Planet Organic Closing Down

Two weeks after grocery store Planet Organic abruptly shut down one of its five Calgary-based locations, they announced they will be permanently closing all 11 of its stores.

In a memo to all employees, CEO Alan Thompson wrote, “We have tried to find a solution for the company but now it has come the time to recognize that despite the best efforts to restructure the business we are at an end."

The Edmonton area was home to four Planet Organic stores: in Oliver, Old Strathcona, Ellerslie, and Sherwood Park. Back in January, some vendors voiced their frustrations about the unpaid bills Planet Organic had failed to reconcile.

Openings

• Links Woodfire Sausage Co. opened in early January in St. Albert (275 Carnegie Drive), offering wood-fire grilled sausage creations.
• Wing Snob, an American-based chain, opened its first Canadian location in the Brewery District (11988 104 Avenue).
• South African restaurant The Curry Bowl is now open on the south side, 3311 34 Street.
• Nosh and Quaff, opened by the fine folks behind Mojo JoJo Pickles, kept their doors open at Kingsway Mall beyond the Christmas season. They stock many locally-made brands in addition to their own products. Find them by entrance 3.

Closures

• The End Zone Pub, across the street from Commonwealth Stadium, is now closed.

Upcoming Events

• Filistix is organizing the fourth Bayanihan Dinner Series, their multi-course meals involving a number of local Filipino chefs, on March 18, 2020. Tickets are $103.53 per person.
• The City of Edmonton will be hosting a free workshop about the process and permits relating to opening food-related businesses like a restaurant or a coffee shop on March 31, 2020.
• Hot Chefs Cool Beats, an interactive food and drink event benefiting the High School Culinary Challenge, returns to The Mosaic Centre on April 23, 2020. Tickets are $125 each.
• From May to September, Kevin Kossowan will be leading foraging walks. Learn about edible plants that can be found along the river and in the forest. Tickets are $72 per person.

Reviews

• The Journal was the first to review Links Woodfire Sausage Co. in St. Albert.
• Stephanie provides an early review of Wing Snob.
• Sharon stopped by Calle Mexico’s new location.

Local News

• Linda has a great blog post commemorating International Women’s Day by suggesting some food/business crawl ideas involving women-owned shops.
• The latest episode of Josh Eats Edmonton highlights Beverly stalwart Uncle Ed’s.
• Do you have an opinion about ghost kitchens? A couple of ghost kitchen trailers are operating in high pedestrian areas of Downtown and Old Strathcona, with some wondering if those are appropriate neighbourhoods for such businesses.

Urban Agriculture and Farming

• Riverbend Gardens is taking a break from the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market until May 9 because they sold out of their storage crops.

What I Ate

• Some Chinatown businesses seem to be struggling right now, due to a combination of factors including the economic climate and unfounded coronavirus fears. There’s a social media campaign using the hashtag #IWillEatWithYou as a means of combating these fears. If you are dining out – consider choosing Chinatown! I enjoyed pho with some colleagues over lunch last week at Pho Tau Bay.

My usual at Pho Tau Bay

• Thanks to the High School Culinary Challenge for inviting me for their awards dinner on Monday night! This year, 57 students from 20 schools participated in the competition. Congratulations to the winners from St. Joseph, ME LaZerte and Archbishop Jordan High Schools on capturing gold, silver, and bronze, respectively. The chefs from the Edmonton Convention Centre prepared the 3-course meal, with their own interpretation of the competition parameters. The most interesting was a deconstructed minestrone soup, featuring a berlotti bean puree, satchetti, and a tomato bisque guests poured themselves.

Deconstructed minestrone soup at the High School Culinary Challenge Awards Dinner

Best Restaurants and Favourite Plates Highlighted in Local Publications

Avenue Edmonton and The Tomato released their annual lists of Best Restaurants and Top 100 Best Things to Eat or Drink in Edmonton, respectively (disclosure: I was one of the judges on Avenue’s panel).

On the Avenue side, three restaurants were included in the “best new” category: Partake, Fox Burger, and Braven. In addition, the five restaurants in the “best overall” category shouldn’t be a surprise, given their inclusion on lists prior: Biera, RGE RD, Uccellino, Bundok, Corso 32. Other categories this year include “best plant-based”, “best diners”, and “best quick meal”.

