Food Notes for January 24, 2011

There’s some good news coming– watch for an announcement about the venue for the year-round City Market in two weeks. I can’t wait until it’s official!

NAIT’s next Chef in Residence will be Susur Lee – it’ll be interesting to see what else he has to say about Shang.
Thanks to this tip, I found out that the Edmonton area will be getting its first Five Guys Burgers and Fries – in Sherwood Park.
Look for GAMA (10418 82 Avenue), a new store that will serve up Taiwanese drinks and cookies. They had their soft opening over the weekend.
Axis Cafe is closing its doors. They are hosting a closing party on January 27, 2011 at 7pm.
If you love Blue Plate Diner’s vegetarian burgers, you’ll be happy to know you can now take them home to make! Pick them up at the restaurant ($12 for 4 patties), or order them through the Good Food Box.
Curious about how the revamp of The Next Act Pub came to be? Vue Weekly published an interview with one of the men behind its “second act”.
Valerie sent me a link about Food Network’s reality show-style search for The Next Great Chocolatier.
The Journal had a great write-up of the Breaducation event at Luzzara two weeks ago, including a recipe for no-knead bread. Local blogger Andrea already tried it out, with fantastic results!
Isabelle wrote a very thoughtful post about the realities of tight purse strings unfortunately preventing her from supporting local producers.
This is pretty cool – a musician staged a flash mob at New York’s Eataly, to the tune of “Smooth Criminal”.
The NYT had an article about the rise of restaurants using social media sites like Scvngr and Foursquare to engage customers.
I’m not sure what I was expecting from the facade reno of Chinatown’s Taipan Cafe, but it wasn’t this. Even though it’s a bit far out, I kind of like how bold it is.

Taipan Cafe

Mack was nice enough to stop by Bistro Praha to check on its status – turns out, it will actually be opening this coming Friday, January 28. The interior, even though it is in a new building, actually reminds me very much of the old space.

Bistro Praha interior

There’s a new Mucho Burrito downtown, in the HSBC Building (10250 101 Street).

Mucho Burrito

Before Ice on Whyte, I had a bite to eat at the newest location of Nhon Hoa (10154 82 Avenue). My usual order at the Chinatown location is a sub with shredded pork, but they didn’t even have it on the menu here (I ended up with a sausage and shredded pork sub). The bread was too toasted for my liking, but it hit the spot.

Sausage and shredded pork sub

Mack and I ended up at our neighbourhood Blue Plate Diner on Sunday night for a pre-show dinner. I ordered the $45 Fork Fest special, which included an appetizer, entree, and glass of wine. The tomato & parmesan tart was delicious – the pesto beurre blanc that made the dish. I was expecting a little more from the braised plum lamb shank though – the meat was nearly fall-off-the-bone tender, but more than anything, I was left wanting an accompanying jus or sauce of some kind. Also of note – it was the third time, in trying to have points added to our Original Fare VIP card, that the machine did not work – the program has been in place for a few years now, so we wondered why glitches haven’t yet been remedied.

Tomato & parmesan tart

Braised plum lamb shank

To help celebrate Annie’s birthday, her parents cooked us a grand meal, and finished with fondue made from a Kerstin’s Chocolates kit. Happy birthday, Annie!

Chocolate fondue

Ice on Whyte 2011

Spanning one of the coldest weekends to one of the warmest, this year’s Ice on Whyte festival has seen it all. Mack and I headed to Old Strathcona on Saturday to check it out, hoping that the ice sculptures hadn’t yet been reduced to puddles.

A part of Winter Light

There were a ton of people out, more than we’ve ever seen at the festival – we wondered if the high attendance numbers were attributable to the weather, or perhaps to the theme?

Large crowds

This year’s festival had a Chinese theme, with nine carvers from Harbin, China having travelled to Edmonton to collaborate on everything from the dragon slide to the pagodas.

Welcome

Both the gate and the pagodas were equally impressive (and seemed to be popular photo backdrops), but I had a soft spot for the ice zodiac, and couldn’t help but pose for a picture next to my representative animal.

