Category: Edmonton

Early Thoughts on “The Big Kahuna”

After picking up a copy of the 2008 Fringe program over the weekend, I’ll be darned if it isn’t already marked up with post-its and incoherent scribbles. The 27th edition of the festival, “Fringe”-less in its name The Big Kahuna, begins on August 14 – just over a week away. As such, my personal countdown to my favourite time of year in Edmonton has begun.

The electronic ticketing system introduced last year to a boon of complaints remains, with the $2 additional fee that supports the still undefined “Box Office operating costs” left intact. While no tickets will again be sold at the venues themselves, Bring Your Own Venues (more commonly known as BYOVs), have been issued a grace this year, as tickets will only be available at the venue door when the clock hits two hours prior to showtime. Given the location of some of the peripheral venues in Old Strathcona, and the addition of New City, a lounge/bar located in Downtown Edmonton as a BYOV this year, it makes geographic sense for venue distribution of tickets. The obvious question, of course, is why a non-Old Strathcona venue was permitted to be a BYOV at all? As for the other suggestions collected in the January Town Hall meeting I attended – none appear to have been implemented, or at least can be gathered from the program itself (I wonder if Kenneth Brown’s veiled threat of producing his “gems” elsewhere if changes aren’t made will stick with his proposed plan to present his war trilogy over the next three years?).

New to the festival this year is the Fringe Midway – an extension of the $2 optical illusion sideshows of Fringes past. Quick and dirty serials, shorts, and this year’s Weed Woman sideshow are an addition great on paper at least – quick treats for those looking for a brief show or those short on cash but still looking for something other than outdoor buskers or antics.

My peripheral glance at the program so far has yielded a number of “repeat offenders”, so to speak. TJ Dawe, for example, is producing/directing/starring in/wrote five shows on tap this year. Daniel McIvor, whose A Beautiful View (at Theatre Network) was loved by the media last year, has three plays up at the festival.

Ones to bank on, based on name-recognition and critical favourites:

  • Teatro la Quindicina’s return to the summer festival – Happy Toes;
  • anything TJ Dawe is involved in (his own Maxim & Cosmo, Keir Cutler’s annual Shakespearean tirade, one-man-everything Charles Ross’ show);
  • musical marvel Rainer Hersch; and
  • Fringe darling Jon Stewart’s edgy new work.

I succumbed to the great deal of the Frequent Fringer pass (which allows me to bypass the aforementioned $2 Box Office fee), but it also means I’ve saddled myself for 10 shows in 6 days because of a late-August sojourn to Vancouver.

It will be an intense ride, but I’m ready for it. 9 days and counting…

Ginger Beef Gluttony: Beijing Beijing

I’m not sure how we got onto the topic of ginger beef at Heritage Days on Saturday, but something propelled us to meet at Beijing Beijing ( 700, 3803 Calgary Trail) to satisfy a craving for the salty-sweet, deep-fried "meat".

Mack, Dickson and I went there last year after Heritage Days, so it could very much become an annual post-festival tradition. In any case, the dinner buffet was the draw, priced at $15.95 on Friday to Sundays (and $12.95 Monday to Thursdays). With around thirty items to choose from (including the salad and dessert bars), quality wasn’t the order of the day. But for picky eaters, or those who love variety, Beijing Beijing does a decent job at mass-producing Western Chinese food.

How can anyone pass up heat lamp-warmed goodness?

Loading up

Jane & Yi-Li (notice the different compositions of their plates)

My colourful (first) plate

I will admit to being partial to the crispy deep fried won tons and the saccharine sweet and sour chicken, so there was some enjoyment gleaned from my mass consumption of cheaply-prepared grub. Of course, as some meals go, it is the company and not the food that makes the meal.

Funny instances also help make meals memorable, and Beijing Beijing provided one of the best photo opportunities of late – Mack’s epic fail:

Is that ginger beef on your plate?

Greg, on the other hand, was able to chow down on a full plate of dessert, cream pie and all.

 

"I’d like a Blender Blaster with this."

As Megan would say, "Good times."

Beijing Beijing
700, 3803 Calgary Trail
(780) 430-7720

Movies on the Square: “High School Musical”

When the City of Edmonton started offering free screenings of movies in Churchill Square, I knew this would be the closest I would get to a drive-in for a while. I was waiting for a for a film I either actually wanted to see, or one I deemed was worth watching again. When High School Musical was announced for the August 2 show, I knew this was it.

I’ve seen the film several times since being dazzled by it last year, but the idea of watching it on the big screen, under the stars and in the shadow of buildings in the downtown core, was irresistible.

The set-up

Armed with camping chairs, a blanket, a bag of goodies and mugs of tea, we joined a modest crowd of fifty people already huddled around the front of the screen. It had drizzled a bit as we were heading to the Square, but thankfully we had no use for the umbrellas we had brought along just in case. While most of the audience was comprised of families, there were a few pairs of adults and couples our age.

Mack

Me

A Fat Franks food cart was on site, which may not have been a bad thing on that chilly evening. I was glad I had brought along a mug of tea and a blanket; without them, I would have froze in the windy conditions. The people in front of us who wore winter jackets definitely had foresight.

In all, it was a pretty cool experience, even if the audience didn’t get up to dance in tune with the movie (like that scene in The Wedding Planner). If you missed it, you have three more opportunities this summer, with screenings being held on August 29-31, movie titles TBA.

Heritage Days 2008

Despite the draw of a world of food, our visit to the Heritage Festival this year was much like those in years past – a nice mix of visual and aural performances, scanning for cheap trinkets, and seeing where our next sample plate would come from.

In Hawrelak Park

Mack is a nesting doll!

The skies did threaten rain, but with the exception of a few rain drops, the clouds held up. This may have been one of the reasons the crowds were unusually small on Saturday; there was virtually no line at the ticket booths or at the food vendors themselves.

Getting my Hungarian Langos (fried bread) iced – the best deal of the day for only 3 tickets!

Mack with his plate of (very oily) perogies

Injera with mild chicken sauce from the Ethiopia booth – I’ve tried injera a few times now, and I can’t get used to the sour taste of the bread

Empanada (we should have brought our own plates/cutlery like we did for Taste of Edmonton, but it totally slipped our minds)

We made sure to get to the grounds on time to watch Dickson’s Mum’s dance troop perform in front of the Chinese pavilion. The group of 3-4 year olds were especially cute! Of course, the most notable outcome of watching the performance was a priceless photo op.

"Playing in the Rain" dance

Andrew, Mabel and Mack

We met up with Jane, Yi-Li, Megan and Greg to wander around further.

All smiles with Jane

Clogs!

Yi-Li doing his best to win Jane her plastic bubbles in the Taiwan tent

 

"English" garden

Enjoying mango-on-a-stick

Me & Mack

Thanks for a fun afternoon, guys! Pictures here.

August in Edmonton is for Variety

Better late than never?

  • Why not spend an afternoon exploring Edmonton’s outdoors? The City of Edmonton has a few interesting walks that can be printed out to be used as guides (including art downtown and notable Edmontonians in local cemeteries), and the Government of Alberta has a “Rock Walk” map available – noticing the unique rocks and minerals that make up some of the stalwart buildings in the city centre.
  • August 8-10, the annual Animethon takes place at the MacEwan City Centre Campus.
  • Doors Open Alberta is an event that celebrates the history of public buildings and spaces. Edmonton’s events take place August 9 & 10, and include walking tours, self-guided tours of notable buildings, and a resurrection of last year’s popular Capital Modern Bus Tour.
  • My absolute favourite festival of the entire year – the Edmonton International Fringe Festival – kicks off on August 14 and runs until August 24. Head to Old Strathcona for the outdoor buskers, food and craft vendors, and of course, amazing theatre!
  • City Farm‘s last Open Gate event of the summer takes place on August 16. Family fun farm activities for free!
  • Another family-friendly venue, the Rutherford House is hosting its annual Penny Carnival on August 17.
  • Edmonton’s Labatt Blues Festival is billed as Western Canada’s Premiere Blues Event and runs August 22-24.
  • Concurrent to the Blues Festival is the Dragon Boat Festival, also August 22-24. Watch the excitement from the banks of Louise McKinney Park!
  • The city’s newest (or more accurately, most high profile new festival) is Sherwood Park’s Under the Big Top, with magic shows, puppetry, and physical theatre. Check it out August 25-30.
  • Drive-ins may be hard to find, but Churchill Square has been frequently hosting Movies on the Square – family-friendly films projected onto a large inflatable screen. Mack and I went to a screening this weekend, but there are three more opportunities to do so this month: August 29-31, movie titles TBA.
  • Hawrelak Park, home of the annual Symphony Under the Sky, will again be filled with the songs of the masters August 29-September 1.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

