A River Cruise on the Edmonton Queen

I’d been on the Edmonton Queen once before, with my family the year it was announced that the boat would be docked for good. I don’t remember much, and truth be told, it was so crowded that it wasn’t as enjoyable as it could have been – the cruises were free to the public because of its farewell voyage. Well, needless to say, the Queen reigns again, and with the push provided by a 2-for-1 cruise coupon, I took Mack on his first journey down the river two weeks ago.

Edmonton Queen

We walked to the south side of the river, a pleasant stroll through Louise McKinney Park and across the footbridge. I know it’s a moot point since the hires are probably seasonal, but for an attraction, the ticket staff were less than friendly. In my two phone interactions and one in-person visit, they were a bit curt – not the best representation of our city (it’s also a pet peeve of ours that the base assumption is for one to have driven to the destination – we were greeted with a “Did you drive?” instead of a “Do you need a parking pass?”).

Can you say tourist?

Thankfully, the staff on the Queen were better, friendly and welcoming as they were. We had some time before we would be setting sail, so bought drinks to sip on the deck. Surprisingly, the prices were pretty reasonable ($4.50 for Mack’s Grasshopper, and $6.50 for a refreshing slush cocktail).

Drinks

The boat was decidedly under capacity compared with my previous ride, and meant we were able to easily navigate the different parts of the deck for the best vantage point at various points in the cruise.

Beautiful day for sailing

Mack hearts downtown!

We set sail upstream on the North Saskatchewan first. It provided a view of Edmonton’s skyline we don’t normally see, and on that sunny and clear day, a picture perfect opportunity to capture it for future reference.

Under the bridge

Skyline

We didn’t quite reach the Walterdale Bridge before we turned back and headed downstream for a bit. From the river, it was a nice reminder of how fortunate we are in Edmonton to have such a lush green valley with trees that seems to go on forever.

Rossdale from the water

Kayaker

Another skyline shot

In all, the cruise was an hour in length, but felt longer because we were travelling a path that allowed us to see the city from a different point of view. We highly recommend it!

Rainbow

You can see the full photo set here.

Food Notes for August 16, 2011

I guess Fringing all day on Sunday took more out of me than I thought – I had to go to bed early last night just to recover (so, no food notes until today). I’m looking forward to spending most of this week on the grounds though – there’s just so many more plays to see! On to this week’s food notes:

I have yet to write about the fabulous Old Strathcona Red Shoe Crawl that Mack and I enjoyed last week, but if you missed it, Yelp is organizing something along the same lines – a crawl of East Whyte Ave. It’s on from August 14 to 21, 2011, and includes deals such as 2-for-1 cupcakes at Flirt!
If the Fringe isn’t your thing, the annual East Meets West Festival starts this weekend, starting August 20 and running until August 28. The festival just seems to get bigger every year – check out the schedule of events here.
Kerstin’s Chocolates will be selling their Vahlrona ice cream at the City Market on August 20, 27 and September 3.
I might be in denial that summer is rapidly coming to a close, but it does mean that harvest season is just around the corner: the Prairie Bistro will be celebrating fall with a harvest dinner on September 1, 2011.
Rumour alert: Remedy Cafe is said to be opening another location in the downtown space currently held by Health Fare (10279 Jasper Avenue).
Look for popular Ethiopian restaurant Langano Skies to re-open at the end of the month.
Transcend’s new food menu is now in full swing! Check out their new food and liquor menus (the food is available at all three locations, while the alcohol is only available at the downtown and Garneau locations). Chris also wrote about the food here.
Battista’s Calzones also debuted two new additions to their menu: a savoury pesto calzone, and a nutella dessert calzone!
An enterprising young Edmontonian is looking at jumping into the local food truck scene – follow along on this blog. Good luck!
Slow Food Edmonton held its first ever “canning bee” on Sunday – it looked like a lot of fun! Read all about it on Valerie’s blog.
It was great to see wood-fired ovens featured in the Journal (and even better to read what Colleen, Vince and Kevin had to say)!
I had no idea there was a locally-made series called The People That Touch Your Food until I read about it in Vue. It was filmed at Upper Crust and chronicles the “adventures of a dysfunctional restaurant staff.”
I was excited to see that the Taste of Trucks event in Calgary, put on by YYCFoodTrucks was a huge success. I think we can learn from our neighbours, but I also think there is some great momentum in our province that we can build on in Edmonton.
There was a huge outpouring of support on the blogosphere for a mother of two who just lost her husband. How? Food bloggers all across North America responded to her call to make Mikey’s favourite chocolate peanut butter pie to share with a loved one.
Whyte is getting some new additions: one chain, and one local chain.

