• The River Cree Casino is hosting an Heirloom Tomato Festival dinner on June 20.
• MKT is now open, and judging by the patio we passed last Friday, it looks like it will be a popular destination for the Whyte Avenue crowds.
• Liv reviewed one of the newest cafes in Edmonton – Fresh Cafe.
• Twyla captured her less-than-shining experience at the south Edmonton branch of Nello’s.
• This was the first time in four years that Mack and I missed Indulgence. After attending several pricey food events in a row, we thought it was time to take a breather. That said, I’m glad Marlow Moo recapped it so I could see what I missed!
• Marianne wrote about high tea at the Devonian Gardens. Looks like a lovely way to spend a summer afternoon.
• Liane profiled Evoolution, the newest specialty food shop on 104 Street selling olive oils and vinegars, in the Journal last week.
• Also in the Journal, TZiN got a great review. I can imagine it will be even more packed now!
• Maybe I called the trend way too early, but it seems like now that Pinkberry is forthcoming, frozen yogurt has finally hit the big time in Edmonton.
• Congratulations to Serge Belair of the Shaw Conference Centre who won the Culinary Federation’s chef-of-the-year challenge in Halifax!
• Have you heard about the Yeg Food Mob? They are similar to the Cash Mob that has sprung up in Edmonton in recent months – citizens who gather to support local small businesses and “mob” them on an organized date – but with a food focus. Their last mob visited Prairie Mill Bakery.
• In case you missed it, here’s a handy list of farmers’ markets from the Journal (though a few, like Highlands, are missing).
• It’s always neat to read about the history of designs that have become so iconic, such as the Kikkoman soy sauce bottle.
• Caffe Sorrentino seems to be making its presence known all over the city. We noticed one way in Eaux Claire recently, and it is also coming soon to the ground floor of the Mayfair.

Caffe Sorrentino

• I noticed Noodle Noodle closed some time ago, and the sign in that window indicated that the owners would be opening up another establishment on the south side. It didn’t occur to me that that location was the former Kelsey’s on Calgary Trail. Expect Tasty Noodle (3203 Calgary Trail) to serve up all day dim sum, among other things.

Tasty Noodle

• Mack and I stopped inside Cally’s Tea on Sunday. The shop looks lovely, and the bite of scone we had was scrumptious. I’ll be back on another occasion for high tea! For more about Cally’s new location, check out this great write up at City and Dale.

Cally’s Tea

• Though we didn’t stay, after picking up some things at Blush Lane, we checked out the new Da Capo in the Roots building. Loved all of the windows, and how they made the most of the narrow space.

Da Capo

• At Save-On the other day, I just noticed that The Little Potato Company was also making ready-to-heat potato packages. Given convenience foods are so popular, I’d be interested in seeing if people gravitate towards local brands.

Zingers

• Mack and I participated in one of the last City Wide Food and Agriculture Strategy stakeholder consultations tonight. There was some great discussion, but it will be interesting to see what will ultimately make it into the draft document due out in September. On the same note, if you haven’t yet filled out the public opinion survey, you have until June 23 to do so.

CWFAS Workbook

• My agency held its Annual General Meeting at the Expo Centre for a second year in a row. I remember the food being all right last year, but this time, it was less than ideal. The chicken was beyond dry, and there was not enough sauce to make it enjoyable.

The usual chicken and vegetables

• To celebrate my Dad’s birthday on the weekend, my family had dinner at Golden Rice Bowl. It’s been a while since any of us had been there, but it didn’t disappoint. I will always have a soft spot for peaches and shrimp!

Peaches and shrimp

Thanks to everyone who braved the overcast conditions on Saturday and came out to What the Truck?! We were thankful that the rain held out for a solid three hours. If you didn’t make it out, consider coming to Truck Stop this Wednesday at McIntyre Park. On to this week’s food notes:

