Where’s the Beef: Rodeo Burger

Before Pecha Kucha 8, Mack and I met up with Brittney and Shauna for dinner at Rodeo Burger. I had been looking for an excuse to hit up the campus burger joint, and an event at the U of A was the perfect justification.

The bold signage, declaring the restaurant’s commitment to using fresh, locally-sourced ingredients, and dedication to from-scratch goods (including their bread, patties and toppings) was eye-catching. But the red and black colour dynamic and hokey “Western”-themed font lost me, but then again, I’m much more attuned with the diner sensibilities of Fatburger, probably the closest burger joint comparison.

Interior

Service was friendly, and the cashier was quite patient with us as we waded through the options we had available to customize our burger (19 included in the basic burger price of $4.69). I ended up with a burger topped with bacon and cheese (at $1 more) and caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato and ketchup (included). Mack chose the Western burger ($5.69) topped with mustard, southwest sauce, sautéed mushrooms, bacon, guacamole, green chillies and caramelized onions, and we both upsized with fries and a drink.

Our order didn’t take long at all, our meals ready for pick up at the front counter in no time. I loved the presentation of the shoestring fries, spilling over the paper cup into the basket below. Mack had chosen the “seasoned” variety, which, unfortunately, needed more seasoning. My sea salt version was tasty, but under salted for my taste.

Burger and fries

As for the burger? The patty was thin with not much inherent flavour, surprising because they are custom-made for them, a claim that usually signals the expectation of something more substantial. Brittney’s complaint was that her patty did not fit the bun at all, again puzzling since they bake their own bread as well.

Mack digs in

My grievance was the composition of the burger – typically, ketchup is used as a “binder” of sorts underneath the top of the bun. Here, the ketchup was underneath the patty, resulting in slippery lettuce that would not stay put.

My burger

Rodeo Burger recently had a “free burger day” in support of the Salvation Army, and I do respect the fact that they, unlike other fast food chains, support area producers. And though I would return to Rodeo Burger if I was in the neighbourhood, I’m not sure I would go out of my way for a visit.

Rodeo Burger
8525A 112 Street
(780) 436-4375
Monday-Friday 11am-11pm, Saturday-Sunday 11am-10pm

City Market Report: Week 22

It’s hard to believe that another City Market season has come to a close – I remarked to Mack today that it is difficult to remember what we did on Saturday mornings when the market wasn’t in session.

Beautiful way to end the season

It has become a weekly ritual we look forward to not only for the purposes of stocking our fridge, but also to visit with producers and other market shoppers. More than in previous years, the market really felt like a community gathering place.

Kyla and friends

Unlike the chilly way the City Market ended last year, we were blessed with sunny skies and gloriously warm weather today. At the very least, it meant buskers were able to further enliven the atmosphere.

Martin Kerr

Though the City Market hasn’t yet found a permanent winter space, they have already planned to extend their season somewhat by hosting markets on Churchill Square in heated tents. Dates include:

October 16, 1-5pm @ the Olde Time Fair on the Square
November 13, 3-7pm @ the Holiday Light Up
December 4, 11, 18, 11am-3pm for special winter markets

The hard working City Market staff and volunteers

I really enjoyed documenting the market this year. It made me hyper-aware of our growing season, as I paid attention to when certain items started to become available. It also helped connect me with producers, all of whom were great about my picture taking habit.

So instead of produce photos this time around, I wanted to showcase some of the hard working farmers themselves. I respect and admire all of you for sharing your skills and talents with us, and helping to feed our city.

Jennifer of Sundog Organic

Mary Ellen from Greens, Eggs and Ham (in addition to their drop-off locations for Futures members, they will also be selling at the Alberta Avenue farmers’ market starting next week)

Rick and Amy of Barr Estate Wines (they will be participating in some of the winter market dates)

Pat of Ocean Odyssey Inland (fish available year-round at their retail location, 10027 167 Street, 780-930-1901)

Ed and Sherry of Sunshine Organic (their products can be found year-round at Ocean Odyssey, but they also offer a winter pick-up option)

Michael of Mo-Na Food (he said they are still in the process of determining their winter sales plan)

Patty of Lola Canola (she has started selling soaps made with honey!)

Alan and Sarah of Irvings Farm Fresh (they also sell at Old Strathcona and Salisbury farmers’ markets year-round)

Mathias and Gerda of Green Valley Farm

The City Market returns to 104 Street next May. Thanks for a great season!

The countdown begins…

The Cooking Chronicles: Soup’s On

When we got back from San Francisco, the shock of a fifteen degree temperature drop immediately drove me to revisit the soup sections of my cookbooks. Comfort was definitely in order, and what better radiates comfort than a hot bowl of soup?

Italian White Bean, Bacon and Tortellini Soup

Giada De Laurentiis’ recipe for an Italian white bean, pancetta and tortellini soup immediately caught my eye, but then again, it’s hard to go wrong with pork belly and cheese-filled pasta. I ended up substituting Irvings Farm Fresh bacon for the pancetta, and boy, was it a good decision – the bacon imbued the broth with a smoky flavour that was irresistible. The tortellini (from local company Pasta Time, available at the Italian Bakery) was also a nice inclusion, especially because we don’t indulge in the cheese-filled pasta often. And though we didn’t have any carrots, the Swiss chard from Sundog Organics provided a needed vegetable punch.

Italian white bean, bacon and tortellini soup

It was a simple but tasty soup that I will definitely make again, especially on cold winter nights.

Golden Pepper and Tomato Soup

For something a little less protein-rich, I turned to Deborah Madison’s golden pepper and yellow tomato soup. I ended up substituting another main ingredient in this soup – instead of using yellow tomatoes, I used one absolutely massive Grightmyre’s Pride tomato that weighed over two pounds (James of Sundog Organic said the heirloom variety is quite dense). Coupled with bell peppers from Doef’s and saffron and herbs for flavouring, the outcome should have been better than it was. We thought the broth was lacking something, though the bacon broth, still lingering on our minds (and palates), probably made it impossible for this soup to follow.

Golden pepper and yellow tomato soup

Celeriac Soup

I had been eying Donna Hay’s celeriac soup in No Time To Cook for some time, patiently waiting for celery root to appear at the City Market. It finally did recently, and I picked some up from Greens, Eggs and Ham. In addition to the celery root, the recipe also calls for onion, potatoes, stock and a touch of cream, pureed together.

Celeriac soup, all packed for lunch

I know I shouldn’t be surprised that celeriac tastes exactly like celery, but I was. It brightened the potentially heavy soup with a lovely freshness that made for the perfect lunch.

Though I’m happy with the beautiful fall weather we’ve been having lately, the bright side of a drop in temperature will be returning again to the comforting arms of soup.

Volunteering for the 2010 Homeless Count

The eighth count of Homeless people found 3079 homeless∗ people in the City of Edmonton. Of these, 1862 were absolute homeless (having no housing alternative) and 1217 were sheltered homeless (living in emergency accommodations). This represents an increase of 18% in the overall number of homeless individuals in the City of Edmonton from the 2006 count tally of 2618.

-from A Count of Homeless Persons 2008, Homeward Trust

After volunteering for the last Homeless Count in 2008, I started noticing that the final count of 3,079 was cited often – not unexpected given that it’s the best guess agencies have available, but surprising given the caveat on the possible margin of error given the methodology. Still, because of its pronounced use as a likely basis for funding, and more than anything, its encapsulation of the homeless population for the public, I knew I wanted to volunteer for the count again this year.

In light of the Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness, and in particular, the Housing First model that the plan embraces (having placed over 900 people in housing), I am really hoping that the count finds a decrease in the number of homeless people in Edmonton. Of course, this would mean that the number of homeless would have had to remain somewhat stagnant since 2008, but I’d like to be hopeful.

I headed to Boyle Street Co-op (my base camp site) this morning and met Fraser, who would be my buddy for the count. Our route ran along 107 and 107A Avenue, through both Central McDougall and McCauley neighbourhoods, and definitely saw more foot traffic than the route I had last year along the same Avenue but further west in Queen Mary Park.

Avenue of Nations route

Similar to what Mack and I found two years ago, we encountered many people in this ethnically-diverse area who passed on answering the questions because of English language barriers (it might be worthwhile for volunteers with second language capabilities to be recruited for future counts). Also, many, once finished answering our questions, were curious about why the survey was being done – a great opportunity to mention the work being done and coordinated by Homeward Trust.

It is worth noting that we also talked to a few people who admitted to being formerly homeless, but had strong opinions on what could be done better to address the issues. For example, one man expressed his opposition to the construction of another social housing complex in the inner city, stating that the temptation for relapse for residents in such an area is much higher than when compared with less central neighbourhoods (he may have been referring to the complex for recovering drug addicts that was just turned down by a city board in Central McDougall).

The 2010 report should be out by mid-November. Thanks again to Homeward Trust for this opportunity to volunteer – it’s always a humbling experience.

If you’re looking to give back, consider volunteering at the upcoming Homeless Connect on October 17, 2010. Hope to see you there!

Food Notes for October 4, 2010

Want the chance to win two WestJet tickets worth over $4000? It’s as easy as clicking over to Mack’s blog and answering the question, “What are you doing to help make Edmonton a better place?” Good luck! On to this week’s food notes:

Happy birthday to Vinomania, who is celebrating 15 years in the wine business this month! To help commemorate the occasion, from October 4-30, 2010 they are offering free wine tastings on their Enosystem, and with the donation of a non-perishable item to the Edmonton Food Bank, a 15% discount on all wine purchases.
Just Food Edmonton has organized an opportunity to contribute to developing the national People’s Food Policy. The forum (election candidates have been invited also) will take place on October 13, 2010 from 6-9pm at the Central Lions Seniors Centre (11113-113 Street). RSVP by October 10.
I know I’m already lamenting the end of the City Market this coming weekend, but something to look forward to for others going through withdrawal is the Olde Time Fair on the Square on October 16, 2010, which will feature market vendors in addition to pumpkin carving and carriage rides.
Have you checked out TeamBuy yet? It’s another e-mail discount deal system similar to Groupon.
Liane announced that Blair Lebsack, Executive Chef of Madison’s Grill (and one of my favourite chefs in the city) is leaving to tour and cook around Europe after attending Terra Madre. But don’t worry – it sounds like he’ll be back eventually, to open his own restaurant.
Liane also posted that the popular Cafe de Ville is opening a second location in Sherwood Park at 25 Sioux Road. Watch for it in December.
Chris Lachance of Century Hospitality is featured in the October issue of Avenue Magazine. As he was also profiled in their home interiors section two years ago, one has to wonder if they’ve run dry on local personalities to write about?
I’m biased, but: Mack wrote a great summary post on a session on “A Heritage of Local Food” at this weekend’s symposium put on by the Edmonton Heritage Council.
Kevin Kossowan hosted a tasting of Smoky Lake Goat Cheese last weekend, and though I was sad to have missed it, I can live vicariously through Valerie, Mel and Chris.
Like Alberta Avenue before it, Chinatown is getting some facade overhauls – I am hoping that like Alberta Avenue, it means that new businesses will soon follow!

Taipan Cafe, under all the construction

The Marc, Patrick and Doris Saurette’s new French bistro, officially opens on October 5. We peeked inside the windows on Sunday, and the dining room looked sparkling, and ready to go!

The Marc

By the end of the year, every major shopping mall will have a tea peddler in its midst. For City Centre, it will be Tea Fusion.

Tea Fusion

I’m a sucker for a promotion: Tim Horton’s offers “game day doughnuts” when the Eskimos play. Though they’re really only vanilla dip doughnuts with green and gold sprinkles, they seemed to taste better than normal yesterday. Perhaps it was the taste of victory?

Mack with his doughnut

Enjoy the lovely fall weather!

24/One at the Edmonton International Film Festival

At the City Market last weekend, dozens of people gathered around the Edmonton International Film Festival tent, readying themselves for the 24/One Challenge: make a family-friendly short film in just twenty-four hours!

For the chance to win a $500 cash prize, 45 teams of three entered the competition, with 38 managing to hand in their submission by the deadline. In addition to a selecting one of three genres (comedy, film noir or mockumentary), teams had to include a prop in their film (they were given $5 to purchase something from the farmers’ market), and also incorporate the line “They’re reel…and fabulous” into their script. A jury panel then chose the top ten to be screened on the last day of the festival. The winner of the grand prize, however, was to be chosen by the audience.

I was was planning on making it to at least one screening at EIFF, and after the excitement at the market, figured it would be best to satisfy my curiosity and find out how the teams did. Mack had been lucky enough to get free tickets from EIFF this year, so though he couldn’t come with me, I was able to take advantage of a complimentary pass.

Due to a fire alarm and subsequent evacuation, the screening had been pushed back a half hour. It wasn’t a long wait, and besides, it meant the excitement for the filmmakers in the audience (who wouldn’t know if their film made it into the top ten until show time) had even more time to grow.

The line at Empire Theatre

I really didn’t expect to laugh as much as I did. Several of the films were hilariously absurd (including personified vegetables, an alien encounter, and the sport of “freestyle walking”), and I couldn’t help but appreciate the creativity on display. Though some were cleaner than others, in terms of camera work or sound recording, for example, it was amazing to me that all of the films had been written, shot, and edited all in twenty-four hours.

My two favourite films (and the two that I ended up voting for with my audience ballot) were by Team Show & Tell and Team SSC. The former produced Mittens, about a man entranced with a girl who left a mitten behind at his bus stop, to the point of developing stalker tendencies, while the latter, Reunion, prominently featured its prop (a jar of grape jam from Strathcona County Kitchens) in its telling of a band shattered by a member’s “preserve addiction”.

My ballot

Though I didn’t connect with Walk the Line, a mockumentary about the sport of freestyle walking, it was clearly very well done. More than anything, I was actually able to identify the Edmonton locations they used (something I was hoping for more of) – Beaver Hills Park and the Legislature grounds.

Before they announced the winner of the $500 people’s choice prize, host Rick Lee handed out prizes in jury-determined categories. Walk the Line took home a majority of the awards, including best director, editing and cinematography, so it wasn’t a surprise when they were also called up for the people’s choice award.

I was really glad to have caught 24/One fever – it’s something I will definitely look for at next year’s festival!

City Market Report: Week 21

Though it started out quite chilly this morning, it turned out to be a great day weather-wise for the penultimate City Market day.

Don’t you just love the market in the fall?

Because I had a workshop to get to, I had to make my rounds in twenty minutes – definitely not enough time to really enjoy the market, but at least we have our groceries for the week!

Still quiet

There were lots of purple produce to choose from:

Beets from Kuhlmann’s

Grapes from Steve & Dan’s

Kale from Sundog Organics

…and lots of pumpkins!

Jack-o’lantern sized pumpkins from Riverbend Gardens

ugar pie pumpkins from Sundog Organics

My personal favourite – too cute ornamental gourds from Kuhlmann’s

I can’t believe the City Market season ends next week – time really does fly. Hope to see you there!

Recap: Weekend in Calgary

At the end of July, Mack and I decided to escape to Calgary for a weekend, eluding the boxes and avoiding the general chaos that surrounded us after the move. I had good intentions to write a series of posts about all of our epicurious encounters down south, but as you can guess, I put it off. I figured – better late than never, and better something than nothing at all.

Belmont Diner

It’s no secret that Mack and I adore diners. so it wasn’t a surprise that our first stop ended up being a diner.

Belmont Diner in Marda Loop had been on my hit list for some time (operated by the same people behind Galaxie Diner and Myhre’s Deli), and though our driving schedule meant we would reach our destination towards the end of their operating hours on Saturday, their all-day breakfast menu meant we wouldn’t be penalized for our late arrival.

Mack loves his Coke

Though we had a decent experience at Belmont, I think our visit to Galaxie Diner coloured our introduction to Belmont. The layout and menu were strikingly similar to Galaxie, and unfortunately, my burger ($10.75) was dry. Thankfully, the bottomless(!) hash browns saved the plate – though they don’t look like much, the slightly crispy potatoes were nicely seasoned with an interesting blend of spices.

Burger

Mack had better luck with his hearty “everything” Calgary sandwich ($12.25), which also included a side of bottomless hash browns.

Calgary sandwich

While we would eat at Belmont again if we were in the area, based on this meal, we wouldn’t go out of our way to return.

Phil & Sebastian Coffee Company

After lunch, we wandered into the nearby location of Phil & Sebastian. This storefront opened in late November 2009, and based on the excitement exuded by the food folks down south, it was evident Phil & Sebastian has long outgrown their original booth at the Calgary Farmers’ Market.

I love their packaging

There is no question is it an absolutely stunning space. With a high ceiling, a clean white and black colour scheme and interesting light fixtures (a huge, Pixar-like arm lamp near the door, and of-the-moment Edison bulbs), I wouldn’t think twice about relocating my mobile office here.

Phil & Sebastian at the Marda Loop

Charcut

It’s hard not to salivate when reading about a 35 pound poutine, made with 3kg of cheese curds and fries simmered in duck fat. So although the family-style serving wouldn’t be in the cards for us, I knew a visit to Charcut would be, after reading Julie Van Rosendaal’s post.

Charcut opened in February in the swanky new Hotel Le Germain downtown, the name reflecting the “custom-built rotisserie and charbroiler” (char) and “featured vintage-style slicer and hand-crafted charcuterie eating bar” (cut). We would have loved to sit at the back of the restaurant, facing the kitchen (and the charcuterie cooler, complete with two pig’s heads), but they were unfortunately full that night.

How cute is the porcine paper clip?

I wasn’t too fond of the “ranch” touches in what could have been a sleek dining room – a cow mural, wooden beams, and wagon wheel light fixtures featuring mason jars – but I suppose they reminded diners of the rustic nature of the food.

Interior

The menu isn’t extensive, but changes every day (old menus are recycled into dish liners), and prominently highlights local producers. We decided to share three dishes, which although seemed doable at the time, filled us up in no time due to their sinfully rich nature.

Amuse bouche of turkey terrine and peaches atop a brioche crostini

The lamb croquettes ($15) were delightfully crispy, and were lovingly smoked, which enhanced the flavour of the meat.

Lamb croquettes

The share burger, “Charcut style”, consisted of a roasted garlic sausage patty, cheese curds, and a fried egg ($2.5/oz, minimum 9oz). It was interesting to try a sausage patty, dense and fatty as it was, but it was overcooked, making it even more difficult to eat. The brioche and egg, on the other hand, were perfect, the latter fried to a wobbly, yolk-bursting precipice.

Share burger

And the poutine ($8)? Heaven. The truffle oil assaulted our senses first, and gave way to fries that had been simmered in duck fat and drenched in a generous amount of cheese curds. The gravy was a bit thin (Mack prefers it thicker), but truly, it’s a dish to fight over.

