Food Notes for February 21, 2011

Nothing like a long weekend to refresh the spirit! Hope you had a good Family Day as well. On to this week’s food notes:

Twyla blogged about her epic Valentine’s Day dinner at Bistro La Persaud – it looked amazing.
I love sneaking a peek into people’s kitchens, especially for the day-to-day stuff, so I love Marianne’s recent posts about her “meal planning sagas”. She and Charles are exemplars that you can eat well at home, even without a lot of time to cook!
Are you intimidated by the prospect of making your own sausages? (I know I am.) Valerie’s photo essay helped somewhat – at the very least, it looks like a lot of fun!
Culina’s TV Dinners are now available gluten-free.
Chris Kourouniotis, a designer that brought us the interiors of Hundred and Press’d, among others, was interviewed for the Journal. It was interesting to read about his thoughts behind decor, such as “If you want to sell more liquor than food, say, 60 per cent versus 40 per cent, we tend to darken the colours, provide richer reds and earth tones, with red being the driving flavour, and we have way more millwork and wood in a bar or a heavy liquor space. We really try to warm up the space, because psychology shows that’s what sells the beverages.”
The Journal also had an article about Cheemo Perogies – they’re an amazing success story (they produce half a billion perogies every year!), but I had no idea they used locally grown flour, canola oil and potatoes in their products.
Vue Weekly’s issue this week focused on brunch in Edmonton. One standout article – a piece that finds out the brunch favourites of Jacqueline Jacek (of Jacek Chocolates), Michael Harvey (of Cafe Haven) and Nate Box (of Elm Cafe).
Perhaps it will be Transcend Coffee that will raise tea to a new level in Edmonton?
Speaking of coffee, Calgary’s John Manzo wrote about a recent experience in Good Earth Cafe that gets one thinking about the quality control in place at successful third wave coffee shops.
Mack and I stopped by Crave Cupcakes (7929 104 Street) on Saturday. It’s a bright little store, with pretty display pedestals. We tried the Va Va Vanilla (vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream) and the Lemon Lime Twist (lemon cake with lime buttercream). The lemon cake was the standout – moist, light, and subtle.

Interior

Cupcakes

My office celebrated Black History Month with a potluck last week. It’s hard not to love a place where we not only regularly gather around homemade meals, but the lunch also dissolves into a dance party!

The potluck spread

The 2011 California Wine Fair: A Sampling

I know you’ve seen it, just as I have – the bold, back-page ad in The Tomato advertising the California Wine Fair, now in its thirteenth year. One of the Citadel Theatre’s premiere fundraising events, the California Wine Fair boasts over 300 wines and food catered by the Shaw Conference Centre, all for the price of $65 a ticket. This year’s event will be held on March 8, 2011 at 7pm in Hall D.

Part of the preparations for the Citadel staff include selecting the food which would complement the wines. Along with Mel, it was a privilege to be asked to join several staff for a tasting of hors d’oeuvres at the Shaw Conference Centre on Thursday.

The tasting table

Natasha Susylinski, of Treasury Wine Estates, had chosen four wines for this tasting. A range of representative California wines, they included a Stag’s Leap Chardonnay, Santa Barbara Pinot Noir, Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon, and a St. Clement Oroppas Cabernet Sauvignon (a list of the wineries that will be present can be found here).

The wine spread

As one who prefers white wine, and sweeter whites at that (most Chardonnays are too dry for my taste), my palate probably wasn’t the best one for the wines. That said, like most wine reps, Natasha had a fun anecdote about each of the wines, which always helps with making that particular label memorable. For example, Sapporo (the Japanese beer company) once owned St. Clement, and named one of the wines after themselves: Oroppas (or “Sapporo” spelled backwards).

After we had familiarized ourselves with the wines, we were introduced to the food options. The idea was to choose three appetizers from the fourteen options presented.

Cold platters, featuring seared scallop form with vanilla apple chutney

All of the hors d’oeuvres were so visually appealing – daintily prepared, garnished with bursts of colour, they were almost too beautiful to eat.

