Food Notes for September 12, 2011

Are you ready for What the Truck?! 2 this Friday? The menus are now up, so you can plan what to eat (or at least, how much to pace yourself that night). Hope to see you at 102 Street and Jasper Ave! On to this week’s food notes:

Big City Sandwich, a forthcoming food truck, will be taking over the kitchen, pop-up style, at The Bend Lounge on September 18. RSVP to sample some of their fare early!
Is it possible to dine out and help the Edmonton Food Bank at the same time? Yes – participating restaurants will be donating $10 for every $30 (up to a maximum of $60) spent during Yelp Eats, September 15-26, 2011.
I just found out that Yellowhead Brewery is serving food! Well, sort of. The kitchen doesn’t have official hours because they haven’t had many people come through the doors when they have been open, but it’s a bit of a chicken-egg thing, isn’t it? They said they will be open this Saturday from 11:30-2 (ish), but with a menu like this, I really hope they choose to adopt more regular hours!
Kerstin and her family will be travelling for a year, so Kerstin’s Chocolates will be run by Marianne Stover and Rachel Pereira in their absence.
Lots of good stuff in the Journal last week: they reviewed Vivo, a new-ish Italian restaurant on the west end; featured Tangle Ridge Ranch in Taste Alberta; wrote a profile about the lovely ladies behind La Fourchette; and captured Chris’s love of offal.
I like this approach by Slow Food chapters in the US – a challenge to make a good, clean and fair meal for $5, or, the average price of a fast food meal.
It will be interesting to see the ramifications of this deal play out, but Zagat was bought by Google this week.
I know Mack would love to be able to do this instead of actually cooking: consumers will be able to print out food in the future.
Almost forgot to share these amazing pictures of the Tomatina festival, a massive tomato food fight held in Spain every year.
Speaking of tomatoes, ever wonder what sets apart true San Marzano tomatoes from the rest? Wonder no more.
Spotted the Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market poster, and thought it was worth sharing. Simple, but eye catching.

Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market

After a screening at Garneau, Annie and I stopped at The Dessert House (8412 109 Street, 780-439-7789) for a drink. It was standing room only inside! Their menu was an encyclopaedia of hot and cold drinks and desserts. I ended up with the strawberry bubble tea (with passionfruit pop bobas), and enjoyed it well enough.

Strawberry and papaya bubble teas

Mack and I took advantage of summer’s resurgence over the weekend to satisfy a poutine craving. The walk back home was very much needed after sharing the large.

Quebecois poutine from La Poutine

Unrelated to food, but so much fun I thought I’d share: to show solidarity with our Agency’s programs that address Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), we joined them in a flash mob organized to promote awareness of FASD Day on September 9. The dance itself (done to Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way”) was a bit of a gong show, but we had fun doing it, and people stopped in their tracks, so mission accomplished! Thanks to Mack for coming and taking pictures!

FASD Flash mob at Kingsway Mall

The Cooking Chronicles: Beautiful Simplicity

Do you ever come across a recipe that astonishes you? That makes you wonder why you hadn’t ever tried it before? The kind that only involves a handful of ingredients, but tastes like something even greater than the sum of its parts? This tomato pasta was one of those dishes for me.

This recipe celebrates the best of summer – sun ripe tomatoes, fragrant basil – and enhances it with a silky touch of butter. We had picked up some gorgeous tomatoes and garlic from Sundog Organic Farm at the market, and plucked leaves from my still-flourishing basil plant. Diced tomatoes were sprinkled with salt, their juices combined with sauteed garlic and butter to form the sauce. Tossed with spaghetti, basil and parmesan, it was a pasta dish where seconds were a given.

This was simplicity at its best.

City Market: Week 17

After so many dismal market days this year, it feels like we’ve earned this extended summer. There were many people taking advantage of it at the City Market today.

City Market

We had a prior engagement in the morning, but finally made it to the market this afternoon. There was actually still a decent selection for late in the day.

