Drayton Harbour Oyster Company - Blaine

Easily the best oysters on the West Coast - and worth the drive down from BC to get them!  Absolutely delicious.  And the best atmosphere and friendly service.  Sitting outside in the sunshine looking at the water, eating oysters and drinking wine - how does it get any better than that?!

This day they started their new menu and these oysters are topped with garlic butter, bacon and cream cheese.  I would have never thought of it but the combination of toppings, including the cream cheese, was excellent.  So delicious!  I have since tried to replicate it and they turned out awesome!!  Previously they had a sweet and spicy option and a garlic parmesan and both were delicious.  I was surprised how much I liked the sweet and spicy one.

Oh, and I almost forgot - how could I forget?!  The Oyster Stew is absolutely delicious - so creamy!  Love it.

Will be back whenever I am on the West Coast.  Again it is worth the trip to Blaine - from anywhere!

Gini's - Edmonton

Gini's is an "old school" French restaurant in the Glenora area with some pretty good food.  The décor is a bit dated and it is located in an old strip mall so if you didn't know what you were looking for you would probably miss it or take a pass.  They have some good dinner specials though and an excellent menu with many classic French options.  Tonight I opted for the 3 Course Dinner for $49. 

This included the special appetizer - Frog Legs:

Followed by the Duck Breast in a delicious sauce.  Unfortunately, the duck was a little overcooked despite the fact that I specifically ordered it medium rare, but that happens a lot - particularly with duck as they are used to cooking it medium.  The sauce was delicious though.

The pork medallions looked good.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the desert but I chose Crème Caramel which was - well - just Crème Caramel.  Can't really do anything spectacular with that. 

Cilantro and Chive - Lacombe, Alberta

After several recommendations from co-workers to try this highly touted restaurant, I finally made it there for a Friday night dinner.  As usual, I wanted to try a few different starters instead of a whole meal.  The first three items on the menu looked great so that's what I ordered - knowing I wouldn't be able to eat it all but they looked so tempting!  So I ordered the Brome Lake Braised Duck Wings, the Pulled Duck Poutine and the Blindman IPA Cheese Dip.

Pulled Duck Poutine - could have used more gravy but the pulled duck was excellent.

This literally would have been my favorite dish in a very long time but the Brome Lake Braised Duck Wings were WAY too over cooked.  The sauce was so good though that this would be an absolute die for dish if they got the cooking right.

The Blindman IPA Cheese Dip was very rich and very delicious!

I recommend this place and will try again in the future.

Bo's Bar and Grill

I passed by this place on a sunny Saturday afternoon and noticed the packed patio out front.  Looked nice so I turned around and stopped in.  I was surprised by a great and diverse menu with lots of options that looked like trying.  While I stopped to enjoy a drink in the sun, I decided that I had to try one of their great menu offerings.  On Saturday and Sunday they serve brunch until 4:00 pm so I decided on the Breakfast Poutine which is hashbrowns covered in cheese curds, bacon and Italian Sausage and topped with a fried egg, hollandaise sauce and green onions.  What could be better than that?!  Well, after trying it, my answer is . . . not much!!  It was absolutely delicious.  The hollandaise sauce was some of the best I've ever tasted.  The egg was cooked to perfection and the helpings of bacon and sausage were very generous.  The combined flavours made for an excellent dish.  They also had some great specials that you don't see on a lot of menus.  I will definitely be back to try more! 

The Coffee Cottage

This is a cute, quaint little place in Innisfail.  It really is a cottage and is decorated so cute.  You go from room to room with a couple or a few tables in each room.  There is also a lovely outdoor patio out front to enjoy the nice days.  They have great homemade soups that are flavorful and delicious.  Two people have told me now that their Turkey Basil sandwich is the best but it was sold out when I went so I can't confirm - but being sold out is a good sign!  The prices are incredibly reasonable for fresh homemade soups and sandwiches and the owners are a lovely couple.

Lokal Kitchen

This is a great restaurant a little off the beaten path in Sylvan Lake.  The menu is great and the food is excellent.  The space is quaint and clean and they have great prices for wine!  It's too bad the location and space doesn't lend itself well to an outdoor patio as I prefer to eat outside as much as possible in the summer months.  My son had the Korean BBQ with Spiced Pork and Bulgogi Beef.  It was absolutely delicious!  Both meats were very tender and tasty.  I had the Risotto with Italian Sausage.  Very tasty!  I will definitely return.  They have take out as well. 

Are You Serious?!

I was prepared to write another glowing review of one of the few higher end restaurants in Sylvan Lake  - Bravo Gastro - until I went on Wine Wednesday and was served the above.  I've enlarged the picture so that hopefully you can see it well enough to see what it is.  Does it look like a plate of rice to you?  It sure does to me and it tasted like a plate of rice.  I don't complain very often and when I'm unhappy about a meal you mostly just won't hear about it but this was RIDICULOUS!  This was supposed to be Lobster Risotto!  I don't know if I'm more upset being served a dish of rice or that they thought they could insult my intelligence by doing so.  In all fairness, it was the girl's second day there and she clearly did not know what Risotto was (I'm guessing she doesn't have much restaurant experience).  But when she went back to the kitchen with my complaint she returned telling me that she was told that Risotto is a type of rice.  Well, yes, my dear it is, but it's not a plate of minute rice.  It's usually Arborio or another type cooked in a broth to a creamy, delectable consistency . . . oh what's the point. The lobster placed on top was good but, again, no sauce or flavour to be found.  To top it off I ate my "minute rice" with a spoon because the server kept forgetting to bring me a fork.  Earlier I tried to order "blue cheese wings" however when they arrived with a red sauce on them I asked what they were.  She replied they are "blue cheese buffalo wings".  On the menu the blue cheese and the buffalo are on different lines amongst many choices of wings making what I wanted and what I ordered two very different things.  I sent them back and they were removed from my bill.  My rice cost me 1/2 price of the Lobster Risotto dish.  It was not a great night but I do like the owner and many of the girls that work there and there are limited options in Sylvan Lake so I will return and give them another try but I hope for a better night!