Openings

• The third Made by Marcus location in Edmonton is now open. Find it in Mill Creek at 9853 89 Avenue.
• I missed the March opening of Lunar in the Crawford Block building in Old Strathcona, at 8222 Gateway Blvd, a sister restaurant to Boxcar.

Upcoming Events

• Downtown YEG Burgerfest is returning for a second year, running from July 2-6. Participating restaurants, including Jack’s Burger Shack, The Common, and Let’s Smash, are returning with burger specials. Check the Instagram account for the menus.
• The sixth annual Culinaire Edmonton Hunt returns later this year; early birds can send an e-mail to get on the list before registration opens in August.

Local News

• Epcor’s Glass of the Sask campaign is back, highlighting the high quality tap water available in Edmonton. Five restaurants have created dishes that use tap water as a key ingredient, including High Dough’s pizza. Check out the menus available from June to August.
• Edify checked out Ester’s Ukrainian sushi, and presents a listicle of globally-inspired ice creams.
• Taproot learned that the City’s entertainment districts are exempt from the single-use item reduction bylaw.

What I Ate

• It is an age-old decision for Mack and I whether our infrequent date nights are spent at a new restaurant or at a tried-and-true. For my birthday, we decided on the former. We were curious about Nero, which opened after a lengthy renovation of the historic Molson Brewery building. The room has a sense of grandeur, and makes the most of its high ceilings and brick. Service was great, and we found a lot to like in the lengthy cocktail menu. The mushroom toast was fine, but I wished for more char on the flank steak.

Our spread at Nero

• We also popped into Kin, which felt like the polar opposite of Nero. Kin leans into its subterranean location, dim and inscrutable. The menu is short and approachable. We loved the smoked chili emulsion served with the long tots, but the namesake burger was the standout, decadent and wholly satisfying.

Kin burger

• Our family spent some time at Blatchford on Saturday. In the company of Drift, it was giving me flashbacks to the What the Truck?! we hosted there nine years ago(!), not long after they had just broken ground on the development.

Poutine from Drift

• I have mentioned that Cinnzeo is very high on my guilty pleasures list, and it seemed fitting for me in lieu of a birthday cake this year.

Cinnzeo

Openings

• Filipino chain Kukuruku Chicken has opened its first location in Edmonton at 10023 170 Street.
• Buldak is the newest Korean fried chicken joint to open in Edmonton, at 8613 109 Street. It appears they also offer grilled chicken.
• It is always great seeing more diverse food options available, especially in the form of food trucks! Yella Kunafa is now open at 12607 148 Avenue currently, serving up kunafa, a traditional Arab dessert made with spun pastry dough.
• Calgary-based Thé Moon bubble tea cafe has opened a location in Edmonton at 3559 Gateway Blvd.
• Ben’s Meats and Deli has re-opened in their new location at 10516 184 Street.
• Drift will be opening up a retail shop this year! Location to be announced.

Upcoming Events

• In the Weeds, a group that supports positive mental health in the Edmonton hospitality community, is hosting The Restaurant Roast fundraiser on June 19 at Meuwly’s. Attendees will share their stories, fails, and read “mean reviews” on stage. Tickets are $10 and include a drink and snacks. Proceeds support subsidized counselling for hospitality workers.
• The next Chinatown After Dark runs June 21 from 6-11pm. We checked out the last event and had a great time.

Local News

• Edify checked out Cilantro Kittchen and Bar and offers a Father’s Day guide to restaurants for kids in various stages.
• CBC Radioactive beer columnist Jason Foster featured The Den by The Growlery, Analog Brewing, and Dog Island Brewing.
• Linda offers a list of her prettiest patios in Edmonton.
• One way or another, the Oilers’ postseason is coming to an end this week. So the hockey-adjacent media campaigns will come to an end as well – like Old Strathcona branding itself as an area to watch the playoffs “without the chaos”.

