three boars eatery

it took me three tries to get into three boars eatery but i finally made it. after being foiled by lengthy lineups on two occasions, we got smart and went early on a tuesday at 5 p.m. (an hour after they opened). if you're into craft beer or single malt scotch or bourbon, this is the place to be. you'll have to fight for one of the seats at the bar though; the place is tiny. however, now that summer is here (more or less) the patio out front has lots more seating and its a great place to sit, sip and people watch along 109 street.  upstairs in the old house is where you dine. the decor is simple and rustic and you feel like you're sitting down to a good ol' feast in a country farmhouse. very cool.  the boars are chuck elves,  brayden kozak and brian welch --  three young men with the right stuff: thoughtful libations, and dishes made from locally sourced food insmallplate style to share amongst friends. the menu changes often depending on what they find at the farmers' market or get

if i had to pick a wine/beer bar withsmallappies, i'd pick this one.. ignoring the super claustrophobic main floor and the highly-priced items, the service is top notch and the food is nothing short of amazing. yes you are paying an arm and a leg for a tiny plate that you can barely share, but so what? it's ok once in a while. just don't come here expecting that you'd be full and that you'd get your money's worth. it is a foodie's paradise in a way. the dishes are unique and full of personality here and if you know how to pair your food with alcohol things can be quite delightful. i can imagine myself drinking here and enjoying good food with a friend to catch up on old times only to find that i broke the bank later.

 prime people watching from this quaint, wood filled patio!  enjoy the sights and sounds of bustling 109st while enjoying a drink.  
we were doing a little patio hopping last week and stopped in for a pint. 
hipster vibe. smallmenu and limited craft beer selection seemed overpriced compared to other patio spots.
patio was busy and that probably explains the slow service.  cigar smoke blowing in from next door adds to the atmosphere that three boars seems to be trying to create.  
 
atmosphere: 6/10
food and drink: 5/10
staff and service: 6/10

worked my way backwards by falling for farrow before even thinking of trying the house next door. with my frequent visits to farrow, i never thought to even think of looking beside. thankfully i’ve been steered into a new direction of restaurants that only open after 5. *eyeroll*
with the culture ofsmallplates growing more and more popular in the food scene, three boars is no stranger to that fact, with continuous praises and recognition since opening their doors. this eatery did not disappoint.

this quaint little space is situated on 109st. walking through the doors, you enter into the entrance where you’re immediately welcomed by friendly faces. with bar seating on the main level and stairs that lead into the dining room. it’s by far the most intimate restaurant i’ve been to.
the dining room is split into two separate rooms, perfect forsmallgroup gatherings if needed. service was pretty casual, he was in and out to check up on us, very passionate about the food as you can tell once we asked for recommendations and suggestions. he kept his distance which was much appreciated and expected as the atmosphere was really the “winding down- have a conversation” kind of place.

mushroom and toast ($13) 5/5 simplest dish ever but the execution was beyond impeccable. i’m salivating as i write this and it’s entirely all thanks to the mushrooms. the yolk mixed with the mushrooms on top of this baguette was life. must order.

filipino pork bun ($5 ea) ⅘ i liked the bun alone, i didn’t think it needed the extra mayo to dip. the pork was very flavorful while the sweet milk bun had a slight bit of crust on the outside which went well with how moist and juicy the filling was. a very savory/sweet bite.

okonomiyaki potatoes ($11) 5/5 as our server placed this on our table he described the bulldog sauce as a japanese version of bbq sauce. love it. the bonito flakes along with the nori gave a nice umami flavor but the bulldog sauce with the mayo, bomb.

pork loin chop ($25) 2/5 the underdog of the night. the miso maple butter sauce mixed with the banana squash did not sit very well with our taste buds. it had a sweet/sour after taste that was not pleasing. the pork was delicious though..wouldn’t order this again.

from the first to last bite, you will be able to taste the care and thought that goes into each dish. i really enjoyed how versatile the atmosphere was and how cozy and calm the night went. would i come again? absolutely.

