Food Notes for April 9, 2012

I hope you all had a good Easter full of family and food! Mack and I had a pretty relaxing weekend, but are still trying to get some things finalized, such as the What the Truck?! schedule for the summer and fall (we hope to be more on top of things in the second year of this festival). In the meantime, like us on Facebook! Onto this week’s food notes:

Jennifer Cockrall-King is doing a talk about her book, Food and the City, at the Queen Mary Park Community Hall at 7:30pm on April 10, 2012.
Join Dee Hobsbawn-Smith at the Muttart Conservatory on April 26, 2012 for the launch of her new book, Foodshed: An Edible Alberta Alphabet. I flipped through the book today, and it looks like a great read and resource!
Valerie recapped what looked like an amazing “Rge Rd in the city” pop-up dinner at Chai Pani recently.
Courtenay, of the blog Messy Little Cook, has relocated (temporarily) to Amsterdam! She’s going to share her food adventures abroad – check it out!
We spotted these adorable(?) vegetable and animal-themed buns at T & T over the weekend. My friend Annie picked them up and said the custard was pretty creamy on the inside – so perhaps worth the novelty factor after all!

Who says you can’t play with your food?

Coming soon: more Vietnamese food in the core – The Phat Noodle (10347 Jasper Avenue) is moving into the space vacated by Sankyu 2 Go, next to Corso 32.

The Phat Noodle

Speaking of Corso 32, I neglected to write about our experience two weeks ago, momentous only because it was Mack’s first meal there. Ramps were everywhere on the menu! We especially enjoyed the house made goat ricotta and the grilled cheese topped with egg.

oat ricotta

Grilled cheese

Mack also joined me for lunch at Pho Tau Bay for the first time over the weekend (we actually met Callie from Revive Wellness there, as she wanted to feature us in their “Love to Lunch” blog series; you can read our answers here and here). Tau Bay is my go-to lunch spot when I’m not brown bagging it – it’s quick, consistent, delicious, and means that I can get a nice walk in over the lunch hour as well. Mack slurped up all of the soup and every noodle in his bowl – definitely a good sign!

My usual

Mack’s pho with brisket and steak

Good to the last drop!

Our unconventional Easter dinner took place at East – I had been itching for a reason to return to the restaurant with my family, and the long weekend was it. The roti and potato curry was as good as I remembered it, and the egg floss-topped butter shrimp and sweet and sour pork belly was a hit with my parents. The Penang char kway teow didn’t have that smoky wok aroma that we were looking for, and we found the glaze on the K.L. BBQ pork on the sweet side for our taste. Still, the service was great that night, and we enjoyed the dinner as a whole.

Roti

Butter shrimp

Sweet and sour pork belly

Penang char kway teow

K.L. BBQ pork

For a late lunch on the go this afternoon, we stopped in at Remedy downtown to try one of their butter chicken wraps ($8.75). It took over fifteen minutes for our order (we suspect because the kitchen may have dropped the ball), but the wrap itself made up for it. Hot and crispy, the wrap packed in a ton of chicken and the occasional pop of potatoes and peas.

Butter chicken wrap

On Saturday night, Mack and I headed to the Breakfast Television studios for the first ArtsScene Edmonton event of the year, their Trip the Light party. It was such an unconventional venue, but in many ways, was perfect for such a gathering, with a built-in stage, lighting and sound equipment available. Mack wrote a detailed recap, but I have to say I particularly enjoyed the high energy Mitchmatic. Thanks again to ArtsScene for the invitation!

BT party central!

Mitchmatic in action

Photo booth!

Toronto Redux: Tourist Trappings

I don’t get to travel for work often, so I felt very fortunate that I was able to attend a conference in Toronto in early March, and even better, stay on a few days longer so I could visit with my sister. Though it seems like just yesterday when I was out east (in reality, it was back in July), it was a great opportunity to be able to see the city in a low-tourist season. I’ll do my best to recap the trip in a timelier manner than I have in the past!

Depending on your interests, the number of tourist-driven sites and activities to visit could take up the bulk of any visitor’s itinerary. And though Amanda and I made a valiant effort to clear off some of those highlights last summer, there were still a few boxes I wanted to tick off my list.

Westin Harbour Castle

The conference hotel happened to be the Westin Harbour Castle, and after our experience, I think it will become our accommodation of choice on future visits to Toronto.

Our home for the week

Although the room itself and the service were nice but not exceptional, the location was second to none. Situated on the shore of Lake Ontario, our room had fantastic views of the water and of Billy Bishop Airport, all while being just steps away from Union Station and several major attractions. The waterfront location and directionality of our room sheltered us from the hustle and noise of the nearby freeways, and even better, we were able to easily take advantage of the trails and park adjacent to the hotel.

