The 6th Annual Top 100

1. Bündok’s Sea Bream The dish was a winner at Gold Medal Plates and our number one dish this year. Here’s what one nominator had to say: “A crisp and lively combination of flavours. It’s quite simply our favourite dish in the city, bringing us back to Bündok over and over again.” Peter Keith says, “the Parissienne gnocchi is easily the best gnocchi dish in the city (even though it’s potato-free). I have yet to hear from anyone who tried it and didn’t love it.” And, the creamy, on-point French omelette with spinach and Brie served at Bündok’s Saturday brunch has numerous fans, as does the lemon possett dessert.

2. Corso 32’s Agnolotti People have a hard time picking their favourite dish at Corso but some version of the agnolotti comes up time after time. Here’s why. It’s heavenly. Light as air. The fillings, complex and flavourful as they are, never overwhelm the delicate pasta. The pumpkin-filled was a subtle autumnal dish; the toothsome rapini pictured here delicious and the ricotta with truffled cheese and sage exceptional. This is what Stephanie Bazelevsky has to say about the rye and speck crostini, Daniel Costa’s ode to the Alto Adige; “it is perfect every time and I crave it always and forever.”

3. Nineteen’s Tuna Twists The raw tuna on a spoon appetizer is a perennial favourite. “Divine,” says Jessica A. The other dishes that nominators loved are the beef short rib with wild mushroom risotto, the lamb shanks and brunch at both locations.

4. Cibo Bistro’s Rabbit Ragu The rich and complex flavours of this hearty dish are sublime, and, a perfect match for Brunello. It’s one of many delish house-made pasta dishes at Cibo but the ragu is everybody’s fave. Cibo’s arancini are a perennial favourite— crispy on the outside, deliciously gooey and cheesy on the inside. About the polenta fritta: “Not only should this be on the Top 100 things to eat, it is arguably the most delicious thing you can order at lunch time in all of Edmonton. The taste, the crunchiness, it is all so good. Along with the spicy calabrese salami, the fried rosemary (it’s not just garnish; it’s a must eat as part of this dish) and the lemon aioli, the polenta fritta is absolutely incredible.”

5. Bar Bricco’s Fonduta Agnolotti “These things are a flavour explosion. Doable decadence,” says Marco Ricioppo. Agreed! “Uovo raviolo, (a whole egg cooked inside ravioli with ricotta and showered in a lavish dusting of pecorino) is Italian simplicity at its finest, yet so refined. It is such a technical dish to master and Bar Bricco is always so consistent,” says Tara Burroughs. Nominators also love the savoury nduja and white anchovy crostini, especially on Negroni Wednesdays.

6. Uccellino’s Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe Uccellino’s version of the classic Roman trattoria dish is a fan fave. The simple ingredients belie how hard it is to get this dish right. “It reminds me of Roma and every bite is perfection,” says Andriy Bazelevsky. For dessert? The budino. “It’s the most decadent, luxurious and rich chocolate cake to grace the inside of my mouth,” says Peter Nguyen.

7. The Glass Monkey’s Pappardelle “Tender ribbons of pasta with a rich, succulent ragu of tender pork and earthy mushrooms in a wine sauce. A feast for all the senses,” says Darrell Lindstrom. “The bread pudding is simply amazing. Always moist, sweet and the sauce is sooooo gooey. It is a carry over recipe from Jack’s Grill. It never disappoints!” The Glass Monkey also has the best burger in town according to Bill Tanasichuk and Brian Hindmarch.

8. The Local Omnivore’s Fraulein Sandwich This grilled cheese with smoked back bacon schnitzel topped with a fried egg and hollandaise is a terrific example of the Omnivore’s cheerfully over-the-top, bacon friendly menu. About that bacon. Many people think that the Local Omnivore‘s bacon in all its sweet, salty, smoky glory is the ideal. Their brisket burger on a brioche bun with special sauce and house-made pickles, is according to Kelsey Trites, “addictive.”

