Restaurant Review: MEAT

MEAT

8216 104st Street ~ meatfordinner.com Instagram: @meat_yeg ~ Twitter: @MeatForDinner Co-Diner: Tim Golem

When I think of the NEXT act / MEAT / pip family of restaurants, just taking over their entire block like a pile of culinary kings in this city, it reminds me of Edmonton's version of the Joe Beef monopoly in Little Burgundy in Montreal. I really enjoy seeing these types of things in this city. I remember when MEAT opened back in 2014... Because it happened mere days after I had moved away from Edmonton, 'causing me to miss their opening, much to my dismay. These days they're a standard restaurant in Old Strathcona and everyone knows that it's where you go to EAT MEAT HERE. They were featured on season five of You Gotta Eat Here! and VUE Weekly named them everything; #1 Best BBQ 2018, #1 Best Smokehouse 2018 and #1 Best Place for the Meat Sweats 2018. In six years they have clearly become the place to go for BBQ in Edmonton. I visited on a Saturday evening and as expected, the place was buzzing. You'll recognize the restaurant easily by its navy blue and white colour scheme, both inside and out. Once inside you will be met by stacks of logs (for the smokin'!), navy blue tile, and pale wood. We were seated at a table inside but they've also got a patio should you prefer to dine outside. The service is super friendly and easy-going, ready to bring you all sorts of meat. (That's why you came, isn't it?) "Have a drink with your MEAT" is what the menu instructs and I ran with that suggestion. Bourbon is the thing at MEAT which compliments the Southern stylings of the menu quite well. In fact, they even offer bourbon flights (tell me more about this "pickleback" because that just sounds like something that I want regardless of if I'm drinking bourbon or not). (PS - It's a shot of pickle brine to be used as a chaser.) I was very intrigued by the Brisket Caesar which is made with brisket-washed bourbon and I will most definitely try this on my next visit. However on this visit I zeroed in on the Bourbon Cocktails and selected the Peach Sweet Tea ($12.00).

Steeped tea, rosemary, honey. Served with 2oz Buffalo Trace Bourbon.

This seemed like the perfect combination of things. You get the sweet tea which is the perfect non-alcoholic thing to drink with this style of food plus you get the bourbon which is the perfect alcoholic thing to drink. It's the best of both worlds! This beverage was boozy!! But not in an unpleasant way because it was also sweet and refreshing. Let's eat MEAT! There are seven different meats on the menu but why waste time when you can just order the Meat Sampler ($65.00) and be done with it? You should probably throw some sides in there as well. There are ten to choose from and I went for the Brussels Sprouts ($7.00 for small) and the Mac & Cheese ($8.00 for small). I will say that the wait for our food took quite a long time. It makes sense because the restaurant was busy and I didn't mind too much because I was having a fun time hanging out with my cocktail. But it was still pretty noticeable.

1/2lb beef brisket, 1/2lb pulled pork, 1/2 rack pork ribs, 1/2 smoked chicken, 1 piece fried chicken, 1 sausage.

At long last our metal tray of MEAT arrived and we were more than ready to dive in like ravenous, carnivorous maniacs. Starting with the beef brisket, I loved the profound smoke rings on each slab of meat but unfortunately I have to say that this was my least favourite thing on the plate. I found the brisket to be a little bit too dry (and I actually don't mind a bit of dryness on my brisket) and it just seemed to be lacking the juicy flavour that I had been hoping for. Don't worry., the other meats more than made up for this. Next, the pulled pork. Normally, I wouldn't even order this because I tend to find pulled pork to be somewhat played out. Well that would be a huge mistake because MEAT's pulled pork was my favourite thing on the plate. The flavour was delicious, a little bit salty, with caramelized bits that tasted like heaven. You could actually taste and appreciate the flavour of the meat because the pork wasn't drowned away in sauce and instead was served straight-up and simple. (On that note; MEAT makes their own homemade BBQ sauces, four of them; bourbon, cherry, spicy and mustard. These are available on each table and you are free to customize your own sauce journey and experiment with different sauce and meat combos.) Next stop is the BBQ pork ribs which were fall-off-the-bone goodness. I loved the spicy-sweet bark, achieved by using brown sugar. They were tender and full of so much big flavour. The smoked chicken was another item that seemed to surprise me. I loved the big dry-smoked flavour and the juicy chicken on the inside. I feel like I'd be super happy to crush a quarter of this any time (dark meat please!). Staying in the chicken zone, the fried chicken was excellent as well. The breading was so satisfyingly crunchy, encasing piping-hot, ultra-juicy meat inside. They brine the chicken in advance which makes such a huge difference in ensuring a great flavour. I would do this crunch any day. Lastly, Meuwly's andouille sausage was a nice and tasty link with a great spicy punch. This platter is a great way to sample everything that MEAT has to offer, determine your favourites, and in the future you'll always know what to order. Don't forget about the sides! The brussel sprouts were a much needed way to bring some green freshness to a very meaty meal. I loved the sweetness from the honey which is always such a perfect compliment to brussel sprouts. The mac & cheese was also super creamy and good with a nice sharpness from the aged white cheddar. There's always room for dessert and we grabbed the Bourbon Banana Parfait ($10.00).

Housemade custard with graham cracker and whipped cream.

This dessert was ideal because it felt nice and light which is just about all that one can handle after an epic meal like the one that we just consumed. The banana custard packed all of the sweet banana flavour that you could ever want. What surprised me the most was how light and crisp the graham cracker was! It was unlike anything I've ever experienced in graham cracker form and I loved it. There are a lot of impressive things going on at MEAT. They also serve brunch on the weekend and now I need to try that. I also need to try one of their sandwiches on my next visit and I'd like to taste more of their sides. There are a whole lot of combinations to create and experience. Alberta is a province that knows meat. And let’s face it, it’s pretty carnivorous place. Might as well eat it at a restaurant that knows how to smoke a thing properly!