very disappointed.  avenue online gave this place a great review for category "small plates". they got this one very wrong. it's july, but the only vegetables on the menu were typical alberta winter veg - brussel sprouts and beets. nothing resembling a fresh summer salad. we scoured the menu for something not sweet!!! - something without jam or honey or some kind of fancy sugar addition. we finally settled on the $20 foie gras cheese toast with bacon jam. we were assured the dish wasn't sweet, but jam is jam. basically it's a toasted sandwich with fried bread, pate, jam and cheese all mushed up, and very greasy. the foie gras could have been canned spam there was so little of it and masked with all that salty cheese and over powering bacon jam. we dared to try the only other dish without sugar - a terrine, just ok, grocery store quality, same greasy bread to go with it. wine by the glass is expensive, and nothing special. chairs and benches are uncomfortable, and the ambiance dismal. $75 for 2 glasses of wine, 2smallplates plus indigestion - never again. what a waste of money.

   

the server was very nice and did his best, it's just too bad he hasn't got better food to work with.

terrible service at this restaurant. our server was incompetent and messed up on our order. later she proceeded to overcharge us afterwards and claimed that refunds were not possible. the food took incredibly long to arrive despite the dishes we ordered beingsmalland simple. food tasted decent but not worth getting overcharged for. very disappointed. i will avoid eating here next time.

well, first date night out trying a new radiant restaurant and something different and it was pretty good. i think the atmosphere and staff were incredible. the staff was really friendly and knowledgeable and really helpful. we got a total of six plates, the fist plate was from "bar snacks" was summer radish toast with pork fat and salt, and honestly i wasn't a fan. the second one was from rabbit food, and it was brussels sprouts with dandelion honey, lemon and nutmeg, and it was delicious! second from rabbit food was caramelized onion as oka tart with baby lettuce, lemon and olive oil, which was also quite good. next we were in thesmallplates category and we got alberta bison striploin with kale, beets, and summer squash, saskatoons and pureed beet caramel. which was delicious. first time trying bison too, and i was pleasantly surprised. then we had the jerked chicken poutine which in all honestly might have been my favorite. for dessert we had a think custard with whip cream and berries as a scone.
dessert was complementary, their way of apologizing for the wait on the food, which realistically didn't even feel like very long, so that was a nice surprise.
the waiters and waitresses we had we very personable and friendly and the restaurant itself had a quaint, fun, hipster type of feel to it, which i really dug.
all in all it was pretty good. i'd definitely go back.

three boars eatery is asmallrestaurant two blocks off whyte avenue on 109st. it’s relatively small, and the outside kind of looks like asmallhouse. they have a little bar on the main floor, a little eating area upstairs, and a little patio during the summer. i’ve been here a couple of times now and one thing that i really like about this place is that their menu changes very frequently. a lot of their ingredients are local, and therefore changes with the season, hence the dynamic menu. another thing i like about three boars is...

don't know why recent reviewers were complaining. had gone 3x last summer and loved the ambience. feels like i'm in san fran or nyc. esp w the windows open. again it was tasty, relaxed and a great time. the olives, corn dogs , shrimp pork belly and wings were all good. esp the wings. ginger beer is pass on next time. one dish took a long time but server said sorry and it wasn't a big deal. weird she didn't take mysmallplate w wing bones tho.

disappointment. i really wanted to like this place: the atmosphere, the name, the saliva-inducing food descriptions, and of course the high rating on urban spoon. nearly every dish we had was a massive disappointment... whether it be heavy handedness with seasoning or simply too much time in the oven this food was poor in execution.

before i describe where the dishes went wrong.. i must commend tbe on the roasted cauliflower. i really enjoyed it. good seasoning, perfect tenderness in the cauliflower, and the lentils were divine. my only complaint is the fact that i wanted more despite the massive serving because it was so good.

now that this is done....

