Keeping it Real - Restaurants in YK Part 1

I find there is very little online info on restaurants in YK. I really dislike going to a new restaurant without prior knowledge of the place, so here is a rundown if you are looking for a place to eat in YK. I welcome and encourage all you Northern Bloggers to respond and blog about your experiences to help out all the Northern Newbies looking for a place to eat. If you know of any hidden gems, please let the rest of us know!

Note to Newbies: Never feel like you are under dressed when dining out in YK. It is not possible. So strike that worry from your dear minds.

$$$$$ is the most expensive rating and $ is the lowest.

Le Frolic Bistro Bar
$$$$
5019 49 Street, or as we say in YK, across from the mall

I have mixed feelings about this place. It is one of the more upscale dining establishments in YK. Initially it was my absolute favourite place to eat. While the atmosphere is fantastic, the best I have yet to see in YK, like all things YK the service and food is hit and miss, which I find disappointing beyond belief. I have probably ate there about six times, the first four times we enjoyed very nice, well cooked and presented meals with on par service and walked away feeling satisfied and leaving a nice tip for our server, always a good sign. The last two visits we had some bad service and not so great food, we haven’t returned since.

Final thoughts: Great ambiance, mediocre service, pricy drinks, expect to pay $30ish for entrees and $15ish for starters. Don’t miss the Crab Cakes, Arctic Char or Bison Burger. For the price, I expect vastly better and consistent service. Try it out and hope you catch them on a good day.

Fuego
$$$$
4915 50th Street

Hubby and I had our V Day dinner at Fuego this year. For Valentine’s Day, they opened up their upper banquet room to accommodate the extra bookings. I don’t really have many great things to say about our experience, so here is the rundown. The room we ate in smelled very musty and old. The servers were vastly unknowledgeable. The Tinhorn Creek Pinot Blanc was grossly overpriced... $46 for a bottle that sells for $16 at their winery and $22 ish at the YK Liquor Store. A portion of our meal was still FROZEN inside, the duck was 100% uncooked, it was supposed to be cooked. My last beef was the included 20% gratuity. I have known many servers and know how darn hard some of them work. I understand why some establishments include a gratuity on the bill. But at Fuego on February 14th, the service was just bad. There was plenty of staff to accommodate the number of patrons, but these gals were just young and unknowledgeable. They really didn’t care about what they were doing, but tried to maintain the fact that they were extremely posh folk. I didn’t want to tip these kids 20%... because they sucked at their job and served me below par, overpriced food. It was obvious they were not well prepared for the numbers they booked and fed that evening.

Final thoughts: I will try it out again on a non holiday in the future. The ambiance in the bottom level was pretty modern for little ol’ YK. If you do go, skip the V Day meal.

Taste of Saigon
$
4913 50 Street

Please try this place out and enjoy their consistent, yummy, affordable food. As the name suggests, they serve Vietnamese cuisine and their slogan is, “Vietnamese dining at its best” and I agree. The interior is clean, and well maintained. The staff is pretty efficient and friendly. They offer a great, speedy take out service. I highly recommend #44 or #45!

Final thoughts: Do it. It’s good. Order by the number and not the name, it will be worth it.

Boston Pizza
$$ ½
5102 48 Street

I genuinely cannot formulate any sort of review for YK BP. I went. It was bad. I wrote the company. They sent me 4 free vouchers for personal size pizza and a fountain pop. I donated them to a kid’s program run by Hubby’s work. According to the manager they have a really hard time finding and retaining good employees. It shows.

Final thoughts: It’s a great chain to have in YK, I may in fact return one day... maybe.

L’Attitudes
$$
Upper Level, YK Centre Mall

This is one place I go back to again and again. Consistent, friendly, knowledgeable servers, which I love. There is a modernish, clean atmosphere and the food is always good to great. Kind of reminds me of an upscale Irving Big Stop, if ya know what I mean my Maritime peeps. (That’s a good thing for the rest of you!) They have a mean chicken finger, great wraps, the salads are always fresh, and the fries are crispy and plentiful. Oh yes. We like that. L’Atitudes is the perfect place for a quick or leisurely lunch.

Final thoughts: I am pretty sure you can’t go wrong with this place! However, this is YK, so nothing is ever definite.