In The Tomato, it’s no small coincidence that the restaurants behind the top five dishes on their list match Avenue’s “best overall” category: Biera, Corso 32, RGE RD, Bundok, and Uccellino. This year, The Tomato has also included a list of their Top Edmonton Food Experiences.

Openings

• We can expect an Edmonton location of Jack’s Burger Shack to open in the fall. They were the winners of Rohit’s competition The Cut, which saw local businesses compete for the chance to become a tenant in their Stadium Yards development (located behind the Stadium LRT station).
• The Italian Centre Shop will be opening up its fourth location in the Edmonton area, with a Sherwood Park branch in the Emerald Hills Urban Village planned for Fall 2021. They are also planning a second store in southwest Calgary to open next fall, and expanding to Saskatoon in the future.
• Another new bubble tea chain has arrived in Edmonton – ShareTea is now open in Edmonton City Centre Mall (10200 102 Avenue), in the space formerly occupied by Second Cup.

Upcoming Events

• The Environmental and Conservation Sciences Students’ Association is hosting a free Climate Friendly Food Workshop on March 5, 2020. Camola Sustainable Foods will be on hand with samples of their edible insect products.
• The 20th annual Taste of the Chamber, put on by the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, takes place on March 10, 2020 at the Jubilee Auditorium. General admission tickets are $25, not including food and beverage sample tickets.
• Cafe Bicyclette’s annual Sugar Shack Dinners (served in a wood-fired heated tent) return every weekend from March 13 until April 4, 2020. Tickets for the 5-course menu are $75 each.
• The next Green Drinks on March 18, 2020 is all about “how our food systems are changing the climate and how we can adapt those systems to survive the climate emergency.” Tickets are priced at pay-what-you-can up to $15.

Reviews

• Leduc Nguyen has a new go-to place for Korean Fried Chicken – Country Coco.
• Graham Hicks sampled Japanese fare from two restaurants – Gyu-Kaku and Kobachi. He was pleasantly surprised by the former, and disappointed by the latter.

Local News

• The current economy and coronavirus fears have led to a drop in business in Edmonton’s Chinatown.
• Edgar Guiterrez shared that he is leaving Tres Carnales and Rostizado to focus on Kanto 98 St. full time.
• To commemorate their 10th anniversary, Duchess Bake Shop is bringing back several of their pastry classics for one day each starting this week.
• Both Cask and Barrel and El Cortez revamped their menus over the last few weeks.
• It’s great to see a collaboration between Love Pizza and Otto – they teamed up to create the March feature pizza.
• The latest episode of Josh Eats Edmonton sees the host travel to Japan, via Dorinku Osaka.
• Avenue highlights the genesis behind and objective of Fresh Routes, a mobile grocery social enterprise.

What I Ate

• A cold snuck up on me last week so I headed to my trusty (work) neighbourhood T and D Noodle House for my go-to cure.

Bun Bo Hue from T and D Noodle House

• Mack and I finally tried On the Edge Coffee, one of the vendors at the Downtown Edmonton Farmers’ Market. They use beans sourced from The Grizzlar.

On the Edge Coffee

• We tucked into some take-out burritos from La Mision last week – it’s always great to know they’re close by if we need dinner in a pinch!

Chicken burritos from La Mision

City of Edmonton Chooses Local for Golf Courses

Last week, the City of Edmonton announced that local company Robert Spencer Hospitality Group has been chosen to run food operations at municipal golf courses, including Riverside, Rundle, and Victoria Golf Courses. They are expected to open in April, and will be run under the name The Greenhouse.

Robert Spencer Hospitality Group also operates Workshop Eatery and Woodshed Burgers. Chef Paul Shufelt said, “We aim to continue the work we have done with Workshop Eatery and Woodshed Burgers to highlight great local ingredients and the flavours of the season while providing warm and genuine hospitality to our guests. In the months ahead we look forward to turning these venues into year-round dining and event destinations.”

Back in 2018, the City chose to award the contract for food services at Victoria Golf Course to multinational company Civeo, after local restauranteur Brad Lazarenko had run the successful Dogwood Cafe at that location for three years. That decision was widely panned.

