Great Rotisserie and More: Rostizado

Rostizado, the restaurant from the boys behind Tres Carnales, opened back in August. It’s been a great addition to 104 Street, ensuring Mercer Tavern isn’t alone in anchoring the north end nightlife of the Promenade.

Rostizado

While those that were familiar with its predecessor (RIP Roast) will recognize the layout, Rostizado has enhanced the personality of the space with colourful lounge seating that acts as its de-facto waiting area and a great open kitchen with full view of their massive rotisserie ovens. They’ve also transformed the back room into a glassed-in private space, which I’m certain will see its share of Christmas functions in the coming holiday season.

Open kitchen

Having now been seated in different parts of the room, I’d recommend a table near the back – it’s a challenging space acoustically, and a conversation with my dinner date at the communal table near the entrance was difficult.

While I had the opportunity to check out Rostizado’s sneak peek in August, I’ve been back a few times since then to try even more of the menu. Most items are meant to be shared, which makes Rostizado a destination for those who love to sample multiple plates.

My favourite item at the opening reception was the sopes, a corn flour base topped with everything from their house-roasted chicken to smoked salmon. At present, only the latter has made its way onto the permanent menu, but I am hopeful this may change in the future – the crispy corn crust and flavourful meat was a great combination.

Chicken sopes

At Tres Carnales, an order of guacamole is a must – I’d also easily eat a serving of the freshly-fried tortillas on their own. At Rostizado, those addictive chips are served with their queso fundido ($16), essentially a cheese dip with mushrooms, poblano chile and onions thrown in. I thought more chips could have easily been substituted for the slightly sweet bread – their savoury, crunchy nature better paired with the stringy cheese.

Queso fundido

No question, the rotisserie is the star of Rostizado. The portions are incredibly generous – half orders of either the chicken or pork ($32), proposed to feed two on the menu, in reality would defeat a group of four. Served with their rosti-papas, potatoes that have soaked up all of the drippings, I have to wonder if “meat and potatoes” won’t have a different connotation in the city soon.

Rosti-puerco

The roasted pork is very good, moist and not overly fatty, but the tender chicken ultimately earned my vote – didn’t someone say chicken skin is the new bacon?

Rosti-pollo

I also loved the salteados verdes (half order $7), a combination of braised kale, garlic, poblano, apple cider vinegar and pumpkin seeds. It balanced out our order of meat well, and the added texture of the seeds made it a stand-out to me.

Salteados verdes

Rostizados boasts the city’s only “dedicated churros fryer”. Even with that kind of introduction, their churros ($8) lived up to expectations, crackly fried dough tossed with cinnamon and sugar served with a side of dulce de leche.

Churros

Like a handful of other local chains (Elm Café et al. comes to mind), Rostizado is also graced with a great team of staff who offer consistently excellent service. The servers were approachable about a menu full of unfamiliar vocabulary, and even on busy nights, we never felt neglected.

It’s great to see that Rostizado is flourishing – it is another option for those seeking great food in a more casual venue that doesn’t stray into pub territory. I’ll be back again, soon.

Rotizado
102, 10359 104 Street (Mercer Warehouse)
(780) 761-0911
Monday-Thursday 11am-10pm, Friday 11am-11pm, Saturday 5-11pm, closed Sundays & holidays

Recap: the ImMACulate Garden Party

On August 24, 2014, the Blink: Parkade Party team reunited to host an event in partnership with the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald. The ImMACulate Garden Party provided an opportunity to explore one of the city’s best patios and vantage points of our stunning river valley.

The terrace at the Hotel Macdonald

Although the Mac is a respected institution in our city, it is often underappreciated and overlooked by locals. We hoped that by organizing an afternoon of light entertainment and activities, we could highlight this gem in the summer leading up to its centennial. The event was also a fundraiser for the Edmonton Humane Society, in honour of the hotel’s canine ambassador, Smudge.

Enjoying the view

Nearly one hundred people joined us on that beautiful Sunday, all dressed in their garden chic attire. A quarter of attendees indicated that they had never been to the Mac before.

Garden party guests

The food and drink were a definite attraction, with the chefs focusing on a fresh, seasonal menu of refreshing nibbles.

Seafood ceviche

Guests enjoyed the melodies of harpist Keri Lynn Zwicker (which included dabbling in Madonna’s catalogue) and had the chance to chat with local artist Lori Frank about her Edmonton-inspired pieces.

Harpist Keri Lynn Zwicker

The Mac was also supportive (in spite of maintaining a pristine lawn) of the transformation of their green spaces into garden games, including lawn bowling, bocce ball and croquet.

Lawn bowling (photo by Monika Czuprynski)

Croquet

Catering Manager Larissa Gonzales led several tours of the hotel. Besides learning about some of the building’s storied history, the last two tours even manage to snag a peek into the Mac’s most expensive (and celebrity-graced) suite.

Inside the Queen Elizabeth Suite

The collaborative canvas was an experiment that went even better than expected – we invited guests to make their individual mark on what started out as a blank canvas. By the end of the event, the pastel-drawn piece resulted in a unique piece that reflected the group’s vision of Edmonton’s river valley. It was handed out as one of the door prizes at the end of the afternoon.

Before (Mack and I are a little embarrassed at how we started it)

After

It was wonderful being able to see people make use of the terrace we ourselves have enjoyed all summer. And though the Mac is open to hosting such events again in the future, I recommend not waiting – make use of this last burst of warm weather and take advantage of one of our city’s assets.

The boys were out in full force (photo by Monika Czuprynski)

Thanks to everyone who attended, and the Mac for being such a great partner. We were able to raise over $550 for the Humane Society! Last but not least – I had a blast working with Hannah, Stephanie and Mack on this event, and look forward to whatever trouble we may get ourselves into next year!

The team! (photo by Monika Czuprynski)

You can see more photos for the event here.

Date Night: The Secret Garden and Museum After Dark 2

Prior to a night out at the museum in early July, Mack and I had dinner at The Dish and the Runaway Spoon. More specifically, we chose to sit in their Secret Garden, one of my favourite patios in the city.

Protected from the noise of Stony Plain Road and in the shade of a tree, the Secret Garden is a gem, a must visit during our precious days of summer. Combined with their comfort food offerings, we were lucky to grab the last available table that night.

The Secret Garden

I had the chicken and waffles, while Mack ordered the housemade donair. Though the chicken wasn’t as moist as I would have liked the savoury green onion and cheddar buttermilk waffle made up for some of my disappointment. Mack had no complaints about the donair – it could have easily fed two people.

Chicken and waffles

Housemade donair

After dinner, Mack and I headed to the Royal Alberta Museum for their second Museum After Dark event. Intended to encourage the “next gen” set to revisit the attraction and supports its programs, the evenings incorporate drinks, music and activities for a fun night out.

We had fun at the first ever Museum After Dark earlier this year, but we were happy to see some positive changes. First off, the entire museum was open to explore, instead of just a few choice galleries. Given this was an opportunity to get to know the attraction better, we appreciated the chance to wander through their permanent exhibits – it has been some time since I’ve visited the dinosaur room, while Mack has never been to the bug room!

Mack loves rocks!

The Bug Room creeps me out

We also appreciated the evening’s game much more. The last incarnation had attendees running furiously to be the first to complete the challenge, but this time, it wasn’t a timed entry, and instead, had much more to do with chance. The “poker rally” had attendees draw cards from tables located in galleries around the museum, with the best hand winning the grand prize. Luck wasn’t on our side that night, but it was a great way to wind our way through the building at our own pace.

Pick a card, any card

The feature exhibit was Worn to Be Wild (on until September 7, 2014), and highlights the history of the black leather jacket. We learned about its origins, interpretations, and most exciting, saw jackets worn in popular culture.

Worn to Be Wild

Mack does his best Schwarzenegger impression next to a jacket worn in Terminator 2

I also had fun with the prop area of the exhibit…maybe a little too much fun.

“Look ma, no hands!”

In line with the feature exhibit, models sporting Luxx Ready to Wear (locally designed by Derek Jagodzinsky) were roaming the galleries.

Luxx Ready to Wear models

We spent some time on the second floor landing chatting with other attendees, while DJ Junior Brown spun tunes. My only suggestion would be to perhaps have a standing food station in addition to hand-passed appetizers – I overheard more than a few people comment that they must have just missed the servers.

Tomato and cheese skewers from Bridges

We learned that plans for the next Museum After Dark are already in the works, with a theme of “Beer and Bones”. Check the website for more information as it is released. Thanks again to the organizers for the free tickets!

The Dish and the Runaway Spoon
2417 Stony Plain Rd
(780) 488-6641
Monday to Saturday, 11am – 5pm, 5 – 9pm; closed Sundays

Royal Alberta Museum
12845 102 Avenue
(780) 453-9100

Taste of Edmonton 2014

The Taste of Edmonton has been getting a lot of love this year, and it couldn’t be at a better time. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, Taste is very much a staple in the city’s busy summer festival calendar. But the organizers haven’t been resting on their laurels – over the past few years, they’ve strived to make changes in order to continuously improve the festival experience, and to try and expand their appeal to an even larger audience. To that end, I think they’ve succeeded.

Taste of Edmonton

Sip ‘N Savour, Taste’s effort to involve chefs and restaurants who might otherwise not participate in the festival with a regular booth, was introduced in 2013. This year, the special workshops and pop-up evenings seemed to have something for everyone, and I loved the idea of the culinary adventures that saw off-site food and drink excursions (in a way, I’d have to think they’d be even more successful in the fall or winter, when festival calendars just aren’t as packed as during the summer months).

There was a lot more non-beer garden seating this year – hurrah!

But the heart of the festival – the food samples served by restaurants – is the real draw. And with a high menu turnover, and the average item priced at 3 tickets, the value for dollar was better than ever before, and patrons were able to sample an even greater variety of dishes. The complaints heard in previous years about the price of food seemed to fall away this year, as the festival returned to again offering taste-sized portions.

I wish more booths hawked their wares like Guru

The crowds have been out in full force, and Wednesday was no different. Lines were twenty deep at some booths, and available standing rom in some areas of the Square was sparse. But even at the dinner hour, it only took us about an hour and a half to sample more than a dozen dishes.

The dinner crowd

One of the highlights for me was the pizza from Canicus Catering. In a way, the food trucks have been a blessing for Taste of Edmonton (introduced in 2012). Whereas restaurant booths are immobile and harder to change over, the addition of trucks provides the festival with the ability to offer “limited edition” items, and with a rotation of trucks throughout the ten days, patrons can return over the course of the event and still try something new.

The line-up

Canicus Catering is perhaps the most unique food truck in Edmonton, serving up wood-fired pizza cooked out of a converted fire truck (where the water tank has been retrofitted with a pizza oven). It was great to see the pizzas being cooked in front of us (whereas in some cases, restaurants employ the “scoop and serve” model).

Canicus Catering

The pizza had a wonderfully crisp crust, and bubbly cheese atop the prosciutto. The fact that it was freshly prepared made all the difference.

Canicus Catering’s prosciutto pizza

Mack’s favourite item was the chicken marsala perogies with sauteed bacon and onion from Select. The tangy flavour was a bit off-putting for me, but Mack had a different opinion.

Select’s marsala perogies

Although many restaurants claimed to use local ingredients, few named the producers, or, in Culina’s instance, put them front and centre. Listing Calgary’s White Gold and Gull Valley as its primary suppliers for its “Prairie” caprese skewer, it really did live up to its name. Mack didn’t find fault with the chicken and bacon kofta with tomato chutney either, remarking that the dish had a lot of flavour.

Culina’s caprese skewer and chicken and bacon kofta

Mack, of course, couldn’t turn down crack chicken from The Lingnan. It was actually the perfect portion size in my opinion!

The Lingnan’s dry spicy chicken

The ricotta cheese fritters from the Edmonton Petroleum Club were disappointing. We had high expectations, but unfortunately, the fritters just needed more salt.

Edmonton Petroleum Club’s ricotta cheese fritters

Creole Envie’s fried green tomatoes are probably an acquired taste, as they were a little too tart for me. But I did anticipate a thicker breading that would hold up a bit better.