Jerk chicken and mango chutney in a tortilla cup

Though most of us were hard pressed to pick our preferences, a few emerged as favourites around the table, including the goat cheese sphere with caramelized onion marmalade (creamy texture with just the right amount of sweetness), the barbequed duck with hoisin mayonnaise and wonton chip (a perfectly rounded bite with a satisfying crunch), and the roasted shallot, spinach and feta cheese tartlet (buttery and a good alternative to the more pedestrian spanakopita). These three will likely end up on the final menu.

Goat cheese sphere with caramelized onion marmalade

Barbequed duck with hoisin mayonnaise

In addition to the plated hors d’oeuvres, three varieties of cheese will also be served (oka, brie and old white cheddar). As well, expect to see another classic wine supplement at the event – chocolate truffles.

Dark chocolate espresso with biscotti crumbs, ginger milk chocolate, banana with toasted coconut, and salted caramel truffles

These weren’t the heavy, unyielding mounds I am used to – instead, each bite revealed a thin chocolate shell that encompassed a velvety filling. The standout flavour for me was definitely the salted caramel – there is no doubt I’d be eating my weight in these truffles at the Fair.

Thanks to Pam and Sydney for inviting me to be a part of a fun afternoon!

Tickets for the March 8, 2011 California Wine Fair can be purchased online.

Day 2 in San Francisco: Fruitful Wanderings

When travelling, I have a tendency to try and plan out our days as much as possible. In the case of San Francisco however, I didn’t have much time to do so (I was still frantically reading guidebooks on the plane ride over). But because we had ten glorious days to spend in the Bay area, having a lack of itineraries actually worked out quite well – day two was a great example of that.

We started our day on a walking tour, something that has become a bit of a tradition on each of our last few trips. I was happy to find out that San Francisco is home to a bonanza of complimentary tours: San Francisco City Guides is a non-profit organization that offers over thirty different walks each month that span all areas of interest, for free (though donations are gratefully accepted).

We decided to start in Chinatown, given our hotel’s proximity to the neighbourhood. Our group of over thirty people trailed a guide for two hours or so, and though we were hoping it would get better along the way, we were disappointed.

Chinatown

Sure, we did learn some history (our guide pointed out some tiny windows that captive prostitutes would have used to solicit customers), and he did lead us through a live seafood and poultry shop that we probably would not have stepped foot in on our own, but having prefaced his tour with not wanting to perpetuate stereotypes, he seemed to create some of his own (among other things, he claimed that all Chinese, even those with several generations of American ancestors, were fluent in Chinese).

Such narrow alleys

Colourful lanterns

Not pets

One of the tour stops was the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company, which was on our “to visit” list anyway. It was rather underwhelming as well – dim, and set-up almost like a front with two women forming the v-shaped cookies out by hand, the owner seemed to be more annoyed with visitors than anything else, which just seemed counterintuitive given tourists probably made up most of his business. We left with a few bags of cookies, and also the following photo which cost us 50 cents to take.

Inside the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company

The guide did make one impression – he said that in the past, restaurants in Chinatown would build their restaurants on the ground floor so that customers would be able to “conduct their own health inspections” as they walked past to the seating area on the upper floors. The only relic left from this era of dining was Sam Wo, and since it was lunch time anyway, we thought it was a good choice as any.

Sam Wo

The food was definitely westernized, but was decent (and really, for $15, pretty darn cheap). The broccoli was the better dish, nicely cooked and coated in a savoury sauce.

Broccoli and beef, and yang zhou fried rice

Satisfied, we decided to continue on to Fisherman’s Wharf (aka Tourist Mecca).

The Wharf

The Wharf/Pier 39 turned out to be a great place to wander, especially on a hot day – the cool breeze off the water was refreshingly welcome.

Mack with Alcatraz in the background

I could have easily spent the afternoon watching the sea lions belch and flop

We did some browsing (it was hard to imagine the shops pre-tourist days – what did they sell if not t-shirts, postcards and cameras?), and eventually ended up at Ghirardelli Square.

Segway tours

After sampling free chocolate (the pumpkin spice chocolate tasted exactly like a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks), we skipped the crazy line up at the Ghirardelli ice cream bar in favour of a treat from Kara’s Cupcakes.

