Food Notes for May 21, 2012

Apologies for being MIA, but there was good reason for it: I was in Toronto visiting my sister for most of last week, then came back to our third Truck Stop on Thursday and Mack’s sister’s wedding on the weekend. Needless to say, I’m still in catch-up mode! So though some of the “news” below is a bit dated, I hope to get back on track this week:

The annual Al Fresco Block Party is just a few weeks away, but to gear up for it, some of the organizers are offering other opportunities to help raise money for the Zebra Child Protection Centre, the charity of choice this year. On May 23, join several local performers for a musical showcase and party at Yellowhead Brewery, or if wine is more up your alley, a Tour of Italy tasting at DeVine’s on May 31.
The 124 Street Farmers’ Market will debut on Thursday, May 24.
Riverbend Gardens is hosting a “plant and play” day on May 27 from 1-4pm. There will be great specials on plants, wagon rides, bouncy castle, make and take planters and free ice cream! Consider checking out one of the most beautiful farms within city limits, and learning more about the Community Supported Agriculture project they would like to start.
It looks like Cococo Chocolatiers will be open at the end of May or beginning of June.
Fantasia Noodle House, who had to leave their long-time location, has been reborn further up the avenue – you can now find them at 11765 Jasper Avenue.
124 Street is really developing fast – with a second location of The Bothy, and now Red Ox, joining Duchess, Cafe Tiramisu and The Clever Rabbit, it is becoming a bit of a restaurant district.
In case you missed it (because I did the first time), Twyla reviewed Crepe Symphony, a new-ish restaurant next to Tres Carnales on Rice Howard Way.
It’s easy to forget that Earls started in Edmonton (especially when in places like Toronto, the line-ups at their relatively new Earls and Joey’s locations are insane), but they’ll be spending $5 million to renovate the very first Earls Tin Palace to help restore it to its former glory. It will close in June and reopen in October.
Vue Weekly published the results of their annual Golden Fork Awards last week. Mack and I were surprised (and honoured!) to see that What the Truck?! was the second runner up in the category of Best Food Festival or Event – thanks to everyone who voted for WTT!
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you may have read about some of the controversy between Drift and Grandma Lees. At the very least, we’re happy that mobile food vendors are now even further in public consciousness, and that this is highlighting the need for firm policy.
Chef Andrew Parker is combining cooking classes with a good cause – all meals prepared by students at the Ronald McDonald House will stay on to feed the families at the residence.
The past two Truck Stops have been really successful, with lines sometimes starting even before the trucks have arrived. One of these days, the weather will be perfect! This Thursday, we’re looking forward to two of Edmonton’s newest food trucks to join us – Battista’s Calzones and The Next Act! Hope to see you there!

Pancake soup from Nomad

My regular from Fat Franks

Mack and I were glad that we were able to be a part of Kim and Shane’s wedding this weekend. It was a beautiful ceremony – congratulations, and we wish you both a lifetime of happiness!

Kim and Shane’s first dance

One of the Best: The Burger Joint

After a South Edmonton Common run on the previous weekend, Mack and I ended up having lunch at the nearby Burger Joint. I had read about the inconspicuous restaurant on Chris’ blog quite some time ago, and honestly, had no one pointed it out, I never would have assumed there was a restaurant buried among the health care services in the strip mall.

Burger Joint

Inside, the interior is boldly coloured but simple, with a combination of modern chairs and small booths. We snagged a table, and started working on our order cards, a system very similar to Fulton Market. Patrons select the type of patty they want, customize it with forty different free toppings, and add, if they wish, fourteen other toppings for an additional fee.

Order cards

In many ways, it’s easy to get carried away with the tickboxes, as Mack found. Why not go for cheese, bacon and egg? Before we knew it, our two combos with fries and a drink added up to over $26 – not exactly your typical fast food price.

Our cards

But then again, the Burger Joint doesn’t provide the typical quick-serve fare. We found that out pretty quickly when our fries were delivered, piping hot, in a cute mini-fryer basket and metal cone. Both the fries and curly fries were not only delectably crispy, but they were accompanied by a house-made tartar sauce. I’m not normally a fan of mayo-based pairings for fries, but I’d make an exception every time for this tangy, toothsome sauce.

