Month: June 2008

The Cooking Chronicles: Birthday Pizza

My Mum offered to make me whatever I wanted for my birthday supper, and though I usually pick her sweet and sour pork when a special occasion arises, this year, I chose pizza on the grill. My sister and I tried making our own pizzas on the barbie last year, and though they were edible, the dough was a tad undercooked. We hoped to rectify that this time around.

Mack and I picked up some choice toppings before heading home (fresh basil, Hungarian salami, white mushrooms), and using the dough my Mum had made that afternoon, assembled our individual pizzas on par-baked rounds.

Assembling pizzas

My Dad was in charge of the barbecue portion of the recipe, and just a few minutes after the first three went on the grill, he knew they’d be burnt. We probably shouldn’t have par-baked the dough, but my Mum and I thought that’d be a way to avoid undercooking the dough.

On the grill

Luckily, my pizza turned out okay, and slightly less charred than the others. We learned our lesson though, and won’t be pre-baking the dough again.

My pizza (with lots of cracked black pepper!)

After dinner, Mack and I went for a walk in the nearby Mill Creek Ravine (or what I deemed, “the bush”), retracing the path my family and I used to take on warm summer evenings not unlike that one.

On a bridge

Mack

Mack and I

Good, Not Great: Tropika

Annie and I had dinner on Sunday night at Tropika (6004 104 Street), mainly because of the 2-for-1 coupon I had on hand. The dining room was packed, but we were still seated within a few minutes of entering the establishment.

Their pictorial menu never ceases to wow me, as it did on my first visit there last year. I was looking for something simple that would yield leftovers I could take with me for lunch the next day, so the Nasi Goreng ($11) was my choice. Annie wanted something spicy, and thus opted for the Singapore Laksa ($10).

Our waitress was great throughout, always on top of filling up my water glass. And though it was quite busy, our food didn’t take as long as I expected. This time around, I didn’t think the fried rice was that good – besides the broad beans, the packaged mixed vegetables used seemed like a too-easy shortcut. Annie thought her noodle dish was quite good – I commented that the spice level was definitely too high for my palette.

A decent (and dirt-cheap meal with the coupon), Tropika was a reasonably good place to end off the weekend.

Nasi Goreng

Singapore Laksa

Walterdale Theatre: “Up Shit Creek” and “Bless You, Billy Wilder”

After High Tea at the Arbour Restaurant in Rutherford House, Janice, May and I headed to the Walterdale Playhouse in Old Strathcona to watch a double-billing of Up Shit Creek and Bless You, Billy Wilder, a part of the Walterdale’s annual “Trading Stages” event:

“A collaboration of beginners and masters. Four directors and two writers, under the guidance of established local professionals, hone their crafts presenting a series of one-acts. A new masterpiece and an established piece from a master will run each night.”

Up Shit Creek, by Taylor Chadwick and mentored by David Belke, was up first. A play about a Canadian and an American filmmaker crafting a movie about 9/11, I found the dialogue inarticulate and unnecessarily circular. The enactment of the film scenes with mini Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein puppets were as amusing as it sounds, but created a pacing that felt off. By the end, I still didn’t feel any compassion for either of the characters – the American for feeling that he had to “sell out” to his film executive father, or the Canadian for not getting his desired story told. For that reason, the play seemed long and simply a vehicle for the writer to debate reactions to 9/11.

With that disappointment, I was even more excited about seeing a vintage Belke, or at least, what I thought would be a vintage Belke. With “Billy Wilder” in the title, I was honestly expecting something like Dreamland Saturday Nights – a harmless, lighthearted romantic comedy. What we got instead was an experience not unlike the Fringe surprise May and I saw a few years ago (billed as a coming-of-age story, the production ended up being a show about bulimia).

Bless You, Billy Wilder started out innocently enough – a shy artist who grew up in a religious colony interviews for a position to assist a man with a film restoration project. Interspersed with clips from Greed by Erich Von Stroheim, the movie being worked on, the play quickly degenerated into one focused on mental illness and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, ending with the man curled on the floor, racking with sobs, as his assistant tried to comfort him. The pair of actors were the bright spots – Michael Beamish as Emil was scarily spot-on, jolting my blood pressure as his manic attacks increased in frequency, and Kassia Haynes as Patience was as mature, loving and warm as her character should have been. Still, I can’t say I enjoyed myself – Bless You is the type of play one has to be mentally prepared for.