It’s a lovely pink store, with the pricey $3.25 cupcake justified by Kara’s dedication to using local ingredients. My Fleur de Sel cupcake was rich, but the salty-sweet combination is slowly growing on me, and better yet, it had the perfect icing-to-cake ratio. Mack enjoyed Kara’s Carrot, pointing out that the cake was studded with raisins, and liked the cream cheese icing.

Cupcakes

Being an adult fan of Chuck E Cheese, it was no surprise our next stop was the Musee Mechanique on Pier 45 (something I had read about in one of the guides).

A different kind of football

The Musee Mechanique is an interactive celebration of antique arcade machines and mechanically operated musical instruments – instead of viewing the machines from behind a rope or pane of glass, you could actually play them!

Mack tried twice, but couldn’t beat the machine

I had such a blast! And given most machines cost a quarter to play, it was probably some of the cheapest fun we had in San Francisco (and one of my favourite destinations overall).

Aim and fire!

Back on the tourist path, we stepped inside Boudin Bakery, where San Francisco sourdough was invented. They had quite the little empire – a bakery, grocery/gift shop, and a formal restaurant. I loved the moving baskets whizzing overhead, “delivering” bread to the counters.

I had a good time just browsing the pretty bottles of olive oils and vinegars and marvelling at their novelty loaves shaped like crabs, turtles and teddy bears.

Bread, glorious bread!

We settled on a sourdough baguette ($2.69), just to get a taste of something made with the same wild yeast from 150 years prior. The bread was distinctly sour (too sour for our palates, anyway), but we loved the crackly crust.

I love me some bread

All the bread in the world couldn’t have prepared us for the “hill of death” though (seriously, if it wasn’t paved, it would have been a cliff of magnificent proportions), which we chose to walk up to reach Lombard Street.

Mack smiles through the burn

Lombard Street has the distinction of being the “crookedest street in the world”, with eight hairpin turns. Being the tourist destination it is, with people walking down either side, or driving through it, Mack and I could hardly believe it was a residential street – who would want to live with gawkers constantly in your front yard?

Lombard Street

Like visiting Lombard, riding a streetcar in San Francisco is another tourist must, so we thought we’d check it off early, and hopped on one to take us up the rest of Powell. It was standing room only, and rather uncomfortable with the jolting stops and sardine spacing inside the car. We did love that the streetcar had complete right of way though – it would stop right in the middle of intersections, immune to traffic laws.

Streetcar

We hopped off the streetcar at Union Square (a five minute walk from our hotel), and spent the rest of the evening exploring Westfield Shopping Centre. They had an intense food court (both in terms of options and decor) as well as a Bristol Farms (similar to Whole Foods). We didn’t have plans for dinner, so the cafeteria seemed like a good choice as any. And how could you not order from a place called Jody Maroni’s Sausage Kingdom?

I had the 100% Kobe beef wiener ($6.89) – it was unbelievably juicy, but would have been enhanced with some caramelized onions. The onion bun was a great choice. Mack’s chili dog ($4.69) was piping hot, but he would have appreciated a thicker ‘dog.

Hot dogs from Jody Maroni

Since we scrimped on dinner, we treated ourselves to dessert – cream puffs ($2.50) from Beard Papa. The vanilla custard filling was tasty (and seemed to be made with real vanilla beans), and the pastry shell was fresh, but to me, was nothing special. Mack liked his chocolate cream puff a little more than I did.

Beard Papa cream puff

We returned to our hotel, ready to rest our feet, as day 3 would see us behind bars – in Alcatraz!

Tiny but Terrific: Niche

On the heels of Corso 32 comes Niche, another tiny, intimate storefront offering a small but thoughtful menu. Jill and I had dinner there last Friday.

Interior

We loved the room. It’s definitely on the dim side (they will be going through candles like gangbusters), but it suits the space well. With dark wood, exposed brick and a long leather banquet that stretches the length of the room, it is clean and comfortable. The modern feel continues in the bathroom area with common sinks set above more brick, shiny, almost industrial silver stall doors, and a funky wall comprised of pages ripped from Life Magazine.

