Food Notes for July 9, 2012

This heat wave is a bit unreal! It makes me appreciate the air conditioning at my office much more, heh. Hope you’re finding ways to stay cool! On to this week’s food notes:

One way to stay cool for free: 7-11 is handing out free slurpees on July 11, 2012 to the first 1,000 guests.
Get ready frozen yogurt fans: Pinkberry opens in Edmonton at West Edmonton Mall on July 12, 2012. Free samples will be handed out from 6-9pm.
Gleaned from the July/August 2012 issue of The Tomato: Chef Andrew Fung (most recently of the Blackhawk Golf Course, and 2010 Gold Medal Plate winner) is opening up a restaurant in MacTaggert. Also, Fat Franks will be opening up a diner-style restaurant.
The Italian Centre is also planning a restaurant to open in the fall called Massimo’s Kitchen, named after Teresa Spinelli’s son.
Capital Ex has introduced a number of new dishes at this year’s festival, including cricket pizza, flavoured mini doughnuts and a grilled cheese burger – where the bun of a typical burger is replaced by two grilled cheese sandwiches.
Liane wrote a great story about a trend of local restaurants serving up staff dinners.
Vue asks, “How does Edmonton stack up as a beer town?” It sounds like we have a long way to go, but it’s interesting to find out that two of Calgary’s successful beer destinations are heading to our fair city.
Addie’s article on the Next Gen blog about a few restaurants trying to keep it local is worth a read.
I love lists – Jay Palter, “newish in Edmonton”, made a list of his favourite dishes in the city.
I was sad to have missed the supertaster sessions offered by Sobeys, but at least I was able to read about the opportunity on Kelly’s blog.
The community some want to create in Mundare sounds a bit like a local food utopia. One mile diet, anyone?
Jonathan Waxman, who competed alongside Hubert Keller in our favourite season of Top Chef Masters, was another contestant we were cheering for. Great interview with him in Eater this week discussing seasonality and trendiness.
Sad news in the food world today: Chef Anthony Sedlak of Food Network Canada’s The Main, was found dead on Friday in his Vancouver home.
Food competition shows are going mainstream: Anthony Bourdain and Nigella Lawson are hosting The Taste to air on ABC this fall.
Mack and I were happy to have been asked to participate in Next Gen’s food-focused DIYalogue last week at The Black Dog. It’s always fun to talk food, and there was no shortage of enthusiasm and love for the subject in the room! I mentioned that day that one thing missing in Edmonton’s scene is southern comfort food, but neglected to also say that we could also do with what Grub Street calls “Asian hipster cuisine”.

DIYalogue

Representing What the Truck?!

ilistix served up some fine Moroccan tagine

It’s been a while since we’ve been in the food court at West Edmonton Mall, since I had no idea we had a Freshii in the city. Mack and I tried them for the first time on the weekend. The Asian noodle bowl ($7.29) had a good variety of texture, and more chicken that I was expecting, while Mack thought his chicken club wrap ($8.29) tasted light and fresh.

Asian noodle bowl

Chicken club wrap

I can’t tell you how much we were craving Route 99’s poutine last week.

Poutine!

What’s better in +30 degree heat than a hot bowl of pho? I met Mack at Pho Tau Bay today for just that at lunch, and good thing too – they will be closed from July 16 – August 15, 2012. Get there while you can!

Pho

City Market Report: Week 8

Weekends like this are just glorious, and reminds us that there is no better place to spend the summer than Edmonton. The City Market was a hub of activity today; I wouldn’t be surprised if they reached some of their highest attendance numbers for the season so far.

High traffic area

The Feats Festival of Dance (which runs June 29 – July 14, 2012) was on hand with different demonstrations throughout the day.

Clogging

There was also an abundance of carrots today – almost everyone we passed down the aisles had bunches of cheerful green tops poking out of their market bags.

Kuhlmann’s carrots

Carrots from Jen’s Organic Garden

Of course, there was a ton of other fresh produce this week as well.

