At the Judges’ Table: the Fourth Annual Culinary Arts Cook-Off

Mack and I had the privilege of being asked to be a part of the judges’ panel for the fourth annual Culinary Arts Cook-Off, a fundraiser for Mount Royal School. It’s a great, volunteer-driven event; a convergence of talented chefs and good food all in the name of arts education. Samples of the dishes are just $2, so it’s easy to understand why the event has attracted large crowds over the years.

Live auction portion of the Culinary Cook-Off

I’d attended the Cook-Off before as a patron, but never as a judge. Our panel was made up of Mack and I, Tina Faiz from CBC and the Edmonton Journal, and returning judges Jennie Marshall from Yelp and Stanley Townsend from NAIT. In addition to the Judges’ Choice award, the chosen chef would also have the chance to compete in the pasta category of the Canadian Food Championships in July – talk about high stakes!

Each of the adult judges had also been paired with a student from Mount Royal, who had each written a winning essay to earn their spot at the table. The student judge I had been paired with is a foodie in his own right, and shared with me that he wants to become a chef one day.

The theme at this year’s event was “noodles and doodles”, and nearly all nine entries featured pasta. Student servers brought each of the dishes in succession to us, accompanied by the chef who created them. We rated each dish on appearance, consistency and taste, and during the process, some of us had also wished for a category to cover creativity!

Lux had one of the more innovative dishes, a pasta take on the Reuben sandwich. Crafted with handmade rye noodles, gruyere caraway cream sauce, housemade pastrami and pickled mustard seeds, it was a unique dish that prompted many favourable comments around the table.

Reuben sandwich-inspired pasta from Lux

Zinc had many of us doing a double take – their dessert pasta version of tiramisu (with pasta cooked in sugar water layered in between lady fingers and vanilla and espresso creams) was the first non-savoury pasta for most of the judges.

Tiramisu pasta from Zinc

Noodlebox’s entry of vindaloo pasta wok-fried with pulled pork and topped with crushed naan bread came as a pleasant surprise for many of us. The consensus was positive for the layered flavours and multiple textures.

Vindaloo pasta from Noodlebox

Northlands contributed the only non-pasta dish of the bunch, a generous bowl of ramen in dashi broth, roasted garlic corn, egg and chicken kara-age. Although the noodles set them apart, the broth unfortunately lacked that expected umami.

Ramen from Northlands

Pazzo Pazzo ended up earning the Kids’ Choice award for their traditional and tasty Pasticcio, comprised of four different kinds of pasta, alfredo and tomato sauces and cheese. In the words of one of the student judges – “It’s just plain good.”

Pasticcio from Pazzo Pazzo

The big winner of the afternoon was Chef Lindsay Porter of El Cortez, who walked away with both the Judges’ Choice and People’s Choice awards. Her tortilla soup ravioli stood out even at first glance, as she had brought her own pottery bowls for plating. I really enjoyed the layers she built, with a spicy soup base, beans, Mexican cheeses, and a touch of corn chip crunch. Best of luck to Chef Porter as she competes in the Canadian Food Championships this summer!

Tortilla soup ravioli from El Cortez

Chef Townsend hands the well-deserved award to Chef Porter

In total (combined with the silent and live auction sales), the Culinary Arts Cook-off raised $18,305 this year, an amazing feat for a single-day event. Congratulations to all of the volunteers and students involved! Thanks again to the organizers for having us as judges; it was a blast!

Choose Your Own Noodle Adventure: Tao Garden

Like the One Ring to rule them all, to me, pho is the ultimate in noodle soups. That said, I know some people can’t have beef, or just prefer to change it up now and then. For those seeking variety, or have a group of particular eaters, Tao Garden would be a good option.

Located behind Lucky 97 in Chinatown, Tao Garden offers a pretty good deal – a customizable bowl of noodle soup plus a hot coffee or tea for just $10.50. Select a broth base, a type of noodles, and two toppings (ranging from vegetarian to meat and seafood) and you’re on your way!

