Food Notes for November 10, 2014

I’m already looking forward to the weekend, even though it’s only Monday – Mack and I are heading to Christmas in November! I’ll be representing Gastropost, so feel free to follow along on Twitter (#jasperCIN), and on this blog, where I’ll be posting recaps of the sessions I’ve attended. Friday can’t come soon enough! On to this week’s food notes:

A reminder about the first annual Relish Film Fest this week, running November 13-16, 2014. I’m looking forward to attending the opening reception on Thursday.
Mark your calendar – the next Prairie Noodle Shop pop-up is taking place on November 21. Andrea recaps the last event and provides a sneak peek of what’s to come.
After a successful first year, All is Bright on 124 is returning on November 22, 2014. Expect outdoor patios, food trucks and other activities to get you into the holiday season.
Join the Edmonton Social Planning Council on November 26, 2014 for a session about the “growth of farmers’ markets in Alberta and how regional clustering is shaping their development and success.”
Liane is hosting a Royal Afternoon Tea at Cally’s Tea on December 7, 2014. Tickets are $40, with $10 from each ticket going to a local charity.
I was sorry to hear that Creole Envie is up for sale. Chef Danielle Majeau will continue dinner service until the restaurant is sold.
Andrea checked out a revamped North 53, since original Chef Ben Staley has since moved on.
Vue Weekly reviewed Abyssinia, an Ethiopian restaurant in Little Italy – my office ordered a catered lunch from Abyssinia last week, and we were very impressed.
Mack posted about the three new underground coffee shops that opened up last month – exciting times for coffee lovers!
Speaking of coffee, the first YEG Coffee Week is set to take place in winter 2015 – to stay in the loop, sign up for this mailing list.
Interested in growing the local food scene? Eat Alberta is recruiting!
It will be interesting to see how the first soda tax (passed in Berkeley last week) will impact the city’s consumption of sweet drinks.
Mack and I were lucky enough to be invited to the opening of Volcano (4226 Gateway Blvd), a Japanese and Vietnamese restaurant from the folks behind Old Strathcona’s Maki Maki. They had a selection of sushi and Vietnamese favourites, served up buffet style for us to try. We’re looking forward to returning for some pho in the future – thanks again for the invitation!

Sushi at Volcano

The Duchess Bake Shop Cookbook Launch

It’s finally here! A project nearly a year in the making, Edmonton’s Duchess Bake Shop has launched its first self-titled cookbook. Although it won’t be publically available until Wednesday, November 12, 2014, Mack and I were part of a lucky group invited to the bakery Sunday evening to not only preview the publication, but also to get our hot little hands on it first!

Duchess Cookbook launch crowd

Given how popular Duchess has become in our community, it’s hard to think back to when they opened, in the fall of 2009, with just four staff. In the five years since, Duchess has grown to eighteen staff, churning out sixty-five different products, and astonishing quantities of delicious pastry, including two thousand macarons per day.

Let them eat macarons!

Giselle Courteau, Garner Beggs and Jake Pelletier were all born and raised in Edmonton, and their vocalized desire to “put Edmonton on the map” is one of our city’s great success stories. Borne from hard work and a scratch-made philosophy, Duchess quickly outgrew their original space, and doubled their storefront size two years later. In 2012, Duchess Provisions opened, providing specialty items to help ambitious home bakers. And that same year, the National Post pointed to Duchess as possibly the best patisserie in Canada.

Giselle introduces her book

Late last year, Giselle started writing the cookbook, which steadily became a family affair. All the more astonishing, Giselle managed to complete and self-publish the book while she was pregnant, welcoming her first baby last month!

Giselle and her (other) baby!

The Duchess Bake Shop Cook Book contains nearly ninety recipes, which range from more basic cookies to the complex cakes and pastries the bakery is known for. So far, the book will only available in-store and online at Duchess Provisions (priced at $45), but a national launch is planned for next year.

Lillian and I flip through the cookbook

I picked up a copy for myself, and though I will likely remain at the beginner’s end of the cookbook, the full colour pages are a treat to flip through nonetheless. I’m also hopeful the more studious bakers in my family might want to borrow my copy for a spin (hint, hint).

