Avenue Magazine | 25 Best Things to Eat in Edmonton - Edmonton, AB

The Event

The All Eric Can Eat team recently attended Avenue Magazine's "25 Best Things to Eat in Edmonton" tasting event hosted at the Lexus South. The invitation was a bit vague, so we weren't sure what to expect. What we walked into, however, was a beautiful show room filled with people of all ages eager to try what Avenue Magazine deemed to be the best things to eat in Edmonton.

Lexus IS

Our day ran a little later than planned and we didn't get down to Lexus South until almost an hour and a half after the event started. There were a few people who had started to trickle out already, but for the most part, the event was still fairly busy. We did a quick visual tour of the venue, then proceeded to the food booths. Disappointingly, there were a number of booths that had already closed shop for the day, and we were unfortunately unable to try their offerings (see below for a review of the food!)

After our food tour, we had a chance to mix and mingle with the crowd, but mostly admire the display cars. The new models on display exuded an air of luxury, as you would expect of Lexus, but also had a sporty-edge to them that I wasn't used to, having driven my parents' older Lexus models.

Besides the cars, the venue itself was pure luxury; the venue was large, bright, and elegantly decorated - with multitudes of colourful flower arrangements, large leather seating areas, and even a glass waterfall surrounding a spiral staircase. The music played - mostly a mix of top 40 songs - for the event was not half bad either and kept the atmosphere casual and playful.

The Food

Pangaea Market

The first dish we tried was the Barley Salad from Pangea Market. It was light, refreshing, and quite summery. The barley was a bit heartier than quinoa (which I find a little too grainy for my liking) and was a good vehicle for the diced fresh vegetables. The dressing itself was mainly acidic with just the right amount of salt. Definitely a summer salad worth trying this year in Edmonton!

Barley Salad

Bliss Baked Goods

Next on our stop was Bliss Baked Goods which offered trays worth of Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts. The doughnuts were light and fluffy with just the right amount of sugar and were very similar to doughnuts we had tried at Hazeldean Bakery. The cinnamon sugar didn't quite come out enough for me, but Shannon found the doughnuts absolutely delectable. Her sweet tooth simply could not get enough of this treat!

Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts

The Cheesiry

The Cheesiry's booth offered their specialty Pecorino Cheese. I found the Pecorino cheese, a hard Italian cheese made of ewe's milk, was a little strong but otherwise had good flavours. My companion definitely returned to this booth for a few more samples, but Shannon and Eric found the flavour a little too strong for their liking as well.

Pecorino Cheese

 The Chocolate Doctors

The Chocolate Doctors was one of my favourite booths at the event. They had two chocolates to offer as part of their booth, a plain Peppermint Ambrosia - a peppermint filling covered in a dark chocolate shell - and a pistachio-topped version. The peppermint filling was just the right amount of sweet and mint which was perfectly contrasted by the bitterness of the dark chocolate shell. Unfortunately for us, these items were much too hot of an item to last for more than ten minutes and the pistachio-topped chocolates were scooped up half-frozen, leaving none of us with seconds.

Peppermint Ambrosia

Theo's Greek Kouzina

Melitzano-Salata (Eggplant Dip)

Disappointingly, when we came to Theo's Greek Kouzina's booth, they were out of their Melitzano-Salata, an eggplant dip. Fortunately, when we returned, Theo's Greek Kouzina offered two more of their dips. The Melitzano-Salata had a fresh, acidic taste, but was not our favourite of the three. The Spicy Feta had a nice texture and just a hint of spiciness that went well with the crackers and Trisquits. The Tzatziki sauce was refreshing, flavourful, but otherwise fairly standard for Tzatziki sauce.

Left to Right: Spicy Feta, Tzatziki, Melitzano-Salata

Divine Creations Catering

The event was catered by Divine Creations Catering which provided circulating trays of hors d'oeuvres. The first one we got to try was the stuffed perogies. While the filling was well cooked and flavourful, I found the outer shell to be a little too floury and dry. The filling definitely did not have enough flavour punch or sauce to overcome the dry outer shell.

Stuffed Perogies

The second circulating item was probably my favourite of the hors d'oeuvres. It featured slices of medium rare roast beef, topped with mayonnaise and green onion and served on top of a crispy rosti potato. This dish was really only my favourite hors d'oeuvre of the night in comparison to its counterparts; in itself, the Rosti Potato with Beef was full of potential, but lacked execution entirely. The beef was a nice medium rare, but was a little under-seasoned. The mayonnaise added a nice creamy texture to the dish, but somewhat overpowered the beef. The potatoes were soggy by the time it made its way around to us and left us all with a starchy, fibrous texture after just the first bite. While I could see the creativity and the potential in this dish, Divine Creation definitely needs to up its game on execution.

Rosti Potato with Beef

The final treat we received from Divine Creations was their Strawberry Feta Crostini with Balsamic vinegar. This was probably my least favourite dish of the hors d'oeuvres offered. The feta had a strange texture and the saltiness did not blend well with the strawberries. The sweetness and acidity of the Balsamic vinegar complimented neither the feta nor the strawberry. The strawberries themselves were somewhat on the unripe side making the combination of flavours a little unpalatable.

Strawberry-Feta Crostini

Strawberry-Feta Crostini

The Verdict

All You Can Drink at Avenue Magazine

Avenue Magazine's event was fun and classy, allowing us to talk to some of the restaurant owners and demo their delectable treats in a casual setting. The event offered an All-You-Can-Drink bar which allowed us to pair a few reds and whites from Europe with our samples. While we didn't agree with all of Avenue Magazine's top picks, we still enjoyed a number of the samples from the various restaurants. We only wish they included more booths from their "Top 25 Places in Edmonton to Eat" issue.

All Eric Can Eat Executive Team at Avenue Magazine