we started off with the mexican-flavoured potato bar eats (i forget the exact name). they were topped off with green onion, cilantro, an avocado cream drizzle, and a combination of smokey seasonings. to put it in a slightly exaggerated analogy- if the chef's hand was mt. vesuvius, the lava was salt, and the poor ancient italians were the potatoes... this dish, is the mt vesuvius of the culinary world. (too soon?) even the creaminess of the avocado couldn't taper the saltiness of the potatoes.

next came the okanomiyaki (spelling??) and the brussel sprouts. the okanomiyaki (ok for short lest i keep butchering) is a giant version of a takoyaki but with a mixture of seafood and pork. it is served in a cast iron skillet. if i was to create a ridiculous analogy for my experience with this dish: you know when large dogs are puppies they have these clumsy looking giant paws. for puppies, this disproportion works. in this dish, it doesn't. this dish was simply too much dough and not enough flavour or meat. i was so excited to eat this but i remember taking one bite and feeling bad for getting my fiancé to order it. food simply shouldn't make you feel bad for ordering it. with shopping, buyer's regret helps you save money when you decide to return the item the next day. with eating out.... yeah....

the brussel sprouts. i love roasted brussel sprouts. when done well, the nutty flavour of the sprouts is enhanced by the smokiness of the roasting. the outside leaves are crispy while the insides are tender. perfect balance of texture and flavour. at tbe, these were some of the worst brussel sprouts i've had at a restaurant. they were simply way too sweet, so sweet that there was a puddle of the honey glaze at the bottom of thesmallbowl they come in. despite this sweetness, you can still taste the acridness of the burnt sprouts. since this review is a stream of horrible analogies, why stop now? it's like when you wake up with a pimple and it just so happens to be your wedding day, the day you take your graduation photo, or the day you agreed to meet with your friend who likes to take selfies. the first thing you think of is covering that pusy bad boy up with makeup. but as you apply more and more makeup, the worse you look all together. with no amount of concealer, capable of concealing it. this is the experience of this dish.

lastly, we ended off with the beef chuck and polenta. this dish was actually not bad. i liked it, but it still missed the marks on perfect execution. the beef was just a little overcooked. it was still juicy and tender, but would have been perfect if it was taken out a tad sooner. the polenta was pretty good too. i can't remember much about it tbh but i remember enjoying it. the roast vegetables that came with the dish were simply way too overcooked. yes they were burnt and mushy. i forget what vegetable it was (it wasn't something that you would find at your basic grocery store ie: peppers, onions etc). i remember when the waitress was describing it i was so pumped to try one (it was so organic food market/exotic sounding). excitedly i grabbed one and put it in my mouth. let's just say i have absolutely no idea what that exotic vegetable is suppose to taste like because it was so burnt that, that is all i tasted. the roasted beets with this dish also had that familiar acrid flavour. beets! a dish rich in sweetness and rootiness tasted burnt. gah.

so as you can tell i was very disappointed. i wanted to like this place so badly. but the execution simply did not match my expectations, the style lf the restaurant, or the high price points. if i am going to spend $40 on a dinner in edmonton, i hope to be blown away or leave happy. unfortunately, i was simply blown away by what went wrong and left very unhappy. so to end off this lengthy review.....

i would compare my experience eating at tbe to when i went to watch the first hobbit. after watching lord of the rings, there is no possible way that the hobbit can go wrong. this movie had the perfect set-up, perfect world, and clearly the technical foundation to be killer. well... as i'm sure we all know... something definitely went wrong.

