Portland: Tourist Trappings

Food trucks were a must-visit for us, but so were a few other things while we were in Portland – I’m sure the following destinations are on the list for most tourists in the city!

Hotel Vintage Plaza

Though this wasn’t exactly a “destination”, it was our first vacation accommodation that constituted a splurge, so it might be worth noting for those planning a trip down.

A few years ago, an acquaintance recommended the Kimpton chain to us when they found out we would be travelling to San Francisco. We loved the hotel so much that we looked forward to our next opportunity to stay at a Kimpton property. That chance came up in Portland, and we chose the Hotel Vintage Plaza (the most inexpensive of their three Portland hotels). We decided to book one of their special Starlight rooms on top of that, the only time we’ve ever gone above a standard room.

Starlight room

The room had a lovely bank of windows, and made our restful evenings easy to fall into. Though of course true starlight was out of our reach, being situated in the downtown core and all, we were able to leave the blinds up for views of the surrounding buildings and nearby bridges.

Kimpton is also known for their hosted wine hours, where wine and nibbles are available to guests and encourage them to mix and mingle in the lobby. Although we didn’t take part every evening, it was a particularly welcome sight on our first night in Portland.

Wine hour

Secrets of Portlandia

We love learning about the cities we visit from locals themselves, and find that walking tours are not only a means to do that, but they also help us situate ourselves towards the beginning of our trip. We found Erik’s Secrets of Portlandia free walking tour advertised online, and joined it on our second day in Portland.

Portlandia

It was a pleasant introduction to the city, and can be best described as part history and part entertainment, with Erik’s penchant for cheesy jokes a common thread throughout.

Our tour guide Erik

We were told how Portland was nearly called Boston, Oregon instead, as the name was ultimately decided by the flip of a coin by the two founding friends. Another highlight was also learning the background behind the Benson Bubblers, the ubiquitous bronze fountains that can be found all over downtown. It turns out they were installed as a means of dissuading lumber workers from imbibing at local pubs over the lunch hour. The water is constantly recycled, so yes, it was safe to take a drink!

Mack drinks from a Benson Bubbler

We also learned about the Shanghai Tunnels that ran underneath some of the bars in Old Town, used to drop workers from the pub to the tunnels below. These unfortunate men were then kidnapped for the journey over the Pacific. I recall reading about other tours that explore parts of the tunnels, but just hearing about it was enough for me!

Don’t get Shanghai’d

I’d highly recommend Erik’s tour – it was a great way to get to know the city, and have fun in the process.

Voodoo Doughnuts

The Secrets of Portlandia tour ended at the doorstep of a Portland institution, Voodoo Doughnuts. Unlike Tim Horton’s (though they are also open 24 hours a day), Voodoo bakes their doughnuts fresh every day, though what they are famous for are their unique varieties, from cereal to Tang to (we were told) Pepto Bismol. We wanted to find out what the hype was about.

The line-up

The crazy menu

A colourful cake doughnut could have been a rather plain treat, but turned out to be one of the best cake doughnuts I’d ever had. Mack enjoyed his Portland Cream as well. The namesake Voodoo Doll, baked in the shape of a voodoo doll, came complete with several pretzel sticks to – you guessed it – stab the jelly-filled doughnut to your heart’s content. One would be hard pressed to find a more creatively designed doughnut!

Doughnuts

Though I’m not sure I’d wait any more than ten to fifteen minutes for a doughnut, we could see why Voodoo is consistently touted as a tourist magnet.

Powell’s Books

Another Portland institution, Powell’s Books, was a reminder than in some places, independent bookstores are alive and thriving.

Rooms by colour

We visited several of their shops over the course of a week, but their main location, Powell’s City of Books, occupies a full city block. Their selection is second to none, as they claim to be the world’s largest new and independent bookstore, though it was overwhelming to browse every colour-coded floor in one visit.

More books than one could ever explore

We made sure to come back more than once, easy for us given our hotel was in easy walking distance!

Loved this urban homesteading end display

Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade

In Old Town/Chinatown, we played to our heart’s content at the Ground Kontrol Classic Arcade. Most games were just 25 or 50 cents, so it was a fun and inexpensive way to relieve some of our favourite childhood video game characters.

Mario Brothers!

They had a great selection of pinball machines too!

Mack takes his games seriously

Pittock Mansion

Google Maps is deceiving sometimes. Though it indicated that the nearest bus stop was relatively close to Pittock Mansion, our destination, it turned out to be at the bottom of a very steep road that wound its way up the hill.

Deceiving sign

The mansion originally belonged to Henry Pittock, a newspaper publisher, and was built in 1909. With 22 rooms and a vantage point that including views of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers, the Pittock Mansion was a testament to their wealth and luxury.

