Food Notes for March 9, 2009

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

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

The Cooking Chronicles: Fried Rice

Fried rice is a dish I was a little afraid to make on my own. As my Mum’s versions have always been so tasty, I figured that my own attempt would never live up to her standard.

In an effort to use up some leftover rice in the fridge, however, I picked up some BBQ pork in Chinatown on Friday (at Tasty BBQ, 10632 97 Street, 780-428-3383) and asked my Mum for a few pointers. She advised me to scramble the eggs first, take them out, then fry up the onions and pork. Next, she told me to add the rice, peas, cooked eggs, and heat them through. Lastly, I was to season the mixture with salt and white pepper.

I did exactly as I was told, and was very happy with the result. The pork was a tad dry (not sure if the fact that the pork sat in the fridge overnight influenced this), but other than that, it tasted very similar to my Mum’s rice.

 

Fried Rice

I will definitely be making this again. Thanks Mum for the guidance!

Hurrah for Moo Cards!

Ever since Andree from are you gonna eat that? told me that she carries Moo Cards around with her in case restaurant staff question her photo taking, I thought it’d be handy to have some cards of my own. Something with my blog information would have come in handy when we were reproached by the manager at Hundred last year.

It took me a while, but I finally placed an order, and received them on Friday. They arrived in a small recycled plastic box along with a label that would have allowed me to send them back should they not have been to my liking.

My Mini Moo cards

At around $35 Canadian for 100 cards, they were more expensive than conventional business cards, but I was able to choose a full-colour photo to include on one side. Also, the weight of the cardstock is nice and heavy, and the smooth finish on both sides really sets the cards apart from the typical matte style seen. The only downsides were not being able to choose the size of the font on the text side, and not having the option of a non-white background. In hindsight, I probably should have included my e-mail on the card, but for the most part, they will be a great thing to hand out when need be.

Self-checkouts: worth switching supermarkets for?

When supermarkets in Edmonton started introducing self-checkout machines to their till areas last year, I was elated. More often than not, my complete purchase numbers less than 10 items, and I always found myself in for a lengthy wait, even in the so-called “express” lines. I know some people are against the idea of having to process their own groceries, but I find that it greatly decreases the time I spend in line, so a little extra effort is worth it to me. Having tried the machines at Save-on Foods, Superstore and Safeway, I can say that they are definitely not created equal.

Save-on Foods is, hands down, my favourite grocery chain. The stores are generally clean, they have a great selection of produce, and the prices are fairly reasonable (particularly if I am only there to pick up a few items). I remember being very impressed with their self-check outs when I first used them – the interface was easy to understand, vegetables were classified alphabetically by name, and an attendant was always standing by to help. Also, to encourage flow through the store on a discount Tuesday, they capped the maximum number of items at 15 for self-checkout users – a great idea. After a while though, I started to notice how particular their system was. For example, I like to use my own reusable grocery bag, and in order to do this, I must have the attendant swipe their pass to override the system. Also, the machines are very finicky about bagging the scanned item right away – they do not hesitate to remind the user of this before allowing another item to be scanned. Still, even with the minor inconveniences at the till, I find the entire shopping experience at Save-on to be the most enjoyable of the three, and that keeps me coming back.

Superstore, with their competitive prices across the board, is undoubtedly my choice when I am planning a larger-volume shopping trip. But the lines to their staffed tills, particularly late in the evenings and on weekends, stretch out into the aisles, and are always a deterrent to visiting the store. For that reason, the self-checkouts were a welcome sight. What I didn’t expect, however, was that so many of the machines would be down so much of the time. I have yet to encounter a situation where all of the machines are operational, or a time when the attendant is actually free to provide timely assistance (message to Galen Weston: get off the television and use that money to fix your self check-outs and have more staff available for troubleshooting). I also think a maximum item limit would help speed things up, as nothing is more disheartening than seeing a customer with 1001 items to check out, but no clue on how to use the machine. I will say that the Superstore machines are more forgiving than those at Save-on, as there is an option right at the start that allows users to tell the system that they will be using greenboxes or bags, and the machine automatically adjusts the weight allowance. In addition, the Superstore machines are definitely more patient, and provide the customer with more time to bag the item after scanning. And yet, in spite of these allowances, the aesthetics of Superstore and their lack of in-stock produce will keep me away for my day-to-day grocery needs.

