If you know downtown, you know that 104 Ave is basically the final frontier on the north side.
For those of us working in the new Epcor Tower, vittles used to be a pain. You either eat Asian at Zen or one of the other nearby places on 101 St, grab a quick sandwich to go at the Treats in CN Tower, cross 104 Ave to the Rose and Crown pub, or risk getting knifed at the Milla Pub. Coffee was even harder. Since the Starbucks at 104 Ave and 105 St closed, it was either WAY down 104 Ave, WAY down 101 St to Starbucks, or hitting the mile-long drive thru line at Timmy's before work. None very fun if you're in a hurry.
Not anymore! Rejoice, Epcorians!
I waited breathlessly for the opening of Wild Earth in the same building, so I could have my 45 minutes before work to enjoy my latte and do my writing. This is my daily ritual, and affects which jobs I take. Proximity to comfy coffee. This past Wednesday, it happened at last.
The employees are super friendly, glad to see all their new clients, and starting to notice the regulars already. The first morning, I had a large latte, and a hunk of lemon poppyseed loaf. Very good. The coffee is VERY strong. The layer of icing on the lemon loaf was a bit much for me, but basically good, and very lemony.
Since I had no leftovers for lunch the next day, I also sampled their lunch wares. I ordered a turkey pesto panini, with havarti cheese and spinach. Fabulous! And a massive hunk of carb-ness, so it was very filling. Not knowing how big it would be, I also got a couscous salad, with chunks of red pepper and a slight Indian flavor. Very good. With that, I got a Santa Cruz raspberry lemonade and a giant brownie, which I took home to Allan G. All that came to around $21. So they're not cheap, but they are very appreciated in my book.
Thank you Wild Earth for providing Epcor Tower with a valuable addition. Welcome to the neighborhood! read more