Category: Bacon

Soda Jerks – Anything But Jerks

Soda Jerks – Anything But Jerks

Soda Jerks was one of the first places in Edmonton to bring about the “Build Your Own Burger”. You can always have your burger the way YOU like it. Many, many, many choices! The ingredients are all top quality.

The name for me brought about visions of a “Soda Jerk” behind a chrome counter with an ice cream freezer and a pile of milkshake blenders. You won’t find an actual Soda Jerk here. The decor has lots of bottles of soda everywhere and comfy booths and seating throughout the restaurant. They also have a secondary location in St. Albert now that has a more open concept than the original restaurant.

Among the sides are the best deep fried pickles in the city. Hand breaded in tempura, they are always crispy and juicy at the same time.

As the name suggests, soda is what makes the Jerks go ’round! There are 45 different flavours of sodas. They also offer floats and milkshakes; non-alcoholic and the adult variety! My favourite is the Guinness float. I had to try it because I just couldn’t imagine ice cream and beer but it is phenomenal! I even bought one for my hard core Guinness drinking friend Ben, and he loved it!

The Barn Yard, The Big Jerk and the Doris, are three really BIG burgers. There is a contest to eat all three of them. One of my friends was able to eat Doris and got a t-shirt for his efforts.

If you are going to the restaurant during a peak time, expect a 45 minute to an hour wait. At the original restaurant in West Edmonton, you can go to the lounge to grab a drink while you wait. The menu is online so you can peruse before you go!

Soda Jerks Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Coffee and Bacon FTW!

Coffee and Bacon FTW!

The Mercer Warehouse downtown and I have had a love affair that has been going on for years.  From the art installments, to the Halloween Parties and Ghost Tours to the building being empty for years.  When I was at the City Market downtown one weekend, I saw that they were restoring the building and it looked like maybe some new tenants.  I hoped that they were businesses and that they were not turning it into condos.

My prayers were answered and Roast Coffeehouse and Mercer Tavern were soon to be opened.

You would think that with my food obsession I would be one of the first people in on opening day…  Due to the busy summer I did not get to visit Roast until almost the end of August.  I had saw a tweet about a Maple Bacon Latte and knew I would have to drop in to see what they were all about.

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This is a Maple Latte – it is garnished with whipped cream and then a couple of pieces of caramelized Bacon.

The Bacon is fantastic! Crispy and gooey at the same time – it stuck to my teeth. Bacon lovers would love this taste experience.

If you want the latte to have any Bacon flavour in it you need to dunk one of your pieces of Bacon into the latte and let it float – that is, if you can resist eating it!

The Baristas at Roast took a while to get the latte out but it looked like they were having problems with one of the spouts on the espresso machine pulling shots. It was worth the wait – the shots were perfect.

The atmosphere and decor in Roast make for a very comfortable experience. The hardwood floors and open beamed ceiling are the originals from the warehouse. It has a rustic feel while the fireplaces give the atmosphere warmth and the stainless steel bar type chairs give it a touch of modern class. There are overstuffed leather chairs by the fireplaces so there are “homey” feels to certain areas as well. Sure to please many different types of customer.

Currently Roast’s kitchen is not open, but the Barista assured me that it would be soon.

If you like to avoid the hustle and bustle that the “Green Giant” offers – then you should give Roast a try. I can see myself curling up in front of a fireplace with a good book and a great cup of coffee for an hour or two.

Kudos Roast!

Roast Coffeehouse + Wine Bar on Urbanspoon