Last but not least – Safeway. I will admit to having the least amount of experience with their machines, but they resemble, at least on the outset, the self-checkouts at Save-on. Safeway has programmed in a handy “most used codes” page for vegetables, which does save some time, but as I have only used their terminals a handful of times, I can’t pinpoint their nuances in the same way as I can for the other two stores.

Overall, while self-checkouts aren’t the reason why I visit a particular store, they have made my visits more seamless.

Have you been turned by the self-checkout revolution? Do you have your own terminal preferences?

Ending on a Low Note: “High School Musical 4”

Mack bought me a copy of High School Musical 3: Senior Year over the weekend, and we watched it again for the second time. I really liked it when I saw it in the theatre, but I was afraid it wouldn’t hold up on repeat viewings. I am happy to report that it did!

I still think the songs are incredibly catchy, possibly even better than those in the first High School Musical. Being a sucker for dance numbers too, I love “A Night to Remember” and the reprise of “Can I Have This Dance”. As I’ve said in the past, there is something so innocent and hopeful about the series, and I can’t help but feel uplifted after I watch either film. I might even rent High School Musical 2 just to see if it’s as bad as I remember it to be.

Of course, Disney can’t seem to leave well enough alone and let the series finish on a high note, as it was released this week that they will be making a fourth film. Featuring an all-new cast (and potentially a storyline rivalry with another school – West High, perhaps?), I’m sure they will attempt to recreate the energy and excitement of the trilogy, but it just won’t be the same without the smiling faces of Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens greeting the audience. Will I watch it when it premieres on TV in 2010? Likely, but with bottom barrel expectations.

March in Edmonton is for Fun!

It’s been two months since I stopped compiling events, and though in this time I have still been keeping tabs on what has been going on in Edmonton, it hasn’t been the same. I feel less connected somehow, and after coming across quite a few interesting activities that will take place over the next few weeks, I couldn’t resist an events throwback.

  • Winter Light continues this weekend with free skiing and sledding at Gallagher Park on Snow Daze, March 6, and a Star Party at Coronation Park on March 7. There’s nothing like free fun outside!
  • The Alberta Drama Festival Association presents Stage Struck 2009, Edmonton’s annual one-act festival, March 6 & 7. Details at Tix on the Square.
  • Edmonton Downtown Dining Week runs March 6-15. Pre fixe menus are $15 for lunch and either $25 or $50 for dinner at 21 restaurants in the core.
  • IDEAFest, an event with a format similar to BarCamp, is taking place on March 7. Mack is one of the presenters!
  • The Edmonton Jewish Film Festival is taking place on March 8 and 15 at the Royal Alberta Museum.
  • If classic films are what you are looking for, the Winter 2009 series put on by the Edmonton Film Society is called “Pretty women can be funny too”. Movies are every Monday at 8pm until the beginning of April. I’m eying Hepburn and Tracy’s Adam’s Rib.
  • Music Wednesdays continue at the McDougall United Church every Wednesday at noon hour in March.
  • I read about Pi Day for the first time two weeks ago, which is celebrated at 1:59 on 3/14. Join other mathematical revellers at the Telus World of Science on March 14. While you’re there, stick around for the Art of the Brick, which I wrote about back in January.
  • I’ve been in Stewart Lemoine withdrawal since the end of the Teatro la Quindicina season last fall, but luckily, his collaboration with the Grant MacEwan Theatre Arts program is just around the corner – The Addelpated Nixie runs March 13-21 at the John L. Haar Theatre.
  • The Alberta Student Film Festival is on March 20 and 21. Admission is by donation – a great price to check out some new local talent.
  • Winter Light’s final event is called Illuminations, and it will take place in Churchill Square on March 21. I plan to be there to check out the outdoor light and fire show!
  • 2009 is the International Polar Year, and the Royal Alberta Museum is hosting Dr. Andrew Derocher on March 26 for a free lecture on his research of the effects of climate change on polar bears.
  • Edmonton Public Library is holding their Spring Book Sale on March 28 and 29 at the Stanley Milner parking lot. Materials range in price from 50cents to $1, or fill your own box for $10.

