CEREZO Cafe and Bar

There’s been a quiet restaurant revolution going on in this part of Edmonton Trail for some time.  All sorts of different places are popping up. From rustic casual to fish and chips to a Mexican Taqueria. CEREZO is a take on Japanese fusion much like Carino.  They serve tapas which I quite like as I can sample a variety of dishes.  The restaurant is located in a small house off the main street; it is easy to miss if you are not looking.

Onto the food. Our first dish was an assortment of sauteed mushrooms served with thin slices of toasted baguette. I love the rich earthy flavors with a hint of garlic. Next was the duo of quiche. One was chicken and the other, tuna. It was topped off with melted cheese. The crust of the quiche had a sweet quality which complemented the dish nicely. Also a touch of heat from some kind of hot pepper. The deep fried spring rolls had a rich shrimpy flavor. It was dusted with a lemon garlic salt which added a burst of flavor. To counter the strong flavours of the preceding dishes, the savoy cabbage and bacon in the dashi broth was a nice change.  The gravlax salmon was presented beautifully. There was a dab of wasabi, garnished with lemon zest. The mascarpone cheese was a nice twist on cream cheese. The salmon swam nicely in the yuzu sauce.

The dessert menu was presented in a unique way. There was a selection of cakes, mousse and tarts, all of which could be paired with your choice of ice cream. I choose the strawberry shortcake with salt ice cream. The salt ice cream tasted like vanilla with an aftertaste of fleur de sel. An interesting combination. Hubby enjoyed his chocolate covered green tea mousse with matcha ice cream.

Service was really good to start off, but then it got busier and it was a little slow. Still, definitely worth a return visit.

Menu
Menu
Daily Specials
Daily Specials
Sauteed Mixed Mushrooms with Garlic
Sauteed Mixed Mushrooms with Garlic
Duo Quiche
Duo Quiche
Crispy Shrimp Spring Roll and Nibitashi
Crispy Shrimp Spring Roll and Nibitashi
Salmon Sashi
Salmon Sashi
Dessert
Dessert
Chocolate Covered Green Tea Mousse with Matcha Ice Cream
Chocolate Covered Green Tea Mousse with Matcha Ice Cream
Strawberry Shortcake with Salt Ice Cream
Strawberry Shortcake with Salt Ice Cream

CEREZO Cafe & Bar on Urbanspoon

Canning Weekend

I just finished up my second annual canning weekend. Three of us were busy in the kitchen. We bought tons of tomatoes, onions,apples and peaches. We made a 3 in 1 recipe that makes BBQ relish, sweet and sour sauce and chutney. We then tackled a salsa recipe.

Our biggest limitation was the lack of a large burner so we could use an additional canner. (Wishfully thinking I should have gone for the 48″ cook top during renovations). We also managed to burn two pots. The cheap stainless one from IKEA cleaned up well, but would bubble up out of control when stirred. The enameled Le Creuset pot did not clean well; the enamel came off with scrubbing. But it held heat really well and cooked much faster.

I also had two jars explode.  It was the last three jars of salsa. They were put into the small canner and the bottoms blew out. Not sure what that happened. The rings were still finger tight, so not sure that was the cause.

Canning is a lot of work, but the results are totally worth it.

Broken jars
Broken jars
Boiling down apples for relish
Boiling down apples for relish
Sweet and sour sauce
Sweet and sour sauce
Cooking peaches on the outdoor burner
Cooking peaches on the outdoor burner
Tasty treats for winter
Tasty treats for winter

Reader's Garden Cafe

I love character houses, locally made from scratch food, a room with a view and Mother Nature. I found the perfect combination in Reader’s Garden Cafe. The restaurant is located in the Reader Rock Garden, which is worth a visit on its own. We took some time to explore the garden before dinner. With the help of my friends, we managed to identify most of the veggies. They grew: purple kohlrabi, swiss chard, parsley, beets, tomatoes, rhubarb and kale. Also a few strawberries here and there. They also grow the flowers they serve in their dishes.

The grounds are popular with weddings; we saw a photo shoot while we were there. I love the narrow stone steps and footpaths. Certainly a place to linger for an afternoon of reading or quiet contemplation. We were seated in the front room which had spectacular views of downtown, the Saddledome, and the Stampede.

They’re only open seasonally from about mid-April to October.

The service was a bit slow, but attentive. They did mention that they have a small kitchen. Almost everything is made from scratch or grown on the property. The yogurt and grainy mustard that came with the charcuterie board was made in house. I also liked the pickled watermelon rind and homemade soda bread that came with the platter. All the flowers and some of the veggies are from their gardens. They were really good in accommodating my birthday cake. Which was a mango mousse cake from Yamato decorated with fresh fruit. The server had a sense of humor to go with the ones at our table.

This is a gem of a cafe and hopefully I will be back again before the season is over.

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Charcuterie Board Boar sausage, pickled watermelon rind, house made soda bread, baguette, dill pickles, pickled beets, grainy mustard, yogurt and roast beef
Charcuterie Board
Boar sausage, pickled watermelon rind, house made soda bread, baguette, dill pickles, pickled beets, grainy mustard, yogurt and roast beef
Red Pepper Mill
Red Pepper Mill
Beer-Braised Saskatoon Berry Beef Short Ribs
Beer-Braised Saskatoon Berry Beef Short Ribs
Free Range Chicken & Cream Dumplings
Free Range Chicken & Cream Dumplings

Reader's Garden Cafe on Urbanspoon