First week for peas from Kuhlmann’s

Dill from Kuhlmann’s

Swiss chard from Kuhlmann’s

Flowers from Kuhlmann’s

Pak choy from Sundog Organic

Mustard greens from Greens, Eggs and Ham

Sprouts display at Greens, Eggs and Ham (they currently grow nine different kinds)

I had no idea Doef’s sold strawberries until today

Cherries from Steve and Dan’s

Raspberries from Steve and Dan’s

We also picked up some cookies from Bloom Cookie Co. We met Ashley Benson, owner and baker, at the DIYalogue on Wednesday, and it was about time we tried her cookies (the vegan chocolate chip was delish)!

Bloom Cookie Co.

We ended off our market day with lunch on the balcony – Eva Sweet waffles and cool drinks (a milkshake made with Pinnochio ice cream for Mack and a smoothie made with Bles Wold yogurt for me).

Lunch

Hope you had a great Saturday too!

A Perfectly Pleasant Patio: Viphalay

Resembling more of a house than a restaurant, the second location of Viphalay on 99 Avenue and 105 Street is easy to miss. I never did visit any of its previous occupants, so the building was never familiar to me as an eatery as it was to Mack. But on a lazy Friday, when our kitchen was the last place either of us wanted to be, we wandered over to Viphalay, its patio beckoning.

Viphalay

When we arrived, we were surprised to find the patio empty. Sure, the clouds were looming in the distance, but right then, the evening sun was warm and the air calm – the perfect conditions for al fresco dining (that said, about a half hour later, the patio filled right up). Viphalay’s patio features a number of brightly coloured flower baskets, and though it isn’t on the best street for people watching, the quiet, mostly car-less setting suited us just fine as we unwound after a full week.

Although the McCauley-based Viphalay remains closed (the family shared that they were in need of more kitchen staff), the menu here looked identical. Mack and I didn’t stray too far away from our tried and true favourites, and we weren’t disappointed.

I will say that we think our spring roll ($8) order got mixed up, as we were served the vegetarian version instead of the requested pork. But our pad thai ($15) and green curry ($14) were exactly what we were looking for that night. The noodles were slightly sweet, integrated with a generous amount of chicken, shrimp and tofu, while the curry had just the right amount of heat, dissipated by the creamy coconut rice.

Spring rolls

Pad Thai

Green curry

We had plenty of leftovers for the days ahead, but better yet, Viphalay got us in the right frame of mind for the weekend. We look forward to many happy returns.

Viphalay
10523 99 Avenue
(780) 756-8118

A Whirlwind Sampling: Toronto Food Trucks

Back in May, Mack and I headed to Toronto – I was the tagalong as Mack was attending a conference. It was great because I could hang out with Amanda during the day, and the three of us would hook up for dinner each night. I can say that I really am starting to appreciate their food scene, and look forward to even more visits!

While Edmonton’s policies surrounding food trucks could be much improved, I’m sure Toronto’s trucks would consider themselves lucky if they were governed in the same way. At present, groups like Food Truck Eats are trying to lobby the City to allow new trucks to vend curbside downtown, but brick and mortar restaurants are stifling change. As a result, we found that most trucks were restricted to private land and parking lots – to the point where it can actually be an income-generator for these owners. Or, most trucks seem to simply vend outside of Toronto in more hospitable towns like Hamilton.

Parking lot seeks trucks

Though we were in Toronto for less than a week, we were able to hit up five trucks. It definitely helped that there was a small gathering of trucks our very first day in town!

Amanda alerted us to an event at the University of Toronto that was taking place that Saturday afternoon. After checking into the Hyatt, Amanda met us at the hotel and we walked over to the campus, eagerly anticipating our first taste of Toronto food trucks.

Food trucks!

There were three trucks set up alongside a science expo for children. To our surprise, though several hours of service had already passed, most of their menu items were still available (I will say that the generators seemed noticeably loud, though as Mack commented, the fact that they were placed against stone buildings, which did the opposite of dissipating the noise, didn’t help matters).

Loved the wild colours of Toasted Tangerine

Amanda and Mack

The toasted ravioli ($7) from the Toasted Tangerine was an all-around hit. Crispy pockets of ravioli were served with a marinara dipping sauce. Great finger food, and for next time, if they made them one-bite ravioli, I think it would be even more appealing. Their pulled chicken sliders with habanero pineapple slaw ($8) were tasty, but Drift’s similar jerk chicken is bolder in flavour.