Enjoy!

Food Notes for March 2, 2009

I’m still recovering from the shock of The Bachelor’s revelations – why?! As I try to unpack what happened, here are this week’s notes:

  • The Lois Hole Hospital Foundation will be raising money on Thursday, March 5 through the Epicurean Experience, where “Edmonton and area restaurants will generously donate a portion of the proceeds from the day’s food sales to the Lois Hole Hospital for Women.” Check out the list of participating restaurants here.
  • Liane covered two of the twenty-odd restaurants participating in Edmonton’s Downtown Dining Week, which starts March 6 and runs until March 15. I still think $50 for a set meal is still too high of a price to pay in these lean times, but best of luck to the new restaurants trying to attract different clientele.
  • Gail Hall compiled a list of the “25 Best Things to Eat in Edmonton” for the latest issue of Avenue Magazine. My personal list would include a banh mi and pho, but I like that she tried to span dishes large and small.
  • I just found out about this today when I saw a story on CTV news, but a group of friends challenged themselves to subsist on a diet of $80 for the month – “the working poor diet” – as a means of building awareness and raise money for the Edmonton Food Bank. They found it doable but difficult, and learned about ways to make their dollar stretch even further to meet the standards set by the Canada Food Guide. Their blog chronicling the month is worth a read.
  • Roll up the Rim to Win frenzy is back (I love that Tim Horton’s commercial with the giant cup in “Canadaland”). For the fifth year running, Calgary-based Jon Lin is documenting his losses (and hopefully a few wins) on his blog.
  • Doritos opened up a contest to allow the public to come up with a name for their latest “mystery” chip flavour. I spied the white bag the last time I was at the grocery store, but didn’t think to pick one up to try – perhaps I’ll have to.
  • Mack sent me a link about a new mobile service called ReadyPing that enables restaurants to send out a text message to diners when a table is ready (instead, say, of chaining diners to a small perimeter around the restaurant with pagers). Interesting idea, but there could be some issues, as the article lays out, with customers wandering a bit too far.
  • A good article in the NYT this week about food magazines that are doing their best to stay relevant and afloat during these economic times. It’s surprised me to find out that for the most part, circulation hasn’t dipped.
  • On the subject of saving money, the Times also had an article about using less water to boil pasta (and thus saving energy in the process) – something I’ve wondered about myself. Turns out: it can be done, without really sacrificing the pasta output.
  • A cute Grub Street compilation of what high-end chefs cooked as kids. I can’t say I experimented much in the kitchen as a child, though there was that one Mother’s Day where my intention of making Orange Julius for my Mum went terribly, terribly wrong…

Appointment Television Mondays

Since House moved to Mondays, the day has become so stacked, network entertainment-wise, that it’s almost unfair. As a result, my Monday evenings have become a sedentary retreat, my downfall as someone who prefers her television “live”. As it’s been a while since I’ve written about any of my big four shows (Prison Break is on hiatus – in its last season, sob – until April 17), I felt it was time to put down some thoughts:

  • 24 – I am loving the resurrection of Tony “Soul Patch” Almeida – it’s always better when Jack has his trustworthy partner in crime behind him! I do wish Chloe had more to do (I thought finally going rogue would mean we’d get to see her as a true field agent, but alas, she’s still hidden behind a computer screen), but at least she’s away from the confines of the CTU bunker. I also love the Renee Walker character – it’s inevitable she will move to the dark side under Jack’s tutelage, but she’s got some fight in her. Now that the Dubaku storyline has wrapped, I just hope the second part of the season is as gripping as the first.
  • House – It’s strange that after five seasons of the same almost sitc0m-like template (patient with mystery illness miraculously cured by the end of the 42 minutes), audiences are still tuning in. It is nice to see some of the supporting characters getting their own storylines finally, including Cuddy’s adoption (something that didn’t involve House at all) and also increasing the Cuddy-Wilson interaction.
  • The City – I had high expectations for this show, mostly because it was taking place in New York, but I didn’t think Whitney could carry a series all on her own. It turns out she can, but not without making it seem like she is selling herself short. More than anything, I can’t wait for the return of The Hills (Lauren and Heidi friends again?! Say it ain’t so!), and continuing to watch clever spoofs of The City in Barack Obama’s The District.

Five for Foodies: Solo Dining

I would have preferred the name “Listage” for this semi-regular series, but realized that Eater already had a lock on that word. So instead, we have “Five for Foodies”, which will catalogue a handful of establishments that excel in a particular category, or offer something unique in the city’s culinary scene.

To start, I thought I would chronicle my five favourite places to dine solo. Often, my rationale behind eating alone is to get some work done, but other times I am consciously choosing a space that will allow me to relax amongst low-key surroundings. My bias as well, being without a vehicle, are restaurants in walkable areas of Edmonton and that are conveniently connected to public transit.

So in no particular order, here are my personal picks for solo-friendly eateries:

  • Shine Bistro (9828 101A Avenue) – I discovered this gem of a restaurant back in 2007. Tucked away in the Citadel Theatre complex in the shadow of Canada Place, Shine is a charming cafe-style eatery with local art on the walls. Their mainstays of soups and sandwiches aren’t unique, but the kitchen is consistent and service is brisk. My only complaint is that they are only open on weekdays until 3pm.
  • Leva (11053 86 Avenue) – Between their thin-crust pizzas and fantastic paninis, at some point I thought the cafe owners had me in mind when they designed their menu. I love the marble tables, the chic chandelier, and their shelf of interesting reads. Of course, their devotion to local producers doesn’t hurt either.
  • Blue Plate Diner (10145 104 Street) – my oft-cited favourite, it’s also my default solo dining destination. Nothing’s cosier than their brick wall, hardwood floor, and tabletop lamps. I never feel rushed, and their Friday Night Dinner specials are a  nice bonus.
  • Three Bananas Cafe (9918 102 Avenue) – this cafe is as central as it gets, as it is situated right on Churchill Square. It’s typically packed during warm weather festival season, but it’s a great place for a bite to eat or a cup of coffee all year round. I’m a sucker for their pepperoni and mushroom pizza, while the floor-to-ceiling windows are good for people-watching.
  • Hoang Long (10715 – 98 Street) – there’s nothing like musing over a bowl of beef noodle soup, and Hoang Long, which is just a short jaunt away from my office, has provided many a pho escape. I find the minimal decor soothing, and the sound level, even on a busy day, controlled. The large wooden tables are also the perfect reading surface for a newspaper. Unfortunately, the Chinatown location of Hoang Long has been closed for several months due to staff shortages – I hope they are able to reopen soon.

A La Carte For The Win: Normand’s

Eater is always an entertaining website, but in the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day, it was even more so. They had dubbed V-Day “Black Saturday”, as many restaurants predictably offered only very expensive prix fixe menus and nothing else, leaving diners at the mercy of establishments. Eater made sure to ridicule some of the more ridiculous Valentine’s Day offers, and also, to help readers spend wisely, posted lists of restaurants that continued to offer their regular menu in the face of “Black Saturday” temptation.

Well, back in Edmonton, we found the same phenomenon – many of our favourite restaurants were guilty of this. While I understand the desire to streamline the kitchen and make service more efficient, do the majority of people really need (or want) a four or five-course meal (especially one priced at upwards of $150)? It seems excessive, and a money-grabbing ploy, and we made sure we weren’t a part of it.

