Category: food

Food Notes for November 21, 2016

Winter is here to stay, and I am not adjusting well. I’m bundling up more than these temperatures warrant. On the bright side, there’s less than a month until Christmas! On to this week’s food notes:

  • Food for Thoughts, a group spearheaded by Chef Cory Rakowski, aims to “to bring together hospitality professionals and create a space to discuss mental health.” Their launch event takes place on November 22, 2016 at 7pm. Tickets are $35 with proceeds going towards Momentum Counselling.
  • Karlynn has organized a “Bloggers, Books, and Baking” evening at Audreys on November 23, 2016 to celebrate her new cookbook…with cookies!
  • Cookies by George is again hosting a cookie exchange/tweet-up, with the full $10.50 ticket price to be donated to the Christmas Bureau. The event is taking place on November 26, 2016 from 6-8pm.
  • Slow Food Edmonton is having a wild game dinner at Three Boars on December 11, 2016, featuring the talents of Three Boars’ Brayden Kozak, Bar Clementine’s Roger Letourneau, and Baijiu’s Alexei Boldireff, among others. Tickets are $75, and you can expect black bear and Canada goose on the menu.
  • A perennial holiday standby for many, the Hotel Macdonald is once again hosting festive brunches, lunch buffets, and the festive Nutcracker Tea and Tour (which I enjoyed last year) in November and December. Check out their holiday guide.
  • It was a sad week with the announcement of Gail Hall’s passing from cancer last week. You can relive some of her cooking segments on Global, or listen to attributes provided by some of her peers in the city.
  • Amore Pasta, the new restaurant in southwest Edmonton by the folks behind Cafe Amore and Black Pearl, is now open at 14016 23 Avenue.
  • Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen opened its first Alberta location today at 3733 17 Street.
  • Norwood will be getting a new neighbourhood restaurant called Otto (11405 95 Street), opened by the former co-owner of Culina Mill Creek.
  • The Journal reviews Edmonton’s latest combination Korean and Japanese restaurant, Seorak Teppan and Bar.
  • Twyla sampled the brunch at the expanded District Cafe.
  • Vue Weekly profiles Nudoru’s ramen philosophy.
  • I liked this article in The Tomato, featuring several restaurants that are operating with second generation restauranteurs, including The Lingnan, Upper Crust, and Tony Pizza’s Palace.
  • Congratulations to all of the Canadian competitors in last week’s World Food Championships. Among our best results, Sherwood Park resident Russell Bird placed second in the bacon final!
  • Hopefully Planet Organic can quickly repay their outstanding dues to local bakeries Breadland and Prairie Mill.
  • Ever wanted to try rodent on a menu? You can now do so in Moscow, where nutrias, a large orange-toothed rodent is being served as burgers, hot dogs, and dumplings.
  • If you’re looking about for Christmas gifts for that foodie on your list, have you heard about Little Day Miniatures? I stumbled upon her work at Tix on the Square on the weekend, and the detail she’s included on her earrings and cufflinks have to be seen to be believed.

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Little Day Miniatures

  • One of the best lunch deals available in the city is undoubtedly Cafe Amore’s daily pasta – just $10 for a full serving. Even after adding chicken (an additional $7), it’s still an amazing value, and large enough for two meals.

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Pesto alfredo from Cafe Amore

  • It was definitely a Love Pizza kind of day on Friday, when Mack and I couldn’t muster up the energy to cook after work. It’s great having so many tasty options within walking distance!

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Captain Cook and Meatatarian from Love Pizza

In Memoriam: Gail Hall

Generous. Compassionate. Community-minded. Pioneer. These are just some of the words that come to mind when I think about Gail Hall, who passed away on Wednesday at the age of 65 from cancer.

Gail meant so much to so many people. She was a tireless Edmonton booster, and never stopped sharing her love of local food, businesses and theatre. She was a fixture on 104 Street – at Credo, the City Market, and community events – and always made time to chat.

Liane wrote a wonderful tribute, but I wanted to share how Gail impacted my life. Gail was the person who set me on the pathway to discover local food. As I wrote five years ago:

When I first started to visit farmers’ markets, I would walk past the tables overflowing with produce and overlook the proud farmers showcasing their wares for cupcakes. To me, markets were weekend festivals – bustling, colourful, and meant only for a brief stopover. In 2007, a chance prize earned me the opportunity to cook alongside long-time Edmonton Journal Bistro columnist Judy Schultz and local food advocate (and Seasoned Solutions proprietor) Gail Hall. One afternoon was all it took to demystify the market; it was the first time I saw the market for what it really was – a plethora of farm fresh ingredients, and a direct link to the producers who grew or raised it.

