the common

service disappointment. read about this place on here and assumed it would be fantastic but when i went it was definitely not what i expected.the staff saw us, judged us, and then ignored us.

good food, poor service. checked out the common on july 27th. had the beef duo, chicken & waffles, bacon caesar drink and old fashioned drink. the chicken & waffles were amazing! great portion and the flavors were phenomenal. the beef duo was okay but not great. there were some odd pairings of vegetables on the dish and the beef didn't have the "wow" factor. the server could use a lesson or two in engaging more with the customer...seemed like she really did not want to be there.

overall, it was a nice dining experience for my family and i. i was super disappointed with the main dish, but i am super glad the appetizer and dessert made up for it. this is a great place to hang out and socialize after a long day of work or school. i will definitely be hitting up this popular spot very soon with a couple of girlfriends and is looking forward to try dishes from their dining menu!

my new favorite!. i had no idea what to expect and i was so delightfully surprised! we had fabulous service from the start. the decor was fantastic. half priced wine on wednesday meant we could try a nicer bottle and it was delicious! we shared the large antipasto platter between three of us and it was very yummy. i could have done with more meat and a bit less fruit but the selection was phenomenal. i then ordered the salmon and my friends ordered the duck and the steak. my salmon was perfectly cooked and the accompaniments, while different, were amazing together. my friends both said their meals were wonderful, too. i will definitely be back. this place has set the new bar for a great dining experience and the prices were more than reasonable!

my find of the year... i'm pretty sure and it's only end of q1. i don't think anything can top the common... besides being super loud in an enclosed space, which you will ignore as soon as your food arrives, it's got super awesome fusion food! prices are decent and the food is original. it's like the chef knew what he was doing and he/she was daring enough to experiment with things and create unique dishes. i wanted to come here two days in a row, really, it's that good.

the clam and vietnamese sausage linguine was the coolest thing i've had. the linguine was al dente, the sauce wasn't overwhelming, i could barely taste that it was there, but the sausage and clam did all the talking in filling up my taste buds. you might find this weird, but i really liked the tomato slices because they help cut in and neutralize my taste buds once i got bored of sausage and clam. it made me feel less guilty in eating pasta and protein too... haha.

the duck confit (i'm a foodie and i didn't know what it was until now... thanks google) tasted real good... lots of greens around it. the cured, preserved duck meat is succulent and salty and the potatoes and greens help balance each other out.

i almost don't want to spread the popularity of this place because i want a table for myself next time i come!

currently, edmonton is having their 10th annual downtown dining week (from march 15- 24, 2013). for 10 days of the year some of edmonton's most interesting downtown restaurants (approximately 30) open their doors to their customers for a multi-course meal at a fixed price. two course lunches are priced at $15 (if you are interested in what the lunch menu has to offer, see the bottom of this blog) and three coursed dinners cost $25 or $50. for a foodie like me, this is a tempting wonderland. a few of my friends decided to pick a few restaurants to try since this is the first time we've heard of it. the first on the list was the common. now, i have been to the common before and previously have had a good experience. the common is a gastropub, meaning it combines a modern bar with high-end food and drinks. the chef, jesse morrison- gauthier, places an emphasis on seasonal and fresh ingredients. it was clear upon entering the common that this was a place to be. the decor was very modern an

the fish and chips were freshly made and fried from the looks of it. the lemon itself looked like it was on the bbq ~ grilled to perfection. the salad had a nice light dressing which didn't take away the taste of the tempura battered fish and the dip (tartar) this dish cost $15.50. there was an option of salad, fries or soup. my dad tried to balance the unhealthiness with some salad instead of the original fish and chips combo.

great food!. delicious food! we had the burger and fries and were not disappointed!! the meat was juicy and well seasoned - the burger was huge! the server was very friendly and delightful. will be returning for sure. keep up the great work!

