There’s some good news coming– watch for an announcement about the venue for the year-round City Market in two weeks. I can’t wait until it’s official!

• NAIT’s next Chef in Residence will be Susur Lee – it’ll be interesting to see what else he has to say about Shang.
• Thanks to this tip, I found out that the Edmonton area will be getting its first Five Guys Burgers and Fries – in Sherwood Park.
• Look for GAMA (10418 82 Avenue), a new store that will serve up Taiwanese drinks and cookies. They had their soft opening over the weekend.
• Axis Cafe is closing its doors. They are hosting a closing party on January 27, 2011 at 7pm.
• If you love Blue Plate Diner’s vegetarian burgers, you’ll be happy to know you can now take them home to make! Pick them up at the restaurant ($12 for 4 patties), or order them through the Good Food Box.
• Curious about how the revamp of The Next Act Pub came to be? Vue Weekly published an interview with one of the men behind its “second act”.
• Valerie sent me a link about Food Network’s reality show-style search for The Next Great Chocolatier.
• The Journal had a great write-up of the Breaducation event at Luzzara two weeks ago, including a recipe for no-knead bread. Local blogger Andrea already tried it out, with fantastic results!
• Isabelle wrote a very thoughtful post about the realities of tight purse strings unfortunately preventing her from supporting local producers.
• This is pretty cool – a musician staged a flash mob at New York’s Eataly, to the tune of “Smooth Criminal”.
• The NYT had an article about the rise of restaurants using social media sites like Scvngr and Foursquare to engage customers.
• I’m not sure what I was expecting from the facade reno of Chinatown’s Taipan Cafe, but it wasn’t this. Even though it’s a bit far out, I kind of like how bold it is.

Taipan Cafe

• Mack was nice enough to stop by Bistro Praha to check on its status – turns out, it will actually be opening this coming Friday, January 28. The interior, even though it is in a new building, actually reminds me very much of the old space.

Bistro Praha interior

• There’s a new Mucho Burrito downtown, in the HSBC Building (10250 101 Street).

Mucho Burrito

• Before Ice on Whyte, I had a bite to eat at the newest location of Nhon Hoa (10154 82 Avenue). My usual order at the Chinatown location is a sub with shredded pork, but they didn’t even have it on the menu here (I ended up with a sausage and shredded pork sub). The bread was too toasted for my liking, but it hit the spot.

Sausage and shredded pork sub

• Mack and I ended up at our neighbourhood Blue Plate Diner on Sunday night for a pre-show dinner. I ordered the $45 Fork Fest special, which included an appetizer, entree, and glass of wine. The tomato & parmesan tart was delicious – the pesto beurre blanc that made the dish. I was expecting a little more from the braised plum lamb shank though – the meat was nearly fall-off-the-bone tender, but more than anything, I was left wanting an accompanying jus or sauce of some kind. Also of note – it was the third time, in trying to have points added to our Original Fare VIP card, that the machine did not work – the program has been in place for a few years now, so we wondered why glitches haven’t yet been remedied.

Tomato & parmesan tart

Braised plum lamb shank

• To help celebrate Annie’s birthday, her parents cooked us a grand meal, and finished with fondue made from a Kerstin’s Chocolates kit. Happy birthday, Annie!

Chocolate fondue

I am so glad the forecast is looking up, because I’ve just about had it with the weather. I guess I don’t have as much to complain about as some (a lack of sidewalks to shovel is a definite plus of condo living), but trudging through piles of uneven snow in the blistering cold for my daily commute was getting hard to take. How many more months until spring? On to this week’s food notes:

• CBC Edmonton is still looking for recipe contributions for their Flavours of Edmonton cookbook, a fundraiser for the Edmonton Food Bank. You have until January 24, 2011 to submit your recipe. Direct any questions to Erin Thomson.
• The U of A Alumni Association is organizing the Educated Palate, a series of food-related events to take place over the next few months. Among the sessions are a coffee and chocolate session featuring Transcend and Kerstin’s, and a tasting with d’Lish.
• Are you counting down to the day when Edmonton’s first location of Crave opens on February 4, 2011? You can follow their progress on their blog.
• Looks like Bistro Praha is set to (finally) open on January 21.
• Maki recapped Breaducation, an evening of learning and sampling at Luzzara last week, featuring Chris and Owen of Prairie Mill.
• The Journal reviewed Corso 32 last week – a rave if I’ve ever read one: “Corso 32 takes its place as one of the city’s most exciting and satisfying places for a serious meal.”
• Twyla’s review of Ruby Dragon (another Asian fusion restaurant that replaced Kai) made me laugh: “The young manager was quite proud that they employ someone who is strictly in charge of the deep fryer. So, while I appreciated their attention to detail, I felt it was more of a sentence than a position of honour for their chosen one.”
• Kevin wrote a great post about creative ways of sourcing products locally, without surrendering value for dollar.
• The Journal also had a good piece comparing canola oils (I love Mighty Trio) and a feature on the revamped Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market (I hope the market gets the same bump in business that restaurants seem to experience after the exposure).
• Ever wonder how a visit from Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives can impact a business? Wonder no more: “It was a gift,” says one restaurant owner.
• Liane mentioned a new restaurant called Niche (11011 Jasper Avenue) that has replaced the Hardwood Cafe. Just one review on Urban Spoon so far – but I’d be curious to check it out.

Niche

• Ellen, Jill and I checked out Razzleberries (10040 104 Street) for lunch on Friday, which bills itself as offering “authentic Sri Lankan cuisine”. It was a modest buffet (two of the six items were rice and plain pasta), but was inexpensive ($8.95). I could see myself returning if I worked right nearby (there were many tables of office workers without coats on), but I wouldn’t seek it out again.

A plate from the buffet line at Razzleberries – the bourbon chicken was tasty, but the curried beef and lentils both could have been cooked for a longer period

• Mark your calendars: Original Fare’s Fork Fest starts next week, January 16-20 and January 23-27, 2011.
• The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra is holding a fundraiser on January 28, 2011, called the Flavours of BC’s Naramata Bench Wine Tasting & Auction.
• How about a different kind of dinner theatre? See Kenneth Brown’s epic trilogy Spiral Dive, preceded by dinner from La Bistro Persaud. On until January 23.
• Liane reported that Pharos has now reopened, below the Haven Social Club.
• City and Dale wrote a little preview of Somerville Wine & Cheese.
• Chris followed up on Marianne’s review of Corso 32 with one of his own.
• Mack and I sadly missed the pig-tastic potluck that Valerie hosted this weekend – it looked fun!
• Speaking of Valerie, she has added more Taste Tripping cooking classes to the calendar.
• Mack sent me a link to an Alberta Venture article about the difficulties faced by microbreweries in Alberta.
• Also from Mack – he is always complaining about certain nuances of restaurant websites – the use of flash, no accessible menu, etc. Turns out, this Tumblr site read his mind.
• Need to catch up on what you missed on Top Chef: All Stars? Maki will be posting recaps of the show every Tuesday.
• Cathy posted an amusing flowchart to help consumers determine whether or not a food item at the grocery store is, well, actually food.
• This is an interesting piece from Gourmet Live – frozen yogurt may not be as healthy as consumers think.
• Starbucks is changing their logo: gone are the words “Starbucks Coffee” from the outer edge of the circle – it seems the company wants the image of the mermaid to be as iconic as the Nike Swoosh or Apple’s logo.
• I walked by Sequel Café last week (formerly Essence Tea Bar), and took a picture of their day’s menu.

The Sequel Cafe

• It was particularly steamy in Pho Tau Bay on Friday afternoon, when Ellen and I caught up over bowls of noodles. She said we would end up smelling like pho upon our return to the office. She was right.

Pho

• Mack and I took in the lovely lights at the Legislature a few times over the holidays – nothing says Christmas in Edmonton like waltzing through the tree-lined paths with a loved one.

Mack’s prettiest shot

Happy new year! It’s hard to believe the holidays are over, though really, I’m just sad that our nightly Mad Men marathons have to end, heh. I hope your transitions back to work are painless as well! On to this week’s food notes:

• Lots to do this coming weekend – check out Deep Freeze at Alberta Avenue, January 8-9, 2011 (with special Alberta Avenue farmers’ markets on both days as well), and Winter Light, which runs January 8 and runs until March 5, 2011.
• Transcend Coffee is offering a pretty cool opportunity – the chance to visit some premium coffee growers in Costa Rica with Poul Mark, the founder of Transcend.
• Congrats to the twelve Alberta bloggers, including Andree, Cheryl, Chris, Kevin, Mel and Liane who are nominated for the Canadian Food Blog Awards! Winners will be announced on January 31, 2011.
• Somerville Wine and Cheese (10723 124 Street) is now open.
• Marianne and Charles visited Corso 32, and wrote up a positive review! Glad to see that some of Daniel’s successful dishes at Red Star make appearances at Corso.
• If you haven’t checked out Valerie’s series of posts on trends, I’d highly recommend it – she has collected a variety of perspectives, including farmers, food writers and business owners, bloggers and chefs.
• Liane also published her piece on food trends last week, and followed up with a blog post. I have to say I disagree with her point that cupcakes are on their way out.
• A number of bloggers wrote year-end wrap up posts, including Maki, Chris and Valerie.
• I almost missed this – Jan Hostyn had a good interview with Jacqueline Jacek of Jacek Chocolates in Vue.
• Janice was in town for a few days last week, and Annie, May and I thought it only fitting to welcome her back with cheese fondue.

The spread

• We took advantage of our proximity to Churchill Square this year by taking in the New Year’s Eve festivities just before midnight.

Yi-Li, Jane, Mack and I

Fireworks!

 It’s always great to see downtown bustling with people

Last but not least – Go Canada Go! Man, the city will be rocking this time next year when the World Juniors pays us a visit (even though I know the medal games won’t be in Edmonton).

I hope everyone had a good Christmas! We’ve been putting our feet up over here…we haven’t had this relaxing of a holiday in some time. Much of that relaxing has been in the form of watching Mad Men from the beginning – it really is dangerous having access to an unlimited trial of Netflix, with the first three seasons of the show available. Though there’s not too much happening in the blogosphere, here are a few notes anyway:

• Foodie McPoon notes that the IHOP has officially opened.
• If you’re looking for reading material, make sure you check out Lightside Photography’s 30 Days of Edmonton series, if you haven’t already.
• Valerie posted about her favourite Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market purchases last week.
• Also from Valerie – a post reflecting on her thoughts on trends for the next ten years, and a post soliciting thoughts on trends from chefs. Keep an eye on her blog this week – more trends from others to come!
• Christmas week meant a lot of eating out, catching up with friends and coworkers alike. One of those lunches took place at Viphalay, where I had my tried and true pad thai.

Viphalay’s pad thai

• I love freshly baked bread, and Mack was sweet enough to feed my habit with a loaf this week.

Mack’s bread!

• A few weeks ago, we agreed to sign up to try out an indoor composting system called Bokashi, which instead of using worms, utilizes microorganisms to break down organic material by fermentation. It’s been about two weeks, and still, there is little to no odour! We’ll be writing more about it in the new year.

Indoor composter

• We had our second Christmas dinner over at Mack’s grandparents’ house on Saturday. Besides being treated to a delicious meal, I had my annual visit with Peanut.

Isn’t she adorable?

Enjoy your week!

Christmas indeed snuck up on us, didn’t it? I’m looking forward to Christmas morning and all, but there are still a few days of work standing in my way! I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday full of family and good eats. On to this week’s food notes:

• Daniel Costa, formerly of Red Star, opened Corso 32 (10345 Jasper Ave, 780-421-4622) last week. Anyone tried it yet?
• Queen of Tarts (10129 104 Street, 780-421-4410) is finally poised to open the first week of January. I know many are looking forward to accessing Linda’s delectable pastries year-round, but I’m looking forward to fresh, artisan breads baked right on our street!
• The next round of local restaurant excitement surrounds Bistro La Persaud, a French restaurant tucked in La Cite Francophone – a Journal review, a CBC review, and a food blogger review all in one week. Though the reviews all claim that the restaurant is still in “soft opening” mode, I’d say the doors have been blown wide open now.
• Lea reviewed a new Indian restaurant on the south side of Edmonton, called Shafi Tandoori Grill.
• I know Edmonton will never be big enough to have the critical mass to generate a post like this one, but a girl can dream, right? Eater tracks the taco explosion that hit New York in 2010.
• Though I know the trends projected in the US/New York take several years to land here (if at all), they’re still fun to read: here are two great roundups from Grub Street.
• For trends that are more likely to hit closer to home – check out this list of supermarket trends.
• And though this time of year is all about trends – what about the trends that weren’t?
• I spotted this 2011 Calgary Dining Guide, published by Calgary’s Avenue Magazine, at Chapters this weekend. Though I know their editions are routinely double the size of Edmonton’s version, I wonder if we’ll be lucky enough to have a similar guide produced for our fair city?

