Food Notes

I noticed the other day that Essence Organic Tea Bar (10011 102 Ave) has shut down for good; it lasted about a year. I think their somewhat hidden location and no evening hours didn’t help matters.
Mack sent me a link about the Art Gallery of Alberta‘s Request for “Expressions of Interest from qualified restauranteurs to create, lease and operate a casual fine dining restaurant/café and provide catering services for the facility.” I hope the restaurant is at least partly situated in the space that juts out and overlooks Churchill Square. And depending on the restaurant that ends up in the gallery, the view may only be one aspect to be excited about.
With options like Thai Express and Oodle Noodle that are so much better, I am still left scratching my head at why Edmonton has so lovingly embraced Wok Box. Apparently, we are going to inflict sub-par food on visitors to our fair city too – Mack sent me a link about an upcoming Wok Box opening at the airport in December.
I don’t often post about bars or clubs on my blog, but Play Nightclub (10233 103 St), the new queer club to hit the scene, will be offering up their space to non-profit and community groups when not in use. That definitely warrants a mention. The group partly behind Play (who also runs Oil City Roadhouse, The Globe, and Fluid among others), is also behind the upcoming restoration of The Silk Hat.
Mark your calendars: Hundred Bar & Kitchen (10136 100 Street, 780-425-0100), the new Century Hospitality venture, will open its doors on October 2.
Another one from Mack – local restaurants will be donating their leftover fare to the Edmonton Food Bank to help feed the hungry.
Bistro began a new monthly section called “Trade Secrets” last week, where culinary experts will answer pressing reader questions on anything from proper ingredient preparation to dish ideas.
Funny how places that are community favourites can so easily fall under the radar. Happy Garden is an example, reviewed in the Journal this weekend.
Mack and I wandered around the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market on Saturday. It’s been a while since I’d been there (I prefer open-air markets when possible), and I was surprised at how much larger it was than I remembered. We picked up some produce from Peas on Earth for my Mum and some Catfish Coffee Roasters for us. After the City Centre Market shuts down for the season, I may have to sneak back – for the produce and the atmosphere.

Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market

Inside

Catfish Coffee (thanks, Adam, for the pointer)

Edmonton AIDS Walk for Life 2008

I’ve written in the past on this blog about seminars and workshops I’ve attended to learn more about the topic of HIV/AIDS, but they’ve been heavily skewed towards the international side of things. For whatever reason, it’s become easy to ignore the same issues at home and concentrate only on the problems abroad.

Thus, when I saw advertisements spotlighting the upcoming AIDS Walk for Life, I decided to sign up. I participated in the walk once before while in university, but hadn’t continued with the annual fall event.

Walk for Life

Since that time, the walk has changed – it now started from City Hall (instead of the Butterdome) and wound its way through downtown Edmonton (instead of the River Valley). The fundraising part of it also got easier, with an online collection function available to those registering online. I really should have utilized it – Mack garnered $100 after just a day of soliciting donations.

We made out way to City Hall on Sunday afternoon, just in time to join in on the festivities. Pre-walk entertainment included the high-energy drag queen Yoko Ono and the female singing trio Belle Rouge.

Yoko Ono does Footloose

Watching Belle Rouge

There were various displays around the City Room, and a craft area for children. The entire walk and atmosphere was very family-friendly.

Art work

We were eventually ushered outside for an optional warm-up led by peppy staff from the World Health Club, and we were off.

Dance, everybody!

Before the walk

It was very clearly an autumn day, with overcast skies and a light breeze, but we couldn’t have asked for better weather – it was just cool enough for a comfortable 5km stroll.

And we’re off!

Poor puppy!

Winding across the closed street

The group made an obligatory refueling/photo pit stop at the Legislature before heading back, when it did start to get a little chillier. Thankfully, however, the rain held off.

At the Legislature

We were promised food upon our return to City Hall, and the organizers delivered. With the walk over, we were free to gorge ourselves on complimentary soft drinks, Starbucks coffee and iced tea, mini doughnuts, fresh popped sweet and salty kettle corn, and Funky Pickle pizza. We happily obliged.

Mack happy with mini dougnnuts and balloon

With popcorn and pizza

The Walk for Life was not only fun, but was for a great cause. I will definitely be looking to participate again next year.

Mack’s photo set is here.

The Cooking Chronicles: Chicken Pesto Pot Pies

I had made pesto with some leftover fresh basil I bought at the farmer’s market a few weeks ago, intent on using it for a recipe for Chicken Pesto Pot Pies I saw in the fall issue of Our Compliments magazine. I finally had the chance this weekend.