Sourcing local food has now become a large part of my life; a weekly trip to the local farmers’ market is routine. And I continue to patronize many of the producers I first met nine years ago because of Gail’s introduction.

Market Fresh Cooking Class

Meeting Gail for the first time in 2007

This also influenced where Mack and I chose to live. In 2009, we moved into a condo on 104 Street, just down the street from Gail and her husband Jon. This decision was in part driven by our desire to buy local:

An objection we often hear about shopping locally is the inconvenience of it – nowhere to park, limited hours, selection that rewards early birds. By choosing to live right on 104 Street – the home of the City Market – that isn’t a problem for us. And in the same way we value public transportation, supporting local farmers is another one of our priorities, so it helps when the barrier of distance is removed.

Seasoned Solutions Holiday Entertaining Class

Gail and Jon at a cooking class in 2012

I also remember Gail’s generosity in helping me celebrate a milestone. Two years ago, my sisters had arranged a cooking class with Gail for my bridal shower. Along with my mum, we joined Gail in her home for a lovely afternoon.

Sharon's Bridal Shower

Cooking with Gail in 2014

We prepared and enjoyed a meal together, but that wasn’t enough. I joined a larger group of friends for dinner at Tzin down the street after the class, and Gail called the restaurant and ordered another two rounds of their famous bacon for the table. It may have been a small thing for her, but the unexpected gesture meant a lot to me.

Gail has impacted the way that I eat, cook, and connect with my community. There aren’t enough words to express my gratitude, so I’ll just say – thank you, Gail.

One Sweet Story: Caramia Caramels

Edmonton has a sweet tooth! Three dessert-based businesses have run successful crowdfunding campaigns this year: Sugared and Spiced raised more than $55,000 towards their brick and mortar bakery, Confetti Sweets reached their $20,000 goal to help them open up a third storefront, and upstart Caramia Caramels just passed their $13,000 target to purchase commercial equipment. It’s wonderful to see the community step up to support these local businesses, especially during tough economic times. I sat down with Alysia and Tammy Lok of Caramia Caramels this week to learn more about their story.

Caramia

Alysia and Tammy have known each other for twelve years, best friends first and now sisters after Tammy married Alysia’s brother. They’ve always wanted to work together, but the right project hadn’t come up until Tammy discovered fresh caramels while on her honeymoon in Europe. Alysia didn’t even like caramels until she tried some of the sweets Tammy brought back with her. When they couldn’t find similar caramels (they weren’t aware of Red Balloon Pie Company), the idea of Caramia Carmels was born.

Tammy fell in love with the burnt sugar taste, and the layers of complexity that can be achieved with simple ingredients. Caramels, she said, are also a blank canvas for flavours and texture.

The Original - This is not like any caramel you’ve ever had before. Soft, yet perfectly chewy, this caramel melts in your mouth with a smooth and creamy not-too-sweet finish.

They launched the business this year at the City Market, and were bolstered by the feedback they received. Alysia’s favourite moments involved watching people’s reactions as they tried a fresh caramel for the first time. For this reason, even if their business grows, in-person sales at a market will continue to be a staple so they can interact with customers.

They quit their jobs this summer to focus on Caramia Caramels full time, but realized they needed larger scale equipment to increase their product capacity. The Kickstarter campaign was meant to raise the $13,000 they needed for a candy cooking machine, but since they’ve exceeded that goal, any additional dollars will be funneled into setting up the rest of the commercial kitchen.

Presently, Caramia Caramels offers 5 flavours: original, pumpkin spice latte, London fog latte, smoked maple bacon, and sriracha roasted almond. If those aren’t enticing enough, Christmas flavours will be released this month, and include gingerbread, candy cane and hot chocolate. Alysia is partial to the spicy and sweet sriracha roasted almond, while Tammy’s preference depends on the day. I tried several flavours from a complimentary bag, and really enjoyed the subtle earl grey hints in the smooth London fog latte caramel.

London Fog Latte This creamy and decadent bergamont flavoured treat will be the star at any afternoon tea.   

Even though their business is less than a year old, Alysia and Tammy have made supporting charitable causes a cornerstone of Caramia Caramels. They donate caramels and some proceeds to local women’s shelters, hoping that their caramels can help spread some happiness. Alysia and Tammy recounted a recent group meeting they attended at a shelter, and were heartened by how hopeful and strong the women were in spite of the obstacles and challenges they were facing.