Our view

Harbourfront in the late winter – still beautiful on a cloudy day

Do not feed the birds

We had crossed through the same area in the summer, but it was more peaceful in the time leading up to spring – smaller crowds and open waters – all the more conducive to relaxing, contemplative strolls.

Even swans love the harbourfront!

Harbourfront Centre

We also made a point this time around to explore the Harbourfront Centre. We had no idea you could watch artists at work in the open studios, or take a look at the art displayed in the galleries.

Studio

Gallery

There were also skate rentals available to make use of the picturesque rink in front of the Centre, but (for me), the lack of railings were a deterrent.

Rink

Steven and Chris and the CBC Museum

After sitting through another taping of a daytime talk show, I think Amanda and I have gotten it out of our system. She booked us tickets to Steven and Chris, a CBC lifestyle show that airs in both Canada and the US.

We couldn’t help but compare this taping to our experience at CityLine last year. It was clear that for Steven and Chris, the audience was somewhat of an afterthought. First of all, it was longer than advertised – about three hours from the expected arrival time to being released from the studio. Second, there was only one monitor where we could follow the action on stage – especially important given the camera and behind the scenes personnel obscured much of what was happening. This monitor was unfortunately also partially blocked by cables. Third, unlike CityLine host Tracy Moore, who spent a lot of time after the show taking photos with all guests who requested one, Steve and Chris, between segments, only managed to pose with about half of the audience, then ran off immediately after the show wrapped. The show assistant and audience wrangler did their best to entertain us during the breaks, with giveaways, but they felt divorced from subjects covered in that episode.

Our view

The topics, which included storage design tips, muscle building exercises, cocktail recipes and children’s snacks, were of marginal interest to us, but we could see the appeal of the show. Chris is undoubtedly the star of the show, playing up a persona of a bumbling but good natured host.

Steven and Chris

We left the show with something in hand – generous samples of a shampoo and conditioner. But if being a part of a Toronto taping is something on your list, unless you are a Steven & Chris devotee, I’d recommend that you sign up instead for CityLine tickets.

That said, one of the bright sides of the Steve & Chris taping was that it got us to the CBC building. We made sure to check out the public museum while there, where we saw artefacts from shows that both my sister and I grew up watching, including Mr. Dressup and The Friendly Giant.

The tickletrunk!

Old friends

Doing her best Don Cherry impersonation

Raptors!

I will always remember my introduction to Canada’s only NBA franchise – they played an exhibition game many years ago in Edmonton, and although I’m sure the team itself should have been more memorable, what I recall instead was their mascot, Raptor. He has two versions: the more accommodating costume allowed Raptor to perform tricks and dunks, while the other (my favourite) was inflatable, and could be expanded and shrunk in the most comical matter. Needless to say, in anticipating our visit to the ACC, I was most looking forward to seeing Raptor again.

Anticipation

Amanda was able to secure tickets to a game versus the Orlando Magic. They were great seats at an amazing discount, courtesy of her friend who works for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment.

Great seats

The game

We weren’t treated to the inflatable Raptor that day, and as a whole, the Raptor entertainment factor was rather low that day – no half-time tricks or anything more than a pre-recorded video of Raptor’s attempts at making it onto the Canadian Olympic team.

Raptor in the spotlight

The closest we got to Raptor was his foray into our section towards the end of the game, patty-caking with spectators a few rows away from us. His energy was certainly infectious, and it was clear that he was a crowd favourite.

Patty-cake!

Unfortunately for the team, a late rally and a strong performance from DeMar DeRozan wasn’t able to push them past the Magic. They lost 88-92 that night.

Real Sports Bar & Grill

Also on the sports theme, Amanda took me to one of her favourite place in Toronto – Real Sports Bar & Grill, a sports bar in Maple Leaf Square. It’s definitely a feast for the senses, to the point where I felt overly stimulated – between the flat screens (including our own personal television in our cozy booth), sports-themed fixtures, spotlights and blaring DJ-mixed music. And though there was nothing overly inappropriate for children, given the amount of alcohol flowing all around us and the tightly-clad waitresses, I was surprised to see the number of families with young children on the restaurant side of the establishment.

That said, it’s the bar side of Real Sports that really wows. A wall of screens entertain two floors of patrons, seated at the bar and a mix of tables and booths, all lit with a stylish blue hue. In addition to this open space, Real Sports also has a variety of smaller seating options as well, including a private area featuring recliners and in-seat service.

This is Real Sports

Amanda was able to make an early 5:45 reservation, but because it was game night for the Leafs and the place had been entirely booked up a week in advance, we were only able to have the table for an hour. Thankfully, they weren’t very rigid in enforcing this, and we didn’t feel rushed at all.

