Crispy Brussels Sprouts and Carpaccio started our meal.
Open for about three and a half years now, my first experience at The Workshop Eatery was about six months into their tenancy at the Mosaic Centre, which is located in southwest Edmonton at the entrance of the Summerside neighbourhood (2003 91 Street). My friend and I attended a Prairie On the Plate event, a special evening where a local restaurant whips up a multi-course menu utilizing ingredients from Taste Alberta‘s partners. I was impressed by the level of talent in the kitchen; chef Paul Shufelt had brought relatable yet elevated dishes to the far edges of the city.
Fast forward to present day. Despite the quality of the food that I ate at The Workshop Eatery back then, honestly, I didn’t go back. It crossed my mind every so often, but it was never at the top of my list. With so many other businesses launching throughout Edmonton, I was always just trying to keep up with the rest. Eventually, I made the decision to revisit this gem. On a recent weekend, I took Kirk out on a date.
I have to say that I made our reservation (using the YP Dine mobile app) somewhat last minute; I booked our table for a Saturday night on the same morning. Nevertheless, I was hoping for a better spot than what we received. Personally, I don’t think anyone should be subjected to sitting so close to the washroom. There’s only a single stall within the restaurant and it was situated a maximum of ten feet away from our table without any sort of barrier between us and the washroom door.
The dreaded table by the washroom…
Additionally, a small shelf was next to us with “clean” utensils laid out for the staff to easily grab upon having to reset the tables. It didn’t seem the most sanitary to have that within wafting distance of the washroom. It was busy, too. Over the hour and a half that we dined, guests came in and out of that washroom about once every four to five minutes. It was distracting and uncomfortable. I wanted to complain, but I didn’t want to ruin our night out by making a big deal about it. Also, looking around the space, I knew that there weren’t any other available tables that we could have been moved to without messing up their other reservations, so I kept quiet. In any case, that table made us feel like second class patrons. How they have not built some sort of wall to cordon the spaces off after all this time is beyond me. If they read this, I really hope that they take that suggestion into consideration.
Now that I have that off my chest, let’s get to the food and drinks. Firstly, the beer taps are few. They have focused on featuring draughts from Blindman Brewing. Kirk opted to try their IPA ($7.50). On the other hand, when it came to their mixed drinks and wines, they definitely offered a lot more options. As much as I wanted to try something (I had my eye on the Beets by JF cocktail), I chose to save a bit of money and stuck to the plates instead.
To share, Kirk and I started with the Crispy Brussels Sprouts ($10) and the Carpaccio ($18). For our mains, Kirk went with the Chicken Supreme ($33) and I selected the Duck Duck Couscous ($36).
Crispy Brussels Sprouts
I believe that the Brussels sprouts have been a staple of The Workshop Eatery for quite awhile. They were fried until every leaf of the vegetable is browned and crisp. I would have loved for there to have been more larger pieces of the sprouts, but the majority of the dish consisted of single leaves that had maybe soaked up a little too much oil as a few bites were slightly greasy. I did very much enjoy the Sriracha sour cream used as a condiment for the veggie though.
Carpaccio
For the most part, the Carpaccio served at The Workshop Eatery is a classic interpretation. The kitchen carefully placed thinly sliced Jeff Nonay Holstein beef as the foundation and then layered crispy capers, shaved pecorino cheese, flat leaf parsley, and anchovy vinaigrette atop the meat. On the side was a long house made cracker to be topped with each ingredient. What separated their version of carpaccio from others that I’ve had is their use of pickled shiitake mushrooms; they added savouriness, tang and extra bite to the overall marriage of textures within this plate. I ate the majority of this and I was completely satisfied.
Kirk’s Chicken Supreme entrée was surprisingly delicious. We cook chicken regularly at home, so it’s not a meat that I tend to lean towards when I’m going out for an indulgent meal. However, Kirk didn’t seem to mind ordering it. On this occasion, I think he made a really good decision. The maple-mustard brushed free run Morinville Colony chicken breast and thigh was incredibly tender and juicy with the flavour soaked right in and a slightly crispy skin. The puree of roasted squash beneath the chicken brought in some creaminess that worked as a “sauce” for the meat and the pillows of gnocchi, while the sweetness of the squash played well with the fresh corn and salty bacon. I was lucky to have snuck in a few bites of this before Kirk devoured the entire thing.
My Duck Duck Couscous was so good. With duck prepared two ways — Four Whistle Farm breast and duck & blueberry sausage — my taste buds got to switch things up throughout my main. Both were cooked perfectly. The duck breast was succulent and still beautifully pink inside. The sausage was thick and divided in two using a diagonal cut to show off the interior mix of ground duck and blueberries. Well-seasoned and moist, the hints of fruit paired excellently with the rich, somewhat smoky duck. To offset the meat, the duck was served with a hearty herb-raisin and almond couscous, smooth vanilla parsnip puree, and pops of pickled sour cherries for a world of textures and flavours that enlivened my palate.
Sadly, there was no room for dessert, but I’ll leave that to next time. I’m certain that, down the road, we’ll be back again (maybe for happy hour or brunch). I’ll just make sure to ask for a table that’s further away from the washroom. Other than that, we had a wonderful meal at The Workshop Eatery with mostly superb food and great service.
Fa(shion).Fi(lm).Fo(od).tography 