Month: October 2008

Food Notes

  • It’s your last chance this year to soak up the outdoor market atmosphere at the City Centre Market this Saturday and bid adieu to the wonderful producers that grace 104th Street, at least until May 2009.
  • Hundred Bar & Kitchen, previewed in Bistro last week, is hoping to open this week. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for Chris Lachance.
  • Devlin’s has delayed the launch of its fall menu (which was initially slated for September 30). The cocktail lounge hopes to begin offering its seasonal dishes in the next few weeks.
  • The Hat Resto-Pub (the latest incarnation of The Silk Hat), is set to open on October 24.
  • Xtreme Asian Fusion (I still don’t know if this, or Phobulous, wins the award for worst Asian restaurant name in the city) received a favourable review in the Journal this week. Count me surprised, but then again, I was so off-put by the name that I would need prodding to walk through the eatery’s doors.
  • I was wondering about the south side location of Cafe Select, as it seemed to be closed during prime dining periods whenever I passed by. I noticed the other day that the interior has since been gutted, and the location removed from the website. I’m guessing this second branch was losing money for the company?
  • An interesting Q & A with Eugenio Rodrigues, co-owner of the Doggie Style Deli, the only restaurant in the city that literally caters to the dogs.
  • It’s one of my favourite commercial events of the year – when Starbucks releases their red cups and holiday drinks. Expect cups in stores on November 4th, with drinks to follow on November 28th. Details here.
  • The New York Times read my mind: I was just thinking about alternative uses for my rice cooker, and then this great starter article appeared.
  • Mack sent me a link to a convenience product that seems wholly unnecessary: peanut butter slices.
  • Given my terrible track record with finishing novels, it’s a miracle I ever completed reading Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma at all. It was a testament to the book itself – Pollan’s ease of translating some fairly complex processes into layman’s terms and his delicious curiosity into the subject made it an enjoyable read. The chapter about Polyface Farm was my definite favourite, and made me appreciate ecosystems in a way I never thought possible.
  • I tried the new Signature Hot Chocolate at Starbucks, pricey at $3.69 for a tall. It is quite a rich drink, good for those cold winter nights in front of a fire, but definitely not something I’d have every day.

Starbucks’ Signature Hot Chocolate

  • While it probably isn’t the best time to be lurking in dollar store aisles to hunt for cheap food deals (with the breadth of food scares lately), I can’t seem to resist a good bargain. Dollarama had boxes of “Pad Thai” for sale, which I bought for my emergency food cabinet at work. I had it for lunch the other day, and have to say it was quite disappointing, and not at all like the photo. Thankfully, it was only a dollar. What’s the best deal you’ve swiped for $1?

 

Pad Thai

 

Pad Thai prepared

A Second Chance Granted: Garage Burger Bar & Grill

Last spring, I garnered my first serious comment smack-down on a post about my mostly negative initial experience at Garage Burger Bar & Grill (10242 106 Street). I have since learned that it is a much-loved installation in the downtown dining core, even though some of its most stalwart fans have also admitted that Garage has fallen prey to inconsistent standards in the last year.

On Thursday, prior to the Biden-Palin smackdown, Mack and I were finally ready to give Garage a second chance, prodded somewhat by a coupon I had on hand. Still early in the evening, the restaurant was completely empty when we walked up, and remained so throughout our brief stay. We were quickly seated at a self-selected table on the patio, eager to soak up the last rays of autumn, and after settling in with our drinks of choice, paged through the well-worn menus.

I ordered the Bacon Mozza ($6.49), while Mack opted for the Chili Burger ($6.49). We topped off our meal with a basket of french fries ($3.95), as they were out of onion rings.

The advantage of being the only customers in a restaurant became evident when our food arrived just minutes after placing our order. Our burger plates looked virtually identical to what I could remember from our past visit, but thankfully, the fries appeared to be fresh this time around. Our burgers themselves were fine – they hit the spot, but in general were nothing special.

Bacon Mozza Burger

Chili Burger

“Why are you always taking my picture?”

While more inexpensive than a comparable burger from a place like Red Robin’s, I’m still left wondering how Garage has accumulated the reputation it has; perhaps we have to patronize them later in the evening to get a sense of the large community that supports their favourite burger joint and keeps the restaurant on its toes.

Garage Burger Bar & Grill
10242 106 Street
(780) 423-5014
Monday 11am-6pm, Tuesday & Thursday 11am-8pm, Wednesday & Friday 11am-9pm, Saturday 12-8pm, closed Sundays

October is for Seasonal Activities

  • Curious about the upcoming Citadel season? Check out the Citadel’s Open House on October 4, complete with actor meet-and-greets, videos about this year’s productions, and family-friendly activities.
  • Join the Somali Canadian Cultural Society on October 4 for a family-friendly celebration of Eid at the African Centre (13160 – 127 Street) from 2-6pm.
  • The latest Edmonton Film Society series continues this month with its theme of intrigue and suspense. Check out their weekly line-up here.
  • Every Wednesday until the end of November, enjoy a free noon hour musical concert at McDougall United Church (10025 101 Street).
  • The Edmonton Corn Maze is open every day until the middle of the month, fun for all ages. For those interested in something less tame, look for the Farm of Fear event offered at the end of October.
  • The Edmonton International Lit Festival runs October 16-19.
  • Need an excuse to check out some of the city’s art collections? The Fall Gallery Walk may be just the event you need to get you there, on October 18 & 19.
  • The annual ABC Head Start fundraiser in the form of the Scarecrow Festival runs October 17-19.
  • I missed the Soapathon, but won’t be too sad, as Die-Nasty begins its 20th season on October 20.
  • Kick-off Halloween early with the Deadmonton Horror Film Festival, October 24-26.
  • The Art Gallery of Alberta offers a free lecture once a month in the Atrium in Enterprise Square. This month’s session is scheduled for October 30.
  • There’s tons of great theatre around the city, but if you’re looking for something frightening, look no further than Northern Light Theatre’s annual Urban Tales, October 31 – November 1 (it’s also being webcast live if you can’t make it down to the Third Space).

The Edmonton International Film Festival: “Rachel Getting Married”

The Edmonton International Film Festival, arguably the most accessible festival in Edmonton’s catalogue (“we’re going to…a movie”), began last week, screening independent and light-Hollywood films for nine days. I usually take in at least one fairly mainstream movie per festival, and this year was no different.

We chose Rachel Getting Married, an Anne Hathaway-feature that garnered much praise after it screened earlier this fall at the Toronto International Film Festival. After reading the synopsis, I figured the wedding would be simply a backdrop to the real drama, but in actuality, the ceremony and everything that surrounded it (the rehearsal dinner, the reception) was showcased in full glory. This was both a strength and weakness of the film: while the scenes appeared so emotionally genuine (to the point where I wanted to be invited to be a part of the family), I think Mack was right in saying certain scenes could have used more liberal editing (was listening to a dozen rehearsal dinner speeches necessary? Or watching a lengthy dance floor montage?).

The core of the story, however, focused on Hathaway’s character Kym, a young woman returning home from rehab on the occasion of her sister’s marriage. Over the course of the movie, it is revealed that when Kym was sixteen, while high on drugs, ended up causing an accident that killed her younger brother. Each member of the family coped with this tragedy in a different way – Kym with her addiction, Rachel in studying psychology (an area that allows her to learn about human behavior) and the mother with separation and denial. How each member of the family related to each other was fascinating to watch, and in light of all of the wedding fun, I wished for more moments like the quiet one between Rachel and Kym preparing up for the ceremony.

The shaky camera (and seemingly unnecessary close-ups) had thankfully dissipated for the most part by the end of the movie, but I know Mack was happy when the film was over for this reason. While it’s not a must-see, Rachel Getting Married is an interesting window into a fictional family doing its best to move forward from a past tragedy.

The Film Festival runs until Saturday.

Fall Photowalk

Greeted by a lovely autumn afternoon (there’s really nothing better than pilfering another warm day from the impending arms of winter), Mack and I decided to make the most of it outside, and took a walk. Though my intention was to lead us to Louise McKinney Park in the core’s east end, I didn’t think our meandering would last four hours! It really was a great opportunity to explore parts of the city and the valley I had never been to before, all documented on Mack’s camera.

Mack’s photo set is here, but the following are a few of my favourite shots:

Paul Kane Park (I love unexpected greenspaces downtown)

Path to Ezio Faraone Park

At the (Legislature’s) water’s edge

 

A nice little park

I heart gazebos (they always remind me of Stars Hollow)

Snack break at Starbucks

The view from the Shaw Conference Centre balcony

Us

Louise McKinney Park (I’ve never been here before)

Bridge

View from the end of the bridge

By the river

As these coming days may be the last few this year warm enough for a walk without bundling up, I encourage you to explore your neighbourhood – you never know what new favourites you’ll discover.