• Help Cally’s Teas (10151 Whyte Avenue) celebrate their grand reopening on June 16 from 10am-6pm. There will be tea samples, specials and treats.
• Press’d is holding a Customer Appreciation Day on June 16 from 11am-3pm at its Courtyard location (11214 Jasper Ave). All sandwiches are just $1! Also announced last week – Press’d is expanding with a location at 34 Avenue and Gateway Boulevard and another in Sherwood Park.
• Amber’s Brewery is looking for a new home – they will need to relocate as of July 1, 2012, because their rent in their current location will be increasing threefold.
• Good luck to Chris Delaney (of the forthcoming food truck Big City Sandwich), in being shortlisted to compete in Ace Bakery’s Canada-wide sandwich competition with his tequila lime chicken sandwich.
• Transcend’s Josh Hockin is in Vienna this week to compete in the World Barista Championships. Bring home the gold, Josh!
• There was a great piece in the Journal about Chef Nate Box – can you imagine if every neighbourhood in the city had their version of Elm Cafe?
• Make sure you check out Liane’s story about some of the up-and-coming eateries on Alberta Avenue.
• You still have some time to contribute your ideas to the City of Edmonton’s Food and Agriculture policy by filling out their online survey. The deadline is June 23, 2012.
• If St. Albert-based designer’s cutting boards getting picked up by Williams Sonoma isn’t a great local success, I don’t know what is.
• It looks like Toronto favourite Smoke’s Poutinerie will be setting up shop in downtown Edmonton some time soon!
• I still haven’t made it out to a Calgary food trucks event yet, but until then, I love being able to read about them! Eat Your City wrote about the city’s recent Eat Real YYC event.
• In case you missed it: Tourism Richmond announced the winner of their food blogger competition last week. Congratulations to Lindsay Anderson!
• In Montreal? Why not try Daniel Boulud’s new Maison Boulud? It’ll be interesting to see if DB will succeed in this market, given the failures in Vancouver.
• I know I’m a little behind, because I haven’t walked that way down Jasper in a while, but I noticed that De Dutch put up their signage.

De Dutch

• On Wednesday, the first ever outdoor Pecha Kucha in Edmonton was held at the Hawrelak Amphitheatre. It was the perfect opportunity to marry food trucks with the event, and I think it was a great success! It looked like others enjoyed the chance to have dinner outdoors as well.

The Act serves up a hungry crowd (Molly’s Eats was there too)

My pulled pork sandwich from The Act

• A great bonus from Pecha Kucha was a coupon good for a free pizza at any Famoso location in the city. On the tail end of some errands on Friday, we decided to have dinner at the South Edmonton Common branch. It was our first time there (we usually stick to the Oliver location), and I have to say, it wasn’t that impressive. The room seemed poorly laid out, and though we only had to wait about twenty minutes, had we known there were bar seats available, we would have snagged them. Their wine glass lampshades were in need of an obvious dusting as well. In the end, the pizza was okay, although it did have a little too much burnt residue on the crust for my liking. I guess we’ll be sticking with our neighbourhood location in the future.

Margherita

Sweet BBQ chicken

I haven’t been following the second season of Top Chef Canada as closely as I did the first, but I did have a favourite going into the finale, and yes, I am happy with the outcome! I loved the wildcard twist, which added some great suspense into the finale. Onto this week’s food notes!

• It’s always great news when we hear about a new food truck in the works. It looks like the family behind Koutouki is starting on their very own truck!
• Vue Weekly interviewed Chef Corey McGuire, the new Executive Chef at TZiN.
• Thanks to Mona who recapped the first Around the World in 80 Bites tour in the Central McDougall neighbourhood. I hope to attend the next one!
• It’s a great time for the start of the Journal’s Market Find series – it will be profiling a different arts and craft vendor every week. The first one casts a spotlight on Garden Squirrel.
• I’m glad Jacquie wrote about her experience at the Food in the City Conference. Sounds like there was some good discussion in the smaller groups.
• Kevin’s latest webisode is all about bees!
• The big news in food media this week was Anthony Bourdain’s announcement that he will be leaving the Travel Channel for CNN.
• As if America isn’t fat enough – how about pop along with your breakfast? Taco Bell is serving up a morning drink that mixes Mountain Dew with orange juice.
• Last Thursday saw more great weather for Truck Stop, and though the lines were long, it looked like people were enjoying themselves. Because of how successful they were, we couldn’t contain them to one month alone – so we’re happy to announce another Truck Stop date! Join us again at McIntyre Park on June 6, from 5-8pm. We moved the day of the week to Wednesday, and shortened the duration by the hour, but other than that, you can expect the same great variety of curbside eats.

Cajun fish sandwich from The Act

Jalapeno mac ‘n’ cheese from The Act

• This morning, Mack and I were happy that both Filistix and The Act could join us at Churchill Square for some Al Fresco coverage on Breakfast Television. Filistix cooked up a few batches of sisig (roasted pork belly marinated in soy, garlic, ginger, chili and lemon), which I think people could smell for miles. I have no doubt this will be one of the most popular dishes on Saturday. Hope to see you at What the Truck?! on June 9!

Ariel talks to Bridget about Filistix

Sisig

It finally feels like summer’s here! Crazy how in just a week, the trees just burst into full bloom. I hope you’re able to get outside and enjoy it! On to this week’s food notes:

• The next Live Local dinner is taking place at The Dish on June 3. If it’s anything like the meal Blue Plate Diner hosted in March, I think it will be a great success!
• Greens, Eggs and Ham is hosting a farm tour and a reading by Foodshed author Dee Hobsbawn-Smith on June 11 at 6pm. RSVP to Mary Ellen if you’re interested – and yes, there will be food samples!
• I had no idea until Jeff’s comment that Highlands would be hosting a farmers’ market on Thursdays from 5-9pm starting on June 7. That makes four markets on Thursday nights – Salisbury, Alberta Avenue, and the 124 Street Grand Market, which just debuted last week. How many is too many? Do we have enough demand, customers, and producers to shop and staff four markets?
• Century Hospitality has kicked up a bit of controversy with the naming of their latest restaurant. MKT (short for “beer market”), may be carving out its own identity, featuring a gastropub menu and a wide selection of beer, but its name being just one letter shy of MRKT is much too similar for some. MKT is set to open in mid-June.
• The chefs who will be competing in this year’s Gold Medal Plates has been announced!
• Liane will be leading a tour of food truck central – Portland – in August. It sounds like it will be a delicious outing!
• Mack wrote a great post about the bylaws pertaining to food trucks in Edmonton – worth a read if you want to know more about what’s behind the Drift and Grandma Lee’s dispute.
• In case you missed the recipes that have been published in Taste Alberta in the last year, not to worry, Company’s Coming has collated them into a cookbook.
• We had the best weather yet at Truck Stop last week. Calm, sunny skies were a welcome change from the overcast, windy conditions we’ve received over the past month. I also finally got to try The Act’s PB & J burger for the first time. The beef was particularly tasty, and the peanut butter actually didn’t overwhelm the burger itself. Check the website for the menus for the final Truck Stop in May.

PB & J Burger

Mack’s halibut burger

• Although I love asparagus (and picked up a bunch from Edgar Farms this weekend), my favourite of the spring vegetables has to be pea shoots. I love how fresh and light they taste, and how versatile they are. Yesterday, we had Greens, Eggs and Ham shoots on homemade pizza, topped with prosciutto, mushrooms, and Gull Valley Tomatoes.

I heart pea shoots

Apologies for being MIA, but there was good reason for it: I was in Toronto visiting my sister for most of last week, then came back to our third Truck Stop on Thursday and Mack’s sister’s wedding on the weekend. Needless to say, I’m still in catch-up mode! So though some of the “news” below is a bit dated, I hope to get back on track this week:

• The annual Al Fresco Block Party is just a few weeks away, but to gear up for it, some of the organizers are offering other opportunities to help raise money for the Zebra Child Protection Centre, the charity of choice this year. On May 23, join several local performers for a musical showcase and party at Yellowhead Brewery, or if wine is more up your alley, a Tour of Italy tasting at DeVine’s on May 31.
• The 124 Street Farmers’ Market will debut on Thursday, May 24.
• Riverbend Gardens is hosting a “plant and play” day on May 27 from 1-4pm. There will be great specials on plants, wagon rides, bouncy castle, make and take planters and free ice cream! Consider checking out one of the most beautiful farms within city limits, and learning more about the Community Supported Agriculture project they would like to start.
• It looks like Cococo Chocolatiers will be open at the end of May or beginning of June.
• Fantasia Noodle House, who had to leave their long-time location, has been reborn further up the avenue – you can now find them at 11765 Jasper Avenue.
• 124 Street is really developing fast – with a second location of The Bothy, and now Red Ox, joining Duchess, Cafe Tiramisu and The Clever Rabbit, it is becoming a bit of a restaurant district.
• In case you missed it (because I did the first time), Twyla reviewed Crepe Symphony, a new-ish restaurant next to Tres Carnales on Rice Howard Way.
• It’s easy to forget that Earls started in Edmonton (especially when in places like Toronto, the line-ups at their relatively new Earls and Joey’s locations are insane), but they’ll be spending $5 million to renovate the very first Earls Tin Palace to help restore it to its former glory. It will close in June and reopen in October.
• Vue Weekly published the results of their annual Golden Fork Awards last week. Mack and I were surprised (and honoured!) to see that What the Truck?! was the second runner up in the category of Best Food Festival or Event – thanks to everyone who voted for WTT!
• Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you may have read about some of the controversy between Drift and Grandma Lees. At the very least, we’re happy that mobile food vendors are now even further in public consciousness, and that this is highlighting the need for firm policy.
• Chef Andrew Parker is combining cooking classes with a good cause – all meals prepared by students at the Ronald McDonald House will stay on to feed the families at the residence.
• The past two Truck Stops have been really successful, with lines sometimes starting even before the trucks have arrived. One of these days, the weather will be perfect! This Thursday, we’re looking forward to two of Edmonton’s newest food trucks to join us – Battista’s Calzones and The Next Act! Hope to see you there!

Pancake soup from Nomad

My regular from Fat Franks

• Mack and I were glad that we were able to be a part of Kim and Shane’s wedding this weekend. It was a beautiful ceremony – congratulations, and we wish you both a lifetime of happiness!

Kim and Shane’s first dance

If you missed last week’s Truck Stop, no worries, you still have four other opportunities to swing by McIntyre Park in Old Strathcona for some curbside eats! The vendor list for May 10 is here, and we’ll be updating the site with menus on Tuesday morning. On to this week’s food notes:

• Save the date: Ronald McDonald House has announced the date of their second and third Red Shoe Crawls! It will be taking place in Old Strathcona on June 3, and on 124 Street on September 16. Tickets are available here. It was one of the best food events I attended last year, and I’m sure it will be another very well-organized outing.
• Looks like we missed a great ramen pop-up in the storefront formerly occupied by Duchess (is there a weekend where something great hasn’t been in that space?!). Hope this comes up again – would love to give it a try!
• I was looking for more information on Brad Smoliak’s new enterprise, Kitchen. If you’re curious, the website has more information about the private cooking classes offered.
• The website for the 124 Street Farmers’ Market is live! Check out a partial list of vendors here.
• Riverbend Gardens is starting a CSA (community supported agriculture)! They need to hit 100 in order to make it viable; the cost is $150 for 6 weeks of delivery.
• Annie sent me a link to a robot that makes sushi. I’m sure purists would never allow mechanically-made sushi to get past their lips, but perhaps this is the future?
• We knew it was already in the works, but the paper sign makes it official: another pub is coming soon to 104 Street, in Icon II.

Kelly’s Pub

• Mack and I helped Thom celebrate his birthday at Olive Garden last night. We were actually looking forward to it, as it has been years since we’ve been exposed to baskets of endless breadsticks. Though I did enjoy the breadsticks, they weren’t as good as I remembered, and the pasta was overly greasy. I know it’s not fair to compare Olive Garden with a place like Corso 32, but it does blow my mind that I hear people remark that Corso is expensive, given their entree pasta price of $17-20 is identical to a big chain.

Lasagna rollata al forno

Shrimp mezzaluna

It’s hard to believe it’s May already – where has the time gone? Mack and I are (finally) ready to share details about the first food truck events we’ve organized for this year – but more details on that in a separate post. On to this week’s food notes:

• To celebrate Cinco de Mayo, Tres Carnales is again hosting a party to end all parties on May 5 from 5-11pm. It sounds like it will be a great time.
• Indulgence tickets go on sale on May 1. Make sure to get yours if you want to guarantee yourself a spot to one of Edmonton’s best food and wine events.
• Vue Weekly featured an article about Three Boars, the new “it” spot in Edmonton.
• The Journal wrote about Cally’s Teas, who finally opened their new shop in Old Strathcona. Looking forward to trying out their high tea at some point.
• Lonely Planet was in Edmonton shooting some video about interesting places in our city a few months back. Chris has the link to the final product – great that Century Hospitality’s Alley Burger is featured in the video!
• There’s a new farmers’ market on the horizon: the 124 Street outdoor market is set to run on Thursday evenings from 5-9pm. Although I support initiatives to make it easier for consumers to shop local, how many markets is too many in Edmonton?
• Caving to pressure, the organizers of the City of Edmonton’s Food in the City consultation/conference have reduced the cost…by $55. They have made the reception and lunch fees optional, but isn’t a part of the purpose of the gathering to break bread and network? We’ll see if this means more registrants in the end.
• Although Edmonton is at the very start of the backyard chicken debate, it’s great to see that other cities are so far along: in Portland, backyard chickens who were loved as pets aren’t sent to the soup pot, but to the equivalent of a retirement home.
• Susur Lee couldn’t make it work in New York, but can David Chang make his mark in Toronto?
• Can’t decide between pizza and burgers? Why not have both? Pizza Huts in the Middle East now offer this option – mini burgers or chicken nuggets attached to pizza crusts.
• The Five Guys in South Edmonton Common is now open. It looked packed from the outside!

Five Guys

• Mack and I finally sampled food from the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market’s Harvest Cafe on Saturday. We always walked past the busy seating areas gawking at patrons’ meals, so it was nice to finally try a few things ourselves. Mack loved his breakfast sandwich, tasty and satisfying, even without melted cheese ($5.50 with a bagel). But my two egg breakfast ($6.50) didn’t live up to my expectations – the eggs and bacon were fine, but the potatoes were boiled and bland, and the fruit that was listed on the menu amounted to a garnish of three apple and pear slivers. We’ll be sticking to the sandwich in the future.

Breakfast sandwich

Two egg breakfast

• Annie, May and I caught up over dinner on the weekend at Shanghai 456. It’s been quite some time since I’ve been there, but this was a good reminder to make sure my next visit isn’t quite so overdue! The xiaolong bao was as delicious as I remembered, and the chive and egg pancake was also quite nice. Best of all, we split six dishes, and only paid $15 a person. Such a great value.

Xiaolong bao (I could have done with a second order of these)

S

hanghai chive and egg pancake

Rice cake with pork, Chinese spinach and bamboo shoots (a lighter alternative to noodles)

Hot and sour soup (great balance, and not overpowering heat)

• It’s a sure sign of spring: farmers’ markets are moving outdoors! Salisbury is the first – join them for their “moving outdoors” celebration on April 26, 2012.
• Cathy posted that Cally’s Teas is finally(!) open.
• Marlow Moo wrote about Creole Envie, a catering company that also offers a weekly take-out special. Since good fried chicken is hard to come by, it sounds like they’re worth seeking out!
• I spied Liane tweeting about My Empanadas last week. Looks like another great take-out option in Edmonton.
• Marianne put up a review of Three Boars. I look forward to venturing down to try it myself soon!
• It was great to hear that Leduc has chosen patios over parking. When will Edmonton do the same?
• Make sure you vote for Homesteader Elementary School – they are one of ten finalists (and the only one from Alberta), who are in the running for $20,000 to construct an outdoor garden. You can vote until May 11, 2012.
• Tourism Richmond has picked their twelve finalists for their Richmond 365 blogging project. Vote for your favourite – the top vote-getter will receive a bye to the finals, alongside two chosen by Tourism Richmond. It’s great to see finalists from as far away as Brooklyn, San Diego and London, England!
• Perhaps set dinners will be the new way to date: New York’s Eater is a part of a dining series that offers singles a prix fixe dinner and the chance to mingle.
• After visiting Blush Lane, I was hoping that Pangaea, the new organic food store located in Icon II on 104 Street, would carry similar products and variety. With only a small number of products on the shelves so far, it’s hard to judge what the store will be like when fully stocked (they plan to be ready by their June grand opening date). But for the moment, it seems like they are more similar to Planet Organic than Blush Lane, in its focus on organic certification instead of local sources.

Pangaea

• I had a mid-week craving for poutine and burek, but wasn’t able to satisfy those cravings until the weekend. We headed to the Cheese Factory on Friday, and split small orders of ground beef and regular poutine, as well as beef and spinach and cheese burek. Delicious.

Poutine

Burek

It was a bit of an exhausting weekend, but it was worth it! Our second annual Eat Alberta food conference took place at NAIT on Saturday, and I think the event was a success! I will write more about it this week. On to this week’s food notes:

• West Edmonton Mall’s annual Taste of Bourbon Street takes place from 4-9pm on April 17. Mack and I attended the event last year.
• Mack and I are looking forward to letting loose at the Shaw Conference Centre’s Hot Chefs, Cool bEATS event on April 21. It should be a great time! Here’s Chef Paul Shufelt’s take on the event.
• Three Boars is now open! We’ve heard nothing but good things so far – it sounds like both a welcome addition to the neighbourhood and to Edmonton as a whole!
• Edmonton will have another new food truck on the streets this summer – watch for Bombin’ Berts coming soon! They will be launching their truck at the Pride Parade festivities on June 9, 2012.
• Liane wrote about the revamp of the Citadel’s restaurant space, courtesy of the folks behind Normand’s and Glenora Grill. It sounds like they hope that breakfast will be their ticket to breaking the curse – let’s hope it works. It’s a shame when such a prime location is underused.
• Vue Weekly had a great feature on Food Dish Wishes and The Clever Rabbit – I had no idea the two were opened by entrepreneurial sisters.
• The Journal also had an article about some of the frustrating red tape restaurants and cafes have to go through in order to set up patios outside of their storefronts.
• There has been quite a bit of backlash against the City’s announcement of their Food in the City conference – is it a learning opportunity or a public consultation? If it’s the former, could they have picked a more cost-conscious venue? (for a quick comparison, the 2.5 day Food Today, Tomorrow conference I attended three years ago was $160). And if it’s the latter, is $175 considered a reasonable fee to be charging citizens to contribute their opinions? Worst of all is the scheduling – most of the producers who we should be consulting will be unable to attend because it is a market day. You can let the City know your thoughts about this here.

I hope you all had a good Easter full of family and food! Mack and I had a pretty relaxing weekend, but are still trying to get some things finalized, such as the What the Truck?! schedule for the summer and fall (we hope to be more on top of things in the second year of this festival). In the meantime, like us on Facebook! Onto this week’s food notes:

• Jennifer Cockrall-King is doing a talk about her book, Food and the City, at the Queen Mary Park Community Hall at 7:30pm on April 10, 2012.
• Join Dee Hobsbawn-Smith at the Muttart Conservatory on April 26, 2012 for the launch of her new book, Foodshed: An Edible Alberta Alphabet. I flipped through the book today, and it looks like a great read and resource!
• Valerie recapped what looked like an amazing “Rge Rd in the city” pop-up dinner at Chai Pani recently.
• Courtenay, of the blog Messy Little Cook, has relocated (temporarily) to Amsterdam! She’s going to share her food adventures abroad – check it out!
• We spotted these adorable(?) vegetable and animal-themed buns at T & T over the weekend. My friend Annie picked them up and said the custard was pretty creamy on the inside – so perhaps worth the novelty factor after all!

Who says you can’t play with your food?

• Coming soon: more Vietnamese food in the core – The Phat Noodle (10347 Jasper Avenue) is moving into the space vacated by Sankyu 2 Go, next to Corso 32.

The Phat Noodle

• Speaking of Corso 32, I neglected to write about our experience two weeks ago, momentous only because it was Mack’s first meal there. Ramps were everywhere on the menu! We especially enjoyed the house made goat ricotta and the grilled cheese topped with egg.

G

oat ricotta

Grilled cheese

• Mack also joined me for lunch at Pho Tau Bay for the first time over the weekend (we actually met Callie from Revive Wellness there, as she wanted to feature us in their “Love to Lunch” blog series; you can read our answers here and here). Tau Bay is my go-to lunch spot when I’m not brown bagging it – it’s quick, consistent, delicious, and means that I can get a nice walk in over the lunch hour as well. Mack slurped up all of the soup and every noodle in his bowl – definitely a good sign!

My usual

Mack’s pho with brisket and steak

Good to the last drop!

• Our unconventional Easter dinner took place at East – I had been itching for a reason to return to the restaurant with my family, and the long weekend was it. The roti and potato curry was as good as I remembered it, and the egg floss-topped butter shrimp and sweet and sour pork belly was a hit with my parents. The Penang char kway teow didn’t have that smoky wok aroma that we were looking for, and we found the glaze on the K.L. BBQ pork on the sweet side for our taste. Still, the service was great that night, and we enjoyed the dinner as a whole.

Roti

Butter shrimp

Sweet and sour pork belly

Penang char kway teow

K.L. BBQ pork

• For a late lunch on the go this afternoon, we stopped in at Remedy downtown to try one of their butter chicken wraps ($8.75). It took over fifteen minutes for our order (we suspect because the kitchen may have dropped the ball), but the wrap itself made up for it. Hot and crispy, the wrap packed in a ton of chicken and the occasional pop of potatoes and peas.

Butter chicken wrap

• On Saturday night, Mack and I headed to the Breakfast Television studios for the first ArtsScene Edmonton event of the year, their Trip the Light party. It was such an unconventional venue, but in many ways, was perfect for such a gathering, with a built-in stage, lighting and sound equipment available. Mack wrote a detailed recap, but I have to say I particularly enjoyed the high energy Mitchmatic. Thanks again to ArtsScene for the invitation!

BT party central!

Mitchmatic in action

Photo booth!