Food Notes for August 10, 2020

RGE RD Expands Business with The Butchery

RGE RD’s much-anticipated sister business, The Butchery, is set to open by the end of August. Located next door to RGE RD, owners Blair Lebsack and Caitlin Fulton have created a haven for home cooks looking for tips and locally-sourced, high quality products.

In addition to custom cuts of meat (sourced from the same farmers whose products are served at RGE RD), staff will be available to answer questions about preparation techniques. The space will also eventually host meat-cutting classes.

For those less-inclined to cook, frozen items like their popular house-made empanadas will be available, as well as ready-to-eat comfort foods like soups and sandwiches.

COVID-19-related News

• Credo used the pandemic closure as an opportunity to renovate their 104 Street location.
• Chicken for Lunch in Scotia Place and the Guru location in Ice District have re-opened.
• BÄR at Cartago opens on August 14, 2020, fixed up with clear dividers. Cartago also celebrated their third birthday, and owner Katy Ingraham was interviewed about the difficulty of enforcing the mandatory mask bylaw.

Openings

• Breadlove, which vends at farmers’ markets in Edmonton, has opened a storefront in St. Albert (46C St. Michael Street).
• Al Salam Pita has opened a restaurant next door, called Al Salam Restaurant (10149 34 Avenue).
• Congratulations to Remedy who has opened their ninth location in the Bell Tower (150, 10104 103 Avenue).
• Villa, who closed their location on 104 Street, relocated to the former location of Nello’s at 11520 100 Avenue.
• Oodle Noodle has opened a branch in Hamptons, located at 19912 Lessard Road.
• A new cafe is coming to Old Strathcona called La Bosco Bakery & Cafe, located at 10413 79 Avenue.
• Arcadia Brewing Co. will be setting up shop in the new Manchester Square Development at 12016 107 Avenue.

Upcoming Events

• Analog Brewing collaborated with Yelo’d to produce a Calamansi Wit Beer. They’re celebrating the launch with an event at The Common on August 11, 2020. Tickets are $50 and include a pour, sorbet float, and a burger.
• Fish & Chip Fridays return to Sabor on August 14, 21, 28, 2020, with proceeds in support of various local charities. Meals are $15.
• Get Cooking is hosting another farm dinner at Prairie Gardens as a part of Open Farm Days on August 15, 2020. Tickets are $145 per person.
• The Edmonton Public Library is hosting a free online session about sourdough starters on August 18, 2020.
• The Plant Protein Alliance of Alberta is offering a free online cooking demonstration and Q & A on pulses on August 21, 2020.

Local News

• Corso 32 remains closed due to water damage.
• Mojojojo Pickles has moved their kitchen to Cartago.
• J. Karen Parker put together this handy map of all of the restaurants offering food through the Heritage Festival and the countries/cultures they are representing.
• Filistix developed an online ordering system to stay in business during the pandemic.
• CBC chatted with the owners behind Winston’s Fish and Chips and Sosyal Scoops food trucks.
• CBC also highlighted new Filipino grocery chain Seafood City.
• Speaking of Filipino businesses, the Edmonton City as Museum Project published a post about the history of Filipino businesses in Edmonton.
• Some Edmonton businesses are disappointed that the Oilers’ playoff run was so abruptly cut short.
• The Medicine Hat-based brewery Hell’s Basement is rebranding their Huruhuru beer after learning that “huruhuru” means “pubic hair” in a language spoken by Maori people.

Beyond Edmonton

• A neighbourhood in Calgary will soon be home to a community fridge, freezer, and pantry. The article references a similar fridge in Edmonton, but I am not aware of anything but the Oliver-based food exchange box.
• Plant-based chicken is now available for a limited time at KFC.
• It looks like Conde Nast didn’t actually want to make systemic changes in the wake of the allegations of pay disparity in Bon Appetit’s Test Kitchen. As a result, several stars have left the video series.

Urban Agriculture and Farming

• Taber corn is in season, and is now available in Edmonton (including at the Downtown Edmonton Farmers’ Market).

What I Ate

• Mack had been craving The Lingnan’s dry spicy chicken, so we put in an order on Friday. And though the weather was blustery and drizzly for most of the day, the sun peeked out in time for us to walk over to pick up our food. We had more than enough for meals over three days, and dry spicy chicken has a new fan in Emily!

Food for days from The Lingnan