Culinary Q & A with Jeff Samsonow

Occupation: Non-profit broadcasting coordinator/Editor-in-Chief of theedmontonian.com

What did you eat today?

For breakfast: Coffee (Some Level Ground Peruvian medium blend)
Some delicious bacon cooked in the oven, and bought at the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market from First Nature Farms. A banana.

Lunch: Minestrone and a two-cheese sandwich from Bistro 112. This is my (day-job) work coffee place and I’m grateful to have it so close. A couple of crunchy B.C. apples (forget which kind).

Dinner: At The Hat
Canadian sliders (double-smoked bacon, chedder and monteray jack cheeses, yum)
Caesar salad (with more double-smoked bacon)
Amber’s Brewing’s Australian Mountain Pepper Berry

What do you never eat?

I’m not a fan of artichoke.

What is your personal specialty?

I’m becoming fond of a 3-cheese macaroni and cheese recipe we found in a clean living magazine. I also dig roasted chicken and gravy as per Jamie Oliver’s specs.

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

Orange Juice. We love orange juice.

What is your weekday meal standby?

Chicken and rice. The chicken cut and preparation may vary, but it seems like we tend to have these two items on hand quite a lot. Bless our steamer.

What is your favourite kitchen item?

The good knife. (We have two cutting/chopping knives and one is better.)

World ends tomorrow. Describe your last meal.

It’s going to be an amazing steak, with lots of baked potatoes (and butter), peas and bacon, and a bottle of red wine. (Yes a whole bottle. The world’s ending.)

Where do you eat out most frequently?

It used to be the old Next Act. Now, we’ve been in flux. So, I’m open to people’s ideas. (Since I started writing this e-mail I’ve found we’ve been to The Pour House a handful of times – it’s the old Flavours.)

Where’s the best place to eat in Edmonton?

Madison’s Grill (I say that even though I haven’t been in some time.)

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

I’m going to go with New York City. It seems like the kind of place I could actually get a taste of most of the world’s food.

As Jeff mentioned, he is the EIC of The Edmontonian – my go-to website to get a round-up of the day’s headlines.

The 2010 Annual Chili Cookoff

On Friday, I convinced Ellen to ditch the lunch being provided at the conference we were attending in favour of walking over to Scotia Place to meet Mack and take in the 20th Annual Chili Cookoff, organized by the Downtown Business Association.

To the left for chili!

Though Mack has attended before, I’ve never been able to make it. After this experience, I can see why this event is so popular. It’s the closest we have to Calgary’s Sun & Salsa event in Kensington – food sampling that goes to a good cause. In this case, all proceeds would be donated to the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters.

Twenty organizations put their best chili forward to vie for the 2010 title of “ultimate chili”. Competitors included the obvious suspects like hotels and area restaurants to companies such as Hemisphere Engineering, and not-for-profits like the Kidney Foundation and Boyle Street Co-op.

It was a pretty efficient setup – two tables in Scotia Place were devoted to selling chili receptacles for $2 a pop (unfortunately, they were styrofoam, accompanied by plastic spoons) so no money was changing hands at each of the sampling stations. The narrow aisles were somewhat congested, but thankfully, we were able to park ourselves in the “overflow” areas outside the main thoroughfares to consume our samples.

Chili frenzy

Entertainment was provided on a small stage, which definitely lightened the mood, and matched the festive decor around the foyer.

Loved the little chefs!

I couldn’t imagine having to be a judge (Karlynn Johnston of Kitchen Magpie wrote about her experience) – to have to determine the best of twenty chilis would be challenging, with palates easily overrun by the heat. Thus, it was no surprise that the varieties that distinguished themselves from the common ground beef base were the ones that were memorable, and rewarded for being unique.

Scott Lingley of See Magazine, one of the judges, was nice enough to pose for a photo (covering up his scores though, of course!)

We agreed with the judges’ top three, though not necessarily in that order. The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra placed third with their smoky chili that tasted like baked beans (it also didn’t hurt that their recipe included bacon).

L2 nabbed second place with my favourite – a chicken-based chili, with a strong hint of lime. After several spicy samples, it was refreshing to encounter the citrus twist. They also had the best booth, hands down, with all servers dressed up in Hollywood costumes.

L2 getting their star power on!