A DQ/Orange Julius will be opening up in the vacant Death by Chocolate space (8137 104 Street)

Famoso will be opening up in the Le Chateau space at 10421 82 Avenue (and also adding a West Edmonton Mall location to boot)

Marilyn had Mack and I over for dinner last week (she now has a blog too; check it out!). We had cake for dessert…well, sort of. She made a delicious cauliflower parmesan cake, and green beans with bacon. I brought a blueberry buckle – it was similar to a coffee cake, but I could have done with half the amount of sweet crumble. Still, we loved the cake itself, and I would make it again. Thanks, Marilyn, for the invitation!

Blueberry Buckle

City Market Report: Week 13 (plus Art 4 the Alley)

I’m still in denial that it’s already halfway through August, but with the summer we’ve had, I guess it’s inevitable that beautiful weather seems to speed up time somehow. All we can do is enjoy it!

It was another glorious day at the City Market today

And some would say, perfect for hopscotch!

We still didn’t get downstairs as early as we wanted to, but still found we had a good selection of produce to choose from.

Eggplant from Sundog Organic Farm

Fennel from Sundog Organic Farm

Tomatoes from Sundog Organic Farm

Leeks from Sundog Organic Farm

Blackberries from Steve & Dan’s

Flowers from Kuhlmann’s

It was, as most weekends are, a busy day in the city. Over at Churchill Square, the Edmonton Latin Festival was going on, with music, salsa lessons and food! (It runs until August 14, 2011.)

Churchill Square

Let’s dance!

Closer to the market, Art 4 the Alley was taking place in the alley behind the Armstrong Block. Patrons were invited to create art to line the alley, lanterns to string up, or simply take in some of the performances throughout the day. It was a great way to remind people about the potential of any space, even one that is currently dominated by dumpsters and potholes.

Celebrating the Alley of Light

Lanterns

Loved the “stage”

You can learn more about the Alley of Light project here.

I hope you enjoyed your Saturday as well!

A Visit to Fort Edmonton Park

I’ve written in the past that Fort Edmonton Park is my favourite City attraction, but it has been a while since I’ve been able to enjoy it in on my own. So for my birthday this year, I asked Mack to take me to the Park.

The day started out with the kind of weather we have been accustomed to this summer – overcast, threatening rain, with fleeting rays of sunshine. But we didn’t want to let the grey spoil our day, and headed out anyway. Fortunately, the skies held up for the most part!

I was most looking forward to taking in the 1920s midway, and specifically, riding the ferris wheel (those Everwood fans out there will know why). I was disappointed that the ferris wheel wasn’t in operation that day due to the windy conditions, but we made the most of it anyway!

I heart the midway

The carousel was up first, its antique horses reminding me very much of the Zeum Carousel in San Francisco.

Whee!

We also decided to try our hand at some of the midway games. I think the one operator took pity on us, because he offered us not one, but two choice prizes even though we didn’t quite win the game.

Steady…

Yes, I missed

Mack’s favourite part of the day was riding the steam locomotive. He loves trains!

We took our time wandering the buildings and storefronts, Mack found a room with his name on it:

Can I move in?

Taylor Hall’s mini-me!

