Deanne on 
Paul Dicken on 
Madeleine Boivin on 
Brian on 
Naomi Wilton on 
Michael on 
Ameena Sethi on 
Sh Saqi on 
I debated for a while before writing about Skinny Legs and Cowgirls because I don’t like to be anything less than totally positive in an entry. But I think the things that bugged us are fixable and there are enough things going for the “sort of bistro,” as it says on the sign, that people will still be curious enough to go.
I wanted to love this tiny, quirky restaurant run by Susan Kellock in the kitchen and her daughter Amy on the floor. Hidden in an unfashionable strip mall, it’s named after their shared love of writer Tom Robbins. Did I mention tiny? Just half a dozen tables we instantly recognized from Ikea. The resourcefulness, I thought, boded well for a focus on food.
We were seduced by the two specials on the blackboard: two salmon fillets ($37) with pineapple and the restaurant’s famous mixed grill ($73). Amy told us each would feed about two people so we ordered one fish and two grills between six of us.
It’s been a while since we all got together, so we lingered over the bottle of wine we brought (corkage fee is $25) and caught up.
Before long, the bowl of nuts and the chips and salsa provided to us were gone — and an hour had passed. We sent some anxious looks toward the bar where Amy and the other server were beyond busy. They smiled back but that was it.
We ordered a bottle of Foch ($50 – Quails’ Gate from B.C. I think) from their lovely wine list and tried not to eat the flowers on the table.
An hour and a half after we arrived, we got our first taste of Skinny Legs and Cowgirls. The large platters were pretty, scattered with copious amounts of organic vegetables: roasted brussel sprouts and red peppers, mashed sweet potatoes, wilted spinach, seared pear slices, grilled baby eggplant and zucchini.
The salmon was quite good, playing well with the bits of pineapple.
The mixed grill was great but the two platters disappeared quickly because we were starving. Each plate was piled with four breaded lamb chops, three bison ribs, about 6 oz. of sliced striploin and a potato gratin. The mint sauce was a revelation, made with horseradish, white vinegar and an undisclosed secret ingredient.
The regular menu is all meant to be shared — Caesar salad ($10.95) and chorizo and rice ($16) for example — in a hearty tapas kind of style. All the mains come with organic vegetables.
Dinner was delicious but two things niggled at us. We waited more than 90 minutes with no explanation or assurances when our food was coming. I understand things can get hectic in a small kitchen and we all like giving little places more leeway but 90 minutes is a looong time in an 18-seat restaurant.
(In the end, Amy waived the $25 corkage fee because we were celebrating our engagement, but not because of the wait.)
And while we have no problems with paying high prices for exceptional food — our group included Kat, who first introduced us to the world of fine wine — $37 for two pieces of salmon and $73 for the mixed grill was hard to swallow.
We applaud the prominent use of organic ingredients, but the specials weren’t special or generous enough to merit their price tags — which are also not posted anywhere and may be a shock for some people when they get their bills.
We left with mixed feelings because we do wish the best for the warm, friendly bistro and can only hope the time lapse was an anomaly.
Skinny Legs and Cowgirls, 9008 Jasper Ave., Edmonton, (780) 423-4107. Open Tuesday to Sunday 6-10 p.m. Reservations recommended.
couldn’t have said it better myself. i’d be willing to give it a second try though. and this time i’ll get t his cocunut rice
Hmmm, sounds a lot like the Bins (941 and 942) where one got the distinct impression that the description of the dishes as meant to be eaten tapas style was because they kitchen was so small and overloaded that they couldn’t get more than one small plate out at a time.
My understanding of tapas is that you order some food, it comes out, you order more, more comes out, rinse and repeat. There’s kind of a constant parade of food and you order more as you drink more and decide how much hungrier you are.
Haven’t tried, but it seems a little pricey and that faux-tapas meant to cover up inefficient kitchen/service issues. There’s pretty much no excuse for keeping people sitting there looking at each other for 90 minutes. Even if they are overpricing the plates, they’re not flipping the seats fast enough to make their money.
I think tapas has come to mean anything that can be shared these days… And there was definitely no “flipping.” As far as we could tell, they only did one sitting!
Oh! I love reading your blog, especially since I’ve moved to Calgary – but this time just had to comment.
I can relate! 3 of us popped over to Skinny Legs last year after helping a friend move, arriving to a locked door and a somewhat frazzled server. After looking at the menu, she pumped up the mixed grill special and we thought, why not? Ordered potatoes and another veg with it. Waited…and waited. The restaurant started filling up, still waiting… Got the food over 90 minutes later but it was nicely presented, and tasted fine. Got the bill, were shocked to see that the grill cost over $70. Nothing else on the menu even begins to come close to that price, so we didn’t have an inkling. She didn’t think to mention. Very disappointed. For that money (& amount of time), I would have eaten elsewhere.
I tried to give it a second chance when my parent’s dropped into town. I called to make a reservation, and she was unable to tell me whether she could take us that night. Seemed odd.
I was sad as I do love a good little independent restaurant & goodness knows that Edmonton needs more!
been there & love it – never had to wait very long either.
In response, as one of the owners…
The sharing theme was always our concept. Our idea was to conjure up culinary conversation while enjoying your stay. Unassumingly, my mother and I opened up our dream of taking a “slum dive” and (with little means) tried to make it comfortable. By people’s choice (surprisingly to us) we became popular.
…Unfortunately, we still have the same inadequate kitchen. Much apoloigies. Food from the heart takes time (we want it to be perfect).
In conclusion, sincerely from my heart, we apologize to any unhappy customers. And to all of those that love us, thank you for your support, we are only here to make you happy!
Much love,
Amy Kellock
P.S. We are looking for a slightly larger and better equipped location.
Have been to Skinny Legs a few times and never really had to wait. Loved the food and the service. For me it is the type of place I love to take my parents or good friends as I feel that I get kind and courteous service that one no longer gets in big restaurants or chains. Good luck Skinny Legs and I hope you find your new location and that it is not too far outside of the downtown core as I would hate for this area to lose such a wonderful eatery.
Recently visited Skinny Legs and Cowgirls. I loved the fact that the focus is on organic ingredients and a prominently vegetarian menu. The wait was a bit long, but we were visiting so that was okay. When the food did arrive, it was delicious and the service was very good. Although the proximity to other diners was a bit tight, we enjoyed our visit. The main problem came when we went back to our vehicle to find that it had been vandalized and ticketed by the parking authority even though we were parked out front (the vandalism was, of course, no fault of the restaurant, but still, an indication of the neighborhood). I would go back to the restaurant only if it were to change locations.