Toasted ravioli

Pulled chicken sliders

From El Gastronomo Vagabundo, we tried their crispy pork schnitzel ($8.50). Street consumption-friendly, it had been cut into thin strips that were easy to eat and share. With a nice breading, it also benefited from the wide of crunchy lime slaw. We also loved their potato wedges ($6.50), elevated with sweet chili oil, sour cream and green onions.

Pork schnitzel

Dessert was from the Cupcake Diner. Unlike the other two trucks, the cupcakes were obviously baked off-site, so this was probably more of a catering vehicle than anything else. Still, Mack and I both couldn’t pass up trying the cookie dough flavour ($2.75 each), which was not only topped with a cookie sliver, but also had dough baked right into the cake!

Happy with our cupcakes

Our next two truck encounters were over the lunch hour in downtown Toronto. I’d been keeping my eye on Twitter, ready to pounce and plan our days around their service. We lucked out with Buster’s Sea Cove, a brand new truck that had opened a few weeks prior. A St. Lawrence Market favourite, they are known for their tasty seafood entrees. And though they were brand new, their popularity was obvious – when Amanda and I arrived, there was a small but ravenous crowd already gathered!

Buster’s Sea Cove

Parked in a private lot without immediate seating options, it didn’t seem like the ideal location for food trucks. But with its proximity to several towers, it seemed like most in line were content with taking their lunch back for desktop consumption. Amanda and I ended up hoofing it over a few blocks to the picturesque St. James Park.

The menu was small (just three items), but they all sounded so good it made selecting just one difficult! The grilled swordfish sandwich ($13) I ended up with was delicious – flaky, with fresh tomatoes and red onions served on herby, aromatic focaccia. I probably could have done without the token pre-boxed side salad though, as it didn’t really add anything.

Grilled swordfish sandwich

Amanda’s shrimp tacos ($8) were also pretty tasty. Breaded and fried shrimp had been drizzled with pico de gallo and salsa verde.

Shrimp tacos

The next day, Amanda and I had lunch nearby, this time from Caplansky’s Deli, though their truck is fondly known as “Thunderin’ Thelma”. Caplansky’s is another well-established restaurant, a deli located in the trendy Kensington neighbourhood. But they famously wanted to expand their business to include a mobile component, and presented their case to the Dragon’s Den investors, only to be rejected. The owners went ahead anyway, and Thelma is now regarded as one of the successes that made it even without the requested financial support.

Thunderin’ Thelma

Similarly located in a private lot (they apparently pay $300 a month to park there), we encountered a situation opposite from Buster’s –there was absolutely no line. Visibility from the street was definitely an issue (being tucked next to a building), and possibly competition as well – McDonald’s was just across the street.

The best in town

Regardless, we had heard far and wide about their Montreal smoked meat sandwiches ($7), and couldn’t wait to try them ourselves. We took our boxed lunch over to a park bench next to the Metropolitan Church and dug in.

Sandwiches

The sandwiches were unreal. The meat was juicy, slightly honeyed, and the rye held up to the moisture – no soggy mess here!

Mmmmm

The reuben spring rolls ($5) were overpowered by a bit too much hot mustard, but they were crispy enough. And for dessert: the maple bacon doughnuts were warm, and balanced sweet and savoury flavours well, even if we didn’t discern too much bacon flavour.

Maple bacon doughnuts and reuben spring rolls

I was happy to have been able to try a slice of Toronto’s food truck scene. I do hope it continues to grow, in spite of the lack of policy changes. Until next time!

One Last Hurrah: Old Strathcona Truck Stop

Our final Truck Stop in Old Strathcona took place last Wednesday. Mack and I nervously watched the skies all day, as it had started off rainy and overcast, but thankfully, the grey mostly cleared by the time the trucks pulled up at McIntyre Park.

The sun was shining!

The crowds weren’t as robust as those that were seen towards the end of May, but a fair number (including many young families) came out to enjoy a casual picnic in the park. A band, Yikes, were also on hand to lend some music to the event (we were told that music programming will be consistent on Wednesdays throughout the summer).

Lounging in the grass

We recognize that the June series of Truck Stops weren’t as successful as the preceding May dates. Weather played a big factor, and because McIntyre had been booked by another group on June 20, we weren’t able to make it known that “every Wednesday in June” would play host to the event.

