LitFest 2012: Roaring Twenties

After returning from a weeklong jaunt to BC late Tuesday night, there were certainly more productive things we could have done on Wednesday, such as grocery shopping. But with the promise of a whisky tasting and burlesque, we threw practicality to the wind and headed to Roast Coffehouse after work yesterday.

LitFest, Canada’s only non-fiction festival, were throwing a Roaring Twenties party to kick off this year’s festival. Mack and I were fortunate to receive guest invitations, and were so glad we were able to make it.

Roaring Twenties hosts Jennifer Cockrall-King and Tracy Hyatt in their Twenties finery

Roast accommodated the modest crowd well, its brick and Edison-bulb glow well-suited to the theme of the night. The thoughtful program also encouraged mingling and movement through the space, with well-timed breaks between the readings and performances.

Though the event advertised a number of readings, the evening was so much more than that. Ottawa-based sommelier and independent whisky expert Davin de Kergommeaux kicked things off with an introduction to Canadian whiskies by reading an excerpt from his book, Canadian Whisky: The Portable Expert. He noted that we are experiencing a “renaissance for Canadian whiskies”, and encouraged the crowd to partake in one (or several) of the eight whiskies being poured at the event. We also learned that adding ice and even water (gasp!) to whiskies is acceptable, depending on your palate.

Mack enjoys his whisky sour

While I have to say I much preferred the whisky sour cocktail poured for us to start, it was interesting to compare and contrast several whiskies in a short period of time. Our favourite turned out to be Gibson’s Finest 100th Grey Cup anniversary edition. Made from their 12 year old whisky, a dash of maple syrup was added for a link to Canadiana. Smooth and subtly sweet, it was the easiest drinking of the whiskies we tried straight up.

Gibson’s Finest line-up

Edmonton-based author Curtis Gillespie added his own sense of history with a reading from his current book, Almost There: the Family Vacation, Then and Now. He described it as part-memoir, recounting his own remarkable trips growing up, leading to perhaps the most memorable moment of the night – an anecdote involving a squirmy four year old, a car seat, and a severed finger.

Almost There

After each of the brief readings, as LitFest Chair Jennifer Cockrall-King put it, they offered a “sprinkling of sin”. That is, performances from the ladies of Capital City Burlesque.

Some of the ladies of Capital City Burlesque

Congratulations to the organizers for a fantastic opening event! But this was just the beginning – there are over 30 different events happening over the next ten days. I know I’m looking forward to Food Matters on October 27, 2012 that will be highlighting examples of local food production. Thanks again to LitFest for the invitation!

Date Night: El Rancho and Retro Drive-In

Mack and I love taking in a dinner and a movie as much as the next couple, but there are so many other interesting things to do in Edmonton. “Date Night” will be a semi-regular series highlighting some of these ideas.

Funny enough, the first of this series features the aforementioned dinner and a movie format, but with a bit of a twist. Last Friday, we headed toward the Alberta Avenue neighbourhood for dinner. Though our original intention was to dine at Cafe Amore, the restaurant was closed for a private function, so we ended up at El Rancho (11810 87 Street).

It has been some time since I’ve been to the El Salvadorian establishment, and this was Mack’s first visit. Clearly, it hasn’t lost its popularity, as all the tables had been claimed by the time we finished our supper.

We shared the Antojitos Platter for two amigos ($16.95), and ordered two mixed pupusas ($2.75) on top of that. It was a great way to reacquaint myself with their dishes. Though the flautas (fried, rolled tortillas) and tacos were good, Mack and I both agreed that our favourite was the crispy enchiladas, topped with shredded chicken, a pickled slaw and a touch of tart salsa was a lovely combination of flavours.

Antojitos Platter

The pupusas were also a nice treat, if not only because it meant we could help ourselves to a bit more of the pickled cabbage to accent the savoury combination of mozzarella, fried beans and pork.