That’ll do, pig

Mack’s favourite ice sculpture was the Transformer – though we appreciated the abstract and interpretive nature that made up a number of sculptures, it was a nice surprise to see one based on popular culture.

Transformer

Ice on Whyte appeared to be larger than in past years – there were a number of snow sculptures on display as well.

Still at work

In addition to the always-popular ice slide, there were several smaller ice slides as well in a children’s play area, complete with a small ice maze.

Maze

Slide pretty for the camera!

Next up for Winter Light is Illuminations, this Saturday, January 29, featuring a snowball battle, choir performances, and circus pyrotechnics. See you there!

You can see the rest of our photoset here.

The Cooking Chronicles: Italian Comforts

I really enjoy browsing for cookbooks at the library – how else would you be able to test run recipes before deciding whether or not it belongs in your permanent collection? Currently on trial: Mario Batali’s Molto Italiano, which won a James Beard Award for “Best International Cookbook” in 2006.

I’ve only made two recipes from the book so far, but it’s a nice volume to flip through – lots of photos, and most of the recipes are preceded by an anecdote, something that does help make it more personal and fun to read.

Roman Egg Drop Soup

Feeling snowed in on one of the weekends, Mario Batali’s Roman egg drop soup seemed like the perfect dish to make. Simple and fast, it was so good I had it for lunch and dinner that night. This in spite of the fact that I used boxed stock, and substituted all purpose for semolina flour.

It’s so easy to pull together – a cup of cold broth, eggs, flour, parmesan and nutmeg is whisked into boiling stock – nothing to it. It was silky smooth, rich without being heavy, and made our condo smell like mom’s kitchen on a sick day.

Roman egg drop soup

I will be making this again – I’m craving it now, just writing about it.

Baked Pasta with Ricotta and Ham

Mack didn’t enjoy the soup as much as I did, but he did like the baked pasta with ricotta and ham more than me. I was calling it “Italian mac and cheese”, but it’s really more like a macaroni pie – pasta and Italian cooked ham layered with ricotta, provolone and tomato sauce.

It wasn’t difficult – most of the recipe time is passive, allowing the sauce to reduce down (it did taste fantastic) – but somehow, even with all of the cheese and ham, the dish didn’t meet my expectations. There wasn’t quite enough sauce for my liking, and in the end, I kept thinking – with similar ingredients, I could have made Giada’s stuffed shells with arrabbiata sauce instead.

Baked pasta with ricotta and ham

I bookmarked a few more recipes to try – hopefully I get to them before the book’s due date!

The 2011 Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market

Two months ago, when Kerrie Miller took over as the Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market Manager, the number of vendors dipped, and morale was low. The atmosphere in the hall was far from lively, though the vendors that did remain made the best of it. But now, in its second week in 2011, Alberta Avenue really does seem to be looking up.

Interior

Perhaps it had to do with the sound of children playing, or the dreamy quality of the twinkle lights above, but the mood at the market was so lively and positive today. Patrons chatted happily with vendors, and people lingered (and had a reason to do so – the concession and dining area, in lieu of outdoor street food, is a great one).

Andres of Greens Eggs and Ham

It felt more like the City Market than ever before – I had the time and space to chat with producers, and ran into a few familiar faces. The change in time – from 2-7pm to 5-8pm, seemed to bolster the small crowd.

En Sante

Sew Cozy Mittens, made from recycled sweaters (Ansa was at Deep Freeze too)

Ma-Be Farms, Shooting Star Ranch and The Chocolate Doctors were there, though the big draw for everyone seemed to be Linda Kearney’s breads.

The Queen of…Bread?

Linda (aka The Queen of Tarts) is more widely known for her desserts, but since she and her husband will also be offering an extensive selection of bread at their new bistro-cafe on 104 Street, she thought it would be wise to start testing loaves early.

