Homeroom Diner

Located at #4 Athabaska in Devon Alberta this farm to table dining establishment is a true delight.  I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

This is a treat for those of us that live in Devon. A farm to table establishment that gets their meat from Leduc, the bread from Calmar and the coffee from the local coffee roaster in Devon. Even the liquor is locally sourced where they can from places like Nisku and other Alberta towns.

We had the decaff coffee which was flavourful (a rarity for decaff as it seems no one usually tastes decaff to see if the blend is good)

I had the Oliver Burger with bacon and chips. The burger is hand made, well seasoned and not over done. The condiments are light and fresh. A very delicious meal. The chips are hand cut waffle slices deep fried with a little spicing and it too, is not over done. Overall a burger that I would rate one of the best I have had.

For desert we were going to share the croissant pudding with dark chocolate and whiskey sauce, but I ended up having to get one for my self. This is an awesome desert. Not overly sweet, just the right amount of raisins and dark chocolate and a light whiskey sauce that was not a syrup. This will be a “come back for coffee and desert” dish for us.

The staff was friendly, very knowledgeable about the food and the sources. We had a very relaxed, enjoyable time with great food in a not too dark, not too bright atmosphere that made for a fantastic dining experience. This is a definitely come back to place.

Battista’s Calzone Co.

Located on the corner of 118 ave and 84 street this gem of a spot makes some of the best calzones. Reasonably priced, loaded with fillings, customizable, fresh made and truly awesome.

Lynne and I tried the “Wise Guy” with added red and green pepper and the “Pest Presto”. These are freshly made, well filled calzones with wonderful flavour. There is not too much bread and it was perfectly cooked so as to not be too crispy.

The “Wise Guy” was a great combination of Cheese, Pepperoni, Mushroom and peppers along with a Tomato Sauce that was not overbearing and allowed for a great Mixing of flavours

The “Pesto Presto” is a great Chicken, cheese, tomato sauce and pesto sauce combination. Again the homemade tomato sauce blends perfectly with the rest of the ingredients.

This is definitely a place to check out and enjoy.

Red Goose

This hidden gem of a breakfast/lunch spot is located at 9625 66 ave.  We were cheerfully greeted by the owner, Phillip, as we chose a place to sit and he brought us the menu.  There was a great selection of breakfast dishes and all reasonably priced.

Lynne chose the pancakes and bacon and I selected the Bacon, cheese and mushroom omelette.

Phillip delivered our plates with a positively friendly smile. The pancakes are made from scratch and were very light, fluffy and delicious.

The Omelette was fluffy and flavourful, the hash browns were nicely done and not over cooked. The toast was made from bread from the bakery next door and was very good.

Phillip also mention the wanton soup is home made and we have decided we will have to go back and give it a try.

Oh and do not forget to fist bump Phillip on the way out after paying.

The Road House

Located in Devon Alberta insude the Key West Inn, and under New Management, The Roadhouse offers something unique.

I ordered the lunch special. It was a generous portion of real homemade style lasagna with a crisp green salad and a homemade oil and vinegar dressing with a slight lemon touch to it. The the salad was light and the dressing offset the richness of the lasagna very nicely.

The new management of the Roadhouse is trying very hard to produce a unique experience for the Devon area and is very much worthwhile checking in to.

Rge Rd

Located in Edmonton at 10643 123 St. Edmonton. This establishments claim to fame is sourcing local food to create its dishes.

For drinks I had a glass of Pinot Noir from a BC Winery. Lynne had a mixed drink, the name of which starts with “Unicorn” and found it an amazing adventure in flavour. She finished the meal with a Rge RD Coffee which she enjoyed as well.

We started with the “Kitchen Board” which had pickled carrots and peppers, a few pieces of old cheddar, ham, venison sausage with blueberries, some italian sausage and homemade bread and crackers. (Ok I forgot to get a picture of it…. Sorry)  The meats were well seasoned and very flavourful. the bread was fresh and the pickled veggies were not over powering yet tasteful.

Lynne chose the sirloin Beef dish and I chose the “Pig Roast”

The beef dinner came with a Beef and Mushroom Ragout in the separate dish and the sirloin and mashed potatoes on the plate.  Presentation was beautiful.  Lynne found the meet underseasoned almost tasteless.   I suspect the chef is showcasing the flavour of the meat without seasoning or enhancement. This may be desirable for some people, but it is not our cup of tea. I just call it as I see it.

I chose the “Pig Roast” and noted the same as the beef dish. Wonderful presentation but no spicing or enhancement of the meat, just the natural meat flavour.  The most tasty thing on the plate was the tomatoes.

