Food Notes

• My latest post at FoodTV went live last week – I wrote about a coffee tasting experience I had at Transcend this summer. Mack’s more timely post can be found here.
• I’m sure everyone who pays attention to the city’s culinary scene knows about the ill-timed closure of Il Portico by now – the building and lot having been purchased by the Alberta Blue Cross for additional staff parking. From how I read the article though, it seems like a deal would have happened sooner or later. It’s just even more unfortunate that the space won’t be filled by a similar establishment.
• Hundred Bar & Kitchen released their menu online last week. The designers of it – both graphic and culinary – deserve some applause, as I can just see the downtown post-work crowd (myself included) salivating at their creative take on appetizers and share plates. There has been some discussion as to whether or not they are more of a bar or a lounge – to me they are a hybrid of both, in the true resto-pub sense, and the fact that patrons can make reservations on-line seems to speak to Hundred’s alignment with more traditional restaurants. This may be a bad time for any restaurant to be introducing a $100 entree into the market however – I’d be curious to see how many of “The Hundred” (100 gr. Kobe medallion, 100 gr. lobster tail, seared foie gras, caramelized shallot mash, porcini mushroom demi, truffle butter) they sell.
• The Sorrentino’s Group has stealthily opened up a new “Italian Steakhouse Wine Bar” called Bistecca in the space that formerly occupied one branch of That’s Aroma (2345-111 Street). Wine bars seem to be joining the list of Edmonton’s current culinary trends which include gastropubs and places that serve only tapas/small plates.
• The Journal reviewed the new-ish Quan’s Cafe this weekend.
• I took a look at the Edmonton page on Open Table recently, and 20 more restaurants have jumped on the bandwagon since my first look last spring, where a measly 16 establishments were listed. I love the ease of being able to make reservations any time of day (and their snazzy e-mail invitations are pretty cute too).
• I have been eying Second Cup granola bars ever since I saw them on store shelves.  I finally bit the bullet last week and purchased a box. The bar had an aroma of coffee about it, which was nice, but overall, it tasted very similar to the Quaker yogurt-coated granola bars that I have tried previously. While it didn’t quite quench my thirst for a latte, it made a nice afternoon snack.

Second Cup Cafe Delights

• I had an opportunity to visit Handy Bakery (8660 118 Avenue, 780-477-8842) for lunch the other day. I was curious to see whether or not their fresh, deli-made sandwiches would be better than those found at the Italian Bakery. I was able to build my sandwich with either mayo, mustard, or vegetable spread (I chose the latter), one meat from the case, cheese, and my choice of vegetables (lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, peppers). Though the bread was remarkably good (and dare I say better than the Italian Bakery’s buns), there was something about the sandwich that wasn’t as satisfying as the Italian Bakery.

Small sandwich with turkey breast ($3)