Culinary Q & A with Karlynn

Occupation: stay at home mom who gets out in the evenings/weekends once in a while to work at a hospital here in Edmonton.

What did you eat today?

Breakfast was french toast made with my homemade 8 grain bread, maple syrup and blueberry/strawberry fruit salad, A&W onion rings and a root beer for lunch, (I know, I know). For some end of the day recuperation I had a mini cupcake from Bliss (I just brought them home from Calgary) and a glass of white wine. My late supper was spinach salad with strawberries/toasted almonds/vinaigrette and a tuna sandwich on same homemade bread, with more of that white wine. Throw in a banana, mini carrots, cucumber..and that about covers it. I also foresee some popcorn with butter in my future tonight since it’s movie night at home with the husband.

What do you never eat? We try not to eat anything with hydrogenated oil in it, we’ve cut it out of our diets completely, even my son now reads labels to check for “the bad oil”. After cutting it out for so many years, it truly makes our stomachs ill if we eat a product containing it now.

What is your personal specialty?

Desserts, I think I am a little of a scone fanatic, actually. I must have more than a dozen recipes for scones on my site, all my favorite in some way.

Complete this sentence: In my refrigerator, you will always find:

Butter, fresh fruit and wine. What that says about me, I have yet to figure out.

What is your weekday meal standby?

Winter: spaghetti sauce with ground steak hidden in it (so my “vegetarian” son gets protein) over whole wheat pasta. Don’t worry, he doesn’t have moral issues concerning meat, just texture. He has no problem inhaling deep fried fatty chicken nuggets, but doesn’t believe me when I tell him that’s not eating vegetarian.

Summer: toasted tomato sandwiches on homemade bread with tomatoes from my garden or a simple Greek seasoned chick pea salad with same garden tomatoes,cucumbers, olive oil and feta.

What is your favorite kitchen item?

My KitchenAid mixer, hands down.It whips icing, mixes cookies, grinds meat, makes pasta….and it’s purty. It also takes up so little space compared to the return of what it does, I hate kitchen clutter, so an all-in-one works for me. Oh, wait, or my bread machine, until I am down to driving my kids once in the morning and once in the afternoon instead of three daily trips, hand made bread is not entering my food world. I love that I can set it to have hot, fresh bread done right when we wake up in the morning. You sure won’t see me up at 4 am kneading dough!

World ends tomorrow. Describe your last meal. A make your own sundae buffet with the kids and Mr Magpie, ice cream, brownies, chocolate and sauces and whipped cream galore. Everything I don’t allow them to eat on a regular basis, because if it’s my last meal, I want to spend it with them. Maybe some duck leg confit from the Hardware Grill…it seems to be permeating my food dreams lately….

Where do you eat out most frequently?

Daawat‘s on Whyte Ave, I can’t get enough of their vegetable or chicken Korma with a side of coconut naan. Heavenly hot spicy cream sauce and sweet honey coconut flavor at the same time.

Where’s the best place to eat in Edmonton? Kevin Kossowan’s house. However, my opinion may change at any moment, Valerie hasn’t had me over yet.

If you weren’t limited by geography, where and what would you eat?

The only thing I really can bemoan in this area is the lack of fresh seafood and having it as integral a part of the markets here as it is in coastal towns. Not that it would do me any good, as I am the only seafood lover in my family.

Karlynn blogs at The Kitchen Magpie.

West Edmonton Mall’s Taste of Bourbon

When I hear the words “taste of”, my mind immediately drifts to the concrete surface that is Churchill Square, remembering the wafting smell of fryer oil, barbecue, and the excited chatter of summer revellers enjoying one of Edmonton’s most popular festivals. Could this formula be replicated elsewhere, namely, within the confines of a shopping complex?

Taste of Bourbon

West Edmonton Mall is giving it a shot, with an event called Taste of Bourbon. This year sees its second incarnation, with 14 restaurants (most of them located right on Bourbon Street)participating. Sampling tickets were priced at $1 each, with the evening also boasting live entertainment and cooking demonstrations.

