Northern Comfort

Just Like Grandma’s

Formerly Bacon, then Culina Highlands, Highlands Kitchen hasn’t changed focus, or owners, much. Cindy Lazarenko still runs the rustic Slavic-inspired restaurant, putting its grand-matronly spirit up front with lace curtains, weaved wall art, teaspoons from Baba’s travels and a display of empty jars like the ones to which she clings. Oh, and, a menu with borscht.

The chunky and dilly beet soup ($8 bowl) fills the body with warmth, with a dollop of sour cream to cool the tongue. It can be ordered as a side to some entrees, and pairs well with the bison sandwich ($15). It’s layers of tender brisket with sweet marinated onions, tomatoes and gouda inside a fresh and perfectly crisp bun.

You’d be remiss to skip the Kalyna platter ($15), which combines three popular cuisines of Ukraine: potato and onion perogies (served with bacon and gremolata, a tangy herb topping), grilled garlicky kubasa and lazy cabbage rolls — that is, not rolled up at all — served with kimchi and sour cream rather than tomato sauce.

Highlands Kitchen, which has a changing weekend brunch worth putting on pants for, sources much of its food from Alberta providers. It’s another nod to local Ukrainian pioneers’ history as farmers. But, the universally granny-like experience culminates when your bill comes with a tiny hard candy on good china. (6509 112 Ave., 780-477-2422, highlandskitchen.ca) —Omar Mouallem

High-end Comfort

Bill and Val Hole, co-owners of the Enjoy Centre, bring in a load of freshly picked vegetables and herbs from their garden to the facility’s Prairie Bistro almost every day. For this reason, the restaurant’s menu, like a typical farm kitchen, changes slightly depending on what ingredients are available that day.

But, most kitchens don’t have a view that goes for miles, like the one across the Lois Hole Centennial Park, or give meals this amount of attention to detail.

On the day I dined, the beef tenderloin ($32), a six-ounce steak from Rose Ridge Land and Cattle, came to me framed by brown-butter sautéed fresh potatoes, carrots and wild Alberta mushrooms, all drizzled with a chocolate veal jus. Swept through the savoury jus, the meat took on a brackish yet sweet taste.

The fresh herbs also come courtesy of the Hole garden, and their freshness is evident in the lamb burger ($26). There are two types of lamb in the sandwich: the first, slow braised and cooked overnight, is wrapped in the second, a ground lamb with hints of thyme and rosemary. The smoky patty, topped with tomatoes fresh from the greenhouse and onions, comes in a onion brioche bun that’s equally fresh — straight from the neighbouring Prairie Baker. (101 Riel Dr., St. Albert, 780-651-7361, prairiebistro.ca) —Caroline Barlott

Twists on Classics

I asked my three-year-old son, sitting across from me at The Dish Bistro, if I could try his gourmet mac and cheese. His eyes narrowed as he put a protective arm in front of the bowl. “No. You can’t have it,” he said.

When it comes to the quintessential comfort food, mac and cheese ($15.75), and you have a three-year-old jealously guarding the bounty — pasta in an ooey-gooey good mix of gouda, asiago and cheddar — what more of an endorsement do you need?

But it’s not the only comfort food that the bistro does well. Its menu is filled with family-dinner dishes, all given gourmet twists. For example, the crispy shepherd’s pie ($15.75) is topped with sweet potatoes, a twist on the usual mix of mashed potatoes and ground beef.

The meat and potatoes in the sweet and smoky rustic lamb stew ($17.50) are charged with a sauce made of Roma tomatoes and white wine. It’s massive, too — so substantial that it will make ordering dessert a Herculean task. But, it’s worth it.

The lemon tart features a sweet, tangy and rich cream tucked inside phyllo pastry. Ours came crumbly and sticky and was also jealously guarded by my boy. (12417 Stony Plain Rd., 780-488-6641, thedishandspoon.com) 
—Steven Sandor