Ice on Whyte 2008

While on a brief shopping excursion on Whyte Ave today, I made a detour to the Ice on Whyte Festival taking place at Adventure Park.

I didn’t stay that long, because while it wasn’t as cold as last year, it was quickly getting there.

Quick pictures I snapped:

Sculpture that won first prize

Another sculpture

A much larger castle than last year

Ice screen for movies (a “cold-in”?)

Slide of death (so named because of my “incident” last year)

I don’t really have much to say, as I didn’t stick around long enough to really explore the activities, but for those interested, the Festival runs until Sunday.

Citadel Theatre: “Beauty and the Beast”

I’d like to think I’m a bit of a reverse snob when it comes to theatre – I overlook the Citadel in favour of community companies like Shadow and Teatro la Quindicina. Of course, the fact that I am an admitted cheapskate when it comes to ticket prices also has something to do with this, and the only reason I have even set foot in the theatre (to see A Christmas Carol), was actually because the tickets were purchased by my friends. So when Dickson invited me to see Beauty and the Beast with tickets he had bid for in a charity auction at work, I jumped at the chance to “see what I was missing.”

While waiting for the show to begin, I did a bit of local celebrity spotting. It seemed to be media night, as the Journal’s Liz Nicholls, the Sun/CBC’s Colin McLean, Global’s Lorraine Mansbridge and Edmonton Opera’s Artistic Director were all on hand (my question – did Nicholls’ mid-centre seats represent her relative review power? McLean was seated to the far left of the stage, quite the snub, in my opinion). The house was filled with a fair number of children – and after seeing the show (ignoring the expense), I could see why – it is a great way to expose young children to the spectacle and possibilities of theatre.

I loved the cartoon-tinged set, and was amazed at what they were able to do with such a small space. The costumes were impressive for the most part (the gold and silver theme was rich, eye-catching, and coupled with a reliance on yellow lighting tones, gave the scenes a necessary mystical quality about them), with my favorite of the household items being the functional wardrobe and the napkins. I had to wonder, however, about the choice to dress Belle in an oval-shaped hoop dress as opposed to a more flowing ensemble in the last half. I would have preferred a gown that moved with her and the Beast while they danced – another mainstay of fairytale romance sequences.

The songs were catchy (I wanted to run home and listen to whatever version of “Beauty and the Beast” I could get my hands on), and while I agree that the Citadel should be lauded for the incredible feat of “Be Our Guest”, I was actually most drawn to “Gaston”, if not only because I was absolutely craving a dance number by then. The Beast’s solo, “If I Can’t Love Her” was a weak way to end the first act, but plot-wise, it did make sense. And while I understand the constraints of time (especially with a children’s production), the jump to an immediate love connection in “Something There” in the opening of Act 2 was much too sudden.

The cast as a whole had excellent comic timing, but more than that, they seemed to have a great time with the play. Standouts: Kharytia Bilash as Belle (fabulous voice and spunk to boot!), John Ullyatt as a hilariously sexual Lumiere, Sean Hauk as a hyperbolized Gaston, and last but not least, the very agile and acrobatic Colin Heath as LeFou.

Beyond the ticket prices, going to a show is more than a stand alone experience for me. I really do enjoy following the theatre community in Edmonton: knowing which playwrights are up-and-coming, getting a feel for the flavour of a theatre company, and most of all, having the privilege to see the same consistent talents on stage. The majority of the Citadel’s Mainstage cast are brought in from other cities, and while I understand the need to do this, I don’t think I could ever build a “rapport” with the Citadel if the faces and names are revolving on a continuous basis.

So while I enjoyed the show, unless someone extends a free invitation to me again, I doubt I will be back at the Citadel in the near future.

Nothing Special: Sorrentino’s

For a pre-show dinner within walking distance of the theatre, Dickson and I met up at Sorrentino’s (10162 100 Street) on Thursday night. I had visited this location many years ago in my university days, but don’t recall anything of note from that experience. That said, I knew that of all the locations, this was the swankiest, something reflected in the prices.

Upon entry, my coat was taken by the host (that’s post-New York number three), and I was led to a table in the back corner, along a glass wall that separated a private dining room from the main seating area. When Dickson arrived, we found out just how inconvenient this spot was, as his chair was knocked about more than a few times from patrons streaming into the private room. As the restaurant was chock full of empty tables and cozy booths at that time, we probably should have been proactive and requested a seat change, but it was curious as to why they chose to seat us in a spot seemingly earmarked for those deemed unworthy.

Menus at each location differ slightly for one another (in both selection and price), but the range of pastas, fish and meat entrees would appease any palette. I had read on Chowhound that Downtown’s Bison Cannelloni (as opposed to the more traditional veal-based filling) was worth a try, so it wasn’t hard for me to make a decision. Dickson was tempted by the fish special, but ended up choosing the Roasted Guinea Hen Portofino, stuffed with shrimp, prosciutto, provolone, mustard seed, and served in a vermouth cream reduction (for the record, he thought briefly about asking for lobster in place of shrimp).

Before our entrees arrived, our waitress (who was obviously new and very keen) offered us slices of warm bread and a chili and salt-infused olive oil for dipping. Dickson wasn’t impressed, and preferred the salted baguette offered at the southside location.

The wild mushroom reduction on my Cannelloni was creamy goodness, but the spiced ground bison was out of place; it probably would have been more suited for lasagna…or a taco. Dickson’s chicken was a bit on the dry side, though he did enjoy the rather peculiar addition of seafood to the dish.

For an Edmonton stalwart, I have yet to be blown away by Sorrentino’s. Dare I say it is encroaching Earl’s territory, being both overhyped and unexceptional?

Nearly-empty interior
Bison Canneloni
Roasted Guinea Hen Portofino

Random Notes

  • Mack posted about this last week, but Zagat has been put up for sale. While I don’t think the expansion of the Michelin guides to North America poses that much of a threat to the empire Zagat has built in the United States, it might not be a bad idea for the brand to add dimensions or services in order to attract new followers.
  • There’s a good interview with the purveyors of Leva Cafe at the Original Fare site. Speaking of Original Fare, most of the menus for the upcoming Fork Fest have finally been released (someone needs to demand more prompt information delivery; the event started today without all restaurants submitting menus), and The Blue Pear looks like the best bet. Their tasting menus are normally priced at $85, so $35 is a steal.
  • Since wringing my hands with the coat check tipping question, I decided to look into it, and came across this New York Times article. It seems the standard is $1 per article (coat, bag, umbrella), though judging by the comments, not everyone agrees with this suggestion.
  • Anna and I are planning to attend the upcoming Fringe Town Hall, taking place in the Arts Barns on January 28. While we both don’t feel the need to share our opinions on the changes that took place at last year’s festival, we’re hoping to see some theatre play out on stage – artists vs. the Artistic Director.
  • Mack and I made a quick stop at the giant Stanley Cup situated in the parking lot of United Cycle last week. It felt beyond tourist-y to pose for photographs, but it was also too cool to pass up.

Mack and Stanley

Me with Stanley

Tidbits: Notes from Edmonton’s Epicurean Scene

With the void of local food reporting left by Judy Schultz (the Journal’s Liane Faulder will be taking on the post later this year; in the meantime, they have been gleaning material from other CanWest affiliates), I will be relying on City Palate (in addition to Vue Weekly and See Magazine) for updates on Edmonton’s food scene.

  • An ad in the January/February edition of City Palate indicates that the Lazia Group‘s Wildflower Grill (plagued by construction delays) is set to open in February. After so many start-stops, I will believe it when I see it.

  • There’s a new Mexican restaurant in town: Mexico Lindo (16604 109 Avenue) is now open in Mayfield Plaza.

  • Along the lines of Tokyo Express, the new Asian Rice Bowl Express (8924 149 Street) offers quick, “healthy” meal options.

  • My coworker Sharon asked me if I knew anything about a new restaurant in the LeMarchand Mansion, and I didn’t at the time. Then I read about the Tazzi Cafe (111, 11523 100 Avenue). City Palate notes to “expect casual eastern Mediterranean flavours with a Greek and Arabic accent.” Only open until 5pm at the moment, they are planning for a dinner menu in the near future.

  • As reported in Avenue Magazine, it seems Fat Franks has moved indoors to occupy a permanent space inside the Commerce Place food court. I haven’t been down there in ages – anyone else?

Lukewarm Reception: Violino

On the heels of our great meal at Violino (10133 125 Street) two weeks ago, Annie decided that she wanted to hold her birthday celebration there this year. Though she had called too late to book the private room upstairs, our party of 7 were comfortably seated at a quiet table on the main floor. Violino was notably busier than our last visit, with a Sienna Collins-hosted fundraiser taking place on the second floor, and the University of Alberta President Indira Samarasekera having dinner just a few tables away.

The menu had changed slightly (they eliminated the Carbonara from their pasta section and added a 24K gold leaf cake to their dessert list), but Annie and I were both happy to see that the Risotto con Funghi was still on the menu.

We also ordered wine that evening, settling on a Chilean Merlot. That was the start of rather curt service from our waitress, who was impatient from the get-go, returning much too frequently for our drink orders as individual guests arrived, and not offering even the semblance of a smile or friendliness in our interaction. When we asked her to exchange our teapots of lukewarm water for water more conducive for tea, she was abrupt and rather rude about what was clearly her mistake. It would be a shame if Violino lost return customers due to her less-than-warm demeanor.

As for the food – Annie thought the risotto was better this time around, but I thought it was comparable with our last meal. Mack enjoyed his Tiger Striped Agnulotti with Lobster (served with a really generous amount of seafood, and was the best value at $26), while Dickson didn’t think very highly of his Ziti Al Forno.

The very friendly host brought out Annie’s candle-topped cake (leading us in a “rousing” rendition of “Happy Birthday”), and helped serve slices of the cake to everyone at the table. We did linger for quite a while (despite telling glances from our steely-eyed waitress), and though we may have overstayed our welcome slightly, it was nice to chat in a dining room that had nearly emptied out by 10.

While I won’t let this experience color my overall positive impression of Violino, I would be interested to see what a third visit would bring. In any case, it was a lovely dinner, Annie – happy birthday!

Tiger Striped Agnulotti with Lobster

Ziti Al Forno

Birthday girl

Janice and May

Me and Mack

Mack and Dickson

Andres and Annie

Quotable People: Installment Eight

After getting used to having a daily quote to look forward to, I bought another one of those page-a-day calendars. Instead of offering a female perspective, this calendar provides sentimental nuggets about friendship, some quite cheesy. Here are some only borderline-cheesy thoughts:

  • “Friendship isn’t a big thing – it’s a million little things.” – Anonymous

  • “A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere. Before him, I may think aloud.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

  • “When someone tells you the truth, lets you think for yourself, experience your own emotions, he is treating you as a true equal. As a friend.” – Whitney Otto

  • “True friendship comes when silence between two people is comfortable.” – Dave Tyson Gentry

  • “Friendship is like a bank account: you cannot continue to draw on it without making deposits.” – Anonymous

  • “I value the friend who for me finds time on his calendar, but I cherish the friend who for me does not consult his calendar.” – Robert Brault

Workshop West: “The Mighty Carlins”

The return of Workshop West from financial oblivion was much heralded in the media, and I am certain the title of their current series, “True Grit”, is as much a reference to the company’s resurrection as to the content of their productions.

Piqued by the choice of Mill Woods as the setting of The Mighty Carlins, I asked Mack to join me for a pay-what-you-can showing on Tuesday night. From the website:

“On the anniversary of his wife’s death, Leo Carlin and his two adult sons come together for their traditional night of drinking until they can’t stand, reminiscing until they can’t remember, and accusing each other of horrible things until they are bonded together as a family once again.”

Walking out of this play, Mack immediately commented on the amount of yelling that had taken place, while I was glad to be out of a space surging with testosterone – the three men were relentless in their display of aggression, one-upsmanship, and macho behavior. It was clear that Carlins is not for the faint of heart – between the language, the drinking, and continuous references to sex, this wasn’t a play for everyone. That said, such a framework couldn’t be avoided; this was the reality of relating to each other for these men. An undertone of blame and guilt was a subtext of the entire play – with Leo’s son Mike in particular questioning his father’s role in his wife’s death. The resolution, albeit tinged with a sad truth, was all too brief given the build-up towards the confrontation.

What small misgivings I had about the script were more than made up for by the stellar performances, however. Veteran John Wright as the snarky father was a presence and force to be reckoned with throughout: stalwart, stubborn and feisty. James Hamilton (who reminded me very much of Chris Fassbender in this role) was fantastically vulnerable and pathetically spineless, and displayed to a T all of the internalized mannerisms by the bullied, picked-on member of the family.

While set in Mill Woods, this could have taken place in any suburb in any major city, with the reference to the “hour long bus ride” and numerous drive-by shootings seeming more like a gimmick than anything else. And oh the drinking – Mack and I wondered how the men were able to avoid running to the bathroom after opening and “consuming” at least fifty cans of beer over the course of the show.

This was my first Workshop West show, so if The Mighty Carlins is any indication of the content they gravitate towards, its productions are a departure for my admittedly narrow theatre experiments. Of course, I will still keep my eye on their schedule, and at the very least, offer them the congratulations they deserve for giving up-and-coming playwrights a platform for expression.

“The Last Great Hamburger Stand”: Fatburger

Always ready to try the new restaurant on the block, Mack and I originally planned to visit Fatburger (1755 102 Street) on the weekend. However, deterred by a long line up and a movie showtime, we decided to save our burger stand experience for a less busy occasion.

So although it was out of the way on Tuesday, we made our way there after work. By 6, quite the line started to form – I’m sure this location will be fending off curious customers for a while yet. Upon entry, we ordered a Fat Deal and a Chicken Deal (combos including “skinny” fries and a drink), which were called out, and repeated, Starbucks-barista-style, to the employees stationed at the grill. We were then handed paper cups to fill with soda ourselves, and a number to display on our table so that our food could be delivered to us.

While waiting, I surveyed the decor: friendly and fun, with red-dressed booths, a checkered floor, jukebox, and flat-screen televisions, it was basically a “modernized” retro diner. The washrooms were exceptionally clean, very surprising for a fast-food establishment, with tile pictures of male celebrities on the wall in the women’s toilet and vice versa for the men.

A tray was brought to us a few minutes later. My chicken burger wasn’t bad, and the fries were reminiscent of Wendy’s, but with a combo price ($9.99) and quality comparable to Red Robin’s, I think I’d likely choose the latter, if not only for their bottomless baskets of “fat” fries. That said, we will be back at some point to at least try out their homemade onion rings (fresh made every morning, supposedly), and for Mack to garnish a future burger with a fried egg.

Give Fatburger a whirl, but in the end, it really is just a burger.

Interior

Chicken Deal (with a massive cup of ketchup)

Random Notes

  • Prison Break is back on Monday! But perhaps they should have just held on to the remaining episodes until filming resumed…another (likely lengthy) hiatus won’t be easy to take.
  • I watched Juno last night, and really enjoyed it. I’m so proud of the fact that both Ellen Page and Michael Cera are Canadian, and happy that they are receiving recognition of their talents from the press. The always funny Allison Janney is also in the film, and is deadpan with one of her best lines to Juno as she begs for an epidural: “Doctors are sadists who like to play God and laugh at the lesser peoples’ pain.”
  • The restaurants of Original Fare are offering their own version of Restaurant Week called the “Festival of Forks”. Fixed menus go for either $25 or $35 – check it out!
  • I’m not sure why I’m mentioning this, because I don’t put any credence into their selections (like last year), but since it’s out there in the media: Where Edmonton‘s survey of Most Memorable Meals in 2007 is out. While I can’t dispute some of the categories due to a lack of first hand experience (I’ve never been to either Ric’s Grill or Von’s Steak House, for example), I can say that the only category I wholeheartedly agree with is Fine Dining (Hardware Grill).
  • In stark contrast to Andrea’s review last year, a Vue Weekly writer loved Phobulous. I still haven’t been there, so I can’t dispute either opinion, but the difference between the two experiences is an irreconcilable valley.
  • I tried a Skinny Latte this week, and it tasted like steamed milk with a flavour shot. I don’t buy espresso-based drinks that often, so when I do, it is an indulgence; the 90 calorie selling point doesn’t really matter to me in the end.