Food Notes for October 26, 2020

Premier Kenney Pledges That Restaurants Will Remain Open

Premier Jason Kenney spoke at the United Conservative Party’s annual general meeting on October 24, 2020, and is adamant that current information does not warrant shutting down indoor dining. He said,

"We have [NDP Leader] Rachel Notley calling for new restrictions on restaurants and bars. That’s based on politics and not public health data. I give my absolute commitment to that sector that is struggling, that, barring some absolute catastrophe, which we do not see, there is no likelihood of restrictions on their ability to operate like we had in the spring, and I do not see any data to support that."

An update on October 26, 2020 provided by Chief Medical Officer of Health indicated that there has been one outbreak linked to a restaurant in the past two weeks, and less than one percent of active cases in Edmonton and Calgary are linked to exposures in restaurants.

ATB’s The Owl paints a dire picture for the hospitality industry, in spite of a lack of indoor dining restrictions. While sales in Alberta’s restaurants and bars were up in August from July, year-over-year sales are still significantly down.

COVID-19-related News

• Remedy Cafe’s Jasper Avenue location is temporarily closed for deep cleaning due to a link to a positive COVID-19 case.
• Rosewood Foods is re-opening on October 27, 2020 after all staff tested negative and sanitization procedures have been undertaken.
• Health Canada recalls more than 50 hand sanitizers, including those produced at Blindman Brewing.

Openings

• Breadland Organic Bakery has completed their move to Garneau – find them at their new location at 8440 109 Street.
• Syphay’s southside location opened earlier this month, at 4428 Calgary Trail.
• RGE RD’s sister space The Butchery is opening in “about two weeks”. In the meantime – they’re offering a sneak peek of the interior!
• Flava Cafe, offering quick-service Jamaican Jerk food is opening soon at 8307 118 Avenue, next to Battista’s Calzones.

Closures

• Chef Doreen Prei shared that Zinc at the Art Gallery of Alberta is permanently closed.
• Dauphine will be closing their Montrose shop at the end of the month.

Upcoming Events

• The latest Swine and Dine event is nearly a week-long affair from October 26-31, 2020 at both Woodshed Burger locations. Chef Paul Shufelt has created a trio of pork-based dishes to choose from.
• Restaurants and curbside options continue to be added to Downtown Dining Week, running October 28-November 8, 2020. At present, 40 restaurants are participating.
• The second annual Pizza Pig-Out fundraiser has been adapted to a pop-up drive-in format this year. It takes place on October 30, 2020 at the Expo Centre, at the cost of $125 per vehicle. The event supports KidSport.
• La Cite Francophone’s patio series has been extended until December 11, 2020. Special menus will be offered by Cafe Bicyclette during the occasions.

Reviews

• Stephanie checked out the heated igloos on the patio at the Courtyard Marriott (featuring the Riverside Bistro menu). I didn’t realize the minimum spend required for the 1.5 hour booking is $150.
• Sharon checked out the expansive menu at Syphay’s new southside location.

Local News

• Congratulations to Chef Ryan Hotchkiss of Bundok who won the title at the Edmonton iteration of the Great Kitchen Party over the weekend. Chef Hotchkiss last had a podium finish in 2017, finishing in third that year.
• Congratulations are also in order to Giselle Courteau, who took home the silver in the general cookbooks category for Duchess At Home at this year’s Taste Canada Awards.
• TechLife chatted with a design expert on considerations for winter patios.
• CBC highlighted the origin story behind social enterprise bakery TYP TOP.
• Daily Hive has a listicle of the 5 best pizza joints in Edmonton based on Google reviews.
• Alberta Fried Chicken in Tamarack celebrated its second year in business. They donate the profits from every ninth order to the Edmonton Food Bank.
• Lots of local, Halloween-themed treats are available, including spider doughnuts at Farrow, movie-themed cupcakes at Flirt Cupcakes, and the cutest Mummy Tart at Duchess Bakeshop.
• Edmonton-based bakery Sweetness has partnered with local designer Justine Ma to raise funds for the Kids Help Phone. $15 from each package of You Got This! cookies (accompanied by edible ink markers) will go to the charity.
• Little Bear Gelato has started a pint club, which offers free delivery of five pints for three months.
• Meat Street Pies is once again offering their handmade gingerbread house kits. They sell for $20 prior to November 14, 2020.
• A Fort Saskatchewan-based distillery called Tumbler and Rocks offers ready to serve craft cocktails in convenient single drink sizes. They’re available at local liquor stores and shops (including Little Brick), but also via partners such as the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald.
• Little Village is the latest to join the ranks of businesses who have updated their websites to include online ordering.
• Chef Roger Letourneau of Meuwly’s has some advice for those interested in fermenting their own food.
• Food4Good has transitioned from hosting low-cost grocery markets to offering food boxes and meal assembly kits for those living with low-income.
• Knifewear is donating 100% of the proceeds from knives sharpened between October 26 – November 1, 2020 to the Edmonton Food Bank. On a similar note, Kingsway Mall and Oxford Properties are donating $5 to Food Banks Canada for every social media post featuring the hashtag #PassThePlate2020.

What I Ate

• Through Taproot Edmonton, Mack and I were gifted a Bessie Box. They deliver seafood and Alberta-raised beef, chicken, and pork to your door. Like many other services that have flourished this year, they offer convenience coupled with the ability to support local farmers.

Classic Bessie Box (with chicken add-on)

• I’ve been itching to try the tocino burrito from Filistix for some time. It didn’t disappoint – I loved the combination of ‘salt and sugar’ cured pork loin, garlic fried rice, Filistix ailoi, and pico de gallo. It was definitely worth the chilly walk over to pick up our order!

Tocino burrito from Filistix