| Recently I visited Ed’s Restaurant on 17 Avenue S.E. Daydreaming, I gazed across the way to the Elbow River Casino and it got me thinking about how choosing where to eat in Calgary lately is a little like gambling. Will the service be pleasant? Will the food be good? Rolling the dice can be frustrating.
I used to frequent Ed’s in my teens, back when it was a place to go to eat multiple wings and slurp back virgin pina coladas while mindlessly chatting with girlfriends. Seeking a blast from the past and interested in knowing what had or hadn’t changed at the 23-year-old establishment is what led me there on a nostalgic sunny Monday evening.
Nothing has really changed, except the wings aren’t good anymore. Ed’s wings have nothing on the Regal Beagle’s. Dry and bland, there was practically no difference between the salt and pepper or the medium hot flavours that we ordered. And now I am left to wonder why Ed’s wings are constantly on Fast Forward’s Best of Calgary list.
Thankfully other items on their menu can somewhat make up for the wing catastrophe of 2007. Ed’s menu is diverse, offering up a standard selection of appetizers, pastas, pizzas, prime rib and steaks, there’s a little bit of something for everyone.
Some interesting selections on the menu included a veggie quesadilla ($8.95) comprised of strawberries, baby spinach, brie and a mango chipotle, or the Tahitian treat pizza ($13.95) made up of mango sauce, red onions, red and green peppers, chicken, banana peppers, pineapple, cheddar and mozzarella. Yowza! All that and a pizza that has outlived its soda pop namesake.
Opting to try out a few dishes from their entrée lineup, we skipped over the gourmet burger section that included the likes of the Stampede burger, a barbeque roast beef sandwich with bacon and cheddar ($10.95) and the Mexicana, a burger smothered in salsa and topped with hot banana peppers and melted cheddar cheese ($11.95).
My girlfriend gave the beer-braised barbeque ribs ($18.95) a whirl. It’s served with fresh steamed vegetables and potato wedges. She noted that the ribs were sweet but in an acidic way. I sampled the ribs myself and concurred. They really didn’t have a distinctive flavour and the meat hung onto the bone for dear life. It was another meaty letdown.
I ordered the Mediterranean stuffed chicken ($19.95). It was a nice combination of two chicken breasts stuffed with spinach, red onion and feta in a basil marinara sauce served with rice and veggies. The dish was only average, heavy on the spinach and somewhat dry.
While finishing our meal in the multi-room landmark restaurant, my best friend remarked that some of my reviews have been coming off as a little on the angry side. I wasn’t shocked. Calgary eateries have definitely taken some lumps from me lately, but I make no apologies. In a city where inflation is nearly triple the average of other Canadian cities, I think we have good cause to expect good service and quality food when laying down our credit cards at the end of a meal. In terms of gambling, dining at Ed’s was kind of like breaking even – no huge reward, no big loss.
Ed’s is located at 202-17 Avenue S.E.; phone, 262-3500. |
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