Bok choy from Sundog Organic Farm

Potatoes from Sundog Organic Farm

Gourds from Sundog Organic Farm

Grapes from Steve & Dan’s

Apples from Steve & Dan’s

Corn from Riverbend Gardens

Tomatoes from Gull Valley

We missed the market last week, so didn’t see the debut of Van Os Dairy to the City Market. Van Os sells organic milk (processed by Saxby Foods), and will soon also start offering butter, yogurt, cream and cheese as well.

Van Os Dairy

It’s great that local, organic milk is now accessible at the market! You can read more about Van Os and Saxby in this article by Jud Schultz.

As a part of Community League Day on September 17, the Downtown Edmonton Community League is hosting Corn Fest over at Beaver Hills House Park (105 Street and Jasper Avenue). If you’re at the market next Saturday, come by for some free corn! See you at the market next week!

Road Trip: Calgary Eats

Though we would have preferred to have had every meal from a food truck, that just wasn’t possible with so many vendors out of commission over the weekend. So we filled in the blanks with restaurants, which didn’t turn out so bad at all either.

Blink

Though we had good intentions to walk over to 17th Avenue for dinner, we succumbed to our lethargic mood and decided to choose a restaurant near our hotel (the Le Germain, our new Calgary favourite). We wandered Stephen Avenue, and decided to revisit Blink.

The last time we dined at Blink was three years ago, for a Dine Out Week prix fixe menu. I had been impressed by the service and the interior (I’m a sucker for exposed brick!), while the food was a mixed bag. Still, they had the most enticing menu on our walkabout, and it was a good opportunity to dine at the same place again.

Interior

Mack and I chose to share four appetizers and sides, something our server was clearly not accustomed to. But it worked out well, as all four dishes arrived simultaneously, so we could graze as we pleased. Our server was also very attentive – I don’t think my water glass ever reached half empty before being refilled.

The pork belly and roasted scallops ($14.50) were sensational. It was easily the best pork belly I’ve had in some time – the fat didn’t just melt, it burst, dissolving into a silky swathe for the tender meat beneath.

Pork belly and roasted scallops

It was great to see several tomato dishes on the menu, celebrating the best of what the late summer season had to offer. We would have easily eaten a bowl full of the roasted tomatoes that topped the tart ($12), but we were just happy that the vegetables (accented with a basil puree) were the star of the dish. The tart itself was thin and buttery, and complemented the tomatoes instead of overwhelming them.

Tomato tart

I had been wowed by the puree of squash varietals that I had tried previously, and was hoping for a similar impression from the roasted tomato soup ($12.50). It was good, but I would have preferred a touch more sweetness to balance the tartness.

Roasted tomato soup

The macaroni and cheese ($8.50) was the only real dud of our quartet. No question a generous hand dealt the great melting cheese that encased the crevasses of each noodle, but the cheese itself tasted flat and flavourless.

Our second experience at Blink would be enough to bring me back again. There’s something intimate about the restaurant, low-lit and understated. And with a deft kitchen in the back and stellar service up front, I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending it to others.

Red’s Diner

Maybe we just need to visit Calgary more often, but I find there’s always a new diner to try when we get there. This time, it was Red’s Diner, just down the street from Central Memorial Park.

Red’s Diner

When we arrived, there was already a cluster of patrons on the sidewalk waiting for tables. But we were told the wait time was just fifteen minutes, so we stuck around. And unlike at other diners, the estimate wasn’t deceiving – we actually did get seats after fifteen minutes!

Loved the “retro” coffee mugs

We sat at the counter (where there were purse hooks underneath in front of each stool – so thoughtful), and as a result, had a front row seat to the kitchen. This kitchen put up empty plates on the window, and filled them accordingly – an orange twirl to start, then some bacon, toast, then eggs…ding! Order up!

