Alberta Avenue Adventures: Elm Café and Deep Freeze Festival

It’s been some time since Mack and I have had a brunch date, so earlier today, we sought to rectify that. I caught an Elm Café tweet that their Alberta Avenue dining room would be hosting brunch this weekend; given we were heading to the Deep Freeze Festival later anyway, it made sense to start off our day there.

Although the Elm Café dining room doesn’t offer meals on a regular basis, they’re worth looking out for. Our last visit involved a variety of Austrian dumplings, and this time, a straightforward, but satisfying brunch menu.

The expansive windows also illuminated the room well, and its street-level windows lent itself to people watching.

Dining room

Mack and I shared the buttermilk biscuit ($4), warmed and served with stone fruit jam and butter. If we hadn’t agreed to split the order initially, I think we would have wound up fighting over the scraps!

Buttermilk biscuit

The caramel apple French toast ($14) was decidedly even richer with a layer of Irvings bacon. I loved the finishing touch of crisp matchstick apples.

Caramel apple French toast

Mack’s corned beef hash ($14) was made up of some of his favourite things. He found the house-made corned beef particularly tasty, and appreciated the sweetness of the peppers.

Corned beef hash

Allan (who was in the kitchen this morning) was sweet enough to make us an extra treat too.

Mini tarts with yogurt and rhubarb compote

The leisurely brunch was just what we wanted – hopefully we can look forward to more festival meal pairings in the future!

Afterwards, we walked outside to explore the Deep Freeze Festival. Over the years, it has become our favourite winter festival – the range of activities appeal to visitors young and old, and with displays, games, music, and old fashioned outdoor fun, there is no shortage of things to see and do.

Cabane a sucre

Ice carvers at work

The festival organizers did a great job of improving the layout this year, by putting the thaw hut competition and deep freezer races right along 118 Avenue, encouraging even more walk-by traffic.

Dustin Bajer in his thaw hut entry (constructed with Paul Giang)

Deep freezer race!

As in past years as well, I appreciate that the audio of the indoor musical performances are piped outdoors, tying the different spaces together and providing a common soundtrack for the event.

The always popular ice slide

This year’s viking theme was visually prevalent throughout the festival, though I have to say my favourite incarnation was the stunning ice-carved viking ship that functioned as the outdoor concession stand.

Streetpole art

Ice bar

Kids at heart, Mack and I took advantage of the wagon rides, always a great vantage point to admire the neighbourhood’s tree-lined streets.

Beautiful horses

Wagon ride

Congratulations to the organizers for what looks to be another successful year!

Check out Mack’s post on Deep Freeze for a video overview of what to expect!

Deep Freeze 2013

Before the sixth annual Deep Freeze Festival kicked off, Christy Morin, Artistic Director, told the Edmonton Journal, “It’s really turning into a great Edmonton community festival.” I couldn’t agree more, as one would be hard pressed to find a better example of a free, family-friendly winter event that gives Edmontonians a great reason to venture outside and interact with our climate, in a way that doesn’t break the bank (here’s looking at you, Metropolis).

The always popular horse and carriage

Mack and I took the bus over to the Alberta Avenue community yesterday afternoon to take part in the festivities. The weather was cooperating, with temperatures falling in between last year’s equivalent of a spring thaw, and 2011’s shockingly cold conditions.

Bannock making

Although there was a lot to see and do, there were still a lot of things in progress at that time. For example, some of the thaw huts, constructed to try and capture the sun’s warmth, were still being put together.

Thaw hut under construction

Mack enjoys the warmth of one of the completed huts

The chainsaws and chisels were also out in full force over in the ice sculpting compound, the artists still in the midst of creating their pieces of work. Some of the shapes relating to this year’s “Wild West” theme were starting to come through – a cactus here, a horse there.

Carving in progress

It was a theme that was carried through many of the other exhibits, from the horse and carriage snow sculpture to the gold mine ice slide, to the amazing pistol-shaped ice bar.

Beautiful snow sculpture

Ice bar

In the outdoor saloon

I think Deep Freeze excels in offering active programming. Kids and adults alike were having a blast trying to beat log sawing times, trying their hand at curling, or skating on the ice surface.

Log sawing

Olde tyme curling

Mack and I were most looking forward to watching the deep freezer races, where old freezers strapped with skis were pushed across a snowy track. We’ve missed this event over the past few years, but were glad to finally catch it – it looked like so much fun!

See those freezers go!

Congrats to the organizers for a great event – Deep Freeze is one festival that just seems like it gets better and better every year!

Deep Freeze 2012

Mack and I had great intentions to make it out to the Deep Freeze Festival on Saturday night (three words: Bailey’s Ice Bar!), but after a morning of running errands, we ended up taking it easy the rest of the day. This morning, however, we decided it was simply too beautiful outside not to take advantage of it, so off to Alberta Avenue we went.