The entrees were good, the serving staff were excellent.  The meal was pricey. 3 drinks, coffee, the appetizer, desert and two entrees came to just over $170. Add a tip for the wonderful service and it was over $200 for the meal. This is a great place for those who want to enjoy the natural flavours of the food, great presentation and awesome service. We found the meat bland as we prefer to have more spicing than what the chef presents.

Connexxions Cafe

Checking out a relativley new cafe in the 137 ave abd 127 Street area. It hosts food and board games. Had a great London Fog and an order of very tasty pot stickers. This is a place worth checking out as they advertise Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.

The Roadhouse All Day Grille

Friday and no Idea what to do for dinner.  Nothing had been taken out of the freezer so we decided to check out the Roadhouse All Day Grille in Devon.  This establishment boasts from “Farm to Table” which I understand to mean they source local ingredients to make their meals.

Lynne ordered the 6oz. prime rib and I ordered the Roadhouse Burger.

Lynne’s meal started with an assortment of light Garlic breads. This was followed by the main dish which was well presented

and came with a yorkshire pudding, sauted vegetables, a very tasty mashed potatoe and a home made sauce that had a hint of horseradish.

The burger is home made, lean, had crispy fresh vegetables, a goodly amount of sauted Mushrooms and a homemade horseradish aioli that did not overpower the burger but supplemented it.

Overall we both enjoyed our meals and are looking forward to when we go back to try more from the menu.

The proprietor suggested I try the Gulab Jamun with Icecream.  A marvelously falvourful light desert that I missed getting a picture of before I started to enjoy it.  It is a great way to finish a meal without the real heavy weight of a cheese cake or the excessive sweetness of most North American deserts.

The service was excellent.  My coffee cup was filled as it emptied, and Lynne’s gingerale was refilled as needed as well, the service was polite, the food arrived in a timely manner. They even offered a 15% discount as part of their Friday Community  Entrepreneur Discount.

This is definitely a “you have got to eat here” kind of place.

Toast Breakfast and Lunch

This is a little known gem of a brunch/lunch spot we tried for Mothers Day.  The restaurant is located in St. Albert at 6B – 11 Bellerose Drive.  They do not take reservations so it is first come first served basis.  An efficient kitchen and great friendly serving staff our wait, for a party of five, was not longer than 15 Minutes at 10:00 am on Mothers day.  

We had great food, good coffee, and for Mothers day – Mimosa’s for Moms.  They have their own unique and very good Hollandaise sauce.  The Eggs Benny, I had, was called “The Surfer” with Smoked Salmon instead of ham and included crispy red onion under the salmon to give it that extra crunchy texture. The eggs were cooked, medium, just as I had asked for them and the service was very quick.  It also came with crispy potatoe hash browns and a chef’s salad that had a very tasty home made vinaigrette salad dressing.

The meal was not rushed and the portions were just right so that you were not over stuffed when you finished your meal nor were you feeling hungry afterwards.

Two of the others with me had classic Eggs Benedict, One of the other guests with me had the French toast and another a classic bacon and eggs breakfast. We all agreed the food was very good.

The three of us, I covered for Mothers Day, had an eggs Benedict and coffee with the total bill including a good tip of just under $22.00 per person.  Very reasonable cost, great food, this is a “must return to try more items on the menu” type of place.

Phalika’s Thai Food – Devon

Located by the entrance to Devon, just off the highway at the north end of the little strip mall, Phalika’s Thai Food is a merger of food truck and restaurant. Don’t let the food truck outside distract you from the friendly service and great Thai food that is served onto the tables inside.

We decided to drop in and try it out as Devon, once known as “Bike Town Alberta”, now to be called “Pizza Town” I think, with the 6 pizza producing shops in a town of 6500, and another rumoured to be on it’s way in, has not had a new food type in town in Years.  Thai was the perfect food place to open to break the food monotony the town was suffering.

We started off our afternoon late lunch with chicken Satay. Scrumptious pieces of chicken on skewers garnished with sliced cucumber and a very tasty peanut satay sauce. Well cooked and seasoned, a magnificent starter and a good indicator of the great food to follow.

For the main course I chose the massaman stew.  A beef stew in a very tasty sweet and sour broth with intricately cut vegetables and served with a good sized serving of coconut rice.

Lynne chose the Cashew Nut stir fry, also server with a good helping of rice it boasted lots of chicken, peppers, onions and cashews all stir fried in a chili jam.

This is a place I plan to return to and explore more of the flavours offered in the various dishes.

 

Marci’s Grill, Devon, AB

Stopped by to try the rolled ice cream I saw people rave about on facebook. I am very glad I did. 

Made with fresh ingredients and real cream, this rolled ice cream is a real treat. No over-run,  an ice cream industry term for foaming the ice cream to make it light and take up more volume. This hand made ice cream went perfectly with the great decaff coffee.

This is a definite go back again treat. I will definitely be back to try strawberry banana ice cream and plan my next flavour experience.