What I Ate

• We enjoyed our last order from Carne Asada so wanted to try it again with my parents. Our original plan was to order the taco family pack as advertised on their website, but unfortunately, the staff were not aware of it. We opted for the taco tray instead. The toppings and salsas were all packed separately so the tacos wouldn’t be soggy, but something was still lacking this time around. The meat just wasn’t as flavourful. We’ll give it some time before our next order.

Carne Asada’s taco tray

• Farrow’s grick middle will always have my heart, but I picked up a couple of their feature sandwiches over the weekend for Mack and me (and a couple of doughnuts for the kids!). The sandwich did not disappoint: the combination of porchetta, swiss, pickled sundried tomatoes and artichoke hearts was so good. Get one before its gone!

Porchetta ‘Bout It from Farrow

Openings

• Canada’s first location of Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen will open at the River Cree Resort & Casino in early 2026.
• Bar Trove, the restaurant from Lauren Kyle-McDavid, opened on June 6 at 10126 100 Street. The Score had an article about Kyle-McDavid’s ambitions from an early age.
• Candid Coffee Roasters opened their second café, located in Highlands, over the weekend. Find it at 6419 112 Avenue (the former Mandolin Books).
• The Growlery’s Downtown location opened last week in the basement of the Mercer Warehouse. The Growlery was one of the three recipients of the Downtown Retail Project grant back in 2023.
• Mr. Waffle celebrated their kiosk grand opening at West Edmonton Mall on June 7.
• Toronto-based Kinton Ramen will be opening its first Edmonton location in Terra Losa this summer.

Closures

• Woodshed Burgers announced the closure of their Ellerslie location. The last day of operations is June 29. Woodshed’s three other locations remain open in Cameron Heights, 124 Street, and in Sherwood Park.
• Shumka’s Kingsway Mall location has closed after 37 years. It’s Namao Centre location remains open.

Upcoming Events

• The next Friends of the Royal Alberta Museum event is Dining with Artists on June 19th for a conversation about Juneteenth with poet, playwright, and performer Titilope Sonuga. Tickets are $125.62 per person.
• Save the date for this year’s Alberta on a Plate, a province-wide dine around festival that runs August 8-17. So far, 11 Edmonton and area restaurants are participating.

Local News

• Tu Le of Jack’s Burger Shack and winner of the Big Burger Battle on Flavour Network, shared that he is “getting ready to retire from cooking professionally” in order to spend more time with his family in the future.
• Happy Beer Street brewers consider setting up an entertainment district of their own on 78 Avenue (following in the footsteps of Rice Howard Way and 104 Street Downtown).
• The latest issue of Modern Luxuria highlights Bernadette’s, and has a photo gallery of Bar Trove’s media opening.
• Edify lists 20 meals for under $20.
• Don’ya Ukraine’s Kitchen is serving up fun rainbow-themed perogies for Pride Month.
• Even this late into the playoffs, Oilers-themed merchandise is still being introduced – such as these orange and blue caramels from Jacek.
• I love that the Edmonton Riverhawks adopted an alternate identity jersey as the Green Onion Cakes, a tribute to Siu To who introduced green onion cakes to Edmonton.
• CBC Radioactive interviewed a co-owner of The Common about the tenth anniversary of the Streetcar Cask Series and two women involved in Migrante Alberta’s new cookbook with recipes from migrant women called the Hands to Table Cookbook.

What I Ate

• • Mack and I finally tried Chick-Fil-A for the first time before a movie nearby on the weekend. It was underwhelming to say the least, and neither of us really understood the reason for the extreme hype when they first opened in Edmonton last year. But the fanfare never seems to match the product quality with these American chains.

Chick-Fil-A meal

• • Our family headed out to the Van bLoc party on Sunday. We loved all of the kid-specific activities they brought in this year, such as the EPL2Go van, and Emily and Ellie loved the sand pile. It was distracting enough so I could really dig into my favourite noodles from Gui Lin.

