• The next Green Drinks on April 4, 2018, organized by The Local Good, is all about local food. Advance tickets are just $10.
• The Edmonton International BeerFest is back April 13-14, 2018 at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• Mark your calendar – the annual Culinary Arts Cook Off is scheduled for April 14, 2018. They just released their line-up of chefs.
• The family behind Lan’s Asian Grill decided to sell their business. I wish them the best in their new endeavours!
• Smokehouse BBQ will be relocating to 161 Street & 109 Avenue this spring.
• Vegetarian restaurant Copper Branch is opening up a location at 10310 Jasper Avenue.
• Plant-based butcher YamChops is coming to Edmonton.
• Vue Weekly is the latest to review Biera.
• Crystal has a pair of reviews for Soy & Pepper and Nello’s.
• Sharman recaps the last Swine & Dine supper at the Royal Glenora Club.
• The Local Good’s Restaurants of YEG series highlights Arcadia this week.
• Last week, the inaugural Alberta Beer Awards took place in Calgary. Take a look at the winners here, including Blind Enthusiasm, who was named Brewery of the Year.
• Congratulations to Kevin Kossowan on his James Beard nomination for From the Wild!
• For our first restaurant foray with Emily, we picked an old favourite: Route 99. We didn’t dawdle, but it was sure nice to have a meal out!

Hello, old friend

• The next in the NAIT Alumni Chef Popup Series features Chef Peter Keith of Meuwly’s on March 19, 2018. Tickets are $30.
• Mark your calendars – the next Dig In Horticultural Festival runs May 1-6, 2018.
• Buco’s Epcor Tower location (100, 10423 101 Street) is finally open.
• There’s now a storefront for folks to get their rolled ice cream fix – Rollie’s Ice Cream is located at Groat Road & 111 Avenue.
• Gourmet doughnuts are springing up everywhere – the newest venture is Apollo Donuts, which accepts pre-orders for pick-up on specified days at the Ritchie Market.
• The Raymond Block at Whyte Avenue & 105 Street will have a number of food services, including the seventh Remedy Cafe, Blaze Pizza, and Five Guys.
• The Journal reviewed Rooster Cafe.
• Twyla is the latest to visit The Moth Cafe.
• YEGCravings has a pair of reviews: Otto and Chutneys Indian Grill.
• Crystal shares her recent experience at one of her family’s old favourites, New Dragon Palace.
• Graham took a break from independent eateries to sample the fare from Montana’s.
• Linda wrote about the first ever Devour Canadian Rockies Food Film Fest at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge.
• Did you know Edmonton has its own local meal prep service (in the vein of Chef’s Plate and Hello Fresh)? It’s called Cook.Eat.Repeat.
• Learn more about the origins of the green onion cake, a summer festival staple.
• Aarde Kitchen & Bar will be opening in the space formerly occupied by Sandwich and Sons at 10184 104 Street.

