Author: Sharon Yeo

Sharon is an Edmonton-based blogger who has been writing about food since 2006.

Food Notes for April 13, 2009

How is it that long weekends (and four-day ones at that) just evaporate? Hope everyone had a good Easter break!

  • In the vein of the “very sexy party” held at Eden Lilly in February, local companies that promote sustainability and ecology have banded together to put on an event called Tipsy Hippy at Whyte Avenue’s Lucid Lifestyle, taking place on April 18. There will be food and drinks, art displays, and music. Vendors will include EnSante Winery, AlleyKat, and Breadland.
  • Jan Hostyn wrote a great profile of Baker Bill, aka Bill O’Gorman, the man behind the fast-vanishing bread at the Old Strathcona and City Centre markets.
  • Ballots for See Magazine’s 2009 Best of Edmonton are out. Eligible ballots submitted by May 2 will be entered to win prizes.
  • A little Vancouver-based company that makes Hardbite Potato Chips were featured on one of the Great Food Revolution episodes recently. I found them at the Italian Centre in a multitude of flavours, but the salty and simple Himalayan Crystallized Salt is my favourite so far.
  • Culinary documentaries are all the rage, it seems – Gold Medal Plates, a seven-part behind-the-scenes look at Canada’s “most coveted culinary competition” airs its first episode on Travel & Escape on Sunday, May 10. Episodes can also be seen online.
  • There were a few notable articles in the NYT this past week – the first on an intriguing trend of restaurants having wines on tap (yes, you read that correctly), another on pairing wines with Chinese cuisine, and a piece on banh mi in New York.
  • I still think Costco should consider implementing an express line, and it seems some think Starbucks needs one as well. A recent post on the Starbucks Gossip Blog quotes someone who thinks there is merit to having a separate line for those who can order their drinks in four lines or less, otherwise: “If you need to use the words ‘caramel,’ ‘chocolate,’ ‘pumpkin,’ ‘eggnog’ or ‘peppermint,’ you’re not drinking coffee. You’re having dessert.” Heh.
  • While I didn’t have a “proper” Easter dinner this weekend, I did have a potluck with a few of my girlfriends. I took care of dessert (an apple crisp I have made in the past), while my friends supplied the bulk of the meal:

Janice’s Apple and Grape Spinach Salad

May’s Pistachio and Breadcrumb-crusted Fish

Annie’s Spanish Omelette

The Cooking Chronicles: Olive Oil Popcorn

To accompany a viewing of Slumdog Millionaire (good movie; I liked the flashback motif), Mack and I decided to make stove-top popcorn.

My coworkers had been telling me about some of the ills of microwave popcorn, and after seeing Michael Smith whip up a pan full fairly easily, it didn’t seem difficult at all. We used his recipe as a guide, lightly coating the bottom of a skillet with olive oil, and tossing the kernels on top. It turned out we should have chosen a deeper skillet, as the popped kernels quickly took up all available space underneath the lid.

Popcorn!

We tossed the popcorn with some olive oil, salt, and chilli powder. Whether it was my heavy hand, or an extra-hot version of powder, we didn’t know, but our end product was a lot spicier than we had intended. Still, it’s something we will make again, with different seasonings.

Edmonton Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2009

My sisters and I decided to have attend the last Edmonton Fashion Week show on Thursday, partially because we were curious to see what this year’s incarnation would look like, and partially because of the more convenient south side location (as public transit users, the hangar at Kingsway was not appealing).

My only other taste of Fashion Week was in the fall of 2007, where we scored front-row seats in a tented venue on Churchill Square. The Arts Barns was a marked improvement venue-wise, as we were able to wait inside the lobby to avoid the spring chill. Unfortunately, the doors didn’t open until twenty to 8pm, and given that this was about forty minutes later than advertised, we weren’t impressed. Moreover, line control was sorely lacking, which meant as soon as the doors opened, the haphazard crowd randomly crushed their way inside the theatre. As someone used to the hat-drop efficiency of the Fringe, the front-of-house organization was poor.

Sisters! (I am indeed the least fashionable of the three)

Once inside, we settled in our third-row seats (which, combined with our point-and-shoot camera, explains the quality of the photos below), and admired the lovely transformation of the black-box theatre. I loved the dramatic, lush, red velvet curtains and the two beaded chandeliers hung above the runway. Three projection screens had also been set up at the head of the stage, and during the show, would mediate between images of the name of the designer and a runway camera – I’m still on the fence about the use of multimedia – it was an interesting perspective (and gave it a metropolitan feel), but I wasn’t sure it was entirely necessary.

The show was undoubtedly sold out, but as with the show two years ago, I had to wonder why organizers continued to sell more tickets than seats available. As a patron who paid full price, I would be annoyed at the need to stand, particularly when nothing on the ticket indicated the possibility of limited seating. I suppose their system of selling individual advanced tickets that can be used for any show date might need some retooling.

An unrecognizable CityTV personality (whose name I forget, and for the amount of presence he had, it wasn’t important) and Sandra Sing Fernandes hosted the show. Though Fernandes should be commended for spearheading the fashion festival in Edmonton (and based on the age range of attendees, seems to have helped bubble the city’s excitement about local designers to the surface), it appears to be self-serving for her at times – for example, the cover of the week’s program was a picture of a model wearing one of her designs.

Fernandes and CityTV personality

Whatever tone was established by the setting of the fashion show was destroyed by the opening performance by Kimberly Spears, a country singer. It ensured the audience reminded that the show was firmly ground in a prairie city.

The show as a whole wasn’t bad – Sarah Shell’s 442 McAdam, a collection of bags, got redundant really fast. Nokomis was fairly blasé, in Amanda’s opinion. Serendipity by Kelsey McIntyre, on the other hand, presented a stunning array of dresses, including a few wedding gowns. She definitely got the loudest applause from the audience, and I appreciated that the models incorporated umbrellas into their walk – it played off of the musical selection, Duffy’s “Rain on Your Parade”. Jessica Halabi showed both spring/summer and fall/winter collections, while Joeffer Caoc, presented by My Filosophy had a few sophisticated pieces, albeit some that badly needed steaming.

442 McAdam

Serendipity

Serendipity

Serendipity

Joeffer Caoc (it was a little much that all models finished with My Filosophy shopping bags)

As a whole we enjoyed the evening. Though they have a few things to improve on, I’m sure Edmonton Fashion Week will become one of the city’s festival staples. Fall/winter will run September 17-24, also at the TransAlta Arts Barns.

If you want a bit of fashion to tide you over until then, I suggest you check out my sister’s blog.

The Cooking Chronicles: Poached Salmon with White Wine Cream Sauce

I am currently reading Alisa Smith and J.B Mackinnon’s 100 Mile Diet. The novel chronicles the Vancouver-based couple over one year of eating only local products. It’s not bad so far, though my strongest criticism about halfway through is a lack of Canadian statistics – while I am certain such numbers would be more difficult to come by, one of the reasons why I was drawn to the book in the first place was in the hopes that it would supply me with a well-supported Canadian context.

At any rate, the recipe for poached salmon in white wine cream sauce intrigued me, even though some of the directions were decidedly vague. Of course, salmon within a 100-mile radius would be next to impossible to obtain, so we headed to Ocean Odyssey Inland (10027 167 Street NW, 780-930-1901), a local purveyor of wild seafood.

Ocean Odyssey has been at their west end location for about three and a half years, though they are also present at the City Centre Farmers’ Market. The storefront offers most types of fish you could think of, in addition to some shellfish (they had some of the largest lobster tails I have ever seen). I didn’t ask if all fish were obtained in this manner, but the salmon (all wild) are supplied by independent fishermen, and are flash frozen after being caught. Seafood is definitely an area where my knowledge about sustainable practices is lacking – it is something I need to learn more about.

Salmon cooler

Besides the great seafood, Ocean Odyssey also carries products from local producers, including Greens, Eggs and Ham (we had placed an order for duck eggs, which can be picked up on Friday or Saturday), Medicine Man Bison and Sunworks Organic Farm. Pat is knowledgeable about all of the products she sells as well, which definitely helps the consumer.

Mack shopping

We ended up with a package of cod cakes ($8) and two salmon filets, the latter of which were priced at about $7 each by weight, just $2 more than the fish I typically pick up at a grocery store. We pan-fried the cod cakes when we got home for a snack, but were disappointed with their soggy texture – we will likely just stick with the filets in the future.

