Ernest’s

Made reservations for a birthday dinner.
The hostess was great and we were seated immediately. Mackenzie, our server was very bubbly and did not rush our selection process for dinner. We had two choices:
1) Four course table d’ote? put together by one of the students
OR
2) Regular menu
We ordered from the regular menu. The appetizers were Foie Gras and the Scallops. The duck liver was not our thing, and the scallops were ok. We added additional salt to them and they tasted much better!
The main courses ordered were the lamb and the duck. The lamb was good and the duck was mediocre. However the sauce and barley together were amazing!
Nonetheless Ernest’s has a great atmosphere and we are looking forward to returning again as the menu is always changing. The students provide wonderful service!

I’ve wanted to come to Ernest’s for a while, but it seemed like every time I thought of going it was during the summer when the school is closed (or at least when the culinary program running the restaurant is on vacation).
I arrived at NAIT from the train. The Culinary part of NAIT, including Ernest’s is a bit of a walk from the station, but you can go inside the school and not have to worry about the weather (it was raining outside so that was nice). It was a bit confusing trying to find the restaurant from this way (I’d also never been to NAIT before), but after going through the market foodcourt part the restaurant was there, if a little tucked away. If it helps the restaurant is in Building U Room 121 (U121).
Ernest’s looks at functions just like a real function, except it’s run by the Culinary Arts Program at NAIT. The hostess greeted me and asked for my reservation, which I made online at Open Table. She wasn’t able to find it, but it was early in the day and I got seated quickly.
The waitress who took care of me was very friendly. Ernest’s has a small menu, with a few drinks, appetizers, main courses, and desserts. The menu is what some might consider high end, but the prices are actually very reasonable. Appetizers and desserts were around $ 6-​$ 8 each and the main courses were $ 12-​$ 15. For lunch that’s really nice.
I didn’t order a drink or an appetizer even though they looked amazing (especially that rhubarb smash). The waitress brought out some bread and butter, just a couple of small slices, but they were delicious. Maybe I’m crazy, I want to say I tasted the slightest hint of lemon in the bread. It might have not been lemon, but there was just a little bit of brightness in the bread, which was delicious.
The main course I got was The Country Style Fried Chicken. It comes on top of a truffled coleslaw, corn relish, and spicy chestnut honey. I took a small spoonful of the relish, which was delicious and sweet. Then I went to cut into one of the three pieces of chicken and noticed it was pink inside, with obvious blood. A slightly raw steak that’s okay, raw chicken is not.
I think the mark of a good restaurant isn’t necessarily whether or not it’s perfect 100% of the time, but what the restaurant does when a problem arises. Bloody chicken is a problem, and when I flagged down the waitress and pointed out the issue she was quick to apologize and took the dish back to the kitchen to have it fixed. She was very nice and apologized again letting me know that I would get a comped dessert.
After several minutes the dish came back, and I checked the chicken and everything was cooked fine. The dish was delicious, a fantastic combination of sweet and little spicy. The chicken was crispy and not at all greasy.
About halfway through my meal someone else, an instructor perhaps, came to check on my meal and make sure everything from before was resolved. She then said the entire meal would be comped. I really didn’t feel that was necessary, the main course perhaps, but I think this mistake was an honest one. Definitely not a good one to make, but then again I’m sure other fine dining establishments have served an undercooked chicken dish at one point or another.
I decide to get dessert, not because the entire meal was going to be comped, but because the desserts looked delicious. I got the milk chocolate mousse, which came with a chocolate cake chocolate cake, a port infused pear, and mandarin granite. It also came with several delicious fruit decorations (raspberries and a strawberry). This was delicious — I only wished I had a little knife or something because it was really hard getting the granite and cake on my spoon (it kept sliding off).
During my dessert I was approached again by someone from the program, maybe another instructor, who apologized for the incident with the main course, and said that would be comped. I figured that would be fine. It wasn’t the dessert that was the problem, and I’m really not the kind of person to insist on a comped meal because of a mistake (I’ve worked customer service jobs so I know that mistakes happen — we’re all human).
I would like to give Ernest’s 5 stars because the food was delicious, the service was fantastic, and the price and portions were great. However because of the mistake and because there was a little miscommunication between the people working (first comped dessert, then a comped meal, then a comped main course) I have to give Ernest’s 4 stars. I did really enjoy my meal here, and I think it’s fantastic the students in the Culinary Program get real restaurant experience and make some really tasty creations. They were very helpful and I look forward to trying Ernest’s again, perhaps during one of their highly recommend Friday Buffets or during Dinner.

