Author: Sharon Yeo

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

Food Notes for October 31, 2016

Happy Halloween! We always feel a little far removed from the festivities being downtown, but it seemed warmer than average for trick or treating tonight. A note that there will be no Food Notes next week; Mack and I are heading to Chicago for a short vacation.

  • The annual Chili Cook-Off takes place November 4, 2016 in Churchill Square. Sample bowls are just $1, with regular bowls priced at $2.
  • Bo and Marrow, who you may be familiar with from their farmers’ market appearances this summer, are popping up at Prairie Noodle on November 6, 2016 with noodles and their broth. The meal will be $18 per person.
  • The sixth COMAL Mexican Table Dinner is taking place November 29-30, 2016. Tickets are $85 each.
  • Save the date: Northern Lands will be taking place May 2-6, 2017, and it will be bigger and better.
  • Su notes that there’s a franchise location of Hong Kong’s Dazzling Cafe to open soon at 10538 82 Avenue, rabbit-eared chairs and all.
  • The buzz continues to grow for the brew pub to open in the Richie Market – they just announced Chef Christine Sandford will lead the kitchen.
  • The latest local business to launch a crowdfunding initiative is Caramia Caramels, who hope to use Kickstarter to help them purchase commercial equipment to enhance their production.
  • Speaking of crowdfunding, big congratulations to Sugared and Spiced, who blew their original $20,000 goal out of the water, raising close to $57,000.
  • While the Edmonton and area has its share of meal prep services, The Backyard Basket might be our first Blue Apron-style ready to cook meal service (where pre-portioned ingredients are delivered for time-strapped home cooks). It’s not something that would appeal to me, but it would be more ideal if they supported local producers in the process.
  • Prairie Noodle is an example of a business succeeding in overcoming poor quality control in its initial stages.
  • Did you attend What the Truck?! this year? Consider filling out this survey to help the organizing committee make decisions for 2017!
  • Karlynn is doing a cookbook giveaway on her blog, but you can also pick one up from her in person on November 5, 2016 at Chapters in West Edmonton Mall.
  • Phil’s latest Community Table Project features butter chicken risotto.
  • The Wood Buffalo Brewing Company is creating a special whisky called the Beast, using some peated malt that remained behind and absorbed some of the smoke from the fire.
  • I was sad to see Calgary’s Farm restaurant shut down, but I never expected the subsequent scandal surrounding Janice Beaton to spring up, with past Farm employees accusing Beaton of unpaid wages. She responded to the allegations in a Facebook video.
  • November 1, 2016 is the deadline to apply to join Eat Alberta, a committee working on organizing another hands-on food conference next year, in addition to multimedia content promoting local food.
  • Signage is already up on two of the Ultima’s retail bays: XO Bistro & Bar and Gong Cha, a small chain of bubble tea cafes based in Toronto.

Ultima Condos

XO Bistro & Bar and Gong Cha

  • Grand Villa Casino’s quick-serve options are now open – joining the Starbucks are Vera’s Burger Shack, Pinkberry, and Sbarro. It was a bit unusual that no seating was available, but I assume patrons are expected to return to the casino to consume their food, or head to the adjacent community rink.

Pinkberry & Starbucks

Pinkberry and Starbucks in the Grand Villa Casino

  • I also had lunch at Match Eatery and Public House inside the casino on Friday. The food was fine, but the service produced enough minor mistakes to point to a very inexperienced staff (tried to deliver our food to another table, mix-up with a sidedish, topped up a half-full soda glass with water). Hopefully things will improve with time.

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Dip your beef sandwich

  • I met up with a friend for dinner at Uccellino last week. Most of the week’s ills melted away with a bite of their cacio e pepe and meatballs. If only I could eat like that all the time.