For the Kid in All of Us: Chuck E. Cheese’s

Fortuitously ending up with a bit of time to kill before Get Smart, Mack and I walked to the Chuck E. Cheese’s (14231 137 Avenue) situated next to the North Common Cinemas. He was hoping that the funhouse would already be closed, sparing him from having to participate in amusements himself, but unfortunately for him, they are open until 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays (I guess kids don’t have such early bedtimes anymore).

For a mere $10, we filled a small plastic cup with 30 tokens, more than enough for a few rounds of skee ball and then some. While we gave several of the games a try, including air hockey, soccer, basketball (my second favorite game) and car racing (badly in need of a Purell stand next to it), we ended up spending most of our tokens on skee ball. I’m not sure who the ultimate winner was, but boy was it a lot of fun.

Mack shooting!

 

Mack racing! (and having fun in spite of himself)

Playing skee ball

We ended up racking up 191 tickets, barely enough for two necklaces. Of course, it wasn’t about the prize – it was how we earned it.

The Last of the Best: Characters

The number of Edmonton eateries I still want to try is never-ending, but the last (written with trepidation) of the so-labelled “high end” restaurants on my list was Characters (10257 105 Street). Mack took me there for my birthday on Saturday night.

My knowledge about restaurant has been limited besides perusal of their website and exposure to a recent advertising campaign they have launched (billboards and ads in local magazines), so I really didn’t have any expectations.

Characters

Walking in, we were greeted by a friendly host who promptly seated us at one of the choice tables along the wall. While I first decided to sit in the “Batcave chair” facing the banquette, I soon switched with Mack in order to have a view of the dining room – a not uncommon choice for female patrons, as we overheard a waiter comment.

Photos don’t do the dining room justice – I loved the open room, the sconces and the lighting fixtures, the bank of windows, the brick, and the wood panelling on the ceiling. I did think, however, that they could have afforded to either restore the hardwood floor or have it installed in favour of the cheaper-looking laminate floor.

Interior

Our server provided us with ample time to peruse the wine list and the menu. While we ended up just asking the waiter to recommend a wine, we were both shocked by the availability of a $1300 bottle of red (2000 Chateau Margeux or Chateau Lafite) from the truly extensive 13-page menu. Both glasses were exactly what we were looking for – a light, sweet Riesling for me, and a medium-bodied Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre for Mack.

On this night, we decided to try Foie Gras ($12) for the first time. Unfortunately, because of an outdated menu on the website and our lack of foresight in taking pictures of the menu pages, I am left without “proper” description of our food, except to say that our appetizer was served with poached pears. For our mains, I decided on the Brome Lake Duck Breast ($33) while Mack opted for the Beef Tenderloin ($37).

After snacking on disappointingly cool bread, we were presented with a beautifully sectioned plate of foie gras on grilled toast and accompanying fruit. We divided the pate between the two of us and dove in. Two bites in, both of us agreed that we wouldn’t be able to finish it – somewhat grainy, the smoky flavour that it left at the back of our throats was something we furiously tried to wash down with wine. When our server returned to see if we had finished with our first course, we encountered what would be the most honest exchange I have ever come across at such a high-calibre restaurant – he expressed his own dislike of foie gras in pate form, but encouraged us to give the seared version a try, a type he much preferred.

Foie Gras

Our entrees arrived a short while later, on such “busy” plates I honestly had to repress the Iron Chef-esque commentary streaming in my head as I sampled the variety in front of me. Mack’s vegetables were perfectly cooked, his mashed potatoes deliciously creamy, and his beef tenderloin juicy but just a touch overdone to his requested medium rare. He loved the melted blue cheese on top, commenting that it was this that made his steak. As for the duck – it was the fat on the breast that made the meat. The texture of the duck confit filling in the ravioli was interesting, and I really enjoyed the generous amount of sweet pineapple chutney included.

Beef Tenderloin

Brome Lake Duck Breast

The entire meal was so well paced that we were both surprised to discover that two hours had passed by the time we were presented with the dessert menus – meaning commendable coordination on the part of the kitchen and our server. While we were curious about the tableside Smores for Two (described by the waiter as cookies, chocolate, and a “pot of fire”), we ultimately decided on the scrumptious-sounding Callebaut with Character: warm molten chocolate cake with milk chocolate mousse and white coffee ice cream ($10).

