from ribs, fried chicken, and grits to gluten free options and a full vegan dinner menu. Since the menu appealed to both of us, we knew this had to be one of our first reviews!


Friday 6 December 2013

Food For the Soul at DaDeO

Edmonton's own Whyte Ave was recently named one of the best streets in the country, and we here at Meat VS Veg definitely agree! Located in historic Old Strathcona, Whyte Ave has a wonderful eclectic feel and an abundance of great cafes, restaurants and bars in addition to unique shops and exciting theatre. So it's no wonder that when deciding on where to go for our next review, several Whyte Ave spots were at the top of our list.

On a frigid December day this past week, we felt some Southern comfort was in order (and I don't mean the liquor!) so off we went to DaDeO, a Whyte Ave institution.



Sunday 1 December 2013

A Quick Bite at Local Goes Raw

This past Friday we stopped by Local Public Eatery in South Edmonton Common for some pre-movie grub. We had planned to do a proper review of Local, as it's our favourite unique spot in South Common, but spoiler alert: that plan went off the rails.

It all started out well, a 45 minute wait turned into 10, and our server was quick and attentive despite the heavy crowds. For our appetizer we shared Yam Fries ($8), which are a contender for best in the city (truffle lemon mayo! Pecorino cheese!) and they were fantastic as always. For entrees Steph ordered the Huevos Rancheros ($12), which she quite liked although the salsa was spicer than expected. Jackie ordered the Crispy Chicken Sandwich ($14), which has been a perennial favorite of hers. Initially it was delicious, but then about halfway through she discovered that the chicken was not cooked all the way through. Not just undercooked, but dark pink almost raw. Obviously she felt sick at the discovery and called our server over.

The manager on duty came by right away, apologizing profusely, and comped not only her meal but both meals. We felt that they handled the situation very well, and can assume that an overtaxed kitchen was to blame, but we lost any appetite we had left. We made the decision to not complete our review or assign any ratings as this was an unusual situation and unfair to a restaurant with a great past track record.

Rest assured we will be back at a later date for a true review!

Friday 29 November 2013

Casual Lunch at the Highlevel Diner

This past Tuesday November 26, we both had the afternoon off and decided to get together for a quick, casual lunch at the Highlevel Diner. Steph had never been, but Jackie recommended it highly and the vegetarian options looked promising so off we went. The diner boasts a great location just off the west end of Whyte Ave near the University of Alberta with a view of downtown, and is proud of its local cuisine, daily specials and 29 year history.

Wednesday 27 November 2013

Mini Review: A Veggie Visits The Keg

This past weekend I celebrated my younger brother's birthday with my family. As per tradition, he got to choose the restaurant and out of all the restaurants in Edmonton, he chose The Keg in South Common. Now I have nothing against the Keg, it's a lovely establishment, but as a vegetarian I took one look at the menu and inwardly groaned. There are no vegetarian entrees, as could be expected, but even the salads and appetizers were a challenge. As everyone in my party excitedly picked their cut of beef, I mulled over the few choices available to me.

For salads, the Caesar is out (anchovies in the sauce) as well as the Iceberg Wedge, which if I removed the bacon would just be a slice of lettuce sprinkled with tomatoes. I ended up choosing the Mixed Greens salad ($6.95) to start, which was surprisingly tasty despite the bland description. The house vinaigrette had a lovely, complex flavour and there were plenty of veggies hiding under the lettuce. The soft, warm complimentary bread they brought out was also quite welcome.

For my entree I wanted protein and for that my only choices were in the Starter menu: Baked Goat Cheese ($8.95) or the Garlic Cheese Toast ($5.95). Deciding I didn't need any more white bread this evening, I opted for the goat cheese despite not being a big fan of goat's milk products in general. I also asked for a side of garlic mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables to round out my meal.

The small pat of goat cheese was crusted with sliced almonds and served with tiny toast crisps (so much for no more white bread!) and a "tomato basil salsa" which was more bruschetta than salsa. The cheese was hot and creamy and didn't have the strong flavour I associate with most goat cheeses so I was pleased but could only finish half as it was so rich. The mashed potatoes and veggies were standard but tasty.

Overall I was happy with the food I received, but unless you go there willing to eat a steak, The Keg's menu makes it a poor choice for vegetarians.

~Steph


Hello Edmonton and welcome to our new blog!

In the posts to come, follow us as we trek around Edmonton and Alberta reviewing the best (and worst) restaurants from the perspective of a vegetarian and an omnivore.

We met over 13 years ago in Grade 7, and have been friends ever since. Since so many social interactions revolve around food and eating out, and we have been college students for the past few years, we've tried our share of Edmonton eateries. However we've both grown tired of the same mediocre dishes at the same chain restaurants, so when Steph decided to transition into vegetarianism, we decided to branch out and make it our mission to find great, local food that would satisfy both of our eating styles.

There are so many different diets out there, from vegan to all-fast-food-all-the-time and everything in between, but we wanted to focus on the two most common and share our personal experiences. Finding restaurants we both can and want to eat at while enjoying unique dishes and discovering hidden gems around Edmonton is the challenge, and we are ready to take it on!

Happy eating!

Jackie and Steph