Groupon Dinner @ Jacqueline Suzanne's Bistro

Cross-posted from Calgary is Awesome.

Remember last week when I told you about how busy Jacqueline Suzanne's Bistro in Inglewood has been partly because of a Groupon that we went to Wildernest Dream Café instead?

Well, we actually bought the Groupon too, except for dinner, not for brunch. B. and I finally coordinated schedules and checked out the promotion two Thursdays ago, finally fulfilling my desire last year to try their dinner menu.

It was the second time in a month that I turned on my camera to find that I'd forgotten to put back my memory card (and my backup has also been MIA), so I had to use my phone... apologies for the grainy photos!

Anyway, the Groupon deal was $32 for a three-course dinner for two, which usually would cost $45 per person. It was quite the steal! Since it was the Thursday before the long weekend, the restaurant was quite busy, and it seemed like everyone was making sure they used their Groupon before it expired!

For starters, B. got a Caesar salad while I tried the soup of the day - Creamy Tomato Bisque.


I really enjoyed the soup. I'd expected it to be very smooth and creamy, but instead it was pureed just to the point where there was still some texture, which I really enjoyed. The tartness of the tomato definitely whet my appetite for the rest of the meal.

The waitress talked up their wine list, martinis and appies (they have to make money somehow!) B. fell for the Crab Cakes ($15), which were topped with aioli and caviar.


The crab cakes were really good. A nice mix of the warm, tender crab meat with crispy fried bits.

For mains, I chose the Poached Salmon with Wasabi Aioli while B. had the Chef's Chicken du Jour - a "Greek" Stuffed Chicken Breast with feta and olives. Both came on a bed of seven grain rice with a side of veggies.

    
On first look, I was a little unimpressed by the salmon - the squiggly line of aioli, which looked just like the crab cakes, made the plate look a little amateurish. Taste-wise though, the fish was tender and I loved the hint of wasabi in the aioli (though both aiolis were a little too tangy and Miracle Whip-like to me.) B. let me try a bite of his chicken breast, which was moist and flavourful.

I was less impressed by the sides - perhaps it's because seven grain rice is what we eat at home, but I was hoping for something a little more creative, or at least different sides for the dishes on the menu! I enjoyed the vegetables though.

I definitely looked forward to dessert because often when I go out we are either too full, or no one else is ordering dessert so I don't order any (!) It sounded like the table next to us got the last Crème Brûlée, so after hearing our choices we settled on two cheesecakes - New York Cheesecake with Raspberry Lime Compote and Chocolate Bailey's Cheesecake. Both came with a dollop of whipped cream topped with a physalis.

    
The New York Cheesecake was surprisingly light, with a slightly crumbly texture and a nice tanginess. I usually like my cheesecakes to be a little richer, but this one was actually a nice foil to the Chocolate Bailey's Cheesecake, which was rich and decadent. I didn't really taste the Bailey's, but I was really there for the chocolate anyway.

All in all, while the food was good, it wasn't great and I did feel a little underwhelmed (particularly regarding the sides and the presentation), until I remembered that we were only paying $16 per person! (Excluding the crab cakes, tax and tip) It looks like Jacqueline Suzanne's is going to be busy for a while though, so I may wait it out a little before I visit again.

Jacqueline Suzanne's Bistro
1219 9 Ave SE
Calgary AB T2G 0S9
(403) 266-1005
Open Mon-Fri 11 AM-9 PM; Sat-Sun 10 AM-10 PM.

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Health Professionals' Culinary Club: Ancient Grains

    

Bottom photo by Kristyn Hall

I recently had the honour of being invited to participate in an excellent initiative by a fellow dietitian colleague. Kristyn (@KristynHall) envisioned a club of sorts where dietitians would meet regularly to cook, taste, eat and share, with the aim of gaining knowledge, skills and recipes to pass on to their clients. This idea came into fruition on a sunny Sunday in March, where four dietitians (plus one massage therapist and one community health educator/parenting specialist!) gathered in Kristyn's gorgeous kitchen to cook up some ancient grains.

Kristyn was a gracious and organized hostess - she picked out all of the recipes (most were from The New Whole Grains Cookbookby Robin Asbell) and laid out the mise en place, including soaking/cooking some of the grains ahead of time. She also helpfully prepared a comprehensive list of common whole grains, listing water-to-grain ratio for cooking and brief nutrition information. We were all pleasantly surprised to find that many of the grains were very rich in protein - I think we are so used to looking at grain products and focusing on the fibre, that we forget how much protein they have when the bran and germ (the latter especially) are intact.

After discussing some of the information and looking at the different grains Kristyn had laid out for us, it was time to split off into groups and cook. Kristyn acted as a resource, helping us find the right utensils in the kitchen, and snapping photos in between. I love these closeups of all the hands at work.

Photos by Kristyn Hall

My partner and I took on the Crunchy Farro Salad with Artichokes, Red Bell Pepper and Edamame. The farro was cooked in vegetable stock seasoned with a sprig of rosemary - Kristyn had soaked the farro overnight so it cooked quicker and required less stock than in the recipe. The farro was mixed with artichokes, bell pepper and edamame then tossed in a pesto-like dressing (it had all the components except the parmesan cheese.) I loved all the bold flavours and textures in this salad, and it was quite simple to make - will have to try to re-create this at home.


Another group made the Blueberry-Wheat Berry Salad from the US Highbush Blueberry Council website. This was one of the crowd favourites - like the farro, the chewy, nutty wheat berries added heartiness to an otherwise light salad of celery, parsley and green onions. The blueberries - both fresh and dried - added sweetness while the chopped walnuts added crunch.


My personal favourite was actually the Rich and Tangy Buckwheat and Chèvre Gratin. The buckwheat groats were all but hidden under the caramelized shallots, parmesan and chèvre. The dish was warm and gooey - the ultimate comfort food.


I was particularly intrigued by the Millet-Cauliflower "Mashed Potatoes". Millet is a very fine grain and cooks into a soft and thick "mush". If I hadn't seen the recipe I wouldn't have known that I was eating a grain-vegetable purée instead of a tuber! With some extra butter and perhaps some roasted garlic, I'm sure even the most acute of palates would be fooled. There were some issues getting the millet to cook in the African Millet Salad with Corn and Peppers, but we all loved the spicy flavours of the garlic, ginger, paprika, allspice and cayenne that went into the cooking liquid. Would love to re-create this, but perhaps with couscous to start because I at least know that it will work ;)

There was also an ancient grain dessert! Kristyn made the Double Dark Chocolate Buckwheat Pudding the night before as the buckwheat takes time to cook. It was rich and creamy, though there were still some chewy groats sneaking around in there!


We also tasted a few other grains - rye berries, spelt berries and amaranth - simply dressed in a ginger-honey-apple vinaigrette.


The rye berries and spelt berries were very similar (though I think the rye berries were slightly nuttier-tasting than the spelt), while the tiny amaranth grains were quite different from anything else I've tasted. I'm curious to see how they would work in a recipe... I know I've seen popped amaranth in Brendan Brazier's The Thrive Dietwhich sounds quite interesting!

I sampled just a little of everything, but it was still a very hearty and filling lunch! It was so much fun cooking with such a knowledgeable and inspiring group of ladies and I can't wait to cook with them again.


I will share the recipe for the Blueberry-Wheat Berry Salad with you since it seemed the most popular. The wheat berries do require soaking overnight and still take quite a bit of time to cook but it's *totally* worth it - a great source of fibre and protein. For those with celiac disease/gluten intolerance, I think buckwheat groats (aka kasha) or wild rice would make good substitutes.

Blueberry-Wheat Berry Salad
Adapted from US Highbush Blueberry Council
Makes 6 cups

• 1½ cups (375 mL) hard winter wheat berries, soaked overnight, drained
  
• ½ cup (125 mL) finely chopped celery
  
• ½ cup (125 mL) finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
  
• ¼ cup (60 mL) finely chopped green onion
  
• 3 tbsp (45 mL) fresh lemon juice
  
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) vegetable oil
  
• ¾ tsp (4 mL) salt
  
• ¼ tsp (1 mL) white pepper
  
• 1½ cups (375 mL) blueberries
  
• ½ cup (125 mL) dried blueberries
  
• ½ cup (125 mL) toasted walnuts, chopped

1. Place wheat berries in a large saucepan and cover with 2 inches water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered until wheat berries become chewy, about 1 hour. Drain, rinse and allow to cool.
   
2. In a large bowl, mix together cooked wheat berries, celery, parsley, green onion, lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper. Add fresh blueberries, dried blueberries and walnuts; toss just to combine. Serve chilled.

Nutrition Info (per cup): 320 calories, 11 g fat (1 g saturated, 0 g trans), 0 mg cholesterol, 50 g carbohydrate (8 g fibre, 11 g sugar), 9 g protein, 302 mg sodium. An excellent source of vitamin K, magnesium, manganese and selenium. A good source of thiamine (vitamin B₁), folate (vitamin B₉), vitamin E, iron, phosphorus, zinc and copper.

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Wildernest Dream Café

Cross-posted from Calgary is Awesome.

