An Ode to Hanson

Hanson, those three blonde brothers from Tulsa, Oklahoma, immortalized with their almost annoyingly-upbeat 90s hit, “MMMBop”, were my junior high crush. I can still remember the days – dreaming about Taylor’s blue, blue eyes, listening to Middle of Nowhere so much that the CD was literally scratched from overuse, and buying up all of the Hanson merchandise I could find.

At some point however, I stopped paying attention to the band. Sure, news filtered through (they broke away from their record label and formed their own, each of the brothers got married, and in turn, started having children), but I didn’t hear much of their last two albums, Underneath and The Walk.

When I found out that they were coming to the Edmonton Event Centre in September, I didn’t immediately jump at the opportunity to see them because of the gap of familiarity with their music. Mack finally convinced me to seize this chance, and generously agreeing to accompany me, sealed the deal.

We arrived at the venue at 7:30pm, expecting the doors to open at 8pm, as indicated on the tickets. As Murphy Law goes (exacerbated by incompetent event staff), the doors finally opened at 8:45 to a trickle of impatient patrons. It was nearly half an hour later when we finally made it inside the venue.

I’ve never been to the EEC before, but after this experience, I may not be back. Besides seating in the enclosed bar, two rows of stools and tables along one side provided the extent of possible seats. While standing room only provided space to dance and sway, Mack and I ended up on our feet for nearly five hours – my ankles just ached by night’s end.

At any rate, onto the concert. The opening act, Everybody Else, was decent, besides the fact that they patronized the audience by labelling us “Canada” (I still think they had no idea, geographically, where they were).

Forty-five minutes after Everybody Else departed the stage, Hanson finally made their appearance. As I had seen in recent photos, the boys have matured, but still retain the charm that I remember: Taylor, still as boyishly cute as ever (with a reduced number of chokers around his neck); Ike, with his gangly frame was the calming force on stage; and Zac, his drummer-necessitated hair toss perfected, couldn’t stop smiling, in that “I can’t believe girls still scream for us ten years later” way.

The Middle of Nowhere reprieves were my favourite moments of the night (“MMMBop”, “A Minute Without You”, and a disappointing acoustic version of “Where’s the Love”), if not only because they were the only songs I could sing along to. Unfortunately for me, the majority of the playlist had been chosen from Underneath and The Walk, so I heard many of the night’s songs for the first time. “Ain’t No Sunshine”, their only cover, was great – Taylor’s solo wonderfully showcased his talent on the keyboard. Their two new songs (yet to be released), were unimpressive though, as the chorus only consisted of a three or four word repetition.

The concert experience as a whole was interesting – I have never been in a room where such unabashed Hanson-love was in the air. Screaming, dancing, glo-stick waving – it was an all out party to the Hanson beat.

While it was nice to see them live (and to see that they can sing just as well as their recordings), I think my past need to be with them in the same room has been fulfilled. Thanks for a great show, boys!

Here are the least-blurry of the photos I attempted to take.

The Cooking Chronicles: Apple-Cheddar Turkey Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries

My inner control freak always has me conducting a run through of dishes I plan on making for a party prior to the event, in order to catch anything that might make it difficult the day of. For Mack’s upcoming housewarming, this meant trying recipes for Sweet Potato Fries and Apple-Cheddar Turkey Burgers this weekend.

We tweaked the sweet potato fries to include what we had on hand, which resulted in a coating of olive oil, brown sugar, garlic salt and taco seasoning. They turned out quite nice in the end, with a  sweet coating and a nice crunch. We still need to try another batch using the more recognizable orange yam.

Sweet Potato Fries

We halved the recipe for turkey burgers, as it was just the two of us, and substituted something labeled “Montreal Seasoning” in place of the Grill Seasoning, as it was all we could find in the bulk spice section of Save-On Foods. The patties cooked for six minutes on each side, as noted in the instructions, but the tenting didn’t quite work so well. Instead, I stuck the cheese-topped patties in the warm oven for a few minutes. Placed on a kaiser roll with a slice of granny smith apple, it made for a satisfying supper – the Montreal spice, in the words of Guy Fieri, was “money.” We are planning on making mini versions of this burger for the party.