9. Fan Fan’s Jambon Croissant Fan Fan Patisserie opened without fanfare last summer in a tiny shop off Whyte Avenue. The pastry, cakes and ice cream are a delight, especially, according to nominators, the ham and Parmesan croissant. Franck Bouilhol is the ebullient chef and we love the cheerful counter staff. Nominators also love the cheese scone, the wide variety of French macarons and the bite-sized pastries filled with lemon curd, passion fruit, or chocolate caramel — think baby dessert before the main dessert.

11. Hardware Grill’s Torchon of Canadian Foie Gras Mouth-watering, decadent richness. Torchon means dish towel and refers to the original cooking method of wrapping the fois in a towel to poach.

12. Wishbone’s Burger For burger fans, Wishbone’s cheeseburger is numero uno. Juicy, flavourful, classic and available at lunch! “Mom’s fried bread takes carb-loading to a whole new level, says Emilie Josh. “It’s the perfect warm hug from the past. The idea of chef Brayden Kozak making something that his mom used to feed him and his (now passed) brother is endearing. Plus, it’s the perfect combination of salt, butter and carb.”17

13. Biera’s Tartare Chef Christine Sandford runs an amazing kitchen full of unexpected delights. Take the tartare for example. Not just beef filet, but several cuts combined to create a deeply flavoured mince complemented by smoky, mustard-scented fat. Nominators also chimed in about the sourdough — the bites, available in the afternoon, the (sky high) focaccia and the bread served with three toppings, lardo, olive oil and a kefir cultured butter. Yum. Another dish beloved of nominators is the Acme chicken with a sour cream sauce, cabbage and chervil. Biera also boasts a fine dessert selection and a sweet yet tiny wine list, because, of course, the thing to do at Biera is to drink the Blind Enthusiasm beer.

14. Dorinku’s Jumbo Veggie Kakiage Udon is crispy tempura-style veg with cilantro and thick udon noodles in a mushroom and soy-rich broth has a lot of fans. Have with a side of Shaka Shaka fries for sure!

15. Café Linnea’s Gravlax There is lots to love at Café Linnea, but nominators settled on the house-cured salmon with pickled shallot, crème fraîche and grated horseradish on a potato beet pancake. Refreshing!

16. London Local’s Brisket Burger London Local tops their brisket burger with house-made leek and garlic aioli, relish and their version of HP sauce. “Juicy and loaded with exceptional flavour,” says McKenzie Spies. What about the fish and chips? “Utterly amazing and everyone needs to try this delicious creation. You will not be disappointed,” says Natalie Gingras.

17. La Boule’s Kouign Amann “It’s soooo good— buttery, caramelized, incredibly flaky and just a little bit salty. It’s also different than any other pastry and tricky to explain to your friends without drooling. If I make it there in time before they are all snapped up, I buy multiples. And then I eat one on the way home,” said Andrea Riewe. Filled croissant can hard to get right, yet La Boule’s are sublime, take the hazelenut apricot croissant for example. Another favourite item of nominators were the bite-sized croissant and pain au chocolate. “Best ratio of chocolate to flaky pastry,” said one nominator.

18. Prairie Noodle Prairie Pork Shio Prairie Noodle’s roasted pork belly and smoked shoulder ramen with umeboshi egg, sesame, corn and black garlic sesame oil is again a fave with nominators this year.

19. The Duchess Bake Shop Duke Cake The Duchess started the wave — the incredible range of good pastry we have to choose from now. The Duke Cake is still the party cake of choice. Gorgeous to look at and a chocoholic’s dream come true. Speaking of pastry, the croissants plain and Gruyere croissant and the pain au chocolate set the standard.

20. Rooster Café’s Blueberry Polachintas The Rooster has a lot of delicious dishes for breakfast (the skillet, the schmears, eggs and bacon) but the blueberry polachintas got the most noms. “This particular version of blintz is Hungarian. Coming from Eastern Europe roots myself, it was heaven to taste homemade ricotta and just a hint of sweetness,” said Pamella Heikel.

