Tavern 1903- 9802 Jasper Ave, Edmonton

The opening of Tavern 1903 on the main floor of the newly rebuilt Alberta Hotel was a long time coming. The space sat vacant for a while after construction was completed while the owner searched for the perfect tenant to operate an establishment befitting such a grand and historic space.

Enter Larry Stewart.

Many Edmontonians will know Larry Stewart as the longtime chef/owner of Hardware Grill, just up the block from Tavern 1903. Hardware Grill has been one of Edmonton’s top fine dining spots since it’s opening in 1996, so hearing Stewart was the person trusted to build a modern restaurant while respecting the old charm and history of the tavern was a big relief. You see, Stewarts Hardware Grill also sits in a historic Jasper Avenue landmark, and he’s done a fantastic job of it there.

Tavern 1903 is like 2 entities in one. The tavern side is largely original to the old Hotel’s tavern. The big mirror, tiles, and the spectacular cash register (seriously, you should go for a drink just to check that out), make the room one of the most visually appealing places to whet your whistle in this town.

The restaurant side picks up on the dark, rich wood theme but is much more modern than the tavern side, yet the two sides blend together very well. Clearly a lot of thought went into designing the whole space, and it looks fantastic.

The Rich and classy look- and that’s just Jennie! The room looks great too.

Thanks to The Kitchen Magpie for the picture

When it comes to the food, we were told to expect casual comfort food, inspired by dishes the chefs at Hardware Grill had been creating for staff meals, and the description had our entire table salivating in anticipation.

Stewart and local food blogger Karlynn Johnston put together a group of folks from the local food community to come sample a wide selection from the menu and provide some feedback, and luckily my wife Robyn and I got an invite. The others on the list were Karlynn and her husband Mike, Edmonton YELP community manager Jeannie Marshall and her +1 Jeff, and local mainstream media power couple Kari Skelton (morning host on Up 99.3 radio), and Ryan Jespersen (Host of Breakfast Television on CityTv). Rest assured, that was a fun group to dine with with lots of laughs plenty of conversation.

Larry Stewart gives us the rundown on the menu.

Since Stewart was kindly footing the bill for the evening, we decided to let him feed us as he saw fit. Apparently he saw fit to bust our guts with an avalanche of his favourite items from the menu, starting with an obscene amount of cheese from the mozzarella bar. Did I mention I like that guy?

We started out with the Tasting Plate of 3 Mozzarella, which consisted of Maple Smoked Fior di Latte, Buffalo, and Burrata, served with Pesto, Fennel Marmalade, and Bruschetta. ($34) This was a massive sampling of cheese and outstanding condiments that is recommended for 2 people to share, but in reality we had it a couple weeks earlier and split it 4 ways for an appetizer. I really enjoyed all 3, so it was hard to pick a favourite. When we had this dish on our first visit, I liked the Smoked Fior di Latte best, but the second time I was wowed by the Burrata. If you’re not familiar with Burrata, it’s basically an outer shell of solid mozzarella filled with a looser, creamier mozzarella in the middle.

Tasting Plate of 3 Mozzarella

Also touching down at the table around the same time was a plate of something that, frankly, I don’t usually care for- Devilled Eggs. These eggs however were very good, and I would have had a second one if my table mates hadn’t been so rude and eaten their share. Check out the Smoked Devilled Eggs with Pancetta, and Souffletine.

Smoked Devilled Eggs with Pancetta and Souffletine

What’s Souffletine you ask?

You’re not the only one…. I had to google it when I got home. Turns out Souffletine are those tiny puffed cereal balls sometimes found on desserts to add a crunchy texture. They did that same job on the devilled eggs to perfection.

Just when we started to make a dent in our sea of cheese, Stewart showed up with some more cheesy goodness in the form of crostini’s. A regular order consists of your choice of 3 crostini’s for $15, but we got to sample all 4 varieties. They were:

• Smoked Fior di Latte, Fig-Onion Jam, Ham, Pine Nuts
• Buffalo Mozzarella, Mushrooms, Bacon Jam, Truffle Oil, Spinach
• Burrata, Confit Tomato, Basil Pesto, Lemon
• Buffalo Mozzarella, Bacon, Fennel Marmalade, Sea Salt

I only got to try the first and last ones, but both were delicious.  Though, in my opinion, $15 for 3 crostinis is a bit steep and I feel like the next dish that hit the table – Burrata with Stone fruit, Peas, Mint, Burnt Honey Vinaigrette, and Mesquite Walnuts – is a much better value. The bit of acidity from the fruit was a welcome addition to the cheese. I could easily see splitting this over drinks at the Tavern bar sometime.

Burrata with Stone Fruit

As if this wasn’t a sinful amount of cheese already, Stewart said we just had to try the house-made Ricotta with Grapefruit oil. The ricotta was ridiculously creamy, and the grapefruit oil  added such great flavour. Robyn doesn’t typically enjoy ricotta, but this ended up being one of her favourite dishes of the night and Ryan commented that it was right up there with the ricotta at Corso 32. Most of our table would have preferred some thinner crostini with it instead of the thick cut fluffy bread though.

Ricotta with Grapefruit Oil

So what do you move on to after consuming so many pounds of cheese? Why some deep fried vegetables, of course! The KFC, Korean Fried Cauliflower, was sweet and spicy, with an amazing crunchy coating. This might have been my favourite taste of the night due to the simplicity and creativity of it. I could have eaten the whole plate myself without a doubt.

Korean Fried Cauliflower

By this time of the evening we were starting to slow down, and it seemed like we could only manage a bite or 2 of everything that was coming to the table. Shameful, I know…. but Tavern 1903 is a classy place, and not the kind of place a guy can just unbutton his pants to continue eating.  I’ll just say its frowned upon and leave it at that. Don’t ask me how I know.

The rest of the meal was quite an eclectic sampling of the menu, beginning with Fire Grilled Prawns Bathed in Garlic Mojo, Fresh Cilantro, Charred Lemon, and grilled bread. I loved the charred lemon, and the sauce was great sopped up with the bread.

Fire Grilled Prawns

We also got a plate of Duck Confit Tacos, Ancho Chilis and sour cherries, which while they tasted ok didn’t really seem to fit with the rest of the meal progression. We followed that up with some outstanding Mozzarella stuffed Pork Meatballs in Tomato Sauce, and a super tender Rib Eye Roll with Chimchurri, and horseradish creme fraiche and seared green onions.

Duck Tacos

Rib Eye Roll

Just what you need when you’ve already eaten enough to make world record hot dog eating champion, Joey Chestnut, concede, Stewart brings over a huge plate of pork called the Pig-Nic. The dish comes with a thick slice of Crispy Pork Belly, a couple Hickory Smoked Ribs, and a big piece of Confit Pork Shoulder with a pretzel. Surprisingly, I found the pork shoulder to be the best of the 3, and was just melt in your mouth tender. The pork belly was a little on the dry side, but the ribs were moist and saucy. I prefer a little more spicy kick with bbq ribs, but these will please most people.

The Pig-Nic

The last dish to arrive before dessert was something I wasn’t expecting at a place like Tavern 1903; A Thai Seafood Bowl with vegetables, noodles, mussels, baby lobster, and prawns in a coconut curry broth. Like any soup, it’s the broth that steals the show and this one is no exception. The fishy flavour doesn’t overpower the broth, and compliments it nicely. Like the tacos though, I’m not sure where this fits in with the rest of the meal.

Seafood Bowl

With 4 ladies at the table, you knew dessert was going to have to make an appearance. Stewart diffused a possible estrogen-fuelled revolt by bringing over 1 of each of the 4 desserts, although I just couldn’t manage to find room to try the Jack Daniels Chocolate Layer Cake.

We started with some amazing Maple-Bacon Cider Donuts. This is one of those rare instances where putting bacon in a dessert doesn’t annoy me, and actually works really well. These are some of the best doughnuts (sorry, as a proud Canadian I just can’t call them donuts again) you’ll find anywhere.

The Glenlivet Infused Butterscotch Pudding Jar topped with candied pretzels has a nice strong boozy flavour, and such a creamy texture. You might want to have a designated driver if you’re having that one.

Glenlivet Butterscotch Pudding

We finished up with Robyn’s favourite, the Short Bread Cheesecake Parfait with Buckwheat Honey-Fruit Compote. She loved the tang of the cheesecake sauce, and the contrast of textures with the crunchy shortbread.

Shortbread Cheesecake Parfait

I had a couple other general observations from my couple visits, and one of them is a pet peeve of mine- the $1 surcharge for “Q” water, sparkling or still. I know it’s only a dollar, but I don’t want to pay for water when I’m already paying the city to provide us top quality drinking water straight from the tap.

My other small issue is the menu itself. It’s a bit confusing. It  was better when the boss was there to explain everything, but on our first visit our waitress clearly was not comfortable with the menu details and had trouble articulating the ins and outs of the Mozzarella Bar options. We ended up just pointing to something and hoping for the best, not sure what exactly we would be getting. After 2 visits it makes more sense to me now, but first timers may struggle to sort it all out.

Without a doubt this restaurant is off to a solid start, but the thing I would go back to Tavern 1903 for is definitely the Mozzarella Bar. Nowhere in Edmonton that I know of can you sample such an interesting range of mozzarella dishes, and that uniqueness will bring people in droves.

And despite the inevitable lactose-intolerant after-effects, I know we will be back.

Disclaimer- Although the food and drinks were provided at no cost, the opinions stated here are my own.