Food Notes for July 20, 2009

The City Centre Market has invited me to kick off market day this Saturday, July 25 by ringing a bell up and down the lines of stalls. Past “bellringers” this year have included Mayor Mandel and Geoff Linden of Credo Coffee. I’m so honoured to have been asked, and excited for the opportunity! Now on to this week’s food notes:

Liane Faulder broke stories about two new restaurants in the works. First, Nate Box, formerly of the Sugar Bowl, will be launching a new eatery in October in the space currently occupied by Hulbert’s, which is closing in July. Look for a menu featuring local food.
Liane also posted today about Health Fare’s second location in the Adecco Building downtown. It will be a fantastic location for them, and the best thing? They will support ordering via text messaging.
Scott McKeen wrote a story about Credo Coffee and Axis Cafe – will 104th and Jasper become a great coffee juncture in Edmonton?
This New York writer is so over cupcakes. Though Edmonton is far from cupcakery-saturation, I know some in the city are feeling like their patience for cupcakes is waning.
Tim Horton’s has moved into the U.S. How will Americans warm to the Canadian institution?
At Superstore last week I spied a new culinary-focused publication called The Food Magazine. With Bon Appetit and Gourmet struggling to stay afloat, it’s rather gutsy for the magazine to launch at this time. That said, it’s focus on well-known stars of the food world does match with the public’s increasing thirst for cooking stories and techniques from chef-turned-celebrities.
Bazaar asked an interesting question – are there certain products you feel you cannot buy generic? Heinz ketchup and Kraft peanut butter are two for me.
Mack and I had a quick dinner at Elephant & Castle before Food, Inc. last week. I haven’t been there in a while, but boy, was the food disappointing. Mack’s plate of fish and chips was lined with an admittedly novel E & C “newspaper”, but that was nearly all that was good with his dish. The gravy atop my chicken pot pie was a mistake – it made the potentially crispy crust soggy all the way through.

Fish and Chips

Chicken Pot Pie

My coworker offered to split an order of food from the African Somali Restaurant (101, 10610 105 Street, 780-423-6614) about a block away from our office on Friday. I have never been there (my usual haunts are in Chinatown), but I have to say it was quite good. This was my first experience with goat – stewed, it had a mild flavour but a texture similar more to beef than anything else. The “Somali rice” was really the star of the show though – my coworker said it had been soaked, cooked with a number of spices, then finished in the oven. Whatever the technique, it was delicious.

Goat, Somali rice and salad ($12)

Food Notes for July 14, 2009

Apologies for being a day late with my food notes. But sometimes, life gets in the way.

My first attempt at “growing” something isn’t going too well – my basil have been overrun by aphids. The ironic thing is – Mack’s balcony is usually a haven for ladybugs…except when I need them most. A few people have suggested spraying the plants with a heavily diluted water and dish detergent spray, which I have done. I hope that helps, but I am open to other suggestions!
Original Fare’s discount dining days, also called Fork Fest, starts next week. It runs from July 19-23 and 26-30, with fixed course meals offered at $20 and $35 price points. Notoriously slow with menu information, scope out your picks and make recommendations once all the information is up.
The Journal kicked off their spotlight on CSAs on Sunday, with three feature articles by Sheila Pratt. She spent some time with Graham Sparrow of Sparrow’s Nest Organics (it surprised me to learn they only offer 35 shares in their farm). Watch on Wednesday for Liane’s first of a series of recipes inspired by their weekly produce delivery.
The latest issue of Alberta Views is focused on food, and contains a local food guide, and a great piece by Kris Vester, a young Carstairs farmer who shares his experience supplying the city with sustainably grown produce.
Chris from Eating is the Hard Part checked out Edmonton’s newest cupcakery this weekend – Cake Couture.
Cyrilles Koppert and his revamped tapas menu at Manor Cafe was featured in the Journal over the weekend (I’m still waiting for the new website though!).
Isabelle over at The Little Red Kitchen spent some time with the ladies behind the Eatery at the ARTery, and will have some behind-the-scenes pictures up on her blog soon.
A reminder that Kerstin’s Chocolates’ The Cocoa Room is closing for the month of August because of the heat – while Chocophilia is available online and through other stores, there’s nothing like a trip through temptation.
Mack and I stopped by Vi’s for Pies for dessert along our after-dinner walk last week. We sampled their oreo cake. Made with layers of pound cake, it wasn’t exactly a light item, but it was enjoyable. We couldn’t figure out what gave the dessert its name, however, besides the token chocolate-drizzled cookie on top.

Oreo Cake from Vi’s for Pies

Food Notes for July 6, 2009

Capital Ex released the Sip! wine and food experience menu. We went last year – I would recommend sticking around for the CookTop shows to score free samples instead of purchasing tickets – this year, the stage features Brad Smoliak and Restaurant Makeover’s David Adjey.
Transcend released its first podcast last week, which sees Poul talk about how he got his start in the coffee business. Also, with mention of their second cafe location in a recent post, I hope they can release details soon!
I passed La Piazza Dasee, which is apparently now serving brunch on Sundays from 10am-2pm. As it looked like they didn’t have a full kitchen, I’d be curious to see what types of dishes they serve.
The Journal and Liane Faulder on her blog covered the opening of the new T & T in North Town Mall on July 2. There are also unconfirmed rumours floating around that the vacant Wal-Mart space in South Common will become another T & T.
Also with regards to Liane – she’s Delux Burger Bar’s second celebrity chef for their “burger of the month” promotion. Her lamb burger will be featured at Delux for the month of August.
Vue Weekly had a solid write-up of businesses along 118 Avenue this week, including the Portuguese Bakery.
The Journal profiled local company Bles-Wold Dairy this week – their product makes it “from the cow to the store” in three days.
The Canadian Farm Writer’s Federation is hosting their national conference in Edmonton this year. There are a few interesting sessions, including farm tours – check out the September schedule here.
Food Inc., a movie about industrial food production that has been called a “horror film” in its own right, will land in Edmonton on July 17 at the Garneau Theatre.
Alan Richman wrote a great piece in the August issue of Bon Appetit about the duelling forces at work in Vancouver’s food scene.
I missed linking to an article that appeared in the NYT two weeks ago about mid-price chains lowering their prices, and the impact that may have on their future ability to raise their prices to pre-recession standards.
The Chicago Tribune points to their nine menu pet peeves. My favourite: “‘Garden Fresh’ –
Rick Bayless garnishes with microgreens grown in his Bucktown garden. He has the right to say garden fresh. You don’t, Subway.”
Mack and I joined his dad, grandma, Kim and Shane for supper at Original Joe’s on Friday. I’ve written about them in the past, and my opinion hasn’t changed much since then. Consistent and casual, they provided a casual venue for a decent meal. The fish and chips ($15.99) were pretty good, with a nice, light batter. Mack also enjoyed his smoked turkey club wrap ($11.49).

Fish and Chips

Smoked Turkey Club Wrap

The new Anthropologie in West Edmonton Mall has transformed the space into a homey, rustic store. I love their selection of kitchen goods, including, on a recent visit, wooden ice cream spoons. Retro cool, but not worth the $9.95 price tag.

Wooden Ice Cream Spoons from Anthropologie

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.