I seem to be doing restaurant reviews only when I’m celebrating my birthday cause I never have any time or money the rest of the year, especially when I drop a low three figure for lunch at the Frontenac with a couple of drinks each.  Mind you that was la belle ville de Québec not, um, Edmonton.

So as we drove up I thought Earl’s, Milestones, heck even Outback, you know the load ‘em in, charge a lot and move ‘em out kind of place. In some respects I was not to be disappointed by my initial reactions.

This is one busy place; thirty odd people in the waiting area; could have been the location, could be the desperation of Edmonton’s west end for a better restaurant (cause the Southside owns Dadeos) so who knows. Thankfully we had reservations or I’d have left for sure.  The decor, yeah the usual, loud open ceiling building with black everywhere and TVs (cause we all like to drink and watch TV – is that an Olympic sport yet) and the tiled floors, the open kitchen, the booth seating yup, so far I wasn’t missing the Earls and Milestone’s experience here at all. They must all have the same architect or something.

After we were seated. we promised ourselves that this time around we would stay away from over inflated, unrealistic priced alcoholic mixed drinks and wines in favour of their slightly overpriced microbrewery beers at 5 1/2.  You CAN get away with that at the Frontenac but not in Edmonton.  They tasted okay but nothing to rant about and not worth more than that.

What I was looking forward to and expecting was some tasty signature dishes from the hand of Iron Chef Feenie and to have them well above par of the other two restaurants. I wanted to sink my chops into whatever our server highly recommended in that regard.

So for starters and since I’d never had these things (but they looked so cute) we ordered some of the Mini Cheese Burgers. There were only three of them (cause three looks cool on a plate) but our server said we could if we wanted to, add an additional burger. We declined and just split one of them. The ground meat was chunky enough to remind you that it wasn’t hamburger and the relish was truly delightful. So far so good, I thought, and they went well with the beer.

For the main meal, I had Rob’s Hunter Chicken. My dish was very nice to look at (is this where I can say well plated?) with a chicken breast smothered in an assortment of mushrooms and a very peppery demi-glace on top of grilled green beans and fingerling potatoes. I wondered if the sauce was the same one my husband had but we didn’t do a taste test. My veggy’s tasted like roasted beans and not some tasteless vegetable but the chicken was so tender it almost melted in my mouth. Definitely the very best part of the meal along with the smoky flavour of the mushrooms.

The downside for me was that not all the potatoes were cooked enough to my liking so I just ate the smaller ones that seemed to be more well done. I don’t like crunchy potatoes; beans yes, potatoes no. And what nearly spoiled the whole thing for me was the high sodium content of my meal. Now I know I’m salt sensitive but only when it’s in excess. Most people like my husband don’t always notice, so I’m always appreciative of having a salt shaker on the table so people can add more if they like, unfortunately you can’t take it away.  I suspect the veal sauce was probably very salty. Had other flavours not come through on their own especially the beans I would have asked for another meal  but instead I just asked for a large glass of water.  I finished the chicken but the sauce was on everything so not too easy to avoid.

Dear hubby always the less adventurous ordered a steak for his main meal, the 7 oz certified angus striploin with the pernod peppercorn demi-glace. He said the sauce was very peppery too but he found it tasty I also noticed there wasn’t as much on his meal as on mine. He also enjoyed his lightly grilled thin asparagus and the baked potato. He said he enjoyed his meal but I noticed his glass of water was nearly gone too.

We passed on dessert as I had a very special angel food cake waiting for me later but I did indulge in a coffee. It was the simplest pleasure of a nice dark roast with good flavour and served very hot.

The service was excellent, the server and her co-workers ensured we were never without water and checked politely when we didn’t have mouthful’s of food about our comfort and needs. Good judgment on their part to wait until the guests are finished eating to ask questions.

The final tab was under $90 and with only two beers that wasn’t too bad.

Pros:

• Excellent food choices
• Excellent service
• Value for the meal

Cons:

• Too much salt (note to self to watch for meat based sauces)
• Under done potatoes
• Noise level no different than a bar

I’d go back again and have something different without a sauce.

3/5

Menu: www.cactusclubcafe.com/menus

Location: 1946-8882 170th Street NW Tel. 780.489.1002