Chartier had always been on my top list of places to try ever since hearing about their kickstarter project back in 2015 which raised over $107,000 towards the campaign. It’s located about 30 minutes south of downtown Edmonton in Beaumont. My best friend took us here for my (very) belated birthday dinner.
The restaurant was already packed with customers at 6:30 PM on a cold Saturday night. I didn’t get a chance to take a photo of the interior. Just picture a warm, vintage, and cozy home.
Since it was our first time here and we already made the drive, we ordered a little more food than necessary to share.
Sweet cocktail to build up the appetite!
House-made sourdough bread and butter ($7) added with foie gras ($11) was honestly one of highlights of this whole meal. The crust was glossy with a golden brown colour and the texture was incredibly soft. My friend loved the butter – it was lightly sweetened with a hint of maple flavour and complimented the foie gras.
Next, our server recommended the brussel sprouts for a more lighter dish. It’s basically brussel sprout leaves, green apple, toasted hazelnuts, parmesan tossed in garlic, lemon, and anchovy vinaigrette. Although this dish was good, it wasn’t particularly anything special. You could easily recreate this dish at home by tasting it and distinguishing all the ingredients.
It’s a sin to not order poutine at a French-Canadian restaurant. This famous poutine came with triple cooked hand-cut French fries, cheese curds, and house made Montreal style gravy. Cheese curds were squeaky and retained their shape despite being poured over by hot gravy. If you wanted that typical melted ooey gooey cheese, this is not for you. Fries were thick, not too soggy, not too crispy, and honestly probably the best poutine in the city.
We got offered half the portion ($5) instead of the full given how much we’ve already ordered and she didn’t want us to overstuff ourselves — talk about hospitality! The actual dish is $9 for double the size.
As mentioned in my previous blog posts, I have to get beef tartare every time I see it on the menu. Chartier made their own take on this using Alberta striploin with pickled blueberries, shallots, thyme, blueberry dust, blueberry mustard, egg yolk, parmesan crisps and house-made potato chips. I was surprised with how it was more sweet than savoury. A little step down from the previous ones I’ve had but still enjoyable.
Apparently, this was everyone’s favourite. 1 pound of PEI mussels with Bear and the Flower andouille sausage, pickled red onions, blue cheese, and house-made charred sourdough. This was my least liked dish.
PEI mussels are supposed to have a clean fresh ocean smell with a mild fishy taste. These ones were overpowered by a strong fishy smell and instead of tasting like the sea, it reminded of me food that was left in the fridge for a couple of days. The sourdough bread was way too sour to be enjoyable and sausage was quite dry as well. I’d opt out of this dish next time. Maybe it’s just me though! My friend didn’t seem to mind it 🙂
Another dish we fell in love with. Braised chuck with red wine poached pear, bacon roasted mushrooms, and rosemary panko sitting on an apple purée. It reminded me of a hearty beef stew. The chuck was slow-cooked for hours and was fork tender. Fell right apart without a knife. Filling, full-bodied, and beefy. As much as I love ordering tapas, it’s refreshing to see restaurants still offering full size dishes.
That’s it! A very satisfying dinner for us. I’m so glad I finally got to try this place after all this time. I just know I have to go back for their enticing brunch menu. I’m envious of those living in Beaumont — it’s such a beautiful small part of town, and to top it all off, they have Chartier just right there! Notably, the service was also amazing and probably one of the best I’ve had in awhile.
Chartier5012 50 St #102, Beaumont, AB T4X 1E6
YEG CRAVINGS 