Miche

She had a half dozen varieties today, beautifully displayed in baskets. They use organic, locally grown and milled flour, and all of their breads use levain instead of yeast.

Dark Rye

I picked up a baton, fougasse and a loaf of multigrain bread – the first two were consumed even before the accompanying soup made it to the table – Mack liked the baton best, while the fougasse was my favourite (it had a solid crust that gave way to a nice, soft interior).

Multigrain

Linda will be selling her breads every Thursday at least until her shop opens – after that, she will determine if she can manage to do both.

Kerrie is still working on attracting other vendors – keep up-to-date by joining the mailing list. Holly Gale of Smoky Valley Goat Cheese is expecting to come once a month, and in between, Greens, Eggs and Ham may be able to carry their products.

So – if you need any more incentive to check out the market, how about this: pick up some goat cheese, a baton, and hop on the train – it made me feel like I was in Paris more than I’d care to admit.

Dinner

Hope to see you there!

Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market
118 Avenue & 93 Street
Open Thursdays, 5-8 p.m.

A New Bakery on the Block: La Monarca

Sergio Manrique and I have sat on an inter-agency immigrant services committee for some time now, but I had no idea that he and Ninfa Castellanos had been planning on opening a Latin bakery together until I read about it.

La Monarca opened on December 1, just a block away from where the Old Bread Factory (now shuttered) used to be, tucked behind the Whitemud Crossing complex. It takes its name from the Monarch butterfly, which migrates from Canada to Mexico every fall, symbolizing a bridge between the two countries.

On Saturday, Mack and I walked over to the bakery after an event at the nearby library, and Sergio warmly welcomed us both.

Sergio

As it was near the end of the day, it wasn’t a shock that he had been nearly cleaned out – most of the bread, and all of the cakes had been sold out. We still did have a fair share of sweet and savoury pastries and cookies to choose from, beautifully displayed and lit in wooden cases fit for a curio collection (customers select what they want using tongs and plastic trays, a la Garden Bakery). Most of the items were under $2, so a trip here definitely wouldn’t break the bank. I couldn’t help but think the location is great – students studying at the library could easily pop over for a snack.

Display cases

We asked Sergio what his favourite treat was, and though it was difficult to get him to commit, he did lean towards the conchas (sweet, shell-shaped buns). Mack ended up choosing a corbata ($1.50), a sweet bun filled with custard, and I decided on the tornillo ($1.75), a chocolate twist.

Tornillo

Empanada

Too cute

Mack’s corbata was our favourite of the two – he initially said we’d only have a bite before dinner, but of course, it was gone before you know it: he bread had a subtle sweetness that complemented the custard so well.

Corbata

Be sure to check out La Monarca the next time you’re in the neighbourhood – I know we will – there are still two dozen options we have to try! Best of luck to Sergio and Ninfa with this new endeavour.

La Monarca
4119 106 Street
(780) 218-9777

Food Notes for January 17, 2011

I am so glad the forecast is looking up, because I’ve just about had it with the weather. I guess I don’t have as much to complain about as some (a lack of sidewalks to shovel is a definite plus of condo living), but trudging through piles of uneven snow in the blistering cold for my daily commute was getting hard to take. How many more months until spring? On to this week’s food notes:

CBC Edmonton is still looking for recipe contributions for their Flavours of Edmonton cookbook, a fundraiser for the Edmonton Food Bank. You have until January 24, 2011 to submit your recipe. Direct any questions to Erin Thomson.
The U of A Alumni Association is organizing the Educated Palate, a series of food-related events to take place over the next few months. Among the sessions are a coffee and chocolate session featuring Transcend and Kerstin’s, and a tasting with d’Lish.
Are you counting down to the day when Edmonton’s first location of Crave opens on February 4, 2011? You can follow their progress on their blog.
Looks like Bistro Praha is set to (finally) open on January 21.
Maki recapped Breaducation, an evening of learning and sampling at Luzzara last week, featuring Chris and Owen of Prairie Mill.
The Journal reviewed Corso 32 last week – a rave if I’ve ever read one: “Corso 32 takes its place as one of the city’s most exciting and satisfying places for a serious meal.”
Twyla’s review of Ruby Dragon (another Asian fusion restaurant that replaced Kai) made me laugh: “The young manager was quite proud that they employ someone who is strictly in charge of the deep fryer. So, while I appreciated their attention to detail, I felt it was more of a sentence than a position of honour for their chosen one.”
Kevin wrote a great post about creative ways of sourcing products locally, without surrendering value for dollar.
The Journal also had a good piece comparing canola oils (I love Mighty Trio) and a feature on the revamped Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market (I hope the market gets the same bump in business that restaurants seem to experience after the exposure).
Ever wonder how a visit from Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives can impact a business? Wonder no more: “It was a gift,” says one restaurant owner.
Liane mentioned a new restaurant called Niche (11011 Jasper Avenue) that has replaced the Hardwood Cafe. Just one review on Urban Spoon so far – but I’d be curious to check it out.

Niche

Ellen, Jill and I checked out Razzleberries (10040 104 Street) for lunch on Friday, which bills itself as offering “authentic Sri Lankan cuisine”. It was a modest buffet (two of the six items were rice and plain pasta), but was inexpensive ($8.95). I could see myself returning if I worked right nearby (there were many tables of office workers without coats on), but I wouldn’t seek it out again.

A plate from the buffet line at Razzleberries – the bourbon chicken was tasty, but the curried beef and lentils both could have been cooked for a longer period

Preview: Flavours of BC’s Naramata Bench Wine Tasting & Auction

This guest post was written by Mack, an Edmonton-based geek who fancies himself a part-time foodie. You can find him online at his blog, and on Twitter.

On Wednesday I had the opportunity to check out a preview of the Flavours of BC’s Naramata Bench Wine Tasting & Auction. The 3rd annual fundraiser for the Winspear Centre and Edmonton Symphony Orchestra takes place on January 28, and features the sounds of Sandro Dominelli performing smooth jazz plus more than three dozen wines. At the preview, we got to taste nine of them.

We tasted wines from four different wineries: Kettle Valley, La Frenz, Lake Breeze, and Laughing Stock Vineyards. I enjoy wine, but I am definitely not a connoisseur. Usually I am more than happy to select a bottle from the shelf based on just the name or label. Fortunately for me, there was a little of both at the preview!

David and Cynthia Enns both had established careers in the investment business when they purchased Laughing Stock in 2003. The name is a play on the risk of launching a winery, and the financial references don’t end there. When they released their first wines, they called the event Laughing Stock’s Initial Public Offering (IPO). And they have some of the most unique bottles I’ve seen – instead of traditional sticker labels, they feature information printed directly on the glass. The bottle says “LFNG”, the would-be stock symbol for Laughing Stock, and features the date and a variety of stock prices from that day printed in the style of a stock ticker tape. It’s eye catching!

We tasted three wines from Laughing Stock: Portfolio 2007, Blind Trust Red 2008, and Chardonnay 2009. Portfolio (the winery’s flagship) is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, and retails for around $40. Blind Trust Red is a blend of Merlot, Malbec, and Cabernet Sauvignon, and retails for around $29. The Chardonnay is aged in larger format French oak barrels, and goes for about $26. Of the three, I enjoyed the Portfolio most.

La Frenz was started by Jeff Martin, known for spearheading Quails’ Gate in Kelowna. Their bottles feature a QR code on the back, which is still fairly unique, but something I expect more wineries will adopt in the future. We tried two of their wines: Semillon and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Semillon, which sells for about $28, is blended with 10% Sauvignon Blanc and had a nice citrus flavor. The Cabernet Sauvignon sells for about $37 and had great color. Among other awards, it won Double Gold and Best Over $25 at the All Canadian Wine Championship last year.

