The Lunar New Year is just around the corner! For all those celebrating this weekend – may it be a good year for you and your loved ones! On to this week’s food notes:

• Home decor and kitchenware store Dansk in Southgate is closing on February 9, 2013.
• Still looking for a Valentine’s Day reservation? Well, ditch the restaurant – you can pre-order a picnic basket that you can bring home for a cozy night with your sweetie.
• Vue reviews Safron’s Caribbean Delight on 118 Avenue.
• Avenue profiles three Chinese restaurants leading up to the New Year.
• Liv posted a map of her favourite places to eat on Dine and Write.
• Nomad and the Volstead Act’s new venture in the McLeod Building now has a name: you can look forward to the opening of Woodwork some time soon!
• Good luck to Chef Nathin Bye as he represents Edmonton in the Gold Medal Plates final this weekend!
• Here’s a reason to go to Winnipeg – Raw: Almond, their pop-up restaurant on the frozen river. Yes, you read that right.
• Burger King is embroiled in its own “tainted meat” scandal – one of their UK beef suppliers had their meat tested, and it came up positive for horse meat.
• Mack and I attended Raj Patel’s evening session at International Week last Wednesday. He was speaking about food cultures for sustainability to a packed house. One of the points he made was regarding the impact of colonialism on local food cultures (he gave the example of Mozambique, desperate for wheat because of Portuguese influence, in spite of the fact that the region is hostile to producing that crop). I’d never really considered the negative impact of colonialism on food – so much of what we encounter are positive examples of cultures intersecting (such as the banh mi, which speaks to French influence on Vietnamese culture). I also loved Patel’s point about the importance of joy in food culture, told through his experience of teaching Malawian men cooking skills – they bought in only when they were a part of the process, and felt some ownership.

Raj Patel

• Mack and I met up with his Dad and siblings for dinner on the weekend. Mongolie Grill was selected primarily for its location (downtown and close to an LRT station), given we didn’t think (from our previous experiences) that the food would be worth the price. While we recognize that the self-serve, assemble-your-own-stir-fry nature is ideal for picky eaters, we couldn’t get over how busy the restaurant was, especially when presented with small portions and inconsistent quality (the meat was overcooked, while seafood fared surprisingly better, not to mention – we watched a customer at the sauce station stick her finger in the vat for a taste). For the combined $30 cost of two plates, we could have dined on multiple courses at Garden Bakery, or a similar Chinese restaurant. Sound off: how does a restaurant like this continue to thrive?

Our plates at Mongolie Grill

In the past few months this blog has experienced a noticeable drop in posts when I’m a) sick or b) overwhelmed at work. This past week was a bit of both, but Mack and I have some fun things to attend in the upcoming period that should balance things out nicely. Hope you have an equally good week! On to this week’s food notes:

• The Tomato has held over the deadline to contribute to their list of “100 best things to eat in Edmonton”. Make sure your voice is heard here, by January 31, 2013!
• Staff Meal Edmonton have released the details of their next event – a tea party with multiple seatings on February 3, 2013 at Cally’s Teas. Tickets are $45.
• The next Dishcrawl event, which aims to explore restaurants in a particular neighbourhood, is set for February 19 and 20, 2013. This time, they will be leading diners through four High Street and Westmount establishments. Tickets are $50.
• Liane’s taking her next food tour to Italy in May! It sounds like it will be an amazing trip.
• Liv shares some of the food trends and concepts she’d like to see in our city (mentioned in the post that I didn’t know – Bistro La Persaud has since closed).
• Craving Canteen’s bread pudding? With this recipe from City and Dale, you can now replicate it at home!
• Quinoa, the superfood that everyone can’t get enough of, was in the news last week – it is now becoming so valuable that the Bolivians and Peruvians who grow it can no longer afford to eat it themselves.
• Every so often, another story about photography bans at restaurants is released. This week, it was from the New York Times.
• I love the visuals by Jill Stanton on Nomad’s butcher paper window dressing (announcing their storefront at 10132-100 Street), but for those just walking by not knowing what’s to come, it probably would be helpful to have the words “Nomad” somewhere on the pages.

Nomad: coming soon

• When Mack had a sudden craving for ginger beef and special fried rice on the weekend, we headed to Pagolac in Chinatown to satisfy it. We used to be regulars at the southside location until we moved downtown and became less reliant on a car (and, well, I discovered Pho Tau Bay). Still, it was comforting to return to an old standby.

Ginger beef and special fried rice

Pho with medium sliced beef and brisket

• Jennifer attended the media preview for Sage’s January 24, 2013 Mushroom Festival – she sums it up perfectly: “Five courses in honour of a food that peaks in darkness and chill of winter.” What more can one ask for?
• Liv enjoyed the Italian fare at Massimo’s – I’ll have to stop by myself after picking up groceries next door one day!
• Vue Weekly favourably reviewed The Makk on 124.
• Is the new Delux in Magrath too small for its own good? (I had no idea it took over a former Wok Box storefront.)
• Andrea visited the Underground Tap and Grill recently, and found its pub fare worth returning for.
• Marlow Moo had a disappointing experience at the rebranded Cafe Select.
• Karlynn shows us how fun it is to cook with a professional chef – in this case, with ZINC’s Chef David Omar.
• Did you read Liane’s piece on skinny chefs? No, it’s not an oxymoron – chefs can lead both active and indulgent lives!
• Have you ever played phone stacking? I haven’t, but it doesn’t seem like a bad idea to put aside our technological devices for the span of a meal (not sure I will ever get Mack on board with the game, however…).
• Vue reports on Edmonton’s (okay, technically, St. Albert’s) newest brewery, Hog’s Head. Interesting to note, they will be packaging their beer in cans as opposed to bottles.
• Calgary’s CHARCUT is continuing their popular series of pop-up restaurant events on January 26, 2013, with Charpopluck. Wish I could be there!
• Everyone’s been buzzing about Coca Cola’s new ad that sees the soda behemoth take some responsibility for the obesity epidemic in America – at least in the first half of the commercial.
• Mack and I were lucky enough to be invited by Edmonton Economic Development Corporation to attend An Evening with Oprah, which took place tonight at Rexall Place. Though I did not watch her talk show religiously, I felt her presence in our house as my Mum was a fan. I wasn’t sure what to expect at the event, but Oprah delivered an inspiring talk laced with stories from her childhood and career. I particularly appreciated her thread on “surrendering” – sometimes we just have learn to be at peace with the situations we encounter. Mack wrote a much lengthier post on the night here.

Oprah!

While I appreciate the warmer weather (it makes going out for winter walks much less of a chore), it’d be better if things stayed below freezing. It’s going to be hard to keep my pants clean with cars entering the splash zone…Onto this week’s food notes:

• In conjunction with International Week, the University of Alberta Office of Sustainability is hosting Raj Patel, who will be speaking on food cultures for sustainability on January 30, 2013. Admission is free.
• Fork Fest, which runs from January 20-24 and 27-31, 2013, has started to post their menus. Prix fixe menus are not consistently priced, which makes it a bit more difficult to browse, but given the range of casual to more upscale eateries participating, perhaps it suits individual establishments better.
• A new wine bar opened up in the Illuminada 2 last Thursday, called Jono’s Bar (11931 Jasper Avenue).
• Vue Weekly has a great profile on Canteen, brought to you by Frank and Andrea Olson of the Red Ox Inn. I love that their menu is built around sharing!
• Vue Weekly reviewed Panciteria de Manila (9653 102 Ave). Sounds like a great, inexpensive option downtown!
• Marianne wrote about her recent visits to Canteen, Sloppy Hogs Roed Hus and The Underground Tap and Grill.
• Cindy reviewed the recently opened north side location of Pho Hoan Pasteur.
• The craft beer market is heating up in Edmonton, with Calgary’s Craft Beer Market set to invade our city in the spring.
• I was remiss in not linking to Valerie’s thorough post on 2013 trends, which covers the continued rise in local food and urban agriculture, food education, food writing and social networking. A must read!
• #yegfood was the #3 hashtag employed by local users in 2012!
• At Deep Freeze this weekend, Mack and I opted to try empanadas from Paraiso Tropical (9136 118 Ave), a Latin food market. We were able to get 4 empanadas for just $10, and they were the perfect snack enjoyed by a warm fire. The red corn empanada was particularly good.

Empanadas Paraiso Tropical

A few years ago, we spent our Christmas holidays watching the first few seasons of Mad Men, as we had jumped on the show’s bandwagon quite late. This year, I spent much of the holidays catching up on past episodes of Scandal, the juicy drama focused on Olivia Pope, D.C.’s most sought after crisis manager. It’s soapy and over the top, but I can’t get enough of the plot twists and betrayals. On to this week’s food notes:

• Congratulations to Nomad, who announced that they are moving into a bricks and mortar location this year! Look for them in the McLeod Building.
• Knifewear finished a successful run of their pop-up store on December 31, but has promised a permanent location in Edmonton in 2013. It’s about time!
• To celebrate their 100th edition to be published in March, The Tomato is looking for your recommendations for their list of top 100 best things to eat in Edmonton. Make a suggestion by January 25, 2013 for your chance to win prizes.
• I’m sure the reviews for Canteen will start to pour in soon, but here’s the first from Little Miss Andrea.
• The Journal published a glowing review for Sloppy Hogs Roed Hus – it’s not for the meat weary!
• Little Miss Andrea checked out Izakaya Tomo over the holidays. It’s on my must-try list!
• Jennifer Cockrall-King’s popular Okanagan Food and Wine Writers’ Workshops is taking place in Kelowna from April 28 – May 1, 2013. Look for more details to be posted on January 16, 2013.
• It’s the time of year for food forecasts: check out Liane’s here, and Paul Shufelt’s here (I will say I respectfully disagree with Paul that food trucks are on the way out!).
• Marlow Moo posted her list of trends she’d both like to see, and prefer would disappear, in 2013.
• Eatocracy shares trends they’d like to see in 2013 (I love the idea of interesting virgin cocktails), and the NYT throws down their 10 trends for 2013 (I can see chicharrones taking root here too).
• On the weekend, we met up with my parents at Pampa. They’ve never been, and though we’ve been before, it took us over a year to ready ourselves for another night of carnivorous gluttony. There were some misses with the selections offered, but we enjoyed most of them, with chicken and pork sausage being the favourites around the table. Since our last visit, Pampa has stepped up the table service as well, asking on numerous occasions whether we had any meat items that they could send our way (instead of having to wait for a particular kind of meat to make the rounds). On the other hand, an off-putting change was Pampa’s adoption of Q Water (the filter system that is de rigueur in Edmonton right now). We asked for tap water, but were told it wasn’t an option. We paid the $2/person for water, but it was a cost that did not go down easy.

Bring on the meat

• Mack and I also started our New Year off right with a visit to La Poutine!

La Poutine

• On the walk home from La Poutine, we finally found the skating rink at the Legislature that has eluded us for some time. It turns out it is located behind the building, our own little Wollman-esque rink in the city.

Beautiful night for a skate

I hope you all had a restful Christmas, and are all geared up for the New Year. Isn’t it crazy how time flies? At least the weather is co-operating for our transition into 2013. May it be a good year for you! On to this week’s food notes:

• Mark your calendars: Fork Fest will be taking place January 20-24 and 27-31, 2013.
• Century Hospitality Group has announced their next venture, The Parlour Italian Kitchen & Bar, to open in Spring 2013 at 10334 108 Street.
• The Journal featured a roundup of their writers’ favourite meals in 2012. Cafe Amore was a prominent pick.
• Huffington Post crowd-sourced their “Best New Restaurants in Canada 2012” list by looking at peer-review sites like UrbanSpoon, Chowhound and Yelp and also local bloggers and newspapers. Congrats to local restaurants Three Boars and Sloppy Hogs who made the list!
• Vue Weekly has a great snapshot of local bakers in the city in their own words – how it all began, their approach to baking, and trends for the next year.
• Liv shared what she hopes won’t be on the menu, food-wise, for 2013.
• Huffington Post wrote about 20 food and health trends they expect to see in 2013.
• I was remiss in not linking to the NYT/Pete Wells epic takedown of Guy Fieri’s Times Square restaurant, Guy’s American Kitchen & Bar, earlier. Given people are still talking about, seems its better late than never.
• Massimo’s Cucina Italiana, the Italian Centre’s venture into the restaurant world, opened in December. It is located next to the south side Italian Centre, at 5012 104A Street.

Massimo’s Cucina Italiana

• Working between Christmas and New Year’s, I resolved to reward myself a bit by not packing brown bag lunches. Instead, I used it as an excuse to warm up with pho.

Pho from Mama Pizza/Pho Huang

Although there are still some things on the to do list in preparation for the holidays (baking, a bit more shopping), I feel worlds ahead compared with a week ago. And not a moment too soon, given we’re just over a week away to Christmas! Hope you’re getting into the Christmas spirit too! On to this week’s food notes:

• I know we’re not yet at Christmas, but for those already looking ahead to New Year’s, Chef Andrew Parker is offering a $65 four-course dinner at a New Year’s Eve Gala at his new venue.
• Want a peek inside Kitchen by Brad? It’s rarely open to the public, but will be December 19-21, 2012 for last minute stocking stuffers.
• Central Social Hall (10909 Jasper Avenue) opened up on December 14, 2012. Walking past it this weekend, it looks like the secret’s already out!
• Canteen (10522 124 Street), the little sister restaurant to the Red Ox Inn, opened up on December 15, 2012. The menu looks great, though if I’m honest, it’s their brunch that I’m really after (which doesn’t start until January 2013). Looking forward to my first visit already.
• I was excited to read that an izakaya has come to town! Cindy posted about her pre-opening experience at Izakaya Tomo (3739 99 Street), which opened on December 15, 2012. Will it be Edmonton’s Guu?
• Need a winter warm-up? Check out Vue’s profile of unique hot chocolates from T.H.I.S. Place and Block 1912. We bought some of the hot chocolate pops from T.H.I.S. Place and tried them at home last week – we enjoyed the process of making the drink almost as much as the chocolate itself!
• Vue also published an article about Evoolution, one of our own go-to gift shops this Christmas.
• There was a great profile of Get Cooking proprietor Kathryn Joel (and an amazing Christmas dinner she prepared), last week in the Journal.
• Also in the Journal, a piece about some of the wonderful work Slow Food Edmonton has been doing with a second stage women’s shelter, empowering the clients with not only cooking skills, but the tools they can use once they find a permanent home.
• At Evoolution on Saturday, we stumbled upon a display for locally-made Violet Chocolate Company bars. We picked up a banana chip one to try; Mack liked the pairing of milk chocolate, while I appreciated that the banana flavour wasn’t overwhelming.

Violet Chocolate Company

• Target was celebrating their forthcoming store openings in Churchill Square of all places on Saturday. We didn’t stay for their big art reveal, but I really loved the mobile hot chocolate dispensers their staff had, complete with cup receptacles and a fill gun. How about we incorporate these into our Winter Strategy?

Mobile hot chocolate – what’s next?

• At West Edmonton Mall on Sunday (it really wasn’t a smart decision to tackle the mall, but it had to be done), we stumbled upon a Fat Franks kiosk in the Phase 2 food court (open since November). It’s always great to see local representation amongst the chains! Cindy reviewed it here.

Fat Franks

• We also stopped in at Duchess this weekend, and marvelled at their gingerbread Notre Dame d’Epices cathedral. CBC wrote a story about Garner’s labour of love.

Gorgeous gingerbread cathedral

• My work team had our holiday lunch at Sorrentino’s in Little Italy today. It seemed like the place to be this afternoon, with the Mayor dining at one table, and the Oilers brass (MacT, Tambellini and Kevin Lowe, among others) at another. The food was all right – I did enjoy the mushroom cream sauce on my cannellini – but I was more impressed with how the restaurant handled a full house seamlessly during the lunch rush. Bravo.

Cannellini with mushroom cream sauce

After being sick on and off for the better part of a month, I think I’m finally back to being myself! I feel like I need to get back into routine, but more importantly, get into the holiday spirit. I hope you’re enjoying your December so far! On to this week’s food notes:

• Marianne wrote about some great new lines of small batch chocolate available in Edmonton, including The Jones Chocolate Company and The Violet Chocolate Company.
• Lillian posted about a value-laden fine dining buffet available at Ernest’s for just $25.
• First there was Burger King’s meat-scented cologne. Now, Pizza Hut has released a pizza-scented perfume.
• Safeway announced their support of a “Buy Alberta” campaign last week, launched by the Alberta Food Processors Association (AFPA). The campaign aims to help consumers more easily identify food processed at home (not unlike the Eat Local First campaign that started in 2009). Led by the AFPA, it is no surprise that a recent walk through a Safeway store emphasized products in the belly of the store (not a single item in the produce section was flagged with the “Buy Alberta” label), though to be fair, some of the items weren’t as glaringly away from point of origin as the juice below – Sunny Boy for example, is a great line of local flour that Safeway carries. At the very least, the “Buy Alberta” campaign does help to raise awareness, but only time will tell if it does help influence consumer habits.

Buy Alberta markers

• We finally had the chance to check out Knifewear’s pop-up shop on the weekend! We weren’t ready to commit to buying a knife that day, but we think we will be back before they pack up for the year on December 31.

Knifewear

• After a nearby meeting on Sunday, Mack and I had brunch at Urban Diner off Whyte Avenue. There was a bit of a wait to get in (they were serving some huge parties), but after that, service was pretty smooth sailing. The poffertjes were delicious!

Poffertjes

Traditional eggs benedict

Two eggs any style

• Earls (formerly Tin Palace) reopened on Saturday to much fanfare, revealing their $5 million renovation. Mack and I missed the weekend opening, but were invited for a complimentary dinner tonight. The interior feels much more open now, with low banquet seating in the dining room. As a whole, the leather, dark metal finishings and Edison bulbs reminded me very much of Charcut. The food, as per the Earls standard, was approachable and consistent, though we were particularly happy to try some items such as the soft baked pretzels that can only be found at that location. For a Monday night, the restaurant was bustling – I’m sure the secret’s already out that this Earls is back.

Soft baked pretzels with a three cheese dip

Albacore tuna poke nachos

My buttermilk fried chicken sandwich

Mack’s Bronx Burger with onion rings

• The biggest food news this week was undoubtedly the announcement that The Blue Pear is closing on December 23, 2012 after 12 years of operation. In an interview with the Journal, co-owner Jessie Radies said, “I think restaurants have a lifespan, and we’ve hit the end of Blue Pear.” On the bright side, it will be replaced by RGE RD, another locally-inspired restaurant by former Madison’s Grill Executive Chef Blair Lebsack in mid-2013.
• Also in the news – Smokehouse BBQ, which just launched their Edmonton location in October, was badly damaged by a fire on Wednesday. This coincidentally on the heels of a very positive review in the Journal. To get your Smokehouse fill, you can still head out to their Leduc location!
• Nomad teased the twittersphere with the following tweet: “we’ve teamed up w/ @theVolsteadAct and have some big news about our brick and mortar space TBA shortly! we are so excited!!”. Great to hear another food truck is heading indoors – looking forward to finding out more.
• I know your December calendar is probably chock full, but if you have time, stop by NextGen’s outdoor patio party at Public House on December 8, 2012. Don’t you think we could use more outdoor opportunities  in the winter to sit back and soak up our city? (and yes, there will be heaters).
• Earls Tin Palace reopens to the public on December 9, 2012 after a $5 million dollar renovation.
• Liane wrote about T.H.I.S. Place’s new hot chocolate pops – real chocolate on a stick meant to dissolved into milk or water for hot chocolate. I’ve been meaning to try them myself, and they look like they would make great gifts!
• Maki took some beautiful pictures of her meal at The Makk.
• Vue Weekly published a good profile on Shovel and Fork last week.

I spent the weekend in Calgary, visiting with Annie and Andres who moved there over the summer. It’s always nice to get away, especially when it involves catching up with old friends! On to this week’s food notes:

• Have a foodie on your shopping list? 124 Street is hosting a bazaar on November 29, 2012 at The Roxy Theatre which will feature quite a few food vendors with great options for gifting.
• Mark your calendars: the businesses on 104 Street are hosting a Customer Appreciation Day on December 4, 2012. Check out the deals to be had here.
• Chop’s Downtown location in the Sutton Place Hotel (10235 101 Street) opened today.
• Sounds like the Italian Centre’s restaurant venture, Massimo’s Cucina Italiana, will open the first week in December.
• Karlynn reviewed Creole Envie this week – sounds like their muffalatta is a must-try for olive lovers!
• Haven’t been to Knifewear’s Edmonton pop-up shop yet? Cindy gives you a peek of their inventory.
• Vue Weekly profiles Chef Andrew Fung and his newest venture XIX.
• The Shaw Conference Centred hired a new executive pastry chef this month. Welcome, Arthur Chen, to Edmonton!
• A report came out this week criticising the enforcement of Canada’s organic standards.
• I’d been meaning to check out Zocalo’s new glassed-in space, and was finally able to do so on Friday. It feels grand, with high ceilings and bright lights, anchored by their long wooden table (coffee, anyone?). They also had the spaced dressed and ready for the holidays – I know I will be returning for some gift shopping in the coming weeks.

Zocalo

Ready for the holidays!

• While in Calgary, I had the chance to stop by Oliv in Kensington, very similar to Edmonton’s Evoolution. The shop focuses only on olive oils and vinegars (while the scope in Evoolution is a bit broader), and though their olive oil selection was much smaller, they definitely had more vinegars to choose from. The 18 year balsamic was delectable!

O

liv

• Also in Calgary, I was so happy to find a pop-up Phil & Sebastian’s cafe in Holt Renfrew of all places! It turns out it is their second holiday season inside the luxe boutique (Crave also has a small counter on the same floor) – it’d be neat to see more of these kinds of interesting partnerships in Edmonton!

Phil & Sebastian’s pop-up cafe in Holt Renfew

• If you can believe it, we’re already planning for the 2013 What the Truck?! season! Mack and I were able to meet up with a majority of the vendors last week to gather feedback on our 2012 events and start talking about the calendar for next year. Thanks to Terry and Sherry of Smokehouse BBQ for hosting us!

Mack’s pulled pork mac and cheese

• I was lucky enough to be invited to De Dutch’s media event tonight, which showcased some of their signature pannenkoeken and other Dutch treats. The “Abby” Perogie was delicious (how can you go wrong with hash browns, bacon and onions wrapped inside a pancake?), though the fried bitter ballen meatballs stole the show for me. I hope to check out De Dutch this week for lunch, but Phil has reviewed it already.

Bitter ballen

Strawberry cheesecake pannekoeken with cream cheese, strawberry topping and whipped cream