Rusty Pelican - Red Deer

 

 

On the weekend I travelled to Red Deer to meet some friends for dinner and enjoy one of the city's restaurant offerings.  My research revealed the Rusty Pelican as a seafood restaurant in Alberta with ridiculously cheap prices so that's what we tried.

I have to say I really wanted to love this place.  The prices are ridiculously cheap.  And they specialize in seafood - in Alberta - how bad can it be?  Well, it wasn't bad but it was just okay.  Granted, when I arrived I was a little flustered.  The drive from Edmonton consisted of constant strong pouring rain and lightening - not a relaxing drive to say the least (the drive home was in beautiful sunshine though so made up for it).  Then when I arrived in Red Deer I had a very hard time finding the restaurant (my GPS told me I was 26.6 km away when I was actually driving in front of the restaurant and missing it's somewhat hard to see sign).  So I arrived late and not at all relaxed.  Our server immediately attended our table looking to take my drink order.  While normally a would appreciate that, I needed a few minutes to say hello to my friends and check out the wine list and she was wearing a lot of perfume (who does that these days?)  I'm allergic so I got sick which I admit likely impacted my overall experience. 

The ambiance was just okay.  The restaurant encompasses a large room with somewhat odd decorations that don't quite fit and odd seating.  We were seated at a very small round table.  For three of us it was really tight.  Four would have been very uncomfortable.  The do have a nice brick oven though.

 

 

As for the food, again it was just okay. My friend's starter salad looked very nice and the blue cheese dressing was nice and chunky with blue cheese chunks.

The seafood chowder was highly recommended so I had to try a cup.  It was chocked full of great seafood.  It was a little salty (and I love salt) and spicy (chili flakes I believe) but overall was good.

 

I also tried a couple of Oysters Rockefeller.  You can buy them individually so I got two.  They were just okay.

They have an interesting menu with lots of variety and unique dishes.  This is a chicken dish with a great sauce - maybe chipotle, maybe tequila, can't quite remember but something Mexican-ish.

 

My girlfriend ordered the trout with honey and nuts.  It looked dry to me but my girlfriend said she enjoyed it.

I had the duck and was a little scared when our server said that they prepare it well done.  I asked if it could be prepared medium rare and she said she would check with the Chef.  She returned to say that the Chef said that if they cook it any less than medium it will be too tough??  I said I would try it but I was worried.  It actually was quite tasty with a nice orange brandy sauce and a nice crispy skin.  Not bad for $24.

 

My girlfriend then ordered the Chocolate Utopia for dessert, not expecting it to be a cake.  It was good but she was disappointed because it was not exactly what she wanted.  I tried the generous Bavarian Cream that was served with it which was good.

 

 Buck Oysters on Mondays!

And for a funny story - cuz Cathy wanted to make the blog (she is the Cathy of Mazatlan blog fame!!  Below is a picture of Cathy's necklace which I commented on as being very nice.  Both her and her husband started laughing.  Turns out that Cathy had forgotten to bring any jewelry for their weekend trip.  So they went to the Dollar Store to find something for her to wear.  She found the necklace below and bought it but when she went to put it on she realized that the centre piece was actually missing a white stone like the ones on the side.  She actually had to pick off the extra glue left on the centre piece before she could wear it.  I think it looks really nice and looks like she paid more than the $3 she did!

Brewsters

Popped in after work one day this week for Happy Hour which they have every day from 3 - 6 pm.  Enjoyed a few nice glasses of Pinot Grigio for $5.99.  A woman at a neighbouring table also let Philly take a picture of her beer flight which looks really interesting.  Will have to try that on our next visit.  We've eaten here before and the food was decent for pub food (although not really my thing).  Our server was very friendly and attentive.  Great place to meet for after work drinks with friends.

 

 

Untamed Feast

I tried a new product this week that I just have to RAVE about.  Untamed Feast is a product line that won a deal on Dragon's Den and it is just awesome.  They sell dried wild mushrooms that they forage themselves along with some excellent gourmet prepared mushroom foods.  Their website describes it as follows:

From forest to ocean to prairie, our team of dedicated wild food experts traverses the cleanest waters and purest soils to bring nature’s most natural foods to your table. Reviving the traditions of wild mushrooms, wild rice, and wild greens is our duty and our pleasure.

 

We found these products at the St. Albert Farmer's Market.  The prepared risotto, rice and soup packages were $10 each but if you buy four you get the fifth free so I tried the following five products: Porcini Mushroom Risotto, Morel Coconut Rice, Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup and another Mushroom Soup with potato.  We have tried three of the packages so far this week and they are just EXCELLENT.  The Porcini Risotto is absolutely out of this world (I'm glad I bought two).  The Morel Coconut Rice is delicious and the mushroom soups are amazing.  I highly recommend these products that can be purchased online at https://untamedfeast.com/ with free shipping with a minimum purchase.  I highly recommend you try them out.  Absolutely delicious!  I will be returning this week just to stock up!

Packrat Louie

Let me start by saying OH MY GOD!  We went to Packrat Louie on Saturday to enjoy an afternoon on the patio.  I had checked out their recently changed menu online and couldn't wait to get there.  The Chef has put a number of Foie Gras items on the menu (which of course I love!) so it turned into "Foie Gras Saturday".  We first started with a half litre of Pinot Grigio and a Cider.

 

Then came our first dish - Foie Gras French Toast.  This was literally the best thing I've ever eaten!  As you can see, the French Toast was thick and light and airy.  It had two very nice pieces of Foie Gras on it and then covered in fresh fruit and maple syrup.  The flavor combinations were out of this world!  So good.  I don't think Philly got any of the Foie Gras!

Then we moved on to the Foie Gras pizza.  This dish definitely isn't for the faint of heart or calorie conscious.  With the Foie and the cheese both being quite fatty, there's a lot of fat on the plate.  It was topped with an apricot jam which brought a nice sweet contrast.  For $24 there was a very generous amount of Foie Gras provided with a slice on each of the six pieces.  Hint:  This is $10 after 10 pm!

 

 

And then after a bit of a break and some wine, we tried the Foie Gras Spinach Dip.  This too was good and the Foie Gras certainly gave it a different flavor which was very good, if I didn't know that it was Foie Gras in it I certainly wouldn't have guessed it.  The only complaint was that the bread was too charred for my liking and it took away from the flavor of the dip.

A couple of other people's dishes as they were going by!

This was an outstanding afternoon, one that we will be repeating again soon.  Our server was very attentive and efficient and the Manager came by to introduce himself and ensure we were enjoying everything.  I absolutely have to return for the Foie Gras French Toast - delicious!  There are a few other items on the menu that I want to try though including the Lobster Pizza and the Lobster Perogies.  We've been to Packrat Louie before but with the great changes to the menu that the Chef has made (and the many Foie Gras options provided), this restaurant is now one of our top favorites! 

St. Albert Farmer's Market

Today we went to the St. Albert Farmer's Market - for the first time this season!  Usually we go on the first day that it is open and then many times after that.  It really is great.  Today, we bought so many great items - rainbow carrots, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, green onions, several mushroom items, beef jerky, Alaskan King Crab, Lobster Thermidor (so excited! - haven't seen this at my favorite seafood vendor before), Coquille St. Jacques, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, duck pate.  Here are some great pics - thanks to Philly!