Epicurious in Edmonton 5

It's an unassuming storefront, simply signed "Cafe", so easy to miss as you pass by on Stony Plain Road. But Vi's for Pies is not one to be missed. I had heard about this place from Jodi, a social worker at the hospital, and my friend Lorenza, who lived in Edmonton for a while, confirmed Jodi's recommendation. So on Wednesday, Craig and I went decided to check it out with our friends Juli and John. And wow, are we glad we did!! When we first walked in, we were greeted by the sight of nearly 20 different pies on the counter. They obviously want you to see what's on the menu for the day and to save room for dessert.

Vi's has a decent vegetarian menu, and between the four of us, we were able to order four different vegetarian entrees. I ordered the quiche (remember, I have been on a quiche kick), and it was sublime - light and fluffy, better than my own. Craig got the veggie lasagna which scrumptious, not quite as flavorful as mine, but more saucy (and Craig liking it so much made me realize that he prefers as saucy lasagna; I will have to sauce mine up a bit). It was the spanakopita for John. The spinach was quite tasty, though the crust not as crispy as I would like . It seemed like it was baked earlier and then reheated. Still the flavors were excellent. Juli had soup and salad - fresh and light.

Then we got the pies. After another trip to the front to view the pies, and we settled in for dessert. John's key lime pie was the best I have had outside of Florida. Juli's strawberry shortcake was nice, though the biscuit was hard. Craig's pecan, caramel, banana, and chocolate cheesecake was OH MY GOD delicious. And my raspberry and lemon cream pie was light and tart and absolutely perfect. Yum. We will definitely go back!

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It was hard to follow such a delicious dinner with a lunch out the following day. But our department had decided to take Lindsay out for lunch to celebrate her ministry with us as she prepares to move on the Winnipeg. We headed down the street from the hospital to a new noodle house, Thanh Thanh. I pass Thanh Thanh when I am lazy and/or running late and take the bus instead of walking into work. The place has caught my eye on a number of occasions (I love noodle houses), so I have wanted to check it out.

I would be interested in returning with a smaller group since our preordering and then arriving late during the busy lunch hour seemed to throw the staff off and the service was not ideal. The food was delicious (I had the lemongrass chili tofu), though it did make me a bit gassy. :]