This is one of the best evenings out I've had in Edmonton, ever, and I've been here since 1986. I can't wait to book their rooftop patio for an event! But I digress...
I went with a colleague to a Faculty event that was planned here. We parked in the lot across from the Stratchcona Farmer's Market, which is huge, safe, cheap (6 bucks on HotSpot for the evening), and a scant block away from this venue, with the short walk giving you time to see what's new in the area, and what's enduring (Varscona Theatre, thank the universe). Up a grand staircase, and you're in a small venue using every inch of space creatively. Want to sit away from the madding crowd to engage in some serious drinking and bar-watching? They've got you. Want to pretend you're in a 1920s cabaret with food safety and climate control of the this century's 20s era? They've got you. Want to watch live entertainment? They've really got you here, because this place is co-owned and co-operated by Jeff Halaby and Aimee Beaudoin, who've been part of the Edmonton entertainment scene for at least one of my lifetimes, long enough that to them 11:02 is not just something that happens every 12 hours.
The main space where the stage is located (and what a funky little stage it is) featured what looked to be the exact right variety of table sizes for this particular evening's plans. My colleague and I were delighted to find a little table for two tucked away near the stage, close enough to feel risky for a comedy show, but far enough away from the ambient noise that we could eat and have good conversation at the same time.
Each course of the meal was excellent. The plates are about as close to fine dining as you're going to get in a place where you can also expect one of your hosts to crack Lebanese hairdresser jokes. Those hosts, by the way, move among the crowd before the main show starts, first to ask if you're enjoying everything and later with microphones to ask stuff that will either make you sweat or laugh profusely.
My colleague was driving and enjoyed a frozen slush mocktail, which looked delicious even to me as I was nose-deep in an Old Fashioned (well executed without being narcissistic) and rose sangria (way better than I could reasonably expect from rose sangria). Our server was perfect in every way, by the way -- this was a very busy evening for the service crew but the expertise among them was evident and I enjoyed seeing the co-hosts acknowledge them from the stage with authentic gratitude.
The entertainment that night was from Edmonton's Comedy Festival, with headliner Monique Marvez. Four comics took their turns onstage, introduced by Jeff and Aimee, with lots of mutual respect evident among the artists, creating a really nice vibe for the evening.
We were out the door shortly after 9 PM with our fascinators still intact.
Next time I have an event to plan, I'm going straight to their website. But I hope it somehow ends up being the right size of event to book their rooftop patio with bottle service. Exquisite. read more