Tuna Belly = Full Bellies

We cheated.

Sort of.

We said to each other that we would try to focus on NEW places, places we have only driven by or some we haven't even heard of. Well, its only review #3 and we have cheated. We went to an old favorite. In our defence though, it fits EVERY other criteria: its within a 3 block radius and its not a big chain (there are two restaurants in Edmonton).

Kyoto is a place that we enjoyed often during our dating days when Heath would come to the city on the weekend hungry for something different and unavailable in Lloydminster. We would often wander into the Japanese restaurant for sushi and warm miso soup as well as delicious bento boxes full of goodies. It occured to us as we walked in today that we hadn't been there in a couple of years due to finding a place on Whyte Ave that we loved for a while, and then an unfortunate sushi "accident" that landed me (Jess) in the emergency room before a final exam. I have been slow to warm up to the idea of raw tuna since, but today I was feeling a bit impulsive, so decided to give it another go.

We wandered into the restaurant around 3 in the afternoon, thinking it would be pretty dead on a long weekend Sunday. We. Were. Wrong. Apparently Lupper is a new thing in Edmonton and we are the last to catch on! The place was packed! We were able to get a cozy booth on the far side of the restaurant though and were quickly seated amongst the new decor.

The server took a while to come over to our table, but in her defence she was the only server in the restaurant and must have had at least 15 tables. When she did come over, she took our order quickly for food and drinks and miraculously returned in lightning speed with two diet cokes. I honestly don't know how she managed to put the order in and pick them up and deliver them in that short of time! Soon afterwards, she was back with a smile on her face and a couple of bowls of soup and bean sprout salad that come complementary with every meal. The miso soup was the same as I remembered, warm but not scalding, and with a lighter form of miso that lended a savory and slighly salty taste. The bean sprout salad was doused in what tasted like miso and ponzu sauce and was deliciously peppery. We devoured both in minutes and were greeted by our mains just in time for the last bite.

Heath ordered a beef rice bowl that consisted of cooked beef, silver noodles, rice, onions, zuccini, and more onions. He added some soy sauce and dug in with some chopstix and thankfully let me have a taste before it was all gone. The beef was simple but delicious and perfect with a bit of green onion in ever bite. I in turn shared my Rainbow Roll and offered him one of my two pieces of Toro (Tuna Belly) sushi, but he declined and told me to "enjoy it" as he knows it used to be my favorite sushi dish before "the incident", and he is a smart man who also knows that if I love it again we will probably be going for a lot more sushi! The Rainbow Roll was huge with 8 pieces of tempura wrapped in salmon, tuna, avocado and mackerel. I enjoy a fair amount of wasabi in my soy sauce and gingerly dipped whole pieces in before not-so-gingerly stuffing them in my mouth. I was only able to eat 4 pieces before starting to get full, so I decided I should probably move on to the Toro. It was just as I remembered it. Beautiful. The meat was so tender it fell apart and the little bit of wasabi rubbed underneath the meat as well as the green onion on top put it over the edge. The "incident" was soon forgotten (it didn't happen at this restaurant anyway) and I professed my love for all things Japanese again.

Heath polished off the last of the rainbow rolls and we both sat back stuffed. Our server brought us our bill with a big smile and we paid and left the warm restaurant into the pouring rain to continue our afternoon. Total bill with tip: 34.76.

Atmosphere: 8/10. The new renovations have modernized the space and the red coral tile mosaic on a very large wall is an interesting piece to look at! The private rooms as well as the sushi bar make this space versatile for a nice date, a bite with friends, or even a solo adventure.

Service: 8/10. Considering the waitress was actually RUNNING from table to table, she was very friendly and very very prompt once we got our order in. From a former server to a now server: she rocked!!

Food: 8/10. The sushi is good and BIG and fresh. Delicious and the free starters are a nice touch.

Hot Soup, Cold Nights

Spring WAS here. Until the wind blew back winter and tossed in a nice little dump of snow. What more perfect of a setting for some warm vietnamese soup?

It was a cold Monday night and my mother (Jess's mom) was in town for the evening. I worked during the day and got off tired and feeling a bit dreary, not sure I was going to make it through much of a visit. However, the promise of some warm soup close to home was enough to get my feet moving for walk number two of our three block challenge.

Doans is located on 108th street just off of Jasper Ave and was an extremely quick 2 block walk from out place thanks to the brisk pace inspired by the biting wind. The patio was deserted as we walked up the steps and into the promise of a warm setting.

We weren't feeling very adventurous in the drink department as we are all addicted to Vietnamese coffee, and being past 8 pm we all agreed that water was probably the best idea. We did however decide on a half order of pork salad rolls for an appetizer. The rolls arrived quickly and were just the right size for a nibble before dinner. They were stuffed with rice noodles, pork, cilantro and carrots. The peanut dipping sauce was the perfect sweet and spicy accent to the cool cilantro in the rolls. We devoured them and sat back into some comfortable conversation as we waited for our mains.

Mom ordered a cashew chicken stir fry with rice. The dish arrived heaping with chicken and fresh veggies as well as a generous portion of rice. Heath decided on a beef and pineapple hot plate with rice that arrived sizzling and oozing with delicious looking sauce. I decided to go with something other than soup as a lemongrass chicken vermacelli bowl sounded just perfect. It arrived as a heaping portion of food all stuffed into a bowl with a serving of sweet fish sauce to pour overtop.