Tao Garden menu

The broth choices surprisingly don’t include beef, but the dozen varieties include chicken, lamb and seafood-based soups. On my first visit a few weeks ago, I decided that the chicken broth would be a good baseline test. I added thick rice noodles, sliced beef brisket, pork and shrimp wontons, and (for an extra $1.50 per item) baby bok choy.

Loved the mismatched cups

The broth had been nicely skimmed, but was under seasoned. Punched up with some chili oil, the soup was satisfying enough. I’d likely venture into the lamb broths on my next visit. Regarding the brisket, I was expecting the thin-sliced versions found in pho, but the thick pieces of meat here, slightly on the chewy side, made for a nice serving size. The won tons were easily my favourite, full of flavour; I would have gladly ordered an additional serving.

My noodle soup

Though Tao Garden also offers some rice-based dishes, congee and appetizers, not one table ordered anything but their noodle soups. The “choose your own adventure” concept does make them unique. Combined with friendly service (the server refilled our tea multiple times without request, never a given in Chinatown, unfortunately) and a well-kept interior, it is a restaurant I wouldn’t hesitate to return to.

Tao Garden
9642 107 Avenue
(780) 705-9688

The Crudo Welcome: The Black Pearl

Restaurants have been a family affair for the Crudos. After successfully running large-scale establishments in Edmonton and Penticton, brothers Cristo and Nick reunited with their father Giuseppe following their mother’s passing to open up Café Amore. The cozy Delton storefront was soon bursting at the seams, having built a reputation of good food, personal service, and the atmosphere of a neighbourhood trattoria. It prompted a move into larger digs two years later where they’ve continued to flourish and cement their hospitality excellence.

Now, the Crudos are preparing to open The Black Pearl, a seafood destination, on April 17, 2015. Though its location downtown on 104 Street may seem more upscale, it was only fitting that host extraordinaire Cristo, Executive Chef Nick, and patriarch Giuseppe welcomed us like family at the sneak peek Wednesday night.

The space has been completely transformed, only retaining the bones of what Lit had installed prior. Comparisons to East Coast fixture Atlantic Trap & Gill would be warranted, and at the very least, their rejection of the modern simplicity that dominates area décor schemes certainly sets them apart.

Interior

The Black Pearl is intended to showcase the Crudos’ love of seafood, developed especially when they had the chance to live on the coast. The restaurant will only serve fresh seafood, and as a result, the menu will rotate on a monthly basis to promote seasonality. The crustaceans in the tanks by the bar were a reminder that many of the dishes we sampled that night were made with their compatriots.

The long bar

Prepare to get your hands dirty at The Black Pearl. I would imagine most diners ordering a few plates to share, family-style, passing around the seafood cracker. The hands-on approach to eating promotes the conviviality of the restaurant, and references the more casual atmosphere of its sister restaurant. No doubt, one of the restaurant’s crown jewels will be King & Dungeness crab, served in a Crown Royal, chili, scallion and ginger cream sauce. It was a statement dish similar to the pasta pescatore so well known at Café Amore.

King & Dungeness crab

For calamari seekers, their crispy version topped with squid, ginger, garlic, scallions and chili hit all the right notes for us.

Calamari

The head-on BC side stripe shrimp, sauteed with pimento, scallions, shallots and garlic oil had a bit of kick to them, and beautifully presented, were almost too good to eat.

Shrimp

Although the dishes did primarily focus on seafood, The Black Pearl doesn’t alienate those who prefer meat, with beef carpaccio and roast chicken on the menu. One of my favourite tastes that evening was the house-made porchetta served with maple glazed Brussels sprouts – the right amount of fat and a hint of sweetness.

Porchetta with Brussels sprouts

Mack and I also really enjoyed a salad that celebrated the beauty of simplicity and quality ingredients; the cherry tomatoes topped with fiore di latte and house-made pesto balsamic glaze is a must-try.

Cherry tomatoes and fiore di latte

It will be interesting to see how The Black Pearl is received. Sabor Divino has had a lot of success with a similarly seafood-focused menu just one block over, and of course, Café Amore itself has a loyal customer base to draw from.

