Category: food

All-American Hot Dogs: The Dawg Father

I happened to be in the Alberta Avenue area on Thursday for work, and having read Liane’s article about The Dawg Father (8654 118 Avenue), chose that as my lunch destination that day.

Knowing that the joint specialized in hot dogs, I was expecting The Dawg Father to be somewhat similar to Tubby Dog, which serves up unusual condiments on a carnival favourite. In actuality, The Dawg Father reveres traditional toppings like onions, sauerkraut, cheese and relish. When I asked the proprietor Tom Stefura if he would ever experiment with things like wasabi and peanut butter, he said it wasn’t his intention to waver from classic, All-American flavours (partial menu here).

Order counter

The interior of the restaurant reminded me of a cleaner, modified Chicago Deep Dish – meant not for lingering, but to quickly satisfy one’s hunger. There are three new, glass-topped tables to provide those who need a place to stay, but it seems The Dawg Father also does a mean take-out business.

Tom greeted me as soon as I walked in the door. I asked for his recommendation, and after finding out that I wasn’t a fan of spicy foods, he said that the Baltimore Dog ($7.50) would be my best bet – topped with fried onions, cheese, and bacon. All dogs are served with coleslaw, ‘Ruby fries’ and a pickle. He asked if a ten minute wait would be all right, as all meals are made fresh. I had time, but I had to wonder – if several large groups came in all at the same time, the restaurant may not be able to accommodate everyone in a timely fashion.

I wasn’t keeping track, but I’m pretty sure my order took less than ten minutes to reach my table. I’ve never really considered a hot dog as anything beyond a snack, but The Dawg Father made me reconsider this, as my plate was definitely a meal in itself. The dog was drenched with a generous topping of sauteed onions, crumbled bacon, cheddar cheese and (unfortunately) mustard. Thankfully, the onions and cheese managed to negate the sharpness of my least favourite condiment, and I appreciated the heartiness of the all-beef wiener. The bread was fresh (they use buns from Handy Bakery just a few doors down), which is always a nice touch. The fries were a cut above, and made the overall price of the hot dog easier to reconcile. The potatoes had been freshly prepared with an aromatic mixture of garlic, parsley and salt – I was beyond full by the end, but I couldn’t imagine turning in a half-eaten plate that had obviously been lovingly prepared.

Baltimore Dog with coleslaw and Ruby fries

Before I left, I asked Tom why he had chosen 118th Avenue to open his restaurant, and whether or not the reputation of the area had deterred him at all. He replied that the media helped perpetuate the negative image of Alberta Avenue, and “if people think this is bad, try living in Newark, New Jersey.”

The Dawg Father
8654 118 Avenue
(780) 477-7947
Tuesday-Saturday 11am-7pm, closed Sunday & Monday

Starch Overload: Happy Garden

Due to a dumpling craving, Dickson and I ended up at Happy Garden (6525 111 Street NW) for dinner instead of a pre-planned trip to Il Forno. He had heard from a coworker that their servings were quite generous, and after being unsatisfied with Western interpretations of dumplings at Brewster’s, convinced me to come along for the ride.

I remember reading a review of this off-the-beaten-track Chinese restaurant in the Journal last year, and was happy to hear that it hadn’t shut down, which was a possibility hinted at in the article. It took us long enough to find the place, after a few wrong turns and not having the slightest idea what we were looking for to begin with. We finally ended up at a tiny strip mall in the middle of Parkallen, with every storefront dark with the exception of the restaurant.

Wandering in, I spotted a sign near the door that requested patience from patrons – staff turnover meant the kitchen might still be on training wheels. That wasn’t a good sign – we had tickets to a show across the city, and time would be tight as it were. But in spite of my hesitations, we followed the waitress to a table in the back corner.

