The Pourhouse 14/20

Reviewed by Bryce Zimmerman

It's always nice to be surprised. I recently went to The Pourhouse on Whyte Avenue for dinner with a couple friends, and it was not even remotely my first choice, but it was two to one so I begrudgingly accepted my fate. It turned out to be far less of a yuppie bar, and actually had a surprising depth to the food and drinks. Most Edmonton establishments have an interesting name, but don't stick to the theme of it, however The Pourhouse does have an extensive beer collection, and offers limited runs of exotic beers that stay on the menu until they run out of stock, then it's on to something new.

On the Caesar front, they definitely did not overlook the drink. In fact, they had their own version of it. It's called The Pourhouse Caesar on the menu and for 9 bucks it has two ounces of Skyy vodka. Now compared to most, I think that is a pretty good deal in terms of alcohol for dollars. Now to make it their own they added a bit of horseradish, and rimmed the glass with Montreal Steak Spice. The montreal steak spice is always a nice touch. It has a bit more of a pronounced flavor with less of a salt kick. This means it isn't quite as bright of a finish. The horseradish adds some good flavor, and makes it taste similar to cocktail sauce. I liked the variety, but I wouldn't want to drink it all the time. The overall taste of the Caesar was nice and spicy without being overpowering, and the garnish was fairly usual, but I will always take the bean over the celery since I loved pickled things.

Price $9 (two ounces of vodka)

Taste: 4/5
Creativity: 3.5/5
Garnish: 3/5
Bang for your buck: 3.5/5

Total: 14/20

Verdict: A Caesar with a twist that isn't a miss.

http://www.pourhouseonwhyte.com/

Dadeo Caesar 10/20

Reviewed by Bryce Zimmerman


Dadeo is a really cool little restaurant specializing in Cajun food and they make it well too. It may not be the fanciest of places, but it's always busy, which is a testament to the taste. They tend to do things a bit differently there and that was one of the reasons my compatriots and I speculated that it would have a nifty Caesar. I am sad to say that I was disappointed in that regard. While the caesar itself was classically tasty, it lacked a certain refinement that could have made it excellent.
The drink itself came in a smallish glass that I wouldn't call handsome. It was a bit ugly really. I know that the presentation does not affect the flavour per se, but it really does affect the experience, and the experience is something I relish. The glass was nicely rimmed with celery salt and the garnish was a smallish bean and traditional lime. It came with a straw, which while it aids in stirring, is still an unnecessary risk of eye poking. I really need to find out if the original Caesar had a straw. My bets are that it did not. Anyways, for 6 bucks it wasn't great or awful, but fairly run of the mill.

Price: $6

Taste: 3/5
Creativity: 2/5
Garnish: 3/5
Bang for your buck: 2/5

Total: 10/20

Verdict: It's a Caesar, but without the reputation.

http://www.dadeo.ca/

Edmonton Capitals Baseball Stadium Canned Caesar 4/20

Reviewed by Bryce Zimmerman

Mott's does a good job of promoting the Caesar as a drink throughout Canada since they are the purveyors of the key ingredient - Clamato Juice. Based on that, it would seem as though they would make their canned Caesars as tasty as they can. This was a sore disappointment.
I was at the Edmonton Capitals home opener having a good time heckling and drinking, and we decided to get a can of Caesar since, lets face it, Caesars rule. However, this offering was definitely a failure - from the tacky blue can product design to the taste. I know that the blue can is the regular Caesar and the red can is the spicy one, but I would just like to say that blue is not even remotely a colour I associate with Caesars, so already my mind is thinking otherwise to this can of Caesar. Crack the top, take a swig, and honestly it's straight Clamato with a bit of vodka. No spices, nothing beyond regular Clamato. I do enjoy Clamato alone occasionally, but when I want a Caesar it is definitely for the spices, and this one had nothing. It was definitely not worth it. I am sad that a product exists that will give the Caesar a bad name.

Price: $6

Taste: 1/5
Creativity: 1/5
Garnish: 1/5
Bang for your buck: 1/5

Total: 4/20

Verdict: It shouldn't even be called a Caesar.