Jousting

What a difference one year makes – our first time at the festival last year saw us trudging through several feet of snow, in temperatures of –20 with windchill. This year? Clean pavement, sunny skies, and temperatures warm enough to melt the snow and ice sculptures that were on display.

Wagon rides (look at that sky!)

Of course, we weren’t complaining, and neither were the hefty crowds! There were at least double the numbers on the grounds this year, all taking advantage of our unseasonably balmy winter. We saw several people flaunting shorts, and even one man brave enough to sport flip flops!

Mack behind the soon-to-be-liquid bar

Formerly frozen x’s and o’s

I’m not sure if the organizers knew how warm it would be, but their “Surf’s Up: a Snow to Sand Winter Adventure” theme ended up being rather fitting. At the rate some of the displays were melting, we were sure they wouldn’t last another day.

Still at it (Mack liked how patrons could text in votes for their favourite sculptures)

But they did their best to manage the thaw – the ice slide had been decorated with pine trees and dressed with slabs of snow to disguise its rapidly deteriorating structure. And really, the kids didn’t seem to mind – they were having a blast! The skating and curling surfaces also seemed to hold up well, though we didn’t partake in either.

Rinks

Hurry hard!

What I couldn’t resist was Vlad’s Village Pig ($7 for pork on a bun). Roasted on a spit on-site, we were lucky to end up with a fresh piece of pork, carved off the third (and final) pig. Our serving had some of the succulent meat, and quite a bit of the crispy, flavourful skin. Score!

Carving up a storm

A volunteer holds up one of the pig heads (we were told that the snout has qualities in it to prevent illness – haven’t heard that before)

My sandwich!

Based on how packed the Community Hall was, we think this festival might be outgrowing its space – which is a good thing, because Deep Freeze is a gem that we hope more people discover. See you next year!

Deep Freeze 2011

After writing off Saturday as a snow day, Mack and I put on our boots this afternoon, hopped on public transit, and headed to Alberta Avenue to take in the fourth annual Deep Freeze: A Byzantine Winter Festival.

Follow the path

It was our first time at the festival, as previous intentions to visit never panned out. After this experience, however, it’s safe to say it will easily become an event to look forward to every year.

There were so many things going on for kids and adults alike – both indoors and outside (great planning, given it was –20C with the windchill today). 118 Avenue was closed from 90 to 95 Street to accommodate festivities, which included many roaring warming fires, a street hockey tournament, outdoor performances and cabane a sucre (sugar house)!

Mummers theatre

On the Avenue

To partake in the Quebecois tradition, I bought a popsicle stick for $2, and waited for a volunteer to pour hot maple syrup onto the snow patted down in raised boxes. It was my first time at this, and pulling and wrapping the maple taffy around the stick in a uniform manner was more difficult than I expected (I’m pretty sure the two kids next to me did a better job). It was a sweet treat!

Pouring the syrup

C’mon taffy!

With my finished product

I was perhaps most excited to check out the mini Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market, set up inside the Old Cycle Building.

Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market

Though not all of the vendors were available for this special market, several of the regulars were on hand, including Shooting Star Ranch and The Chocolate Doctors. Johnson Family Farms, a new vendor to Alberta Avenue (they also sell at Salisbury), was also present. They sell eggs, chicken, turkey, pork and beef, and perhaps the most unique – farm fresh butter and cream.

Sharon Johnson of Johnson Family Farms

The Alberta Avenue market resumes its weekly Thursday schedule on January 13, 2011, with new hours: 5-8pm.

The rest of the space was filled with a variety of arts and crafts vendors – everything from photographs, to prints, to mittens made from old sweaters. I was charmed by the monster/city print designs of Whiteout Workshop, and picked up a cute pink coin purse as a result.

Arts market

Though there were a fair number of people outside (especially given the weather), it was busiest inside the Alberta Avenue Community Centre.

Alberta Avenue Community Centre

There was live music, courtesy of Allez Ouest & Friends, and French Canadian cuisine available from the kitchen. We opted to try their poutine ($6). It hit the spot, and yes, did feature squeaky cheese!

Allez Ouest & Friends

Poutine

Warmed, we wandered back outside through the Enchanted Forest (bravo to festival organizers for clear signage, by the way), we took in ice sculptures and olde tyme curling, among other things. There was also a hot dog/marshmallow roast available, family snow sculpture carving and outdoor ice skating with free skate rentals.

Mack’s favourite sculpture (check out those teeth!)

Curling

We finished our day with a wagon ride (I’m not sure what it is about horses and wagons, but I can’t help myself). We ended up sitting with Marianne and Charles, who were just beginning their visit to Deep Freeze!

Cold, but happy

Whee!

Deep Freeze was the first Winter Light event on the calendar – next up is Ice on Whyte, which runs January 13-23, 2011. See you there!

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