EDIT:

  • Fragapoolza, the largest gaming event/Massive LAN party in Canada is being held at the Northlands Sportex August 7-10.
  • Cariwest, another stalwart Edmonton festival, is on this weekend, August 8-10.
  • Looking to volunteer? Check out the non-profits and organizations seeking help at Everyone for Everyone, an event free of charge to attend at the Shaw Conference Centre on August 23.

Greek Redemption: It’s All Greek to Me

I would be remiss if I didn’t disclose that Greek cuisine is not high on my list of ethnic favourites. I think I’ve had too many experiences like lunch at Koutouki where the meat is dry, bland, and in that particular instance, overpowered by parsley. Still, I’m always up to try new places, and with a coupon in hand, Mack and I wandered over to It’s All Greek to Me (10127 100A Street) after the Taste of Edmonton last weekend.

Exterior

He had been to the restaurant before with colleagues, citing a positive experience, while this was my first time there. It looked charming enough from the outside, with a string of twinkle lights dangling from the blue awning. Inside, the usual blue and white colour scheme (is there really any other décor palette for Greek eateries?) dominated, with an entire wall of photo displays accented by the requisite smattering of artifacts, memorabilia and ceiling vinery. The casual nature of the dining area, in combination with the dim lighting and quiet corners made me think that It’s All Greek to Me would make a great date spot.

Interior

“You know you’re Greek if…”

The restaurant was moderately busy, with several dining pairs and one group already seated. We were provided with menus, glasses of water, and plenty of time to peruse our options. I wasn’t that hungry to begin with (it was our second dinner, after all), so we opted to share two entrees, and planned on taking the leftovers home for the next day’s meal. Mack and I were both immediately drawn to the Gyros with Pita, donair meat served on pita ($13.50), and for our second plate, settled on the Dolmades ($13.50), grape leaves stuffed with ground beef and rice.

Our food came in reasonable time. Both plates were dominated by the house salad – iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and a tiny amount of feta tossed with a light vinaigrette. The gyros was fantastic – tender slices of meat, well-seasoned and flavourful – we probably should have just ordered two of this dish. The dolmades were new to me, and I resorted to asking our waitress how to eat it. Being used to banana-leaf wrapped rice, I just wanted to make sure I could consume the outer layer. She assured me that the tender leaves were safe to eat. Tucked inside was a mixture of spiced ground beef and rice, and though it wasn’t bad, there was nothing exceptional about the combination either.

Gyros with Pita

Dolmades

Our waitress was wonderful. While she had a backup who would assist her now and then, the dining area was mostly her domain, and she was able to juggle a number of tables with care. Thus, because of the service, laid back atmosphere, and tasty gyros, I finally have a positive memory to override all of the negative experiences I have had in Greek restaurants. Hurrah for It’s All Greek to Me!

It’s All Greek to Me
10127 100A Street
(780) 425-2073
Lunch: Monday to Friday 11am-2pm; Dinner: Monday to Thursday 5-9pm and Saturday 5-10pm

Taste of Edmonton 2008

After the Taste of Summer in St. Albert, and experiencing firsthand how an ideal Taste of Edmonton could be with less people, excellent food, and a picturesque, green setting, I knew Saturday’s visit to Churchill Square would be lacklustre at best. Perhaps because of this approach with low expectations, I escaped the event with a better impression than I had thought possible.

Entertainment in Churchill Square (thankfully, the grey skies held up)

Mack and I didn’t plan on filling up at Taste of Edmonton – we figured the 30 tickets I pre-purchased at the discount rate would allow us to whet our appetite, and we intended on filling up on a full sit-down meal elsewhere.

I found that the vendors would better spread out this year, with the exception of one congested row pressed up right along the glass display on the east side of the square. It was so well fanned, in fact, that I ended up completely missing the set of vendors directly in front of the City Hall pool!

 

Crowds

If it has happened in past years I haven’t noticed it, but the verbal and quite competitive hawking of dishes was entertaining, as vendors tried to entice the finicky crowd by promoting their fare as a sideshow attendant would. In terms of promotion though, I do think the event should provide a contact sheet like the organizers at the Taste of Summer did, with a full list of names, addresses, phone numbers, and descriptions of participating restaurants – the tasting should be a means to something instead of an end in itself.

Amy’s famous! (the Chicken for Lunch lady)

While I did make a peripheral glance at the menu prior to Saturday, most of our food choices were made after strolling through to see what was being offered. Although organizers trumped this as the year of more participants and better variety, neither Mack or I were that impressed by any one dish.

At the El Rancho booth

The portion of ginger beef from Beijing Beijing was quite large, but as expected, a large proportion of the serving was batter and not meat. Mack enjoyed the bacon wrapped scallops (I enjoyed the bacon) from Firestone, though they were nothing special. Hudson’s Mini Cheddar Burger was a perfectly formed slider, and would be a great party hors douvres. The pad thai from Krua Wilai was a welcome concentrate of carbs coated in a sweet sauce, and my only complaint was for a slightly spicier version. El Rancho’s pupusa, served with cabbage and tomato salsa, was a bit on the soggy side, and sadly enough, the corn-flake rolled-then-fried Mexican deep fried ice cream was as well. Our favourite ended up being butter chicken from Khazana – tender morsels coated in a rich and creamy sauce, with enough kick to make us both happy.

Mack enjoys ginger beef

 

Firestone’s Bacon Wrapped Scallops

Mini Cheddar Burger from Hudson’s

Pad Thai from Krua Wilai

El Rancho’s Pupusa

El Rancho’s Mexican Deep Fried Ice Cream

Last but not least – Butter Chicken from Khazana

Our container experiment, gleaned from Jane, was our effort to minimize the waste produced from an evening of small plates. While it wasn’t enough to bring just one container (we ended up using a plate for the ginger beef, dried burger and dessert ice cream), it was a learning experience – perhaps we’ll bring two reusable vessels with us next year? Props go to attendants of the Krua Wilai and Khazana booths for not blinking an eye when presented with the plastic dish.

Food aside, the relaxed atmosphere, music, and the general ease which comes from being outdoors made for a nice summer evening. My full set of photos are here.

Picnic in the Industrial Heartland: Tandoori Express & Montreal Deli

Besides the usual trinkets one might find in a woman’s purse, I have two other things that can consistently be found in mine. One is “the list,” which I have written about before (a paper square with names and address of restaurants I would like to, but have yet to, try) and a small wallet filled with coupons for restaurants that I probably wouldn’t try without a discount incentive. Tandoori Express & Montreal Deli (6508 75 Street) fell into this latter category.

Tandoori Express & Montreal Deli

Before our coffee tasting at the nearby Transcend, I thought the Deli would make a convenient stopover for dinner. We drove up to the restaurant, a building rather out of place amongst the supply stores and warehouses along 75th Street, and entered. It was empty, but we were quickly greeted by a man at the counter. He patiently waited while we perused the menu. Besides a variety of East Indian favourites, there were also some items that seemed out of place, including Spanakopita and donairs. Though I had to fight the urge to order the butter chicken, I ultimately decided a good Montreal smoked meat sandwich would be harder to come by in Edmonton, and thus thought it deserved the more pressing taste test.

After we both ordered the Smoke Meat Sandwich ($5.66, $1 extra for Swiss cheese), we took a seat outside at one of the plastic patio tables to escape the blistering heat inside the restaurant. Surveying our surroundings, amongst the wafting aroma of paint thinner, we couldn’t help but be reminded of the industrial setting of our dinner.

The sandwich itself looked promising, with what appeared to be the 160g of meat the clerk promised. The bread, however, was cold to the touch (I saw the rye loaf being taken out of the fridge) – a quick warm through in a panini press in this case wouldn’t have been a bad idea. Thankfully, the meat itself was quite nice, spiced with something I couldn’t quite place. The Swiss was also a nice addition.

Smoke Meat Sandwich

Inexpensive and relatively fast, the Tandoori Express & Montreal Deli wouldn’t be a bad option should one be passing by in need of sustenance, but in my opinion, it’s not a dining destination in and of itself.