As for first? Drumroll please…Hardware Grill took top honours with their amazingly tender stewed beef-based chili. Scott shared that their recipe also featured some “exotic” ingredients, including tamarind and anchovy. Mack also really loved the corn muffin that topped the sample.

Chili from Hardware Grill

Other notable chilis included Zinc’s alpaca version (the ground alpaca was much better and more flavourful than in the meatball format that we tried earlier this week), Hemisphere Engineering’s chocolate chili, made even more complex with a hint of Danish blue cheese (Ellen and I joked about finding her a “dessert chili”, and this was as close as we could get), and the Westin’s vegetarian chili, a bold, meatless choice that didn’t suffer for flavour at all.

The Westin’s vegetarian masterpiece

Our least favourite was, sadly, from one of our favourite shops in our neighbourhood – deVine’s. Ellen described it as bland, then unnecessarily spicy, but worst of all was the texture – we all agreed it was akin to baby food.

I thought I wouldn’t be full – but even between the three of us, we weren’t able to finish 12 small samples, in spite of the fact that consuming a large bowl of chili in one sitting for dinner hasn’t ever been a problem. Perhaps it was the variety?

More chili?

It was also great to see that some stations had utilized local ingredients in their recipes, such as the inclusion of alpaca by Zinc, and the use of TK Ranch beef by CBC.

All in all, it was a fun event – I was happy to have finally been able to see what the Chili Cookoff was all about – here’s to twenty more years!

Location, Location: Viet Huong Noodle House

In September, I noticed that Viet Huong Noodle House would be moving a few blocks east into the Chinatown space that had been vacated by Hoang Long. Knowing a makeover of their restaurant on 107 Avenue was in dire need, it seemed a move into a more modern and frequented street would do them well. After a lunch date with Jill and Swamy at the new Viet Huong last week, I’m happy to say the change was definitely for the better!

The walls, a deep, autumnal yellow, were left untouched from the previous tenants, as was the furniture, and both were a definite improvement over the dated interior of their former location. Both the flat screen television and fish tank of blood parrots migrated here, and the bright tank in particular looked very much at home in a space bathed in natural light.

The restaurant was also notably half-full, but it didn’t drastically affect our wait time. The pho was good – the broth was the same – solid, but not spectacular – and the serving was as generous as I remembered. Of course, food somehow always tastes better with good company, and this instance was no exception!

Beef noodle soup with beef balls

Spicy seafood noodle soup

Chicken with cashews over rice

It’s always nice to have more options in Chinatown, especially because of the unpredictable hours of some restaurants nearby like Pho Tau Bay. I’ll be back!

Fringe Theatre Adventures: “Any Night”

Mack and I headed to the TransAlta Arts Barns on Saturday evening to take in Any Night, a production from Daniel Arnold and Medina Hahn, the same pair that were behind the memorable Tuesdays & Sundays, a tragic romance that played to sold-out audiences at the Edmonton Fringe ten years ago. From the website:

“A young woman suffering from night terrors and sleepwalking is drawn into a tender romance with the young man living above her. But how does he know her so well?”

There was a sizable crowd on hand – some of it was undoubtedly due to the show’s buzz (and stellar timing – its billing as a psychological thriller perfect for those seeking a Halloween fright), but many others had taken advantage of a fantastic Groupon deal offered earlier in the month – a discount of over 50% for a pair of tickets, and a choice of several dates to boot. The clerk shared that they sold nearly 400 tickets via Groupon – and it sounds like other theatre companies will be utilizing this vehicle to encourage the public to take a chance on their productions as well.

Both Hahn (as Anna) and Arnold (as Patrick) were fantastic – Arnold especially so, balancing between his roles as the charming caretaker and haunting neighbour. Patrick’s deception was a reminder about the fine line between manipulation and perceived connection when it comes to trust and love. My only disappointment was their climactic confrontation – although intense and emotionally fraught, I didn’t believe that Anna would actually follow-through on her threat (Mack, however, disagrees with me on this).

While it is fantastic that the show played to such a large audience, I couldn’t help but think Any Night was meant to be performed in a more intimate venue, where Anna’s feelings of panic and paranoia would become even more heightened in a smaller space (The Bone House, though a very different type of production, worked so well for that reason). Still – I did like the set (curtains that appeared sheer, yet could harbour shadows) and the lighting (the green used to suggest Patrick’s screens managed to evoke a sickening revulsion).

