I can’t believe the writers did that to Jack (24). The only solace is that other fans of the show seem to be as enraged as I feel. Anyway, here are this week’s food notes:
- I know I’ve been egging everyone on about getting Indulgence tickets early, but it turned out to be a typo on the Slow Food website. So – the tickets will actually go on sale after April 30 (and this year, hopefully online as well!).
- deVine Wines is celebrating the opening of Southgate and Century Park LRT stops on April 24 with free bubbles at their store (at Bay/Enterprise Square). How cool would it be if a shop along every stop offered something similar?
- I love that the debate on backyard chickens is finally reaching a head in Edmonton. All the power to the River City Chicken Collective (how could you not love a name like that?).
- The Journal kicked off its new series of local “celebrity chefs” with an article about Bill Eddins, conductor with the ESO, and apparent master in the kitchen. They also had a feature on the city’s upscale bathrooms – wonder how many will be prompted to visit a restaurant just for a peek at the loo?
- Vue published an interview with Yvan Chartrand, the new owner of Tree Stone Bakery, last week (besides bagels, he’ll be introducing doughnuts to their product line). The same issue also contained a review of a five-course raw dinner at Refresh Organic Bistro.
- Kabuki, the newest sushi purveyor in Edmonton, was reviewed positively in See Magazine this week.
- Food lovers (especially those who love to live vicariously through decadent descriptions and photos), must read Valerie’s post on her experience at The Fat Duck. I felt like I was with her at the table.
- Hurrah, the Greens, Eggs and Ham website is finally live!
- Need a knife? Check out Chris’s post on Knifewear, a Calgary store that features a vegetable station where you can try before you buy!
- The NYT published a good read about the current food photography obsession. I feel exactly the same as the man in the article who indicated that seeing a photo triggers vibrant memories of the situation surrounding when it was taken.
- On the topic of the Times – I’m not sure about the invasion of critic Sam Sifton’s privacy, but I love that he tried a Double Down (KFC’s new breadless fried chicken sandwich) on the day of its debut.
- Also in NY – though it must be stressful for both the critics to maintain their anonymity and for restaurants to continuously chip away at it, I find it fascinating that bulletins like this on the city’s food writers exist. I don’t think it’ll ever come to that in Edmonton.
- I’m not sure a hotel with a Starbucks is as much of a draw to me as for those interviewed for this article, but sometimes, the feeling of seeing an SBUX when in an unfamiliar place is comforting.
- This is a great piece on the guy that started Five Guys – I love his quality-driven philosophy.
- I caught a few minutes of an episode of Cupcake Girls on the W Network, a reality show about Heather and Lori, the two women behind Cupcakes, the successful cupcakery in Vancouver. In the episode, they were whining about having to learn how to bake the cupcakes themselves – I have to say I was reminded (and not positively) of Lynn Crawford’s demeanour in Pitchin’ In.
- I’ve been trying to catch Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, though some of it does seem too good to be true. Grub Street has some links to stories that cover the fallout of his filming.
- While at Credo last week, I noticed that Lit Wine Bar had put up additional signage. That’s the most I’ve seen done on the storefront for some time – perhaps it’s not long until TZiN finally has some cross-street competition.
Lit Wine Bar
- Pho Tau Bay is finally open again, and has been since April 1. Not having lunch on Friday wasn’t such a bad thing when it meant I could order a steaming bowl of beef noodle soup. Yum.
Pho with well done flank and tendon
- Mack and I went to OPM to help Megan celebrate her birthday yesterday. The food was all right (calamari had a nice heat level, but was a bit on the salty side, but I liked the yam fries). It was interesting to see that they had a gluten-free menu, as well as vegetarian substitutions for their meat-based dishes.
Wok-fired squid
O
range ginger beef
Yam fries
Only Here for the Food 
I just want to let you know how much I enjoy your blog, although I must say that reading it first thing in the morning is a little dangerous. I’m now going to be craving yam fries and ginger beef for the rest of the day thanks to you!! 🙂 Keep up the fabulous work!
Interesting piece about the upscale bathrooms – to their list I’d add Ric’s Grill downtown. I love their loooong sink, though some may gripe that there’s no counter space. I also like that they have actual hand towels to dry your hands – more eco-friendly than paper towels. (Though, come to think of it, maybe not – they must use an awful lot of water to wash all of them every day.)
I absolutely loved Valerie’s post! And I didn’t even know that Pho Tau Bay was closed for a while. All your eats at OPM look yumms!
I’m not sure if this is old news yet but Nhon Hoa (I hope I have the name right) has opened a spot on Whyte ave. next to Flirt Cupcakes (between 101 and 102 streets) and is offering their Vietnamese sandwiches (banh mi) like they have downtown. I tried their grilled meatball sandwich ($4.50) and it was quite good.
Between you and me Sharon, Jack is going to lose his mind and go balistic on those terrorists!
Sarah – thanks for reading! And there are worse things to crave than yam fries and ginger beef :).
Mel – I also like the long sink at Ric’s Grill. The new bathroom in Overtime takes the cake though.
Lequan – Valere’s post was awesome. On Pho Tau Bay – it’s worth checking Lea’s site (istaubayopen.com) before you make a trip – they were closed for a few months (which isn’t unusual).
Jim – it’s news to me, I had no idea. Thanks for the tip. I usually frequent the Nhon Hoa 2 location on 97 Street.
Chris – I think he would’ve finished the job anyway, without this catalyst. But it’ll be entertaining all the same.
just watched 24 now. poor jack. gave him some variety of emotions to act tho. and gotta say that those 2 had NO chemistry at all. now i feel bad about commenting on 24 on a food blog. gotta go to bed!
My squid never looked that delectable at OPM. Great photos – and, great update- as usual!
Valerie
Jill – I thought they had chemistry! And if anything, a good history.
Valerie – thanks!