Bourbon Street

Mack and I were lucky enough to get a voucher redeemable for $25 worth of tickets, and unlike last year, were actually free to attend. We encountered a very busy Bourbon Street, benches overflowing with people enjoying their small plates.

The Hooters mascot

Scanning the menu, the dishes ranged in price from 2 to 6 tickets, averaging 4 tickets in price. Each restaurant offered up to four different dishes, most of which seemed to be samples taken from their regular menu.

Beard Papa was the odd booth out, as they were handing out free samples (which of course, we graciously accepted)

We dove right in – the alligator popcorn (6 tickets) and grilled cheese lollipops (6 tickets) from The Red Piano were easily the most appealing dishes being offered. We found the alligator to be slightly chewy, but the breading made up for it somewhat. The lollipops seemed to be a bit of false advertising to us – they really were deep fried balls of cheese – tasty, but not what we were expecting.

Alligator popcorn

Grilled cheese lollipops

Mack wanted to try the Creole crab and scallop cake from Moxie’s (4 tickets). It wasn’t spiced as aggressively as he would have liked, but it satisfied his craving for seafood.

Mack and his Creole crab and scallop cake

Mr. Mike’s crackling sirloin steak bites (4 tickets) sounded interesting to me, but just turned out to just be their version of dry ribs, served with a ranch sauce. It was tasty, albeit not too exciting, but like much of the food served at the event, was chosen for its crowd-pleasing nature.

Crackling sirloin steak bites

We rounded off our sampling with a serving of taquitos and rice from Jungle Jim’s (5 tickets). It was a hefty serving, with four taquitos over a bed of rice. The rice was bland, and though I would have liked crispier taquitos, they were all right.

Taquitos and rice

We caught a bit of Chef Shane Chartrand (of L2 Grill) on the makeshift stage. He was about to flambé a dish – something necessarily flashy to draw in the passing crowds.

Chef Chartrand

Noticeably missing from the list of participating restaurants was Earls and Cactus Club Cafe. Given both establishments were bursting at the seams, with extensive lines of patrons outside, it was obvious such a promotional opportunity wasn’t necessary for either, but that seemed to be beside the point of Taste of Bourbon. Bourbon Street is essentially one large dining hall – if one restaurant is full, it is an easy enough just to head next door.

That said, given most of the restaurants have multiple locations and/or are chains, with the exception of Fantasyland Hotel, L2 Grill and The Red Piano, a majority of the dishes served were fairly pedestrian, and can be found on menus at restaurants all over the city. Thus, Taste of Bourbon just can’t have the draw that something like the Taste of Edmonton would have, where many independent restaurants participate, in a setting that isn’t easily replicated indoors.

Still, it was a fun evening, and one I would partake in again, but perhaps not go out of my way to visit.

The Citadel Theatre: “Hunchback”

Catalyst Theatre is one of those companies that makes one proud to be an Edmontonian. Frankenstein and Nevermore, the previous two creations by Jonathan Christenson and Bretta Gerecke, were nothing short of spectacular, so their third production, commissioned by the Citadel Theatre, was highly anticipated with near-daunting expectations. Hunchback, as described on the Citadel’s website:

This darkly romantic musical, set amid the buttresses and shadows of Notre Dame Cathedral, is a surprising new take on Victor Hugo’s famous story. A tormented priest, a beautiful dancer and the deformed bell ringer Quasimodo, are swept up in a vortex of lust, fear and the desire to control destiny that ultimately destroys them all.

It was also the first Catalyst production to host live musicians, which definitely seemed to fit the grand landscape of the epic story.

The set, while seemingly utilitarian at first glance, was a versatile wonder. With the help of deft lighting design, the steel tripods were transformed from the soaring towers of Notre Dame to the cavernous dungeons underneath. I also particularly liked the scene where Quasimodo introduced his ringing charges to La Esmeralda – the two-dimensional drop-downs meant the focus remained on his verbal adoration of the bells, and of course, on their resonance. The costumes were similarly eye-catching – notably, Quasimodo’s skeletal, wired hump and La Esmeralda’s fall from grace epitomized by the trade of her shimmering tulle skirt for a haunting white gown.

Compared to Frankenstein and Nevermore, Hunchback was not based around a central pillar, and in fact, the titular Quasimodo was actually a secondary figure to La Esmeralda and Claude Frollo. For that reason, I was left wanting to learn more about Frollo’s back story – it seemed that La Esmeralda was likely a catalyst and not the cause of his surfacing flaws.

The two actors that had me transfixed were Jeremy Bauming, as the tale’s narrator, and Ava Jane Markus, as La Esmeralda. Bauming extolled the rhythms of Christenson’s language as if they were song (his effortless delivery of the passing of a “liquid afternoon” was magical). Markus was taxed with the weight of being a hub of lust for two men, and the saviour of one. She handled it with grace and beauty.

The musical numbers, while bolstered by the live musicians, weren’t as memorable as those in the other two shows; not one of the songs remained with us after curtain. As a result, Mack and I remained true to our favourite Catalyst productions – he to Nevermore and I to Frankenstein.

Still, because of the highly stylized shows that are Christenson and Gerecke’s trademark, Hunchback is worth seeing. I don’t know when it might run again, but if you missed it, be sure to jump at the next opportunity.

The Quest for Okonomiyaki: Ichiban

The original reason Ellen and I had decided to dine at Mikado late last year was two-fold: she had wanted me to try sushi (the raw kind), but we had also heard that they apparently offered okonomiyaki (a Japanese pancake) off-menu.

Though Mikado ended up not serving okonomiyaki, Ellen did finally track down a restaurant that does serve it – Ichiban on the west end, located in the same strip mall as Bon Ton Bakery. We made a date with Jill for dinner there two weeks back, mostly so we could finally share that elusive okonomiyaki.

It was surprisingly busy for a Monday night, but Ichiban had the vibe of being a go-to neighbourhood restaurant – nothing fancy decor-wise, but clean and comfortable, with a mix of booths and tables to choose from. We opted to share a number of small dishes, which, short of going the bento box/udon route, seems to be the ideal way to dine at Japanese establishments.

We started with a dish probably the furthest from my comfort zone – an order of sunrise maki ($9.95), rolls comprised of shrimp tempura, tobiko and fresh salmon and tuna. The battered shrimp was an interesting addition, and enveloped by a ring of rice, could have been the sort of one-bite appetizer served at an upscale cocktail function, but for me, the raw element was again a stumbling block. Here, the difference in temperatures between the tempura and the salmon just highlighted my aversion further. I hated disappointing Jill and Ellen though, especially knowing how much they love sushi, and want for me to love it too.

Sunrise maki

The rest of the meal was rounded out by other small plates that would definitely have a wider appeal. Kara-age tofu ($4.50) remains one of my new favourite Japanese discoveries – a lightly fried shell giving way to silky tofu within. The oyster ponzu ($6.50) was a little less successful, with a bit too much breading impeding on the taste of the oyster itself. And how can anyone not love tempura ($10.95)? Ichiban seemed to do a particularly good job – light and crisp, it didn’t feel like as much of a guilty pleasure as it should have been. We also thought the restaurant was quite generous in its serving, with a number of shrimp to go around.

Kara-age tofu

Oyster ponzu

Tempura

But of course, the main event was the okonomiyaki ($7.95), a savoury pancake of sorts which could include a variety of fillings. In Ichiban’s case, it was dried shrimp, cabbage and bacon, worked into the batter, then fried. Given this was my first encounter with this dish, I chose to defer my judgement to Jill and Ellen. They said that they were used to puffier versions, and said the kitchen should have included more cabbage. They were also hoping for a drizzle of Japanese mayonnaise on top. In all, we enjoyed it, but we agreed that it wasn’t worth going out of your way to seek.

Okonomiyaki

Service was good but nothing exceptional – food arrived at a fair clip, and our server checked in on us every so often. But while we enjoyed our meal at Ichiban, the experience left us with the same feeling that the okonomiyaki did – we’d likely only visit again if we were already in the neighbourhood.

Of course, I’m thankful to have friends that are willing to push me to try new things, friends that ultimately put up with my stubborn palate. We even have our next Japanese adventure already planned: shabu-shabu!

Ichiban
8750 149 Street
(780) 481-5252

2011 California Wine Fair

What event combines three hundred wines, tasty appetizers, one of the most stunning spaces in Edmonton and the ability to support fine theatre? If you answered the California Wine Fair, you’d be correct! A fundraiser thirteen years running, the proceeds from the event go towards the artistic endeavours of the Citadel Theatre.

I was lucky enough to be given two tickets to this year’s fair, which ended up being a blessing of sorts. Due to a prior volunteer commitment, I wasn’t able to meet up with May until the last hour of the event, which, though unfortunate, still meant we could get a taste of what the California Wine Fair was all about.

Walking into Hall D at the Shaw Conference Centre was a bit overwhelming. Sure, there weren’t three hundred vendors (most booths were pouring several different bottles), but the fair still presented a veritable sea of wines to try. The crowd was diverse, but was definitely younger than I expected – a majority consisted of that “next gen” set.

Given our time limitations, May and I opted to be selective with our sampling choices, opting for varieties that we knew we would enjoy – namely, rosés and dessert wines.

We love rosés!

We ended up only trying about ten different wines. Our top three: the Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Moscato (no surprise, given the Moscato was our favourite from a wine tasting at Vinomania); the sweet nectar also known as Deviation by Quady; and the Classic Brut from Domaine Chandon. I was particularly tickled to see Domaine Chandon represented – Mack and I had the pleasure of touring their winery in Napa when we were down in San Francisco last fall.

Domaine Chandon

We observed that there weren’t as many rosés as we would have expected, though we acknowledged the season and the fact that they are meant for more uncomplicated palates. Also, it was somewhat surprising that some wines being sampled weren’t (yet) available in Edmonton liquor stores. Of course, a room full of wine enthusiasts provides a great opportunity to introduce new patrons to a brand in the hopes they may look for it in the future.

After attending the appetizer tasting and wine preview, it was neat to be able to see which the planning committee ended up choosing. Like me, May enjoyed the goat cheese sphere with caramelized onions marmalade most of all. The cheese plate and the chocolate truffles were much appreciated (in pairing with our wines and preventing the alcohol from going straight to our heads), but a hearty meal would have been the ideal proactive move.

The jerk chicken and mango chutney in a tortilla cup and roasted shallot, spinach and feta cheese tartlet were good too!

At the end of the night, May and I agreed that we would attend the California Wine Fair next year. For the food, atmosphere and of course, the wine, it would be well worth the $65 ticket. Especially if one were to be on time.

Thanks again to the Citadel for the chance to check it out! See you in 2012!

The “Element of Taste” with Chef Susur Lee

For three years now, the NAIT Hokanson Chef in Residence program has brought world-renowned chefs to Edmonton, for the purposes of mentoring students who are training in the Culinary Arts program. This year’s Chef in Residence, Susur Lee, not only brings extensive restaurant experience – with establishments in Toronto, DC, New York and Singapore to his credit – but also the most diverse cooking influence thus far. Chef Lee is known for his fusion cuisine; he first rose to fame with his Chinese fare blended with French techniques and ingredients. In recent years, he has dabbled in other styles – inspiration that some lucky diners were able to experience firsthand this afternoon.

NAIT hosted a special luncheon dubbed the Element of Taste at Ernest’s today, with Culinary Arts students tasked with preparing a three-course meal under the tutelage of Chef Lee (recipes for all of the dishes served today can be found in Chef Lee’s book, Susur: A Culinary Life). I was fortunate enough to be invited to an event mostly filled by Edmonton’s hospitality community, alongside a few other local food writers and bloggers including Valerie, Kevin, Evonne, Maki, Mary and Liane.

Chef Susur Lee

The meal began with a spicy lobster tart with bonito. It was no doubt a bold introduction to Chef Lee’s cuisine: puff pastry adorned with tomatoes, lobster, olives, bonito flakes, goat cheese and a spicy tomatillo sauce. The presentation was gorgeous, a decorative arch of red draped artistically over the tart. There were mixed reviews around the table, and I had to agree with some of the opinions that there were too many elements at play – the briny olives overpowered much of the other flavours for me.

Spicy lobster tart with bonito

Our entrees were much better received: rack of lamb with chickpea puree in a sweet olive and spicy cumin tomato sauce. The dish had a vibrant quality about it, and perfumed the air with a cumin-scented fragrance as soon as the plates were delivered. The lamb, cooked medium rare, had been treated with an intense curry and coriander spice infusion that paired perfectly with the mint chutney. There were raves about the hummus, heady and rich. We later discovered (with Allan’s help) that the chickpeas had been individually shucked before preparing the puree – talk about attention to detail.

Rack of lamb with chickpea puree

Dessert arrived like spring, a taste of warmer climes. A bright, fresh passionfruit sauce enlivened a vanilla-speckled panna cotta. I particularly loved the adornment of thinly sliced pineapple and the tang of the raspberry paste. It was a beautiful end to a lovely meal.

Vanilla panna cotta

At the end of the meal, the students, deservedly so, received a standing ovation from the dining room. The service staff were also fantastic today – each course was delivered with a flourish fit for royalty.

Allan (who helped prepare the entrees), chats with Valerie and Kevin

Thanks again to NAIT for the invitation. It was a wonderful afternoon to be a part of.

For the Love of Food: Eat Alberta 2011

Last summer, Valerie approached me with the idea of organizing an Alberta-wide food conference. Given the rising interest in buying local and the burgeoning online food community, she thought it was the perfect time to arrange a more formal opportunity for people to connect with one another, and learn more about the bounty we have in Alberta.

For many reasons, the province-wide aspect was dropped in favour of focusing on what we knew – Edmonton and its surrounding areas. We also downsized our original attendee target, realizing that the quality of the conference would be most important, especially because our hope was for this event to continue on an annual basis.

In the fall, we asked several other members of the local food community to join us in this endeavour – Sherene, a food blogger, Allan, a chef and blogger, and Mack, a social media guru. We also realized that the goals of this conference very much aligned with those of Slow Food Edmonton (of which Valerie, Allan, Mack and I belonged to already), and that it made sense for the event to come under their banner of promoting good, clean and fair food.

As a result, with Valerie’s leadership and through our discussions, Eat Alberta was born.

On April 30, 2011, the inaugural Eat Alberta conference will take place in downtown Edmonton. Through a mix of hands-on and demonstration workshops, tasting sessions, and presentations from some of the leaders of our food community – farmers, chefs and local food advocates – we hope that participants will learn how to use and source local food as well as develop nurturing and ongoing relationships with one another and with those that produce our food.

Here are a sampling of the sessions participants can look forward to:

Wine pairing workshop with The Tomato’s Mary Bailey
Hands-on artisan sausage making with chef Allan Suddaby
Goat cheese making demonstration with Holly Gale of Smoky Valley Goat Cheese
Honey tasting with Patty Milligan, aka Lola Canola
Slow-rise pizza dough lesson with Yvan Chartrand of Tree Stone Bakery
Home coffee brewing tips from Josh Hockin of Transcend Coffee
Keynote presentations from Jennifer Berkenbosch and James Vriend of Sundog Organics and Kevin Kossowan, who will share learnings from his “From Local Farms” project

Registration for the conference opens March 14, with early bird registration closing on March 31. Conference fees will include a small continental breakfast, lunch, and a glass of wine. Be sure to register early for the best selection of sessions!

I hope to see you there!

City Market: City Hall Edition

The City Market is back, ten weeks early! Last week, it was announced that the downtown farmers’ market would be operating in City Hall from March 12 until May 14, after which the market would return to 104 Street. Mack and I were happy to have a farmers’ market within walking distance again, and were excited to check it out this afternoon.

City Market @ City Hall

Flush with natural light, the City Room was as close as we could get to having an outdoor market indoors. Many of the vendors remarked at how bright and open it felt, and of course, how warm it was – the heated tents were definitely not ideal for our climate. The only thing that seemed to be missing, atmosphere-wise, was music.

There were over two dozen vendors present, a good mix of City Market regulars and new vendors. It was good to see Medicine Man Bison, Nature’s Green Acres, Prairie Mill, Barr Estate Winery, Mighty Trio Organics, Kuhlmann’s and Steve and Dan’s out.

Steve & Dan’s Fresh BC Fruit

Doef’s and MoNa, stalwart vendors during the May to October market season, will also be at City Hall (MoNa will be back April 2, after a short break).

Doef’s

Several vendors who have weekly booths at other markets have also joined the City Market, including Shooting Star Ranch and Gold Forest Grains (regulars at the Alberta Avenue Market) and Bella Dolce Bakery (who also sells at Salisbury).

Bella Dolce Bakery (their biscotti are perfect for dipping, made without shortening or fat, which means they won’t fall apart)

The last winter City Market we attended in the parkade was a bit disappointing – we found a trip to the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market was still necessary to get the rest of our groceries for the week. Now, with the variety of fruit, vegetables, proteins and other products, the winter City Market is now more of a one-stop shop! Kudos to the organizers – we’ll be back next week!

Something to Celebrate: ZINC

My parents were married thirty years ago Monday. As a child, I’m pretty sure I took for granted the fact that Mom and Dad were always there, in solidarity. Now, in an adult relationship of my own, I can truly appreciate and admire their milestone.

To celebrate, my family assembled at ZINC last Saturday. ZINC is one of those restaurants that seems tailor made for occasions. High ceilings, ample natural light, posh azure accents – it’s a room that invites glasses to be clinked and raised.

The restaurant was busy that night – perhaps a confluence of Downtown Dining Week and that evening’s Refinery party – so in some ways, it was fortunate that our reservation was slated just before the rush, as all of our dishes were well-paced.

The amuse bouche was a darling profiterole featuring chicken riette and cumberland sauce. Here, I particularly liked the microgreen garnish, a burst of freshness to balance the salt-forward bite.

Chicken riette

Mack and my sisters ordered starters. Last November, Mack and I had attended a preview dinner at ZINC, where we were invited to try dishes from Chef David Omar’s new menu (a concept that allows diners to choose small or large plates of the same dishes). Mack’s favourite “bite” from that night was the seared scallop ($6), which of course he wanted to have again. It was perfectly cooked, and just the right size to relieve his craving.

Scallop (Mack wishes this was actual size)

My sisters shared the panzanella ($10) with bread, tomatoes, asparagus, prosciutto, lemon garlic preserve and a balsamic reduction. They fought over the last piece of prosciutto.

Panzanella

For entrees, our party size allowed us to try nearly every main on the menu, and just about all of them were well-received.

My Dad cleaned off his herb panko dusted rack of lamb ($41) – literally – there wasn’t a shred of meat to be found on his plate. Served with a couscous and anchovie tapenade, baked apple and pear chutney and eggplant ratatouille involtini – nothing else was left either (it’s of the highest praise, really. It’s tough to impress my Dad).