Calgary Dining Guide

• Sweet Lollapalooza, the Commerce Place-based chocolatier, opened up a second small storefront around the corner from its original shop, just for the holidays. The second shop sells pre-boxed versions of their popular truffles for those without time to select the bonbons themselves. I’m a big fan of their buttercrunch toffee…yum.

Sweet Lollapalooza

• Speaking of chocolate, I tried the hot chocolate from Credo last week, made with Jacek Chocolate. It had a depth and subtle cocoa powder sweetness that was the perfect accompaniment on our winter walk – I’ll be back for another cup soon! Also, it was awesome to read that Jacek sold out of all of their chocolate for the holidays – you snooze, you lose (that would include me).

Jacek hot chocolate from Credo

• We stopped by Duchess this weekend to pick up a few gifts. It was also a good excuse to check out Garner’s gingerbread Notre Dame cathedral in person. It is stunning, and from the photos on Facebook, even more so after dark.

Gingerbread cathedral

• Amanda managed to score us a pair of free tickets to the Oilers game on Thursday night, where we watched the Blue Jackets get rocked. Man, Linus Omark is going to be a star, isn’t he? This was also our first time seeing the newly-minted Octane dance team. They were underwhelming.

Thanks for the tickets, Kelly and John!

Just 12 days to Christmas…I know I say it every year, but it seems to be barrelling down on us awfully fast this year. It probably has something to do with the fact that it falls on a Saturday, but I know I am far from being ready! On to this week’s food notes:

• Congratulations to Unheardof, who celebrated thirty years in business back in November.
• Mack nearly leapt from his chair to tell me about the forthcoming La Poutine (8720 109 Street), a restaurant devoted to, well, poutine: “created by an Edmontonian and a Quebecois who have enjoyed poutine from east to west. Finally, both worlds are coming together in one place to deliver an incredible taste sensation.”
• People seem to be deliriously excited about the city’s first IHOP, to open on December 20 (3921 Calgary Trail). While it’s nice to have another option that puts us in “big city” territory, my only experience with IHOP (in Vancouver) was unimpressive.
• I know I’ve read so many “coming soon” pieces about the new Enjoy Centre that I’m not sure the actual building can possibly live up to the hype – but here’s another one.
• This is probably the cutest post I’ve seen in a long time – Valerie’s write-up of gingerbread making with Kevin and LeQuan’s children. You can’t help but smile when seeing their determined faces!
• A heads up about the newly-redesigned Chicken.ca website by the Chicken Farmers of Canada. The recipe section containing 300 recipes has been reorganized, with 200 more on deck to be added in the new year. Check it out if you’re in need of a dinner idea!
• The Wall Street Journal wrote about Italy’s campaign to educate patrons about authentic, made-in-Italy products (prosciutto de Parma, mozzarella di bufala, Italian olive oil, etc.).
• Thanks to Shermie’s comment, I found out that Big City Cupcakes opened their City Centre location this past week (next to Cleaning by Page). I wish their display cases were a little more visually appealing (a la Whimsical or Flirt), but it’s nice to finally have a cupcake option in the core.

Big City Cupcakes

• I stopped by Kerstin’s Chocolates on the weekend to pick up a few Christmas gifts. They are selling some special baked goods, just for the holidays, including caramel macarons and brownie cakes.

 Special treats from Kerstin’s

• Last week was a rough one, with many late nights at the office. So it was a nice treat to come home to a comforting meal on one of those nights – thanks, Mack!

Spaghetti and meatballs!

• If you’re still looking for unique Christmas gifts, you still have a few chances at local farmers’ markets – Alberta Avenue’s last market until the new year is on Thursday, December 16, Old Strathcona on December 18 and a special market on Thursday, December 23, and of course, the City Market on Churchill Square on December 18. Speaking of the City Market, Mack and I stopped by on Saturday – we were too late for eggs, and Kuhlmann’s, who would have been the only vegetable vendor, couldn’t make it. Needless to say, our basket was emptier than we would have liked! Ah well – there’s always next week.

City Market on the Square

The marshmallow-roasting pits doubled as hand warmers on Saturday

Carollers did their best to warm the spirits of patrons and vendors alike

As much as I enjoyed the first season of The Walking Dead (a mere six episodes that it was), I was really hoping the writers would throw the audience a bone – count me in as a part of the camp that needs to know the history behind the Zombie Apocalypse. And now – we have to wait until Halloween 2011 to find out more? Good thing I have Top Chef: All Stars to tide me over, at least for a while (Go, Jennifer!). On to this week’s food notes:

• Missed the recent Santa’s Anonymous Tweetup? Not to worry – another socially-conscious Tweetup benefiting Edmonton’s Food Bank is being held at Original Joe’s Varsity on December 17, 2010.
• Local Public Eatery, a restaurant that is opening in the old OPM spot (1820 99 Street) in South Common on December 8, 2010, will have a gluten-free menu.
• Congrats to Sergio, who opened La Monarca, a new Latin bakery at 4119 106 Street (780-218-9777) on December 1. Liane and Chris both wrote about it last week. All pastries are 2 for 1 until December 10!
• Liane also wrote about a new downtown lunch spot called The Sequel Cafe (10011 102 Avenue, 780-425-9210), which should have opened today. Always great to have more non-fast food options in the core!
• Lots of new around town lately – Culina’s outpost at the Muttart Conservatory opened on December 2.
• Another big congratulations to Valerie and Maria, who launched their Taste Tripping culinary business recently. Love that they’re cheeky enough to offer a couples sausage making class for Valentine’s Day.
• Andrea blogged about her order from the Organic Food Box – good to read about, as I was wondering what a typical order contained.
• Great piece from Newsweek about the growing class division in America as expressed through the food that we eat.
• You know food trucks are mainstream when…one of the networks builds a half-hour comedy around them.
• Tea Fusion in Edmonton City Centre is now open (thanks, Chowdown!). I was told it was supposed to be a tea purveyor (like David’s Tea), and though they do sell loose teas, it looks like their focus is on drinks – both hot tea and bubble tea (menu here).

Tea Fusion

• Oodle Noodle is now downtown (10842 Jasper Avenue)! We were amazed they opened on time, given they looked like they were very much in construction mode a few days earlier. It’s one of Mack’s favourite quick-serve restaurants, so we couldn’t pass up the 2-for-1 offer ( it expires on December 12). It’s a fun place, with loud music, bright LCD screens, and friendly staff. I’ve always thought it miles above Wok Box – give it a try some time!

Mack is thrilled to be at Oodle Noodle

Penang Laksa and Combo Box

• Corso 32, Daniel Costa’s 32 seat Italian restaurant, is set to open on December 10 (thanks for the comment, Shermie).

Corso 32, coming soon!

• Browsing at Chicken Scratch on Whyte Ave over the weekend, Mack and I came across a hilarious toy – who would win?

Will it be Mr. Bacon or Monsieur Tofu?

Have a great week, everyone!

If you haven’t yet entered the contest to win $750 worth of prizes to the Thompson Okanagan Region, make sure you do so by Friday, December 3! On to this week’s food notes:

• Vinomania is hosting free wine tastings every Saturday from noon-5pm until December 18, 2010.
• Foodie McPoon has uncovered some newish and soon-to-be restaurants in Edmonton: Sanpachi, a Japanese noodle house, and a dim sum joint in a Howard Johnson hotel, called Delicious, Delicious.
• I came across a new French bistro called La Persaud on the Campus Saint Jean.
• Kerstin’s is a great place if you’re looking to satisfy someone’s sweet tooth. And even better, besides knowing you are supporting a local business, you can also feel good that your purchases are benefiting those in developing countries too. As of December 1, 2010, Kerstin’s will be donating 10% of their profits to Change for Children, as the organization supports work in countries where cacao is grown.
• Similar to how Allan broke down his veggie cost from his CSA share this summer, Kevin calculated the cost of his whole cow from Nature’s Green Acres, or, as he calls it: Nouveau Beef-onomics.
• I almost missed Jennifer Cockrall-King’s post about “Gordonspotting” Gordon Ramsay at Hardware Grill on his recent stop in Edmonton.
• A new Loblaws store, No Frills, opened in Edmonton last week.
• Another group-based deals service launched, called Swarm Jam, courtesy of the Edmonton Journal.
• Paula Simons posted a recipe for the cookie heard ‘round the world, and Chris tried out the recipe himself.
• I can’t remember when I first saw these, but these collapsible bottles would be a great gift idea for a traveler, or really, anyone environmentally conscious.
• SF bans Happy Meals (well, at least the marketing ploy of a toy for meals over a certain calorie count.
• Sure, the Thanksgiving ramekin from The Dish was great – but how about most of a Thanksgiving meal stuffed into a croissant?
• Frank Bruni asks: have we gone too far with our quest for the perfect cup of coffee at home?
• There was a good piece in the NYT about one-note restaurants, with a particularly en-pointe statement: “‘Certain movie stars can carry a movie; certain foods can carry a restaurant.’”
• First Julie Powell (of Julie & Julia fame), now Sarah Bigelow – are female butchers the new “it” thing?
• Ruby Dragon, which has replaced Kai (10909 Jasper Avenue), is now open.

Ruby Dragon

• Look out for new establishments in the 124 Street area, including Somerville Wine & Cheese.

Somerville Wine & Cheese

• Also on tap, two doors down from Duchess, is Food Dish Wishes, a pet bakery.

Food Dish Wishes

• The board I volunteer for was treated to a lovely dinner at the Royal Glenora on Monday. The food was great – my favourite dishes included the cedar-planked, panko-coated salmon, and the creamy mashed potatoes (it really is difficult to get attractive photos of a buffet spread).

I had to take a photo with Vicki, who is my partner-in-crime on the board!

Have a great week!

On cold nights like this, walking home, it’s hard not to think about those who don’t have a place of their own. Even though this year’s homeless count estimates that the numbers have decreased since 2008, there is still a long way to go. As we approach Christmas – remember your local charities this holiday season! On to this week’s food notes:

• Billingsgate (7331 104 Street) is hosting an open house on Saturday, November 27 @ 10am-2pm, celebrating their 103 year in business. Lobster bisque will be sampled.
• Need some help deciding on a gift? Sherbrooke Liquor Store will be holding a Christmas Spirit”s” show at the Capilano Community League (10819 54 Street) on November 27 from 5-9pm, with sampling tickets available at the door.
• Transcend’s upcoming Barista Jam on December 4 at the Argyll location sounds like a lot of fun. Look forward to an espresso throwdown, taste Alberta-roasted espressos, and test your ability to identify the odd-espresso out.
• To celebrate Terra Madre Day on December 10, Slow Food Edmonton is screening the episode of The Endless Feast that was shot in Edmonton last year, as well as a documentary about a Prairie farming family. To sweeten the deal, there will be local meat and cheese to snack on, and Amber’s beer and EnSante wine to drink!
• For more food and drink events, check out City and Dale’s Holiday Eats & Drinks Guide.
• I had heard rumblings about this, but it’s nice to finally have it confirmed – Culina will be moving into the cafe space in the Muttart Conservatory! I have no doubt the recognizable name will help draw many more people into our beautiful river valley, and I am glad to hear they will be taking advantage of the greenhouses to grow their own food. They hope to be open by Christmas.
• New bakery alert: La Manarca, at 4119 106 Street, will be hosting its grand opening on December 1.
• On the topic of bakeries – Duchess has a brand-spankin’ new website. It looks great!
• Passing by what used to be Kai on 109 Street and Jasper Avenue, it looks like it is Kai no longer – a sign posted said they are hiring for Ruby Dragon. Though this ad says they will be opening on November 18, it still looked like it was under construction. Any updates?
• Chris reviewed Bubba’s BBQ & Smoke House last week. Sounds delish!
• Mack pointed me to a great little blog by Lightside Photo – they are currently doing a feature called “30 Days of Edmonton”, and alongside beautiful photos, they posted an interview with the owner of Cha Island Tea today.
• More on GMO salmon – and it isn’t good.
• Mack and I were in the area of Everything Cheese on the weekend, so decided to stop by. While the selection may not be as deep as Paddy’s (though they will be getting in shipments from Neal’s Yard Dairy soon), there is no doubt it is a stunning space. I also much appreciated the labels – both next to the cheeses inside the case, and printed onto labels for customers to easily reference. While it’s a little out of the way for us, I can imagine those in the area are floored with this new neighbourhood addition!

Everything Cheese

Hurrah for labels!

A fun stocking stuffer – bags that allow one to make a grilled cheese right inside the toaster

• Next door to Everything Cheese is Secret Sweets (14910 45 Avenue, 780-479-3387), whose tagline is “because you don’t always have time to bake!” The baked good sold leaned more towards nostalgic than gourmet (snickerdoodles, Rice Krispie balls, cupcakes and shortbread), but from what we sampled, it’s a solid local option to satisfy the sweet tooth. They’re also looking into offering bread some time in the future as well.

Secret Sweets

• We finally got our lights up outside (of course we waited until it was –30 to do so). Only 33 days until Christmas!

Love that LED glow