Fries

Our burgers arrived a moment later, on plates perhaps a bit too small, given the relative height of the burgers. These were creations, no doubt, and definitely meant to tantalize one’s visual palate first. Mack and I did our best to press our burgers down so we could get a good grasp on it (Guy Fieri-style), and dug in.

My burger

Poster burger boy

The beef patty was remarkably good – well-seasoned, and actually tasted as if it had been made from fresh beef (unlike South St. or Fulton Market). Mack liked the bread a little more than I did (my preference is for the pillowy-soft variety as opposed to the toasted bun), but both of us enjoyed the toppings for the most part.

Yum

In the rising scene of burger bars, we’d rate Burger Joint among the best. Between the stellar fries and excellent burgers, it’s hard to think of another place that gets both components so right.

The Burger Joint
9132 23 Avenue
(780) 435-0008

Recap: Hot Chefs, Cool bEATS

As the date of Hot Chefs, Cool bEATS grew near, I became more and more excited. Although Gurvinder had done his best to explain his vision for the event, I really wanted to see how it would manifest itself in reality. A fundraiser for Culinary Team Canada and the High School Culinary Challenge, a success in its first year would really help boost its profile for future years.

Well, Mack and I were floored by what we encountered in the lobby of the Shaw Conference Centre’s Hall D two weeks ago.

Street fair!

You might think it difficult to transform a carpeted, dimly lit hallway into an outdoor street festival, but they did it. Colourful flag streamers hung from the ceiling, alongside graffiti art and a fenced area meant to replicate a back alley. On this stage, break dancers took to the floor, wowing the crowds with their rhythm and acrobatic moves.

There were even shoes strung up over streamers (though that might be a little too much street for me)

Graffiti artists

Break dancers

Food (and drink) vendors lined the rest of the lobby, serving up different interpretations of street cuisine. To be honest, we actually didn’t sample all of the dishes available – too much chatting, and not enough eating!

We loved Drift’s wooden booth

That said, we particularly enjoyed the Filistix’s sisiq, a roasted pork belly (I’m selfishly hoping Filistix puts it on their What the Truck?! menu in June). Drift’s jerk chicken sandwich had a nice bite to it, and after several meat-heavy offerings, Wild Tangerine’s tofu and vegetable curry was a nice reprieve. And though we’re huge fans of poutine in all its incarnations, Culinary Team Canada’s duck fat fries poutine was a bit too salty for us.

Sisiq from Filistix

Jerk chicken sandwich from Drift

Poutine from Culinary Team Canada

On the drink side, I absolutely loved the St. Germain cocktail made with champagne, lemon and soda water – simple but fantastic. (On a side note, we welcomed the idea of using the wine glass we were provided with upon entry, but most of the beverage purveyors actually handed us their own cups, so it was a bit redundant.)

St. Germain cocktails

The program didn’t include the exact time when festivities would shift to Hall D, and we heard there was some confusion about it, so perhaps for next year the transition between the two parts of the event could be more pre-defined. That said, it was a pretty grand reveal when the hall doors were thrown open.

Hall D

Little India, the French Brasserie and Granville Island/Little Japan each occupied a corner of Hall D, while individual vendors like Elm Café, Duchess and Transcend were sprinkled throughout the rest of the space.

Japanese drummers Kita-No-Taiko started off the entertainment, and because sound easily travelled in the hall, performers traded off with one another. This was quite well organized – there wasn’t a moment when music wasn’t audible.

Allez Ouest

MC Bridget Ryan also provided great commentary on a live Iron Chef-style challenge that saw two Team Canada chefs prepare salmon for a panel of judges selected from the audience. Clearly, there was more than enough to take in that night!

And…go!

The hall easily accommodated three hundred people, and could have held several hundred more. Because of that, it was curious why there wasn’t more seating available. We saw many small parties “reserve” tables for the entire night, and as a result, didn’t get to sit down until the later part of the evening. More cocktail tables also would have been a welcome addition – it was challenging to balance plates and wine glasses.