But as Cristo shared with us, The Black Pearl is a labour of love for his family, and the project has been driven by their passion for hospitality. That care and attention came through in the food and the service in spades, and hopefully, with this second location, even more Edmontonians will be exposed to the warmth of the Crudo welcome.

Thanks again to Cristo, Nick and Giuseppe for having us!

The Black Pearl
10132 104 Street

The Culinary Arts Cook-Off: April 18, 2015

If you don’t yet have plans for next Saturday afternoon, consider attending the fourth annual Culinary Arts Cook-Off at Mount Royal School. The event is a convergence of talented chefs and good food all in the name of arts education.

What: Culinary Arts Cook-Off
When: Saturday, April 18, 2015
Time: 11am-2pm
Where: Mount Royal School, 11303 55 Street

Every year, several community-minded chefs donate food and their time to contribute towards fundraising dollars to support arts core programming offered at Mount Royal School. The public is invited to attend and indulge their taste buds for a good cause – samples of the themed dishes are just $2 each, with all donations going towards the school. Of course, there is a competitive element involved, with chefs vying for awards in several categories: people’s choice, judges’ choice and kids’ choice.

Culinary Cook-off 2013

2013 Culinary Cook-Off

I attended back in 2013, when the competition centred around sliders. It was clear the chefs had a great time flexing their creativity, and we found that the taster sizes were definitely generous. The Cook-Off was also a resounding success; the school raised over $16,000 that year.

Culinary Cook-off 2013

The Marc’s contribution

This year, the theme is “noodles and doodles” – it’ll be interesting to see how the participating chefs interpret this, though I’m expecting at least a few versions of mac ‘n’ cheese. The ten restaurants on deck this year are: Craft Beer Market, El Cortez Tequila Bar & Kitchen, Lux Steakhouse & Bar, Noodlebox, Northlands, Pazzo Pazzo, The Red Piano, Smokehouse BBQ, Von’s, and Zinc.

To amp up the stakes even further, the winner of the judges’ choice category this year will also receive paid entry into the pasta category of the Canadian Food Championships in July. Ultimately, the winner of that competition will receive $2,500 and a trip to Florida to compete in the World Food Championships in November 2015.

I’m excited to share that Mack and I will be among the judges who will be tasked with selecting that winner on Saturday. Along with Tina Faiz, we’ll be joining some experienced judges who I’m sure will help show us the ropes. Good luck to all involved!

Hope to see you at Mount Royal School on Saturday!

Love the Dove: Dovetail Delicatessen

Drift has become a fixture of the city’s food truck scene since they introduced their take on sandwiches to Edmontonians back in 2011. And although the number of trucks in operation have more than tripled, they haven’t lost their game – it was a three-peat when Drift was again named Best Food Truck in Avenue Edmonton’s best in food issue back in February.

Drift’s consistency, focus on local ingredients and interesting flavour combinations have resulted in a sizable fan base, one that has been hungry for a year-round ability to enjoy their food. Next week, it will finally be possible.

Nevin and Kara Fenske are about ready to open their brick and mortar shop, Dovetail Delicatessen (the name represents the coming together of their two businesses). Nestled in the 124 Street area, Kara shared that in a way, Dovetail represents a homecoming for her. Kara’s parents have owned a jewelry store in the neighbourhood for more than thirty years, and she remembers spending a lot of time in the area growing up.

Nevin and Kara with Kirsta Franke (of 124 Street Grand Market)

The Fenskes took over the space formerly occupied by Blossoms Café. While they’ve kept the concept of the open kitchen (mimicking customers being able to peek into their truck), they have since maximized the space, allowing for easier movement through and increasing the seating to about thirty.