The view from the counter

I ordered Red’s big breakfast ($12.99), which definitely lived up to its name. Three eggs, bacon, sausage, a giant buckwheat pancake and two pieces of toast (sourdough cheese toast – not something often seen as an option); I was defeated. The eggs could have been creamier, but that was my only quibble.

Red’s big breakfast

Mack, who figured he wouldn’t be getting his perogy fix via food truck, decided on the Prairie breakfast plate ($13.99). It was also quite the hearty breakfast, with homemade perogies, kielbasa, two eggs, potatoes and toast. Mack thought the potatoes were seasoned really well, and his eggs were perfect.

Prairie breakfast plate

The kitchen was quick, service was friendly, and Red’s captured that perfect weekend morning atmosphere – bright, bustling and brimming with the simmering aroma of breakfast. We have many diner favourites, but Red’s is now close to the top of that list.

Jelly Modern Doughnuts

A Calgary food trip wouldn’t be complete without a stop at Jelly Modern Doughnuts. We were first introduced to their delectable treats back in June, when Mack picked up a dozen doughnuts on his way home from a conference. Their handmade, creative concoctions are made with local ingredients to boot!

Doughnuts!

I love the option of a kid-sized doughnut (available for most of their flavours), which for me, was absolutely the perfect size. The sprinkles were the best part.

Yum…

Though Calgary is only a few hours away, it always seems like a world away in terms of food. I’m sure it has something to do with its relative novelty, and feeling like a tourist in the city, but a trip to our southern neighbour is always a fun getaway.

Road Trip: The Quest for YYCFoodTrucks

In the name of “research”, Mack and I packed an overnight bag and headed to Calgary on Friday morning, with the intention of eating from as many YYCFoodTrucks as possible over the course of two days.

Those who have been following the development of the food truck culture down south will know that Mayor Nenshi, recognizing the potential of trucks to bring life to the street, initiated a pilot project that opened up most of Calgary’s public property to vending. In June, Taste the Trucks event showcased just how ready the city was for this shift – a crowd three thousand strong filled Stephen Avenue for a sample of street cuisine. Excitement for food trucks was in the air, and that appetite hasn’t slowed down since – follow the Twitter feeds of any of the half dozen mobile eateries that debuted this year, and you will find them feeding the lunch crowds during the day, bar hoppers in the evening, festival-goers on weekends, and almost everything in between.

Mack and I are learning more about their pilot in order to see what if any changes we might implement in Edmonton’s street food program to facilitate the kind of success they’ve had, but of course, that will take time. It’s not difficult to see, however, that if the City chooses to remain with the status quo, the promise of food trucks – their mobility, self-contained nature and ability to heighten foot traffic – will never be fulfilled.

Blam!Wich

On the drive over, I was glued to Twitter, looking at the feeds of the various food trucks to determine where we’d be having lunch that day (yes, we had a very car-centric trip through Calgary). It was not our lucky day: Alley Burger and JoJo’s BBQ were out of commission for the weekend and Perogy Boyz, Fiasco Gelato and Fries and Dolls were MIA, given they had worked a few hours earlier for a feature on Breakfast Television that morning. Luckily, we found one operational truck: Blam!Wich, which would be parked that afternoon at Central Memorial Park.

Central Memorial Park

A half dozen people were gathered at the truck awaiting their orders. Blam!Wich had four options that day (all $8) written in chalk on the sandwich board. It would have been helpful if the ingredients of each sandwich were elaborated on the board – I’m sure it would have eliminated the verbal repetition from the staff person who was asked the same question by every new customer.

Blam!Wich

It didn’t take long for our order at all – Mack and I had both decided on the baconstorm, with lettuce, tomato, maple-cured bacon, Canadian bacon and a bacon-infused aioli. It was more of a sub than sandwich, and was tasty enough.

