I finally feel like myself again, but it took a week! Funny how being sick and without energy really narrows down that task list to absolute priorities only. On to this week’s food notes:

• Evoolution is offering a guided tasting on November 20, 2012 from 7-9pm, where they will cover the history and chemistry of olive oils, in addition to a formal tasting of Southern Hemisphere oils. Sign up in-store or email.
• A reminder that the Knifewear pop-up in Old Strathcona (8422 109 St) opens November 20, 2012, and runs until December 31.
• Need an excuse to check out Jacek’s new boutique in Sherwood Park? How about a chocolate tasting on November 29, 2012?
• If you’re hungry, don’t click on Valerie’s post capturing her experience as a judge for Northlands’ first annual BBQ Challenge at this year’s Farm Fair. Love the photos of the tasting sheets!
• As the Italian Centre gears up for its third location in Edmonton, it is also casting its eye southward for future expansion to Calgary.
• Congrats to Kinnikinnick Foods for their production plant expansion in Edmonton. Always great to see a local success story!
• Speaking of successes, Duchess was singled out by the National Post in a glowing feature with the following headline: “Edmonton may just be home to the best patisserie in Canada.”
• Are you wondering what will happen to the farmers in the northeast now that the Food and Agriculture Strategy has been adopted? Have a look at Elise Stolte’s piece.
• This isn’t quite as bad as pink slime videos, but if you were ever curious to see how hot dogs are made…
• Mack’s Dad was in town on the weekend, so we decided to have dinner at The Bothy’s new-ish location on 124 Street. With the half hour wait for our food, it was evident the kitchen and serving staff were being run off their feet. Thankfully, our dishes did arrive hot and delicious, and the chicken and vegetable pie (our favourite) did not disappoint.

Chicken and vegetable pie and French onion soup

I had so much I wanted to accomplish over the long weekend: getting a leg-up on my Christmas shopping, catching up with family, chronicling our fall travels. But instead, I’ve been sidelined with a pretty bad flu, so I haven’t been doing much of anything besides huddling in front of the television with bowls of chicken soup and tea. Hope you had a better weekend! On to this week’s food notes:

• Liane posted about a “breakfast for dinner” pop-up that will be taking place at The Common on November 20, 2012 with Chef Jesse Morrison Gauthier.
• De Dutch (10030 Jasper Ave), noted for their pannekoek, opened on November 6, 2012. Based on their Facebook page, it looks like they have received a warm reception so far!
• The Makk, the new restaurant in the space formerly occupied by D’Lish, opened last week. They are hosting a launch party featuring a sampling of menu items on November 15, from 5-9pm. Liv blogged an early review of The Makk here.
• Creole Envie held a VIP opening last week. Cindy covered it here.
• Vue Weekly published a review of Smokehouse BBQ’s new Edmonton location on 124 Street.
• The Journal reviewed Cafe Amore last week. Mack and I will have to make it back there some day – the last time we tried, the restaurant was closed for a private function.
• Liane wrote a very interesting piece about “freegans” – those who dumpster dive for food and other necessities. I had no idea it was such a subculture in Edmonton.
• Eat St. is launching a cookbook of food truck-inspired recipes, due out next spring!

I was hoping things might slow down a bit at work, but the pace has kept up, which leaves me feeling like I haven’t been as on top of things for this blog as I would like. I’m doing my best to juggle things though, even though with the pending holiday season I’m sure life will just get a bit crazier! On to this week’s food notes:

• Underground Edmonton, billed as the city’s “first authentic craft beer lounge” celebrated its grand opening on November 1, 2012. Anyone been?
• Chef Andrew Fung’s new venture, Nineteen, opens on November 7, 2012. Mack and I were lucky enough to preview the menu tonight, which I will write about more this week.
• The North Edge Business Association is celebrating a launch of its new website and directory from 5-7:30pm on November 13, 2012, with an event called Taste of the Edge. There will be samples of food from the area’s restaurants, as well as an Eritrean coffee ceremony. Check it out at the Queen Mary Park Community Hall (10844 117 Street).
• Central Social Hall has taken over the revolving door storefront on Jasper Avenue and 109 Street, and is set to open in mid-December.
• Jacek Chocolate Couture, having freshly christened their new boutique store, was featured in Vue last week.
• It was great to see a familiar face gracing the Journal Food section last Wednesday. If you didn’t have a chance to read all about Karlynn (aka The Kitchen Magpie), check it out here!
• There were quite a few food personalities included on the list of Avenue Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40, released on Thursday. Congrats to Amy Beaith, Kevin Kossowan and Andrew Parker!
• Speaking of Kevin, his new venture called Shovel and Fork, with fellow local food enthusiasts Jeff Senger (of Sangudo Meats) and Chad Moss (formerly of Transcend), among others, sounds amazing. They will be leading classes in topics such as butchery, foraging and cob oven construction.
• Executive Committee accepted the Food and Agriculture Strategy at a vote on November 2. I’m disappointed they did so without pointing out the document’s lack of teeth.
• Jacquie Lycka, a blogger who writes the blog Garneau Home Kitchen, participated in a project that helped raise food donations for the MacEwan Food Bank by picking apples with Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton. The video they made to summarize their work is worth a look.
• We were in the neighbourhood of Wine & Beyond today, so took the opportunity to check out Western Canada’s biggest liquor store in Windermere. It was indeed massive, almost overwhelmingly so, though their tasting bar area was pretty impressive. We tried our best to locate an Alberta-made wine, but didn’t find one at a cursory glance. We did find an Eskimo-branded wine, though!

Wine & Beyond

• It’s back! Mack and I are suckers for Starbucks’ annual “red cup” campaign. We had our first Christmas drinks this weekend.

2012 Red Cup

• On tour at West Edmonton Mall was the Tim Hortons Tassimo crew. We are bringing more and more of that commercial convenience home, so I guess this was the next logical step for Tim Hortons…

Tim Hortons Tassimo

• While at WEM, we came upon a new-to-us cupcake kiosk called Once Upon a Cupcake. I have to say, I know Liane’s been taking about the downward trend of cupcakes for a while, but I think I have to agree that they’ve finally plateaued.

Once Upon a Cupcake

• I’ve really been craving pho since the weather started turning south. That craving led us to Pho Hoan Pasteur last week. As much as I love Pho Tau Bay, it’s nice to be able to order a side of green onion cakes on occasion.

Pho Hoan Pasteur

• The annual Chili Cookoff, one of the proceedings of River City Round-Up, has expanded from Scotia Place onto Churchill Square this year. 24 competitors will be vying for your votes, at $2/bowl. Look for it on November 2, 2012, from 11:30am-1:30pm. For more on the chili cookoff, check out Jennifer Crosby’s blog this week.
• There are a few opportunities to win admission tickets to the Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival on this weekend at the Shaw Conference Centre – check out Karlynn, Chris, Diane, Lillian and Michelle’s blogs for your chance to win!
• Zocalo debuted their new glassed-in courtyard space this weekend, which will feature some cafe tables. Check it out the next time you’re in Little Italy!
• Both Liv and Marlow Moo gave Social Modern Pub the thumbs up.
• EnRoute Magazine announced their list of Canada’s Best Restaurants 2012 last week. Although Edmonton was shut out, two Calgary establishments made the cut: Model Milk and Borgo.
• Come Dine with Me Canada shines the spotlight on Edmonton this week, featuring dinner parties thrown by five different local foodies. Check out the program on the W Network.
• If you were at all on Twitter on Friday, you would have no doubt seen all of the chatter about Edmonton’s Food and Agriculture Strategy, which was being discussed at a non-statutory public hearing that day. The Journal has a summary of the proceedings, which will be continuing on November 2.
• Mark Bittman wants to see better labels on foods. He knows it is a bit of a dream at the moment (though it is now under the purview of the FDA), but I have to say the mockups are an amazing start, covering three categories: nutrition, “foodness”, and welfare. See for yourself.
• It was great to see Angie at the City Market on Saturday! Angie has resurrected her sister’s label Kerstin’s Chocolates, who chocophiles in Edmonton would be familiar with. Find them at the market until at least Christmas.

Angie of Kerstin’s Chocolates

• I caught up with some girlfriends at Blue Plate Diner on Saturday, and had their Kentucky Hot Brown sandwich ($15) for the first time. I loved the idea of turkey, bacon and tomato layered on top of sourdough, then baked with a mornay sauce and cheese. The sauce was a bit unevenly distributed, resulting in overly saturated bread in half the dish, and crackling dry crust in the other. But as a whole, I did enjoy it, and I can’t say enough about their yam fries!

Kentucky Hot Brown sandwich

• I love introducing my favourite restaurants to friends. Last week, it was Pho Tau Bay to one of my coworkers who has never had beef noodle soup before. She loved it!

Pho from Pho Tau Bay

I feel like I’ve been playing catch up for the last month, so thanks for bearing with me as I get back into a normal routine (which includes blogging on a more regular basis, of course!). Onto this week’s food notes:

• Live Local has organized another Farm to Fork dinner to take place on October 28, 2012 at Accent Lounge.
• Great to see some public events (outside of the conference) being offered at Power Up, the November 1-4, 2012 conference organized by the National Assembly of Food Secure Canada.
• Chef Andrew Fung, who was most recently at the Blackhawk Golf Course, is opening his new restaurant in November, called XIX Nineteen. Looking forward to it!
• Creole Envie has shifted from its tiny location in the Haven Social Club to a larger restaurant – the space that formerly housed Highlands Kitchen (6509 112 Avenue). Congrats on the new digs!
• Sloppy Hogs Roed House (10406 118 Avenue) is the newest barbecue joint to open up in Edmonton. Great to see another restaurant addition to Alberta Avenue!
• The new Kelly’s Pub on 104 Street downtown opened on Friday afternoon. It has been packed every night since!
• Mark your calendars: the second of Knifewear’s pop-up shops is to take place November 20-December 31, 2012, next to Three Boars (8422 109 Avenue). Hopefully this leads to a more permanent storefront!
• Congratulations to Gold Medal Plates winners Chefs Nathin Bye (of Wildflower Grill), Shane Chartrand (of Murietta’s) and Paul Shufelt (of Century Hospitality Group) on their gold, silver and bronze awards.
• Did you hear that Justin Bieber and his girlfriend Selena Gomez were spotted dining at Blue Plate Diner?
• Canning courses really seem to be on the rise in Edmonton (something I still need to learn myself). Culina is offering a series of canning sessions at their Muttart location in late October and early November.
• Great timing: while the City is contemplating the recently released Food and Agriculture strategy (which includes a recommendation on examining backyard chickens), a homeowner continues to be targeted with requests to remove her flock of hens.
• The Walrus had an interesting piece about how food trucks can be used as a means of implementing “tactical urbanism”. Love it.
• On the weekend, we finally checked out Duchess Provisions (10720 124 Street), the baking supply shop situated in the space next to the cafe. It is a lovely space to browse, with shelves of specialty ingredients, tools and books lining the walls. I especially liked their pre-packaged kits, which would make a fantastic gift for any aspiring baker. The shop hopes to remain open in this location for at least 8 months, then relocate to a larger location.

Duchess Provisions

• In the same neighbourhood is Smokehouse BBQ’s new Edmonton restaurant! Taking over the space that formerly housed Cosmos (10810 124 Street), Terry and Sherry have brightened the space with splashes of red, anchoring the room with a rustic wooden bar. We stopped by on Sunday for their soft opening (where all dishes on the menu could be had for a $10 donation to the Food Bank), and enjoyed the turkey gumbo and pulled pork poutine. It’s a great option for those who don’t want to venture out to their Leduc location.

Smokehouse BBQ

Turkey gumbo

Pulled pork poutine

• I hate to admit it, but winter seems to be upon us. What better way to commemorate the change in seasons than with a bowl of pho?

Pho from Mama Pizza

In all the craziness since returning from vacation and getting caught up on things, I realized I forgot to thank everyone who voted for me in Vue Weekly’s recent Best of Edmonton poll (the issue came out while we were away). This site came in second in the “Best Local Blog” category, thanks to you (if you’re wondering, Mack came in first)! I really appreciate your votes, and even more, that you’re all still reading! On to this week’s food notes:

• LitFest has a couple of great food-themed events lined up, including a Roaring Twenties party on October 17, 2012, complete with a whisky tasting, and a great hands-on/lecture titled “Food Matters” on October 27, 2012 which will not only introduce the audience to examples of local food production, but will also encourage participation with a pie making session!
• Jacek Chocolate will be celebrating their new storefront location in Sherwood Park on October 20, 2012 with a grand opening!
• Normand’s Bistro received a surprisingly muted review from the Journal. I haven’t yet tried it myself, but if a recognizable name in our local food scene can’t animate the space, who can?
• Some recent shutters: Kiwi Kiss in Edmonton City Centre (as noted in the comments; a bit of a surprise given the seemingly upward rise of other frozen yogurt shops in Edmonton), and Nola (one has to wonder if the restaurant was really as bad as this review made it out to be, or if it just scared potential diners off).
• It’s disappointing to see that not a single made-in-Edmonton beer made the fall brewing feature in Where Edmonton’s September-October 2012 edition. What does it say about us if we don’t even promote our local brews to those visiting our city?
• Short and to the point, I heartily agree with Wade Sirois’ post on the XL beef crisis. Similar thoughts are captured in Liane’s post as she interviews Sherry Horvath of Sunshine Organic Farm.
• It’s amazing how the Cheesepalooza challenge just keeps on growing. Keep tabs with what the group is up to on Valerie’s blog.
• Mack and I attended a cooking demo on Thursday night, put on by Meridian Plaza, a newer condo building downtown. Suburban developments seem to host mostly family-friendly events to attract buyers, ranging from hockey tournaments and bouncy castles, so it was interesting to see a different strategy employed by Meridian in an attempt to appeal to a different kind of clientele. Only time will tell if it worked, but we enjoyed the half hour demo led by Chris Hrynyk, the head catering chef from Sorrentino’s (of the three dishes, the makeshift tiramisu was my favourite).

Chris Hrynyk clearly loves teaching classes

• I was able to check out the St. Albert Farmers’ Market on Saturday, their last market day of the year. Boy, was it busy, packed with Thanksgiving shoppers.

St. Albert Farmers’ Market

Cute pumpkin arrangements

• We’ve been meaning to go on a walk through the river valley for ages, and finally had some time to do so on Sunday. We wove our way down into Louise McKinney and Cloverdale, enjoying the beautiful autumn scenery. Hope you had an equally lovely Thanksgiving weekend!

Our river valley in the fall

Thrown back into work today, I realize I have quite a bit of catching up to do! And though we just got back from a holiday in Portland, we’re already preparing for another short vacation – a few days in the Okanagan as a tagalong to a conference in Kamloops. I am really fortunate to have these opportunities to travel, but it’s all a bit much for me, I’ll admit. On to this week’s food notes:

• Dreading the end of food truck season? Then head over to Azimuth Theatre on October 6, 2012 for a taste of Drift and Nomad in celebration of Oktoberfest.
• This is the last week the Green & Gold Garden will be open for regular market hours. Go check out this volunteer-run garden for one last fall hurrah!
• Culina Mill Creek is hosting harvest dinners on October 23 and 24, 2012. The five-course dinner with wine pairings is $95.
• Sturgeon County is hosting its first ever Food & Wine Festival on October 27, 2012 at the Enjoy Centre. Admission is $25 and food and wine tasting tickets are $0.50 each.
• Duchess Provisions is now open! Check out Liane’s preview for an idea of what you can expect on the shelves.
• Great news: the Italian Centre is set to open a location in the city’s west end, in the former Ethan Allan storefront.
• Congrats to Corso 32 and Tres Carnales for their inclusion on Macleans’ 50 Best Restaurants list. Hopefully next time around we’ll beat out Calgary in numbers.
• Great piece about Bully Food Truck in the Edmonton Sun.
• Missing Kerstin’s Chocolates? Well you’re in luck – Kerstin’s sister Angie has brought the brand back, and will be selling the line at farmers’ markets in Edmonton, including the City Market indoors at City Hall.
• We missed the opening of Williams Sonoma in West Edmonton Mall, but it received so much coverage I felt like I was there! Check out write-ups from Liane, Karlynn, Michelle and Lillian.
• Also new to WEM is another location of Tutti Frutti, a chain that seems to be quite aggressively expanding.
• The City released its long-awaited Food and Agriculture strategy today, entitled Fresh. I haven’t had a chance to page through it myself, but here are some thoughts from Liane and Jennifer.
• The City also released its report on outdoor patios last week.
• I’m sure you’ve heard of the supposed bacon shortage forecasted for next year. But should you really be panicking? Maybe not.
• 104 Street played host to another rockin’ street fest on Friday night, as the kick off to the annual Alberta Culture Days. There was an on-stage cooking demonstration, street food, and of course, music. Hope you enjoyed the festivities this weekend as well!

Liane hosts a cooking demonstration where second year NAIT students prepared flank steak

My DECL colleagues heart yegdt too!

My braised beef sandwich from Drift

The stage (right below our building, and so loud things were vibrating on our kitchen counter)

Apologies for being on a bit of a hiatus, but working fourteen hour days really cut into any time and energy I might have had for blogging. Hopefully I’ll be back on track this week! On to this week’s food notes:

• Passion for Pork week runs September 10-16, where 14 local restaurants put their best pork dishes forward. Check out City and Dale’s post for your chance to win a gift certificate to dine at a participating restaurant of your choice!
• The Way We Green is hosting a panel discussion on local food and how we can create a more sustainable Edmonton on September 13, 2012 at the AGA. Mack is moderating a panel that includes Kevin Kossowan and Jennifer Cockrall-King. The event is free to attend, and will feature a pop-up teahouse to end. Hope to see you there!
• If I weren’t volunteering for DECL’s Cornfest, I’d be attending Eat Brunch at Elm Cafe, part of the Oliver Community League’s offerings for the city-wide Community League Day on September 15.
• The Ronald McDonald House is hosting its second Red Shoe Crawl this year on September 16, this time to take place along 124 Street! I’ve had my tickets for a while now, but if you’re interested, there’s still time to join in.
• Sherwood Park is home to a specialty kitchen and food store, The Pan Tree. Love the name!
• There’s another farm-to-table dinner you should know about, called the 10 Mile Meal. It will take place on September 30, 2012, and 80% of the meal’s ingredients will be sourced from within a ten mile radius.
• The City of Edmonton announced their date for the public hearing on the food and agriculture strategy. Mark your calendars for October 26, 2012.
• If you ever wondered why Edmonton and area pubs don’t seem to carry any locally-brewed beers, read this.
• Will you watch the Edmontonians featured on W Network’s Come Dine With Me? I can’t say I will – I’m pretty sceptical that it will actually showcase the city at all.
• It looks like we might get a bit more summer this week – so there’s still time to make Michelle’s inspired mojito poptails.
• Yelp means business, at least in San Francisco – a half star difference apparently can make or break a restaurant.
• Food truck and Leduc favourite Smokehouse BBQ will be opening up its first Edmonton location this fall, taking over Cosmos (10810 124 Street).

Smokehouse BBQ

• 104 St Grill is now open, though the signage is a bit confusing – there are an awful lot of names on the banners – “Ric’s”, “104 St Grill” and “David Bowie”. I hope the menu is more coherent.

104 St Grill

• It looks like the new 124 Street farmers’ market decided to postpone its opening until next May. Look for Eden’s Farmers’ Market starting on Sundays in May 2013.

Revised Eden’s market signage

• Mack and I started off our Sunday afternoon at Duchess (looking forward to stopping into Duchess Provisions next door when they open in the fall!).

I had forgotten how good their blueberry lemon scones are!

• To help us cool off on the walk home, we stopped at Yogo Frogurt, the newest addition to Edmonton’s burgeoning frozen yogurt scene. Unfortunately, we probably won’t be returning again. Although the attendant was very friendly, not much good can be said about the frozen yogurt – the peach and raspberry flavours we tried tasted artificial (vaguely reminiscent of cocktail vs. juice-based beverages), and the fresh fruit toppings were past their prime. Disappointing.

Cute interior

Our treat

• That night, we had my family over for dinner. Amanda (visiting for Toronto) was especially excited for the roast chicken I’ve owed her for a while!

Homee hungee

Also made Trish Magwood’s tomato and bread salad – one of my favourite “feed the crowd” salads

• Mack and I were lucky enough to be invited to Sailin’ On’s public launch at Wunderbar tonight. Sailin’ On will be Edmonton’s first vegan food truck, to be launched in spring 2013. Tonight, the three proprietors were samplings two dishes – chicken caesar wrap, and a chili lime tofu burrito. The latter was definitely the star – it had some kick, and the beans were perfection – smooth and smoky. Follow them on Twitter and Facebook to keep up with their progress!

Sailin’ On samples

Dallas, Garret and Mike of Sailin’ On

Having worked through most of the long weekend, I’m not as rested as I would be otherwise, but hopefully you were able to enjoy this last blast of summer! On to this week’s food notes:

• 104 St. Grill (formerly Ric’s Grill on 104 Street) opens on September 6, 2012.
• Williams Sonoma is finally coming to Edmonton! It is set to open in West Edmonton Mall on September 22, 2012.
• The Local Good (previously known as E-SAGE), has adopted a #yegfood theme for their upcoming Green Drinks on October 3, 2012, a regular, informal mixer for those interested in all things sustainable.
• The food truck scene just keeps on growing: Sailin On Food Truck bills itself as Edmonton’s first vegan food truck. Look for it in Spring 2013.
• Vue Weekly reviewed a new-ish Vietnamese restaurant Tien Tuyen (2619 Ellwood Drive SW) located in Ellserslie.
• Cathy wrote about a great pig roast that went down at the Manor Cafe a few weeks ago. Looks like porky goodness!
• Speaking of pork, our Pulled Pork Throwdown, a fundraiser for the Edmonton Public Schools Foundation, made it into the Globe and Mail!
• It looks like there is yet another farmers’ market joining the crowded Edmonton scene, just steps away from the 124 Street Grand Market. It’s apparently a test run that will involve some of the vendors from the Grand Market, and is hoping to launch a full season next year. Check it out on September 9 and September 23, 2012, from 10am-3pm in the parking lot on 124 Street and 105 Avenue.

New farmers’ market

• Speaking of the 124 Grand Market, Mack and I stopped there for dinner on Thursday. I had the zoo zoo burger from Little Village Food Truck (I really love the brioche bun Theo uses), while Mack had the pulled pork sandwich from Nomad.

Zoo zoo burger from Little Village

Pulled pork from Nomad

• I can’t say this weekend was all work and no play – Mack and I were able to help Jill and Kat celebrate their wedding anniversary on Sunday night! Their friends, who own a farm in Duhamel, played host to a lovely, low-key evening. It’s always nice to get away from the city, even if just for a night. Thanks again to the hosts for your warmth and hospitality!

The ducklings were too cute

Pigs!

Zombie chickens (okay, well, not zombies, but they were all eerily staring at us, waiting to be let out)

Tom the turkey

Trinity!

Gorgeous sunset