Nevin readies lunch

Fans of Drift’s sandwiches will be happy to know they are at the core of Dovetail’s offerings. A daily roast will be served in sandwich form, while samosas, salads and dips will also be available from their cooler. At the VIP opening on Friday, we dined on a delectable roasted pork shoulder sandwich with chimichurri and pickled fennel, as well as (for Mack) a roasted carrot salad with parmesan and chokecherry vinaigrette and (for me) a barley salad with roasted apple, pear, toasted almonds and lemon vinaigrette.

Roasted pork shoulder sandwich with chimichurri and pickled fennel and barley salad

To start, Dovetail will be open Monday to Friday 10:30am to 6:30pm, a boon to residents and office dwellers looking for a healthy but hearty lunch. But Nevin and Kara also hope to capitalize on those seeking to unwind with a post-work nibble (they’re licensed!), or want to grab a quick dinner on their way home.

Country style pork paté with pistachio

And if you’re concerned that Dovetail means the end of Drift – set those worries aside. Drift will be back on the streets this year, including as a fixture of the neighbourhood 124 Street Grand Market starting May 14, 2015.

Cooler

Follow Dovetail on Twitter to find out exactly when they’re opening up next week. Congrats to Nevin and Kara on this big achievement – and Mack and I will be sure to return soon!

Dovetail Delicatessen
10721 124 Street
(780) 705-1293
Monday – Friday 10:30am-6:30pm

Recap: Northern Lands’ Meet Your Maker Event

Edmonton might seem like an odd choice to hold a national wine festival, given we can’t produce grape vintages in Alberta, but apparently our neutrality in part helped sell the idea of Northern Lands to wineries from across the country. Billing itself as the “largest gathering of Canadian wineries from coast to coast”, the two day festival featured twenty producer dinners at restaurants across the city, wine seminars, and cumulated in a stand up wine and food event at the Shaw Conference Centre on March 28, 2015 called Meet Your Makers.

Meet Your Makers swag

Festival Director Gurvinder Bhatia is no stranger to organizing large-scale food events. In 2012 and 2014, Gurvinder’s brainchild Hot Chefs, Cool bEATS successfully brought together some of Edmonton’s best chefs for an evening of food and drink with a backdrop of eclectic entertainment. With Meet Your Makers, we could definitely see the resemblance to Hot Chefs (including some familiar faces), but the spotlight on wine was a definite departure.

The event was sold out, so we tried to arrive early to avoid the crowd. Maximizing the space, the lobby of Hall D had been set up to feature breweries, with a few food stations sprinkled between.

Welcome beer

It was great to see so many of the city’s prominent culinary professionals under the same roof. In spite of the fact that it was a Saturday night, chefs were front and centre, serving up their creations to the 800-solid crowd. The organizers also enhanced the bill with appearances from several key names from “abroad” – namely, Vikram Vij and Charcut’s John Jackson and Connie DeSousa.

Daniel Costa focuses on preparing his agnolotti

Tickets to the event were $85, and by the end of the evening, we knew we had reaped their value and then some. Although portion sizes were reasonable, with twenty restaurants, the food definitely added up.

Yes, that is truffle being shaved onto a forest floor-inspired dessert from Duchess

Among our favourites that night were the Tangle Ridge Ranch lamb and olive arancini from Century Hospitality Group and the Rajasthani-style goat meat stew from Vij’s.

Mack also couldn’t resist the butter chicken potli from Guru

Though we did have our share of wine that night, with 47 wineries pouring over 150 different wines, we were a bit over our head. We did gravitate towards the names we were familiar with (such as Joie, Cave Spring and Mission Hill), but it was also a pleasant surprise to learn about some new producers. For example, Mack and I didn’t know that Kamloops is now home to three wineries (we had spent some time there for a conference a number of years ago).

Harper’s Trail, one of our Kamloops discoveries

While we also did our best to pair wine with the food we were sampling, it wasn’t as seamless as it could have been. Often, Mack and I ended up splitting up – he’d grab a wine to try while I waited in line for the dishes. Still, we did encounter a few wineries that asked what we’d be eating next before pouring a selection.

Mack with Eau Claire Distillery, an Alberta-based distillery

There was also a bit of off-kilter fun in the hall – a seemingly random ping pong tournament pitting producers against one another. At the very least, when else can I say I watched Vikram Vij flex his ping pong skills (barefoot, naturally)?

Vikram Vij shows his stuff

One of our favourite aspects of the event actually had nothing to do with the consumables. It was great to catch up with some people we hadn’t seen in a while – in many ways, the conversations forced us to pace ourselves throughout the evening so the walk home wasn’t as unpleasant as it could have been.

With Elm Café’s Allan Suddaby

Meet Your Makers promises to return in 2016, and given its success, I’m sure it will be even bigger. It’ll be interesting to see if organizers will choose to showcase fruit wines in the future, given besides beer and spirits, they are Alberta’s contribution to this beverage market.

Congratulations to Gurvinder and his team on a great first event!

Toronto Transplant: The Burger’s Priest

Before the Rush game on Friday night, Mack and I walked over to The Burger’s Priest to see if this Toronto transplant could live up to all of its frontier hype. The Burger’s Priest is among the latest of fast casual premium burger joints to invade our city, following in the footsteps of places like Fatburger, Five Guys and Smashburger. Promising a higher quality product, it does seem Edmontonians are willing to pay a premium for burgers classed a cut above fast food chains.

I’m sure it’s been just as busy since day one, but a combination of a long weekend and its newly-minted status meant it was a packed house. Being the polite Canadians we are, though, the table turnover was reasonably quick, so most who ordered weren’t left awkwardly waiting for a seat (otherwise, I was certain to flashback to our stress-inducing experience at Shake Shack in Manhattan).

As with the conversion of any other former dentist’s office or optical shop into an eatery, The Burger’s Priest is a compact space. But they’ve made the most of it, leaving a majority of the windows uncovered and incorporating as many seats as possible along the walls. Mack was saddened that like most of the businesses along the 109 Street strip, The Burger’s Priest also opted to hive off their Jasper Avenue entrance in favour of the door that predictably faces a parking lot.

Exterior

The Burger’s Priest offers a menu of ten different burgers (one vegetarian option), fries, milkshakes, fresh-baked cookies and ice cream sandwiches. I did find the tongue-in-cheek names amusing (the “Red Sea” is a cheeseburger with chili on top, while Lethal Weapon partners “Riggs & Murtaugh” inspire the name of their black and white shake). Mack and I didn’t hesitate before ordering – we knew we had to try the “Vatican City” ($11.99), double cheeseburger served between two grilled cheese buns. We also opted to share fresh cut fries ($3.69).

We didn’t have to wait long before our order was called up, piping hot and labeled to distinguish between Mack’s burger with all the fixings and my own. Unwrapped, in all its glory, the Vatican City was definitely a photogenic burger, the melted processed cheese calling back to adverts we’ve all been conditioned on. The patties themselves were juicy (The Burger’s Priest prides itself on grinding its beef on-site), but the seasoning could have been more consistent throughout. I also could have done with just a single layer of meat, so as to better emphasize the grilled cheese buns.

Vatican City

In all honesty, Mack and I both went into the experience hoping to find an Edmonton version of our Portland revelation – the YouCanHasCheeseburger from Brunch Box. $6 for a burger bookended by two Texas toast grilled cheese sandwiches – no pretense, just a well-made burger. But we didn’t find that solace in Vatican City.

Mack about to dig in

The fries were fine but nothing special, and one order was more than plenty for the two of us – I’m not sure how an individual could finish a single order of fries on their own.

Fries

So although we didn’t find a burger that met our Portland standard, it will be handy to have a grilled cheese sandwich burger option in the neighbourhood. And even better, it’s one we’ll have to walk to, in order to build up an appetite…and to walk it off afterwards.

The Burger’s Priest
10148 109 Street
(780) 760-0777
Monday-Wednesday 11am-10pm, Thursday-Saturday Noon-10:30pm, Sunday Noon-8pm

Cooking Indian Street Food with Chef Addie

One of the very thoughtful wedding gifts Mack and I had received was a gift certificate to Get Cooking. Kathryn Joel’s brand new kitchen studio, located at the MacEwan University Residences, had opened around the same time, and we knew at some point we’d want to check out her new digs, which could accommodate even more learners.That said, even when she was teaching from her home kitchen, Kathryn always managed to collaborate with great local talent, bringing in cuisine content experts that could help eager participants navigate through foreign flavours and techniques.

As soon as the winter schedule was released back in December, Mack and I jumped at the opportunity to learn about Indian street food with Addie Raghavan in March. We knew he’d be just returning from a long sojourn in his native India, where last summer he spent time acquainting himself with cheesemakers pushing the boundaries beyond paneer.

Addie Raghavan

Over the course of the evening we learned to prepare two snacks, four main courses, and a dessert. Given the focus on inexpensive food available on the street, most of the dishes were ones we had never encountered before.

A pakora tower (one of the few dishes we were familiar with)

Mack really loved the jhal muri, a vegetarian snack full of varied texture and fresh ingredients, including puffed rice, fried noodles, spicy roasted peas, cilantro and chopped tomatoes. It was quick to pull together, and would feed a nice sized crowd.

Jhal muri

The misal pao started with a sprout and lentil curry, which Addie made with mung beans soaked in water overnight (starting their sprouting process). It also incorporated dried kokum fruits, a souring agent that reminded us of tamarind. And instead of being served with naan or chapatis that we were more familiar with, because of the Portuguese influence in the Northern Indian region where the dish is found, the curry is traditionally eaten with leavened buns.

Curry

The beautiful pao (extra buns may have migrated into my purse at night’s end)

Get Cooking’s slogan is “think local, cook global”, so throughout the evening, Kathryn highlighted the suppliers who provided the proteins used that night. The Chettinad fish fry, for instance, made use of Icelandic red fish, sourced fresh from Ocean Odyssey. The recipe itself was fairly straightforward – marinated fish seared in coconut oil (“Solid at Canadian room temperature”, joked Addie). But the revelation involved the garnish of fried curry leaves – I really enjoyed the burst of aromatics they added to the dish.

Addie fries up some fresh curry leaves

Chettinad fish fry, served on plates made of dried leaves

Chicken lollipops are the perfect street food in many ways, self-contained and not requiring utensils. They’re apparently so popular in India that at the butcher shop, you can purchase already-lollipopped chicken to prepare at home. Mack loved the chicken, battered in a garlic and chili-infused coating and fried to a crisp.

Mack loves chicken wings

Addie brought in off-cuts of meat with the bheja fry, featuring lamb brains. Although the recipe could also be made with eggs, given the inexpensive nature of offal, it was definitely a truer representation of an Indian street food dish.

Lamb brains from Acme Meat Market

The brains were first boiled, then stir-fried with onions, tomatoes and spices. It was my first time sampling brain, which was creamy in a way I did not anticipate. While it wasn’t my favourite of the recipes shared, I’m glad Addie didn’t just play to a mainstream palate.

Bheja fry

For dessert, Addie made jalebis infused with bourbon. I always find that jalebis are much too sweet for me, although I could appreciate this more “adult” version.

Jalebis

I think Mack and I were anticipating a more hands-on class as a whole, but participation was limited to some instances where Addie invited learners to help chop or fry. I understand the time constraints (seven dishes in four hours!), but it would have been nice for more deliberate opportunities to get our hands dirty.

It was obvious that Addie knew the content; he was able to answer our curiosities and questions with ease. But in terms of organizing the lesson, I would have preferred some context to precede each dish (and to be fair, it was our fault that we were fifteen minutes late). It is possible that we missed an introduction which would have provided a broad overview to street food. Given we visited several different regions through the food, I would have loved a map representing where each dish originated, and more information about the regional influences, ingredients available, and different cooking methods used.

That said, the evening was all-inclusive – we were stuffed by the end of the night, and had our share of drinks; each course was accompanied with a wine or drink pairing. Kathryn and her staff were more than hospitable, and we felt as welcomed as we would have been in her home.

It was an educational session, and I know moving forward, I will definitely be making the fish fry and misal pao in the near future. Thanks to Addie and Kathryn for a night of learning and good food!

Check out the schedule of upcoming Get Cooking classes here, including North Indian Cuisine on May 10 and Indian Vegetarian on June 14 with Addie!

Meet for Brunch: Meat

Mack and I rarely get out for brunch in Edmonton. Weekends are an opportunity for us to sleep in, but more than that, we find there are only a handful of places in the city that are worth waking up for. In this instance, Calgary has us beat – their brunch culture is far more dynamic, offering variety to spare.

On Saturday morning, after dropping off Mack’s Mom at the airport, it seemed prudent to take advantage of the fact that we were already out and about. After stopping at the nearby Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market, we headed over to Meat. The restaurant just started offering brunch on weekends from 11am-2pm earlier this month, so it wasn’t a surprise that the crowd was tame; it’s still a well-kept secret.

Mack at Meat

In some ways, Meat was made to host brunch. Their expansive windows allow in ample natural light, and also double as a vantage point for the bustling street outside – people watching over coffee isn’t a bad way to start the weekend. Lastly, their large communal tables make Meat a natural meeting place for large groups gathering over brunch – something not necessarily seamless in other establishments.

The menu is straightforward – 7 breakfast dishes, 3 sandwiches and the option to add booze to your coffee. Most of the dishes incorporate their smokehouse staples – buttermilk fried chicken & flapjacks, for instance, or housemade Southern grits with your choice of brisket or pulled pork. Mack selected the beef brisket benny ($15), while I couldn’t resist the biscuits & gravy ($13).

The kitchen was right on top of things, as our dishes arrived in no time. Mack’s benny was built on a buttermilk biscuit, topped with brisket, caramelized onions, a perfectly soft poached egg and housemade hollandaise. He liked the fact that the usual English muffin had been replaced with a flaky biscuit, and did especially enjoy his crispy, indulgent hash brown.

Beef brisket benny

My biscuits & gravy weren’t advertised as anything else, and its components were tasty. The biscuits were definitely the highlight, and would have been worthy of unadorned consumption. The sausage gravy wasn’t overly studded with meat as I’ve encountered before, and because of that, I think there could have been more to the dish. Canteen’s version adds hash browns and sausage patties, but what makes Meat unique is their namesake. As they work through enhancing their brunch offerings, it would be great to see an “add on” section on the menu, where diners could not only add a poached egg on top of their biscuits & gravy, but also some pulled pork or brisket. A fellow diner commented on how her request of pulled pork on top of the smoked apple and cheddar flapjacks is what made them sing. Or, how about a side of fried chicken? Sure. An extra biscuit? Why yes, please!

Biscuits & gravy

That said, it’s still early days in Meat’s brunch service. They have a great foundation – service was excellent, as always – and the food did convince us that waking up some weekends could yield some rewards. We’re looking forward to returning again on an early bird inspired weekend.

Meat
8216 104 Street
(587) 520-6338
Sunday-Thursday 5-10pm, Friday-Saturday 5-11pm; brunch Saturday-Sunday 11am-2pm

SPUD Edmonton: Local and Organic Groceries Delivered to Your Door

Grocery shopping has never been a chore to me. I relish the time we spend at the farmers’ market every week, and even more routine trips to the Italian Centre or Superstore are an opportunity to observe commercial and product trends.

But I know not everyone feels the same way about a necessary task. In Ontario, Loblaws launched a “click-and collect” program back in October, offering customers the convenience of putting together an order of groceries and other products online which would be ready for pick-up at a designated time. While that system hasn’t been implemented outside of the GTA, Edmonton does have two grocery delivery services. Unlike the range of items offered by conventional grocery stores, however, the two services emphasize local and organic products. The Organic Box has been in business for several years, while Sustainable Produce Urban Delivery, or SPUD, is the relative newcomer to Edmonton. SPUD began its first deliveries in October (for the record, the Good Food Box run by Live Local Edmonton was the first of such services, but is no longer in operation).

