Openings

• PlayWright, a restaurant from MilkCrate’s Steve Brochu, is now open in the Citadel Theatre! I wrote about the story behind the restaurant back in March.
• Chai Lounge is now open in the former Tres Carnales space at 10119 Rice Howard Way.
• Culinary Unicorn is latest restaurant taking over a revolving door in the Matrix Hotel, at 10009 107 Street.

Upcoming Events

• Meuwly’s is hosting a Summer Kitchen Party on June 27, in support of In the Weeds YEG. Tickets are $99 and include food stations and three drink tickets.
• Save the date for YEG Burger Fest, involving over a dozen Downtown restaurants serving $10 burgers from July 2-7.
• RGE RD and Duchess are partnering to offer an afternoon tea on July 7 at The Butchery. Tickets are $119.05 per person.

Local News

• Edify checked out 104 Street newcomer Slap Shot.
• Happy first birthday to White Rabbit Ice Cream’s brick and mortar storefront!
• It was for naught (sob!) but many establishments, including Pals, RGE RD, and Nowhere Wine Bar, decided to close or close early today to allow staff to watch the final Oilers game of the season.
• Callingwood establishment Muggnz Family Restaurant is celebrating 25 years of business in Edmonton.
• Central Social Hall and The Cajun House were the top food and drink establishments in the St. Albert Gazette Readers’ Choice Awards.
• Edmonton is a “hot spot” for farmers’ markets, with a dozen Alberta Approved markets in Edmonton, plus others without that label like the 124 Street Grand Market.

What I Ate

• I had lunch for the first time at Gyu Kaku (It has taken me long enough, I know!). I will say, it might be better suited for a lingering dinner where time isn’t an issue – either that or I’m just not great at multi-tasking between conversation and not burning the thin cuts of meat. I will say the value was there – with three meat options, rice, miso, and salad for $19.95.

Our two-person spread at Gyu Kaku

• Our family enjoyed a great al fresco meal on the weekend, dining on a meal sourced from Fox Burger and Filistix food trucks as a part of District Cafe’s Summer Solstice event.

Outdoor dining is our jam

• Mack and I were also able to get away to celebrate my birthday – part of our evening took us to Dolly’s for the first time. We loved their patio and cocktails.

Dolly’s!

• We ended the night at our favourite local, Tzin. Their superb food and service always brings us back.

The Bacon from Tzin

• And for a sweet treat, we indulged in Birdhouse Bakeshop brioche donuts, available on occasion through Good Goods.

Brioche donuts from Birdhouse Bakeshop

Openings

• Happy Beer Street distillery Shiddy’s has opened up an eatery called the Rumpus Room. They serve Flatboy Burgers (who relocated here from the Granite Curling Club). It is located at 9908 78 Avenue.
• Slap Shot is now open at 10184 104 Street (replacing Northern Chicken).
• Backstairs Burger is readying the launch of Backstairs Pizza at their Holland Plaza location (11998 109A Avenue).
• La Morenita is a new Mexican restaurant to open later in June in Alberta Avenue, located at 8501 118 Avenue.

Local News

• Taproot wrote a follow-up to a story I wrote last year about Padmanadi and Seoul Fried Chicken’s expansions to Calgary.
• OpenTable has released their list of Top 100 Brunch Restaurants in Canada and 6 Edmonton area eateries made the cut: Brew + Bloom, Chartier, Darling, Happy and Olive, Hart’s Table, and La Ronde.
• Edify checked out Black Pearl’s Windermere location.
• Toast Culture and Bountiful Farmers’ Market are celebrating their fifth birthdays!
• Happy first birthdays to Nowhere Wine Bar and Marlo.
• McDonald’s has promised to rename an Edmonton location McDavid’s if the Oilers win.
• Free Play has partnered with Black Box Hospitality to raise funds for its programs. People can purchase an exclusive beer from Highlands Liquor, or donate $10 in exchange for a free coffee at District.

What I Ate

• I finally had dinner at Bernadette’s last week and it did not disappoint! Our small group shared several of the dishes, and the Saskatoon berry brisket (a carry over from their Pei Pei Chei Ow menu) and the spam pops were the standouts. Service was great, and the space is lovely and intimate. It was a great way to spend an evening.

Spam pops from Bernadette’s

• For my Dad’s birthday, he wanted to try LovePizza. So we ordered a round of different pies to share. I had forgotten how tasty the Ode to Ukraine is (like a perogy on a pizza).

Our spread from LovePizza

• After checking out the dragon parade and the Van bLoc party in Chinatown on Saturday, the drizzly weather drove us inside to warm up over hot soup at Pho Tau Bay. Ellie loved the noodles!

Ellie at Pho Tau Bay

Openings

• The Pampa space Downtown has been vacant for some years, so its nice to see some life back into it. Sang, is a new Korean restaurant from the owners of Dorinku/DOSC/Japonais, offering hanjeongsik for the first time in Edmonton, a “Korean-style full-course meal characterized by the colourful array of side dishes”.
• Aloha Poke and Grill opened its second location in Garneau on June 1. Find it at 8716 109 Street.
• Brew and Bloom will be opening their second location on the south side on June 7, at 1019 Parsons Road SW.
• Machi Machi is the latest Taiwanese bubble tea chain to open in Edmonton, at 3713 Gateway Blvd.
• Doughlicious Donuts is now open in West Edmonton Mall on level one, near the lake.

Closures

• The Grizzlar, which closed their storefront some time ago, posted that it will not be returning: “Well, we thought we could bring it back, but we can’t. It wasn’t our choice and there are some issues which we are working through, but the end result is the same. The GRIZZLAR is done and is not coming back.”

Upcoming Events

• Taco Week, which runs for 10 days from May 31-June 9, will donate $1 from each taco or margarita sold at participating restaurants to Edmonton’s Food Bank and the Leftovers Foundation. 16 restaurants, including Maria, Smokin’ Barrels Cocina Latina, and El Mero Mero, are participating.
• The Van bLoc Party takes place June 8 and 9, with food, vendors, and entertainment in Chinatown. It should be fun!

Local News

• Rob Filipchuk has sold Glass Monkey after starting the business more than ten years ago. Many of the same staff will remain in the transition.
• From Edify, they interviewed the folks behind La French Taste and the Dining Car Cafe, on their transition from markets and food trucks to brick and mortar storefronts.
• Also from Edify: they visited Sweet Basil Vietnamese Kitchen and Bay Leaf Fresh Indian Bistro, both in Windermere.
• Allan from Counter Culture is a big fan of Pho Hoan Pasteur.
• Meat has commemorated ten years in business!
• Happy first anniversary to May!
• Taste of Edmonton is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and runs July 18-28. The festival will host 11 new restaurants this year, including Ribeye Butcher Shop and Szechuan Paramount. Pre-sale tickets are now available.
• Tee Pee Treats is crowdfunding to purchase a food truck.
• To celebrate Bike Month, some businesses, including restaurants, are offering specials to those who cycle to their business this month.
• Edify featured some craft and cider makers in Central Alberta, including: Snake Lake Brewing in Sylvan Lake, Familia Brewing in Pigeon Lake, Dog Island Brewing in Slave Lake, and True North Cider in Camrose.

What I Ate

• It’s a treat when I get to choose the catering for work events – this week, it was Indigenous lunch boxes from Culina. The three sisters salad and house dressing was amazing.

Lentil fritters on three sisters salad from Culina

• We brought dinner over to my parents’ house after they spent the day with Ellie. It was a chance to order their favourite from Co Do Hue. I do enjoy their vermicelli bowls!

Vermicelli and rice bowls from Co Do Hue

• We also returned to The Art of Cake for a box of their scones to share with Mack’s Grandma for her birthday, who is a fan. Emily is also rapidly becoming a fan of the scones too, especially when dressed with strawberry jam.

Scones from The Art of Cake

• Sosyal Scoops was in our neighbourhood on the weekend as a part of the final day of Downtown Spark festivities. It was a great day for ice cream.

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Sosyal Scoops treats

• We also finally got our community garden plot in this weekend. Ellie is already a pro at watering, and Emily is looking forward to the tomatoes and strawberries. Here’s hoping for a good growing season!

At the Alex Decoteau Community Garden