Wild Rose Country Restaurant — Restaurant in Grande Prairie

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The last time I ate at Wild Rose, the food and service was absolutely amazing.

I don't know if the restaurant has changed owners, but the menu certainly has; it used to be a la carte for most menu items. Now it seems it's largely "meals" - which really isn't that big of a deal to me, since I typically order a meal anyway, and you can customize your meal almost anyway you like.

The restaurant is still clean and well appointed, and the owner is friendly. They do offer delivery - which is always a good option.

When I entered the restaurant, I was the only patron, followed a few minutes later by another customer. Several minutes later, two more customers, followed by two more a few minutes later. There had been a "for delivery" order that was being cooked as I awaited my turn to order, but based on the size of the order picked up by the delivery driver, it was not a massive order.

I ordered Meal #1, but upgraded my fries to poutine, and my burger to include bacon and cheese. I am not a chef, but with a hot griddle/grill and fryer with pre-heated oil in front of me ready to go, I could put this meal together in about 7 minutes.

25 minutes later, I received my meal (roughly 4 minutes after customer #2 received his meal #3 and walked out the door). Realistically, I was telling myself, "the food is really good here; it's worth the wait." (I was basing this thinking on the last time I ate at Wild Rose). On two separate occasions, the owner informed the cook that orders were falling behind, and that I had been waiting for my burger for a long time as well.

I arrived at work excited to dig into my meal before my shift. The poutine was excellent as usual.....and they use genuine cheese curds, not substituting mozzarella for the original thing.

Then I got to the burger. If I recall correctly, the burger I was served in February of this year was a "smashburger," made with a hand-formed and pressed burger, cooked to barely "just done," and JUICY.

What I was eating, between the way overdone pre-formed beef patty and equally overdone bacon was nothing short of boot leather. I can usually power my way through almost any tough cut of meat, but I abandoned ship on this burger not even half way through. My jaws literally hurt from chewing through this burger. As you can see by the attached photo, the right side of the picture is the beef patty, the left side of the picture is the bacon.

I feel the biggest insult is that Wild Rose obtains there meat from Blackmans Butcher Shop, and I know from personal experience that even their pre-formed beef patties are highest quality and delectable. To take a perfectly good chunk of meat and destroy it like it was today should be a crime.

On the plus side, the burger bun was soft, and they use the near-perfect ratio of onions, mayonnaise, and mustard that provides that unmistaken "diner" taste.

I would certainly entertain the idea of returning to Wild Rose for their poutine; lots of choices for toppings and flavours. Until Wild Rose can hire a cook who can handle more than 6 uncomplicated orders in under half an hour, I think I'll be avoiding the burgers for the...

the INN is changing with the times, and rooms are upgraded with more being done. there are a few smoking rooms and one of the last places that offer this. the mall is right across the street, along with majors restaurant down the road a block and a half. several chain restaurants as well across and nearby. block heater and interior fan plug ins for the winter. free wifi and the on site restaurant will be opening shortly. staff are friendly and helpful. we are among the lowest of rates in GP and we do take care of the oil field workers and have weekly and beyond rates, that no other business in town can touch. it cant hurt to spend a night and see before you commit. ill post some pics later when i have the chance. oh and we have a couple pet friendly rooms too. they go fast though, and once they are gone they are gone. no negotiation and its known how good your pet is and how well trained and smart too, but policy is policy. :D call ahead to discuss details. the smaller the dog the better, and cujo might not get yo uguys...

No endless pop,in cans,suspect soda machine not operating. Tv was on Latin channel except we're not Latin so don't speak Spanish. It's self serve but tip still prompted . Cheese burger was fresh, chips were not that appealing skins left on I think. Would be better if they made their fries fresh daily. Wife likes poutine but just so so again fries were not appealing. Staff very nice. I really did patronize a restaurant in vancouver weekly as they flew in Montreal smoked meat and did up a really nice sandwich on fresh rye bread with homemade coleslaw and 2 giant dill pickles. This is what drew people in once a week for their sandwich. Wish they did something like that with their sandwich here in GP. Place was immaculate although not much ambiance. Apparently new owners hope they can improve....