- There is so much to do on Canada Day, starting with family-friendly activities including a pancake breakfast at the Alberta Legislature, and many other activities, including the Great Divide Waterfall at the High Level Bridge, and of course, fireworks – see them all at this City of Edmonton list.
- Help the Telus World of Science celebrate their 25th Anniversary on July 1, where they revert back to the price of admission charged in 1984.
- The Silly Summer Parade kicks off a summer of flurry in Old Strathcona on July 1.
- The Winspear Centre is hosting a free multicultural concert at 3pm on July 1.
- The Freewill Shakespeare Festival continues for nearly the entire month, ending July 26. Titus Andronicus and Comedy of Errors are featured this year.
- The Edmonton International Street Performers Festival picks up where The Works leaves off from July 3-12 in Churchill Square. Bring lots of change!
- Breezy, lighthearted musicals are the focus of the Edmonton Film Society’s series for the summer. Check out movies on Monday nights at the Royal Alberta Museum for just $5, such as Carmen Jones on July 6.
- The Whyte Avenue Art Walk on July 10-12 will feature over 230 artists in an “outdoor studio”. The Whyte Avenue Street Fair and Fashion Show will see two streets closed to traffic on July 12 from noon-5pm – I checked out the event last year.
- The Sourdough River Festival is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Help them commemorate the occasion on July 11-12 at Terwillegar Park.
- I attended Edmonton Countryside’s Taste! of Summer last year and was absolutely blown away – it takes place on July 12 this year, also at the St. Albert Grain Elevator Park.
- The Devonian Botanic Garden is hosting their first ever Green Festival at the Garden on July 20, with business on hand to answer questions and offer informative sessions on “green” techniques.
- Edmonton’s excuse for carnival excess, Capital Ex, is back for tween and teenage delight on July 17-26.
- Churchill Square will once again host Taste of Edmonton on July 17-26. 40 restaurants are participating this year.
- Mack’s Mom hates the “vroom-vroom”, but if you do, check out the Rexall Edmonton Indy, July 24-26.
- Celebrate our city’s heritage at the Edmonton and Northern Alberta Historic Festival, which runs July 24-August 2. Tons of activities, including guided tours and special museum activities.
- Movies on the Square is back the August long weekend, with a screening on July 31.
Category: Edmonton
Announcing the Wild Boar and Beer Scavenger Hunt Winner!
Congratulations to Maria Iacobelli, who earned 210 out of a possible 300 points in Slow Food Edmonton’s first ever Wild Boar and Beer Scavenger Hunt! Maria and a guest will be treated to wild boar and a host of other local, seasonal dishes on July 12 at Alley Kat Brewery.
I am glad Maria looked like she had a blast taking the photos – I encourage you to patronize the local businesses and producers featured in the scavenger hunt. Here are a few of her photos:
Maria with a pot in front of Call the Kettle Black
Maria with Chicken for Lunch’s Amy Quon and Hot and Dry Chicken
Maria eating a Fat Frank
Maria with a host of bell peppers at the City Centre Market
Maria with Mary Ellen Gruenberg from Greens Eggs and Ham and a Slow Food membership application
See some of Maria’s other photos at the Slow Food Edmonton website. See you at Beer and Boar, Maria!
Food Notes for June 29, 2009
- Connect2Edmonton asked me to write a guest column about food. I came up with a piece about an Edmonton “dining passport”. Thanks for the opportunity, C2E!
- Liane posted on her blog that Bistro Praha, which was heavily damaged in the Ramsay Building fire, will be relocating to Tower II of the Icon Tower.
- From Chris’s blog – there’s a new cupcake store that opened on June 27: Cake Couture (15008 87 Avenue, 780-709-1682). While I’m sure Edmonton can support the growing number of cupcake boutiques, one has to wonder why no one has situated a bakery in downtown Edmonton, where office workers may wander in for an afternoon pick-me-up, and custom orders would presumably be in high demand.
- The Culina Family of restaurants finally launched their new website, complete with a rebranding of Passa Tempo, which is now BiBO. The site has the option for each restaurant to have a blog, but we will see if if the promise for content holds true.
