The Pipestone

The Pipestone Food Company
4911-50th StreetWetaskiwin, Alberta

The Diner
Located in historic downtown Wetaskiwin, Alberta, The Pipestone Food Company consists of both restaurant and the Iron Board Pub. Walking in, we were greeted by the creaking old wooden floor, original and unfinished. As our eyes crept up the painted walls, we saw the old decorative tin ceiling tiles. They also looked original and untouched in many years—great old world ambience.
The unmatched wooden tables and chairs were carefully set, eagerly awaiting guests to be seated. Light jazz filtered through a couple of speakers on the walls. What looks like a bar appears to be a combination of cash area, coffee bar, dessert cooler and information centre. It is ruled by a 3 foot tall wooden pepper mill that is used to provide the final touch on a dinner.
We were quickly greeted by a friendly server who told us to sit wherever we wanted. We chose a table near the wall by the wine rack and the kitchen.

The Dinner
We had been on the road for several hours so we began with a pint of apricot beer from the Alley Kat Brewing Company on tap. It was deliciously refreshing with a hint of apricot on the nose and the palate. Soon a basket of hot, multigrain mini-loaves and a small dish of butter were presented by the same server who waited single-handedly on all the tables.
The appetizers were mushroom soup for her and a Caesar salad for me. The soup was brown - like a mushroom; the herby aroma invited us to taste the delicate flavour of the mushroom slices popping their heads out of the savoury cream. The romaine leaves of the salad were accompanied by homemade croutons and a light, creamy-- not oily salad dressing.
Having decided that our meals would be meatatarian (all grown locally in Alberta with no growth hormone or steroids) -- barbecued ribs and steak we chose an Italian red wine—a 2005 Tomasi Viticoltori Valpolicella Ripasso. The waiter brought us the wine and we were a bit worried that it would be closed because of the lack of time to breathe – a perpetual challenge in restaurants. As soon as she handed us the cork our reaction to the wine was OMG! I wanted to eat the cork – or at least squeeze the wine in it into my glass. Think spicy pepper and raisins on the nose and intense black cherry and smooth tannins on the palate. The introductory swirl, whiff and first sip told the same story as the aroma on the cork.
Our main courses came with a “bone bowl”. The steak and ribs were both accompanied by a pile of sliced potatoes that could have passed for neatly stacked scalloped potatoes done al dente with melted cheese on top. The zucchini, carrots and broccoli were lightly grilled and they complemented both entrées beautifully. The steak had a delicious taste of beef that had been barbecued on a hot grill. The ribs were baked, not braised, and cooked to a medium wellness. The meat was “gnaw off the bone” done, not “fall off the bone”. David was in heaven. The mango barbecue sauce had a balanced touch of piquante and sweetness. The wine stood up to both entrées which brought out different flavours in the wine.
For dessert we ordered the chocolate cake – one of the desserts of the day and the peaches and cream crepes. The cake was chocolate-y perfect -- not too sweet and not too bitter. I took a few sips and the wine complemented the cake. The peach crepes were unbelievable! The crème brule custard filling, the poached peaches and whipped cream topped with the caramel sauce (not the stuff out of a jar) were a little piece of heaven.
We talked to the chef and owner, Brady Weiler, for a bit. He is part of a movement in the Edmonton region that promotes eating locally grown food at local restaurants. If all the locally grown food tastes as good as this does, why would we want to go to any chain restaurants in the future? Brady also caters pig roasts and gave us a taster. Need a pig roast? Hire this one!