Instant noodles with minced pork from Gui Lin

Openings

• Spruce Grove’s Great North Cookie Co. will be opening a second location in West Edmonton Mall! I love their cookies, so it is great to see they’ll have a location in the city. Their expected opening date is July 2025.
• Gratitude Coffee will be shifting to a bigger location in Sherwood Park, but will maintain their existing location until they are ready to move.

Upcoming Events

• Africanival runs June 6-8, 2025 in Churchill Square, celebrating Afro-Caribbean culture with food, music and dancing.
• The Van bLoc Party returns to Chinatown again, but over two days this year on June 7-8, 2025. The owners of Van Loc also did an interview about the story behind their sister cafe/cocktail bar, Boa and Hare.
• Taste of Edmonton runs from July 17-27, 2025. Discounted early bird tickets are available from now until July 16, with savings of $10 per sheet.

Local News

• Big congrats to Tu Le of Jack’s Burger Shack for winning Flavour Network’s Big Burger Battle! He did Edmonton (and St. Albert) proud!
• Also on the burger front, Taproot featured the story behind Shortees, Goat Track Social Club’s foray into smashburgers at the Rundle Park Golf Course.
• Taproot followed up with Meuwly’s on their transition to hosting local food brands since closing their retail shop at the end of 2024.
• Boyle McCauley News interviewed Michael Kalmanovitch, founder of Earth’s General Store, who is aiming to open Earth’s Refillery Co-op in Little Italy in July.
• Congratulations to the winners of the annual Th3rd Wave Coffee Awards, including Common Ground as Best New Cafe, Take Care Café as the Coffee Shop of the Year, and Roasti and Rogue Wave recognized as outstanding roasters.
• 104 Street is the latest “Entertainment District”, joining Rice Howard Way with that designation. It means patrons are allowed to order alcohol from adjacent restaurants to enjoy on the street. This applies during Downtown Farmers’ Market hours on Saturday, but of course, arcane laws prohibit cracking open alcoholic products purchased from vendors on the same street.
• Edify has a story on what to expect at Ritchie Market’s Relish.
• Also from Edify – visits to Aura Cocktails and Saigon Taste, and a fun Edmonton coffee/food/bookshop tour.
• Too many Oilers-themed products to keep track of: I missed the return of the Orange Crush Creamsicle from Yelo’d and the Playoff Roast from Gratitude Coffee. One round to go, boys!
• While Moneris data from the Oilers’ second round tracked an increase in game-day spending, some warn that discretionary spending may decrease after the playoffs conclude.
• Congratulations to Edmonton-based Bodega for opening their first Calgary location last week!
• Also south of Edmonton, Edify provides a road trip guide to small-batch spirits from breweries and distilleries down Highway 2.

What I Ate

• It’s been a while since I’ve dined in at Coliseum Steak & Pizza (my go-to restaurant by my office), but I appreciate how reliable and consistent they are.

Pepperoni and mushroom pizza from Coliseum

• We celebrated my Mom’s birthday at one of her favourite restaurants, Padmanadi, last week. The kitchen was lightning quick – the appetizers appeared at our table less than five minutes after we ordered them – and helped us manage our hangry kids (it was our first time trying the crispy chicken strips and they ended up being a table favourite).

We can’t leave Padmanadi without ginger beef

• Emily and I had a blast volunteering at the Edmonton International Cat Fest this weekend, and were satiated by generous portions of pasta from Takam Market.

Chicken alfredo from Takam Market

• We were so fortunate to obtain the last two orders of Tu’s winning Big Burger Challenge entry today, the Jen Le Burger: a triple smash burger with Sot Vang Dip. It was as amazing as we thought it would be. For those that missed out, don’t worry – Tu said he will be rolling a once weekly special, featuring items he prepared on the show.

Jen Le Burger

Openings

• Nero, from the folks behind Rosso and Bianco, opened over the weekend. Find it in the historic Molson Brewery building at 12068 104 Avenue.
• Bento Kuma is now open at 2731 182 Street SW.
• Toronto-based chain Holy Shakes offers modern Indian fusion food, including Kathi rolls, desserts, and milkshakes. Their first Edmonton location is open at 2670 James Mowatt Trail SW.
• FreshCo is opening a new store in Glenridding, at 16705 Rabbit Hill Road SW on May 29.

Closures

• I missed the closure of Bistro 99 at the end of April.

Upcoming Events

• UFest, Western Canada’s largest Ukrainian festival runs May 30-31 at Borden Park. Look forward to a bevy of Ukrainian food and other eats alongside workshops, performances, and vendors.
• I love local collaborations, so it is great to see Meat and Duchess team up to put on a Dinner with Dad class on June 13 and 14. Sign up for a hands-on class to bake brisket-stuffed meat pies, chocolate cake, and enjoy a beer tasting. Tickets for 3 people are $350.

Local News

• DRTY Ice Cream is hosting their grand opening Kanto party on June 7.
• The forthcoming Made by Marcus in Mill Creek will be the first Edmonton location to offer ice cream-making workshops, shares Taproot.
• Fawkes is the latest business to offer an Oilers-themed product on game days, and Doughnut Party has added the LEmON Draisaitl bismarck to its line-up.
• While I am an Oilers fan myself, I love how Otto is leaning into their space as a no-TV zone and offering “escape the game” specials available from puck drop to close: “all of the specials, none of the sports”.
• Edify checked out Juana Ines in Manchester Square, as well as The Common’s Streetcar Cask Party.
• The Globe and Mail profiled Bernadette’s.
• CityTV did a story about the reason behind Remedy Cafe’s Jasper Avenue closure, linking it to the Downtown post-COVID downturn.
• It’s always great to see Linda being celebrated for championing Chinatown restaurants.
• CBC RadioActive highlighted Kingsway Mall’s initiative to grow produce for Edmonton’s Food Bank on its rooftop garden.

What I Ate

• I finally got my paws on some of MilkCrate’s adorable Oilers-themed cookies. I picked them up at Ghostlight.

Go Oilers Go!

• We picked up some take-out from Hanjan on Friday (their Wîhkwêntôwin location is conveniently located on a bike lane). The kids especially loved the Korean fried chicken, and I’m always a sucker for japchae.

Hanjan take-out

• Chinatown After Dark continues to gain momentum, and I thought the event on Saturday was its best yet! I can never pass up Xu Hue’s rare beef salad, and Mack tried Lee House’s bibimbap. And of course, we finished the night at Little Bon Bon. We’re very intentional in trying to provide Emily and Ellie with some positive memories of Chinatown through experiences like these – thanks to the volunteers who help make it happen! There are three more dates this summer to check out.

The fam at Chinatown After Dark

Openings

• Andrew Fung’s newest restaurant, Juu Ku, opened its doors on May 16. Find it at 5944 Mullen Way.
• Fluffy Bakery is in its soft opening phase at 10504 99 Avenue.
• After opening their sixth location in March, The Colombian is gearing up to open a seventh, with the exact location not yet public.

Closures

• After 13 years, Remedy Cafe’s Jasper Avenue location closed on May 18.

Local News

• It’s great that Christine Sandford and Roger Letourneau of Vagabond Pop-ups will be back in town this summer, this time with a Summer Bistro Pop-up at Under the High Wheel, starting June 20, until the fall.
• Delavoye Chocolate is asking for continued support as they go into their slowest months of business.
• Thoroughfare Baked Goods in Beaumont has rebranded as Blush Cake Bar and Coffee, in order to emphasize the cake side of their business more prominently.
• Edify checked out Chinatown’s Boa and Hare.
• Happy first birthday to Bernadette’s!
• More Oilers-themed goods available at Ayco Cafe.
• CBC Radioactive checked out the new Old Yale Brewing location in Beaumont.
• Steven Brochu estimates that the construction outside of the Citadel Theatre will cost his restaurant, PlayWright, $20,000 in loss of income.
• Simone Atenea Medina Polo is collecting stories that folks have to share about the Chili’s Grill & Bar at the Edmonton International Airport.

What I Ate

• It was too beautiful not to eat al fresco on Friday in our neighbourhood park. We grabbed some take-out (Splash Poke for me!) – food always tastes better outside!

Picnic season

• We stopped by Flat Boy Burgers in Shiddy’s Distilling & Rumpus Room on the weekend with the kids. It was absolutely hopping on a Saturday afternoon. We liked the retro vibe of the space, and our food came relatively quickly after we were seated. The burgers were tasty (I probably could have handled a double with the thinness of their patties), and the milkshakes were a hit with Emily and Ellie.

Flat Boy Burgers

• We had to have one last chai from our closest Remedy before it closed on Sunday.

Chai from Remedy

• We also planted our community garden plot before the weather took a turn over the long weekend. The kids picked pattypan squash and Chinese cabbage to experiment with this year – we will see how it goes!

Alex Decoteau Community Garden

Openings

• The space on the southeast corner of Whyte Avenue and 104 Street will be vacant no longer, with Italian restaurant Da Cecot moving in soon.
• Kadak Cafe, serving up chai and street food, is now open at 6818 Ellerslie Road.
• Chain Paris Baguette has opened its third location in Edmonton at Heritage Valley Town Centre, 2853 119A Street.

Upcoming Events

• Calgary-based bakery Crave published a cookbook with the same name, and are launching it in Edmonton at Audrey’s on May 13.

Local News

• Taproot has the story behind Filistix’s latest pivot to focus on catering.
• Honi Honi Tiki Lounge ranked #28 on Canada’s 50 Best Bars list (published by the folks behind Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants). Unsurprisingly, as Edmonton continues to be underrated in national lists, no local restaurants are on the 100 Best Restaurants list, but Calgary has five featured restaurants).
• Edify checks out the happy hour menu at The Confederation Lounge, and offers up a patio guide.
• The May issue of Modern Luxuria features MSSM.
• Alberta Food Tours is again offering their Savour Strathcona tour this summer, with a new route with 6 tasting stops. Tickets are $125/person. If you are considering it, use discount code Only10 for 10% off.

What I Ate

• A couple of coworkers and I popped into Otto’s new daytime concept, Tulip, for lunch last week. They have a small but solid menu of hot and cold sandwiches, but I deviated and ordered the daily strata. I liked its play on pizza flavours (pepperoni and mushroom with hot honey), and with the arugula salad, it made for a substantial meal. Service, as always, was warm and considerate. I hope more people find their way to Tulip!

Strata from Tulip

• Our family had brunch at Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market’s Paperbirch on Saturday. I enjoyed my gouda morning brisket wrap, but it was the pea shoot salad that was the standout for me, with just the right amount of pickles and sweetness from the dressing. The kids loved the cinnamon sugar bannock bits.

Wrap and bannock bits from Paperbirch

Openings

• JUU-KU is the newest restaurant from Nineteen’s Chef Andrew Fung, “blending Japanese, Chinese, and Korean influences with bold, forward-thinking flavours.” It is located along the same complex as the original Nineteen in Terwillegar, at 5946 Mullen Way.
• Maria Northern Mexican Cuisine opened their second location, Maria Express, at 6506 170 Avenue.
• Juana Ines, a new Mexican restaurant from the folks behind the now-shuttered Frida, opened on April 29 in Manchester Square, 12042 107 Avenue.
• Old Yale Brewing’s first Alberta location will open in Beaumont on May 12 at 7201 49 Street.
• Deccani, a restaurant serving up the “delicacy of the Nizams” from Hyderabad, had its grand opening on May 2 at 6412 Cartmell Place SW.
• Indian restaurant The Curry Table opened last week in St. Albert (Unit C, 388 St. Albert Trail).
• Mr. Halal Burger is set to open a second spot in the city, to be located in West Edmonton Mall.

