I first recall hearing about Creole Envie, from a fellow food blogger.  At the time,  it was a cater-only business, but I decided to chance ordering and wow, the food that was delivered right on my doorstep did not disappoint my taste buds.  Shortly after her catering business began to bloom, she moved to a brick-and-mortar location on Stony Plain Road for several months.  Since then, Creole Envie has nestled into a location formerly known as Highlands Kitchen, right next to La Boheme.

Now, let me tell you all about Southern Comfort…

No, not the whiskey.

I’m talking about the restaurant, Creole Envie.

Danielle, the brains behind Creole Envie, hails from New Orleans and possesses a Red Seal in the culinary arts.  With several years of cooking experience under her belt, it is no surprise that Creole Envie has become quite a popular spot.  The location itself is very welcoming and what one would define as “cozy”.

The water is served in wine glasses, which is a really cute twist to the ol’ pitcher of water!

All ingredients are sourced locally, with the exception of alligator, catfish and crawfish (as these are flown in from Louisiana).  In addition, there are several vegetarian and gluten-free options that can be found on the menu.

Sweet tea would be one of my favorite non-alcoholic drinks and a jug of it ceases to be full in my presence, especially in the summer heat.   However, if you don’t want a whole jug, you can order it as an individual drink.

I have never had fried green tomatoes before Creole Envie, but I have heard about the dish from the novel.  The fried green tomatoes were lightly breaded and fried to perfection, with a center nicely cooked.  They also come with a side of delicious Creole aioli sauce, made in-house, for dipping (or drizzled over top).

However, if you aren’t a huge fan of tomatoes, I would recommend trying the fried pickles instead.  As well, they are breaded and come with the same aioli sauce.

The roasted okra is one of the newest additions to the menu for 2013.  I wasn’t sure what to expect when I tried it, but I was pleasantly surprised!  I find that most people either love or hate okra, as it normally has a “slimy” texture.  However, these had a nice crunch to them and I would definitely consider them to be a nice, healthier alternative to fries.

Po’boys are a classic submarine type of sandwich with origins from Louisiana.  This is the pulled pork one served on a French baguette with Roma tomatoes, pickles and lettuce in it.  This would be a perfect dish if you are not in the mood for a dinner entree.

…But if you are in the mood for a dinner entree, the alligator and andouille étouffée entree is worth checking out.  The tomato sauce was tangy and rich with a creamy texture and it had large chunks of alligator and andouille mixed in it with vegetables.  It is usually served on jasmine rice, but I opted for it with cheddar grits instead.

On Thursdays, you can find chicken and waffles as their feature menu item.   I believe that this would be Edmonton’s best place to go to for chicken and waffles out of all the places I have tried (and believe me, I have tried several).  Not only is the portion size great, but the chicken had a crispy exterior and was melt-in-your-mouth tender on the inside.  Drool.

Last, but not least, beignets are a famous type of Louisiana doughnut.  Words can’t describe how scrumptious these were.  I’m not normally someone with a huge sweet tooth, but I really couldn’t stop eating these!  Accompanied by candied pecans and drizzled in caramel sauce, this is surely not a dessert to miss, sweet tooth or not.

My rebeccamendation: Danielle’s authentic take on Southern cooking has brought back many repeat customers, with me being one of them.  In a nutshell, prices are reasonable and quality is top notch.  It is highly recommended to make reservations on a weekend, else one risks long wait times or possibly even being turned away due to high traffic.  If you’re craving for a taste of New Orleans but can’t afford a plane ticket, Creole Envie will fit the bill perfectly.

Originally started from BC, Cactus Club Cafe is conveniently situated in West Edmonton Mall. Hungry and need a break from shopping at the world’s largest mall, but sick of the food court or Bourbon Street? Simple … check out Cactus Club Cafe. Its menu consists of several dishes created by Rob Feenie, Canada’s first iron chef.

The atmosphere feels quite similar to an Earl’s or Joey’s – with a simplistic, modern touch and quite lounge-ish when night falls, as lights get dimmed, waitresses in tight black dresses walk around and music volume increases.

The goat cheese + feta flatbread ($11.25) is definitely one of the better appetizers available on the menu. Not surprising because after all, this is a “RF” (Rob Feenie) signature dish. The combination of grape tomatoes, caramelized onions, goat cheese, feta cheese, arugula and balsamic glaze over a toasted and fluffy flatbread tantalizes one’s taste buds.

The rocket salad ($16.75) is large and filling. However, the chicken underneath the bed of greens was too salty, which ended up throwing the entire salad off.

The raincoast greens ($16.75) were also a large portion. This was a better option for salad because the chicken was not salty (due to not being breaded I suspect) and the thus, the flavours mixed more pleasantly.

Rob’s Hunter’s Chicken ($23.75) was decent. This was also another “RF” dish. The chicken was tender and the mushroom demi-glaze on top of it was rich. However, the mashed potatoes tasted like instant mashed potatoes from a box and the green beans were bland.

My rebeccamendation: Quality has always been consistent each time I have gone there and prices are above average. However, the menu is quite similar to what you would find at a Joey’s or Earl’s, despite having a few signature dishes from Rob Feenie in it. I would definitely consider it a step above Joey’s or Earl’s, yet not enough to elevate above the two.

