Christmas Carol - An Evening on the Town



Churchill Square, Edmonton, as seen from the Citadel Theatre, all lit up for Christmas.

  A night on the town, eating at East Bound Bistro and attending The Christmas Carol, was ours to enjoy Saturday evening thanks to Global Television Edmonton and sponsors.

Citadel Theatre set for Christmas Carol, December 18, 2010 (taken before the production began)

 I entered a Christmas Traditions contest with Global Television and was one of five luck recipients of this wonderful prize pack!  My family and I began the evening with supper at East Bound Bistro.  We enjoyed superb service.  Our waitress went out of her way to be sure we were happy with our meal, giving well-informed advice on selecting the level of doneness for the lamb dish.  She did have a bit of an attitude, though she did offer excellent service, but we didn't let it deter us from enjoying a lovely meal. 

We began with appetizers including Vegetable Tempura, tempura battered vegetables (peppers, yam and zucchini) which was very good, cooked tender to the fork, with a delectable dipping sauce (traditional tentsuyu); and boneless dry ribs (Not Very Dry Ribs) that were very tasty morsels. 

My husband selected the 9 oz NY steak with baby potatoes, young carrots, and asparagus.  Don't select your steak medium well here if you don't want it well done!  Hubby's was a little dry and too well done for his liking but the potatoes were delicious, cooked until just the right point of tenderness without being mushy or too firm.  

One son had Mojito Chops (lamb chops) which, evidently, must be cooked to the point of medium well at a minimum as the flavour is intensified with further cooking and yet is not dry nor tough.  He loved his dish, exclaiming just how fantastic the lamb was.  His meal also came with asparagus, done to perfection, and potatoes and young carrots.

My daughter had Penne Athens (the penne dish) with lemon-pepper chicken, peppers, onion, sundried tomatoes in olive oil accented with feta cheese and black olives, and a slice of garlic bread on the side.  It was flavourful, a bit oily and very filling.  It smelled divine. Bring an appetite for this dish!

My other son and I each had the Ciabatta Club sandwich with grilled chicken breast, back bacon and Provolone cheese slice, lettuce and tomato.  I substituted my fries, which come with the dish, for a house salad with an apple/vinaigrette dressing while my son chose to keep his fries.  The sandwich was ok, not spectacular but was pretty good.  I expected more flavour.  This sandwich is quite filling on its own so I was happily satisfied with the meal. 

 Also part of this prize package was this candle lit floral centerpiece from Bunches (Namao location).  So festive and fragrant with sprigs of cedar, pine and fir as the base and carnations and berries accented the piece.  A couple sprigs of holly leaves and another succulent broad evergreen leafy plant were dotted here and there, adding a nice bit of shine to the arrangement.  A few Christmas ornamental balls, two white candles and a bow made from sparkling red ribbon finished off the piece.  Just beautiful.

At East Bound Bistro, making meal selections.

It was a perfect evening out on the town.  I leave the best for last here.  The theatrical production of Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol was absolutely marvellous!!  The acting was superb, including the English accents, props were professional with great attention to detail and authenticity, and one could not have selected a better lead actor for the role of Ebenezer Scrooge!!  His performance was incredible!!  A true scrooge, yet funny at times, Richard McMillan shines in his role as Ebenezer! 

If you can see but one theatrical production this holiday season, make it Christmas Carol!!  10/10!!!!!

My heartfelt gratitude to all those who sponsored this contest.  Oh, what a night!!