When you sit down in The Writer’s Room, you’re surrounded by, well, writers.
There’s Ernest Hemingway’s picture in the corner. Maya Angelou is smiling on another wall. Charles Bukowski looks like he’s about to roar, teeth bared, with a drink in hand. Hunter S. Thompson, Mark Twain and Margaret Atwood are on the walls, too.
But don’t get the idea that this is an awfully serious, stuffy place. In fact, The Writer’s Room has one of the most playful menus you’ll find in Edmonton.
We started with snacks including a taco stuffed with heavily spiced poke and a take on Spam musubi, so there’s definitely a nod to Hawaii. Chef David Husereau worked in Maui before coming to Edmonton, so the influence is evident.
The menu is filled with comfort foods, from fish in Miss Vickie’s potato chip batter to fried pickles with Doritos.
The server recommends the Kraft Dinner. That’s right — better be KD. It comes in a large soup bowl, and more cheese is added to the sauce. Inside are treasures. Find tart pickles in one spoonful, find pieces of lobster with other scoops. The irony of doing a gourmet take on KD in a restaurant located near a university campus is not lost on me.
My wife goes with Hemingway’s meat loaf, served with a sunny-side egg on top. The loaf is moist and the beef flavour really comes through. With the runny egg on top, well, that’s a bit of decadence. And fun.
11113 87 Ave., 780-761-9797, thewritersroom.ca
This article appears in the October 2019 issue of Avenue Edmonton