Aarde Kitchen & Bar

• Historian Laureate Chris Chang-Yen Phillips’ next Let’s Find Out podcast will be a live panel discussion exploring the history of green onion cakes. Tickets to the March 10, 2018 event are $20 and include 2 green onion cakes!
• Food4Good’s next Fruit & Veggie Sale is on March 13, 2018.
• Parkallen is hosting an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet on March 18, 2018! Tickets are $20.
• This year’s Seedy Sunday is taking place on March 18, 2018.
• Preserve Food Truck has teamed up with High Level Diner for their first ever pop-up dinners, March 23-25, 2018.
• Masterchef Canada competitor Mai Nguyen is hosting another dumpling pop-up at Prairie Noodle on March 25, 2018.
• The second location of Splash Poke (on the south side) is set to open on March 14, 2018.
• Effing Seafoods will be opening a storefront location in St. Albert.
• Iconoclast Coffee now offers a subscription service for their coffees.
• Avenue Edmonton released their 2018 Best Restaurants list – among those recognized, RGE RD was again named “best overall”, while Biera snagged the award for “best new” restaurant.
• The Tomato has also published their 6th annual Top 100 Things to Eat or Drink in Edmonton.
• Ms. Hangry Foodie shared her brunch experience at the Rooster Cafe.
• The Globe is the latest to review The Butternut Tree.
• Graham was disappointed with his visit to Wishbone.
• Vue Weekly checked out Hui’s Wontons.
• The Journal shares one of their recommendations for cheap eats – Sunbake Pita Bakery.
• Leigh has a recap of how some local bloggers spent their Valentine’s Day.
• Vue also highlighted the story behind South Island Pies.
• Lillian has issued a challenge to bake macarons at home, to try to encourage more bakers to take on the tricky treat.
• Congrats to Jacob Pelletier of Duchess who will be competing in the Savour Patissier of the Year in Sydney, Australia in May.
• The sixth season of Top Chef Canada debuts on April 8, 2018. The list of competitors has been released – no Edmonton content, unfortunately.
• Health Canada is seeking consumer input on mandatory front-of-package nutrition symbols for foods high in saturated fats, sugars, and sodium. The survey closes April 26, 2018.
• Before baby Mack and I rarely had food delivered – we would prefer to dine in, or at the very least, pick up food to take home ourselves. I can see that changing now that we have Emily! Tonight, encouraged by Love Pizza’s great 2 for $20 deal, we tried out their new in-house delivery system (they’ve since moved away from using Skip the Dishes). They were super efficient!

I can’t get enough of their mac and cheeza

Emily is one month old today! I can’t believe the time has gone by so quickly. I couldn’t get to this post last week, with family in town, Lunar New Year celebrations, and Emily’s baby shower over the long weekend, but as a new parent, I’m learning to not sweat the small stuff! On to a catch-up edition of Food Notes:

• Get Cooking has organized their first ever Kitchen Challenge, running on March 2, 2018. Inspired home cooks can sign up to compete in a judged “black box” competition – the cost for two participants is $270.
• NAIT is hosting a reception-style food pop-up with XIX Nineteen’s Chef Andrew Fung on March 5, 2018. Tickets are $30.
• Mark your calendar – Downtown Dining Week is back, running from March 9-18, 2018. 35 restaurants are offering set menus for $18, $30, or $45.
• The Edmonton branch of the Canadian Culinary Federation is hosting a Taste of PEI fundraising dinner on March 10, 2018. Tickets for the 5-course meal are $110.
• This year’s High School Culinary Challenge Awards dinner takes place on March 12, 2018. Tickets are $35 and include a 3-course meal. Linda has a run down of the competition that occurred in February.
• It looks like Chartier’s first mini farmers’ market was such a success that it’s returning on March 12, 2018 from 4-8pm. On March 26, 2018, Chartier will also be hosting a Prairie on a Plate dinner – tickets for the 4-course meal are $75.
