This boutique restaurant, set into a nondescript strip mall at 10643 123 St. (if the door's locked, fear not: they expect you to ring the bell), is one of the priciest restaurants in the city, and one of the best.
The Pear's MO is predicated on a prix fixe concept built around a multicourse, globally influenced menu.
The traditional five-course meal, featuring such sourced-from-the-area delicacies as veal loin and pork schnitzel, is $89 a head. Here, diners select an appetizer, tasting plate, salad, entrČe and dessert. The reduced Baby Blue Pear Menu (available as an early-bird option between 5 and 6 pm weekdays, and all Sunday evening) is just three courses-salad or tasting plate, entrČe and dessert-and costs $59.
That each of the courses is thoughtfully paired with an appropriate wine is partly why the Blue Pear is polished to such a shine.
"Wine plays a huge role in our restaurant," says Jessie Radies, a co-owner with husband Darcy Radies, also the chef at this elegant, chandelier-lit space. Kim Theoret is the on-staff sommelier, one of the city's most well-versed wine professionals. In addition to the wine pairings, the restaurant stocks a selection of unique boutique wines, available by the glass, half bottle or full bottle.
On Wednesdays, the Pear hosts a BYOW, and waives the $29 corkage fee. The next, on September 22, begins with cocktails at 6 pm, followed by a seven o'clock sit-down dinner with a surf and turf first course, corn salad second course, sautČed lamb main course and to-die-for white chocolate goat cheese cheesecake dessert. Each course, natch, is matched with a wine-like the Campillo Reserva Selecta Rioja Spain 2002 with which diners can wash down their lamb-and the event runs $149 a head, including GST and gratuity.
As for the less liquid components of a Blue Pear meal, the selection of textured, flavourful dishes changes regularly-depending on the season, current availability and what captures the imagination of the restaurant's culinary team-but local is always on the menu. As founder of Live Local Alberta, a non-profit that works to develop Edmonton's local economy through a variety of business-boosting initiatives, Jessie Radies' impressive devotion to her stomping grounds is evident.
And her commitment to local talent extends to entertainment offerings, too. At Jazz Sundays, the Blue Pear invites diners to pick from the reduced or full menu ($25 for non-eaters) while enjoying the dulcet sounds of a local musician. Up next, saxophonist Don Berner performs on September 26.
The handsome, ambient dining area at the Blue Pear is small (11 tables at most) and, say some, a bit snooty. That kids under 12 are not welcome is expressed without apology ("Get a sitter," shrugs the website), but the stark, detail-attended formality of this high-end creative tribute to Edmonton's finest regional cuisine is part of its enduring appeal.
Rate and comment
