Warm and Welcoming: The Marc

Two weeks ago, I finally made it out to The Marc. At one point this year, The Marc was the “most talked about” establishment, partly due to the lineage that connects it to the dearly departed Il Portico (Patrick Saurette was the restaurant’s general manager). But in the months that followed, it had been supplanted by chatter about Tres Carnales. Even still, The Marc remained on top of the must try lists of many hungry trendsetters.

I found out why. When Jill and I arrived for our 5:30 reservation on Friday, we were among only three parties in the room. By the time we left, the place was packed, with a sizeable group in the lobby still awaiting a table. The atmosphere was lively, no doubt buoyed by the end of the work week, but also cultivated by an attentive staff that made sure diners were well taken care of and never rushed.

The room has already been described many times over, but I wanted to make mention of the mirrors that lined the top of one wall that reflected the flickering candlelight in the room. Between those and the muted earth tone colour scheme of the dining room, the space felt sophisticated and intimate.

Interior, before nightfall

Jill’s first impression was that the tables were much too close together, an eavesdropping distance. But afterwards, she recanted that comment, and said that wasn’t the case – it was a neighbourly, but comfortable, distance. What amazed me (and perhaps is the ultimate compliment about their food) is that I could smell what those next to us were eating – everything was so wonderfully fragrant in the best sense of the word, perfuming the air with the sentiment of sitting in someone’s kitchen.

Jill and I decided to share the venison cheek ($13) to start. It was a smaller serving than either of us had anticipated, but packed with flavour. It was delicate, cooked to melting perfection, and paired so well with the poached pear underneath.

Venison cheek

Jill ordered the seafood stew ($23), which arrived in the pot! The server then spooned a serving into her bowl at the table, perfect for showcasing the intense aromatics of the bouillabaisse. She enjoyed the generous amount of seafood in the stew – hake, clams and shrimp among them – and appreciated the breadbasket refills to help mop up the liquid. Her only quibble was that she found the broth just too salty.

Seafood stew

Though my knee-jerk reaction was to order the steak frites, I thought I should “save” that dish for an upcoming dinner here with Mack (he complains that I like to dine at new restaurants without him). So instead, I chose the pork shoulder confit ($21). It was a very large serving, reminiscent of the braised pork at Niche, and was tender as it should have been. I particularly enjoyed the well-balanced brown butter tomato sauce. The vegetables, however, could have been better – the zucchini was a tad undercooked.

Pork shoulder confit

With too-tempting dessert options, we had to try more than one. Jill’s lemon tart literally made her mouth water as she was enjoying it – how’s that for a thumbs up? The silky custard was perhaps a little too tart for me, but perfect for a citrus fiend like Jill.

Lemon tart

The server didn’t even flinch when I ordered the beignets in addition of Jill’s tart. But the twinkle in his eye when he delivered it to us just dared us to finish the absolutely mountainous plate of doughnuts. Surprisingly, the crispy, warm beignets themselves were not overly sweet, in spite of being coated in sugar. And for an added fun factor, two sauces were provided for dipping: crème anglaise and caramel. We did finish the plate (thank goodness Jill helped me), but we had to walk off our meal at the nearby Legislature grounds afterwards!

Beignets

Based on the service and the food, I wouldn’t hesitate to return. Our experience of The Marc was a very warm and welcoming one, so I’ll be back, with Mack in tow next time!

The Cooking Chronicles: One Bowl Suppers

I know it’s a bad habit, but as the weather has gotten cooler, our supper hour has migrated away from the dining table and onto the couch. I’d like to blame it on the return of the fall television season and hockey, but it’s just so easy to wind down the evening with dinner and a show.

As such, I think one bowl suppers, like soups and stews, are always go-to “couch potato” accompaniments. We made a couple of new one bowl recipes last week.

Turkey and Cranberry Ravioli

I’d been wanting to make Giada’s turkey and cranberry ravioli for some time. In the recipe header, she describes it as a dish she would make for her husband and herself when they are “craving the flavours of Thanksgiving” but are not wanting to cook a whole turkey. We wanted to see if it lived up to that kind of holiday billing!

It was a straightforward recipe – I made cranberry sauce for the filling, combining it with Greens, Eggs and Ham ground turkey, Romano cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, eggs and salt and pepper. Then, while Mack put together the ravioli (using won ton wrappers), I made the very holiday-worthy gravy (between the butter and heavy cream, it’s definitely not for everyday consumption).

The ravioli only needed three minutes or so in the boiling water to cook, and drizzled with gravy and a bit of the leftover cranberry sauce, it really did taste like Thanksgiving in a bowl. The cranberry sauce in the ravioli filling was a bit lost in the mix, so the sweetness from the garnish really helped cut through the richness. We also would use fresh pasta sheets next time instead of won ton wrappers – they turned out to be a bit gummy from absorbing the cooking liquid.

Turkey and cranberry ravioli

As a whole though, I would make this dish again. At the very least, it’s an interesting take on a filled pasta!

Creamy Coconut Carrot Soup

Mack isn’t the biggest soup fan, but even he didn’t mind this one. For me, I liked that it was a recipe that used pantry staples in a different way – it’s always great to have those dishes on the backburner in the event the fridge is bare save for those basic items.

I had clipped a recipe for a creamy coconut carrot soup from See Magazine, which was printed to accompany an article on vegan diets. Packed with vegetables and fruit – carrots, sweet potato, onions, apples – it made up for the turkey ravioli the night before, but with the addition of red lentils and coconut milk, added a different dimension to it.

The balance of our soup ended up mostly being sweet potato, but that was fine – the earthiness and creaminess the pureed potato brought was very pleasant. The slight sweetness from the green apple was also appreciated.

Creamy coconut carrot soup

Eaten with a bit of bread I picked up at the Queen of Tarts, it made for a nice supper, and a decent lunch the next day as well.

Do you have a favourite TV dinner, too?

Food Notes for October 24, 2011

I know I’ve been writing a lot about television lately, but it feels like the quality of shows right now is better than most seasons. I already mentioned my love-hate relationship with The Walking Dead (a show I enjoy, in spite of the fact that I usually run far, far away from the horror genre), but I’m also lately loving Revenge. Canadian(!) Emily VanCamp stars as the deliciously two-faced Amanda Clarke/Emily Thorne, hell-bent on seeking retribution for the wrongs done to her father. Sure, it can be overly soapy, but is such a guilty pleasure. On to this week’s food notes:

Queen of Tarts is changing their name to “better reflect who they are now”. E-mail them with your suggestions – the winner wins a dinner for four (and the satisfaction of branding one of Edmonton’s best bakeries).
New restaurant alert: Cibo Bistro, a new Italian eatery, is set to open on October 29, 2011 in Oliver Square (11244 104 Avenue).
The second in the Journal’s coffee series appeared last week, highlighting Java Jive.
I missed attending the Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival this year, but was happy to live vicariously through Maki, Jaquie and Foodie Suz.
Serious Eats had a breakdown of ten signs of a bad macaron.
I loved this infographic from My City Way charting the most (and least) expensive neighbourhoods in New York to dine in.
Interesting piece on the end of “last meal” requests at a Texas penitentiary.
Mack and I haven’t been eating much at home lately – not that we’re complaining! Friday night, we headed to Lux to help them celebrate their sixth anniversary. We were treated to truffled popcorn and delectable bone marrow sprinkled with some finishing hickory salt. And that was just the appetizer! For our entrees, Mack and I shared several appetizers. I really enjoyed the buttermilk calamari, crisp and light, while the winner for Mack was the lobster poutine. Billed as a side, it really could have been a main on its own. It was definitely a creative and well-made dish though, with bacon hollandaise and truffle sour cream in place of cheese, and fries that remained crispy throughout consumption. Happy birthday, Lux!

Bone marrow with arugula salad and crostinis

Kobe beef sliders and lobster poutine

You may have heard on the news or read online that Kevin Fox, long-time downtown resident, City Market employee and Rory’s loving father, has been reported missing. If you have any information about him, please call the police at 780-423-4567.

Kevin Fox (photo courtesy of the City Market)

An Afternoon in Old Strathcona

Mack had a meeting on Saturday afternoon in Old Strathcona, so we decided that it would be a good excuse to spend part of the day there – have brunch, check out the market, go window shopping.

It was such a beautiful fall day, perfect for a stroll. I also love the nuggets that only pedestrians are privy to, such as this sandwich board in front of O’Byrne’s:

We started off the day with brunch at Artisan Resto-Cafe. A 2-for-1 coupon for the restaurant was burning a hole through my wallet with its impending expiry date, so it meant a re-visit was in order – we haven’t been back since we had brunch there almost two years ago.

Unfortunately, it was not a good experience, one plagued with amateur mistakes that cannot be justified by a veteran establishment. It all started with a chaotic front of house. Although a “please wait to be seated” sign seemed to signal that a staff person would be greeting incoming diners, until we stepped up and waived down a server, we received no acknowledgement. Worst of all, without an orderly system, a party of three ended up being seated in front of three other groups that had arrived before them, us included.

After about fifteen minutes, we were ushered to a table with apologies. I know the server did her best, but after forgetting to bring milk for our coffee twice, then failing to refill out coffee at all once our food arrived, it didn’t exactly make up for their poor initial impression.

Our order took about twenty minutes to arrive, but…both of our plates were delicious! Tasty to the point where we really had to shake our heads at the service – the kitchen deserves better! My eggs were creamy, the potatoes fried to a lovely crisp, and the pancake (as it was last time), is one of the best I’ve had in the city.

Country Harvest

Bacon and cheddar omelette

Since brunch took a lot longer than either of us had anticipated, we had to split up – Mack headed to his meeting, and I walked over to the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market.

I haven’t been to the OSFM since March, when the City Market set-up shop in City Hall earlier this year until the transition to the street. It’s always nice to visit though, especially since it is the permanent home of some vendors like Peas on Earth and August Organics who I don’t get to shop from.

It really was all about pumpkins at the market on Saturday – from mini pumpkins to those just waiting to be carved into jack-o’-lanterns to absolutely massive “show” pumpkins.

Mini pumpkins from Peas on Earth

Pumpkins from August Organics

Massive pumpkins from Riverbend Gardens

I also stopped by to chat with Sarah of Belua Designs, and found out that she will be reaching an important milestone soon: 10,000 monsters! She isn’t sure when that 10,000th adoption will take place, but when it does, there may be balloons and confetti to celebrate!

Belua Designs

The warmer weather was perfect for outdoor concessions – Molly’s Eats, Eva Sweet, Fat Franks and the kettle corn trucks were out in full force. But apparently in recent weeks the OSFM concession has revamped their menu to feature dishes that source products from market vendors. I’ve heard nothing but good things – when I’m not so stuffed, I’ll have to check it out next time!

Concession

After some window shopping, I took the bus back home. Before leaving, I couldn’t resist taking a picture of the newly finished (?) Palomar Building. The signage looks great – it makes me want to come back in the evening to see what they look like lit up!

Hope you enjoyed your Saturday as well!

Homeless Connect 7

On Sunday, Mack and I volunteered for the seventh Homeless Connect, the “one-stop shop” of services for those who are homeless or at-risk of being homeless. It takes place twice at year at the Shaw Conference Centre.

Mack!

Homeward Trust always does a great job of coordinating the event (not easy if you consider all of the logistics and players involved), but what is most impressive is that they are never complacent – the staff are always looking for ways of improving the event. This time, for example, they began the orientation period earlier so that volunteers would have a chance to better familiarize themselves with the layout and the services available (something I know I would have appreciated as a new volunteer). As well, they introduced a pre-registration component for the first time.

Registration materials

Mack and I were among a dozen experienced registration volunteers who were asked to help pre-register guests. For about an hour before the doors to the halls opened, we did our best to get through as many people as possible. The intention was to help reduce the bottleneck, and to help service providers better manage the flow of guests – particularly those services which are heavily used, such as dental and hair.

The form, which always changes slightly, will need to be tweaked again. There were way too many options to choose from in the “Where did you hear about the event” question (I’m not sure most volunteers would be able to tell the difference between an “Agency” and a “Service Provider”) and there were a number of options in the immigration-related section that could overlap (e.g. Temporary Foreign Workers and Refugee Claimants could be seeking permanent residence; refugees are likely also landed immigrants). But I realize the data committee just wants to collect as much information as possible to help with future planning, and this event is a good place to do so.

At 10am, we joined the rest of the larger registration team in the hall, and the madness began. Mack and I both figured the numbers of guests this time had to have been extremely high – typically, the line dissipates by around noon, but on Sunday, it was still going strong by the time our shift was over at 12:30.

Registration team!

This was also the first time in the five Homeless Connect events that I have been a part of where I was confronted by a guest who perhaps should have been removed. He was visibly angry and frustrated by the time he reached me at the registration desk – he was upset that he couldn’t get a hot meal right at that moment (lunch wouldn’t be served for another half an hour). Although he had the option of not completing the form, he simply did not want to leave the chair, swearing profusely at several other volunteers who offered to bring him coffee, or take him somewhere to lie down. Two Shaw security officers showed up, but he refused to go with them. Eventually, he filled out the form on his own accord, and stormed off into the hall. While this guest’s behaviour didn’t surprise me (he may have been facing addictions and mental health issues, among other things), what did surprise me was that he was permitted to disrespect and verbally abuse those around him without consequence. I doubt that kind of behaviour would be tolerated at local shelters and drop-in centres, so why would it be accepted here? Hopefully it was just a one-time blip, and not the policy of the event.

Other than that, I really enjoyed my time as a volunteer. It’s such a rewarding event to be a part of, especially when all it takes is a few hours of your time. Kudos to the organizers for another well-run day. Looking forward to Homeless Connect 8 in May!

A Reflection on my Fifth Anniversary

Five years ago today I started a blog.

At the time, it was a place for me to write about whatever was top of mind – television, fashion purchases, theatre, and, well, food. I had just started cooking, though not on a regular basis, so most of my food dollars (and attention) were allocated to restaurants. After a few years of eating my way through and documenting the Edmonton culinary scene, it became clear that my blog did indeed have a central focus, and Only Here for the Food was born.

A lot can happen in five years, something that is very true for me. I started my first job post-university, began a long-term relationship, moved out of my parents’ house, bought a condo. But I never thought the act of sharing my food experiences would have such a significant impact on me as well.

When I first started to visit farmers’ markets, I would walk past the tables overflowing with produce and overlook the proud farmers showcasing their wares for cupcakes. To me, markets were weekend festivals – bustling, colourful, and meant only for brief stopover. In 2007, a chance prize earned me the opportunity to cook alongside long-time Edmonton Journal Bistro columnist Judy Schultz and local food advocate (and Seasoned Solutions proprietor) Gail Hall. One afternoon was all it took to demystify the market; it was the first time I saw the market for what it really was – a plethora of farm fresh ingredients, and a direct link to the producers who grew or raised it.

In the years that followed, I learned more and more about the local food scene. Perhaps more importantly, I met and got to know the people that have worked hard to develop and drive their beliefs forward – farmers, chefs, advocates, eaters, all pushing to ensure Edmonton has a vibrant economy that includes independent businesses and sustainable food production. I am very fortunate that this blog, and the very small window that it is, has allowed me to be a part of that community.

This growing awareness also increased my desire to become more active in the community. It began with co-organizing Slow Food Edmonton’s Wild Boar and Beer BBQ in 2010, snowballed into helping put on Eat Alberta earlier this year, and most recently, planning two What the Truck?! events this summer. It’s a cliché, but it is true – food helps bring people together, and in the case of What the Truck?!, can be the catalyst for something even greater – small-scale revitalization.

The experiences I’ve written about – farm visits, market reports, cooking chronicles, chef’s dinners – have helped shaped my values and my lifestyle. It may have started with a few restaurant reviews here and there, but this blog has inextricably changed the way I view food, and the city as a whole.

What I also know is that your support over these past five years – through comments, e-mails and conversations – has been priceless to me. Though some bloggers may deny it, the very nature of public sharing is ego-centric, and I appreciate knowing that what I’ve written has been interesting or helpful in some way – my greatest hope is to have perhaps demystified the farmers’ market for someone, too. So in short: thank you for reading.

I would be remiss if I didn’t thank Mack – my editor, sous chef and partner. It is doubtful that without his constant indulgence in my penchant for food that this blog would have gone on for as long.

We’ll see what the next five years brings. But through the lens of this blog, things are looking up in Edmonton – and I am happy to be along for the ride.

Foodtree: an App for Producers and Consumers

One of the reasons I started doing weekly City Market Reports was so it would be easy for people to know what was in season. But now? There’s an app for that!

Foodtree is a free photo-sharing mobile app that aims to help farmers better connect with consumers, and to enable consumers to better share information with one another. Launched in Vancouver, Edmonton was added to the app in mid-September.

Given the rise of local farmers’ markets this year in numerous communities across the city, it is particularly pertinent that an app with this focus debuted this year, as it could definitely help consumers determine which market they might attend that day or week.

In order to find out more about Foodtree, I sent Derek Shanahan, Foodtree’s Chief Community Officer, some questions:

What is Foodtree?

Foodtree is a web and mobile platform that makes it easy to share photos and insights about real food with food lovers and your community. Our free mobile app is like an Instagram for food, with photos tagged with where a food can be found and where it’s actually from. On the web, anyone can upload their photos and tag the same information.

In both places a conversation happens in the comments – often about the food, how it was made (or even how much it cost), or to add insights ("I know where that’s from!").

As an example, local farmers are now taking daily pics of their harvest and tagging the produce with the market you can buy it at later that day. They’re using it to market themselves, but also to connect with their buyers and to make it easier for them to find the food they love. Some even throw prices into their photo comments.

In broad strokes we’re a company building tools to empower a conversation about food and its provenance, and doing so in an effort to empower people with information they need to eat better while providing food producers with effective tools to connect with their customers. We focused on "whole" foods early (meat, produce, dairy) because there is such a lack of attention given these foods, both in terms of how they’re marketed or branded, and in terms of how consumers contemplate them (food lovers know that a piece of beef isn’t just a piece of beef; there’s more to it).

How is this different than Flickr, Twitter, Facebook or blogs?

First of all, it’s built for the food ecosystem; food lovers and food producers. We took what we’ve learned from the explosion of social tools and applied that learning to the unique (and incredibly complex) problems that the food system presents. We’ve also integrated some of those tools and will integrate more down the line…Twitter and Facebook are tied into the photo sharing process, for instance so that users can send pics to all three at once.

Instead of replacing the value of blogs, or even established social networks, Foodtree is aiming to expand on that value…we’ll roll out a Where To Buy widget, for instance, that will let food producers quickly tell their customers and blog readers where to find their stuff. It will embed into WordPress.

We’re in a world of information overload, so we’re not trying to replace core social networks. The next generation of web and mobile apps will leverage the value these networks created, but will serve specific needs, niches, and interests. Flickr isn’t ideal for making purchasing decisions or sharing insights about how our local food communities fit together. Facebook isn’t either, and their focus as it relates to industry is in the context of their Ad Network. It’s actually a really great Ad Network, but that’s not the only way to market and build community around small and medium sized businesses. It’s our belief that Facebook Business Pages are pretty ineffective for most businesses AND us as users; especially when you have that conversation in the context of FOOD.

So in short, Foodtree’s mission is to build an open platform for the conversation about and consumption of food, integrated with today’s and tomorrow’s social networks.

What made you decide to build this app?

Foodtree’s foundation is in the challenges that Anthony faced as both a food lover and an artisan wine distributor. He’s always cared about where his food is from and how it’s been handled. He also spent a lot of time and resources trying to communicate a unique and thoughtful story about his wines to customers; the story of the farmers who handled the grape from the ground into the bottle using sustainable practices.

We built our mobile app because food isn’t something we experience while sitting in front of a computer…Foodtree needs to connect people out in the wild, while shopping, dining, and participating in their food communities. Taking photos is an easy way to participate in your food system; what are you seeing, and what do you know about the food that’s in front of you? Our app was built as a lightweight but revolutionary way to contribute to a wider conversation about food and food provenance, while empowering local food producers and great food people should know about.

What has the response been so far from farmers, consumers and markets? Have you connected directly with any Edmonton farmers, consumers or markets yet?

The response has been phenomenal. Already we have farmers and food businesses using the mobile app to promote their harvests and products in real-time…sharing photos of foods and where to buy them later that day. The farmers markets have been really great too…we’ve now talked to almost every major market in Canada, and recently expanded our app experience to include Edmonton, Calgary and Toronto. We’re constantly looking to include more markets in the database, as well as their vendors.

In addition, we’re moving beyond farmers markets based on the feedback from users and farmers. Both want to expand the Foodtree conversation into restaurants and retail, as so much of the food experience happens in these places. The app will get an upgraded that lets people use it anywhere that you can find food, while still tagging information about its provenance to the photos. The website will allow users to go even deeper.

Our userbase has also asked for even more interaction, so we’ll add "liking" and deepen our "following" feature to let food lovers subscribe to farmers or other businesses for useful updates about harvests and other related communications.

People also seem interested in some measure of reputation within the community, so we’re exploring that as well.

What is your hope for FoodTree?

We’re the crazy kind of entrepreneurs that honestly thinks what we’re building could change the world. We imagine a world in which it’s weird NOT to know where your food is from. We imagine a world in which it’s as easy to get detailed insight into what you’re eating as it is to check the history on a car you’re considering buying.

We hope that we’re an integral part of the inevitable disruption that our food system is about to experience. As Chris Dixon said, "Predicting the future of the internet is easy: anything it hasn’t drastically transformed, it will."

Best of luck to Derek and his team – in this digital world, it’s great to see tools that help make choosing and eating local just a little more seamless.

If you’re interested in learning more about Foodtree, check their website. And to download their app, head over here.

Food Notes for October 17, 2011

When I think about what kind of sissy I am when it usually comes to shows that involve gore or suspense, I’m not sure how I’ve become such a fan of The Walking Dead. But it happened, so I’m happy it’s back! We’ll see how the show evolves now that series creator Frank Darabont is no longer involved, but if the momentum from yesterday’s episode continues, it will be a good year! On to this week’s food notes:

The Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival is on this weekend, October 21-22, 2011. There are a few chances for you to win admission tickets – from me, and from Maki.
The Queen of Tarts only has half of its seats for Saturday’s first pop-up dinner still available. Linda says the five-course menu will be gluten-free to boot! Call 780-421-4410 for reservations.
It’s great to see more street food vendors getting the opportunity to transition into brick and mortar shops – Filistix is now open in the Central Academic Building (CAB) on campus from Monday-Fridays, 9am-4pm. Find them in the lower level food court. Congrats, guys!
The Journal had an interesting article about some of the issues local Big City Cupcakes franchises have had dealing with the company.
The Journal also started a great series that will focus on local coffee hubs – last week, it profiled Transcend.
It’s all about the Enjoy Centre: Liane wrote about some of the great breads coming out of Prairie Baker, and Twyla re-visited the Centre recently. I’ll have to get out there myself some time soon!
Liv profiled Kathryn Joel’s Get Cooking school in Vue Weekly last week.
I love travelling vicariously through blogs – Phil visited San Francisco’s Off the Grid about a year after Mack and I did. It’s amazing how much the event has grown in that time!
Sam Sifton is done, and goes out with a bang – he names Per Se the best restaurant in New York: “It represents the ideal of an American high-culture luxury restaurant.”
Great piece from the NYT on how cookbooks are continuing to evolve.
Rumour has it: Starbucks has its sight set on heading into the juice bar business.
Ramen is slowly taking over Edmonton: Meguro Ramen is moving into Padmanadi’s former space on 97 Street.

Meguro Ramen

When I saw containers of Ching’s Secret Schezwan Bhel on the shelves at Superstore, I couldn’t help but pick one up (they were 33cents!). I was morbidly curious with what kind of “shake and eat” snack it would be. Turns out – not one that is remotely edible. The goopy-sweet sauce over the crackling-like chips were far from anything I’d want to eat. Have you tried this?

Ching’s Secret

2011 Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival: Ticket Giveaway!

The Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival is Edmonton’s largest wine and food event. In its tenth year, the event transforms a part of the Shaw Conference Centre into a Grand Tasting Hall, showcasing both wineries and restaurants from across the province. It runs October 21-22, 2011.

It was one of the first wine tasting events that I ever attended, back in 2007. Although there are similar events that have preceded it, and many that have sprung up in its wake, I appreciated the nature of this one. Unpretentious, it was a great way for someone like me who was just starting to explore the world of wine to try a good variety without feeling like I was being judged for my lack of knowledge. That said, I’m sure more experienced wine drinkers would enjoy the festival as well, sampling and talking to the wine reps in the laid-back atmosphere. The list of the 2011 wineries is here.

And the food – at this year’s festival, over three dozen restaurants will be on hand to sample their fare. Restaurants include Creations (featuring smoked corn and leek fondue in mini brioche cups), Guru (offering butter chicken samosas), Niche (serving venison meatballs topped with duck cracklings), Jacek (serving a variety of truffles, such as salted burnt caramel), and the Red Piano (offering red velvet whoopie pies). You can take a look at the full menu here,

Special to the 2011 edition are complimentary Cheese Seminars to be hosted by the Dairy Farmers of Canada. Seminars will offer information, wine pairing suggestions and free Canadian cheese samples.

If you’re interested in attending the festival, make sure to pick up tickets online, which are $5 less than the fee at the door. Sampling coupons (for both liquor and food items) are available on-site at a price of 50 cents each.

I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to give away two tickets that can be used to gain admission to the festival on Friday, October 21, a value of $46. A note about the tickets: they are not transferable to Saturday’s session, and sampling coupons will need to be purchased separately. Also, all attendees must be 18 years or older (minors, including infants, are not permitted).

To enter the contest, simply leave a comment below with why you’d like to attend the Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival. The contest closes at 5 p.m. on October 18, 2011. I will contact the winner by e-mail that evening and post the name of the winner here. Good luck!

EDIT: Congratulations, Kim O!

All Year Round: the City Market at City Hall

It was an interesting day downtown today – as Mack and I walked towards City Hall this afternoon, we encountered the Occupy Edmonton demonstration in Churchill Square.

Occupy Edmonton

It was peaceful but spirited, with protesters carrying a wide variety of signs and costumed as everything from V to zombies.

With so much activity in the core, we figured it must be just as bustling inside City Hall, but that wasn’t the case. I loved the irony – if even half of the protesters purchased something from a purveyor at the market, what kind of difference would that act make towards supporting small businesses and local economies? Anyway, that’s a different discussion for another day.

Protesters march

Unlike last year, when the City Market didn’t make the leap into City Hall on a regular basis until March, I was excited when it was announced that the transition from street to indoors would be immediate. With a forthcoming marketing campaign on ETS buses and LRT, this edition of the year-round City Market also seems like it will be better advertised. Still, approaching City Hall, one would be hard pressed to guess if anything was going on inside, let alone Edmonton’s oldest farmers’ market. I can imagine the politics that might be involved in proposing outdoor signage for the building, but it would definitely go a long way in raising the profile and visibility of the market.

An unmarked City Hall

Inside, there were about three dozen vendors. Having arrived around 1pm, we figured we missed the rush, but we were told that it had been fairly slow so far.

Quiet aisle

The set-up in the City Room was similar to the spring market, with vendors lining most of the first floor. We asked about the capacity of the space (given there are currently sixty vendors who have signed up to participate this fall and winter), and were told that they have the permission to expand to the second level if need be.

Kuhlmann’s and Doef’s had prime spaces

Apparently the marimba player (who would be familiar to City Market on 104 Street shoppers) had been performing earlier in the day, but had retired by the time we arrived. Unfortunately, there was no ambient music to fill the void that he left – hopefully the Market works on this next week as it felt a bit like a library beneath the pyramid.

Shoppers peruse fruit at Steve & Dan’s

We really weren’t sure which vendors to expect, knowing that many producers have chosen only to sell on select Saturdays (the list of vendors on the website is thus not that helpful). But we were pleasantly surprised at the variety – Doef’s, Kuhlmann’s, Sundog Organic and Steve & Dan’s were on hand for produce; Nature’s Green Acres, Sunshine Organic, Irvings Farm Fresh, Medicine Man Bison and Ocean Odyssey for protein; and Prairie Mill to round out the basics. We missed seeing Van Os Dairy though – it was nice to be able to get organic milk on the same trip as well!

Produce at Sundog Organic

Obviously, Mack and I are thrilled to have a year-round farmers’ market within walking distance of our home, and will continue to support this venture. However, I’ve said it before, but I will say it again – the Market needs to do a better job at informing consumers which producers will be present on which days (their advice on the website is this: “make sure you talk to your favourite vendors and find out their market schedule”). Particularly because vendors will be inconsistent through the season, I really think it would not only help shoppers plan, but help the market as a promotional tool.

Kuhlmann’s

When we approached the information table with this question, we saw they had a detailed matrix of vendors and market dates on paper. We asked why that information wasn’t available online, and we were told they were still learning how to use the new website, and didn’t have the final confirmation for some vendors. Though the Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market is much smaller, they’ve managed to do this, so there is precedence.

As I mentioned, we will be back next week, but we do hope some minor tweaks will be made to help make this market the best year-round option in Edmonton.

The City Market at City Hall will run every Saturday (except December 24 and 31) from 10am-3pm until May 2012.

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