Mack’s calzone from Battista’s

That said, as a whole, we think the venture of What the Truck?! across the river had been very well received! Though we suspected the appetite for food trucks in Edmonton wasn’t just confined to downtown, the response to these Truck Stops proved that. It was also wonderful working with Stephen Liley of the Old Strathcona Business Association and Kathy Stanley, the City’s Vending Coordinator, who helped make this series happen.

Great day for food trucks

As for the rest of the summer, we’ll be retiring Truck Stops for at least a month. Many events in Edmonton’s packed festival calendar will feature members of our local brigade (including Curb Your Hunger at Taste of Edmonton), not to mention the outdoor farmers’ markets where trucks have become a staple to feed hungry shoppers (124 Street Grand Market and the City Market, just to name a few). And don’t forget – many trucks are out and about every day – just check their Twitter feeds for details!

Mack and I are in the process of organizing two big What the Truck?! events to take place before the close of summer, however. We will announce the dates and locations when they are confirmed. In the meantime, keep on truckin’!

Canada Day Crab Boil

Boy, do Jill and Chris know how to throw a party! On Friday, Mack and I were fortunate to be among a small group invited to their home for their annual Canada Day crab boil, a celebration of good food and great company.

In many ways, it was an extreme family-style meal. It all began with a massive pot outdoors over a burner, into which Jill and Chris added carrots, corn, asparagus and potatoes, and a whole whack of seafood, including three different kinds of crab, shrimp and scallops. Jill timed each addition perfectly so none of the delicate seafood would overcook (Mack wanted to mention that it actually didn’t begin with a pot, but with a vicious crab killing).

Jill and Chris tend to the pot

When ready to be served, a porous bag that lined the pot was lifted out of the water and brought directly to the dining table. Then, as the expectant (and hungry) guests watched, the bag was cut open, contents spilling in a gloriously rustic heap onto the paper-wrapped table.

Out it tumbles

Almost too pretty to eat

We each had been thoughtfully supplied a plastic bib to signal that dinner would be a messy affair, but it really was the only way I could think of eating this type of meal, where your hands are your cutlery, and butter the only accompaniment.

Mack suits up

It was a meal I won’t soon forget – between the crab and the conversation, it was easy to get carried away!

The remnants

Thanks again to Jill and Chris for your hospitality!

Food Notes for July 2, 2012

The Green and Gold Community Garden opens for the season on July 3, 2012. Hours are 7-8:30pm on Tuesdays and 11am-1pm on Saturdays.
I love the idea of a “pork crawl” – the Passion for Pork folks have organized their first ever Swine and Dine dinner taking place on July 3, 2012 that will introduce eaters to three different interpretations of pork.
On the heels of Latitude 53’s summer patio parties, the Art Gallery of Alberta has started their own series of al fresco parties – Tuesdays on the Terrace begins on July 3, and runs through to the end of August. From 4-8pm, a complimentary art-inspired cocktail from Zinc will be included with the price of admission.
Blue Plate Diner is hosting another Farm to Fork dinner on July 8, 2012.
Jerry Aulenbach, Edmonton’s bacon man about town, is hosting his annual #yeghelp function on July 11, 2012 at Lux. Expect a great meal finished off by a sunset ride on the High Level Bridge streetcar.
Mark your calendars – Live Local’s Fork Fest runs July 15-19 and 22-26, 2012.
Did you know there is a Co-op wine store in Edmonton?
Two food truck reads: one an overview of the current scene in Vue, and a guide in the July issue of Avenue Edmonton.
Loved the reasoning in this Serious Eats write-up in favour of street eats.
Mack and I took in an Eskimos game on Saturday with his Dad. It was such a beautiful evening for a football game, and all the better that the Esks won!

Touchdown!

To celebrate Canada Day, Mack and I trekked down to Mill Woods on the bus for their fireworks show. It’s been a few years since I’ve been down there, and I have missed it – I think it’s a bit more laid-back and community-oriented than the fireworks show downtown. Hope you had a good one too!

Mack was impressed by the crowds and music

Fireworks!

City Market Report: Week 7

After a late night Friday, Mack and I couldn’t get ourselves out of bed until late this afternoon. That translated into only basic choices of product at the City Market, but enough to get us mostly through the week.

Overhead

On the other side

I had mistakenly noted that the week prior would be the last week for asparagus, when in fact, Edgar Farms was still selling it today. We of course missed out, but will look forward to the return of the snappy green spears next year!

