Living on the 57th floor of the Stantec Tower — the tallest building in Western Canada — Lance Cardinal gets to be right in Edmonton’s central nervous system. The Indigenous artist and business owner is also just a couple blocks from his latest mural project (titled “The Land We Share”) at the revamped Sunrise building. But he mostly loves being an elevator ride (plus a few meters, give or take) from Braven in the lobby of the JW Marriott. More specifically, Braven’s a decadent open-faced breakfast sandwich.
Cardinal first came across the place in 2019, shortly after he had moved back to the city and quickly became a fan of the modern, Canadian steakhouse. The avocado toast has become a frequent favourite.
“There’s nothing better for breakfast to me in the morning than avocado toast,” Cardinal says. “What I love most about getting it from Braven, is it’s floral, it’s beautiful. It’s sort of presented in an elevated way.”
And that’s exactly what Cardinal has loved about living in downtown Edmonton. It presents the city with some sophistication, and something as simple as vegetables on toast can knock your socks off.
“Just like when we go into a restaurant, we look for ways to enjoy and indulge. I want us to be able to indulge in our beautiful city.”
Braven
Downtown | 10344 102 St NW, Edmonton | 780.784.8580 | bravenrestaurant.com
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly implied that Braven was located in the Stantec Tower, rather than the JW Marriott in the Ice District.
This article appears in the Jul/Aug 2024 issue of Edify