- The Taste of Edmonton, which runs July 17-26, have released their menus. It’s nice to see some new restaurants participating (Padmanadi, The Hat), but given other great sample events that are more economical and serve higher quality food, I have to seriously think about spending my dollar at Churchill.
- Michael Pollan was at UBC last week speaking at a fundraising event to help protect the UBC farmland from residence expansion. The event was followed up by a tasting featuring local produce and ingredients.
- Via the blog Eat. Drink. Better., a link to the recent bylaw passed in Toronto that will require buildings of a certain size to have either a green or a cool roof. So progressive – who knew I’d be applauding Toronto?
- When I interviewed Rob Feenie back in February, I asked him about the possibility of sourcing local ingredients. He said it might be possible, working with a local producer. Well, Chipotle, a popular Mexican chain based in the U.S., is doing it on a large scale, and has made a commitment to purchase at least 25% of one ingredient from small or mid-size farms within 200 miles of their 760 stores in the country. I didn’t think such a shift would be logistically possible – bravo to them for making the effort.
- Mack sent me an article from the Boston Globe about the proliferation of restaurants using Twitter as a vehicle for publicity and interaction with customers. C’mon, Edmonton restaurants – jump on the bandwagon!
- I had seen a sandwich board advertising a new “Indian fusion” restaurant – I didn’t know that the name of the restaurant was actually Indian Fusion (10322 111 Street, 780-752-5500).
Indian Fusion: The Curry House
- My family received our order of 1/4 of a cow this past week, which worked out to 183lbs. We immediately dug into our steak stash – when Mack took his first bite, he commented, “it tastes organic,” haha. I don’t think my palate can make that distinction, but it was pretty darn good steak.
Mack’s steak and potato
- My coworkers surprised me with a giant cupcake from Flirt last week to help me celebrate my birthday! I suspected nothing, even when one of my coworkers asked several questions relating to cupcake boutiques in the city. I am happy to report that it was delicious – the icing wasn’t overly sweet, and several coworkers commented that the cake had a nice texture. Thanks, guys!
The first super-sized cupcake Flirt has ever made
Destination Dining: Culina Highlands
Two years ago I celebrated my birthday at Bacon. And while it wasn’t exactly déjà vu, my choice of Culina Highlands this year did naturally allow for some reminiscence.
I have been meaning to make it to Culina Highlands since interviewing proprietor Cindy Lazarenko back in October soon after it opened. Unfortunately, the location isn’t terribly conducive to my usual principle of geographic dining – eating near the site of where I am, or where I have to be. I made an exception this time, and asked a few girlfriends to join me for dinner on a Friday night.
I had made a reservation over the phone (I found out only after that Culina subscribes to Open Table), and received an e-mail reminder of our date two days prior – a good use of technology in my book. When May and I arrived at 6, we were promptly seated at a table in the half-full restaurant.
Though some things had been shifted since my last visit, the space was still impossibly tiny. Our table, situated in the centre of the space, was flush against a wall, while our chairs were nearly touching the party seated behind us – the nimble servers should be commended for being able to navigate the tiny passageway in between. Lack of elbow room aside, I do like the intimacy a small room creates, heightened in Culina by the graphics of Ian Craig, funky light fixtures, and rich wall colours. I also love the bright blue bookshelf by the open kitchen, which were showcasing Jam Lady spreads and Kerstin’s Chocolates’ Chocophilia.
Interior (shot taken in November 2008 – furniture has shifted since then)
Due to a time mix-up, Annie and Janice didn’t arrive until 6:30. The servers were really patient with our table until our entire party arrived, but once we had all been settled with menus, they did let a little too much time pass before inquiring about our order.
I had heard so many good things about the Kalyna Platter ($20) that I couldn’t pass it up; Annie agreed with me. May and Janice decided on that night’s special – PEI mussels in a Thai curry sauce ($20). Setting up too much food for myself, I added the day’s soup ($7) – mushroom with duxelle – as an appetizer.
My soup arrived promptly, with a beautiful floating crostini and garnish. The crunchy, savoury bite was actually my favourite part of the dish, though the soup itself was as soothing as I was hoping for. The soup had a nice base with a kick from something I wasn’t able to identify.
