Rostizado - Tremendous Latin American (Edmonton 30 in 30)

Tres Carnales arrived at the moment of Edmonton's stratospheric jump into modern haute cuisine. Indeed it was the airing of "You Gotta Eat Here" that piqued everyone's initial impression of Tres Carnales. Based off a concept of Mexican style cuisine with local ingredients, they then took the food scene by storm and put Edmonton on the proverbial food map of Canada. Using their success of the first restaurant, the owners decided to create a new establishment based on the concept of Mexican infused rotisserie meats. That restaurant came to be Rostizado and, like its old cousin, has consistently been on the top of Urbanspoon's Talk of the Town.

The restaurant is located on the corner of 104th Street and 103rd Avenue. Found in the northern tip of Downtown, Rostizado is betting on the eventual development surrounding the arena to build up their clientele. Handsomely presented, the large neon sign (that reminds you of their Tres Carnales owners roots) beckons you forward. And boy what a payoff! The restaurant is new age with low dim lighting, gorgeous art and tasteful decor. Helpful wait staff try their best to entertain you as you make the sometimes long wait for a table (reservations are only allowed for groups of eight or more).

The menu is small and based upon their rotisserie. They offer two protein variants, a pollo (chicken) and a puerco (pork) which serve the basis upon which patrons add with a number of appetizers, all with Mexican flare, and a number of tasty side dishes. Rostizado strives to serve fresh local produce and proudly displays their partner farms that they receive their meat and produce from.

These Tamales were excellent. This version of the classic Mesoamerican dish takes corn based dough, combines it with their roasted chicken, wrapped around a corn husk and steamed to tenderness. Encapsulating everything in the corn husk is a old and tried method that allows the ingredients to cook within its own juices. But truly it was the balance of flavours, from the starchy yet grainy dough with a fiery salsa roja (red sauce) to the cool brown butter cream and smooth queso fresco, that makes this dish stand out.

Platter of 2 is one of their marquee dishes and one that stands out in their menu. Doubling the protein quota with a half order of their rotisserie chicken and pork, this is the best way to indulge and experience Rostizado. The platter is indeed humongous and includes a side of roasted potatoes, an unlimited supply of Mexican soft tortillas and a trio of sauces: Chimicchuri, Salsa Verde and an Argentinean Hot Sauce.

Rosti-Pollo was the table favourite of the two protein options. Oven roasted to lock in the juices, this rotisserie chicken had a delightful sweet and slightly bitter char on the skin that went incredibly well with the awesomely tender meat underneath it. Popping these into a tortilla topped with your choice of sauce finalizes the flavour profile.

Rosti-Puerco (Roasted Pork) was similarly delicious with a smooth fatty flavour profile mixed in with a heavy accent of cilantro and rosemary. In fact, this pork was some of the most tender I have had in Edmonton! Furthermore they go delightfully well when packed into the middle of the mild corn tortilla which adds in a blander starch element to the dish.

The included Rosti-Papas are your average run of the mill roasted potatoes. Rostizado does indeed roast them well to the point of tenderness, but fail to infuse any further flavours into the taters. Granted this is meant as an accompaniment in the Platter of 2 and when taken from that light, they do act well as a bland starchy contrast to the flavour-filled meats.

Rostizado offers a few sides on top of the rotisserie meats. Frijoles Charros, fried pento beans, were surprisingly presented as a soup! The broth had a nice sharp spicy aroma and flavour to it while the beans added a meaty punch to each bite. Cilantro finishes the dish with a much needed herbal freshness.

Roasted Carrots are humbly named but full of royal flavour. The use of a lime, serrano and honey based vinaigrette is a calculated one as it infused sweetness, tartness and spice to the fork tender vegetables. Balance of textures is achieved from the addition of almonds. Delicious.

As customary now with my current group of dining companions, we went with Churros Con Dulce de Leche as our dessert option. Large pieces of fried dough are coated with sugar and cinnamon and served with a "dulce de leche" sauce. This was, unfortunately, the only dish that did not work for the group as: technically, the dough was too dense and a tad undercooked; and thematically, the flavour too simple and reminded us of tastier variants we ate from the summer fair.

Rostizado is a bold addition to the Edmonton dining scene. Although created by the team of Tres Carnales, they take a different approach to dining serving up immense protein rich mains, cool and refreshing salsas and tasty accompanying sides. In the end, the food was excellent with delightfully tender meats and well executed sides with a twist in Mexican flavours. A definite visit for anyone in town.