Stony Plain, Alberta ala monde

The Almanac
5202 50th Street
Stony Plain, AB
David Weisman, executive head chef

The Diner
Deep in the heart of old Stony Plain there is a green building that looks like a 1950’s gas station called the Almanac. In it is a restaurant well worth a try. The ambience is nice, the music diverse. Check out the menu; it is a local meat and potatoes fare with a twist--Portuguese steak, Mediterranean chicken, prime rib au jus with puff pastry Yorkshire pudding; Tiramisu on the dessert menu.
David and I happened on this restaurant while doing a stomp around the county. We were hungry. We didn’t want a chain restaurant so we searched until we found an owner operated one. Hence we discovered the Almanac, on “Farmers’ Day”, when the locals had almost eaten them out of groceries.
The executive chef is David Weisman and he is from Montreal. Escaping the chaos there, he and his prairie born wife worked at the Almanac, and now own it. He does know his way around the kitchen! That day, he apologized that he only had 4 things on the menu board. I reassured him that it reminded me of Paris where some restaurants offer a menu of the day. When he told us he tries to source local meats and vegetables, we were hooked.

The Dinner
That day, I tried the Portuguese steak and David had ribs. Our meals were absolutely wonderful. Portuguese steak is a New York steak marinated in a mix of pickles, olives and other secret ingredients. There were mounds of locally sourced garlic mashed potatoes. Okay…I could have THAT for supper. The veggies were perfectly grilled.
The wine list is short but decent, the food is skillfully prepared. We have been back for prime rib and it did not disappoint. Tender, beefy, mashed potatoes with cream sauce and beautifully done veggies. They grow a lot of potatoes around Stony Plain. You have to have potatoes—and they are good!
Yup…..when we are in the neighborhood, we will be back. Heck, we will plan to be in the neighborhood!