We tasted two wines from Kettle Valley, which features the Kettle Valley Railway on its labels: Merlot and Pinot Noir. The Merlot, which sells for about $26, was one of my favorites of the night. The Pinot Noir, which sells for about $36, was good as well, with earthy tones. Both are multi-sourced wines, fermented in French oak.

We also tasted two wines from Lake Breeze: Seven Poplars Sauvignon Blanc and Seven Poplars Merlot. Seven Poplars denotes the winery’s premium wines, created from select barrels and select vineyards. The Sauvignon Blanc, which sells for about $27, was sweeter than I prefer, which made me think that Sharon would really have enjoyed it. The Merlot, which sells for about $37, was my favorite of the evening. It was full bodied and very flavorful.

If the wines at the preview were any indication, the fundraiser later this month will be an enjoyable affair. Tickets are $90 per person for the main event, or $150 if you’d like to sample the VIP tasting, which gives you access to exclusive library wines and the chance to learn from the winemakers themselves. For more information, including a list of the featured wineries, check out the Winspear Centre’s website.

Edmonton’s Original Green Onion Cake: Noodle Maker

The green onion cake. Savoury, crispy and oh so satisfying, it is one of my favourite indulgences, but only when done right. I’m not a fan of the flat pancake-like versions at the Fringe that many others adore; my preference is for the doughnut-shaped cakes – airy, and really, with even more surface area to absorb hot oil, it’s on a different plane of existence. When I heard about Noodle Maker, opened by the man who is said to have introduced the tasty treat to Edmonton, my curiosity was piqued – what would the “original” green onion cake be like?

On Thursday, another miserably cold day, Kathryn and I made our way to Noodle Maker for lunch. Just past the gates heralding Old Chinatown, it seemed to be a quiet afternoon for the restaurant – only one other customer to be seen during our visit (given how bustling the cafeteria in Canada Place is, I had to wonder how many people know this place exists).

The interior isn’t much to look at, save the artificial cherry tree blooming from the take out counter, and an antique stove in the corner. The dated décor contrasted amusingly with the large flat panel television screen mounted to the wall (tuned to a Chinese news channel), and a shiny new Mac at the till.

The menu features dishes from many Asian cuisines, including Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Thai(take a look here). I opted for a ramen bowl with teriyaki chicken ($8.50), while Kathryn chose the rice stick stir fry ($11). Of course, we also ordered a green onion cake ($3.50) to share.

The green onion cake didn’t look like much, but looks were deceiving! While it was the flat version, pulled apart, there were discernable, flaky layers inside. With a crispy, salty exterior, we had to pull ourselves away to try our entrees. It really was worth venturing out for, and would be something I’d return specifically to order (we both agreed that the name of the restaurant really should celebrate their green onion cake instead).

Green onion cake

The entrees were good, but didn’t live up to their green onion cake counterpart. The butter soy broth and ramen were all right – broth not overly salty, and ramen well-cooked, but neither wowed me. I did like the inclusion of vegetables though – bean sprouts, corn, and spinach. The teriyaki chicken was probably the wrong type of meat to order (especially after reading Lillian’s review) – it wasn’t as moist as it could have been. Kathryn enjoyed her stir-fry, noting that the rice cakes were very fresh, but like me, also kept returning to the green onion cakes.

Teriyaki chicken ramen

Rice stick stir-fry with pork, shiitake mushrooms and su choy

Noodle Maker has started a $7.67 “popular lunch express” feature for either dine-in or take-out, a great deal that includes a vegetable stir fry, a ramen noodle or rice bowl and two toppings (teriyaki chicken, tiger beef, pork ribs, shrimp, basa fish tempura). On January 18, 2011, from 11am-2pm, those that register on their Facebook page will be charged just $5.

There are definitely a few more dishes that I’d be interested in returning to try. And given its proximity to the Arts District, it’d be an interesting choice for pre-show dining. Not that I’d need an excuse to come back for the green onion cakes.

