It’s hard to believe Christmas is a week away – where has the time gone? I’m looking forward to some down time with friends and family, and of course, to the food! A heads up that I won’t be posting Food Notes next week. If you’re celebrating the holidays, all the best of the season to and yours!
- Butcher Jeff Senger of Sangudo Meats is leading hands-on workshops on pork butchery and charcuterie on December 30, 2017. Tickets run $135-$295.
- Deep Freeze, which runs January 13-14, 2018 on Alberta Avenue, is bringing back their tourtiere baking contest – they’re looking for entrants for your chance to win gift cards from Chapters (and the title, of course).
- La Carraria, Edmonton’s newest gelato shop, is now open at 10067 109 Street.
- The Rooster Cafe (which replaced Artisan Resto-Cafe at 10732 82 Avenue) is in its soft opening phase.
- Congrats to Credo who opened their third location in the Kelly-Ramsay Building last week! Check them out at 10062 101A Street.
- Did you know Bubba Gump Shrimp Company is coming to Edmonton? They’re opening at West Edmonton Mall in March 2018.
- Some time in 2018, the cafe in Holt Renfrew will re-open as Colette Grand Cafe. I’ve been to the original in Toronto, and I think it’s safe to say it’ll fit in well with its surroundings.
- On December 22, 2017, Urban Tavern is launching what they’re calling “Canada’s largest beer wall”, featuring self-serve taps (the same system found at Barney’s in Leduc).
- The Butternut Tree will begin offering brunch on January 14, 2018.
- The Yards annual “Best in the Core” features some suggestions on some secret food gems and where you can spice things up in Downtown and Oliver.
- The Journal had a positive take on brunch at Vintage Fork, the new restaurant inside the historic Rutherford House.
- YEG Cravings reviews the treats at Destination Doughnuts.
- Vue Weely is the latest to check out YEG Burger.
- Graham enjoyed the food at Loft Thai Eatery on the south side.
- Crystal stumbled upon Mai Vietnamese Fusion located on BRBN Street in West Edmonton Mall.
- Also from Crystal – she had a mixed experience at Little India Cuisine.
- Taproot’s latest feature is all about food waste in Edmonton.
- Jason Foster responds to the notion that Canada is reaching “peak craft beer”.
- It’s been a while since my last visit to Viphalay, but their pad thai was just as good as I remembered! They’re one of the restaurants that will be participating in our inaugural Chinatown Dining Week (more details to come!).
Pad Thai from Viphalay
- On Friday, Mack and I commemorated the ten year anniversary of a fateful trip to New York. One of the first places we tried in Manhattan was the tourist-oriented Burger Joint, a quick-serve eatery tucked behind a curtain at Le Parker Meridien. So although a flight back to New York would have been better, the next best thing was to a trek to our similarly named but unrelated establishment in Edmonton. We appreciate their consistency, and the tarter dipping sauce that accompanies their fries helps them stand out.
Our meal at The Burger Joint
- While the City Market is still our go-to farmers’ market, we switch it up a bit in the winter months with occasional trips to the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market. It’s a bit dangerous though, as we can combine those visits with the excuse to pick up something sweet from one of the many bakeries that have opened up in that neighbourhood in the last year. This weekend, it was a jaunt to Ace Coffee Roasters, where we were won over by their delicious brown butter donuts.
Tempting display case at Ace Coffee Roasters
- Mack and I headed to King Noodle House to properly fuel up before an afternoon of Christmas shopping on Sunday.
Bun bo Hue from King Noodle House
Only Here for the Food 