Ledges helped

Still, we found ways to sample most of the food available at the various stations. Among my favourites was Culinary Team Canada’s take on fish and chips (fried cod with potato foam – I could just see the Top Chef Canada judges frowning), and Duchess Bake Shop’s warm macaron with caramelized chocolate cake and fresh raspberries (I loved that they even brought a tiny chandelier with them to decorate their booth – it’s always the little things).

Fish and chips

Macaron

On the drink side, the novelty of the vodka luge was tough to beat, especially with ice carvers hard at work demonstrating their craft, though a close second was Transcend’s latte.

Cool art

Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Hpnotiq martini

Josh hard at work

At some point, guests were told to make their way to a table in the centre of the hall. This was the only seated portion of the evening, and trays of pre-plated desserts were waiting.

Stage

Dessert

While we satisfied our sweet cravings, we watched a live auction to end the night. Bridget Ryan was a fantastic auctioneer (if she ever loses her Breakfast Television gig, she’ll be fine), but as the numbers for the auction items crept to upwards of $10,000, we couldn’t help but wonder if we were in the wrong place. Was this the same fundraiser that was geared towards the 25-45 crowd? Sure, some in that age group might have the cash to legitimately bid on such items, but I don’t think it was a coincidence that most of the auction winners were 50+. It’ll be interesting to see how this aspect of the event develops, especially if they continue to target patrons in the next gen set.

A sweet takeaway

All in all, Hot Chefs, Cool bEATS lived up to our expectations. It was a great way to spend a Saturday night in Edmonton – dabbling in different food and drinks from some of the city’s most street-savvy chefs, all while benefiting a good cause.

You can see my photoset here.

Food Notes for May 7, 2012

If you missed last week’s Truck Stop, no worries, you still have four other opportunities to swing by McIntyre Park in Old Strathcona for some curbside eats! The vendor list for May 10 is here, and we’ll be updating the site with menus on Tuesday morning. On to this week’s food notes:

Save the date: Ronald McDonald House has announced the date of their second and third Red Shoe Crawls! It will be taking place in Old Strathcona on June 3, and on 124 Street on September 16. Tickets are available here. It was one of the best food events I attended last year, and I’m sure it will be another very well-organized outing.
Looks like we missed a great ramen pop-up in the storefront formerly occupied by Duchess (is there a weekend where something great hasn’t been in that space?!). Hope this comes up again – would love to give it a try!
I was looking for more information on Brad Smoliak’s new enterprise, Kitchen. If you’re curious, the website has more information about the private cooking classes offered.
The website for the 124 Street Farmers’ Market is live! Check out a partial list of vendors here.
Riverbend Gardens is starting a CSA (community supported agriculture)! They need to hit 100 in order to make it viable; the cost is $150 for 6 weeks of delivery.
Annie sent me a link to a robot that makes sushi. I’m sure purists would never allow mechanically-made sushi to get past their lips, but perhaps this is the future?
We knew it was already in the works, but the paper sign makes it official: another pub is coming soon to 104 Street, in Icon II.

Kelly’s Pub

Mack and I helped Thom celebrate his birthday at Olive Garden last night. We were actually looking forward to it, as it has been years since we’ve been exposed to baskets of endless breadsticks. Though I did enjoy the breadsticks, they weren’t as good as I remembered, and the pasta was overly greasy. I know it’s not fair to compare Olive Garden with a place like Corso 32, but it does blow my mind that I hear people remark that Corso is expensive, given their entree pasta price of $17-20 is identical to a big chain.

Lasagna rollata al forno

Shrimp mezzaluna

Truck Stops in Old Strathcona: The Kickoff!

The first of five Truck Stops, our mini-What the Truck?! food truck festivals, was held tonight at McIntyre Park in Old Strathcona. Mack and I joked that between these five events and the several larger WTT festivals planned for this summer, we’re bound by the law of numbers to run into a calm, sunny day.

Truck Stop

But thankfully, in spite of the weather, many hearty Edmontonians came out to enjoy food from Drift, Eva Sweet, Fat Franks and Molly’s Eats. Drift and Molly’s even sold out of a few items!