Pupusas

We had just enough room for dessert, and split a slice of tres leches cake ($5.95). Mack doesn’t usually like desserts, but loved this cake, bursting with milky goodness and not all that sweet. The whipped cream was an indulgent finish.

Tres Leches

Service was friendly, and fast (the kitchen had been slow in my previous experiences). Even better, our entire meal came in at around $30 – a fantastic value for the variety and exceptional food quality.

After dinner, we headed over to the Alberta Avenue Community Hall, who was hosting a retro drive-in that night. Though Mack and I are far from being car people, there’s something about a drive-in that appeals to me. I think it might have to do with the fact that my family lived pretty close to the Stardust Twin Drive-In (50th Street and Whitemud Drive), but I didn’t get to go before it was shut and torn down in the late 1990s.

Drive in on the Ave!

This article from Lawrence Herzog states that Edmonton’s first drive-in theatre opened in 1949. The Starlight Drive-in had room for 600 cars, and was so successful on its opening night it had to turn folks away! These outdoor theatres peaked in 1977, when Edmonton had ten drive-ins. But just two decades later, suburban growth and at-home entertainment led to the demise of drive-in theatres, the last screens at the Millwoods and Twin Drive-In shuttering in 1996.

So we jumped at the chance to relive a bit of nostalgia – for free! This community league-sponsored event was promoting safe, family fun, and was also a way for the neighbourhood to bring people out to Alberta Avenue after dark. They had set up a basic screen on the side of a neighbouring building, and had volunteers on hand to direct cars to make sure space in the lot was used efficiently. We bought some hot drinks from The Carrot and some candy from the concession stand and settled in for the movie.

The volunteers were too cute in their costumes

I was a little too giddy about the streaming of the film’s soundtrack on a radio station (I had no idea it was so cheap and easy to do this), while Mack enjoyed the retro pre-show advertisements screened before the feature presentation. Not only was there a rocket that flew over candy-dotted planets, but also a PSA warning audience members not to get frisky.

Warning all you young lovers out there

It almost didn’t matter at this point what the movie was, but Grease was an inspired choice, upbeat and easy to watch. To say the least, there was a lot of appreciative honking at the end of the night.

You’re the one that I want

Thanks again to the Community League for a successful screening! They indicated that this was their first annual drive-in, so you can look forward to checking it out next year!

El Rancho
11810 87 Street
(780) 471-4930

Alberta Avenue Community Hall (keep your eyes peeled on their website for next year’s flick!)
9210 118 Avenue

A Fruit Cafe: T.H.I.S. Place

Though I’ve made stumbling upon new restaurants a sort of pastime, I wouldn’t have come across T.H.I.S. Place unless someone pointed it out to me. Chris was the one who told me about this new cafe, located in a storefront in the Quest Building downtown on 105 Street and 104 Avenue.

T.H.I.S. Place

Opened by the same family behind Lan’s Asian Grill, T.H.I.S. Place applies the same philosophies of wholesome, all-natural food popularized at the restaurant, but in a smaller scale, cafe format.

The interior is simple but modern, featuring art from local artists, and includes a small stage to host performers.

Interior

Proprietor Tom Lim describes T.H.I.S. Place (which stands for “to be happy is simple”) as a fruit cafe. Not only can fresh squeezed lemonade be found on the menu, but also a variety of creative house-made popsicles, frozen yogurt and shaved ice. I tried a raspberry lemonade popsicle ($3), and was impressed by the intense fruit flavour and smooth texture. And yes, they will even be serving these through winter!

Raspberry lemonade popsicle

Even if fruit is their forte, T.H.I.S. Place has a strong coffee and tea menu which includes five varieties of brewed coffee options (lattes are forthcoming), and five loose leaf teas. Their coffee is roasted by Abiamo (based in Rocky Mountain House), and is delivered fresh once a week. Mack tried an iced apricot peach tea, sweetened to his liking, and really enjoyed it.

