- This year’s Downtown Dining Week runs March 14-23, 2014. Their menus are already up – priced at $15, $25 and $50.
- Farrow is the new sandwich spot that is opening up next to Three Boars (8422 109 Street). If you want a sneak peek of their menu, check out their upcoming pop-up at Three Boars on March 16, 2014, from 11am-2pm.
- Congratulations to Culina Muttart for ten years in the business! To celebrate, they are hosting special family-style wine dinners March 18-20, 2014 at $89 per person.
- The Red Shoe Society (benefiting the Ronald McDonald House of Northern Alberta) is hosting another great fundraiser – this time, their second annual Cookies & Beer, being held at Craft Beer Market on March 25, 2014. Tickets are $50, and will feature both sweet and savoury pairings.
- The next Tomato Test Kitchen with Mary Bailey and Chef Brad Smoliak is scheduled for March 27, 2014.
- Elm Café’s new downtown cafe, District Coffee Co., opened March 3, 2014 at #101, 10011 109 Street.
- There’s a new Latin Market called El Mariachi that opened at 10991A 124 Street.
- Silk Road (always a stop for us in Calgary) is opening up an Edmonton location next to Knifewear later this summer. The shop will be at 10818 82 Avenue.
- Liane tweeted that Café deVille has now closed their Sherwood Park location.
- It’s that time again – Avenue Edmonton released their annual food issue this week, which includes their extensive categorical list of favourites. Congrats to RGE RD, voted best restaurant this year!
- The Tomato also contributes the glut of food lists this month, with their second annual Top 100 Best Things to Eat in Edmonton. Unfortunately, the list isn’t online, and I’m not sure I agree with an item appearing on the list in the top 10 from a restaurant that just opened in December.
- Lillian shared her experience at the new southside location of D’Amore’s Mercato (4612 99 Street), offering tasty Italian eats.
- Both Liv and Eva wrote about their sub-par meal at The Glass Monkey.
- Phil’s latest Burger Odyssey post is up, with the burger from Daravara drawing the most compliments so far.
- Cindy wrote about Elm Café’s most recent dining room event, Sausage Stand. Looks like we missed a delicious night!
- Liane wrote a piece detailing the negative impact of no-shows on independent restaurants.
- I’ve always liked the idea of underground dining, but perhaps push comes to shove, it’s not my cup of tea: after reading the rules of Table, “an underground monthly 9 course dining experience” in Edmonton, I’m not sure I’d ever want to participate at that price point with so many unknowns.
- CMT’s Burger Wars was in town this past week filming a burger showdown between The Next Act, Rodeo Burger and Delux Burger Bar. The episode will air later this spring or summer.
- It’s a little embarrassing that I hadn’t noticed The Wine Room (10525 Jasper Ave) before, given it is just up the street from our condo, but from what I can gather, it opened late last summer. I haven’t heard much about it (good, bad, or ugly), but it looks like they have incorporated iPad menus, something that hasn’t caught on in Edmonton just yet.
The Wine Room
Only Here for the Food 
The latin store is called El Mariachi (instead of Marianchi)… it made me laugh to see Marianchi (this word doesn’t exist in Spanish) though, I thought I was forgetting my Spanish completely
Although the idea of an “underground supper club” sounds interesting, their price is a bit high for my liking and their rules too stringent. If I’m going to pay $150/person for a meal (and I have paid that much and more at restaurants), then I want to be able to share that experience whether through Twitter or blogging about it, since I’m sure most people wouldn’t spend that kind of money but would be curious. I’d rather spend that money in a restaurant where they would be able to accommodate dietary requirements.
I think however it would be more interesting, instead of “underground supper clubs”, if “blind tasting” restaurants opened in Edmonton. They’ve become quite popular in Europe, basically restaurants that do multiple course menus, but don’t tell diners in advance what they will be eating, in order to ensure that any “hang ups” people have about food can be avoided (ie. ewww I don’t want to eat “tongue/brain/intestine” etc because it’s listed on a menu). Some places don’t even know what they’ll be serving until that evening when the chef returns from the market with the ingredients, so there is absolutely no menu. However, haven talked to some chefs about this concept here, it’s unlikely anything like that would open anytime soon. It seems that there isn’t enough people that would want that sort of culinary adventure on a regular basis or have the income to pay for such a meal in order to sustain a restaurant that would do only blind tastings, and not just as part of their current a la carte offerings.
Thanks for the pickup – I have made the edit!
I haven’t read much about “blind tastings” before, but they sound intriguing. I suppose a version of that would be something like RGE RD’s questionable bits (though before ordering it, you would know what it’s made up of), or off-menu chef dinners. I agree though – I’m not sure Edmonton as a whole would be ready for it.
While I would love to attend something like the Table, but it frustrates me when things like that don’t want to make any sort of accommodations. I’m sorry, but risking death or severe illness isn’t my way of spending a good night out. But I guess I’m just too picky for the likes of them.
Re: Wine Room, I still haven’t been but have heard nothing but very positive (raving) reviews from friends who have gone. Sounds like a hidden gem.
I have to agree! But if they’re able to find a niche audience, good for them.
Good to know about the Wine Room! I really have no excuse not to walk down the street.