Chef Ben Staley to Launch New Restaurant
Chef Ben Staley has released more details about his forthcoming new restaurant, Restaurant Yarrow.
Described as a “place to interact with regional, seasonal cuisine and those who prepare it”, Yarrow seats 10 and will offer only tasting menus ranging between 18-22 servings. Tickets must be purchased in advance and cost $170 per person. Seatings are available starting January 3, 2020.
Chef Staley first made a name for himself at North 53 in 2014, where he created a menu using exclusively Canadian ingredients. Although he would depart the restaurant less than a year later, his next two ventures operated with similar hyper-local parameters. Alta, which opened in 2017, served small plates at room temperature or cold, but would close within months. Alder Room opened in the same year next door, offering elaborate tasting menus at a 12-seat bar. It garnered national acclaim, landing on enRoute’s Best New Restaurants list in 2017, but unfortunately, closed in 2018.
Openings
- Downtown has a brand new coffee shop: Cafe Rosa is now open just above El Beso (10432 Jasper Avenue). They brew Rogue Wave Coffee, and offer baked goods sourced from Lock Stock.
- Green Onion Cake Man has opened a second location downtown, at the kiosk above the Central LRT Station (10020 Jasper Avenue). It is open 11am-2pm on weekdays.
- Bubble Cream is now open at West Edmonton Mall, serving up Hong Kong-style waffles and ice cream (they did have a kiosk at the Premium Outlet Collection by the airport for a time, but that had since closed).
- Sepps Pizza, from the folks behind Leva Cafe, is the latest ghost kitchen to open in Edmonton. Orders for their “classic New York pie with a northern twist” can be made through their website or Uber Eats.
- Jay Bee’s Diner is opening a second location on 127 Street north of 137 Avenue.
Upcoming Events
- The University of Alberta has published a cookbook featuring 25 recipes and stories from their campus community. The official launch takes place on November 28, 2019 and is free to attend.
- Whole Family Health has partnered with Chef Blair Lebsack of RGE RD to host an event titled Mindful Eating to offer tips about how eating more consciously can help prevent illness. The workshop will be held at RGE RD on December 1, ant proceeds from the $50 tickets will go towards Movember.
- On the heels of their successful Filipino-focused special events, Filistix will be hosting “Jajan: an evening of Indonesian Cuisine” on December 11, 2019. It is an opportunity for two of their chefs of Indonesian heritage to present dishes from their country of origin. Tickets are $60.
- The Marc will be offering a special brunch on December 29, 2019.
Reviews
- Sharon raved about her first experience at Sherwood Park’s Kobachi, perhaps “one of the best Japanese restaurants” she’s tried the Edmonton area.
- The Journal praised the food and value at Lyon in Old Strathcona.
- Twyla enjoyed the fare at June’s Delicatessen, stating June’s “Is all about detail and quality.”
- Graham was hoping for more from Toast Culture.
Local News
- A handful of eateries were featured in enRoute’s Edmonton City Guide, including Baijiu, Biera, Bundok, Cibo Bistro, Partake, Prairie Noodle, and Woodshed.
- Open Table released a list of the top 25 restaurants for solo dining in Canada, and Tzin made the cut.
- Graham interviewed Chef Brad Lazarenko about his current venture, Culina To Go.
- Jason Foster points out the unfortunate results of the annual Edmonton Journal Readers’ Choice Awards for “Best Craft Brewery”.
- The Hotel Macdonald unveiled their 2019 gingerbread house earlier in the month – this year’s creation stands 20 feet tall.
- Also from Graham, he wrote about his experience at the first Culinary Team Luncheon hosted by the NAIT chefs in preparation for the Culinary Olympics in Germany next year. NAIT will host two additional practice sessions on January 18 and February 1, 2020. The events are open to the public; tickets for the lunches are $20.95.
- In commemoration of the Silver Skate Festival’s upcoming 30th anniversary, they’ve put together an ATB BoostR campaign to help manage the increasing costs of the event. A number of rewards offered are food-related, including a private tasting tour of their food event, Spirits on Ice, and a private dinner from the Chef Richard Toll of Under the High Wheel.
- Sharman shared a recap of the recent Swine and Dine dinner hosted by Drift at the Shamrock Curling Club.
- This video from the Alberta Motor Association features Darren and Sylvia Cheverie on the origin story behind their restaurant Chartier.
- Sweet Lollapalooza was recognized with a silver and bronze at the 2019 International Chocolate Awards.
- I learned about another new-to-me small batch coffee roaster based in Edmonton called High Horse Coffee. The product is available through their online shop, as well as at Save-On Foods.
- The 5th annual Cookie YEGTweetup, supported in part by Cookies by George, raised $500 for the Christmas Bureau.
Urban Agriculture and Farming
- It looks like the Downtown Edmonton Farmers’ Market is finally able to open on Sundays from 11am-3pm in addition to Saturdays.
- CBC wrote a piece highlighting the indoor farmers’ markets open in Edmonton, including Bountiful.
What I Ate
- Mack, Emily and I were in Chicago last week and so I decided to take a break from the blog. We had a lot of great eats, much of which were Mexican owing to the neighbourhood my sister lives in. These tacos from Rubi’s, a vendor at the Maxwell Street Market, were amazing.
Tacos (with fresh-made tortillas!) from Rubi’s in Chicago
- Upon our return to Edmonton, I tried several new-to-me restaurants. On the more casual side was DeRose Fine Foods, located in a light industrial area off 99 Street. They offer two breakfast dishes, but were no less busy because of it. The breakfast bowl ($12), featuring tater tots, a very tasty house-made brisket, and an over easy egg, was enough to feed two people. They also host Bagel Bar and offer a variety of meat cuts and sausages.
Breakfast bowl from DeRose Fine Foods
- Revel has flown under the radar for me for some time, but I was looking forward to trying it. Of the dishes I shared, the short rib was my favourite.
Short rib from Revel
- Mack, Emily, and I had been to Filistix for dinner, but this weekend was our first sampling of their brunch menu, offered 11am-3pm on weekends. I always welcome the opportunity to have noodles for breakfast, and Filistix offers this and more! I particularly enjoyed the beef broth underlying my brisket noodle soup.
Beef brisket noodle soup from Filistix
- Braven was my first taste of the new O & B run-restaurants at the JW Marriott. Service was excellent, and there’s something to be said about a well-designed room. We enjoyed all of the dishes, including the short rib, but this plate of roasted BC black cod was too pretty not to share.
BC black cod from Braven
Only Here for the Food 