23. Big G’s Jerky This guy has legions of fans. “Big G is the most passionate BBQ’er I have seen. He loves swapping BBQ stories and giving tips. His jerky is amazing. My boyfriend puts the Big G Rub on pork chops, chicken wings and ribs. Oh and that Magic Mustard!!” said Cassandra Smallwood.

25. Chartier’s Lobster Poutine Lots to love at Beaumont’s Chartier, their bread window, the pork dishes, the tourtiere. Susan Connell loves the lobster poutine the most. “This dish is so decadent, with lobster bisque on top of the already delicious poutine and a full lobster. Add in cheese curds and what’s not to love about this?”

28. Rosso’s Rosso Pizza The excellent Rosso with its spicy soppressata and Tallegio garnered the noms, as well as the Bianca Rucola with tons of fresh arugula. What’s Rosso’s secret to outstanding pizza? It’s the crust — chewy, with lots of flavour and just the right amount of char.

29. Juniper Café’s Hand-held Bennie “It is filling, healthy and delicious. Roasted vegetables with your choice of bacon, sausage or pulled pork, topped with an egg, hollandaise and aioli,” said one nominator. “Wonderful food and atmosphere. We love their gluten free scones, says Irene Obrok.

31. Orbit Food Truck Pork Carnitas “It’s so delicious! I tried it once and then couldn’t stop going back for more. I wish they had a restaurant where I could eat this year ‘round,” Kate, age 9.

33. Canteen’s Brunch We love brunch at Canteen. Nominators were torn between the Dutch Baby Pancake and the Eggs Florentine for best dish. Let’s just say they are both pretty amazing.

37. Pip’s Pineapple Upside-Down Cake A fun and delicious sweet bite at this jewel of a wine bar. Fans also love the roast chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy and the eggs benedict at brunch. “It’s a perfect poached egg over shaved ham, which has been sliced thin and seared, placed over toasted sourdough and tucked in under a blanket of dill hollandaise. Let’s not forget the house hash. Too often the familiar tuber side is plain, dull. However, Pip takes as much care and dedication to the humble potato as any main on the menu, with more going than just salt and pepper and a golden crispy roast,” said one nominator.

38. The Marc’s Beignets “No one does these as well as the Marc,” said one nominator. The Marc’s warm and pillowy bits of fried sweet nothings, with two sauces for dipping, are hard to resist.

39. Rig Hand Craft Distillery’s Wildrose Gin “Along with the traditional gin botanicals, Wildrose contains juniper from the Rockies and wild rosehips from the foothills as well as saskatoon berries and local chamomile. The perfect cocktail gin,” says Sandra Keating.

40. Lock Stock’s Pastry Breakfast meetings at Lock Stock always present a dilemma — the chewy almond brown butter cake or the savoury toast today?

41. Bonjour Bakery’s Pain au Levain Bonjour changed its hours last year (now it’s open Wednesday to Saturday until 4pm) creating a bit of mad panic for folks to get their daily bread. The breads, made with house-milled grains and leavened for anywhere from one to several days prove the adage that simple isn’t easy.

43. Mayday Dogs’ C.R.E.A.M Dog The Cream Dog, with its topping of whipped cream cheese and red pepper relish, wasnominated by several people. We’re partial to the Korean Abdul-Jabbar with kimchee and sesame seed and Tom Orsino is crazy about the Hennessey milkshake. But, really, the space is so quirky and fun that getting anything here is a trip.

44. The Italian Centre Shop Sandwich A perennial favourite, and not just with firemen and football fans. Think Avjar spread, a slick of olive oil with dried oregano, provolone and layers of mortadella and other deli meats on a baguette-style bun. It’s even tastier if you allow the flavours to meld for 15 minutes at room temperature.

45. Canova’s Panettone “I was unsure what I was getting into but it sure looked good. The wrapping, the shape and the aroma made me reach for the bread knife and the butter. I was fascinated how light and bubbly it was. The fruit was discreet, the candied orange subtle, but, man does that panettone pack a punch. My family finished it off in one sitting. This is not an exaggeration, only the truth. I want more,” said Krysta Forrest, describing the first time her family tried Canova’s panettone.

49. Cooking classes at Kitchen by Brad Want to learn to cook like a Ukrainian Baba? Kitchen offers themed classes, express lunchtime classes and private classes. Nominators loved the flexibility of the classes, the hospitality of the hosts, and, of course, the food.

50. The Ruby Apron Sourdough Classes “The best thing I ate last year was the sourdough bread I made at the Ruby Apron,” said one nominator. Ballymaloe-trained chef Kaelin Whittaker’s passion is sourdough bread. In her classes, attendees go from never having made bread to accomplished practioners of the art of sourdough. Sweet!

55. Why Not Café & Bar’s Whiskey-aged Rib Eye
“The rib eye comes with smoked sea scallop tartar, house-made crackers, pickled shimeji mushrooms, and micro greens. Who would not want to sink their teeth into that,” says Jenn Parenteau.

58. Workshop Eatery’s Chips and Dip “I grew up on the packaged onion soup dip my mom made for every family gathering; so I thought I had died and gone to heaven the first time I had the kettle-cooked chips with five onion dip at Workshop; creamy and savoury and addictive. A guilty pleasure,” says Cindy Gange-Harris. Nominators also love the arancini, the duck liver pâté and the fresh ground burger.

59. Holy Roller’s Blue Crab and Shrimp Risotto
“It’s just really good,” says Manprit Aujla-Grewal. Also garnering lots of noms are the steak and chicken boards and the esfera dessert with mascarpone, fresh strawberries, pecans and chocolate, called “the best thing on earth,” by Cal Byers.

61. Violet Chocolate Company’s The James Chocolate Bar “The Violet Company’s chocolate bars are absolutely the best! I love the carrot cake and pumpkin chai too — no wonder they win global awards,” says Teresa Sturgess.

62. Sugared and Spiced’s Raspberry White Chocolate Scones “It is so delicious —love the combination of white chocolate and raspberry,” says James Fritsche. The lemon tart, bacon and cheese brioche and Cake Club also garnered noms.

72. La Patrona’s Tortilla Soup “Authentic. Flavorful. Perfection,” says Brianna Glover.

73. Edgar Farms’ Asparagus Every spring we get the treat of fresh Alberta-grown asparagus. It’s worth waiting all year for.

74. Mama Lee’s Kitchen’s Squid and Pork Spicy, tangy, just the right amount of greasy. This take out specialty delivers knock out umami; also nominated are the crunchy fried anchovies and the several varieties of kimchee.

75. Doughnut Party’s Rhubarb Fritter “I never thought I would love rhubarb as much as I do now, “ Tawnya Summers.

77. Royal Pizza’s Fred’s Pizza “Fresh local ingredients, great service, lots of toppings and a local business,” says Jenaya Schroh.

78. Brown Butter Café Good Morning Bunwich “The flavour combination is amazing, the best breakfast sandwich I’ve ever had,” says Victoria Kim.

79. Irving’s Farm Fresh Pork and Sausages “All of it. So darn tasty,” says Vanessa Zajko.

80. Jacek Chocolate’s Jackie Bar “This bar is a mixture of absolute deliciousness with the caramelized milk chocolate and fleur de sel. A true mouth explosion with every bite,” says Margo LaBerge.

81. Bon Ton Bakery Carrot Cake “The minute the cake reaches your tongue, you realize… whoa, this is amazing, this is delicious… this is the best carrot cake I’ve ever eaten,” says Pam Thompson.

82. Double Greeting Wonton House’s Chicken Wings In all their greasy, crispy, chickeny glory.

83. Revolution Ice Cream’s Vegan Chocolate “It is such a unique flavour and texture experience for an ice cream, creamy meets cold meets spicy; the mouth feel is almost indescribable. Anyone who loves spicy food, rich chocolate and ice cream should have a pint of this flavour in their freezer,” says Chanel Carso. Nominators also mentioned the Scona Fog, Key lime and blueberry basil flavours.

84. Sofra’s Lamb Loin “Fresh, simple Turkish food perfectly cooked. All mains come with grilled vegetables, bulgar pilaf and salad. Warm, casual restaurant interior,” says Terry Hodgkinson.

85. Leduc Meats’ Willhauk Beef Jerky This savoury, lean and chewy jerky is top notch. Too bad you can only get it in Leduc.

86. Native Delight’s Buffalo Burger Add another burger to the list! “Grass-fed buffalo meat with fresh scratch-made fried bannock, well-priced, one of a kind in our city,” says Rondell Desjarlais.

87. The Bedouins’ Lamb Mendi “There’s no dish quite like it in Edmonton. The service that accompanies the spectacular food is unparalleled also,” says Mabrouka Swenia about this North African resto in the north end. Others mentioned the Libyan couscousi as the dish to eat.

88. Zinter Brown’s Cool Mint Sauce Yes, you could make your own mint sauce but why bother when you can buy this perfectly balanced sauce that makes carrots taste like the height of summer, even in January? The Garlic Onion Jamboree (jam) is just right with roast pork or in sandwich.

89. The Art of Cake’s Cheddar Jalapeno Scone “Bloody delicious,” says Elliott Putters.

90. Mona’s Kitchen’s Christmas Morning Jam “I bought two dozen jars at least for gifts and everyone I give it to loves it,” says Char-Min Wade-Creller.

91. Auntie Jean’s Raspberry Fudge “You really feel the love in this pretty little square. Tastes of fresh local berries, grown and picked right in Sherwood Park. The salted caramel is a happy harmony of dark chocolate, chewy caramel and a zing of salt. Heaven! I can’t pick a favourite between these two winners. The fudge pieces are individually wrapped, so they stay fresh and soft,” says Barry Gromnisky.

92. La Carraia Gelateria’s Gelato “Made fresh every day, with quality ingredients. I’ve never had better gelato. Ever, “ says Bonnie Allen.

93. Doans’ Chicken Curry Soup “Every time I have a bad day, this is my comfort food. The broth to soup stuff ratio is on point. If it’s cold out, it warms you right up,” says Andrea Ouellette.

94. Dadeo’s Sweet Potato Fries “These are the most amazing sweet potato fries ever, battered in a crispy seasoning that reminds me of a spicier and way more tasty version of KFC. You get a generous helping and the house-made spicy dip goes perfectly,” says Reagan McKenzie.

95. Snow Bear Dessert Café’s Cheesecake Bingsoo Korea’s fave dessert is here. Originally shaved ice and red bean paste, bingsoo now comes in all sorts of combos and flavours. “The cheesecake bingsoo here is so rich and creamy. The texture of Bingsoo is hard to describe, not melt in your mouth like ice cream or gelato, but the way that snow melts in your mouth. It contrasts and complements beautifully with the cheesecake,” says Richard Coulter.

96. Chic-Hog-O’s Porchetta Pizza “The roast pork with the sweetness of fig jam and caramelized onions with garlic aioli and fresh cilantro is perfection,” says Geogette Ghazarian.

97. Phil’s Fudge Factory Black Licorice Fudge “Very creamy, with a nice rich black licorice flavour. Not too strong, just right. Also the chocolate skor flavour,” says Kevin Burton.

98. Ralph’s Handi Mart’s Fried Chicken Ramon Miranda was the first to tell us about the fried chicken at this convenience store in Strathearn (same strip mall at the Juniper). Make sure you get there before 6pm.

99. Highlevel Diner’s Gluten-free Eggs Benny It’s very difficult to find a decent gluten-free version of Eggs Benedict, but Highlevel’s hits it right out of the park,” says Scott Seymour.

100. “The Quebecer burger at Jack’s Burger Shack, the poutine at The Local Omnivore and the tempura beans at Chartier It’s been a tasty year!” says Debbie Wolf.