Any Night was an entertaining way to get our Halloween chills, and a great opportunity to watch a couple actors I haven’t seen in many years.

Check out the rest of Fringe Theatre Adventure’s upcoming season here.

The Best is Yet to Come: Jane & Yi-Li Get Married!

It’s safe to say that Jane & Yi-Li are the “old married couple” of our group, having been together for ten years. Hosting gatherings since our high school days (with many an epic game night), they are the tireless social connectors that ensure our group doesn’t lose touch.

Jane & Yi-Li were engaged last January, and two weeks ago, (finally) tied the knot! Although the ceremony was traditional in many ways, it was neat to see their personality shine through in many aspects.

The wedding party

For example, they exited the church as man and wife to the theme from Indiana Jones (complete with a hat for Yi-Li), and in addition to roasted pork for the light reception following the ceremony, hired Fat Franks to feed hungry guests!

Careful, now!

With the happy couple (Jane was stunning!)

Jane & Yi-Li opted to host their reception at Chateau Louis (they love perogies), and their entire wedding party entered the ballroom to the theme from Harry Potter, glasses and all.

Harry’s here in spirit

They also prepared fun paper placemats and crayons at each of the tables to keep guests entertained.

Lost, anyone?

Unlike receptions at Chinese restaurants however, the buffet meant there wasn’t a lengthy wait time between courses – another bonus in addition to all-you-can-eat perogies! The prime rib and chicken kiev were other fantastic dishes.

My plate

And being fans of the gelato from Chocolate Exquisite, it was only fitting that “gelato cakes” were served (pistachio and orange-passionfruit were the flavours).

Cutting the cake

Mack and Carmen did a great job as the MCs, keeping the program rolling throughout the evening. I’m not sure how Carmen did it, but she was, as Jane said, a “wedding superhero” that day.

Carmen and Mack

Yi-Li tosses the garter

Dickson “caught” the garter

Jane throws the bouquet!

Andrew and Jessica had originally planned an elaborate entrance to the Glee version of “Don’t Stop Believing”, but it was axed. Thankfully, they weren’t shy about performing a version later on in the evening.

Mr. Shue is listening somewhere

May, Jen and me

Mack and Megan

Mack and I were so happy to have been a part of their special day. Congratulations, Jane & Yi-Li – the best is yet to come for you both!

LitFest: Genu-Wine

I was happy to be invited to LitFest’s Genu-Wine this year, though I have to say I didn’t know what to expect. The festival program was vague: “LitFest tackles serious global issues, accompanied by samples of seriously good wine”, but I was looking forward to seeing how it would all come together.

Mack and I walked over to the Kids in the Hall Bistro on Saturday night, and encountered a packed venue. A few stand-up cocktail tables were set-up, but halfway through the evening, patrons moved them aside to make room for more chairs. The room, with a buffet table, a wine station and a podium, was unfortunately arranged without proper flow – I had to think the organizers didn’t anticipate such a large crowd.

The spread (there was actually quite a bit of food)

Associate producer Shauna Sisson told us later that LitFest had always wanted to put on a “schmoozing” event, and this was their first attempt at combining wine with snippets of literary works. While festival organizers deserve kudos for trying something new, the format of Genu-wine probably needs further tweaking.

It seemed straightforward enough – the host would introduce one of the four authors and the wine to be sampled following the reading, the author would talk about their work, and end with a reading from their book. The audience was then invited up to help themselves to glasses of Yellow Tail wine (which had all been donated for the event), while enjoying upbeat tunes from Don Berner. Repeated three times, with brief moments to network in between authors, it felt choppy.

Alice Major

The authors themselves accomplished what they needed to do, however – provoking discussion in the crowd. Andrew Potter, musing on the idea (and fallacy) of “authenticity” and Dan Gardener on the nonsensical belief in predictions incited the most debate in our group, but Alice Major was undoubtedly the most eloquent and Lawrence Scanlan the most poignant (and my favourite of the evening), with his excerpt on the rebuilding in New Orleans.

Andrew Potter addresses the crowd

And though they were the cheesiest portions of the evening, I loved how the organizers cheekily tried to connect random varieties of wine with the authors (I will never think of “bubbles rose” in the same way again).