Creole Envie’s fried green tomatoes

We ended our meal with Eva Sweet’s liege waffle – one of my favourite sweet treats!

Eva Sweet’s liege waffle

I’m already looking forward to what Taste of Edmonton may have in store for us in its 31st year – see you then!

Yelp’s Ultimate Science Party @ the Telus World of Science

Ever since the success of the Art Gallery of Alberta’s Refinery series, other cultural and learning institutions have jumped on the bandwagon to replicate their success of drawing young professionals into their folds. The Royal Alberta Museum has started their semi-regular Museum After Dark events, while the Telus World of Science organizes bi-monthly Dark Matters evenings.

Telus World of Science

Yelp partnered with TWOS for their most recent Dark Matters event in order to throw Yelp’s Ultimate Science Party. It was a night to appreciate the Yelp community by merging food and drink with opportunities for adults to indulge in their childish wonder.

The Telus World of Science staff were great, patiently explaining how their stations worked and the science behind them. I made my hair stand on end, while Mack took part in a flaming karaoke device.

Whee!

Do re mi

A ton of people also took the “hovercrafts” for a ride – leaf blowers attached to perforated boards to be maneuvered with sticks. Not exactly what I pictured from Back to the Future, but close enough.

Hovercrafts in action

Yelp had also organized a variety of pampering stations so guests could have their hair and nails done as well. A more popular unisex vendor involved balloon animals, which, according to those who lined up, could have also taken on a more naughty slant.

Diane, Teresa and Brittney and their balloon masterpieces

Of course, a big draw that night for everyone was the food! Tasting stations were set up throughout the building, and stumbling upon them was almost half the fun.

Mini Swiss2Go sandwiches

Food truck bay

Taste of Edmonton, to help promote their upcoming 30th anniversary year (the festival starts July 17, and runs until July 26, 2014), had organized several of their restaurant vendors to offer a sampling of what to expect at the festival.

Miles from The Lingnan dishes up kung pao chicken

The green onion cake from Hong Kong Bakery was irresistible, but the real surprise for me was the cheese fondue in a bread cup from The Melting Pot. It’s hard to mess up melted cheese on bread, but boy, was it delicious.

Green onion cakes!

This was my first Yelp event in some time, and I was quite impressed with how many local businesses were a part of it! And though it was not a typical Dark Matters evening, I could see how the adult-only concept is a great program addition for the Telus World of Science. Mark your calendar for their next Dark Matters, a “Cowboys and Aliens”-themed event on August 28, 2014.

Thanks to Jennie and Yelp for a fun night!

Recap: Hotel Mac Patio Launch

There are few places in Edmonton that boast a beautiful view and good eats, and none in the city with as much history as the Hotel Macdonald. Celebrating its centennial next July, the Hotel is also planning some special events in the the year-long lead-up to its milestone.

Earlier this month, the Mac hosted an official kick-off to their patio season, already rescheduled once due to poor weather (it really has been that kind of spring). Even though the clouds were threatening, staff had high hopes that the rain would hold off – and their optimism was rewarded.

Patio furniture

Treated to a sampling of their patio barbecue and Confederation Lounge menus, Mack, Hannah, Stephanie and I were able to taste some of the Mac’s fair-weather offerings.

Cheers!

Presentation has always been the kitchen’s strength, demonstrated in adorable mini quinoa wraps, held together with tiny wooden clothespins. Or, in their modern take on caprese salad, with tomato gelee and balsamic reduction taking the place of fresh tomatoes and conventional dressing.

Mini quinoa wraps

Caprese salad

Favourites that night included the Westbury crab cake sliders (the brioche bun added a perfect hit of sweetness) and the spicy black bean soup.

Food with a view

We were also wowed by the dessert table, covered with an assortment of two-bite sweets (Zinc used to sell two-bite versions of their full-sized desserts, a concept that did not seem to stick, even though I think it would do much to sway those with just enough room for something small). Though the Mac isn’t going this route, I appreciated the ability to try several items. At the top of my list was the peach cobbler – a buttery crust, leading to tender sweet fruit underneath.

Sweet desserts

Amidst the greenery and the spectacular view from the terrace, our group was inspired to start working on an event that will help highlight one of Edmonton’s best river valley assets in a new way this summer. Stay tuned for more details, and thanks to the Mac for a relaxed re-introduction to their patio!

Hotel Macdonald
10065 100th Street
(780) 424-5181

Recap: 4th Annual Whyte Avenue Red Shoe Crawl

In its fourth year, the Red Shoe Crawl has quickly become a staple way for Edmontonians to explore the culinary delights of a neighbourhood on foot, all while supporting a good cause. Organized by the Ronald McDonald House of Northern Alberta, the event relies on the donations of area businesses so ticket proceeds can go towards providing accommodation to families of children receiving medical treatment in the city. This expression of generosity, coupled with great organization, is what makes the Red Shoe Crawl one of the best food events in Edmonton in my opinion.

And though I have attended an Old Strathcona Shoe Crawl in the past, it did not feel like I was retreading old waters, as the event brought on several different businesses that weren’t on the roster in previous years.

I was fortunate enough to have been given complimentary tickets to attend the event (in addition to participating in a ticket giveaway), and asked Felicia to join me last Sunday afternoon. It’s definitely one of her favourite events.

Felicia with her Red Shoe Crawl passport at The Buckingham

On this occasion, there were twenty businesses on the roster. We made it to a majority of them, but did miss a few. Given how full we were when we called it quits though, I think it was the best we could do!

Our favourites included a few dishes from establishments I’d never been to before. I wouldn’t have considered The Pint for anything other than drinks before, but their chicken tacos were a nice surprise – each bite was full of fresh tomatoes and cilantro.

Chicken tacos from The Pint

The Buckingham, which moved into the former Symposium Greek Cuisine space, was new to us. It’s a great space, with a balcony that overlooks Whyte Avenue, but also a secluded back patio with great sun exposure. The staff were really friendly and attentive during our stay, and the food was good too! The vegan chili packed some heat, but I loved the variety of beans and lentils in the bowl.

Vegan chili from The Buckingham

As in previous Red Shoe Crawls, a food truck was also a part of the action. Attila the HUNgry is new to the Edmonton food truck scene this year, and was offering a taste of their Asian flavours in the form of a Thai PB & J.

Thai PB & J from Attila the HUNgry

It was neat to get a sneak peek into the new Menchie’s location that wouldn’t open until the following Friday (they took over the storefront previously held by Marble Slab). Although the shop wasn’t fully operational yet, the owner pushed their participation through, and handed out pre-portioned cups of red velvet and birthday cake-flavoured frozen yogurt.

Frozen yogurt from Menchie’s

Although most businesses didn’t offer a choice of dishes, Chianti’s did. We were able to order a half-size of any of their appetizers. Between my garlic white wine shrimp and Felicia’s smoked salmon salad, it was a nice taste of what Chianti’s had to offer.

Garlic white wine shrimp

Smoked salmon salad

Planet Organic had a fun giveaway, which involved “shopping” in the store. We were told we could grab any one bulk fruit and one drink from the coolers. As nothing was scanned, I’m not sure how any inventory was performed, but given how much we had already consumed by then, we appreciated the option of taking some goodies home with us for later.

An apple a day…

Thanks again to the organizers for the invitation, and for putting on a wonderful event.

The Spuntini Bar Frontier: Bar Bricco

There are many reasons behind Chef Daniel Costa’s success in Edmonton, two of which are his firm vision and an unwillingness to compromise. His obvious pride and passion for Italian cuisine manifests itself in every plate that leaves the kitchen at Corso 32, a restaurant known for its use of quality ingredients, attention to detail and eye on authenticity. As Corso 32 introduced many Edmontonians to the wonders of fresh ricotta and handmade pasta, among other things, with Bar Bricco, Chef Costa seeks to now familiarize the city with the concept of spuntini bars.

Spuntini bars, as he described to the Edmonton Journal, are found in Italy and are known as “small places you go into and you get a snack and have a couple of glasses of wine. It’s not tapas, it’s a little more than that. Small plates, with cured meats, not charcuterie.” The idea isn’t too far removed from the wine bars and tapas-oriented restaurants nearby, including Tzin and Bodega, but does complement the scene particularly with its pasta offerings.

In the last month or so, I’ve been to Bar Bricco twice – once with Mack and a second time with a girlfriend. To say its been well-received is an understatement – both times, soon after arriving, I watched the space fill to standing room only in no time at all. It’s sleek, minimalist, and yes, a little loud, but I didn’t mind.

Post-work wine

The menu is divided into bread, spuntini, meats and cheeses. Over the two occasions, I was able to try several dishes. The pasta dishes were the among the highlights. The the egg yolk raviolo ($13) was a showstopper: thin, handmade pasta enclosing creamy ricotta and a perfectly cooked, luscious yolk. The fonduta agnolotti ($14) was as fun to eat as it was delicious, with bite-sized pasta meant to be dipped in sage butter and rolled in parmesan.

Egg yolk raviolo

Fonduta agnolotti

The eggs moliterno ($12) was explained to us as eggs cooked over a double boiler – but I know it has to be more complicated than that (or at least, I need to use a recipe – my attempt to replicate this failed miserably). The eggs had adopted a spreadable consistency, and spiked with truffle oil, pepper and cheese, they were a revelation in the possibilities of scrambled eggs.

Eggs moliterno

Interestingly enough, the meats and cheeses were secondary to the cooked dishes. The tasting plate ($24) was freshly sliced and featured a good variety, but as a whole, was forgettable. The cheese, on the other hand, was overwhelmed with the truffle and black pepper honey condiment – perhaps it could have been served on the side? That said, the accompanying house grissini, or breadsticks, were notable, and my friend remarked that they tasted exactly like those she has only ever found in Italy.

Tasting plate

Cheese (the name of which escapes me)

Service was better when we sat at the bar than at a table, but I know the waitress on that second occasion had trouble distinguishing our party from the couple seated next to us.

Bar Bricco continues Chef Costa’s vision to expand Edmonton’s appreciation for authentic Italian food and concepts. His consistency makes him one of the city’s most respected chefs, and is definitely one to watch. Next on his radar: an 80-seat urban trattoria/pasta house in the space that housed Transcend.

Bar Bricco
10347 Jasper Avenue
(780) 424-5588
Tuesday-Friday 5pm-late, Saturday 6-late, closed Sunday

Giveaway: Red Shoe Crawl tickets!

Want to explore a neighbourhood by eating and drinking, all while supporting a charitable cause? Look no further than the Red Shoe Crawl.

What: Red Shoe Crawl
When: June 8, 2014
Time: 1-5pm
Where: Old Strathcona
Cost: $45

The fourth annual event seeks to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House of Northern Alberta, which provides temporary and affordable accommodation for families whose children are being treated in one of Edmonton’s medical facilities. In past years, this event has raised $15,000.

Red Shoe Crawl attendees are given “passports”, which entitle them to food and drink samples at participating businesses in the area. Samples have ranged from glasses of wine, appetizers and cupcakes to full dishes ordered off of menus. Although the line-up for this year’s event have not yet been released, organizers hope to have twenty businesses on board.

Red Shoe Crawl

I attended this event in previous years, and found it to be well-organized and a great way to eat your way through a neighbourhood.

124 Street Red Shoe Crawl

Cool treat to accompany our walk

If you haven’t yet had the chance to attend, the organizers have been nice enough to allow me to give two tickets away! To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment with a valid e-mail address that answers the following question:

Why would you like to attend the Red Shoe Crawl?

A winner will be chosen randomly from all responses collected before the deadline. The contest closes on June 1, 2014 at 11:59pm. Good luck!

Toronto 2013

I’m perpetually playing catch-up with my travel posts, and though this is essentially a year late, I thought it best if I at least got past my 2013 Toronto write-up before we leave for another visit there this weekend. Last spring, I was lucky enough to be able to visit Amanda there twice – once in April for a girls trip with my Mum, and the second in June while attending a conference.

I know one of the reasons why I’ve grown to like Toronto is because it is my sister’s adopted home, and I’ve been able to see it through her eyes. But it’s also hard not to love a city with so many possibilities borne out of density, diversity and history.

Airbnb

I’ve only had positive experiences with Airbnb, and have now used the site to book accommodation in Calgary, Toronto and New York. Particularly in the latter two cities, where taxation levels are quite high, I find the Airbnb rates much more reasonable than hotel prices.

While in Toronto with my Mum, we booked a 1 bedroom + 1 den for the three of us, in a condo just off King and Spadina. It was a great location with its proximity to the subway, streetcar, and Chinatown; so much so that Mack and I will be staying there.

Oxley condo

For the conference, I was able to find a cheaper 1 bedroom, much roomier than Amanda and I needed. This unit was notable for having a number of solid independent take-out restaurants just down the street. We felt like residents of the neighbourhood instead of tourists.

King Street condo

Festivals

Amanda and I ended up at the first Dundas West Festival in June, where a section of the road was closed off for a variety of activities.

Dundas West

Feet on the street

It was a rather long stretch, with sporadic concentrations of extended patios, sidewalk sales and food vendors. It’s taking place again in 2014; I am assuming it will continue to grow!

Pulled pork sandwich from La Rivolta

Talk about a makeshift change room

The festival we were both looking forward to was Woofstock! We both love dogs, though our family has never had one for a variety of reasons.

Dogs everywhere!

Proud dog owners came out in droves for the event, offering information, pet-friendly vendors, and of course, a dog agility showcase.

Amanda with an adorable doxie

Odds and Ends

I had heard about Honest Ed’s but couldn’t really tell you about what it actually was. So we went to find out.

Honest Ed’s

It turns out it is a discount store, on par with Army & Navy. It really isn’t worth seeking out, though after seeing photos of The Stop’s Night Market just outside of the building, it turns out Honest Ed’s may have a good use after all.

Amanda’s excited about pants

I had seen Riverdale Farm on Top Chef Canada, and wanted to see how an “urban farm” in the city would look like. Located in Cabbagetown just across the street from an elementary school, the farm is operated by the City of Toronto and is used primarily as a teaching facility. It is open to the public, and does play host to functions as well.

Amanda’s excited about pigs

Goats

So cute

Livestock are definitely the focus of the farm; I can see how it would be a hit with younger children.

I also had the opportunity to hear Michael Pollan speak. He was preaching to the choir, but I did still appreciate his message, and giggled like a fangirl when I had the chance to meet him, too!

With Michael Pollan

Breakfasts

Caplansky’s was great, offering huge portions and friendly service – we even saw the owner, Zane, bussing tables during our visit!

Caplansky’s

Their Montreal smoked meat was wonderful, in either hash or sandwich form. I also loved the option of substituting challah for regular bread.

Montreal smoked meat hash

Montreal smoked meat sandwich

Omelette

Uncle Betty’s was a You’ve Gotta Eat Here! discovery, intriguing because of their use of house-made doughnuts in place of bread or biscuits in their breakfast sandwiches. It was a novel concept, and even though the doughnuts themselves weren’t greasy, I found they didn’t have enough heft to form a savoury sandwich. My Mum’s eggs benedict was a bit better.

Sparse breakfast sandwich plate

Eggs benedict

On the bright side, the small serving allowed us to indulge in dessert (yes, in the morning) – a doughnut ice cream sandwich. This is definitely something I’d recommend.

Doughnut ice cream sandwich

On the other end of the spectrum, Janice and Bennett took me to the nearly empty Hoof Café for an offal brunch (given the line-up across the street at Saving Grace, a more mainstream brunch restaurant, I’d have to say Torontonians probably weren’t as adventurous as I thought).

My tongue benny was overwhelmingly sour, though the meat had been rendered tender, and to a consistency that reminded me of corned beef. Bennett’s breakfast cassoulet with pork belly was the best dish that day, with a great depth of flavour.

Tongue benny

Blood sausage McMuffin

Breakfast cassoulet

My favourite brunch ended up being at Beast.

I loved that they provided a timer with the French press

The Beastwich was an epic fried chicken thigh biscuit sandwich slathered in sausage gravy and pimento cheese. Each component was perfectly executed – there was no weak links in the sandwich.

Beastwich

Suppers

My Mum couldn’t stop talking about the Korean pork bone soup she had been craving, so our stop that first evening was to the Owl of Minerva.

Pork bone soup

It was delicious. The broth had a kick from the kimchi, while the meat itself was full of flavour.

My Mum is satisfied!

The next night, we decided to try out Daisho, David Chang’s mid-priced Toronto restaurant. The space is absolutely gorgeous, a stunning glass-lined dining room that floats over University Avenue. The laid-back vibe from the main floor Noodle Bar continued in this restaurant, with the servers clothed in t-shirts and sneakers. This was in stark contrast to the table next to us, dressed to the nines in Chanel and Prada.

The experience as a whole was mixed. Service waivered, particularly at the start when no explanation of the menu was provided until about ten minutes after seating. The food was inconsistent; the hangar steak lettuce wraps were excellent, made up of succulent, perfectly medium rare meat. The monkfish, on the other hand, was such a small portion that when it arrived my Mum literally laughed out loud. To boot, it was undercooked.

Hangar steak

Monkfish

We shared the famous “crack pie” for dessert, and it actually lived up to expectations, tasting like an intense butter tart. It was sweet, but not cloyingly so.

Crack pie

Playa Cabana Cantina was one of the hottest new taquerias at the time, having just opened up in the Junction. I have no idea what it replaced, but I can only describe it as a dive. In spite of being “new”, it had such a lived-in look I swear I saw a cascade of dust fly when a sign was shifted.

Playa Cabana

But no matter, this place was packed. And though noise doesn’t usually bother me in restaurants, it did here – halfway through our meal, they dimmed the lights and jacked up the music – so much so that it felt like we were eating in the middle of a dance club.

The food was pretty good though. My favourite were the braised short rib tacos, so tender, with added texture from the crispy shells. Amanda loved the fish tacos, while my Mum really enjoyed the spicy tacos al pastor with fruit-finished Berkshire pork.

Braised short rib tacos

Fish tacos

Tacos al pastor

Even on a Monday night, the wait for the popular izakaya Guu was forty minutes. Service wasn’t great compared with our last visit, but the food made up for the neglect for the most part.

Cheers!

A favourite was the meguro tataki, seared BC tuna served with ponzu and garlic chips. I also liked the yakiudon, pan-fried noodles with beef and scallions.

Meguro Tataki

Yakiudon

We also ended up at a few restaurants in neighbouring Chinatown that are apparently frequented by Chef Susur Lee. If it’s good enough for Chef Lee, why not?

The first was Swatow Restaurant, with reviews from 1985 still proudly displayed on the walls (I doubt the restaurant has changed much since then).

At Swatow

The food hit the spot, particularly as we ordered the dishes we were craving – fried rice for Amanda and crispy noodles for me.

Dinner

My Mum’s special noodle soup

Chef Lee’s #2 hangout was King Noodle. This establishment features a kitchen just inside the entrance, tempting diners with aromatic and visual delights as they walk in.

I’m hungry already

We ended up preferring the food at Swatow, but there was no questioning the value at both Chinatown restaurants – our meals were around $30 each time.

Zhaliang

Rice noodles with beef

Amanda and I stumbled upon Hawker Bar after the Dundas West Festival. A thirteen seat restaurant, its “rustic” touches included candleholders made of punctured tin cans and menus hand-written on beer carton cardboard.

Hawker Bar

I appreciated the coconut-laced laksa broth, but the real star was the rendang pork cheek curry. The presentation was a bit too precious for the setting, but the meat just melted away, the heat balanced by a refreshing mandolin-thin cucumber salad.

Laksa

Rendang pork cheek curry

On the upscale casual side was Richmond Station, the restaurant by Top Chef Canada’s season two winner, Carl Henrich. It didn’t disappoint. The mushroom linguine, creamy and incorporating spinach and truffle oil, hit the spot. Amanda’s wild boar orichette, the pasta also scratch-made, was full of textures and just the right hint of sweetness.

Mushroom linguine

The Station chocolate bar, made of mousse, a florentine crust and peanut brittle, was not as rich as we were expecting, but was the perfect way to end the meal.

Station chocolate bar

I know even more culinary delights await us this week – all I can hope is that I write about it this time in less than a year’s time.

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