Yellowknife Online

I wrote this a month and a half ago and never published it. Since Yellowknife seems to be getting its last bit of Summer I thought I would throw this out there.

I have become obsessed with sitting out on patios and decks around town to enjoy the wonderful Yellowknife weather, when it is nice of course. That is why I love grabbing a quick-lunch at Le Stock Pot.  Although I would recommend taking a late lunch if you plan to eat on their patio, it can get full, quick.

The building itself, was, I’m sure at one time a residential home, and then transformed to house a small business. A hair salon once occupied the space before Le Stock Pot took over. The patio, which is to the left in the photo below, has just enough room to fit 8 or so tables, which makes it feel comfortable, and not crowded.

The Chicken Club Panini, which quickly became my favorite meal item, is pre-made with a thick chicken breast, bacon, tomato and delicious sauce, which I can’t pin point. As it is pre-made all that needs to be done is a quick grill and you are good to go. If you don’t want a Panini there is the option to build your own sandwich. There are many breads, meats, cheeses and toppings to choose from and the staff always seems happy to help you build your master piece.

I have to admit, the first time I got the Chicken Club Panini, I did it purely because I felt rushed in line, but I am glad I did. In my opinion I felt I was getting more than what I paid for, then again my Money to Food ratio might be off. Either way the Panini was a good size for me and if need be, a good choice for on the go.

If you are looking to change-up your lunch menu a bit, or are craving a good fresh sandwich or Panini, I would check out Le Stock Pot. Then when you do leave a comment about your experience, what is the best to get?

One of Yellowknife’s best restaurants, and oldest is the Wildcat Cafe. It is a rustic looking log building that is also a national historical site.

I had not been to the Wildcat in a long time and I thought it was time to break that and go enjoy a lunch there. The Wildcat is open seasonally, starting at the end of May and going to September. The restaurant is open from 7am through to 10pm at night everyday of the week.

There were many choices for lunch. Everything from Muska-boutine to a Buffalo Burger, or White Fish to more traditional items. I chose the Buffalo Burger as I couldn’t resist the sound of sautéed Mushrooms and Onions. The price of the burger was $17, which for my budget is a little much, but like I said, I couldn’t resist.

I was surprised at how quickly our food was prepared and served, but that could have been because the restaurant wasn’t that busy. I good tip would be to not go between 12 to 1 for the best service. Which was awesome, as there isn’t much space for the waitresses to hide.

Back to the burger, which was huge. So here is what you get: a thick juicy buffalo patty, sautéed mushrooms and onions, 3 strips of crisp bacon, red onions, lettuce and a slice of tomato, all between a thick fresh bun. That is not all of course, as a side you get gigantic french fries. I’m not sure if there is even a way to describe them other than huge. These fries were probably an 1/8th of a large potato each. I guessed that I had 2.5 large potatoes on my plate. This was also an unfortunate thing. There was no way I was going to be able to finish them, not if I planned to finish the burger, which I was.

The burger its self was fabulous. The meat was cook all the way through, but not too much that it was dry, the mushrooms and onions had simmered to perfection, by my standards, and the bacon was crisp, not crunchy or chewy, just right. Now if you put all that together, you will get an explosion of flavour with every bite. I know I may sound like a commercial, but it was that good! Then again, for $17 it very well should be.

A meal of that size and proportion will fill anyone up. For a total of about $21 for lunch, I felt I was getting my moneys worth. So if you are touring the town, have a lunch meeting or just want to grab a bite to eat with some friends, I would suggest you try the Wildcat, at least once. If it is nice out, their patio is also a great place to soak up the sun, and what Old Town has to offer.

Maybe next time I’ll get invited back to do a full profile of the Wildcat Cafe.

On a Sunday, different people do different things. Some go to church, others sleep in, I on the other hand eat. I had the opportunity to try out Coyotes Sunday Brunch. Coyotes Bar & Grill might be Yellowknife’s only self titled Steak and Seafood joint, but that doesn’t stop them from offering one of the best breakfast/lunch/totally awesome buffets around. Then again I am probably being bias because I have not yet tried another one, but nonetheless it was good.

From the look of the outside of the building some may be surprised when walking through the doors. Many may not know but this restaurant, and bar, moved into this building after a Dairy Queen closed down years ago. Once we entered we were greeted right away, seated and asked out drink selection. The seating area is dived into 3 spaces, which is nice and gives you a little more sense of privacy.