Baconstorm (can’t help but think of @ZoomJer, of course)

It’s worth noting that Central Memorial Park itself is a lovely place to have lunch – lots of trees for shade, benches to sit on, and water features and flowers to admire. Even better, for those who didn’t bring their lunch, or for those who prefer a more formal meal, the park was also home to a small restaurant with a lovely patio.

Boxwood restaurant

Los Compadres and Fiasco Gelato

Thankfully, taco truck Los Compadres tweeted on Friday evening that they would be out for lunch on Saturday, which allowed us to plan a little bit. We intended to hit up two farmers’ markets after brunch, then hoped to still have time to make it out for a late lunch.

Parked on private property in Deerfoot Meadows (a complex similar to South Edmonton Common), when we pulled up, we were delighted to find not one, but two food trucks! Fiasco Gelato had joined Los Compadres to provide shoppers with the option of dessert (a welcome one on that sunny day).

Trucks x 2!

We wondered how patrons would cope with the lack of seating, but people made do with what was available – setting up on the curb, or our favourite method: on the flatbed!

Curbside cuisine

Food…truck?

Los Compadres had already sold out of most of its menu items, so we ended up ordering the adobada($7.50), which the staff person said was close to carnitas. In addition to tacos, the truck also served tortas.

Los Compadres

The tacos were delicious. The meat was tender and juicy, and eaten curbside, required some acrobatic moves to prevent spillage – just the way tacos should be!

Adobada tacos

We capped off lunch with a scoop of gelato each ($4.50). It was difficult to choose from the half dozen flavours (among them, maple bacon). My raspberry sorbetto was nice and fruity, and held up surprisingly well in the sun. Mack enjoyed his strawberries and cream, light and not too sweet.

Love the “Tasty Beverages” taps

Gelato

An hour later, Los Compadres tweeted that they were sold out, and on the radio(!), we heard that Fiasco had picked up and parked at Marda Loop, across from the popular Phil & Sebastian café in that neighbourhood. That’s the beauty of food trucks – they can (and should be able to) go where the people are, especially on warm weather days.

Mack’s heart was set on trying Perogy Boyz, the vibrant red truck serving up perogies of all sorts, but they didn’t tweet their location on Saturday until after we’d departed the city limits. But given we weren’t sure we’d even get to one, let alone three trucks, we chalked it up to be a successful YYCFoodTruck road trip all the same. Until next time…

Food Notes for September 5, 2011

The long weekend was lovely, wasn’t it? Mack and I stole away to Calgary for a few days, which was a nice break, but once we got back, we also managed to catch up on some sleep! Hope you had an enjoyable few days as well. On to this week’s food notes:

Fans of Family Restaurant, mark your calendars: The Quon Dynasty, the new television series about the family behind The Lingnan, debuts on CityTV on October 16 at 8pm.
Congrats to Eva Sweet, who will be opening up their first non-mobile location at the University of Alberta campus on September 6. Find them in the CAB Building.
I wasn’t able to grab a picture of it, but Cafe Beirut will be opening a restaurant downtown on Jasper Avenue and 112 Street called Taste of Lebanon.
There’s a new Italian restaurant on the west end called Vivo.
Michelle wrote a great piece about Chai Pani – definitely worth a read.
Did you know Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton now sells their own fresh-pressed apple cider (as well as sour cherry & amaretto saucy syrup, spiced saskatoon jam and cider jelly)? Find them at the Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market.
Now this is a labour of love: ajvar (red pepper spread) made from scratch.
Last week, I had a craving for pho and decided to try Xu Hue (in the space previously occupied by Pho Anh Dao). It was recommended by someone who said that it was a favourite of the Vietnamese community. Service was fast, and the pho was good (the filet could have been a touch more tender), but what struck me most was how much of a family-friendly restaurant it was. The owner’s daughters were playing at the front, watching the TV tuned to the Family Channel. And a picky young boy, dining with his mother was presented with a bowl of plain rice noodles to eat (or play with). I still have a soft spot for Pho Tau Bay, but I wouldn’t hesitate to come back.