Remember when just over a year ago I went to Jacqueline Suzanne's in Inglewood for brunch? Tiffany and I had just waltzed right in at our usual time of 10 AM and we had the place all to ourselves. B. and I have tried to go for brunch recently and were twice (!) turned away because they'd been booked solid, with no availability until after 1 PM. Good for them - Jacqueline Suzanne's did put out a Groupon earlier in the year that has proven to be quite popular - but not so good for us. The first time we had called ahead, but the second time we had gone down in person, so it meant wandering around Inglewood trying to find a place to eat.

Located just down the block, the house that is home to Wildernest Dream Café sticks out amongst the brownstone buildings along 9 Ave. It seemed like many people were coming in and out, so we decided to give it a try.

I'd been to Wildernest's previous incarnation - Buffalo Café - before. Wildernest painted the house a bright salmon orange, but has retained much of the layout and original architecture, giving it a cozy, homey vibe (save for the counter and industrial kitchen!) We were off in a room towards the back, so I was worried that we would be forgotten, but the service was friendly and attentive.

Despite being a small café, the menu offered quite a bit of variety - for breakfast/brunch there were the traditional egg breakfasts, Eggs Benedicts, French toast, pancakes, yogurt & granola and breakfast paninis and wraps. There were many different sandwich and soup choices for lunch as well.

B. just went for the traditional Café Breakfast with eggs over-easy, hash browns and toast.


We were both quite impressed by the hash browns, which were studded with carrots and tomato - very umami (it almost tasted like they were flavoured with soy sauce) with a hint of spice. They are not the crispy type of hashbrowns, but definitely very hearty. They were a bit too salty for my taste, which was fine because it helped to stop me eating off of B.'s plate! The rest of B.'s brunch was good - he really liked the jam for the toast.

I had the Vegetarian Eggs Benedict, which were served on potato pancakes instead of English muffins, with a side of fruit.


The eggs were poached nicely - not too runny, not hard - and the Hollandaise sauce was buttery. I was less impressed by the potato pancakes though; they didn't seem homemade and were hard and gritty. I would trade some nice, fluffy toasted English muffins for these any day. I loved the variety of fruit that came with my meal - melons, pineapples, kiwi, strawberries and orange. I greedily ate all the good stuff before remembering that I should probably share some with B. Oops.

What I was most impressed with was that both of our breakfasts came with a little spoonful of yogurt and granola topped with a few berries and a sprinkling of parsley. I was debating whether to get the yogurt and granola or fruit as the side for my meal, and was pleasantly surprised that in a way I got a bit of both.


Not too sure what was up with the parsley though.

All in all, it was a very pleasant brunch, though I must admit I wasn't blown away. There was lots to choose from though, so maybe I'll be back to check out some of the other items on the menu.

Wildernest Dream Café
1309 9 Ave SE
Calgary AB T2G 0T3
(403) 265-3663

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2012 Resolutions Check-Up: March

Another month, another round of check-ups. I'm so sorry that I don't have more posts the fill the gaps between these check-ups, which of course leads me to...

Clear my plate
I've been doing so poorly on this goal that I was almost at the point of accepting that I will always be a busybody and I should just get rid of this goal, but this past month (what with the springing forward and the lack of long weekends) it's really starting to take a toll on me, so I'm leaving this here at least as a reminder that I need to find a way out of my current situation. (Even if it means saying "No!")

Be a tourist in my own city
Didn't do a lot of touristy things this month, unless you count going to CHARCUT two weeks in a row to watch Top Chef Canada and try some of Dan's versions of the dishes on the show! I was only there for the first one - Fish & Chips - and I found it quite delicious. He is making duck liver ice cream this week and I must admit I'm a little skeptical of his methods...

Drink at least 1 L on non-work days
It looks like I only did this on one weekend. You would think that since I'm at the gym for three hours on Saturdays that I would be better at this... I don't know if it's a matter of poor tracking or just being bad at drinking water! Will again make sure I have my water bottle with me all the time and if not a glass of water that I'm actually sipping from.

Get at least 7.5 hours of sleep per night (i.e. 10:30-11 PM bedtime) at least one night per week
Look at those gorgeous smileys going down that calendar! And a few "neutral" faces which means I got to bed on time but probably stayed up playing games on my phone... :S You may also notice those "W"s and "L"s in the first two weeks... B. and I tried to have a little competition to get to bed earlier than the other person but it didn't actually help me get to bed earlier some nights because I would know that B. had volleyball and I could stay up a little longer and still win :P Still, I think we're good to bump the goal up to two nights per week. Yay me!

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