Cured: Charcuterie

Happy new year to those resolved to eat healthily and purposefully. While those intentions are in the back of my mind...waaaay back there behind a new bottle of wine and Netflix, my number one goal is to hit as many of Edmonton's fabulous new eateries as I can get to, even if it means having to wear elastic-waist pants. This is the kind of goal I know I can achieve.

Located on the South side of Edmonton in the community of Ellerslie, Cured opened its doors mid-2015 to good reviews and just enough hype to give them a reputation. While I appreciate charcuterie, I typically don't go out to eat it, as it requires more assembly over cooking and is something I can prepare at home. My friend Jill and I went to check it out on Friday. Edmonton is in the midst of a cold snap and the prospect of a big glass of red with meats and cheeses felt like the right thing to do.

The menu is simple: guests choose five out of the sixteen cured meats and fish available, which include some interesting game meats like venison, elk and boar. Your choice of any/all of the twelve cheeses can be added at an extra charge. Cured also offers a good selection of shared plates. We opted to try the arancini: balls of arborio rice, lobster and peas breaded and then fried. The arancini was deceptively filling, but Jill and I are troopers and pushed through to the charcuterie without breaking a sweat. This is how seasoned eaters make it happen.

Of course the arancini was delicious. I'm sure there are ways of messing with this dish. Under cooking the arborio rice and using poor quality ingredients would likely do, but breading and deep frying food tends to mask those kinds of issues.  Thankfully, this dish didn't need any masking. The combination of subtle flavours was a delight.

For the charcuterie, of note was the smoked duck prosciutto, wild boar kabosy and pork liver pate. The duck left enough of an impression on me that I'm going to try tracking it down through a retailer. We also enjoyed the soppressata and I believe the elk andouille, but their flavours weren't as distinct as the other three selections.

The saganaki, a flaming Greek cheese appeared to be the popular favorite, as more boards exited the kitchen sprouting flames than didn't. We opted for the saganaki and Cantenaar, which is a hard cheese with Dutch roots that reminded me a little of Appenzeller.

In addition to the food, I really enjoyed the atmosphere and service at Cured and will be back to try some of the other menu items. We sat at the bar comfortably for almost three hours and were well cared for during that time. On the subject of wine and charcuterie bars, The Wine Room, on Jasper Avenue and 105th St. offers a menu similar to Cured. Hopefully this cold spell lasts a little longer. I could use more charcuterie.