Following the 100 Mile Diet recipe, I got to work reducing the sauce, which combined 2/3 cups of vegetable stock, 1/2 cup of white wine, 1 cup cream, and 3 tablespoons of dill. I resorted to using chicken stock, and excluded the buttermilk, but it didn’t seem to negatively alter the taste. Like most times when making sauce, I didn’t expect it to actually thicken, but I was very happy with the finished product.

As for the salmon, this was our first time poaching anything. We filled our pan with enough water to cover the filets, and set to work heating it up. Impatient, we attempted to multitask and set to preparing salads for lunch the next day, and forgot about the fish. The pot began to boil (something the recipe advised us to avoid), so we added a teaspoon of vinegar in an attempt to keep the filets together. They didn’t fall apart on us, so Shane’s trick worked.

Poached Salmon with White Wine Cream Sauce

Served with steamed broccoli and brown rice, it was a nice Sunday dinner. Mack noted that the fish seemed to have cooked through more evenly with the poaching technique than our usual roasting option. The sauce was a little on the rich side, but I liked the combination of cream and dill – the white wine was negligible.

While we’re still on the fence as to whether or not we’ll make this dish again, we both agreed that we will be back to see Pat at Ocean Odyssey.

Citadel Theatre: “Extinction Song”

When I heard last year that Ron Pederson would be gracing the Citadel Theatre stage in the spring, that was all the information I needed to buy tickets to Extinction Song, the final play in the Rice Season Series. One of my Teatro la Quindicina favourites (even though he doesn’t reside in Edmonton any longer, and hasn’t for quite some time), I was interested in seeing Pederson in a very different role. He didn’t disappoint. From the website:

“Meet James. Seven years old, he has escaped to a fantasy world where he is being raised by wolves. Every day is a new adventure until, frightened they are on the verge of becoming extinct, James and the wolves concoct a plan to save themselves. Extinction Song is a funny, tender and heartbreaking account of a child’s way of coping with the troubled world around him.”

I was totally taken into James’ world – at times terrifying, at times mystical. I was especially captivated at the point in the play when the character sees himself soaring through the air with his wolf pack, and with the help of lighting and sound, was able to imagine his flight and freedom. That moment was so pure that I desperately hoped, alongside James, that the magical innocence of childhood could be real.

I typically do not enjoy one-man shows (particularly when they lean towards drama and not comedy), but this was a well-paced production, with a fine balance between the lighthearted and more serious moments (James had literal names for many things, such as the “ding-dong-Avon-calling-lady”). Pederson had excellent timing, a dead-on stern tone for the father, and maintained a near frenetic energy throughout the ninety minute play without intermission.

The set was notable as well – the bedroom – from the furniture to the door frame – was set to scale to allow the audience to see Pederson as a small boy. The overhanging tree branches that lined his bedroom walls were an ethereal touch.

Extinction Song runs until April 19. See it while you can.

Food Notes for April 7, 2009

A little late this week, as was tied up attending the Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts last night. But here we go:

  • Kerstin’s Chocolates launched their first ever Easter Egg hunt on Monday, in partnership (and to promote) other local businesses. Find 3 or 6 eggs and be awarded a prize for your efforts! Also of note, Kerstin’s is now on Twitter!
  • Original Fare introduced a new website called Eat Local First, which will strive to be a resource for those seeking locally-grown and made products.
  • “Four slender young things, sheathed in what appear to be black silk sausage casings, break off their conversation and bat their eyelashes our way as we approach the reservation desk.” Yes, that is a quote taken from a review of Kai Asian Grill penned by the Journal’s Richard Helm. Was it just me, or did he seem to overemphasize the desirability of the restaurant’s waitresses?
  • Liane Faulder wrote a short piece about the new Spinelli’s Bar Italia attached to the downtown location of the Italian Centre.
  • Vue Weekly released their annual Golden Forks ballot this past week – vote for your favourite restaurants before May 5 to be eligible for prizes!
  • It makes me think of the River City Chicken Collective, but Castledowns Library installed a webcam in their chicken coop to allow patrons to see chicks hatch. It’s called the “chicken cam.” Cute.
  • I had to laugh (and simultaneously admire) the New Yorkers petitioning in an effort to get their resident food critic Frank Bruni on Twitter (and with some “flattery”, no less: “we’re pretty sure that you could top @ruthreichl, @edlevine and @roccodispirito and maybe even @emeril with your follower count in less time than it takes for you to put away a porterhouse for two.”). I can’t think this would ever happen in Edmonton with Liane Faulder.
  • Last one on the subject of Twitter: Transcend pulled an April Fool’s Day prank on its blog readers with a post about a future drive-thru espresso bar that would allow customers to Tweet their orders on the way. Of course the culture of coffee Transcend cultivates would never allow this to happen (Poul Mark says, “we want to see our customers, know them, and preferably, have them come in, sit down and stay a while”), but was I the only one who got excited in the idea of a local food/beverage establishment utilizing Twitter?
  • I haven’t caught an episode of the new Food Network show 100 Mile Challenge yet, but I’m intrigued about their focus on families attempting to eat locally. I like that the website ties in the potential for viewers to search for local vendors, but it could do better and link to already existing aggregates (e.g. 2009 Approved Farmers’ Market map).
  • Charcuterie may not be a trend that can endure tough regulations, says the Globe. I’m still waiting for a charcuterie bar in Edmonton.
  • The results of the 2009 Urban Diner Awards, which celebrate the best in Vancouver’s cuisine, were released today. I think I’m going to have to check out Fuel the next time I’m out west.
  • It was bound to happen – Disney is trying to make money off the ‘buy local’ movement by partnering with Orlando for an initiative which calls McDonald’s “local”.
  • Mack and I had supper at The Lingnan last week before a show at the Citadel. We ordered an entire plate of Amy’s Chicken (aka Hot and Dry), which Mack claimed was worth every deep fried calorie. Marty ended up being our server that night, and we took the opportunity to ask if the Quons had been asked back to do a second season – he said no, and that Miles was not keen on it. He, on the other hand, was, insisting it would be subtitled, “The Rise of Marty”. Heh.

 

Hot and Dry Chicken

 

Shredded Aristocratic Greens

  • At a Slow Food Meeting on Sunday, I was able to try Aprikat, a fruity brew by Alley Kat. I rarely drink beer (and by rarely, I mean never), but I was surprised at how mild and refreshing the apricot-scented Aprikat was. I would consider drinking it outside on a hot summer’s night.

 

Glass of Aprikat

  • Annie and I caught up over coffee and dessert at Vi’s for Pies (13408 Stony Plain Road NW) on Friday. It was probably not the easiest place to converse – their high ceilings and harsh surfaces resulted in acoustics Frank Bruni would detest. Food-wise, however, we were satisfied: though I’ve never met a pie I couldn’t conquer, their Peanut Butter Mousse Pie ($6.25) defeated me. Dense with peanut-ty richness, I probably could have done with a slice half the size.

 

Peanut Butter Mousse Pie

 

Annie’s Chocolate Cheesecake

2009 Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts

Last night, Mack and I attended the Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts for the second year in a row. This time we were lucky enough to snag two tickets (thanks to Bryan Cox of Molson, one of the evening’s sponsors) to the swanky pre-reception held on the second floor of the Citadel’s Tucker Amphitheatre.

Lovely waterfall

I loved the setting – still early enough to catch the late afternoon sun filtering through the greenhouse windows, surrounded by greenery, and accented by a lovely water feature, both of us had never known that this oasis existed (it’s the closest thing we have to Calgary’s Devonian Gardens). We were probably slightly underdressed (the number of suits and 3-inch heels were blinding), but we had a good time spotting local “celebrities” (City Councilors, MLAs, members of the arts community) and noshing on the Northlands-catered food.

Kabob, naan and fish (the kabobs were surprisingly tender)

Lettuce and fruit wrap (lovely idea, tied with a chive shard, but the fruit was non-existent)

Popcorn gnocchi with smoked salt (deep-fried, but you wouldn’t know it – a bit disappointing)

Watermelon sorbet and Espresso Cups (the latter was my favorite dish of the event – the crisp lemon mousse was a sweet finish)

We were also treated to a lively African drumming performance, and I had to wonder why the concrete stage (albeit small) isn’t utilized for more performances on a regular basis. I’m sure a Fringe-like show could easily make the most of the light and fantastic backdrop for a memorable production.

 

African drumming (I didn’t catch the name of the group, unfortunately)

Just before 7pm, we crossed the street over to the Winspear Centre for the show. Hosted again by CBC’s Peter Brown and CTV’s Carrie Doll, they were just as charming as last year, and I can share that Mack reacted with glee to Doll’s onstage Twitter reference.

I really appreciated the range of performances we were treated to, including the witty and entertaining blend of spoken words and music by The Raving Poets, the hilariously talented “ukulele cover band” known as The Be Arthurs, and a clever and spirited scene from Nathan Cuckow and Chris Craddock’s gay rap opera, Bash’d. I felt fortunate to be privy to some of the best Edmonton’s arts community has to offer, all in one evening. Of course, there were a few less interesting performances – the penguin-inspired number by the KO Dance Project went about five minutes too long – and no single entertainer captured my imagination quite like Samantha Schultz did last year. Also, though the closing Latin band Bomba! eventually did get people dancing up on stage (a Celebration of the Arts tradition), it was touch and go for a bit until the lead singer took it upon himself to teach some basic steps. Still, it was a great show overall.

Show-ending dancing on stage

Though the celebration had award presentations sprinkled throughout, they seemed secondary to the performances and almost like a necessary evil. I was happy to see that Tim Ryan (the man behind the musicals at Grant MacEwan) was recognized with an Outstanding Lifetime Achievement prize.

For just $25 each (with all proceeds going to the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers and the African Centre this year), the Celebration was a great opportunity to watch up-and-coming performers and help recognize some of the stellar contributions made by members of the local arts community.

You can read Mack’s post about the event here, and see the photoset here.

The Cooking Chronicles: Danny Kaye’s Lemon Pasta

The recipe I had in mind for our fresh fettuccini noodles was one I had come across in Ruth Reichl’s memoir Comfort Me with Apples some moons ago. Like every aspiring cook, I had photocopied the recipe for “Danny Kaye’s Lemon Pasta” and tucked it away to be used on just such an occasion.

It wasn’t difficult  – the cream and lemon-based sauce with just a touch of pasta water was quick to pull together, though I questioned the amount of lemon zest and juice called for in the recipe. In the end, it was much too tart for my liking (I should have trusted my instincts), though we thought it would make a good side for a roast chicken or salmon main. We probably should have also added additional pasta water – the congealed cream as the dish cooled reminded us of the heavy carbonara we tried last year. Better luck next time!

Danny Kaye’s Lemon Pasta

There’s a First Time for Everything: KitchenAid Pasta Maker

Last month, a marketing company promoting KitchenAid products contacted me to ask if I was interested in giving their Pasta Maker a try. Always up for experimentation, I said yes, and shortly after, received a large box with my name on it.

All smiles with my Pasta Kit

Mack laughed at me when I told him I expected a package tied up in a red bow with a label, “To: Sharon, Love: KitchenAid,” but it was a little like the Cooking Fairy had decided to pay me a visit. The Kit contained two stainless steel stand mixer attachments – a pasta roller and fettuccini pasta cutter – as well as a brush for cleaning and a slotted spoon and pasta server. Lastly, two boxes of Ecco La Pasta mixes were included to simplify initial attempts.

KitchenAid Pasta Kit

Contents

We started with the egg pasta dry mix, added water, and let the stand mixer do the work. Once the dough came together, I relied heavily on the manual, particularly because I needed as much guidance as possible, having never made pasta from scratch before. It wasn’t entirely clear to me how the lump of dough we now had in front of us should be divided to be fed into the pasta roller (better illustrations or pictures would have helped matters), but we eventually figured out that thicker clumps of dough yielded the desired yard of pasta that would eventually be cut into individual noodles.

Dough coming together

Mack working the pasta roller

Cutting the pasta into recognizable fettuccini noodles was the best part, gratifying the work we had done up until that point.

Go Mack go!