Restroom

Besides one minor glitch in service (the server initially directed us to a table in the darkest corner of the restaurant – even though seating options were available elsewhere), it was smooth sailing the rest of the night. Our server had a good sense of humour, and seemed to develop a good rapport with all other parties – especially important in such a small establishment.

As mentioned, the menu options are sparse but solid, with entrees priced at around $20 per plate. Charcuterie and cheese boards are also available, always appreciated as nibbles alongside a glass of wine. Notably, Niche also offers Yellowhead Beer.

I ordered the Spring Creek Ranch beef cheek ($20), served with broad egg noodles. This was my first encounter with beef cheeks, and based on this, I’d have them again. Resembling brisket in appearance, but tender and supple in texture, the meat was very well prepared. Thankfully, the wild mushroom cream sauce wasn’t overwhelming, and the pasta accompaniment just right.

Spring Creek Ranch beef cheek with egg noodles

Jill ordered the seafood special, featuring steelhead salmon, shrimp and a soy-butter glaze ($23). The salmon was perfectly flaky, and though she remarked that the shrimp were a touch overcooked, she enjoyed the dish overall.

Salmon, shrimp and a soy-butter glaze

We decided to share a dessert – a salt and caramel drizzled brownie with a dollop of ginger whipped cream ($8). It unfortunately didn’t live up to expectations – the brownie itself was hard and crumbled under fork pressure, and the bursts of salt were too few and far between.

Salt and caramel brownie

Open for just over a month, though Niche is not yet widely known, I’m sure that’s soon to change. It’s a welcome downtown addition – great for a post-work drink, date night, or dinner before a night out on the town. I will be back soon!

Niche
11011 Jasper Avenue
(780) 761-1011
Monday-Wednesday 4pm-midnight, Thursday-Saturday 4pm-2am, closed Sunday

Night and Day: MRKT

Restaurants that attempt to have multiple identities are not always successful (Blink in Calgary, for example, axed its club aspect to focus on fine dining, while The Treasury here in Edmonton should consider the opposite). MRKT, however, got it right.

After dark, the bustling lunch destination transforms from a fun, bright and airy space into an intimate but unassuming venue, refined enough for a pre-show drink, but comfortable enough for a casual date. Mack and I met up with Marilyn at MRKT last Wednesday evening to catch up over drinks and food.

It wasn’t packed, but there were a number of pairs and small groups that dined during our stay. We could have chosen to sit at the long communal table, but we were looking for just a little more light, so opted for one of the tables along the wall.

They had a good by-the-glass wine selection (meaning: both Mack and I found something that we liked). Curiously, though local producers are highlighted in the food menu, no Edmonton breweries are featured among the selection of beer.

The three of us shared a charcuterie and cheese board (meant for two, $21) to start. Though it didn’t look daunting initially, it would have been a hefty starter for two. The cheese and meat selection will depend upon what the restaurant has on hand – but we all had a favourite that night – the manchego for me, the oka for Mack, the truffled salami for Marilyn.

Charcuterie and cheese, paired with some fruit, honey, and Jam Lady condiments

Marilyn and I were both very happy with our entrees: the portion sizes were larger than we’d expected, and everything was nicely cooked. The Spring Creek Ranch boneless beef ribs ($26) were amazingly tender, and I enjoyed the fresh, crunchy slaw that accompanied it. The polenta was a little thin for my liking, but I appreciated the healthy alternative to the usual mashed potatoes.

Spring Creek Ranch beef ribs

Marilyn equally enjoyed her artfully presented sauteed prawns on sweet potato mash, tomato butter and white wine & miso-chimicurri ($17).

Sauteed prawns

Mack’s dish very much resembled the earlier charcuterie and cheese board – comprised of Cortes Island smoked oysters, smoked tuna, oka and crostini ($19). Though he could have clarified with our waitress about its possible similarity to our appetizer when ordering it, a heads up from her, knowing our appetizer selection, would have been appreciated.

Smoked oysters, smoked tuna, cheese and crostini

Other than that minor hiccup, service was laid-back but efficient – we were given the space we needed, dishes arrived in a timely fashion, and the staff were pleasant.

It’s such a fantastic time to be a food lover in Edmonton, but with places like MRKT just around the corner from our condo, it makes me even more grateful to be downtown. We’ll be back!