The line-up at Drift

McIntyre Park really is an ideal location for food trucks – there is ample seating, a bit of rain cover in the form of a gazebo, and some grassy space. As with the two What the Truck?! events last year, Mack and I were happy to see that some people brought their children to the event.

McIntyre Park

The Park is also bordered by a busy thoroughfare, with great visibility. I have to say I was secretly hoping some of the drivers in the passing cars might rethink their destination and come check out all of the activity on the street.

Parked curbside!

In many ways, because it was less busy than some of our previous events, Mack and I were actually able to sample from all of the vendors! For example, we are rarely able to visit Drift at their downtown location during the day, so it was great to have the chance to finally try their falafel sandwich with a manageable line to boot!

Drift’s Falafel sandwich (delicious!)

Fries duo from Molly’s Eats (so crispy)

Huevos rancheros from Molly’s Eats (loved the crispy tortillas and the runny egg)

A meal is not complete without a waffle from Eva Sweet

We really want to thank the Old Strathcona Business Association for their help in arranging these Truck Stops. Their enthusiasm and financial support is much appreciated.

With Stephen Liley of the OSBA

But wait, we’re not done yet – there are still four more Truck Stops to go! Join us for more street eats every Thursday from 5-9pm in May. There will be a different line-up of trucks each time, so you’ll never have to have the same meal twice! We’ll be updating the website every Sunday with the list of vendors for the coming Thursday. Hope to see you there!

Check out Mack’s photoset here.

Culinary Q & A with Carmen Cheng

Occupation: I’m a Corporate Trainer in the area of Leadership & Employee Development. Basically this means on Mondays to Fridays from 8:30am to 5pm I support organizations in developing their culture, employee engagement, corporate communications, and leadership. The rest of my time is spent absorbed in all sorts of food related activities – eating, cooking, watching food related shows, going through food reads, and blogging.

What did you eat today?

Breakfast:

Omelette made with Sunworks farm eggs, pancetta, mozzarella, Gull Valley tomatoes, and Morinville basil
A large cup of DAVIDsTEA Milk Oolong tea

Lunch:

Bowl of frozen yogurt with fruit and mochi balls from Tutti Frutti.

Dinner:

A summery salad of Gull Valley tomatoes, basil, and buffalo mozzarella tossed in a dressing of minced garlic, salt, Volpaia olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon
Homemade tagliatelle tossed with fiddlehead, roasted Irvings Farm pork jowl, and a white wine lemon sauce
Glass of Sassy Saskatoon Berry wine from Birds and Bees Organic Wine Farm

Late Night Snack:

Pears dipped in sea salted caramel sauce

What do you never eat?

I will eat almost anything! However when I was traveling in Asia, I did have to put a caveat to that statement because I can’t bring myself to eating cats or dogs (or rats). But here in North America, very little I won’t eat… ok well maybe not black licorice.

What is your personal specialty?

I like to think it’s tagliatelle al ragu (what the folks from Bologna call Tagliatelle Bolognese). My secret flavour-inducing technique is tossing the rind of Parmigiano Reggiano into the simmering sauce.

Complete this sentence: In my refrigerator, you will always find:

Cheese, greek yogurt, Sunworks farm eggs, and almond milk

What is your weekday meal standby?

Curry over quinoa – I love the MSG-free New Asian Home curry spice packs. We always keep packs on hand, especially the Thai red or green curries and Singapore yellow curry. It’s so easy to toss in some vegetables, chicken, prawns, and coconut milk.

What is your favourite kitchen item?

Probably my Cuisinart Elite 14-cup food processor. With 1000W of power, there’s not much it can’t do. But our Cuisinart hand held blender is a close second favourite.

World ends tomorrow. Describe your last meal.

My last meal would be a feast with friends and family. I would want the dishes to showcase the places I’ve lived and loved. In terms of dishes from my hometown of Vancouver – There would be sashimi because there always is at Cheng family gatherings (specifically salmon and toro) and xiaolongbao from Wangs (dumplings filled with pork and soup). I would also request some gelato from James at Bella Gelateria (Vancouver), possibly his salted caramel or Tahitian vanilla gelato.

From Edmonton, I would want to have Daniel Costa’s truffled grilled cheese and pappardelle bolognese.