the common's interpretation of poutine features crisp and piping-hot shoestring fries generously blanketed with korean braised pork, squeaky curds, and caramelized onions. the fries retain a commendable level of crispiness, even when their accoutrements have long since vanished. the pork, though it does not taste particularly korean, is marvelously juicy and illustrates the inherent sweetness that this protein ought to have in any of its many modes of preparation. the cheese curds and caramelized onions are patchily distributed across their landscape of starch and protein , and we pine for more once they've entered the realm of memory. the common's kitchen is clearly well-versed in the language of all things edible, and the eclectic menu finds a consummate fit in its suave yet venerable lodgings. need we fence the common into a category? absolutely not.

5/5 for the common. i don't even want to review the common. i want to simply say that it was my best dining experience in recent history, and the best restaurant that i've tried so far this year. just go there and see for yourself and be as impressed as i was.
but fine, i will tell you a bit about my amazing experience. prior to going to the restaurant, i had looked up their menu online, and could only think to myself that everything on the menu was all of my favourite things. it's like they looked into my brain and produced a menu of every possible thing that i might like to eat. this is dangerous because it leads to the highest of expectations and the greatest chances of disappointment. i had to find out which it was going to be.

the common is located downtown, right near the legislative building. it's a cute little spot, which i had never visited before, even when it had been previous restaurants. entering the place on a friday night (they do not take reservations on friday or saturday nights so you either have to go early enough or try your luck) you can immediately tell that you've stumbled upon something really cool. you enter into the bar area, and you're supposed to seat yourself, so we embarked on a walk through the place in order to decide on where to sit. there were a few free tables, but it was generally busy already at 6:30pm, and completely full by the time that we left. the space is made up of a few different rooms, all stark antique white contrasted by the deep walnut-coloured floor. the light fixtures are all beautiful leafy antiques and there are sparkly decorations and lots of old picture frames on the walls. the whole thing is lovely - it was like a trip into a very fashionable and modern past. we found a table for two and got settled in. our server was prompt the entire time and very friendly, making sure that we always had everything that we needed.

i just wanted to start eating!
drinks first though, and i ordered the bacon caesar (bakon vodka, spices, clamato juice - $6.50) from the "modern cocktails" section. yes, this is made with bacon-flavoured vodka, and you could really taste it! it was such a spicy and savoury drink that really packed a punch! i liked the pickled green beans that came with it, and loved this expertly-crafted twist on an old standby.

now we eat?!
the appetizer portion of the menu is a challenge because i absolutely wanted to try every single thing. from the truffle popcorn to the poutine to everything in between, there will certainly need to be return visits in order to work my way through these dishes. we picked the foie gras (apricot tarte, pretzel crusted foie medallion - $14.00) because it sounded so decadent. decadent it was! wow. the glistening half-orb apricots were the perfect sweet-yet-tart counterpart to the salty-yet-delicate foie gras. the combination of flavours shocked me because i don't think that i realized that anything like this could be possible. each bite was a reminder that truly incredible food exists in edmonton and that there are serious chefs here who know all about what they're doing.

things were off to an incredible start. i was certainly dazzled by the lobster pot pie as an entree, but went with my gut and ordered the confit duck (spiny lettuce, shitake, baby potatoes, edamame, orange jus - $16.00). this was absolutely the right choice. i may never stop dreaming of this. confit is my favourite preparation of duck (the meat is salted and seasoned with herbs and slowly cooked submerged in its own rendered fat) and this version was simple and perfect. the juicy pieces of tender duck were mixed amidst a tangle of greens, bound together by the syrupy orange glaze. each bite contained a little bit of everything, and everything was harmonious. there was a piece of ultra-rich deep fried duck confit on top, which just sent the whole dish into overdrive. i could live off of this.

