Smashburger lands in Edmonton

The number of fast casual burger restaurants in Edmonton just keeps on growing. On July 3, 2013, the Edmonton area’s first Smashburger franchise opened up in Sherwood Park, joining the likes of Fatburger, Five Guys, Rodeo Burger and The Burger Joint in an increasingly crowded burger scene. In many ways, it’s not surprising – North America’s love affair of the hamburger is well-documented, and with palates leaning more towards fresher alternatives, those offering something a step above drive-thru fare are blossoming. The Sherwood Park location is Canada’s third Smashburger, adding to Alberta’s glut, with two already situated in Calgary.

Mack and I attended the media reception in early July, eager to see how Smashburger would differentiate itself from others. It turns out, Smashburger attempts to distinguish its beef burgers with its proprietary cooking process: meatballs, rolled fresh daily, are “smashed” on the grill to order, a method, they promise, provides a caramelized sear that seals in the patty’s natural juices.

We were invited to order whatever we desired from the menu, a very generous offer. Featuring a number of pre-designed beef and grilled chicken burger creations, salads, and sides, prices ranged from $5.99-$8.49 for burgers. For more creative (or particular) eaters, Smashburger also offers a “create your own” option.

Mack immediately gravitated towards the Edmonton burger (each city features a recipe inspired by regional flavours). In this case, a beef or grilled chicken patty is topped with grilled onions, cheddar, BBQ sauce and a fried egg. A Saskatoon berry shake and poutine are also exclusive to the Canadian menu.

I decided to stick with the Classic Smash, with American cheese, Smash sauce, ketchup, lettuce, tomato, pickles and onion on an egg bun. Mack chose a poutine side, while I chose the Haystack onions.

We were happy to run into Su and Joveena, two of Edmonton’s prolific #yegfood tweeters. Dinner is always better with good company!

Su and Joveena

Portions were generous, and everything was delivered piping hot. Both of us enjoyed our respective burgers, but save my sweet egg bun, I’m not sure I’d be able to identify the burger in a blind taste test. I did appreciate that the Smash sauce was given as a side, which gave me control over how much I wanted to add, but Mack commented how much it reminded him of a certain “special sauce” at a rival quick-service giant.

Edmonton Burger and poutine

The sides, however, left something to be desired. Shoestring fries are not ideal for poutine, as they aren’t as suited to be weighted under the layers of gravy and cheese. My Haystack onions were more like the onion straws used as a textural addition to burgers, instead of the substantial battered and fried rings I’m used to. They were also incredibly salty. I’m sure this is just a personal preference, but I prefer my onion rings whole and not shredded.

Classic Smash and haystack onions

The service that night was over the top, as expected, though I’d be curious to see how it has toned itself down as the staff settle into a more typical rhythm.

Located in Emerald Hills, one of the newer neighbourhoods of Sherwood Park, it was a bit of a shame the Edmonton attendees didn’t decide to carpool before hand. The drive was close to 45 minutes from downtown in rush hour traffic, so it would be doubtful we’d undertake such a commute if we didn’t already have plans in the area. That said, if we were looking for a fast casual burger in Sherwood Park, we wouldn’t mind returning to Smashburger just for their namesake dish. Thanks to the restaurant for the invitation!

Want to give it a try yourself? For a chance to win $25 in Smashburger gift certificates, leave a comment below (with a valid e-mail address) with the name of the burger you’d order off of the local menu. Contest closes on July 26, 2013 at 11:59pm. Winner will be chosen by a random number generator and contacted by e-mail.

EDIT (July 28, 2013): Congratulations to Jessica for winning $25 in Smashburger gift certificates! Thanks to everyone who entered.

Check out the plethora of reviews from other local bloggers: Andrea, Courtenay, Eva, Diane, Karlynn, Lillian, Liv and Phil.

Smashburger
#530, 500 Emerald Drive, Sherwood Park
(780) 410-0999
Hours: 10am-10pm daily

K-Days 2013: New Food at the Fair

It’s that time again! One of our summer traditions is heading out to K-Days and soaking up the sights, smells and sounds of the midway.

Though it’s been years since we’ve taken in the rides, we’ve always reserved the right to indulge in Those Little Doughnuts and for Mack, a corndog or two.

I can smell them already…

K-Days usually tries to entice diners by introducing new items each year, and this time is no different. Here’s what I’m looking forward to at the festival, which runs July 19-28, 2013:

Home Grown Alberta: Based on our experience in 2012, I’m a little disappointed they decided to axe the Fusion 53 Lounge, given that was some of the best food we had during our visit, and it was meant to showcase locally-sourced products. This year, K-Days will feature a showcase area called Home Grown Alberta, where “local Alberta home grown producers will sample and sell their product.” This could mean many different things, but hopefully it works out to be an opportunity of great exposure for these businesses.
New Midway Delights: Last year, Capital Ex outdid itself with cricket pizza, so I was expecting to see deep-fried butter on this year’s menu (the “freak” food of choice at the Calgary Stampede). While the menu is much tamer than I expected, I’m intrigued by items like the chimney cake (sweet dough baked around a roll and dipped in sugar). It’s a little curious why items like pad Thai and Chinese noodle boxes would be featured so prominently (hasn’t our food culture normalized some ethnic foods?), but I suppose when most midway fare is battered and fried, I suppose it’s a step beyond that.
A Taste of Canada: For those looking for something more refined than the casual midway bite, a variety of dishes representing the different regions of Canada are available in the EXPO Centre. They include a lobster roll from the Maritimes, Montreal smoked meat sandwiches and duck confit paninis from the East, salmon wraps and Okanagan peach cobbler from the West Coast and from the Prairie, pulled bison sliders and beef & barley soup.
RibFest: I’m so happy that RibFest is back! Last year, we received our first taste of a Southern barbecue competition, with several vendors competing for our vote. Four trailers will be present this year offering up ribs and great atmosphere.

RibFest 2012

See you on the grounds!

Food Notes for July 15, 2013

It’s hard to believe we’re already in the middle of July – where has the summer gone? On the bright side, I do feel like we’ve been taking in a good variety of all that’s available to us in Edmonton. It really is a great place to be during festival season. On to this week’s food notes:

Liane previewed the upcoming Taste of Edmonton Festival, which is helpful to parse through all of their new events this year. I’m looking forward to being a part of the judging panel at the ATCO Blue Flame Black Box Competition on Sunday!
In the midst of festival season, I almost forgot about Fork Fest, which runs July 21-25 and July 28-August 1, 2013. Menus are forthcoming.
Ration is a pop-up restaurant taking place on July 25, 2013 at Sabzy. Their 5-course vegetarian dinner will focus on celebrating the seasonal bounty that can be harvested locally. The event is led by Mithalee Rawat, the head chef at Pangea’s deli.
Love Salvadorean food? Head to the Pupusa Festival on July 27, from noon-8pm at the Alberta Avenue Community Hall.
Heritage Days food tickets are now on sale! You can also see the food menu here.
Go now, Edmonton: RGE RD, Chef Blair Lebsack’s new restaurant in the former Blue Pear space, is now open!
Yes, there is another food truck. Liv gives us the low-down on the comfort food of Street Eats.
Speaking of food trucks, Bully handed out more than 400 free turkey dinners on Saturday outside the Bissell Centre. Bravo.
Curious about how The Burg came to be? Check out this article in Vue.
Thanks to the City’s streamlined rules on sidewalk cafes, it has been wonderful to see them blossom all around downtown, including at Tres Carnales.
Mack and I stopped by the St. Albert Farmers’ Market on our way to an errand in the area. Though we had already done our shopping that morning, it was great to wander through. It was neat to see they had free bike parking!

Bike parking

Oh how I missed you, Pho Tau Bay – after their two month hiatus, I was more than happy to fall back into a bowl of your comforting noodle soup.

Pho!

The nights have been somewhat chilly, but Mack and I are still trying to take advantage of the al fresco dining window!

Pizza on the patio

Thursday Nights on the Edge in Central McDougall and Queen Mary Park

Central McDougall and the adjacent Queen Mary Park are one of the City’s four revitalization projects. Just north of downtown, they are communities in transition, and though the progress is slow, with the NAIT LRT line set to open in April 2014, and the new arena slated just south of the neighbourhood, you can bet change is on its way, for better or worse.

Central McDougall is my adopted daytime home, and I have written in the past about how I have come to appreciate the area. Over the years, the Business Revitalization Zone and the Neighbourhood Revitalization Coordinator have organized some public events, but they are sporadic and for the most part, poorly attended. Though residents are generally invited to participate, I think more could be done to spread the word to others to explore these communities in Central Edmonton.

I’m happy that the BRZ has decided to continue with the “Around the World in 80 Bites” tour, now renamed Flavour Journey. There are three dates scheduled for this summer: July 17, 31 and August 17. Each tour will introduce diners to the food from three different restaurants within walking distance of one another, all for $30. Participating restaurants include Acajutla, Caffe Sorrentino, Com Pho, Fat Jakks, Macmacaanka Waamo, and Pho Huong. I hope to finally join one of the tours this time around!

Another exciting initiative are the Thursday Nights on the Edge series. I get the sense that it is primarily intended for residents in the area (especially given the late start time), but the events are so varied and creative that I hope the word gets out about the program!

Every Thursday evening from 7-9pm from July 11 until August 15, Central McDougall or Queen Mary Park will be hosting a unique, family-friendly activity, including a petting zoo, historical horse-drawn carriage tours and an outdoor classical music concert. Mack and I ended up joining their inaugural event last Thursday, titled “Urban-caching on the Edge”.

We arrived at the Queen Mary Park Community Hall at around 7pm. Several other families soon joined us, and before long, Cheryl, the Revitalization Coordinator, arrived with instructions in tow. She handed each group an unlabeled map noted with hand-drawn dots, and indicated that we would find “treasures” at each of the locations. We were to look for volunteers wearing “Thursday Nights on the Edge” t-shirts. She set the parameters that we should be able to reach all five locations within an hour.

Ready, set, go!

We had come from another event that evening, so had the car. If we had taken transit or walked, it is doubtful we would have reached all five destinations. Given there were families with young children in attendance, without a vehicle, I’m not sure they would have made it to even one of the sites. In the future, a tighter start and end boundary would be recommended.

Map

With the help of Google Maps, we were able to roughly pinpoint the first destination in McDougall Park, where we found Laurene Viarobo, the Executive Director of the North Edge Business Association. She said we were the first to arrive, and handed us some swag, including revitalization-branded Frisbees and water bottles.

Laurene hands out swag

For our next stop, we headed south, and keeping our eyes peeled, spotted a t-shirt hanging in the window of Produce Mart (10720 107 Avenue).

Success!

It was a great excuse to step foot in the store, just two months old, but a welcome addition to a neighbourhood without easy access to fresh produce. The store is clean, with a solid selection of vegetables, fruit and other basics like milk. I hope the shop is successful!

Produce Mart

After picking up more revitalization swag, we walked over to Caffe Sorrentino on 105 Avenue and 109 Street. It didn’t look open, so we weren’t sure if we had the coordinates right, but one of the younger participants pushed open the door and invited us in. Our prize? A generous scoop of gelato!

Delicious reward

We enjoyed the treat on our way to our last stop (we skipped one by St. Joseph School with a balloon animal treasure), Ethan Allen. This destination highlighted the extremes of this neighbourhood, which range from lower-income rentals to pricey furniture boutiques. The staff inside were very friendly, and seemed happy to be a part of the event. We declined the spray tattoo treasure, though we noticed some of the teenaged participants particularly relished in this prize!

For their inaugural activity, I think the organizers did a great job! Mack and I enjoyed ourselves, and appreciated the opportunity to explore a few places for the first time. Check out the calendar for a list of dates and events, but coming up on July 18, Animals on the Edge at the Queen Mary Park Community Hall with a petting zoo, face painting, balloon animals and cotton candy.

Truck Stop: Boyle Renaissance on July 25, 2013

It isn’t by accident that our What the Truck?! events have taken place only in centrally-located, mature neighbourhoods. We knew early on, for a grassroots festival like ours, we needed to choose areas of high residential density and ideally, areas which also boasted high levels of foot traffic. Given we had a promotional budget of $0, we needed to encourage the chance that visitors could stumble upon the festival.

Of course, our secondary reasoning for the venues we have chosen in the past relate to our desire to animate underutilized spaces by showcasing their potential, and encouraging the use of alternative modes of transportation by ensuring pedestrian and transit accessibility.

This is why our upcoming event The Quarters is so exciting. The area has fallen into disrepair over the years, but the City has a grand vision to breathe life back into the area, which will include parks, a direct connection to the river valley, and new commercial and residential developments. One development, the Boyle Renaissance, is well underway, and can be seen as the herald of change in this neighbourhood.

Boyle Renaissance

Located just east of downtown, the completed first phase not only includes both affordable and market housing in the Welcome Village, but also a community centre. Mack and I toured through the facility in March, and were really impressed by what we saw. The building houses the Boyle Street Community League and also functions as its multi-function community hall – a gym, meeting rooms and even a kitchen can be rented through the league. We’ve been told that certain choice times in the gym have already been fully booked for the year by sports teams.

Welcome Village

The YMCA occupies the second floor of the building, and runs several programs out of the facility, including a family resource centre, child care centre and a collective kitchen.

We also appreciated some of the aesthetic features, including built-in projection equipment to allow art or films to be showcased just behind the glass walls, and a communal table that will be installed in the outdoor courtyard.

Community centre

When the City approached us earlier this year about organizing a Truck Stop event at the Boyle Renaissance, we knew it was the perfect fit. Though it may not have the foot traffic of Downtown, Oliver or Old Strathcona, we hope that through events like this, more Edmontonians will be exposed to up-and-coming neighbourhoods like The Quarters.

Join us on July 25, 2013 for our next Truck Stop in The Quarters!

What: Truck Stop: Boyle Renaissance
Where: Boyle Renaissance Plaza, 103A Avenue & 95 Street
When: Thursday, July 25, 2013
Time: 5-8p.m.

Expect children’s activities, music, a movie projection and tours of the new facility. And of course, food!

We are thrilled that four of the food trucks that debuted this year will be joining us that night. This will be one of the best opportunities to try food from several of the newest trucks in town, all in one place!

Menus will be posted at the What the Truck?! website on July 18, so check back then. Hope to see you there!

Chef’s Table at Hardware Grill

In my family, June is a time for celebration. My Mum, Dad and I all share June as a birthday month, and of course, Father’s Day is a standard observance. This year, for one of my milestone birthdays, I decided the cumulative festivities could justify the Chef’s Table splurge at the venerable Hardware Grill. As it stands, $100 for five courses at the consistently excellent restaurant is reasonable, but it was still nice to have these special occasions to commemorate with my parents.

The Chef’s Table can accommodate up to six, and like any communal table, we were told that we’d likely be joined by a party of two that night. When we arrived, we noticed that the place settings were set for four. The couple never did end up arriving, but we appreciated the heads up nonetheless.

With my parents

The Chef’s Table is located right inside the kitchen, with a perfect view of Chef Larry Stewart and his crew. I’m sure the staff are immune to it now, but I would feel a little odd being observed, fishbowl-style, as I worked. That said, we really appreciated their candor and unaffected behaviour. As we would find out, unlike the nightmare back room scenarios portrayed on television, Hardware Grill is a pristine example of a well-oiled machine.

Our view of the kitchen

A printed menu laid out the five dishes for the night, which would be served over the course of three and a half hours. The meal was so well paced, we had no idea where the time went (it didn’t mean we finished all of our food, however – most of our entrée and desserts ended up in take-home boxes). And though the food was wonderful, what really set the experience apart was the staff. White linens sometimes equal stiff and awkward interactions, but at Hardware Grill, we are always floored by the service. Beyond gracious and professional, as expected at a fine dining establishment, staff are warm, good-humoured and seem to genuinely enjoy their work.

It was also the little things – for instance, we decided to order two wine pairings to share. Without missing a beat, individual glasses were delivered to each of us, a single pour split between two. Although this wasn’t my first time sharing a wine pairing, it was certainly the first time I’ve encountered the generosity of providing a second glass.

Just as the service was measured and executed perfectly, so too were the kitchen dynamics. Chef Stewart received each order, calling out items calmly. The other chefs would quietly get to work on their components, with Sous Chef Jesse Chalmers periodically updating the ETA of the main protein. Communication was paramount, and in this kitchen, was the cornerstone on an effective team. I wrongly assumed dining at the Chef’s Table would be a noisy affair; in reality, the din of the main dining room was noticeably louder than in the kitchen.

Mack observes the kitchen

The first course was a charming way to start off the meal – a bite-size sandwich layered with brioche, lobster, pancetta, arugula and oven-dried tomato paired with a lobster bisque. The photo is a bit deceiving – a heavy hand in the kitchen dealt the lobster.

Soup ‘n sandwich

The salad of buffalo mozzarella and symphony heirloom tomatoes was simple, but made with good ingredients, including a spike of lemon-scented olive oil, was delicious.

Buffalo mozzarella and tomato salad

Mack especially enjoyed the pasta course of hand-rolled goat cheese tortelloni, their creamy centres stealing the show. For me, it was the underlying corn broth that sung – it was skill that coaxed such fragrance and aroma from the corn.

Goat cheese tortelloni with beech mushrooms in corn broth

By the time we reached the entrée, we were already approaching the point of being uncomfortably full. Interestingly enough, we were encouraged to eat the hickory-smoked quail by hand, not something we would have expected. I ended up gravitating more to the vegetables on the plate, in particular to the caramelized cauliflower, lovingly browned in a way that I will try to replicate at home.

Hickory-smoked quail

After the preceding two courses, I was anticipating a light finish to the dinner. Instead, we were presented with a dense, intensely rich chocolate marquise. Even one half the size would have been too much for me, but the dollop of sour cream on top was curious, lending a tang that did not pair well with the chocolate.

Chocolate marquise

Kudos to the staff of Hardware Grill for a memorable experience. If anything, it reminded me that I shouldn’t let too much time pass between future visits to Edmonton’s most respected restaurant.

Hardware Grill
9698 Jasper Avenue
(780) 423-0969

Food Notes for July 8, 2013

We’re not able to harbour pets in our current building, but it doesn’t mean I can’t love dogs! I’ve heard so much about the Avenue Goes to the Dogs Festival on Alberta Avenue but we’ve never been – when I saw that they will have wiener dog races at noon on Sunday, I knew where we’d be this weekend. Hope you’ll be out and about as well! Onto this week’s food notes:

Add another market to the Sunday list: the Century Park Sunday Market runs every Sunday from 9:30am-2pm until September 29, 2013. It just started on June 2, so it isn’t surprising they only have 8-10 vendors, but given the sudden increase in Sunday markets, I’m not sure how many more they can realistically attract.
It’s great to see The North Edge (Central McDougall and Queen Mary Park, just north of downtown) repeating their successful series of food tours, now called Flavour Journey. Tickets are just $30, and grant you samples at three restaurants in the area. The event will run July 17, 31 and August 7, 2013.
10 Mile Meal has announced two of their upcoming events. The first is an urban meal in partnership with a Taste of Edmonton on July 27, 2013, where tickets are $60. The second is in Calmar, Alberta, the summer fair meal will celebrate German recipes made using locally-sourced ingredients. Tickets range from $65-80, depending on the inclusion of a farm tour.
Speaking of Taste of Edmonton, they have released a full printable menu online. The festival runs July 18-27, 2013.
Dishcrawl is already planning their next event, and it is right in my neck of the woods, 104 Street! The event runs on August 6, 2013, and tickets are $50.
RGE RD, Chef Blair Lebsack’s new restaurant in the former Blue Pear space, is set to open this week! Keep your eyes peeled on Twitter.
Avenue Edmonton’s fifth 25 Best Things to Eat List is finally online. For an annual feature that readers anticipate, you would think the editors would get it up sooner.
The Act Out & About was featured on Eat St. last week! Great to see Edmonton representation on the show.
Liane wrote about one man’s quest to quietly promote beekeeping in the city.
I didn’t really understand the reason for the hype around “cronuts” (a cross between a croissant and a doughnut) until I read this.
Mack sent me a link to a Business Week article about the McWrap at McDonald’s, and how it will not only position themselves as a “Subway buster”, but also will change the cucumber industry.
Grub Street reports that Hostess products (think: Twinkies) may be getting makeovers in the near future, with health-conscious labels such as gluten-free, whole grain, and stevia-sweetened snack cakes. Well, if Kraft Dinner did it, why not Twinkies?
Mack spied that Irie Foods (10152 82 Avenue) on Whyte Avenue is no longer, soon to be replaced with Pho 102.

Pho 102 Noodle Soup

City Market 2013: Week 8

The weather was perfect for City Market visitors on Saturday – warm without being too hot, with blue skies full of sunshine.

City Market square (love the colourful furniture!)

It’s also great to see all of the fresh produce rolling in, week by week. Saturday was no exception, with a greater variety than we’ve seen thus far, including broccoli, cauliflower, fennel, carrots and new potatoes.

Garlic scapes from Sundog Organic

Garlic from Sundog Organic

Kale from Sundog Organic

Broccoli and cauliflower from Erdmann’s

Apricots from Steve & Dan’s

Berries from Steve & Dan’s

Peas from Kuhlmann’s

Radishes from Kuhlmann’s

Beets from Kuhlmann’s

Flowers from Kuhlmann’s

Swiss chard from Kuhlmann’s

Carrots from Riverbend Gardens

Fennel from Riverbend Gardens

Kohlrabi from Riverbend Gardens

New potatoes from Riverbend Gardens

Beets from Riverbend Gardens

I also really enjoyed the beats from Adje Performers’ African drums. They had more than a few people dancing in the square! I hope they’re back at future markets.

Adje Performers

See you next week!

Recap: Heritage Chinatown Night Market

When I heard that the Chinese Benevolent Association was organizing a night market, I applauded the effort. After visiting the Waterfront Night Market in Toronto last year, I started thinking about how something similar could be replicated here – though we don’t have the same level of density or Asian population numbers, Edmonton makes up for that lack in spirit!

What I didn’t know was that the CBA was planning to pull this inaugural event together in just over a month, after the idea came up at the Chinatown Unveiled Conference that took place in May (something I’m more than just a little sad that I only heard about after the fact). As a result, I didn’t know what to expect as a final product, but I’m happy to say that the results should be commended!

Heritage Chinatown Night Market

I was among forty or so volunteers who helped on the day. We were all given (and proudly wore) “I (heart) YEG Chinatown” t-shirts. It will be interesting to see whether or not others embrace this logo as readily as others have taken to “I (heart) #yegdt”.

We love Chinatown

102 Avenue from 95 to 96 Street was closed for the event, which ran from 4-9pm. The Lingnan Express anchored the west side of the street, and offered location-appropriate spring rolls, pork dumplings and crack chicken.

More than a dozen vendors lined the rest of the street, selling wares ranging from art, jewelry, tea, and small toys. On that scorcher of a day, I’m sure tents would have offered a welcome reprieve from the beating sun for both merchants and shoppers alike.

Vendors

A stage was set-up on the east end of the street, and a continuous program offered five solid hours of performances, including martial arts demonstrations, Chinese dancing, choir songs, and spoken word poetry entertained the solid crowd.

Choir

Dancers

And ever the scene-stealer, there was not one, but two lion dances! I’ve seen my share of lion dances, but they always manage to stop me in my tracks – I love the spectacle of noise, colour and drama.

Lion dance!

The event also managed to incorporate a bit of history, with photographic displays of Chinatown past and present. Though organizers had to scrap the walking tours due to the short lead time, they did distribute pamphlets for self-guided walking tours of notable locations.

Displays

As a first time event, I think the Heritage Chinatown Night Market was very well attended! It was especially wonderful to see many generations on the street – Chinese and otherwise! Given the plethora of Canada Day attractions available in the city and beyond, it was a coup that so many chose to stop by the market – I think it speaks to the need for more events like this!

The crowds

As my fellow volunteer Kathryn pointed out though, events at that very site won’t be possible in the near future. With Downtown LRT Connector construction set to start as early as 2015, organizers intent on this night market becoming an annual one will have to contend with some location pains.

With my fellow volunteers Olivia and Kathryn

Bravo to the Chinese Benevolent Association for a well-executed event! For those who may have missed out, you may be interested to know a few of us are working on a follow-up night market to take place later this summer. Stay tuned for the details!

Sundays are for Markets: French Quarter Farmers’ Market

Not all farmers’ markets are created equal. Case in point, the three new markets that have more than doubled the Sunday scene are all quite different. Eden’s Market (which I recognize is still in its early stages), needs to attract more produce and protein vendors to make it a worthwhile grocery stop (instead of just a charming stroll-through). This is what makes the French Quarter Farmers’ Market so impressive by contrast.

French Quarter Farmers’ Market

Mack and I stopped by on Sunday. Situated at La Cité Francophone, the market has taken full advantage of the site. Vendors are located both indoors and outside, with picnic tables scattered in the grass. A busker was performing when we arrived, with a number of people enjoying the music under shaded seats.

Seating

In the short three weeks they’ve been open, they’ve managed to accumulate nearly thirty different vendors. All sell food products, something that sets this market apart from others. Though a select few only vend every second week, those who visit regularly will still have the pick of staple products from Steve & Dan’s, Skyline Greenhouses, Greens, Eggs and Ham and Serben Free Range (I am hoping the website is updated soon with the complete list).

Vendors

We were reminded by market manager Jean-Michel Dentinger that it is a French market after all (we noticed several producers greeted customers in both French and English), so it is no surprise that good cheese (The Cheesiry and Smoky Valley Goat Cheese) and bread (Bonjour Bakery/Treestone) are to be found here.

For those looking for something sweet, Passion Sucre offers baked treats. We were lucky enough to score a care package, featuring not only chocolate croissants, but éclairs and even a #yeg chocolate-dipped strawberry!

Treats from Passion Sucre

Though Eden’s Market definitely takes the food truck cake, the French Quarter Farmers’ Market boasts The Crooked Fork, one of Edmonton’s newest truck. They had run out of their hickory-smoked pulled pork, so we opted for their poutine. It hit the spot!

The Crooked Fork

Poutine

This market also features cooking classes by Chef Elaine Wilson, of Food You Can Cook. Cooking demos are an excellent way to highlight to consumers how they can transform the ingredients they pick up at the market, and are common elsewhere.

We took part in Elaine’s second class (she runs two classes per session, one at 12:30pm and another at 2:30pm). We learned how to make Thai Massaman sauce, a base which she transformed into a delicious beef and potato curry as well as a spicy tamarind soup. Elaine always amazes me with her knowledge, but also her ability to juggle answering questions with the prep tasks at hand!

Elaine is passionate about food!

Elaine normally charges $20 for the class, but for the past two weeks, classes have been by donation, with all proceeds going to Alberta flood relief. Next week, watch Elaine cook up appetizers, a main and dessert for what she terms an “elegant dinner party” – all in forty-five minutes! Sign up in advance on her website, or drop-in if you’re feeling lucky!

Mack enjoys his sample of Massaman curry

In short, the French Quarter market is thoughtful and well-rounded. I’d be interested in seeing how it progresses in identity as a year-round market (especially through the winter, given they are reliant on food producers), but it is a wonderful addition to the city’s market scene.

French Quarter Farmers’ Market
8627 Rue Marie-Anne-Gaboury (91 Street), La Cité Francophone
Every Sunday from 12-5pm

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