The buffet area was packed, not with people, but with food. They had everything, and that is only half an exaggeration. Offering something that will satisfy everyone is pretty hard, but I think Coyotes does it well. They had your basic breakfast items, pancakes, sausages, bacon, eggs and my personal favorite Eggs Benedict.

I haven’t encountered many places that offer Shrimp for lunch let alone breakfast, but people were eating it. To go along with the shrimp there was a wide selection of pastas and salads with all the toppings.

In this corner of the buffet area there was two things going on. To the right they had 4 main dishes, perogies and sausage, chicken, lasagna and crab legs. Yes indeed I did say crab legs, although I did not try any. To the right is where the owner, Ed But, would make you up eggs, however you would like with what ever fixings you would like. When an owner of a business is right there working with the customers it means a lot to me. It shows they are willing to do the work and make sure you are enjoying yourself. I must also recognize the waitresses who were constantly going around to make sure everyone had everything they needed.

Of course I had to go up 2 or 3.. okay maybe 4 times, but it is not often I am able to get out to a buffet this good.

One thing that shocked me about the buffet was the selection of desserts, I could not believe they had an entire table full. I had to contain myself and only take a slice of Triple Chocolate Cake.

In all I was very pleased with the buffet and restaurant over all. The only thing going in that worried me was the price to food quality ratio. Once I saw the amount, selection and quality of food that worry went away. The price per person for the buffet was $23 and although this is a little much for me, I can understand why. I will definitely be returning, just maybe not as frequently as I want.

Have you ever tried the Sunday Brunch Buffet? Let everyone know how your experience went below in the comments.

On a very snowy Saturday afternoon, my brother and I, ventured to the Vietnamese Noodle House on Franklin Ave. The Noodle House is the one of the older and more rustic restaurants in Yellowknife. At first glance you could almost say the building is closed down, but you’d be wrong. To a guest of Yellowknife this restaurant wouldn’t be the first choice, but to the folks like myself, who have been around for a while, it is one of my preferred places.

When we entered the restaurant at lunch time on Saturday we were the only ones in the place, but don’t be fooled. From Monday to Friday this restaurant is packed full at lunch times, so my best advice would be to call ahead or show up early.

One of the unique things about this restaurant is the ordering process. All items on the menu, which includes extensive Vietnamese foods and many Western foods, have numbers. So instead of ordering by name, you order by number.

My favorite is #77, but I’m not going to tell you what it is. Your task, if you choose to except is to find out what it is. Another notable feature about the Noodle House is the speed.  Your order, no matter how busy, is almost guaranteed to be served within 10 minutes, which for those in a hurry at lunch is a magnificent feature.

When it come to pricing, it is very comparable. For an average lunch meal you will be looking at around $13, which is decent. The food is unique, the atmosphere is unique and the place is definitely worth checking out. At least once.

Have you been there? Let everyone know what you thought?

On Friday I had to be at the airport to pick up some people coming to Yellowknife for a week so I thought it would be a good opportunity to try out the newly opened Bushpilot Cafe.

I was told the prices would be a bit more expensive than the old Airport restaurant and I was half expecting them to be as it is owned by Chef Pierre, whose restaurants normally have a higher class. But upon arriving and looking at the menu I was satisfied with the prices and found them acceptable.

Like the old restaurant the breakfast menu isn’t that large of selection so I decided to go all out and get the Bushpilot Breakfast. The price seemed reasonable for what I was going to get.

At $11.95 for the Bushpilot Breakfast I got 3 eggs however I liked, 2 pieces of toast, hashbrowns, 2 sausages, 2 pieces of bacon, 2 slices of ham, a bit of fruit and 2 damn good blue berry pancakes. As you can see it was so much food, they gave it to me on two plates.

The food was excellent to my standards, which are not very high at the moment when it comes to breakfast foods. Considering I love breakfasts such as this one, I would recommend this over other diner breakfasts in town. Although I never normally get this much food and had a hard time finishing it, I felt I got my moneys worth. Mind you I didn’t have a close look at the menu to compare the other prices but this was the most expensive breakfast item. You could almost consider this a meal for two and having the two plates makes it easy to share.

In all I liked the food and being able to watch the planes from through the window is just a bonus to add to the atmosphere. So if you like good breakfast food or are a fan of diner food, I definitly recommend you go check out the Bushman Pilot Cafe

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