i was completely stuffed but could not refuse the opportunity to try one of their desserts, especially if it might have been as good as everything else had been. we picked the lavender creme brulee (pandan, rock pops - $8.50). i'm a little bit tired of creme brulee at this point, but i loved the idea of incorporating pop rocks and had to try it for myself! the dessert was perfectly creamy with the signature burnt-sugar top that begged to be cracked though. i was surprised at the light green colour of the creme, and quickly realized that this was because of the pandan, a tropical plant used in southeast asian cuisine. the rock pops were the real fun treat, and reflected the use of fun and innovation that certainly must be going on in this kitchen.

what more can i say? i left wanting to go back the very next night, and i made sure to tell our server so. i would say that almost any price would be fair for food of this caliber, yet every entree is under $20. the value is really surprising. i simply cannot say anything bad about my wonderful experience at the common, and i'm just excited that these sorts of things are happening in my city.

chicken and waffles best!. recently celebrated my birthday at the common, we had an amazing delicious dinner. the service was great and loved the chicken and waffles entree (one of my many fav dishes). later we stayed for dj fourcolorzack, where my dinner party turned to a dance party. i was a wonderful night of tasty food and great tunes. couldn't have asked for a better birthday.

best place in the city to dine and party!

very tasty. i loved the poutine (there’s an option to get it without pork for $11, but why would you if it’s only a $1 more for pork??) i thought the tandoori, east indian twist to the calamari was wonderfully unique. the tartare was great, good wasabi mayo and shrimp crackers is always satisfying (and brings me back to my childhood/ten course dinners at chinese restaurants).

we would never go back. the service was terrible. they charged us a 18% gratuity and the server used it as an excuse to not serve us! she didn't fill our water it took an hour and a half to order and get our food and she refused to print off the bill. the food was okay, the salmon had canned mandarin oranges and grapes on it which is not a good combination. the burger was delicious. the steak wasn't a steak, it was beef roast.

hipster haven that delivers. love the food. love the menu, it's creative and from what i've had it's exicuted right. i can't remember actually liking fries that much in years...they have a tasty and unique seasoning.

good drinks. they are the only place in edmonotn where i've come acorss my favorite cider on tap - foundry. better than rock creek, stonger and more flavor than magners, and much better than strongbow. not incredible, but a good tap cider.

i wouldn't pay cover or go on a weekend in fear of the hipsters that lurk and sneer....i've only gone early evening, and it's more of an after work crowd that changes as the night progresses....but in general, good food and good atmosphere.

maybe it's better at dinner time.... three of us came by for lunch after reading some really good reviews. unfortunately it didnt live up to our expectations. i re-read some of the comments and it looks like most people had come during dinner time. it was pretty busy, full house when we arrived. the service was not bad considering it was lunch time on a friday.

we shared the poutine, it was good but not sure that i would have it again. incredibly cheesy, perfect for a poutine! but the gravy was more of pork au jus than gravy, not the best for this dish in my opinion. the shredded pork didnt do very much for the dish either. the caramelized onion was a nice touch and the fries itself were quite crispy, all in all i'd give it a 8/10, probably one of the better dishes we had.
the chicken & waffle...hmm, we had all anticipated this dish to be out of the park with all the great things other patrons had to say, this is how all three of us had felt: the chicken was very crispy but the batter had minimal taste, the meat itself was dry. the first couple bites of the waffle were good but it wasn't anything spectacular. 6/10
fish & chips- type of fish changes daily, today was halibut. the portion was extremely generous, batter was the perfect amt of thickness and crisp but unfortunately it didnt taste like anything other than crispy dough. the tartar sauce wasn't anything special either 5/10. i had the soup of the day: a tomato, tarragon and potato soup...tasted like a watered down pasta sauce -_- 4/10
umami burger- saved the best dish for last! surprised i didnt see rave reviews about this because it was by far the best thing we had at the common. definitely had all five basic tastes in the burger, absolutely delicious! i'd go back just for the burger...unfortunately nothing else...maybe the poutine... the fries that came with it were meh but i'll still give the burger a 9/10!