• The next Chef’s Showcase dinner hosted by the Italian Centre will feature the Shaw Conference Centre’s Serge Belair. It is scheduled for March 14, 2018, with tickets priced at $80.
• Want to learn about about how you can minimize food waste? Leftovers YEG is hosting an educational evening and meet and greet with their board on March 19, 2018.
• Cafe Bicyclette’s annual Sugar Shack dinners will be offered in March and April – book your space in their tent in advance.
• The sessions for this year’s Eat Alberta has been released. Tickets for the April 29, 2018 event are available here.
• Kids in the Hall (the social enterprise located in City Hall) has rebranded and reopened as The Hallway Cafe.
• Food in the Nud (a vendor at the City and Old Strathcona markets) now has a storefront location at 9628 76 Avenue.
• Macarons & Goodies has opened up a second location in St. Albert (50 St. Thomas Street).
• Buok Fresh, offering “Korean bowls inspired by mom’s kitchen”, is coming soon to 10707 100 Avenue.
• Yelo’d, a forthcoming shop that will serve up Asian-inspired soft serve and baked goods, is looking for your support – they’ve put up crowdfunding-style rewards in the hopes of raising some capital for their storefront.
• Squish Candies will have a location in Southgate Centre.
• North 53 will be closing as of March 31, 2018 (OEB, the Calgary-based breakfast restaurant, will be opening up a second location in that spot).
• Vue Weekly’s 2018 Golden Fork Award winners were released last week.
• Liane highlights some of the newest breakfast joints in Edmonton, including Brown Butter Cafe on the south side.
• Graham offers one of the first reviews of Why Not.
• Also from Graham, he had a near-perfect experience again at RGE RD.
• The Journal is the latest outlet to visit Mayday Dogs.
• Twyla had a positive experience at Pip.
• Crystal recently indulged in a seven-course meal at Characters.
• Vue Weekly pubilshed reviews of Nuovo Bistro, Rooster Kitchen & Cafe, and Sahara Palace.
• YEG Foodie has a recap of Northern Chicken’s “Ultra Hot Sandwich Challenge” – where diners sign a waiver before consuming a very spicy chicken sandwich in 20 minutes. Those who complete the challenge were rewarded with a t-shirt, ice cream, and the cost of the sandwich is waived.
• Maximo’s Pizza & Donair held a grand re-opening last weekend to let Edmontonians know the restaurant is back up and running. The owner Riza Kasikcioglu had become known for his heroics in saving residents from a burning building across the street last January.
• Twyla has a nice retrospective of how the Edmonton food scene has changed, particularly highlighting the leaps and bounds made over the last decade. Here is the article version of her piece.
• Fort Saskatchewan’s Two Sergeants Brewing Inc. is relocating to Edmonton.
• The Globe has a great read on Indigenous cuisine in Canada.
• Sharp Magazine rounds up some reasons to visit Edmonton.
• The Marc’s Patrick Saurette has been elected the Chair of the Board of Restaurants Canada, which represents a “community of 30,000 foodservice businesses, including restaurants, bars, caterers, institutions and suppliers.”
• The City of Edmonton has partnered with River City Events for the Hello, Let’s Eat! collaboration. Kits are available free of charge for those who want to host a community or neighbourhood meal, in the spirit of “turning strangers into friends”. It’s a great idea!
• Congratulations to Honest Dumplings and South Island Pie Company who have acquired production space in the Oliver area which will include a retail component featuring local products.
• Learn the story behind Winding Road Cheese.
• It was nice having my sisters back for a visit last week! Among the family activities was a cupcake taste test, in preparation for Felicia’s wedding this summer.

Cupcakes!

• We held Emily’s “sip and see” (aka her post-natal baby shower) last weekend. My Mum and my sisters did an amazing job organizing the party, and fulfilled my two requests: Zwick’s Pretzels, and a doughnut cake from Farrow (because all I craved during the pregnancy was pastries).

Savoury and sweet snacks for Emily’s “sip and see”

• City Market shoppers will be sad to learn that Ed Horvath of Sunshine Organic passed away earlier this month. Mack and I always enjoyed our weekly visits with Ed and Sherry as we picked up our eggs and poultry.  Condolences to Sherry and the rest of the family.

Ed and Sherry Horvath

I’m slowly finding my new rhythm at home with Emily – it’s definitely an ever-changing adventure! On to this week’s food notes:

• The next Swine & Dine dinner is taking place on March 15, 2018 at the Royal Glenora Club. Tickets to the 4-course meal are $75.
• Buco’s new Windermere location at 12249 Windermere Way SW is now open, while the long-awaited branch in the Epcor Tower will open in mid-March.
• Back in January, Explore India joined Filistix as a food truck-turned kiosk at MacEwan.
• The historic Gibbard Block in Highlands has been sold and will be renovated this spring – La Boheme is shutting down as of March 18, 2018.
• Liane has a run down of the fare available at the newest breakfast and lunch joint in Old Strathcona, Rooster Cafe.
• Speaking of brunch, Liane has more details about what to expect of OEB’s first Edmonton location (and details of a second location in North 53’s current space).
• The Journal reviews the fare at the Passport, the sister bar adjacent to Cosmos on 124 Street.
• Ms. Hangry Foodie found a very affordable afternoon tea option at Reinette Cafe.
• Twyla has the latest review of Mayday Dogs.
• Andrea found a new favourite in Pip’s brunch.
• Vue Weekly enjoyed their visit to Bodega Highlands.
• Graham finds consistency but not creativity at Cibo Bistro.
• Avenue Magazine is collecting suggestions for the best pizza spots in the city.
• Remedy has plans to expand to Calgary and Tofino in 2020.
• The Toronto Star rolled up 8 places they visited while in Edmonton.
• Liane shares the love story of Holy Roller Chefs Rafael D’Alcazar and Ariadna Uribe.
• Sharon tried the caramel and cornflake snacks offered by new local vendor Caramunchies (created by one of the founders behind Caramia Caramels).
• CBC Edmonton has been inviting local chefs to their “tiny kitchen” to cook easy-to-replicate recipes – check out their first four episodes with Red Ox Inn’s Sean O’Connor, Baijiu’s Lex Boldireff, Canteen’s Ryan O’Connor and Cafe Linnea’s Kelsey Johnson.
• It was promising to hear that Edmonton area mayors voted in favour of exploring how they might preserve agricultural land in the region.
• If Doritos had announced their “lady friendly chips” on April Fool’s Day, I wouldn’t have thought anything of it.
• I’ve been slowly re-integrating foods that were off-limits to me in pregnancy. Last week, this included a deliciously runny egg in Farrow’s incomparable Grick Middle sandwich. The cinnamon bun was a bonus I couldn’t pass up.

Grick Middle and something sweet from Farrow

It’s been a bit of a whirlwind for Mack and I this last week, as we welcomed our first child, daughter Emily Fengcai Male, into the world on January 26, 2018! As expected, it’s been a bit of an adjustment, but we love being parents! I’ll do my best to keep up with Food Notes as much as possible, but we’ll see how it goes. On to this week’s food notes:

• La Poutine Week runs nationally from February 1-7, 2018, and Edmonton has 7 participating restaurants offering their take on the popular dish.
• The Silver Skate Festival will be offering a new food and beverage event this year called Spirits on Ice. Taking place on February 9-10, 2018, it will be an opportunity to sample items from businesses including Blind Enthusiasm, Urban Tavern, Rig Hand Distillery, and Pasta Pantry. Admission is free, but food and drink tickets are priced at 10 for $10.
• A reminder that the Taste Alberta #ABFoodFight Culinary Combat, in support of the Alberta Diabetes Foundation, is taking place on February 12, 2018. Linda is giving away a pair of tickets – enter prior to February 8, 2018.
• Avenue Edmonton will be hosting their launch of their annual food issue on March 5, 2018 at the Edmonton Expo Centre. Tickets are $50.
• A high-end pop-up dining series starts March 6, 2018 called The Nomad Cook. Tickets for the four celebrity chef dinners runs $1200 – it’ll be interesting to see what type of uptake they receive.
• NAIT is giving away 4 pairs of tickets to the March 15, 2018 lunch prepared by this year’s Chef in Residence Rod Butters. Enter prior to March 6, 2018.
• The latest restaurant to fill the revolving door location of 8 Mission Avenue in St. Albert is Riverbank Bistro.
• Travellers at the Edmonton International Airport looking for a local food option will be happy to see that Delux Burger Bar will be joining the fray in a couple of months, just off gate 56.
• Chef Cory Rakowski will be opening Kitchener’s Taphouse & Grill in Old Strathcona.
• Chef Shelley Robinson, who helped open the restaurants in the Grand Villa Casino, has left Edmonton for Banff.
• The Alder Room was vandalized on Friday – I hope they get back on their feet soon enough.
• Cafe Linnea is changing up their high tea this month – they’re moving from a weekly to a monthly themed service.
• Inferno Coffee is a new roaster in Edmonton. Started by a firefighter, Inferno is also raising money and awareness for post-traumatic stress disorder, with 5% of proceeds going to a PTSD charity. They offer free delivery in Edmonton.
• Vue Weekly profiles the family behind Destination Doughnuts.
• Ms. Hangry Foodie reviewed Ohana Donuterie.
• Vue Weekly has a pair of reviews for The Moth Cafe and Gui Lin Noodle House.
• Sharon tried the baked goods and more substantial breakfast and lunch offerings at one of the newest cafes in south Edmonton, Brown Butter Cafe.
• Twyla loved the food at Chix Shack.
• I’m a big fan of the arepas at El Fogon so I’m happy that they’re getting more coverage – this time from Graham at the Sun.
• YEGCravings had a great experience at Let Eat Snow, and enjoyed a variety of dishes at T & D Vietnamese Noodle House.
• The Globe Diary’s latest brunch-venture took her to Pip, and she planned a date night at Woodwork.
• Awesome to see this glowing review of Zwick’s Pretzels, a definite gem in the local food scene, in the Globe & Mail.
• Graham reviews the pair of hot dog purveyors, Mayday Dogs and Montreal Hot Dogs, that opened in Ice District late last year.
• Sharman recaps what you missed at the last Taste Alberta Dinner, held at Prairie Noodle Shop.
• Jennifer Crosby (in for Ryan Jespersen) hosted a Restaurant Panel on January 29 with representatives from Duchess and Cafe Linnea, The Marc, and 1st Rnd sharing their perspectives on how the changes to Employment Standards have impacted their businesses.
• The latest That’s So Maven podcast features Lynsae and Marnie, the mother and daughter duo behind The Nook Cafe.
• Edmonton’s first kombucha micro brewery has launched a crowdfunding campaign with ATB BoostR. They hope to raise $10,000 to boost brewing capacity and modernize their bottling techniques.
• It looks like Edmonton has another food delivery service – Nomme entered the increasingly crowded market last week.
• I love pho, and I love a good cause, so it’s neat to see these two things married in a fundraiser called Phobruary: “Use the month of Phobruary as your excuse to get together with your friends, family, colleagues and clients over hot, delicious soup… and donate to the Food Bank!”
• With weather like this, it’s nice to look forward to summer – The Local Good’s very popular River Valley Medicinal Plant Walks is returning. The $60 tickets are still available for August 15.
• Cara Operations (who already owns chains like Swiss Chalet and Milestones), will be purchasing The Keg.
• I don’t go out for breakfast often, but when I do, I’m reminded of some of the gems in the city. This includes the bacon, cheddar, caramelized onions, eggs & arugula sandwich at Lock Stock Coffee. While it’s delicious with their house-made English muffin, I highly recommend upsizing to their herb and cheddar scone.

Breakfast sandwich at Lock Stock Coffee

• As mentioned above, Mack and I are thrilled with our new arrival!

Mack and I are absolutely thrilled to introduce Emily Fengcai (楓彩) Male! She was born on Friday, January 26 weighing 7 lbs 14 oz. We are busy learning about one another and enjoying all of the firsts (and trying to sleep when we can). We’re so in love! Thank you to the wonderful staff at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for making Emily’s entry into the world and our first few hours as parents so joyous and welcoming. We are very grateful!

A post shared by Sharon Yeo (@sharonxyeo) on Jan 29, 2018 at 11:52am PST

//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js

• Chinatown Dining Week is in full swing, on until January 28, 2018. 5 restaurants are offering 2-course, $15 dinner specials this week – check out the menus.
• Love Pizza is celebrating their second birthday downtown on January 28, 2018 with a buy one-get one special that day! Even better, $1 from each pizza will be donated to the Bissell Centre!
• Food4Good’s first affordable Fruit & Veggie Sale of the year is taking place on January 30, 2018 at the Glenwood Community League.
• Winefest Edmonton is back on February 16-17, 2018 at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• Bodega’s third location in the former Dish and Runaway Spoon at 12417 Stony Plain Road opens on January 26, 2018.
• New coffee shops are popping up all over the city – The Mudpie Cafe is among them, located at 14238 85 Avenue, adjacent to the child-friendly MudPie Playhouse.
• It looks like Watari is opening up a second location on Jasper Avenue and 105 Street, to focus on more quick-serve items.
• East Coast restaurant Atlantic Trap and Gill will be closing on March 29, 2018.
• Andrea discovered at The Moth that plant-based cuisine can be good.
• On the same front, Liane wrote a feature on southside vegetarian restaurant Good Stock.
• Leduc checked out the fresh doughnuts at Ohana Donuterie.
• Crystal reviewed both Revel and Black Bull Kitchen & Bar.
• Graham is the latest to rave about the sausages at Salz.
• Jonny hit up T & D Noodle House in the Alberta Avenue neighbourhood.
• The Mexican flavours at La Patrona are worth the trek out to Sherwood Park, says Vue Weekly.
• Also from Vue Weekly, they rounded up 5 of their must-try spots that opened in 2017.
• Great piece from Liane about how local restaurants have embraced food delivery apps. CBC also discussed this movement with Chef Eric Hanson from Prairie Noodle Shop.
• Chef Paul Shufelt hopes a trend he noted about poor and indifferent service is discontinued in the local food scene.
• The Local Good has begun a Restaurants of YEG series. The first to be profiled is Cafe Linnea.
• It’s always great to see local representatives on food competition shows, and even better when they happen to be kids! 12 year old Alex Czajka is currently featured on the Food Network’s Kids Baking Championship as the only Canadian competitor.
• Jacek Chocolate Couture is launching a new look (and some new flavours!) for their artisan chocolate bar line on January 26, 2018.
• The Globe & Mail offers up some predictions for the Alberta food scene in 2018.
• I only stopped in for a bagel at the Rooster Cafe & Kitchen last week, but the service was excellent enough to bring me back for a full meal. The bagel was pretty good too, freshly baked from dough the cafe has shipped in from Toronto.

Everything bagel from Rooster Cafe & Kitchen

• I finally picked up my Alberta BoostR reward from supporting a crowdfunding campaign initiated by Sugared & Spiced last year to open their storefront. It was a hard job eating all of those cookies, but someone had to do it (the Girls’ Night In cookie is still my favourite).

A dozen cookies from Sugared & Spiced

• Mack and I have been meaning to try the sandwich side of the menu at Zwick’s Pretzels for some time, and finally had the chance to do so over the weekend. The bacon & egg sandwich (with house-cured back bacon and of course, a house-made pretzel bun) was everything I was hoping for and more.

Bacon & egg sandwich at Zwick’s Pretzels

• A reminder that Chinatown Dining Week kicks off January 20 and runs until January 28, 2018. 5 restaurants are offering 2-course menus for just $15.
• Prairie Noodle Shop is hosting a Taste Alberta dinner on January 21, 2018 featuring local ingredients. Tickets are $70 plus tax.
• The first Dining with Friends event of the year, organized by the Friends of the Royal Alberta Museum Society, will be taking place at Wheat Garden Bazaar on January 25, 2018. Limited tickets are available for $37.
• Those interested to learn about how to grow our own microgreens and sprouts may want to consider attending a workshop by Wild Green Garden Consulting on January 25, 2018. Tickets are $35.
• Tickets are already available for Ice on Whyte’s 4th annual Whiskey Stew Off on February 4, 2018 – taste 4 versions and vote for your favourite at El Cortez. Tickets are $8.
• Always great to see when farmers’ market vendors expand to brick and mortar locations – congratulations to Golomein on their grand opening at 2976 Ellwood Drive SW today.
• Let’s Grill Sushi and Izakaya is now open downtown at 10709 Jasper Avenue.
• Splash Poke is expanding to the south side, with a second location in the works on Calgary Trail near Whitemud Drive.
• Graham enjoyed his savoury dishes at Pip, but was disappointed with dessert.
• Vue Weekly had a positive experience at An Chay.
• Linda puts the spotlight on a delightful family-run eatery called El Fogon (I also love their arepas!).
• Twyla was happy with her visit to London Local.
• The Journal was hoping the food would match the excellent decor of Holy Roller.
• Jonny checked out Hanjan for dessert.
• Linda partnered with The Rec Room to promote their Make My Donut contest – contribute your doughnut creation for your treat’s chance to be featured at one of their two locations.
• It’s a little early to plan for summer, but I couldn’t resist linking to these too-cute t-shirts available at Tix on the Square featuring Edmonton’s unofficial culinary mascot – green onion cakes.
• NAIT has announced that Chef Rod Butters of Kelowna will be the 10th Hokanson Chef in Residence, and will be sharing his expertise with culinary program students in March.
• This week’s Monacle’s Menu podcast mentions Edmonton’s online edible food map.
• Culinare Magazine offers up 8 food and drink trends for 2018.
• It looks like a new restaurant will be trying their hand at turning over a space that has proven difficult – look for Drunken Ox/Sober Cat to open some time at the corner of 104 Street and 102 Avenue.

Drunken Ox/Sober Cat

• District Cafe debuted a new dinner menu in December featuring sourdough-based pizzas. I met up with Su last week to try one, and can report back that it was delicious! The sausage pizza wasn’t my first choice (they were out of pepperoni and mushroom), but after tasting it, it might just become my favourite – I loved the crumbled Salz bratwurst on top of the chewy, tangy crust.

Sausage pizza at District

• It’s been some time since I’ve been to Cafe Amore, so I couldn’t think of a better place to have my last work lunch of the year.

My usual order of truffle chicken pasta at Cafe Amore

• The Vatican City burger from Burger’s Priest is our go-to when we’re looking for something gluttonous (they use two grilled cheese sandwiches in place of a usual burger bun). It always hits the spot.

Vatican City from Burger’s Priest

I can’t believe it’s already a week into the New Year! I was able to have a nice (albeit short) break over the holidays – I hope you were able to have the same rejuvenating time away! Lots to catch up on though:

• The Italian Centre is hosting a dinner showcasing XIX Nineteen’s Chef Andrew Fung on January 10, 2018. Tickets are $80.
• Mark your calendars for the inaugural Chinatown Dining Week, running January 20-28, 2018. 5 restaurants will be offering 2-course $15 dinner specials over the nine days. The menus are now online!
• Town Square Brewing will be introducing some of their brunch creations on January 28, 2018.
• The Alberta Diabetes Association is hosting a Culinary Combat Luncheon on February 12, 2018 to help bust myths and educate attendees about how to create a healthy lifestyle. Tickets are $60.
• Did you know Atco Blue Flame Kitchen offers cooking classes? They released the schedule for the next three months.
• Jollibee, the popular Fillipino fast food restaurant, will be opening an Edmonton location on a yet-to-be-determined date.
• The Tomato is collecting nominations for their Top 100 best things to eat in Edmonton. The ballot is open from January 8 until February 2, 2018.
• Sharman lists five reasons you should check out brunch at the Dogwood Cafe (located at the Victoria Golf Course).
• The Journal reviews the vegetarian offerings of An Chay.
• Sharon is the latest to visit London Local.
• District Cafe now offers pizza on its dinner menu, and Phil is a fan.
• Twyla praised the sausage at Salz.
• Cindy provides a great rundown of the menu at Wishbone.
• Crystal is one of the first to review Villa Bistro.
• Vue Weekly had a positive experience at Fuqing Lanzhou Noodles.
• YEGCravings enjoyed the food at Bar Clementine.
• Linda covers the continued expansion of Popeye’s in Edmonton.
• CBC offers their year-end list of Edmonton’s best restaurants in a variety of categories.
• Where Edmonton Magazine published their 2017 Best New Restaurant Awards.
• Vue Weekly rounds up some of their favourite dishes from 2017.
• Eat North also posted their picks for the best new restaurants on the Prairies.
• Crystal offers her opinion on Edmonton’s top 24 eateries of 2017.
• If you haven’t already seen it, Liane put together a great summary of Edmonton’s year in food. She also highlighted her story on mental health in kitchens as her favourite story of 2017.
• Graham took some time to praise the pioneers and young talent in the local food scene.
• Three of the city’s longest-running restaurants (Blue Willow, The Commodore, The Sugar Bowl) share their secrets to success.
• Travel blogger Girl Tweets World visited Edmonton back in the fall and shares her highlights.
• The Government of Alberta is soliciting feedback on their proposed Local Food Act. The online survey is open until January 19, 2018.
• Boxing Day seemed like an odd time to release the news, but it’s great to hear that Open Farm Days broke records in 2017, recording over 20,000 visits in two days.
• Mack and I were ecstatic to find out that our beloved mac & cheeza is back at Love Pizza!

Mac & cheeza from Love Pizza

• Over the weekend, we finally had the chance to check out some new places in Old Strathcona, including Pip, the third restaurant from the folks behind The Next Act and Meat. It’s a cute spot, with a simple but well-executed menu. Mack enjoyed their traditional eggs benedict, while their classic grilled cheese and tomato soup hit the spot for me.

Traditional eggs benedict from Pip

Grilled cheese and tomato soup from Pip

• We also headed to Ohana Donuterie, which opened in December. Although there are now several bakeries specializing in doughnuts, Ohana stands out with their made-to-order treats. We can attest that the cinnamon sugar and vanilla custard was delicious!

Ohana Donuts!

It’s hard to believe Christmas is a week away – where has the time gone? I’m looking forward to some down time with friends and family, and of course, to the food! A heads up that I won’t be posting Food Notes next week. If you’re celebrating the holidays, all the best of the season to and yours!

• Butcher Jeff Senger of Sangudo Meats is leading hands-on workshops on pork butchery and charcuterie on December 30, 2017. Tickets run $135-$295.
• Deep Freeze, which runs January 13-14, 2018 on Alberta Avenue, is bringing back their tourtiere baking contest – they’re looking for entrants for your chance to win gift cards from Chapters (and the title, of course).
• La Carraria, Edmonton’s newest gelato shop, is now open at 10067 109 Street.
• The Rooster Cafe (which replaced Artisan Resto-Cafe at 10732 82 Avenue) is in its soft opening phase.
• Congrats to Credo who opened their third location in the Kelly-Ramsay Building last week! Check them out at 10062 101A Street.
• Did you know Bubba Gump Shrimp Company is coming to Edmonton? They’re opening at West Edmonton Mall in March 2018.
• Some time in 2018, the cafe in Holt Renfrew will re-open as Colette Grand Cafe. I’ve been to the original in Toronto, and I think it’s safe to say it’ll fit in well with its surroundings.
• On December 22, 2017, Urban Tavern is launching what they’re calling “Canada’s largest beer wall”, featuring self-serve taps (the same system found at Barney’s in Leduc).
• The Butternut Tree will begin offering brunch on January 14, 2018.
• The Yards annual “Best in the Core” features some suggestions on some secret food gems and where you can spice things up in Downtown and Oliver.
• The Journal had a positive take on brunch at Vintage Fork, the new restaurant inside the historic Rutherford House.
• YEG Cravings reviews the treats at Destination Doughnuts.
• Vue Weely is the latest to check out YEG Burger.
• Graham enjoyed the food at Loft Thai Eatery on the south side.
• Crystal stumbled upon Mai Vietnamese Fusion located on BRBN Street in West Edmonton Mall.
• Also from Crystal – she had a mixed experience at Little India Cuisine.
• Taproot’s latest feature is all about food waste in Edmonton.
• Jason Foster responds to the notion that Canada is reaching “peak craft beer”.
• It’s been a while since my last visit to Viphalay, but their pad thai was just as good as I remembered! They’re one of the restaurants that will be participating in our inaugural Chinatown Dining Week (more details to come!).

Pad Thai from Viphalay

• On Friday, Mack and I commemorated the ten year anniversary of a fateful trip to New York. One of the first places we tried in Manhattan was the tourist-oriented Burger Joint, a quick-serve eatery tucked behind a curtain at Le Parker Meridien. So although a flight back to New York would have been better, the next best thing was to a trek to our similarly named but unrelated establishment in Edmonton. We appreciate their consistency, and the tarter dipping sauce that accompanies their fries helps them stand out.

Our meal at The Burger Joint

• While the City Market is still our go-to farmers’ market, we switch it up a bit in the winter months with occasional trips to the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market. It’s a bit dangerous though, as we can combine those visits with the excuse to pick up something sweet from one of the many bakeries that have opened up in that neighbourhood in the last year. This weekend, it was a jaunt to Ace Coffee Roasters, where we were won over by their delicious brown butter donuts.

Tempting display case at Ace Coffee Roasters

• Mack and I headed to King Noodle House to properly fuel up before an afternoon of Christmas shopping on Sunday.

Bun bo Hue from King Noodle House