MRKT
10542 Jasper Avenue
(780) 757-6758
Lunch: Tuesday-Friday 11am-2pm; Dinner: Tuesday-Saturday 5pm-late; closed Sundays and Monday

Day 1 in San Francisco: The Lay of the Land

I had great intentions to blog about San Francisco earlier to the date of our actual trip (September 2010), but procrastination got in the way. Still, better late than never – writing about travels and browsing through old photos always seems like the best way to relive a trip. Perhaps it will make you long for the hills of San Francisco too!

I still don’t remember how the decision of San Francisco as our next vacation destination came about. I had been to SF once before for two days – on the return leg of my family’s journey back to North America after three weeks in the equatorial climes of southeast Asia. It’s safe to say I don’t remember much, save crossing the Golden Gate Bridge and never really acclimatizing to the thirty degree temperature change. Mack, on the other, hand, had never been to San Francisco, in spite of its hub of all things tech (and most notably, is the location of Twitter’s offices).

So in early September, we were off for a ten day trip to San Francisco, a city known for its food, liberal tendencies and a bridge.

At the airport, we hopped on the super-convenient BART train that would lead to a stop about two blocks from our accommodation. Two different people had recommended Hotel Triton to us, part of the Kimpton Hotel chain.

The Triton duckie!

More than any other hotel we’ve ever stayed in, Hotel Triton felt like home. The staff were friendly, always ready with a “welcome back” upon our return, but mostly, it was the small things – warm chocolate chip cookies available in the lobby every afternoon, free wine every evening, the resident dog Romeo (the concierge’s companion). Or, as a new member of their loyalty program, they offered us a free $10 minibar credit upon check-in.

Our SF home

The location was also hard to beat – right across from the Chinatown Gates, Hotel Triton was five minutes from Union Square and fifteen minutes from the Ferry Building. And whatever we couldn’t walk to, it was just as easy to hop on the BART or grab a bus. I’d recommend Hotel Triton in a heartbeat – and wouldn’t hesitate to stay there again.

Hotel Triton is right in the thick of things

We dropped off our luggage and went in search of lunch. We asked the front desk staff for walking directions to the Heart of the City Farmers’ Market, but they recommended we take the BART instead – apparently, it wasn’t safe to walk (it was the Tenderloin district they were weary of, but we ended up walking through it a few days later anyway, after dark no less, without incident).

Set up outdoors at UN Plaza, the Heart of the City Farmers’ Market wasn’t the largest we would encounter in San Francisco, but it was definitely meant for food shoppers. With no crafts in sight, it was a wonderful introduction to the area’s seasonal fare.

Heart of the City Farmers’ Market

Seafood and fresh eggs were available, and though there were a handful of prepared food vendors (spreads, Indian food, kettle corn, baked goods), the focus was undoubtedly on produce. What surprised me was the variety of Asian vegetables available – long beans, Chinese eggplant, bitter melon, among others – and mostly sold without signage.

Asian vegetable paradise

Such vibrant-coloured eggplant

Peaches!

We bought some apples, nectarines and peaches for the week, and some focaccia pizza for lunch.

Mack enjoys our light lunch

Satisfied, we wandered over to the neighbouring Hayes Valley, past their grand City Hall building and symphony hall. The shops were lovely to browse, but given that the first pair of shoes I picked up cost over $400, I knew we would only be window shopping.

We’re not in Canada anymore

We did stumble upon Paulette Macarons in the neighbourhood though, completely by accident. Valerie had recommended the place, a charming pastel-coloured boutique offering more than a dozen flavours of macarons.

Paulette Macarons (loved the macaron artwork)

We tried the coffee and coconut ($1.60 each). They were Mack’s first macarons – he was surprised that they were not cloyingly sweet. Each had that intense burst of flavour, all contained inside a delicate yet punchy meringue shell, indicative of perfect execution.

Mack with his first macaron!

After returning to our hotel to freshen up for dinner, we headed out on foot to our dinner destination. We walked through Chinatown, past what I dubbed “peep show row” on Broadway, and arrived at Fog City Diner, located near Pier 27.

