Tag: Prime Rib

Century Casino – Edmonton Edition (Fort Road)

Century Casino – Edmonton Edition (Fort Road)

Disclaimer:  most of this post is regarding a visit where I was invited by the business to have the full “date night” experience.  Prior to attending the VIP event, I did visit on my own to be able to compare the two different experiences. Please note that all opinions are my own and will not be affected by the complimentary passes.

A co-worker was the first to point out to me that the casinos in Edmonton had really great food specials on a nightly basis.  This gets you in the door so that you will buy a couple of drinks, do some gambling and maybe catch a show. There is actually a lot to do in one of the stand alone casinos here in Edmonton.  She had invited me out to the Century Casino in St. Albert for the rib special one night before a class we were taking together. It was a huge portion, it was really cheap and it was okay (you need to remember I am picky about my BBQ!)  None of us are gamblers, so it is a decent, inexpensive night out with friends.

Fast forward to my invitation.

The original invitation was for one of the concert series of events. It took me forever to try to find a band that I would enjoy watching. (I enjoy really obscure Power Noise bands) I finally picked one and unfortunately one of the members fell ill and they had to reschedule the show.  My schedule is nuts on a good day, so I saved the date to go to the Mid City Grill on my own bill.

It was the Friday Night Buffet for $24.95, but we didn’t do the buffet.  I had a steak sandwich and my husband had one of the burgers. I also had to try the cactus chips with the queso dip. The food was good, my husband really enjoyed his burger.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

At the beginning of the meal, our server was attentive and awesome.  When it came to the end of the meal, not so much. My husband likes to enjoy a post meal beer and some conversation, maybe some dessert.  Our server was intensely focused on cleaning up after the dinner rush and didn’t check in to see if we would like anything else. We got frustrated and just ended up paying our bill and leaving.

So my regular visit synopsis;  the food was good and a good value.  The service was also good but could have been better.

The Influencer experience was similar, only the staff had been briefed that we were visiting.  We were warmly greeted by the Yuk Yuk’s Manager (I am so sorry, I am terrible with names) who escorted us to Mid City Grill.  We were shown to our table.

Thursday night’s special is prime rib for $8.99.  Sold! Prime rib is one of my favourite things to eat.   My husband ordered a very nice looking Beef Tenderloin steak with lobster Bearnaise sauce ($35) that he thoroughly enjoyed.  My Prime Rib was also delicious; juicy and tender. My only wish was that you could choose your “doneness” like you would at a carvery.

They have a really great new featured cocktail menu.  I tried their Negroni, and it was really nice, very refreshing.  I am sure that the rest of the choices are also top notch.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This time the service was spot on.  Our server was absolutely delightful and made sure that we were well taken care of. We were very full from our meal so decided that we would grab dessert at Yuk Yuks.

We had some time to kill before the Yuk Yuk’s show, so onto the slot machines we go.  Sorry gamblers, it’s not something we do hardly ever.  We put a nice chunk of change in the machines and unfortunately didn’t come out as winners.  It’s a fun way to pass the time though while you wait for your show.

Being all about local, I wanted to attend the comedy night that featured local comedians.  I love to see what talent is up and coming. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Ryan Short was the headliner.  We had the opportunity to catch one of his shows previously and really enjoyed ourselves.

We got upgraded to one of the booths along the back wall when we were seated at Yuk Yuks.  Usually that will cost you an extra $20. I had my eye on a frozen drink from Mid City Grill that I wanted to try with dessert.  I didn’t see it on the Yuk Yuks’ cocktail menu. When I asked the server, they actually have separate menus for the restaurant and the theatre.  She was amazing and went over to Mid City to get me the drink. Thank you!  It was chili and chocolate and delicious! I would go back for a visit just for one of those. Spicy and chocolate is a favourite in our house.

We both chose tiramisu for dessert.  The slabs of cake were HUGE. Neither of us could finish them.  They were very good though, one of those things that you can’t stop eating when it is just sitting there.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I love that Yuk Yuks is giving the local entertainers a chance at some stage time.  They don’t get long for their set so there were a lot of different acts on the stage.  Honestly, we enjoyed most of them. There were only awkward silences maybe a couple of times where the punchline didn’t land.

Thank you to Chef Walter Esser and the rest of the kitchen team, the food and drinks were top notch!  Thank you to Yuk Yuk’s for the awesome comedy experience.  Thank you to the rest of the Century Casino team for making our “date night” one to remember.

Website:
https://www.cnty.com/edmonton/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/centurycasinoedm

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/CenturyCasEDM

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/centurycasino_edmonton/

A Taste of Canadian Derby

A Taste of Canadian Derby

The Canadian Derby has been the foremost social and fashion event of the season in Edmonton since 1957.  This is a chance for the ladies to display beautiful hats and fascinators. When I think of “Derby”, images of Julia Roberts dressed for the Kentucky Derby dance through my imagination.

