Shop Local Month 2010: Favourite Gifts to Give or Get

I haven’t really begun my Christmas shopping yet, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been thinking about it! Things I’m leaning towards this year: treats from Duchess Bake Shop and Jacek Chocolate Couture; wine from Barr Estate Winery; or, like we did last year, baskets of locally-sourced products.

With Shop Local Month coming to a close, but the gift-getting-and-giving season just ramping up, I thought it might be helpful to collect ideas from a few city personalities, similar to last year. I asked them:

What is your favourite locally-purveyed gift to give or get?

I hope their answers will help you with your own shopping!

Garner Beggs, co-owner of Duchess Bake Shop

I would have to say a beautiful fountain pen or some ink from Stylus at 10538 102 Avenue. I’ve got more than a bit of a pen fetish and Stylus, besides having amazingly friendly and knowledgeable staff, has the most ridiculous number of inks I’ve ever seen crammed into one shop. Plus their selection of writing utensils in general is superb.

Tamara Stecyk, Special Events and Community Relations for the Edmonton Food Bank

I’ve always loved bakeries. Fresh bread can be so comforting and I love to treat myself to the apple caramel bread from Prairie Mill. It’s a great gift as well because the flavour is different than any other bread that I’ve tasted and others who have shared this sweet doughy pleasure with me agree.

I also recommend buying one or both of local writer Debby Waldman’s children’s books. Clever Rachel has riddles that even adults can enjoy. A Sack Full of Feathers teaches kids why it’s not a good idea to spread gossip.

Liane Faulder, Edmonton Journal Food Writer

I have to say that local cheese is my new favourite gift. A recent visit to Paddy’s (or Everything Cheese if you live in the south west) left me with three great ideas for locally-inspired hostess gifts over Christmas. Take a piece of St. Maure (by Holly Gale of Smoky Valley Goat Cheese) a chunk of pecorino (by The Cheesiry‘s Rhonda Headon) and a sizeable bite of Grizzly from Sylvan Star Gouda. Put them into a basket with a jar of preserves by The Jam Lady (available at Uncle Ed’s Restaurant or Bon Ton Bakery while the City Market is closed for the season) and a loaf of fresh bread from Tree Stone Bakery (baguettes are great, but they are long and might look funny sticking out of your basket). You are sure to be praised as the best guest ever at your next Christmas party.

Kendall Barber, marketer and blogger

This holiday season wrap up the gift of handmade with gifted and talented Edmontonians.

For design lovers or aspiring chefs, give a solid maple or walnut cutting and charcuterie boards handcrafted by Geoffrey Lilge. Available at Zocalo (10826 – 95 Street) or 29 Armstrong (10129 104 Street).

Give some sparkle with handmade jewelry from So Pretty. Absolutely adoring the rose gold collection for those hard-to-buy-for-gals on my list. Purchase online or at Coup Garment Boutique (#101 10137 104 Street).

Show up to your next holiday soiree with a hostess gift from g l a s s . f u l. These hand blown, tripled layered, coloured glass votives can be used as candleholder, vase, drinking glass or centerpiece. At only $30 a glass votive, these will be my go-to holiday gift.

Kids on my list will be reading all about jam with The Jam Story line-up of books from local illustrator Sarah Jackson. The adorable books teach important lessons on self-acceptance and realizing your tastiliciousness. Available at the Art Gallery of Alberta gift shop.

Omar Mouallem, editor, writer and rapper

No Edmonton woman is at her full potential of coolness without a piece of clothing by Fridget Apparel. Her line is a little 50s, a little mod, a little revolution.

And to add some animal or leafy charm to your life, I adore the felt anthropomorphized animals and hairpins by craft-ster Bevan Kovitz and her Trial By Fiber company.

Kat Danser, musician

I recently received a lovely gift of a massage at Prana Holistic. This business is owned by a mother/daughter team who are committed to the community and environment as well as providing a nurturing, professional atmosphere. My professional life as a musician means that I must commit to health and wellness. Creativity relies on a relaxed mind and body so that one’s spiritual essence can guide the way. The more out of my ego/mind self I am, the greater success I have in communicating musical meaning. I plan to return to Prana Holistic many times in the future so that I can expand my body knowledge and nurture myself. A lovely gift to receive and to give.

Gerbera daisies are my absolutely favourite flowers! When I first came upon La Piazza Dasee, I realized that something special was happening in that business. The calm environment, the care and attention of the creative flower artists and the value are outstanding. Whether sending beautiful flowers for to myself or to others, La Piazza Dasee is the only flower shop for me.

Valerie Lugonja, food blogger

I will be giving gifts from La Fourchette this year as I love the back story on this young foursome and their little funky flattened silverware markers that I first found at City Market downtown.

I will also be giving memberships for the Art Gallery of Alberta to my daughters as supporting our local art community is so important.

The last gift I will be giving is the gift of learning how to cook and bake through a gift certificate to a cooking class at my new business partnership with Maria: Taste Tripping.

I would love to get a gift of a donation made on my behalf to go to The Boys and Girl’s Club of Edmonton or to the Edmonton Food Bank. It is a time for me to give back and when someone wants to give me a gift, I ask that they keep these two very needy and incredibly important organizations in mind.

Jerry Aulenbach, realtor and bacon enthusiast

Bacon stuffies by @Evieheartsmilo. They are hand made, cute, cuddly, awesome, and bacon! Available as a muppet or a simple pillowy stuffy.

Bruce Clarke, photographer

Coffee – you can’t go wrong with just about any coffee product from either Transcend or Credo. Gift cards are always nice too.

AGA Membership – I’ve visited the new Art Gallery of Alberta more times in it’s first year of being open than I ever visited in all the previous years combined so I think a gift of a one-year membership would make an amazing gift to give or receive.

Hats – Headcase on Whyte Ave has a great selection of funky hats for men and women. As a man with a growing forehead, I’m learning to appreciate hats more and more.

Cosmetics – for the lady in your life, check out Lady Venom Cosmetics. Gina Cicero is an amazing makeup artist from Edmonton who has created her own line of high quality cosmetics.

Adam Rozenhart, Social Media Specialist and Podcaster

Boy, this is really a tough question. And I hate to default to something so common as what I’m about to suggest, but over the last five or so years, Edmonton’s food and beverage scene has grown by leaps and bounds.

If I had to give a gift from the local food scene, it would probably have to be a selection of fine roasted coffees from Edmonton’s very own local roasterie, Transcend Coffee. The boys and girls at Transcend have coffee bean roasting down to a T (pardon the ironic pun, if you’re reading this out loud). But more than that, they get what it means to be a local business. They’re active in social media, they love chatting with customers, and they also chat with competitors like the folks at Café Haven in Sherwood Park, and Nate Box over at Elm Café.

The holiday season is about staying warm and spending time with family. And nothing beats a delicious cup of coffee to help facilitate both.

Cindy Lazarenko, owner of Culina Highlands

Kerstin’s Chocolates! One year I received a gift basket with chocolate, book, coffee etc. wrapped beautifully, they do a great job there.

I love macarons from Duchess! Especially the salted caramel.

Also Callys Teas (8608 99 Street), her teas are so good and she sells these great little colored brown betty type teapots with basket inside, we use them at the restaurant.

Ryan Jespersen, Host of CityTV’s Breakfast Television

My wife (Kari Skelton) and I are big fans of “the experience,” so we try to give out-of-towners gifts that provide an opportunity to visit and learn a little bit about Edmonton. In past, we’ve gifted “itineraries” – weekends built around an Oilers game, a show at the Citadel (especially A Christmas Carol!), the Edmonton Indy or even the Ice on Whyte festival. A weekend in the capital city isn’t complete without a visit to one of our excellent independent restaurants, so we’re sure to include a stop at one of our favourites – Madison’s Grill, the Blue Plate Diner, Koutouki, Lux Steakhouse or Delux Burger Bar. Presentation-wise, it’s tough to beat the offerings at Notables Stationers. We’ve designed custom Christmas cards with their talented staff in past (and the hand-made wrapping paper is sure to impress). And for that person that seems to have everything, we’ve always found something special at La Piazza Dasee. Their team pushes floral design to a whole new level and their expanded location just south of Whyte Avenue has a great selection of unique gifts you won’t find anywhere else!

Make sure to check out Lightside Photography’s blog, featuring 30 local businesses over 30 days, for even more ideas!

Food Notes for November 29, 2010

If you haven’t yet entered the contest to win $750 worth of prizes to the Thompson Okanagan Region, make sure you do so by Friday, December 3! On to this week’s food notes:

Vinomania is hosting free wine tastings every Saturday from noon-5pm until December 18, 2010.
Foodie McPoon has uncovered some newish and soon-to-be restaurants in Edmonton: Sanpachi, a Japanese noodle house, and a dim sum joint in a Howard Johnson hotel, called Delicious, Delicious.
I came across a new French bistro called La Persaud on the Campus Saint Jean.
Kerstin’s is a great place if you’re looking to satisfy someone’s sweet tooth. And even better, besides knowing you are supporting a local business, you can also feel good that your purchases are benefiting those in developing countries too. As of December 1, 2010, Kerstin’s will be donating 10% of their profits to Change for Children, as the organization supports work in countries where cacao is grown.
Similar to how Allan broke down his veggie cost from his CSA share this summer, Kevin calculated the cost of his whole cow from Nature’s Green Acres, or, as he calls it: Nouveau Beef-onomics.
I almost missed Jennifer Cockrall-King’s post about “Gordonspotting” Gordon Ramsay at Hardware Grill on his recent stop in Edmonton.
A new Loblaws store, No Frills, opened in Edmonton last week.
Another group-based deals service launched, called Swarm Jam, courtesy of the Edmonton Journal.
Paula Simons posted a recipe for the cookie heard ‘round the world, and Chris tried out the recipe himself.
I can’t remember when I first saw these, but these collapsible bottles would be a great gift idea for a traveler, or really, anyone environmentally conscious.
SF bans Happy Meals (well, at least the marketing ploy of a toy for meals over a certain calorie count.
Sure, the Thanksgiving ramekin from The Dish was great – but how about most of a Thanksgiving meal stuffed into a croissant?
Frank Bruni asks: have we gone too far with our quest for the perfect cup of coffee at home?
There was a good piece in the NYT about one-note restaurants, with a particularly en-pointe statement: “‘Certain movie stars can carry a movie; certain foods can carry a restaurant.’”
First Julie Powell (of Julie & Julia fame), now Sarah Bigelow – are female butchers the new “it” thing?
Ruby Dragon, which has replaced Kai (10909 Jasper Avenue), is now open.

Ruby Dragon

Look out for new establishments in the 124 Street area, including Somerville Wine & Cheese.

Somerville Wine & Cheese

Also on tap, two doors down from Duchess, is Food Dish Wishes, a pet bakery.

Food Dish Wishes

The board I volunteer for was treated to a lovely dinner at the Royal Glenora on Monday. The food was great – my favourite dishes included the cedar-planked, panko-coated salmon, and the creamy mashed potatoes (it really is difficult to get attractive photos of a buffet spread).

I had to take a photo with Vicki, who is my partner-in-crime on the board!

Have a great week!

Saturday in Edmonton

It was a great day to be in Edmonton this weekend – I’m not really a football fan, but the excitement in the city for Grey Cup weekend was palpable. It helps that where we live is right in the thick of things, but based on the numbers of people on the streets – tourists and residents alike were out in full force taking in one of our biggest events this year.

We started our Saturday at the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market (which seemed to be emptier than usual, no doubt because of the festivities downtown), then wandered over to the Cosmopolitan Music Society, which was hosting the 9th Royal Bison Craft & Art Fair.

Inside the Royal Bison

There was some uncertainty earlier this year whether or not Royal Bison would continue, as founder Raymond Biesinger moved to Montreal, but thankfully, three of the artists/vendors saved the fair from demise. It’s such a great event – I love the unique products, but also the variety available.

Fun vinyl accessories by Majesty Inc.

Suitcase amps!

Beautiful jewellery by Saraswati

Omar Mouallem is multitalented – associate editor at Avenue Edmonton, he is also a writer and rapper

Sarah Jackson of A Jam Story was nice enough to tell us our love fortune (something we missed out on at the last ArtsScene event)

We picked up a few gifts, then zoomed back home, just in time to catch the Grey Cup parade just outside our building.

There were snowbirds

And cheerleaders

Mascots

And smile-inducing floats

Horses

And those that clean up after them

Our armed forces

And of course…a sea of green

I knew from attending an Eskimos game against Saskatchewan that Roughriders fans are rabid supporters of their team, but I really didn’t know how much until this weekend. It really was amazing to be a part of, if only for a few days. (You can check out Mack’s post on the parade here, and see the rest of his photos here.)

After ducking inside to warm up (funny how staying stationary in even mildly cold temperatures can be chilly), we wandered over to Huddle Town, centering on Churchill Square, to check out the festivities.

A football game in front of City Hall

It was really amazing to us how many people were outside wandering around, enjoying themselves, not minding the cold. We hear so often that being a winter city prevents more programming of events outdoors – and though I recognize that the weather was actually not too bad, to some extent, the “build it, and they will come” mantra seems to hold true.

The crowds

The Gridiron Zone, for example, held in the square just south of the Stanley Milner Library, is empty most of the year. One reason provided was that the concrete isn’t sound due to the parkade structure just underneath. Well, everything seemed fine this weekend – as the space hosted sponsor booths, and, what else – a bar.

Inside the Zone

Lines seemed to be the word of the day, however – besides the massive wait for the Zipline (please, please bring it back in the future!), there were lines to get into the Spirit of Edmonton, the Huddle Dome and even the tented sports bar by City Hall!

Lines everywhere

In spite of the waits, everyone was in such a good mood. We even got a random hug from a woman walking around with a huge “Rider Nation” flag!

Spread the love

There really was something for everyone though, and enough activities to keep crowds busy. The music at the outdoor stage kept things lively, and of course, food is never a bad thing. It was great to see Eva Sweet out so we could warm up with some hot waffles!

Fozzy with Chris Jericho

Eva Sweet (without a truck!)

Though I’m sure people didn’t come out for the free stuff, there was quite a bit of swag to be had, some more random than others (we took the can of baked beans, but we live nearby; who would want to carry it around with them?). My favourites were the Mardi Gras-inspired beads from the organizers of TigerTown and the Grey Cup bandana.

Mack with his swag!

For non-sports fans, Alberta House could have been a bit of a sanctuary, with a good variety of arts and culture programming. We finished off our tour of Huddle Town with a quick demo by Brad Smoliak, who used quick-cook barley from Progressive Foods to make a risotto (which also featured pecorino from The Cheesiry, and wild boar bacon from Hog Wild).

Brad Smoliak at work

The finished product (I’ve made it before, but never with bacon – it tastes so much better with bacon!)

Kudos to the organizers for such a great weekend! Hopefully it leads to even more events downtown in the winter.

Playing Elves at Santas Anonymous

Mack and I had signed up a little too late for last year’s Wrapping Tweetup, an annual event organized by Brittney to help Santas Anonymous for an evening. We made sure not to make the same mistake this year.

On Friday night, we headed to their warehouse just north of the City Centre Airport, a different location than when we volunteered two years ago. There were over a dozen people already there, busily wrapping gifts.

The warehouse

We were assigned bagging duty – placing gifts for each household securely in a bag, then sorting it by location. Time flew by quickly, as it always seems to, and though the group made a small dent on the number packages bagged, the remaining tags were still too numerous to count, and of course, requests will continue to come in for the next few weeks.

Mack bags a package

The need is mind boggling, and a reminder of how many families are less fortunate in our very community. And though Santas Anonymous has, thankfully, been providing this wonderful service in Edmonton for 55 years now, it is also stunning that they haven’t yet secured a permanent home to conduct their business (the Jerry Forbes Centre for Community Spirit, which will house Santas Anonymous, as well as other non-profit organizations, is not slated to be completed until 2013).

Waiting to be delivered

If you’re looking to help out at the Santas Anonymous warehouse, click here. Or, there’s always the delivery days, December 18-19, 2010 – another very worthwhile experience. Thanks to Brittney for organizing this opportunity!

Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market: Update

I had some time after work on Thursday, so hopped on the train and headed to the Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market. After a quick connection to a bus at Coliseum station, I was there – fifteen minutes after leaving downtown.

All decked out for the holidays

The market has undergone some changes in the past two weeks since my last visit. A new market manager has been installed, and from the sounds of it, was a necessary step, and a positive one. Kerry is working on bringing in new vendors, and though the market will be closed December 23, 2010 and January 2 and 9, 2011, she’s already planning to partner with Deep Freeze, Arts on the Avenue’s winter festival, to offer a special market in conjunction with the festivities.

Mary Ellen and Andreas of Greens, Eggs and Ham have also been tirelessly drumming up more vendor support for the market, and helped bring on both Shooting Star Ranch and Smoky Valley Goat Cheese. They really are amazing – between farming, deliveries, and family, they’ve also managed to squeeze one more market into their roster – the Kingsland Market in Calgary on Saturdays.

Andreas and Mary Ellen Grueneberg

Elk farmer Christine Harrison of Shooting Star Ranch has an amazing memory – she had to prompt me that we had already met – briefly at Planet Organics’ Meet the Locals festival over a year ago (where they also carry their products). This was her second market day (and the only farmers’ market that she does), and though it had been slow so far, she was confident that sales would improve. I picked up some ground elk, which will be perfect for a warming batch of chili later in the week.

Christine Harrison of Shooting Star Ranch

It was the first Alberta Avenue market day for Holly Gale of Smoky Valley Goat Cheese. It’s so fantastic for this small market to have such a wonderful cheese producer. I really hope customers give her cheeses a try – they won’t look back!

Holly Gale of Smoky Valley Goat Cheese

Arie Jol of Ma-Be Farms is a veteran at this market, having joined in the fall of 2009. He sells grass-fed beef and bison, naturally-raised pork, and free-run chickens and eggs. He has his share of regular customers, such as one woman who asks, “Are you treating your chickens well?” before buying her eggs. Every week, he responds, with assurance, “Yes.”

Arie Jol of Ma-Be Farms

Though the selection of vendors is small (which will hopefully change soon, along with the hours), I love the vibe of this market. Sure, it is so different in many ways from the City Market, but they do both have an intimacy not seen at the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market – space and time to be able to individually connect with the vendors. This market also has such potential to become a community gathering venue like The Carrot down the street, vitally important “bumping places” for burgeoning neighbourhoods like Alberta Avenue.

Check out the Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market when you have the chance!

Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market
118 Avenue & 93 Street
Open Thursdays, 2-7 p.m.

Downtown East Diner: Early Bird Cafe

A colleague and I attended an all-day training session at Canada Place today, which, besides being a nice change of pace, also meant we were able to try out a new restaurant! I had been eying the Early Bird Cafe for some time, tucked away in the soon-to-be-revitalized Quarters on 97 Street and 102 Avenue. Though it is getting better, it is still not the best area after dark, which may also explain why the restaurant is only open for breakfast and lunch.

Our instructor cut our lunch hour in half, hoping to get a jump on the afternoon material, so I crossed my fingers that it wouldn’t be a mistake for us to opt for a non-food cafeteria meal. It wasn’t.

The restaurant is narrow, with a welcoming long wooden bar at the front, where customers could watch the kitchen in action. Unfortunately, the walkway between the door and the bar isn’t particularly wide, so customers all inevitably drifted to the rear of the space. The room is functional, with a nice refurbished wooden floor, but what passes as decor gave us a bit of a laugh because of its randomness – a poster of mushroom varieties displayed next to a glossy of Marilyn Monroe, for example.

The no-frills menu is filled with comforting diner favourites – baked pastas, burgers and donairs. Due to the time constraints, my coworkers and I both decided on a sandwich with the day’s soup on the side.

My colleague enjoyed her Denver sandwich, with ham, green pepper, onion and egg ($6.95). We both agreed the cream of spinach soup was pretty good – nice flavour, and fresh spinach that had been added just before serving.

Denver sandwich

My Monte Cristo with ham, turkey and Swiss ($8.95) was a bit unusual – where I was expecting crisp egg-dipped bread, I was presented with the equivalent of a sandwich made with French toast. I found out later that this simply is another version, and ultimately, would make a great brunch dish – savoury with hints of sweetness.

Monte Cristo

Staff were great – friendly and attentive; if we didn’t have to promptly return, it would have been a great place to linger a while. It’s really great to see another small business open up in downtown east – give it a try if you’re in the area!

Early Bird Cafe
10221 97 Street
(780) 420-6826
Monday-Friday 10am-3pm

Win a Basket from the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association!

As much as I love Edmonton, my mind seems to naturally drift to warmer climes when the mercury drops. How easy is it to get lost in a daydream just looking at the photos below?

The sky that never ends…

Can I have the bottle please?

And as luck would have it, I have a gift basket from the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) in British Columbia to give away – just in time for Christmas! The basket is worth over $750, and includes:

One nights’ accommodation for two from Accent Inns
A Red and White Vinotherapy spa lotion and 20 “Spa Dollars” from Beyond Wrapture Spa
One nights’ accommodation for two from Best Western Kelowna
Two lift tickets for Big White
An Okanagan Wine Cheese Plate made from recycled VQA Wine bottles
One bottle of Okanagan-Similkameen Wine from the Okanagan Wine Festivals Society:
A complementary upgrade to one bedroom executive suite for two people from Sandman Group Kelowna
A$25 gift certificate from Chop Restaurant
One body butter cream sample from Smudge
A $10 coupon towards a wine purchase at their Wine Shop and a tasting and tour gift certificate for Summerhill Pyramid Winery
A Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association 2010 Vacation Guide
One nights’ accommodation in a complementary suite and a $50 credit at the Wine Bar from the Watermark Beach Resort
A copy of the Fall/Winter 2010 Wineries Refined Magazine

Though I’ve been through the Okanagan region before, it was many, many years ago, and I was too young to appreciate the full bounty of our neighbour to the west (well that, and being a child, the wineries were off limits). I do, however, remember seeing more fruit on trees than I ever had before. Cherry picking our way through one orchard, my youngest sister gorged herself to the point of inevitable illness.

Since then, I’ve only explored the area vicariously through a few of my fellow local bloggers – Jennifer Cockrall-King, who organizes the annual Okanagan Food & Wine Writers Workshop, FoodieSuz, and Liane Faulder – a read through their experiences is to believe that paradise is only a half day away. The winner of this basket will no doubt have an amazing time getting acquainted with the area firsthand!

Food, glorious food

To enter the contest, simply leave a comment below with your favourite memory of the Okanagan. Or, if you’ve never visited the area before, what do you most look forward to enjoying in the Okanagan? The contest closes at 5 p.m. on December 3, 2010. I will contact the winner by e-mail.

To learn more about the Thompson Okanagan region, check out their website, Facebook page, or follow them on Twitter. Good luck!

Edit on December 6, 2010: Congratulations to George Wenzel for winning the basket. Enjoy your trip, George!

Food Notes for November 22, 2010

On cold nights like this, walking home, it’s hard not to think about those who don’t have a place of their own. Even though this year’s homeless count estimates that the numbers have decreased since 2008, there is still a long way to go. As we approach Christmas – remember your local charities this holiday season! On to this week’s food notes:

Billingsgate (7331 104 Street) is hosting an open house on Saturday, November 27 @ 10am-2pm, celebrating their 103 year in business. Lobster bisque will be sampled.
Need some help deciding on a gift? Sherbrooke Liquor Store will be holding a Christmas Spirit”s” show at the Capilano Community League (10819 54 Street) on November 27 from 5-9pm, with sampling tickets available at the door.
Transcend’s upcoming Barista Jam on December 4 at the Argyll location sounds like a lot of fun. Look forward to an espresso throwdown, taste Alberta-roasted espressos, and test your ability to identify the odd-espresso out.
To celebrate Terra Madre Day on December 10, Slow Food Edmonton is screening the episode of The Endless Feast that was shot in Edmonton last year, as well as a documentary about a Prairie farming family. To sweeten the deal, there will be local meat and cheese to snack on, and Amber’s beer and EnSante wine to drink!
For more food and drink events, check out City and Dale’s Holiday Eats & Drinks Guide.
I had heard rumblings about this, but it’s nice to finally have it confirmed – Culina will be moving into the cafe space in the Muttart Conservatory! I have no doubt the recognizable name will help draw many more people into our beautiful river valley, and I am glad to hear they will be taking advantage of the greenhouses to grow their own food. They hope to be open by Christmas.
New bakery alert: La Manarca, at 4119 106 Street, will be hosting its grand opening on December 1.
On the topic of bakeries – Duchess has a brand-spankin’ new website. It looks great!
Passing by what used to be Kai on 109 Street and Jasper Avenue, it looks like it is Kai no longer – a sign posted said they are hiring for Ruby Dragon. Though this ad says they will be opening on November 18, it still looked like it was under construction. Any updates?
Chris reviewed Bubba’s BBQ & Smoke House last week. Sounds delish!
Mack pointed me to a great little blog by Lightside Photo – they are currently doing a feature called “30 Days of Edmonton”, and alongside beautiful photos, they posted an interview with the owner of Cha Island Tea today.
More on GMO salmon – and it isn’t good.
Mack and I were in the area of Everything Cheese on the weekend, so decided to stop by. While the selection may not be as deep as Paddy’s (though they will be getting in shipments from Neal’s Yard Dairy soon), there is no doubt it is a stunning space. I also much appreciated the labels – both next to the cheeses inside the case, and printed onto labels for customers to easily reference. While it’s a little out of the way for us, I can imagine those in the area are floored with this new neighbourhood addition!

Everything Cheese

Hurrah for labels!

A fun stocking stuffer – bags that allow one to make a grilled cheese right inside the toaster

Next door to Everything Cheese is Secret Sweets (14910 45 Avenue, 780-479-3387), whose tagline is “because you don’t always have time to bake!” The baked good sold leaned more towards nostalgic than gourmet (snickerdoodles, Rice Krispie balls, cupcakes and shortbread), but from what we sampled, it’s a solid local option to satisfy the sweet tooth. They’re also looking into offering bread some time in the future as well.

Secret Sweets

We finally got our lights up outside (of course we waited until it was –30 to do so). Only 33 days until Christmas!

Love that LED glow

The Cooking Chronicles: Marvellous Marinades

Until recently, I hadn’t experimented much with marinades. No reason for it, save perhaps that no recipes had really caught my eye. While I know marinades can help with breaking down tougher cuts of meat, the two dishes I made in the last two weeks helped demonstrate two other fantastic uses for marinades – for adding flavour and boosting moisture.

Soy Baked Fish

One of the objectives of Donna Hay’s recipes in No Time To Cook is to offer flavourful dishes that can be made in a relatively short amount of time. The soy baked fish is a great example – a meal in half an hour, with less than ten ingredients.

Ocean Odyssey was unfortunately closed that Sunday, so we used whitefish from the Sobeys down the street. The fish was marinated in soy, sesame oil, brown sugar, leeks, and garlic for five minutes on each side, then placed on top of Peas on Earth gai lan, marinade and all, and baked for about twenty minutes. Served with rice, it made a quick but tasty supper, and given the results with such minimal effort, it is something I’d definitely make again.

Soy baked fish

Balsamic Pesto Chicken

Dish Entertains is one of those cookbooks I return to again and again – for dinner parties, for desserts, for weeknight meals. The balsamic pesto chicken was a recipe that I passed over the first time, but came back to this week, knowing that I had a fresh batch of pesto in the fridge to use, made with leftover basil from Morinville Greenhouses.

The marinade is a combination of a 1/4 cup pesto, 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil and salt and pepper. 3 boneless chicken breasts are then marinated anywhere from 2 hours to overnight (I left it for about 5 hours), then baked off with the marinade in a 400F oven for 25 minutes.

The marinade helped the chicken retain its moisture, though I would have wished for more basil flavour – the balsamic was undoubtedly dominant. We served the chicken with some roasted root vegetables and leftover rice.

Balsamic Pesto Chicken

Balsamic pesto chicken (not the most visually appealing dish, but tasty!)

Thanks to Trish Magwood for another solid recipe!

One-Note Wonder: Battista’s Calzones

About two years ago, I wrote that more one-note restaurants in Edmonton would be a welcome sight – Battista’s Calzones is one such place, and is a wonderful addition to the local food scene.

Battista’s Calzones

Situated in a small building on 118 Avenue, Battista’s unavoidable purple hue is both eye-catching and a pleasing pop of colour on the sometimes dreary stretch of road. Stepping inside, it’s almost hard to believe it used to house an autobody shop – though nothing fancy, between the smell of baking bread and the friendly purveyor, the space felt warm and inviting.

Interior

Owner Battista Vecchio is clearly passionate about his new endeavour. When asked why he chose to focus on calzones, he said it was something he grew up with – his mother would make the portable pizzas for him so he would have something to eat after soccer games. Even now, his family is involved in the business – his mother makes the meatballs for one of the calzones, and his father was there assisting with a large catering order.

Battista Vecchio presents one of his calzone creations

Battista makes the dough from scratch, and sources the rest of his ingredients through The Italian Centre, including spicy Italian sausage made by Edmonton-based company Little Italy Foods. Though at the moment he offers only four varieties, Battista knows that the possibilities are endless – chili calzones, BBQ chicken calzones, Nutella dessert calzones, or turkey calzones for Christmas. I remarked that because of its compact nature, it is the ideal street food – calzone food truck, anyone?

Based on the meatball calzone I had (already baked earlier, and kept warm, meaning it was served to me almost immediately), I am glad Battista has chosen to keep his focus, in spite of many people prodding him towards pizza or other menu additions. The meatball was perfectly seasoned, and had just the right texture to be eaten between the folds of the soft and chewy dough. It was the most satisfying lunch I’ve had in a long time.

Meatball calzone

Battista said he’s slowly building up the business – from word of mouth, and those that live in the neighbourhood. But perhaps after the release of Avenue Edmonton’s next food issue – where his calzones will are in the running to be included as one of Gail Hall’s 25 Best Things to Eat, this gem of a restaurant will be a secret no longer. Try one before the crowds gather!

Battista’s Calzones (Twitter: @BattistaCalzone)
118 Avenue & 84 Street
(780) 758-1808
Monday-Saturday 11am-3pm

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