Their Kickstarter campaign closes on November 28, but for a quicker fix, you can find Caramia Caramels at numerous markets this holiday season. Their product is also available at Swish Flowers and at the newly-opened Hyatt Place.

It’s great to see small businesses flourish in our city – I wish Alysia and Tammy the best of luck as they continue to spread their love of caramels in Edmonton!

Explore BC: Kelowna

When Mack and I decided on a trip to the Okanagan in October, one of the main draws for us was the wine. Earlier in the year, we took a day trip out of Toronto to visit the Niagara wine region. We learned a lot, but it seemed time to do more exploring closer to home.

We flew into Kelowna, but made our way down to Penticton, Oliver, and Osoyoos over the course of a week with the help of a car. While the distance between Kelowna and Osoyoos is only about two hours, the following series of posts are grouped around towns, and focuses on our favourite experiences. Most of our food-related choices were guided by Jennifer Cockrall-King’s excellent book, Food Artisans of the Okanagan.

Pumpkins!

A sea of pumpkins at Don-O-Ray Vegetables in Kelowna

Myra Canyon Trestles

While I typically do quite a bit of planning in advance of our trips, I didn’t have a chance to do so on this occasion. So Trip Advisor was a great last minute tool, and ultimately pointed us to the Myra Canyon Trestles. We discovered first hand why this is Kelowna’s number one tourist attraction, though the signage to the road leading up to the trestles could have been better. Once parked, we rented bikes from Myra Canyon Rentals for $40 (don’t expect anything more than a truck-pulled rack). The half-day rental was plenty to complete the 23km round trip, even for irregular cyclists like us.

Myra Canyon Trestles

Ready to ride

The mostly flat trail takes visitors to 18 trestles, many of them spanning across deep valleys. The trail follows what was once part of the historic Kettle Valley Railway. I’m sure the views are stunning any time of year, but in the fall, they seemed particularly spectacular.

Myra Canyon Trestles

Trestle

We learned later that many of the trestles had to be rebuilt after the devastating 2003 fire – I can’t imagine the work that went into restoring such a treasure, but I sure can appreciate it.

There are also other sights to see – two tunnels, blasted through rock, and if you’re lucky, wildlife. We encountered a lynx that was making its way down a cliff with freshly caught prey.

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Tunnel

Even if you choose not to rent bikes, you can still make your way to several of the trestles and both tunnels with a brief hike, but I’d recommend cycling for the fullest experience.

Myra Canyon

Beautiful trails

Tree Brewing Beer Institute

The Tree Brewing Beer Institute is located right downtown, and was the perfect place to grab a drink and a bite to eat after cycling the Myra Canyon trail. It’s a low-key place with no table service (you order from the counter), but in addition to the monitors, you have the choice of dozens of boards games to entertain your party. I enjoyed their version of a grapefruit radler, while Mack thought their light brew was refreshing. Their pretzels and pizza (served lightning fast) also hit the spot.

Tree Brewing Co

Pretzels, pizza and beer

On a side note, the Institute also happens to be right across the street from the Kelowna Art Gallery. Check the calendar – if you’re lucky (as we were), you can check out the shows inside for free every Thursday. During our visit, we had the pleasure of taking in a thought-provoking exhibit focusing on the seasonal agricultural workers that populate the region many months of the year.

Okanagan Lavender and Herb Farm

We wrongly expected that the fields at the Okanagan Lavender and Herb Farm would be purple all year round, so the visit was educational. We learned that lavender peaks in July, so those hoping for those lush colours should visit in the summer. That said, we still found the views picture perfect, especially with the lake views in the distance.

Kelowna

Okanagan Lavender and Herb Farm

The gift shop is also a great place to pick up something for home, with lavender showing up in reasonably priced bath and beauty products.

Paynter’s Fruit Stand

What’s more quintessential to a trip to the Okanagan than picking fresh fruit? As we pulled up to Paynter’s Fruit Stand, we realized we’d already been there before.

Paynter's Fruit Market

Paynter’s Fruit Stand

A few years back, we visited Kelowna in late October, and stopped at Paynter’s to buy some fruit. This time, there was still the opportunity to pick pears and apples.

Paynter's Fruit Market

An apple a day

We relished in the chance to partake in the you-pick; the most surprising were perhaps the red delicious apples, which were deep purple in colour on the branches. And yes, the fruit were all great to eat, especially the crisp pink lady apples.