Happy Garden was surprisingly busy – for a restaurant that I hadn’t heard much about, it was nearly full, and provided the lively ambiance I have always associated with Chinese establishments. The decor was dated, with a few haphazard Chinese “artifacts” added to the interior as seeming afterthoughts – a lantern, a scroll. Twinkle lights hung from the ceiling – had they been on, I’m sure they would have given the space a touch of charm. The pink vinyl tablecloths were a bit off-putting – I know they meant to assist staff in the clean-up phase, but they were sticky and probably should have been replaced.

I let Dickson do the ordering, based on his friend’s recommendations: Pork Dumplings ($7 for 12), Mu Shu Pork ($9 for 6 “thin cakes”), and Steamed Buns ($7 for 10). I wasn’t expecting to find samosas and “Thai wings” on the menu, but as I was about to find out, Happy Garden specializes in plates meant to be shared.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before our first course arrived – the Pork Dumplings were absolutely massive. Their comparison on the menu to perogies were spot on, though quite frankly, they were larger than any perogy I had ever come across before. Pan-fried to a crisp on the outside, the dough contained a flavourful concoction of meat. I managed to work my way through four before crying for mercy, but Dickson likely could have eaten more than the eight he finished.

Pork Dumplings

The Mu Shu Pork was next – warmed crepe-like wraps accompanied a plate of steaming stir-fried pork and vegetables. Assembling the dish was half the fun, which including drizzling hoisin sauce to taste. It was definitely my favourite of the three courses – the texture of the filling and the sweetness of the sauce had me at my first bite.

Mu Shu Pork

We received our Steamed Buns last. A mixture of pork and crab meat awaited us inside, as did quite a bit of oil that pooled along the bottom of the dough. If we hadn’t already gone through the plate of dumplings, I’m sure we would have been more receptive to the buns, but in the end, we felt as if we had exceeded our starch content for the week.

Steamed Buns

My introduction to Happy Garden was brief but positive – I hope to be able to linger (and order seconds of Mu Shu Pork) on future visits.

Happy Garden
6525 111 Street NW
(780) 435-7622

The Cooking Chronicles: Prosciutto wrapped Asparagus

Needing a last-minute starter to bring to a housewarming this weekend, I flipped through Giada de Laurentiis’ Everyday Italian for inspiration, as I knew the hosts would be serving lasagna as the main course.

The recipe for Roasted Asparagus Wrapped in Prosciutto caught my eye, as not only was it simple and elegant, but it required only two main ingredients, and could be served at room temperature.

We picked up the needed items at Sobeys Urban Fresh (convenient for us, as we had just stopped at deVine Wines for a bottle of local en Santé wine to give as a gift), and headed to Mack’s place to assemble the appetizer.

This was my lesson in cooking seasonally, as while the Peru-grown asparagus seemed all right at the store (and would have been fine for most uses), by the time I had finished roasting them, the spears looked downright sad. The recipe in the book had also directed us to use a teaspoon of salt and pepper each – way too much seasoning – something my brain should have overridden. Paired with the savoury prosciutto, however, the salt content was normalized a bit, and I’m happy to say the dish was a hit.

Prosciutto wrapped Asparagus

My plate of lasagna, caesar salad and garlic toast.

Yi-Li’s triumphant Hazelnut Torte

Thanks to Warren and Leslie for hosting a great party!

Food Notes for January 12, 2009

  • I registered for the upcoming Food: Today, Tomorrow, Together Conference running January 29-30 this past week. I hope to get some blogging in during the conference, so watch for posts at the end of the month! If you can’t make it to the entire event, there is a public keynote by Carol Off, author of Bitter Chocolate, on Friday evening.
  • From Vue Weekly: Culina Highlands is now open for lunch, Tuesday to Saturday, 11am-2pm. I hope their new website debuts soon!
  • From City Palate: there’s a new bakery in town called Prairie Mill Bread Co. (14253 23 Avenue, 780-436-0920). They recently opened their first location in Edmonton after finding success in Calgary.
  • Liane was back this week from a brief hiatus, and covered Edmonton’s burgeoning scene of meal assembly studios. I had no idea there were nine in the city.
  • Food Network Canada’s third season of Family Restaurant, this time featuring the Quons of Lingnan and Chicken for Lunch fame, began on January 8. The 10-episode run got off to a good start, with the frenetic energy of the family on display.
  • Mack tipped me off to some interesting discussion on Connect2Edmonton about the upcoming Downtown Dining Week, an annual event that encourages patrons to dine in the core by offering set-meals at a “discounted” rate. I have to agree with IanO – Edmonton’s independents do themselves a disservice by offering two competing dining weeks (something I’ve said in the past) – why not combine Downtown Dining Week and Original Fare’s Fork Fest?
  • I saw commercials advertising Boston Pizza‘s new “10 for $10” feature on television this week (dine-in only from Sunday to Thursday, until February 8). I wonder which will be the next non-fast food chain to push value-for-dollar meals?
  • Speaking of advertising, I love the current Tim Hortons campaign, which pushes their coffee into the spotlight. Like Starbucks should be doing (instead of say, diverging to tea), the spots focus on the 20 minute freshness of each pot – simple, but effective.

All About Appearances: Kai Asian Grill

After Courtney’s lukewarm review and hearing lacklustre comments from friends about Kai Asian Grill (100, 10909 Jasper Avenue), I was less than eager to pay them a visit. But on an evening when venturing outside was a welcome reprieve from a weekend of self-imposed house arrest, coupled with Mack’s need to scope out Kai as a potential venue for an event he was planning, we hopped on a bus to have dinner at Kai.

Interior

I’m not sure why the owners decided on a name change (signs boasted of “Tao” coming soon), but I doubt substituting another Asian-sounding monosyllable would have made a resounding difference with the patron reception of the restaurant. At any rate, the interior of the former Chili Hot Hot had been gutted and divided into a number of areas – a dining room, a small sushi bar, two elevated, semi-private dining areas, and finally, a gargantuan lounge, which is at least double the size of the dining room. We asked to be seated in the dining room (as is our custom when trying a new restaurant), but had we known of Kai’s lounge-forward stance, we would have made an exception to our rule. Shades of black and grey dominate the dining room, with looming statues reminding patrons of the restaurant’s Asian and East Asian slant. The most striking feature is the ceiling, however, with lights calling attention to the overhead red hue. I was happy that they decided to maintain the large windows looking out onto Jasper Avenue – the bustling intersection outside makes the restaurant seem that much more cosmopolitan, however coincidental. Everything looked great, polished and perfect, but upon closer inspection, it seems some financial shortcuts were taken. For example, the bamboo plants that lined the side were artificial, while the counters were marble-coated. As the overall renovations must have cost a fortune, I’m willing to cut Kai some slack.

I had previewed the menu online, so knew of Kai’s approach to fusion food – one very similar to OPM, and really, any other restaurant that strives to cater to as many people as possible out there (I’m looking at you Earls, Joeys, and Moxie’s). We were handed cocktail and wine lists, but other beverages such as beer and coffee were nowhere to be seen on the page. Mack would have appreciated this, as his Sapporo beer came in at a surprise $7.25, although he rightly could have confirmed the price prior to ordering it.

The one dish that caught my eye online, the Coconut-Crusted Tofu ($22), maintained my gaze in the restaurant, as I was hoping to satisfy my craving for tofu. Mack, on the other hand, zeroed in on the peculiarly categorized Kai Mini Burger Trio ($16) – we thought it sounded more like an appetizer than an entrée (and would likely encourage more spending if coded as the former). Always up for the house calamari ($9), this time dressed with salt and pepper, we ordered that to start as well.

Our appetizer was delivered quite promptly, dressed with green onions and accompanied by a chili and lime aioli. Dotted with black pepper, Mack liked the calamari well enough, while I was easily swayed by the fact that the battered morsels was fried to a fresh crisp.

Salt and Pepper Calamari

We had a little more time to admire the interior than we wanted to while we waited for our entrees, but the calamari tided us over somewhat. When Mack’s Burger Trio arrived, I couldn’t help but be drawn to the bright orange sweet potato fries – not mentioned in the menu description, we now understood why this had been classified as an entrée. While I don’t know how the burgers fit in with the “Asian fusion” mandate of the restaurant (besides the bamboo skewers used, heh), the sliders were great, particularly because of the type of bun used. The White-Castle-like soft bread cushioned and complimented the thin patty well.

Kai Mini Burger Trio

The size of my dish was deceiving at first glance, though as I began to dig through the rice and vegetables, I found that the bowl held more than met the eye. The Thai curry sauce used lovely, and balanced the heat with a hint of sweetness. The tofu, which had been lightly breaded in coconut, then deep fried, was unfortunately dry in the centre, with a texture that reminded me more of chicken than soy. It was an interesting take, and one I might try to recreate at home, but not again try at Kai.

Coconut Crusted Tofu

I had no complaints about our waitress – she did her best to find all of the answers we needed for our numerous and sundry questions, and as it seemed she was covering both the lounge and the dining room, did a bang up job ensuring all tables were cared for. Though my predilection for Kai steadily improved through my visit, it’s lack of real menu focus prevents me from fully embracing it. I would recommend it, but don’t expect fireworks.

Kai Asian Grill
100, 10909 Jasper Avenue
(780) 428-3336
Monday-Thursday 11am-midnight, Friday-Saturday 5pm-2am

The Cooking Chronicles: Cap’n Crunch French Toast

Inspired by a dish I saw made on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, I made Cap’n Crunch French Toast over the weekend (improvised, without the recipe I linked to). In theory, the dish excited the child in me – a crunchy, sugar-coated treat for breakfast? Score!

I put Mack to work crunching up cereal with a potato masher and a large Ziploc (though we found later that it was actually easier just to use a rounded plastic spoon in a flat dish to do the same), while I readied the dredging concoction of eggs, milk and cinnamon. In hindsight, we should have bought some white bread for this experiment, as the wheat cut through the sweet flavour we were trying to achieve in a negative way, but we went ahead with what we had on hand.

After soaking up a slice of bread, I did my best to coat both sides with crushed cereal. For whatever reason, it didn’t work as well as I had seen on the show, but we did our best and placed it on the pan.

It turns out medium-low heat works best, otherwise, the Cap’n Crunch just burns – we found that out the hard way. We also discovered that a finer-ground cereal makes a better crust, as it encouraged an even cooking process. The result was a golden-brown, thoroughly crunchy coating, and a still-eggy quality in its interior. The Cap’n Crunch didn’t provide a distinguishable flavour however – nearly any sweet, non-chocolate cereal (Corn Puffs, Fruit Loops, etc.) would likely create a similar taste.

Cap’n Crunch French Toast

Though it was a novel way to start the day, we will likely stick with our regular French toast recipe.

Indian Meal Deal: Rasoi on 50th

I caught up with Bettina over dinner at Rasoi on 50th (4341 50 Street) last week, a restaurant near my house I suggested trying when she proposed that we have Indian cuisine.

There has been some confusion in the Edmonton dining scene recently with Indian restaurants with “Rasoi” in the name, as two opened up at around the same time this summer, both located in southside strip malls. Rasoi on 50th happens to reside in a space formerly occupied by a coffee shop, and for that reason is smaller and seemingly more demure, at least from the outset.

While I can’t remember exactly how the interior of Cappuccino Affair used to look, the palette of warm beige and brown seemed familiar. Café seating next to the order counter had been eliminated in favour of a buffet (offered only at lunch at the moment), so we were led to the mezzanine dining area at the rear of the restaurant. The flat screen televisions, while perhaps acceptable at the front take-out counter, were out of place and distracting where we were seated, particularly because the rest of the décor was cozy and conducive to a nice evening out.

Our waitress was a bit abrupt, not even allowing us to take off our coats before asking about our drink order, but her keenness could be excused for the fact that we were the first customers through the door that night. Service improved through our stay, save for the waitress not considering that our lengthy lingering at the end of our meal may have signalled our desire for the bill.

Not having to even consider the buffet was a blessing in disguise, as after my brush with the Origin India owner, I realized I may have been doing a disservice to Indian cuisine by always jumping to the buffet rush. Our server presented us with the option of a fast food-inspired “two can dine” special, which, priced at $24.99, was a bit of a steal. Comprised of naan, rice, raita, green salad, and two entrees of our choice (vegetarian and/or meat), it seemed like an economical way to sample what the restaurant had to offer. For my entrée, I chose the unavoidable Butter Chicken, while Bettina was a bit more adventurous with Lamb Curry. She was also intrigued by their Egg Pakoras ($6), so we added that onto our order as well.

We munched our way through complimentary papadam, and didn’t have to wait long before our appetizer arrived. Bettina was disappointed with them, as she had anticipated something more exciting and unusual than what we received – hard boiled eggs that had been battered then fried. I thought they were all right, though the outer shell didn’t maintain its ideal crispness.

Egg Pakoras

Plates cleared, our meal was delivered in expedient fashion. I was expecting more than five small pieces of chicken in my entrée, but thankfully, they were a tad more generous with Bettina’s lamb. I also should have made it a point to ask them what was contained in their rich sauce – it was unlike any butter chicken dressing I have ever had, almost as if they had tossed in a bottle of barbecue sauce or something else unorthodox into the mix. It was really tasty though, so perhaps it is a well-guarded secret ingredient. Bettina liked her lamb curry, though noted that it was nothing out of the ordinary. The green salad was unexciting (iceberg lettuce, sliced tomato, cucumber, carrot), though if anything, did provide a fresh respite from the dense meat entrees. Lastly, the naan was fresh and crisp, with the only downside being that there wasn’t more of it to go around.

Our “two can dine” meal

While not necessarily a destination restaurant, Rasoi on 50th is worth stopping by if you’re in the area, and looking for an a la carte Indian experience that won’t break the bank.

Rasoi on 50th
4341 50 Street NW
(780) 756-5600
Monday-Thursday 11am-9pm; Friday-Saturday 11am-10pm, Sunday 12-9pm

Culinary Q & A with Diane Begin-Croft

Occupation: PR

What did you eat today?

Nothing yet, just Orangina.

What do you never eat?

Salmon, sardines, oysters, Kinder Surprise and white chocolate (none of the above are actually chocolate)

 

What is your personal specialty?

Sweet & sour spare ribs. Actually it’s my mom’s recipe, but it’s a big hit especially with plain rice.

What is your favorite kitchen item?

Chopper (hand or electric) to make fresh salsa. I just hate cleaning it. My one cup coffee maker also ranks quite high.

World ends tomorrow. Describe your last meal.

For sure I’d have gazpacho with croutons and tiny cubes of veges, beef tataki, beef carpaccio, a nice salad with misonaise dressing and the rest would probably be Mexican food, like a whole buffet when you go to a resort. I never eat this much, but what if the end is delayed…

Where do you eat out most frequently?

At work, in the NAIT Common Market or Bytes, just because it’s there. If I were to venture out somewhere I’d have a chicken Texas BBQ Ranch wrap with noodles at Badass Jacks.

What’s the best place to eat in Edmonton?

Just outside of Edmonton, there’s a restaurant in St. Albert called The Cajun House. It’s my favourite place to go because it’s cozy and the food is fantastic. Ernest’s Dining Room at NAIT for the Friday lunch buffet is also one of my favourites, when we can get in.

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

I was going to say Paris for the cheese, but I think I’d probably go to the south of Spain to have some gazpacho and yummy tapas. Restaurants typically open at 9pm for dinner, which works great for my night owl schedule. (then I’d go to Paris for breakfast)

Food Notes for January 5, 2009

…starting the year with dated food notes, to make them easier to distinguish when archived.