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Cacio e pepe

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Polpette

  • Edmonton City Centre’s new food court, Elevate Food Fare, located on the top level of the mall, opens to the public on November 1, 2016. It will consolidate many of the existing retailers in addition to offering a few new choices, including Burrito Libre and Paramount Fine Foods. The food court will provide another dining choice for those in the area, and will likely be one of the more inexpensive options available within walking distance of Rogers Place. It will be interesting to see if the food court hours are extended to align better with arena events in the coming months. Mack and I received gift certificates in appreciation for mentioning the Food Fare, but want to pass them onto two lucky readers. For your chance to win one of two $50 gift certificates to Edmonton City Centre, leave a comment with a valid e-mail address that answers the following question: which restaurant offers the best value Downtown and why? The contest closes on November 10, 2016 at midnight. Winners will be contacted by e-mail on November 12, 2016.

Elevate Food Fair

Elevate Food Fare at Edmonton City Centre Mall

Food Notes for October 24, 2016

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Local Public Eatery

  • Mack and I were invited to dine as guests at the Old Spaghetti Factory, which has been open downtown for more than 45 years. One of the objectives of the gathering was to remind diners that they’re continuing to offer the same value priced meals that they’re known for, in spite of some of the changes in the neighbourhood. They’ve only needed to raise prices about $1 to accommodate the minimum wage hike, but many of their long-standing patrons have not returned to the restaurant since the opening of Rogers Place primarily due to parking increases. Although its early days yet for the Ice District, the Old Spaghetti Factory is hoping it can attract some new guests and retain their regular clientele – I wish them the best of luck in these shifting tides.

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Vegetarian lasagna and broccoli with Mizithra cheese from the Old Spaghetti Factory

  • We received our last Sugared & Spiced Cake Club delivery for the year, a belated anniversary cake. It was our favourite one yet!

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Cake for days

10 Observations from 10 Years of Blogging

Ten years ago, I started a blog. I didn’t do so with a concrete purpose at the time, and simply used the website as a repository for my thoughts. When I began, I wrote about a greater diversity of subjects, but food rapidly became my primary topic of choice. Through this blog, I learned to cook, met other food-interested individuals, and discovered the restaurants I’ve come to love in this city.

Hawkers Market

Always ready to eat

Although the decade passed quicker than I’d care to admit, so much has changed in the food scene since 2006. Through snapshots of local food trends each year, it’s easy to see how far Edmonton has come. That said, I still think there is some room to improve – here are my 10 personal observations from 10 years of blogging:

  1. Consistency is the key to blogging: one of the questions I’m frequently asked is how I manage to keep blogging. In the beginning, reaching certain milestones was a personal challenge (one that was incidentally posed by Mack, who at the time was just a friend). Soon after, I started posting bullet points of interesting items I had come across, including food-related news. These items eventually warranted their own posts, and Monday night Food Notes was born. Without this weekly driver, it’s unlikely my blog would have lasted as long. There have been periods where I’ve been delinquent in writing regular posts, but those pesky Food Notes were always there, requiring my timely attention. These past ten years, I’ve seen many blogs come and go, and the best advice I can give aspiring bloggers is to develop a schedule, and keep to it.
  2. Social media was a game changer: in 2006, Facebook was two years old, and Twitter was founded that same year. It’s astonishing how social media has changed when, how, and with whom we share our food experiences. Those Food Notes that I mentioned used to rely exclusively on print media. Now, the vast majority of news is gleaned using the #yegfood hashtag on Twitter, providing an immediate and very public forum of discussion. Attitudes have also shifted drastically about food blogging and photography in restaurants – back in 2008, an incident with a manager at a local restaurant proved just how unprepared establishments were for citizen critics. Now, meals are captured for the masses on Instagram and Snapchat, and sites like Yelp and Zomato allow essentially anonymous reviews at the touch of a button. While restaurants have had to adapt to this new reality whether they liked it or not, tensions flared up again as recently as last week, so it’s clear that there’s still some work to be done.
  3. There are few degrees of separation in the food community: for a city of a million people, the food community is incredibly small. The advantage to this, however, is that this environment creates opportunities for learning and collaboration, something I’ve personally experienced. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege to work with several chefs to bring ideas of pedway and parkland pop-ups to life, among others. I’ve also found that the community as a whole is quite supportive, which is how a tiny festival can grow into something previously unimaginable.

