Restaurant Review: Biera

BIERA

9570 76th Avenue ~ biera.ca Instagram: @biera_yeg ~ Twitter: @Biera_YEG Co-Diner: Tim Golem

Ever since Biera's opening in 2017 they have solidified themselves as one of the best restaurants in Edmonton. Not only are they a cornerstone in the incredibly hip Ritchie Market but they have capitalized on the decade's rise of the micro brewery. My own little personal connection is that the restaurant's owner, Greg Zeschuk, was one of the original founders of videogame developer BioWare - the company that my husband has worked at for a total of eleven years. Upon his exit from BioWare, Greg got way into micro brewing (as one does), and so began Blind Enthusiasm Brewing Company and it's restaurant Biera. To say that the accolades have piled up is an understatement. Biera is easily one of the most decorated restaurants in the city and has received country-wide acclaim. (Meaning that I've been counting down the minutes until I got to try it for myself!) Canada's 100 Best Restaurants placed Biera at #32 in 2018, #61 in 2019, and #53 in 2020. They were a nominee for enRoute magazine's Canada's Best New Restaurants 2018. Avenue Magazine called them the Best Overall Restaurant 2019 and the Best Overall Restaurant 2020. And CBC Edmonton's Best Restaurants 2019 named Biera as the Best of Old Strathcona and Ritchie. It's quite an impressive list for a humble little spot in Ritchie. Ritchie Market itself (featuring some of the city's top names in food and drink) has really revitalized the neighbourhood, from an area that was easily overlooked to one of the coolest and most desirable corners of the city. Inside its walls you'll find Biera, a restaurant encased in glass and marked by a blue neon-lit sign. I visited on a Wednesday evening to celebrate my husband's birthday, both of us excited for an evening of culinary adventure. We were seated immediately and the friendly and informative staff took excellent care of us. The space feels industrial, futuristic even, yet comfortable. Towering stainless steel brewing tanks are located around the room and cinder block walls climb their way up to the high ceiling. While warm tones of honey-coloured wood brings everything back to a more approachable and familiar place. Being in a brewery, the obvious thing to drink is beer. However, being that I'm not much of a beer enthusiast, I was happy to find plenty of other options on the menu. (My husband on the other hand, had the Preset Sampledoodle, a flight of four different Blind Enthusiasm beers brewed right in the very space that we were sitting. I loved seeing this as an option!) For me though, I'm more of a cocktails and cider girl and connected right away with the Domaine de la Minotiere Cidre Brut ($7.00).

150 mL glass - Normandy, France.

This cider and it's amber hue was everything that I want a cider to be, truly. Crisp, a little bit sweet, a little bit tart, with just the right amount of fermentation funk to it. Absolutely wonderful. The food at Biera, helmed by Chef Christine Sandford, is meant to be shared. I particularly love doing share plates with my husband because we like all of the same things and we both enjoy eating everything. As such, we devoured the menu, picking out each offering that caught our eye - and we ordered them all! I had heard that the sourdough at Biera is notably special and was sure to order dishes that included it. First to arrive was the Smoked Sablefish Rillette ($13.00).

Fennel, white beet & sourdough crackers.

One of the main things that captured my interest about this plate is the use of fennel, a vegetable that I'm currently obsessed with and that is highly underrated. Underneath the fresh, acidic, and dill-infused nest of fennel and beet laid a bed of tender white sablefish. The fish was deliciously smoky and incredibly creamy. Using a crisp, buttery sourdough cracker as a vessel, the whole combination danced in my mouth. For me, this may have been the best dish of the whole night. It was sublime. Next to arrive was the Wood-Fired Peach Salad ($17.00).

Endive, preserved lemon, red onion & pistachio crema.

If any of the plates were to win for being the most beautiful, this one is certainly taking the prize. The colours were simply gorgeous. I loved the idea of roasting the peaches, a fruit that can hold up to such treatment, caramelizing their beautiful juicy sweetness. I really enjoyed seeing endive used in this dish, another vegetable that I hardly come across. This salad was a play on bright freshness combined with deep flavours and texture. The pistachio crema was rich and silky, almost creating a curry-like vibe. Very unique! Another dish that I'd heard must be experienced is the Grass-Fed Beef Tartare ($24.00) and I am not one to miss out!

Smoked beef fat, horseradish, spicy greens & sourdough toast.

I was immediately impressed by the innovative way that this dish was presented. Instead of the traditional raw egg yolk sitting atop the tartare, they have created a creamy emulsion with the yolk that added even more decadence to the experience. The perfectly tender morsels of beef melted into my mouth while the horseradish provided a delightful kick. And the sourdough was incredible, somehow impossibly soft and warm while simultaneously retaining a satisfying crust. This dish was another of the very best from the evening and quite easily the best beef tartare that I've ever eaten. Lastly, we went all-in with the Woodfired Alberta Baby Back Ribs ($31.00 for half rack).

Green chili, maple sugar & Quebec kaffir lime with apple serrano hot sauce.

These ribs were unexpected! The flavour was a whole lot more punchy than anything that I could have imagined. The kaffir lime especially shined, creating a dish that had some Asian flavours to it. Many of my bites of meat were tender and juicy, although a few of them were more on the dry side. I also found the apple serrano hot sauce somewhat off-putting but it's possible that I didn't give it a fair enough chance. While I enjoyed the big and interesting flavours, this wasn't my favourite of the night. We had to finish with dessert, being that we were celebrating a birthday after all. I liked the idea of the Sugar Pumpkin Parfait ($10.00), keeping things nice and seasonal.

Goat milk caramel, chantilly cream & milk crumb.

This beautiful and light dessert was a great way to end a great meal. I loved the presentation and found the creamy bites delicately sweet and tart. A whole new take on pumpkin that I've certainly never seen before. Plus we weren't charged for the dessert, which was very kind. Biera was lovely and I am still thinking about many of the items that I enjoyed the most. I also found the value to be very good for the quality of food being served. They currently offer a Biera Box full of date night treats to savour at home that I absolutely want to try. I think that I'll just go ahead and say that this is my new favourite restaurant in the city and I cannot wait to visit again. Biera is a shining example of what dining in Edmonton can and should be.