Mack let me choose the restaurant, and I decided to go with the elusive Normand’s (11639A Jasper Avenue NW). The only thing I knew about the restaurant was that they served game, and that they had been a fixture on Jasper Avenue for many years. I had called to make a reservation back in mid-January – at that time, the earliest seating we were offered was 8pm; we found out when we got to the restaurant that they had lined up reservations until 10:30pm that night.

Normand’s

The host was efficient – after taking our coats, he led us up a few stairs to a table in the corner. It gave us a fairly nice view of the tiered space, but was unfortunately placed near the bustling bar where orders were being placed a mile a minute, and near the kitchen where orders were streaming out on a continuous basis.

The interior reminded me of a cross between Le Table de Renoir and Bistro Praha – framed Renoir prints were hung on the stucco walls, and the plaster arches that divided the dining room aged the space at least twenty years. It was nice enough, but Normand’s could use a makeover, or at least an update.

We were given the choice of their regular menu, or a four-course Valentine’s Day special. The latter was tempting, given the decent price point ($54.95 per person for soup, salad, one of three entrees, and chocolate fondue to share), but none of the mains listed caught our eye. So a la carte it was.

As someone always taken by the mushroom soup option, I elected for the wild mushroom cream ($7.50), while the tomato basil soup du jour ($6.75) appealed to Mack. For our main courses, we deviated as we usually do – Mack went straight for the lobster and scallops mornay ($33.95), and I, still on a duck kick, opted for the Lac Brome Roast Duck ($30.95).

I was expecting the soup course to be fairly generous, as the price of a bowl wasn’t cheap, and Normand’s delivered. The cream soup (which is apparently one of the restaurant’s most well-known dishes) was rich, but not overly so. I thought it was better than the thicker puree I tried at Red Ox a few weeks ago, but it was still nothing exceptional. Mack enjoyed his soup, and there was definitely a roast garlic kick to it.

Tomato Basil Soup

Our mains arrived fairly promptly – Normand’s definitely had the air of a well-oiled machine. My dish had a bit of fanfare to it – not content to just serve either breast or leg, I received both in a small pot. Our server transferred the leg onto my plate, and helped me spoon some of the cranberry and orange port wine sauce over top of it. Mack’s mornay, in comparison, was quite a bit smaller, but drenched in a shallot white wine cream sauce, it made up for size with richness.

The duck meat was unfortunately a touch overcooked, but combined with the sweet sauce, was all right to eat (the large serving also meant that I had enough to top off a salad the next day – for whatever reason, the meat tasted better eaten this way). The crispy skin was also a nice treat – I think duck skin is the new bacon.

Lac Brome Roast Duck

Mack thoroughly enjoyed his dish (containing two of his favourite proteins, this wasn’t a surprise), though he said that the scallops tasted better with the thick, creamy sauce than the lobster.

Lobster & Scallops Mornay

I couldn’t decide on dessert, but swayed visually by the table next to us that had opted to share fondue, I thought fondue for two ($13.95) would be an appropriately cheesy way to end the night. Normand’s uses Bernard Callebaut chocolate, so the fondue mixture was decidedly sweet. Paired with the sliced fruit, however, it was perfect. Mack preferred the bananas, while I was a sucker for the strawberries. The toasted slices of almonds were a thoughtful touch on the plate and allowed that extra bit of indulgence.

Chocolate fondue for two

While I wasn’t blown away by our experience at Normand’s, I was very happy that they chose to offer their a la carte menu in the face of Black Saturday. They also managed to provide excellent service in spite of a full house. So although I’m not sure Normand’s would become my standby, it seems like a reliable establishment that isn’t likely to change its menu or its style anytime soon.

Normand’s
11639A Jasper Avenue NW
(780) 482-2600
Monday-Thursday 11:30am-10pm, Friday 11:30am-11:30pm, Saturday 5-11:30pm, Sunday 5-9pm