REVIEW | THE PEOPLE'S PEROGY | EDMONTON

** This restaurant is now closed. **

 

Fast-casual restaurants are the most popular (and probably the most practical) option for a weekday work lunch. Although the location might seem like an odd choice, a lot of these eateries can be found smack dab in the middle of industrial areas, where plenty of hungry workers, eager to escape their bullpens, can be found.

The People's Perogy is such an example, located northwest in a mainly industrial area. The restaurant is quite new, having been open for only a couple of months now. They're family-owned and -operated, with mom and her collection of longtime family recipes behind the kitchen.

Signage isn't too obvious, so just look for Long & McQuade; the People's Perogy is located in the same strip mall, occupying the last bay. Inside, the restaurant is quite spacious. Simple and clean, warm wood accents, and lots of natural light flooding in through the big window.

You order and pay at the counter first, then move to another counter where you can pick up utensils and dispense your fountain drink. Afterwards, simply sit and wait for the food to be delivered to your table. Besides one other patron, we were the the only ones there around 4:00, so the wait wasn't too bad. Apparently they've been having more timing issues during lunch rushes, so I'd be more patient if going in at a peak time.

On the menu: perogies. Simple as that. There's tried-and-true classic flavours, unique fusion recipes, and even dessert perogies. A bowl of borscht here, a cabbage roll there, but really, the perogies are the star of the show. You can even pick up a pack of frozen ones ($9.00/dozen) to enjoy at home!

AL went for combo #2 ($11.00), which comes with six classic perogies of your choice, a cabbage roll, and a fountain pop. All classic perogies come with a side of sour cream, caramelized onions, and (real!) bacon bits. AL is a tough person to please when it comes to perogies, believing that homemade is always best, but she was quite pleased and enjoyed the potato cheddar flavour that she picked.

The cabbage roll that came as part of the combo was absolutely massive. Stuffed with pork and rice, the cabbage roll comes topped with your choice of tomato or creamy dill sauce.

I went with combo #1 ($10.50) with six classic perogies, sausage, and a fountain pop. You can mix and match flavours, so I chose to have three of the loaded potato (potato + cheddar + bacon + chives) and three of the jalapeno cheddar (potato + cheddar + roasted jalapeno). I also opted to get them pan-fried, rather than boiled, for an extra $1.25 surcharge.

To be honest, I couldn't really taste any difference between the two flavours since the jalapeno was super subtle and the perogies came topped with bacon anyways. Regardless, the perogies were pretty tasty. The perogy dough was soft and tender, with a good ratio of dough to filling.

The garlic sausage, with a side of coarse grain mustard, was also pretty good. It had a nice snap from the outer casing which had been crisped up from the grill.

* * *

On our first visit, we opted to get dessert at nearby Scoop N Roll, so we didn't get a chance to try out their dessert perogies. However, after seeing my photos (and drooling), my sister decided to drop by on another day and pick up some perogies for take-out. Aside from an order of classic ones, she also picked up a few other varieties to try.

The deep-fried perogies are a unique item on the menu, and I'd consider them to be more as an appetizer for sharing rather than a meal. They come in an order of four ($6.00) or six ($7.50), with flavours such as buffalo chicken, braised beef, and pulled pork. Menu items do tend to rotate, and last I checked, they've also begun offering a deep-fried taco perogy!

My family tried the pulled pork version which was smothered in a sweet and tangy BBQ sauce and topped with bacon bits. 

It wasn't my favourite thing to eat, since I found the pulled pork to be a bit dry and stringy. I thought the BBQ sauce was also quite overpowering, so I'd probably skip these and just stick with their their classic perogies instead.

And finally, dessert! The apple pie-rogy ($4.00) seems to be a popular choice, featuring three deep-fried apple cinnamon perogies, coated in cinnamon sugar and drizzled with  caramel sauce. The perogies were quite reminiscent of the apple turnovers from A&W, a crackling dough just covered in copious amounts of cinnamon sugar. But I'd have to say, the caramel was probably the best part. If I could describe it, it would be Werther's Originals in liquid form. You really can't go wrong with making room for these.