Yellow Tail line-up

I’m not sure what I would suggest to make the event better (two readings in a row? more time between readings?), but I think the casual, informal vibe of the evening is worth maintaining. I’ll be interested to check out Genu-Wine next year, whatever its incarnation.

Date Night: The Dish and Vi’s for Pies

Mack and I don’t normally schedule “date nights” anymore, but during a particularly demanding week, it just seemed right to make sure we had something to look forward to when it was all over. So when Friday evening rolled around, we were more than ready for dinner and a movie.

Though I love being central, and within walking distance to work and (of course), right above the City Market, I do miss Oliver sometimes. Their mature boulevard trees – a canopy that 104 Street doesn’t have – their peaceful streets, and the quiet parks.

Paul Kane Park

Predictably, we aren’t in the Oliver and High Street areas as much any more, but heading for dinner in the neighbourhood was a good excuse to take up our old walking route again.

Oliver School in the fall

I was craving comfort food, and Mack was up for anything, so we ended up at The Dish. They’ve since expanded into what was formerly the Electrum Design Studio (a room that can be booked for private functions), but the additional space thankfully hasn’t made the dining room any less intimate: the cozy wood floors, warm wall colours, and attentive service has remained the same.

We ordered what has to be one of the most inexpensive bottles of wine I’ve ever seen on a menu – the Mad Housewife white zinfandel, priced at just $23. We were first introduced to this label just down the street – at a performance of Hey Ladies! at the Roxy Theatre. Knowing that the bottle itself sells for around $18 at Sherbrooke Liquor Store, we both thought it was quite the deal (and we were able to take what we didn’t finish home with us).

Mad Housewife white zinfandel

It was just before Thanksgiving, so their special was a turkey pot pie with stuffing, an orange-cranberry sauce served with a salad. I was ready to get my turkey on, so was happy with the amount included in the piping hot ramekin. The only ingredient missing in the dish, however, was mashed potatoes – funny how we crave traditional fixings around the holidays.

Turkey pot pie with salad

Mack ordered the day’s flatbread, with ham and pineapple, and enjoyed it, but was hoping for a larger serving.

Flatbread

After dinner, we walked over to Vi’s for Pies (13408 Stony Plain Road), one of my favourite places for dessert in the city.

We probably should have just shared a dessert, but we both have different preferences when it comes to sweets. Mack ordered a slice of pumpkin pie (and apparently, half a carton of whipped cream), while I opted for a chocolatey-rich fudge cake. With a cup of coffee, it was the perfect end to our meal.

Pumpkin pie (I love the cookie topper)

Fudge cake

We caught a bus back downtown, and (finally) went to see a movie at the Empire City Centre theatres. A big perk of living in the core is being able to avoid the long lines and carjams at North and South Common – at least in theory, as we hadn’t taken advantage of our neighbouring theatre since we moved.

We watched the late showing of The Social Network (I loved the opening scene – pure Aaron Sorkin, and Jesse Eisenberg did a fantastic job), and though it was busier than I expected, it was still nothing when compared with the suburban cineplexes.

Thanks for an awesome date night, Mack!

Homeless Connect 5

The fifth Homeless Connect took place this past Sunday at the Shaw Conference Centre. We were afraid we would be late for the morning orientation, but when we arrived, we found an absolute logjam of people at the registration tables.

It turned out that the computer systems were down, and as a result, volunteers had to be checked in on paper, a time-consuming task given that volunteer lists were not grouped in alphabetical order, but by shift length and post.

Thankfully, we both knew which area we had been assigned to, so our check-in time once we reached the front of the line was quick, but it undoubtedly meant orientation times were pushed back, and in our case, was cut drastically short.

Dave and Mack

The doors were to open at 10am, and by the time we reached our stations, we had just a few minutes to get our bearings at the registration desks. The set up had been flipped around this year, with the entrance to the hall having been moved to the west side. Unfortunately, there wasn’t time to orient ourselves to the services available this year, and the paper map that was provided to us wasn’t detailed enough – neither Mack or I were able to locate the Bissell Centre identification station or clothing depot on the map, among two of the most requested services by guests (on our way out, we did notice a great addition – the offer of ice cream to those who took the time to do an exit interview).

At our station

Unlike May’s Homeless Connect, the line did not let up that morning at all. We were scheduled to work until 1pm, and the crowd had petered out somewhat by then, but there was still a line. Mack and I both registered 39 people (not including children), and noticed a few trends at least from the guests we talked to: more families seem to attend this time around, and this was the first Homeless Connect for many of the guests. Mack also noticed that many more guests than last time indicated that they were renting their own place (which would make sense given the 900+ people that have been housed through the Housing First program in the last year).

Stroller parking

I know bureaucracy prevents government from being more coordinated than it could be, but I was frustrated on behalf of the guests who talked about their need for official identification. I was excited when I read about the pilot being done by the government to allow individuals to use the address of a shelter to obtain an ID card, and though I know it isn’t realistic for them to have set up shop at the event so quickly, how great would it have been if they had, especially with the fantastic turnout at Sunday’s event?

At the end of the day, approximately 1500 guests had used their services, an increase from six months ago. Bravo to Homeward Trust for coordinating another successful event!

LitFest 2010: All About Food!

One of my favourite presentations from the most recent Pecha Kucha was from Carol Neuman, a Litfest board member. In previous events, presentations from members of organizations were so advertorial in nature that Pecha Kucha started to feel like an evening of commercials, but Carol did an excellent job – skilfully addressing the themes of this year’s festival without overtly promoting it.

LitFest: Edmonton’s nonfiction festival is Canada’s only nonfiction festival, having rebranded itself in 2010 by tightening its focus. And though invited guests will address a variety of topics at this year’s incarnation, including energy, Canadian history, and bees, a definite thread of food can be found in their events.

Savouries on October 22, a fundraiser for LitFest, will see food readings served alongside a four-course brunch by Chef Gail Osbeck at Kids in the Hall. Featured authors this year include Brian Brett, author of Trauma Farm (Brett’s tale of small mixed farming on Salt Spring Island), Amy Jo Ehman, author of Prairie Feast (which chronicles her journey of eating locally), and Julianna Mimande, local author of the popular cookbook We Eat Together. Maki attended the event last year, and had great things to say.
Genu-wine on October 23 will mix a panel discussion on global issues with wine (the best way to get genuine discussion flowing, I say). Mack and I will be attending (we received one free ticket for the event); I am most interested in what Andrew Potter (author of The Authenticity Hoax and a blogger for Maclean’s) has to say, while Mack is looking forward to hearing Alice Major speak again (she’s a great presenter!).
Last but not least, A Brunch of Writers on October 24 will see “stories of personal tragedy, delight and courage combine with live music and an elegant brunch buffet at the Sutton Place Grande Hotel.” Sounds like a great way to spend a Sunday morning.

LitFest runs October 15-24, 2010. Tickets available from Tix on the Square.

Olde Time Fair on the Square 2010

Mack and I managed to catch the tail end of the Olde Time Fair on the Square at Churchill Square on Saturday afternoon, just before ducking off to Jane & Yi-Li’s wedding reception.

Churchill Square

The set-up seemed similar to last year, though it seemed most of the family-oriented activities had wrapped up for the day, with the exception of the always-popular petting zoo and hay rides. There were several food vendors were on-site (including Eva Sweet, Fat Franks and the Fork and Spoon Brigade) and even live entertainment.

Entertainment

Test your strength

Horses!

The big draw for us, of course, was being able to pick up some produce from the City Market vendors. As expected, the proportion of craft to food vendors was higher than during the regular season, but there were many familiar faces from the Market, including Medicine Man Bison, Green Valley Farm, Sunhill Gardens, Coal Lake Honey and Prairie Mill.

Inside the tent

Kuhlmann’s had the largest display by far, and probably the most inviting, if not only because most of the other vendors were in enclosed tents with much less natural light.

Kuhlmann’s

While I’m excited that the City Market is continuing until mid December in this way on Churchill Square, the limited number of food vendors would make it difficult to do the majority of my shopping. Moreover, as no list is published to let the public know who will be attending which market, heading to the Old Stratchcona Farmers’ Market just seems like the more efficient choice – at least until the City Market finds an official indoor home for the winter months!

Vendors

Regardless, I’m glad we were able take in the event – it’s always great to see a bustling downtown!

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