Top 5 Restaurants in YEG - Sarah York | Foodies of Edmonton

Foodies of Edmonton’s Top 5 Restaurants in YEG

1.Sabor

This spot has to be my top choice for this exquisite list for top 5 restaurants in Edmonton! Featuring the flavours of Iberian coastal cuisine using sustainable seafood, served alongside the passion and energy of live music with a Latin flare you are sure to enjoy your experience! The atmosphere is lovely along with caring service. Choose from an array of delicious handcrafted drinks using fresh ingredients, with an interesting variety of tapas and well thought out selection of seafood and as they like to call it “landfood”. Too top it off there are many gluten free options!

My dinner of choice would have to be the “Rack of Lamb” with roasted potatoes, vegetables and fresh mint-parsley.

2. The Marc

The Marc is one of those places where you leave and say, “I’ll be back!” Named one of the top three dining experiences in Edmonton and four-time winner of “Best Steak” by Avenue Magazine, it is sure to impress. The decor is simple and unpretentious, with a smooth casual but professional feel making in comfortable and relaxing. There is also the quaint street side patio available, of course in Edmonton weather permitting ;) The service and attention to detail is simply admirable with choices of a variety of traditional bistro fare.

My dinner of choice is the “Arctic Char” With precisely executed pan seared fish, served with couscous, and vegetable pieces. This colorful and summery dish will not disappoint!

3. Central Social Hall

This gastropub is the epitome of the meaning, while serving high-end beer drinks and food. Central began with a focus on its night time atmosphere but following renovations and months of re-working the menu it's clear that they value fresh, unique spins on classic pub fare. Particularly being impressed with the effort they put in to locally sourcing their food. Not to mention the free chicken wings on Friday from 3-6pm ;)

My dinner choice has to be the “Tokyo chicken” with crisp fried ginger + soy marinated chicken, crispy won ton chips with srirancha mayo accompanied by “The Beautiful Salad” grilled herb chicken, avocado hummus, ribbon carrots, candy cane beets, watermelon radish, spinach, cucumber, quinoa, grape tomatoes, toasted sunflower seeds, apple cider vinaigrette

4. Kabuki Sushi and Grill

My top-rated sushi spot by far! Kabuki Sushi has a mind-numbingly wide selection of items on the menu; the sushi, sashimi, tempura, noodles, katsu and don buri (rice bowls), and a higher level of "exotic" variants. There's an adventure in figuring out what to order, and another adventure in consuming your catch! Fancy sushi rolls, easily big enough to share for two on date night. Sometimes the whole adventure is just searching through the menu, pinpointing those rolls which perfectly match the mood.

My dinner choice would have to be and order of “Dragon Eye Salmon”-House special combination of deep fried salmon, green onion and rice drenched in house sauce with the “House Roll”-Shrimp tempura, crab with unagi, avocado, tobiko on top

5. RGE RD

Last but certainly not least RGE RD! As they say it is “off the beaten path” with this Canadian cuisine inspired by our country’s fields and forest, our mountains and oceans. Source ingredients and provisions from farms and small-scale producers across Western Canada. Decadent farmhouse to table food! Those comfort foods you love elevated! Some special points about this dazzling restaurant are that RGE RD organizes a lineup of Farm Dinners across Alberta as well as having a butchery for some freshly prepared terrines, rillettes, sausages and selection of cured meats along with offering fresh baked breads!

My dinner of choice is the “Four Whistle Farms Duck” with roasted duck breast, duck tourtière, oven roasted pear, garden greens, cardamom duck jus. Delicious!

TIPSY TUESDAY - When to Consider Hiring a Social Media Manager | Lilia Communications

Within the last few years, “social media” has evolved from a place where young people post silly photos and chat with their friends to a must-have marketing tactic slash multi-million-dollar business. Every year, something new is happening in the social media world. Platforms are rising, falling, and evolving; algorithms are changing; and more businesses without an online presence are finding it increasingly challenging to stay relevant.

While posting on social media for personal reasons has stayed more or less the same over the years (aside from the styled Instagram accounts of influencers and public figures, most of us still post less-than-stellar selfies and pictures of our pets), social media for businesses has changed a fair bit. Gone are the days of “Oh, this is a cool pic. I’ll post this on Facebook.” Hello calculated social media strategies.

Social media isn’t just something businesses have because “everyone has it.” (If this is your business, I recommend considering a social media manager sooner than later.) It’s now a real marketing tool where businesses invest real marketing dollars and see real results. New analytics integrations have also made it easy for businesses to see exactly how social media is impacting their product or service sales.

While it really is impossible to become an expert in the field of social media, with time, effort, and a little bit of help from someone who has worked in the field for a few years, it is becoming easier to spot what works and what doesn’t. If you happen to be managing your own social media platforms, and you notice any of these red flags, it might be time to consider hiring a social media manager to help you stay on top of your competition:

1. Your social media is inconsistent and does not reflect your business.When I chat with business owners, there are often times when I can tell, right away, if social media is just another item on their to-do list. They don’t necessarily see the value in proper social media strategy and management, so they post whatever they feel like whenever they have time. Unfortunately, there are two main things wrong with this. One, for most businesses, in order to be successful on social media, you need to post semi-regularly. This doesn’t mean you have to post every day (the frequency with which you post on each platform will vary), but you must stay relevant and in the forefront of your consumers’ minds. Secondly, if the content you’re posting does not provide value, represent your company, or help you reach your goals, there really isn’t point to posting at all.

