Month: April 2007

Cheap Eats and Great Conversation: Ikea Restaurant

There’s nothing better than a busy, intimate coffee shop in the evening – when you can feel the caffeinated buzz in the air, and conversations are almost instinctively spoken in a moderate hush. As great a venue as that can be, the opposite works as well – spacious, dimly lit dining areas light on patrons that breed lengthy, private discussions. The Ikea Restaurant (for dinner) in one such place.

Annie and I have been here a few times for their very economical selections. With a plate of pasta, soup or salad, and drink combo going for $3.99, and a dish of salmon and steamed vegetables priced at $6.49, Ikea offers some of the best deals in the city (this discounts the amount inevitably spent on unnecessary prints, kitchen accessories, and miscellaneous soon-to-be garage sale fodder, but my focus here is only on the food). Ikea claims the lower prices come as a result of their store mantra of self-service (no waiters to serve or clear plates), but how many people realistically pop into the store and manage to bypass merchandise completely? Food is definitely a carrot in this case.

We both ordered our reliable standby – a plate of 10 Swedish meatballs, potatoes with gravy and a dollop of cranberry sauce, accompanied with soup or salad and a drink. While not entirely filling on an empty stomach, for $5.99, it leaves enough pocket change to pick up a few 50cent hot dogs on the way out (which I did; I’m still in the wisdom teeth recovery zone of anything goes).
But as in many of my reviews, food comes second to the setting. I adore the dining area in the restaurant with its simple, stylish decor – quintessential Ikea. Single pendant lamps, sleek rows of light wooden tables, and a breathtaking wall of windows create a perfectly understated, minimalist aesthetic. And in the evening, as the sun sets, the ambiance is equivalent to that of a friend’s kitchen – cozy, comfortable, with unending refills of coffee.
Though their $1 breakfasts are great – give Ikea a try when you’re looking for a South Common dinner alternative.
Quiet Corner (I like this shot for the visibility of the Ikea sign, as well as the overview of the parking lot; many have said the store looks resembles a mini-airport)
Swedish meatball special

Maher Arar: Civil Liberties & National Security

On Wednesday, May and I attended a lecture by Maher Arar at the Winspear Centre sponsored by the University of Alberta Political Science Department. I know it’s a formality at such events to have people of high academic ranking precede the main speaker to, in a sense, soften up the topical ground with grand introductions of the subject at hand, but to me it unnecessarily lengthens the event.

Julian Faulker, Mr. Arar’s counsel during his civil suit against the Canadian government, provided his insight into what needs to change in the system in order for rights to be fully protected, not simply paid lip service to.

Mr. Arar followed, and essentially recounted the highlights of his experience, both the good and the bad. In all honesty, I had scanned the headlines and articles earlier this year when he had received his $2 million dollar settlement from the government, but I didn’t know all of the details surrounding his deportation, torture, and subsequent return to Canada in 2003. He told of a time in Syria as a boy when a Canadian recognized the maple leaf on his shirt; this friendly recognition was the moment he decided he wanted to immigrate to Canada. Hearing him speak of his ordeal really personified it, and was much more powerful than reading the account in the papers. Still, I found it interesting that Mr. Arar chose to repeat the fact that he was found to be innocent three times. I’m sure some in the audience may have been suspicious of his alleged involvement, but the aural reminder almost worked against his rhetoric of ultimate exoneration. That said, I would like to echo Dr. Trimble’s comment that Mr. Arar was very brave in his quest to educate the public by retelling his painful story.

(A brief aside – the Department of Political Science indicated that it wanted to make the event accessible to everyone, so had sign language interpreters as well as a screen transcribing what was being said set up on stage. I’m not sure if it was just me, but these fixtures actually made it difficult for me to focus on the speeches. I think I need to learn how to block out what’s visually unnecessary and irrelevant.)

On my way home, it wasn’t an epiphany per se, but the enveloping thought that the problems in the world are so vast that disillusionment really becomes the easy way out. On the heels of attending speaking engagements by Stephen Lewis and Maher Arar tonight, and my current reading of Romeo Dallaire’s Shake Hands with the Devil, I’m feeling overwhelmed, even though the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the obstruction of civil liberties, and genocide are only three of the many multi-lateral issues plaguing society today. I know a general awareness of these challenges is vital, and I’m doing what I can to learn more, but most days, it doesn’t seem like enough. At the same time, where does one start, besides the civilian duty of “rocking the vote?” There is no easy answer, but this will be something I will be grappling with as I continue to educate myself as a global citizen.

