EDMONTON: Wildflower Grill

The Wildflower Grill is a sleek restaurant in the Matrix boutique hotel building. The downtown Edmonton establishment focuses on “new Canadian cuisine.”

We went there to try the Sunday brunch (11 a.m.-2 p.m.). Everything on the menu (9 mains, 3 sandwiches, 2 salads) looked delicious and promising.

A warm, buttery, crumbly cornbread muffin kicked everything off, compliments of the house. What a civilized touch.

Coffee, served in an individual French press, was fantastic, along with the friendly and attentive service.

Our beautifully presented dishes arrived on plates so big, everything on our two-person table had to be moved around like a puzzle to fit them.

Jason went for the Eggs Benedict two-ways ($14): an egg poached in red wine with maple glazed back bacon and bearnaise sauce, partnered with a second egg poached with saffron with chicken breast and a roasted red pepper charon (a hollandaise or bernaise sauce tinted with tomato puree).

Two corn tortillas stuffed with chorizo sausage, scrambled eggs, and manchego cheese made up my Spanish skillet ($12). They sat atop a well-executed potato pavé.

Unfortunately, the mains fell short of the expectations that everything thus far had built up.

The red-wine poached egg was a tad too tart; the Benedict combinations simply OK.

My skillet was all-around meh. The tomato compote that should have pulled everything together tasted flat, and the chorizo had no kick.

On the other hand, the sides were wonderful. A mini pot of cheesy baked potato bits elevated ho-hum hash browns. A beautiful bowl of fruit salad (fresh chunks of mango, blueberry and blackberry) was layered with a happy surprise of custard (crème anglaise?) and topped with a gooseberry.

I give the Wildflower Grill full points for bold creativity, but our main dishes were just missing a certain oomph.

Having said that, it’s obvious the restaurant has a good foundation and good intentions. I’d love to return to try dinner, which has drawn rave reviews.

Wildflower Grill, 10009–107th St. NW, Edmonton, Alberta, (780) 990-1938. Open for brunch on Sundays 11 a.m.-2 p.m.