Pittock Mansion

It was neat to see an elaborate shower of the day, with knobs that lined three sides, and a walk-in cold room with double-glazed windows a thick door.

Shower

Gorgeous library

Loved that there was a toy sausage maker!

In the fisheye mirror

As a tourist destination though, I have to say we enjoyed the walk from Pittock Mansion through Forest and Washington Parks more than visiting the house itself. So unless you have a lot of time to kill, I’d recommend skipping Pittock in favour of wandering the trails nearby.

Bridgeport Brewpub

Portland has over 30 microbreweries, so it seemed necessary to visit at least one of them. We chose the BridgePort Brewpub, which claims to be the oldest craft brewery in Oregon, stopping by for a late lunch one afternoon.

BridgePort Brewpub

The pub was divided into several rooms, including what looked to be a more polished wine bar-type space. More unique than that, however, was that a live streetcar ticker had actually been installed inside the bar – talk about making it seamless for those who’ve imbibed to use public transit!

To transit, to transit

Mack enjoyed their beer, but the food was nothing particularly special. The tomato bisque was all right, albeit a bit chunky for my taste, while the mac and cheese (topped with kettle chips!) could have used a bit more béchamel sauce.

Cheers!

Tomato bisque

Mac and cheese

Portland By Bike – Mississippi Avenue

As riding the subway in New York or London is a must, so is exploring Portland by bicycles. It was rated America’s most bicycle-friendly city by Bicycling magazine, and 6% of all trips to work are done by bike.

The bicycle infrastructure was visible as soon as we arrived. At their airport, there were signs directing arrival traffic to a bike assembly station. Bike lanes are visible all over the city (especially on main arterial roads – the same paths that major transit routes travel), and bike racks were omnipresent.

Indoor bike rack

And then there were the cyclists themselves. A critical mass is important, not only for drivers to take note of cyclists, but also for me, a novel cyclist, to feel safe. Although we do encounter cyclists in Edmonton, in Portland, they were whizzing by us at all times of day.

Critical mass

Towards the end of our trip, we rented bikes so we could experience the bike culture first hand. Pedal Bike Tours offered bicycle rentals for $35 per day (including a bike lock and helmet). It was on the pricey side, but allowed us to explore the city on two wheels, at least for the day. The company also had a great map of bike lanes crossed with their tour guides’ favourite spots in the city.

Scrutinizing another map

Earlier in the week, we had passed what looked to be a cool neighbourhood while on the bus, so chose to head back to the Mississippi Avenue, which was a 25 minute bike ride from downtown. Mack had been ribbing me a bit for being afraid to ride on the roads, but I have to say that cycling in a dedicated bike lane made a huge difference for my confidence level. I still had to be cognizant of vehicles turning right, or cars entering the lane from being parked at the curb, but it did feel like drivers knew to watch for cyclists. Other more experienced cyclists we encountered were also quite patient with me, calling out “to your left” prior to passing me in the lane.

Getting used to my wheels

The advantage of a bike, of course, is that one can cover more ground in less time than as a pedestrian, and without being at the mercy of an unknown bus schedule. It also allowed us to explore parts of the city at our leisure. Case in point – we locked up in an area a few blocks away from Mississippi Avenue, lured by unique independent shops (including a vintage dress shop in a converted double decker bus) – and ended up stumbling across Tasty N Sons, one of the most talked about restaurants at that time. We stayed for lunch, and it ended up being my favourite restaurant experience in Portland.

Double decker clothing shop

I loved the worldly brunch menu, and the vibe of the open kitchen and friendly staff. We sat at the bar, which was a great vantage point to watch the cooks at work.

At the counter

My Burmese pork stew was delicious, a lovely combination of spicy and sweet flavours, with tender pork and a fried egg served over short grain rice. Mack similarly loved his barbecue chicken hash, ablaze with Southern spices to awake the palate.

Burmese pork stew

Barbecue chicken hash

I know part of the reason the meal was memorable was due to the fact that it felt like we “earned it” through physical activity, as well as because we stumbled upon it, all because we were on a bicycle.

Waterfront cycling

Over on Mississippi Avenue, we did some window shopping. The neighbourhood offered a great mix of retail and food and drink establishments, including a food cart pod. A few of the highlights included an amazing taxidermy shop, a store that sold nothing but light bulbs, a garden centre with its own outdoor chicken coop, and The Meadow, salt expert Mark Bitterman’s exquisite shop that peddles salt, fine chocolates, and even farm fresh eggs at 45cents a pop!

Light bulbs galore

Chicken coop!

Inside The Meadow

The salt wall at The Meadow

We’d heard many good things about Por Que No? a popular taqueria. Most of its seating could be considered al fresco dining – some covered, but most occupied sidewalk territory. Mack was a little peeved that they ID’d us, but I suppose we should have taken that as a compliment.

Por Que No?

We snacked on two small tacos, and could see what the hype was all about. At $2.50 a taco, the food was dirt cheap, but didn’t taste like that – the meat was falling apart tender, set upon house-made tortillas. Alongside the sangria, it was a lovely way to enjoy the sunshine on a beautiful day.

Cool drink for a hot day

Tacos

For dessert, we tried ice cream from Ruby Jewel. Their seasonal Oregon strawberry and honey lavender flavours were delectable.

Ice cream!

Mack enjoys his ice cream

Although I am still hesitant about cycling in Edmonton (beyond leisure purposes), I really enjoyed the opportunity to explore what it is like in a bike-friendly city. I would encourage anyone heading to Portland to plan for some time on two wheels!

Discover Your Roots: Eat Alberta 2013

I can’t believe we’re already on our third Eat Alberta! The hands-on food conference, an opportunity for consumers to learn about how to grow, forage and prepare food from some of Alberta’s most knowledgeable food personalities, will be taking place again this April.

What: Eat Alberta 2013
When: Saturday, April 20, 2013
Time: 8:30am-5:30pm
Where: Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, 11762 106 Street

We are thrilled to be returning to the kitchens of NAIT, which turned out to be a brilliant venue for the event last year.

Owen Petersen and his Sourdough 101 class

Our keynote speaker this year is Jeff Senger of Sangudo Custom Meat Packers. Jeff will be sharing his story of transition from an urban to a rural lifestyle, one that pulled him from his desk-bound accounting job to a labour-intensive career as a butcher.

We are happy that some of our former instructors are back to share their wisdom with a new group of students this year, including:

Sourdough 101, led by Owen Petersen of Prairie Mill
Knife Skills, led by Kevin Kent of Knifewear
Cheese Making, led by Chef Allan Roote of NAIT
Artisan Sausage Making, led by Allan Suddaby of Elm Cafe
Vinaigrettes: More Than Just Salad Dressings, led by Chef Elaine Wilson of Allium Foodworks

Kevin Kent of Knifewear

But of course, we are also welcoming many new presenters, who will be teaching some exciting sessions, including:

Bacon Making, led by Chad Moss of Shovel & Fork
Perogy Making, led by Chef David Omar of ZINC
The Whole Chicken, led by Chef Nevin Fenske of Drift Food Truck
Saskatoon Pie Making, led by Chef Tracy Zizek of Cafe de Ville
PICKLES!, led by Joanna Alleyne of Mojojojo Pickles
So You Want to be an Urban Farmer, led by Travis Kennedy of Lactuca Farm

Making gnocchi at Eat Alberta 2012

Undoubtedly, hands-on sessions are the most popular, and past feedback has indicated that we needed a better system of ensuring a fair distribution of these sessions. So this year, we have organized different “tracks” made up of four session each, the majority of which include two hands on sessions, one guided tasting and one presentation. We know that all of our presenters are passionate and engaging, so we are confident that no matter which track you choose, you will not only learn a lot, but will have a great time in the process!

We have also added an MC to help facilitate the day, none other than Jennifer Crosby of Global TV. Jennifer is a farm girl from Northern BC, and is a regular contributor to Taste Alberta. And in place of a plenary panel to end the day, we are introducing a series of two-minute “lightning talks” as a way to connect attendees with other food-related resources and organizations in the community. At the end of the day, although we have changed a few elements this year, we stayed true to our commitment to highlighting food skills and connecting consumers with local and regional products.

Tickets are $135 each, and include 2 plenary sessions, 4 concurrent sessions, breakfast, lunch and a wine down. Tickets for Eat Alberta will go on sale next week, but in the meantime, make sure you sign up for the mailing list on the website. We will be sending out a notice to let you know when the tickets go live!

I hope to see you out at Eat Alberta!

Culinary Q & A with Robyn

Occupation: Certified Management Accountant

What did you eat today?

Home-made banana bread for breakfast and home-made chicken soup for lunch. For dinner, my mom was trying out a new recipe from Serious Eats, The Ultimate King Ranch Casserole.

What do you never eat?

Eggs— well, I eat them in things, like cookie and cakes, but I just can’t stomach eggs by themselves. I really wish I liked them, but I just don’t!

What is your personal specialty?

I love to make a big home-made Italian dinner “feast” from scratch; garlic bread and Caesar salad, with Chicken Picatta and angel hair, Spaghetti Bolognese or some sort of other delicious pasta creation.

Complete this sentence: In my refrigerator, you will always find:

Siracha, yogurt, milk and some bananas in the freezer for my morning breakfast smoothie.

What is your weekday meal standby?

A smoothie for breakfast almost every week day. Does that count?

What is your favourite kitchen item?

My Henckels Chef’s knife, but I also really love any sort of tiny kitchen utensil, like my tiny whisk or spatula. Cute and functional!

World ends tomorrow. Describe your last meal.

My mom’s prime rib dinner complete with mashed potatoes, gravy and yorkshire pudding. For dessert, probably my mom’s homemade hot fudge sauce over vanilla ice cream.

Where do you eat out most frequently?

Probably La Pagode for Vietnamese food.

Where’s the best place to eat in Edmonton?

Right now, I would say Corso 32 and Sofra are my favourites.

If you weren’t limited by geography, where and what would you eat?

I really want to go everywhere and eat everything, but if I had to pick just one thing right now I would go to the little Trattoria we called “Mario’s” in Cortona, Italy. I did a semester abroad in Italy and I think Mario’s might have had the best food in all of Italy. So simple and delicious! I would order the Spaghetti Aglione, Tiramisu and nice big glass of red wine.

Check out Robyn’s blog at Life is Better Red.

Food Notes for March 4, 2013

We had a great time in Calgary, as we always seem to. I’ll get to writing about the trip in more detail at some point, but the highlight was a meal at the new hotspot, Market. On to this week’s food notes:

Want to try Sailin’ On’s food before their truck hits the streets? Head to the Vegans and Vegetarians of Alberta’s potluck on March 10, 2013. Sailin’ On will be handing out free burritos!
The Culinary Arts Cookoff is fast approaching! The fundraiser for Mt. Royal Elementary takes place on March 16, 2013. Keep up to date with participant bios and other developments on the website.
Help a new farm-to-table initiative celebrate their first event this month!. The Ten Mile Meal debuts in Calmar, Alberta on March 23, 2013. Tickets are $50.
I had no idea 4th and Vine had even closed until I saw a review of Bistro Saisons (11358 104 Avenue), the new restaurant that has taken its place.
It looks like the Elephant & Castle in Edmonton City Centre is now a Fionn MacCool’s.
It was the week of lists! First up, Western Living Magazine released their annual round up of Top 40 Foodies Under 40. Congrats to the Edmonton contingent, including the founders of Famoso, Jacob Pelletier of Duchess, Emily and Sean Superkoski of Mighty Trio Organics, the chefs of Staff Meal Edmonton, the men behind Three Boars, and Blair Lebsack of RGE RD.
To celebrate their 100th issue, The Tomato compiled a list of the Top 100 Best Things to Eat or Drink in Edmonton. #1 on the list was the spaghetti Bolognese from Corso 32.
Last but not least, Avenue Edmonton published their Best Restaurants list. Corso 32 again topped the list, with The Marc, Wildflower, Three Boars and MRKT rounding out the top 5. Although I really liked MRKT when it first opened, the fact that their menu has remained unchanged after two years hasn’t encouraged many repeat visits. Given Corso was praised for their “balance between consistency and change”, I’m a little surprised MRKT had such a high standing for essentially the opposite.
Avenue Calgary released their milestone 10th annual food issue this month as well. I love their idea for the “best potluck ever” – with dishes from 33 of the city’s best restaurants. What would be on your ultimate potluck list?
I would never have guessed that the horse meat scandal in Europe would cause a spike in sales.
I love this Travel Alberta video, where some of the city’s notable food writers share what they consider to be “Edmonton’s dish”.
Though it was unfortunately not a surprise, City Council passed the Horse Hills Area Structure Plan on Tuesday.
I was a little disappointed to find out that Lay’s wouldn’t be selling their Chicken and Waffles flavour chips in Canada, but apparently, there is a reason why (on a side note, I can’t believe the statistic that Canadians consume almost twice as much vegetables as the average American).
Have you seen the chocolate ad featuring a CGI-recreated Audrey Hepburn? Do you think it is classic or creepy?
The rumours are true! A cheese shop is opening up on 104 Street in the Phillips Lofts. It turns out The Cavern will also serve up coffee and small plates.

The Cavern

After a meeting in the area last week, Mack and I headed to The Next Act for dinner. I had been thinking about their Cajun fish sandwich for a while – and it certainly hit the spot!

Cajun fish sandwich

Pulled pork sandwich

Fringe Dishes: Kobe Japanese Bistro

When Mack and I eat at a Japanese restaurant, we feel a little like a vegetarian would dining at a steakhouse. Although there are typically items that suit our taste (i.e., cooked items), they’re always the periphery of the menu, and really, a last resort meant for Western palates. In many ways, that was one of the reasons I was so excited for the appearance of Edmonton’s first izakaya – all of the flavours of Japanese cuisine that I enjoy featured at the forefront of the menu instead of being an afterthought.

Anyway, to celebrate Kim’s birthday on the weekend, we headed to Kobe Japanese Bistro in the Callingwood. It was the ideal restaurant for the rest of Mack’s family, who all love sushi. Kim had ordered takeout from Kobe many times, but this was her first time dining in, as it was for the rest of us.

It was moderately busy on the Sunday evening, though to be honest, from the privacy of the high-backed booth, we couldn’t monitor the activity of the restaurant save the parties walking directly past our table. The booth felt almost as exclusive as those private rooms found at other Japanese eateries, without the fuss.

The rest of the party ordered an array of sushi, while Mack and I stuck to the rice bowls and udon. All of our food arrived lightning fast – the kitchen certainly wasted no time! No doubt, the sushi platter dazzled when delivered to the table.

Deluxe combination

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the cooked dishes – presentation was far from their strength. Some visually appealing garnish would have been welcome, but the separate components turned out to be positive at least for the agedashi tofu ($5.50) – with a tempura sauce served on the side (instead of with the tofu), it remained impossibly hot and crispy, batter adherence and all.

Agedashi tofu and chicken teriyaki udon

I enjoyed the broth and udon well enough ($9), though the chicken was on the dry side. Mack’s chicken teriyaki donburi ($9) was similarly dry. Warned by Kim that the bowl came without any accompanying vegetables, he also ordered a side of pan-fried vegetables ($5). It turned out to be a generous serving enough for two or three people; it’s curious why a smaller portion of these vegetables wouldn’t be a standard part of the rice bowls to start with.

Chicken teriyaki donburi

Pan-fried vegetables

Service was excellent; when our server found out it was Kim’s birthday, to end our meal, he brought two scoops of green tea ice cream topped off with a candle.

Happy birthday, Kim!

While we can’t speak to the quality of the sushi, for our Western palates, Kobe Japanese Bistro did all right. I’d still sooner head to Izakaya Tomo for my Japanese food fix, but in a pinch, Kobe would do.

Kobe Japanese Bistro
#516, 6655 178 Street
(780) 444-7878

The Cooking Chronicles: Random Recipes

I do my best to try and group the random series of recipes that I decide to make from week to week, and sometimes it is a great stretch to connect two seemingly diverse dishes. This time, I won’t even try!

Tuscan Kale and Farro Soup

I think I’m in love. With farro that is. We had great success with a salad recipe that incorporated the chewy, nutty grains together with a variety of fresh produce, but even better was a Rachael Ray recipe that called for farro to be served in broth.

This Tuscan kale and farro soup was not only healthy, but substantial, packed with white beans, tomatoes and kale. But it was the farro that made the dish – it was hard to think about serving this soup without the grain that added texture and a depth that no pasta or rice could accomplish. Like farro, this recipe is a keeper!

Tuscan kale and farro soup (yes, that is steam fogging up the camera lens…)

Swedish Meatballs

In the fall, I made a loose commitment that 2013 would be the year of the slow cooker for me. I had bought a copy of Slow Cooker Revolution by America’s Test Kitchen, which, unlike most slow cooker bibles, features colour photographs of every recipe. Unfortunately, what I didn’t realize until I took a closer look at the book was that many of their recipes involved several steps that preceded the use of the slow cooker, or, a technique of cooking part of the dish in a foil packet that would rest on top of the bubbling mass. I wasn’t too comfortable with the latter; baking in parchment is one thing, but cooking for a prolonged period of time in foil is another.

I finally attempted a recipe that fell into the first category – even though I resented it almost the whole way through (why was I “slaving away”? how many dishes is this going to take? wasn’t the slow cooker supposed to do the heavy lifting for me?). The recipe for Swedish meatballs involved browning the meatballs in a hot oven first, and preparing a gravy. I halved the recipe – 60 meatballs seemed a little much for two people, even for leftovers. After the fact, I found that it was a great technique to help render out some of the fat, and it wasn’t as time consuming as I originally thought.

Baked meatballs

In hindsight, I should have kept the originally specific amount of gravy – the final product was a little dry. The meatballs themselves had a good flavour profile – the allspice and nutmeg really came through – though both Mack and I commented that they didn’t have that telltale processed “springiness” of Ikea’s Swedish meatballs.

Swedish meatballs, made with First Nature Farms beef, served with Erdmann’s mashed potatoes

I’m not sure the time in the slow cooker really showed, though I’d have to compare it with a straight baking technique to be sure. This recipe might come in handy for entertaining, but otherwise, I will be sticking to other meatball recipes in the future!

Food Notes for February 25, 2013

It may only be Monday, but I’m already looking forward to the weekend! Mack and I are planning to head down to Calgary to celebrate a special occasion, but it really couldn’t have come at a better time – I think we’re both more than ready for a mini-break! On to this week’s food notes:

It might be too late to enter, but this Great Chocolate Chip Cookie Bakeoff on February 26, 2013 sounds like it will be a lot of fun (especially for the judges!).
Mark your calendar: this year’s Downtown Dining Week will run from March 15-24, 2013. Thirty restaurants are participating.
Da Capo tweeted that their 109 Street location will be re-opening on March 1 as Pizzeria Rosso. Expect wood fired pizza!
Nearby, Vancouver-based Waves Coffee House is opening an Edmonton location in the old KFC on 109 Street.
I was sorry to hear about the flood at Colonel Mustard’s last week that has now left the restaurant uncertain whether or not they can recover.
I missed linking to this post last week, about an upcoming eatery in Belgravia which promises a locally-focused, seasonal menu.
Great to see Michelle Peters-Jones profiled in the Journal! I had no idea she snapped over 100 shots before settling on *the* photo, but it would make sense given her visuals are consistently stunning.
NAIT announced that this year’s Hokanson Chef in Residence will be San Francisco-based Chris Consentino. Enter to win tickets to a four-course tasting menu here.
Apple month is coming to an end, but if you needed a hit of inspiration, check out Valerie’s post which captures the creativity of the NAIT Culinary Arts students who participated in the BC Tree Fruits apple cooking challenge.
Given the meteoric rise of yogurt (doesn’t there seem to be a new probiotic product available every month?), it’s not surprising that there’s now a type of yogurt targeting men.
I haven’t been to Roast in a while, but this weekend, noticed their new coffee display. It turns out they are now serving Fratello-roasted coffee (a Calgary-based roaster).

Roast coffee

I’ve been craving fish and chips for a while, so on Thursday, Mack and I headed to the Kelly’s Pub on 104 Street to satisfy that craving. It was my first time inside the pub, though I’ve passed it enough times to know it is always busy. With its low-key vibe and casual menu, I could see how it has become the post-work spot of choice of many. Mack enjoyed his burger and the fish and chips hit the spot, but Kelly’s might want to re-think their serving dishes. The burger was served on a narrow, flimsy board, while the accompanying fries could not maintain their crispness piled in a bucket. My fish and chips were served in a paper-lined basket, which, grease-soaked, was easy to cut through with my knife and fork. It reminded us a bit of Mercer Tavern’s awkward serving platter for fish and chips – hopefully this doesn’t speak to a trend of form over function.

Bacon cheddar burger

Fish and chips

Mack’s Dad was in town on the weekend, and with time on Saturday for dinner, we thought it was time to introduce him to Tres Carnales. It was packed, as expected, but the wait wasn’t unmanageable, especially with a sangria in hand. Martin gave two thumbs up to the tacos, and commented that they were better than those he sampled in San Diego recently. We will have to make sure our next visit is sooner rather than later!

Guac & chips

Pescado

Carnitas

Portland: To Market, To Market

Whenever we’re travelling, we make it a point to visit the city’s markets – they are not only great places to shop for memorable souvenirs (edible or otherwise), but it is also a wonderful opportunity to learn about the range of produce that can be grown, and the unique artisans and artists that call that city home. Things were no different when we vacationed in Portland.

Farmers’ Market @ Portland State University

I had been looking forward to visiting the Portland Farmers’ Market located at Portland State University since we arrived. It was easily among the first things to go on our itinerary, and with over 200 food vendors, we knew we would need a bit of time to explore the grounds.

Portland Farmers’ Market

Tempting

It was a beautiful location to start with, the paths lined with mature trees. Vehicle access was limited (as it is on our own campus), so it made the shopping experience even more pleasant.

I loved the trees

Mack enjoyed the didgeridoo

Peppers being roasted on site

We started our visit off with breakfast at Pine State Biscuits, an institution in Portland (I remember Filistix’s first What the Truck?! menu featured a Pine State-inspired dish). They had quite the set-up for a food vendor, complete with a griddle and an oven (they had to keep those biscuits warm somehow!).

Pine State Biscuits

Each oversized biscuit was a buttery indulgence, flaky and perfectly soft on the inside. The additional cheese and bacon was probably overkill at that point, but I can’t say we didn’t enjoy every calorie.

Bacon and cheese biscuit sandwich

Satiated, we joined the throngs in exploring aisle after aisle of harvest goodness. Mack got a little sick of me fawning over all of the produce, but it seemed around every corner, there was another gorgeous display of heirloom tomatoes, greens, or fruit.

Fresh collard greens!

Gorgeous squash

Artichokes

Many varieties of apples I’ve never encountered before (including a sweet red-fleshed one)

Ginger

I heart heirloom tomatoes

Given the vast majority of vendors seemed to offer fresh produce (instead of prepared food), aesthetics were even more important, as a means to lure customers in and away from the competition. As a result, vendors used quantities and colours to their advantage, and I have to say, it was even harder for me to look and not buy everything around me!

More greens than we could handle

Tomatoes

So much colour

More tomatoes

In addition to the vendors, the Farmers’ Market had organized cooking demos, spread throughout the day, and had a “veggie valet” as an option (something that has been employed by the City Market for the last few years).

Chef in the market

If you’re visiting Portland, the PSU market is a must!

Portland Saturday Market

The farmers’ market at PSU did not feature any non-food vendors, so for our arts and crafts fix, we headed over to the Portland Saturday Market immediately after.

Portland Saturday Market

Located under the Burnside Bridge in Old Town, the market looked like tourist central, with attention-grabbing buskers and summer fair food stands vying for our attention in and amongst the great variety of jewellery, paintings and other handicrafts available for sale.

Busy place

It was certainly a festive atmosphere, and a great place to browse. I ended up with a beautiful acid-etched necklace from Heartstrings Studio.

Portland Farmers’ Market @ Pioneer Courthouse Square

Unlike Edmonton’s farmers’ markets, which are all individually-run, the Portland Farmers’ Market runs six different markets that take place in the urban core (not all of the area’s markets, but a significant number). We had the chance to visit a smaller collection of vendors run by the Portland Farmers’ Market at Pioneer Courthouse Square on Mondays from June to September.

Monday farmers’ market

The hours of 10am-2pm seemed a bit unusual to us, as only those who worked in the immediate area would be able to partake, but perhaps that was their target demographic after all.

Vendors

It was a modest market to be sure, but with several produce and meat vendors on hand, staples were well covered. We were also happy to see Olympic Provisions on hand again – we would never turn down an opportunity to sample their salumi!

“Meat Here”

There were also quite a few hot food vendors, so later that day, we were certain the business crowd would be descending to take advantage of the al fresco lunch possibility.

The markets all provided a peek into Portland’s agricultural and creative wealth. Make sure to check them out if you have a chance!

IllumiNITE 2013

Similar to Deep Freeze, IllumiNITE is another grassroots, community-led festival that celebrates winter (in this case, its darkness), and provides a great opportunity for people to engage with art outdoors.

Last weekend, the festival took over the pocket park on 104 Street, lining the paths with fourteen different light sculptures.

Pocket Park

Like last year, it was wonderful to see the creativity and imagination from the different artists. The life-sized Street Brite by Chris van der Hoek and Bobby Harris was a fun example of interactive art – kids and adults alike were having a blast playing with the display.

Street Brite

I also appreciated the installations that took the park itself into consideration, whether that meant a projection and enhancement of a pine tree, or the use of trees as a structural element.

Untitled by Laurissa Kalinowsky and team

Lighting was used in different ways too – I loved the eye-catching Morse code display, as well as the ethereal piece strung up on the hill.

Though we didn’t partake, bannock making was in full swing as well! Fires and food are always a good cold weather combination.

Bannock making

A pop-up shop was also set up in former 29 Armstrong space, and after the fact, we heard that there was an ice bar outside of Cask & Barrel. It wasn’t evident on the street that there was anything south of Jasper Avenue, so a minor improvement for next year would be to include a small map on the program. But otherwise, another fantastic event by the organizing committee – bravo on a second successful year!

Date Night: Pasta Pantry and Jacek Chocolate Couture Tasting

The weekend prior to Valentine’s Day, Mack and I headed to Sherwood Park for dinner and a paired wine and chocolate tasting. The latter was the primary reason that drew us to the suburb, but we decided to take advantage of that excuse and have dinner nearby as well.

I had heard of Pasta Pantry through work colleagues, and a quick gander on their website gave me the impression that dinner would be an inexpensive affair (a small pasta was advertised at $7.95). Given the $65 tickets to the tasting were on the high end of the spectrum, we thought this dinner would help balance things out.

We arrived at a non-descript strip mall just after 5pm, and were surprised to find an absolutely frenzied restaurant. I would not have guessed that a cafeteria-style cantina would be the most hopping place in Sherwood Park on a Saturday night, but I was wrong. We queued up, doing our best to scan the whiteboard menu quickly, and eyed our options on the other side of the glass. I probably should have taken more time to consider the possibilities, but I didn’t want to hold up the growing line behind me, and hastily chose a small pasta topped with alfredo sauce and one meatball. Mack ordered a large pasta with the four cheese sauce and two meatballs. Our total bill was just under $25.

Pasta Pantry

As we had dinner, we couldn’t believe the number of people streaming in – the line was consistently out the door for the duration of our meal. Most were take-out customers, but given the very basic sauce over pasta in front of us, we had to wonder if there was something we were missing. Mack’s four cheese sauce was the better of the two, and sure, the meatballs were tasty, but we were hard pressed to say the fare at Pasta Pantry was much better than dishes found at an Italian food court kiosk (we heard later that their pasticcio is their specialty, but they were out when it was our turn to order).

Pasta with alfredo sauce

Pasta with four cheese sauce

Service was speedy, and the owner made the rounds to check in with diners. We appreciated that personal touch, but what stood out most from our dinner was actually the live music. A young duo, led by Jordan Kaminski, played an assortment of pop covers and originals during our visit, and really helped elevate an otherwise bland experience. Given most of the customers didn’t stay, I would imagine the entertainment wasn’t the primary draw for the restaurant, but it should have been. Though we likely won’t be returning to Pasta Pantry anytime soon, we will be keeping an eye out for the talented young singers!

Following dinner, we headed over to Baseline Wines. About a year ago, the store moved from Baseline to a brand new space on Athabascan Avenue, and before the tasting, we wandered the store to peruse their displays and inventory.

Baseline Wines

We also couldn’t help but admire the glassed-in tasting room, minimally decorated but stunning. Mack and I had to restrain ourselves from indulging right then and there!

Beautifully set table

After all the guests had arrived. we took our seats. Ryan, Manager of Baseline Wines and Jacqueline, the Jacek Chocolate Couture Cocoanista herself, would be leading the tasting. As the evening went on, we found out how fortunate we were to have a wine and a chocolate expert at our disposal, as each of them shed insight on how each pairing worked. Ryan explained that chocolate was inherently difficult to pair with wine (contrary to popular belief) because the amount of tannins in the cocoa most often react negatively with wine. As a result, Ryan shared that he tried to either complement or contrast with the flavours in each piece of chocolate.

Jaqueline Jacek

We were served a total of seven wines (one reception wine, and six to be paired with the six chocolate pieces in front of us). Ryan and Jacqueline guided us through each pairing, providing background on the chocolate and wine, and then encouraged us to sample each individually, then together.

The spread

Though this wasn’t my first time sampling Jacek chocolates, it was the first time I’ve been able to listen to Jacqueline speak about her creative and production process in a detailed way. Her attention to detail absolutely blew me away, and was something I wouldn’t have appreciated without such a measured opportunity to learn about her chocolates. Her current Spring 2013 collection is all about nostalgia, so it is no surprise to find childhood throwbacks like old fashioned root beer celebrated. But what I didn’t expect was for Jaqueline to tell us that instead of reducing down store-bought root beer, she sourced the needed roots like sassafras from Chinatown herbal stores for the syrup. And to simulate the froth of a root beer float, she sprinkled each truffle with citric acid for a pop on the tongue – genius.

Mack takes a whiff of the root beer syrup ingredients

My favourite truffle that we sampled that night was the Shirley Temple. I loved the bright and creamy citrus flavour, but even better was the way the grenadine drop bled into the ganache. For Jacqueline, this was a representation of the coloured layers blending together when one stirs up a Shirley Temple.

Our favourite pairing was a Quinta de La Rosa Port with a single-origin Mokaya Mexican chocolate (unfortunately, not available for sale). I’m not a fan of port, but I found the dark chocolate complemented the smooth port perfectly.

Baseline Wines and Jacek Chocolate Couture partner for these tastings on the release of every new collection (this was their third pairing event). Based on our experience, we thought the tickets were well worth the price (we even got to take home a box of chocolate each!), and was a wonderful way to learn about chocolate and wine. Sign up for Jacek’s mailing list to keep informed, and make sure to reserve your tickets early!

Pasta Pantry
305, 101 Granada Boulevard, Sherwood Park
(780) 467-3777

Baseline Wines
11 Athabascan Avenue, Unit 172, Sherwood Park
(780) 449-4448

Jacek Chocolate Couture
406 Kaska Road, Sherwood Park
(780) 464-5200

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