Medium rare beef fillet noodle soup (large $7.65)

While in Calgary, we stopped by Good Earth for an iced coffee (don’t – it tasted like coffee-flavoured water). While there though, we found a smiling picture of Brad Smoliak on the counter – it looks like he has developed their new food menu. I’m sure it will be better than the iced coffee.

Good Earth

Mack and I had missed the last food truck meet-up in Victoria Park because we were attending Heritage Days, so we were happy to get down there this afternoon. It was a brisk walk from Grandin Station, but given the weather, not a chore at all. The crowds weren’t large, but those who were taking in the trucks were making the most of it! We can only hope mini gatherings like this will be more common in Edmonton’s mobile cuisine future.

Molly’s Eats, Drift and Carnival Cravings offer the perfect picnic food!

Beautiful day

We also took the scenic route (on our way to Southgate) – across the pedestrian bridge…

…and through the trees!

What the Truck?!: The Location

Leading up to the second What the Truck?! taking place on September 16, 2011, we will be posting about some of the stumbling blocks we faced in organizing the first event. Today, I will discuss how the location of What the Truck?! came to be.

The ideal venue for What the Truck?! in our minds was a parking lot. What better way to repurpose those single-use eyesores than to fill them with people, animating an otherwise empty space downtown? After some scouting, we identified two lots that we thought would work, both in terms of location and size.

Option one already had precedence for alternative uses – the Melcor-owned lot on 104 Street, between the Great West Saddlery Building and the Armstrong Block had been used for Al Fresco events. Given Melcor’s enthusiasm for Todd Babiak’s Interventions project involving the beautification of a parkade wall, we thought they might be more than open to our idea. When we met with a Melcor staff person, however, because we weren’t attached to a charity, the answer was no. The lot was leased out to monthly parking pass holders, and in order to justify taking away that paid privilege, they needed a good excuse. We were aghast, if only because we live on the street, and know that the lot sits completely empty most nights (we should mention that for What the Truck?! 2, Melcor has allowed us to use their privately owned park).

Option two, a lot between the Jasper 105 Dental building and building that houses Pub 1905, had a similar feel to the Melcor lot because it was also enclosed on two sides, and was equally accessible. We contacted Precise Park Link who manages the lot, and on our behalf, they asked the owners of the lot (who happened to be the same dental folks) whether or not they would be amenable to What the Truck?! renting out the space for the evening. They said no. The kicker was the fact that the dental office is closed on Friday afternoons anyway – so they really had no good reason to turn us down.

At that point, we decided to consider public, City-owned spaces. Although Churchill Square is the “natural” fit for a food-related event, we wanted to buck the trend. Everything happens in Churchill Square, to the point where it is almost cliché. Besides, we felt Churchill Square was much too big and impersonal for What the Truck?!

We first considered Centennial Square, the tumbleweed-inducing concrete pad behind the Stanley Milner Library. Equipped with a stage and easy access, we remembered the space being used as a part of the Grey Cup festivities back in November. Liaising with the Civic Events office, we found out that because of the parkade underneath, the surface wasn’t structurally sound to support the weight of vehicles. For the Grey Cup tents, we were told, the event planners had to work with engineers to distribute the weight safely. Well, without engineers on our non-existent payroll (and for an event all about trucks), we were out of luck.

Last on our list was Beaver Hills House Park, on 105 Street and Jasper Avenue. It’s in a great location, accessible by public transit and highly visible, both for those passing by on foot and in vehicles. It’s also framed by both residential and commercial towers (which would be a boon for attendance on a Friday evening), and had built-in seating in the form of grassy knolls and park benches. It’s definitely an underutilized space, and with the talk about the need for more green space in the core (with another park development in the works for 105 Street and 102 Avenue) we thought What the Truck?! would be a great way for people to realize one of the fantastic assets that already exists in the core.