The prices were definitely a little higher than what I was used to paying in a lounge, but given the location and the surroundings, the premium was understandable. I couldn’t resist ordering one of the hot dogs in “Burkie’s Dog House” (I wonder if this section of the menu would be automatically renamed if Brian Burke was no longer the GM). My southwestern BBQ dog ($12.99) came topped with coleslaw and pulled pork – the hot dog itself had a nice snap, but the barbecue sauce was a tad sweet. The fries were perfect, however, hot and crispy and served in a cute mini-fry basket. Amanda’s Real Sports burger ($12.99) arrived pretty charred, but she didn’t mind.

Southwestern BBQ dog

Real Sports burger

Real Sports did a great job in replicating some of the energy that would be found in a sporting venue. There is nothing like it currently in Edmonton, but I have to wonder if something similar (albeit smaller) would work in the proposed Arena District.

Pearl Harbourfront Chinese Cuisine

We decided to take it easy on our last day in Toronto, with the aforementioned trek by the water. At lunch, we could have ventured to other more well-known restaurants, but given our low-key day, opted for the convenience of a restaurant inside the Queens Quay Terminal.

Pearl Harbourfront offered a water view and a relaxed dining atmosphere, just what we were looking for that day. We knew its tourist-centred address would make the food a crapshoot, but we were willing to take the risk. Urban Spoon reviews directed us away from the pricey dim sum menu (even though the majority of diners around us were partaking in the shared approach), but we found the regular menu just as expensive.

Amanda liked the view

We ended up with two dishes we were reasonably happy with (even though we weren’t entirely sure the server, with his limited English, understood what we wanted). Both the broad rice noodles and crispy chow mein ($15 each) hit the spot, and our only qualm was that the broccoli had been woefully overcooked.

Rice noodles

Chow mein

In all, it was a great place to sip tea and enjoy our last few hours together in Toronto, and contemplate when I’d return again.

I’ll be writing more about some of the unique food events and restaurants that we visited in future posts – stay tuned!

Roots on Whyte: Blush Lane Organic Market and Under the High Wheel

Though I really love where we live, I have to say I was envious of Old Strathcona residents this weekend when Mack and I paid a visit to their newest grocery store addition.

Calgary-based Blush Lane Organic Market opened its first Edmonton location two weeks ago in the Roots on Whyte building. Their philosophy places an importance on sourcing local products whenever possible, so I was interested in seeing their actual inventory. As accessibility of local products is one barrier that prevents consumers from making such choices, having a shop open for hours more extensive than a farmers’ market should help matters.

Blush Lane

The store is bright and well-organized, and packs a great variety of products in the relatively small space they occupy. They have a much better selection of local products than the nearby Planet Organic, at better prices. Sunworks supplies a majority of the protein – eggs, chicken, beef, pork – all at the same prices found at their stall at the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market (and on the Roots on Whyte website, appears to be a separate business altogether). There was quite a bit of local dairy as well, including Bles-Wold, Vital Greens and Fairwinds Farms. In our quick sweep, we didn’t see much local produce, but we’re eager to see what will have in stock come summer and fall.

Sunworks products

It seems like Blush Lane, unlike other grocery stores, opted against an extensive prepared food aisle, which typically takes up quite a bit of real estate (we’re thinking of our neighbourhood Sobeys on 104 Street in comparison). They do have a deli, however, offering some ready-to-eat items.

Deli

We were already laden with items from the OSFM, but did pick up some Vital Greens milk. Mack and I can only hope that our own neighbourhood market, Pangea, is as well stocked!

Before heading home, we stopped for lunch next door at Jennifer Ogle’s venture, Under the High Wheel. The space is sparsely decorated, but it seemed to match a menu that focused on simple ingredients. We were told that Da Capo was supposed to have opened simultaneously (and prepare their coffee-based drinks), but due to construction delays, would not be ready until the end of April. As a result, they are trying to cope with their drinks menu on their own, with some struggle.

Under the High Wheel

The brunch menu was short, but still replete with options that Mack and I had trouble deciding between. We settled on the grilled panini ($13) and Belgian waffles ($14). I’m hoping for future menus that the names of local producers will be included, though we found out that the bread used for our sandwich was from the Italian Centre.

Two of my favourite things: Mack and pea tendrils!

The panini, with smoked cheddar and tomato, was nicely toasted, and we appreciated the sweetness of the tomato within. The fried egg on top didn’t hurt either, and even Mack, ever the salad hater, finished his greens! They were tossed in a light vinaigrette, with radishes adding a splash of colour and spiciness.

Grilled panini

I think the Belgian waffle, topped with bacon, a poached egg and hollandaise was the winner that morning, however. The waffle walked the sweet and savoury line well, and was perfectly crispy on the outside but fluffy on the inside. The bacon really was what made the dish, especially because the egg was closer to medium as opposed to soft poached. But as a whole, this composition will make me dig out our own waffle iron to experiment!

