Food Notes for March 11, 2013

Eat Alberta 2013 is coming! I wrote about it on Friday, but make sure you check the website for ticket information. And yes, we had a bit of fun coming up with the different track names – my personal favourites are “beet route” and “carrot corridor”. On to this week’s food notes:

• A mild winter means food trucks are back out on the streets early. Look for Drift at their usual location of Jasper Avenue and 107 Street starting on March 12!
• Downtown Dining Week starts March 15 and runs until March 24, 2013. The set menus range in price from $15-$50.
• A reminder that the Culinary Arts Cook-off is scheduled for this Saturday, March 16, 2013 at Mount Royal School. Sliders are on the menu this year, and will cost just $2 a pop, with all funds raised going towards arts programming! I missed out last year, so am looking forward to checking it out this time around!
• The annual Seedy Sunday will take place this Sunday, March 17, 2013 at the Alberta Avenue Community Hall (9210 118 Avenue). Jennifer Cockrall-King and Kevin Kossowan are among the speakers.
• Mark your calendar: the second annual Palestinian Bazaar is taking place on March 30, 2013 at the TransAlta Arts Barns.
• Bannock Burger (14020 142 Street) celebrated their grand opening today! I’d be interested in checking out their version of a fast food staple with a bannock twist.
• Amelia tweeted me about the forthcoming Menchies Frozen Yogurt in Garneau at 8705 109 Street.
• Twyla tweeted that a new South Indian restaurant called Roti-N-More (2976 Ellwood Drive SW) has opened.
• The Shutter: The Phat Noodle on Jasper Avenue is now closed.
• An early review of Japonais Bistro from Cindy – it looks like an upscale addition to the city’s existing Japanese restaurant scene.
• Twyla wrote about the newest diner in Edmonton, Rockin’ Robyn’s Diner in Mayfield Common (16604 B 109 Avenue).
• At Cafe Amore in December, we were told the owners were scoping out new locations for expansion, but nothing was finalized yet. Liane reported last week that the restaurant will in fact be relocating downtown to 108070 106 Avenue. Look for it in April.
• Vue Weekly featured Blue Plate Diner Chef Cean Holmes in their Q & A last week.
• Vue also highlighted the art of food photography in the same issue.
• Beer Revolution, a craft beer market/pizza bar operated by Brewster’s, is opening up in the old Kelsey’s in Oliver Square (11736 104 Avenue). Jason Foster blogged about it back in February.

Beer Revolution

• After a meeting a few blocks away, I walked over to Duchess to pick up some goodies. All it takes is a gander at their deliciously arranged baking cases to lift my spirits.

Duchess

• My “soup buddy” at work and I headed over to Pho Tau Bay for our first beef noodle soup this year!

Pho!

• Mack and I kick started our weekend at Three Boars. We found out that they have been busy renovating the rooms on the south side of the building. Watch for a private event space on the second floor, and a pour-over coffee bar on the first floor.

Gin and house-made tonic

Swedish meatball poutine