In spite of some logistical difficulties we faced loading the trucks into Beaver Hills, it ended up being a great location for the first event. For What the Truck?! 2, we again looked for a location downtown, but this time, wanted to avoid the issues with a raised concrete pad. That meant closing a street for curbside cuisine!

Culinary Q & A with Liv Vors

Occupation: Calzone-maker/freelance journalist/erstwhile biologist

What did you eat today?

Some boring stuff like cereal but also a calzone for lunch and some beef tongue tacos at Tres Carnales for supper.

What do you never eat?

Cookies made from dough in a tube. Very nasty.

What is your personal specialty?

Brownies. They’re my mom’s original recipe.

Complete this sentence: In my refrigerator, you will always find:

Cheese.

What is your weekday meal standby?

If I’m tired, fried eggs from my friend’s farm. If I’m not tired, pizza made from scratch.

What is your favorite kitchen item?

My stand mixer.

World ends tomorrow. Describe your last meal.

A huge slice of my grandma’s bumbleberry pie with ice cream and a cup of good coffee

Where do you eat out most frequently?

It’s a toss-up between Corso 32 and Niche.

Where’s the best place to eat in Edmonton?

Tough call. So many good places to choose from now. It’s a three-way tie between Corso 32, Niche and Tres Carnales. I love them all for different reasons.

If you weren’t limited by geography, where and what would you eat?

I’d eat salmon in Norway, risotto in northern Italy and roti in Trinidad.

You can find Liv’s musings at Dine and Write.

The Cooking Chronicles: “Vij’s At Home”

One of my coworkers was absolutely raving about the cookbook Vij’s At Home, authored by Vikram Vij and Meeru Dhalwala, proprietors of the wildly successful Indian eatery Vij’s in Vancouver. She gave it perhaps the ultimate compliment: “If I could only choose one cookbook to use for the rest of my life, it would be this one.”

A few weeks ago, I came upon a copy of Vij’s At Home at the library while browsing its shelves, so I borrowed it to see if it was indeed worthy of such high praise. On first glance, it might be. It features long narrative sections that read like part of a memoir, while the recipe preambles are insightful, instead of an afterthought like in other cookbooks I’ve come across. As a whole, the recipes feel personal, and as my coworker remarked, one wouldn’t feel out of place curling up on the couch with this cookbook.

I’ve only had the chance to try three dishes from the book so far – I’ll either have to renew it to the limit or buy myself a copy to make the other recipes I’ve marked!

Spicy Peas and Mashed Potato Toasted Sandwiches and Spicy Cauliflower “Steak”

I haven’t yet made samosas from scratch, but maybe I won’t ever have to, given simpler alternatives with similar flavours like the spicy peas and mashed potato sandwiches exist! It was a pretty simple recipe – we boiled Greens, Eggs and Ham pixie potatoes (perfect given their yielding skins that meant no peeling required), mashed them up, then combined it with peas and onions that had been cooked with spices. Spread inside toasted ciabatta buns with a little yogurt-based Indian dressing, it was a little messy to eat, but worth every bite. We had lots of leftovers, which heated up well in a toaster oven.

Spicy peas and mashed potato sandwiches and cauliflower steak

We served the sandwiches with spicy cauliflower “steak”. I cut a head of Riverbend Gardens cauliflower into large sections, and simmered it in a tomato masala (the recipe recommends crushed tomatoes, but I found hand-mashed diced tomatoes worked just as well). The cauliflower cooked perfectly, and was enhanced by the sweet-spicy flavours of the sauce. This was a dish that definitely improves with time – the masala was even better two days later.

Mushroom Medley in Potato Curry

Though I would like to say that serving the mushroom medley as a curry on rice was a deliberate decision, that would be a lie – it was more of an accidental assumption. Reading through the preamble, one gathers that the “medley” is a soup, and not a traditional curry, but given the recommended accompaniment was rice, I figured it was just a loose suggestion.