The pigs (on loan from Irvings) seemed so very happy rooting in the mud

Business at the Edmonton Bulletin

One room schoolhouse on 1885 Street

Beautiful table setting in the Rutherford House

Greenhouse on 1905 Street

Tea on the boardwalk

Encore!

We also tried our hand at the Tom Thumb Miniature Golf Course. I’m usually terrible at putting, but because it was my birthday, I think Mack let me win!

Fore!

Capitol Theatre, still under construction at that time

We ended the day at Johnson’s Café, the restaurant inside Hotel Selkirk. Our reservation was at 6pm to coincide with the closing of the park. It was so odd to see the streets nearly deserted, a stark contrast to just a few hours before.

But if we thought it was quiet outside, it was almost more so inside the restaurant – we were among just two other groups in the room. Because of the close proximity between the parties, one would think ambiance would be that much more important, and without any music, conversations were easily overheard. Our server was also a tad awkward, checking in too frequently for a meal that could have been paced much better, especially for a restaurant that is undoubtedly a destination.

Johnson’s Cafe

Unfortunately, the food didn’t make up for the lack of atmosphere. My cream of mushroom and leek soup with wild Alberta mushrooms, leeks, and chardonnay wine ($5) was my best course, seasoned well. Mack’s avocado caesar salad ($9) was great to look at – served in a parmesan frico cup with a generous avocado fan on top, but was difficult to break down and eat with a fork and knife. It would have helped if the frico was warm instead of cold.

Cream of mushroom and leek soup

Avocado caesar salad

I ordered the special – steak medallions with a chai tea glaze. For starters, I wouldn’t have called the meat I was served medallions, but I could have easily overlooked that if the steak had been cooked anywhere near the requested medium. The chai glaze was nice, but nothing could have remedied the overcooked, chewy meat (a diner at one of the other tables sent back his steak, perhaps something I should have done as well).

Steak medallions with a chai tea glaze

Mack fared better with his halibut wellington ($35), served with a lemon and dill sauce, but the fish was unevenly cooked.

Halibut wellington

At the end of the day, we were disappointed with Johnson’s Cafe, and wondered if our lacklustre meal was an isolated experience. If the grand vision for the redevelopment of Fort Edmonton Park is to succeed (which considered building up more evening food service options), because of the attraction’s location, the food and service must be top notch. Since the City’s expertise doesn’t lie in the hospitality business, perhaps for the future, a model such as the one adopted by the Muttart Conservatory (which saw popular local chain Culina provide the food services there), should be considered for Fort Edmonton Park as well.

Besides dinner though, I had a great time at Fort Edmonton Park. And with Capitol Theatre to check out (and a ferris wheel still to ride), I’ll be back again soon!

The Cooking Chronicles: The Art of Balance

I’m not sure what it’s been, but if you don’t count experiments with our new barbecue, we haven’t really been trying out as many new recipes as of late. I think part of it has to do with summer – we’re doing our best to take in as many festivals as we can so we’ve ended up falling back on recipes we know and love.

Anyway, two new dishes we made recently were both pretty well-received, and exemplified the need to balance between recipes you want to make all the time and recipes you should make more often.

Pastitsio

I saw a brief clip of Ina Garten putting together pastitsio, a Greek-influenced baked pasta (while at the dentist of all places!), and was sure it would be a dish Mack would enjoy. But then again, like bacon, it would be hard for him to pass up a cheesy, sauce-entwined casserole.

Pastitsio

One bowl was enough

My only grievance with the dish is the length of time it took to make from start to finish – about two and a half hours. Between the meat sauce (we used beef all the way through), béchamel, and baking time, it’s definitely something you had to plan for. On the plus side, we had leftovers for days!

Quinoa-Veggie Burgers

I was immediately attracted to the quinoa-veggie burgers pictured on the July 2011 edition of Chatelaine. On a day where I wanted anything but a heavy meal, it was the perfect dish to make. Mack’s biggest problem with the dish was its name. To him, the word “burger” connotes meat, and bread. This recipe features neither, being both vegetarian and gluten free.

The patty was comprised of sautéed vegetables, quinoa, egg, cornstarch and seasonings, and came together quite quickly. I also loved the technique of pressing the mixture together into a measuring cup – overturned into the pan, perfectly circular patties were formed once the mounds were pressed down.

Quinoa-veggie burger

I loved the crunch – both from being pan-fried and the inherent texture of the quinoa. Instead of the mushroom base though, I would have actually preferred a bun. Roasted tomatoes (as recommended in the recipe) would have been a great addition, as would have been the tahini sauce, also recommended.

Mack’s verdict? Besides the fact that it shouldn’t have been called a burger, he liked it enough to say we should make it again! How’s that for a coup?

Why we love living downtown

Mack and I decided to collaborate on this post. Enjoy!

Sharon:

When Mack and I first started looking into buying a condo in 2009, we knew what we wanted. It took a bit of time, however, to get my dad (who was also our real estate agent), on board.

For our specified price range, he told us we would be able to purchase a spacious, sparkly new condo on the edge of the city. State of the art fixtures, modern design, and that pull of the pristine is attractive to many for a variety of reasons. But not for us, given our current work situation, lifestyle and values.

Mack:

We made a list of our priorities, and chief among them was location. It was really important for us to live downtown, or at least as close as possible, given that we both work in the downtown area and a significant number of our extracurricular activities take place downtown. We wanted a high-rise condo with two bedrooms (so that one could be my office), plenty of natural light, and a decent sized kitchen. Walking distance to the City Market was also on our list, and being downtown we knew access to public transit would be good.

We ended up purchasing a condo last July in The Century, located at 10180 104 Street (right beside Icon 2). Our 12th floor space is on the southeast corner of the building, facing 104 Street. We got the two bedrooms, a great kitchen, tons of natural light, and every Saturday morning the market is on our doorstep.

Walking to work

Sharon:

I have to admit I was a bit gleeful when I typed in our answers to the “commute length” question on the National Household Survey earlier this year. For me: 12 minutes. For Mack: 8 minutes.

I work in Central McDougall, just north of downtown, while Mack works in the core. I recognize that we are both very fortunate to work close to one another (and don’t require vehicles for our jobs), so neither of us has to compromise with commute times. But we also actively chose to situate ourselves in a location where walking to work would be convenient and the natural choice.

I do have the occasional off-site meeting or event to attend, and find it no problem to hop on transit to reach my destination.

104 Street & Jasper Avenue on a rainy day last year

Mack:

When I started at Questionmark, our office was in the northwest by The Brick’s warehouse and I lived in the southeast. Every day I drove the Whitemud there and back. Some days it could take an hour each way. Next I moved to Oliver, close to the old Molson Brewery. That cut my commute down, but I was still driving and depending on weather or traffic it could still take quite a while. When we moved the Questionmark office downtown to the Empire Building on Jasper Avenue and 101 Street, I started taking the bus every day. It took about 15 minutes and I would generally check email and Twitter on the way. Now that we live on 104 Street, I can walk to work in less than ten minutes.

I have a lot of early meetings, so I often work from home until mid morning or lunch and then head into the office for the rest of the day. That’s an option now because of our location. I can’t tell you how transformative that progressively smaller commute has been for me. Not only am I healthier because I’m walking every day, but I have so much more time for other things.

Public transit

Mack:

We’re a one car household and we rarely drive more than one day a week – usually an afternoon on the weekend to shop for things we can’t get at the market or to visit family. The rest of the time we’re either walking or riding the bus or train. We’re less than a block away from the Bay/Enterprise Square LRT station, and with luck we’re just a few years away from being a block or two from a new stop on the Downtown LRT Connector.

Of course downtown also has the best bus service in the city, so if we need to go somewhere the LRT can’t yet take us, a major route is not far away (the 1, 2, 7, 8 and 100 are just a few of the major routes that are a block or less from our place).

Front yard farmers’ market

Sharon:

An objection we often hear about not shopping locally is the inconvenience of it – nowhere to park, limited hours, selection that rewards early birds. By choosing to live right on 104 Street – the home of the City Market – that isn’t a problem for us. And in the same way we value public transportation, supporting local farmers is another one of our priorities, so it helps when the barrier of distance is removed.

When we lived in Oliver, we made the 35 minute trek to the City Market most Saturdays. It was a pleasant walk, but was definitely something we had to plan for, and schedule into our weekend. Now, even when we have other commitments on Saturdays, it’s not difficult for one of us to run downstairs, grab the essentials, and go on with our day.

Built for pedestrians

Mack:

Though our street didn’t start life as a pedestrian-friendly roadway, it certainly is now. Every Saturday the street is closed for the market, and while there has been talk of closing it to vehicular traffic permanently, that probably won’t happen. Still, I often remark that 104 Street is the most walkable street in the city.

The sidewalks are wide enough that you’ll find benches along the street, and restaurants like Lit and Tzin feature patios. The sidewalks also are level with the road, which reduces the feeling that there are separate pedestrian and vehicle spaces. The single lane of street parking on either side provides a nice safety buffer as you walk. The lights are placed along the sidewalks for pedestrians rather than in the middle for vehicles. And the trees, while not as tall or old as the ones that formed a beautiful canopy on 122 Street where we used to live, add that special something to the streetscape.

The result? Day or night, vehicles drive cautiously down 104 Street and jaywalking is the norm. Pedestrians rule here.

Location, location, location

Sharon:

104th is arguably the most exciting street in Edmonton right now. With two wine bars, a liquor store, a diner, a fantastic cafe, and an artisan bakery, it’s definitely a food lover’s paradise. And with an organic food store on the horizon, who knows what else is in store in the future?

Our street also doubles as a venue for some of Edmonton’s coolest events – the annual Al Fresco Block Party is a great example, or dance performances that transformed the street into a stage.

K.O. Dance Project on 104th

Downtown is often associated with a “lack” of green space, but given our proximity to the river valley, we’ve never really had an issue with that. And better yet, we have Beaver Hills House Park, just down the block from us. With its mature trees and water feature, the park really feels like an oasis, despite its seedy history.

Beaver Hills House Park

Amenities

Mack:

Coffee meetings are a regular part of most weeks for me. Very rarely do I need to meet outside the downtown core and when I do, I find the LRT or the bus works well enough to get me where I need to be. Most often though I can be found at Credo Coffee. The service is great, the vanilla latte is delicious, and it’s close to home – as in 100 steps or so. It’s my neighbourhood office!

I’m also a fan of the newest addition to our street, Bubble Buzz. When I need to get my hair cut, I stop in at blunt salon. If Sharon needs to pickup some bread on her way home, she visits Queen of Tarts. When we needed paint to create our red feature wall, we went to Carbon. Lunch or dinner in a pinch? Blue Plate Diner never disappoints. It’s amazing how much more time you have when you don’t have to spend as much of it travelling.

Sharon:

And though it isn’t quite the local food hub that it intended to be, there’s nothing handier than having Sobeys down the street from us. I can’t tell you the number of times it has saved us from having to drive down to a grocery store when we realized we were missing an ingredient for a recipe. It’s our corner store – something that has disappeared from so many of Edmonton’s neighbourhoods.

One year later

We had high expectations for our new place and neighbourhood when we moved in last July. Now a year later, it’s safe to say our expectations have been exceeded. We love living downtown!

The view from our balcony

Food Notes for August 8, 2011

The countdown to the 30th Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival is on! Mack and I bought our Frequent Fringer passes and the program last week, so we’re all ready to go. The fun starts in Old Strathcona on August 11 and runs until August 21, 2011. On to this week’s food notes:

Help spread the feeling for the Edmonton Food Bank! For every hug sent, Kraft will donate one jar of peanut butter to the food bank!
The Queen Community Garden (11112 109 Ave) is hosting an open house on August 12, 2011 from 12-3pm. Tours will be offered on the hour.
Madison’s Grill is hosting a farm to fork dinner on August 24, 2011. Producers will also be on hand to answer questions – check out the menu on the “features” tab.
Congrats to Transcend Coffee baristas Ben and Josh for placing first and third, respectively, at this weekend’s Prairie Regional Barista competition.
Speaking of Transcend, they just launched their exciting new food menu, which includes in-house made pastries like a savoury squash brioche. Street food-inspired items, including pupusas and arepas, will be introduced on August 10, 2011.
We were sad to have missed the Drift and Molly’s Eats food truck meet-up on August 1, so it was great to read about it on Twyla and Carmen’s blogs.
On the topic of food trucks, I really wish I could be in Calgary on Thursday for the official launch of their Food Truck Pilot Project. I’m optimistic that Mayor Nenshi’s efforts will help make it easier for trucks down south. And though it’s slow going here (something we’re hoping to change soon), I recognize that it could always be worse – we could be in Winnipeg.
Jacquie shared her recent experience with Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton (OFRE).
There was a great piece about Johnson Family Farm in Taste Alberta last week. I hear it caused quite the line-up for their products at Salisbury Farmers’ Market the following day!
Musings on the slippery slope of local, sustainable food: “At a certain point, when only the relatively rich can afford to not ingest bovine growth hormone on a regular basis, appreciating food and where it comes from becomes a bourgeois endeavor akin to collecting Fabergé eggs.”
This was one epic resignation letter from a disgruntled Whole Foods employee. You know it won’t be puppies and rainbows when it starts out like this, “I appreciated and respected what the company said it’s philosophies were at that time…However, it didn’t take long to realize what complete and utter bullshit they are.”
Are you ready for The Chew, a daytime talk show all about food? It starts airing on September 26, but I’m excited to see Top Chef alum Carla Hall back on TV.
No one’s happier about this than Mack: Oodle Noodle is expanding downtown, and will be opening up a location in the Birks Building on Jasper Avenue just off 104 Street. Look for it November 1, 2011.

Another Oodle Noodle, coming soon!

Mack and I had dinner at Niche on Friday. It was quieter than I expected, especially compared with my last two experiences there. I was sad to see they had taken my favourite dish – the beef cheek and egg noodles – off the menu, but I didn’t mind trying something new (it was great to see that they’ve added a vegetarian entree to the menu, too). The cheese plate ($22) was okay but nothing special (and we were a bit surprised our server didn’t introduce the cheeses to us). My Spanish braised Pembina pork ($22) was a monster of a serving, but was just meltingly tender and easy to eat without a fork. I could have done with less Israeli couscous though, and more of the slaw. Mack ordered the special, halibut crusted in cornmeal and paprika ($25). He enjoyed it, but preferred to sneak bites off my plate. We’ll be back at some point, but in the meantime, I’ll keep my fingers crossed that the beef cheeks will return to the menu…

Cheese plate

Spanish braised Pembina pork

Halibut crusted in cornmeal and paprika

On Saturday, our lovely dinner companions treated Mack and I to dinner at Bistecca. Our server was very patient with us as our party assembled, and great throughout the night. If I thought my serving at Niche was large, I’m not sure what to say about the veal osso buco. Though the meat was tender, the sauce definitely helped keep everything moist and tasty, and the side of risotto was cooked just perfectly. Mack ordered the night’s special, a house-smoked Nathan’s hot dog, served with lobster and risotto – there aren’t too many steakhouses that serve up hot dogs in Edmonton! The ‘dog ended up being the star of the show. Three of us ordered the crepes for dessert, mostly for the show. The crepes themselves were okay (the fig filling wasn’t our favourite), but the flame? Well, see for yourself.

Veal osso buco

Nathan’s Famous hot dog and lobster

Fire!

Crepe

City Market Report: Week 12 (plus Cariwest!)

