Tag: Chef David Omar

Five Pork Dishes To Try On Zinc’s Tapas Tuesday Menu

Posted on by Sharman

Looking for some inspiration for date night in the capital city? The Art Gallery of Alberta in Edmonton is free to explore on Tuesday & Wednesday evenings, and Zinc Restaurant is making the experience even more desirable with their new Tapas Tuesday menu.

I recently had an opportunity to check out the new Tapas Tuesday menu along with some other Edmonton food bloggers and the dish that had everyone talking was Chef David Omar’s Pretzel bun Bear and The Flower Farm pulled Alberta pork sandwich with coleslaw, red onions, mayo and pickles for just $4. They even made a special gluten free version just for me.

Here are five pork-packed dishes to try on Zinc Restaurant’s Tapas Tuesday menu:

 

  1. Pretzel bun Bear and The Flower Farm pulled Alberta pork sandwich with coleslaw, red onions, mayo and pickles
  2. Grilled chorizo sausage on a demi baguette, with sauerkraut and Dijon mustard
  3. Bacon roasted wild boar terrine with butter poached onions, foie gras, Dijon aioli and onion jam

    Photo courtesy of Linda Hoang
  4. Escargot with chorizo, shallots, green peas, sweet potatoes, gorgonzola, cream reduction and baguettes

    Photo courtesy of Eating is the Hard Part
  5. Grilled romaine lettuce with Parmesan croutons, maple bacon, fried capers, preserved lemon, and confit garlic emulsion

 

In case that doesn’t get you hungry, you can also check out Linda Hoang’s and Chris’ Eating is the Hard Part recaps of Tapas Tuesday at Zinc Restaurant for more inspiration.

Zinc Restaurant is located inside the Art Gallery of Alberta on:
2 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
T5J 2C1

Recap: Swine & Dine YEG at Zinc Restaurant

Posted on by Sharman

On Sunday May 24, 2015, Chef David Omar hosted Swine & Dine Edmonton’s first ever brunch at Zinc Restaurant. Located in the Art Gallery of Alberta, and with a glass wall giving way to a view of city hall and Churchill Square, I think Zinc is one of the most beautiful rooms Edmonton to have a meal. 

IMG_4903While past Swine & Dines have had a start time with all diners digging in at the same time, we switched things up and allowed Swine & Diners to book their own table anytime during the regular Sunday brunch hours of 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. I organized a table of 14 for the occasion – finding friends who want to indulge in an all-Alberta-pork brunch was not difficult. 

IMG_4905

When we arrived Chef Omar allowed me to have a sneak peak in the kitchen where he was carefully dunking slices of bacon in chocolate in preparation of our dessert course.

IMG_4904

An assortment of pork-packed pastries had just come out of the oven when we arrived. 

FullSizeRender (12)

The smell of bacon, fig, strawberry and orange tarts, bacon cinnamon buns and croissants filled the kitchen.

FullSizeRender (13)

When I mentioned that it looked like someone had taste-tested these bacon cinnamon buns, Chef Omar confessed it was him. 

IMG_4907

There is no room for plain pastries for a Swine and Dine brunch at Zinc Restaurant – instead patrons were treated to these caramelized pear, bacon and nutmeg croissants. 

IMG_4910The pastries course was complimented with root beer bacon butter and blackberry jam.

FullSizeRender (14)Sadly, this gluten-free girl couldn’t indulge in the bacon-packed pastry course, but Chef Omar did make me a plate with the bacon, fig, strawberry and orange tart filling to be enjoyed with crisp bacon bits, blackberry jam, and a selection of cheeses from the traditional brunch menu. It was delightful!

IMG_4914

The pastry plates from my table of Swine & Diners were sent back to the kitchen licked clean. 

IMG_4919Next up was the entree – a generous serving of Paradise Valley free range Alberta pork belly atop a white bean ragout, gala apples, onions, horseradish, and Saskatoon berry syrup and topped with a fried egg. Sweet and savoury – I let my egg yolk drip over my plate before polishing it off.

IMG_1156To finish our meal we indulged in a bite of maple bacon crème brûlée topped with candied pork rinds and served with a crisp piece of chocolate dipped bacon. With just one bite I knew that a Swine & Dine brunch was a great idea. 

Even though we were stuffed, Chef Omar brought out an extra plate of chocolate dipped bacon; it disappeared immediately.

Chef Omar and his culinary team produced an amazing three-course meal for our first ever Swine and Dine brunch. Zinc’s regular brunch menu is full of delicious pork dishes, you can visit them inside the Art Gallery of Alberta at:

Zinc Restaurant 
2 Sir Winston Churchill Square
780-392-2501