Iced tea

Tom says they will be tweaking the menu over the next few weeks (there is still space above the counter to add even more menu panels), so expect even more desserts and drinks. In the meantime, pay them a visit when you’re in the neighbourhood – whether you’re looking for some coffee or something sweet.

T.H.I.S. Place
10382 105 Street
Monday-Friday 7am-7pm, Saturday Noon-9pm, Sunday Noon-6pm

City Market Report: Week 21

The City Market’s final outdoor date in 2012 was a beautiful send off. A bit chilly to start, but the sun was in full cooperation, further highlighting the autumnal glow of the trees surrounding the 4th Street Promenade.

Creative bouquets from Sundog Organics

It was also great to see all of the fall-themed treats, just in time for Thanksgiving.

Beautiful cookies from Dauphine

But with this final post for the season, I just really wanted to pay tribute to some of our favourite producers. Thank you for helping me put food on our table this year!

Green Valley Farm

Sunshine Organic Farm

This isn’t the end of the City Market this year however. Next Saturday, on October 13, 2012, you can find select vendors at Churchill Square in conjunction with the City’s annual Olde Time Fair on the Square. Then, starting October 20, 2012, look for the City Market to once again take over City Hall every Saturday from 10am-3pm until May 18, 2013. See you there!

Red Shoe Crawl: 124 Street Edition

The 124 Street area is a natural fit for the growth of the Red Show Crawl, an event put on by the Ronald McDonald House of Northern Alberta, a charity which provides affordable accommodation to families of sick children receiving medical care in Edmonton. I attended the inaugural crawl based around Whyte Avenue last year, and enjoyed it immensely. Well-organized and pedestrian-oriented, I thought it was a great way to eat our way through the neighbourhood. Mack and I looked forward to exploring 124 Street in the same way.

We arrived at the Desert Rose Dance Studio for check in, and were assigned a random starting point from the eighteen participating businesses. This probably did much to help alleviate initial congestion from venues surrounding the registration site.

We were assigned to begin at The Bothy, one of the few places who opened up specifically for the event. It was our first time at their downtown location, though we intend to return again in the future for a more formal experience.

Bothy’s beautiful bar

The Bothy started us off with a pour of wine, which became a pattern on this tour. As Mack said about halfway through the afternoon, it seemed more like a pub crawl as opposed to a food crawl. Though organizers may not have known in advance what each establishment would be serving (since each business donated their time and refreshments), it probably would have been better to have set expectations up front.

Our first glass of many

As a result, the most memorable of the stops involved food. The garlic chili prawns at the sleek Somerville Wine and Cheese Bar, for instance, were at the top of our list. We finished the delicious, flavour-packed bites much too soon.

Chili prawns and bubbly from Somerville

The generous plate at Paddy’s Cheese Market was also a welcome sight to balance out the wine (or even to have accompanied it). It even featured a local selection of The Cheesiry’s sheep’s milk ricotta!

Cheese plates at Paddy’s

Neighbourhood favourite Urban Diner featured a long-braised pulled pork sandwich and their house-brewed lemonade, enjoyed on their sun-drenched patio.

Pulled pork and lemonade from Urban Diner

New bakery Cookie Love served adorable one-bite cookies alongside shots of milk. The taste definitely piqued my palate – I’ll have to be back to purchase a full bag next time!

Cookies from Cookie Love

Also for dessert – a two-bite macaron, plus a meringue, from Duchess.

My sister Felicia photo bombs Mack

We finished our crawl with gelato from Cococo – a scoop of our choice!

Gelato from Cococo

Food aside, the crawl was a great opportunity to check out not only our favourite shops along the way, but also some of the businesses I’d never been to before, such as the Daffodil Gallery, Thread Hill and Body by Bennett. Mack will attest to the fact that I did a lot more shopping this time around when compared with the Whyte Avenue edition.

Blending up smoothies at Body by Bennett

Rajeev and Felicia browse at Windscape Clothing

Mack makes a new friend at Call the Kettle Black

Overall, it was another well-organized crawl and a fun way to spend an afternoon, all while benefiting a great charity. Thanks to all of the businesses who participated, and bravo to the organizers for another great event!

Finis!

You can take a look at my full photo set here.

Recap: What the Truck?! @ Churchill Square

September 8, 2012 saw the biggest What the Truck?! take place in Churchill Square. Twelve trucks congregated downtown for our final hurrah for the 2012 season.

WTT @ Churchill Square

As with our penultimate event on Victoria Promenade, we again lucked out with the weather. And though it started out unbearably hot, the shadows cast by the surrounding buildings in the early evening soon made the conditions absolutely ideal for an outdoor food festival.

Enjoying summer

There were other benefits to setting up on Churchill Square, which made it immediately obvious why it is Edmonton’s de facto events space – the infrastructure, which includes built-in power hook-ups, on-site washrooms and a multitude of seating options is efficient, and cost-effective. It also does, in a way, spoil us for any other location in the city, but given the pop-up nature of the event, we hope you’re willing to bear with us in the future!

Lots of seating

Loved that newly-married Nadine and Glyn stopped by!

That said, we also recognized that in order to even attempt an event at Churchill Square, we needed to have our biggest turnout yet to not only animate the area but also enough people to patronize the trucks. Thankfully, we were thrilled for the support we received that night. One of the pieces of feedback we did receive was that people appreciated the expanse of the location – lines had enough room to breathe, and those browsing through menus could do so fairly easily. We do have to thank Northlands for stepping up and lending us stanchions for this event – they did wonders for directing and managing lines!

Yay, stanchions!

The trucks all deserve a standing ovation for what they did that night – all twelve absolutely rocked it, serving the huge crowds tirelessly and with grace to spare. We are very lucky to have such a great food truck community in Edmonton that seems to be getting bigger by the season! Among our WTT newcomers this time around were Little Village, Yellowbird Cafe and Bully.

Little Village

Nachos from Yellowbird Cafe

Bully is the shiniest new truck on the scene, the city’s first American-style truck. I tried their grilled salmon served on salad – the fish was deliciously flaky, with a nicely seared crust. The portion was so big that I didn’t have room for any other savoury dishes that night!

Bully

Buttermilk and basil marinated salmon from Bully

This time around, we also had volunteers helping us out with set-up and clean-up. Especially when things got going, it was great to have extra pairs of hands changing garbage cans so we could ensure the Square stayed spic and span. Thanks again to Brittney, Fel, Kathy, Kim, Patrick, Su and Thom for all of your help!

Some of our great volunteers – Kim, Thom and Patrick

It was great to work DJs Raebot and wijit, who really helped set the tone for the evening. No doubt Churchill is a large space, but their tunes helped bring it all together.

DJs Raebot and wijit

Thanks to everyone who came out to What the Truck?! in 2012, and to those who voted us Edmonton’s number one pop-up event in Vue Weekly’s Best of Edmonton poll. We really appreciate the support!

Churchill Square

And though we might be done for the year, that doesn’t mean all of the trucks are! Bully, Drift and Little Village among others will be serving into October. Keep the truck love going!

Check out the full photoset here.

City Market Report: Week 20

With an empty fridge after returning from Portland on Thursday night, it was nice to get back into routine this morning with a prompt visit to the City Market.

Sunshine!

It was also great that the weather held out for another week in September – I think we can safely say we’ve had a pretty good fall!

Pumpkins from Sundog Organic

Carrots from Sundog Organic

Celeriac from Green Valley Farm

Squash from Kuhlmann’s

More squash from Kuhlmann’s

Pears from Steve & Dan’s

Apples from Steve & Dan’s

Brussels sprouts from Riverbend Gardens

Cauliflower from Riverbend Gardens

All sorts of gourds at Riverbend Gardens

The market has just one more outdoor date on 104 Street, before relocating indoors at City Hall for the rest of the fall and winter season. Make it count – see you next week!

Recap of Blink: Urban Picnic

Our second pop-up dinner in the Blink series took place on August 26, 2012. Situated outdoors in Louise McKinney Park, the weather would undoubtedly make or break the event. We were fortunate that it was the former and not the latter.

But even better than the conditions that evening, Mack and I were able to find three amazing partners that really helped make Blink: Urban Picnic happen. The first, the Shaw Conference Centre, not only helped us ensure the price of Blink remained affordable, but went above and beyond by kicking things off in an extraordinarily creative way. Shaw lent us dishes and flatwear, a cost that would have otherwise been passed on to the diner. They also introduced the idea of offering an “escalator cocktail” as a welcome beverage. Diners, greeted at the Jasper Avenue entrance, were handed a refreshing drink, and invited to enjoy it as they took advantage of the escalators, an ideal gateway into Edmonton’s river valley.

Cocktail hour

Communal walk to dinner

The tables are set

Second, Kara and Nevin Fenske of Drift, helped articulate the concept of an “urban picnic”, designing a casual but refined family-style menu perfect for communal tables. Their commitment to local producers also meant the courses were seasonal, highlighting the breadth of harvest produce available from area farmers. They also secured live music, which further enriched the setting.

Mobile eatery (photo by Hugh Lee)

Nevin and Ron working hard

Kara serves up some crostinis (photo by Hugh Lee)

Enjoying the sunshine

Musicians from Drive the Day and Calan and Cole

Urban picnic

Family style (photo by Hugh Lee)

The fried chicken was divine, though the warm potato salad was a close second

The third, River Valley Adventure Company, agreed to serve dessert and coffee to patrons as a cap off to the night. Given that many still aren’t aware of their presence in the park, it was a great opportunity for guests to learn more about their services. Even better, Chris, the gregarious owner, offered free segway demos to anyone interested.

Free rides

Though it wasn’t entirely intentional, I ended up really enjoying the physical transitions down the gradient of the river valley. From a cocktail hour at the Shaw, dinner with a view, finished with segway ride next to the river, the sum of the parts made for a very special evening.

Watchful (photo by Hugh Lee)

Thanks to everyone who attended Blink – we hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as we did!

You can take a look at Mack’s full photoset here.

Food Notes for September 17, 2012

Mack and I are finally packing up for a long-awaited vacation! We’re not going far, or for very long, but because of our very busy summer, it couldn’t come at a better time. Portland, Oregon, here we come! As usual, I’ll be taking a break from blogging, but make sure to check out those in the blog roll for local reads! On to this week’s food notes:

Next week, make sure to check out the kick-off to the Alberta Arts Days festivities on September 28, 2012! One of the al fresco events will see live music and food trucks commandeer 104 Street from Jasper to 102 Avenue.
Cookie Love (12525A 102 Ave) is now open. We had the chance to try their cookies on the Red Shoe Crawl on Sunday – two thumbs up!
On the heels of a successful tour to Portland, the Journal is leading another excursion in November, this time to the food mecca of Manhattan.
Although I enjoyed learning about Cafe Select’s menu transformation, this piece read too much like an advertorial to me.
Were you ever curious about what former Journal food writer Judy Schultz’s kitchen looks like? Wonder no more.
Mack sent me a link to a relatively new feature on The Gateway’s website – video food reviews called Campus Bites.
I missed this last week – Valerie posted a great review of Manor Cafe’s Passion for Pork dinner.
Great to see Sundog Organic Farm featured in Vue’s cover story this week.
Jennifer Cockrall-King sent me a link to a story about tiffin boxes: a project in Vancouver is looking at eliminating wasteful take-out containers by encouraging the use of re-usable tiffin boxes. Even better, a portion of each tiffin box sale goes towards a fund to help restaurateurs purchase local produce. Any takers for something like this in Edmonton?
Coming soon to Whyte: a Lebanese eatery in the space formerly occupied by Crepeworks.

La Shish

Mack moderated a panel last Thursday at the AGA titled “Closing the Food Gap”, a part of The Way We Green speakers series. The panel featured Kevin Kossowan, Jennifer Cockrall-King, Kathryn Lennon and Mark Winne. It’s always great to hear different perspectives on local food issues!

Closing the Food Gap panel

On the weekend, Amanda and I checked out Pinkberry at West Edmonton Mall. We didn’t mind the non-self-serve orientation, and although I initially balked at the $5.70 price tag for a small, given the amount of toppings “comfortably” crammed into the cup, it probably ended up being relatively cheaper than Tutti Frutti, my usual frozen yogurt haunt. The pomegranate yogurt I tried was tart and refreshing. I’d be back, but probably only if I was at the mall to begin with.

Pinkberry

For dinner that night, we met up with Felicia at Three Boars. It was another consistently good meal, with the standout dish for us being the perfectly crusted Alberta lamb sirloin served alongside a shiitake mushroom baklava.

Bacon and apple poutine (I could see the appeal, but it wasn’t for me)

Beef cheek and creamy rutabaga pie

Jerk pork loin banh mi (loved that they cut it in three for us!)

Alberta lamb sirloin, shiitake mushroom baklava, glazed lentils and wheat berries, mustard greens, carrot puree

Amanda and I continued our gluttonous day at Da Capo on Whyte for gelato. Yum!

All mine

I also tried Thai Orchid (4005 Gateway Boulevard) for the first time on Saturday for dinner. It was a big group, and a few orders got lost in the shuffle, but I did enjoy my pad thai. Worth returning to for a more complete meal.

Pad Thai

My parents hosted a “Thanksgiving dinner” on Sunday night, given Amanda likely won’t be back to Edmonton for quite some time. For dessert, my Mum made waffles, served with whipped cream and Steve & Dan’s berries.

Dessert!

Enjoy your week!

City Market Report: Week 18 (plus Cornfest!)

We were blessed with another beautiful market day on Saturday, which always feels fortunate the later in the year that we get. Shoppers were our enjoying the sunshine at the City Market, though I wasn’t one of them myself!

Beautiful day

I was volunteering for Downtown Edmonton Community League’s Cornfest (more on that later), so Mack did the shopping and the picture snapping this week.

Beets at Sundog Organic

Kale at Sundog Organic

Assorted squash at Riverbend Gardens

Peach display at Steve & Dan’s

Lovely fruit basket from Steve & Dan’s

I did stop by the Fork and Spoon Brigade about halfway through my shift, to satiate myself with one of their hearty breakfast in a bowls.

Eggs, potatoes, bacon and cheese – how can one go wrong with that combination?

Over at Beaver Hills House Park on 105 Street and Jasper Avenue, my community league had organized our annual harvest tradition of Cornfest. Although this event has preceded the city-wide Community League Day, in the last few years, we now plan for it to coincide with that date.

We love #yegdt!

Sobeys on 104 Street had generously donated the corn, which we cooked and handed out for free. I didn’t think to count the boxes before, but needless to say, we shucked A LOT of corn.

Shucking corn

For whatever reason, it wasn’t as busy as last year, when we ran out of corn about an hour earlier than expected. But those who did come out seemed to enjoy themselves all the same!

Steaming hot corn

Enjoying corn

There were also children’s activities, with corn husk doll-making lessons, a Downtown in Bloom awards ceremony, and opportunities for people to pick up their community league membership for 2013. But if you missed us, DECL will be at the City Market again on September 22, 2012 with a membership sales table.

Laurissa shows off her corn husk doll

MLA Laurie Blakeman hands out Downtown in Bloom awards

Chris mans the membership table

Hope you enjoyed your community league activities as well!

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