Tag Archives: Groupon Edmonton

Edmonton Restaurant Review: Mexico Lindo Tacos & Grill (Sherwood Park)

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Our feast was enough to feed double the people!

I’d had my eyes on Mexico Lindo Tacos & Grill for a while now. The online reviews have been stellar. So, when I noticed that Groupon was, again, offering discounts on a meal for two, I decided to snap up a voucher. Kirk and I redeemed our deal in Sherwood Park on a Sunday night.

It’s a well-designed venue with a spacious, open layout. When Kirk and I walked in, I will say that I received a lot of extended stares from other patrons. I got the sense that they don’t typically see a lot of Asians dining there regularly. It felt a little awkward at first, but the staff were friendly (it’s clearly a family run business). In the vein of knowing a Chinese or South Asian restaurant is authentic when you see others of that ethnicity happily spending their hard-earned cash there, it was the same at Mexico Lindo Tacos.

Complimentary chips with dips while we perused their menu.

Once we settled in, we perused the menu. Although the beverages we saw at other tables looked wonderful, we opted to stick with water for the evening. Instead, we split a few dishes between the two of us, including the Queso Fundido ($16.50), Quesadilla de Tres Quesos ($8.50) with Al Pastor Meat ($4), and Tacos Dorados ($12.99).

Queso Fundido topped with chorizo and mushrooms.
So cheesy and melty.
There was no shortage of cheese!

I love a stretchy cheese pull, and the Queso Fundido with Mushrooms did not disappoint. I swear the layer of Oaxaca cheese was about an inch thick. The cheese combined with the sautéed mushrooms and homemade Mexican chorizo was deliciously satisfying, and plenty, if you want to make it a meal in itself. I do recommend that you eat this first and quickly. Once the hot skillet cools down, it’s not as good because the cheese will no longer be stringy enough to scoop out easily. I’d also suggest ordering extra flour tortillas because the three that come with the dish aren’t quite enough to go with the abundance of stuffing in the pan.

Quesadillas stuffed with cheese and Al Pastor pork.

You definitely get a decent value for your money at Mexico Lindo as the Quesadilla de Tres Quesos with Al Pastor Meat was huge. I was expecting smaller flour tortilla shells as I’ve had at other eateries around Edmonton, but the plate we received held two large 8 to 10 inch wide tortillas filled with a three cheese mixture and a generous amount of shaved Al Pastor meat. The vertical spit-roasted pork was super juicy and a little bit crispy on the edges. Served with in-house guacamole and crema, this was fantastic and perfect for sharing. With the two items that we’d tried so far, there was already enough food to feed about three people.

Tacos Dorados

To finish off our meal, we had the Tacos Dorados. Unlike the other dishes we had sampled, this was prepared differently. The corn tortillas were stuffed with chicken and rolled into tubes before being fried until a crunchy shell was created. The four tortillas were then covered with shredded lettuce, crema, and queso fresco (soft, smooth, mild unaged white cheese). I have to say that the chicken tasted a tad bland inside the tortillas, but was much improved as long as it was eaten with all of the toppings.

Fresh tortilla chips with salsa

Additional to the plates we chose, Mexico Lindo Tacos also provided complimentary tortilla chips with salsa and dips to start. The salsa was refreshing on the palate and the dips featured varying degrees of heat. All of them were excellent accompaniments to the rest of our items.

 

We enjoyed ourselves and the atmosphere (FYI, they also have live music on Saturday nights). Perhaps another outing is required to take advantage of happy hour on weekdays between 2pm to 4pm, or their many daily deals, which are always so tempting when they come up on my social media news feeds. This is a restaurant that I’d certainly be inclined to revisit as the food and service exceeded our expectations.

Edmonton Restaurant Review: Jack’s Drive-In (Spruce Grove)

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Welcome to Jack’s Drive-In

For over 55 years, Jack’s Drive-In has been a staple along First Avenue in Spruce Grove. The v-shaped roof has become an iconic landmark that has stood the test of time. Since 1961, the restaurant has called that very same spot its home.

As far as I could remember though, I’d never been to Jack’s Drive-In. I’d always just heard people talk about it. In my opinion, it was too far out of the way to visit. That changed, however, when I spotted a deal on Groupon. I ended up purchasing a voucher redeemable towards a meal for two. Valued at up to $30 (we paid $17), the coupon included two burgers, two sides, and two drinks.

Their signage lights the way.
I’m not sure if this van is actually used for deliveries.

When we decided to use it, we drove there on a whim. An event we attended turned out to be less than exciting and there wasn’t as much food as we expected, so we hopped in the car, and headed towards Spruce Grove to quell our hunger. Arriving at the parking lot of Jack’s Drive-In, we could see that there was a drive-thru, which only a couple of cars were utilizing. Inside, it was fairly quiet, too; a single family was hunkered down for supper.

Cozy up to the bar for your meal.
Use the juke box to select your song of choice for free.
The opposite side of the restaurant has standard tables.

I soaked in the ambience as I walked in. It’s so quaint with its 50s mom and pop diner style. The right wall is painted with more than life size images of Elvis and Marilyn Monroe. The booths and the stools are upholstered with bright, shimmering red vinyl, and the tables all have a vintage feel. An old juke box is even situated to one side and a wood framed TV anchored in a corner rotates through old photos of Jack’s Drive-In. The kitchen is cordoned off with an open window where customers can place their orders.

Their extensive menu is clearly laid out above the order window.

Service was really friendly. The young woman working at the front was extremely helpful in explaining their menu and suggesting the more popular items. It was also super clean. Ultimately, Kirk opted for the Jack’s Special burger with a half order of poutine and a bottle of water. I selected the Mushroom burger with a side of perogies and a cup of root beer.

Jack’s Special Burger
Mushroom Burger

The Jack’s Special burger comes with two thin patties of beef layered with pickle, cheese, ham, lettuce, and sauce. I can’t say that was my cup of tea. The ham was sort of an odd choice to me, especially after seeing that it was of the processed variety. The cheese was also American, giving it that plasticized texture. I’m not sure I fared much better with the Mushroom burger. It had the same type of cheese, the sauce was rather runny (making it incredibly messy), and the mushrooms didn’t taste fresh. In fact, the meat didn’t seem to be either. Clearly they were prefab patties that were probably previously frozen. They also lacked that charring from the grill. Considering that this is a diner that prides itself on this menu that has never changed, both of us agreed that the burgers needed some work.

Half order of poutine.
A side of perogies with bacon bits.

On the other hand, the sides were more promising. Sadly, the poutine did not come with real cheese curds. However, the gravy was rich and not overly salted. It was hot enough to melt the cheese, and the fries were held up pretty well. The six perogies were plump, soft and a little bit crisp on the outside. I asked for bacon bits as my topping (perhaps I should have added sour cream for good measure), and, as a whole, these were delicious. I only managed to eat one as I was quite full from my burger and the poutine Kirk couldn’t finish, so the rest were taken home as leftovers.

My burger with our two sides and my root beer.

I will have to go back at some point to try their milkshakes and maybe to grab some of the other sides available on the menu, but the burgers are kind of mediocre. More than anything, it’s a cute place with a great Albertan story, and, personally, I think the place remains mostly due to the nostalgia factor. It seems that a lot of people have many wonderful memories associated with the eatery. As long as that continues to hold true, I’m guessing that there will always be someone willing to keep Jack’s Drive-In alive for many more years to come.

Meal Kit Box & Recipe Review: Goodfood

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Goodfood’s welcome card.

If anyone has been following my posts this year, they’ll have read about my experiences with Chefs Plate, MissFresh, and HelloFresh. All three of those services deliver meal kit boxes across Canada. Their aim is to simplify the prep and cooking process for those who want to eat at home, but who feel as though they don’t have the time to plan everything themselves.

In the fourth installment of this series, I’ll be talking about the last of the bunch. Goodfood is the name and they’re based out of Montreal.

Truthfully, there isn’t a whole lot more to add. All of the services function in the same way. The website lists the upcoming menus. Once satisfied with the choices, register as a member online. During the sign up, select food preferences and the weekly delivery date. If necessary, skip upcoming shipments in the calendar. Or, should the user be happy to pay full price, keep the subscription rolling on a regular basis. Boxes land at the doorstep, leading to some antics in the kitchen and an arsenal of new recipes.

Unlike the rest, Goodfood was the only one to ship with Loomis (the others opted for FedEx). While their free delivery didn’t come with a tracking number, it seemed as though the Loomis delivery guy cared a bit more. Sure, he didn’t read the instructions provided to dial our number on the intercom. However, the man did phone my cell number. When I missed his call and phoned him back a few minutes later, he answered. It was smooth going from there and he was able to bring the box right to our condo door. FedEx didn’t even bother to buzz up to be let in, often leaving our box right in the lobby of our building where anyone could grab it (luckily no one ever did).

Their insulated cardboard box used for shipping.

The packaging is also slightly different. Instead of double wall corrugated cardboard boxes, Goodfood sticks to regular cardboard with ice packs at the bottom and insulation liners covered in plastic. The felt-like material reminded me of what might be found inside the walls of a home. I was surprised to see that, but hey, it worked. Ingredients for the individual meals were also stored inside large resealable plastic bags. Certain produce, such as the leafy greens, were supplied in breathable baggies, allowing ventilation that prevented condensation and rot. The recipe cards were nicely printed with colourful photos and clear directions.

Again, we ordered three meals with two portions each. At the regular price of $74 weekly, it would work out to $12.33 per serving. Thankfully, I was able to try it for half off. The dishes we picked all rang in at 40 minutes of prep/cook time and included: Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Pork Chops with Rösti Potatoes, Ground Beef Pizza with Crispy Kale, and Haddock with Chermoula, Mejadra & Roasted Brussels Sprouts.

The front of the Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Pork Chops recipe card.
The back of the Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Pork Chops recipe card.
All of the Spinach & Cheese Stuffed Pork Chops ingredients laid out.
Rösti Potatoes
Our plated dish of Spinach & Cheese Pork Chops.

My fiancé and I found the Pork Chops to be a hearty meal as the butterflied meat was stuffed with Swiss cheese (an extra slice or two would have really hit the spot) and spinach. The side of potato pancake made for a slightly more creative take on the typical roasted, mashed or baked variety. Our only issue came when trying to shave the potatoes down. Without a sizeable grater, we ended up having to make do with a peeler. Ultimately, it got the job done, but it could have been better with the right tools. All remaining spinach was combined with sliced carrots and a simple vinaigrette to become a side salad. I’m not usually a fan of carrots. For some reason, I find the flavour of carrots to be slightly off-putting, but these ones were so fresh and sweet that they were divine. This dinner earned a solid 7 out of 10.

The front of the Ground Beef Pizza recipe card.
The back of the Ground Beef Pizza recipe card.
All of the Ground Beef Pizza ingredients laid out.
Our pizza baking in the oven.
A slice of pizza. This had to be eaten with a knife and fork as it was too floppy.

Supper number two was a fun homemade Ground Beef Pizza with Crispy Kale. By the time we got to this recipe, the ready-made dough had actually risen so much that the sealed bag it was packed in was about to burst. After we cooked the ground beef and prepped the sauce — a can of Hunts tomato sauce flavoured with onion and garlic — we spread the dough out onto a rectangular baking sheet. It was then topped with the beef, onions, and some Parmesan cheese. As that baked, we also tossed a pan of kale into the oven to crisp the greens up. Those were the finishing and best touches to the pie. In all honesty, this wasn’t our favourite. There was way too much onion (half would have sufficed), the sauce was thin (a tomato paste may have been preferable), the crust was too puffy and soft, and there wasn’t enough cheese. With modifications, this could definitely be a winner. Unfortunately, in this instance, it only warrants a 5.5 out of 10.

The front of the Haddock & Chermoula recipe card.
The back of the Haddock & Chermoula recipe card.
All of the Haddock & Chermoula ingredients laid out.
The fillets of Haddock cooking on the stove.
This was probably the most visually appealing of the three meals from Goodfood.

Our third kit was the Haddock with Chermoula. What exactly is Chermoula? That’s a great question because I didn’t know. Yet, I learned that Chermoula is a type of Middle Eastern garnish consisting of parsley, vinegar, spice, and olive oil. I can’t say that either of us really enjoyed the flavour. Personally, I think there may have been an excess of vinegar, coming across as overly acidic. On the other hand, the fish was superb. Thick fillets pan fried well on the stove, and the meat was moist and flaky. Mejadra, a mix of rice, lentils, and fried onions was delicious, and went so well with the roasted Brussels sprouts. Although we could have done without that first major component of the meal, it still ended up being our favourite of the three recipes, garnering an 8 out of 10.

Looking at all of the boxes, Goodfood falls between the costly HelloFresh and slightly more affordable MissFresh and Chefs Plate. The quality of the recipes and ingredients were pretty much on par. Plus, similar to the others, Goodfood’s dishes were hit or miss, too. We were willing to chance it on new things, which turned out great. Whereas, the more familiar meals like pizza ended up being a bit of a dud. Still, these services are a fun option, especially when discounts are available. I certainly cannot justify purchasing meal kit boxes all the time, but I do understand the appeal, and I believe that they can be useful on occasion.

This review is in no way affiliated with Goodfood. I purchased these meal kits on my own and have chosen to share my thoughts here. If anyone is interested in signing up for a subscription, please use my Goodfood referral link to save $40 off of your first delivery.

Meal Kit Box & Recipe Review: HelloFresh

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HelloFresh’s welcome booklet.

This year, I’ve been on a meal kit subscription kick. So far, my boxes from Chefs Plate and MissFresh were discussed in previous posts. Both Canadian businesses provide delivery across the country. Today, I’ll be talking about option number three: HelloFresh.

Unlike Chefs Plate and MissFresh, launched in 2014, HelloFresh emerged out of Berlin, Germany back in 2011. Within five years, they expanded to the UK, USA, The Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, and then Canada. It is one of the largest scale meal kit delivery services in the world.

Their Canadian branch is based out of Toronto and, from what I’ve received, it’s apparent that the meat and most of the produce is sourced through partnerships with local farms. Smaller items such as a packet of Bonne Maman honey comes from a family-owned French company and Colavita balsamic vinegar as well as a pack of orzo seem to be from Italy.

Similar to the other services, all of the food arrived in an insulated box shipped through FedEx. Vacuum sealed meats were ice packed at the bottom and then partitioned to separate them from the remainder of the items. All of the other ingredients were sorted into heavy paper bags that were closed and labelled with stickers that indicated the meal to which they belonged. Welcome info and recipe cards were placed at the top of the package.

The box is clearly labelled from HelloFresh.
They try to be as environmentally friendly as possible.
They use sustainable packaging and they source locally when possible.
Frequently asked questions are answered in the welcome booklet.
This is where HelloFresh is currently available.
The meal kits come packaged in thick paper bags.

Surprisingly, even though only three of the week’s available recipes were selected for my order, they provided all five cards in my box. I suppose if I’m ever inclined to try out the other options, I can actually do that. My fiancé thinks HelloFresh prints the sets as a cost saver to the company because they can just toss them into every box. They don’t have to spend the time separating the cards out or printing a specific number for each recipe. He’s probably right. Either way, it’s a tiny thing, but I kind of appreciated the extras.

The individual meals and items were all packaged really well. Greens that needed to breathe were placed into resealable baggies that had perforated holes on the backside. Everything else came in sealed plastic. All components were clearly labelled. Some of the veggies had even been prepped ahead of time, shaving off several minutes of washing, cutting, chopping and dicing. Butter, oil, milk, salt, and pepper is assumed to be a staple at home already, so those are not supplied.

For my first box of three meals for two people (regularly $79.99, including free shipping), my fiancé and I picked the following recipes: Moo Shu Pork Tacos, Crispy-Skinned Chicken, and Seared Steak. Each of them took 30 minutes or less to cook and the calorie count ranged between 520 to 1,000 per portion. However, a full nutritional breakdown is not to be found unless viewing through their website.

The front of the Moo Shu Pork Tacos recipe card.
The back of the Moo Shu Pork Tacos recipe card.
All of the Moo Shu Pork Taco ingredients laid out.
The single pan used to cook.
A close-up of the taco filling.
An overhead shot of the taco.

Moo Shu Pork Tacos shifted things into gear. These were simple to make. The process pretty much required just a single pan and a couple of dishes, which is ideal when it comes to cleanup after dinner. We both loved the depth of flavour from the spice (Note: Moo Shu Spice Blend is a mix of garlic powder and ground ginger, if you want to recreate this) as well as the Sriracha mayo. With three meat and cabbage stuffed 6-inch tortillas allotted for each person, this was actually an incredibly filling meal. I can definitely see why the calorie count is much higher for this dish. My only issues with this kit were the sliced radishes (too thick) and the lack of Sriracha and mayo to make the sauce. Had there been enough mayo, it may not have been necessary for us to add extra cheese to taste. Still, after a minor change or two, this is a recipe that we’d happily make again. This selection deserves an 8 out of 10.

The front of the Crispy-Skinned Chicken recipe card.
The back of the Crispy-Skinned Chicken recipe card.
The Crispy-Skinned Chicken ingredients laid out.
This turned out to be a really colourful dish.
The chicken skin was nicely crisp.

The Crispy-Skinned Chicken was likely our favourite of the week. This consisted of skin-on chicken breasts, smashed potatoes, roasted green beans, leeks, and a rosemary pan sauce. I did find that the chicken was a little bit greasy as we may have drizzled a bit too much oil into the pan when roasting the meat and beans. Yet, the texture of the chicken skin and flavours from the sauce and leeks helped to elevate the dish further. This was hearty without being heavy. We award this recipe an 8.5 out 10.

The front of the Seared Steak recipe card.
The back of the Seared Steak recipe card.
The Seared Steak ingredients laid out.
The dish was pretty with all the colours, but it lacked in flavour.
The cut of steak was pretty chewy.

As experienced with Chefs Plate and MissFresh, the steak dishes were always one of the best in the bunch. Therefore, we left the Seared Steak and its accompanying roasted broccoli and warm caprese orzo salad for last. Unfortunately, HelloFresh truly disappointed. The cut of meat was sub par; even though it was cooked to medium, it was much chewier than we like our steak to be. It was also incredibly bland as they instructed the steak to be pan-seared using just a drizzle of oil and nothing else. The orzo pasta had a decent dressing made using a honey and balsamic vinegar base, but the only added pop to the entire dish came from the tart grape tomatoes and basil. Bocconcini cheese, which has an okay mouthfeel is rather flavourless without some sort of heavier dressing to go with it. Sadly, this supper only warrants a 6 out of 10.

Compared to the other meal kit subscriptions, this one is more expensive. While the others work out to $10.99 per portion for the basic plan of three meals for two people, HelloFresh is ringing in at a lofty $13.33 per person for each recipe. We found the quality of the packaging to be fantastic, but the quality of a few of the ingredients to be less than expected. On the one hand, it’s certainly convenient. On the other, the dinners were hit or miss. Should there ever be a chance for me to try a second HelloFresh box at a discounted rate, I’d be delighted to give them another go. Until then, I will have to pause deliveries as the savings aren’t quite there. If it’s feasible for you, I’d recommend testing HelloFresh yourself, so you can see if it’s a good fit for your life.

This review is in no way affiliated with HelloFresh. I purchased these meal kits on my own and have chosen to share my thoughts here. If anyone is interested in signing up for a subscription, please use my HelloFresh referral link at checkout to receive $40 off of your first delivery.

Edmonton Restaurant Review: The Harvest Room (Full Breakfast Buffet)

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My first run at the Full Buffet.

I’ve been to The Harvest Room at the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald several times over the past few years, but the last time I wrote about it was just over four years ago. A recent visit, prompted by the purchase of a Groupon, is giving me the chance to talk about this downtown Edmonton spot once more. This time, instead of coming in during lunch or stopping by for dinner, my family and I opted to meet up for breakfast bright and early on a Sunday morning.

Street parking on Sundays is free, so it’s possible to find spaces nearby without having to pay for the use of a lot or for the Fairmont’s valet services. The rest of the week, it will cost to park until at least 6:00pm. We had made reservations for 9:30am, and we arrived right on time. Before we were led into the dining room, the host hung up our coats in the closet, and he also requested our Groupon voucher. In this instance, the deal was a $100 value for $65 to be used on a Sunday to Thursday towards breakfast or dinner. However, I also managed to get an additional 25 per cent off with a promo code, which dropped the price down to $48.75. The original offer is still currently available.