Making fettuccini

Finished noodles

I think we were surprised at how quickly everything came together. Even if we hadn’t used the pasta mix, it still wouldn’t have taken much longer, as the stand mixer does most of the grunt work. As with most store-bought products as well, we liked that the pasta maker would give us control over the ingredients used in the dough (I wonder how duck eggs would fare in pasta?).

We both acknowledged, however, that despite how straightforward it was, we likely wouldn’t put in the extra effort to make something that could easily be picked up at the store. That said, I’m eager to look for recipes that involve different colour or flavour additives to the pasta – something unique that would wow guests at a dinner party, or would somehow spice up a fairly mundane dish.

I’m looking forward to our future pasta experiments!

Variety to Spare: Habesha

Mack tolerates my slight fixation with killing several birds with one stone. Borne out of my reliance on public transportation and walking as my main modes of travel, I do my best to make the most of my trips to areas of the city outside of my usual commute.

Following our jaunt to Seedy Sunday at the Alberta Avenue Community Hall, Mack didn’t flinch when I said there would be a planned stop at the nearby Habesha for lunch. I had read a review last year in the Journal about this new restaurant, and Liane Faulder has made mention of it several times over the last few months (Habesha now offers a vegetarian/vegan buffet on Wednesday nights). Though I’ve sampled Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine before (at the Heritage Festival, for example), I’ve never before had a sit-down meal, so was eager to be exposed to a greater variety of food.

The interior of Habesha was larger than we expected from our external assessment. A long room was divided into a reception/coffee ceremony area, a second section dominated by the bar, and a third area functioned as the main dining room populated with a few tables. For a restaurant with many windows, the interior was surprisingly dim, so I was glad that our self-directed table hugged a window, with the option of being enclosed by a curtain fashioned on a curved bar that reminded me of a shower rod. There were two other parties present – and both embodied the relaxed, comfortable vibe of a restaurant that invited diners to stay awhile.

Mack looking relaxed and comfortable, and Twittering, of course

The owner (and sole waitress) brought us glasses of water and menus. We looked over the pages, divided into vegetarian, chicken and beef sections, and didn’t know where to begin. When she returned to take our order, we asked for her recommendations. She pointed us to the “combination” plates ($14.99 per person), and we decided to sample one beef and one vegetarian combination.

We weren’t sure how long our food would take, as it wasn’t clear whether or not our lone server was also the restaurant’s lone staff member, but thankfully, our dish arrived not too long after our order was placed. A circular platter lined with injera and dotted with multicolored meat, lentil and vegetable dishes was placed before us, accompanied by another small basket of injera. The soft, spongy bread is the main utensil in Ethiopian/Eritrean cuisine (similar in use to Indian chapatti), and explained the lack of forks and knives on our table.

Combination beef and vegetarian plate for two

Having tried injera several times now, I have to say I’m still not used to the sour taste of the bread, or to the fact that it is served cold. On the other hand, I immensely enjoyed the dishes themselves – the shiro wat (sun dried peas) were fantastic, with just a hint of spice, but so satisfying, and the fosolia – string bean and carrot mixture – was simple yet tasty. Mack liked the kei wot (prime beef stewed in spicy red sauce), though I know we both found most of the cubed meat rather tough. The spice level varied in the dishes (for example, the red lentil misser wot packed much more zing than the mellower yellow version), so the entire sample provided a nice spectrum of heat. In all, we found the combination plate was a great way to sample over ten different dishes, and with such a large portion size, ended up with enough food to take for lunch the next day.

When our server came back to check on us, she was taken aback by the food that remained. I couldn’t tell if she took the quantity of leftovers personally, but she mock-threatened not to pack it up for us unless we promised to eat it all. We did, but her guilt really wasn’t necessary, and left our experience a bit off because we hadn’t developed the necessary rapport for that kind of exchange.

Regardless of our end note, I would recommend Habesha as a good venue to experiment with Ethiopian/Eritrean cuisine, and like The Dawg Father before it, I am glad that there is one more restaurant to add to the “destination Alberta Avenue” list.

Habesha
9511 118 Avenue NW
(780) 474-2206
Monday-Thursday 4-10pm, Friday 4pm-2am, Saturday 12pm-2am, Sunday 12-11pm