Restaurant Review: Bernadette’s
BERNADETTE'S
10114 104th Street | bernadettes.ca
Instagram: @bernadettes104
Co-Diners: The Husband + The Coxes
I've said it before and I'll say it again: experiencing different cultures through food builds some of the strongest bridges. It has become a passion of mine to taste the entire world through its cuisines. I am thrilled to see that our own country is beginning to celebrate and honour Indigenous food experiences - the truest version of "Canadian cuisine." Chef Scott Jonathan Iserhoff has been blazing trails in Edmonton / Amiskwaciwâskahikan / ᐊᒥᐢᑲᐧᒋᐋᐧᐢᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ and you might remember him from the beloved Pei Pei Chei Ow, a smaller and more casual restaurant that served as an excellent stepping stone to today's Bernadette's. Opening in the spring of this year and named after his Kokhum (grandmother), people are already taking a lot of notice of this Downtown spot, and with good reason. I don't think that our city has ever seen anything like a fine dining Indigenous restaurant before and it could be assumed that many might not know what to expect. However, trust me when I say that you are in capable and skilled hands with Chef Iserhoff. He has given our city such a beautiful gift. Bernadette's was a nominee in enRoute magazine's Canada's Best New Restaurants 2024, a well-deserved accolade and surely the first of many. I visited Bernadette's on a Saturday evening and let me assure you that the intimate space demands a reservation. The restaurant exudes a warmth while maintaining a downtown-chic vibe. The design is simply stunning with your eyes immediately being drawn to the absolutely gorgeous mural of Alberta's flowers and plants. Painted by Indigenous artist bb iskwew, the colours positively sing on the wall. I loved the rose-hued paint and upholstery accented by pops of deep green and gold. The colour palette is very much my aesthetic and the style choices are perfection in my opinion. The lighting was dim and the tables bathed in the glow of candlelight. Starting the evening with drinks, there is an extensive menu that features natural wines, beer, cider, and a very exciting cocktail program. However, once I saw the SPAMartini ($27.00) I couldn't think about anything else.
I am already a huge fan of sipping on a great dirty martini - the dirtier the better - and this SPAMartini seemed to take the entire cocktail to a whole new level. I have no idea what the process entails when "washing" a liquor but I've had a brisket-washed bourbon at a different restaurant before so I was already familiar with the concept. The martini embodied a unique flavour that was punctuated by acidic olive brine which created a balance that really worked for me. It didn't taste like processed meat but instead a very clever use of ingredients. The garnish of fried SPAM-stuffed olives were delicious little pops of salty, meaty goodness. As far as I'm concerned, this beverage was innovative and inspired. The food at Bernadette's is meant to be seasonal, local and wild, traditional, and political. Sustainably harvested ingredients step into the forefront while traditional recipes receive modern interpretations. It's a menu for today's society that celebrates the land that surrounds us. There is a "terroir" movement happening in the restaurant industry and Bernadette's is one of the best examples of it that we have in Edmonton. The dishes are meant for sharing and there is a seven-course blind tasting menu option for $160 per person (which I will absolutely be back to experience!). Alternatively, the list of à la carte options allows you to build your own journey. Virtually every dish sounded interesting to me and there were a few specials on offer as well. We did our best to create a well-rounded feast of flavours, sampling as much as possible. Starting with the Takwakin Salad ($24.00), I remembered how much I enjoyed the salad at Pei Pei Chei Ow and was hoping for a similar feeling.
Impossibly fresh, this salad felt perfectly matched to the fall season with the use of squash and pumpkin seed. We noted that the fine chop on the tender kale not only made this salad easy to eat and share, but also reminded us of tabouli. The best part were the textural elements like the crunchy puffed wild rice which made this salad such a huge surprise. An excellent way to bring some green freshness to the table! Next to arrive was the Raw Bison ($32.00). If ever there was a correct time to order bison, this certainly seemed like it. There are also Bison Ribs on the menu that sound wonderful.
The plate was adorned with paper-thin slices of raw bison meat and our server instructed us to squeeze the lemon over the entire dish. Can I take a moment to mention that the dishware at Bernadette's is completely stunning? I could not possibly love the antique-style, mismatched, floral dishes more and they suit the atmosphere of the restaurant beautifully. We added the optional Bannock Medallions ($3.00) as a vessel for the bison. The meat was delicately tender and the sweet pops of raspberries and blueberries mixed with the tart lemon juice created a lovely balance. I understand that the bannock was meant to be used almost like a cracker, but I have to say that I did miss getting a nice big wedge of pan-fried bread with a caramelized crust. (Which is also on the menu and I will be sure to order it next time.) I think I just wanted a bigger bannock presence!
Our server explained that the last few dishes on the menu were meant to be smaller bites and a chance for us to experience some different flavours. She also noted that all of these plates were served in fours, which would work well for our table of four people. Using this information, we ordered the SPAM Pops ($12.00) and were dismayed to receive only three portions, especially when we were told otherwise. We asked if we could add one extra and were told that we could not. We could only order a second portion. Overall, while the service at Bernadette's was friendly, I found the service to be a low point. Our two servers didn't seem to be able to answer questions confidently and we were clearly given misinformation about the portion sizes and were offered no easy solution.
I was very surprised and impressed at the amount of SPAM used on this menu. First of all, they are taking the bold step of incorporating (quite a lot) of SPAM into a fine dining experience. And secondly, they've got the guts to do it. This is actually were I can see the menu as becoming political. My guess is that the use of SPAM in Indigenous culture is similar to the origins of today's SPAM-love in Asian countries like Korea and the state of Hawaii. Introduced to these places by the US army during the war, food was scarce and people used whatever they could find to make a meal. It's not a stretch to imagine a similar story taking place in Indigenous communities. However, I think that we've gotten to the point where most people (especially me!) have realized that SPAM is actually amazingly delicious. Looking at Bernadette's menu and finding several different dishes that incorporate the use of SPAM was exciting to me! I'm a huge fan of the square-canned specially processed American meat! Although we had to split three SPAM Pops four ways, I really enjoyed how crunchy these were. The outside texture was very enjoyable and the salty piece of meat on the inside was almost like a little corn dog.
Bernadette's serves beautiful seafood dishes including Seared Scallops ($26.00). They also do octopus and often have oysters available.
This dish was full of bright, garlicky, verdant notes of flavour! The meaty scallops were seared to an ideal doneness and paired well with the other elements. I loved seeing the use of dandelion, a wonderful example of an ingredient that is rarely present on a typical menu but is celebrated at Bernadette's. This dish feels like eating off of the land in a sustainable yet joyful way.
If there is one dish that I'd heard the most about prior to my visit, it was the Saskatoon Berry Brisket ($22.00). The berry BBQ brisket sandwich from Pei Pei Chei Ow lives on!
Everyone agreed that this was the best thing that we ate! (Which makes sense because it was the favourite item at Pei Pei Chei Ow as well.) Shredded braised brisket is combined with a housemade Saskatoon berry BBQ sauce and is topped off with caramelized onions, sitting atop rounds of bannock like little towers. Each bite was sweet, savoury, and full of juicy and delicious flavour. You can witness the evolution of the food by looking at this dish - what was once a casual messy sandwich is now an elevated small plate. It still embodies everything about what modern Indigenous cuisine can be - it's today's food and it's comfort food. Our big final dish was the SPAM & Dumplings ($28.00). And yes, I ordered everything on the menu that featured SPAM and I'd do it again.
Creamy and unctuous, the Mushkego dumplings on this plate were very similar to a soft and pillowy Parisian gnocchi. Channeling carbonara, the pieces of salty SPAM stood in place of guanciale. This dish was full of sharp and indulgent flavours. Fried sage was the perfect final touch.
To finish off the feast, I had to try the Saskatoon Berry Tart ($7.00) with a side of Sweet Grass Ice Cream ($9.00).
Indigenous to Alberta, Saskatoon berries are a huge pride of the prairies. The berries are known for their sweet, nutty almond flavour and the pastry dough was the perfect match. The real star though was the sweet grass ice cream. Sweet and delicate, I loved the way that they were able to capture the flavour of the grass, almost like a toasted hay. What an unbelievable treat unlike anything that I've ever tasted! They were also serving Red Rose tea ice cream, which I bet would have been equally wonderful. I didn't take advantage of the Cafe part of the menu but I would really like to. They have a Red Rose Sweetgrass Latte that sounds incredible and that I'm sure would pair beautifully with the ice cream. I'm unclear whether Bernadette's is still serving lunch (their website suggests yes?) but I would absolutely love to visit for one of their legendary sandwiches if they are. In any case, I will be back to try their tasting menu because I want to go on that culinary journey very much. I loved my experience at this restaurant and it was one of the best meals that I've had this year.
Our vibrant Indigenous community is a modern culture that is so beautifully and intelligently showcased through the thoughtful and creative menu at Bernadette's. You have not tasted Indigenous food like this ever before. It's new and refreshing and I cannot wait to return. ᒦᑴᒡ
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