Experience Edmonton International Airport

I was invited last year to do a food crawl of some of the more popular restaurants that exist on the secure side of the Edmonton International Airport. There are some restaurants there that don’t exist anywhere else in Edmonton. This time, I was one of the food bloggers that was chosen to “Experience EIA”.

This experience started out with being spoiled with priority valet parking. It’s incredibly simple. You make sure that you call ahead with your reservation. When you arrive, you pull up and the valet takes care of everything from there. More information and rates are listed here.

I had a lovely companion to join me for my lunch experience; Jacquie. For security reasons, my visit was required to be supervised.

I wanted a sit down experience and was hoping to try an eatery that was local as well. Lunch was at the Belgian Beer Cafe and dessert was at Sorrentino’s.

I happen to be a craft brew fan.  I love some of the beer that comes out of the Alberta micro breweries.  We have some talented brew-masters in Alberta.  The Belgian Beer Cafe strives to give you the experience of being in Belgium enjoying  a local brew.

The added experience of the EIA location, is that it is right next to the living wall.  It is a wall that is filled with live plants.  It is quite beautiful and relaxing.

I tried a couple of items from the seasonal menu.  I really should have brought my reading glasses because I did not notice that each item had a suggested beer pairing with it.

We tried the apple, leek and bacon flatbread as well as the crab cakes.  Both were presented beautifully on wooden paddles.  I treated myself to a Stella Artois; it is best on tap and not from the bottle.  It did not disappoint.

The flatbread wasn’t as flat as I was expecting.  It was more of a pizza type of dough.  I loved the savory flavor combination.  The leek was much milder than onion and the bacon was just enough.

The crab cakes were topped with a sundried tomato bruschetta and some sort of lemon aoili. The texture was perfect and the sundried tomatoes added a nice flavor.

Personally, I don’t like to eat a lot before I fly, so these two dishes hit the spot.

On to Sorrentino’s Cafe for dessert.  You have a great view of the runway with the planes taxiing on and off.  The cafe is simple and open.

The Sorrentino’s founders opened their first cafe in Edmonton in 1979, so they have a lot of experience under their belts. They know their coffee. They are still local but are available as a franchise opportunity for places like EIA.

Gelato; a bit lighter than ice cream and a lovely way to cap off a good meal.  I had a cappuccino to go with my tasty pumpkin pie gelato.  The pumpkin pie flavor was pretty great!

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All of the eateries in the EIA strive to get you your food as soon as possible to keep you on schedule. The sit down eateries are nice to be able to relax for a bit before you board.  Give yourself lots of time to enjoy your meal!

Valet parking to top it all off again!  Easy enough to pick up your keys – no walking required.  They have the car ready for the appointed pick up time.  Easy peasy.