huge disappointment. i had heard from one friend who said this was their favorite place to eat in the city, and from others who have heard by word of mouth, great reviews. so, on a whim, and for my husband's birthday, i decided to make reservations.
we got there and the place is quaint, but very small. we ordered devils on horseback, chicken wings, pulled pork poutine, chicken and pork terrine (pate), and brussel sprouts, all items highly recommended by the server.
the devils on horseback were ok. i'm not a big fan of dates to begin with, so i had a tough time eating more than one. the flavors were different - smoked bacon, blue cheese and the sweetness of the dates... it didn't really blow my hair back or anything.
the chicken wings were ok. savory, sweet, and a bit spicy... i love cilantro and lime, and the wings weren't mushy or slimy, but rather crispy, which i prefer. again, nothing that really wow'd me (i've had better wings at a pub).
the pulled pork poutine was not good. it had an odd flavor to the pork... i can't even describe it, but after one bite, i refused to eat anymore of the meat. the gravy tasted like pork au jus with some cornstarch mixed in... maybe it was flour. i don't know and i really don't care. it was an incredibly unpleasant flavor overall. not to mention, usingsmallspanish baby potatoes might seem like a "cool" or "food art" kind of idea... well, it's not. the plate looked like a hot mess... at least the flavor matched it.
the chicken and pork terrine was decent. the first batch of toast was overdone so it was like eating croutons, but the second batch was toasted perfectly - by far the best part of the meal - perfectly toasted, buttered baguette slices. the pickled veggies with the seeded mustard was a nice touch and went well with the spread. this was probably the best dish we ordered.
for drinks i ordered the house made soda. it was quite tasty and lightly sweetened - it reminded me a little bit of root beer, which was nice. my husband ordered the german lager and their stout (it was 17% alcohol), both which he found to be decent.
the service was ok... the server was very knowledgeable of the menu, but i was rather surprised at how little concern she had when we sent back half of the poutine and asked for the brussel sprouts to go. call me old fashioned but i like it when a server cares about my dinner experience the entire time i'm there.
when i received the takeout box of brussel sprouts, i caught wind of a very strong and unpleasant odor from the box... so i left it outside on the picnic table.
i don't consider myself to be an overly fussy eater, nor would i classify myself as a "foodie", but i found this place to be pretentious and tried way too hard to mix flavors that just didn't work. maybe their "hipster" clientel enjoy it, but your everyday eater like me would rather hit up woodwork, nineteen, or dare i say the cactus club.
i'm not sorry to give this place two thumbs down and a solid 3/10. i will never go back nor would i ever recommend this place to my friends and family.

three boars...costly, but tasty..... blue crab/potato salad...this is a combination of crab, potatoes, avocado, apples and a pea dressing, not bad, but the crab had a off texture...my least favourite dish of the night

country style pork terrine: this is good, lots of flavour and the different pickled mushrooms and vegetables are a great partner with the terrine and the mustard is yummy...the only complaint is that it does not come with enough toast and you have to order more and they charge $1.50 for the extra toast and there is not enough mustard served with this tasty dish...especially since this is a tapas restaurant and it is supposed to be shared...

pork belly with steel oats: this is a great dish...the pork was slightly overcooked and slightly tough, but the flavour combination with the oats and the egg made it a pleasant dish

tomato stew: stewed tomatoes with eggs and onions...this is good as long as you like tomatoes and it is served with toast

dessert: pavlova with berries and cream and a iced goat cheese...so yummy, refreshing and light and great flavours

service: well done and friendly!

price: since the amount of food you get issmalland you have to order a number of dishes to feed your party, the bill adds up quickly, but the ingredients are fresh

ambience: the restaurant is pretty stark, with no art work and not much warmth...

...a good day to dine.... ...at last i was able to make a reservation when i wanted to go.... it would seem the one consistent review with this restaurant is *consistency* ...
...but on this day... we loved every morsel we tried... four dishes in all... panzanella salad, onion tart & twosmallplates; can't remember the names but it was a wild blue crab greens & and the duck with risotto ... really, really lovely....
...service; friendly and attentive... pretty perfect actually.
...and while we were told when we sat down, that they were fully booked and we'd have to leave in an hour and a half.... we were disappointed that this was indeed the case.... probably would have had one more dish and another glass of wine....
...our next table neighbours were loud and boorish.. it was obvious they thought they were the only people in the space, can't blame the establishment for that.... but if you are hard of hearing, the acoustics can be challenging.
...we'll be back....

