Red Deer Digest » food

Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival – Red Deer Apr. 19 & 20 / 08

Ernie Wiegand — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:13:13 +0000

The 3rd annual Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival will be held at the Capri Centre, Red Deer, on April 19th and 20th.

This festival is sure to please participants that are new to wine, as well as experienced wine drinkers. For those who would like to know more about wine, this is a good chance to learn from the experts. Many other adult drinks, both alcoholic and non, will also be on hand. The Red Deer Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival is for adults only, and everyone is expected to arrange for safe transportation to get home.

The Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival will have a wide selection of wine, coolers, spirits, port, scotch and beer for your sampling pleasure. You will enter an area called the Grand Tasting Hall, where adult beverages and food samples will be ready for you to choose from. Sampling coupons will be on sale for 50 cents each, and sample prices start at $1. The prices will depend on product chosen. A Riedel wine glass will be given to you to take home afterwards.

Red Deer and area restaurants such as the Redstone Grill, Smugglers Inn, Barbero’s, and North 40 Steakhouse will be entered in the Most Sensational Sample Contest. Appetisers, small dishes and desserts will be in the contest for those who attend to sample and vote on. As you vote, you enter in draws for gift certificates at the various Red Deer restaurants.

A portion of total ticket sales will be donated to the Red Deer College Culinary Arts Program. Online tickets are available (along with more information) at www.rockymountainwine.com .

April 18 & 19, 2008
Fri. 4 to 10pm, Sat. 3 to 10pm
Capri Centre 3310 50th Ave., Red Deer AB, (403) 346-2091

Sumptuous Southwestern Style at Mohave Grill | Red Deer Restaurant

Ernie Wiegand — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 05:56:04 +0000

Last night I met Tim and Aron for supper at Mohave Grill in Red Deer. Mohave Grill is located just off of 67th St. beside Service Plus Inns. It specializes in Southwestern cuisine.

When I arrived the hostess greeted me right away. Tim and Aron were already there so she let me go in and find them. After greetings were exchanged I had a look at the menu. I had been here a few times before so I was partially familiar with the menu and the food. The server, Chelsea, came over and I asked for a Dos Equis beer

(4.95). I continued to contemplate my choices and soon narrowed it. I had tried the Del Mar Wrap before and I quite enjoyed it, so I decided to have it again; though the Jambalaya was a close second. Shortly after, the appetizer Tim had ordered came out and we placed our orders for the main course at that time.
The appetizer Ribs (9.95), are billed as being “dry as the desert”; however they were really quite moist. They were seasoned with course ground black pepper and sea salt and were very tasty. The three of us chatted over the ribs and not long after we finished them our main courses were served. Tim had the Buffalo Southern Sandwich (10.95); a large chicken breast coated with crushed tortilla chips, tossed in hot sauce and served on a toasted kaiser. Aron chose the Jack Daniels B.B.Q. Burger (10.95); a charbroiled beef patty coated with Jack Daniels BBQ sauce and topped with cheddar cheese and bacon, served on a toasted kaiser. My Del Mar Wrap (10.95); was shrimp and crab-meat with lettuce, cucumber, guacamole and rice, rolled up in an Asian Cajun tortilla.
Aron chose fries and a bowl of Black Bean Soup as side dishes. He was, at first, a bit put off by the garnish on his soup, but after I identified it as tortilla strips and sour cream he went ahead and ate it. Tim and I both opted for rice and beans as our side dishes. The rice was Spanish style; it was well cooked and tasted very good with just a hint of spicy heat to it. We both noticed that the refried beans appeared to made in house (as opposed to the canned bean mush you encounter at other places).
We all ate heartily and enjoyed our meals. Our server was very attentive and came back several times to ensure that everything was okay and to see if we needed anything else. She offered us dessert but we all declined. We continued to sit and chat for a while then we paid our bill and left. On the way out I noted the following information on their feature board: Fajitas February, 14.95 after 4 p.m., Sunday’s.
My rating: Food – 4 out of 5
Service – 4 out of 5
Atmosphere – 4 out of 5
Overall Experience – 4 out of 5

Mohave Grill
6608 Orr Drive, Red Deer
(403) 340-3463
Mon. – Wed. 11 a.m. – 12 midnight
Thurs. – Sat. 11 a.m. – 1 a.m.
Sun. 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.

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A Mouthwatering Mexican Meal at Las Palmeras | Red Deer Restaurant

Ernie Wiegand — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 04:35:08 +0000

On Friday afternoon I went out looking for a nice lunch. I developed a craving for Mexican food, so I headed over to Las Palmeras Mexican Restaurant.

It’s a nice place just off of Gaetz Avenue right at the top of Red Deer’s south hill. There was a handful of other people enjoying lunch already and I only had to wait a few moments to be seated. My server, Anna, soon came over to the table, poured a glass of water and presented a small plate of complimentary nacho chips and salsa.

I asked her for a coffee and then had a look at the menu. The majority of the items were written in both English and Spanish (for anyone who is comfortable ordering in another language). After just a quick glance I found myself torn between the stuffed jalapenos (jalapenos relleno) and a chicken burrito (burrito con pollo). By the time my server returned, I had decided on the burrito (11.95). I inquired about the soup of the day (sopa dos dio) and she said it was chicken and avocado. This sounded very interesting so I chose that as a side dish.

While I awaited my lunch, I started in on the nachos. The chips themselves were crispy yellow corn tortillas. The salsa (which appeared to be made in house) was very flavourful; an excellent balance of a little heat and just the right amount of cilantro. It was thick and tasty. I also took a few moments to notice the decor. There was an assortment of Mexican looking artifacts and artwork and I noticed replica avocados and chilli peppers hanging on the walls. Over the speakers there was Spanish “soft-rock” playing. Even though I couldn’t understand it, I found it enjoyable.

After only a short time my soup came out first (as per my request). I could see large pieces of vegetables in a semi-dark broth. In the centre was a large dollop of guacamole. I stirred it up and saw a generous amount of chicken. From the first spoonful it was an absolute delight. Although the avocado flavour was barely noticeable it did enhance the overall taste of the soup. The was just a little bit of spiciness underlying the chicken broth. The pieces of chicken and vegetables were perfectly cooked and tender.

The burrito was a crispy baked flour tortilla. Inside was a lot of chicken smothered in a rich tasty tomato based sauce. Again there was just a little bit of heat to the dish; enough to warm up the tongue and taste buds but not enough to burn. It was very well seasoned and cooked almost perfectly. It was accompanied by a corn tortilla bowl of sour cream, salsa and guacamole. I was tempted to just wolf it down, but I took my time and savoured it instead.

After I had cleaned my plate and finished off the tortilla chips, the server brought me another coffee and my bill. Much to my delight the coffee was either free of charge or included in the price of the meal. Either way I felt that I had certainly received a bargain and I was well satisfied.

My rating: Food – 3 out of 5
Service – 3 out of 5
Atmosphere – 3 out of 5
Overall Experience – 3 out of 5

Las Palmeras Mexican Restaurant
3630 50th Avenue S, Red Deer
(403) 346-8877

Mon. – Thurs. 11:30 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Fri. – Sat. 11:30 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 12 noon – 9:00 p.m.

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The Red Deer Digest is produced locally, by two Central Alberta Residents. Be sure to come here again for more local information.