Belgian waffle

Under the High Wheel is a nice addition to the neighbourhood, and would be a draw in and of itself. But coupled with Blush Lane, would make a great weekend outing. I look forward to many returns!

Under the High Wheel (in Roots on Whyte)
8135 102 Street
780-439-4442
Monday-Tuesday 11am-6pm, Wednesday-Saturday 9am-6pm, Sunday 10am-4pm

Food Notes for April 2, 2012 (plus a giveaway to the California Wine Showcase!)

Mack and I have been trying our best to take advantage of the lengthening daylight hours by going on more and more evening walks – it really feels like spring is here! On to this week’s food notes:

Sorrentino’s Annual Garlic Festival kicked off on April 1, 2012. This year, they are focusing on highlighting local ingredients.
If you were already thinking about it, this is a good week to give Crepe Symphony a try – all of their savoury crepes are $5 from April 2 – 7, 2012.
I’ve heard quite a bit of buzz about Three Boars (8424 109 Street) as of late. Anyone know when it is opening?
It has been interesting to see the direction Culina has taken in the past few years, first in expanding to enhance the food options at the Muttart Conservatory, and now serving up food in the Culina Cantina at the Edmonton Police Service Headquarters.
Backyard chickens have been in the news as of late – I have to wonder if the media picked up on Kevin’s webisode.
Every time we walk past Remedy downtown, we are absolutely amazed to see how packed it is – where did all of these folks hang out before it opened? Or did they just migrate from the Garneau location? Anyway, it was neat to see a profile on Remedy owner Sohail Zaidi in the Journal this weekend.
It was neat to see Slow Food member Johwanna Alleyne in the Journal – I had no idea she had a side pickle business!
Tonight Mack and I attended the 25th Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts at the Winspear. I really enjoyed all of the performances this year, especially Colleen Brown’s set. It was the first year we’ve attended that they’ve eliminated the intermission in favour of a food-filled after party in the lobby, and I have to say, I think it made for richer post-event crowds! The Northlands food was hit and miss – the petit fours and cold dips were the best of the lot.

Colleen Brown

Reception

Sherbrooke Liquor Store is organizing a California Wine Showcase, taking place at the Royal Glenora Club on April 13, 2012 from 6:30-9:30pm. The $65 ticket price is includes access to food and over fifty different wineries. Best of all, the event supports two good causes – Sherbrooke is donating proceeds to KidSport Edmonton and the Royal Glenora Gymnastics Program. The organizers were nice enough to not only provide a 10% discount to readers of this blog, but they have also offered me two tickets to give away. So to enter, just answer the following question by leaving a comment below with a valid e-mail address before noon on April 6, 2012. I’ll pick a comment at random and contact the winner by e-mail. The question is: What about the California Wine Showcase are you most looking forward to? Good luck!

EDIT on April 7, 2012: Congratulations to AH for winning the two tickets!

Not so Fab: Phobulous

Before jumping on the LRT to tackle the Home & Garden Show last Sunday, Annie and I met up for lunch at Phobulous. Neither of us had been there, but we’d heard quite positive things about the restaurant prior to our visit.

Our first impressions started off right – the interior was bright and cheery, and I was immediately drawn to the colourful paper lanterns hung from the ceiling.

Lanterns

That feeling didn’t last for long, however. We sat ourselves at the one remaining table (the only other seats were at the bar), and the server, with nary a greeting, wordlessly dropped off menus at our table and left. Our subsequent exchanges with her were similarly curt and perfunctory; it seemed like the last thing she wanted to do was interact with us at all.

In the face of such indifferent service, we were hoping the food would help balance out the experience. I liked the approach they took on their menu: dish categories were broken down and explained, so that those new to Vietnamese cuisine wouldn’t feel excluded. I also appreciated their cheeky page of pho puns (including “pho real” and “phonomenon”). I decided to order the “phovarite” with rare beef and brisket ($8.95). Annie decided to stick with bun, and chose the vermicelli bowl with grilled beef and spring rolls ($10.25).

My pho was disappointing, especially because it was one of their namesake dishes. Not only was the broth salty, but the small amount of meat provided was overcooked. The brisket was the better of the two, and the rare beef was anything but.

Pho with rare beef and brisket

Annie fared better with her vermicelli bowl. She commented that the noodles were more moist than bowls she typically encounters, perhaps due to the inclusion of more shredded vegetables. She enjoyed it.

Bun with grilled beef and spring rolls

With so few Vietnamese restaurants in the area, there’s no doubt Phobulous fills a need. But with unremarkable service and inconsistent food, it won’t be a restaurant I’ll be seeking out again anytime soon.

Phobulous
8701 109 Street
(780) 988-2696
Monday-Saturday 11am-10pm, Sundays 11am-9pm

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