Were you awoken by the wicked storm last night too? There was so much water accumulating on 104 Street I was sure the City Market vendors would be setting up knee-deep in puddles. But the weather ended up surprising us, and the sun was actually out when we finally got up this morning. The bad news was, a fierce spell of wind tore through the area as the vendors were setting up this morning, and destroyed more than a few tents.

Going tent-less

Given the market’s third cultural festival was planned for today, it was even more imperative that the weather cooperate (especially since the Filipino Festival had terrible weather). We made sure to take in some of the dances at India Fest.

Solo performance

Loved the music!

We also filled up our shopping basket, though maybe not as much as last week when I went a bit overboard with produce that we are still trying to eat our way through.

Strawberries from Steve & Dan’s

Broccoli from Sundog Organic Farm

Pattypan squash from Sundog Organic Farm

Multicoloured carrots from Greens, Eggs and Ham

Radishes from Kuhlmann’s

Golden jubilee beets from Kuhlmann’s

Swiss chard from Kuhlmann’s

Dragon tongue beans from Riverbend Gardens

We also bought a BLTC (bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheddar) crepe from the Fork and Spoon Brigade for lunch. It was delicious! Crispy bacon makes everything better.

BLTC crepe

We dropped off our groceries upstairs, and headed down to Jasper Avenue to take in some of the Cariwest parade. A few of us were joking that the organizers must be on Caribbean time, because the route was more than an hour late. But when it arrived, it did so with a bang!

Beautiful costumes

I love that it feels like one giant dance party, with those participating in the parade never afraid to share a beat with bystanders.

Dance!

I made mention of it last year, and still feel like a prude doing so, but for a family-friendly event, some of the dancing was on the suggestive side – only worth saying because it’s often the Pride Parade that gets flack from the public, but in fact, is much more tame.

Mobile band

Go Councillor Henderson!

We didn’t stay for the entire parade because we had other plans for the afternoon, but it was fun to get a taste of the music and the energy. You can continue to enjoy the Cariwest festivities tomorrow, August 7, at Churchill Square.

Hope you had a good Saturday as well!

The 2011 Heritage Festival

The weather was absolutely beautiful this past long weekend, perfect for one of Edmonton’s premiere summer festivals – Heritage Days. Mack and I made it down to Hawrelak Park on Monday to take it all in.

Crowds

People were out in droves – though we probably picked one of the higher-traffic times to visit. One look at the line-up at the Hungarian pavilion for their version of elephant ears ended up resulting in one of the best decisions we’ve ever made at Heritage Days – we would only eat what we’ve never tried before at the festival.

High five!

You would think, being the food lovers that we are, experimentation would be the name of the game at the multicultural paradise. But like the mini doughnuts and corn dogs at Capital Ex, there’s something comforting about having the perogies from Ukraine and the langos from Hungary every year. Sure, we would try a couple new plates here and there, but for the most part, we relished in the tradition of savouring our favourite ethnic dishes. But no more!

Loved the “mobile” lion dance troop

We first tried to use the new app that was introduced this year to help us navigate the grounds, but found that it wasn’t that easy to interpret. Although the initial map image overlaid pavilions on top of a satellite image of the park, the “directions to” screen did not, meaning we couldn’t use other pavilions as orientation markers. As a result, we resorted to using the paper map instead.

Paper art from Taiwan

Mack loves Melona

Though we were first drawn to the Pakistani pavilion because they had no line, it was a solid choice. It hadn’t been indicated anywhere on the menu that the qeema (ground beef and vegetables cooked in herbs and spices) was spicy, but I know it provided some welcome heat for Mack (as I usually prefer milder dishes, it means Mack normally has to compromise his chili-loving ways). The accompanying salad helped play down the heat slightly, and I really enjoyed the side of crispy, layered flatbread.

Qeema from Pakistan

We spotted the Bosnia & Herzegovina pavilion nearby, so decided to see if their burek was up to par (the best burek we’ve had thus far has been at The Cheese Factory). Unfortunately, it wasn’t: although the pastry was flaky, the meat inside was flavourless.