Lamb

Amanda liked her plate of alpaca and house-made pasta noodles ($26), ZINC’s version of spaghetti and meatballs. The meatballs were moist (thankfully, as we had found them to be rather dry in my previous encounter).

Alpaca

Mack’s Spring Creek Ranch beef tenderloin ($42) was cooked to a tasty medium rare, though he remarked that he wasn’t asked about specifications upon ordering. It was served with a potato and watercress mash, caramelized onions and baby carrots.

Beef

My pan-seared line caught pickerel ($34) was delicious, coated with a light, dreamy potato foam. The bed of vegetables was as colourful as it was a textural contrast to the flaky fish, consisting of beets, edemame beans and pickled mushrooms.

Fish

The only dish that didn’t enthral was the duck ($32). While well-cooked, with crispy layers of skin atop the tender meat, it was much too salty. My Mom and Felicia did enjoy the accompanying pumpkin and potato purée though.

Duck

Sometimes, the small, seemingly insignificant things about a restaurant help to elevate a meal. One example at ZINC was the brioche bread. It was warmed through, sweet and slightly toasted, and easily lapped up the tomato compote butter it was served with. We asked for seconds!

No pictures of the bread, unfortunately

That said, personal gestures are also a welcome addition to the dining experience. When I made the reservation, I was asked if it was a special occasion. At the end of our meal, Chef Omar came to greet our table, and brought with him two miniature ice cream trees and a great story about how this became the signature special dessert.

Chef Omar and my parents

The trees each held five different house-made ice creams and sorbets – the favourites around the table were the avocado ice cream and the lemon sorbet.

The ice cream tree!

The service was attentive throughout our stay (nary a wine or water glass was left unfilled), and we felt very well taken care of. And between the good food and personal gestures, ZINC really was a great place to celebrate. Congratulations, Mom and Dad: here’s to thirty more years!

ZINC (inside the Art Gallery of Alberta)
2 Sir Winston Churchill Square
Lunch: Tuesday-Saturday 11am-2:30pm; Dinner: Tuesday-Wednesday 5-9pm, Thursday-Saturday 5-10pm; Brunch: Sunday 11am-2pm; closed Mondays

Downtown Expansion: Transcend Jasper Avenue

This guest post was written by Mack, an Edmonton-based geek who fancies himself a part-time foodie. You can find him online at his blog, and on Twitter.

Tonight Transcend Coffee held a friends and family soft launch at its new downtown location at 10349 Jasper Avenue. I stopped by to check out the new space, formerly occupied by Axis Café. The space is largely the same, though it did receive a new paint job and some Transcend-specific touches such as the lovely artwork. The new fireplace on the second level is a welcome addition too.

Entering the café.

Looking down from the second level.

The new location offers a similar drinks menu to other Transcend locations, but will also feature “a small selection of remarkable beer and wine” beginning this spring. Transcend Jasper will also introduce an expanded hot food menu at that time, featuring made-in-house South American street food created by Chad Moss, who is a Red Seal chef.

The boardroom upstairs.

The basement space.

The boardroom that was available at Axis remains open for rental at Transcend after receiving some upgrades. It contains a large board table, a high-resolution projector and screen, and flip chart paper and other resources. Rates start at $20 per hour or $100 for the day. Transcend Jasper also has a great space in the basement – they are exploring various concepts for it, including a live-music program. Stay tuned for details on that.

Yum, Transcend-roasted coffee beans!

Putting up the sign outside!

The crew pictured above was putting up the sign as a I left the space tonight around 6pm, so like all good openings Transcend Jasper was down to the wire! It’ll be open for regular business starting tomorrow morning at 7:30am. You can follow the new location on Twitter at @TranscendJasper. You can see a few more photos of the space here.

Join me in welcoming Transcend to Edmonton’s new coffee district!

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