Food Notes for July 10, 2017

The weather has been scorching this last week – hope you’ve been finding ways to keep cool. On to this week’s food notes:

• Mark your calendar for Prairie Pigeon’s latest pop-up on July 14, 2017 at Icon Hair & Body in Commerce Place from 4-7pm.
• Did you want to meet local Masterchef competitor Mai Nguyen? She’s hosting a 5-course dinner at Prairie Noodle on July 17, 2017. Tickets are $75.
• Canada’s biggest mixology competition, Made with Love, will be in town on July 24, 2017. 14 local finalists will compete to represent Edmonton in the May 2018 national finals. Tickets to the event are $65, and include tastings, food pairings, and a welcome cocktail.
• Wine pairing dinners are common, but not necessarily paired with vegetable-focused dishes. Canteen is hosting an “Eat Yer Veggies, Drink Yer Wine” event on July 25, 2017 to highlight what’s in season. Tickets are $125.
• Food tours seem to be popping up everywhere – the latest to be announced are the Edmonton Brewery Tours, which take patrons through 5 local breweries. Transportation and lunch are provided. Tickets are $150.
• Biera, the long-awaited brew pub in the Ritchie Market (9570 76 Avenue) is in its soft opening stage.
• To beat the heat, consider visiting Snowy Dessert in Old Strathcona, at 10209 82 Avenue, with a soft opening starting July 10, 2017.
• For the Korean cuisine-starved north side, Hansik might be a welcome addition, located at 13727 127 Street.
• Liane has the details about Porc Sale, a new charcuterie shop open downstairs from The Almanac on Whyte Avenue.
• Speaking of Liane, she also had a great feature on one of my favourite local bakeries, Boulangerie Bonjour.
• Graham enjoyed his sampling of the revamped menu at Packrat Louie.
• This might get a bit confusing, but there’s another food blogger in town named Sharon, and she recently reviewed Vaticano Cucina.
• Jonny likes the simplicity of Otto’s menu and vibe.
• Sharman recapped the recent Schwein & Stein dinner held at Workshop Eatery in June.
• Did you know Edmonton has its very own honey sommelier? I love how Mel described each of the neighbourhood-based honey samples she received.
• Just in time for summer, the province announced that they relaxed some of the more restrictive policies governing patios. Paula has examples of how local restaurants will be taking advantage of these changes to encourage more vibrant streets.
• Transcend now offers courses in home espresso making and milk steaming and latte art.
• Women Chefs & Restauranteurs are hosting a one-day educational conference in Calgary on September 16, 2017. Speakers include New York’s Chef Elizabeth Falkner and Vancouver’s Meeru Dhalwala, co-owner of Vij’s and Rangoli. Early bird tickets are $179.
• McDonald’s is now available for delivery in Edmonton (and 4 other cities in Canada) via UberEats.
• I’m not averse to hot soup on hot days, so Mack and I found ourselves at Kazoku Ramen over the weekend. We’ve really come to appreciate their consistency and the good service.

Tonkotsu and shoyu ramen from Kazoku