You will be missed, asparagus

Beets from Riverbend Gardens

See you next week!

Cooking Chronicles: Perfect for Summer

Meals that are easy to throw together are a welcome addition to our kitchen any time of year, but it seems especially valuable in the summer, when we’re trying to make the most of those warm weather nights. Here are two recipes we tried recently that helped us do that.

Mini Quinoa Cups

Thanks to Courtenay, I was exposed to the idea of incorporating quinoa into a basic frittata recipe popularized by Iowa Girl Eats. Though I’ve been making mini frittatas for quite some time (in fact, it was the first ever “Cooking Chronicle” I posted all those years ago), I never thought to punch up the protein factor by stirring in some cooked quinoa.

Mini quinoa cups

We used diced ham, Sundog Organic spinach, aged cheddar and chives from our balcony garden as fillings, but should have followed the recipe more closely when it came to using non-stick spray (I didn’t have any, and probably didn’t do as thorough of a job brushing the oil inside the individual baking cups). That said, other than some of the quinoa cups not detaching perfectly, the recipe itself worked out very well! Mack loved the crunch from the quinoa, and served over Sundog Organic greens, didn’t even complain that he was eating a salad!

Over salad

We had a few quinoa cups left over the next day, and found that they also made a quick, tasty breakfast, heated briefly in the microwave.

Lemon Pasta Salad with Asparagus and Tomato

Mack was in charge of dinner a few nights ago, and had selected a pasta recipe that made use of tender crisp asparagus from Edgar Farms and sweet cherry tomatoes from Gull Valley Greenhouses.

He substituted the stelline we had on hand for the orzo, added some Dreamin’ Green Farm chicken and balcony basil, and tossed it all together with garlic, lemon and olive oil from Evoolution.

Lemon pasta salad with asparagus and tomato

It’s probably the sort of thing many wouldn’t require a recipe for, but we appreciated the guidelines. It was a very light dish, with varied textures that really celebrated the fresh produce. Mack especially liked the prominent lemon flavour.

We’ll be on the lookout for even more such recipes this summer!

Culinary Q & A with Foodie McPoon

Occupation: Administration at Alberta Education

What did you eat today?

Banana and a nut bar for breakfast, an apple and Greek yogurt for a mid-morning snack and salad with leftover Singapore noodles from dinner last night for lunch (if you’re wondering where it’s from, it’s from Panda Hut Express).

What do you never eat?

Raisins if I can help it. I hate raisins in muffins, cookies, etc but I eat raisin toast…Weird, I know. I don’t have a good explanation either.

What is your personal specialty?

I don’t really have a specialty dish because I cook many different foods, but I do an awesome cold shrimp salad appetizer, as well as well-seasoned potato wedges.

Complete this sentence: In my refrigerator, you will always find: Greek yogurt, eggs, milk, cilantro, green onions, proscuitto and pickled asparagus.

What is your weekday meal standby?

Lemon baked chicken, panko breaded pork chops or noodles & soup.

What is your favourite kitchen item?

My Cuisinart food processor (next in line is my KitchenAid stand mixer).

World ends tomorrow. Describe your last meal.

A large, piping hot bowl of noodle soup, preferably pho with loads of white and green onions thinly sliced with medium-rare beef, also sliced thinly. This is making me hungry!

Where do you eat out most frequently?

I try not to eat out too often, but on occasion my default options are pho usually at Pho Hoa on 97 Street (or whatever restaurant is closest), Kyoto for sushi or Double Greeting Wonton House for their wonton and beef brisket noodle soup.

Where’s the best place to eat in Edmonton?

Two places — For dinner, definitely The Dish Bistro. I love their food and their portion sizes are quite substantial considering their prices are very, very decent. The atmosphere is also very cozy and unpretentious! For dessert and coffee, there’s no other than Duchess Bake Shop. I am now truly obsessed with French pastries, especially ‘le macaron’. What did I do without them?!

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

There is this wonderful cafe called The Dunes in Prince Edward Island and I am head over heels for their summer lobster salad. I would also love to eat an authentic bowl of spicy pho in Vietnam, or fresh sashimi/sushi in Japan.

Check out Foodie McPoon’s blog here.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: