Category: notes

Food Notes for June 29, 2009

  • Connect2Edmonton asked me to write a guest column about food. I came up with a piece about an Edmonton “dining passport”. Thanks for the opportunity, C2E!
  • Liane posted on her blog that Bistro Praha, which was heavily damaged in the Ramsay Building fire, will be relocating to Tower II of the Icon Tower.
  • From Chris’s blog – there’s a new cupcake store that opened on June 27: Cake Couture (15008 87 Avenue, 780-709-1682). While I’m sure Edmonton can support the growing number of cupcake boutiques, one has to wonder why no one has situated a bakery in downtown Edmonton, where office workers may wander in for an afternoon pick-me-up, and custom orders would presumably be in high demand.
  • The Culina Family of restaurants finally launched their new website, complete with a rebranding of Passa Tempo, which is now BiBO. The site has the option for each restaurant to have a blog, but we will see if if the promise for content holds true.
  • The Taste of Edmonton, which runs July 17-26, have released their menus. It’s nice to see some new restaurants participating (Padmanadi, The Hat), but given other great sample events that are more economical and serve higher quality food, I have to seriously think about spending my dollar at Churchill.
  • Michael Pollan was at UBC last week speaking at a fundraising event to help protect the UBC farmland from residence expansion. The event was followed up by a tasting featuring local produce and ingredients.
  • Via the blog Eat. Drink. Better., a link to the recent bylaw passed in Toronto that will require buildings of a certain size to have either a green or a cool roof. So progressive – who knew I’d be applauding Toronto?
  • When I interviewed Rob Feenie back in February, I asked him about the possibility of sourcing local ingredients. He said it might be possible, working with a local producer. Well, Chipotle, a popular Mexican chain based in the U.S., is doing it on a large scale, and has made a commitment to purchase at least 25% of one ingredient from small or mid-size farms within 200 miles of their 760 stores in the country. I didn’t think such a shift would be logistically possible – bravo to them for making the effort.
  • Mack sent me an article from the Boston Globe about the proliferation of restaurants using Twitter as a vehicle for publicity and interaction with customers. C’mon, Edmonton restaurants – jump on the bandwagon!
  • I had seen a sandwich board advertising a new “Indian fusion” restaurant – I didn’t know that the name of the restaurant was actually Indian Fusion (10322 111 Street, 780-752-5500).

 

Indian Fusion: The Curry House

  • My family received our order of 1/4 of a cow this past week, which worked out to 183lbs. We immediately dug into our steak stash – when Mack took his first bite, he commented, “it tastes organic,” haha. I don’t think my palate can make that distinction, but it was pretty darn good steak.

 

Mack’s steak and potato

  • My coworkers surprised me with a giant cupcake from Flirt last week to help me celebrate my birthday! I suspected nothing, even when one of my coworkers asked several questions relating to cupcake boutiques in the city. I am happy to report that it was delicious – the icing wasn’t overly sweet, and several coworkers commented that the cake had a nice texture. Thanks, guys!

 

The first super-sized cupcake Flirt has ever made

Food Notes for June 22, 2009

I really don’t do well with the hot-cold game the weather likes to play, but hopefully I am on my way to recovery, just in time for my birthday. Here are my notes:

  • A reminder about Edmonton’s second Foodie Meetup, taking place this Friday, June 26. If the weather holds up, come join us for a potluck at Dawson Park; if it is raining, we’ll be meeting at Suede Lounge for some warming cocktails. Hope to see you there!
  • Attention all Rob Feenie fans: upload a photo of your favourite recipe and send it to NAIT for your chance to win an autographed copy of Feenie’s: Brunch – Lunch – Dinner. Details here.
  • The Greater Edmonton Alliance has created a plan titled “The Way We Eat”, a blueprint to create a vibrant and sustainable local food economy. To show the community’s support in preventing the agricultural lands in the north east from being developed, the GEA is encouraging supporters to head to City Hall on June 23, from 6:30-9:30pm.
  • There was a great article about rooftop gardens in NYT this week. Alongside conversations about more urban greenspaces and farmland adjacent to cities, why can’t there be parallel conversations about rooftop farming?
  • Dahlia’s Mediterranean Bistro opened on 124th Street, just off Stony Plain Road – it looks to offer meals just in the daytime. A sign on Mikado’s downtown location says to watch for a westend outpost this summer.
  • Serious Eats had an interesting piece about 140 character Twitter recipes this past week.
  • Before meeting up with Mack for Pecha Kucha 4 at Shaw last week, I stopped by Blue Plate Diner for a solo meal. The curried chickpeas with saffron rice and grilled vegetables ($12) was a great dish – light, but so satisfying.

Curried Chickpeas from Blue Plate Diner

  • I received an e-mail from a local marketing company last week, who wanted to invite me to the upcoming grand opening of the new T&T Supermarket on Edmonton’s north side (9450 137 Avenue) taking place on July 2 at 9am. They were nice enough to deliver a bamboo steamer filled with Asian products – Pocky, wasabi peas, tea, a mangosteen, and others. I’m not sure I can make the grand opening (it’s unfortunately during the day), but you can join many other excited patrons at the store for a ribbon cutting ceremony, and lion dances.

Bamboo basket from T&T

  • Mack and I drove out to Sherbrooke Liquor Store for the first time last week – they have an awesome selection of local products, so I have a feeling it won’t be long before we’re back. We picked up Grog by Amber’s Brewing Company, a locally-made lime cooler that contains only 5 ingredients (water, lime, sugar, alcohol, rum). While we thought the packaging could be a little more attractive, we liked the tang and fresh taste of the cooler.

Amber’s Brewing Company Grog

  • We also bought Raspberry Fruit Wine by Field Stone Fruit Wine (a winery near Calgary). Super-sweet, it went down easy, and was a great accompaniment to my guilty pleasure: Tuxedo cake from Save-On Foods.

Dessert of champions: Raspberry Fruit Wine and Tuxedo Cake

Food Notes for June 15, 2009

I’m so glad it finally seems like summer in Edmonton! I do feel like I’m still catching up with things that happened in May though (namely, my DC trip), so thanks for your patience – my trip posts are forthcoming! In the meantime, here are my notes for this week:

  • A day after Liane reported in Bistro that David Cruz left his Executive Chef post at Sage, she posted a follow-up post on her blog containing her brief interview with him. Great use of your blog, Liane! It seems that he felt that his creativity was stymied, and will be looking at launching his own venture in Edmonton some time. It will be interesting to see if Sage continues to appeal to the masses with a “safe” menu after Cruz’s comments.
  • Kevin Ostapek, formerly of Flavours Modern Bistro, is the Chef at a new venture called The Bothy, a wine and whisky bar (5482 Calgary Trail). They will have cheese and charcuterie (yay!), as well as the city’s first enomatic wine system (which helps preserve the quality of by-the-bottle pours) – I’m looking forward to their opening!
  • Kerstin’s Chocolates will be offering chocolate covered Berkshire-pork bacon for Father’s Day, from June 17-20. Need I say more?
  • Speaking of liquor, Hanne of Supper in Stereo wrote a great piece for Vue this week covering some of the fresh summer cocktails available around the city!
  • Transcend Coffee just hired a marketing director! There is definitely a demand to increase their ability to offer coffee education (their cuppings are booked solid until November), so I am eager to see how they experiment to meet the public’s interest in quality coffee.
  • Century Hospitality is conducting a promotion that asks “local celebrities” to share their favourite burger recipes in the hopes that their burger will be chosen as a special addition to the Delux menu for a month. For July, CityTV’s Ryan Jesperson’s “Thai One On” burger will be featured.
  • There was a good article in the Journal on the weekend that provides an overview of the northeast agricultural land debate, which City Council will vote to potentially rezone on June 22-23.
  • Mack pointed me to an article of interest in Time about “cow-pooling” (buying an animal in bulk with others), of interest to me because my family and I will be receiving our first-ever 1/4 cow (grass-fed, hormone-free) this week, from my coworker’s family farm. It’ll be more beef than any of us have ever seen (heh).
  • There was an interview with Michael Pollan in the Globe last week. Nothing particularly new, except his comments about the much-talked about documentary Food, Inc. Not sure if the movie will be screened in Edmonton, but I’ll keep an eye out.
  • A curious blind tasting was conducted to see if a panel could identify dishes created by male versus female chefs. The verdict? The preconceived notions (such as women prepare more delicate dishes; men cook food to impress) were disproved.
  • I passed by a new vegan/vegetarian product store in Chinatown called Whole Vegetarian Food (9738 107 Avenue,  780-756-6186) that just opened on June 12. The store owner eagerly ushered me inside to show me the contents inside the deep chest freezers, but I wasn’t in the market for goods that day. They do seem to have quite the variety though, including shelves of dry goods.

Inside Whole Vegetarian Food

  • I’m just getting back into the cooking swing of things, and really, there is nothing like a trip to the farmers’ market for inspiration! Using some fresh veggies and herbs I picked up from the market, I made a batch of summer rolls to take to a meeting on Sunday (they travel well on the bus). The leftovers made a great side to my brown bag lunch.

Summer roll with carrots, bean sprouts, bell peppers, arugula, and cilantro

  • Chris from Eating is the Hard Part made my day when he brought me a loaf of fresh challah bread (if you’ve been reading his blog lately, you will know that he has been participating in the Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge). There’s nothing like homemade bread – the challah was great plain, but I also made French toast with it over the weekend, and it was delicious. Thanks, Chris!

Mack admires the challah

French toast made with challah and Greens Eggs and Ham duck eggs

Food Notes for June 8, 2009

  • A reminder about the upcoming Al Fresco on 104th Street, taking place this Saturday. In addition to an open door wine tasting, a handful of all-day vendors and a fashion show, the organizers will be screening Big Night outdoors at 10pm, with Sobeys supplying popcorn. I’m looking forward to it! Remember to bring a donation for the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters.
  • To celebrate Portugal Day, deVines will be hosting a Portuguese Olive Oil Tasting on June 10 from 5-7pm. Admission is free, but those interested are being asked to bring a donation for the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters.
  • I remember growing up thumbing through my Mum’s worn copy of Company’s Coming: Muffins & More, so the Company’s Coming Inventory Clearance couldn’t have been timed better, as I’m looking to expand my cookbook collection: “Stop by our Edmonton warehouse at 2311-96 Street on Friday, June 12 from 3 p.m. – 8 p.m. and Saturday, June 13 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. for incredible savings on out-of-print and overstocked Company’s Coming titles.” You’ll even have the opportunity to meet Jean Pare and get your cookbook signed!
  • A few new-ish openings: Original Joe’s Whyte Avenue outpost (8404 109 Street), Karma the Indian Bistro (10523 99 Avenue, 780-498-2992), and an upcoming “Friends and Neighbours Delight”, which will take over the space formerly occupied by Nokomis (10838 82 Avenue).
  • Anyone know what’s up with the Cargo & James tea chain in Edmonton? Several months ago, before the one in Edmonton Centre shut down for good, appeared a sign that said the store was “temporarily closed”. That same sign is now on the door of the Old Strathcona location.
  • Speaking of tea, City Palate Calgary writes that Good Earth Coffee House and Bakery is pioneering something called “red tea espresso”. The “espresso” is made from ground rooibos tea to be used in espresso machines. I hope their Edmonton locations have it too – would be interesting to try.
  • Liane wrote about the Eatery at the ARTery last week in Bistro. I love the fact that each meal is centered around a theme. However, someone else also made a similar comment about how expensive the lunch was (relative to the amount of food obtained), but I’d like to see for myself how large a dish is.
  • Pretty please with icing on top – can Edmonton have a cupcake truck?
  • Before an evening meeting last week, I stopped by Ah Chin’s Kitchen (6224 99 Street, 780- 438-8218), a favourite of my parents, for dinner. It was a bit awkward dining there, as I was the only one in the restaurant the entire night, but the staff were courteous, and didn’t mind me too much. I have to say, it was one of the most economical meals I’ve ever had in the city – my bowl of won ton soup was chock full of noodles, gai lan, the pork dumplings, and best of all – only cost $4.95! Unreal.

 

Won Ton Soup from Ah Chin’s Kitchen

Food Notes for June 1, 2009

  • A few people have been asking me about the date of the next Edmonton Foodie Meetup. I don’t know, as it’s up to those interested to decide, but I’ve put up some suggestions on the wiki for the end of June (trying to avoid summer vacation conflicts, as well as long weekend plans). Leave a comment with your preference, and any venue suggestions! You can read about our previous meetup here, here, and here.
  • Last chance to get tickets to Junior League/Slow Food Edmonton’s Indulgence on June 8 at the Delta Hotel South. $60 will get you into this fundraising event where local food intersects with local talent. A sampling of the menu: Fairwinds Farm Goat Cheese, Lobster Mushroom and Leek Tart with a Riesling Reduction; Carmen Creek Bison Sliders with Red Onion Confit and Gorgonzola Cheese. Hope to see you there!
  • Flirt Cupcakes introduced a happy hour – 10% off (plus no GST) of half dozen and one dozen cupcakes from 5-6pm. I have to agree with Chris’s recent assessment of the “cupcake wars” though – with more competitive hours that mesh better with Whyte Avenue pub crawlers, I can’t help but think Fuss has the upper hand.
  • Maybe I just never noticed it before, but I had no idea outdoor pig roasts were so common – Packrat Louie is hosting one on June 17, while Brewsters at Century Park is hosting one late June (lost the flyer, and their website gets a fail on lack of information).
  • When I saw Richard Helm’s byline underneath the review of Cactus Club this weekend, I braced myself for another sexist comment about the servers (remember how his review of Kai began?). He did not disappoint: “Cactus Club has flown in several leggy front-of-house pros from their Vancouver restaurants and put them up at the Fantasyland Hotel to help in the training”. How the Journal lets him get away with it is beyond me.
  • An article in this month’s Avenue Magazine discusses the “raw food” trend in Edmonton. I don’t think the author should have included this quote, reducing the scope of the movement to barely a blip: “Margaret Marean, [raw food] potluck organizer, says she personally knows of about 12 committed raw food-ists in our city.”
  • And the giveaways just keep on coming: Chris at Eating is the Hard Part linked to an Orange Julius coupon which can be redeemed on June 19 for a free smoothie.
  • I read an article in the National Post this weekend about restaurants in Vancouver and Calgary slashing their corkage fees. I have to say I’ve never brought my own bottle of wine to a restaurant – anyone know if Edmonton restaurants are following suit?
  • The NYT had a good story covering a range of perspectives on the issue of texting at the dinner table. I had to laugh with some recognition at Ms. Mintz’s story: ‘“If there’s one second of spare time, and if you look away from him and lose eye contact, he immediately whips [his blackberry] out and starts looking at it.’” Where do you stand?
  • Jay Leno was talking about a Swiss-made “cheeseburger in a can” all last week, and I had to search it out – the wonders of processed food amaze me sometimes.

Food Notes for May 25, 2009

Mack and I had a great time in DC! And though I’d rather be there, at least the weather warmed up in Edmonton while we were away! I’ll slowly be making my way through recapping the trip (Mack’s still uploading all the photos as I write this), but in the meantime, I have an abbreviated version of notes to share (I purposely took a break from reading blogs while on vacation):

  • Edmonton has a new farmers’ market! This Thursday, May 28 will see the dawn of the year-round Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market at 93 Street and 118 Avenue. Over 30 vendors are expected in this first week, with the list to grow in coming months. I’d love to see more community and neighbourhood-based markets, so this is a great start. More information here.
  • See Magazine’s Best of Edmonton results came out this week. Their annual poll covers more than just food, but of course, that’s the section that interested me the most. Like the Golden Forks, I was surprised to see The Lingnan and The King and I voted Best Chinese and Best Thai, respectively, but it was good to see Blue Plate Diner and Hardware Grill come out on top for Best Brunch and Best High-End Dining.
  • The Edible Prairie wrote about the upcoming Asparagus Festival taking place at Edgar Farms on May 30 & 31, one of several events that are a part of Country Drive, an event that encourages exploration of rural Alberta.
  • In recognition of National Hunger Awareness Day on June 2, the Edmonton Food Bank (11508 120 Street) will be screening the film Affirming Life and Diversity: Rural Image and Voices on Food Sovereignty. RSVP to Tamara by May 29 at 780-425-2133. Also, between June 2-12, any monetary donations made to the Food Bank will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, by Kraft (up to $150,000 across Canada) – consider donating  in June.
  • Two articles from the Journal this past week are worth a read – Liane’s “neighbourhood food tours” series continues with a piece on Little Lebanon, and an interview with Ocean Odyssey Inland’s Pat Batten.
  • Vue had a piece covering the new Boualouang space – the owner is happy about having a larger kitchen.
  • For the plane ride to DC, I picked up the latest issue of Food Network Magazine. It’s not a bad read, filled with recipes from the network’s personalities and light features (like a breakdown of Ina Garten’s new kitchen, and current trends in the food world – like marriages in fast food restaurants). I wouldn’t subscribe to it, but I’d consider buying a copy now and then.

Food Notes for May 18, 2009

I won’t be blogging while in Washington, but if you want to keep up with what we’re up to, check out Mack’s blog, Flickr photo stream, or Twitter feed. I do have some notes to share this week though:

  • Vue Weekly released the results of the 2009 Golden Forks awards this week. Categories include best restaurants, best dishes, and other. Some consistent winners continue to baffle me: Creperie for most romantic,  Route 99 for breakfast (I love their poutine, but their breakfast offerings are pretty weak), Lingnan for Chinese (although I suppose the category didn’t specify “authentic Chinese”).
  • My cover article on how some restaurants are coping with the economic downturn was also published this week. Thanks everyone for your kind comments over the past few days!
  • Liane has been really pushing Teddy’s – it was featured in her piece about the city’s best sandwiches back in April, while its desserts were highlighted this past week. Maybe it’s my perception, but those ads with the woman in the leopard print dress probably give me the wrong impression about the place. That and the fact that the stodgy brown building looks a bit foreboding from the outside.
  • The latest edition of City Palate mentioned a fairly new restaurant called Easy Burger and Bar, located at 11172 – 87 Avenue (the old Windsor Pub, which was shut down for health violations).
  • Chris over at Eating is the Hard Part posted about Harvey’s upcoming “free hamburger day” on May 24. Brulee Blog also has a great compilation of deals to be had.
  • Apparently the Calgary Farmers’ Market is considering becoming a for-profit organization. A great post on where this might lead.
  • The NYT has a great article about corporations attempting to jump on the local food bandwagon.
  • I’m still reeling from the announcement that Frank Bruni will be leaving his food revising post at the Times in August. On the bright side, I’m loving all of the coverage, and the chatter about who might replace him.
  • Our version of pre-theatre dinner on Thursday was Oodle Noodle on Whyte. We needed a quick dinner preceding wine and cheese night at the Varscona for our first show as Teatro la Quindicina subscribers. Mack ordered his usual combo box while I decided to try something new – the penang laksa. While the creamy coconut sauce was fragrant and tasty, I wished the noodles would have soaked it up a little better.

 

Combo Box and Penang Laksa boxes

  • I tried the new Tim Hortons iced coffee ($1.39 for a small) over the weekend. While it isn’t bad, and cheaper than the iced brewed coffee from Starbucks, I would still head to Starbucks on most days.

 

Tim Hortons’ Iced Coffee

  • Mack and I took his grandma out to the Arbour Restaurant at Rutherford House yesterday to celebrate her birthday (I’ve written about it before). As a tea lover, we thought she’d love their selection of teas, in addition to their small dessert plates. We ended up with probably too much to eat, but it was a lovely meal nonetheless. Both Grandma Male and I had their turkey pot pie ($13), while Mack opted for their sandwich of choice, a ham and swiss on brioche bread ($11). For dessert, Mack and I shared the afternoon scone plate ($12 for two), which included a pot of tea, mostly because I had a hankering for their always delicious raspberry butter. Mack’s grandma opted for the chocolate pot du creme ($6), which she enjoyed as well. If you’ve never been, I’d recommend the Arbour Restaurant as an alternative to your usual Sunday brunch standby.

Turkey Pot Pie

Ham and Swiss Sandwich with Broccoli Soup

Chocolate Pot du Creme (in the background) and Afternoon Scone Plate for Two

Scone with Raspberry Butter and Monk’s Blend tea (I love their delicate china!)

Food Notes for May 11, 2009

In exactly a week, I’ll be in D.C. with Mack! So looking forward to a vacation long overdue. In the meantime, I have some notes to share:

  • It seems Ching’s Asian Kitchen and Dim Bar (10154 100 Street) was not meant to last – we caught a sign taped up on its door thanking customers for their patronage.
  • Boualouang has relocated to their revamped, larger space down the block! Their new address is 10569-97 Street.
  • Mack and I swung by La Piazza Dasee (8004 Gateway Boulevard) over the weekend, and we both wondered why they bothered opening at all – nearly half of the store  (and all of the cafe) is still under active construction. Perhaps check them out in a few weeks to see how they’ve progressed.
  • If you were waiting for another opportunity to try out Eric Ng’s veggie donair (I tried one back in November), you’ll have it on May 12.
  • There are so many opportunities to get involved in the local food system right now. Take a survey about how committed you are about buying local over at the Greater Edmonton Alliance website (until May 15), sign up for the Good Food Project, or support the newest Community Supported Agriculture endeavour in Edmonton, Greens Eggs & Ham.
  • The Journal wrote about the coffee cupping experience at Transcend over the weekend. It’s sure to just heighten the demand for their monthly tastings. You can read about the experience Mack and I had last July here and here.
  • Some of the city’s premiere cake creators are featured in an article in Avenue Magazine this month.
  • Congrats to the marketing team at NAIT for their national award from the Canadian Public Relations Society in the social media category. They are being recognized for their innovative approach in engaging the public during Chef Rob Feenie’s whirlwind time in Edmonton.
  • I was following the live tweets from the James Beard Awards last week, but it seems I only caught the tail end. The Edible Prairie wrote about Jennifer McLaglan, this year’s winner for Best Cookbook, Fat: an Appreciation for a Misunderstood Ingredient with Recipes.
  • This is too cool: the green pizza box of the future.
  • I prefer Pagolac’s southside location to their Chinatown haunt, and I was reminded why when I stopped by for lunch last week. I ordered my usual dish (medium rare beef), and was presented with a bowl of lukewarm soup. It was so mild in temperature that the beef didn’t have the opportunity to lose its pink hue. I’ll be sticking to the southside branch in the future.

Pho from Pagolac

  • There’s nothing like kicking off the warm weather with Fat Franks, eaten fresh off the grill outdoors. Yum!

My Jumbo Dog (the toasted bun makes all the difference)

Mack is happy with his Cheese Dog

  • It also just doesn’t seem like summer without an iced brewed coffee from Starbucks, and I was able to have my first of the season last week. I have to remember to get a shot of sweetener in it the next time I order it though!

Ah, a coffee and a book out on the patio

Food Notes for May 4, 2009

  • My profile of Flirt Cupcakes was published in Vue this week! Also on the cupcake front – Chris left a comment that Fuss Cupcakes on Whyte will be opening up on May 6 (their website isn’t yet live, however).
  • Chris over at Eating is the Hardest Part wrote about a fairly new Tex-Mex joint called Burrito Libre.
  • I’m sorry to have missed the fourth annual Northern Food Night, a Slow Food Edmonton event, that took place last weekend, but there’s a photo-filled recap that captures just some of the bounty available in Canada’s northern regions.
  • It’s finally looking like spring, and the gardens are blooming – Courtney and Brooke wrote about their respective outdoor projects, as did Kevin Kossowan. I hope they all post pictures once everything has sprouted!
  • I like the direction of Starbucks’ new advertising campaign, with lines such as: “Beware of cheaper coffee. It comes with a price.”
  • Andree at Are You Gonna Eat That posted a link to something titled “The Food Blog Code of Ethics” – a set of standards drafted by two bloggers who are also trained journalists. I’m still mulling over the idea of guidelines beyond one’s personal ethics, but I agree with Andree’s point about the lack of transparency provided by mainstream reviewers – I think any review – whether it be in a paper or a blog – should be read as just one opinion, and nothing more.
  • A few friends and I tried to get a table at Cactus Club on Friday at 6:30. The wait? 1.5 hours. We trudged to Bourbon Street and found it virtually empty, sure that Cactus had diverted the usual brisk weekend business. Our group ended up at Earls, where Court’s post led me to order the grilled chicken and baked brie ciabatta ($13). I liked the sweet fig jam, crunchy apples, and generous slices of cheese, but the chicken was a little on the salty side.

 

Grilled Chicken and Baked Brie Ciabatta

  • Mack and I finally booked our trip to Washington, D.C.! I’m in the middle of trip planning, so if you have any suggestions for places to see and eat, please share. So far, Bruce has advised that we check out Georgetown Cupcake.

Food Notes for April 27, 2009

  • Indulgence, a Canadian Epic of Food and Wine, is taking place on June 8. It is an event put on by Slow Food Edmonton as a fundraiser for the Junior League of Edmonton. Tickets are $60, and available now by calling 780-433-9739.
  • The Journal interviewed Richard Jaffray, president and owner of Cactus Club Cafe this week – the new West Edmonton Mall outpost was pegged with a price tag “north of $7 million”. They’re also looking at opening three more locations by 2010.
  • Baskin Robbins is offering 31 cents scoops on Wednesday, April 29 from 5-9pm in honor of the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
  • I had to laugh – the week the Journal gets on the banh mi bandwagon, the New York bloggers ask when the banh mi craze jumped the shark (yes, we’re really that behind).
  • The Italian Centre finally has a new website! Also, a few local food establishments are now on Twitter, including what is possibly Edmonton’s first restaurant – the Golden Rice Bowl – and first catering/market mainstay Marinas Cuisine. I’ll be interested in seeing how they use Twitter – from the looks of it, not much so far.
  • Food Network conducted an experiment to see if they could taste the difference between organic and non-organic produce.
  • Pizza Hut is hiring a Twintern for the summer to help build their brand on Twitter.
  • It was inevitable – the New York Post had an article this week about “gourmonsters” – the extreme tendencies of some of the culinary world’s celebrities that read to some like food policing. I think the voice of moderation is lost sometimes, which scares the average consumer.
  • Mack was lucky enough to get a Starbucks 8-cup Bodum coffee press for his birthday back in December. We finally cracked open the box a few weeks ago, and have found pros and cons to it. Being used to the one-touch drip coffee maker, we find it takes a little extra effort having to boil water, transfer it into the press, then wait the necessary four minutes. On the other hand, the flavour of the coffee is definitely more robust out of the press. Perhaps we’ll have to just get used to this different way of making our morning cup of java.

 

Bodum and Mack’s favorite Starbucks mug

  • Mack’s dad was in town over the weekend, and needing a casual place to get together for supper, we suggested Urban Diner. I ordered the Diner Mac ‘N Cheese. Super-cheesy, it really hit the spot, and my chosen breakfast sausage additive was well worth the additional calories.

 

Diner Mac ‘N Cheese

 

Mack’s Club Sandwich

  • I feel like it could be a drinking game now – every time I come across another soon-to-be location of Taco del Mar, I should be taking a shot from a flask. This time, the spot couldn’t be more surprising – the ground floor of the Icon Tower on 104th Street, of all places. Classy.

 

Taco del Mar in the Icon Tower

  • The second location of Fuss Cupcakes (10441 82 Avenue) is coming soon, likely around 3 weeks away.

 

Fuss Cupcakes – coming soon

  • Mack and I stopped at Flirt Cupcakes on Saturday. I used the handy online ordering form the night before, and when I entered the shop, found my box of six cupcakes ready to go, dressed in a lovely yellow ribbon. I have to say the Wild on Whyte (vanilla with strawberry icing) is still my favorite). I’m also happy to see Flirt on Twitter, and that they’re using it pretty effectively, by announcing feature flavours and offering special deals. Keep it up, Michelle!

 

Half dozen cupcakes from Flirt