The Cheese Factory

The Cheese Factory

8943 82 Avenue NW

Edmonton, AB T6C 0Z2

(780) 450-2143

It took me a couple of tries to make it to the Cheese Factory restaurant when it was actually open. On more than one occasion, I've cursed the world as I futiley pull at their locked door, desperate for poutine. Check the hours before you go; they're only open for dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings. The Friday evening I made it in, I walked through their cheese store to find a busy restaurant with chatter in French buzzing from all directions. A good sign for their poutine, but it was interesting to find that, rather than being French, the owners are actually from the former-Yugoslavia, and the menu offers an ecclectic mix of Quebecois and Balkan favorites.

Fried cheese

Unlike the pan-fried, flambeed, ouzo-drenched Saganaki I've had in the past, this fried cheese was coated with a crispy breading and deep-fried. The cheese inside was clearly extremely hot, gooey, and clearly fresh, I preferred them without the accompanying lemon dip.

Poutine

Discussions of the best poutines often lead to heated debates, and that night was no exception. While all of us at my table agreed the cheese curds were terrific, some preferred the fries with more potato skin, and others preferred a darker gravy. All of us did feel the gravy could stand to be a touch warmer in temperature. Best cheese curds in the city? Probably. Best poutine? Depends how much weight you give the other ingredients.

Cevapcici

I recently spent some time in Croatia, Bosnia, and Montenegro where cevapcici is a popular fast food. Ground meat is formed into sausage-sized portions and grilled. The cevapcici at The Cheese Factory was served on a soft bun with smooth & creamy kajmak, and each bite unleashed a pop of juicy flavour. I ordered a side of ajvar (a tradition red pepper relish) to complete the experience, but, for the hefty price of $2.50 for a small portion, I'd pass at future visits.

Burek

Burek was almost a dietary staple on my trip, where they're found with many different fillings. The spinach and cheese, however, was always my favorite, and was one of three options available at The Cheese Factory (along with cheese-only, and ground beef). It's freshly baked, so it took a few extra minutes to emerge from the kitchen, but this salty cheese and spinach blend, enveloped by rings of flaky phyllo, was worth the wait.

Tufahija

Tufahija is a Balkan dessert of an apple poached in sugar and stuffed with walnuts. It's another dish I first tried in Bosnia, and has been etched in my memory ever since. It came out looking magnificent, but I was so stuffed that I had to push some of the whipped cream aside to get the apple itself. It was marvellous  and did not fall short of my high expectations.

Though my party wasn't able to unanimously award the poutine as the best in the city, we agreed that the fresh, squeaky cheese curds left it at least among the top contenders. It's definitely worth a visit to see if it's to your liking, but don't ignore the rest of the menu when you're there! The Balkan menu items are a hearty, authentic and truly delicious experience.

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The Next Act

The Next Act

8224 104 Street NW

Edmonton, AB T6E 4E6

(780) 433-9345

When we arrived at The Next Act on Sunday in the mid-afternoon, we were surprised to find it bustling. They've got a decent beer selection with Alley Kat on tap, and a very impressive menu offering a range of food which something for any palate (from greasy classic pub food to fresh salads and homemade soups).

Hummus

We started off with the hummus appetizer which was served with carrots & celery sticks, as well as some warm naan. The hummus was thick and garlicky with a hint of lemon -- very easy to enjoy. The portion of the hummus was quite generous, and there was still a small amount left when we'd expended our bread and veggies. It was a hearty appetizer for two, but could easily be spread out to serve three to four as well.

The writer

The writer burger comes topped with blue cheese and a tasty pancetta. There is no doubt their patty is homemade; it was hand-formed to a generous thickness, juicy, flavorful, and filled with chunks of onion imparting little bursts of even more flavor. The blue cheese was quite pungent, particularly since it had all been plopped on to the centre of the patty -- next time I'll spread it around for better distribution. The fries were homecut, crispy, salty, and addictive.

Cajun chicken burger

The chicken in my cajun chicken burger was perfectly cooked and very juicy. It was seasoned without much heat, though it could have used a little with the creamy avocado and mayo waiting to counterbalance it. I substituted salad for fries, and while it was beautiful to look at, a only scant amount of their [tasty] dressing was drizzled over top. I hate trying to toss salad myself when it's on a plate as a good portion of it always winds up falling on the table, and this was no exception today.

The Next Act's fresh & updated take on pub food yields delicious results. It's comfortable, lively, and the service is friendly and swift. It's a great place to meet some friends and gab over Aprikats, but the food is much too good to pass over. So get together, have a beer, grab a sandwich, and enjoy!

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Tutti Frutti

Tutti Frutti

10420 82 Ave NW

Edmonton, AB T6E 2A2

(780) 988-8679

Tutti Frutti is a self-serve fro-yo retailer with locations around the globe which opened a location on Whyte Avenue in the summer of 2011. I never made it in the summer months, but a recent Groupon deal gave me the nudge I needed to call up a friend and check it out. An employee cheerfully greeted us as we entered, and explained the concept to us. In a nut shell: grab a bowl, fill it with any combination of the 10 fro-yo flavors available, throw on toppings, and bring your masterpiece to the cashier for weighing and paying ($0.49/oz.)

Taro & almond fro-yo with oreo crubs, graham crumbs, crushed cones, and sprinkles

The flavors of frozen yogurt available that day were vanilla, death by chocolate, peanut butter, plain, strawberry, raspberry, taro, grape, lychee and almond. We started off sampling a few and really enjoyed the creamy texture as well as the way the flavors worked with the naturally tart bite of yogurt. The taro and almond flavors were especially tasty and both of us went for a combination of the two. Our approach to toppings was different, however. My friend went simple with the above, though, the wide variety of sweets and chocolate toppings was tempting to him. Cinnamon toast crunch on frozen yogurt?! Mind blown.

Taro & almond fro-yo with strawberries, mango, pineapple, kiwi, cones, and sliced almonds

I explored the fruity toppings available, adding some sliced almonds and crushed waffle cone for crunch. The pineapple, mango, strawberries and kiwi were all fresh and ripe, unlike other places I'd been. The taro & almond frozen yogurt combination worked with them excellently (if I do say so myself).

I've visited other fro-yo places with the same create-weigh-pay concept, but Tutti Frutti really stands out because of the quality of their frozen yogurt. No matter what toppings you load up on, the backbone is still the fro-yo, and I think some other places forget that. The variety of fro-yo flavors, fruits, jellies, chocolates, candies, cereal, nuts, sprinkles, and syrups available offers customers a seemingly infinite variety of ways to get creative -- and lots of reasons to keep coming back.


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