Last night, Mack and I attended the closing film of the Global Visions Film Festival. A Small Act tells the story of a Kenyan boy who was given the opportunity to continue onto secondary school because of a monthly donation made by a woman in Sweden. He now works at the United Nations. It was a reminder that our public education system should never be taken for granted, and to never doubt the possibilities created by any kind gestures, no matter the size. Onto this week’s food notes:

• University of Alberta’s Environmental Research & Studies Centre is currently putting on a monthly lecture series titled “Welcome to the Food Futures”. Next up on November 18, 2010 is Robert Paarlberg, who will be speaking about “Alternative Paths to Global Food Security in 2050:  Making the Right Choice.”
• It’s that time of year to mark your calendar for holiday shopping options outside of malls: check out the Handmade Mafia at Orange Hall November 27, December 4 and 11;  Just Christmas takes place on November 26-27 at the Alberta Avenue Community Hall; Make It takes over the Alberta Aviation Museum November 26-28; Royal Bison heads into its 9th edition November 27-28 at the Cosmopolitan Music Society; and a Winter World Market on December 11 from 10am-4pm at McCauley School (9538 107 Ave). And of course – don’t forget the farmers’ markets too!
• Thanks for the heads up about the IHOP coming to town – from the looks of it, they will likely be open late this year or early next year.
• Chris checked out Edmonton Cheese, the newest cheese monger in Edmonton.
• Marianne and Charles stopped by the new south side location of Urban Diner last week.
• Liane wrote about Press’d, a new-ish sandwich shop in City Centre.
• Thanks to Vue Weekly, I now know that Edmonton has a popular South African deli in Betsy’s South African Deli.
• I’ve always wondered what Christmas in November at the Jasper Park Lodge was like from a guests’s perspective – Valerie has helped me answer that question. It looks like a fabulous time!
• Thought-provoking article BruleeBlog linked to about the financial impacts of Open Table’s monopoly on online reservations, from the mouth of Mark Pastore, owner of SF’s Incanto.
• Though I mentioned it before, I actually passed by Pampa (9929 109 Street) over the weekend and snapped a photo. Look for the Brazilian churrascaria in 2011.

Pampa

• One of my coworkers hosted a fundraising dinner to help send her two children on school trips this year. She did all of the cooking, alongside two of my other colleagues – the food, which included Indian, African and Caribbean dishes was fantastic. And what can we say about the African doughnuts? Mack and I had four each.

My plate (we went back for seconds)

It was a bit of a whirlwind week at work – a (too) tight proposal deadline (thankfully, we made it), and my first ever (co)presentation at a conference (it went really well!). Unfortunately, this wasn’t the storm – instead, it is the beginning of a month-long sprint…but at least there’s Christmas to look forward to! Onto this week’s food notes:

• I am so looking forward to the Christmas on the Square Holiday Light Up on Churchill Square. Not only is the 5pm fireworks show one of the best in the city, but this year, expect nearly 50 City Market vendors, starting at 11 a.m. Hope to see you there!
• The Local Food Values Chain workshop is being held on November 19, 2010. RSVP by November 12.
• Congrats to November’s Delux Burger Celebrity Chef, Jerry Aulenbach! Chris has some great photos of the launch at the Bourbon Street Delux on Friday.
• Nick Lees mentioned last week that Corso 32, Daniel Costa’s new restaurant at 10345 Jasper Avenue should be open at the end of this month. It’ll be nice to have another option close by.
• Saturday’s Journal mentioned a new-ish south Indian restaurant called Shudh (3464 93 Street).
• Liane wrote about her new favourite hole-in-the-wall restaurant, Won Jung Gak in the Journal last week – I would imagine it has been inundated with new customers in the same way Bubba’s BBQ and Smoke House was following its review.
• Both the Journal and Twyla reviewed The Marc – in the former, I liked the honesty from Patrick Saurette that things “take a long time to come together”. So short of their signature dishes like their beef cheek and lamb shank, it’s likely the loyal patrons that are the repeat customers at this point.
• Twyla also reviewed Battista’s Calzones, a new restaurant on Alberta Avenue – it sounds delicious, I hope to try it soon!
• We are very lucky to have our very own local test kitchen – aka Valerie’s home. This past week, she experimented with duck vs. chicken egg crème brulee.
• A great gift for the person in your life that strives to cook sustainably: the Ocean Wise cookbook.
• Is a Kobe beef burger not upscale enough for you? How about shaved white truffles on your burger then – and all for just $45!
• Bon Appetit just announced their new Editor-in-Chief, to replace long time editor Barbara Fairchild: Adam Rapoport comes from a pedigree that most recently included a decade at GQ.
• The brown paper has finally gone up at the newest location of Bistro Praha. The countdown to December begins for fans of this restaurant!

Coming soon…

• Kathryn and I had lunch at Culina Millcreek this week. They changed the ham & cheese sandwich ($13) since my last lunch visit – I loved the Sylvan Star cheese, and couldn’t believe the amount of roasted pork in my sandwich. And of course – the sweetness from the Prairie Mill raisin bread just elevated the sandwich that much more. Kathryn equally enjoyed her house sandwich

Ham & cheese with vegetable barley soup

House sandwich

• You know Christmas is coming soon when Starbucks releases their annual Red Cup! I’m not sure I’m a huge fan of the designs this year, but I love the season that this ushers in!

2010 Red Cup

• Mack and I had a great time at Kat Danser’s concert on Friday night – she just released her third CD, called Passin’-a-Time. It was fun to be able to attend the show with a few other coworkers! It was also our first time at the Arden Theatre, which we found to be a beautiful venue.

Inside the Arden Theatre

Me, Swamy and Kathryn (we’re going to miss Swamy – she’s leaving us for a volunteer placement in Peru with CUSO in two weeks)

• The coolest “perk” about presenting at the conference this weekend was to be able to get a glimpse of the Royal Suite on the 23rd floor at the Crowne Plaza (it served as the hospitality room for presenters) – I had no idea Chateau Lacombe even had a balcony!

Gorgeous view – the photo doesn’t quite do it justice

Only AMC could get me to watch a television show featuring zombies. In spite of the fact that I am averse to all things horror and fear-inducing, last night, after a barrage of previews during the Mad Men finale, there I was, watching the premiere of their new series, The Walking Dead. And inevitably, I am now hooked. Anyone else see it? Onto this week’s food notes:

• A reminder that the Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Show takes place this weekend, November 5-6, 2010, at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• Gordon Ramsay will be in Edmonton on November 13, at WEM’s Chapters (thanks Lisa for the Tweet!)
• Christmas stock-up alert: Company’s Coming is having their next scratch & dent sale on November 13, 2010 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at 2311-96 Street, with an opportunity to meet Jean Pare!
• There’s a new cheesemonger in town! Everything Cheese opened up in Riverbend on October 29, with their grand opening slated for November 6, 2010.
• Thanks to A for a comment about a forthcoming Brazilian churrascaria restaurant called Pampa that she says be moving into the space formerly occupied by Mirabelle. Looking forward to the all-you-can-eat meat!
• Looks like Edmonton will soon get its first Beard Papa in West Edmonton Mall (they serve cream puffs – we sampled a few in San Francisco).
• Manna Noodle (3212 Parsons Road) seems to have changed hands (or at least their name?) – driving past I noticed the sign now reads Hanuri Korean Restaurant.
• The Marc got a few hits from local bloggers this week: from Jean Poutine at May Contain Nuts; and from Marianne: “ Overall, we had a good experience; that said, Charles brought up this morning that with their limited and static menu (save the daily fish and desserts), there’s nothing drawing him back any time soon.”
• Marianne also reviewed Pourhouse last week.
• This was fun: City and Dale posted the results of a blind cupcake tasting – I’m glad to see that Whimsical and Flirt both did well!
• I’m really looking forward to the opening of the Enjoy Centre – Liane posted that Julianna Mimande has just found her chef, Shaun Hicks.
• Congratulations to Andrew Fung of Blackhawk Golf Course for taking the top prize at last week’s 2010 Gold Medal Plates (you can see the Journal’s photos here). Interestingly enough, three of the last four champions have won with Asian fusion dishes.
• Congratulations also to the team behind the Green & Gold Garden, who raised $21,587.00 for the Tubahumurize Association to help women in Rwanda. They will be planning on operating a garden next year.
• GMO-salmon have been in the news lately – CBC has a great interview with John Buchanan, director of research and development for AquaBounty.
• A belated send-off – Mack and I had lunch at Madison’s Grill a few weeks back to wish Chef Blair Lebsack well on his European travels, and more importantly, to get him on Twitter. He was nice enough to treat us to their Sylvan Star grilled cheese sandwiches as promised (the spicy tomato ketchup could be eaten with everything), and though we are sad to see him go – he will be back next year, hoping to have his own restaurant open in fall 2011. Safe travels, Blair!

Sylvan Star gouda and gruyere grilled cheese sandwich

• With the demand for gluten-free options, it was no surprise to see a sign advertising a forthcoming GF bakery on 109 Street and 105 Avenue called Auntie B’s.

Auntie B’s

• After a media dinner at ZINC tonight (you’ll be seeing many write-ups of it around the blogosphere in the next few days), Mack and I stopped by City Hall to check out the revised version of the Capital City Downtown Plan. Of note: the plan makes mention of providing assistance to growing food downtown, as well as a multi-purpose arts/city market space. The plan goes to City Council on December 6, 2010.

Capital City Downtown Plan display

I could make reference to our first snowfall of the year, but that’s a bit depressing. So instead, I’ll talk about Glee. In a few short weeks, Mack and I have become full-on Gleeks. I’m not sure how it happened – we weren’t watching it at the height of its popularity earlier last season…but somehow, stumbled upon a few episodes, and well, we’re hooked. Airing tomorrow: the Rocky Horror Picture episode! Onto this week’s food notes:

• Take note, cupcake fans! Crave will be invading Edmonton in January 2011, moving into the space formerly occupied by damon j (7929 104 Street), next to Planet Organic south. Can three cupcakeries within two blocks of each other survive?
• Sure, it might be too early to talk about Christmas, but the Holiday Cocktails evening at deVine’s on December 2, 2010 sounds like the perfect way to usher in the season. On the menu: a Candy-cane Martini, Cranberry Snowdrift, Christmas Sour and Ginger Snap, among others.
• Many people were sad when Pharos shut down, but it turns out it isn’t gone for good – it will be reopening above Haven Social Club.
• The Edmontonian reviewed Press’d Sandwiches last week: “The sandwich itself is BIG. Did I mention that?”
• The Journal gave a thumbs up to the revamped Next Act on Wednesday: “The Next Act is an unassuming class act, a wonderful remount of an old favourite, and one of the best restaurant values in Strathcona, where honest, thoughtfully prepared plates rule.”
• Chris wrote about a special dinner he had at Joey’s, courtesy of Corporate Chef Chris Mills, presented in preparation for a meal to be presented at the James Beard House – don’t read this hungry! Vlad in Calgary had a similar experience.
• Vue had a great piece on Alan and Nicola Irving (of Irvings Farm Fresh), and their learning curve when it came to sausage making.
• Jennifer Cockrall-King is offering her annual food writing course at Grant MacEwan in November.
• Since the Double Down was released in Canada on October 18, I was expecting blog reviews of the monstrosity of a sandwich. Mack and I plan on conquering it one day (morbid curiosity, much?), but in the meantime, I am living vicariously through Andree’s review.
• I’m not sure why I was naive enough to think The French Laundry was the only restaurant in North America to Google diners, but it’s just amazing to me that some restaurants have the resources to do so (the Eleven Madison Park anecdote is pretty awesome).
• I stopped by Far East Sandwiches (10301 109 Street) on Saturday on my way to meet a friend. Turns out that like V Sandwiches on Rice Howard Way, they are bringing the banh mi to the masses. And while I realize the sandwich itself might be larger (and their rent more expensive – especially for such a beautiful, bright space), paying nearly $5 for something that can be had in Chinatown for $3.50 is something I’m not sure I could do.

Far East Sandwiches

• Mack and I made our first trip to the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market since the beginning of May. It was just as crowded as we remembered, but we were happy to see a few vendors from the City Market having joined its ranks this year, including Mighty Trio Organics and Sylvan Star Cheese. It was also neat to see that Alan now has his own wall stall with plug-in coolers!

Alan’s new stall

Gorgeous flowering cabbages from Peas on Earth (I’ve never seen these before)

I know many people probably know about Mack’s site, ShareEdmonton already, but if you haven’t checked it out for the election results, make sure you do! He’s been working really hard on it in the last few weeks, but especially in the last few days, to make sure it was ready for election night. I think he did a great job! Anyway, on to this week’s food notes:

• The U of A’s Office of Sustainability is hosting a Sustainability Awareness Week from October 18-23, featuring a mini farmers’ market on campus, an elk burger BBQ and more!
• Patty Milligan (aka Lola Canola) is organizing an event with Candace Savage, author of Bees: Nature’s Little Wonders taking place on October 24. Proceeds will go to the Canadian Bee Research Fund.
• Far East Sandwiches is now open, located at 10301 109 Street (780-756-3278).
• Cora’s has added two locations of their popular breakfast and lunch spots to the Edmonton market: one in the northwest (12520 137 Avenue) that opened today, and another in the west end (9977 178 Street), slated to open next week. And even more expansion for next year: “Cora plans on opening four more restaurants in the Edmonton area in 2011. A restaurant is coming to Sherwood Park and Cora is also looking at sites in St. Albert, the Oliver area near downtown Edmonton, Whyte Avenue and Leduc.”
• Erin e-mailed me earlier in the week and said that in addition to Cora’s, she’s also seen a few other eateries open up in the northwest, including Mt. Fuji at 9635 167 Avenue) – great news for those that live in the area!
• Foodie McPoon blogged about Rockford Grill, the new restaurant in the Sandman Hotel in southwest Edmonton (10011 Ellerslie Road SW).
• D’Lish has been getting positive reviews in the blogosphere – from Raoul, May Contain Nuts, and Chris.
• Urban Diner’s southside location (in the old Fiore’s spot) is shooting for an October 25 opening, shares Liane.
• The NYT had an article this week about Wal-Mart setting targets to source produce locally (defined as purchasing from the same state). It’s interesting that their goals in Canada are far higher than their American counterpart – by 2013, to source 30% of the produce for Canadian stores locally, and when available, to source 100% locally.
• It’s unfortunate on some level that the first cupcakery in the core is a franchise, but I’m still excited to have one close to home. Expect Big City Cupcakes to open later this year in City Centre Mall.

Big City Cupcakes

• Mack and I were fortunate to get a quick impromptu tour of the soon-to-be retail location and cafe of Queen of Tarts, located in the basement of the Armstrong Block on 104 Street. Proprietor Linda Kearney was especially excited about the artisan breads they will be offering – her husband Paul recently attended a course in San Francisco to perfect his skills. I’m looking forward to their late November opening already!

Queen of Tarts – coming soon!

• LitFest, Edmonton’s nonfiction festival, runs October 14 – 24, 2010. They have a few food events this year, including Savouries (readings and a four-course meal) and Genu-wine (a panel discussion and wine tastings).
• Bistro Praha has finally found a new home only a stone’s throw away from their previous location on Rice Howard Way. They are set to open on December 1 in the Empire Building.
• The Dish will be starting dinner and a movie this month (similar to 4th and Vine’s offering).
• Talk on C2E says that OPM will be shutting down on October 19, and will open after being rebranded into a sports bar.
• Mack posted a link to the response to the RFP so far to develop kiosks at several downtown LRT stations. Included on the list are Good Earth and Press’d Sandwiches.
• Sounds like Edmontonians are chomping at the bit for southern BBQ: in the days after the review of Bubba’s BBQ and Smoke House, the truck was inundated with business.
• Heading to Rexall Place hungry? Check out City and Dale’s Food Finder.
• The Little Red Kitchen is now gluten-free!
• Allan of Button Soup crunched the numbers of the produce they received from their $600 share in Tipi Creek (a Community Supported Agriculture), comparing it to the relative cost of produce from a grocery store and the farmers’ market. The verdict? The CSA was much, much cheaper than shopping at a farmers’ market.
• Check out Valerie’s post on picking high bush cranberries and her subsequent jam making adventures – brilliant outing and photos.
• A good piece in the NYT about seed savers  preserving heirloom varieties that thrive in that specific region.
• A Village Voice writer braved Fatty ‘Cue’s whole pig head (the serving is accompanied by surgical gloves). Not sure I could stomach the process, but good to see how it can be done.
• Starbucks was handing out free VIA samples last week, having launched their flavoured versions. The caramel flavour I tried at the cafe with a splash of milk was pretty tasty for instant coffee.

Flavoured VIA

• The storefront that used to house Viet Huong on 107 Avenue and 101 Street will be reopening on October 11 as Lau Viet Huong, offering hot pot.

Lau Viet Huong

• Battista’s Calzone Company opened on Friday on 118 Avenue and 84 Street (they’re also on Twitter). Great to see new businesses constantly popping up on Alberta Avenue!

Battista’s inviting purple exterior

• A few coworkers and I popped into El Rancho (11810 87 Street) after a training session nearby. It’s been far too long since my last meal there, as it was delicious as always. The steak in my burrito had just the right amount of seasoning and char, and though I could have done with more beans, it was a great lunch.

Burrito el Carbon at El Rancho

Pupusas and plantains, oh my!

• Maria introduced us to whoopie pies from Lilyola Vintage Baking at the City Market on Saturday. I had the chocolate peanut butter version, while Mack had the carrot cake. It received rave reviews from both of us! Lilyola will be at the Olde Time Fair on the Square on October 16, 2010.

Lilyola Vintage Baking

• We were fortunate to have a few Thanksgiving meals this weekend, including one at my parents’ house. It is such a cliché, but there’s nothing like home cooking!

Thanksgiving spread

• Kim also invited us over for dinner tonight. We were tasked with bringing a dessert, which had to be gluten-free. I’m not that familiar with gluten-free recipes, but some searching led me to a NYT recipe for a gluten-free apple crumble, which asked for quinoa flour instead of wheat flour. It turned out really well, with the inclusion of oats ensuring the crumble had that necessary crunchy texture. We served it with vanilla Pinocchio ice cream – simple but tasty.

Apple crumble

Want the chance to win two WestJet tickets worth over $4000? It’s as easy as clicking over to Mack’s blog and answering the question, “What are you doing to help make Edmonton a better place?” Good luck! On to this week’s food notes:

• Happy birthday to Vinomania, who is celebrating 15 years in the wine business this month! To help commemorate the occasion, from October 4-30, 2010 they are offering free wine tastings on their Enosystem, and with the donation of a non-perishable item to the Edmonton Food Bank, a 15% discount on all wine purchases.
• Just Food Edmonton has organized an opportunity to contribute to developing the national People’s Food Policy. The forum (election candidates have been invited also) will take place on October 13, 2010 from 6-9pm at the Central Lions Seniors Centre (11113-113 Street). RSVP by October 10.
• I know I’m already lamenting the end of the City Market this coming weekend, but something to look forward to for others going through withdrawal is the Olde Time Fair on the Square on October 16, 2010, which will feature market vendors in addition to pumpkin carving and carriage rides.
• Have you checked out TeamBuy yet? It’s another e-mail discount deal system similar to Groupon.
• Liane announced that Blair Lebsack, Executive Chef of Madison’s Grill (and one of my favourite chefs in the city) is leaving to tour and cook around Europe after attending Terra Madre. But don’t worry – it sounds like he’ll be back eventually, to open his own restaurant.
• Liane also posted that the popular Cafe de Ville is opening a second location in Sherwood Park at 25 Sioux Road. Watch for it in December.
• Chris Lachance of Century Hospitality is featured in the October issue of Avenue Magazine. As he was also profiled in their home interiors section two years ago, one has to wonder if they’ve run dry on local personalities to write about?
• I’m biased, but: Mack wrote a great summary post on a session on “A Heritage of Local Food” at this weekend’s symposium put on by the Edmonton Heritage Council.
• Kevin Kossowan hosted a tasting of Smoky Lake Goat Cheese last weekend, and though I was sad to have missed it, I can live vicariously through Valerie, Mel and Chris.
• Like Alberta Avenue before it, Chinatown is getting some facade overhauls – I am hoping that like Alberta Avenue, it means that new businesses will soon follow!

Taipan Cafe, under all the construction

• The Marc, Patrick and Doris Saurette’s new French bistro, officially opens on October 5. We peeked inside the windows on Sunday, and the dining room looked sparkling, and ready to go!

The Marc

• By the end of the year, every major shopping mall will have a tea peddler in its midst. For City Centre, it will be Tea Fusion.

Tea Fusion

• I’m a sucker for a promotion: Tim Horton’s offers “game day doughnuts” when the Eskimos play. Though they’re really only vanilla dip doughnuts with green and gold sprinkles, they seemed to taste better than normal yesterday. Perhaps it was the taste of victory?

Mack with his doughnut

Enjoy the lovely fall weather!

Our fridge has up and died (it’s really done this time), which means that although we will be doing some unforeseen spending, also means we will be able to choose a fridge that we like! It’s funny how something so basic like a fridge not working can cause so much stress. Anyway, on to this week’s notes:

• Do you have pumpkin fever? Smoky Lake is having their annual Great White North Pumpkin Fair and Weigh-Off this weekend.
• Foodie McPoon reviewed Mini Mango this week, a new restaurant opened by the folks behind Sweet Mango.
• Chris wrote about a new cafe called Gracious Goods that opened in the space formerly occupied by Hulbert’s.
• The Journal and Twyla both reviewed The Treasury last week.
• Jean Poutine visited the Motoraunt one last time – the home of the (in)famous Monster Burger.
• Liane wrote about a great offer from The Blue Pear – to help celebrate their tenth anniversary, they are offering guests the chance to flip a coin to win their dinner.
• Mack sent this Winnipeg Food Policy document to me – a great primer on their local food issues, and related questions to ask their municipal election candidates.
• The doughnut burger is so yesterday: how about a Pop Tart burger?
• I’m still waiting for North American chefs to integrate more insects into their menus, as I do think it will be a trend in the coming years, but until then, read about the possibilities in this NYT article.
• Viet Huong will be relocating from their location on 107 Avenue to a storefront right in Chinatown that used to house Hoang Long (10715 – 98 Street).

Viet Huong coming soon

• Basil Leaf will have a neighbour soon – a restaurant called Emperor’s Palace.

Emperor’s Palace

• Twisted Yogurt Creations opened their second location last week in South Park (650, 3803 Calgary Trail, 780-440-4955). I’m still waiting for a branch more public transit accessible, but I love the self-serve concept. We stopped by and tried out their dreamsicle and purple cow flavours this time around.

Mack loading up

• My family is so lucky to have a Mum who is such a good cook. She demonstrated her skills at the Mid-Autumn Festival dinner last week – everything was as delicious as it looked. Thanks, Mum!

Time to feast!

As much as I love fall, I wish it didn’t start so soon (in spite of the fact that the “official” day of fall is this Thursday). That said, the weather should be looking up by the weekend, fingers crossed! On to this week’s food notes:

• Press’d The Sandwich Company is now officially open in Edmonton City Centre (you can find them downstairs in the old Cargo & James space near Dollarama). Expect in-house baked bread, freshly sliced meat, and house-made sides. They will be holding their grand opening on September 27.
• Also, Fatburger opened their second Edmonton location in Edmonton City Centre.
• D’Lish has reopened as a plush wine bar. Maki has an early review.
• On the subject of wine, this is such a great idea on so many levels: deVine’s is hosting a “travelling tasting”, where several downtown eateries have been asked to create a dish to match a liquor pairing, and patrons will be going from one to another on foot!
• Narayanni’s, a relatively new South African/Indian restaurant in Old Strathcona, has been getting some love from local food bloggers Chris and Twyla.
• There’s a new “food community” in town, spearheaded by the LEP Group (they own Ric’s Grill and The Copper Pot in Edmonton). It’s called Book a Table, though it seems you can’t actually book a table directly through the website (unlike Open Table)  – it’s more for interested diners to receive information from restaurants that are a part of the community. On the upside, those who sign up for their newsletter are eligible for a $25 dining voucher valid at any of their member restaurants.
• Diner Inspect, an app that helps people easily locate restaurant health inspection results, recently won the first prize in the Apps for Edmonton contest.
• Twyla mentioned that Real Deal Meats is having a customer appreciation day on September 25.
• Vue Weekly wrote a positive review about Kulmiye (9570 – 111 Ave, 780-642-6014) a Somali restaurant near Commonwealth. A few coworkers also recommended it, so I hope to try it soon.
• Valerie has some great photos in her post about a recent Rotary Centre fundraiser dinner she judged with Kevin.
• Speaking of Kevin, he has the low down about a new CSA Smoky Valley Goat Cheese is looking at starting to help tide over their operations for the winter.
• An interesting article from the Post-Intelligencer about the farmers’ market scene in Seattle – how many farmers’ markets is too many?
• This is true: Loblaws announced they will be setting up farmers’ markets at their stores across Canada, with a grower on-site to answer questions.
• The San Francisco Chronicle had a great “inside” look at arguably the best restaurant in North America: The French Laundry.
• Before we left to San Francisco, we had a fun dinner at Famoso for May’s birthday. I haven’t been to Famoso in a while, but all it takes are a few bites to remind me that I should be going more often.

The Bella, with fresh mozzarella, basil, capicolla ham and cherry tomatoes

• After dinner, we headed to Hawrelak Park for Symphony Under the Sky. We really enjoyed the concert, featuring some of John Williams’ greatest hits. Being the Star Wars nerd that I am, the highlight was being able to take a photo with Darth Vader himself.

I have gone to the Dark side

• Mack and I attended Michael Janz’s campaign benefit brunch on Sunday. Michael is running for school trustee in Ward F (which encompasses downtown, parts of Riverbend and the communities surrounding the U of A). Volunteers put together a very tasty meal, including delicious cheese scones baked by Brittany.

My plate

• I was lucky enough to be invited to a celebration hosted by one of the programs at work last week. There, some of the Ethiopian students had set up everything they needed for a coffee ceremony. I love the smell of roasting coffee!

Coffee roasting

Mack and I are in San Francisco! I won’t be blogging while we’re away, though he might be. Here are a few notes for the week:

• The place to be in 104 Street (but then again, I’m biased): Queen of Tarts is moving into the basement of the Armstrong Building, and will be serving her pastries, coffee and sandwiches.
• What happens when foodies get together: read all about the dinner and tour Valerie (aka A Canadian Foodie) had at Kevin Kossowan’s house.
• Speaking of Kevin – he has released the first two videos in his series profiling local farmers. Check them out!
• Great read from Avenue Calgary about the past (and future) of their farmers’ markets.
• The NYT published an article recently about cafes in NY moving back to the set up of coffee shops of yore – bar stools meant not for those needing a mobile office.
• We did head down to the City Market on Saturday, but obviously didn’t do any shopping. We weren’t going to miss out on seeing the petting zoo though, courtesy of Chicken John’s. I so wanted to take home a baby goat, and the teeny bunnies would have fit in my purse without anyone noticing. Too cute!

Animal attraction

 Sitting pretty

Bunnies!

• We also noticed Karen’s Cake in a Cup. She had some really interesting flavours, like root beer float. Unfortunately, she doesn’t sell individual cakes, and we weren’t about to consume a half dozen cupcakes in a day (6/$12). Maybe next time!

 Karen’s Cake in a Cup

Have a good two weeks!