There’s a great Portlandia sketch about how we place so much importance on brunch — and how long we’re willing to wait in line to try the latest noon-time culinary inventions. Search “Brunch Village” and you’ll find it — it’s all about the intersection between hipsters, the fear of missing out and… eggs Benedict. Tim Robbins does a majestic cameo as a street urchin whose job it is to enforce a simple golden rule: that people do not cut in line in order to get their brunches ahead of the poor schmucks on the waiting list ahead of them.
There was no lineup in front of WildRoots — my family went there during the Christmas season. We were hoping to take the kids swimming at Servus Centre, but the pool was shut down for maintenance, so we decided to head to this new St. Albert spot because, hey, you gotta eat.
It was hard to choose. The brunch offerings range from Dill Pickle Soup to a Shortrib Fricassee. My wife decided to go with the Blue Crab Eggs Benedict, while my son and I decided to go all hipster and order from the “Toasts” portion of the menu. (Is artisan toast still hipster? Has it jumped the shark?) I went with the mushroom, while he chose the toast covered in whipped ricotta cheese and chili honey. His was creamy, with just the right amount of spice and sweet. If anything, the richness of the cheese was accentuated. Mine had plenty of wild mushrooms with sherry cream, and it was as rich as any meat dish could be. It was earthy, with just the right tones from the sherry, and I didn’t feel like a hipster. Actually, I think it’s impossible for me to a be a hipster anymore, I pride myself now as making hip things so unhip that they’re hip again — which might meet the definition of “camp.”
But, I did get jealous when I tasted my wife’s dish. The blue crab cake was simply fantastic. The notes from the dill pollen were so on point. This is a brunch dish that would be worth a lineup. It starts off subtle, then there’s a nice amount of tang from the dill. I am thinking about it again and am considering a drive to St. Albert. Maybe after a swim.
WildRoots
Downtown | #150, 15 Perron St, St. Albert | 780.460.0893 | wildrootsbistro.ca