Fog City Diner

Fog City Diner was billed, by Chowhound and others, as a “quintessential” San Francisco diner because of their food. But outfitted like a retro train car, with neon lights, cozy booths, and a long wooden bar, we could see how the decor reflected SF as well – appealing to tourists, but not over the top.

Interior

Once we got over the hump of being seated (it took about ten minutes or so; the wait staff were being run ragged), it was smooth sailing. We passed over what we probably should have ordered (their cioppino), and instead, opted for what would hit the spot.

The macaroni and cheese ($10) did just that, even if it was singlehandedly the richest we’d ever tried – it was essentially cheese fondue with noodles.

Mac ‘n’ cheese

The fish and chips ($17) were a little less successful, mostly due to the amount of grease still simmering on the freshly fried fish, but I enjoyed the plate nonetheless.

Fish and chips

Mack’s 1/2 pound burger ($20 with fixings) was an epic creation, enhanced with mushrooms, applewood smoked bacon and a fried egg, but was similarly greasy. It was interesting, however, that our server asked Mack how he wanted his burger done – something we never come across in Edmonton.

Burger

It was a good way to end our first day in San Francisco, and would be something of a pattern during our trip – filling up on food, then walking it off en route to our hotel. All hail a pedestrian-friendly city!

The Cooking Chronicles: Made with Love

For Valentine’s Day, Mack made me dinner. And not just any dinner – a heart-shaped calzone (take that, Boston Pizza and Papa Murphy’s).

It was simple – he used a familiar dough recipe, and filled the calzone with some of our favourite pizza toppings – sautéed onions and mushrooms, pepperoni, mozzarella. Out of the oven, it was golden brown and perfect.

We did end up watching Jeopardy, though not intentionally (Watson is darn amazing, and after day 2, is really showing up the humans).

But as everyone knows – it’s not how you spend Valentine’s Day, but who you spend it with. Thanks, Mack, for a lovely evening.

Food Notes for February 14, 2011

I hope everyone had a good Valentine’s Day! If anything, it’s a good excuse to spend some time with your loved ones. On to this week’s food notes:

Downtown Dining Week is coming up soon – March 4-13, 2011. 32 restaurants are participating this year, at $15, $25 and $50 price points. Most menus are forthcoming, though Wildflower Grill has already posted their offerings.
Nettie Wiebe, a well-known food activist, will be speaking at two engagements: March 3 and March 4, 2011.
Liane posted that this year’s Chefs in the City event is coming up on March 25, 2011. I had the privilege of attending last year, and it was quite the event indeed.
Edmonton’s first location of Crave Cupcakes is now open!
Liane also wrote about Blair Lebsack’s new venture, inspired by his recent trip to France and Spain.
Bistro Praha was reviewed in the Journal this week. Looks like returning customers will be satisfied.
Twyla reviewed Sabu Sushi Bar, the third restaurant to go into that location in a year. One can only hope it sticks.
There was a great article about Credo in Vue last week.
Bill C-474 was defeated last week. Jennifer posted the reply she received from her MP about why he voted against the bill.
A writer in the Atlantic absolutely admonishes foodies in this piece. One gem: “Most of us consider it a virtue to maintain our principles in the face of social pressure, but in the involuted world of gourmet morals, constancy is rudeness. One must never spoil a dinner party for mere religious or ethical reasons.”
Eater posted a hit list of food truck do’s and don’ts.
A new restaurant is moving into the space vacated by Apocalypse Gaming (10185 107 Street), next to Khazana. Look for Chateau Beirut soon.

Chateau Beirut

I’d been meaning to post a picture of Mighty Trio Organic’s new labels for a while, and finally got around to taking one this weekend at the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market. Sean of Mighty Trio said some shoppers have even approached them asking if they were new to the market, having noticed them for the first time just because of the fresh designs!

Mighty Trio Organics (the labels were designed by Gabe Wong)

One of the guilty pleasures that Mack and I share involves McDonald’s breakfast items; we love starting out any road trip with an Egg or Sausage McMuffin! So when McDonald’s announced a two day window where we could try their new Buttermilk Biscuit Sandwich for free, we jumped at the chance. It was clear many others also leapt at the word “free” – the line up at the Commerce McDonald’s was longer than I’d ever seen it. As for the sandwich? The biscuit was all right, but we both didn’t like the scrambled nature of the egg.