Upcoming Events

• The 2025 Canadian National Barista Championship will be hosted by The Colombian at the Oliver Exchange Building from July 24-27. Spectator tickets will be available at some point.

Local News

• The Journal has the story behind Bodega’s continued expansion – in the Edmonton area, and soon, to Calgary – and the addition of Roca by Sabor to open in the former Union Bank building in 2026.
• Bagel Bar has moved to 6792 99 Street as of May 3.
• Ben’s Meats and Deli’s final day at their current location will be June 7. They will re-open at 10516 184 Street on June 10.
• Happy and Olive will be closed for building repairs from May 5-23, and re-open on May 24 for regular service.
• We’re into the Oilers’ second round, so naturally, there are more team-themed products to choose from, including the return of the cutest cookies from MilkCrate, and an Oilers-themed espresso drink from Objects.
• Just in time for Mother’s Day, Edify asked three food enthusiasts, including Blair Junior McFarlane of Red Star, where they would take their moms for the occasion.
• Also from Edify, stories about two 124 Street eateries – Golden Sparrow and Mr. & Mrs. Singh Kitchen (great to see Liane Faulder, who wrote the latter piece, back with a food byline!).
• The Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market opened for their first Sunday market day on May 4.
• CBC Radio Active’s beer columnist Jason Foster covered the transition from Biera to Campio in Ritchie.
• Linda released the 2025 edition of her Asian Heritage Month clothing collaboration with local business Zen Lion Design. I’ve always been partial to her food-themed designs.
• Honest Dumplings and South Island Pie were broken into last week, and “thousands of dollars in equipment, cash, and essentials were stolen”. Consider supporting them during this time.
• Tu Le of Jack’s Burger Shack has survived the first two rounds of Big Burger Battle.
• Podcast This is Edmonton’s latest episode features a Cooking 4 Community class, put on by Touch Grass Club, New Grocery Movement, and the Association of United Ukrainian Canadians.

What I Ate

• I caught up with a friend at CQ Noodle last week. It’s so great to see how busy they are on my past two visits.

Chef meat specials with pork

• We always deliberately over-order from Jerusalem Shawarma because we enjoy their food so much, but it is especially dangerous now that they have a more central location in Wîhkwêntôwin (11303 104 Avenue). I will say the pitas from this location were much fresher than the other locations we’ve tried.

Shawarma chicken family plate from Jerusalem Shawarma

• I finally tried Mimi, Daniel Costa’s lobby bar in Citizen on Jasper. The food was great, as expected. I will say I was a little overwhelmed with the music volume during the visit as a friend and I tried to have a conversation (recognizing how incredibly old I sound in writing that!).

Arancini and goat ricotta crostini from Mimi

Openings

• Don’ya’s second location serving up meals is now open at 10405 Jasper Avenue (formerly Julia’s). It is open 8am-3pm, Monday to Friday.

Local News

• Balay Coffee is offering their space for those that need to grieve after the tragedy in Vancouver over the weekend.
• More businesses are serving up Oilers-themed goods, including the Italian Centre (where $2 from their take-and-bake pizza goes to support Sports Central), Duchess’s apricot blueberry macarons, and Doughnut Party’s Connor McDoughnut.
• Edify checked out Otto’s new daytime sandwich concept, Tulip.
• PlayWright has launched a crowdfunding campaign to try to help them “survive major construction” happening on 99 Street outside their external entrance that will last until July.
• On a similar note, businesses on 124 Street could also use your support during the temporary closure of 124 Street and Stony Plain Road. Restaurants include Menya Mori, Vetrina Cafe, Chocorrant, and May.
• No Sugar No Problem has closed their 104 Street location and will be relocating to 5030 127 Avenue. Their Bountiful Farmers’ Market location will remain open throughout the relocation.
• Happy first birthday to Fn’za!
• Lumberjack’s was closed by Alberta Health Services last week due to a mouse infestation, in addition to other health violations.