Duck fat poutine

The trend of throwback desserts caught us, as it did at Farm. We couldn’t pass up their animal crackers, accompanied by a garden rhubarb and summer berry crème brulee ($8). The shortbread cookies didn’t taste quite like those boxed crackers of our youth, but went really well with the warmed custard (it was actually warmed through! a pet peeve of mine with restaurant crème brulees). Mack especially liked the softened fruit, which was distributed evenly throughout the custard.

Crème brulee

It’s worth noting that the kitchen was efficient, and that service was attentive but respectful. But regardless, need I say it again? Duck fat poutine.

Fiestaval 2010

On our way home from dinner, we stumbled upon Fiestaval, Calgary’s Latin Festival. Olympic Plaza was filled with food and product vendors, and we were able to catch the tail end of their last performer of the day.

Olympic Plaza

Between the crowd and the energy (people were dancing in the square), it’s hard to deny that Calgary has their own festival culture.

These pink gophers still crack me up

Over Easy Breakfast

Located just down from Diner Deluxe (one of my Calgary favourites), Over Easy has become a popular breakfast destination.

I loved the chalkboard ceiling just bursting with colour, and the equally fun “We Got Huevos” t-shirts (similar to the cheeky “Line Tamer” shirts at Diner Deluxe). Our server was exceptionally friendly and ensured we were never left wanting for coffee, and was notably excited when we told her it was our first visit to the restaurant.

Ceiling

Unlike Belmont Diner, Over Easy has an extensive menu, and one I could see locals returning to many times without compromising variety. And though they got my pancake order wrong, it was a happy mistake – the waffle was sweet, crispy and finished with icing sugar and berries, was like having dessert for breakfast.

Fruit-topped waffle

Mack’s blue plate special (actually served on a blue plate), featured a nice amount of fruit, and wonderfully crispy bacon.

Blue plate special

We’ll be back!

Sun & Salsa Festival 2010

We ended our weekend at the Kensington Sun & Salsa Festival, which I had added to our itinerary once seeing it on Andree’s blog.

Our introduction to the festival wasn’t pleasant – we couldn’t find parking in the neighbourhood for the life of us. Driving around in circles, it seemed to us that the entire city of Calgary had decided to drive to the event that day (our original plan was to take the C-Train there, but as it was our last stop, it didn’t make too much sense to backtrack on transit). We eventually secured a spot, and wandered into the grounds to see what all the fuss about.

Kensington

It was actually pretty cool – patrons were invited to sample over 40 salsas put together by local businesses and organizations, with proceeds from the taco chips going to charity.

The salsa from Naked Leaf was more chutney than salsa – a jasmine-infused peach salsa – but it was creative an unique

Though many stations were out by the time we made our rounds, our favourite was the salsa by Higher Ground – mild, tomato-based, but tasty.

The streets were closed to cars, and were packed shoulder to shoulder with people. A haphazard mix of booths lined the streets (with no method to the madness – non-profits placed at random in between municipal election candidates and private businesses), as well as outdoor food vendors. Though I think the food could have taken some attention away from the salsa (especially when the salsa stations weren’t clearly marked), the salsa didn’t seem to be the focus of the event anyway – instead, the intention was to bring people into the neighbourhood and to promote the area merchants.

Sun & Salsa

It was a fun event, and really, such a great idea – kudos to the organizers!

Deliciously Trendy: MRKT

Though there has been some mainstream and blogosphere buzz around MRKT, Carla Alexander and restauranteur Sal Dimaio’s newest venture, it still seems to have that “hidden gem” status. This may partly have to do with a lack of aggressive signage at street level (a sandwich board is the only obvious pointer to the restaurant’s existence upstairs), or, up until this point, a lack of formal marketing, but there is something refreshing about an organic growth of customers linked to positive word-of-mouth recommendations. It seems to be a trend in the city as of late, with Duchess and Elm Café having developed their clientele in a similar fashion.

I was happy to finally sample MRKT’s fare last week, having set a lunch date with Ellen (who funnily enough works in the same office as I do, but separated by a floor, means that we hardly ever run into each other).

While MRKT didn’t turn out to be the best place for those on a tight schedule, we didn’t mind the wait as it gave us time to catch up. There were about eight people in front of us, and with that queue of food orders, it was twenty-five minutes before we had plates in front of us.

I loved the décor. When I initially saw photos of the wood paneled walls, I was afraid it would be too dim and imposing. But it was quite the opposite, with the fun curved paneling and two skylights, the atmosphere felt warm and inviting. The communal table (while a little more utilitarian than FARM’s wood version) and blackboard menu also reminded me of FARM, and with their Edison lights (the first in Edmonton!), this interior is probably the trendiest in the city.

Interior

Similar to Soul Soup (Carla’s first restaurant venture), there were three soup options. In addition to soup were three sandwiches, a special and desserts (keep up to date with their daily menu items on MRKT’s Twitter account). Ellen and I both opted for a soup and sandwich combo($13). We both chose the meat soup, a spicy Italian meatball, but deviated on the sandwich orders.

The only blip was the the ordering system – we placed our orders at the counter, and then sat down to wait for our food. But instead of calling out orders (which, I would imagine, would be difficult given the din of the room during the lunch rush), we had to go up to the counter to periodically check to see if our order was up. Sure, a minor inconvenience, but making our way around the narrow tables wasn’t effortless.

The food, however, was everything I had hoped for – comforting, tasty, and made with care. Ellen and I both loved the meatballs in the soup, but had hoped for more than a halfhearted kick, especially from something billed as “spicy”. She really enjoyed her oven roasted tomato, basil and arugula sandwich, noting that she liked the choice of asiago cheese.

Roasted tomato sandwich

My braised Alberta beef sandwich was something that still haunts me today, the combination of tender shredded beef, edam, caramelized onions and pesto taunting me to find something equally as memorable and delicious. I loved that the bread soaked up the tomato sauce the beef had been braised in, ensuring every bite was moist and further punched up with flavour.

Braised beef sandwich

I was happy to see on their blackboard that MRKT is also open for dinner now (and fortuitously, Marianne posted her review yesterday, and had good things to say). It’s the type of restaurant that would transform in the evening into a charming, intimate venue – extending its daytime commitment of friendly staff and good food. What are you waiting for?

MRKT
10542 Jasper Avenue
(780) 757-6758
Lunch: Monday-Saturday 11am-2pm
Dinner: Wednesdays-Saturdays, 5pm-late

Visualeyez 2010

Performance art has always seemed a bit elusive to me – more than anything else, it probably has to do with my lack of familiarity with the medium rather than the art itself.

So when I found out that the 11th annual Visualeyez Festival, put on by Latitude 53, had adopted a theme of food this year, I was excited. Nothing like a topic that I love to get me interested and more willing to take the leap into the unknown.

Unlike an art gallery, where the pieces are static and accessible, for the most part, during operational hours, and unlike the Fringe theatre festival, where every staged production is performed multiple times, the Visualeyez Festival is not only brief by comparison at six days in length, but also, performances of some works were only scheduled to take place once.

That said, on the day Communications Assistant Alaine Mackenzie invited me to the festival, I was able to get a taste of three very different interpretations of the theme (and still can partake in one piece not bound by time – by downloading an audio tour of the Sobeys Urban Fresh).

Alaine was also really excited about this year’s theme of food, and really thought the banner would help break down the barriers of those daunted by the idea of performance art. The gallery was quiet when I arrived, but by the time the afternoon’s main event was underway, the main space was nearly full.

First, she introduced me to Alison Reiko Loader and Kelly Andres, who described their project titled kinder/garden as a “food laboratory”. Different from most of the other performances, both were on-site tending to the lab every day, and made a point of changing the space daily.

