IL Portico Restaurant 10012 107 Street NW, Edmonton, AB 424-0707
I may have found a keeper!
I've been to Il Portico twice for lunch and, while it was good, I wasn't overly impressed with it. But Cakes took me there for a special "we're done renovating the house" dinner and wow! It was the first restaurant meal I've had in Edmonton where, if I closed my eyes, I could have easily been in Melbourne. I told the waiter that, but y'all I don't think he appreciated exactly how high a compliment that was!
Our meal started with a nice glass of wine (their list has been granted several awards by Wine Spectator magazine) and a browse through Il Portico's thorough, but limited menu. Unlike most local restaurants, they don't try to do 25 selections for each course. This ain't no pizza, pasta, steak, chicken, seafood place. There were, including the specials, between 6 and 10 choices for each course. What an excellent start.
The ambiance was generic Tuscan and was lovely, without being terribly sophisticated, but hey, you can't have it all. The music was perfect, a mellow acid jazz and contemporary lounging music. At the correct volume. One of the biggest mistakes restaurants make is to ignore the effect of acoustics on patron's experience. This is one of the few restaurants that had the perfect acoustic mix. Not too loud, not to quiet. Conversation was easy and the music was subtle and well-suited to the style of the restaurant.
We skipped the starters and headed straight to the main course. I had the Fillet of Alberta Beef with a sour cherry jus and Gorgonzola scalloped potatoes ($31). Cakes had the pan seared salmon with braised leeks and a beet and grainy mustard vinaigrette ($23). Both main courses were perfect. My steak was perfectly rare, with a fair bit of moo left in it and the potatoes were to die for. They were perfectly layered with creamy Gorgonzola and topped with a delicate crunchy crust of fine breadcrumbs. Cakes' salmon was so gorgeously seared it was almost caramelized, and perfectly done, not overcooked, in the middle.
For dessert, I had the buttermilk panacotta ($7), which was flecked lightly with vanilla seeds and jiggled on my plate like a gorgeous milky breast. It was served with dried figs poached in port. The syrupy port and earthy figs were a perfect counterpoint to the delicate and creamy panacotta.
Cakes had the apple, maple and walnut crostata with cinnamon gelato ($8)which was enormous and absolutely, divinely perfect. When you order a maple-based desert, I find you run the risk of it being overly sweet and mapley to the detriment of all the rest of the flavours. Not so with this one. It was intensely walnutty, and the home made puff pastry was so tender and sweet, I almost didn't know what is was (other than amazing that is)! The cinnamon gelato was creamy and perfectly, delicately cinamonny, slightly reminiscent of eggnog, but not at all cloying. I generally don't go in for the apple pie type desserts that Cakes likes, but man, I would have traded my panacotta for this one...if I hadn't already eaten it, that is.
As we were leaving I told the waiter that this was the first restaurant we'd eaten at in Edmonton that appeared to know what it wants to be, as did all the dishes we ate. I hope he understood the significance of that.
Rating: Food: 6, Service: 5, Decor: 4.5
Style: Modern Italian in Tuscan-style surroundings
Hours: Open Weekdays 11:30am-2pm, 5:30pm-11pm; Sat 5:30pm-11pm
Payment Accepted: AE, DC, DISC, MC,V
Reservations: Required
Prices: Mains $16-31
Mon to Friday: Lunch 11:30 am to 2 pm
Mon to Saturday: Dinner 5:30 pm to 11 pm
Ratings Key
1 Star - Horriffic in every way
2 Stars - Simply awuful
3 Stars - Average on a good day
4 Stars - Better than average, but only just
5 Stars - Pretty good, I'd go back
6 Stars - Yum, give me more!
7 Stars - Exceptional. outstanding. bliss
Perfect! Your page was just what I needed for the information about this restaurant...actually, it was over and above! My boyfriend tends to be a little picky when it comes to restaurants, but when he read your page, he was convinced! Finally! I didn't have to do the convincing this time! Why can't there be a page like this for every occasion?
Thanks again!
Sincerely,
Jessica
Posted by: Jessica | March 25, 2005 at 09:55 AM
Perfect! Your page was just what I needed for the information about this restaurant...actually, it was over and above! My boyfriend tends to be a little picky when it comes to restaurants, but when he read your page, he was convinced! Finally! I didn't have to do the convincing this time! Why can't there be a page like this for every occasion?
Thanks again!
Sincerely,
Jessica Brandon
Posted by: Jessica | March 25, 2005 at 09:57 AM