was anticipating an awesome meal, but was disappointed on all counts: taste, ambiance, and value. while the entrees were tender, the cuts of meat were underspiced and overall each plate was quite bland. the portions were small, so little value for the buck. lastly, the tables are cramped together in verysmallrooms, this could translate into a cozy and intimate dining experience. but if you have the misfortune of being seated across from a large, obnoxious party, it can ruin the atmosphere. more than one couple complained about the raucous group, the sound really reverberates in those little rooms! the server seemed unwiling or unable to control the noise level. i am sure they lost some repeat business. overall impression was meals that were pretentious and lacking in flavour.

there was a reason i never heard about this place!. i'll start off by saying that the food was good, different but good. it wasn’t anything spectacular and i definitely expected more after reading such positive reviews. i haven’t and will not recommend this restaurant to friends or colleagues.
i tried booking a reservation for a birthday dinner well in advance however the person whom i spoke with said they were booked well past the needed date. they offered me a bit of advice saying that they leave half of the restaurant un-reserved for walk-ins and if i came early enough i could almost guarantee myself a seat – no problem!
we arrived at 5:00 as a party of three, the restaurant was already uncomfortably busy and of course no tables were available for us at the time. the waitress/hostess asked us if we’d like to put our names down for a table, we communicated clearly that yes, indeed we would. she then wrote our parties name down and said we could sit at the bar until a table was available. we were able to scrounge three empty chairs from around the bar area and place them at the end of the bar right next to where the food comes out of the kitchen. it was undoubtedly the busiest and most uncomfortable place to be, but i had previously anticipated this may happen and it didn’t come as a surprise. the bartender createdsmalltalk and asked us if we were just waiting for a dining table, we communicated to him that yes we were. we ordered some subpar appetizers and wine to start. the time kept passing and our drinks kept flowing, by now it would have been about 7:00 we had already devoured three appetizers and were waiting for our fourth to arrive. around 7:30 i began to notice that people who had come in after us also without reservations were being seated. i beckoned the girl with whom we spoke at the beginning of our evening to ensure that we were indeed put on her waiting list. she looked at me with a blank face and said “oh...you were waiting for a table” at this point i was quite annoyed, we had watched her write our parties name down and acknowledge the fact that we would be waiting at the bar till a table was ready! she apologized, i accepted, she left.
at this point we came to the realization we would not be getting a table and we should go ahead and order our mains. we did. the same hostess/waitress came back only ten minutes later to say that a table on the patio was opening up soon and we could take it if we didn’t mind sitting outside. perfect we said! it was funny because we would actually prefer to sit outside! she said she’d be back once it was cleared. i could actually see the table she was referring to from where i was sitting. i had seen her attending to it, and watched the group pay. they stayed to chat after the bill was cleared so i didn’t pay anymore attention to them, after all the waitress said she would come get us when it was ready, right? wrong. only a few minutes later i looked back to see the table occupied by another group! are you kidding me!? after waiting what was now three hours i expect to have a table! the waitress/hostess never came back to where we were sitting at the bar. she never told us what had happened, never cleared anything up, didn’t do anything but leave us hanging. if i hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, i would have been wondering what was going on and when we were getting our promised table. what great service! unfortunately we had to eat our mains at the bar, sitting on bar stools that had no backs. my back was starting to get sore, and it was very uncomfortable. when it came time to pay the bartender was very apologetic for the mistake. we didn’t have to tell him about the whole charade because like i said in the beginning he had asked if we were waiting for a dining table and had remembered that we said yes. realizing the girls foolish mistake he was the one who was apologetic and kind. he took 10% off our bill, which wasn’t much, considering that the prices were outrageous for the quality, quantity, and experience you get. not to mention we ordered, and drank more because of our elongated wait time and forced seating at the bar. i am not one to complain about prices, but if i’m spending that much money on a meal i want to at least enjoy it. unfortunately the birthday girl, her husband, and i all wished we had gone somewhere else.


i guess there was a reason i had never heard about this place. it should have stayed that way.