Burek from Bosnia & Herzegovina

We had heard rave reviews from two different people about the curry chicken at the Malaysian-Singapore pavilion. Although the line was modest, service was quick (and got me away from ogling the tempting bags of shrimp chips). The food was ultimately disappointing though – the sauce was much too greasy, and the chicken tasted more like vegan, soy-based meat replacement than actual chicken. Mack didn’t mind the spring rolls, but I didn’t think the filling had any texture at all. I suppose it was our mistake; we should know better than to order something that Mum can cook better, heh.

Curry chicken and spring rolls from Malaysian-Singapore

The only pavilion that I had wanted to visit based on a reading of the menu was Somalia. I wanted to introduce Mack to sabayat, a flatbread that I love. Of course, it had slipped my mind that Monday was the start of Ramadan, so the Somali food service had shut down. There’s always next year!

Closed for Ramadan

With the remaining tickets, we budgeted to try another two dishes. Given Mack’s attachment to the perogies from Ukraine, we thought it might be good to sample a similar dish at a new-to-us booth – Romania. It was a bit of a mistake, as by this time in the afternoon, the line-ups at the pavilion were insane, exacerbated by the ravenous hunger for their elephant ears. It was also the most inefficient tent we’d come across, and one where line-jumpers stole ahead of us [grr]. As a result, it would have been impossible for the perogies to have lived up to their wait. They were okay, but Ukraine still wins the taste battle.

Mack wasn’t happy about the wait for the perogies

Lastly, we headed over next door to the Japanese pavilion that seemed to be pounding out the plates. With a nod to Jill and Ellen, I had to try the okonomiyaki. Theirs was comprised of cabbage, pickled ginger and flour. The serving was huge and piping hot! It was nicely cooked, with a great texture from the combination of shredded cabbage and a golden brown top. Mack felt it was too “healthy” for Heritage Days, but with the sweetness of the sauce, it was a nice treat and way to end our day.

Okonomiyaki from Japan

There were some hits, and definitely some misses, but in a way, it was like attending a whole new festival! I can see a new tradition in the making already…

Nomad: A Finer Mobile Diner

Mack remarked to me today that it must be some week, given we’ve had lunch together twice in seven days (something that rarely, if ever, happens!). But it has been a special week in Edmonton, given that not one, but two new food trucks have debuted downtown.

We checked out Drift Mobile Eatery (parked at 108 Street and Jasper Avenue on weekdays) last Wednesday, and today, decided to meet up to try Nomad.

Parked at 102 Street, just south of Jasper Avenue, Nomad isn’t surrounded by towers, but its location does benefit from being next to a shaded green space made for a picnic (now, if only there were tables in that park…). They’ve only been open for four days, but chef/proprietor Mike Scorgie told us that they’ve had a great response so far, and sold out of food on two of those days.

Nomad’s menu changes daily (follow them on Twitter to be in the loop), but based on our experience, you can’t go wrong. Our two options today were a veggie chili ($6) and a porchetta sandwich ($7.50) served with an arugula and smoked tomato salad. Of course, Mack and I both opted for the latter.

Porchetta sandwich

The porchetta had been smoked then barbecued, sliced and served on a bun with green apple and pea shoots. The generous portion of meat was moist, with a good mix of lean and fattier pieces. I liked that the bun was toasted, and the added texture and sweetness from the fruit and greens was perfect. Mack isn’t usually a fan of salad, but between the vinaigrette and tomatoes that just popped with flavour, he didn’t complain!

We also tried their homemade iced tea, sweetened with molasses. It was a unique twist on a quintessential summer drink.

The only minor quibble we had was with better signage – Mike said they do their best to source products locally (the pork was from Brûlé, Alberta, and the tomatoes were from the farmers’ market), but it would have been nice if that was indicated somewhere on the truck.

Offering creative food made with care, Nomad is very much a welcome addition to Edmonton’s food truck scene. Check them out when you get the chance!

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