Edmontonians Win Big at National Coffee Competition
Two Edmonton-based baristas were recognized at the 2020 Canadian National Brewers Cup in Montreal over the weekend. Organized by the Canadian Chapter of the Specialty Coffee Association, they sanction regional and national-level competitions that feed into World Coffee Events.
Ply Pasarj of Rogue Wave Coffee won first place, while Santiago Lopez of The Colombian took third. Ply will go on to compete in the 2020 World Brewers Cup Championship in Melbourne, Australia in May.
Openings
- Shojo in the Brewery District is Edmonton’s newest izakaya, located at 10425 121 Street.
- The Grand Cafe (located at 10802 124 Street) is now open. It is located on the ground floor of the new development situated on the site of the former Colonel Mustard’s.
- Plant-based restaurant Gidget’s is now open in St. Albert (125 Carleton Drive, #101).
- A new Korean restaurant called Banjoo is open at 3212 Parsons Road.
- Mini Kitchen and El Gringo, offering ready-to-eat Indian, Thai, and fusion Mexican food has opened a storefront at 9729 42 Avenue. They’re a familiar face at farmers’ markets in the city, and in addition to their reheat and serve dishes, they’ll also have a small deli.
Closures
- All Alberta locations of Red Robin will close by December 8, 2019.
Upcoming Events
- High tea at Ernest’s is back on October 26, 2019. Tickets are $46 per person.
- Vignettes is offering a Dinner Series involving chef-led cooking classes on October 26 and November 2, featuring Chefs Blair Lebsack from RGE RD and Chef Mariana Yanez Sanchez from Bottega 104, respectively. Tickets are $125 per person.
- Chef Larry Stewart will be preparing Hardware Grill tribute dinners at XIX19 on November 3-4, 2019. Tickets to the 3-course dinner are $145.
Reviews
- The meat at Woodshed Burgers gets a thumbs up from Twyla, with a note to work on their buns.
- Woodshed also received a positive review from Graham, but he was looking for more from Fox Burgers.
Local News
- The Taste of Edmonton shared that they will be returning to Churchill Square in July 2020, after two years hosting the event on the Federal Plaza.
- Beverly Dining Week continues until October 25, 2019. I had the chance to attend a media preview of the event last week.
- Woodshed Burgers was in the news when owner/chef Paul Shufelt shared that McDonald’s had contacted them from infringing on their trademark “Filet-O-Fish” with their “Effing Filet O’ Fish” sandwich.
- Forbes spoke with Calgary-based writer Dan Clapson on his recommended eats in Calgary and Edmonton.
- A student at the U of A highlighted some of Edmonton’s newest ice cream shops.
- Lydia shared her most recent complimentary chef’s table experience at Central Social Hall.
- Earls co-founder Bus Fuller passed away at age 90. He opened the first Earls restaurant in Edmonton in 1982.
- Co-authors Chef Shane Chartrand and Jennifer Cockrall-King discuss their new cookbook tawâw.
- Prolific blogger and cookbook author Karlynn Johnson was recently interviewed on the Welcome to Town podcast on the topic of what Albertans eat.
- A new local start up Keto Simple, offering keto meals and desserts, has launched a crowd-funding campaign.
What I Ate
- Emily and I met up with the Chinatown Dining Week team last week at Boualouang in preparation for the third iteration of this event, coming in January 2020. Among the dishes we shared was a delectable mango salad – even Emily approved!
Mango salad from Boualouang
- Mack, Emily, and I tried one of our new neighbourhood additions on Friday. Dagu Rice Noodle has had consistent line-ups since opening a month ago, so we were lucky to get seated right away. They make their rice noodles fresh on-site, and feature no MSG in their broths. I tried the rice noodle soup with braised bone-in beef ($14.99). I did enjoy their broth and noodles, but I would have hoped for some more vegetables. Still, their service was fast and friendly, so we’ll be back!
Rice noodle soup with braised bone-in beef from Dagu Ride Noodle
Only Here for the Food 