Saskatoon: A City That Caught Me By Surprise
Saskatoon, in Saskatchewan Canada, is a city that caught me by surprise. I knew the surrounding region is considered the breadbasket of Canada, so I expected the prairie capitol surrounded by farmland to be a bit provincial. So I was beyond excited to discover I was wrong. With the South Saskatchewan River running through it, the downtown core and surrounding neighborhoods are delightfully trendy, buzzing with restaurants, breweries and distilleries that stay busy into the night come summer, when daylight stretches on for some 18-hours. And when the sun does set, the waterfront trails that run for some 50-miles along the banks of the river are great places to take advantage of the spectacular sunsets, which paint the color a rainbow of saturated colors. And Saskatoon is also home to plenty of culture with festivals like MoSoFest bringing bands to seven different venues around the city and the Saskatchewan Jazz Festival, the second largest (after Vancouver) in Western Canada, also attracting sizeable crowds. Saskatoon is also a city easy to explore by foot, which means unless you plan heading further North to places like Prince Albert National Park, walking could suit you just fine. But best of all, I loved the people, who are unquestionably friendly and prideful to call this spirited prairieland home.
Here are five spots for food and drink you don’t want to miss.
Saskatoon Farmers Market
Visiting the local Framers Market is one of the first things I look into when I am traveling, and your chances of catching one here are pretty good- the market is open Wednesday’s, Saturdays and Sundays. All the produce here looks delicious, and I so wanted to stock up on the colorful heirloom tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers and peppers and stout stalks of rhubarb for some kind of insanely delicious salad, despite not having a kitchen to cook in. Vendors here also sell everything from candles to chocolate and gelato to fresh baked breads.
The location, in the growing Riversdale neighborhood, about a 15-minute walk from the downtown core, is also a spot worth exploring for art galleries and sidewalk cafes. One my favorites spots is Thrive, a juice and smoothie bar. For a healthy dose of berries, try “The Local” smoothie, which is made with Saskatoon berries, haskap berries, raspberries, seabuckthorne berries and blueberries.
Lucky Bastard Distillery
This is certainly one of the best spots for a cocktail, but also tells one heck of a story. One of the owners, Michael Goldney, won $14.6 million in the lotto and decided to partner up with his wife, Lacey, and investment banker, Cary Bowmen to open up Saskatoon’s first micro distillery with part of the winnings. They produce rum, whiskey, gin, fruit liqueurs (like the Saskatoon berry liqueur ) and vodka (my favorite was the pepper and honey). Here, all the mashing, fermenting and distilling is done with local malted grains on site. For a cocktail, head into the splashy tasting room, which has a roaring twenties kind of vibe with sparkly chandeliers and pleated leather couches. The space also features an open layout so you can see the copper still that imported from Germany. By the way, her name is Ginger. You know because she makes gin, clever! This spot isn’t walking distance from downtown so you may want to consider a cab.
The Hollows
Here, husband and wife team, Christie Peters and Kyle Michael, serve food focused on seasonal and local ingredients grown on site: both on the patio and in a permaculture garden downstairs with several types of leafy greens. And while the restaurant does have an emphasis on vegetables, it doesn’t do so at the cost of abandoning meat. Peters is a butcher, which is why ordering the charcuterie board should be on your list. She focuses on whole animal butchery with animals that are locally pastured and raised. This means she does things like using the inedible fat to make soap that is used in the restrooms and burning the bones to be composted.
The atmosphere is fun and funky too – it previously served as a Chinese Restaurant for 50-years. Christie and Kyle rented it after the previous tenants, who left basically all the décor behind, abandoned it. Instead of redecorating, they have kept everything including signage out front complete with a fiery green dragon. Even the vintage porcelain decorated mug, muted orange wallpaper and wooden lanterns all stayed. This restaurant definitely has a 60’s kind of vibe. But my favorite part is the green pagoda over the bar, where you can order house made kombucha. The couple also owns another restaurant just down the street called Primal, which serves pasta in a more modern space. The concept fits Saskatchewan to a T because it’s the breadbasket of the world where most of the world’s grain is produced. Inside, the restaurant is decorated with tan hides from the animals they butcher.
Odd Couple
I am not Vegan or Vegetarian, but after eating the Vegan Vietnamese Rice Noodle Soup, I am convinced I may be able to pull it off. Noodles, fried local tofu and veggies like baby bok choy, shitake mushroom and shallots are placed in a Jicama Broth. The dish is served with Vegan egg roll that had the perfect amount of crunch. In the Riversdale Neighborhood, owner Andy Yuen opened the Odd Couple in 1996 after emigrating from Hong Kong to Saskatchewan with his family. The space is intimate and quiet enough to hold a conversation while a cool breeze sifts in through a wide-open window that was once a garage door.
Vista Lounge
Shared plates always make for some of the best dinners, especially when you are with great company. And even better when you are at Vista Lounge, a place where the bright and colorful atmosphere and rooftop deck add to the experience. My dinner pals and I each chose a dish that came out one by one. In between plates, we sipped on Canadian beer and wine and shared stories. It’s easily the kind of place where you will linger for longer and possibly stick around for dessert. That’s if you have room. To ensure, try the half portions and know that you can order more as you go. Some of my favorites were the Scip Dip , a spiced bean and eggplant dip topped with avocado, pico de gallo and Oaxaca cheese to diminish the heat. The paella is another must try, which is mixed with a spicy sausage, peas and cilantro- but it’s the incredibly fresh tasting mussels and clams that are the star of this dish.