What I Ate

• It’s been fun cheering on Tu Le of Jack’s Burger Shack as he competes on Big Burger Battle on Flavour Network. It may have led to some cravings that could only be satisfied by the Hangover!

My favourite burger from Jack’s

• I love nothing more than a good picnic (especially in April!), so it was so great to enjoy our Van Loc subs on a sunny day in Churchill Square.

Downtown is our patio

Openings

• So happy to see that Otto’s daytime concept Tulip, serving up sandwiches, is now open! Check them out Thursdays to Sundays from 10am-1pm.
• It may be just as dangerous for you as it is for me to know that Jerusalem Shawarma’s central location is now open at 11305 104 Avenue.
• Dallas Smokehouse BBQ, serving “authentic Texas BBQ”, is now open at West Edmonton Mall.
• Indian restaurant The Curry Table in St. Albert will host its grand opening in April. It is located at C-388 St. Albert Trail.

Local News

• There was a period of time where it looked like café-by-day/cocktail-bar-by-night concepts were at the tipping point (fingers crossed, Boa and Hare will soon open their cocktail concept). Bar Oro will launch its own version of this, called Bar Oro Scuro, offering cocktails and tapas from Thursday to Saturday after 8pm.
• Doing your civic duty has never been sweeter – both Kind Ice Cream and Made by Marcus are offering free kids scoops on April 28 to voters who show staff a photo of them outside their polling station.
• The Chinatown Chowdown passport that Linda piloted was great to drive business to area businesses; it is great to see the passport idea has been adopted by another group called the New Grocery Movement, with their Edmonton Cultural Grocery Store Passport. Visit at least one item from at least one of the four participating stores to enter to win one of six prizes. The passport runs April 25-June 25.
• With the Oilers just starting their playoff run, it is only a matter of time before orange-and-blue items inundate the market. Crave Cupcakes has an early entry, with their specialty cupcakes that also support the Ben Stelter Foundation.
• Edify checked out Cloverdale Coffee.
• Paraiso Tropical is turning 34 this week, and is offering some promotions to celebrate.
• Happy second birthday to Ale Architect!
• Team Canada placed fifth at the 2025 World Butchers’ Challenge. Acme Meat’s Corey Meyer spoke to CBC about his experience.
• The annual B’Nai Brith Youth Organization Bagels for Breakfast fundraiser is taking place again, with fresh St. Viateur bagels from Montreal available. The deadline to order is May 25.
• Sustainable Food Edmonton (SFE), a non-profit that supports community gardens, has seen recent funding cuts. SFE has launched an advocacy campaign, including a petition, to try to reverse those funding cuts.

What I Ate

• Mack and I had wanted to check out Braven’s prix fixe lunch menu during Downtown Dining Week, but the timing didn’t work out. Lucky for us, the deal is now a permanent one, with a 2-course $30 deal. We were able to have lunch last week, and the steak frites were exactly what I was hoping for.

Braven’s steak frites

• I met up with a friend at Sang, one of the newer Korean restaurants that opened late last year. It is the first in Edmonton to offer hanjeongsik, a meal characterized by side dishes. The chef’s table array arrives with quite the flair, delivered all at once via a fitted try atop the table. We both appreciated the opportunity to try many dishes; the Doenjang stew was my favourite, while my friend really liked the Korean pancake. I would consider Sang again in the future – it was a fun way to eat.

Our chef’s table at Sang

• A Capella’s take and bake is our favourite that we’ve tried, and they never disappoint. I hope you and yours also had a restful long weekend!

Easter take and bake from A Capella