Paynter's Fruit Stand

Purple Red delicious

Micro Bar Bites

On that same visit a few years ago, we ate at RauDZ, launched by Chef Rod Butters, widely considered to be one of the pioneers of the farm-to-table movement in Kelowna. We had high expectations that weren’t met at the time, but Micro Bar Bites, a second restaurant by Chef Butters, had opened more recently and piqued our interest.

Micro Bar Bites

Micro Bar Bites

We were instantly charmed by the warm interior and great service. Don’t be fooled by the name – it refers to the size of the room as opposed to the portions. The beef croquettes actually would have been more successful as two-bite appetizers, but we appreciated their generosity. I also liked the cornmeal gnocchi with citrus marmalade.

Micro Bar Bites

Beef croquettes with patatas bravas

Micro Bar Bites

Cornmeal gnocchi with citrus marmalade

Mad Mango Cafe

Mad Mango Cafe, opened up by an Edmonton ex-pat, has a following that reminds me of Chicken for Lunch. Proprietor Pat (like Amy) even fires up customers’ orders before they’ve sat down.

Mad Mango has a film chronicling Kelowna’s love of the restaurant, and a steady stream of regulars of all ages. The laksa soup may not have been authentic (adapted with locally available produce), but the creamy, spicy soup hit the spot.

Mad Mango

Laksa soup

After a whirlwind two nights in Kelowna, we were off to Penticton!

Food Notes for November 14, 2016

We’ve been spoiled with two vacations in as many months, but after spending time in Chicago during the election and the immediate aftermath, I am happy (and grateful) to be back in Canada. On to this week’s food notes:

  • The next Swine & Dine dinner is taking place on November 23, 2016 at the Red Ox Inn. Tickets for the 4-course meal cost $65.
  • Satisfy your sweet tooth for a good cause: the Ronald McDonald House is hosting a chocolate tasting with Jacek on November 30, 2016. Tickets are $40.
  • Northern Chicken is now open at 10704 124 Street!
  • More bubble tea for everyone: two Chatime locations are now open in Edmonton: Downtown at 10405 Jasper Avenue and in Old Strathcona at 10538 82 Avenue.
  • Lux has rebranded their lounge into Bar 94, honouring Ryan Smyth, one of the original partners behind the restaurant.
  • Casa Doce is the next food truck transitioning to a brick and mortar shop – congratulations!
  • Vue Weekly checks out Dorinku, the newest izakaya in the city.
  • Chef Serge Belair has been named Executive Chef of the Shaw Conference Centre after Chef Simon Smotkowicz announced he will be leaving the Shaw after 28 years.
  • The latest Community Table Project from Phil features Dutch tacos.
  • Chef Cory Rakowski has started an organization called Food for Thoughts, to help create awareness about the mental health challenges faced by those in the hospitality industry.
  • Two food-related folks made it onto Avenue Edmonton’s Top 40 Under 40 list this year: cocoanista Jacqueline Jacek and Localize’s Meghan Dear.
  • Congratulations to Jennifer Cockrall-King on being included in Best Food Writing 2016, alongside names such as Pete Wells and Francis Lam.
  • Out just in time for the holidays, Earls has released a cookbook featuring restaurant favourites from the 1980s until present.
  • It’s disappointing to see absolutely no Prairie content on Enroute’s best new restaurants list for 2016, let alone any Alberta representation.
  • Back in town, our first stop was the Italian Centre. We killed two birds with one stone: great thin-crust pizza for lunch and picked up groceries for the week.

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Massimo pizza from the Italian Centre west

  • I met up with Annie for brunch at Workshop Eatery yesterday. The pastrami hash was great – I loved the crispy potatoes and perfectly soft poached eggs. I’m also happy to report that they also now serve brewed coffee (as opposed to espresso-based drinks).

Workshop Eatery

Pastrami hash from Workshop Eatery

Recap: 2016 Gold Medal Plates

Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending the 2016 Gold Medal Plates, hosted at the Shaw Conference Centre in support of the Canadian Olympic Foundation. It’s been an incredibly successful fundraising event, having raised more than $11 million dollars for Canadian athletes since 2004. The culinary competition operated by Gold Medal Plates has become a benchmark for chefs in cities across the country, the preparation alone pushing chefs to refine their techniques, enhance flavour profiles and find the perfect beverage pairing. Those crowned at the local or national level are widely recognized for their achievement, and winning dishes can often be sampled at those restaurants for a taste of what judges deemed the best that year. Personally, I’d only read the results of the competition, and had never experienced it firsthand before this year.

