If I could get away with eating charcuterie and cheese for every meal, I probably would. There's so much variety in the world of cured meats and cheeses, and pairings with wine makes things more fun. And now there's a spot in south Edmonton where you can indulge in these three very things!

Cured Wine Bar - 2307 Ellwood Drive - Edmonton AB

I first came across Cured Wine Bar at the 2014 Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival. At the time there were very few (if any) restaurants in the city making charcuterie in house, so I was pretty impressed to hear that this restaurant was up to the task of dedicating time to produce quality cured meats. After months in the making, Cured finally opened to the public as of July 14.

Located in Ellerslie, it seems like the suburbs are the new popular place for restaurants to open. I'm not one to complain though, as I love having locally owned dining options close to home. My boyfriend and I stopped by one night to check out the space, and the environment was great for us to wind down and relax after a long day at work. The wooden accents and brick contrast against Edison light bulbs and tufted seating, giving the restaurant a rustic, country chic vibe - I love it.


Lemon Lavender Fizz
The wine and liquor display up at the bar is extensive, with an Enomatic as the centrepiece on the wall. The Enomatic serves some wines exclusive to Cured, including those from Blue Mountain. According to the owner, Field Pieterse, Cured is the only restaurant in Alberta to carry bottles from Blue Mountain Winery, and they drive to the Oakanagan to purchase their bottles. It's the perfect excuse for a mini getaway if you ask me! Jokes aside, the wine list is about 60% Canadian, and there's some great cocktails, beer, and scotch available too.

Given the restaurant name and the meats and sausages hanging on display, it's no surprise that a large proportion of the menu at Cured is dedicated to customizing your own charcuterie board. All of the cured meats are made in house with exception to the prosciutto, which will be ready next year. Two boards - small and large - are available at $29 and $43, respectively, where you can choose five different meats. The smaller board is meant for 2 to share, providing 50g of each meat selected, while the large board for bigger groups is presented with 80g per meat selection. If you can't make up your mind, there is the option of having the chefs prepare a board for you, or you can order the "Pig Out" where every meat is presented on the board at a price of $100.

For our charcuterie board we ordered the chipotle jerky, maple duck mortadella, air dried beef tenderloin, elk sausage, and venison salami. We also added in some smoked gouda and cave aged gruyere ($5/1oz.), and the board was beautifully presented with grilled bread, walnuts, almonds, dried cranberries, and housemade condiments of pickled mustard seeds, caramelized onion marmalade, and corn pesto.

Of the selection we chose, the duck mortadella, beef tenderloin and venison salami were my favourites. The mortadella is made with Brome Lake duck, and seasoned beautifully with a variety of herbs that really work well together. The tenderloin has a great texture and the flavour of the beef really comes through. The salami on the other hand isn't overly fatty and has great texture and flavour. I did find myself looking for a smokier chipotle flavour in the jerky, but I did appreciate the moist, chewy character to it. As for the elk sausage, it was quite lean and the game flavour was a little heavy for my liking.

Although the charcuterie really shines, it's a bit of a shame that the cheese selection is a bit lacking. Most of the cheeses are fairly typical and sourced from large distributors. There is a housemade ricotta, and the gorgonzola and gouda are slightly altered by a smoking process done in house, but I would love to see more of Alberta's local cheeses and unique varieties on the menu. That being said, our smoked gouda had a deep smoky flavour we really enjoyed and it complimented the meats we ordered. We were pretty impressed with all the accompaniments to the board and we liked being able to customize it. It was also more filling than we had imagined!

Following the charcuterie board we ordered a couple small plates that piqued our interest. Shishito peppers are one of my favourite snacks and they're pretty hard to find in Edmonton. I was excited to spot the Pan Seared Shishito Peppers ($14) on the menu, and they were cooked in a sweet soy reduction and topped with toasted sesame seeds. One of the neat things about shishitos is that you literally play spicy pepper roulette while you're eating them. About one in every ten peppers is spicy, so you never know what you'll be biting into! The dish at Cured gives you a substantial portion of peppers, and soy reduction is actually cooked with some red chili peppers, so there is an element of heat to the dish which takes away a bit of the fun. Unfortunately I found that the sauce was overly reduced, sticking heavily to the peppers and making them quite salty. With the sauce thinned out a bit, it would have been perfect.

The Lobster Arancini ($16) was recommended to us, and I love a good ball of arancini! Cured makes theirs with saffron Arborio rice and snow peas and serves it with a spicy aioli and shaved grana padano. Biting through the crisp outer layer led to a heavy and dense ball of rice, peas and lobster. The arancini could use more seasoning, and in my opinion, a lot more cheese to make it gooey and addicting. There's lots of potential here, so with some tweaking, it could end up being pretty good arancini.

Our last savoury dish of the evening was the Flame Broiled Peach Salad ($13) with slivered prosciutto, housemade ricotta, candied walnuts, and mixed greens. Cheese and meat can be fairly heavy, so I was looking forward to a refreshing dish to lighten up the meal. The salad came out beautifully presented on a slate board, but unfortunately wasn't quite what I was expecting. As peaches are in season I was hoping to find fresh, juicy peaches in this salad, but found the canned variety instead, grilled and lacking moisture. The housemade ricotta was smooth and creamy, but lacking in flavour and moisture to lend to the dry greens. The prosciutto was abundant and delicious, but there was almost too much of it, making the salad saltier than expected. Given how dry the salad was, it would have benefitted with a dressing. It's another dish with lots of potential, but unfortunately lacked in execution.

To finish off our night we ordered the Honey Poached Pear ($8) with ice wine gatrique and Pinocchio vanilla bean ice cream. The pear wasn't too sweet, but I did wish for it to be poached a bit softer and served warm. The ice cream was fragrant and creamy, balancing the acidity of the gastrique.

The charcuterie at Cured is clearly the star of the menu, as it should be. Although there were some hiccups in the small plates, the restaurant was very receptive to feedback, and hopefully they can iron out the kinks with a bit of time. Service was great and the staff were knowledgeable when it came to their offerings. Cured is very much committed to supporting local producers and sustainability, and it would be great to see this reflected in the menu.

I'm definitely looking forward to future visits to unwind with some meat and cheese. It will be interesting to see if the charcuterie grows to include more varieties, or if the restaurant adopts a seasonal menu to reflect availability of produce.

With some adjustments, Cured Wine Bar has the potential to be a go-to dining spot for many. Pricing for the charcuterie is reasonable and the atmosphere is great for both intimate dinners and group celebrations. Thanks for bringing housemade charcuterie to the south side - whatever occasion it may be, I'll be back soon for some more of that venison salami!


*Disclosure: Cured Wine Bar invited me to attend their media opening. Views expressed in this post are solely mine. I was not expected to feature this restaurant on my blog, nor obligated to do so. This post is 100% my opinion, and as always, my priority is to you, the reader, to present an unbiased, thorough review.

A couple weeks back, Robyn sent me a top secret invite for a surprise birthday party down in Calgary for her husband Phil, another food blogger here in Edmonton. Phil had mentioned he wanted to celebrate his big 40th birthday over a meal at Charcut (a dear favourite of mine!), so I quickly arranged to clear my schedule and get myself down to Calgary for the big night.

CHARCUT Roast House - 101 899 Centre Street - Calgary AB

The morning had come to head down to Calgary, and to my knowledge, Phil still didn't have a clue what was going on. I didn't think it would be that hard to hide from two people in a big city like Calgary, but WOW I was wrong. Things are a little different when a group of people share similar tastes and want to hit up all the same places in the same city! I was travelling with Diane, Teresa and Carmen, and we had planned to grab brunch after entering the city, going to a couple local bakeries to pick up goodies for home, and hit up the Calgary Farmers Market before checking into the hotel. We were twitter stalking the couple, finding that we were following their tails to each location. It was difficult not to tweet about where I was, and seeing that we were staying in the same hotel as Phil and Robyn, Robyn had to be creative and stall every time we were in a nearby location, or when we were checking into the hotel.

When we arrived at the restaurant, we found out that Robyn had rounded up about a dozen of us from Edmonton for the big surprise. We weren't sure whether Phil had figured things out yet, but all was confirmed by his expression when he walked into the restaurant. He was speechless. Weeks of sneaking around and being secretive had paid off big time!


Arugula & Tuna Conserva - shaved celery & lemon preserve - a hit around the table, even for the tuna haters!
For the night, Carmen had worked with Chef Connie DeSousa to plan a 10 dish meal served family style for all of us. Little did I realize it would be the biggest meal of my life! Restaurant hospitality was great, but the company even better. I won't go in depth about each dish that night, but thought I'd share a glimpse into the major gluttony around the table.


Warm raclette cheese - cast iron baked pan bread made to order - the melted cheese on fresh brioche is always, always welcome

Slow roasted heirloom beets - house made soft organic cheese, mint, basil - the beets are refreshing and great for palate cleansing, while the cheese adds richness to the veg on the plate

CHARCUT BOARD - house cured meats including Heritage Wine and cheese sausage - the sausage is Phil's favourite! But my favourite will always remain to be the pig head mortadella and lonzino. But really, a big plate of meat? You can't really go wrong..

Duck fat fried poutine, cheese curds and truffle gravy - potentially a heart attack on a plate. go big or go home!

Farmers market seasonal vegetable pasta - kudos to the kitchen for the freshly made al dente pasta. Flavours were light and the sauce was nice a creamy

Spit roasted Spragg Farms porchetta - arugula, grilled lemon, roasted garlic - natural flavour, beautiful crackling, but unfortunately chewy as decided unanimously across the table

Platter: Slow roasted heritage chicken - Share Burger CHARCUT style - smashed poplar bluff potatoes - I think this dish pushed my limits as I was so full at this point, but the chicken was tender, the share burger a sausage-like patty delicious when paired with a bun, and the potatoes a nice filler

MASSIVE warm date toffee pudding - chantilly cream, caramel sauce, roasted almonds

Individualized warm date toffee pudding - can I just say this is amazing? The warm cake-like texture drizzled in caramel and cream is something else. So. Good.

Raspberry lemon meringue cake - light meringue and super tangy filling
All in all, it was a wonderful meal with friends over great food. I can always expect CHARCUT to meet my expectations, and the trip down to Calgary just for dinner was totally worth it! Of course you'll be hearing about my other Calgary shenanigans soon enough, but to tide you over, you can read Robyn and Chris' account of the dinner in the meantime!

Before I start writing up this post, I just need to mention that IT SNOWED A LOT YESTERDAY. Just when I told myself I was ready for Spring, and prepared to break out the colourful jeans, the sky threw billions of snowflakes from the sky all over our city. I, being the smartest girl alive, thought that the snow wouldn't be so bad, and would melt upon touching the ground. Wrong, wrong, totally wrong. I trudged through the deep snow in flats, and vowed to never do it again. My feet are still cold, haha.

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After picking up our pastries, we made a quick detour to Chinook Mall before heading to our hotel to digest our lunch and the numerous pastries we ate. I needed space in my stomach to prepare for an indulgent dinner.

CHARCUT Roast House - 101, 899 Centre Street SW - Calgary AB

When I was younger, I went through this phase where I was unhealthily obsessed with watching Iron Chef. Seriously. Listening to Chairman Kaga shout "Allez Cuisine!" just never got old. That obsession went on to Iron Chef America, then made its way over to Top Chef. Top Chef Canada premiered last April, which is where I first learned of CHARCUT and Chef Connie DeSousa. Watching her throughout the season was so much fun, and I vowed to visit CHARCUT sometime to check out the delicious food!

Some people may think that CHARCUT is overhyped, just because one of their chefs was featured on a TV show. But let me get this out now - this restaurant deserves the attention, and has worked hard to earn its place as one of the most talked about restaurants in the Calgary area. Connie, with her co-chef John Jackson are both very talented chefs, leading the way in Calgary's culinary scene. They consistently advocate for local food, and serve familiar dishes with their own unique twist. Named as one of Canada's top 10 restaurants in 2010, what did I not have to look forward to?

There was one thing. Driving in downtown Calgary. I absolutely loathe driving along all the one way streets and I get frustrated every time. 'Nuff said.


CHARCUT is located together with Hotel Le Germain, and is quite easy to find. There are a couple parkades in the area, making parking relatively easy, considering that it is located in the downtown core by the Calgary Tower. When we arrived for our 6:30 reservation, we were greeted by a nearly full restaurant, and immediately brought to our seats by the friendly host. Our table allowed us to have a great view of the restaurant, and for us to keep an eye on the hustle and bustle in the kitchen.


While the menu changes regularly, there are certain dishes that seem to be permanent residents that are extremely popular. After a quick introduction from our server, we decided on ordering an appetizer, the charcuterie board, and an entree to share.


Warm raclette cheese with brioche & pig head mortadella served with Brassica mustard
While we were waiting, the server brought a surprise gift from the kitchen to our table! And definitely a gift I would never refuse - thank you again Connie & John! If you ever make it down to CHARCUT, this dish is delicious and to die for! The mild, melted raclette paired with the soft brioche is a delicious way to start off the meal. But if you add in the pigs head mortadella - hand mixed pork, studded with pistachios and truffles - for another element of flavour, you really cannot go wrong with this dish. Thinking about this dish has got me salivating right now.


Arugula & Tuna Conserva ($16)
The main reason I ordered the poached tuna dish was because it was a dish Connie put together on Top Chef Canada. Ridiculous, I know, but I don't regret it! I'm not usually a fan of fish, but the tuna had a nice sour, tangy flavour from lemon and herbs that I absolutely loved. At the bottom of the jar were pickled potatoes that tasted great on their own, or together with the tuna, placed on top of the crostini. The side salad of arugula, and celery was fresh, and nice to offset the flavour from the tuna.


CHARCUT Board, chef's selection ($36)
The next to arrive at our table was the charcuterie board - the table beside us gasped in horror, whispering "holy crap that's a lot of food". So funny, but I was determined to finish it all. From top right going clockwise, we had: the hot Sicilian pork sausage skillet w/ jalapeno, spicy Winter's organic turkey tasso - Cajun spiced and double smoked turkey legs, Lonzino - Italian style bar snacks made with strips of pork loin flavoured with fennel pollen, orange & black pepper, Portuguese Linguica w/ shaved Gruyere cheese - dry aged and flavoured with paprika, Piri Piri & garlic, and another preserved fish pate w/ crostini (I believe it was salmon rilettes? Correct me if I'm wrong!). CHARCUT's strengths are found in the house made charcuterie items, and this board really did not disappoint. The only issue I had was with the Linguica - it was quite salty for me, so I wished there was a little more cheese to pair it with. Out of all five, the Lonzino was my favourite! MMmm.


Spring Creek Butcher Steak ($24) with Duck Fat Fried Poutine ($8)
Unfortunately, we admitted defeat to the board - mostly because we felt it would be a better option for us to finish our entree at the restaurant. To share, we had chosen the butcher steak (aptly named after the cut that butchers often reserve for themselves), garnished with arugula, chimichurri and fried matchstick potatoes. The side of duck fat fried poutine (w/ cheese curds & truffle gravy) was gluttony at a whole new level for me. The steak was cooked perfectly, tender and juicy, and it was nice to have the different textures of the potatoes and arugula mixed in there. I wasn't quite sure how I would feel about the poutine, but with the first bite, I was hit by the taste of truffles, the exotic taste associated with game meat, and the melted cheese curds. So. Good.

At the end of our meal, we sat back with full bellies, ready to roll back to the hotel. I wish I had the room to check out dessert, but I guess that will have to wait til next time. All in all, the food was fantastic! Our server was very attentive that night, and he hospitality at CHARCUT is wonderful. Thank you so much for the wonderful experience! Can't wait to be back.