Ernest is a GEM. Student run places are the best! This is one of those places that feels like a well kept secret that only «people in the know» know about. Who would guess that culinary gold can be found in NAIT’s Hokanson Centre for Culinary Arts? Not I, but we decided to rectify the situation. Making a reservation is easy (do it online) and you can even get free parking if you reserve early enough (see here). I probably should have kept that on the DL, oops.
The lunch menu is small with three appetizer, six entrees and three desserts to choose from. The prices are really what sets them apart and is one of the reasons I wanted to check them out! Apparently, this was the first year that Ernest was open for May, hope that becomes an annual tradition.
— Farmers market salad ($ 7.00) — this changes daily but when we went, it was an arugula and fennel salad with three salmon cakes hidden underneath. The salmon cakes were unreal. Perfectly deep fried and crispy on the outside, soft and luscious on the inside. The fact that they had three was icing on the cake. Perfect to share with our odd number!
— Cold smoked scallops ($ 11.00) — quinoa mint salad, confit tomatoes and lemon vinaigrette. Again, three scallops was perfect for us as we each were able to try one. The scallops were BOMB. For $ 11.00 freaking dollars, this is a steal. Especially when you compare it to the scallops I had recently at The Marc (those were just as delicious but way more $$$).
— Crusted lamb loin ($ 16.00) — Israeli couscous, roasted carrots, green beans, pea shoots and Mediterranean spices. The lamb loin was exceptionally good. Wow, I was impressed with how gamey and flavourful the lamb was. It was cooked perfectly to a medium rare. The Israeli couscous was also really good. I need to start incorporating more of these healthy grains (couscous, quinoa, barley, etc.) into my diet. So good for you and full of flavour!
— Beef striploin ($ 16.00) — smoked fingerlings in a reduction sauce. The striploin was good but as DBones confessed to me afterwards, once he had a bite of my lamb, it was game over. His beef was tasty but bland in comparison to the lamb.
— Bouillabaisse ($ 14.00) — this was their catch of the day. Filled with fish, mussels, and shrimp, there were also two pieces of grilled bread and the broth was some sort of saffron base. Bbop enjoyed the dish — at first, he wasn’t sure but the dish won him over by the end. I had a bite of the fish and it was a bit dry, almost had a rubbery texture to it. I’ve ate bouillabaisse several times in Montréal but that’s probably an unfair comparison. It was a good effort, let’s go with that.
Fine dining at a fraction of the price. You won’t even notice that the servers and kitchen is run by students. Our waiter was excellent and our food (all three of our entrees) came out at the same time (a la Hell’s Kitchen style). Impressive, you don’t even see that at regular fine dining restaurants in Edmonton. I’ll have to try out their four course table d’hôte menu ($ 38.00/person) once they open back up in September. They also have Friday buffets ($ 30.00/person including tax and gratuity) if AYCE is more your jazz.

Excellent food, service, and price. Food quality that you don’t expect in Edmonton; my date commented ‘I don’t think this duck was ever frozen.’

I was in need of a cooking and cleaning break today so I checked opentable for an early reservation. Since I’ve never had the dinner service at Ernest’s I thought I would give it a try. I specified that we would be a party of four and I would need one highchair.
When we arrived about 5 minutes early for our 6 pm reservation, we were greeted warmly by the hostess and seated right away and yes there was a highchair at our table waiting.
We ordered the table d’hôte which was a steal at $ 38/​pp with 5 courses. I asked how long it would take for the meal since our kids only have about an hour time limit before they start to melt down. Our server said it would be just over an hour since there were so many dishes and it would depend on how long we took to eat our meals since he wouldn’t want to rush us or let fold get cold if it was ordered too soon.
Food came quickly and it helped that we were there earlier in the evening and it wasn’t terribly busy. The timing of the courses was perfect for us. And our server, Joshua was incredible with the kids. He got down to their level and asked questions about their meals.
I won’t comment on every dish because I don’t think this menu ever stays the same. The highlight of the meal was definitely the swordfish. Cooked perfectly and seasoned to perfection. The whole dish worked together so well. It was the best fish I’ve eaten in a long time.
I can’t say enough about establishments that treat me and my family with two small children well. The fact that the kitchen was willing and able to get our meals out to us in a timely manner means that we can come back and enjoy the wonderful offerings over and over again.
One thing I missed about the service was the fact that the dishes were not explain when they hit the table. I understand that the descriptions are in the menu but it may have been an hour ago that I saw it last and I wasn’t really paying attention. Please please remember to describe what you’re setting in front of me — the chefs will appreciate it!

I tried a few different things here and the food is AMAZING and the service is really good. Note that everything is run by the students of the culinary program at NAIT so the service isn’t the best you’ll find in the city, but they definitely try hard and are very helpful. It’s that kind of vibe you get from a student who doesn’t have experience waiting tables but is being graded on their performance so nervously tries really hard. The only downside of this restaurant is that it’s simply one big room but they’ve done the best they can do with the décor given their space so really they deserve a pat on the back for the effort. So far I’ve tried the 48 Hour Chuck Steak ($ 12), which has creamed spinach, mushrooms, egg yolk croquette, with smoked pork fat rissole potatoes. This was really good, but what is even better is the Crispy Skin Duck Confit ($ 13), which has parisian gnocchi, beech mushrooms, brussels sprouts, cherry wood smoked bacon, with a mustard cream sauce. Another thing on their menu worth trying is their Braised Bison Short Rib (I only had a bit of this off a friend’s plate but the bison melted in the mouth… tooo good). For desert we tried the blackberry macaroon with strawberries and gelato and even though I’m not much of a sweet tooth, this was really good.
Overall, you’re not going to have the best meal here that you can get in the city, but it’s definitely the best meal you can get in the city for this price.

