• The second of my FoodTV posts went live on the website today. I wrote it way back in May, just after Sobeys Urban Fresh opened. After I had some more time to think about the store, I drafted this post, which more accurately captures my feeling about the “urban fresh” concept.
• Original Fare’s ForkFest started this week! To my surprise, the website has already uploaded most of the participants’ set menus. Though there will always be people wanting to eat out in restaurants, I do wonder why they decided to run their feature event so close (and next week, overlapping) with Taste of Edmonton and Capital Ex.
• I don’t go to breakfast buffets often, just because I find I can’t eat that much first thing in the morning, but if you can, perhaps the Sunday Brunch at the River Cree Resort, as reviewed by Richard Helm, is worth checking out.
• “Splash plugs”, which I mentioned back in April, have arrived at Starbucks locations in Edmonton (or at least, the 109th Street/Jasper Ave location). What a waste.
• Congratulations to Bob Blumer of Food Network’s Glutton for Punishment who broke the Guinness World Record for most pancakes made in an hour in Calgary last Thursday. He made 559 pancakes in total, all of equal diameter and thickness without any burnt edges. The episode capturing his victory will air some time next spring.
• I can’t wait to try this so-called “perfect” chocolate chip cookie recipe, cobbled together from the wisdom of many experts in the field.
• Also from the New York Times, a story about an innovative program for juvenile delinquents to gain employable skills by refurbishing old diners. The community liaison likens the program to be the “Home Depot of the correctional system.” Hee.
• Lastly, an update on our President’s Choice chip-off: the Buffalo Wings and Blue Cheese flavour taste like exactly that – spicy, with a blue cheese kick. My favourite (and Mack’s) ended up being General Tao Chicken.

• Eating local is all the rage now, so much so that it seems events galore – from cooking classes, tours, and sampling fairs – are a weekly affair. Edmonton’s Countryside TASTE! of Summer is such an event, taking place July 13 at the St. Albert Grain Elevator Park. There will be live entertainment, a small market, and Taste of Edmonton-esque food booths. Tickets on sale at Ticketmaster and at the gate.
• Another Edmonton trend that continues is “upscale” packaged dinners. Following in the footsteps of Wild Tangerine and Culina‘s Frozen Dinners, Bacon is now offering take-away dinners Tuesday through Saturday – $14 for a frozen entree, salad and dessert, packed in a biodegradable container.
• I’m quite excited to check out Sip! The Wine and Food Experience at CapitalEx, July 17-26. Over 150 alcoholic beverages will be on hand to sample, but of course, I am mostly looking forward to the food pairings. The menu is here, while the schedule for special guest appearances is here.
• My appointment television for the summer: The Next Food Network Star, showing on Wednesdays at 8pm MT. While I wished our episodes ran on par with the American channel, I can’t complain about the content of the show. In its last incarnation, I think the draw for me was the celebrity judges (Bobby Flay, Giada de Laurentiis, Rachael Ray), but this year, I’m actually more interested in seeing how the contestants fare in the challenges. It’s still too early to pick a favourite though.
• Mack and I have been slowly working our way through the irresistible silver-packaged President’s Choice-branded chips. The first flavour we tried – General Tao Chicken – has actually been our favourite thus far; Szechwan was too mild and Smokin’ Stampede much too spicy. Waiting to be sampled on the kitchen table: Buffalo Wings and Blue Cheese.
• Just before joining the lineup to await the grand opening of the Apple Store on Saturday, Mack and I tried the new Homestyle Hash Brown from Tim Hortons. It’s just about the only thing from a fast food outlet that remotely resembles the pictures I’ve seen in advertisements. Unfortunately, it didn’t taste as good as they described – the seasoning actually made it taste worse than the more plain McDonald’s version.
• Shaken, not stirred: Before the fondue party, Annie and I chowed down on the new Maple Leaf Pasta Shakers. “Fresh” pre-cooked pasta, a light dressing, a package of sundried tomatoes, and vacuum sealed chicken are vigorously shaken together (that was the fun part) for an easy meal. The pasta was a bit scary-looking, as one would expect processed, preserved pasta to be, but appearance aside, it wasn’t bad, both portion and taste-wise.

Mediterranean Chicken Pasta Shaker

• The first of my FoodTV posts went live on Monday! Check out my write-up on the City Centre Market here.
• Doggie-Style Deli, a cafe for dogs, just opened on the city’s west end. One question: why?
• Edible Arrangements, the American-based company that has elevated the art of fruit arrangements, now has a store in Edmonton (102, 10179 105 Street, 429-2802).
• I read on Chowhound that there are 3-course prix fixe meals available at some of Calgary’s reputable establishments, including Brava Bistro and Blink, outside of a “dine out week” event. I hope Edmonton follows this trend.
• Capital Health (spurned by Edmonton Journal’s own searchable database a few years ago) launched a website that will allow those interested to look-up recent inspection reports.
• Vij’s, famed for their Indian cuisine, has just added a bread-like dish called parantha made with ground crickets to their menu. His reasoning behind choosing to grind the crickets is spot on: “We decided to grind them into a flour so there was no visual effect, because in North America we eat with our eyes – if something does not look appealing, we tend not to eat it.” I hope to be able to try it when I’m in Vancouver later this summer.
• Catherine Jheon at Food TV posted about a photography ban at David Chang’s popular Momofuku Ko. I’m not sure I agree with it, but it’s his restaurant, and he can set the rules, especially for a place where the seats are in such high demand.
• I tried the new Margherita Pizza from Panago recently. While not as good as more “authentic” thin-crust pizzas from Leva or daCapo, it was pretty good. The fresh mozzarella made the pie.

Margherita Pizza

• Easily seduced by the smell of fresh baked goods, I wandered over to Handy Bakery (8660 118 Avenue) after a meeting last week. Keen on tasting the difference between Chinese and Portuguese Egg Tarts, I picked up half a dozen for my family and I. Sweeter, with a caramelized surface supplemented by the buttery flakiness of puff pastry, each tart was a little piece of heaven. Liane Faulder introduced Nata, a new Portuguese Bakery in this week’s Bistro – I will definitely have to try their tarts some time as well.

Portuguese Egg Tarts