We cheated with the potatoes, and used the store-bought powdered variety as directed in the recipe, but as we were using made-from-scratch pesto and cooking the chicken ourselves, I figured it was a fair trade off. We bought individual aluminum pie plates, and once we tossed the filling together, we divided the coated vegetables and chicken between the containers and topped them with scoops of mashed potatoes. We baked them for just under half an hour, and they were done, sizzling with some of the excess olive oil in the pesto and smelling wonderful.

Though the surface of the pies didn’t get as brown as they did in the magazine photo, the top of the potato round was somewhat crusty. The pies were essentially a shepherd’s pie made with pesto instead of gravy, but while I can’t say that the pesto flavour was distinct, these pies tasted lighter because of the gravy substitution – and had the benefit of a vibrant green color instead of a drab brown tinge.

We had a few leftover pies for supper the next night too, and as indicated in the recipe, these are great to make in advance and freeze for emergencies. I will be making them again.

Chicken Pesto Pot Pie

Refugee Camp in the Heart of the City

I had been looking forward to the Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) exhibit, titled Refugee Camp in the Heart of the City, for some time. From the website:

“Guided by MSF aid workers, visitors are asked to imagine that they are among the millions of people fleeing violence and persecution in, for example, Somalia, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, or Sudan.

“The exhibit is made up of materials used by MSF in its emergency medical work around the world, including emergency refugee housing, a food distribution tent, water pump, health clinic, vaccination tent, therapeutic feeding center, and a cholera treatment center.”

I had been to World Vision’s One Life exhibit at West Edmonton Mall last year, and expected it to be somewhat similar, but this exhibit turned out to be better because of its group and interactive nature.

Meeting point at McIntyre Park in Old Strathcona

Our guides Ben and Natalie, like all other exhibit guides were actual MSF workers, so could speak about most of the issues from personal experiences. Ben is a long-time field manager with MSF, with experience in the Ivory Coast, Sudan, and Sri Lanka, among others, while Natalie, a midwife, just returned from a mission in Chad.

Ben and Natalie, both Canadians

The tour started with a primer on the basic difference between a “refugee” and an “internally displaced person” – the latter still residing within the borders of their country. We then progressed through a series of “stations”, starting with examples of refugee camp shelters.

Ben in front of a makeshift “urban” shelter

Plastic sheeting – portable and rainproof

Next, it was onto the food rations allotted to each person, which only included rice, oil, sugar and beans – no meat, vegetables, or fruit. When even these basics aren’t available for distribution, standard “biscuits” infused with some minerals and nutrients are provided instead.

Food tent

Not surprising, the latrines consisted of plastic-walled sheeting with a plastic mould covering a hole dug into the ground. Once the hole filled up, the latrines were moved, with careful consideration of where the water supply was located.

Sample latrine

Next, we were shown a basic sanitation system. It was heavily emphasized that women and children were largely responsible for waiting in the long lines for both water and food. With a 20L jug being difficult for even a grown adult to carry, it was mind-boggling to imagine a young child delegated such a task.

Water sanitation

We were then shown the different medical services provided by MSF – their primary focus. From counselling, physical treatment, vaccinations, and cholera treatment, our guides pressed upon us the fact that only 10% of their staff are international (90% are hired from within the country) and the number of conditions that go untreated because of the necessary triage and lack of resources.

Children’s drawings depicting their experiences

An example of an MSF clinic

A revolutionary blood spot-test for malaria

Single-use vaccination needles

Cholera treatment tent

One tent focused on the issue of malnutrition in children. We were shown packages of nutrient-packed food called “Plumpy Nut” that has proven to be quite effective, but Ben noted that there isn’t enough produced to meet the need.

Ben talks about various means of measuring normal growth in children

Plumpy Nut

In all, the exhibit took about an hour. I was looking for at least a passing glance on the issue of HIV/AIDS, but I’m assuming the all-ages target of the exhibit quashed anything that may not be fit to present to elementary-aged children.

Refugee Camp in the Heart of the City was well worth the time; you have one more day to check it out in Edmonton. My photo set is here.

Old Country Golf at Whitemud Amusement Park

Mack and I decided to take advantage of a warm September evening by playing a round of mini-golf at the Whitemud Amusement Park (Whitemud Drive & 75 Street). While I had been on the go-karts before, I had never actually tried my hand at their golf course.

Old Country Golf

The designers of the park actually managed to squeeze 18 holes into the small space, making us feel like the game was more worth the $7 fee.

Mack

Though Mack wanted more challenging holes by the end (all holes were placed in a straight line from the tee), it was understandable in the context of the all-ages, family-friendly facility.

Mack putting

I have to admit the course was a bit more challenging for me than for Mack

We decided to keep score half way through, and well, I could probably use a second go-around.

Our final scores

Despite my poor showing, mini golf was fun. But by the way Mack was eyeing the go-karts, we may be back to Whitemud Amusement Park before cooler weather prevails.

The complete photo set can be viewed here.

No Complaints: The Lingnan

It’s funny (and tragic) how it sometimes takes national bodies to draw attention to local institutions, but I found that this was the case with The Lingnan (10582 104 Street).

Food Network Canada chose the family behind The Lingnan to feature on their upcoming season of Family Restaurant, to begin airing January 2009. I saw the article in the Journal earlier this year, and noting the connection between the restaurant and Chicken for Lunch (Amy’s sons run the joint), convinced Mack to join me there for dinner on a random weekday.

Exterior

I had no complaints over the aesthetics of The Lingnan. The upstanding sign atop the building, eye-catching even two streets away, draws one’s attention to an area where a Chinese restaurant is a little unexpected, situated across from a dated business facility and behind an emergency response team office. Once through the (slightly shady looking) door, we were greeted by a cool, lush interior that we could not have predicted from the outside. Everything from the mirrored walls to the paneled ceiling was beautiful, even if slightly over-the-top. The high ceiling and open dining room made the space seem larger than it actually was, and afforded diners (amounting to about ten tables by the end of the evening) a sense of privacy. Although the restaurant is very obviously geared towards Western sensibilities (much like Blue Willow), I didn’t mind it because of their earnest, well-intentioned approach.

Dining room

The waiters, dressed in a “traditional” jacket (definitely over-the-top) were polite and surprisingly personable. After perusing the menu, Mack’s pick was his usual benchmark ginger beef ($12.50), while I was craving fried noodles. Though my original selection was a dish called “Crispy Noodles Chow Mein”, our adept waiter steered us toward the “Chinese Style Aristocratic Chow Mein” ($13.75, with shrimp). I guess I needed some instruction on reading the menu as it was exactly what I had in mind.

Drink menu in place of the more common Chinese zodiac (guess they’re really pushing the cocktails)

Mack’s Lingnan Pi Jiu with a hint of ginseng (brewed by local microbrewery, Alley Kat)

Before our dishes were brought to us, our waiter set up two metal plate warmers. Though a nice touch, we found them to be quite ineffective. At any rate, our food was out in no time.

Mack was quite happy with the ginger beef, noting that it was a “close second” behind Pagolac’s version. I found it pleasing enough – a decent beef-to-batter ratio and a tangy sauce that was slightly spicy. The chow mein was fine as well, with a reasonable quantity of shrimp included, and enough fried, crispy noodles to quash my craving. Mack didn’t like the soggy noodles in the centre of the dish, but I love the textural contrast and their sauce-laden goodness.

Ginger Beef

Chinese Style Aristocratic Chow Mein

The Lingnan, while offering nothing out of the ordinary in terms of solid Western Chinese dishes, does so in a clean environment and efficient manner.

Mack should pose like this in every picture

The Lingnan
10582 104 Street
(780) 426-3975
Monday-Thursday 5-11pm, Friday & Saturday 5pm-12am, Sundays & Holidays 4-8:30pm

Team NAIT Goes for the Gold!

Though it seems the world has just recovered from the massive spectacle that was in Beijing, over fifty countries are gearing up for an Olympic competition of a different nature.

Occurring once every four years, the Culinary Olympics take centre stage in Erfurt, Germany from October 19 to 22. NAIT is once again fielding a Canadian contingent, consisting of four individual competitors and a team of managers and coaches. The institution has represented Canada quite well in the past, winning two gold and two silver medals in 2004 and three gold medals in 2000.

Wanting to allow local purveyors of social media to comment directly on events at NAIT, Mack and I were invited to observe the team’s marathon 24 hour practice session over the weekend.

A competitor rests after lunch

Our arrival on Saturday afternoon was timed perfectly – we were able to join the group for lunch. Over a plate of chicken and mixed vegetables, we learned more about the gruelling preparation and the competition itself.

Coaches and competitors chatting in the kitchen

Though I was disappointed to find out that there wouldn’t be a tasting component to the session, we soon found out why. Being a “cold competition”, the food (while edible) would be judged on appearance alone, with criteria including food preparation, plate composition and presentation. Each item on the plate (including sauces) also require three layers of glaze, a time-consuming process as individual layers take time to set. As competitors only have twenty-four hours to ready their entries, much of the food will actually be prepared in NAIT’s kitchens to be transported overseas.

Glazing

All four competitors are recent graduates, but the Culinary Olympics are open to even those with many years of professional experience, making the task even more daunting for these young men. It was amazing to see the exquisite attention to detail. For example, an assembly glazing line ended with one chef poised with a heated needle, examining freshly glazed food for air bubbles to pop. Though all competitors start with a theoretical 100 points, deductions are made by judges for even the slightest mistakes and imperfections.

Looking for air pockets

Plates plastic-wrapped to prevent soiling (brought to you by Saran!)

After a quick tour of the massive kitchen (a baker’s dream!), we went home with intentions of returning at 8am the following morning to see the fruit of a hard night’s labour.

We were astonished with the transformation of the dining area. White plates of gleaming food greeted us, poised under spotlights on elegantly-decorated tables.

Desserts (those “bills” are made entirely of chocolate)

Absolutely stunning platter

Having been told each dish should mimic the portion size to be expected in a restaurant, I think I was expecting more food to be present on each plate – I probably could have gobbled up the intended three-course meal in an instant. And though the glaze was meant to preserve the vitality of each exhibition, it seemed to sap the “life” out of some dishes. At the end of the day, however, there was no question the amount of planning and work that had gone into every creation.

Lamb

Lobster (the frisse looks great glazed)

Salmon

Quiche (I just had to take a picture of it)

Beautiful tart (and no, that’s not ice cream you’re looking at – it’s lard made to look like ice cream)

As we snapped photos, coaches and past Olympic participants were offering their feedback on how to improve their dishes – sauce too dull-colored, an additional protein needed, an extra garnish. All competitors took the criticisms in stride, jotting down notes to learn what else they could do to earn a medal score.

Jack receives some suggestions

Thanks to NAIT for the invitation – it was a great experience to see these young chefs in action. Best of luck to Team NAIT in Germany!

My (small) photo set is here, Mack’s here, and NAIT’s here.

Mom is Always Right: Nhon Hoa

My officemate was recently asking me about cheap eats in our area. I immediately directed him to the Italian Bakery and Nhon Hoa.

Nhon Hoa (10622 97 Street), with two locations within a stone’s throw of each other, was a frequent stop in my childhood. Not for me (I didn’t learn to appreciate food until I was well into adulthood), but for my Mum, who knew that Vietnamese subs were not only dirt cheap, but darn tasty.

All sandwiches have the same base – toasted French-style baguette, and layers of homemade mayo, pickled carrots, cucumber, cilantro, and (optional) hot peppers. Her favourite variety was (and still is) the combination sub, while I gravitate toward the safer option of shredded, fried pork ($3.25). Freshly put together and wrapped securely in saran wrap, the subs are take-away ready. In my opinion, the fresh cilantro and the homemade sauce are what make the sandwich.

My Banh Mi (menu here)

My only complaint about the Nhon Hoa I patronize is the lack of seating. The counter shares a space with a BBQ meat seller, and every visit, I marvel at the familiarity of the patrons with the shopkeepers – they’re “coffee shop regulars”, but for smoked pork and duck. I would love to hang out and observe the interactions further. And though I’m content to take my food to a nearby park to eat while it’s still warm, this option won’t exist in the winter months.

If you’re looking for a nice lunch that won’t break the bank (and will actually save you enough money so you can pop into the nearby Italian Bakery to pick up something sweet for dessert), head to Nhon Hoa. You won’t be disappointed.

Nhon Hoa 2
10622 97 Street
(780) 425-3257
Daily 10am-7pm, closed Tuesdays

Food Notes

Via Chowhound: Bacon, the eatery known for locally-sourcing ingredients and serving up comfort food favourites, closed as of September 9. Their message indicates that the proprietors may move into a different space in the future, but provide no details.
Xtreme Asian Fusion (with a name like that, how can they go wrong?) is hosting their grand opening on September 15. Located at 10508 101 Street, phone (780) 413-3338.
Whimsical Cupcakes (14910 45 Avenue) will be offering their first-ever Happy Hour on September 27. Samples of “Ruby”, along with “shots” of milk will be free, and cupcakes will be priced at a discounted $1.75 each.
Today was the last day to get discounted early bird tickets to the upcoming Rocky Mountain Wine and Food Festival, running October 22-25 at the Shaw Conference Centre. I think I’ll only end up going if they have coupons for free food and drink tickets in the paper, as per last year.
Liane Faulder published her first in a series of many to come about home entertaining. I like the angle (everyday cooks with good ideas), but I hope for two things: that the cooking starts to reflect the change in season around us (this week’s was decidedly summery), and that she features at least one party based in an apartment/condo/similarly small space.
Mack told me about two episodes on SmibsTV featuring Poul Mark of Transcend Coffee – worth a look if you want to learn more about the local roaster.
For those early risers – McDonald’s is giving away free small cups of coffee for the month of September…between 5 and 7am.
Joining Daniel Boulud in Vancouver, Jean-Georges Vongerichten will be opening Market in the new Shangri-La Hotel in January 2009.
A related article, about Daniel Boulud’s New York invitation to three of Vancouver’s top chefs – apparently there is more camaraderie between chefs in Vancouver than in Toronto.
My friend Caezer introduced Annie and I to the Old Szechuan Restaurant (10703 103 Street) recently. I would never, ever, have wandered into the converted house on my own, and was really surprised to find that it was actually quite busy. We ordered a good cross-section of dishes, all exceptionally spicy, but all prepared quite well. Though I can’t say I’ll be back (even tea couldn’t help alleviate the spice), it was a good reminder to be careful to not always judge a restaurant by its cover.

Ma Po Tofu (Echo would be proud that I ordered this)

Boiled Lamb (tasted better than it sounds)

Diced chicken and peppers (as spicy as it looks)

An Ode to Hanson

Hanson, those three blonde brothers from Tulsa, Oklahoma, immortalized with their almost annoyingly-upbeat 90s hit, “MMMBop”, were my junior high crush. I can still remember the days – dreaming about Taylor’s blue, blue eyes, listening to Middle of Nowhere so much that the CD was literally scratched from overuse, and buying up all of the Hanson merchandise I could find.

At some point however, I stopped paying attention to the band. Sure, news filtered through (they broke away from their record label and formed their own, each of the brothers got married, and in turn, started having children), but I didn’t hear much of their last two albums, Underneath and The Walk.

When I found out that they were coming to the Edmonton Event Centre in September, I didn’t immediately jump at the opportunity to see them because of the gap of familiarity with their music. Mack finally convinced me to seize this chance, and generously agreeing to accompany me, sealed the deal.

We arrived at the venue at 7:30pm, expecting the doors to open at 8pm, as indicated on the tickets. As Murphy Law goes (exacerbated by incompetent event staff), the doors finally opened at 8:45 to a trickle of impatient patrons. It was nearly half an hour later when we finally made it inside the venue.

I’ve never been to the EEC before, but after this experience, I may not be back. Besides seating in the enclosed bar, two rows of stools and tables along one side provided the extent of possible seats. While standing room only provided space to dance and sway, Mack and I ended up on our feet for nearly five hours – my ankles just ached by night’s end.

At any rate, onto the concert. The opening act, Everybody Else, was decent, besides the fact that they patronized the audience by labelling us “Canada” (I still think they had no idea, geographically, where they were).

Forty-five minutes after Everybody Else departed the stage, Hanson finally made their appearance. As I had seen in recent photos, the boys have matured, but still retain the charm that I remember: Taylor, still as boyishly cute as ever (with a reduced number of chokers around his neck); Ike, with his gangly frame was the calming force on stage; and Zac, his drummer-necessitated hair toss perfected, couldn’t stop smiling, in that “I can’t believe girls still scream for us ten years later” way.

The Middle of Nowhere reprieves were my favourite moments of the night (“MMMBop”, “A Minute Without You”, and a disappointing acoustic version of “Where’s the Love”), if not only because they were the only songs I could sing along to. Unfortunately for me, the majority of the playlist had been chosen from Underneath and The Walk, so I heard many of the night’s songs for the first time. “Ain’t No Sunshine”, their only cover, was great – Taylor’s solo wonderfully showcased his talent on the keyboard. Their two new songs (yet to be released), were unimpressive though, as the chorus only consisted of a three or four word repetition.

The concert experience as a whole was interesting – I have never been in a room where such unabashed Hanson-love was in the air. Screaming, dancing, glo-stick waving – it was an all out party to the Hanson beat.

While it was nice to see them live (and to see that they can sing just as well as their recordings), I think my past need to be with them in the same room has been fulfilled. Thanks for a great show, boys!

Here are the least-blurry of the photos I attempted to take.

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