Great venue for the Avenue Edmonton restaurant launch. The staff were very friendly. We had a great time.

Ok the friday buffets are not a secret. They are booked months in advance for a reason. That is the heavenly table of desserts! A rich array of handmade chocolates, cakes, pastries, macaroons and cookies. If that doesnt win you over then the appetizers will.
I love the tapas like appetizers. A generous variety of fruit, veggies, seafood, meat, cheeses all prepared perfectly. I always try to have at least one of everything since it is soooooooo good. All you can eat tapas are rare in edmonton. I normally skip the entrees bc the appies and deserts are heavenly. But the salmon, roast beef, lamb and chicken look great and taste great from what I hear from my family who tried them.
Only issue is that the lunch is timed. They have two seatings and literally remove the food so u will leave in a timely manner. So eat fast and enjoy bc I think its one of the best buffets in edmonton by far!!!
Plan in advance and book early.

THE AMBIENCE
If you had been blindfolded and then opened your eyes once inside Ernest’s, you’d never guess you were in an educational institution. No, the room wasn’t ultra hip; it was more traditional in design, but no matter! Coming here was a unique little dining adventure.
Plus, they get the lighting right — it set a nice tone. Even in a nearly full room, our table for two felt intimate.
THE SERVICE
The staff were very attentive. The fact that they are students (and sometimes a bit tentative) just made it all the more endearing.
THE FOOD
I recommend reading their online menu in advance, so you know what you might like, because as with some high-​end establishments, the menu isn’t extensive. So, for example, there may be only one chicken entrée (but you know it will be a quality one!)
We had the exceptionally flavourful cauliflower soup, smoked hickory mussels, leek and pecan tart (so buttery and yummy!) and very tender chuck of beef.
THE CONCLUSION
The menu doesn’t change very often, which is great because there are several more items we intend to try in the near future!

The décor is basic but nice. From there it only goes up. The food was the best we’ve had in the last couple of years. Very interesting variations of some standard dishes — making me want to come back to try everything else. Portions were perfect and the vending very relaxed.

Ernest is a great place to have a fine dining meal for $ 25! Haha, I’m not even kidding when I say this. The restaurant serves as a means to train NAIT’s culinary and hospitality services students. The exploits include some really nice fine dining food, in a buffet style, with excellent service. They are almost always booked and I can see why!
I wouldn’t say that the food I ate here was the best I’ve ever eaten. There were some fantastic high points though. The arancini balls were perhaps among the best I’d had. Basically, arancini is deep fried risotto balls. They made it with wild mushroom and taleggio cheese and the medley of flavors was fantastic! The other main courses were decent too. Lots of small bites like canopés, light salads, terrines and housemade breads and so on. Decent vegetarian options too.
The desserts were again pretty good. Fresh baked croissants, house made chocolates and truffles that were freaking delicious and, of course, the incredibly delicious banana fosters. The fosters were the high point for me. They also had small ganaches and other finger-​food desserts that were pretty decent too. Yummy desserts to end the night!
While the food is generally good, one could see that this is a means to train NAIT students. There were some misses, like roasted chicken in a buffet style setting, where the chicken was a bit dry. However, for the price, it’s worth giving it a try because there will certainly be something you will like and will make your meal memorable.

I love the concept of this place — culinary and hospitality students get some practical experience with the skills that they’re learning.
The décor left a bit to be desired, as we appeared to be sitting in a generic banquet room, but the food more than made up for that.
Seriously, that was one of the best meals I’ve had in my life. Fan-friggin’-tastic. Nothing else needs to be said.

This is a gem and I don’t want to tell you about this hidden treasure.
I had the daily soup which was beef barley and the scallop appetizer. Both were superb and my main dish was the striplion with shrimp done to perfection by the students.
The students were new this week and that took just a few minutes longer as they had to take pictures of their work.
Fine dining in a quiet place, I cannot tell you about Ernest’s because I want to keep it a secret.

You might think that NAIT would be the last place you’d find a classy, fine dining restaurant, but I can vouch that it does exist! The restaurant is called Ernest’s, and I came here for a Celiac dinner that NAIT has twice a year. The top students from the Culinary Arts program cook an awesome four-​course gluten-​free dinner for all ticket-​buying customers.
The dining room was very classy. The tables were covered with stark white table cloths, soft, glowing candles, and fresh flowers. There was also a table set-​up with an impressive selection of wine and champagne.
The dinner was absolutely amazing. I could not tell, not one bit, that this gluten-​free dinner was any different than a dinner that might contain gluten.
First came the salad, and it was made up of different layers of crab, avocado, and mozzarella cheese. Next came a butternut squash soup, which I’d never tried before. I loved it so much, I’ve since purchased the packaged version in the store, but it doesn’t even compare. The main course was a stuffed chicken with roasted potatoes and asparagus. The chicken was so huge, I almost couldn’t finish it. For dessert, it was blood-​orange ice cream – absolutely cool and creamy, with an intense flavour.
Overall, this was a great experience, and a four-​course gluten-​free meal for $ 50 is a pretty good deal in my books. The students did an amazing job, and I will definitely be back!