Mushroom Soup with Duxelle
The Kalyna platter contained a deceiving amount of food: two Kubassa halves (pan-fried to a crispy ideal), an assemblage of lazy cabbage rolls (the rice had an aromatic, robust flavour), and four perogies (I am slowly realizing that I can’t distinguish between good and great perogies). Both May and Janice liked their mussel dish (and the toasted baguettes that easily soaked up the broth). I should note that all dishes were plated with care – presentation seemed to be a kitchen mainstay.
Kalyna Platter
PEI Mussels in a Thai Curry Sauce
When we received our bill, we made a double take at the yellow cut-out placed underneath the bowl of mints. Annie realized it was a sheet meant to be burned at altars honoring those that have passed, and not, as she put it, “a Chinese doily.” Though we weren’t offended at their mistaken use of the papers, we thought it best to inform the staff. They said that they would alert management.
“This is not a Chinese doily.”
I was also able to make use of the Original Fare VIP card I picked up a few weeks ago – I applied at their booth at the City Centre Farmer’s Market, and will be getting a gift certificate for 2% back from my Original Fare expenditures at the end of the year. A pretty good deal if you ask me!
We had an enjoyable time at Culina Highlands (though it would be hard not to when the base of our experience was good conversation), and we didn’t encounter anything that would prevent a repeat visit. My only wish is still for nearby attractions – for all the charm in the neighbourhood’s quiet streets, there still isn’t enough of a draw for me to make an exclusive trip for a stand alone meal.
Culina Highlands
6509 112 Avenue
(780) 477-2422
Lunch: Tuesday-Friday, 11am-2pm; Dinner: Tuesday-Saturday 5-10pm; Brunch: Saturday & Sunday 10am-2pm
Edmonton Foodie Meetup 2: Recap
Environment Canada had pegged the chance of rain at 40% for tonight, so I was crossing my fingers looking up at the sky, which had been oscillating dangerously between overcast and sunny all day. While the rain held out for our second Edmonton Foodie Meetup, it was definitely more brisk than it should have been for an outdoor picnic – we were all chilled to the bone by the end of the night.
Local foodies
In spite of the weather, a dozen people showed up for the planned potluck, and as Kevin predicted, the mix of food was perfect: Chris brought several of his trademark loaves of bread; Hanne and Carlo provided two salads; Kevin, Maki, Grace and Brooke made savoury dishes; and Courtney, Béné, Chris and I supplied desserts. (Unfortunately, we didn’t get a good photo of Grace’s chicken curry dish.)
Chris’s loaves of bread
Hanne and Carlo’s Smoked Paprika Potato Salad
Hanne and Carlo’s Green (from their garden) Salad
Maki’s Black Bean Crostini
Kevin’s Calf Moose
Brooke’s Meatballs
Courtney’s Peanut Butter and Butterscotch Marshmallow Squares
Béné and Chris’s Macarons
My (very run of the mill) Panna Cotta
It still amazes me how great the local food blogging/eating community is, though it shouldn’t surprise me – food brings people together.
Potluck mix
We all agreed that we would have a third meetup – watch for details on the wiki. Thanks everyone for a great night!
Great Broth: Pho Hoan Pasteur
In our quest to try all of the pho houses in Edmonton, Dickson introduced me to Pho Hoan Pasteur, a small restaurant located in a strip mall across the street from the aviation museum. Over our lunchtime stay, I was surprised at how busy it was on the random weekday – perhaps it wasn’t such a well kept secret as the location seemed to suggest.
The decor was nothing special, and really, with the checkered floor and red booths, the interior could be mistaken for a donair shop or a family-oriented Italian eatery.
Interior
We each ordered variants of our usual beef noodle soup: steak, fatty flank and crunchy (yes, I know it doesn’t make sense, but that’s how it reads on the menu) for Dickson, at $7.25 for a large bowl, and steak and meatballs for me, at $6.35 for a small bowl. We also decided to spring for the green onion cakes ($), and were told that they “take a long time to make” when we ordered them. As we only had an hour for lunch, we wondered what kind of setback the appetizer would bring.
Thankfully, the staff had the prudence to bring us the more timely-to-prepare pho first. The broth was easily some of the best I have ever had in Edmonton – clear and bursting with flavour, the stock had clearly been prepared with care. The meatballs were also notable – sometimes just a protein placeholder, these meatballs had actually been well-seasoned, and did not taste like they had been in the deep freeze for months.
Pho with Steak and Meatballs
Pho with Steak, Fatty Flank and Crunchy
The green onion cakes arrived, and though promising, were ultimately disappointing. Too greasy, and without many green onions to speak of, they weren’t worth the wait.
Green Onion Cakes
The only downside to Pho Hoan Pasteur is that it isn’t within walking distance of my office – there isn’t any way that I can get there without a vehicle within my narrow lunch parameters. Ah well, on to the next challenger!
Pho Hoan Pasteur
11443 Kingsway NW
(780) 761-1989
Food Notes for June 22, 2009
I really don’t do well with the hot-cold game the weather likes to play, but hopefully I am on my way to recovery, just in time for my birthday. Here are my notes:
- A reminder about Edmonton’s second Foodie Meetup, taking place this Friday, June 26. If the weather holds up, come join us for a potluck at Dawson Park; if it is raining, we’ll be meeting at Suede Lounge for some warming cocktails. Hope to see you there!
- Attention all Rob Feenie fans: upload a photo of your favourite recipe and send it to NAIT for your chance to win an autographed copy of Feenie’s: Brunch – Lunch – Dinner. Details here.
- The Greater Edmonton Alliance has created a plan titled “The Way We Eat”, a blueprint to create a vibrant and sustainable local food economy. To show the community’s support in preventing the agricultural lands in the north east from being developed, the GEA is encouraging supporters to head to City Hall on June 23, from 6:30-9:30pm.
- There was a great article about rooftop gardens in NYT this week. Alongside conversations about more urban greenspaces and farmland adjacent to cities, why can’t there be parallel conversations about rooftop farming?
- Dahlia’s Mediterranean Bistro opened on 124th Street, just off Stony Plain Road – it looks to offer meals just in the daytime. A sign on Mikado’s downtown location says to watch for a westend outpost this summer.
- Serious Eats had an interesting piece about 140 character Twitter recipes this past week.
- Before meeting up with Mack for Pecha Kucha 4 at Shaw last week, I stopped by Blue Plate Diner for a solo meal. The curried chickpeas with saffron rice and grilled vegetables ($12) was a great dish – light, but so satisfying.
Curried Chickpeas from Blue Plate Diner
- I received an e-mail from a local marketing company last week, who wanted to invite me to the upcoming grand opening of the new T&T Supermarket on Edmonton’s north side (9450 137 Avenue) taking place on July 2 at 9am. They were nice enough to deliver a bamboo steamer filled with Asian products – Pocky, wasabi peas, tea, a mangosteen, and others. I’m not sure I can make the grand opening (it’s unfortunately during the day), but you can join many other excited patrons at the store for a ribbon cutting ceremony, and lion dances.
Bamboo basket from T&T
- Mack and I drove out to Sherbrooke Liquor Store for the first time last week – they have an awesome selection of local products, so I have a feeling it won’t be long before we’re back. We picked up Grog by Amber’s Brewing Company, a locally-made lime cooler that contains only 5 ingredients (water, lime, sugar, alcohol, rum). While we thought the packaging could be a little more attractive, we liked the tang and fresh taste of the cooler.
Amber’s Brewing Company Grog
- We also bought Raspberry Fruit Wine by Field Stone Fruit Wine (a winery near Calgary). Super-sweet, it went down easy, and was a great accompaniment to my guilty pleasure: Tuxedo cake from Save-On Foods.
Dessert of champions: Raspberry Fruit Wine and Tuxedo Cake
Kerstin’s Chocolates’ Chocolate Covered Bacon
Today I brought home a gastronomic gem never before seen in Edmonton: chocolate covered bacon.
Chocolate Covered Bacon
To commemorate Father’s Day, Kerstin’s Chocolates pulled out all the stops – sourcing prized Berkshire bacon from local farm Sunshine Organic, they created a treat worthy of conversation. Crispy strips of bacon are dipped in Venezuelan single origin 49% dark chocolate, then sprinkled with Madagascar cocoa nibs – a sweet and savoury confection that would certainly add something special to the Sunday brunch table.
I picked some up after work this afternoon (limited quantities are available at The Cocoa Room until Saturday, June 20), with the intent to share the discovery with Mack. The two strips cost me $5.25 at $15.00/100g. While I am a huge fan of Kerstin’s Chocolate (my favourite Chocophilia Bars are Mocha Bean and Educador 72%), Mack’s love of bacon is unrivalled. We thought it might be best to capture both perspectives in one post.
Cross-section
On the idea:
Sharon: I was intrigued, though I know from past experience, sweet and salty combinations are hit or miss for my palate – salty caramels: yes. Chocophilia’s Fleur de Sel: no.
Mack: Did someone say bacon?
On first glance:
Sharon: I’m not sure I was expecting whole slices of bacon, but I suppose they are more presentable, and pleasing to the eye that way.
Mack: Somehow a strip of chocolate covered bacon looks underwhelming relative to the idea.
On initial contact:
Sharon: Cutting to divide the strip in half with a knife, I didn’t expect the resounding crunch.
Mack: Looking at the cross-section, I was happy to be able to distinguish the layer of bacon in between chocolate.
On first taste:
Sharon: Nothing beats Kerstin’s dark chocolate! But I’m not sure about the chewiness…
Mack: First the chocolate, then a hint of bacon, and an unfamiliar texture. Interesting.
Aftertaste:
Sharon: I can’t say the bacon really came through for me – the star of the show was definitely the chocolate. The nibs were supposed to add another element I suppose, but they weren’t necessary.
Mack: I wish I loved chocolate as much as I love bacon.
Conclusion:
Sharon: It’s definitely a conversation starter (or shocker). Mack Twittered that he was about to try chocolate covered bacon, and received numerous replies in a matter of minutes!
Mack: I’ll stick to plain bacon and deep-fried Mars bars, but cool concept.
Kudos to Kerstin’s for highlighting a local farmer, and for getting people excited about an unusual product. Who knows what they will cover in chocolate next? Send your requests to Kerstin’s via Twitter. Sunshine Organic will be offering samples of the bacon at their City Centre Market booth on Saturday.
Kerstin’s Chocolates, The Cocoa Room
10139 112 Street
(780) 990-0011
Culinary Q & A with Isabelle Gallant
Occupation: I’m a journalist. I work for CBC Radio as a researcher/producer. I think I like writing about food best of all! Someday I’d love to be a full-time food writer.
What did you eat today?
I had a very strange breakfast: some leftover waffle batter that I had turned into cake because it wouldn’t stop sticking to the waffle iron. I spread it with almond butter so it actually tasted pretty good, despite a strange texture. And half a grapefruit.
For lunch I had some leftover roast chicken and sweet potato fries. Supper was a green salad with cucumber, chick peas and almonds on top.
What do you never eat?
I’ve tried to like oatmeal so many times … just ask my husband. I think it’s a texture/taste combination, but I just can’t get into it.
I’m also not a fan of anything gelatinous or soggy … like any form of Jello, or bread in soup. And I really don’t like Miracle Whip or Cheez-Whiz … I’m a bit of a food snob.
What is your personal specialty?
I don’t think I really have a specialty … although I love making scrambled eggs and they were the first thing I learned to cook, from my Dad. I think I’ve been making them long enough that I’ve mastered the technique! I also make a mean cornbread, and a delicious chocolate vegan cake.
Complete this sentence: In my refrigerator, you will always find:
Fresh vegetables, soy milk, a heel or two of Parmesan, a jar of jam, half a lemon stored in a ziploc and shoved into the door, and a bunch of leftovers.
What is your weekday meal standby?
Something with eggs. Usually fritatta because you can throw lots of different kinds of vegetables and cheese in it.
I’m getting healthier with time … in university my go-to if there was nothing good to make was frozen french fries with ketchup and grated cheese. Unhealthy, but delicious! I still crave it sometimes.
What is your favorite kitchen item?
I love wooden spoons. We have a lot of them, including some that are warped and and one that I took from my Mom’s house a while back. It’s starting to get a crack in it but I just don’t want to throw it away. I also think I would find it hard to live without our microplane grater.
World ends tomorrow. Describe your last meal.
Brunch the way my Dad used to make it: scrambled eggs, biscuits, Lunenburg pudding, bacon, fresh grapefruit, lots of sharp cheddar cheese, toast, peanut butter. (One of my favourite food combos ever is toast with peanut butter, cheese, and bacon.) Maybe throw in a bowl of creamy mashed potatoes for good measure. In a perfect world, I would eat this meal on a sunny Sunday morning with my family.
Where do you eat out most frequently?
Probably the Blue Plate Diner. It’s close, has an interesting menu and most of all an awesome atmosphere.
What’s the best place to eat in Edmonton?
I don’t know if I can pick just one. There are still so many restaurants I want to try, but of the places we’ve gone the Red Ox is one of the best. It’s elegant and special, yet simple and cozy. The food is wonderful too! We’ve been trying a lot of ethnic places that we love too, especially Padmanadi, Langano Skies, Boualouang, and this great Chinese hot pot restaurant in Chinatown. It’s called King’s Noodles and Hot Pot (I didn’t even know what it was called so I just googled it!). I would, however, recommend eating there with someone Chinese. It’s a lot to take in for a Westerner!
If you weren’t limited by geography, where and what would you eat?
I would definitely go to Paris and gorge on croissants, pains au chocolat, and baguettes. And probably visit all the city’s chocolate shops too. I would love to visit Italy – never been there – and discover all the food it has to offer. And I would for sure find out the best places to eat in Asia and visit all of them. I think I would pretty much go on a world food tour if I could.
Isabelle blogs at The Little Red Kitchen.
Fresh Inspiration: Eatery at the ARTery
After some leisurely window shopping at City Centre Mall, I wandered over to the Eatery at the ARTery (9535 Jasper Avenue) for lunch. As it was an absolutely gorgeous day, the stroll to the ARTery provided an opportune moment to take in our scenic river valley.
Edmonton in bloom
I had heard about the Eatery at the ARTery in early May before the City Centre Market opened for business. Julianna Mimande, formerly of Bacon, was heading up this new weekly endeavour, which would serve lunch from 12-4pm every Saturday, using fresh ingredients picked up from the farmers’ market that morning. It’s the kind of thing locovores should embrace, and I applaud Julianna’s initiative that not only celebrates Alberta’s bounty, but also practices the idea of inspiration and creativity inherent in fresh ingredients. My only doubt was about the timing of the lunch – it is almost set up best for those who don’t make a trip through the market, unless they either lived close enough to drop off the goods afterwards (as I did), have a car to store their purchases in, or don’t mind going later in the day when popular goods may already be sold out.
The ARTery
Through the bright red door, I encountered a blackboard menu that listed the day’s creation: an omelette made with Arnold’s Eggs, Edgar Farms asparagus, and Sylvan Star aged gouda, accompanied by a Greens Eggs and Ham salad and baby potatoes ($12) – a pretty great lunch, if you ask me. Two types of dessert were also available – Portuguese egg tarts ($2) and chocolate mousse ($5). Coffee was $2, with (wait for it) a shot of Baileys for an additional $3 – you have to love a place that serves coffee with Baileys at noon.
Menu board
I paid for my order, passed it off to Julianna, and was told that my lunch would be brought to me. I wondered how the kitchen managed when it was busy, as it looked like it could barely accommodate two. I headed into the seating area, where I found a guitarist performing on stage, surrounded by artwork and just a handful of tables.
Afternoon entertainment – Mo Lefever
Artwork at the ARTery
This was my first time at the ARTery, though I knew that the space hosted craft fairs and musical performances, among other things. I took a seat at the bar along the side wall, grateful for the breeze passing through the slightly ajar emergency exit, and settled in with my magazine.
I didn’t even get through an article when my food was brought to me, accompanied by two slices of toast. I remember Liane’s comment that the meal that she had was rather light – perhaps Julianna took that into consideration this week, as I was quite satisfied with the portion size. The omelette was a dense yellow colour, wrapped around still-crisp stalks of asparagus. The kitchen was a little light-handed with the cheese, but the richness of the eggs helped offset that deficiency somewhat. The toast was also notable – I found out later the bread was from the Italian Centre.
Asparagus and gouda omelette with salad and potatoes
It was a relaxing, pleasing lunch, and the thought of a menu that reflects the season will keep me coming back.
The Eatery at the ARTery
9535 Jasper Avenue
(780) 441-6966
Lunch served every Saturday, 12-4pm
Only Here for the Food 