Food Notes for September 12, 2022

I’m playing catch up after a month away from the blog – Mack and I welcomed our second daughter Elizabeth Male on August 10!

Openings

• Pals, the sandwich concept from the folks behind The Next Act, Meat, and Pip, is now open at 10335 83 Avenue.
• If you were missing the flavours from Langano Skies, you will be happy to hear they will be offering their food three nights a week for take-out and delivery out of Barb & Ernie’s Old Country Inn. No opening date has been announced yet.
• Malina Bakery has opened a second location in Sherwood Park, 150, 3001 Buckingham Drive.
• The West Block continues to add some interesting local options; the latest will be Zula Kitchen and Wine Bar, from the folks behind Sofra. It will open this fall.
• At the end of August, the 5th Street Food Hall added a new concept called Meat Shack Barbecue, which serves up Texas BBQ.
• Yukata is a new Japanese restaurant offering ramen, cheese, and pickle-focused dishes. It is located in the former Nudoru space (10532 82 Avenue).
• So great to see that Sorellina Brew Bar is now open in Old Strathcona (10546 82 Avenue).
• BC-based dive bar chain El Furniture’s first Edmonton location is now open at 10765 Jasper Avenue.
• Komune’s three other concepts join Taco Nova and are now open: Strada (offering Roman-style pizza), Carnivore Subs (selling sandwiches), and Umai Rice (offering sushi).
• Banh Mi Day is now open at 11765 jasper Avenue.
• The ice cream businesses just keep on coming – Pure Love is the newest serving up plant-based ice cream from a food truck.
• A new soft serve stand is now open in West Edmonton Mall called Swirley’s Creamery.
• Market Street is a shop that stocks many local brands (including Zwick’s, Transcend Coffee, and Caramunchies) that opened up back in June.
• Swirl Cafe is a Pokemon cafe that is now open at 6825 177 Street.
• It’s so great that Darling has found a permanent location, and will be opening later this fall at 9612 82 Avenue.
• Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in St. Albert (the second of the chain locations in the Edmonton area) opened earlier in August. It is located at 935 St. Albert Trail.
• Folks can look forward to the return of the Funky Pickle Pizza Co. brand to Alberta in the near future.

Closures

• Kitchen by Brad permanently closed as of July 1, 2022. Brad Smoliak shared in a message on the website: “As many of you know, I was born with a congenital heart issue and have been living with an artificial heart for 3 years. While the LVAD, and the amazing team at the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute (Hotel MAZ to me) have done a remarkable job, the simple fact is, the LVAD was not designed for the life of a chef. It was designed for most people, to be a one-year bridge to a heart transplant. For me a transplant is not an option, so I need to take extra care of it, and myself.” Brad and his wife Leanne will be writing a regular column in The Tomato about their post-Kitchen adventures.
• It was announced in the spring that several businesses in Strathearn would be uprooted by some planned development moving ahead. Juniper was one of those, and has since decided to permanently close as of September 18, 2022.
• Bottega on 104 Street closed on September 3, 2022.
• Rigoletto’s is also now closed.
• Home-based business Bonne Vie Bakery will no longer be baking on a regular basis: “The last few months have been challenging with a significant drop in sales, coupled with challenges getting permits from City to develop a commercial kitchen and with increased prices for ingredients.”

Upcoming Events

• Le Burger Week runs September 1-14, 2022 and 7 restaurants in Edmonton are participating.
• Sorrentino’s 27th annual Mushroom Harvest, which offers a combination of special dishes, cooking classes, and wine dinners all month long, runs in September.
• You Need a BBQ is hosting the second annual BBQ, Butchers, Bangers & Beer on October 2, 2022. Tickets are $25 and include a sample of 10 sausages, one beer, and one vote for the best sausage.

Local News

• Air Canada’s Best New Restaurants long list features three Edmonton establishments: Fu’s Repair Shop, Hayloft Steak + Fish, and Pei Pei Chei Ow. The 30 restaurants will be whittled down to a top 10 to be announced on November 1.
• It took ten seasons, but it’s great that an Edmonton chef has made it onto Top Chef Canada (and not a false start as happened with Alexei Boldireff from a few seasons back). It will be great to see Lindsay Porter represent!
• Congratulations to Canadian World Butcher Challenge team (which includes local representatives Corey Meyer and Elyse Chatterton) for winning the People’s Choice Award at the competition! Edify interviewed both Corey and Elyse for a story prior to the challenge.
• Bistro Praha was highlighted in the New York Times (the reporter was in town covering the World Junior Hockey tournament). In the wake of the piece being published, folks would mention it to the staff.
• Phil featured Smokin’ Barrels Cocina Latina, Farrow, and Panini’s Italian Cucina in recent Best Dish columns.
• Recent entries in Edify’s Best Things to Eat include: the vermicelli bowl from Nha Trang, Americano and donuts from The Colombian, Singapore noodles from Padmanadi, jerk chicken from Flava Cafe, and the charbroiled beef from Banh Mi Cali.
• Ever wonder why Windermere seems to be the hot spot for restaurant openings lately? Taproot answered this question.
• Taproot also has the story behind the Fawkes Coffee & Doughnuts pop-up Downtown.
• Part of the reason for Canteen’s closure due to construction in the area, said owners Frank and Andrea Olson, while for Blue Plate Diner, it was hard to re-establish their identity in a new location.
• We’re coming to the tail end of patio season, but given the extended summer we’ve been having, this dog-friendly map might be useful to those looking for a restaurant friendly to pups.
• Fuge Sausage, the sausage brand founded by Steve Furgiuele, has been revived by the folks behind LovePizza. Products are now available to purchase through the storefront or delivery.
• Are you feeling “tip-flation”, or the pressure to pay more in gratuities?
• Staff at a Sherwood Park Starbucks have voted to unionize, and is the second store to unionize in Alberta.
• Earth’s General Store founder Michael Kalmanovitch has retired after starting the business 31 years ago. The store is now owned by a new local non-profit, the Ethical Community Organizations of Edmonton.
• Condolences to the Zenari family for the passing of Adriano Zenari.
• A local company called Ordr is an app that allows fans to order food, drinks, and merchandise from their seat at events.
• Alberta households were found to be the most likely to be food insecure, based on a new research study.

Urban Agriculture and Farming

• Prairie Gardens Adventure Farm located in Bon Accord was reminded of an order issued by Sturgeon County to cease certain operations – namely, not having more than 100 visitors per day. The owner says this will force them to shut down.
• Sundog Organic farmers James Vriend and Jenny Berkenbosch had to change the way they farmed to adapt to the changing conditions on their property.

What I Ate

• • We’ve mostly been sticking close to home over the last month, and have been enjoying our share of comfort food, like our go-to order from Jack’s Burger Shack.

The Hangover from Jack’s

• • We’ve still had a chance to try some new-to-us places though, including Basil Pasta Bar. They had huge portions, and were very efficient!

Our order from Basil Pasta Bar

• • I’ve also been indulging in foods I was staying away from while pregnant, such as the Grick Middle from Farrow, and cold cut subs from Nhon Hoa.

Combo sub FTW