Solstice Seasonal Cuisine
10723 124 St. NW
780-488-4567
solsticefood.com
Reservations: Opentable.ca
Delivery: Skipthedishes.com
Monday to Saturday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. (Fri. and Sat. Thurs. 11 p.m.)
Lunch-times – Delivery only – Skipthedishes.com
Dinner for two excluding tip, taxes or beverages: Basic, $50; loaded $130
Food: 3 of 5 Suns
Ambience: 3 of 5 Suns
Service: 3 of 5 Suns
By GRAHAM HICKS
How perplexing.
How could a restaurant that earned a rave review from the Weekly Dish four years ago have spiraled down to ho-hum with the same (according to its website) executive chef, sous chef and front-of-house manager?
How did Solstice Seasonal Cuisine, on 124 Street, become so quickly dated and old-fashioned?
Solstice Seasonal chef Jan Trittenbach was the talk of town when he won the 2015 Edmonton Gold Medal Plates chef competition. He had won the same prestigious prize in 2011 as chef at the much-missed Packrat Louie.
What happened? The elements making Solstice Seasonal so beguiling a few years back seem to have evaporated, save for the visual presentations.
In ambience, that which was cozy four years ago is now dark and dated. Attention, restaurant managers: If diners have to use their flashlight apps to read the menu, it’s too dark.
Table-side service, while efficient, has lost its charm. Our server was superficially pleasant, but detached and definitely unenthusiastic.
The food, lip-smackingly good the last go-round, was OK, but not memorable.
In fact, not even particularly good, if compared to its fine-dining competition and Solstice’s own past.
Out of nine dishes ordered by our party of four, two, the lamb shank and the wild boar rillette (a type of pate), were delicious.
Everything else looked pretty – this kitchen is strong on presentation – but was bereft of the memorable flavours and textures of past Trittenbach dishes.
The piled-up bass looked nice, and the description of its accompanying lemon, marscapone and risotto croquettes was enticing. So why was the fish so bland?
The ahi tuna appetizer was good, firm, chilled, but without distinctiveness, nothing to differentiate it from any reputable sushi shop.
A lightly battered chicken cordon bleu was a cute starter, presented as a four-bite mini-roll. But, again, the ham and raclette cheese within made no statement.
A braised bite of beef chuck, with a “poutine croquet” was neither here nor there. Its sauce was plebian.
Of the starters, the wild boar rillette was the standout – good, strong, earthy flavours.
The same could be said among the entrees, for the big, bold lamb shank, roasted to perfection, absorbing the flavours – prune, caramelized fig – in which it was likely marinated and definitely cooked.
The duck fettucini looked great on the menu – pasta with chopped duck confit and smoked duck breast, in a cream, mushroom and fancy-egg sauce. What arrived was a bit of a mush, the glutenous pasta and cream sauce completely overpowering the duck. The pasta and its sauce was so heavy that barely half the bowl could be consumed. What happened to Trittenbach’s light touch?
Was it just an off-night? No, not on a Friday night at the start of the holiday season, not when the guest has a right to expect ( based on reputation and price) an exceptional dining experience.
It simply appears this kitchen, for whatever reasons and hopefully temporarily, has lost its way.
•••
Between disappointing dinners and closures, fine dining in Edmonton is under siege.
The latest casualty: After 20 years of superb cuisine, Chef/owner Shonn Oborowsky has shut the doors to his downtown Characters Fine Dining.
The Oborowky family will continue to own the 105 Street building, but the beautiful chalet-like restaurant has been leased to the Bear Hill Brewing Company that started in Jasper and has opened its bistro/brewery brands in Banff, Calgary, Fort McMurray and now Edmonton.
Oborowsky does not blame the usual suspects – downtown parking, ever-increasing taxes, minimum wage increases, fewer discretionary dollars – though all, he says, were part of the closure decision.
“After 20 years, I’m physically and mentally tired,” says Shonn. “It’s time for a break, to be with my family, to help my mom and dad (Judy and Don Oborowsky) with their businesses.”
Shonn, who is one fine chef, does not rule out a return to his craft in the future. At 47, he’s young enough to enjoy another start-up. Thanks, Shonn, for 20 years of exceptional cooking!