thai valley grill - edmonton, ab

thai valley grill
whitemud crossing
4211-106 Street
780.413.9556

I consider myself lucky to have a few wonderfully inspirational people in my life. One of them, knowing it was my birthday, offered to take me out and relax over some food and maybe a bottle of wine. After a brief discussion we settled on thai valley grill, a restaurant we had both previously enjoyed.

Located in the once burgeoning whitemud crossing, thai valley grill fills a tiny little spot with it's bold and colorful cuisine. While other dining options have come and gone, it continues to push on since the move from their old location in cloverdale a few years back.

There was only one table occupied when we arrived so we had our choice. The space is cozy, around 10 tables, and my understanding is that it's run by a husband (who works the front of the house) and wife (who runs the kitchen) team. We decided to start with a bottle of Luigi Bosca Malbec, which created a nice little bit of humor. The first bottle became a write off, as our server fumbled for a few minutes with the bottle opener before mangling the cork. Apologizing profusely about the mess, he scurried off to get a second bottle which he opened successfully.

We decided to split an order of spring rolls while we gave the menu its due justice. Almost like the rolls were created in a Star Trek replicator, the other half of this efficient team delivered these to the table. I don't think I'd even made it through the first two pages of the menu. Either she has extremely quick hands or they are made a head of time. Regardless of how they were made, the rolls hit the spot nicely with perfect wrappers and lots of basil. The dish was delivered with two sauces, a peanut and a chili.

My dining companion, having dined here many times, mentioned she was going to branch out and try something totally new. Deciding to do the same, I orderedPad Ra Ma Long Song - fried bean curd in a spicy peanut sauce, served on a bed of spinach. The tofu was nice and crispy, complemented by the warm spinach with the spicy peanut sauce adding a distinct level of heat. As I ate my way through the dish, I couldn't help but notice a generous amount of oil left on the platter. Not knowing what I was going to receive the dish did it's job, but would probably fit better in a family style, multiple dish meal.

Thai Ginger Salmon - salmon fillet marinated in delicate Thai spices and ginger was on the menu for my friend. Delivered on a hot plate, it included a generous portion of perfectly cooked salmon topped with various vegetables. We both agreed the dish was good but could have used some heat to kick it up a notch.

Having just had fried bananas at Culina, I had to pass on their Thai version (although it sounded delicious) and settled on a bowl of green tea ice cream. It was creamy and left a wonderful after taste; a nice way to wrap the meal up.


I'd like to think I could be eating just about anything with this friend and it would be good, but the 2 hours we spent relaxing, celebrating and catching up were made that much more special by the food provided through out the night. With all the Thai restaurants in town, I think you should definitely consider this in the top 5.

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culina millcreek - edmonton, ab

culina millcreek
9914 89th avenue
780.437.5588


Before I asked last week for birthday suggestions, I had mentally narrowed my birthday dinner search to Red Ox Inn, Wildflower Grill, and Culina. Having been away from Edmonton for a while and looking for somewhere out of the norm, I knew these three options would easily fit the bill. I mean with delicious reviews like this, this, this, and this how could any of them disappoint. What pushed me over the edge? Well, you and your suggestions.


As my days start relatively early I was glad to get a 5:30 reservation, as I’m usually chomping at the bit for supper at this point. The three of us showed up to a completely empty restaurant and were greeted by two welcoming ladies. As we had all taken a gander at the online menu, we were pretty much decided; the hardest decision being whether to start with the calamari or the scallops. The scallops won out and our order was quickly dispatched. Before you know it we had 5 absolutely gorgeous scallops in a ginger-butter sauce and bacon gremolata in front of us. Needless to say, we made quick work of these babies.


I ordered the slow braised lamb shank in spanish tomato sauce on a bed of green lentils, while my dinning companions had the brome lake duck breast on roasted local potatoes in a white balsamic and cherry reduction and moroccan vegetable tagine with grilled flatbread. The lamb shank was fantastically tender, pealing away from the bone with nary an effort. The perfectly cooked lentils and tomato sauce combined wonderfully with the lamb. My only request would have been a bit more sauce, as I ran out before the other two components were finished.


While not the best duck I've tasted, it was a little too cooked for me, the balsamic and cherry reduction was what we all agreed made this dish a success.


The real surprise was the moroccan vegetable tagine. It was the most delicious blend of eggplant, zucchini, carrots, cauliflower, and tomatoes in a perfectly spiced curry. I kept sampling this dish, and started questioning my choice after a few bites. The generous amount of grilled flatbread had a light dusting of spices and sesame seeds; a fantastic side to the dish.

We finished the meal with coffee and, thanks to foodie suz's excitement, sesame banana fritters with coconut gelato. The bananas showed up with a candle, in honor of my birthday, which I thought was a great touch. I am definitely on the band wagon for this dessert. The mix of coconut gelato, warm ripe bananas, and crisp coating was a perfect topper to the end of our meal.


I really, really enjoyed my birthday here. We were able to relax nicely for an hour and a half, received great attentive service from two lovely ladies, and dined on 5 successful dishes. I do think Culina is a little liberal with their casual dinning statement, as I see this as more of a destination restaurant than random drop by. I definitely recommend Culina MillCreek for your next special dinner; unless of course money is no object, in which case I suggest you keep going back until you have sampled all the dishes. At least that is what I would do!

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the week that was and is - march 25th 2009

First off, a bit of self promotion - it's my birthday today! Happy Birthday Chris. Now on with some weekly thoughts;

• I wonder how many people caught the first 2 hours of CBC's new food documentary. As a big fan of actual, factual food knowledge I was really looking forward to it. I enjoy it so far and it's shaped differently than I expected. I'm looking forward to the last section, but hope we are done with Mr. Monorail!

• Sugar is on the comeback. Interesting to see parts of the food industry promoting 'real' sugar in place of HFCS. "But, as is often the case with competing food claims, the battle is as much about marketing as it is about science."

• Yet another reason to cut back on our Western obsession with red meat. "The largest study of its kind finds that older Americans who eat large amounts of red meat and processed meats face a greater risk of death from heart disease and cancer."

• I tell you what, you pay for the ticket to Cleveland, and I'll treat you to as many 1 penny breakfast's as you like!
  

• With all the money I'll save buying breakfast, we can afford to pick up a few items of clothes for this lady protesting Jamie Oliver.

• Who knew the Obama family was going to become such green thumbs. "After a campaign by gardeners and sustainable-food activists, the First Family has decided to dig up part of the White House grounds for a vegetable garden."

• Kevin from closet cooking recently made a post about various burrito style meals and their accompaniments. Enjoying latin/tex-mex inspired dishes would be an understatement in my life. I don't go a week without some sort dish, so his post was like heaven. I'm excited for cilantro lime rice!

• A bread picture from the weekend. I swear this loaf was music to my ears; as it cooled down it crackled for what seemed like hours. Boy it was delicious.

And finally, today is also waffle day, created by the crazy Swedes. In my opinion the best part is the custom waffle irons needed to fulfill the Swedish waffle. At least 4 heart shapes in a circle pattern are needed to create a flower shape; so why not head to IKEA for some inexpensive eats.

Now I'm off to start my day and eat my heart out.

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a nearby birthday

To all food fans - If you wanted something tasty/exciting for your birthday what would you get, or where would you go? I can't think of any cuisine or dish that I wouldn't be interested in, and with a week to go before my day I thought I would see what the word is.

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