Congrats to Giselle and the Duchess Bake Shop team for this accomplishment! I’m certain the book will find its way under many a Christmas tree this year.

Great Rotisserie and More: Rostizado

Rostizado, the restaurant from the boys behind Tres Carnales, opened back in August. It’s been a great addition to 104 Street, ensuring Mercer Tavern isn’t alone in anchoring the north end nightlife of the Promenade.

Rostizado

While those that were familiar with its predecessor (RIP Roast) will recognize the layout, Rostizado has enhanced the personality of the space with colourful lounge seating that acts as its de-facto waiting area and a great open kitchen with full view of their massive rotisserie ovens. They’ve also transformed the back room into a glassed-in private space, which I’m certain will see its share of Christmas functions in the coming holiday season.

Open kitchen

Having now been seated in different parts of the room, I’d recommend a table near the back – it’s a challenging space acoustically, and a conversation with my dinner date at the communal table near the entrance was difficult.

While I had the opportunity to check out Rostizado’s sneak peek in August, I’ve been back a few times since then to try even more of the menu. Most items are meant to be shared, which makes Rostizado a destination for those who love to sample multiple plates.

My favourite item at the opening reception was the sopes, a corn flour base topped with everything from their house-roasted chicken to smoked salmon. At present, only the latter has made its way onto the permanent menu, but I am hopeful this may change in the future – the crispy corn crust and flavourful meat was a great combination.

Chicken sopes

At Tres Carnales, an order of guacamole is a must – I’d also easily eat a serving of the freshly-fried tortillas on their own. At Rostizado, those addictive chips are served with their queso fundido ($16), essentially a cheese dip with mushrooms, poblano chile and onions thrown in. I thought more chips could have easily been substituted for the slightly sweet bread – their savoury, crunchy nature better paired with the stringy cheese.

Queso fundido

No question, the rotisserie is the star of Rostizado. The portions are incredibly generous – half orders of either the chicken or pork ($32), proposed to feed two on the menu, in reality would defeat a group of four. Served with their rosti-papas, potatoes that have soaked up all of the drippings, I have to wonder if “meat and potatoes” won’t have a different connotation in the city soon.

Rosti-puerco

The roasted pork is very good, moist and not overly fatty, but the tender chicken ultimately earned my vote – didn’t someone say chicken skin is the new bacon?

Rosti-pollo

I also loved the salteados verdes (half order $7), a combination of braised kale, garlic, poblano, apple cider vinegar and pumpkin seeds. It balanced out our order of meat well, and the added texture of the seeds made it a stand-out to me.

Salteados verdes

Rostizados boasts the city’s only “dedicated churros fryer”. Even with that kind of introduction, their churros ($8) lived up to expectations, crackly fried dough tossed with cinnamon and sugar served with a side of dulce de leche.

Churros

Like a handful of other local chains (Elm Café et al. comes to mind), Rostizado is also graced with a great team of staff who offer consistently excellent service. The servers were approachable about a menu full of unfamiliar vocabulary, and even on busy nights, we never felt neglected.

It’s great to see that Rostizado is flourishing – it is another option for those seeking great food in a more casual venue that doesn’t stray into pub territory. I’ll be back again, soon.

Rotizado
102, 10359 104 Street (Mercer Warehouse)
(780) 761-0911
Monday-Thursday 11am-10pm, Friday 11am-11pm, Saturday 5-11pm, closed Sundays & holidays

Food Notes for November 3, 2014

Mack and I are still working through the portfolio of photographs from our wedding, but here’s a sneak peek from Moments in Digital. Bruce did a great job, capturing our day beautifully. I hope to share a bit more about our wedding soon! On to this week’s food notes:

The 24th annual Chili Cook-off is taking place in Churchill Square on November 4 from 11:30am-1:30pm.
Just in time for Christmas, the next Green Drinks on November 5 is all about shopping local.
The schedule is now up for Relish Fest, which runs November 13-16 at Metro Cinema. It features a number of films (including some local content) that centre around food.
Culina is hosting a food and music pop-up on November 28, 2014 at Bellevue Hall.
Toronto-based chain The Burger’s Priest is coming to downtown Edmonton (10104 109 Street)!
Cindy is the first to review Chef Nathin Bye’s new restaurant, Ampersand 27, which opened quietly last week.
Congrats to Chef Paul Shufelt of Century Hospitality, who was named one of Avenue Edmonton’s Top 40 Under 40 list last week.
Wine-on-tap is a growing trend in Edmonton, writes Avenue Edmonton.
Get a head start on your Christmas shopping: the Duchess Bake Shop Cookbook is on sale starting November 12, 2014.
I finally had the chance to visit Burrow last week. It is so great to see a café in our underground! Cindy also checked it out recently.

Burrow

Food Notes for October 27, 2014

I’ve been struggling with my re-entry back to routine, but for good reason. Mack and I had a fabulous wedding, and an even better honeymoon. I’m still gathering my thoughts on both Vietnam and Korea, but I’m hopeful that (this time) I’ll actually share it on the blog! On to this week’s food notes:

Cookie Love announced a forthcoming café location at 10235-101 Street. They are shooting for a December 2014 opening.
Get Cooking, Kathryn Joel’s brand new cooking studio at MacEwan University, looks gorgeous!
A huge congratulations to RGE RD for making En Route Magazine’s top 10 list of Canada’s Best New Restaurants this year.
On the heels of Calgary-based Spice Road Spice Merchant opening their Edmonton location on Whyte, it was announced that the Italian Centre will be expanding into Calgary next year.
The Gold Medal Plates took place last week, with Westin Chef Ryan O’Flynn taking the top spot.
A belated thank you for anyone who voted for Only Here for the Food (and What the Truck?!) on Vue Weekly’s Best of Edmonton 2014 poll. I’m honoured to have been named the “Best Food Blog” (and for WTT to be named the “Best Pop-Up Event”). As always, I appreciate the support!
We missed so many café openings while we were away – congrats to Transcend on their new location in the Mercer Warehouse, to Credo for their second café on 124 Street, and to Burrow (of the Elm Café family) for changing our city’s expectations of underground vendors. And thanks to Omar’s article, we also know that Elm will be expanding into Riverdale with Little Brick.

Transcend @ Mercer Warehouse

Food Notes for September 23, 2014

This will be my last post for a while – after Mack and I get married this weekend, we’re off to Asia for our honeymoon! We’re looking forward to the down time – it’s been a busy summer! Enjoy the rest of the beautiful fall season in Edmonton. On to this week’s food notes:

Alberta Culture Days is again hosting a block party on 104 Street this Friday, September 26, from 5-10pm.
Congrats to Kevin Kossowan for his debut film Springhammer, which focuses on the current state of blacksmithing in Japan. The movie will screen on September 28, 2014 at the Edmonton International Film Festival.
Linda Hoang is Delux’s celebrity chef in October! Sample her creation for a good cause – $1 from every burger goes to Second Chance Animal Rescue.
Sherwood Park is hosting their very own Battle of Strathcona Chefs on October 15, 2014, as a fundraiser for the Strathcona Food Bank and to create post-secondary culinary scholarships for high school students. Tickets are $125.
Sad news: Call the Kettle Black’s Riverbend location will be closing.
Liane shared that Pampa will be expanding into Calgary, as well as planning another location in south Edmonton.
Rostizado received a positive review in the Journal last week.
Unfortunately, Rocky Mountain Ice House did not receive such a warm reception from Twyla.
Alberta’s becoming a culinary destination – for both foreign and local tourists.
Applications are now being accepted for the City of Edmonton’s urban hens pilot project.
While at West Edmonton Mall on Saturday, Mack and I finally had the chance to try Wetzel’s Pretzels. They actually lived up to the hype – the original pretzel had great texture.

Wetzel’s Pretzels

Mack and I were flattered to be asked to judge Greenfield Community League’s first annual pie bake-off on Saturday, as a part of their community league day celebrations. It was a tough job, but someone had to do it! Given it was a blind tasting, we didn’t know that the pie we ultimately picked was actually baked by our friend Yi-Li. Congrats!

With Councillor Walters at judges table

With the winner of the golden pie plate!

My coworkers took me out for lunch today to commemorate my last day at work before the wedding. Where else would we go but Pho Tau Bay?

My last Edmonton-made pho for a while!

I almost forgot to mention a special tasting Mack and I were invited to earlier this month. Chef Tony Le, who has taken over at Hundred, has revamped the menu for fall. He asked us to try some of the dishes to be featured on the new menu, inspired by some of the modern pub food he’s enjoyed from around the world. We (along with Felicia and Jeff) were happy to oblige. Thanks for having us, Tony!

The spicy tuna crudo received rave reviews around the table

The very shareable cauliflower was served with an addictive sriracha honey

If you’re hungry – make sure to order the 12oz pork chop, served with sriacha-fried brussels sprouts

Fun plating for the cracker jack brownie served with salted caramel gelato

Our favourite dish of the night – blueberry pie with key lime ice cream

2014 What the Truck?! Wrap Up

Before autumn rolls in, I wanted to take a look back at our last two What the Truck?! events of the season.

What the Truck?! @ Borden Park

One of the things we’re most proud of about What the Truck?! is our commitment to mobility, and the fact that the festival has convened at at least one new location every year.

This year, that location was Borden Park, a green space that the City has spent a pretty penny revitalizing. The new walkways, benches, playground, washroom facilities and public art are definitely worth exploring, and we hoped our event would help draw out more Edmontonians who haven’t yet discovered this revamped gem.

In the shadow of Northlands Park

Though it was more stressful than we would have liked (involving the blatant overlooking of no parking signs), the event saw friends and young families gather to enjoy an outdoor picnic and take advantage of the park’s amenities.

Short lines

DJs – Thomas Culture, Chesterfield and Polyesterday played a danceable soundtrack, which more than one young attendee enjoyed.

Dancing!

As always, it was great to have a mix of veteran and new trucks, which on this occasion included Canicus Catering, Dolce & Banana and One Cool Cookie. Ice cream sandwiches were definitely on the menu for most on that warm day!

Chocolate chip and salted caramel sandwich from One Cool Cookie

Thanks to everyone who came out!

You can’t miss us in our t-shirts

What the Truck?! @ Churchill Square

Our season finale at Churchill Square also happened to be our biggest event ever, featuring a gathering of 24 trucks. To accommodate this, we closed off an adjacent street, occupying roughly the same footprint as the Taste of Edmonton.

Churchill Square

It really was unfortunate the weather didn’t cooperate – overcast and drizzling for most of the afternoon, the grey skies intimidated many from taking in the last event of the year.

Under the trees

That said, those that did attend were able to take in a dizzying variety of food, short lines, and ample space to mingle.

99 Street

It was also the first event where we offered a printable, PDF version of the menu. We were happy to see many used this feature, which we will definitely be implementing again in the future.

Menus in hand!

Thanks to our sponsors the Downtown Edmonton Community League and the Old Strathcona Business Association, and of course, a big thank you to our team of DJs – Thomas Culture, Chesterfield and The Hugonaut. And a HUGE (belated) thank you to our fabulous clean-up volunteers – the Square has never looked so good. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Dinner crowd

The organizing team will be taking a break over the winter months, but details about another season of What the Truck?! will be released in the spring. In the meantime, if you did attend any of our events this past year, please consider filling out our survey – we’d love to hear your feedback as we look towards 2015.

Until then – the trucks will be out for another few weeks before the frost rolls in – make sure to get your fix before then. See you next year!

Recap: the ImMACulate Garden Party

On August 24, 2014, the Blink: Parkade Party team reunited to host an event in partnership with the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald. The ImMACulate Garden Party provided an opportunity to explore one of the city’s best patios and vantage points of our stunning river valley.

The terrace at the Hotel Macdonald

Although the Mac is a respected institution in our city, it is often underappreciated and overlooked by locals. We hoped that by organizing an afternoon of light entertainment and activities, we could highlight this gem in the summer leading up to its centennial. The event was also a fundraiser for the Edmonton Humane Society, in honour of the hotel’s canine ambassador, Smudge.

Enjoying the view

Nearly one hundred people joined us on that beautiful Sunday, all dressed in their garden chic attire. A quarter of attendees indicated that they had never been to the Mac before.

Garden party guests

The food and drink were a definite attraction, with the chefs focusing on a fresh, seasonal menu of refreshing nibbles.

Seafood ceviche

Guests enjoyed the melodies of harpist Keri Lynn Zwicker (which included dabbling in Madonna’s catalogue) and had the chance to chat with local artist Lori Frank about her Edmonton-inspired pieces.

Harpist Keri Lynn Zwicker

The Mac was also supportive (in spite of maintaining a pristine lawn) of the transformation of their green spaces into garden games, including lawn bowling, bocce ball and croquet.

Lawn bowling (photo by Monika Czuprynski)

Croquet

Catering Manager Larissa Gonzales led several tours of the hotel. Besides learning about some of the building’s storied history, the last two tours even manage to snag a peek into the Mac’s most expensive (and celebrity-graced) suite.

Inside the Queen Elizabeth Suite

The collaborative canvas was an experiment that went even better than expected – we invited guests to make their individual mark on what started out as a blank canvas. By the end of the event, the pastel-drawn piece resulted in a unique piece that reflected the group’s vision of Edmonton’s river valley. It was handed out as one of the door prizes at the end of the afternoon.

Before (Mack and I are a little embarrassed at how we started it)

After

It was wonderful being able to see people make use of the terrace we ourselves have enjoyed all summer. And though the Mac is open to hosting such events again in the future, I recommend not waiting – make use of this last burst of warm weather and take advantage of one of our city’s assets.

The boys were out in full force (photo by Monika Czuprynski)

Thanks to everyone who attended, and the Mac for being such a great partner. We were able to raise over $550 for the Humane Society! Last but not least – I had a blast working with Hannah, Stephanie and Mack on this event, and look forward to whatever trouble we may get ourselves into next year!

The team! (photo by Monika Czuprynski)

You can see more photos for the event here.

Food Notes for September 15, 2014

It’s hard to believe how fast September has flown by – Mack and I are now counting down to our wedding (and honeymoon!). On to this week’s food notes:

We’re about halfway through Sorrentino’s 20th annual Mushroom Harvest Festival, which features cooking classes, and a mushroom walk, cook & eat.
You have one more chance to tour the Northlands Urban Farm on September 18, 2014, and learn about their farm and beekeeping operation.
Slow Food Edmonton is hosting an apple tasting on September 21, 2014 at the French Quarter Market. I couldn’t help but think of Valerie’s post when she conducted a similar tasting with her food students a few years ago.
The City Market is collaborating with local chefs to help the Bissell Centre raise funds at their Fall Harvest Dinner on October 5, 2014.
LitFest is back this year with Food Matters on October 18, 2014, featuring a panel that includes Chef Shane Chartrand of Sage Restaurant.
Karlynn sampled the new “build your own” menu at Hotel Macdonald, offering 3 courses for $59.
Mel Priestley is the new Dish Editor at Vue Weekly – congrats!
Congratulations to Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton for planting their first tree at their new micro-orchard last week! The orchard is located at McCauley School.
Peters’ Drive-In is expanding to Red Deer’s Gasoline Alley. It may be only a matter of time before they move north into Edmonton!
Mack, Felicia and I checked out Hawkers Market on Saturday at their new location. Latitude 53 provided the added bonus of an outdoor patio space, but was unfortunately plagued by some of the same power issues seen at Vacancy Hall. Still, we enjoyed the food we were able to sample – in particular, the cashew cheese by Truffula was a tasty surprise, while it’s hard to pass up Paper Bag Donuts.

