During my trip to the newly opened Mother’s Market (post to follow) I came across Ian Gladue and his shiny new concession stall for Native Delights. Technically this is “not” a food truck, but Native Delights does have mobile carts that you will see in and around the city sharing his love of food. They are now in their second year.
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.
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!
Part of the reason that I love Social Modern Pub so much is that the Kitchen Manager, Paul Hoshowski, likes to try his menu items with actual customers before they end up on the menu. He likes to get honest feedback on his items and is constantly striving to improve the experience.
Our Tuesday Shenanigans group adores Bacon. It’s all about the Bacon… Rumour has it that this lovely appetizer is going to end up on the next menu:
Bacon Wrapped Bacon
On a bamboo skewer you have six pieces of Canadian Back Bacon drizzled in maple syrup and then rolled in brown sugar. This is then wrapped with Bacon strips and drizzled in some more maple syrup. The skewer is then put under the broiler until the bacon is nice and crispy.
Bacon lovers rejoice! The angelic choir sings as you bite into this succulent creation!
Seriously though – for fellow Bacon lovers biting into one of these is a marriage of flavours that are perfect for one another. Maple and Bacon already pair well together – so adding the back bacon just makes the experience that much better! The crispy outside makes the Back Bacon inside tender and juicy. The sweet hint of Maple is not overpowering and would go well with a Voodoo Bacon Maple Ale (which Social Modern does not have on the menu – just sayin’!).
So as soon as the new menu is out – I will be sure to share it with you all. Until then… It’s all mine!
I had heard many good things about the Duchess when it came to the foodie conversations in and around Edmonton. Try as I might, it took me months to finally make the trek to the infamous bakery. Surprisingly there were seats! My foodie connections had said that the Duchess was often packed and hard to find a place to enjoy your treat.
Looking at the variety of pastries and treats that the Duchess has to offer, and it being my first time there – this was a very difficult decision to make. The staff behind the counter are very helpful with explaining what the different items contain.
I am not going to lie – it was a little un-nerving asking for a “Paris-Brest”. The gentleman serving me must have noticed my discomfort and explained to me that the pastry represented a wreath that was won for a race between Paris and Brest.
First developed in 1891 in commemoration of a bicycle race between the cities of Paris and Brest, this pastry is a circle of choux pastry filled with a hazelnut mousseline, studded with candied whole hazelnuts and topped with slivered almonds.
We were actually stopping by the Duchess for brunch so I also spied this lovely:
I am a HUGE bacon fanatic. Wild boar bacon is the creme de la creme of the bacon world. There was no other choice in the case for breakfast after I spied this lovely number. Tartinade is: “a soft food mixture or spread, either savoury or sweet”. This is the Duchess’ version of the “BLT”.
It starts with a nice piece of rye bread. On this is spread the Tartinade. I am not sure what the spread contained but it was delicious. This is topped with fresh spinach, mushrooms and a tomato slice. The crowning glory of course is the Wild Boar Bacon to top it all off.
Overall the Duchess was a wonderful experience and we will be back to try more!