Noodle Maker
9653 102 Avenue
(780) 428-0021
Daily 11am-10pm

The Cooking Chronicles: Post-Holiday Detox

I don’t think our holiday indulgence was as bad this year as in past years, but after Christmas, for whatever reason, my body was craving vegetables, and a break from butter and fat. So I made sure to bookmark a few recipes to get us through the post-holiday detox.

Mushroom Barley Soup

We went to the pantry for this one, and hauled out the quick-cook barley that had been hiding behind a good many other things. The mushroom barley soup was one recipe on the Progressive Foods website I hadn’t yet tried, and better yet, it allowed me to purge my fridge of some less-than-peak vegetables in the crisper.

It simmered happily on the stove while we had company over, allowing the flavours to stew for even longer. The results were great – a spoonful of tasty vegetables, textured barley and savoury broth in every bite.

Mushroom barley soup

Two Pea Soup with Frizzled Ham

I should nickname this Mark Bittman dish of two pea soup with frizzled ham the “first intermission soup”, because it is the perfect recipe to be made during the first intermission of a hockey game (as I did, on break from watching one of the World Juniors games). Then, allowed to simmer through the last two periods to soften the split peas, it was ready to eat by the end of the game.

It’s another soup that is easily made with ingredients that most people have on hand – ham, split peas, frozen peas, carrots, onions – and it’s a hearty meal without being heavy. The frizzled ham was a lovely garnish, enhancing the soup with a crispy, smoky finish.

Two pea soup with frizzled ham

Tofu Chili with Soy Sauce

Like kale chips and potato chips, tofu chili really shouldn’t be compared with its meat counterpart – it is in a different playing field all together, and will never, ever win.

Mark Bittman’s recipe for tofu chili with soy sauce came together easily (and even more so because I opted to use a can of black beans instead of cooking them myself).

The texture of the crumbled tofu wasn’t a surprise (we’ve had it before), but I found it probably needed more time on the stove to absorb all of the flavours (I had reduced the simmering time in half because we weren’t cooking beans from scratch). Cumin probably would have been a great addition, as well as tomato paste, to thicken the mixture, and though the cloves were fragrant, the combination with soy sauce didn’t work as well as we expected. Mack though, ever the joker, said that something was missing. When asked what, he replied, “Meat.” Haha.

Tofu chili

We would make it again – but like I said, tofu chili is to be considered henceforth as a stand alone dish.

“Homeless”

Mack and I saw the play Homeless put on at Alberta College on Monday night, an event sponsored by Grant MacEwan. The price of admission was donations of food or clothing, small offerings in exchange for the opportunity to watch a show that has struck a chord with audiences at the Fringe and Kaleido Festivals, among others.

Homeless is a deeply honest play, chronicling Jeremy Bauming’s journey as he struggled to understand those that do not have a place to call home. It was a journey that inspired him to take on a position at the George Spady Centre, an overnight shelter in Edmonton that focuses on harm reduction, and will, unlike other shelters, accept clients who are intoxicated or high.

In expressing his own history and experiences that led to his personal misunderstanding and fear of the homeless population, he shines a light on the greater societal prejudice that exists. At the Spady, Jeremy encountered many memorable clients, each with their own wrenching story of trauma, abuse and pain.

Bauming doesn’t try to neatly tie up loose ends with a happy ending – more befitting of the reality faced by the homeless, given the complexity of the challenges that may include mental health and addictions. That said, I felt more hopeful than helpless at the play’s conclusion, buoyed by the strength of the clients Jeremy described, people who are able to make it through another day in spite of unspeakable hardship. The audience was silent – the emotion was palpable, and there were more than a few tears in the audience.

Following the play was a panel discussion, featuring a few members in our community supporting those on the streets as well as those working towards ending homelessness. What stayed with me was a comment by Julian Daly, Executive Director of Boyle Street Community Services, who talked about the negative perceptions of homeless people, resulting in a push for segregation, a NIMBY-ism, their exclusion from public spaces: “There is a silent apartheid in Edmonton.”

Especially on days like today – think about our neighbours, and what it might be like not to have a warm home to return to at the end of the day.

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