The Path Plant-Based Metaphysical Cafe — Restaurant in Grande Prairie

Last night, my friend and I had the privilege of participating in Off the Wheaten Path's very first fine dining event. $55 per plate got you water, wine (or juice, if you preferred), appetizer, salad, main, dessert, tea/coffee. To sum it up succinctly, I BEGGED them to do this again!!! 🙏🏻

For those looking for a more in depth review:

I don't drink. I thought I would treat myself to the delight of Prosecco. I mention that I don't drink because that would tend to make the beverage have to taste absolutely divine to be palatable. Trust me! It was! A bubbling party in my mouth!!!

The appetizer (Amuse Bouche) was a thick slice of crisp, fresh cucumber topped with their personal GF/V crab cake mixture and accented with the perfect flavour/crunch addition of crisp fried onions. Let the salivating begin!

Isabelle was our server, our impeccably efficient and incredibly caring serving. We'd finish one course and she'd arrive to remove our plates and bring the next. Perfectly polite, never bothersome, absolute perfection at making us feel royal!

Isabelle brought out our Caprese salad. We both felt our eyes widen and our jaws drop as their plating matched their flavour, perfection! Arugula and spring greens paired with fresh tomatoes slices to accent the goat cheese. On the side, a generous slice of GF/V loaf drizzled with oil and vinegar. Had I not felt inclined to act a LITTLE bit refined, I would have Jed Clampetted right then and there with an exuberant, "Mmmm doggy!!!!!!" Seriously SO good!!!! All of the flavour and texture combinations encouraged you to savour each bite as if you'd never tasted food until now.

Though there were options for the main, my friend and I both chose the Mushroom Ravioli in white wine cream sauce on a bed of greens, sprinkled with GF/V cheese. Each individual flavour popped in your mouth, not over achieving one another but blending exquisitely. The mushroom delight exploded with fervour while the white wine sauce rolled across my tongue, tickling it with a dance. The pasta was perfection in texture, not al dente, not overdone, and unbelievably not one's stereotypical concept of GF. I mean ... I KNOW there are some of you out there thinking, "Gluten Free AND Vegan? No thank you." You'd NEVER know, though! (whispered background commercial here ... "they'll NEVER know!" ...) Seriously! I mean ... They OBVIOUSLY have a magic wand in the back kitchen cause this was too good to be true!

Dessert was Creme Genois Cake w/fresh berries (auto correct just tried to change that to fresh genocide cake ... Way to ruin a review, Auto correct!). Let it be known that we were already very comfortably sustained already and this dessert was a very generous serving that did not push us over the edge of comfort levels. That may not seem like much worth noting but it SO is!!! We all know who we are, those of us foodies who listen to our tongue not our tummies, enjoying the flavour so much that we just keep feeding the dopamine demons until we walk away groaning and holding ourselves up by our fading waist lines. It takes a very researched chef to discern just HOW much is that PERFECT bit of "much", leaving one so perfectly happy that they dream of Creme Genois Cakes all night long (no, I can't pronounce it either).

A cake resembling in texture and weight that of a light white pound cake, filled with a creamy GF/V ganache, topped with melt in your mouth GF/V chocolate and topped with blackberries. It was so pretty that I hesitated for just ONE extra moment before I carved into it with my spoon and felt every happy cell in my body simultaneously moan with delight.

When we were so happy that you could see the stars in our eyes, Isabelle brought us chamomile tea with agave (no, Mom, 🙄 you didn't have to choose chamomile nor agave).

We were SO happy, SO delighted, SO incredibly content that our happiness will hold us until next month when OTWP hopefully tempts our evening fine dining palettes again. Hopefully we'll see you there...

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Path Plant Based Metaphysical Café is truly a treasure in every sense of the word. Their food is always delicious, but what sets them apart is the incredible care and thoughtfulness they show toward their customers.

Recently, I asked if they could make their gluten-free nuts and bolts mix—a seasonal favorite of mine—and they joyfully agreed, even though they no longer focus exclusively on gluten-free offerings. When I picked it up, they mentioned they had trouble sourcing some ingredients and had to improvise, but they still put so much love into making it. They even gifted it to me, which was such an unexpected and heartwarming gesture.

This kindness turned my entire day around. It reminded me how special this café is, not just for their food (which is amazing—I even got to enjoy one of their gluten-free pretzels, my favorite!), but for the heart they pour into everything they do.

If you’re looking for a place with tasty plant-based treats and a team of people who genuinely care, The Path is the place to be. Thank you for always going the extra mile and for being such a blessing to...

UGH! Beware! We tried the brownie, chocolate tart and blueberry lemon bread. We bought them at Polk’s Folly in Cedar Crest. The brownie was dry but acceptable. The tart custard was also dry and a bit skimpy. The tart crust completely disintegrated when trying to eat it. The lemon bread was truly awful and inedible. I literally had to,spit it out. Whatever gluten free flour was used to make it tasted awful- a strong sort of “off” taste and had absolutely no lemon flavor. The texture was terrible too it would not slice at all just clumped apart. What a huge disappointment! I admire someone starting a small business but either they cannot truly bake gluten Free pastries well or they have very poor...