As summer slowly creeps into view, patio seating becomes a
hot commodity. There’s something wholesome, almost healthy feeling,
about getting drunk out of doors, as if exposure to sunlight and fresh
air counteracts the ill effects of boozing.
If that’s true, then NE Alberta’s Bye and Bye—a spacious,
stylish bar with an entirely vegan menu—is an ideal place to get
soused this summer. A group of tables sit outside the bar’s front door;
large, open windows invite much of the outdoors into the main room; and
there’s a roomy bamboo-fenced back patio where smoking is permitted.
The large, homey bar has already become a neighborhood fixture;
families, trendsters, and locals stop in for beer, cocktails, and vegan
fare, although there’s no table service, and the bar’s popularity means
it can be crowded.
The cocktail list at Bye and Bye boasts a handful of house
specialties, most of which are variations on familiar drinks, like the
North Williams, a strong, super-sized bourbon ‘n’ ginger, or the Loose
Trousers, a Bloody Mary with house-infused lime and jalapeno vodka. The
Bronx Bomber (gin, vermouth, OJ) is compulsively drinkable, and the
shockingly pink Victrola (pomegranate vodka, cranberry, grapefruit)
straddles the line between sweet and tart. Meanwhile, an extensive
bottle list augments the solid selection of local microbrews on
tap.
The menu at Bye and Bye is entirely vegan, with their MySpace page
posing the question, “What if you went to a barbeque, and all there was
to eat was barbeque?” The answer, apparently, is tofu, prepared in a
variety of ways with mixed results. The Weeping Tiger sandwich is
flavored by jalapenos and avocado, with crisp green lettuce providing
traction against the slippery tofu, all housed in thick, fulfilling
slices of como. However, the Georgia Bowl decorates its tofu with
collard greens for a bland, swampy assemblage, and the Eastern Bowl has
squirts of gluey peanut sauce on top of broccoli and brown rice, making
all of its ingredients unappealing.
However, vegans and meat eaters alike should enjoy the meatball sub,
with veggie meatballs and marinara inside a crusty baguette. This is a
much better choice than the flavorless grilled cheese, which inserts
fake, liquidy cheese inside a panini-style sandwich for an unmemorable,
unsatisfying meal. Side dishes are generally strong: Braised Brussels
sprouts are salty, crispy, and juicy, but the edamame is dull, so
instead go for the warm and hearty black-eyed peas.
Sadly, the service at Bye and Bye is lacking—quite literally.
There just isn’t enough of it. As popular as it is (and it will only
get more so in the summer months), there’s usually one bartender
manning the entire joint. All drink and food orders go through him, and
the line frequently backs up. Meanwhile, the cooks act as runners and
bussers, which means they’re stretched far too thin. On a recent balmy
Saturday evening, we grabbed the last available table on the crowded
patio, which had leftover dishes and glasses, not to mention a wet,
unappealing dishrag in the center of the table. It took over half an
hour and a couple specific requests to the bartender for the table to
be cleared.
Still, the weather was perfect, the beer did what it was supposed to
do, and the setting couldn’t be beat. With so much going for it, it’s
likely that Bye and Bye will be a neighborhood stronghold for some time
to come. It’s also likely they’ll work out the kinks, by and by.