MISS MOOX: Albert St.

  • NEWS: Hickory Smokehouse and Grill

    Attention all barbecue fans: It looks like the former home of The Keg has got a new lease on life. Hickory Smokehouse and Grill is set to open its doors on south Albert Street in November. This will be a sister location to the original in Moose Jaw.

    Stay tuned. . . .

  • REVIEW: Chappy's Restaurant and Lounge

    The Round-up:

    • Food - 3.5 out of 5
    • Service - 2.5 out of 5
    • Atmosphere - 2 out of 5
    • Overall - 8 out of 15
    378 Albert Street North
    Regina, SK
    306-949-5444
    ______________________________________________

    It's time to take ourselves to a new part of town on the blog: North Albert Street.

    True, North Albert isn't exactly a dining mecca. But there are a few bright spots among the autobody shops and gas stations. Chappy's Restaurant and Lounge is one of them.

    Tucked into a strip mall across the street from the Northgate Mall, Chappy's is an unassuming kind of place. It's located so far off the street that you'd hardly notice it -- most people probably don't at all.

    My focus today is on Chappy's brunch only, as that's the only meal I've eaten there.

    Big Willie, the Advertising Exec, and myself stopped in on a recent Sunday for some grub. I use the term "grub" deliberately because that's what Chappy's serves: good, honest, homecooking with no shortage of butter n' bacon fat.

    The Advertising Exec had been trying to get us to Chappy's for weeks, claiming it to be one of Regina's best greasy spoons. In that respect, I think he's right.

    You don't go to Chappy's because it's chic, or decorated oh-so-cutely. You go because it's cheap and the brunch hits the spot.

    For about $10, you will be treated to delicious buttery hashbrowns; crispy bacon (and plenty of it); scrambled eggs; breakfast sausage; lasagna; a bit of fruit; a couple of desserts; and some juice. And Chappy's Sunday brunch is a buffet, so fill your plate a couple of times (at least). We certainly did.

    Service can be slightly off the mark, but since it's a help-yourself kind of joint that doesn't really matter.

    Do something different and head up to North Albert one weekend for some grub. And don't forget your appetite.

  • REVIEW: Sake Japanese

    The Round-up:

    • Food - 3.5 out of 5
    • Decor - 2.5 out of 5
    • Service - 3 out of 5
    • Total - 9 out of 15
    2135 Albert Street, Regina SK.306-565-8894
    ___________________________________________
    Those who follow the blog will recall the news that Café Orange (in the Cathedral area) shut down a couple of months ago amid rumours that it will reopen as a sushi café.
    This is all fine and well, except it seems that just about every month a new sushi restaurant pops up in this city. At some point, sushi just isn’t going to sell enough to make a profit at each one of these places. At least that’s my opinion.
    So when Sake Japanese opened on Albert Street (near 13th Avenue) in February, I was only a little bit excited. On one hand, it is fantastic to see a vacant storefront turn into a thriving restaurant. There were too many empty buildings on that side of Albert Street not so very long ago.
    On the other hand, do we really need more sushi?
    Judging by the crowd at Sake on a recent Wednesday lunch hour, we do. The place was packed with groups and couples, likely from the office buildings nearby.
    To Sake’s credit, the restaurant is clean and decorated tastefully – nothing out of the ordinary, just a typical Japanese restaurant décor. Sake offers a mix of traditional tables, along with a number of “tatami” tables, where guests sit on cushions on top of bamboo mats. Lucky for us non-Japanese, the floor is sunken beneath the tables, making for a much more comfortable sit.
    As for the menu, be prepared to pig out. It’s an all-you-can-eat feast at Sake. You’re provided with a paper menu and a couple of pencils. Then you go to town marking off all the dishes you’d like to try. And there are plenty to taste.
    Sake offers at least 15 types of sushi rolls. Each roll consists of eight well-portioned pieces, far more than your average all-you-can-eat sushi joint. The Salmon Roll, California Roll, and Rainbow Roll that my dad and I shared were fresh – so much so that the sushi rice was moist and just a tad warm (meaning it was cooked only minutes before the rolls hit the table). Score!
    We also tried the crispy tempura, which comes with one jumbo shrimp per order; the fried fish; the edamame (whole soybeans); and the wonton soup. We cut ourselves off at that point, not wanting to overdo things and then go back to work in a food-induced coma. (Note: Sake, like every Japanese all-you-can-eat, will charge for food wastage, if need be.)
    Ice-cream fans, listen here: Sake also offers an unlimited amount of serve-yourself ice cream for dessert. Another classy touch. On offer were Tiger Tiger, Raspberry, and Pistachio the day we were there. Big Poppa and I both dug into the Tiger Tiger. Like father, like son as they say.
    So far, we’ve established that the food is great and the décor is good enough. That leaves the service. It was what I would call friendly, but not overly attentive. Our waiter neglected to bring one item we ordered (a rice bowl with chicken) and never came back to check if we wanted to order more food after the first round. Given that you pay a flat rate for lunch, missing an item wasn’t a big deal. Let’s just hope it isn’t a regular habit.
    I went in a skeptic, and I came out a believer (in the food anyway). Sake is on the right road to success.

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