10359 104 Street NW #102, Edmonton

I have been slacking a little bit on the posting front… It’s been a busy last few weeks for me! I had some familial obligations in Red Deer, and then spent some time with my cousins that were moving back to Edmonton for school. That being said though, I had the chance to try out a few new places, so be prepared for a few upcoming posts in the coming week(s).

I’ve wanted to try Rostizado for a little while now, but I don’t usually like to go to a brand new restaurant right when it opens. Every restaurant always has a few kinks to work out in the first few months! Or at least, I like to at least go once when they first open, and then again, just to write and comment on improvements. They are a sister restaurant to Tres Carnales. They were both featured on You Gotta Eat Here, and they are currently in the running for one of Canada’s best new restaurants in Air Canada’s magazine.

It’s located right by Mercer Tavern, by the new Arena. There’s a few meters around, and there’s a small parking lot where you can pay to park. It’s also a relatively close walk from Bay-Enterprise square station, which is fine during the spring/summer, but can be a bit daunting during the winter. It can be hard to get a table at times, but they have this app where you can go and reserve tables. It was a nice summer day, so we decided to sit on the patio (but forewarning, you can’t order from their rotisserie menu if you sit on the patio).

Again, since we sat on the patio, I didn’t get a chance to experience any of their rotisserie, so I will definitely have to come back and try that! Instead, me, Lequyen, and Thomas decided to share a few aappetizer, the Queso Fundido,  Gorditas, and Tamales.

The Queso Fundido is melted cheese with mushrooms, chile, onions, all melted together, topped with pork rinds and served with tortilla chips and bread.  It comes served in a cast iron skillet, and is very hot. This is a nice and easy dish to share with a couple of people. It has a nice blend of two cheeses, smoked gouda and monterrey jack. I really like their tortilla chips. It’s the same ones that are served with the guacamole at Tres Carnales and they are really crispy and light. It’s a really nice and easy dish to eat and share, so definitely a plus. One comment I can make is that I couldn’t really see or taste any of the pork rinds.

The other appetizer we got were the Gorditas. This was pulled pork shoulder, simmered in green salsa, served in between two fluffy corn cakes. This was probably my favourite out of the three dishes. The corn cakes are light and fluffy, and really took in the flavour of the salsas. This dish can be a bit on the spicy side, so definitely a plus if you like your food with a little bit of a kick. The radish salsa gives it some nice texture. Really tender pork, and overall just a really nice and light dish.

For our last dish, we got the Tamales. It comes with one of their rotisserie meats (pork or chicken), wrapped in a corn dough and then steamed, and topped with salsa. We decided to get one with pork and the other with chicken. This dish was really quite nice. The corn dough was very nice, and really soaked in the salsa, and when accompanied by the chicken, was really nice. The  corn husk really sealed in all the different flavours and made this dish really good. It was steamed to the perfect tenderness, and really easy to cut with your fork. Easy to share, and great dish!

Overall, I really enjoyed my experience at Rostizado! It can get a little bit busy there, depending on what time you come. I really enjoyed all of their appetizers. I think the Gorditas were definitely my favourite out of the three that I tried. The service is really friendly, and I really like the area of the city. They also have a pretty intensive drink menu as well. I definitely need to come back here and try their rotisserie. This really is a great addition to Edmonton’s Downtown restaurant scene. Give it a try if you have a chance!