We’ve been spoiled with two vacations in as many months, but after spending time in Chicago during the election and the immediate aftermath, I am happy (and grateful) to be back in Canada. On to this week’s food notes:
- The next Swine & Dine dinner is taking place on November 23, 2016 at the Red Ox Inn. Tickets for the 4-course meal cost $65.
- Satisfy your sweet tooth for a good cause: the Ronald McDonald House is hosting a chocolate tasting with Jacek on November 30, 2016. Tickets are $40.
- Northern Chicken is now open at 10704 124 Street!
- More bubble tea for everyone: two Chatime locations are now open in Edmonton: Downtown at 10405 Jasper Avenue and in Old Strathcona at 10538 82 Avenue.
- Lux has rebranded their lounge into Bar 94, honouring Ryan Smyth, one of the original partners behind the restaurant.
- Casa Doce is the next food truck transitioning to a brick and mortar shop – congratulations!
- Vue Weekly checks out Dorinku, the newest izakaya in the city.
- Chef Serge Belair has been named Executive Chef of the Shaw Conference Centre after Chef Simon Smotkowicz announced he will be leaving the Shaw after 28 years.
- The latest Community Table Project from Phil features Dutch tacos.
- Chef Cory Rakowski has started an organization called Food for Thoughts, to help create awareness about the mental health challenges faced by those in the hospitality industry.
- Two food-related folks made it onto Avenue Edmonton’s Top 40 Under 40 list this year: cocoanista Jacqueline Jacek and Localize’s Meghan Dear.
- Congratulations to Jennifer Cockrall-King on being included in Best Food Writing 2016, alongside names such as Pete Wells and Francis Lam.
- Out just in time for the holidays, Earls has released a cookbook featuring restaurant favourites from the 1980s until present.
- It’s disappointing to see absolutely no Prairie content on Enroute’s best new restaurants list for 2016, let alone any Alberta representation.
- Back in town, our first stop was the Italian Centre. We killed two birds with one stone: great thin-crust pizza for lunch and picked up groceries for the week.
Massimo pizza from the Italian Centre west
- I met up with Annie for brunch at Workshop Eatery yesterday. The pastrami hash was great – I loved the crispy potatoes and perfectly soft poached eggs. I’m also happy to report that they also now serve brewed coffee (as opposed to espresso-based drinks).
Pastrami hash from Workshop Eatery
Only Here for the Food 