Deal of the Year Alert! This summer, Zinc Restaurant at the Art Gallery of Alberta is serving up a delicious and massive pulled pork sandwich on pretzel bun for just $4. That’s not a typo:
Four-dollars!
This ridiculously cheap deal is part of Zinc’s summer Tapas Tuesday menu – launched to celebrate the AGA’s new free admission Tuesday (and Wednesday) nights.
Pretzel bun pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw, red onions, mayo and pickles from Zinc Restaurant at the Art Gallery of Alberta. ($4)
Tapas means small dishes (generally appetizers) and are usually shared among a group. The menu for Zinc Tapas Tuesday is offered only for dinner and only on Tuesday – but some of the dishes are pulled from other menus at Zinc. The difference is on Tuesday nights, you can only order from the tapas menu.
I got to do a taste test of this new tapas selection with some food friends this week and am happy to report back that the dishes are really good and really cheap!
Below is a slice of what we sampled, along with my top tapas recommendations for when you go to try it yourself!
Tea cured duck breast, heirloom tomatoes, microgreens, citrus filets, and tarragon aioli from Zinc Restaurant at the Art Gallery of Alberta. ($12)
Loaded potato skins with cheddar cheese, green onions, sour cream and cherry tomatoes from Zinc Restaurant at the Art Gallery of Alberta. ($8)
Cauliflower and feta croquettes with garlic chili aioli and pepperoncini from Zinc Restaurant at the Art Gallery of Alberta. ($10.50)
Grilled romaine lettuce with Parmesan croutons, maple bacon, fried capers, preserved lemon, and confit garlic emulsion from Zinc Restaurant at the Art Gallery of Alberta. ($9.50)
Sweet and Spicy prawns with ginger tomato chutney and harvest greens from Zinc Restaurant at the Art Gallery of Alberta. ($12.50)
Grilled chorizo sausage on a demi baguette, with sauerkraut and Dijon mustard from Zinc Restaurant at the Art Gallery of Alberta ($9).
The Gallery salad with grapes, citrus filets, peach vinaigrette and sunflower seeds from Zinc Restaurant at the Art Gallery of Alberta ($10).
Mac ‘N Cheese (changes weekly) with peppers, celery and green peas from Zinc Restaurant at the Art Gallery of Alberta. ($16)
Escargot with chorizo, shallots, green peas, sweet potatoes, gorgonzola, cream reduction and baguettes from Zinc Restaurant at the Art Gallery of Alberta. ($7.50)
Bacon roasted wild boar terrine with butter poached onions, foie gras, Dijon aioli and onion jam from Zinc Restaurant at the Art Gallery of Alberta ($18).
The stand-outs of the night for me were the pulled pork sandwich, the DLT duck breast, the croquettes and the potato skins. These were all seriously delicious, and at great prices ($4-$12). I don’t think the mac ‘n cheese or terrine were worth the higher price points for what you get (the mac ‘n cheese as you can see in the photo was not a thick enough consistency. $16 for a vegetarian mac ‘n cheese just doesn’t seem to a great value). Similarly, the terrine didn’t have quite the ‘terrine’ quality that I typically enjoy, and portion didn’t seem enough to justify the $18 price.
Here’s what I’d recommend you order for a Zinc Tapas Tuesday night out for two people!
Recommended Order
- A pulled pork sandwich per person ($4 each)
- The DLT ($12)
- The Croquettes ($10.50)
- The Potato Skins ($8)
- The Grilled Romaine ($9.50)
- The Sweet & Spicy Prawns ($12.50)
Total: $60.50 (before tax/tip).
That works out to about $30 per person. If you’re not into shrimp, get two orders of the loaded potatoes or the duck! I also eat generally larger portions than most people, so you could probably scale down and make the meal about $20 per person and still be quite full (because the pulled pork is huge and so cheap!)
It’s a great way to hopefully bring some more people into the restaurant and the gallery. Tasty bites, beautifully presented, and well-priced.
Chef Dave Omar says Tapas Tuesday will run all summer.
Depending on its success, it could continue once summer is over too!
Pro-tip: definitely plan to check out the gallery exhibits before dinner as the gallery closes at 8 p.m.
We unfortunately weren’t able to tour the gallery because we spent too long (happily) dining away! Next time I go for Tapas Tuesday, I’ll be sure to do exhibits first – food second.
And if you’re wondering how the pulled pork sandwich – which uses local Bear and The Flower Free Range Alberta Pork – can be priced at just $4 – Chef told us the restaurant is taking a loss on that dish. It’s just such a great draw, it’s worth it!
Happy munching! I’ll keep an eye out for more great food deals to share with you here too so stay tuned!
Linda
Follow @lindorkyeg on Snapchat!
Disclaimer: I will always provide my 100% honest opinion on this blog. I tried Zinc’s Tapas Tuesday menu items at a food blogger event. The food was complimentary. This does impact opinions stated in this post.