I remember when Daniel Costa worked at Red Star Pub.  I, regrettably, did not have a chance to taste his menu there.  Fear not – Corso 32 arrived onto the scene.  It is located in the center of downtown, right on 103 Jasper Ave. The menu changes occasionally depending on what ingredients are fresh and in season.

Corso 32 has its interior set up quite intimately.  Too intimately though – the tables are pushed together so closely that it felt like you were intruding upon the other dining tables beside you.  Incandescent lighting and loud music filled the entire room.  Alas, at one point, the music was so loud that there was shouting over the music!

This is the arancini ($11), which is essentially breaded risotto balls filled with funghi misto and fonti.  The outside was crunchy and the inside had a nice tang to it, as it oozed with goodness.

This is not your run-of-the-mill grilled cheese sandwich ($14).  It was topped with charred onion, boschetto al tartufo, shaved umbria truffles and a sunny up egg (which was like the cherry on top!) on grilled bread.   It was absolutely divine, but words cannot describe the feeling of when my teeth punctured the egg yolk and it mixed with everything.  My mouth is salivating at the thought.

This is the bucatini alla gricia ($17) tossed in a tomato sauce with cured pork jowl and pecorino.  I felt that it could have been kicked up a notch with just a pinch more ingredients added to it.

Last but not least, the chocolate torta ($9) was rich, but so, SO good and I felt that the salty hazelnuts were a great addition to it.

So overall, do I “rebeccamend” this?  Yes.
I have a dream proposal for Daniel Costa: Will you please be my personal chef?
On a serious note though – everything tasted wonderful, with the grilled cheese being my favourite dish of all.  However, if you are not a fan of loud and noisy atmospheres, you may not find it to be an appealing place.  With that aside, this is fine Italian dining at acceptable prices.  However, it is recommended to make reservations a few weeks in advance to secure a table.

Café de Ville is in the western downtown area (10137 124 St), but not quite downtown.

The place had a nice old, classic touch to it with a cozy setting.

Miniature orange-glazed cinnamon croissants were brought out as the starter.  They were devoured rather quickly.  A nice bonus is that they are made in-house!

This is the Antibe salad ($14).  The greens were balanced nicely and the salmon was poached just right.  There was a good amount of feta sprinkled over top and the roast bell pepper vinaigrette was harmonizing.

I chose the Quiche of the day ($15), which had black forest ham and leek in it.  It also came with a salad but I substituted that with the soup of the day which was cream of potato with boar bacon.  The quiche was fine, but not great.  The pastry used in it was light and flaky, but I feel that the quality of it was almost on par with a quiche bought from a bakery.  However, the soup was delicious because all of the ingredients melded nicely into the base.

So, would I “rebeccamend” this? Yes!
Lunch was good and everything tasted good.  I would definitely come back to check out how supper is.

Fine dining goes hand in hand with fine wine.

LIT is one of the popular wine bars located off Jasper Ave.

It was a Saturday night and the inside was completely packed.  Without reservations, it was nearly impossible to get in.  However, there were still some vacant patio seats.

There is the diabolo pizza ($16) which had spicy red sauce, pancetta, sausage, provolone and asiago on it.  It was under the section of “BIG plates” on the menu.  Sadly, this was not the case as it was rather small and I would consider it more a flatbread.  The crust was plain and the entire “pizza” tasted like a larger, rectangular version of those Pillsbury mini pizzas that you buy in the frozen section at Safeway.

Next up, this is the platter of antipasti ($22).  The assortment was nice, as was the presentation of it.

Yet, I found the quality of platter to be mediocre and somewhat on the small side, so I was a little disappointed in that aspect.

So overall, do I “rebeccamend” this?  No.
The selection and quality of the wine was good.  The place seems to have a nice laidback ambience to it as well.  However, I would not come here for the food, as it was basic, poor quality and overpriced.

I prefer frozen yogurt over ice cream.  Why?  Because for one, it’s healthier.  I also like how I tend to not feel bloated afterwards.  With that being said, I urge you to try Tutti Frutti on Whyte Ave.

Tutti Frutti is part of an international self-serve yogurt chain with locations varying from Australia all the way to the United Kingdom.

Ivan S. (c)

I found the interior to be bright, clean and cute!  However, some people might find it to be too bright, but I felt that’s what gave the place a “fun” vibe.

As Ivan describes it, “it is like a frozen yoghurt ATM place”.

Ivan S. (c)

One has the choice between two sizes of yogurt bowls – green is smaller, whereas pink is the bigger size.  The price is determined by the weight – with it being 49 cents per ounce.

Ivan S. (c)

There are many flavours of frozen yogurt to choose from (e.g. TF Tart, Red Velvet, Chocolate, Pistachio, Lychee, Peanut Butter, etc.) and the selection alternates from time to time.

Ivan S. (c)

The toppings include items such as ice cream cone pieces and mango jelly, which are far more interesting than your run-of-the-mill toppings.  For those whom did not want to experiment with the unusual toppings, they also had standard toppings such as fruit toppings (strawberries, blueberries and raspberries).

Ivan S. (c)

So overall, do I “rebeccamend” this?  Yes.
I found that the frozen yogurt flavours tasted natural and the toppings were interesting.  I also liked how one could customize each bowl to their own liking.