There's lots of choices for perogies in Edmonton, but I'd say that the People's Perogy is a respectable contender. With new extended hours (open from 11:00-7:30 M-F), it's now easier to get your perogy fix!

The People's Perogy

thepeoplesperogy.com 

13645 149 St NW

Edmonton, AB

(780) 453-7908

- CT

REVIEW | 12 ACRES | ST. ALBERT

** This restaurant is now closed. **

If you've ever driven down St. Albert Trail, you've probably noticed a red Victorian mansion just overlooking the Sturgeon River. Sharing the grand space is a spa, a hair salon, and 12 Acres, a farm-to-table restaurant that takes the "local" concept quite seriously. Nearly everything, from bread to pasta to condiments, is made in-house, from scratch. Their philosophy is all about seasonality and sustainability.

Armed with a Groupon, GY and I made a visit to 12 Acres for a weekday dinner. The restaurant is easy to spot driving in, but a bit confusing to get to, coming in from Edmonton. You'll have to turn left earlier or later than when you'd expect to.

Walking inside, the dining room looked cozy and inviting, with warm wooden touches and comfy leather chairs. Since it was such a nice day out, we opted to sit outside on the balcony patio. 

Because the menu changes so often, depending on season and ingredient availability, the menu is presented on iPads. Interactive and user-friendly, items are organized into appetizer, entrée, daily specials, and dessert categories. I quite liked the novelty of the iPad menus, since they also came complete with pictures (so important in this day and age of Instagram and social media).

Menu items are at a slightly higher price point, but certainly not anything outrageous. Entrées start at around $18.00, with the highest capping off at $35.00. It's pretty fair, and justifiable considering their philosophy and commitment to local.

GY ordered a bunch of small plates in lieu of a big entrée. She got the side portion of the warmed root salad, with spinach, roasted beets and parsnips, warmed buerre noisette dressing, and goat cheese.

Continuing with the beet theme, the Montabello beet soup (side portion) was next. A traditional Quebecois beet and potato soup, pureed with curry and finished with creme fraiche.

GY also ordered the King salmon and grass-fed beef tartare duo ($17.00) off of the appetizers section. The beef tartare was mixed with house-made pickles, shallots, parsley, and other seasonings. The salmon was done up pretty much the same way except with the addition of fresh dill and lemon zest. On the right was a rhubarb and Saskatoon berry chutney, and served on the side were simple slices of crostini.

The presentation was beautiful, with everything served on top of a wooden slab. I'm still on the fence with eating raw beef so I only ended up trying the salmon. It was a bit fishy tasting, but otherwise the flavours were okay. I'm not usually a fan of dill, but it wasn't overpowering in this case.

I wasn't in a meat-eating mood so I settled for their only vegetarian entrée option, the seared gnocchi with pesto ($18.00). A healthy portion of hand-rolled gnocchi, with roasted carrot, zucchini, and butternut squash, tossed in a house-made pesto. The dish is finished off with grated parmigiano reggiano and a drizzle of cold-pressed canola oil.

The roasted vegetables were soft and tender, while the gnocchi was equally the same. Not dense, not mushy, just the right texture. Despite being vegetarian, the dish was quite filling. What I thought would be a light dish ended up being quite heavy after more than a few bites. I'm not usually one to order pasta dishes, so I'd probably recommend sharing it and grabbing it with another appetizer or entrée. The same flavour tends to get old with me pretty fast.

We finished off with dessert and chose the earl grey panna cotta ($11.00) since it seemed like the most interesting choice. Earl grey-infused panna cotta served with a blueberry compote and house-made granola.

Interesting concept, but the execution was so-so. The earl grey flavour wasn't too prominent, and the texture of the panna cotta ended up being too stiff for our liking. We weren't really digging the granola accompaniment either since it was almost too toasted, veering close to the burnt end of the spectrum. There were also some pieces of dried fruit that were definitely too hard and not a welcome thing to bite into.  



Overall, our experience at 12 Acres was just okay. Nothing mind-blowing or special, almost middle of the road really. I'm not one to turn down a good deal (it's the Asian in me), but it's almost telling if a restaurant has to offer a Groupon to attract patrons. I do think it's worth a try at least once, especially if the reason is to support your local farmers and producers.

12 Acres

 www.12acres.ca

8 Mission Ave

St. Albert, AB

(780) 569-1779

- CT

REVIEW | FIFE N' DEKEL (WEST) | EDMONTON

 

Looking for a quick and easy lunch? Forget fast food burgers and fries. It's all about the homemade sandwiches and pies!

Fife N' Dekel has a long history in Edmonton, having been open since the 80s. They've since expanded to four stores across the city. All locations are tucked into commercial strip malls and/or industrial areas, making it a popular lunch spot for those working closeby.

The west-end location is located just off of 170th street, in between a variety of different businesses. The shop operates just like a cafeteria, complete with a counter and a line. We went on a Monday, shortly after 1:00 and still found it pretty busy. I can't imagine the line-up right at noon.

As you make your way through, you'll find drinks to your left before arriving in front of the sandwich station. The ladies behind the counter are fast and efficient, and quickly shuffle you through. (*Cue memories of all elementary, junior high, and high school lunch ladies.*) You can pick up soups and salads along the way, as well as their famous pies. Before you pay, they'll wrap and paper-bag everything up if you plan to take it to-go. If you're eating in, you have plenty of choice for seating as there's even a second-story alcove with more tables.

Fife N' Dekel's sandwich menu consists of 11 varieties, including one special that changes everyday. Monday featured turkey with cranberry ($6.95).

Similar to a cafeteria assembly line, sandwiches are made to order, and customized to your heart's content. First, you have your choice of breads: white, wheat, multi-grain, rye, or sunflower, which is specially baked in-store. Then your spreads: butter, mayo, and/or mustard. An array of veggies: tomato, lettuce, sprouts, cucumbers, pickles, peppers, and/or onions. And finally, want to add cheese for $0.90 extra? Cheddar or havarti.

For my sandwich, I chose their sunflower bread, with butter, mayo, lettuce, sprouts, and havarti cheese. A couple slices of oven-roasted turkey later, the sandwich is finished off with a generous slathering of cranberry sauce (cranberry salsa also available).

Definitely a hearty sandwich; even half was enough to fill me up. Their sunflower bread was dense but still fluffy. It was also studded with sunflower seeds which lent a nutty flavour and texture. I found the turkey slices to be a bit dry, but the cranberry helped a lot to rectify that problem.

Granted you can make a similar sandwich at home, but doesn't food taste better when it's prepared by someone else?

No visit to Fife N' Dekel is complete without getting some pie! ... No, really. It would be a waste of a trip.

This was LT's first time trying a Fife N' Dekel pie, and it's safe to say that she's now a convert. She laid claim to one of the classics, an apple pie slice ($3.65). The apple filling was soft and tender, but definitely not mushy. It was nicely spiced with cinnamon, and had an even extra dusting on top. The crust is definitely the best part about their pies -- crisp, flaky, and perfectly crumbly.

I decided to branch out and try their sour cream blueberry pie ($3.75) which came with a crumb topping. The crust was still on point, but I wasn't a huge fan of the filling. Not enough blueberries, and the sour cream custard was a bit too rich and gelatinous. I think I'll stick to the apple pie next time. 

No bells and whistles here. Expect nothing but basic, simple, and comforting food at Fife N' Dekel.

Fife N' Dekel (West)

www.fifendekel.ca

10646 170 St NW

Edmonton, AB

(780) 489-6436

 
 

- CT