The Granary seems to be a favorite among many people here in Saskatoon. I am not really sure why. Last night, we decided to celebrate a birthday at The Granary, but it was not my birthday. I would not choose The Granary for my birthday.
Here is how things went last night. We all ordered our food much like any other place. Things went downhill from there. Actually, I should back up for a moment as they do have a salad bar. They call it a salad wagon though, as it is in a back of a wagon, which is a bit weird if you think about it.
Anyway, back to the order. They did a horrific job on the steaks. Several medium rare became medium to almost well done. Yet, I was the lucky one to get the wrong order all together. I ordered the blackstrap chicken but received the blackened ribs. By the time I got my chicken, everyone else was done eating. It tasted fine, but how could a chicken breast coated in melted cheese and a bacon not taste fine? The sides are very boring though, so the taste evens out at a very average 3.
The atmosphere is nothing great, but not horrible either, so I am going to give it an average rating of 3 again. The price was typical and average at 3 as well.
So, the big disappointment of the night was the service. I am going to give the service a 1 out of 5. The server rarely stopped by to fill up drinks, messed up the steak orders, which could be blamed on the kitchen. Yet, getting my order wrong is an unfortunate reflection on their TAPS score.
The Granary needs to beef up their menu, but mostly needs to shape up their servers.
TAPS – 10
Taste – 3
Atmosphere – 3
Price – 3
Service – 1
http://www.thegranary.ca/
To be completely honest with you I had no clue Kabab King existed until I realized my original restaurant choice was closed and it was the only other option near by.
The Kabab King serves Pakistani and Indian cuisine and what great cuisine it was.
I had curry chicken, rice, and garlic naan. I am not overly familiar with Indian or Pakistani cuisine but this was pretty, pretty tasty.
The one downfall was how long we waited for our food. I think it was close to the 45 minute point. On a good note we did notice that they made the garlic naan bread from scratch so I am assuming the rest of the meal was also made fresh.
They do have a take out menu if you don’t want the wait, but definitely give Kabab King a try.
TAPS – 12.5
T – 4
A – 3
P – 3
S – 2.5
1A-705 Central Ave Saskatoon
There are 2 sit down restaurants within walking distance of my house. Both of which opened around the same time. I have eaten at Boston Pizza around 50 times and Asian House 2.
After trying the Asian House for the second time this last weekend I remembered why I have gone out of my way to avoid it. I would have to say the whole experience was below average.
The server spoke to me twice. Once when she took my order and again when I paid my bill. The satay beef was very mediocre. The only vegetables mixed in were massive hunks of onion, green peppers, and tomatoes. All in all, not a great experience. The atmosphere was very average. A small location with as many tables as possible.
On a good note, the spring rolls were not bad.
TAPS – 9
T – 2
A – 3
P – 2
S – 2
7 – 527 Nelson Rd
Saskatoon
Mmm Mmm Goodness.
I had lunch at Truffle’s for the first time yesterday. I was limited to the lunch menu but was still very much impressed.
The service was great. Our waitress was personable and food arrived in no time.
I was lucky enough to try a couple of meals. I ordered the Crab Burger with soup. The soup itself did not have a specific name but it had onion, bacon, and some blue cheese in it. The whole meal was very good.
I also tried the Roasted Chicken on Pan Fried Wild Rice Bread. This sandwich was amazing. I was very pleased with it.
The prices were reasonable. A meal was in the range of about $12 and well worth every dollar.
TAPS – 18
T – 5
A – 4.5
P – 4
S – 4.5
Truffle’s Bistro & Pattisserie
230 21st St E
Saskatoon SK
I wanted the New Asian Buffet on 8th Street, but the line was out the door, so the next thing that caught our eye was Mano’s. Once inside Mano’s, I was pleasantly surprised by the renovations, so I actually started to get excited about the meal.
The atmosphere was great, as I already mentioned it has been renovated. I think the renovation happened several years ago though. Our server kept everything moving smoothly and deserved her 20% tip. I did find the steak a bit disappointing. It tasted similar to steak I buy at Safeway (I buy cheap steaks).
The garlic mashed potatoes filled the plate, but the taste was bland. Thankfully my wife did not eat all her fish, so I was able to sample the fish, which was much better than the steak. The lemon chicken rice soup was good too. My 7 month old daughter loved the soup.
If you want to spend $25 on a plate of food, I suggest some other place. If you want a ton of food (with mediocre quality) than this might be a nice place to enjoy it.
TAPS -12
T – 2
A – 4
P – 2
S – 4
Mano’s Restaurant & Lounge
200-1820 8th St E
P. (306) 955-5555
http://www.manos.ca
Red Pepper has a reputation. I have been told many times that this is the best Asian place in town. Everyone claims to know the best Asian place in town, but my belief is that every place seems to have one amazing dish. Red Pepper is no exception. We decided to order several platters to sample and share, but one dish was the hands down winner this night.
Coconut Curry Beef and Vegetables. This dish alone will make me a repeat customer of the Red Pepper. Several other dishes were nothing out of the ordinary and the ginger beef was slightly disappointing, but did not take away from the Coconut Curry. It had amazing flavors and was almost too rich for some.
The atmosphere is exactly what I expected, almost unclean and completely outdated.
The price was fairly in-line with other Asian restaurants in the down town area and the service again was quite predictable.
I am sad that I did not have time to try the Vietnamese iced coffee, but next time I will order it first with a dish of coconut curry for myself.
TAPS – 13
T – 4
A – 3
P – 3
S – 3
145 3rd Ave S
Saskatoon, SK S7K
(306) 477-1977
St Tropez Bistro is another first for me. I ended up going there last night.
We had a reservation at 6pm and for about 45 minutes we were the only people in the restaurant. The atmosphere and service was very good so in no way did it feel strange. The server was telling us how they have done some renovations over the last little while and the restaurant is looking great.
I am going to go with the same approach I have been going with in my other posts.
Appetizer – Bean & Bacon Soup
Dinner – 6 Ounce Filet Mignon
Dessert – Creme Caramel
The whole meal was amazing. The steak was one of the best I have had and the Creme Caramel was so tasty I should have ordered a couple more.
Similar to Calories, this was another great tasting experience. The meal prices again ranged from $20 – $30. The one downfall for me was the meal size. When you are 6′5″ and 230 pounds, your body needs a decent amount of food.
T – 5
A – 4.5
P – 3.5
S – 4.5
TAPS 17.5
St Tropez Bistro
238 2nd Ave S
Saskatoon
Last night was the first time I have ever been to the Ivy. And I will have to say I didn’t mind it one bit. The service was prompt, the food was good, and the atmosphere was nice.
Appetizer – Mushroom Toasts
Main – Diefenbaker Steelhead Trout
Dessert – White Chocolate Mint Creme Brulee
The Mushroom Toasts were delicious. The basic idea of the appetizer was sauteed mushrooms with basil pesto on toast. The trout had a clamato salsa across the top. It was also very good. Lastly I had the creme brulee. I will say I have had better. It wasn’t as rich tasting as your average creme brulee and the texture was almost cake like (thick). Don’t get me wrong, it did taste good but I prefer creme brulee to have a softer texture.
The atmosphere was more enjoyable than any of the past restaurants I have reviewed. The restaurant was decorated well and very spacious. You can find pictures of the interior on their website. http://www.ivydiningandlounge.com/
Prices are in the $20-$30 range for a main course.
T – 4
A – 4.5
P – 3.5
S – 4.5
TAPS 16.5
The Ivy
24th St E and Ontario Ave
Saskatoon
When I go out for dinner with my dad we both have a hard time deciding on where to go. We ended up deciding on Calories and it proved to be an excellent choice.
I went all out for this meal! It consisted of the following:
Beverage – Mojito Mint Iced Tea
Appetizer – Split Pea & Lamb Curry Soup
Dinner – Organic Lamb Merguez & Vegetable Couscous Marga with “Ras el Hanout”
Dessert – Peach Pie
My whole meal was amazing. I don’t think anything could have tasted any better. I was pleasantly surprised since I have only indulged in the amazing desserts from Calories.
The service was also excellent. Their menu changes often and because of this our server explained each dinner option to us. The service was approached very professionally.
The atmosphere was nice as well. It isn’t the largest restaurant but you definitely don’t feel cramped into a small space. The walls are covered with art work that is for sale similar to many restaurants in the city.
The prices are what I would expect for such a dining experience. The dinner menu ranges from $20-$30 a plate.
T – 5
A – 4.5
P – 4
S – 5
TAPS 18.5
Calories Bakery & Restaurant 721 Broadway Ave
http://www.caloriesrestaurants.com/
I went to Alexander’s for lunch today. All around, it was great. I started off with the quesadillas and for the main I went with the chicken focaccia sandwich with split pea and ham soup.
Let me start by saying that I am a sucker for Alexander’s quesadillas. I think they are really good, and once again I was not disappointed. My dad seems to think Prairie Ink has the best quesadillas around which means I guess I need to go give them a try. Either way, if you are a quesadilla fan try out both restaurants.
My main course was just as good. The sandwich couldn’t have been better and as for the soup, it did have a lot of pepper in it but I don’t mind that.
About 8 years ago I used to go to Alexander’s often. They had my favourite meal/dessert combo. I couldn’t get enough of the BLT pizza and Kentucky pie. Both have since been removed from their menu. It is too bad that it had to happen but they still have plenty of great options.
Here we go!
T – 4.5
A – 3
P – 3.5
S – 4
TAPS 15
414 Cumberland Ave N
http://alexandersrestaurant.ca/
