Avenue Magazine Edmonton

Soft Alberta beef Tacos at México Lindo

Give your head a shake.This is not Taco Bell. In less than two years, Chef Ivonne Garces has successfully tuned in our taste buds to true Mexican cuisine. The soft tacos are handmade round corn tortillas. Top them with Alberta beef fajita steak, onions and cilantro for a simple and authentic Mexican taste treat. (16604 109 Ave., 780-444-7151)

Mac-n-cheese at the Blue Plate Diner

First and foremost, this is a don’t-mess-with-it simple dish. Just get over the fact that elbow macaroni pasta is replaced by cavatappi (corkscrew). It’s prepared on the stovetop (as it should be) and the béchamel (white sauce) is mixed with lots of cheddar, mozzarella and asiago cheese, to generously coat the pasta. It’s available for lunch or dinner and pairs well with a side salad for a complete “just like mom” kind of meal. (10145 104 St., 780-429-0740)

Multi-layer cake (fürst pückler) at Artistic Bake Shop

This is a seven-layer authentic European cake. From the bottom up, the layers are: shortbread cookie base, mixed berry jam, chocolate buttercream, chocolate cake, vanilla buttercream, vanilla cake, raspberry buttercream, almond paste — all coated in a rich chocolate ganache. The cake comes in two sizes: eight servings or 16 servings. Lovely with a cup of tea in the afternoon. (6820 104 St., 780-434-8686)

Cinnamon buns at the Sugar Bowl

It’s best to go early (before 9:00 a.m.) any day of the week to get a cinnamon bun hot out of the oven. These buns are legendary. They’re true, straightforward, large and sweet dough-twists, oozing with cinnamon, sugar and butter — more of a European-style “kuchen” pastry without the cream cheese topping that most North American cinnamon-style buns are known for. Enjoy this baked sweet treat with some butter and a latté. (10922 88 Ave., 780-433-8369)

Mussels at Café Select

It’s comforting to go back to the original location and enjoy a dish that has been on the menu forever and tastes just as good as it did the first time. The Atlantic mussels are a mollusk lover’s dish. The serving of shellfish is generous (approximately 30) and simply prepared in traditional French style — steamed in a light white-wine-and-butter sauce with chopped onion and parsley. Make sure you order lots of French bread to sop up the sauce. (10018 106 St., 780-428-1629)