The dish reminded me a bit of the chocolate tasting I had at Wildflower Grill a few months ago – it had a little bit of everything. Mack enjoyed the whole coffee-bean ice cream, while I found the smooth mousse the perfect compliment to the subtly-sweet lava cake.

Callebaut with Character

I had a great time at Characters – exceptionally attentive, personable service, well-prepared, high-quality food, and a dreamy, relaxed atmosphere make it a highly recommended choice for special occasions.

Us

Great Value: Punjab Sweets & Restaurant

It was fitting that my weekend of birthday indulgence began at a buffet.

Meghan and Bettina’s glowing praise of Punjab Sweets & Restaurant (9393 34 Avenue) led me to my choice of the restaurant as the site of Saturday brunch. Bettina and I met there just past noon, still early for the weekend lunch crowd. The interior had changed only somewhat since Arby’s abandoned the space – namely, the centre booths had been removed in favour of individual tables and chairs, providing flexibility to shift furniture to cater to group functions. I could have done without the requisite plastic plants and flowers (sadly all too common in family-run restaurants), but Bettina was right – the decor could be overlooked for the food.

Sunroom interior

I haven’t been to an Indian buffet in Edmonton priced under $10 for a while. The lunch buffet at Punjab Sweets is just $9.99 per person, while their dinner buffet is a paltry $11.99. The set-up was definitely not as fancy as New Asian Village, but with a selection of eleven hot entrees (plus rice), the variety was nothing to complain about.

Hot entrees

Vegetables and dessert (including deep-fried milk balls!)

Unfortunately, there were no labels to accompany the dishes (at least, not until we were on our way out), so being someone who relies extensively on menu descriptions when it comes to Indian food, it will be difficult for me to point out which items I liked. That said, the butter chicken wasn’t the usual star (as I have found with other buffets), the samosas were made from won-ton wrapping instead of the usual thin spring-roll type wrap, making them crunchier yet less flavourful, and the majority of what I sampled was much too hot for my spice-intolerant palette. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the peas in curry sauce – just mildly spicy, it was great on top of the rice.

Bettina’s plate

My plate

In addition to the buffet, Punjab Sweets, in accordance with its name, offers an extensive selection of Indian desserts to go – they would be a creative choice for a last minute office potluck contribution.

Dessert case

Lots of boxes

Offering good value for your money, Punjab Sweets is a great option for lunch or dinner.

Quick, Quick, Slow: Nellie’s

Over a week after my visit to Nellie’s, I’m finally getting around to posting about it.

Nellie’s, a diner with five locations in Calgary, has a near-cult following. Always on top of FFWD’s Best Breakfast/Brunch list, Mack got quite the excited reactions from some native Calgarians at BarCamp when he revealed he would be testing out their brunch on Sunday.

I didn’t have a preference as to which location to patronize, but after some consultation  with Google Maps, we determined that Nellie’s On 4th (2308 4 Street SW) made reasonable sense – off the well-trod 17th Avenue strip, its proximity to two other branches within walking distance gave us some flexibility in case the wait at 4th was unbearable.

Nellie’s On 4th

We approached the door and joined a lineup that extended outside the restaurant – it didn’t look good. Moments later, however, much to my surprise – we were seated at a table by the window. The space was larger than I expected it to be (or at least, crammed tables together so that dining neighbours were close). We were offered coffee shortly after settling in, and took some time to peruse two pages of extensive options. All brunch items were priced under $10 (with the exception of a monstrous-sounding plate of French Toast with all the fixings). The selection of omelettes and other breakfast favorites was better than most diners I have visited, but after careful consideration, I decided on the Farmer’s Omelette while Mack chose the Hash Brown Omelette.

Menu

After our swift service through the front door and at our table, we expected the rest of our meal to run as smoothly. Unfortunately, the food took quite a long time to reach us. While not an unforgivable sin, given the steady stream of customers, compared to Diner Deluxe, Avenue Diner, and most recently, Galaxie Diner, their order-to-table time was slow. To make matters worse, we didn’t even have the option of sipping coffee while we waited – Mack tried numerous times to make eye contact with the waitress holding court over coffee refills, but to no avail. It almost seemed like she was teasing us – toting the pot of coffee near our area…only to turn away at the last moment. Mack commented that one should never have to ask for coffee in a diner, a statement that I agree with wholeheartedly.

Always Twitter-ing

Our food eventually arrived, heaping and brimming over the edge of our plates. Mack’s omelette definitely looked like the more exciting of the two, speckled with bacon crisps. My dish was extremely filling, particularly with the generous portion of hash browns on the side.

Hash Brown Omelette

Farmer’s Omelette

While not disappointing, Nellie’s didn’t quite live up to their mythic reputation. I’d be willing to try out another location (the Cosmic Cafe looks fun), or simply return to one of my diner favorites in Calgary.

Food Notes

  • Liane Faulder profiled The Happy Camel (Callingwood Mall, 177 Street and 64 Avenue) last week. Using no preservatives to make their pitas or their spreads, it will be worth a drive out some time to see how fresh their products really taste.
  • Another fresh-focused local food stop was profiled in Vue Weekly: Careit Deli (5236 199 Street), mentioned in the Edmonton Journal a few months ago. Their take-out options sound amazing.
  • I came across an interesting sign advertising the price increase of various commodities in the bakery aisle of my neighbourhood Sobeys. Random, no?

 

“Commodity Update”

  • Janice was nice enough to pick up some cupcakes for me from The Cupcake Shoppe, which occupies a booth at the Old Strathcona Farmer’s Market. While I am amused that their cupcakes are made from “scratch” (their quotation marks, not mine), they weren’t bad. I tried the Triple Threat (chocolate-chocolate chip cake with thick chocolate frosting), and appreciated the nice texture supplied by the dotting of chocolate chips beneath the icing.

 

Triple Threat and Lemon Drop cupcakes from The Cupcake Shoppe

  • In January 2007, a cupcake at the Buttercream Bakeshoppe in Calgary was $2.50. Last weekend, they were priced at $2.95. Understandably, with the price of flour (among other things) increasing, they are more than justified in the mark-up. Still, I found the price of two cupcakes, $6.20 (with tax) just a little hard to swallow. One could easily buy a small cake for that amount!

 

Funky Monkey and Dreamy Blue cupcakes melting in the sun

  • Mack and I had the pleasure of drinking in the sun on a rooftop patio at Starbucks of all places in Calgary. Why doesn’t Edmonton have one of these?

 

On the patio!

The Cooking Chronicles: Friendship Loaf

Janice asked me about two weeks ago whether or not I would accept a bag of Friendship Loaf batter. I inquired about what it was. She told me that I would be provided with a bag of batter and a set of instructions, required to “mush” the bag every day, supplement ingredients at some point, and then on the tenth day, add more ingredients to finish the batter and bake the loaf. Before baking, the batter would form enough to separate into four additional batches for me to pass along to four friends. Essentially, it was the food equivalent of a chain letter.

Friendship Loaf Batter on Day 10

I did some digging, and as Mack would say, Wikipedia always has the answer:

“Amish Friendship Bread is a type of sourdough starter that is often shared in a manner similar to a chain letter. The starter is a substitute for baking yeast and can be used to make many kinds of yeast-based breads, shared with friends, or frozen for future use. The sweet, cake-like Amish Cinnamon Bread is a common bread that is made from this starter; it is a simple, stirred quickbread that includes a substantial amount of sugar and vegetable oil, with a mild cinnamon flavor. It has characteristics of both pound cake and coffee cake.”

The best line of the entry was this one:

“There is no reason to think that the bread has any connection to the Amish people.”

Regardless of the source, this was the most interesting process of baking I have come across so far, so I was curious as to what the final product would taste like.

I confess I didn’t “mush” the bag every day (though my Mum seems to have done it covertly without my knowledge; like watering poor neglected plants that I would undoubtedly let shrivel and die), and as Janice had warned me, the contents did start to smell quite strongly after the first few days. Bubbles formed overnight in the batter, and air did have to be let out every few days, but other than that, it just seemed like any other liquid baking mix.

On the tenth day, I added enough ingredients to divide the batter into five equal parts, and used one part to form the two loaves. I thought the necessity of a box of instant vanilla pudding was quite amusing in light of the named “Amish connection”.

An hour later, my loaves were done. They did taste very much like a coffee cake, especially in terms of texture, though a slice did leave me with a slightly sour aftertaste better washed away with a cup of coffee.

It was an interesting experience (thanks, Janice!), though my Mum and I both agreed that the product really didn’t warrant waiting ten days.

Friendship Loaf

A Tale of Two Suppers: JAROblue & Tubby Dog

Saturday was reminiscent of our two meal extravaganza last spring that saw us eating two dinners in one night: first in the sophisticated wine and tapas bar TZiN followed by supper at the eternally comfortable greasy spoon Route 99 Diner.

We started our evening at JAROblue (1314 17 Avenue SW), a tapas and lounge often recommended by Chowhounders. Seductively dark, with a cool, trendy vibe, Mack and I felt a bit out of our element. Our sever quickly changed that – patient and open to questions, he was extremely attentive at the start of our meal. I asked for wine recommendations, and based on his suggestion, decided on the 2006 Dr. Pauley-Bergweiler Riesling ($9). It was lovely – sweet and fruity, it would’ve probably been better paired with dessert, but my personal preference is always “Kool Aid” (Mack’s words) with dinner.

Menu and place setting

Tapas pricepoints were $8, $13, and $15. From Andree Lau’s post on JAROblue, I knew I wanted to try the Duck Confit & Risotto Croquette ($13). The Angus Mini Steak Sandwiches with Caramelized Onions ($15) were my second pick, and for reasons involving illusions of heath and his love of the vegetable, Mack chose the Grilled Asparagus served with an Onion, Garlic & Olive Oil ($8).

While we waited for our food, we noted the great server-to-patron ratio maintained by the restaurant, and also grew to respect our very competent hostess who not only took care of the seating, but also water and bussing duties.

When she brought us our first two dishes, her introduction of them (and suggestions on how we should eat them) were a nice verbal accompaniment to a beautiful visual display. Set on a long rectangular plate, the croquettes were almost too cute to eat. Crispy and creamy, they would make a fantastic hors d’oeuvre at a party (perhaps minus the pineapple chutney, which was a tad spicy for my taste). The steak sandwiches were even better – expertly seared and perfectly prepared, Mack and I both wished we could have a full-size steak that tasted like that. The asparagus were fresh, and thus sweet, their natural flavour enhanced with a smoky infusion. The garnish of onions had had their bite cooked out of them, and rivalled the asparagus with their sweetness.

Duck Confit and Steak Sandwiches

Grilled Asparagus

Great for sharing with friends, JAROblue is undoubtedly pricey, but worth a splurge for their creative take on tapas.

Our appetites successfully stimulated, we walked a few blocks east to Tubby Dog (1022 17 Avenue SW). At this point, I can’t remember where I first heard about this late night institution, but I can safely say I am now well acquainted with their unorthodox hot dog toppings.

Tubby Dog!

Walking in, there is no doubt that their no-frills decor signals a single focus on food alone. Two giant menus – one on the door and another behind the order counter advertise the creativity behind Tubby Dog. From the intriguing Sumo Dog (with Japanese mayo, wasabi, pickled ginger, and lightly toasted sesame seeds) to Sherm’s Ultimate Gripper (a dog wrapped in bacon, fried, then topped with ham, homemade chili, cheese, mustard, bacon, hot peppers, onions and a fried egg), we knew we were in for a treat probably not meant for the sober. I couldn’t help but think this was the Calgary equivalent to Amsterdam’s waffle and fry joints.

Interior

Menu

Hours of operation

At any rate, Mack opted for the A-Bomb ($5.75), with cheese, bacon, mayo, mustard, ketchup and potato chips, which the server said was one of the two most popular dogs (the other being the Gripper). Without hesitation, I chose the Cap’ns Dog ($5.75), with peanut butter, jelly, and yes, Captain Crunch cereal (I have to think this combination had to have originated as a drunken college bet of some sort).

A few minutes later, to the chime of a reception bell, our order was up. It was a sight to see – our dogs were as excessive as the tapas at JAROblue were dainty. As we sat agape at the task before us, three women walked by the storefront window, and after glancing at the menu on the door, wondered allowed who would eat such things. Then they looked up and saw us.

A-Bomb

Cap’ns Dog

I was a bit daunted by the Captain Crunch (the morsels didn’t adhere very well to the PB & J), but in the end, I’d say it satisfied the peanut butter lover in me – I couldn’t really taste the jam or the cereal.

Finished!

I’m sure many people have eaten much more offbeat food combinations, but Tubby Dog, in its utilization of a midway favorite as a vehicle for the unexpected, makes for an interesting and fun dining experience.