We all sunk into our meals and tried each others to mixed reviews. My lemon grass chicken was delicious as was Heath's beef and pineapple stirfry. The veggies in all the dishes were cooked to perfection, still crispy and bursting with fresh flavour. The chicken however was another story. I couldn't put my finger on what was funny about it, until my mom independently said it was "spongy". And it was. Spongy chicken aside, we ate most of our individual meals and left more than full. Total bill for three people with left overs and tip: $37.53

Doans overall was a good experience. The service is friendly, although sometimes lacking in promptness. The decor is a mix of formal and casual, and come off as friendly and inviting with the highbacked chairs and warm colors. They also provide chopsticks and forks for those with limited chop-sticking skills. We would recommend Doans for a good introduction to Vietnamese food as there are a lot of familiar chinese inspired stir-fried on their menu as well.

Atmosphere: 7.5/10 - warm and inviting, big space and able to accompany large groups.

Service: 7/10 - there was not enough servers for the number of tables, but the food still arrived in good time.

Food: 7.5/10 - generous serving sizes and fresh veggies make this good bang for your buck! Fresh meat though that had not hit the deep frier would have made this an 8 or 9 out of 10!

The Garage Bar and Grill

The Garage Burger Bar and Grill : 106th Street and 103rd Ave, sandwiched between The Metro and Boots Bar and Lounge

It is a beautiful Saturday and Edmonton is alive and out in full force. The Farmer's Market in Old Strathcona was the perfect beginning to a full day of putzing around town during the first truly summer-like weekend of the year. We arrived early, bought colorful vegetables and said hello to some old friends as we drank tea and sampled everything in sight. Who needs breakfast when you can have free salsa, pasta, jams, taco chips, dips, and green onion cake at 8 am?

We made out way back to our place and parked the car around 1 as we pitched ideas for our first restaurant stop to start the 3 Block Challenge. We noticed the Garage Burger Bar and Grill on our way down 106th street, stationed beside the Metro and familiar as a place we often passed by on our way to the downtown Farmer's Market last summer. Perfect. 1/2 a block away and open, ideal for our hurting feet and even more hurting stomachs.

The Garage has been open for 8 years. It is literally an old garage converted into a small and very modest restaurant. The booths and tables are clean, but there is really not much else to the place. The walls are painted red and there are a few daily specials signs on the walls, but no art otherwise. We were greeted and seated quickly and found our place along the wall in the front of the restaurant, amongst a couple other occupied tables of families and hung over young people.

We started with a couple Diet Cokes that were quickly delivered to us in their original cans, sans straws. The menu was extensive, featuring a variety of pub style appetizers, sanwiches, and burgers. Heath decided on a Garage Burger which was a beef patty with ham and cheese and all the veggie fixings. I decided on a Buffalo Burger which was on special, which was a buffalo patty with all the veggie fixings and a generous portion of fries. We also ordered some sweet potato fries to start.

The sweet potato fries came quickly and right out of the frier. They were warm and crispy, yet moist and sweet on the inside. We poured some extra salt on to even out the sweetness of the potatoes, and I also added some vinegar to my portion. Our burgers quickly followed. They were huge. The buffalo was nicely cooked, still slightly pink in the middle and deliciously accented with everything I would put on a burger at home: onions, lettuce, a fat slice of tomato, melted cheese and relish. Heath's burger reminded him of a "rink burger", which is a classic burger at all hockey rinks in Lloydminster and the surrounding area. We both finished our burgers quickly, perhaps a little too quickly, and attempted to finish off the fries without much luck. We thanked our server for letting us take pictures in the restaurant and paid our bill, totaling $31.00 with tip.

Atmosphere: 3/10 (unfortunatly, the floor was as dirty as a true garage)

Service: 7/10 (Very friendly staff!)

Food: 6.5/10 (The burgers are not home made, but still tasty, and the Sweet Potato fries are great! They just need a dip to accompany them.)

Recommended for: a lazy Saturday afternoon when all you want/need is a good hang over cure.

Its Summer!

Its (almost) summer! If you live in one of the world's most Northern cities, you know for a FACT that we in Edmonton hybernate like a bunch of grumpy bears in the winter, waiting for the first glimpse of greenery and sunshine in our city. This is the time of year when our city blossoms. We all perk up and come out in droves to enjoy our beautiful green rivervalley, outdoor Farmer's Market downtown, many many many festivals, and of course all the patios.

Heath and I have lived in downtown Edmonton for one summer now and are very happy to be embarking on our second. Last summer we enjoyed the Farmer's Market most Saturdays, as well as picnics at the Legislature Grounds. Heath was new to the city and Jess was finishing up Nursing school, so our enjoyment was somewhat limited by these factors. However, THIS summer is going to be one of exploration and falling even more in love with our immediate neighborhood as we embark on a 3 block challenge!

We will attempt to visit every restaurant, pub, and hole in the wall within a 3 block walking radius of our house. We will at least have a drink, and food if that is the focus of the place, and will give an honest review of the places we visit. We currently live on 103rd Ave and 107st and will visit places West to 110st, East to 104st, South to Jasper Ave and North to 106th Ave. Afterall, why live in an urban centre if you have to drive to get to the places you enjoy?

Thanks for following along with us and we hope this is both entertaining and useful!

Cheers,

Jess and Heath

** We will NOT be visiting nightclubs and fast food chains**