Out on the patio

Cashew cheese with onion bread by Truffula (the cheese is available at Earth’s General Store)

Paper Bag Donuts

The first annual Mid-Autumn Festival event that took place in Churchill Square was a rousing success. The weather cooperated, and they had a great turnout for the performances and other planned activities. The grand finale of a lantern parade followed by a boat launch onto the City Hall pool was executed exactly as the organizers envisioned, and hopefully, will be something replicated again next year.

Mid Autumn Festival at Churchill Square

Attila the HUNgry’s duck tots

Wishing boats at City Hall

Recap: the 97 Street Night Market, 2014 edition

On August 23, 2014, the second annual 97 Street Night Market took place in the heart of Chinatown.

97 Street Night Market

Closing off part of 106 Avenue just off of 97 Street ensured we were accessible, and adjacent to several of the neighbourhood’s most popular restaurants.

Lion dance

The market built on much of the foundation we had established last year, comprised of vendors, Asian-themed food trucks, dynamic performers and walking tours.

Food trucks

New this year to our vendors was Sunny Snapshots. They provided attendees with the chance to take home a keepsake of the market with a photobooth picture (and props to enhance the shots!). The photos are also online in a digital format, for handy sharing.

Felicia and I crammed our props inside the booth

Rory Lee, a local artist, also committed to live painting a piece during the market. Many onlookers watched to see the progress he made throughout the night.

Rory Lee

We were fortunate to have Molly’s Eats back for a second year, who was joined by Nhon Hoa and Yellowbird. They provided a nice variety of dishes, from banh mi to sesame fish tacos. I personally enjoyed the braised beef shank wrapped in a green onion pancake from Molly’s Eats.

Fried rolls with beef from Molly’s Eats

The stage that night hosted a range of performers demonstrating more traditional arts to those who practice more modern endeavors. And they were all fantastic.

The sidelines were full that night

Vivian Tao, a twelve year old master of the Chinese guzheng, blew the crowd away with her talent. Wing Choy of the Red Dragon Tai Chi Club enthusiastically led a tai chi lesson. The Sung Lee Taekwondo Demo Team brought their A-game with their high energy routine.

Vivian Tao

Wing Choy

Sung Lee Taekwondo Demo Team

We also had two great K-pop dance crews: Rise to Beat and a favourite from last year, Convergence Dance Crew. Someone suggested we host a “dance off” in the future, but both crews are so passionate it would be hard to choose a winner!

Rise to Beat

Of all the elements of the night market, walking tours are perhaps closest to my heart. They’re something I always seek out when travelling, since they’re a great way to learn about the history and geography of a neighbourhood.

Returning guides Peter Wong and Lan Chan-Marples lead a Chinatown history tour

This year, I was most proud of the fact that we added a new tour to the mix that was all about the area’s culinary gems. A popular way to learn about Chinatowns all over North America, I was happy to finally bring such a concept back to Edmonton (I heard Judy Schultz, formerly of the Edmonton Journal, used to lead such tours herself).

Tour participants enjoy samples at Ying Fat

Wild Tangerine’s Wilson and Judy Wu did a phenomenal job introducing five of Chinatown’s food businesses to a small group of lucky individuals (we unfortunately couldn’t take everyone who was interested in the tour!). The food-filled stops included Ying Fat, Edmonton’s fresh tofu factory, who go through 1000 pounds of non-gmo soybeans sourced from Ontario, and Hing Lung, a barbecue shop that cures and roasts its own meat.

How many people can fit into Hing Lung?

The tour feedback was great; some commented that they would have gladly paid for the tour! Many participants also remarked that they now felt less intimidated in Chinatown, and would soon return to patronize the shops they now feel familiar with. Food tours in Edmonton’s Chinatown are definitely an untapped opportunity; I’m hopeful someone will pick up the torch in the future.

The market after dark

Overall, I am proud of what we achieved with the 97 Street Night Market. We not only created a vibrant, safe gathering place in Chinatown, but also highlighted some of what the neighbourhood has to offer.

With my co-organizers, Maria and Roxanne

Thanks to those who attended this year!

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