April 27, 2009

Cactus Club Cafe

It was a regular Wednesday night in Edmonton, and I was about to see just how much fun free food and wine can be. As my friend Susan and I walked in the front doors of the new Cactus Club Cafe, two glamorous-looking women greeted us warmly, and we were ushered into the large lounge area of the restaurant. We settled into tall chairs at one of the round tables around the bar and giggled to each other.

“We are so not hip enough to be here right now,” I said.

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Waitresses walked the floor with trays of red wine, white wine, and Heineken. The booths and tables were starting to fill up. People were happily chatting with each other, and there was excitement in the air.

I had scored an invitation to the preview reception at the Cactus Club because of a story I did when chef Rob Feenie visited the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) back in February. After spending about three minutes interviewing him, I had somehow ended up on a mailing list. I wasn’t complaining. But I felt young and naive sitting there among people who were probably much more important than me. I tried to pretend this wasn’t my first opening reception.

I felt better when plates of food started coming out from the kitchen. I hadn’t been sure what to expect at this reception, but it turned out we had a full 8-course sit-down dinner ahead of us. The first course was beef carpaccio – super-thin slices of raw, marbled beef criss-crossed with stripes of dijon aioli and sprinkled with capers, pickled shallots, and flakes of parmesan. A small mound of greens (maybe arugula?) sat in the middle of the plate. It was a divine combination. I’ve never eaten raw beef before, but I fell for this version fast. The meat was soft, tender, and mild. I tried to figure out what it tasted like, but I couldn’t discern much actual flavour. But the sharp tang of the shallots, the spice of the mustard, and the salty parmesan hit my tongue. We piled the delicate beef on slices of garlic crostini and tried not to eat too fast, or too much. We had a hunch there was a lot more coming.

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As the light slowly fell outside the tall windows of the restaurant, empty plates were whisked away and new ones arrived. Our wine glasses were filled, and refilled. A colleague of mine arrived with her husband and they joined our table.  It was festive atmosphere. I think we all felt lucky to be there.

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I tried many foods during the meal that I had never tasted before. My favourite new dish was the tuna tataki. Triangles of raw tuna lay on top of julienned carrots and green papaya, cubes of avocado and mango, dots of orange caviar, a few pine nuts, and a slice of orange, all resting in a citrus vinaigrette. Eating that made me think there must be no better accompaniment to raw tuna than citrus. The fish was soft but firm. It tasted clean and fresh, and as I ate it I thought of the sea.

There were other surprises – the beautiful texture of the single piece of sablefish floating in a dashi broth with potatoes and asparagus – it has been cooked gently and was almost partly raw. The texture of silky squash inside fresh ravioli. The sweet richness of a cube of short rib sitting in its own juices, and the frothy foaminess of pureed celeriac swirled beneath it. Finally, the thick complexity of a dab of caramel sauce complimenting the chocolate peanut butter crunch bar.

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The only miss of the night for three out of four of us was the rocket salad, atop a panko-crusted chicken breast. Someone got carried away with the salt shaker in the kitchen, and I couldn’t finish it because of the overwhelming saltiness. The chicken also had very little flavour. Compared to the other dishes, it was especially disappointing.

What we ate is only a small fraction of the Cactus Club menu. Everything was from chef Rob Feenie’s feature dishes – they’re clearly marked with a little R.F. so that you know exactly whose food you are eating. The experience we had was clearly not the average one you would get during a normal meal. It was a luxury to be able to taste so many different things in small portions.

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Somewhere between the second and third courses (… or fourth, I started to lose count), Mr. Iron Chef himself made an appearance. Feenie, in crisp chef’s whites, was chatting to a few people near our table. Susan was star-struck. Her brother Andrew is a chef and she starting texting him about where we were. “I am so jealous,” he wrote back. During the meal, she kept him updated about what we were eating. “Oh my God! I’ve been wanting to try his ravioli for years!” he wrote.

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The service throughout the evening was excellent. The servers were friendly and knowledgeable, and requests for water and wine refills were met promptly. Of course, I’m sure it helped that the entire waitstaff was probably working that night. 

The space we ate in was lovely and sophisticated, very open with high ceilings. The room is divided into the lounge area  that surrounds the oval-shaped bar, and the restaurant area with lines of booths. At the back of the space is a long open kitchen. The whole place is dotted with interesting touches. Art on the walls ranges from Andy Warhol to an Alberta and a B.C. artist. A massive red lamp hangs in the hall near the kitchen, and the lights hanging throughout most of the restaurant are edgy and modern, like IKEA on steroids.

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I realize this isn’t exactly normal for a restaurant review, but I also have to mention the bathrooms. They are probably the most decadent bathrooms I’ve seen in years – maybe ever. I shudder to think of the amount of money spent on them alone. Cream-coloured couches are available for your lounging pleasure,  just in case you eat too much, and round, lit-up mirrors tell you “You’re Beautiful” in bold white text. To top it all off, on the back of each stall door is a small television screen. What was on TV the night we were there? A fashion show of twiggy models.

When we first sat down in the Cactus Club at the beginning of the night, my friend Susan said it reminded her of an Earl’s. I knew what she meant – the decor makes it feel like it’s trying to be a lot swankier than it actually is. Some of it may also have been the location, on the North side of the mall, next to Sears. It’s disconcerting to look out the window and see the Liquor Barn and a Boston Pizza staring back at you. But there is a whiff of sophistication surrounding it that you don’t get at Earl’s. And when the food starts coming out of the kitchen, it’s clear you are being taken care of by someone completely different.

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I will definitely visit Cactus Club again, but I don’t know how soon I’ll be back, considering I have to take a 35-minute bus ride there and back. Clearly the restaurant is relying on mall foot-traffic and West End foodies to make up their clientele. I hope they can continue their standard of excellence in the kitchen and the dining room, and make a go of it in Edmonton. We keep hearing that people are choosing to stay home and entertain more these days. We’ll have to wait and see whether Feenie’s brand, and the allure of “casual fine dining”, can keep Cactus Club afloat.

When the long, luxurious meal was over, Susan and I walked through a chilly parking lot, waited in the dingy bus station, and rode the bus home. We were pushed firmly back into our normal lives, no longer special guests at a preview reception. But the warmth of good food, wine, and conversation lasted at least the whole bus ride home.

The bottle of wine they gave us as we were leaving definitely helped.

Cactus Club Cafe
West Edmonton Mall
1946-8882 170th Street NW
Edmonton, AB
www.cactusclubcafe.com

April 15, 2009

Long weekends are the best

We had such a glorious weekend, and I had a lot of fun with the camera. Here are a few images I’d like to share with you:

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dying Easter eggs (which I was so excited about, but they actually came out pretty grainy and sort of weird-looking – but they looked nice once they got in the basket) 

…taking a trip to Little Italy and to the Italian Centre Shop

…having friends over for a delightful Easter dinner

relaxing!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend too. I will be back to share more recipes soon.

April 4, 2009

Bison Turnip Pot Pie

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It doesn’t look very fancy. The name isn’t very sophisticated. But this is one of the best things I have made. Ever.

If I wasn’t so full from brunch right now,  just the thought of this would make me want some, right now.

With the cold weather still hanging on here in Alberta, I turned to our Deborah Madison book for some inspiration about what to do with all the root vegetables. Root vegetables are a steady part of our diet, but it can be tough coming up with new ways to cook them.

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I’ve also been looking for new recipes for ground meat. It’s one of the cheapest ways to buy meat at the farmers’ market, so we usually pick up a couple of packages every week.

With this recipe, I managed to combine both in one delicious, dough-topped package. I started with Deborah’s recipe for Braised Turnips with Thyme, and decided to add a pie crust lid. I had never made a pot pie before, never even considered making one, but I was excited. Deborah says that you can basically take any stew and turn it into a pot pie. Why hadn’t I thought of that?

We had some ground bison sitting in the fridge that we needed to use up, so I just threw it in with the turnips.

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The result was creamy and flavourful, full of turnips and bison in a delicious sauce with a yummy crust. This may sound like an odd combination for a pot pie, and I realize that ground meat isn’t really standard for one either. But trust me, this works. I’m sure it would be great with beef too.

Since it was my first pot pie, I didn’t take the care to make sure the crust went all the way to the edges of the casserole dish, so the stew leaked out a little and bubbled out onto the top of the crust. No big deal, but next time I’ll be sure to seal it tightly.

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For a recipe full of simple ingredients, this dish was packed with flavour and had a wonderful homey, cozy winter feel. Perfect for the beginning of Spring in Edmonton!

Turnip Bison Pot Pie

Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

1/2 pound to 1 pound ground bison or beef (I used one pound because I wanted to use it up, but 1/2 pound would be enough, and I’m sure it would be great without meat as well)

2 pounds turnips or rutubagas
1 to 2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, finely diced
1 carrot cut into medium dice
4 thyme sprigs or 1/4 teaspoon dried
salt and pepper
2 teaspoons flour
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup cream or crème fraîche (you could probably use milk instead)

pie crust recipe (I honestly can’t remember if I used the galette dough recipe or pie crust recipe. Either way, any standard pie crust recipe will do.)

Brown the bison in a skillet until cooked most of the way. Remove to a plate.

If you’re using storage turnips, peel them thickly, cut them into sixths, and parboil in salted water for 1 minute. Parboil rutabagas for 3 minutes.

Melt the butter in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, rutabaga or turnips, carrot, and thyme. Season with 3/4 teaspoon of salt and sprinkle with the flour. Cover and cook over low heat for 4 minutes, then stir in 1 1/2 cups water and the parsley. Simmer, covered, until the turnips are tender, about 15 minutes. Taste for salt, season with pepper, add the mustard and cream, and simmer for two minutes more. Stir in the bison.

Take the pot off the heat and transfer stew to the dish you’ll be using for the pot pie. Allow the stew to come to room temperature. If you have time, you can leave it on a cooling rack, or you can put it in the fridge for about 30-45 minutes. This waiting part is kind of annoying, so if you can make the stew ahead of time I would do that.

Preheat the oven to 425. Roll out your dough and cut it to fit your baking dish. Make sure it goes all the way to the edges. Brush one side of the dough with beaten egg and set the dough egg-side down on the stew. Flute the edges as you would for a deep-dish pie. You can make decorations out of the dough scraps and fasten them to the dough with egg glaze. Brush the top with beaten egg. Bake at 425 for 12 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 and finish baking, about 35 minutes in all.