Buttermilk Sausage Biscuit

In between shopping at South Edmonton Common, Annie and I stopped by Local Public Eatery to grab a bite over the weekend. It wasn’t the best experience, food or service wise: my fish was on the greasy side, and Annie’s burger was cold, and it took over twenty minutes to pay our bill. It was busy in the restaurant – the Oilers game was on – but I am hopeful our next experience will be more positive.

Fish and chips ($13)

Oil City burger with squash soup ($15)

Not food related, but I’m proud of my sister – Amanda helped style a mannequin for Goodwill, using the clothes and accessories available to her at the southside location.

Amanda’s rocker-inspired look

Walking home today, a dressed-up light pole at 102 Avenue and 106 Street caught my eye. At the top were cards printed with the following message, “While cold snow fell, I dreamt of summer gardens, and awoke to blossoms upon my pillow. I offer one to you, and although old and withered it still holds the whisper of its past glory.” Attached to the back of the card is a dried flower. It was such a beautiful thing to stumble upon – thanks to whoever offered up these random acts of kindness!

A beautiful surprise

The Cooking Chronicles: “Apples to Oysters”

I just finished Margaret Webb’s Apples to Oysters: A Food Lover’s Tour of Canadian Farms. The book chronicles Webb’s journey across Canada as she visited farms as diverse as oyster beds in Prince Edward Island, a cheesemaker in Quebec, a hog farm in Manitoba, and an apple orchard in British Colombia. She explores many of the issues that will be familiar to those who have read Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma, but there’s something about the Canadian examples she provides that makes it a worthwhile read.

Like many food memoirs, Apples to Oysters features recipes at the end of each chapter. Particularly fitting, a majority of the recipes are from the farmers themselves, which helps readers connect with their stories even further.

Zest’s Mushroom Soup

A recipe for Zest’s mushroom soup enhanced with ground flax seed was a good excuse to pick up a container of Prairie Gold Flax Seed from the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market – I had wanted to introduce flax to our diet at some point anyway.

Instead of a roux to thicken the soup, ground flax is whisked into the stock, which is then combined with sauteed onions, MoNa cremini mushrooms and port. The flax mixture lent the soup a sort of gelatinous quality almost immediately. I was hoping it would dissipate with further heating, but it remained, and wasn’t the most appealing quality to have in a soup.

Mushroom soup with parmesan toasts

We didn’t find the flax had a distinct taste we could point to, but I’m not sure we will continue with many more experiments – or at least not to the same degree: we discovered that Mack is allergic to flax!

Bev and Keith’s Witches’ Brew (Chili Con Carne)

We were more successful with a recipe for Bev and Keith’s Witches’ Brew, a version of chili con carne. It was very similar to the beef chili we usually make, except that it included bacon and brown rice. We did change one thing – draining the beans before adding them, and throwing in some beef stock.

Given no herbs or seasonings were called for besides salt, pepper and cayenne, we weren’t expecting it to be as tasty as it was – it was a great one bowl meal. But then again, Irvings Farm Fresh bacon is as good of a flavour base as any. Best of all, we ended up with a ton of leftovers, perfect for a week where time to cook was limited.

Chili con carne

Bev and Keith’s Witches Brew

1.5lb organic ground beef
1TBS salt and pepper each
1TBS cayenne pepper
.25lb organic bacon, cut into 1/4inch dice
2 large Spanish onions, cut into 1/4inch dice
2 large red/green bell peppers, cut into 1/4inch dice
1/2lb button mushrooms, sliced
3 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped or 1 28oz can diced tomatoes
2 cans (each 19oz) red kidney beans
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 can (5 1/2oz) tomato paste

Preheat oven to 350F.

Fry the ground beef in a large, heavy oven-proof pan over medium heat. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne. When the beef is cooked through, remove from heat and rain off the fat.

Fry the bacon over medium-high heat. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel; drain off any fat remaining in the pan. Add the onions, bell peppers and mushrooms to the pan; sauté until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, beans with their liquid, rice and tomato paste. Stir in the ground beef and bacon. Adjust seasoning.

