There is only one thing 33 degree weather makes me want to do: sit on a patio.
Some friends from school and I had been planning to meet up for dinner on Sunday. When our restaurant plans got changed around, I suggested a spot I’ve been meaning to check out for a while but haven’t gotten around to, Highlands Kitchen.
Highlands Kitchen (located on the corner of 65th street and 112 avenue), is in a residential neighborhood just off of a busy main road. It’s formerly known as Culina’s.
The inside of the restaurant itself has a really homey, down-to-earth vibe. But in 33 degree weather, my one track mind went straight for the patio. Despite being pretty close to the main road, there was literally no noise from the traffic. We settled into our shaded corner table and started to peruse the menu.
We decided to share the bacon wrapped dates as an appetizer and Meghan ordered the salmon while I opted for the bison as my main course.
Our waiter was really friendly, despite (I think?) being the only server on duty that night. He was prompt and attentive.
Bacon wrapped dates – $10
The bacon wrapped dates were heavenly. But, who am I kidding? Anything wrapped in bacon is delicious. Nevertheless, this was a real treat. The saltiness of the bacon, hint of maple, sweet date coupled with the sharpness of the pecorino cheese tasted amazing. The only thing I didn’t enjoy about this was that it ended so quickly. I was honestly tempted to order four more.
Slow cooked bison ribs – $26
This picture does not do the meal I ate justice. This was, by far, the best ribs of any kind I have ever had. I typically never order ribs at a restaurant, but after reading rave reviews about this meal online, I had to try it. Definitely glad I did! The balsamic glaze complemented the bison incredibly well. The meat literally fell off the bone. The ribs were served on top of garlic mashed potatoes (yum!) and seasonal veggies. The turnips were undercooked, but that hardly put a damper on this scrumptious dish. A must try!
Salmon – $26
Meghan was not quite as enthused about her salmon as I was about my bison. She had asked for her fish to be cooked medium rare, and found it to be quite a bit overcooked for her taste. She also wasn’t overly impressed by the huge dollop of dill sour cream. The highlight for Meghan was definitely the quinoa salad that accompanied the salmon – she loved it!
For the price of the entrees, the portion sizes were quite large. At restaurants of similar price points, I’ve received about half of the food I did at Highlands Kitchen. Another plus in my books for them. You definitely get a good bang for your buck.
Chocolate Pot de Creme – $7
Despite being pretty stuffed from my delicious bison, I simply couldn’t say no to dessert (I never can!!). We decided to split the chocolate pot de creme. The waiter described the dish as being similar to a creme brulee, without the flamed sugar on top. Unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed with it. I’ve never had a pot de creme dessert before, so I can’t really make a comparison between the one I had and others. This just tasted like chocolate pudding to me. Not even amazing chocolate pudding… just pudding with some blueberries on top. Wasn’t terrible, but definitely not on par with the quality of the rest of the meal.
Overall, our experience at Highlands Kitchen was really positive. I would definitely go back to hang out on their patio and sample some of their other menu items.