Apple-Cheddar Turkey Burger (with a Bacardi Breezer product placement in the background)

The Cooking Chronicles: Ham, Egg and Cheese Bake

I’m not sure how casseroles became my weeknight dinner standby, especially because I certainly didn’t grow up eating them. At any rate, my plan of turkey burgers dashed, I resorted to a Rachael Ray recipe I had come across in the latest issue of her magazine for a Ham, Egg and Cheese Bake.

It was a simple recipe, but because I was missing half of the eggs it required, it ended up being much more soggy than it should have been, as we added a little more milk to try and compensate for the lack of liquid in the dish. So though the top half of the casserole (comprised of cheese, parsley and tomato) was quite good, I could have done without the layer of soaked bread at the bottom.

Ham, Egg and Cheese Bake

I would make it again, but only with the right ingredients on hand.

Not Like I Remembered: Badass Jack’s

Call it the “coupon scramble”. A month and a half left before my Entertainment Book coupons expire, I am trying to plan as many meals as I can around potential discounts. One such saving opportunity was at Badass Jack’s (8621 109 Street), on our way to Pecha Kucha 2 at the TransAlta Arts Barns on Thursday.

One summer a few years ago, I worked just a few blocks from Kingsway Mall, and would make a weekly sojourn to the Badass Jack’s in the shopping centre’s food court. They had a Tuesday deal that couldn’t be beat – one of their small Asian rice bowls (steamed rice  or egg noodles topped with vegetables stir-fried in a sauce of your choice) priced at just $2.50. Since that summer, I haven’t been back to Badass Jack’s, but coupon in hand, it seemed like a good time to see if their past standards held up.

The university-area location was fairly busy when we walked in, seemingly fueled by a combination of customers picking up dinner for the evening or mom and tots heading to dance practice at the studio across the way.

I gravitated straight for the Asian rice bowls, a small priced at $6.99 and a large priced at $7.99 regularly. While on par with places like Wok Box, it seemed a lot steeper than I remembered (caused by inflation and a general rise in food prices, no doubt). Mack and I both requested the same thing – roasted chicken and teriyaki sauce on rice.

Our orders took a few minutes, but after they were ready, we took them to the high counter and sat down. Instead of piling the stir-fried vegetables on top of the rice, which would allow additional sauce to steep down and flavour the rice immediately, white rice greeted us at the top of the box. The chicken, shredded to a point where it almost resembled shards of pulled pork, was good, but I was hard pressed to find pieces large enough to require chewing – Mack was luckier on this front. My order was also a little shy of vegetables, and I ended up with quite a bit of plain rice at the bottom.

Mack with chopsticks

Mack’s Asian rice bowl, mixed

Call it “post-coupon syndrome”, but Badass Jack’s not only didn’t fulfill my memory’s expectations of good food and value for my money, but also now seems all too expensive to try again without a discount.

Badass Jack’s
8621 109 Street (4 other locations in Edmonton)
(780) 438-4083

It’s All About the Fries: Costco

Costco, besides being a mecca for those embroiled in the “SUV culture” (a term Mack taught me just recently), is also a source of irresistibly cheap and delicious carnival food. While their selection isn’t deep (though as of late, they have added both Montreal smoked meat sandwiches and BBQ ribs onto their menu), what they do sell is of colon-sticking good quality.

My default treat is the quarter-pound all-beef hot dog and pop (just $1.99). Even though that amount could buy four hot dogs at Ikea, there is something about a Costco dog (more grease = heartier?) that hits the spot in a way that only inexpensive junk can.

Mack’s pick (and mine, if there are more forks to feast than mine alone) are the fries ($2.15). Deep fried to crispy perfection, they win, hands-down, my award for best fries in the city. While I choose to dunk them in ketchup, Mack claims they are good enough to be eaten unadorned.

Fries and a hot dog from Costco

Though the poutine looks tempting, I would advise avoiding it. The gravy is never hot enough to fully melt the cheese, so one ends up with a styrofoam box filled with fries, gravy and large chunks of cold mozzarella.

The only downside of Costco is the unfortunate need for a membership. But if you enjoy cheap food as much as we do, it’s almost worth the annual fee.

Costco
2616 91st Street (2 others in Edmonton)
(780) 577-1200

Steakhouse Monotony: Chop

May chose Chop (17635 Stony Plain Road NW), the high-end steakhouse belonging to the Moxie’s Group of restaurants, for the site of her birthday dinner on Saturday. She had called in to make a reservation a few days prior, and thankfully so, as it was fairly busy that evening.

I had to wonder why Chop chose the location it did – opting for a building shared alongside the economy Sandman Hotel and a Denny’s. Not the best first impression for a place looking to carve out an identity in the rapidly expanding upscale steakhouse market in Edmonton. I hope their two new branches (one that just opened in Winnipeg and another coming up in Richmond) have more inspiring locales.

Mack and I were the first to arrive, and were promptly shown to a plush leather eight to ten-seater booth. The walls were lined with brown felt, accented by a gorgeous cream orb lamp suspended above our table. The rest of the dining room was dressed in predominantly grey and brown tones in swathes of rectangular divides and columns. Very dim (to the point where the bathrooms were a nice bright refuge), it exuded a much different atmosphere than the more friendly Moxie’s.

As others started to arrive, we shifted around and ended up sitting at a part of the booth that curved. Mack found that it wasn’t designed that evenly – the table could have used a few extra inches on his side. We also found it difficult to have a conversation at ease across the wide table – the sound tended to rise up into the ceiling, and speaking with an indoor voice to be heard was challenging.

Interior aside, I was interested to see how the food at Chop would stack up to the city’s other fashionable steakhouses, including Ruth’s Chris, Ric’s Grill, Lux and Von’s. I was happy to read that sides were included with steak entrees, which was an immediate plus for me (interesting side note – the beef is “Canadian” and not specifically listed to come from Alberta). I ended up ordering the 6oz. Petite Filet Mignon ($29) with wasabi-infused mash potatoes, while Mack decided on the Top Sirloin Oscar ($29) and a starter Caesar ($6).

Our appetizers arrived fairly promptly. I’m not sure why I thought the “puff pastry twist” on Mack’s salad would involve croutons made from the savoury treat, but we were given a literal bread twist, sprinkled with cheese and of course, made from puff pastry. It was great, as was the salad itself (despite being a tad overdressed), flaked with generous shavings of parmesan.

Caesar Salad

When our mains arrived, the buspeople were able to automatically dole out dishes by seat numbers, resulting in a smooth, efficient distribution. As for the plate presentation, I was underwhelmed (especially with Mack’s dish), but that may be my own jaded response to the rather bland visual combination of mashed potatoes, steak, and steamed vegetables. My filet mignon was cooked to my requested medium rare, as was Mack’s sirloin, so no complaints on that side. May and Andres both ordered fish, and they found their entrees to be fairly tasty as well.

Petite Filet Mignon

Top Sirloin Oscar

Macadamia-Crusted Mahi Mahi

Our waitress was great throughout the evening – patient (a necessary virtue when dealing with large groups) and appearing just enough often enough to convey attentiveness without being overbearing, she was even able to secure a complimentary slice of cake for the birthday girl on a dime.

24 Layer Chocolate Cake (looked like a showstopper, but was really just a cake with many layers)

While our entire experience at Chop was reasonably enjoyable, I don’t think there was anything that distinguished Chop from its counterparts, or at least, made it notable. To be fair, this could also be due to the fact that I feel a waning need to dine on expensive steak. So try Chop, but don’t expect anything more than a pricey piece of meat served in dim surroundings.

Chop
17635 Stony Plain Road NW
(780) 487-2467
Monday 11am-11pm, Tuesday-Thursday 11am-12am, Friday 11am-1am, Saturday 4pm-1am, Sunday 4-11pm

Food Notes

  • Liane Faulder wrote about a new sushi place called Teriyaki Corner (6290 199 Street NW) and about the forthcoming opening of a second Sobeys Urban Fresh on campus. I still have no idea what the Journal is doing to her (or what she is doing to herself…I still can’t figure it out) – the front page article this past week was a reprint from a Canwest affiliate, and her only contribution was a compilation of little pieces of news. The only article so far that I’ve really enjoyed of hers was a few weeks back, about her crash course at the NAIT School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts. Obviously, the market scene still belongs to Judy Schultz, but Liane needs to carve out her identity, pronto.
  • There’s a new cafe in town: Danilo’s is a new caffe bar in Westmount (118 Avenue and St. Albert Trail). It received a mixed review in the Journal a month ago.
  • Devlin’s received an absolutely rocking review in the Journal this weekend. Great for Executive Chef Sebastian Lysz.
  • While I’m sure the September 17 FEASTival of Fine Chefs will be great (sold out a month in advance), it’s hard to imagine paying $105 for a meal. Of course, at this point, I am used to paying upwards of $40 a plate without blinking, so perhaps I just need some time to build up a price tolerance.
  • The New York Times did a piece about Susur Lee’s preparations for his first venture into the city’s dining scene. He seems eerily unfazed by the pressure.
  • Worth a visit for the name alone, New York’s upcoming Permanent Brunch will offer a “bacon list” in place of a typical wine list. The owner’s bacon tasting strategy cracked me up: “We’ll taste four or five things and then do a shot of Lipitor.”
  • I stopped by City Centre Mall last week and came across a makeshift cafe offering free samples of Nescafe coffee. Bright orange and brown signage, funky acrylic furniture, and a tidy coffee bar drew my attention easily, and I was able to get a sample of the caramel latte for free (decent, creamy drink from powder). It turns out the cafe has been making the rounds around shopping malls in Edmonton, and City Centre was their last stop. They will be there until September 9.

 

Nescafe cafe

  • On our way to the City Centre Market this weekend, we passed by the Beaver Hills Park on 105th Street and picked up some free corn, courtesy of the Downtown Edmonton Community League.

 

With corn

  • We stopped by the Sunshine Organics booth for a bit of breakfast at the Market. We each had a Bean North Roasters coffee ($2.15) and a Ham, Egg and Cheese Bun ($6). Made with a spelt bun and topped with a tomato, it felt like the healthiest breakfast either of us had eaten in some time.

 

Ham, Egg and Cheese Bun from Sunshine Organics

  • After picking up a few things, we wandered into 29 Armstrong (10129 104 Street), a design-forward furniture store in the Warehouse District, where we took in a few clever installations. I also learned from City Palate that the store doubles as a cafe, offering Transcend-roasted coffee and Vietnamese subs and desserts from Nhon Hoa.

 

One of 29 Armstrong’s installations

Forgettable and Generic: That’s Aroma

Neither Mack or myself had any particular craving in need of relief on Wednesday evening, so we resorted to ruffling through my mess of coupons to determine our dinner destination that night. We ended up at the nearby That’s Aroma (11010 101 Street) located in the Hys Centre building just north of the core. A member of the Sorrentino’s Group , That’s Aroma is known for their pervasive use of garlic in their dishes. I had heard mixed reviews from friends who had been here in the past, with comments mainly emphasizing the poor value of the food served. As this was our first time to the restaurant, I was open to seeing what they had to offer.

It was still relatively early, so it was no surprise that the restaurant was empty save for two tables. The décor reminded me of the Little Italy location of Sorrentino’s – warm cream walls, wood accents, and homey touches here and there – a garlic wreath, and several garlic clove-themed paintings. The one-page paper menu was nicely presented and easy to read, but I found that their descriptions could have used better language.

Interior

After some discussion, we decided to order the shrimp-stuffed mushrooms ($9.50), and one pasta entree each. Being on a shrimp kick, he chose the Capellini Oriental ($17), while I opted for the Garlic Pasta ($16), in the hopes of tasting a dish that would utilize their ingredient claim to fame. Also, the “Asian touch” was of interest to me – what did it mean? A dash of soy sauce? Having been cooked by an Asian chef?

I would have appreciated the bread course prior to receiving our appetizer, but in any case, they arrived at the same time. Focaccia triangles were served with an entire bulb of roasted garlic, while our stuffed mushrooms were served on an escargot plate, covered with a layer of baked mozzarella. I eagerly spread several cloves of the garlic onto my slightly stale piece of bread, but I found the resulting flavour to be less than pleasant – the musky, guttural nature of the roasted cloves didn’t appeal to me. Mack liked the shrimp-stuffed mushrooms (which weren’t actually “stuffed” as much as placed on top), but I wasn’t feeling the combination.

Focaccia with Roasted Garlic

Stuffed Mushrooms

Service was consistent throughout, but by the end of the night, our waitress’s peppy-fake “Absolutely!” response to everything crossed the border of tolerable to cloying. And though we likely shouldn’t have high expectations for proper tabletop arrangements from a chain, she should have removed our wine glasses and side plates without request.

Our entrees were delivered not too long after we completed our starter, presented on whimsically-bordered plates I have seen used at other Sorrentino’s restaurants. Both of us thought the portion sizes were good (and resulted in enough left over for a small lunch the next day). The quality, on the other hand, was variable. Mack was happy with his dish as a whole – the creamy rich sauce with garlic essence was quite nice, and he liked the presence of both large and small shrimp. My pasta itself was tasty – the sauce agreeably married heat from chili flakes with the husky undertones of garlic, but the chicken was another story – dry to the point where I needed more water to wash it down. Besides the chili, I also couldn’t figure out the supposed “Asian” twist to my dish.

Capellini

Garlic Pasta

We were tempted to try the garlic ice cream (served with lady finger biscotti), but ended up skipping dessert to be sure we wouldn’t miss Sarah Palin’s primetime debut. Sadly for That’s Aroma, halfway through the RNC coverage that night, we had already forgotten what we had for dinner.

That’s Aroma
11010 101 Street
(780) 425-7335
Lunch: Monday-Friday 11am-2pm; Dinner daily 5-10pm

The Cooking Chronicles: Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries

While at Save-On Foods after work today picking up groceries for dinner, I noticed that two pints of strawberries were on sale for just $1.98. Much too cheap to resist, I picked up a box and some bulk dark chocolate melting wafers to try my hand at making Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries.

It turned out to be the perfect dessert to make while I let the butter chicken simmer away on the stove. On another burner, I melted the chocolate, dipped the washed fruit, and placed them on wax paper to allow the coating time to harden. I was finished this exercise by the time the rice was ready, and the strawberries themselves were ready to be consumed when we had had our fill of dinner.

A nice weeknight treat, the chocolate-dipped berries were easy and elegant to pull together – always a plus in my recipe book!

Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries

Korean on Campus: Gaya Korean Restaurant

Tucked away on the east side of Campus Towers, Gaya (11147 87 Avenue) is dwarfed by both the sheer size of the sign and instant recognition of the Earls chain. The small Korean eatery had always caught my eye in passing, but I never did set foot through their doors in my university years. Now, having the time and income to reclaim lost eats, I found some spare time between meetings on campus and headed there for an early lunch.

It was barely past 11, so I was understandably the only customer at that point. With eight tables arranged in the small space, minimal décor, and a radio soundtrack, ambiance clearly wasn’t the reason for dining here. I was quickly given a one-page laminated menu, a glass of water, and ample time to peruse the selection if dishes. Prices of the one-bowl meals ranged from $7.95 to $10.95 and though I was feeling not all that hungry, I decided to order the Stone Bowl bee bim bob ($10.95), as it is something of my benchmark dish for Korean joints.

Interior

Three more parties trickled in during my stay, the majority of them seeming to be regulars, or at least familiar with Gaya and their offerings. I settled in with my book, content as I heard stirrings in the kitchen.

A short while later, a large warmed bowl filled with a base of rice and topped with pickled bean sprouts, cucumber and carrots, ground beef, and a fried egg appeared before me, along with two small bowls containing kimchi and more bean sprouts. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised with the fully-cooked egg, as that was what was plainly stated on the menu, but I had hoped for a bee bim bob similar to the one I had at the restaurant named for the dish, where a raw egg cooked in the piping hot stone bowl as the rice and vegetables were mixed together, lovingly coating the bowl’s contents in a creamy makeshift sauce. The rice-to-topping ratio at Gaya also meant that I had more rice than accompaniments, even with the inclusion of the additional bean sprouts.

Stone Bowl Bee Bim Bob

At $10.95, my meal was a bit pricier than I would hoist on the income of a starving student, and also not as enjoyable as other Korean meals I’ve had in the city. That said, their service was prompt and friendly, so I wouldn’t mind returning to Gaya in the future – but for a different dish.