Openings

• Oliver gem Breadland Bakery has announced that they will be relocating to Garneau (the space formerly occupied by Noorish, 8440 109 Street).
• Kari spotted a new cafe to open in the High Street space that once housed a Starbucks – Cafe Versailles is coming soon to 12507 102 Avenue.

Upcoming Events

• West Edmonton Mall is hosting a Taste of WEM on February 25, 2020.
• Filistix is hosting its second Kamayan Feast on February 29, 2020 (“kamayan” means “eat with your hands”). Tickets are $56.75 per person.
• The Taste Alberta Brunch will take place at the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald on March 8, 2020. Tickets are $65 for access to the buffet.
• The High School Culinary Challenge Awards Dinner takes place on March 9, 2020 at the Edmonton Convention Centre. The top three teams will receive special recognition, and the 3-course meal will be based on the competition menu. Tickets are $35 each.
• Start making your reservations for the annual Downtown Dining Week, which runs March 11-22, 2020 this year. 48 participating restaurants are offering two-course lunch and brunch menus for $20, or multi-course dinners for $35 or $50.

Reviews

• The Journal is the latest to visit Ma Chef.
• Twyla was swayed by the bubbling broths at Dagu Rice Noodle.
• Lillian shared a review of one of her go-to Edmonton restaurants, The Marc.

Local News

• Graham recaps the recent Pe Misto Indigenous event.
• Both Kanto and Filistix made the list of Big 7 Travel’s list of 25 Best Filipino Restaurants in Canada.
• Skip the Dishes now offers liquor delivery in Edmonton.
• Nick Lees has an update on Chef Brad Smoliak’s heart condition.
• While he didn’t officially make the podium, SC Restaurant’s Chef JP Dublado won the People’s Choice at the Canadian Culinary Championships earlier this month.
• Congratulations to Team NAIT which brought home a bronze from the Culinary Olympics held in Stuttgart, Germany last week.
• Edmontonian Moirae Choquette won a scholarship that will enable her to cook with acclaimed chef David Chang in Italy later this summer.
• Co-authors Shane Chartrand and Jennifer Cockrall-King chat on Semi-Prose, a podcast from the publishing house behind their book Tawâw.
• Jacek Chocolate Couture is receiving government funding to “expand production and reduce environmental impact through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership.”

Urban Agriculture and Farming

• Leduc area farm Greens, Eggs, and Ham have started a crowdfunding campaign in the hopes to rebuilding their farm.

Beyond Edmonton

• One of the five Planet Organic stores in Calgary abruptly shut its doors last week, with officials claiming it to be just temporary.

What I Ate

• We had a lunch with my colleagues at Sorrentino’s in Little Italy last week. While the menu isn’t the most exciting, I find comfort in their pastas, and never stray far from my order of veal canelloni.

Veal cannelloni from Sorrentino’s

• It’s been a while since we’ve had pizzas from the Italian Centre, but we ordered a couple pies for take-out over the weekend. It was pretty convenient; they were ready by the time we were done our grocery run!

Margherita pizza from the Italian Centre

Forthcoming Forest Heights deli launches crowdfunding campaign

The owners of Fleish Delikatessen, a forthcoming deli and coffee shop in the Forest Heights neighbourhood, have launched a crowdfunding campaign to help them reach “the finish line”.

Cartago owner Katy Ingraham and business partner Kimberly Der plan to open Fleish in the spring of 2020, and have a goal of raising $30,000 towards the project. Located adjacent to Cartago, Fleish will provide “hearty and fresh food made from local ingredients, locally roasted coffee, tasty ice-cream and the best locally sourced deli meats and cheeses”, and offer hot breakfasts, lunches and coffee.

Crowdfunding campaigns are becoming a go-to source of revenue for local restaurant owners. The new iteration of Zenari’s, called Dalla Tavola Zenari, successfully reached their goal of $35,000 after relaunching their campaign late last year, and in 2018, the Black Box Hospitality Group surpassed its $100,000 goal for The Gibbard Block. Not all recent campaigns have been as fruitful; Culina’s push to raise funds for their Hawrelak Park lakeside cafe has been quiet.

Openings

• Edmonton is home to the first branch of Burger Village outside of the US. The quick-serve restaurant is located at 6187 Currents Drive in Windermere, and prides itself on “exotic & grass-fed meats which is humanely raised and organic produce which does not contain any preservatives or chemicals.”
• The Uproot Food Collective shop (10552 114 Street) is now open, featuring products from several local vendors, including Irvings Farm Fresh, Boocha, MoJoJo Pickles, and of course (as it is run by them), South Island Pie and Honest Dumplings. They’re offering 20% off on pies and dumplings until February 21.
• Local chain Oodle Noodle has added a location in Terwillegar (#3, 2305 Rabbit Hill Road).

Closures

• The Barking Buffalo Cafe will close its doors on March 23, 2020. The owners have decided to “move onto new areas of our lives and new creative endeavours.”
• Arcadia will be relocating from their 124 Street digs to a new brewpub location. Their last day at their current space is March 21, 2020.

Upcoming Events

• Alley Kat is hosting an opportunity to meet the new owners of Alley Kat on February 20.
• The Expo Centre is hosting another of their winemakers’ dinners on March 3, 2020. Tickets for the 5-course meal (including wine pairings) are $85.

Reviews

• Leduc sampled a wide range of fare at Shojo Izakaya.
• Graham was floored by the food at Korean restaurant Ma Chef.
• Sharon was invited to try the food at Gyu Kaku.

Local News

• Chef Jeremy Charles, based in Newfoundland, will be this year’s Hokanson Chef in Residence in March. Tickets are available for lunch and dinners with the chef on March 12, 2020; tickets are $39 and $65, respectively.
• Highlevel Diner partnered with a non-profit to help them estimate the carbon footprint of all of the dishes on their menu, as a means to start conversations about sustainability and climate change.
• Congratulations to Coffee Bureau and Lock Stock for reaching their five year milestones!
• The Journal outlines what to expect from Guru’s new Ice District restaurant.
• Also from The Journal – more details on the family behind Popowich Meat Company.
• CJSR launched a new podcast called That’s Food, which will provide the “backstory to food in Edmonton, one meal at a time.” The first two podcasts feature stories about Kind Ice Cream and the 1986 Gainers meatpacking strike.
• Stadium Yards announced their finalists for The Cut, a competition that will offer the winner funding and entrepreneurial support to build their business in the area. Finalists include Jack’s Burger Shack, The Grizzlar, Caribe Community Bar & Restaurant, Coffeecito, and Luna & Leo.
• There’s a new coffee roaster based in Beaumont, called Brave Fox. Find their product at the Sobeys in Beaumont.
• Coal Lake Honey Farm (a vendor at the Downtown Edmonton Farmers’ Market) announced the passing of Joseph Kent last week.

What I Ate

• It was a privilege to be a part of the judging panel at Silver Skate’s Battle of the Neighbourhoods last week. We sampled a variety of stews, bread, and brews to determine the winners: Biera (representing Ritchie) won best stew; Brio (representing Oliver) won best bread; and Alley Kat (representing Old Strathcona) won best brew. Downtown will have to get ‘em next time!

Let the judging commence!

• Linda and I always have great lunches around Alberta Avenue, and last week was no different. This time, we dined at Mama Asha; I love their chicken suqaar sabayad wrap. Can you believe it’s just $10?

Chicken suqaar sabayad wrap from Mama Asha

• I met up with the Chinatown Dining Week crew at Noodleholic. It was my first time there, and we found the service to be fast and very pleasant. They feature infinite possible combinations through a build-your-own soup menu, so what we tried was just the tip of the iceberg. I enjoyed my choice of Little Sheep broth with tofu and wontons.

Build-your-own-soup at Noodleholic

• Mack, Emily, and I celebrated Valentine’s Day at home, a day made much sweeter with Bloom Cookie Co.’s annual Cookiegrams! It’s also great that $5 from every box went to the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton. Emily loved chocolate chip cookies.

Cookiegram from Bloom Cookie Co.

Hathaway’s Diner is on the market

Owners of the beloved Wellington restaurant Hathaway’s Diner have announced they are selling the business.

In a post shared on February 5, Pamela and Lyle Charlet wrote that they will be retiring: “With a heavy heart we are writing to inform you of our hopes to retire from our small but widely adored diner…The truth is we are tired and would like the opportunity for some much needed rest and relaxation before moving forward with some of the other dreams we have been holding on to.”

They are hopeful that someone new will step in to take over the business. No firm date has been announced, apart from the possibility of a transition by March 2020.

Openings

• Edmonton will be home to the first Canadian location of US-based chain California Pizza Kitchen. No location details have been confirmed at this point.
• Guru’s second restaurant, located in Ice District (#108, 10111 104 Avenue), opened last week.
• Leva has rebranded their Garneau cafe (86 Avenue and 111 Street) to be in line with the rest of their Ace brand.
• Hawaiian Poke and More is now open at 7256 101 Avenue.
• Saskitoba Handmade Perogies will be opening later this week in Leduc (1501 8 Street).

Upcoming Events

• Hansen Distillery’s Northern Eyes whisky will be released on February 11, 2020.
• Stump Kitchen LIVE! will be featured as a part of the Chinook Series on February 14, 2020 at the Arts Barns. Tickets are $22.
• The Downtown Business Association is hosting a panel discussion on food and the food industry on February 25, 2020 at Campio Brewing. Panelists include Patrick Saurette of The Marc and Henry Song of Buok Fresh Kitchen. Tickets are $10 and include pizza and beer.

Reviews

• Lydia offers an early review of Hawaiian Poke & More.
• The Journal raved about June’s Delicatessen, and with this “legitimate deli” claims that Edmonton is now complete.
• Leduc recommends the xiaolong bao at Shanghai Grill.
• Sharon revisits Korean mainstay Won Jung Gak.
• Graham celebrates the classics at Bistro Praha.

Local News

• If you’re still looking for a treat to share with your valentine this Friday, here are some ideas: a doughnut cake from Farrow, heart-shaped doughnuts from Ohana, cheeky “Bae Collection” sugar cookies from Confetti Sweets, and heart-shaped pretzels from Zwick’s.
• Chef Andrew Cowan (of Northern Chicken) is no longer involved at Say Uncle, and tweeted that it’s “probably a good idea for people to avoid that place at all costs.”
• Respected local brewer Alley Kat has been sold to a pair of St. Albert-based entrepreneurs. Jason Foster breaks down what it means for the craft beer industry in Alberta.
• Linda was interviewed by the Holland Herald, KLM’s flight magazine, to share her thoughts about places to visit in Edmonton.
• Also from Linda, she checked out the winter igloos at the Riverside Bistro (at the Courtyard Marriott).

Urban Agriculture and Farming

• Community Supported Agriculture with Riverbend Gardens are now available for the 2020 season. They’re offering a $20 gift certificate to those who purchase by February 14.
• Local entrepreneur Jonathan Mui hopes one day his countertop garden business Micro can help shift climate change.

What I Ate

• With the Hathaway’s announcement, Mack, Emily and I made a trip down to the diner over the weekend. It’s been some time since our last visit, but the hospitality is still something of a marvel. Emily and I shared some pancakes and eggs, but that didn’t stop her from eyeing up Mack’s eggs benedict.

Eggs benedict with back bacon from Hathaway’s Diner

Doughnut Party Opens Second Location

Doughnut Party’s long-awaited shop south of the river opened last week in Ritchie.

Located at 9610 76 Avenue, it joins a number of sweet options available in the neighbourhood. Little Duchess, a smaller version of the popular bakery, opened last fall in Ritchie Market, and increased traffic to the building by 20%. Kind Ice Cream also opened last year.

Openings

• BaoBao, offering “Shanghai street food” is now open at 10544 Jasper Avenue.
• The Edmonton location of Peters’ Drive-In is working towards an April opening date.

Closures

• Urban Tavern’s last day of operation was February 3, 2020. The Cabin will open in its place in March.
• It sounds like several locations of Wetzel’s Pretzels have closed, including branches at West Edmonton, Premium Outlet Collection, and HUB Malls.

Upcoming Events

• La Poutine Week runs February 1-9, 2020, with 8 participating restaurants in Edmonton who are featuring a special poutine for the event.

Reviews

• Graham raved about the liver ‘n’ onions at the Century Mile Casino’s Derby Restaurant.
• Avenue shared bites from Chettinad Aachy’s, Baltyk Bakery, The Glass Monkey, Tokeo Station, and The Black Bull Kitchen.

Local News

• The Writer’s Room is temporarily closed as they are looking for a new location after their building flooded.
• Did you know Tres Carnales now has a catering arm?
• Congratulations to KB and Company who are expanding to Kelowna with a location to open in March.
• Three local chefs offer their tips for stress-free cooking – check out what Chefs Paul Shufelt, Jason Greene, and Lindsay Porter eat for dinner at home.

What I Ate

• It’s hard to believe it’s been more than a year since Mack, Emily and I visited Route 99. Not surprisingly, not much has changed in our time away – it’s just as comforting of a greasy spoon as we remembered.

Poutine at Route 99

City of Edmonton Makes Hawrelak Park Food Vendor Announcements

Last week, the City of Edmonton officially announced that Culina to Go will be the food provider in William Hawrelak Park. The contract length is one year.

Rhonda Norman, the Director of River Valley and Horticulture Facilities stated that, “We recognize the importance of working with local providers and we are excited to have Culina operating out of the park. This decision keeps in mind Fresh: Edmonton’s Food and Urban Agriculture Strategy.”

Culina to Go operator Brad Lazarenko had spoken publicly about Culina on the Lake back in December, and launched his crowdfunding campaign for “Edmonton’s only lakeside cafe” earlier this month. Culina previously operated concessions at the Victoria Golf Course, ACT Centre and Rundle Park, before losing those contracts in 2018, and they will resume operations at the Muttart Conservatory after renovations of that facility are complete.

Openings

• Woodrack Cafe is opening a second location, taking over Square One’s spot in the Premium Outlet Mall. They hope to open in mid-February.

Upcoming Events

• Kind Ice Cream is hosting a fundraiser called Ice Cream for Breakfast for Momentum Walk-In Counselling on February 1, 2020. All proceeds from scoops sold from 9am-noon that day will go to the charity.
• The Glenrose Foundation is hosting Charcuterie Night on February 12, 2020. Guests will learn how to put together a balanced charcuterie board; tickets are $99.
• Prairie North’s February Cidermaking 101 workshop is sold out, but they have other workshops with spaces in March, including cider tasting.
• The next Edmonton Eats event, a social enterprise featuring the cuisine of local host families, will highlight Somalia. Tickets for the March 21, 2020 dinner are $75.

Reviews

• The Journal had a mixed experience at tequila and taco bar El Beso.
• Twyla flipped for Fox Burger, noting their burgers are “dream-worthy”.
• Graham shared his picks for the best ribeye steaks to be found in the city.
• Jonny shared some photologs of his visits to SYC Brewing and Toyo Sushi.

Local News

• CBC highlighted Little Duchess that opened at Ritchie Market in October; in the story, the building’s owner shared that “Since Duchess came in we’re up 20 per cent year on year for the number of people coming through.”
• Also from CBC, they analyzed restaurant inspection violations in the Edmonton area in 2018: poor cleaning cloth practices came up the most often at 18%. Inspection reports can be easily searched online through Alberta Health Services’ database.
• This month’s episode of Avenue Magazine’s Sidebar Podcast features Phil Wilson, who discusses cold weather food and his experience as a judge on the Best Restaurants panel.
• Local podcast Yeg.Me interviewed South Island Pie owner Jamie Scott about how he started the company and his work on the food business accelerator UpRoot Food.
• Last week, I shared my (belated) 2019 Year in Review, summarizing what was notable to me over the year.
• A forthcoming book called Tapping the West: How Alberta’s Craft Beer Industry Bubbled Out of an Economy Gone Flat covers the story behind Alberta’s craft beer boom. It is available for pre-order.
• The sixth season of Kevin Kossowan’s From the Wild is now available to stream on demand.
• Victor Hugo shared his recipe for maple-orange carnitas on the Passion for Pork blog.

Beyond Edmonton

• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau inspired “doughnut-gate” last week, having purchased several boxes of doughnuts from a locally-owned shop in Winnipeg. I really appreciated the shop’s response to the incredulity.

What I Ate

• Mack, Emily, and I finally stopped in at the new cafe on our street, A Bite of Brazil. They have a great deal right now: a medium brewed coffee and 3 units of cheesebread for just $3.95. The space is warm and inviting, the staff were super-friendly, and Emily couldn’t get enough of the cheesebread! We’ll be back!

Cheesebread and coffee from A Bite of Brazil

• We’ve started a tradition for Emily’s birthday gatherings to always include soft pretzels from Zwick’s, so while picking up our order, we also treated ourselves to some sandwiches. The McZwick really hit the spot.

The McZwick’s is a thing of beauty

• January can be a hard month to get through, but it is a little bit easier to do so with Love Pizza’s January feature – the mac and cheeza! We grabbed their 2 for $22 deal today on the way home for supper.

Mac and cheeza from Love Pizza

Eat Local Magazine Announces New Editor

Eat Local just celebrated its one year publication anniversary, having launched their first print issue in December 2018. Within that short time, they tripled their print run from 3,000 to 10,000 copies.

This week, they announced that local freelance writer and CBC Food Explorer Twyla Campbell has joined the team as the new editor.

As she described to Eat North, “My role is to help tell the stories behind the pictures and to connect the reader to the good, conscientious chefs and producers who feed us all."

Her first issue will land in March 2020.

Openings

• Love Pizza continues to expand! They already announced a forthcoming location in south Edmonton, and will be adding a Spruce Grove franchise to the mix in the spring.

Upcoming Events

• Starting January 22, 2020, Food4Good’s low-cost produce markets are relocating to Salvage Reclaimed Furniture (15308 Stony Plain Road) and will happen regularly every other Wednesday.
• Culina Chef Brad Lazarenko has organized Pe Mitso, a collaboration dinner on February 9, 2020 celebrating the Indigenous roots of Brad, and Chefs Shane Chartrand and Scott Iserhoff. Tickets for the 5-course dinner are $85.
• Winefest returns to the Edmonton Convention Centre on February 14-15, 2020. Tickets start at $87.
• Join Avenue at their annual Best Restaurants event on March 16, 2020 at the Edmonton Expo Centre. Tickets are $60 and includes food and beverage tickets.

Reviews

• Graham opines that the food at Calle Mexico’s new south side restaurant is “very good”, but “conventional”.
• Jonny offers some photologs on Korean restaurant Machef, China Burger BBQ in Old Strathcona, and old favourite Sunbake Pita.

Local News

• The Tomato is accepting nominations for their annual Top 100 Best Things to Eat in Edmonton. Nominations close January 31.
• Culina will be opening up an outpost called Culina on the Lake at Hawrelak Park. They’ve started a crowdfunding campaign with the hopes of raising $35,000 to help with expenses.
• Cafe Linnea, along with some partner businesses, is sponsoring a free wedding, valued at up to $10,000. Interested couples have until February 17, 2020 to enter.
• Bloom’s Valentine’s Day Cookie-Grams are back! They will deliver a box of their egg and dairy-free cookies for $35, with $5 from each box going towards the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton. Orders will be accepted until February 7, or until sold out.
• Speaking of Valentine’s Day, Linda has some great food-related ideas to help you celebrate this year.
• The Journal offers some background on Chef Ben Staley’s new venture, Restaurant Yarrow.
• Smokey Bear had received many positive reviews over the past few weeks, but its reputation may have taken a hit after well-known LGBTQ academic and advocate Dr. Kristopher Wells shared his negative experience dining out at the restaurant this weekend.
• It was reported that Planet Organic has racked up thousands of dollars of unpaid bills with some local vendors, including Honest Dumplings.
• CTV’s series Josh Eats Edmonton finally has its own landing page – catch up on segments featuring Nello’s.
• The University of Alberta’s podcast What the Job? interviewed restauranteur Nate Box (of District, Fox Burger, and June’s Delicatessen).
• In case you’re on the hunt for cheap eats Downtown, The Yards has you covered.

What I Ate

• It was definitely a soup kind of week, though I never need an excuse to return to Tau Bay for my pho fix.

My usual at Tau Bay

• In the middle of the deep freeze, I met up with Su for dinner at another participating Chinatown Dining Week restaurant Youth BBQ. We didn’t end up ordering off the set menu as it was easy enough to put together our own sampling of their charcoal-grilled skewers (most only $2 each – it might possibly be one of the best deals in town). We both found their spicy and slightly sweet seasoning salt addictive, whether sprinkled on beef skewers or fried potato chips. We’ll be back!

Beef skewer from Youth BBQ

 

Local Talent on Western Living’s 40 Foodies of the Year

Several Edmontonians made this year’s Foodies of the Year list, put out by Western Living Magazine. While the list will crown the “top 10” on March 7, 2020, three individuals were included among the forty finalists.

Lindsay Porter was recognized for her take on British classics at London Local, Cyrille Koppert for his gem of a French restaurant in Partake, and Keenan Pascal of Token Bitters was highlighted for his line of locally-inspired bitters.

Openings

• Restaurant Yarrow and its accompany 12-seat Bar at Yarrow opened in early January. It is Chef Ben Staley’s latest foray into the Edmonton restaurant scene, after Alta and Alder Room closed in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Dining at Yarrow requires a prepaid reservation at $170 per person for a meal ranging between 18-22 servings.
• Lan Noodle is the newest hand-pulled noodle restaurant in Edmonton, located at 10475 82 Avenue.
• Ice District has a new tenant – Delux Burger Bar in the Edmonton Tower is now open.
• Japanese Village is now open on BRBN St. at West Edmonton Mall.

Upcoming Events

• Kitchen by Brad is hosting Kitchen Suppers on Wednesdays until the end of February. They will be serving a 3-course, $35 dinner; reservations are recommended.
• The third Nowhere Kitchen event will take place on January 26, 2020 with Chef Chris Tom-Kee, and focus on Chinese cuisine. As with their previous events, it is hosted by chefs of colour focused on their cultural identity and food justice. Tickets start at $30.
• Filistix continues with its series of special events highlighting aspects of Filipino cuisine – this time, with a Kamayan Feast (“kamayan” translates to ‘eat with your hands’). Tickets for the January 31, 2020 dinner are $56.75 plus fees.

Reviews

• Graham was “delighted” with his recent meal at Old Strathcona newcomer Smokey Bear.
• Twyla recommends the pizza and prosecco at Bianco, Rosso’s sister restaurant.
• The Journal had a pleasant experience at Terrace Heights Vietnamese restaurant Thien An.

Local News

• Forbes featured Edmonton as a travel destination, highlighting Bundok, Pip, Biera, Uccellino, Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market, and Strathcona Spirits as notable stops.
• An Edmonton candy store called Sweet Convenience is offering customers a “cold weather discount” in January equivalent to the freezing temperature.
• Retired professor of food marketing David Hughes spoke at a retail food trends event on Monday about the continued demand for plant-based alternatives.
• IKEA plans to “diminish food waste in all IKEA stores by 50 per cent before the end of 2020” and IKEA Edmonton has “led the way with an accumulative food waste reduction of 40 per cent in one year.”
• Campio Brewing Co. executive chef Hans Pinto visited the Global Edmonton test kitchen to preview their menu.
• A local high school student spent 16 hours inside the Denny’s on 104 Avenue downtown and documented the entire thing on Reddit.

What I Ate

• It was definitely a soup kind of week – I started with a warm-up at T and D Noodle House. Their bun bo Hue has perhaps replaced the two-colour vermicelli as my go-to dish!

Bun bo Hue from T and D Noodle House

• On the weekend, I met up with some friends at Chinese Hot Pot Buffet. I’d never been before, but I can see why they have many fans – the serve yourself (for most things) model means nothing stands in the way of you and getting food in your belly! I also appreciated the opportunity to have a chicken soup sauna for a couple of hours on a cold night, heh.

Our (first of many) spreads at Chinese Hot Pot Buffet

• Mack, Emily, and I went to Syphay’s Chinatown location for the first time for Chinatown Dining Week (which continues until January 19, 2020). They’re offering a great deal – either curry or pad Thai, plus soup and spring rolls for just $18. I really enjoyed the pad Thai, and Emily happily munched on the spring rolls.

Chinatown Dining Week special at Syphay