From Calgary where I spent 8 yrs, I would ask for Charcut’s pig’s head mortadella and duck fat fried poutine. I would also want Aviv from Sidewalk Citizen to supply us with his apple dulce de leche brioche. I’d have the truffled oxtail tortellini from Anju.

From home, my Dad’s prime rib and I would want my grandmother’s “cha goh” dumplings made from a rice flour dough, stuffed with ground pork, Chinese sausage, shitaki mushrooms, water chestnuts, and I’m sure I’m missing about 5 other ingredients. Funny enough, I would also want my childhood favourite – Tuna casserole made with cream of mushroom soup.

Where do you eat out most frequently?

Tutti Frutti frozen yogurt on Whyte Ave. Must get my frozen yogurt fix two-three times a week and I’ve yet to find another company with yogurt as good as Tutti Frutti’s. I’m craving it as I type this and I’ve had a bowl earlier.

Where’s the best place to eat in Edmonton?

I’m changing this question to “best placeS in Edmonton” because I can’t choose just one. Corso 32, Tres Carnales, Shanghai 456, and Zaika are probably my favourite food spots in Edmonton. Corso 32 because Daniel and Ben make my favourite pasta dishes in Edmonton and I’m in constant need of their amazing truffled grilled cheese topped with a sunny egg, Tres Carnales because the crew there is so hospitable it always feels like going to over to a good friend’s house. Their tacos are yummy and I never say no to sangria. Chef Wong at Shanghai 456 makes the best xiaolongbao (pork dumplings filled with soup) in Alberta. Not only is Zaika within a 5 minute drive from our house, their fish pakoras, onion naan, butter chicken, bhindi masala, and baingan bharta are absolutely delicious! We always have a great experience at Zaika.

If you weren’t limited by geography, where and what would you eat?

I’d go back to Macau and Italy.

Macau is the Vegas of Asia. It’s located within a 1 hour long ferry ride from Hong Kong. From a culinary standpoint, Macau is a really interesting place. Although technically part of China, Macau was colonized by the Portuguese for 100 years. As a result, many Macanese dishes are a fusion of Chinese and Portuguese influences. I would go to Lord Stowe bakery to have some famous butttery and flaky Portuguese egg tarts – a fusion between the Chinese egg tart and the Portuguese pasteis de nata tarts. I would also go to “Tai Lei Loi Kei” cafe to have one of their famous pork chop buns, a marinated bone in pork chop inside a Portuguese bun. Not to mention a big bowl of braised pig’s feet and curried beef brisket over noodles.

In Italy, I would go back to Tuscany for the five course beef dinner at Dario Cecchini’s famous butcher shop in Panzano. While there, I would have breakfast at Poggerino a quaint B&B in Radda Chianti where one of the owner Benedetta makes THE best omelette and quiche. We would also go back to Luccarelli for the to-die-for pappardelle al cinghiale (wild boar). And since geography isn’t a limitation I would hop over to Florence for the butter chicken at Trattoria Sostanza. Unlike Indian butter chicken, this one is roasted chicken breast baked in a lake of brown butter. Then hop over to Bologna for some tagliatelle al ragu and Pear and Cinnamon gelato from Sorbetteria Castiglione.

Carmen blogs at Food Karma.

Announcing: Truck Stops in Old Strathcona!

Although Mack and I are stalwart supporters of downtown, we also wanted to spread the food truck festivals to other neighbourhood as well. So we are thrilled to announce a series of Truck Stops (our mini What the Truck?! festivals) that will be taking place in Old Strathcona.

Every Thursday from 5-9 p.m. in May, you’ll be guaranteed great eats at McIntyre Park, where four trucks will be serving up dishes both savoury and sweet.

What: Truck Stop
Where: McIntyre Park, 8303 104 Street
When: May 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31, 2012
Time: 5-9 p.m.

The line up of trucks will change from week to week, but most of the vendors you are familiar with from farmers’ markets, festivals and street side will be represented this month. There will also be a few new trucks who will be debuting at Truck Stop later in the month, including Battista’s Calzones and The Next Act.

On deck this Thursday, May 3: Drift, Eva Sweet, Fat Franks and Molly’s Eats. A menu will be posted on the What the Truck?! website on Wednesday at the latest, so check back for updates.

Thanks to the Old Strathcona Business Association for their support in getting this off the ground!

Hope to see you there!

Check out our What the Truck?! website here, or follow us on Facebook.

Food Notes for April 30, 2012

It’s hard to believe it’s May already – where has the time gone? Mack and I are (finally) ready to share details about the first food truck events we’ve organized for this year – but more details on that in a separate post. On to this week’s food notes:

To celebrate Cinco de Mayo, Tres Carnales is again hosting a party to end all parties on May 5 from 5-11pm. It sounds like it will be a great time.
Indulgence tickets go on sale on May 1. Make sure to get yours if you want to guarantee yourself a spot to one of Edmonton’s best food and wine events.
Vue Weekly featured an article about Three Boars, the new “it” spot in Edmonton.
The Journal wrote about Cally’s Teas, who finally opened their new shop in Old Strathcona. Looking forward to trying out their high tea at some point.
Lonely Planet was in Edmonton shooting some video about interesting places in our city a few months back. Chris has the link to the final product – great that Century Hospitality’s Alley Burger is featured in the video!
There’s a new farmers’ market on the horizon: the 124 Street outdoor market is set to run on Thursday evenings from 5-9pm. Although I support initiatives to make it easier for consumers to shop local, how many markets is too many in Edmonton?
Caving to pressure, the organizers of the City of Edmonton’s Food in the City consultation/conference have reduced the cost…by $55. They have made the reception and lunch fees optional, but isn’t a part of the purpose of the gathering to break bread and network? We’ll see if this means more registrants in the end.
Although Edmonton is at the very start of the backyard chicken debate, it’s great to see that other cities are so far along: in Portland, backyard chickens who were loved as pets aren’t sent to the soup pot, but to the equivalent of a retirement home.
Susur Lee couldn’t make it work in New York, but can David Chang make his mark in Toronto?
Can’t decide between pizza and burgers? Why not have both? Pizza Huts in the Middle East now offer this option – mini burgers or chicken nuggets attached to pizza crusts.
The Five Guys in South Edmonton Common is now open. It looked packed from the outside!

Five Guys

Mack and I finally sampled food from the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market’s Harvest Cafe on Saturday. We always walked past the busy seating areas gawking at patrons’ meals, so it was nice to finally try a few things ourselves. Mack loved his breakfast sandwich, tasty and satisfying, even without melted cheese ($5.50 with a bagel). But my two egg breakfast ($6.50) didn’t live up to my expectations – the eggs and bacon were fine, but the potatoes were boiled and bland, and the fruit that was listed on the menu amounted to a garnish of three apple and pear slivers. We’ll be sticking to the sandwich in the future.

Breakfast sandwich

Two egg breakfast

Annie, May and I caught up over dinner on the weekend at Shanghai 456. It’s been quite some time since I’ve been there, but this was a good reminder to make sure my next visit isn’t quite so overdue! The xiaolong bao was as delicious as I remembered, and the chive and egg pancake was also quite nice. Best of all, we split six dishes, and only paid $15 a person. Such a great value.

Xiaolong bao (I could have done with a second order of these)

hanghai chive and egg pancake

Rice cake with pork, Chinese spinach and bamboo shoots (a lighter alternative to noodles)

Hot and sour soup (great balance, and not overpowering heat)

Vegetarian Brunch: The Clever Rabbit

As an omnivore, I will admit that dining at vegetarian and vegan restaurants is partly to satisfy my curiosity. This isn’t to say I’m the kind of person that needs to have meat with every meal – it’s quite the opposite actually, as Mack and I have been actively expanding our non-meat repertoire at home. But in many ways, in order for vegetarian and vegan restaurants not to be pigeonholed into a subcategory of “alternative” or “unconventional” choice for the mainstream population that does eat meat, the food just has to be tasty. And I’m always game to see firsthand if that’s the case.

In Edmonton, Padmanadi, Café Mosaics and Noorish are among the most popular vegetarian establishments, and as I have experienced them, I really didn’t miss the meat. I was hoping to have a similar meal at The Clever Rabbit, a vegetarian/vegan eatery that opened in March in the burgeoning High Street area.

Amanda was back in town last week, so she, Felicia and I decided to meet up for brunch at the restaurant on Sunday. When I had called about reservations (and was told they don’t take them), they warned that they are usually fairly busy in the early afternoon hours. When I arrived just before noon, I was a bit relieved to find that there were only two other parties in the dining room.

There were different rabbit-shaped salt and pepper shakers on each table – too cute!

The baking case was tempting, and I considered ordering a doughnut while I waited for my sisters to arrive. But it didn’t make sense to spoil my meal, so I held off. I did order a coffee to sip while waiting, and was a little surprised when it arrived not in a mug, but in a disposable cup. Perhaps many of their patrons ask to take their remaining coffee with them after their meals?

Baking case

Perusing the menu, it is made up of just three breakfast items and six lunch options – for a small establishment, I think it is great for them to focus on doing a few dishes well. I decided to order the vegan egg and tofu biscuits ($9), while my sisters opted for lunch plates, which each came with a side. Felicia chose the Seitan vegan donair ($12) while Amanda selected the walnut chickpea burger($12).

Service was good – besides an initial blip when our server disappeared when we were ready to order, she was by a few times to refill our coffee and check in on us. Our food also arrived in a reasonable amount of time.

It was easy to see that the kitchen did their best to garnish my mostly empty plate, but the focus was on the biscuit sandwiches. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy them. The vegan egg was the best part, fried up crispy on the outside, but soft and loose on the inside, but its accompaniments overshadowed it. The tofu was hard and chewy, and paired with the dry biscuits, made me long for some sort of sauce or soy cheese to add flavour and moisture.

Vegan egg and tofu biscuits

Amanda also thought her burger could have used some sort of ketchup or other liquid garnish, though as a whole, she enjoyed her dish. She especially liked the fresh salsa side, which really was large enough to share.

Walnut chickpea burger

This was Felicia’s first encounter with Seitan, also known as wheat gluten, a simulated meat product. She wasn’t a fan of the taste of the Seitan, though I didn’t mind it as much (it tasted somewhat like tofu to me). Her side of green salad was also quite generous, and was rife with avocado, tomato and dried cranberries.

Seitan vegan donair

Based on our meal, I’m not sure I’d be rushing back to The Clever Rabbit for breakfast, but I’d be willing to come back to give their lunch menu a try.

The Clever Rabbit
10722 124 Street
(780) 455-4550
Tuesday-Sunday 9am-4:30pm, closed Mondays

Eat Alberta 2012

The vision of Eat Alberta is simple: to create interactive opportunities for people to learn how to source and prepare local food directly from the experts in our community – producers, chefs and local food advocates. We were also hoping that participants would connect with one another and perhaps foster relationships that would extend beyond one isolated event. Because after all, there are only so many farmers’ markets to visit and shops and restaurants to patronize that showcase local food in Edmonton!

I had great intentions to write a post to sum up our inaugural Eat Alberta conference last year, but it fell by the wayside. I regret it now, because it would be nice to have a reference point, since our second Eat Alberta was so different in many ways.

On April 14, 2012, we welcomed over one hundred attendees and eighteen presenters at NAIT. In comparison to Eat Alberta 2011, we had nearly doubled the number of participants and sessions offered, so our classroom footprint had to grow accordingly as well. Although there were many positive attributes about our previous base venue of Enterprise Square, it did not contain kitchen facilities, and for a hands-on cooking conference such as ours, it became clear that they were a necessity. So we were thrilled when NAIT agreed to allow us to book their kitchens and adjacent classrooms as a venue, as this was the first time they have opened their doors to an external group.

The sandwich spread from NAIT

Lunch also included this wonderful stout cake

The NAIT staff did a wonderful job in taking care of many tasks –from setting up meals to dishwashing – that had fallen to the organizing committee and volunteers last year. Of course, that did mean the cost of putting on the conference increased (and as a result, heightened the attendee fee), but from an organizer’s perspective, it allowed us the time and space to manage other things, and for a few of us, even the opportunity to take in a few sessions!

Mack learning how to make spring rolls from Elaine Wilson (a lot of the photos I’ve used in this post were taken by Maki, our volunteer photographer – she did a great job!)

The keynote from Danny and Shannon of Nature’s Green Acres was a great way to start the day. They shared their farm story – how labour intensive their methods are, how their children are involved in the day-to-day chores. I think it set the tone for the conference – one of humble appreciation for producers like the Ruzickas and the hard work involved in bringing consumers a quality product!

Danny and Shannon Ruzicka

Afterwards, I did a quick walk-through of a few of the hands-on sessions in the kitchens, and it looked like people were having a blast.

Cheesemaking with Alan Roote

Knife skills with Kevin Kent

Pasta making with Kathryn Joel

Much of this can be attributed to the stellar presenters that volunteered and took it upon themselves to plan practical and insightful workshops, and were able to impart both their knowledge and their passion in the limited time available. I think there was a lot more tweeting going on this year than last, so it was neat to see some of the real time comments of participants – talk about immediate feedback!

Owen Petersen’s class making sourdough babies

I was also able to sit in on two sessions that day. The first was with Martin Osis of the Alberta Mycological Society who addressed the topic of Foraging for Mushrooms. I’ve heard Martin speak before, and he certainly hasn’t lost his sense of humour about fungi. There was no doubt attendees were engaged, and had Martin not warned the crowd numerous times about the exceptions to the edible mushroom rules, I’m sure people would have wanted to start foraging for mushrooms right outside the walls of NAIT.

Martin Osis

In the afternoon, I joined Chef Blair Lebsack’s session on how to prepare bison. Blair was among three NAIT Culinary Arts instructors we were fortunate to have, as they are the mentors behind the next generation of the city’s culinary talent.

Blair Lebsack

Blair didn’t show us just one, but three ways of cooking bison so we could taste the difference between different cuts and preparation methods. He started with a roast from First Nature’s Farms, seasoned it, then placed in a hot oven (it reminded me that I need to get myself a probe thermometer!). Blair then pointed to a brisket he had started earlier that day, having cooked it low and slow for several hours. It was fork tender, surrounded by the aromatic bath it had been prepared in.

Lastly, Blair divided up a striploin into individual steaks so participants would be able to cook it up on their own to their liking. Many chose to pan-fry their steaks, but I went with the grill, mostly because the barbecue isn’t something I get to play with all that often!

Seasoning up my steak

The plenary panel was something we had great fun designing. “How to survive a zombie apocalypse” was an off-beat way of asking some really important questions about how one would be able to fend for themselves in our Prairie context. I think Allan did a great job moderating the panel, though I know we had some minor clarity issues for those seated at the back.

Zombie apocalypse panel

Valerie and Allan deserve all of the credit for the tasting boards served at the wine down. They were a sight to behold, all lined up in Ernest’s, and yes, they were as lovingly prepared as they appeared to have been. My favourite taste was similar to my favourite last year – the Cheesiry’s pecorino with a drizzle of Lola Canola honey.

Valerie preparing the boards

Maki’s beautiful shot of a tasting board

In all, I think it was a really successful event. We achieved what we set out to do, and hope everyone thought it was a worthwhile day as well (you can check out what others said here). That said, we know there is always room for improvement, and for the future, there will be some minor adjustments (for example, ensuring that all attendees have the opportunity to participate in at least one hands-on course). And if you have any other suggestions, please get in touch with us – we’re all ears!

In reflecting back on the day, I feel indebted to so many people. Thanks to everyone who attended, and took a chance on our event. I want to thank the tireless volunteers – the event truly could not have taken place without your energy and hard work. Thanks also to the Italian Centre, Mighty Trio Organics and Gold Forest Grains for sponsoring us – it means a lot that small local businesses believed in our vision as well. Last but not least – so much of the feeling I am left with now is an intense respect for my fellow committee members – it was such a pleasure to work with you, Allan, Mack, Ming, Nicole, Su and Valerie. Here’s to Eat Alberta 2013!

http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=109615

If you’re interested in finding out more about future Eat Alberta events, make sure you sign up for our mailing list.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: