North 53 - Exquisite Shareables (Edmonton 30 in 30)

When they first opened their doors, North 53 took the Edmonton food scene by storm. Instead of creating another eatery, the owners and chefs took a venerable risk by crafting a restaurant based on a extravagant and ever changing tasting menu. Hoping to cash in on the economic boom of Edmonton (and Alberta), North 53 initially did quite well and began changing the food scene of Edmonton from meat and potato loving to fine dining folk. Well, fast forward nine months and how it has changed. While the restaurant still remains I am told the original chef moved on to different pastures. The restaurant then moved to the hands of a new chef, one who took the extravagance of the previous restaurant and toned it down for less adventurous folk, effectively opening the establishment up to a larger clientele.

The restaurant is located 124th street, a booming area of Edmonton. Benefiting from the new developments in the downtown core, 124th street is becoming a new age Whyte Avenue with plenty of young professionals, businesses and eateries taking up shop. The restaurant is on the corner of the aforementioned 124th street and 103rd avenue in a pretty two story brick building, of which the bottom floor has been retro-fitted to the restaurant. Arriving just after 9PM with a group of six, I was impressed by the number of patrons, mostly consisting of Millenials, wining and dining their way through the night. Indeed over the course of our two hour dinner, a constant stream of customers would flock through the doors to enjoy the loud thumping music and to sip one (or multiple) of their numerous cocktails.

While the restaurant itself has not changed, their menu is completely different. Gone is the tasting menu and what remains is a limited selection of snacks, small plates, two "large" plate options and desserts. Clearly pandering to the new age style of shareables, North 53 crafts these dishes with sharing in mind. What initially seems like a restrictive list of items actually shows plenty of range and variety, with simple starters like their crunchy salad to interesting small plates like an oxtail tart and large plates consisting of an entire roast chicken or a succulent hanger steak. Missing are the organs and raw exotic game meats of the previous North 53, yet what remains still amounts to an exciting menu that should satisfy most patrons.

We started with the incredibly tasty Popcorn Chicken. Each airy light ball are filled with succulent tender morsels of chicken breast and dusted with popcorn on the outside. A playfully named dish high on taste, these balls of goodness were lapped up quickly and whet the global appetites of everyone at the table.

We were pre-warned that many others table thought the Chicharron were polarizing. Completely the opposite for us, these Portuguese inspired pork rinds had a light crisp texture and were dusted with a hint of dried scallop and mussel flavour.  While these rinds were nicely prepared, the flavour profile simply was not as present as initially expected and was missing a coating or spice dusting to finish the dish.

The Carrot Salad combines lightly cooked carrots with goat cheese and pistachio. Handsomely presented, I was delighted by the firm texture of the gently cooked carrot and thought it went well with the smooth cheese and crunchy pistachio. The light flavours also allowed the inherent sweetness of the carrot come to the fore, which was accentuated by the aroma of and freshness of parsley.

A table favourite, the Clam & Scallop Fettuccine seems simple in concept but was masterfully prepared. Some on the table remarked the scallops were some of the most tender they have ever had, a strong statement for a restaurant in landlocked Edmonton. Indeed the combination of exquisitely tender scallop with the al dente pasta in a light white wine sauce elevate this dish above simple pasta into the spheres of fine dining.

I loved this Shrimp Chorizo. Playful, unique and utterly delicious, the "chorizo" is made up of ground shrimp meat which impart a soft sweet texture to the sausage. Pairing it with fried potatoes gives it a firm textural contrast while the ham broth gave the dish a rich sauce. Overall the exquisitely tender chorizo was the highlight of this dish and rank as one of the tastiest things I have ever eaten.

The description for the Beer Glazed Short Rib was enough to whet our appetites, and the dish itself did not disappoint. A large tender beef rib is cooked well to the point of fall-off-the-bone tenderness and topped with a sweet and slightly bitter glaze. The sinewy, fatty meat had a definitive beefy-ness to it which was accentuated well by the sauce. The addition of navy beans on the bottom was simply a starch add-on though and did little to contribute to the dish.

I was not expecting this when I order Pork Cabbage Rolls; even after being perwarned of LOTS of mushrooms did not do the dish justice. Nevertheless, the pork cabbage roll is smothered by a mushroom cream sauce, which was truly the main ingredient and star of the dish with the  rolls being a mere companion to the delicious sauce. Indeed, the combination of MANY mushrooms in a cream sauce, reminiscent of a straganoff, was a wonderful combination of sweet, salty and savoury.

Rutabaga & Oxtail Tart was intriguing as well with the seemingly random mix of ingredients. In actuality, the tart actually works! The base is a crunchy tart and filled, akin to a savoury pie, with a mixture of tender oxtail meat and delicate rutabaga. The addition of greens was thoughtful here as their freshness cuts through the gelatinous oxtail and slightly bitter rutabaga.

Deciding on which of the two mains to order was difficult but we landed on the Hanger Steak (22 oz). The large platter of pre-cut medium rare tender steak is paired with overseasoned mashed potatoes and silky smooth braised beets. Creating tender steak is part ingredient and part skill of the chef and North 53 has both. The steak, perfectly seasoned, was a phenomenal medium rare and melted in ones mouth.

Topping each portion of protein is a rosemary cream sauce, a rich and thick sauce with a strong aroma of rosemary, adds a savoury umami to each bite. Pity about the overseasoned mashed potatoes, otherwise this plate would have been perfection.

We forced room in our tummies for this elegant Cognac Ice Cream. Imparting a slight cognac flavour, this ice cream was the epitome of indulgence and had an addictive quality that quickly reeled the table in. Each bite of smooth cream is accentuated by the sweet and slight tartness of the raisin or the crisp crunch of biscuit into a rainstorm of flavours dancing in your mouth. Delicious.

Apple Tart was a bit pedestrian with a crunchy tart base, apple core and topped with vanilla ice cream. Unfortunately, this ice cream seemed lackluster and simply average when compared to the previous cognac equivalent and while the tart was well prepared, there was nothing extraordinary in this dish to save it from the doldrums of mediocrity.

I had to laugh at the Blue D'Elizabeth, a playful dish consisting of a braised pear and a pear shaped wedge of blue cheese. Unsure of the reference to Elizabeth (Queen perhaps?), this dessert was more reminiscent of an appetizer with sweet and savoury pear and strong and aromatic cheese. One always has to be concerned about the potential of cheese overpowering a dish, and unfortunately the blue variant here was of such a quantity and offered such a distinctive flavour that it enveloped and cast aside the gentler pear.

It was not long after this meal before I started craving their food again (darn that popcorn chicken was good!). In truth, having been a frequent diner of the previous North 53, the new menu is improved, with a bevy of both safe and exciting elements that should appeal to anyone looking for quality cuisine. Located in a part of booming Edmonton, North 53 has everything that it needs to succeed: a beautiful building in a great location serving excellent high quality and, at times, imaginative food. Although it might not be the most refined of meals I have had, it remains as one of the more memorable and instantly ranks as one of my favourite establishments in Edmonton.