Each of the ten competitors were tasked with crafting a dish and pairing it with a Canadian wine, spirit or beer. Unlike “mystery box” challenges that currently fuel reality television, chefs here are able to polish their dishes for weeks, meaning execution becomes the most crucial factor instead of thinking under pressure. Even in this year’s sample, it was wonderful to see the array of proteins showcased, and the diversity of cooking styles presented. If anything, it speaks to how fortunate we are to have such a rich food scene in Edmonton.

Gold Medal Plates 2016

Chef Shane Chartrand and his team from Sage

Before the start of the competition, I chatted with Mary Bailey and was thankful for her advice (as a senior judge, she’s well versed in the tasting component). She said I needed to hustle, or I might not get to all ten stations. She was absolutely right; I picked up the last dish just before the closing bell.

Gold Medal Plates 2016

The Chartier team

I was also glad to run into Teresa who was also in attendance that evening. It was fun to experience the event with someone else who was new to Gold Medal Plates, too.

My favourites differed somewhat from the judges’ selections. Mary had said this would likely be the case – the audience choices never seemed to converge with the official winners. My top pick was by Sage’s Shane Chartrand. His coal smoked albacore tuna was such a revelation that I actually paused mid-bite to savour it; the texture and flavour imparted was incredible. The sablefish also had a pronounced charcoal essence that I appreciated.

Gold Medal Plates 2016

Charcoal and smoke from Shane Chartrand

I also enjoyed the dish prepared by Have Mercy’s Lindsay Porter. Her Alberta corn stone ground grits with shrimp, smoked Mangalitsa pulled pork, chanterelles and pecans was comfort food with refined flavours. Unlike some of the other plates, all components complemented one another well.

Gold Medal Plates 2016

Corn grits with shrimp and pulled pork from Lindsay Porter

While dishes were meant to be paired with a beverage, one of my other favourites was actually a drink. The Caribeau cocktail from Chartier, a combiation of Fallen Timber Saskatoon mead, Alberta Premium rye whisky, birch syrup, Saskatoons, and spices danced on my palate, the hint of fruit balancing nicely with the spirit base.

The winners, as selected by the judges, were:

  1. Eric Hanson of Prairie Noodle Shop, with his spot prawn, peach and plum preparations, paired with the Summerhill 2014 Ehrenfeiser
  2. Doreen Prei of Get Cooking, with pan seared Icelandic salmon, chanterelle & celeric puree, squash butter, and crushed cold smoked pumpkin seeds, paired with 50th Parallel Pinot Noir
  3. Shane Chartrand of Sage, with charcoal sablefish, cold smoked albacore tuna, sweet stock reduction, creamed corn, fondant potatoes, sesame seaweed snack and salt roasted beets, paired with Culmina 2015 Unicus Gruner Veltliner

The first place winner of Edmonton’s Gold Medal Plates will compete in the Canadian Culinary Championship finale in Kelowna on February 3-4, 2017. I wish Chef Hanson the best of luck as he represents Edmonton!

Gold Medal Plates 2016

2016 Gold Medal Plates winners

The “gold medal” portion of the event refers also to the Olympic athletes in attendance, ambassadors of how the funding raised can lead to success. Gold medalists from the recent Rio games, Rosie MacLennan and Erica Wiebe, were among the nearly three dozen athletes present. Being the Olympics junkie that I am, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to fangirl and snap a selfie with Erica. She was extremely sweet and gracious.

Gold Medal Plates 2016

With Erica Wiebe!

The athletes also like a good party, as evidenced by the finale that evening. Led by Alan Doyle of Great Big Sea, the athletes piled on stage for a raucous rendition of “The Weight”. My sister, a huge fan of kayaker Adam van Kouverden, would have appreciated his enthusiasm at the mic.

Thanks to the organizers of the Edmonton Gold Medal Plates for having me!

Food Notes for October 31, 2016

Happy Halloween! We always feel a little far removed from the festivities being downtown, but it seemed warmer than average for trick or treating tonight. A note that there will be no Food Notes next week; Mack and I are heading to Chicago for a short vacation.

  • The annual Chili Cook-Off takes place November 4, 2016 in Churchill Square. Sample bowls are just $1, with regular bowls priced at $2.
  • Bo and Marrow, who you may be familiar with from their farmers’ market appearances this summer, are popping up at Prairie Noodle on November 6, 2016 with noodles and their broth. The meal will be $18 per person.
  • The sixth COMAL Mexican Table Dinner is taking place November 29-30, 2016. Tickets are $85 each.
  • Save the date: Northern Lands will be taking place May 2-6, 2017, and it will be bigger and better.
  • Su notes that there’s a franchise location of Hong Kong’s Dazzling Cafe to open soon at 10538 82 Avenue, rabbit-eared chairs and all.
  • The buzz continues to grow for the brew pub to open in the Richie Market – they just announced Chef Christine Sandford will lead the kitchen.
  • The latest local business to launch a crowdfunding initiative is Caramia Caramels, who hope to use Kickstarter to help them purchase commercial equipment to enhance their production.
  • Speaking of crowdfunding, big congratulations to Sugared and Spiced, who blew their original $20,000 goal out of the water, raising close to $57,000.
  • While the Edmonton and area has its share of meal prep services, The Backyard Basket might be our first Blue Apron-style ready to cook meal service (where pre-portioned ingredients are delivered for time-strapped home cooks). It’s not something that would appeal to me, but it would be more ideal if they supported local producers in the process.
  • Prairie Noodle is an example of a business succeeding in overcoming poor quality control in its initial stages.
  • Did you attend What the Truck?! this year? Consider filling out this survey to help the organizing committee make decisions for 2017!
  • Karlynn is doing a cookbook giveaway on her blog, but you can also pick one up from her in person on November 5, 2016 at Chapters in West Edmonton Mall.
  • Phil’s latest Community Table Project features butter chicken risotto.
  • The Wood Buffalo Brewing Company is creating a special whisky called the Beast, using some peated malt that remained behind and absorbed some of the smoke from the fire.
  • I was sad to see Calgary’s Farm restaurant shut down, but I never expected the subsequent scandal surrounding Janice Beaton to spring up, with past Farm employees accusing Beaton of unpaid wages. She responded to the allegations in a Facebook video.
  • November 1, 2016 is the deadline to apply to join Eat Alberta, a committee working on organizing another hands-on food conference next year, in addition to multimedia content promoting local food.
  • Signage is already up on two of the Ultima’s retail bays: XO Bistro & Bar and Gong Cha, a small chain of bubble tea cafes based in Toronto.

Ultima Condos

XO Bistro & Bar and Gong Cha

  • Grand Villa Casino’s quick-serve options are now open – joining the Starbucks are Vera’s Burger Shack, Pinkberry, and Sbarro. It was a bit unusual that no seating was available, but I assume patrons are expected to return to the casino to consume their food, or head to the adjacent community rink.

Pinkberry & Starbucks

Pinkberry and Starbucks in the Grand Villa Casino

  • I also had lunch at Match Eatery and Public House inside the casino on Friday. The food was fine, but the service produced enough minor mistakes to point to a very inexperienced staff (tried to deliver our food to another table, mix-up with a sidedish, topped up a half-full soda glass with water). Hopefully things will improve with time.

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Dip your beef sandwich

  • I met up with a friend for dinner at Uccellino last week. Most of the week’s ills melted away with a bite of their cacio e pepe and meatballs. If only I could eat like that all the time.

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Cacio e pepe

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Polpette

  • Edmonton City Centre’s new food court, Elevate Food Fare, located on the top level of the mall, opens to the public on November 1, 2016. It will consolidate many of the existing retailers in addition to offering a few new choices, including Burrito Libre and Paramount Fine Foods. The food court will provide another dining choice for those in the area, and will likely be one of the more inexpensive options available within walking distance of Rogers Place. It will be interesting to see if the food court hours are extended to align better with arena events in the coming months. Mack and I received gift certificates in appreciation for mentioning the Food Fare, but want to pass them onto two lucky readers. For your chance to win one of two $50 gift certificates to Edmonton City Centre, leave a comment with a valid e-mail address that answers the following question: which restaurant offers the best value Downtown and why? The contest closes on November 10, 2016 at midnight. Winners will be contacted by e-mail on November 12, 2016.

Elevate Food Fair

Elevate Food Fare at Edmonton City Centre Mall

Food Notes for October 24, 2016

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Local Public Eatery

  • Mack and I were invited to dine as guests at the Old Spaghetti Factory, which has been open downtown for more than 45 years. One of the objectives of the gathering was to remind diners that they’re continuing to offer the same value priced meals that they’re known for, in spite of some of the changes in the neighbourhood. They’ve only needed to raise prices about $1 to accommodate the minimum wage hike, but many of their long-standing patrons have not returned to the restaurant since the opening of Rogers Place primarily due to parking increases. Although its early days yet for the Ice District, the Old Spaghetti Factory is hoping it can attract some new guests and retain their regular clientele – I wish them the best of luck in these shifting tides.

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Vegetarian lasagna and broccoli with Mizithra cheese from the Old Spaghetti Factory

  • We received our last Sugared & Spiced Cake Club delivery for the year, a belated anniversary cake. It was our favourite one yet!

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Cake for days

10 Observations from 10 Years of Blogging

Ten years ago, I started a blog. I didn’t do so with a concrete purpose at the time, and simply used the website as a repository for my thoughts. When I began, I wrote about a greater diversity of subjects, but food rapidly became my primary topic of choice. Through this blog, I learned to cook, met other food-interested individuals, and discovered the restaurants I’ve come to love in this city.

Hawkers Market

Always ready to eat

Although the decade passed quicker than I’d care to admit, so much has changed in the food scene since 2006. Through snapshots of local food trends each year, it’s easy to see how far Edmonton has come. That said, I still think there is some room to improve – here are my 10 personal observations from 10 years of blogging:

  1. Consistency is the key to blogging: one of the questions I’m frequently asked is how I manage to keep blogging. In the beginning, reaching certain milestones was a personal challenge (one that was incidentally posed by Mack, who at the time was just a friend). Soon after, I started posting bullet points of interesting items I had come across, including food-related news. These items eventually warranted their own posts, and Monday night Food Notes was born. Without this weekly driver, it’s unlikely my blog would have lasted as long. There have been periods where I’ve been delinquent in writing regular posts, but those pesky Food Notes were always there, requiring my timely attention. These past ten years, I’ve seen many blogs come and go, and the best advice I can give aspiring bloggers is to develop a schedule, and keep to it.
  2. Social media was a game changer: in 2006, Facebook was two years old, and Twitter was founded that same year. It’s astonishing how social media has changed when, how, and with whom we share our food experiences. Those Food Notes that I mentioned used to rely exclusively on print media. Now, the vast majority of news is gleaned using the #yegfood hashtag on Twitter, providing an immediate and very public forum of discussion. Attitudes have also shifted drastically about food blogging and photography in restaurants – back in 2008, an incident with a manager at a local restaurant proved just how unprepared establishments were for citizen critics. Now, meals are captured for the masses on Instagram and Snapchat, and sites like Yelp and Zomato allow essentially anonymous reviews at the touch of a button. While restaurants have had to adapt to this new reality whether they liked it or not, tensions flared up again as recently as last week, so it’s clear that there’s still some work to be done.
  3. There are few degrees of separation in the food community: for a city of a million people, the food community is incredibly small. The advantage to this, however, is that this environment creates opportunities for learning and collaboration, something I’ve personally experienced. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege to work with several chefs to bring ideas of pedway and parkland pop-ups to life, among others. I’ve also found that the community as a whole is quite supportive, which is how a tiny festival can grow into something previously unimaginable.

    4. Pedway pop-up in 2012

  4. Money isn’t everything: some of the tension between food writers and restauranteurs involves the perception that writers are chasing free meals, and only those with deep pockets can afford to win over social media influencers. The truth is, many of the most endearing, perennially popular establishments in Edmonton such as Duchess Bake Shop didn’t start with an expensive splash. They have endured with a formula of quality products, good service, and consistency.
  5. Edmonton loves chains: the birthplace of Boston Pizza and Earls, Edmonton can’t escape its history of creating concepts that resonate for the average diner. Casual upscale chains dominate the mid-range restaurant scene in the city, in spite of the fact that similarly-priced independent restaurants offer more choice and better service. I have to credit their popularity to marketing, long-standing familiarity, and unfortunately, to urban sprawl – power centres are prime real estate for chain locations.
  6. Suburban restaurants on the rise: sprawl is also the reason behind the spread of independent restaurants across the city. When I started blogging, the vast majority of restaurants worth writing about were located in central Edmonton. Now, we have restaurants as far as Beaumont’s Chartier garnering attention.
  7. Food trucks are here to stay: food trucks were on the fringe ten years ago, relegated to serving pedestrian food at industrial sites. Today, they have become mainstream, populating every outdoor festival, market and street fair in every corner of our city. Some may remember when Drift had a dispute with a brick and mortar restaurant back in 2012 about the right to vend on a particular street, and though complaints come up from time to time, food trucks are now an integral part of our food culture. What the Truck?!, a festival that began six years ago to promote food trucks, may actually not be relevant in the same form anymore.

    8. The first What the Truck?! in 2011

  8. The independent coffee scene was born and raised: it’s really been a joy to watch independent coffee shops blossom over the last decade. The third wave started in Edmonton with Transcend in 2007, became anchored downtown with Credo in 2009, and expanded into a coffee district, featuring five independent retailers within a two block radius. I don’t believe we’ve hit our threshold for great coffee just yet, and hope to see even more cafes pop up in the next few years.
  9. Local food still has a ways to go: my blogging journey and understanding of local food are deeply connected. My first real foray into farmers’ markets was led by Seasoned Solutions’ Gail Hall, and my desire for proximity to the City Market was one of the reasons behind our move to 104 Street. Over time, I was hoping local producers would garner a higher prominence in mainstream conversations, and gain a greater market share of grocery dollars. There are some positives to highlight over the past ten years, with the establishment of more farmers’ markets, cooking classes aimed at demystifying local products, and urban agriculture education at Northlands. But, with the rezoning of agricultural land in the northeast, and the vague policy developed as a result, we’re not as far along as we could be.

    10. Ringing in the City Market in 2009

  10. Stand tall, Edmonton: as I mentioned on a podcast last year, Edmonton is often given the short shrift, overshadowed by Calgary. We’ve got fantastic chefs, producers, and food businesses that can stand on their own merit, and we shouldn’t be afraid to share the wonderful things happening in our city.

Thanks for reading over the years – your support, words, and kinship for food have meant a lot.

Food Notes for October 17, 2016

Oh, Jays. Is Cleveland just that good, or have the bats gone ice cold? Let’s hope they have enough in them to put up a fight tomorrow. On to this week’s food notes:

  • For those looking for a fun take on a tea party, look no further than Cally’s, who will be hosting a monthly themed party until May.
  • In commemoration and celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution, the Canadian Hungarian Society of Edmonton and the Wirth Institute at the University of Alberta are hosting a Hungarian Wine and Food Festival October 27 & 28, 2016 at the Chateau Lacombe. The event runs 4-10pm both nights, and tickets are $25 at the door. The evening will include Hungarian wine and cuisine samples.
  • Nineteen will be hosting Nineteen’s November Festival of Food, a fundraising event on November 14, 2016 in support of the High School Culinary Challenge. Tickets for the 4-course dinner are $100.
  • I’m sorry to have missed the first of Rostizado’s burrito pop-ups (under the name La Mision) on Sunday, but I would have had to get there fast – they sold out in just over an hour! I look forward to future pop-ups (or something more permanent).
  • Confetti Sweets is hoping to open a location in Edmonton’s west end before Christmas, and are hoping to crowdfund $20,000 through Alberta Boostr by November 22, 2016.
  • Congratulations to Jacek Chocolate Couture, who will be opening a third location in Canmore this November.
  • Watch for Miga, a new Korean restaurant to open soon on the south side (11, 9261 34 Avenue).
  • Vancouver-based Vera’s Burger Shack is coming to Ice District, inside the Grand Villa Casino.
  • Are you excited about the forthcoming Popeye’s location in Edmonton? It’s set to open in November at 3773 17 Street in Tamarack.
  • Quick-serve chain Blaze Pizza is opening a second location in the Brewery District.
  • Cindy provides you with an idea of what to expect on Rostizado’s new menu, with a tentative start date of October 24.
  • Graham had a great experience at Bar Clementine, and expects even greater things from Chef Roger Letourneau.
  • Chartier gets a rave review from Jonny.
  • Have you heard of a bakery called Canova (formerly DeFazio Gourmet)? Diane provides a run down of all of their pastry selection, including the incredible vanilla cornetti.
  • Everyone seems to love lists, so here are two from Narcity: 46 bucket lists restaurants every true Edmontonian needs to try and 14 Edmonton coffee shops you should go to at least once in your life.
  • Mel had contributed a review of Edmonton Cooks to Culinaire Magazine, but found that it had been severely edited down. She shared some of her constructive feedback about the book.
  • The latest entry in the Community Table Project features a recipe for marinated grilled chicken.
  • I’d be remiss if I didn’t link to Chef Paul Shufelt’s column in the Edmonton Sun last week, which called out food bloggers to put their money where their mouth is. There have been a number of responses, from food writers and chefs alike. Food for thought, from Chris and Chef Cory Rakowski.
  • Did you catch Attila the Hungry’s Chef Levi Biddlecombe competing on Chopped Canada? 
  • You might remember a locally-made product called quick-cook barley that was sold under the name Progressive Foods – well, they’ve rebranded, and it’s a great look! Snappy Grains has a bright and bold new identity, which I saw on the shelves at the Italian Centre on the weekend.

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Snappy Grains

  • With the grey weekend we had, Mack and I thought we should brighten things up with some punchy bun bo Hue from King Noodle House.

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Bun bo Hue