Wild Tale Coastal Grill

For past little while, whenever there has been a mention of Sunday brunch, my mom would automatically assume we were going to a hotel for some all-you-can-stuff-your-face action.  As much as I find that an interesting way to dine, we rarely eat enough (in terms of quantity and quality) to justify dropping nearly $50.00 per person.  Besides, I can only take so much before I experience buffet rage (think road rage, except in a buffet line) where the person in front of me picks out all the good pieces of <insert any seafood here>.

Hence, I suggested we hit up the newly opened Wild Tale instead.  Situated in the former location of Glowbal Grill, the fabulous patio still graces the front entrance.  However, with the kiddies in tow, we decided to sit inside instead.  They started us off with some mini-Lime Loaves that were topped with a sweet glaze.  I found these to be on the denser side (but then again, that was probably intentional) while lightly sweet.  There was no mistaking the lime in every bite.  For a starter, I decided to try the Hawaiian Ahi Poke with avocado, mango, red onion, jalapeno and spiced wonton crisps.  At first, I thought the poke was a little underseasoned, but when combined with the jalapeno, the flavours were definitely more pronounced.

Onto my main, I went for the Imperial Eagle Oyster Po' Boy with tartar sauce, fries and slaw.  For $12.00, this was a substantial amount of food including 3 plump oysters.  They were fresh, sweet and nicely crisp on the outside.  I found the tartar sauce to be mild with a touch of acidity.  I would've preferred a roll rather than a sesame bun though.  As for the side of fresh-cut fries, they were mostly crispy with plenty of potato texture.  Rather than using tuna, the Salmon Nicoise piqued Viv's interest.  It featured a generously-sized wild salmon filet with green beans, olives, tomatoes, hard boiled egg and baby greens.  Although a bit dry around the edges, the salmon was flaky and moist in the middle.  It wasn't particularly flavourful on its own, but combined with the nicoise olives, there was more than enough saltiness.

My mom opted for the Dungeness Crab Benny with baby geens, sliced tomatoes, avocado and dill Hollandaise.  I enjoyed the amount of dill in the sauce itself while the poached egg was perfectly runny.  The avocado was soft and ripe where it contrasted the firmly toasted English muffin.  However, there didn't seem to be much in the way of crab in the dish.  My son doesn't eat crab, so he opted for the Classic Benedict instead with shaved ham and home style breakfast potatoes.  Once again, the eggs were expertly poached with completely cooked egg whites and a runny yolk.  Although creamy and buttery, the Hollandaise could've used a bit more acidity to brighten up the otherwise rich texture and flavours.

As expected, my daughter went for the sweet item on the menu in the Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes with fresh berries, bourbon caramel and whipped cream.  I was able to wrestle some from her and discovered that these pancakes were more akin to thick crepes in texture (inside and out).  There was definitely an overwhelming tartness of buttermilk at the end, but it was balanced by the sweet bourbon caramel.  Finally, my dad had the Seafood Duo consisting of pan-seared snapper and wild salmon.  Again, the outside was firm and crispy while inside, it was moist and flaky.  Other than some pepper, seasoning was kept to a minimum.  The accompanying new potatoes and green beans were cooked just enough.  Overall, we enjoyed out brunch at Wild Tale.  Service and ambiance were fantastic while the food was pretty good.

The Good:
- Outstanding service
- Carefully prepared eats
- Comfy people-watching patio

The Bad:
- A little mild on the seasoning