Meat!

After the Edmonton Rush game this afternoon, Gibble, Elimination Chambers and Gibble's girlfriend (gotta come up with a nickname for her) had dinner at the Coliseum Steaks & Pizza, a short distance away from Rexall Place (formerly Northlands Coliseum. See what they did there?). We were all set for a dinner of meats, and Coliseum did not disappoint. 

The restaurant is an Edmonton institution, and rightly so. A homey, family atmosphere really sets the mood for meat. Service is fast and personal, and prices are very reasonable. They had a steak special this evening, a New York strip with mushrooms. Elimination got one of those, except that the dude got it cooked well done. Now, I'm a fan of meat, and I know a well prepared well done steak can be edible, but why would you abuse meat like that? The Ninjabro used to get his steaks well done, but eventually, he tried it a little less well and more medium and found he enjoyed it more. Easier to chew and juicer, with more cow flavour coming through. I still think he's a heathen for ordering his steaks leaning towards medium well, but he usually gets medium so I can't fault him too much. I can, however, keep making fun of Elimination for his choice of steak doneness. I'm a rare man myself (would be blue rare but not many places can make it that awesome).

Gibble got his usual, a rack of ribs, and his girlfriend (can't call her Gibblette, she'd murderize me!) got a filet. See, Elimination, at least she's got discerning tastes! After hemming and hawing over the menu for a while, I finally decided on the BBQ beef ribs. If they were anything like the beef ribs at Tony Roma's or Montana's, the thought went, I would have a lot of meat on my plate plus soup or salad plus choice of potato plus garlic bread. I instantly regretted having that hot dog and giant iced tea during the game.

I needn't have worried, though. Because that hot dog was my first meal of the day, it was, in effect, the rehearsal for the bountiful beef rib feast I was about to enjoy. After the soup was finished, out came the entree. On my plate sat not one, not two, but four beef ribs. Elimination mentioned several times that it resembled the ribs that tip over the Flintstones' car in the cartoon's end credits. The similarity is not exaggerated much. There was definitely a lot of meat.

And somehow, I managed to finish it all. I didn't manage to finish the fries or the garlic bread, but the beef ribs were tasty, the BBQ sauce was tart and super-fantabulo, and being on nearly an empty stomach meant I could finish them all... barely. I was surprised that I would only have to pay about $20 for that meal. On a normal day, I could probably get two meals out of that. My friends' meals were no less impressive: Gibble's rack of ribs ran the length of his elliptical plate, Elimination's New York was big, and Gibble's girlfriend's filet looked massive.

If you ever have the opportunity to go, and you like meat, I can't recommend Coliseum Steak & Pizza enough. Every time I've been there, I've left feeling immensely satisfied and full to bursting with meat and more meat. That's a good feeling.