2. You have no idea what to post on social media, and you don’t have time to look into it. As mentioned above, if you’re posting whatever you feel like on social media, without rhyme or reason, there’s a high chance you won’t see desired results. You might not see any increase in following or increase in sales. What you post on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. is important, and it varies. Ensuring you’re posting the right content (e.g. videos for Facebook and high-quality images for Instagram), with the right messages (proper tone and voice), and an enticing call-to-action (“learn more about this new product on our site”) can take your social media profiles from dead to vibrant in a short period of time. Conducting this research, planning the posts, writing the content, and finding the visuals takes time which is where a social media manager can help.

3. Your competitors are leaving you in the dust. In some industries (business-to-business sales), fewer companies have a strong social media presence while companies in other industries might not be able survive without it. Regardless of the type of industry your business operates in, you might want to consider investing in a social media manager if you notice you are losing business to a competitor who has upped their social media game. With people spending hours on social media every day, your business is at a disadvantage if your competitors are repeatedly popping up in your customers’ feeds and you aren’t. To stay relevant in your industry, and prevent competitors from scooping up your clients, it might be necessary to invest in social media management.

Of course, if you’re starting a business from scratch, social media is something you might want to consider sooner than later. It’s better to start off on the right foot than make a handful of corrections down the road when your business is established and you’re swamped with other duties and costs.

One note of caution: When you’re hiring a social media manager, I recommend hiring someone who has experience managing social media accounts for businesses or organizations. Unfortunately, posting on social media for pleasure (personal) and business aren’t exactly the same. By hiring someone who doesn’t really understand how to navigate social media for business, you might just be dumping a lot of responsibility and pressure on someone who eventually reverts to exactly the same methods you were once using. You might not see the results you were hoping to see either.

Social media isn’t the be-all-end-all of every business, but it is important. My hope is for every business owner to have a positive relationship with social media, instead of a negative one. If you’re a business owner yourself, and you have any questions about social media, please feel free to message me! I’d be more than happy to provide some advice.

TIPSY TUESDAY - Choosing the Right Hair Stylist for Your Wedding | Bliss & Glow Artistry | Adriana Senecal

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You may feel the need to go to your stylist that you've been seeing for 20 years to get your wedding hair done. But is that necessarily the best choice? Sometimes it is but sometimes it could put you into a situation you don't want to be in on your wedding day.

Stylists often specialize in certain areas and are not always strong in every aspect of hairstyling. When choosing your hairstylist, you should consider how much experience they have doing bridal hair. It is a completely different area of expertise than your typical cut and color stylist. Don't get me wrong though, the stylist you've had for 20 years for cut and color may just be equally as phenomenal at bridal hair too! What I'm trying to say is, do your research!

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So you've researched people who specialize in bridal hair, but is that all you need to do? Definitely not. If you are going to a stylist that you've never had before and you're trusting them with your wedding hair, you should be booking in a trial. I know, I know, it costs more money. But you're not JUST paying for a trial, you're also paying for an in-depth consultation, a meet and greet, a chance to get to know each other and of course, a chance to see your potential stylists work. And guess what! If you absolutely hate your trial hair, it's a darn good thing you didn't find this out on your wedding day! You have two options at this point – find a different stylist that you vibe better with that can maybe give you more of what you want, or book in for a redo trial with the same stylist.

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How do you know which option is best? Sometimes having a bad trial can be a good thing! I know, you probably think I'm crazy for saying that but just hear me out. Working with the same person could be way more beneficial in figuring out what you really want. You've talked to your stylist about what you did and didn't like about the trial – this is a huge building block to get your hair exactly how you want it. After all, your going to be looking at your hair in all of your photos! When you switch stylists, you need to start back at square one with the consultation in HOPES that they understand what you're looking for. However, if you didn't like your trial hair and you also didn't vibe well with your stylist, then perhaps you need to find someone else who you can bond more with. If your stylist didn't put an effort in to fix what you didn't like, find a new one asap! Choosing a bridal stylist works just like a friendship – you'll get along with some and you won't get along with others. But the ones who are willing to work with you to get you to your desired end result are the ones worth keeping around!

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You may be thinking at this point, how do I go to someone else and not hurt my stylists feelings? You can't think of it like that! This is YOUR wedding and you need your hair to be perfect. Your stylist will understand and maybe even thank you for going to someone who specializes in bridal hair. It can give some stylists anxiety if it is not their expertise. You need to look after you first when it comes to your special day!

Your wedding day is going to be one of the most memorable days of your life and the majority of that day is about what you look like walking up the aisle to the love of your life. Finding the right people to help your vision come to life is incredibly important. Take the time to do your research and find the best fit for YOU.

Thank you!

Adriana Senecal

Bliss & Glow Artistry

Photo Credit | Bespoke Photography