We added a package of firm tofu to round make the dish a meal, and found it to be a good textural addition. More mushrooms would have been fine as well (like a small variety basket from MoNa), and Mack and I both noted that we would have preferred to have kept the potatoes in diced form, instead of lightly mashed – it didn’t exactly thicken the base as we thought it might have.

Mushroom medley

Serving it on rice tempered the spice a little, though the buttermilk gave it a distinctly light creaminess that balanced it nicely. The next day, we enjoyed it as a soup proper – it was actually quite oily on top, as the overnight chill did not treat the broth’s cohesiveness well. So unlike the previous two dishes, this one is best consumed in one sitting.

Have you tried Vij’s at Home? Are there other recipes you would recommend from the book?

A Summery Sunday in Edmonton: Viva Italia Viva Edmonton and the Alley of Light

Mack and I started off our Sunday at Urban China for dim sum with my family. It’s been much too long since we’ve done that on a weekend morning, because we clearly underestimated the crowds: it was a forty minute wait from the time my parents arrived around noon. We’ll get an earlier start next time; Urban China is still one of my favourite places for dim sum in Edmonton!

Crispy pork dumplings

We then headed off to Giovanni Caboto Park for the last day of the East Meets West Festival that celebrated all things Italian!

This was our first time at Viva Italia Viva Edmonton, though we’ve taken in the Chinese and African legs of the celebration in past years. It was easily the best part of the festival we’ve ever attended.

Chasing Jones

Part of that had to do with the amount of space afforded in Little Italy, especially when compared with Chinatown or the McCauley School grounds. With a playground, spray park, wide green spaces as well as the street, there were definitely a lot more possibilities because of the area.

Lots of families were out!

That said, the organizers still had to program the wide expanse, and they did that with panache. We arrived around 2pm, and found an abundance of things to peruse. Between browsing the shops and the car show, watching the soccer tournament, taking in the cooking demonstrations, or enjoying the on-stage entertainment, there really was something for everyone (Maki thought so too).

Zocalo tent

Mack’s dream car

Soccer tournament

I have to say I particularly enjoyed Chef Daniel Costa’s demonstration. He made something I’ll never be able to pronounce, let alone spell out. Needless to say, it was a bucatini pasta with cured pig jowl and a San Marzano tomato sauce. He was great handling audience questions, and clearly loved sharing his passion for Italian cuisine with the crowd. Perhaps most invaluable was learning about some of his favourite products available at the Italian Centre (such as the Rio brand of olive oil for cooking).

Chef Daniel Costa

Speaking of food, one of the most entertaining moments of the day for us was the pizza eating contest. Four women who work in local media were recruited for the spectacle, which required them to eat as much of a medium pizza as they could in five minutes. Brandy Taylor of Sonic and Kit Koon of OMNI tied, and ended up in a two minute eat-off. Brandy emerged as the champion.

Sizeable crowd on hand

Chow down!

There was also plenty of food options to keep festival-goers well fed. Fantasia Gelato easily had the longest line-ups that day, though Sorrentino’s and the Italian Centre were also serving up Italian fare.

Gelato line

Cooking up sausages

Wine and cheese tasting tent

Our only suggestion for next year is to have all of the information up on a website prior. The postcards with the festival week schedule were nice, but didn’t have the detailed information that would definitely help them attract an even bigger crowd.

We hopped on a bus, and on the walk home, came across the Alley of Light public art installation still in progress.

It’s a really neat project – three artists were commissioned by the Edmonton Arts Council to create a design that could be made into a stencil. The stencil would then be used to paint a portion of the alley.

Featuring bold, bright colours, it is a project that puts art in unexpected (but welcome!) places, and will definitely turn some heads. And hopefully, as forecasted by the speech bubble, invite dialogue about public art and the Alley of Light itself.

Alley of Light

Check it out the next time you’re downtown!

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: