Category: festivals

Food Notes

  • Edmonton’s Expo Latino descends on Churchill Square this weekend, August 16-17. I couldn’t locate a website, and from what I hear, it pales in comparison to Calgary’s version. In any case, music, memorabilia, and food will liven up the pavement.
  • Next weekend, Churchill Square will host the Edmonton Turkish Festival. Entertainment, demonstrations, and food, glorious food (and Turkish coffee) will be on tap.
  • My paltry participation in 2008’s 24 Hours of Flickr event, this year called Flickr 888, can be seen here.The first edition of Fresh in the City, the City Centre Market‘s e-newsletter, went out last week. I like the “Meet the Market” section, where a Q & A is done with a vendor. Sign up here.
  • While Mack snacked on a Fat Frank at the City Centre Market on Saturday, I headed to the Holy Guacamole trailer to try Chorizo on a bun. I didn’t expect ground sausage, but it was fine, though I would have preferred a little less orange grease residue…

 

Holy Guacamole trailer

 

Chorizo and mozzarella on a bun

  • We also had a quick bite to eat at the Jasper 104th Bistro in the Sobeys Urban Fresh on the weekend. Lured by this sign, Mack couldn’t resist their macaroni and cheese ($10). Made with mornay sauce, shitake mushrooms, pancetta, panko and truffle oil, it wasn’t a version one would see on the corner diner. I thought it was a bit dry, but Mack disagreed.

 

Jasper 104th’s Mac and Cheese

Early Thoughts on “The Big Kahuna”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Heritage Days 2008

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

In Hawrelak Park

Mack is a nesting doll!

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

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

Mack with his plate of (very oily) perogies

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

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

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

"Playing in the Rain" dance

Andrew, Mabel and Mack

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

All smiles with Jane

Clogs!

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

 

"English" garden

Enjoying mango-on-a-stick

Me & Mack

Thanks for a fun afternoon, guys! Pictures here.

August in Edmonton is for Variety

Better late than never?

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

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

EDIT:

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

Trial Run Success: Von’s Steakhouse & Oyster Bar

For my second and final Fork Fest meal, I met up with a few friends at Von’s Steakhouse & Oyster Bar (10309 81 Avenue) a new frontier for all of us.

Von’s

Having passed the building many times over on Gateway Boulevard, I never had the opportunity to notice the nice stone water features by the front doors. Upon entering the restaurant, I was immediately greeted and promptly directed to the table where two of my friends were already waiting. The particular room we were seated in was “masculine,” as Shermie described it – leather chairs, aged brick walls, smooth stone and dark wood wine cabinets – the type of space calling for a cigar, fireplace, and fine scotch. There are several rooms in the building, but I only managed to see one other en route to the restroom. With high ceilings, a dominant red color scheme and wooden chairs, it had a markedly different, more open and relaxed feel.

After Andrea joined our party (always fashionably late), we all ordered the three-course, $35 Fork Fest menu without hesitation. May’s soup, an interesting salmon cream concoction, actually tasted better than it initially sounded. My Caesar salad starter was not remarkable, but good (as expected, the bacon was real, and the croutons house-made).

Caesar Salad

Shermie’s entrée was the lone steak at the table, which she quite enjoyed. The rest of us opted for the Prime Rib (slow cooked for sixteen hours), which was served with steamed vegetables, Yorkshire pudding and au jus. With nice marbling through the generous cut of meat, it was a filling and satisfying dish.

Prime Rib with Yorkshire Pudding, Vegetables, Horseradish and Au Jus

For dessert, Andrea, May and I all ordered Ice Cream Crepes, with Shermie again the odd one out with the Pecan Pie. I wasn’t a fan of this last course – the rubbery texture of the crepe and the chilled banana did not appeal to me.

Ice Cream Crepes

All of us were stuffed by the end of our meal, and after an evening of attentive service and good food, we all agreed that Fork Fest accomplished what it was set-up to do – we would all be back at Von’s, ready and willing to pay for a dinner at regular price.

Von’s Steakhouse & Oyster Bar
10309 81 Avenue
(780) 439-0041
Dinner Monday – Sunday from 4:30 p.m.

Going Through the Motions: The Blue Pear

I had heard a lot of good things about The Blue Pear (10643 123 Street) – a small boutique restaurant, their creative menu changed on a monthly basis to reflect seasonal ingredients. Of course, given that they only served four-course pre-fixe menus at $85 per person, it wasn’t the type of place I would pick for a spontaneous dinner. With July’s Fork Fest, however, the $35 three-course meal was a great opportunity to give The Blue Pear a try without breaking the bank.

Mack and I had a reservation for 6pm on Thursday. The restaurant offers seatings every half hour, but because it was still relatively early, I was surprised that there were already a few parties in the dining room. The friendly hostess seated us in a dim corner, and left us with the wine list and the food menu, which included the Fork Fest specials at the top. I ordered a Sangria ($7) to start – a blend of red wine, fruit juices, and orange brandy – while Mack opted for a glass of Stella ($6), and we both asked for the Fork Fest meal.

Through the course of the evening, we were served by four different people. This could have made us feel taken care of, but the opposite actually occurred – the service as a whole was less personal and attentive because of the number of hands involved.

At any rate, our appetizer arrived promptly with the verbal promise of bread to come. The layered salad of marinated summer vegetables and fresh mozzarella was finished with a dressing of sundried tomatoes, herbs, and balsamic and mustard oil. The cheese overwhelmed the carrot, eggplant, roasted red pepper and zucchini, but I didn’t mind this as much as Mack did. Our bread didn’t arrive until after we requested it when our entrees were brought to us.

Marinated summer vegetables, mozzarella cheese, sun-dried tomato, herbs balsamic and mustard oil

Thankfully, the grilled Alberta pike fillet made us forget temporarily about the need for any carbs. Perfectly seared, the fish was flaky and tender on the inside. Served with a Bobby Flay-esque corn and black bean salsa and a deliciously rich herb butter sauce, the dish showcased well what the chef was capable of.

Grilled Alberta pike fillet with prawn, corn and black bean salsa, horseradish mashed potato and herb butter sauce

Dessert was a flourless chocolate cake topped with whipped cream, fennel and slivers of basil and accompanied by rosewater almond cream, milk chocolate rosemary sauce and basil oil. We both found the shredded basil an interesting garnish, one that Mack would have preferred left off his last course. The cake itself was lovely – sweet and dense as a flourless cake should be, with an intense chocolate flavour.

Flourless chocolate cake, confit of fennel, rosewater almond cream, milk chocolate rosemary sauce and basil oil

At dinner’s end, Mack said it felt like something was missing, as if the staff were just “going through the motions”. I couldn’t disagree – compared with our recent visit to Characters, Blue Pear just didn’t offer us the experience we were looking for. The food was great, but I’m not sure I’d return for an $85 meal.

The Blue Pear
10643 123 Street, 780.482.7178
Dinner only, Wednesday to Sunday from 5pm

Take it to the Streets: Old Strathcona Fashion Extravaganza, Street Sale & Art Walk

I remember having intentions to visit last summer’s Whyte Avenue Street Sale, but never got around to it. So this year, I jumped at the chance to kill three birds with one stone – namely, the Old Strathcona Art Walk, Fashion Extravaganza, and of course, the opportunity to shop on pavement.

The weather was perfectly glorious for outdoor activities of any kind on Sunday, including the open-air catwalk that greeted us at 82nd and Gateway Boulevard. As my sister predicted, the fashion show turned out to be rather “lame” – the DJ had a preference for one-hit dance tunes from the 90s, some of the models left the stage before the announcer was finished with their outfit label rundown, and tags on some items were clearly visible from the crowd. On the bright side, much improvement can and will happen should the event be repeated in the future (here’s a video clip courtesy of Mack’s Flip if you’re interested).

Crowded runway

Model

We continued down the street, pausing on occasion to peruse discounted wares in addition to displays set up by local artists participating in the Art Walk. Perhaps it’s too cliché or tourist-oriented, but I was expecting to see more pieces devoted to Edmonton’s land or cityscape for sale.

Street sale

A kayak, anyone?

How about a turtle?

Art Walk

More art for sale

Mack can never avoid the beckoning call of mini doughnuts

We also wandered into a number of stores. Notable was Ten Thousand Villages (10432 82 Avenue), where Mack found a visor that was perfect for him, and Eden Lilly (10416 82 Avenue), which carries a line of locally-designed cards that were too cheeky not to photographically commemorate.

Coke visor!

 

Double take? (Cards by Brulak Design Studio, available in 11 locations in Edmonton)

On our way back north, we noticed that the High Level Bridge waterfall was on as it had been earlier in the day (yesterday was also the Sourdough River Festival – it amazes me how many events took place on one day). We scrambled to park the car so we could take pictures (and a video!).

Beautiful

By late afternoon, we had built up quite the appetite. Thankfully, we had tickets to Edmonton’s Countryside Taste of Summer event.

July is for the Outdoors

If June was for festivals, July in Edmonton should be spent outdoors.

  • Help Edmonton Transit System celebrate their 100 years of service by hopping aboard their Historical Bus Tour. Begins July 8.
  • The Works Festival vacated Churchill Square on Wednesday to make way for the Edmonton International Street Performers Festival, which starts tomorrow and lasts until July 13.
  • Why not take the High Level Streetcar to the Whyte Avenue Art Walk, taking place July 11-13? Over 200 artists will be creating and exhibiting pieces in the Old Strathcona area.
  • Outdoor theatre doesn’t get any better than the annual Freewill Shakespeare Festival, which runs until July 20. Pay-what-you-Will on Tuesday nights.
  • In anticipation of the Edmonton Fringe Festival, head indoors between July 10 – 26 to the Varscona Theatre for Stewart Lemoine’s first full-length premiere of the year –  A Rocky Night for His Nibs. I’ll be there!
  • Summer in Edmonton can never escape Capital Ex, which may or may not have lost its relevance to the city, depending on who you talk to. “Edmonton’s Biggest Summer Celebration” (or so they claim on their website) spans July 17 – 26.
  • Nearly concurrent to Capital Ex, between July 18-27, is the Taste of Edmonton. 7 new restaurants have joined the fray. Always expensive, but early birds score 10% off tickets until July 17 at TIX on the Square.
  • History buffs can look forward to the 12th annual Edmonton & Athabaska District Historical Festival, which just keeps getting bigger and better every year. Tons of free events and learning opportunities July 25 – August 3.
  • Need a reason to check out the Edmonton Cracker Cats? How about the fact that Game Day tickets are just $10? 16 home games scheduled for July.
  • Also great for the family, the John Janzen Nature Centre offers free Thursday Night Bonfire programs every week until the end of August.
  • Along those lines, the John Walter Museum is always free and family-friendly on Sunday afternoons, with activities like ice cream making (by hand!).
  • And though on until October 13, it might provide a much-needed break from midways, greasy food and general mayhem – the controversial Body Worlds exhibit at the Telus World of Science.

What will you be doing in Edmonton this summer?

EDIT: one more, because I love the concept – City Farm is holding an Open Gate Day, with buses transporting participants to and from the site. It’s a great way to show your kids how their food is grown!

June is for Festivals

It’s been a while since I’ve put together one of these, but here are some upcoming events of interest (many, if not most, are free of charge to attend) in River City.

  • I’ve been meaning to tag along one of the free Discover Downtown Walking Tours since the Downtown Business Association started the promotion a few years ago, but it’s difficult given the weekday hour. At any rate, if you can spare some time during the day, these one hour tours will be offered on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 1-2pm starting June 2 – August 20.
  • The Edmonton Film Society continues their “Ye Olde British Comedy” series through to mid-June. Just $5 a screening!
  • The first ever Creative Age Festival, which runs June 2 – 8, highlights “arts and aging by showcasing arts-based workshops, performances and events, including special film screenings and an Arts Café”.
  • From June 4 – 7, the Dreamspeakers International Film Festival will celebrate the best of Aboriginal films through screenings, workshops and events.
  • Heart of the City: Music & Arts Festival 2008, a community celebration of the diverse music and arts scene in the city’s downtown core, is taking place on June 7 at Giovanni Caboto Park (95 Street & 108 Avenue).
  • Take some time to meet with local producers on June 8 & 9, for the Spring Time Family Drive, where 10 farms open their gates to the public for tours, children’s activities, and shopping. The Summer Family Drive will take place in early August if you can’t make it in June.
  • The now Epcor-sponsored NextFest, taking place June 5 – 15, features 10 (plus the gala) days of performances, visual art displays, and more.  
  • The annual Pride Awards kick off the always spirited Pride Week 2008: Unmasked and OUTrageous. Lunches, film screenings, and of course, the celebrated parade can be attended between June 13 – 22.
  • I had no idea this year would see the 11th incarnation of the City’s River Day, being held on June 14 this year. Free family events include a pancake breakfast, paddling sessions, fishing lessons, and boat demonstrations, all at Rundle Park.
  • Also on June 14 is the Hermitage Park Family Fishing Event – for $5/family, you can fish away!
  • Improvaganza, Rapid Fire Theatre’s annual improvisational comedy festival, runs June 18-29 at the Varscona Theatre. Tickets are $10 for each show (with the exception of the Grande Finale), but there are two pay-what-you-can, family-friendly shows on Saturday afternoons.
  • National Aboriginal Day celebrations will be taking place from June 18 – 24, with everything from drumming performances, art displays, and outdoor barbeques to take part in.
  • The noted Edmonton International Jazz Festival runs June 20 – 29. Though most of the concerts require paid tickets, there are a number of free outdoor events and workshops to look forward to as well.
  • Art lovers have probably been looking forward to the June 20 – July 2 Works Art & Design Festival all year.
  • Airfest, billed as an “aviation extravaganza” has been growing every year, and will be held on June 22 in 2008. Check out the Alberta Aviation Museum website for updates.

Have fun!

EDIT: an ad in Vue Weekly reminded me about a festival I forgot to include: June is also Bikeology month, with drive-in movies, mocktails mixed by blenders hooked up to bikes, and free tune-ups. Check out the website for full details.

Ice on Whyte 2008

While on a brief shopping excursion on Whyte Ave today, I made a detour to the Ice on Whyte Festival taking place at Adventure Park.

I didn’t stay that long, because while it wasn’t as cold as last year, it was quickly getting there.

Quick pictures I snapped:

Sculpture that won first prize

Another sculpture

A much larger castle than last year

Ice screen for movies (a “cold-in”?)

Slide of death (so named because of my “incident” last year)

I don’t really have much to say, as I didn’t stick around long enough to really explore the activities, but for those interested, the Festival runs until Sunday.