Central and Satisfying: Three Bananas Cafe

May and I had been to Three Bananas Cafe (9918-102 Avenue) just after it opened a few years ago, but haven’t been back since. Strange, especially since we had a positive experience and it has such a great location – right on Churchill Square. Well, before an event at the Winspear Centre tonight, we decided to grab a quick bite to eat there, knowing they would be fairly efficient, but in the worst-case scenario, we were just a stone’s throw away from our target venue.

A modern yet inviting space, the ‘seat yourself’ mentality lends itself quite well to the casual cafe atmosphere. Lined with windows – a great feature for warm weather people-watching on the Square – the dim lighting is more conducive to catch-up conversations than solo reading in the evenings. There are even a few flat screen televisions mounted on the wall, typically projecting sports programs.

I always marvelled at the fact that what appears to be an upper-scale coffee shop would also have a decent food menu. May ordered the Deli Combo Panini (turkey, smoked ham, pickles, cheddar cheese, dijon mustard and mayo), while I ordered (what else) a Hawaiian Pizza (finally!).

The food arrived after a bit of a wait, though understandable given they only had one cook on shift (who also served as the busperson). May said her Panini was all right, but expressed a preference for the sandwiches served at Booster Juice. My pizza was just what the doctor ordered – the multigrain crust was thin, crunchy and light, and served as a great base to a generous topping of ham, pineapple, and cheddar and mozarella cheeses.

So if you’re in the mood for a coffee or a light meal, Three Bananas sure beats the food court funk.

Right on Churchill Square!
Deli Combo Panini with Organic Chips and Salsa
Ham and Pineapple Pizza

Random Food Notes

  • I’ve been using the Food Network (U.S.) recipe index quite a bit lately, and for those of you who haven’t perused the website before, I would encourage you to do so. The recipes duplicated on the website are the same ones that are published in cookbooks (e.g. Ina Garten, Giada de Laurentiis), and being the selectively frugal gal that I am, I have amassed quite a collection of paper. Better yet, most of the recipes have accompanying comments written by the general public who have tried whipping up the dish themselves, and often provide insightful shortcuts or helpful modifications.

  • Speaking of the Food Network – I saw boxes of Ina Garten’s dry dessert mixes on sale at Chapters the other day, for $15.99 a pop! Paying for convenience is one thing, but when some ingredients are still necessary to create the final product at that price? It’s a little ridiculous. It seems a trend nowadays for television cooking personalities to brand anything and everything. From Jaime Oliver’s Flavour Shaker to Christine Cushing’s olive oils to Mario Batali’s kitchen accessories and Rachel Ray’s cookware, I’m half-expecting to see, at a store near me, Bobby Flay Throwdown! mats.
  • There was an interesting article in the Globe & Mail today about a Toronto city counsellor’s motion to allow for a greater variety of food to be served by local street vendors. I had thought that hot dogs were a favorite, but had no idea the logic and allowance for them had to do with the decreased health risk that comes with precooked meat. From the article by Jeff Grey: “In New York, for example, the streets are teeming with culinary diversity: knishes, spicy chicken on a pita, Sri Lankan dosas and Columbian arepas, as well as enormous, warm salt-encrusted soft pretzels. Multicultural Toronto should have a similar buffet on its streets, said board of health chairman John Filion: ‘We should be defined by that, not by the hot dog.'” I missed out on my opportunity to snack on an outdoor vendor-cooked hot dog during my last trip to TO, but perhaps the next time I’m in that neighbourhood, I’ll have more selection. When will Edmonton start its own proliferation of roadside snacks?
  • My family and I went to the Plum Flower Cafe (10417-67 Avenue) a few weeks ago, a non-descript Chinese restaurant attached to a roadside hotel. There was nothing exceptional about this small, family-run establishment, so I didn’t feel the visit warranted a full review. They did, however, have Singapore Noodles of reasonable quality:


The Cafe was notable for an eye catching sign up in one of their windows:

The Cooking Chronicles: More-Peas-if-You-Please Penne

Slowly edging up the solid food chain, I decided to satisfy my pasta craving with Rachel Ray’s More-Peas-if-You-Please Penne. Eye-rolling recipe name aside, I know I give Ray quite a bit of flack for her grating on-screen personality, but I must say, she does have a knack for creating quick and easy weekday supper savers, of which this is a prime example. I’ve also been on the lookout for pasta recipes that don’t use the more run-of-the-mill bottled marinara or alfredo sauces (though don’t get me wrong – I know I’d always have a few stored in my pantry, just in case).

Save omitting the basil, I followed the directions as written. The result was a satisfying, semi-creamy pasta dish celebrating the versatility of peas – in both the “sauce” and as a vegetable additive (I had really forgotten how good peas are). Next time, I’d hold off on some of the ricotta in favor of even more peas, and have the foresight not to discard all of the pasta water (oops…).
This recipe is definitely worth a try if you’re out of dinner ideas!
More-Peas-if-You-Please Penne

The Cooking Chronicles: Smoky Roasted-Potato Chowder

I’ve been itching to make soup from scratch, in particular one that would make use of the immersion blender my Mum unearthed. So when the March 2007 issue of Chatelaine came with a gorgeous-looking Smoky Roasted-Potato Chowder on the cover, I knew exactly what would be on the menu.

The most time-consuming aspect of the recipe was allowing the vegetables to roast in the oven, but it was a hands-off process, so I shouldn’t complain. The stewing process with chicken broth and water was fairly straightforward as well. When it came time to blend the concoction, however, perhaps a food processor (as listed in the recipe) would have made a better equipment choice, as the red onions put up quite a fight against the tiny fitted blade of my hand blender.

In the end, I was rather disappointed with the dish. Though filling due to the starch content provided by the potatoes, the soup lacked the depth of flavor I was hoping for. Spices and herbs are not my forte, so I’m at a loss as to possible substitutions, except to suggest the addition of red pepper flakes to the vegetable mixture for some heat.

But not to worry, I won’t let this experiment discourage future soup creations!

Smoky Roasted-Potato Chowder

“Laguna Beach”: Season 1 Review

As I’ve been immobile over the last few days, I’ve finally had the time to watch, from beginning to end, the first season of Laguna Beach.

In contrast to season 2, the drama really wasn’t as entertaining, and the storylines were slim – reduced to the Kristin-Stephen-Lauren love triangle. As a whole, the season demonstrated an expected learning curve for its inaugural year, as in my opinion, it didn’t hit its stride on manipulative editing, music selection, and episode-to-episode cliffhanger creation until the penultimate “The First to Go” (including a heartbreaker of a scene between Kristin and Stephen, who surprisingly end up as the show’s emotional anchor).

Other thoughts:

  • I was impressed with Trey’s thirst for activism, especially in the face of Laguna’s stereotypical consumerist culture and seemingly apathetic climate.
  • Though they weren’t billed characters, I really hoped to see more of Dieter and Jessica (as a couple or as individuals) – before Jessica’s descent into the land of the jealous and needy in season 2 (and really, how cute was Dieter’s prom-posal?).
  • I loved Lo(!) and thought she was edited to be one of the most grounded girls in Laguna.
  • I enjoyed the “foreshadowing” of Lauren’s interest in fashion (the producers really couldn’t have set up The Hills better if they tried), but I really can do without hearing her utter the phrase “best friend” ever again.
  • Based on the deleted scenes, the editors really could have highlighted Trey and Morgan’s college selection processes, especially since they were both initially rejected by their first choices. This would have been a great opportunity to expose the very impressionable 14-16 sect of the audience to post-secondary applications, but this plotline was likely shafted in favor of more time for the aforementioned love triangle.
  • For anyone who hasn’t had a gander at the DVDs, they are worth a look purely for the sequence of “Laguna Beach Interviews” on the third disc. Questions such as “What does hooking up mean?” or (to Lo), “Did you ever tell Lauren to just get over Stephen?” are granted a mock-serious tone with its white-on-black panel display format.