Some Derby Trivia; this event is considered to be a “marathon” for the horses at 1 and 3/8 miles.  Only three year old horses are entered into the race.  It is the largest purse west of Ontario at $200,000.

Besides the racing and fashion, there is also the food.

This year, the 84th Canadian Derby will take place on August 17th.  The lucky folks who purchased tickets for the Colours Dining experience will be able to indulge in some very tasty meal options while they watch the races from their tiered restaurant seating.

For $130 you get:

• A delicious three-course meal including non-alcoholic beverages
• Complimentary commemorative Canadian Derby race program
• Television monitors on every table
• Live entertainment
• Contest entry to win a new car courtesy of Londonderry Dodge/Chrysler

Your menu choices for the Colours Dining Experience are scrumptious.  Chef Chris McMaster has hit it out of the park with this year’s lineup.

For starters:

Roasted Apple and Parsnip Soup with Saffron Petals
Roasted Apple and Parsnip Soup with Saffron Petals

This option wasn’t available at the tasting event, but it did smell divine!

Summer Beet Salad with goat cheese, candied pecans and fresh raspberry tossed in poppy seed dressing
Summer Beet Salad with goat cheese, candied pecans and fresh raspberry tossed in poppy seed dressing

If you read my blog, or my Twitter feed, you know that I am not a huge salad person.  This was very light and refreshing.  The roasted beets went really well with the mix of flavours in the salad.  A big thumbs up for this one.

Crispy Beef Dumpling with cucumber carrot slaw and horseradish dipping sauce
Crispy Beef Dumpling with cucumber carrot slaw and horseradish dipping sauce

I really enjoyed this one as well.  Not the traditional Chinese Potsticker that you would expect. The beef inside is tender and full of flavour.  Pairs very well with the horseradish dipping sauce.

Your choices for Main Course:

Grilled Chicken Breast with mushroom Dauphinoise potato, sweet corn puree, thyme crepe and seasonal vegetables
Grilled Chicken Breast with mushroom Dauphinoise potato, sweet corn puree, thyme crepe and seasonal vegetables

Another pairing of some great flavours.  The Dauphinoise potato was tender and firm.  The sweet corn puree was a lovely partner to the tender chicken.

Slow roasted Alberta Prime Rib with chive mashed potato, seasonal vegetables and Rosemary Jus
Slow roasted Alberta Prime Rib with chive mashed potato, seasonal vegetables and Rosemary Jus

Another teaser that wasn’t available for the tasters but looked and smelled divine.

Dungeness Crab Cakes with butter poached lobster, smoked tomato relish and fresh arugula salad
Dungeness Crab Cakes with butter poached lobster, smoked tomato relish and fresh arugula salad

Who doesn’t enjoy crab AND lobster? The smoked tomato relish was a nice touch.

Roasted garlic Portobello Wellington with balsamic glaze and seasonal vegetables.
Roasted garlic Portobello Wellington with balsamic glaze and seasonal vegetables.

This is the vegetarian main course choice for the event.  Not available for tasting but I think I may have actually enjoyed this one.

And lastly, my favourite, the desserts:

Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with poached strawberry and rhubarb
Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with poached strawberry and rhubarb

This was my absolute favourite out of all of the options.  I have a friend that is an amazing pastry chef and Panna Cotta is one of her favourites for breakfast.  This is topped with both strawberry and rhubarb, so a nice mixture of sweet and tart.  Vanilla bean is used in the Panna Cotta which is just lovely.

Chunks of brownie folded into bread pudding with salted caramel sauce.
Chunks of brownie folded into bread pudding with salted caramel sauce.

This is a great spin on an old favourite.  Chunks of brownie are folded into a traditional bread pudding recipe.  It is then garnished with salted caramel sauce and real whipped cream.

Phew!  That was a tasting marathon.

The In-Field Hospitality Tent is another option available for guests for the ticket price of $90. The infield presents the most unique setting to watch the Canadian Derby. Once a year guests received the opportunity to dine, lounge and enjoy all of the days exciting thoroughbred racing from the in-field.   You have exclusive access to a relaxing garden setting with lounge chairs on the lawn.

Included:

• Premium lunch buffet with coffee/tea included
• Complimentary commemorative Canadian Derby race program
• Full service cash bar
• Easy access to pari-mutuel tellers and self service terminals to cover all your betting requirements
• Live entertainment between races
• Televisions displaying the races and betting information throughout the Tent and in-field
• Contest entry to win a new car courtesy of Londonderry Dodge/Chrysler

Private box seating is sold out already for this year but is normally available for $100/box.  Boxes seat 4 guests.  Nothing fancy.  Food and drink is available at the grandstand.

There are birthdays, anniversaries, stagettes and a number of other social events being celebrated by attending the Canadian Derby.  This would be a unique way to celebrate a milestone.  It is also your only chance all year to be able to view the race from the in-field.

Many thanks to the Northlands Park team for the tasting event.  It was nice to meet the team and Chef Chris.

**Do you have Twitter?  Follow me @yegfoodie