As quaint small-town Main Streets go, you can’t do much better in the area than Devon’s tree-lined Athabasca Avenue.
And, at one end of this stroll-able strip, you’ll find Crave Appetite. The Devon location opened its doors this past spring. But, if you’ve been to Vegreville, Crave Appetite has been a fixture there for almost half a decade.
The menu concept is comfort food, with modern twists. It’s got the steak and the small-town, Greek-style pizza Albertans know and love — with the cheese on top, and the “toppings” below. I put “toppings” in quotes because, if you have the cheese on top, calling mushrooms and pepperoni “toppings” is a misnomer, right?
I could have gone for Stuffed Yorkies, one of the many burgers on hand or even a steak dinner, but what intrigues me is the Ukraine Plate, just because it sticks out like a sore thumb. (Or does it? After all, Crave has its roots in Vegreville…)
What arrives at my table is a feast made for more than one. While my son noshes on a personal pizza, I’ve got a real food battle on my hands. Perogies. Cabbage rolls. Garlic sausage. And, to top it off, garlic mashed potatoes with a side of gravy.
Sausage is so great, I’ve gone on the record before that I think it’s one of the great signs of civilization, that we found a way to make meat… even better. The garlic sausage is nicely scorched on each side, it’s filling. The perogies are cheesy and creamy. And, then come the cabbage rolls. These may be the most interesting cabbage rolls I’ve seen. The best ones I’ve ever had in the area were at the old Croatia club in northeast Edmonton, where I got a plate of them after a soccer game. Here, the cabbage rolls are snack sized; each is about the same length and width as a spring roll. You can pick them up with your hand and swirl them in the side of sour cream. For the record, I am VERY anti tomato-sauce when it comes to cabbage rolls — sour cream is the only acceptable condiment. But, they carry hints of smoke, as well. They may be the most unusual cabbage rolls I’ve ever tried, but they are good.
There’s no way I can finish the whole plate of food. It’s a substantial dinner. Luckily, the river valley park is close by, so I could walk it off if I wanted.
Crave Appetite
4 Athabasca Ave, Devon | 780.987.4018 | craveappetite.ca
