Epicurious in Edmonton 2

So, another week of yummy eats in our fair city of Edmonton.

On Wednesday, I went out with a bunch of astronomers to a favorite joint of the university crowd, the Highlevel Diner. It's a great place for Craig and I to meet up as it's in Strathcona, close to his work, and I can take the #9 bus door-to-door from my office to the diner. They have a decently wide selection of veggie items from which to choose, though, sadly, Craig and I did not choose so well this time. Craig got the nachos, which both sounded and were fun and yummy. But then he realized that his entire meal consisted of chips. And that didn't sit so well in his tummy. I got the black bean chili, which is delicious, but then my entire meal consisted of beans. And that didn't sit so well with my tummy. I would have preferred it the chili portion was half the size and served with a small side salad. But alas, 'twas not the case. I also ordered the dessert special, rice pudding. Their bread pudding is exquisite, so I had high hopes for the rice pudding. But such hopes were dashed when I got the dry, bitter (as opposed to creamy and rich) rice concoction. I don't imagine that "special" will ever be featured again. I left only having eaten two or three bites. All that said, we will undoubtedly go back to Highlevel. We'll just stick to our standby favorites: the spinach enchilada, the veggie burger, the spinach pie, and the bread pudding.

Friday was an entirely different epicurean experience. We went to my absolute favorite restaurant in Edmonton, Padmanadi. Padmanadi is a chain of vegetarian restaurants. It is the only location of this chain outside of Indonesia. They serve scrumptious faux meats in luxurious and compelling sauces. Once a month, Padmanadi has a buffet. And people will line up outside (in Edmonton winter!) to get a seat at this spectacular feast. On Friday, Craig and I headed to Padmanadi with my friend Lindsay and her friend (another Texan vegetarian up for the weekend) to brave the cold and stand in line for the March buffet. Lucky for us, the staff emerged from the restaurant every 15 minutes or so, bringing yummy appetizers for those still in line. Finally, we had a table and were soon gazing upon (and feasting upon) the magnificent spread. As always, the food was delightful and delicious, especially the barbecue "pork", which I think may be my new favorite dish there (previously, it was the spicy eggplant). However, I realized that having been to the buffet twice, now, I really prefer ordering off the menu.

That's the extent of our epicurian adventures in Edmonton last week.