  • Sabor Divino (109, 10220 103 Street), the new Portuguese restaurant on the Boardwalk is now open.
  • According to the link Mack sent me, The Cupcake Bakeshoppe & Cafe (17298 Stony Plain Road) will be “changing [their] name and appearance.” Keep an eye out on  their website for details.
  • Pita the Great (3, 10141 34 Avenue) has now become Alsalam Bakery & Restaurant.
  • Something I totally missed from about a month ago – Good Earth Produce closed their two locations in early December. I was wondering what happened after I passed it a few weeks back and saw the windows at their downtown location papered up.
  • Julie van Rosendaal’s last “day in her kitchen” post came a few days ago, but it seems she will continue, to the delight of her readers (and to her husband’s dismay, heh).
  • Jennifer Causey, the woman behind simply breakfast, a beautiful “art of breakfast” photo blog, has decided to end her blog. She will continue to post here, expanding beyond her morning meal.
  • An interesting read from the NYT about the five stages in which an ingredient passes through to become mainstream.
  • I couldn’t find a solid 2009 trends article that I liked, but this one from Epicurious is a quick read, and echoes most of the “common sense” projections one would guess.
  • I tried the new London Fog TAZO Tea Latte (a grande for $4.15) this weekend – it tasted like a creamier, sweeter version of a tea latte I had at Vancouver’s Blenz, with an aftertaste I can never seem to shake when it comes to Earl Grey tea.

 

“Tea Time” at Starbucks

  • Mack and I met Tom at Bourbon Street for lunch last week, and ended up at Moxie’s. I haven’t been to the chain in a while, so most of the menu seemed new to me. I ordered the Tandoori Chicken Pizza ($13.99) – the crust was a tad too hard and the chicken a touch dry, but I liked the mildly spicy curry sauce used. The boys ordered the Big Life Fish & Chips ($12.99), and both liked it. My biggest disappointment was with the service that afternoon – our server completely disappeared after taking our order. Our food finally arrived after an over thirty minute wait; I expected at least a cursory “thanks for being patient” check-in from the waiter. I guess that was too much to ask for.

 

Tandoori Chicken Pizza

 

Big Life Fish & Chips

The Cooking Chronicles: Cheese Fondue

After our successful experiment with chocolate fondue earlier in the year, Annie, May, Janice and I met up again to try our hand with the warm-weather appropriate cheese fondue.

Janice hosted the event this time around, searched out a recipe, and did most of the heavy-lifting with ingredients, roasting a number of vegetables which were ready by the time the rest of us showed up. We did all contribute in one way or another though, either bringing wine, the cheese, or additional ingredients to be dipped, so it felt like a team effort in many ways.

Once everyone had arrived, we got started melting the grated Swiss gruyere into the simmering white wine. The mixture thickened nicely once all of the cheese had been added, and we transferred them into two small fondue pots placed at both ends of the table. The spread included the requisite vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, zucchini and mushrooms, among others), bread, garlic sausage, nacho chips (for “gourmet” nachos), and fruit for dessert.

 Annie uncorking the wine

Janice at the stove

The spread

We found rather quickly that the nearly two cups of wine the recipe called to was way too much – the fondue mixture reeked of wine, so much so that the flavour overpowered anything we dipped. Still, fondue was a great way to catch up with everyone, as we casually worked our way through the food on the table. The roasted potatoes and garlic sausage ended up being my favourite things to dip.

At the table

Me and May

It was great that all of the vegetables had been either blanched or roasted, as it allowed us to enjoy them without cheese adornment as well (“raw” would have been fine, but as with most vegetables, they taste better roasted).

 Janice shows what is left of the cheese

Thanks again Janice for hosting! Cheese fondue is a great winter treat, though next time, we will be definitely be mindful of the amount of alcohol we should be adding.