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Cross-posted from Calgary is Awesome.
When I first heard about AKA Winebar & Bistro from are you gonna eat that?, an awesome Calgary-based food blog, I wanted to go right away. "Brunch with no line up? Sign me up!"
Well it seems like since Andree wrote about AKA Winebar and managed to grab a photo of the space when it's empty, people have heard about the place and when we arrived at around 11 this morning, the place was *packed* and a steady stream of people followed behind us. Still, the line wasn't spilling out the door like it was at Diner Deluxe, which sits kitty-corner to the tiny bistro, and we were lucky enough to be squeezed into a corner table so our wait wasn't that long anyway.
Unlike most brunch places that seem to have a whopping selection of dishes, AKA Winebar just has a handful of them (nice for usually indecisive people like me). The meat selection is heavy on the pork (bacon, pork belly and sausage, though you can choose gravlax if you get the Eggs Benedict with Brioche), which left my non-pork-eating dining companion a little unimpressed. He ended up ordering (and enjoying) a three-egg omelette with asparagus, green onion, and cheese ($11).
I was originally going to get the Eggs Benedict, but then noticed on the menu that they had two eggs any style ($9), and I usually prefer plain poached eggs because I don't really like Hollandaise sauce. This meant I wouldn't get any brioche, but the eggs, sausage, hash browns and toast were more than enough. The poached eggs were cooked just the way I like them - with non-runny, almost solid, orange yolks, and the hash browns (of which there weren't too many) had crispy skins and soft innards, though it was just a touch too salty for my taste. The sausage was good, but unfortunately not mindblowing, and the toast, well... I never finish my toast.
The service was pretty slow this morning, which gave my friend and I plenty of time to chat about such stimulating topics as 2012, whether the restaurant was called "AKA" or "Aka" and to soak up the atmosphere. The dining room seats about 40 and is done up in a sort-of classic theme - lots of antique-style curves and black chandeliers line one side of the space. Large windows on the street-side bring a lot of natural light into the restaurant.
Because of the long wait, when I was at the peak of my hunger I said I wouldn't go back, but I think I might rescind that thought. AKA Winebar is relatively new, so they're still working out their kinks, and it is definitely one of Calgary's classier offerings for brunch. I'd also like to go back to see what they have for supper and maybe sip on a glass of wine.
So what about the strange name? I don't have anything to confirm this theory, but knowing that the people behind Muse and Winebar in Kensington are part-owners of this place, maybe it's just another way of saying "Winebar 2"... like "Also Known As Winebar... this is also Winebar", y'know?
AKA Winebar & Bistro
709 Edmonton Trail NE
Calgary AB T2E 3J5
(403) 984-7534
PS: I took my family out to Vero tonight as a belated birthday present to my mom (Hi, Mom!) so my previous post and Flickr account have been updated with some new photos. Enjoy!
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2 comments:
Hi,this is Jon Yumol, General Manager of AKA Winebar. Thank you for the positive review of our restaurant. I would like to address the issue of your long wait which resulted in an experience that was not up to the ravings of your friend Andree.
I usually don't work Brunches but I can definitely figure out which day you came in. We have been open for only a few months so we only have had a few weeks to gauge our weekend brunch business. As such we staffed our restaurant (chefs & servers) accordingly. That day you came in completely caught us off guard as we were severely understaffed to handle the rush. That was the first time we ever had a line-up. We actually had to close brunch 2 hours early as we ran out of food since our chef made his food order based on previous sales. I sat down with the owners, one of which was working that particular day and we have now put systems in place to handle a much busier brunch business (our chef has ordered more product as well).
I would love for you to come down once again and give us a second try.
Jon Yumol
P.s. AKA stands for "Also Known As" Winebar.
Hi Jon, thanks for your comment, and working for a new business myself, I totally understand that you are still working out the kinks and thanks for letting me know that you're actively solving the problem. Like I said, I had a good experience nonetheless food-wise, and would definitely love to drop by again :)
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