Food Notes for November 21, 2011

If the crowds at Make It were any indication, I think people are seriously getting ready for Christmas! Thankfully, that wasn’t the only opportunity to get locally-produced and handmade crafts. The Royal Bison takes place this coming weekend, November 26-27, 2011, with catering provided by Culina. On to this week’s food notes:

• Moriarty’s is hosting a Beaujolais Nouveau party on November 24, 2011.
• I’m excited for Underground 104, which is happening on November 25, 2011. It’s an event being put on by Mercury Opera, and involves food and drink at several Fourth Street businesses from 6-8pm, and then at 8:15, there will be a performance on the Bay LRT platform. Tickets are $25, $20 for members of the Downtown Edmonton Community League.
• The next supper club at the Queen of Tarts will take place on November 26, 2011 – they will be posting the menu on Facebook. Mack and I attended the first of these dinners in October, and had a great time.
• Miss Cally’s Teas? Until they find a storefront, you can get your Earl Grey fix from Culina Muttart.
• This is never something you want to hear: another small farm has called it quits. Gwen Simpson of Inspired Market Gardens (a fixture at the City Market for many years), has decided that it is no longer sustainable for her to continue. She will continue to produce her dried edible flower products and a buyer’s guide to herbs next spring, but she will be relocating back to BC. All the best, Gwen!
• Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton (OFRE) needs your help! They need to make it through to the semi-finals of the Aviva Community Funding Grant with your votes – deadline is November 30, 2011.
• Top Chef Canada winner Dale McKay announced that he will be opening ensemble Tap, his second restaurant in early December 2011. It seems to be in the gastropub vein.
• The New York Times announced their new dining critic last week – Dining Editor Pete Wells will be taking on the task.
• There’s a calendar for everything these days, so why not one for food trucks, too?
• There was outrage this week when there were rumours that several NY locations of Starbucks would be closing their bathrooms. Is it the cafe’s job to provide public restrooms? This was an interesting thread, and made me think of the equivalent role Tim Horton’s and McDonald’s play in our city.
• Mack noticed that Chop will be coming to downtown Edmonton next summer – inside the Sutton Place Hotel.

Chop

• While at the University of Alberta last week, Mack and I were finally able to check out some of the kiosks run by some of the city’s food truck vendors, located in the basement of the Central Academic Building. Among them were Eva Sweet, Filistix, and Fat Franks. I’m a bit jealous that current students have such great options to choose from – I would have killed to have the option of starting my day with a savoury breakfast waffle topped with eggs and bacon, a lunch of pulled pork with apple chipotle bbq sauce, or an international dog of the week (like a Peking Dog with hoisin sauce). The kiosks are open 10am-4pm – check ‘em out if you’re down on campus!

Filistix and Eva Sweet share a kiosk

Who can say no to breakfast waffles?

Fat Franks

• We had a chance to stop by the McCafe in Commerce Place last week (incentive being, of course, the 2-for-1 coupons we received in the mail). Mack ordered a latte with a sugar-free vanilla shot, while I opted for a mocha (menu here). They are push-button drinks, made from machines similar to the ones seen in some self-serve cafe areas of hotels now. We liked the real milk (which gives McDonald’s a real advantage over Tim Horton’s), but even with the slight discount over Starbucks, we likely wouldn’t choose McCafe if there was a Starbucks nearby.

McCafe

Pastry case

Our drinks

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