Alison and Kelly are based in Montreal, where they applied for and received space at the Concordia University greenhouse. They used the greenhouse to explore the idea of manipulating life, including Alison’s creepy but fascinating project of force-growing vegetables into moulds that resembled fetuses.

Pickled fetus-moulded tomato and cross-sections

The installation also featured other “live” foods, including yogurt (packed in plastic containers resembling test tubes for patrons to take home), a “doughbie” (a loaf of bread in a baby sling), and bacteria cultures in Petri dishes. Kelly was even serving up wheatgrass martinis (wheatgrass pulp + sparkling mineral water). Alaine and I decided to indulge. More than tasting like grass, it smelled like grass, but it definitely seemed to cleanse on the way down.

Kelly at work making our martinis

Cheers!

Alison and Kelly were more than happy to talk about their project, and this struck me as the most exciting thing about performance art – the dialogue between the patron and the artist. Sure, some galleries host evenings with the artists, and some theatres offer talk backs with the actors, but here, the very point is the exchange itself.

Next, I chatted with Cindy Baker, the Festival Animator. Her role was to attend all of the performances and blog about it, in the hopes of generating buzz and documenting the festival itself. She has done a great job, filing several thoughtful posts a day. She did comment that for a festival about food, however, there wasn’t much food being served.

I also wandered into Chun Hua Catherine Dong’s rice painting set, called Hourglass. Cindy did an exceptional job elaborating on some of the themes of her piece, so much so that I feel like I don’t have anything to add. Except to say that while the task of attempting to fill the bowl with painted grains of rice was futile, I enjoyed the experience. I liked the fact that there were only two chairs (even though many more hands would have resulted in lighter work), and that I was able to connect with another person, even for a brief moment, by sharing in the same task.

Two patrons taking on the task

Though Food Wars was delayed a couple hours due to the sheer number of dishes the two artists were putting together, I have to say, the food was worth the wait. The performance was billed as an Iron Chef-esque showdown: “Armed with only amateur cooking skills and each family’s secret recipes, Mexican artist Manolo Lugo and Guatemalan born artist Naufús Ramirez-Figueroa cook up a storm to prove which nation has the best cuisine!” The intention was for patrons to sample food from both countries, and vote for their favourite.

Latitude 53 Executive Director Todd Janes introduces the artists

Manolo and Naufús both did an exceptional job setting up their display tables, Manolo with a colourful fruit garnish and Naufús with an intense fondant-covered cake shaped like a Mayan pyramid (it was handy that a chef from Junction next door was in attendance, as she ended up helping Naufús with the fondant).

Dressing the Mayan cake

Naufús’s Guatemalan spread

From reading the description of the show, I did expect more exposition before the food free-for-all – someone in the audience had to prompt the artists for explanations of the dishes. Between the two, I thought Manolo did a better job, which was probably the main reason my vote went to him (because really, the food from both sides was equally good). An idea I was hoping they would explore further was substitutions in spite of their quest for “authenticity” – though some of the ingredients needed for their dishes were available to them here, Manolo expressed that he had to use similar but not the exact ingredients as specified in traditional recipes.

Manolo’s Mexican spread

Standout dishes for me included the Guatemalan stewed bananas in spicy chocolate mole, the Guatemalan cake (it was supposed to taste like Guatemalan egg nog, but I just thought it was delicious), Mexican stuffed poblanos with pecan sauce (the pomegranate seeds on top are such an inspired idea) and the Mexicn pibil chicken topped with pickled purple onions (you can check out the full menu here).

Mexican plate

Guatemalan plate (as you can tell, I reused the plate)

I think everyone was in a delirious food coma by the time I left, before the winner was declared (for the record, it was Mexico, though apparently some ballot box stuffing went down). And though a part of me still wanted more of a “performance” from Food Wars, between the food and the conversation, did it really matter?

Thanks again to Alaine for the invitation – I’m not sure I would have made it down to the festival without a push, and now that I’ve been to Visualeyez, I will likely return in the future.

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