A little late this week, as was tied up attending the Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts last night. But here we go:

• Kerstin’s Chocolates launched their first ever Easter Egg hunt on Monday, in partnership (and to promote) other local businesses. Find 3 or 6 eggs and be awarded a prize for your efforts! Also of note, Kerstin’s is now on Twitter!
• Original Fare introduced a new website called Eat Local First, which will strive to be a resource for those seeking locally-grown and made products.
• “Four slender young things, sheathed in what appear to be black silk sausage casings, break off their conversation and bat their eyelashes our way as we approach the reservation desk.” Yes, that is a quote taken from a review of Kai Asian Grill penned by the Journal’s Richard Helm. Was it just me, or did he seem to overemphasize the desirability of the restaurant’s waitresses?
• Liane Faulder wrote a short piece about the new Spinelli’s Bar Italia attached to the downtown location of the Italian Centre.
• Vue Weekly released their annual Golden Forks ballot this past week – vote for your favourite restaurants before May 5 to be eligible for prizes!
• It makes me think of the River City Chicken Collective, but Castledowns Library installed a webcam in their chicken coop to allow patrons to see chicks hatch. It’s called the “chicken cam.” Cute.
• I had to laugh (and simultaneously admire) the New Yorkers petitioning in an effort to get their resident food critic Frank Bruni on Twitter (and with some “flattery”, no less: “we’re pretty sure that you could top @ruthreichl, @edlevine and @roccodispirito and maybe even @emeril with your follower count in less time than it takes for you to put away a porterhouse for two.”). I can’t think this would ever happen in Edmonton with Liane Faulder.
• Last one on the subject of Twitter: Transcend pulled an April Fool’s Day prank on its blog readers with a post about a future drive-thru espresso bar that would allow customers to Tweet their orders on the way. Of course the culture of coffee Transcend cultivates would never allow this to happen (Poul Mark says, “we want to see our customers, know them, and preferably, have them come in, sit down and stay a while”), but was I the only one who got excited in the idea of a local food/beverage establishment utilizing Twitter?
• I haven’t caught an episode of the new Food Network show 100 Mile Challenge yet, but I’m intrigued about their focus on families attempting to eat locally. I like that the website ties in the potential for viewers to search for local vendors, but it could do better and link to already existing aggregates (e.g. 2009 Approved Farmers’ Market map).
• Charcuterie may not be a trend that can endure tough regulations, says the Globe. I’m still waiting for a charcuterie bar in Edmonton.
• The results of the 2009 Urban Diner Awards, which celebrate the best in Vancouver’s cuisine, were released today. I think I’m going to have to check out Fuel the next time I’m out west.
• It was bound to happen – Disney is trying to make money off the ‘buy local’ movement by partnering with Orlando for an initiative which calls McDonald’s “local”.
• Mack and I had supper at The Lingnan last week before a show at the Citadel. We ordered an entire plate of Amy’s Chicken (aka Hot and Dry), which Mack claimed was worth every deep fried calorie. Marty ended up being our server that night, and we took the opportunity to ask if the Quons had been asked back to do a second season – he said no, and that Miles was not keen on it. He, on the other hand, was, insisting it would be subtitled, “The Rise of Marty”. Heh.

 

Hot and Dry Chicken

 

Shredded Aristocratic Greens

• At a Slow Food Meeting on Sunday, I was able to try Aprikat, a fruity brew by Alley Kat. I rarely drink beer (and by rarely, I mean never), but I was surprised at how mild and refreshing the apricot-scented Aprikat was. I would consider drinking it outside on a hot summer’s night.

 

Glass of Aprikat

• Annie and I caught up over coffee and dessert at Vi’s for Pies (13408 Stony Plain Road NW) on Friday. It was probably not the easiest place to converse – their high ceilings and harsh surfaces resulted in acoustics Frank Bruni would detest. Food-wise, however, we were satisfied: though I’ve never met a pie I couldn’t conquer, their Peanut Butter Mousse Pie ($6.25) defeated me. Dense with peanut-ty richness, I probably could have done with a slice half the size.

 

Peanut Butter Mousse Pie

 

Annie’s Chocolate Cheesecake

• The April edition of Avenue Edmonton has a few good reads, including an interview with Ron Berezan, the Urban Farmer, a tour of some of the city’s multicultural gems (May pointed out that the article lacks specific addresses for the locations listed; a fair point), and a short feature about Courtney and Brooke’s blog Take it and Like it. Congrats, ladies!
• My latest article in Vue Weekly about TZiN Wine and Tapas Bar was published this week. Two things that didn’t fit in my piece which I wanted to share – Kelsey said that malbecs have been really popular over the past six weeks for no reason that she could gather, and when asked about her favourite drink, she responded: “Bubbles are always my favourite. Champagne is gorgeous, love it, it’s not always in my budget to do though. So there’s a lot of great proseccos and cavas. I find that often people will wait for an occasion or birthday or celebration of some sort. Random Tuesday for me. Bubbles make me happy.”
• First Manor Cafe and now The Blue Pear: Brulee Blog mentioned another “recession special”  – The Blue Pear will be offering a “Baby Blue Pear” menu – $35 3-course menu for 5-6pm and Sunday reservations. No further details on their website yet.
• An interesting story about some local restaurant groups like Original Joe’s expanding in spite of the recession.
• The Dasee Group (which apparently owns Plaid Giraffe, among other businesses) will be opening a cafe featuring gelato and espresso at their 8004 Gateway Boulevard location in March. Keep an eye on their website for grand opening information.
• Sorrentino’s kicks off their 18th annual Garlic Festival tomorrow. I know some in the city get excited for the event, but I’m not one of them.
• Liane Faulder wrote an article about a study showing increased consumer spending at farmers’ markets over the past four years – up to $45 per visit in 2008 compared with $35 in 2004, while annual spending went up to $449 from $317. I just wish the study broke down where the funds were being spent, given that everything from jewellery to produce is sold at local markets.
• If the Urban Spoon app for your iPhone wasn’t cool enough, how about Locavore 1.0? Find not only the farmers’ market nearest you (using GPS), but also what’s in season. Someone with an iPhone will have to tell me if it works in Canadian cities.
• Speaking of eating locally, the Edible Prairie Online posted an “Alberta food inventory”, along with links to some helpful resources.
• Andree over at Are You Gonna Eat That? reviewed some PC Blue Menu products, and showcases a nifty little slideshow gadget on her blog.

• A new Funky Pickle Pizza is opening downtown at 10243 Jasper Avenue – it looks just about ready to open!
• I passed by a new coffee shop called Hardwood Cafe on Jasper Avenue and 110 Street – I can’t find any information about it though.
• The Bistro at both Sobeys Urban Fresh locations will be offering live music on Fridays and Saturdays from 5-9pm starting in April.
• Marianne and Charles of Loosen Your Belt and Eat Around Edmonton visited the new coffee bar at the downtown Italian Centre (10878 95 Street). I’ll have to check it out soon – hopefully when the sidewalks are a little more dry.
• A profile on Sonny Sung, Corporate Executive Chef of Sorrentino’s in Vue Weekly was informative – I can see how he scaled the ranks to lead one of Edmonton’s largest home grown chains: “I own the job, I don’t do the job. If something goes wrong, there has to be a reason. You figure out what’s wrong and you fix it.”
• Liane Faulder will be on a CBC drive-home radio show every other Friday called “Eating in Edmonton”.
• If you’re interested in becoming a vendor at an Alberta Farmers’ Market, think about attending a Brown Bag Presentation on March 26 at the Business Link.
• Foodie Suz posted about her renovated kitchen this week, and introduced a website called Use Real Butter that is profiling kitchens of food bloggers – cool insight into a variety of beautiful cooking spaces!
• Restaurant Widow, a food blogger out of Columbus, posed an interesting question this week – “Are women really treated different in restaurants? And why?”
• More on Scanwiches this week – Gizmodo went behind-the-scenes of the website to discover how their pristine photos are taken, and via Grub Street, another Scanwich site apparently came first.
• Via Urban Diner, a piece about a new high-tech restaurant in London called Inamo Restaurant. It features interactive touch-screen tables where patrons can order food, play games, and even order a cab!
• It’s the Eater edition of Food Notes! First up, Alberta Avenue must be an up-and-coming area, because they’re getting their very own Taco del Mar (9405 118th Avenue)!

 

Yet another Taco del Mar…

• A second outpost of Boualouang is in the works just down the street from its first storefront (10569 97 Street) in Chinatown.

 It looks a lot larger than the first restaurant

• The best news of all: Starbucks in the Empire Building (10080 Jasper Ave) has an oven, which will start offering breakfast goodies in May.

“The heat is on May 5, 2009”

Lots to share this week! Let’s get to it:

• One of the concurrent sessions at the food security conference I wished I could have attended was about the recently completed “Cost of Eating in Alberta” report. It was released this week, and the findings aren’t surprising: though the acceptable portion of one’s income to be spent on food is 15%, the report found that some households were spending upwards of 32% on food. Read more here.
• My piece on the Sabetghadam family behind Whyte Ave’s Sabzy Cafe was published this week in Vue Weekly. Vue also printed reviews of two relatively new restaurants – 100 and Culina Highlands.
• Liane finally continued her series that sees local chefs promoting their favourite blocks to shop. This week, Koutouki’s Chris St. Denis introduced 124th Street to readers.
• Local designer Lea Alcantara has created a page to try and answer the age-old question – is Tau Bay open?
• Also mentioned at the conference was Augustana Campus’s 100-mile cookie challenge, where all but one of the cookie recipe’s ingredients must come from within 100 miles of Camrose.
• Sometimes I like reading about the means and not just the ends to those means, and the Transcend Coffee blog is the perfect example of this. I love Poul’s recent post on how they are changing the way they sell their coffee, reflecting the learning that has gone on. Customers really reap the benefit of their passion and their willingness to share their growing knowledge base.
• The Globe had a story this week about pay-what-you-can restaurant menus popping up all over the world in the face of the global recession. While I don’t think local restaurants will go down this path any time soon, Manor Cafe is offering $30 3-course prix fixe meals after 5pm Sundays to Wednesdays. Now it starts.
• It’s always nice when local businesses get national recognition – Sylvan Star Gouda was featured in the Globe this week.
• The Go Organic Cookbook I wrote about two weeks ago can be ordered online after March 11. It features profiles and recipes of 55 local producers. At just $20, it’s a worthwhile purchase.
• I mentioned in February that Ruth Reichl is on Twitter. It turns out there are many other well-known food personalities on Twitter, including the NYT’s Mark Bittman. Eater has also started a new series called “A Movable Tweet: the latest from the industry Twitterati”. On the subject of Twitter and restaurants, I do think Soul Soup could benefit from using the service – they could Tweet their daily selection of soups, and remind local followers that they should be kept in mind as a lunch option!
• As seen in the latest edition of City Palate, Lola Canola has started a monthly newsletter on bees and honey. E-mail Patty Milligan to be added onto the list.
• The City of Vancouver just approved the keeping of backyard chickens. Will Edmonton (being lobbied by the River City Chicken Collective) be next?
• You may remember Todd Babiak’s article about the disruptive television screens in the city’s bars. It seems that while television-less bars in New York are a dying breed, there are a few that remain committed to maintaining a venue for conversation and entertainment without a screen.
• Starbucks began offering their value meals in the U.S. last week. For $3.95, customers could get a tall coffee and their choice of an egg sandwich, Perfect Oatmeal, or a slice of coffee cake (Serious Eats gives the egg sandwich a thumbs up). I hope something similarly priced debuts in Canada soon!
• On the heels of thisiswhyyourefat, another viral, visual site: scanwiches.
• An interesting blog post in the Village Voice about the proliferation of the tip jar, and the way some establishments try to guilt customers into filling them.

I’m taking a break from recapping this weekend’s conference for my regularly scheduled food notes, and to tell my readers that I likely won’t be continuing with my monthly post of Edmonton events. I didn’t put one together for January, and though I had some intentions to keep track of things for the month of February, it didn’t happen. My energies have converged into these weekly food notes, and between my other commitments, I don’t think I can do a good job. Luckily, in a few months, I think there will be a resource even better than my monthly posts. Keep your eyes open for ShareEdmonton!

On to this week’s notes:

• The biggest news this week was Rob Feenie’s visit to Edmonton on Wednesday. He was in town to promote two things – his return February 11-13 to be NAIT’s first Hokanson Chef in Residence, and the mid-April opening of Edmonton’s first Cactus Club Cafe in West Edmonton Mall (I visited the Bentall 5 location last summer, and was blown away). The NAIT media team did an unprecedented job utilizing social media to engage the public, by live-Tweeting the event (answering questions live submitted via Twitter with the hashtag #naitchef), and taking behind the scenes video, which can be seen here. Be sure to enter NAIT’s Feast With Feenie contest on their website; deadline February 5.
• My latest article about d’Lish, the newest meal assembly studio in Edmonton, was published in Vue Weekly this week. It’s one of my favourite pieces that I have written so far, if not only because Amanda gave me so much content to work with.
• I came across a new-ish restaurant at the Taste of Alberta at the Today, Tomorrow, Together conference called Le Cafe Entre Amis (8627 91 Street, 780-395-0015), near the Faculte St. Jean.
• The Hat will be offering brunch on Saturdays from 11am-3pm starting February 6.
• I thought I might be able to write a full review of Michael Pollan’s In Defence of Food, but with the way things are going, I won’t. So in short: I didn’t find it as readable as The Omnivore’s Dilemma (mostly because it reads more like an essay as opposed to a narrative), though it is just as valuable a resource for those looking for facts to support a change in the way that they eat. It also surprised me that the end of the book was as prescriptive as it was – yes, he intended it to be a manifesto, but what I liked about Dilemma was that he left it up to the reader to shift perceptions on their own accord.
• This is pretty cool: a printer that uses coffee grounds for ink!
• Open Table, the online restaurant reservation site, filed for an Initial Public Offering today.