Vi's for Pies

I've been hearing about this place for awhile and finally had a chance to check it out. Really nice little cafe. Mostly a place for desserts but they have some other food there too. The interior is nice and relaxing and has a fireplace. If you are a chocoholic you have to have the chocolate, almond and coconut cream pie. It is so rich and creamy and has a chocolate crumbly base. All of their portions are quite large and worth the money. Oh and the waitress was such a sweetheart.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars

Website: none found/13408 stony plain rd

The Red Piano

What an amazing time I had at this place last night. It's a new place in West Edmonton Mall Bourbon st. You have to go to this place. It's rather upscale though. No jeans allowed. There is a red carpet that leads up to the entrance to make you feel somewhat like a vip. Coatcheck is $3 and is mandatory. It was somewhat disappointing at first to discover that there were no available tables to sit at. The only ones we found were in the back and were reserved. If you reserve a table it's $20 we later found out. We were starting to feel like it wasn't our sort of place but then the really nice door guys found us a good table with an ok view of the duelling pianos. Yes, there are two pianos in the centre of the room with some performers that can play any song that you request. (On each table there are little pieces of paper where you can place song requests. They generally prefer $20 or so but they might get to your song toward the end of the night. They played all the well known songs of everyone's generation. Lots of Elton John to my delight and the guy singing sounded almost just like him. In fact, most of the time they sounded like the original artists.
I added this post as a restaurant review because you can get food there too. They specialize in New Orleans/cajun cooking. I chose their 3 soups sampler and I have to say, those were the three best tasting soups I have ever had in my life. One was a seafood gumbo, another french onion and the other some sort of chicken or something I don't recall, but each one was flavoured so deliciously that I highly recommend it. I highly recommend this whole place. Not only do you get a great meal and 100% attentive service (the waitress always made sure we had water), but you get enjoyable entertainment w/a bit of a lightshow. Heck even their website is enjoyable. Check it out!

Rating: 10 stars out of 10
Website: http://www.theredpiano.ca

Block 1912

I would rather have stuck with restaurant reviews as opposed to cafes but since this is my favorite cafe I wanted to add it. Located on Whyte ave, this cafe is the best in the city. It has an artsy atmosphere with comfortable furniture and high ceilings that create a feeling of spaciousness. They don't have much for food, only a certain amount of items in their display case, but when it comes to desserts, it's hard to make a choice. They are all so delicious. They also can make up any smoothy or ice cream item that you desire. If you're allergic to regular milk, they can make any drink with soymilk. I used to go here with my writing group and order a big piece of chocolate cake and a chai tea in one of those big mugs you see on 'friends'. Everyone I've spoken to loves this place.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars

Website: none found

Humpty's

The atmosphere upon entering says cozy country kitchen. It's very clean and has comfortable booths. The service is really friendly and prompt. They make great smoothies but unfortunately their food is not very good. It's probably good as a breakfast place with the family or a get together with a friend for coffee but that's about it.

Rating: 5.5 out 10 stars

Website: http://www.humptys.com

Earl's (West Edmonton Mall location)

It's trendy, clean and cramped. The tables are all in one big open space and are all close together. It's rather noisy and seems to be where the younger crowd goes to be seen. I prefer cozy and comfortable booths. There aren't any. It seems like half sports bar and half posh restaurant. As for the service, nothing to complain about. As for the food, I didn't like my sandwich at all but my husband really enjoyed his meal. Considering he's picky when it comes to restaurants, he really likes Earls including this location. He likes the food and they have his favorite type of beer.

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars

Website: http://www.earls.ca

Earl's (Mayfield Common area)

Pleasantly surprised upon entering Earl's last night. After all the negative stuff I had heard about other locations, I figured this one would be just as bad. It wasn't at all. The atmosphere was warm and cozy with beautiful glass etchings throughout. There were a bunch of artsy pictures on the walls and a fireplace. The service was good, we didn't have to wait long for our meals or beverages. I had a tasty and unique meal. Actually it was an appetizer of prawns and scallops in a soft tortilla shell with a creamy lime dip. I don't usually like seafood but I really liked this. My father-in-law wolfed down his meal within minutes, which I believe was linguini with prawns. The guy behind me said his meal was really tasty once i overheard the waitress ask him how everything was. Decently priced food and plenty of items to choose from. Good job Earl's team!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars

Website: http://www.earls.ca

Fantasy Grill

Been there a few times. Comes across as fancy but is more of a family restaurant. You feel somewhat wealthy when you eat there. Nice atmosphere, good place to celebrate a birthday. I had a plate of strawberries and whipped cream drizzled with chocolate and topped with a sparkler for free. Waitstaff is attentive to your needs.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars

Website: http://www.fantasylandhotel.com/dining/fantasyland_grill.asp