Month: January 2023

Culinary Highlights: 2022 Edition

No regularly scheduled Food Notes tonight – between launching Chinatown Dining Week and Emily’s birthday festivities, I’m giving myself the night off. But I did think it was a good opportunity to finally post my personal highlights from 2022. Thanks for reading!

In 2022, I dined indoors a whole lot more than in the previous two years, but even that meant eating in around a dozen times. My family still hasn’t resumed pre-pandemic habits, but in all honesty, I did not know how much joy I’d continue to find in having picnics outdoors, and with young children, embracing the sheer convenience of eating in our own space.

We also remained close to home for vacations, hitting up some familiar locales. Staycations will definitely be in our repertoire for years to come, even now after travel restrictions have eased. The pandemic has made us even more grateful for what we can access just a few hours from Edmonton.

But above all, 2022 will be remembered as the year our family became four. Things haven’t been the same since Elizabeth arrived in August, as Mack and I adjusted to having a newborn again, and Emily grew into her role as big sister. But we’re looking forward to new adventures as a family soon enough!

Here are some of my favourite food-related memories of 2022:

Mack and I had our first in-person date at a restaurant indoors in more than two years. We had been invited to try Hayloft, a new steakhouse that opened in 2022. Some dishes are just meant to be consumed hot at the table, and perfectly cooked steak is one such plate.

Hayloft Steak and Fish

Media night at Hayloft

We also had a wonderful night out together at Fu’s Repair Shop, a funky and delicious hot spot. I loved the story behind the restaurant.

Fu’s Repair Shop

Bites from Fu’s

With Emily in tow, we had a great meal at Otto in the summer as I finished up work before starting my maternity leave. Those garlic fries, though.

Otto

Emily hamming it up at Otto

Otto was one of the restaurants represented on the #YEGFoodFaves list I worked on with Linda in the fall (I was furiously writing out my sections while Ellie napped unreliably as a two month old). Kasey Ramen’s amazing kits also make an appearance on the list – I’m so glad I discovered them in 2022.

Kasey Ramen

Kasey Ramen at home

I was also really proud of reaching our five-year milestone with Chinatown Dining Week. It’s never a given for any event, and even more special for an entirely volunteer-run initiative.

Kim Fat Market

Sampling Kim Fat’s chicken skins

Jack’s Burger Shack, which opened up Downtown at the end of 2021, has become our go-to for take-out. I love their hangover burger, and Emily adores their cinnamon toast crunch milkshake.

Jack’s Burger Shack

Jack’s al fresco

We returned to Prairie Creek Inn for our annual retreat, with Emily now being old enough to remember it. Their breakfasts are always something to look forward to.

Prairie Creek InnBreakfast at Prairie Creek Inn

And though not a food-related memory, I have to end on sharing a photo of Elizabeth, though I am sure there will be more to come in the future!

Elizabeth

Elizabeth Fengyi (楓怡) Male

Food Notes for January 23, 2023

Openings

  • Yianni Psalios (who has opened many Greek restaurants in his time om Edmonton, including Koutouki) has opened another called Agora Greek Market, located at 4620 99 Street.
  • Stephanie shared that a new dessert spot called Hadi Cocktail & Waffle is now open at 11844 145 Avenue.
  • Oil Burgers, another burger concept, has joined the 5th Street Food Hall: “OilBurgers is about sharing Chef Cam’s passion for making local ingredients – especially Alberta beef – shine through simple, yet elevated dishes.”
  • JustCook Kitchens is expanding to Old Strathcona in June 2023 at Station Park. The new facility, partnered with Beljan Developments, will feature three fast-casual restaurants, two higher-end style restaurants, and three bars.

Closures

  • After four years in business, cafe Caffiend announced their permanent closure: “This has been a very difficult decision for us and we need some time to process what happens next. I know many of you will want to send messages and may have questions but we ask that you give us some time to grieve, reflect and figure out what comes next.”

Upcoming Events

  • A reminder that Chinatown Dining Week kicks off this week, January 26-February 5, 2023. The menus are here.
  • Old Strathcona’s annual Sweet Treats and Latte Festival will be returning February 4-20, 2023.
  • Meuwly’s is hosting Valentine’s cooking demos while guests enjoy appetizers, cocktails, and wine pairings on February 4 and 5, 2023. tickets are $60 each.
  • In February, Just Cook Kitchens is hosting a Chef Takeover series, with chefs taking over the 5th Street Food Hall on select dates to serve up 5-6 course dinners. February 13 sees Oil Burgers and Seitans chefs team up, while on February 20, Meuwly’s chefs take over the joint. Tickets run $146-165 per person.
  • Silver Skate Festival’s Battle of the Neighbourhoods event is back.
  • Save the date for Downtown Dining Week, running March 15-26, 2023.It’s a friendly culinary competition between breweries, and the food challenge will see the chefs create the “perfect prairie comfort food and beer pairing” with locally-sourced ingredients. Tickets are $35 and include beer and food samples.
  • Edify has started selling tickets to their 2023 Best Restaurants event at the Edmonton Convention Centre on April 3, 2023. Tickets are $85 and include tickets for food and beverage tastings.

Local News

  • Great to see Alberta Avenue launch their Dining Pass, an app that currently provides discounts to 10 participating restaurants, including Battista’s Calzones and Mama Asha Cafe (both #YEGFoodFaves)! It’s free to download onto your phone, and more restaurants will be joining in the coming months.
  • The Currents of Windermere also has their own Dining Passport, featuring 11 participating restaurants. If diners visit 4 restaurants on Mondays or Tuesdays, they can be entered to win a $1000 shopping spree.
  • I love when local companies collaborate, so it was fantastic to hear about Twice Cream partnering with Remedy to produce Twice Remedy Chai Ice Cream. At present it is available only at Twice Cream, but soon will also be offered at Remedy locations.
  • Jack’s Burger Shack made a reasonable plea last week: “Please normalize not comparing restaurants, specifically ones that specialize in burgers to McD…d’s. ie. “Their milkshakes are bigger.” “Burger & Fries there are $4 cheaper.” Please consider size, quality and impact of these other restaurants”.
  • You’re not imagining how inflation has affected the price of staple goods – Jeff Nachtigall of Sugared and Spiced tracked the cost increases of his raw ingredients over the past two years. At the top, frozen raspberries at 143%, followed by oil at 82%.
  • Bliss Baked Goods now offers Kiwi Kosher Sushi on Thursdays and Fridays.
  • Twyla highlighted Pal’s on her Edmonton AM segment.
  • Edify checked out Oomami Dog, Rockin’ Robyn’s, and Chicken Haus, and featured the soups from Pal’s, Hu’s Noodle Nook and Viphalay.
  • Chef Matthew Potts opened up his kitchen at the Cook Country Saloon so Ukrainian newcomers could prepare food to sell in order to purchase supplies for newcomers arriving in Canada.
  • Edmonton AM also did a story on the Too Good To Go food app.

What I Ate

  • January might feel like a downer after the holidays, but I know I will always have Love Pizza’s Mac & Cheeza to lift me up. We indulged in two Big Love-sized pies to get us through. The Mac & Cheeza is available until the end of February!

    • Love Pizza

Mac & Cheez from Love Pizza

  • Mack, Emily, Elizabeth, and I met up with some friends at Shojo Izakaya for the first time. Based on that experience, we will certainly return! I really enjoyed the mushroom cream udon, but the kakuni (pork belly) and Koji fried chicken were delicious as well.

    • Shojo Izakaya//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js

Mushroom cream udon from Shojo Izakaya

Edmonton Food 2022 Year in Review

The Edmonton food scene in 2022 was a year full of tension. While this blog is primarily about restaurants, it is impossible to ignore the ballooning disparity between those who can eat out and those who can eat at all. It was reported that Albertans have the highest rate of food insecurity in Canada, while food bank usage in the province more than doubled the national rate of increase.

On the restaurant front, several long-standing restaurants closed, some due to declining revenue, while other independent restaurants were able to embrace opportunities to expand. Blue Plate Diner, an 18 year veteran, shuttered over the summer, while The Nook, Pho Boy, and Ono Poke all closed after five or more years in business.

Despite the losses, it was a pleasant surprise that so many small restaurant groups were able to grow their footprint in our community, and offer more unique choices for diners all across the city. These included: El Corazon and Leopard in Glenora; Takam Market at MacEwan University; Hayloft and Woodshed Burgers in Cameron Heights; Seoul Fried Chicken, Northern Chicken, and Birdog on 104 Street Downtown; Pal’s in Old Strathcona; and additional locations for The Colombian and Remedy Cafe in Parkallen and the University of Alberta campus, respectively.

Leopard

Leopard was among the new additions to Edmonton’s food scene this year (photo credit: Mack Male)

It’s also worth noting that Windermere in particular had a banner year in attracting hospitality brands. The chain-loving spirit in Edmonton was in full force with the openings of California Pizza Kitchen and PF Chang’s. But those splashy outposts were joined by independents Black Pearl, Hello Mochi, Flame & Barrel, and Japonais Bistro (to open in 2023).

As inflation continues to increase, the reality of operating food businesses will be even more challenging. But after talking to many restaurant owners over the year, my takeaway was their gratitude towards their loyal supporters in these times. I am hopeful that this theme will continue into 2023.

A few other notable items from 2022:

  • The provincial vaccine passports (aka Restrictions Exemption Program) ended up being short lived, ending February 8, 2022, after being instituted in September 2021.
  • Most pandemic-related pivots restaurants had made in the previous two years ended, such as in-house delivery from Filistix and Duchess.
  • Some restaurants, such as Northern Chicken and Chartier, were transparent about why they had to increase their food prices.
  • In April, it was announced that Giselle Courteau and Jake Pelltier were stepping away from Duchess Bake Shop.
  • The Lingnan reached the incredible milestone of 75 years in business.
  • In October, Tres Carnales had to manage a high profile health-inspection related closure of the restaurant. This month, they announced their permanent closure.
  • No less than six Calgary-based brands set up shop in Edmonton, including Flirty Bird, Deville Coffee, Jerusalem Shawarma, Home & Away, Blanco Cantina, and PACT Coffee.
  • Many new national and international chains also opened in Edmonton this year, such as Fuwa Fuwa, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, Vish, Mogouyan, Community Taps and Pizza, and El Furniture Warehouse.
  • Planned development in Strathearn led to the closure of community favourites Ralph’s Handi-Mart and Juniper.

You can check out previous year in reviews here (though I missed last year!).

Food Notes for January 9, 2023

Chinatown Dining Week Returns for a Sixth Year

Chinatown Dining Week is back for a sixth year, and will run January 26 – February 5, 2023. 15 restaurants will be offering $10 and $20 deals for dine-in or take-out. The full menu will be posted on January 13.

Having launched Chinatown Dining Week in 2018, the past six years have been a whirlwind. Getting traction for a new event can ben challenging, but we are fortunate that Edmontonians responded really well and embraced our campaign to encourage diners to discover culinary gems and revisit old favourites.

That said, the past few years have no doubt been tougher on our business partners. After the pandemic at the start of 2020 closed restaurants to indoor dining, a wave of anti-Asian racism related to how the pandemic started impacted businesses in Chinatown. The fifth wave of the pandemic continued into 2021 that brought another set of operating restrictions. In 2022, discussions about Chinatown were overwhelmingly linked to impressions of a lack of safety and security in the neighbourhood.

But through it all, the businesses who are a part of Chinatown Dining Week have soldiered on. While some restaurants are newer to the area, having opened over the last two years, such as China Marble, Co Chin Saigon, and Spirit Bistro, the majority of participating businesses have been operating for at least a decade. Hong Kong Bakery and Kim Fat, for instance, have both been open for more than 30 years. The presence of such long-standing businesses speaks to the resilience of the business owners and the community. We hope Chinatown Dining Week can play a role in continuing to raise awareness about these locally-owned establishments and support their longevity in Edmonton.

Openings

Closures

Local News

What I Ate

It’s been more difficult to blog with two kids than with just one, something I probably should have anticipated but didn’t think would be that much harder! As a result, I took a longer break than I originally planned – but did have a really restful and rejuvenating holiday with my family. I hope you had a similarly wonderful start to the new year.

  • Inspired by a piece by Ramneek Singh in Hungry Zine, my family tried Punjabi-style pizza for the first time over the holidays. Based on our first taste from Supreme Pizza, it’s a style we will definitely order again. The palak paneer pizza in particular was the crowd favourite.

    • Supreme Pizza

Palak paneer and butter chicken pizzas from Supreme Pizza

  • We can never get enough noodles – our go-to on a cold winter night was our neighbourhood Dagu. Their salted crispy chicken was a great side addition.

    • Dagu

Our Dagu take-out

  • Mack and I were also fortunate enough to get away for a date night at Birdog. We finished our night with their version of a Deep ‘n’ Delicious cake – and I can report that it was a dead ringer for the cake, complete with the foil-lined packaging. The texture and flavour is what you’d expect, but the cake is springier and the icing doesn’t have that sheen of oil. Thanks Birdog for the treat!

    • Birddog

Birdog’s chocolate cake

  • We tried Butternut Tree’s high tea for the first time over the holidays. It was pretty close to Emily’s dream meal, as it’s probably the only time in her life she was permitted to eat cookies for her lunch. We were satisfied with the spread of items, with our favourite bites being the bacon-wrapped dates and the turkey and gravy poutine rappe.

    • Butternut Tree

Emily cameos with our Butternut Tree high tea spread