Tandoori Express & Montreal Deli
6508 75 Street
(780) 465-7088
Monday-Wednesday 11am-9pm, Thursday-Saturday 11am-10pm

The Sandwich Spot: Colonel Mustard’s Canteen

Dickson’s pick for lunch on Wednesday was Colonel Mustard’s Canteen (12321 107 Ave). Though Hicks on Six named it the “city’s best” sandwiches, I always intended to hit up the Canteen for a pre-show dinner before a play at the nearby Roxy Theatre.

At any rate, we found a parking spot across the street from the restaurant and walked into a hailstorm. The Canteen was larger than I thought it would be, with a deep seating area in the back partitioned off by the cold case, counter and de facto lobby in the front. From what I could see, the walls were bright, the space cheery with natural light, and the area absolutely buzzing with what appeared to be a crowd of regulars.

Interior

As we were pressed for time, we opted for the faster “take out” option to eat our order at one of the tables by the door. We were told a waitress would be right with us, giving us a moment to survey the three large blackboards with a multitude of sandwich and wrap options, all priced around $10. The waitress brought us glasses of water as requested (making it difficult for me to distinguish between the waiting area we were supposedly in from the full-service tables in the back), and I decided on something light – an Italian sandwich with prosciutto, provolone, and vegetable spread on a French loaf – while Dickson ordered the Mustard’s Meatloaf (Italian sausage rolled with Italian meats and cheeses, baked in tomato sauce).

While we waited for our food (keeping our fingers crossed that our plates would be ready as expediently as promised), I had time to marvel at the amazingly efficient hostess. Dealing with a barrage of patrons ready to pay, escorting parties to their tables, and greeting customers stepping through the door, she was always friendly, and did not let the steady stream dampen her courtesy.

Our food arrived in small plastic baskets with a pickle each. What had been described as “meatloaf” on the menu board looked an awful lot like spam when Dickson lifted the Kaiser cover. The diced meat also made it hard to eat his sandwich, short of carving it up with a fork and a knife. Thankfully, I had a better experience with my sandwich– the loaf was fresh, and I loved the combination of mild provolone and salty prosciutto. Even better, I encountered bursts of basil with every bite.

 

Mustard’s Meatloaf

Italian Sandwich with Prosciutto and Provolone

While I wouldn’t describe the sandwich as the best I’ve had in Edmonton, lunch at Colonel Mustard’s convinced me that I’d have to return for dinner one day, even without the pretence of a theatre engagement.

Colonel Mustard’s Canteen
12321 107 Ave
(780) 448-1590
Tuesday-Saturday 11am-9pm

Teatro la Quindicina: “A Rocky Night for His Nibs”

It was an absolutely packed house on Tuesday, only fitting for the large cast of A Rocky Night for His Nibs. From Teatro la Quindicina’s website:

“Perched by a glacial lake and presided over by the stately Prince of Wales Hotel, there’s no quieter or more pristine North American destination than the gentle town of Waterton. At least that’s how it usually is, but then there was that one time when everyone showed up. Everyone. At once.”

I have no doubt that Nibs is destined to become a classic in the vein of Cocktails at Pam’s. A mix of interesting personas, a case of (self)mistaken identity (amnesia could be a category for a Lemoine drinking game), and a mysterious yet familiar setting equal an almost no-fail Lemoinian forumula for entertaining hijinx. I found the exchanges particularly witty, and as a whole, a play much better than the season debut, Revenge of the South Sea Bubble. While the deux ex machine ending was too easy, I can’t say I didn’t enjoy myself in spite of the million-dollar cop-out.

All of the actors looked like they were having a great time, many cast in roles seemingly written just for them: Farren Timoteo as a height-challenged, giddy wanderer; Sheri Somerville as a striking woman on the run with a musical talent; and Andrew MacDonald-Smith as an awkwardly-gangly Hutterite with a naïve disposition. I particularly enjoyed Mark Meer as an unassuming everyman (a departure from his usual accented-antics), the Hutterite exes (Shannon Blanchet was the female half), and Mat Busby’s smooth turn as the hotelier’s right hand man.

If anything, A Rocky Night for His Nibs has made me more excited for the upcoming Fringe. Watch for Teatro’s (hopefully triumphant) return to the summer festival with the optimistically-titled Happy Toes, playing at the Varscona stage.