Bake, covered, for about 30 minutes or until heated through and bubbling. Makes 6 – 8 servings.

From: Bev Everts, Pincher Creek, AB, as printed in From Apples to Oysters by Margaret Webb.

Love that Menu: Valentine’s Day 2011 in Edmonton

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

Mack:

Last year, Sharon and I collaborated on a Valentine’s Day post. We decided it would be fun to compare the special and regular menus at a variety of local restaurants in order to find out which one offered the best deal on Valentine’s Day. It was a nice mix of my penchant for stats and Sharon’s knowledge of the local food scene. This year, we wanted to do something different.

Sharon:

Eater nicknames Valentine’s Day “Black Monday” for a reason – restaurants pull out all the stops, hoping to woo diners with their prix fixe menus. Though I’m sure most of them are well intentioned (and Mack and I have certainly indulged in many Hallmark holiday dinners), some seem to be really over the top.

After perusing over a dozen Valentine’s Day menus, we’ve collected some observations. Here are our tongue-in-cheek picks for the best and worst of what the city’s restaurants have to offer this weekend.

This Dish Gets Around
- Aside from fondue, which is a Valentine’s Day staple, Chicken Supreme was the most common dish on the menus we examined. It is featured at Homefire Grill, Vic’s Steakhouse, Sorrentino’s Downtown, and even Hardware Grill. Those chickens really get around, don’t they?
Most Appealing Menu
- Last year we picked Hardware Grill as the tastiest-sounding menu, but this year the honor goes to Madison’s Grill. Five courses with two choices each (plus a dessert course) means there’s a good chance both you and your date will find something to enjoy. Pan seared scallops, pulled pork crepe, and grilled Spring Creek Ranch beef tenderloin are just a few of the delicious sounding options!
Best Bang for Your Buck
- At $45 per person, The Manor might not be the cheapest option, but with three courses (which include a choice of three entrees, with nary a chicken supreme in sight), we’re confident that between the food and their cozy rooms, couples will be well taken care of, and for a price less than a third of the most expensive meal in the city.
Big Spender
- That brings us to the five course prix fixe at Red Ox Inn. If you’re on a budget, this one isn’t for you – it will set you back $160 a person (which includes food, gratuity and tax). Each course is paired with a wine though, and given the meal has been at the same price point at least two years in a row, it has likely continued for a good reason.
Best Dish Name
- With images of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in our heads, Zinc’s “Cheek to Cheek” entrée is hard to beat. Comprised of a Spring Creek Rank beef cheek and a butter-poached halibut cheek, it also probably tastes as good as it sounds. We used Zinc’s photo above.
Worst Dish Name
- Maybe we need to get out of the city more, but there’s nothing particularly romantic to us about two slabs of meat. That’s what you’ll get at Teddy’s with “Lovers’ Steaks” – an 8oz New York and a 6oz Fillet Mignon. The dish comes with prawns, Caesar salad, and three cheese mashed potatoes for $49.
Say Cheese
- We really thought restaurants would be more forthcoming with the extras they would shower on you and your date, but no dice. So almost by default, The Melting Pot wins this category. You have the option of “enhancing” your meal with different feature packages, such as “The Cupid’s Arrow”, which includes one dozen roses in a vase, rose petals on your table, a bottle of sparkling wine, two champagne flutes to keep, and a framed photo of you and your Valentine. The price tag? $225, which also covers a four course dinner for two.
What’s the Point Prix Fixe
- With a Valentine’s Day menu that is so similar to the regular menu, we have to wonder why Chop even bothered! All of the entrees and most of the appetizer platter can be found on the regular menu. Only the dessert, Dark Chocolate Pecan Banana Cake, is new. If you’re superstitious you might like this option, however – the three course meal is priced at $88 per couple.
No Date Required
- Who says you need a table for two on February 14? Take a look at the menu from Bistro La Persaud and tell us you’re not seduced (braised boar bacon? poached lobster?). Best of all, it’s priced per person! Ooh la laa!

Mack:

However you choose to spend Valentine’s Day, we hope it is filled with love!

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