Some may think I wasted precious hours of my life, and while I will admit that an entire season in two days was a bit much, Laguna ultimately shirked my need for painkillers.

A Little Less Wise

Yes, the title is a bad joke, but one I’ll only use once in my life, so it’s permissible.

I won’t subject anyone to the gritty details of my wisdom teeth extraction, but I will say that the entire procedure only took 40 minutes or so (I didn’t even get to watch #1 on the noon-hour MuchMoreMusic Countdown!).

I had been dreading the appointment (as I’ve heard my share of stories – both good and bad – over the last few weeks), but it occurred to me halfway through, sitting in that chair, that the extraction was routine for everyone else involved. So much so that the dentist and his assistant started conversing about last night’s episode of Lost (could also be a tactic to convince the patient that everything is going well).

Long story short: I’m not as swollen as I had anticipated; I won’t be eating anything substantial for a while; and I look forward to a return to normalcy (also known as being able to eat pizza, chips, steak, etc.).

My Last Supper

My Mum was sweet enough to make me one of my favorite dishes (and one of her specialties) before my wisdom teeth extraction – sweet and sour pork (with tomatoes, bell peppers, and loads of pineapple). Her thoughtfulness was reason enough for a blog post:

Sweet and Sour Pork

Stephen Lewis: “Canada’s Status in the World: How Does It Measure Up?”

At a recent HIV/AIDS session I attended, each participant was asked who their inspiration was that brought them there that day. I can’t remember what my ultimate response was, but had I answered honestly, I would have said Stephen Lewis. At the time though, his name seemed much too cliché and pedestrian for that particular forum. It was a personal travesty for me to have missed his 2006 International Week address, so when I found out he was coming back to Edmonton to deliver another lecture, I jumped at the opportunity.

So after dinner, Dickson and I headed down to the Timms Centre at the University for his lecture titled “Canada’s Status in the World: How Does it Measure Up?” It was nearly a packed house, and after quite the score of introductions, Mr. Lewis was welcomed on stage.

He framed his speech with a list of five provocations – nuclear proliferation, genocide (in particular, the current Darfur crisis), the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, climate change, and of course, the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Although I respect him as a knowledgable man with perspective on a wide variety of issues because of his travels, experience, and obvious appreciation for big-picture implications if inaction remains, Mr. Lewis’s lack of personal connection really weakened his discussion on the first four issues. He really did sound like he was posturing to the crowd.

By the time he reached his final topic, however, the rest of the address fell away immediately, and I was reminded of the fact that I was in awe of being in the same room with him, breathing the same air (I am not worthy!). His passion, intensity, and humanity resonated from the stage as he talked, among other things, about orphans, grandmother-headed families, the potential for a viable microbicide, the need for gender equality and sexual negotiation, and Canada’s own failed legislation allowing for a warehouse of ARVs to sit idle. Though many of the stories were included in Race Against Time, it was better hearing them from him in person.

Like Art Spiegeleman, Mr. Lewis possesses a vocabulary that puts me to shame. He was expectedly long-winded, but I don’t think anyone seemed to mind – the audience was clearly rapt throughout surreal pin-drop hour and a half (though really, all in attendance were likely already holding him in a state of public reverence, even before he ever had to open his mouth). I really liked how he managed to pull current media headlines and made them relevant to his topics (e.g. the War Crimes trial in Montreal, a UN negotiation with Turkey over the semantics of their Armenian genocide). He also had a genuine sense of humor (with regards to his time with the NDP, and I’m paraphrasing, but “the only difference between a cactus and a caucus is that with a cactus, the pricks are on the outside”).

Since most of the talk was decidedly apocalyptic, I was surprised that he was able to bring about an optimistic ending of hope. He even recommended a book, Stephanie Nolen’s upcoming 28, a collection of narratives centering on persons living with HIV/AIDS, that he believes is good enough to increase mainstream consciousness about the subject.

Perhaps I should have taken the reception as an opportunity to meet Mr. Lewis, but it’s more my style to admire from a distance, so we left almost immediately after the conclusion of the event. He’s a wonderful speaker, and I would not hesitate to attend another one of his lectures in the future.