SPUD differs from The Organic Box in that it does not require a membership fee and has no minimum commitment. Delivery is also free for most orders.

Two weeks ago, I received a complimentary SPUD delivery to try out the service for myself. I was interested in seeing how seamless the process would be, from selecting products to the delivery itself.

Of course, selection is paramount in a service like this. Given the current winter season, I knew the selection of local vegetables might be slim, but SPUD does source from some Alberta producers I’m not familiar with, such as Mans Organic and Poplar Bluff Farm. They also have more recognizable names, such as Gull Valley Greenhouses, Reclaim Urban Farm and Lund’s. As expected, however, to fill out the quotient of organic produce readily available at grocery stores, countries of origin were as far away as Chile or Peru.

Local producers were better represented on the meat and dairy side – SunWorks and Olsons High Country for meat, Vital Greens and Rock Ridge for milk, Bles Wold for (our go-to) yogurt and The Cheesiry for cheese. Other Edmonton-based businesses that supply products to SPUD include Transcend Coffee, Prairie Mill, Honest Dumplings, Jacek Chocolate Couture, Cookie Love, La Oliva, Bloom Cookie Co., and the most recent addition, Glow Juicery. I appreciated the “local products” section, which contained the products supplied by all of the Alberta-based companies.

On a side note, personal care and cleaning products are also available, with an emphasis on natural and environmentally-friendly options. I suppose this again goes to SPUD’s desire to be a “one-stop shop”, but without a doubt, the convenience would definitely come with a price.

Once I was logged in, ordering was a breeze. I liked the running tally of items on the left hand side of the screen, which also reminded me how quickly the total can be ratcheted upwards. I ordered a variety of fresh, frozen and non-perishable items, but, as is our shopping tendency, focused more on locally-sourced products.

I submitted my order by 3pm on Monday, which meant my SPUD box would be delivered the following evening, between 3-9pm, as per my downtown zone. Living in a condo unit, I was most concerned about the security of the drop-off, as I wouldn’t trust that the box would remain safe and untouched in our lobby. Thankfully, allaying my concerns was a priority for the SPUD staff, who connected with me by e-mail and requested specific instructions. They were able to include a note to the delivery driver about calling us upon arrival to be buzzed up to our floor. When we arrived home late Tuesday evening, we found the box waiting for us in front of our unit door.

SPUD box

Opening the box, we found that products were separated into different packaging sleeves, with refrigerated and frozen items packed into insulated sleeves with adjacent ice packs and dry ice. It was obvious everything was put together with care and attention.

Packed with care

Unboxing

Over the next couple of weeks, we enjoyed most of the contents of the box.

Our haul

We fried up the Honest Dumplings and sprinkled Reclaim Urban Farm cilantro microgreens overtop. The SunWorks stew meat combined with the Poplar Bluff carrots, Lund’s parsnips, Steinke Family Farm potatoes and Noble Spuds onions for a fabulous stew. We used the Olsons High Country bison pepperoni to top our homemade pizza.

Honest Dumplings with Reclaim Urban Farm microgreens

We found the ingredients to be of high quality, and comparable to what we might pick up at a farmers’ market. SPUD definitely introduced us to some Alberta producers we hadn’t really known before – at the Calgary Farmers’ Market the following weekend, it was nice to see the Olsons High Country booth and their breadth of products in person.

Pizza with Olsons High Country bison pepperoni

As I mentioned, my preference is to buy direct from producers whenever possible, so I can’t see myself becoming a regular SPUD customer. However, I could see occasions where SPUD could come in handy – a particularly busy week, returning from travels, gifting a box to a new mom or a time-crunched friend. I know SPUD Edmonton is also continuously adding more local producers, and likely, with the spring, the selection will increase even more.

Thanks again to SPUD for the opportunity to try out the service!

Learn more about SPUD Edmonton here, with $10 off your first order of $50 or more.

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