    4. Pedway pop-up in 2012

  4. Money isn’t everything: some of the tension between food writers and restauranteurs involves the perception that writers are chasing free meals, and only those with deep pockets can afford to win over social media influencers. The truth is, many of the most endearing, perennially popular establishments in Edmonton such as Duchess Bake Shop didn’t start with an expensive splash. They have endured with a formula of quality products, good service, and consistency.
  5. Edmonton loves chains: the birthplace of Boston Pizza and Earls, Edmonton can’t escape its history of creating concepts that resonate for the average diner. Casual upscale chains dominate the mid-range restaurant scene in the city, in spite of the fact that similarly-priced independent restaurants offer more choice and better service. I have to credit their popularity to marketing, long-standing familiarity, and unfortunately, to urban sprawl – power centres are prime real estate for chain locations.
  6. Suburban restaurants on the rise: sprawl is also the reason behind the spread of independent restaurants across the city. When I started blogging, the vast majority of restaurants worth writing about were located in central Edmonton. Now, we have restaurants as far as Beaumont’s Chartier garnering attention.
  7. Food trucks are here to stay: food trucks were on the fringe ten years ago, relegated to serving pedestrian food at industrial sites. Today, they have become mainstream, populating every outdoor festival, market and street fair in every corner of our city. Some may remember when Drift had a dispute with a brick and mortar restaurant back in 2012 about the right to vend on a particular street, and though complaints come up from time to time, food trucks are now an integral part of our food culture. What the Truck?!, a festival that began six years ago to promote food trucks, may actually not be relevant in the same form anymore.

    8. The first What the Truck?! in 2011

  8. The independent coffee scene was born and raised: it’s really been a joy to watch independent coffee shops blossom over the last decade. The third wave started in Edmonton with Transcend in 2007, became anchored downtown with Credo in 2009, and expanded into a coffee district, featuring five independent retailers within a two block radius. I don’t believe we’ve hit our threshold for great coffee just yet, and hope to see even more cafes pop up in the next few years.
  9. Local food still has a ways to go: my blogging journey and understanding of local food are deeply connected. My first real foray into farmers’ markets was led by Seasoned Solutions’ Gail Hall, and my desire for proximity to the City Market was one of the reasons behind our move to 104 Street. Over time, I was hoping local producers would garner a higher prominence in mainstream conversations, and gain a greater market share of grocery dollars. There are some positives to highlight over the past ten years, with the establishment of more farmers’ markets, cooking classes aimed at demystifying local products, and urban agriculture education at Northlands. But, with the rezoning of agricultural land in the northeast, and the vague policy developed as a result, we’re not as far along as we could be.

    10. Ringing in the City Market in 2009

  10. Stand tall, Edmonton: as I mentioned on a podcast last year, Edmonton is often given the short shrift, overshadowed by Calgary. We’ve got fantastic chefs, producers, and food businesses that can stand on their own merit, and we shouldn’t be afraid to share the wonderful things happening in our city.

Thanks for reading over the years – your support, words, and kinship for food have meant a lot.

Food Notes for October 17, 2016

Oh, Jays. Is Cleveland just that good, or have the bats gone ice cold? Let’s hope they have enough in them to put up a fight tomorrow. On to this week’s food notes:

  • For those looking for a fun take on a tea party, look no further than Cally’s, who will be hosting a monthly themed party until May.
  • In commemoration and celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution, the Canadian Hungarian Society of Edmonton and the Wirth Institute at the University of Alberta are hosting a Hungarian Wine and Food Festival October 27 & 28, 2016 at the Chateau Lacombe. The event runs 4-10pm both nights, and tickets are $25 at the door. The evening will include Hungarian wine and cuisine samples.
  • Nineteen will be hosting Nineteen’s November Festival of Food, a fundraising event on November 14, 2016 in support of the High School Culinary Challenge. Tickets for the 4-course dinner are $100.
  • I’m sorry to have missed the first of Rostizado’s burrito pop-ups (under the name La Mision) on Sunday, but I would have had to get there fast – they sold out in just over an hour! I look forward to future pop-ups (or something more permanent).
  • Confetti Sweets is hoping to open a location in Edmonton’s west end before Christmas, and are hoping to crowdfund $20,000 through Alberta Boostr by November 22, 2016.
  • Congratulations to Jacek Chocolate Couture, who will be opening a third location in Canmore this November.
  • Watch for Miga, a new Korean restaurant to open soon on the south side (11, 9261 34 Avenue).
  • Vancouver-based Vera’s Burger Shack is coming to Ice District, inside the Grand Villa Casino.
  • Are you excited about the forthcoming Popeye’s location in Edmonton? It’s set to open in November at 3773 17 Street in Tamarack.
  • Quick-serve chain Blaze Pizza is opening a second location in the Brewery District.
  • Cindy provides you with an idea of what to expect on Rostizado’s new menu, with a tentative start date of October 24.
  • Graham had a great experience at Bar Clementine, and expects even greater things from Chef Roger Letourneau.
  • Chartier gets a rave review from Jonny.
  • Have you heard of a bakery called Canova (formerly DeFazio Gourmet)? Diane provides a run down of all of their pastry selection, including the incredible vanilla cornetti.
  • Everyone seems to love lists, so here are two from Narcity: 46 bucket lists restaurants every true Edmontonian needs to try and 14 Edmonton coffee shops you should go to at least once in your life.
  • Mel had contributed a review of Edmonton Cooks to Culinaire Magazine, but found that it had been severely edited down. She shared some of her constructive feedback about the book.
  • The latest entry in the Community Table Project features a recipe for marinated grilled chicken.
  • I’d be remiss if I didn’t link to Chef Paul Shufelt’s column in the Edmonton Sun last week, which called out food bloggers to put their money where their mouth is. There have been a number of responses, from food writers and chefs alike. Food for thought, from Chris and Chef Cory Rakowski.
  • Did you catch Attila the Hungry’s Chef Levi Biddlecombe competing on Chopped Canada? 
  • You might remember a locally-made product called quick-cook barley that was sold under the name Progressive Foods – well, they’ve rebranded, and it’s a great look! Snappy Grains has a bright and bold new identity, which I saw on the shelves at the Italian Centre on the weekend.

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Snappy Grains

  • With the grey weekend we had, Mack and I thought we should brighten things up with some punchy bun bo Hue from King Noodle House.

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Bun bo Hue

Recap: A Streetcar Named Dessert with Sugared and Spiced

For the past few years, enterprising groups such as Streetcar Shows have been organizing gigs that take place on the High Level Streetcar. It’s a unique and intimate venue to be sure, and given the limited number of seats, the shows always sell out. I’ve been hoping to attend one of the concerts, but haven’t been able to snag tickets. So when I saw that Sugared and Spiced was advertising an event they were putting together (cheekily named “A Streetcar Named Dessert”), I jumped at the chance.

The streetcar concert would feature baked goods from Sugared and Spiced and Edmonton singer/songwriter Martin Kerr. Mack and I have been longtime fans of Martin (he performed at our wedding), so we couldn’t think of anyone better to provide the soundtrack to the evening.

On a Saturday in September, Mack and I headed to the Strathcona Streetcar Barn on south side of the river to join two dozen other guests.

High Level Streetcar

Off we go

It’s been at least a year since we’ve ridden the streetcar, but every time we do, we’re reminded of how fabulous the volunteers from the Edmonton Radial Railway Society are. Hugh and Sarah demonstrated their passion and knowledge about the streetcar, and made the experience even more memorable. It’s amazing that the streetcar continues to be operated entirely by volunteers; hopefully Edmontonians never take this for granted.

High Level Streetcar

Hugh, one of the Edmonton Radial Railway Society volunteers

Along the way, were each treated to a generous slice of cake (the rich, dense chocolate peanut butter was delicious). If that wasn’t enough, we were each provided with a box of goodies to take home, packed with brownies, macaroons, rosemary shortbread, ginger cookies, madelines, and my personal favourite, the girls’ night in cookie with chocolate, caramel, raspberry dessert wine and coarse salt.

A Streetcar Named Dessert

Almost too pretty to eat

Martin played two short sets. Although Mack and I have heard him perform many times before, this was the first time we were able to learn the inspiration behind some of his songs, including one he often plays at the farmers’ market. He was well suited to this small venue, and his rendition of Hallelujah, as we sat atop the North Saskatchewan River under the darkened skies, was simply magical.

A Streetcar Named Dessert

Martin Kerr

Even before the evening was through, Amy and Jeff were already fielding questions as to whether or not they’d organize another Streetcar Named Dessert. They have, and tickets are only available in conjunction with their current Alberta BoostR campaign. Sugared and Spiced will be opening a brick and mortar bakery next spring, and are hoping to crowdfund some of the start-up capital that they need. Although they reached their first goal of $20,000 in just a few days, they’re still hoping to get to $50,000 by October 27, 2016.

Thanks to Amy and Jeff for putting together a wonderful event, and best wishes on the BoostR campaign in these final weeks!

Recap: Edmonton Culinaire Treasure Hunt

My friends Su and Allison are food scavenger hunt veterans, having competed in three previous contests in Calgary. The hunts sounded like a lot of fun, so when Culinaire Magazine (newly expanded in scope from covering Calgary to all of Alberta) announced an Edmonton treasure hunt, I jumped on board (and dragged Mack along with me).

We decided to join forces with Su and Allison so they could pass along the wisdom they’ve gained from experience. Our team also had the added efficiency of carpooling!

September 10 was a busy Saturday – one that saw the four of us start our morning at the Rogers Place open house. Although this was a chosen detour, Su and Allison hoped that Culinaire had adopted one of their recommendations from previous hunts – that clues should be distributed to the 50 odd teams at the same time for an equitable start, instead of first come, first served. Unfortunately, nothing had changed for this hunt.

Culinaire Hunt

Culinaire editor-in-chief Linda Garson kicks off the hunt at the Italian Centre

Some had really great themed costumes (I loved the team dressed to the nines in 1940s attire), but Su’s great idea was to wear our What the Truck?! shirts and vests so we could promote the last event of the year.

Culinaire Hunt

#TeamHighViz and #TeamWTT

While enjoying complimentary coffees and chocolate croissants from the Italian Centre, we settled down to solve the clues. Su and Allison recommended that we map the 30 destinations in order to plan our route, starting from the furthest out and working our way back to Pampa downtown, where the hunt would end. The Treasure Hunt regulations did express the need for a vehicle, and once we mapped everything, it was clear why – stops were as spread out at Nisku and St. Albert. Even though we decided to skip Nisku (and ran out of time before we could get to St. Albert), we ended up doing quite a bit of driving.

Fort Edmonton Park

Fort Edmonton Park was the most picturesque stop

Another requirement was a phone with internet access, which made sense for GPS purposes. However, I never expected clues that would need to be googled word for word. The most egregious of these was the following: “the latest restaurant to erupt within walking distance of the new arena.” I thought of multiple restaurants that could fit this description (“walking distance” being subjective, notwithstanding): Joey’s Bell Tower, Baijiu in the Mercer Warehouse, Buco in the Epcor Tower, Bottega on 104 Street. The answer? Bundok in Fox One, as lifted directly from one of Liane’s posts.

Culinaire Hunt 2016

Chef Ryan Hotchkiss at Bundok

At any rate, we had many favourite stops, memorable for different reasons. Canova, located just north of the Yellowhead by the train tracks, is one we would have never discovered without this activity. Formerly DeFazio Gourmet, Canova vended at the St. Albert Farmers’ Market, in addition to this retail location. The cornetti (vanilla cream-filled crescent) was delicious and one of the best things we ate all day.

Culinaire Hunt 2016

Making pedal-powered smoothies at Earth’s General Store

D’Amores Mercato was on my list to visit for some time, and this event was just the excuse I needed. I knew they had a small food service operation, but what I didn’t realize was the fact that they are well-stocked with Italian basics and frozen pasta options. The staff were also wonderful as they helped us with the challenge of crafting our own pizzas – it was the type of service that will garner return visits.

Culinaire Hunt

Making pizza at D’Amores Mercato

Prairie Noodle Shop put some thought into their activity that saw each one of us tasked with peeling the perfect hard boiled egg. To help us with this, we were shown a nifty technique that none of us had been exposed to before, involving a spoon to separate the shell from the white. It was a neat tip, and based on that brief interaction, Mack (who has never before dined at Prairie Noodle), remarked that he would be back.

Culinaire Hunt 2016

Learning how to peel eggs at Prairie Noodle

Some stops provided a financial incentive to return – Cured, for instance, provided a very generous $25 gift card per pair. The City Market, also hoping to lure back customers, gave each participant a $5 gift certificate. With those amounts alone, we had earned back more than half of the $65 team registration fee.

RGE RD

Allison and I are stumped at RGE RD

For the most part, establishments were mainstream in nature. It would have been great to see more ethnic establishments chosen as stops.

In case you were wondering, we made it to 25 of the 30 destinations, which wasn’t good enough to beat two teams that visited 29 locations. But in this case, we were satisfied with the journey – we had a great time with Su and Allison over the course of the day, and experienced what a culinary scavenger hunt could look like in Edmonton. Thanks to Culinaire for putting on the event, and to Su and Allison for letting us join forces!

Food Notes for October 10, 2016

While Mack and I did have a great time in the Okanagan, it was a bit of a shock to come back to sub-zero temperatures! Thankfully, we’ve had a few days to adjust to the weather before heading back to work. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving with loved ones! On to this week’s food notes:

  • Celebrate World Food Day with a screening of Seed at the Edmonton Food Bank on October 16, 2016. A Q & A will follow, featuring two local farmers. The event is free, but donations for the food bank are encouraged.
  • The second annual YEG Coffee Week runs October 14-22, 2016. Learn home brewing tips, how to create latte art, and enjoy coffee-based cocktails, among other things.
  • Speaking of coffee, Earth’s General Store is hosting a home coffee roasting workshop on October 18, 2016.
  • If you plan on eating out on October 19, 2016, consider choosing RGE RD or The Common, the two Edmonton establishments participating in Restaurants for Change. Proceeds from their dinner service will be donated to Community Food Centres Canada.
  • Just in time for the holidays, Cavern’s next wine and cheese school runs November 6 and 20, 2016 at $75 per person.
  • Keep an eye out for Malt & Mortar, a forthcoming bar on Whyte located at 10416 82 Avenue.
  • Expect Doughnut Party, Moonshine Doughnut’s storefront location, to open in December at Holland Plaza (109 Avenue & 120 Street).
  • McLeod Tavern (the rebranded Hundred Bar & Kitchen at 10009 101A Avenue) is now open.
  • Thanks to Su for the tip that Meiningful Fusion Restaurant is also open, at 10338 81 Avenue.
  • North 53 is now offering Sunday brunch!
  • Twyla doesn’t hold back any punches on her review of Nuovo, the Italian restaurant located in the former Dovetail Deli space.
  • On the flip side, the Journal had a near perfect experience at Bar Clementine.
  • The Journal also reviewed the Jamaican cuisine served up by Island Grill on the city’s west end.
  • Andrea is the latest to check out Cafe Linnea.
  • Sharman shares 5 of her favourite Downtown lunch deals.
  • I missed linking to the Globe’s piece about Edmonton’s robust pizza scene.
  • Vue Weekly takes a tour of two places where you can satisfy your perogy craving.
  • Liane profiles Scarf, a website that connects home cooks with those who are looking for home cooked meals. She mentions that Alberta Health Services is looking into Scarf, as cooks wouldn’t qualify for the necessary permits if operating outside of a commercial kitchen.
  • Jason Foster wrote a thoughtful piece reflecting on his role in the Prairie beer scene – clarifying why he chooses to write profiles of brewers and shies away from negative reviews.
  • Phil’s most recent Community Table Project shares a recipe for sugar pumpkin pie.
  • Did you know there is an Edmonton honey co-op made up of small, local beekeepers, from which you can purchase honey produced from particular neighbourhoods?
  • Save the date: Eat Alberta will be returning with a full day of workshops next year on April 23, 2017.
  • The New York Times discovered that Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving, too! The article features regional recipes from each of the provinces and territories.
  • The last City Market of the season ended on a snowy note. I’m thankful for all of the vendors who toughed out the conditions! Next week, the City Market moves indoors to City Hall. To celebrate, they’ll be handing out $5 market bucks to the first 200 shoppers on October 15!

Snowy City Market

The City Market on Saturday

Food Notes for September 26, 2016

It’s finally time for vacation! Mack and I will be heading to the Okanagan later this week, hoping to put some of Jennifer’s recommendations to good use. A heads up that there won’t be a Food Notes post next week. On to this week’s food notes:

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Would you pay for flavoured water?

  • The City Market only has two more outdoor markets to go! Make sure to take it in before the leaves are all gone.

City Market

City Market

  • Edmonton is getting a second location of South St. Burger in the Brewery District.

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South St. Burger

  • My sister Felicia and I stopped by Noodle Bar by Nomiya in Oliver Square (11238 104 Avenue) for their soft launch on Saturday. We enjoyed the miso and spicy garlic miso ramen that we tried, but the standout was the sticky chicken, made of lightly fried dark meat coated with a subtly sweet sauce and crushed peanuts. It’s great to finally have a ramen bar within walking distance of home – the location opens to the public on September 27.

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Miso ramen from Noodle Bar by Nomiya

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Sticky chicken

  • After dinner, we stopped by Petit Nuit (a smaller version of the art festival Nuit Blanche), where we each picked up a whimsical lantern from the Northern Lights Mini Mart, an installation by Rhonda Trevor and Weppler Mahovsky. I couldn’t resist the KD!

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With our lanterns at Petit Nuit

  • It was a beautiful day on Sunday for the last What the Truck?! of the season. I enjoyed La Mar’s fish tacos among the fall leaves.

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Fish tacos from La Mar

Lazia Rebranded: Riz

While there’s no doubt the rise of Rogers Place has led to a number of new restaurants hoping to capitalize on related foot traffic, Riz Asian Kitchen is the first to rebrand in order to do so.

Lazia has been a Downtown staple for more than a dozen years, but owner Richard Lim thought it was time for a refresh. The website heralds the pedway connections between the Ice District and Edmonton City Centre where Riz is located (though to be honest, the ongoing construction in the mall might be a deterrent to some would-be patrons). Commenting that there was no better time than the present to remind diners of the space, Richard commissioned CK Designs (the same firm behind the Downtown mega bar applications) to redesign the restaurant. Given the tight turnaround time of several days, much of the same structure is intact, but the colour scheme has been muted to a palette of neutrals. In some ways, it’s now less distinctive than its other casual upscale competitors.

Mack and I were invited to enjoy a complimentary meal on September 6 when Riz opened to the public. The meaning behind the new name comes from the French word for "rice", and speaks to the fusion cuisine still present on their menu.

The menu, featuring sweeping Asian-inspired flavours from Korea to Thailand to India, does appeal to broad tastes, and includes some on-trend dishes including their interpretation of ramen. That said, they have some mainstream items on the menu, such as a basic burger and a Philly cheese steak. What does set the menu apart is the price – a majority of mains ring in under $20, making it an economical contender against the competition.

We shared the roti canai (so popular at East they had to migrate the item over to Riz), served with a curry dipping sauce.

RIZ

Roti canai

Mack’s panko-breaded Japanese fish and chips didn’t have a noticeable Asian flair, except for a disjointed slaw comprised of noodles and carrots. He enjoyed it well enough, but thought it could have more readily lived up to the cuisine that inspired it.

RIZ

Japanese fish and chips

I ordered the duck curry ramen. It was a very heavy dish; I would have preferred a slightly thinner broth as I laboured to finish it by the end. The flavours were good – the confit duck was delicious and married with the curry well. The yuzu red peppers were on the tart side, but they were a welcome pop given the richness of the soup.

RIZ

Duck curry ramen

The service that evening was top notch, but given most in the restaurant that day were family, friends and media, it was somewhat expected.

Richard and his team have the experience to help draw in the crowds; only time will tell what will play well with the concert and hockey fans making the trek downtown. I wish Riz the best in the months to come – thanks again for having us!

Riz
10200 102 Ave, A113 (Edmonton City Centre Mall)
(780) 990-0188
Monday-Thursday 11am-11pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-1am, Sunday 11am-11pm

Weekend Getaway: Exploring Rocky Mountain House

Mack and I are fall vacationers, more than content to make the most of our short but glorious Edmonton summers kicking back and attending local festivals. But this year, I felt the need to interrupt our regularly scheduled programming with a long weekend away at the end of August.

Hoping for a getaway that didn’t involve too much time in a vehicle, I literally googled "Central Alberta bed and breakfasts". This led us to Prairie Creek Inn, located about 15 minutes south of Rocky Mountain House. It’s a part of the province neither of us had visited before, and located just two and a half hours away from Edmonton, it seemed to be a reasonable distance to travel for a rejuvenating weekend.

Prairie Creek Inn

Prairie Creek Inn

Prairie Creek Inn offers an environment ideal to quietly reconnect with the outdoors, unplug from the demands of staying connected, and enjoy the company of your fellow travellers. Though most of the other guests were couples as well, there were also a number of young families on the property during our stay.

Prairie Creek Inn

Prairie Creek

Our room was very cozy, and featured a sunny deck with Adirondack chairs from which we could hear the rushing creek. There are also two fire pits for guest use, and ample lawn for outdoor pursuits for humans and dogs alike.

Prairie Creek Inn

I could get used to this

Breakfasts, of course, were included, with a small continental selection of freshly baked muffins and house-made granola and yogurt. One chef’s choice was also offered, and during our stay included a baked omelette one morning and cream cheese-stuffed French toast on another. The restaurant, perched atop a hill, offered great views of the lush property in a dining room lined with windows.

Prairie Creek Inn

View from Heartstone Restaurant

Given the distance from town, we also elected to have suppers at the restaurant as well. The menu isn’t varied enough to enjoy too many consecutive meals, but it was fine for two nights. The salmon, served with lemon dill beurre blanc, was my favourite of the mains we tried.

Prairie Creek Inn

Salmon with lemon dill beurre blanc

During the day, we made it out to the Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site. It’s probably something I should have known, having lived in Alberta all of my life, but I didn’t realize that Rocky Mountain House is actually quite distant from the Rocky Mountains. It began as a fur trading post (located on the North Saskatchewan River), and also served as a launching point for explorers such as mapmaker David Thompson.

Rock Mountain House Historic Site

Trails

For just $3.90 per adult, we were granted access to a well-maintained interpretive centre and two hiking trails. One trail featured interpreters at a makeshift Metis camp and blacksmith shop.

Rock Mountain House Historic Site

Blacksmith demonstration

The other involved a riverside hike which was lovely even in the damp conditions. And though I was initially skeptical of the Parks Canada #sharethechair campaign, I’ve been won over since.

Rocky Mountain House Historic Site

Sharing the chairs

Mack was particularly looking forward to the wildlife we might encounter. But the closest we got on that hike (and the rest of the weekend) was some gophers and penned-in bison.

Rock Mountain House Historic Site

“Wild”life

We also visited downtown Rocky Mountain House. Quite the opposite of Lacombe, whose downtown was busy and vibrant, the main streets of Rocky were deserted, littered with empty storefronts.

Rocky Mountain House

Nicely streetscaped, but deserted

On our way back home, we detoured somewhat to visit Crescent Falls. The views from the top of the gorge are pretty spectacular, but trails here make it possible to get even closer to the water’s edge.

Crescent Falls

Nearing Crescent Falls

Crescent Falls

Crescent Falls

Not being the most adventurous spirit, it was a bit of a stretch for me to hike down a cliff that involved the use of ropes, but it was worth it to get out of my comfort zone (and realize the benefit hiking boots would provide).

Crescent Falls

We made it!

We stopped in Nordegg for some provisions before the journey home. With a population of 200, this isn’t a full service town, so we didn’t expect the crowd we encountered at one of its few restaurants. Miner’s Cafe, located in the Nordegg Museum, was packed with regulars and families passing through. Known for its homemade pies (they sold over 1,000 this year), we enjoyed a slice of strawberry rhubarb with a generous scoop of ice cream on the side.  It’s only open during the summer months, and is now closed for the season.

Miner's Cafe

Miner’s Cafe

While we’re happy that we can tick Rocky Mountain House off our list of places visited, there are still more sites in Alberta to explore!