Food Notes for September 28, 2020

This week’s installment was written by Mack. “This is an inning of good relief pitching from a fresh arm,” to quote one of Sharon’s favorite shows. She’ll be back next week!

Beverly’s Take 5 doughnut shop is up for sale

Take 5, a popular doughnut shop located in the Beverly neighbourhood, has been listed for sale for $248,000. The listing says the original owner of 41 years is retiring and that “training would be provided to new buyers to learn the business.”

The tweet first shared by Kris Andreychuk has received dozens of replies from Edmontonians concerned about any changes new owners might make.

In an interview with Global News, Heather Tomsan with the University of Alberta School of Retailing encouraged the new owners to “do your research and do your homework so you know what was a win and a hit and what was a miss.”

Openings

• D’Arcy’s Meats is opening a second location on the south side of Edmonton.
• The Dapper Beaver opened its coffee shop in Parkallen on Sept. 28.
• Liberian Cuisine on Wheels has opened at 11722 82 Street.

Closures

• Prairie Noodle Shop will close on Oct. 24. “It’s been amazing five year run and we want to end on as positive a note as we can!” the restaurant tweeted.
• Artisti Pizzeria has closed with its previous location at 11998 109A Avenue now listed as for lease.
• Hoang Long’s Fresh Market location at 10057 Jasper Avenue has closed.

Headlines

• Donairs in Edmonton often contain more toppings than those found in Halifax, reports Chad Huculak at the Edmonton Journal. In the piece, fellow writer Omar Mouallem said donairs could be the meal most emblematic of Canada.
• The Uproot Food Collective is seeking a $500,000 bridge investment to clear up existing debt, acquire new equipment to improve productivity and grow the brand across Alberta. The business continues to attract new products, such as the dry spicy chicken from The Lingnan which is now available.
• Happy Bear Baking Co. launched in August and offers curated scone baking kits.
• Together at Our Table is the latest cookbook from the ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen. It launches Oct. 1.
• Kelly’s Pub thought it would be busier with the NHL bubble just a few blocks away, but the increased business hasn’t materialized. Some organizations are benefiting though: the NHL Officials’ Association sponsored lunch recently for guests of Boyle Street Community Services.
• EDify, the magazine formerly known as Avenue Edmonton, has launched its first issue with a revamped food section called “Delicious”. Editor Steven Sandor wrote about the COVID dining experience, while Mel Priestley wrote about local food incubators.
• According to ATB Financial, seasonally adjusted sales at restaurants and bars in Alberta were still down by 21% in July compared to last year, suggesting that “the growth enabled by the initial reopening of the economy is plateauing” and that “we are likely to see more restaurants and bars go out of business this fall.”
• With Thanksgiving coming up, a number of restaurants have announced takeout dinners including The Harvest Room, Barb and Ernies, and Riverside Bistro. Other options include Bloom Cookie Co., D’Arcy’s Meats, and Culina. The Edmonton Food Bank is anticipating a greater need this year for festive meals for those in need.
• Twyla Campbell has resumed her food segment on CBC Radio and discussed grocery shopping and pandemic food freakouts in her first episode back.
• NAIT business student Patrice Simoneau is “rolling up his sleeves to start building his family’s Simoneau Honey Buzziness into what he hopes will become a national player in Canada’s honey business.”
• Edmonton was included in a Travel Curator list of the best culinary destinations in North America with mentions of RGE RD and Strathcona Spirits Distillery.
• The Glasshouse Bistro & Cafe will reopen at The Enjoy Centre on Oct. 9 under the direction of chef Julia Kundera, who was most recently the manager of food services at Holt’s Cafe. She was previously the executive chef at Glasshouse from Sept. 2013 to March 2016.

Reviews

• Let’s Eat YEG visited Hawaiian Poke and More and enjoyed the more traditional poke on offer.

What I Ate (written by Sharon)

• Earlier in the week, I met up with Linda for an outdoor lunch at my go-to neighbourhood spot, Rosewood Foods. It was time to change it up and have their Rosewood Bar Burger on this visit!

• We finally ordered the make-at-home ramen kits from Tokiwa Ramen – it’s great that this option still exists, even though they’re re-opened to dine-in service for folks like us who aren’t yet comfortable with indoor dining. While it was a bit on the tedious side to put together (requiring 3 different pots), it did taste like restaurant quality.

• We threw a surprise wedding shower for my sister and her fiancee over the weekend in advance of their big day. There are lots of great individually-packaged snacks available from local vendors to help promote social distancing during gatherings. In this case, we ordered the mini bowls from Splash Poke.

• A friend also brought along these adorable Caramunchies favours, customized with their names on the label. They were a hit!

• To celebrate our sixth wedding anniversary, Mack and I hit up brunch in the park with Drift and Laker Coffee (a brand new mobile coffee trailer!). The pork sammie and tater tots really hit the spot. Drift is on their last week of service – so catch them before they retire for the winter!