Our table of four was seated next to one of the big windows, allowing us a great view of the entire restaurant and the patio. The space isn’t all that big and it’s not as regal as I’d assume a Fairmont dining room would be. It is classically styled though, and the servers are all dressed more formally. There’s even a window into the kitchen, so you can watch the staff as they work. It starts to feel like a fancier place when it’s apparent that they will bring brand new cutlery every time you begin eating off of a new plate.

French toast, bread pudding and a pastry.

The breakfast menu ranges from $12 for a Super Green Smoothie to $26 for a House-Cured Hot Smoked Salmon Benedict. It’s certainly not cheap. Especially when any additional drinks, including coffee, tea, and juice, are $5 each. Although, they do offer the value option of a coffee or tea with juice for $8. Taking all of that into account, it just made sense for our group to go with their Full Buffet option ($31.50 each). For about the same price as a single dish with a drink, we’d get unlimited fresh fruit, smoked salmon, domestic cheeses, yogurts, assorted cereals, bagels, toast, pastries, eggs benedict, french toast, bread pudding, crispy bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, omelettes, breakfast potatoes, and the daily smoothie. Plus, coffee or tea, and juice — I questioned whether or not the orange juice was actually fresh as indicated on the menu — comes with it as well.

From the Continental Buffet, the best item you’ll find for the value is the smoked salmon.

Personally, I wasn’t super impressed with the Continental Buffet ($21.50) selection as I found the bagels to be kind of hard like they weren’t made fresh and there wasn’t much in the way of cheeses. The fruits were alright. I particularly enjoyed the pineapple and watermelon. Both were juicy and sweet. I also will commend the pastry chef because the mini danishes that I ate were delicately flaky and soft. Otherwise, it’s only worth the money if you’re a fan of smoked salmon and yogurt-based smoothies. Eat as much of the house-cured fish as you can and drink a couple of glasses of the daily smoothie to completely justify the cost. But, really, for an extra $10, it seems like a no-brainer to just go with the Full Buffet. While I didn’t try the eggs benedict or the scrambled eggs (I’m not a fan of eggs that have been sitting for periods of time), I made an effort to sample everything else.

Prairie Omelette made fresh to order.

First off, I’ll say that I appreciate the fact that, even though it is a buffet, they’ll take omelette orders at the table, so the dish is freshly cooked and comes hot from the kitchen. I chose the Prairie Omelette, which is usually $23 on its own, served with potatoes and tomatoes. Filled with boar bacon lardons, charred peppers, tomatoes, green onion, smoked apple wood, and smoked cheddar cheese, it was okay. I definitely could have used more cheese, and I would have preferred a fluffier egg.

The bread pudding at the 12 o’clock position was so good, as were the mini danish pastries.

Again, items that sit out at the buffet in warmers are never going to be the best unless there’s high turnover. That’s why I wasn’t too keen on the french toast. The slices seemed kind of stale and the berries that were tossed into the pan looked as though they’d been heated a bit too long. On the other hand, the bread pudding was fantastic. When I lined up to get some of that, I was at first disappointed to see that the tray was missing. But, that turned to happiness when I saw that a new bowl of bread pudding was being brought out just as I reached the buffet. The sweet bread was subtly flavoured with cinnamon and a dusting of icing sugar. I paired it with a few strawberries I pulled from the tray. It’s simple, but tasty.

The breakfast potatoes were savoury and tossed with roasted tomatoes. They were the perfect accompaniment to the plump sausages and the copious amounts of crisp bacon strips that I had. Those were all perfectly prepared.

My pot of tea was included in the price of the Full Buffet.

All in, my family paid about $100 after tax and tip out of pocket. At $25 per person, the value was there. However, when it comes down to the regular price, this is more than I would typically spend on breakfast (I’ll take the $8 happy hour special at Earls over this any day). Yet, if it’s not too out of the way, you’ve got a big appetite, and you’re looking to treat yourself to something nice, the Full Buffet at The Harvest Room should be a contender. Go for the drinks, fish and meats, and fill out the rest of your meal with other sides such as the delicious pastries. Just keep in mind that the value lies in certain items and stick with those.