A Visit to Fort Edmonton Park

I’ve written in the past that Fort Edmonton Park is my favourite City attraction, but it has been a while since I’ve been able to enjoy it in on my own. So for my birthday this year, I asked Mack to take me to the Park.

The day started out with the kind of weather we have been accustomed to this summer – overcast, threatening rain, with fleeting rays of sunshine. But we didn’t want to let the grey spoil our day, and headed out anyway. Fortunately, the skies held up for the most part!

I was most looking forward to taking in the 1920s midway, and specifically, riding the ferris wheel (those Everwood fans out there will know why). I was disappointed that the ferris wheel wasn’t in operation that day due to the windy conditions, but we made the most of it anyway!

I heart the midway

The carousel was up first, its antique horses reminding me very much of the Zeum Carousel in San Francisco.

Whee!

We also decided to try our hand at some of the midway games. I think the one operator took pity on us, because he offered us not one, but two choice prizes even though we didn’t quite win the game.

Steady…

Yes, I missed

Mack’s favourite part of the day was riding the steam locomotive. He loves trains!

We took our time wandering the buildings and storefronts, Mack found a room with his name on it:

Can I move in?

Taylor Hall’s mini-me!

The pigs (on loan from Irvings) seemed so very happy rooting in the mud

Business at the Edmonton Bulletin

One room schoolhouse on 1885 Street

Beautiful table setting in the Rutherford House

Greenhouse on 1905 Street

Tea on the boardwalk

Encore!

We also tried our hand at the Tom Thumb Miniature Golf Course. I’m usually terrible at putting, but because it was my birthday, I think Mack let me win!

Fore!

Capitol Theatre, still under construction at that time

We ended the day at Johnson’s Café, the restaurant inside Hotel Selkirk. Our reservation was at 6pm to coincide with the closing of the park. It was so odd to see the streets nearly deserted, a stark contrast to just a few hours before.

But if we thought it was quiet outside, it was almost more so inside the restaurant – we were among just two other groups in the room. Because of the close proximity between the parties, one would think ambiance would be that much more important, and without any music, conversations were easily overheard. Our server was also a tad awkward, checking in too frequently for a meal that could have been paced much better, especially for a restaurant that is undoubtedly a destination.

Johnson’s Cafe

Unfortunately, the food didn’t make up for the lack of atmosphere. My cream of mushroom and leek soup with wild Alberta mushrooms, leeks, and chardonnay wine ($5) was my best course, seasoned well. Mack’s avocado caesar salad ($9) was great to look at – served in a parmesan frico cup with a generous avocado fan on top, but was difficult to break down and eat with a fork and knife. It would have helped if the frico was warm instead of cold.

Cream of mushroom and leek soup

Avocado caesar salad

I ordered the special – steak medallions with a chai tea glaze. For starters, I wouldn’t have called the meat I was served medallions, but I could have easily overlooked that if the steak had been cooked anywhere near the requested medium. The chai glaze was nice, but nothing could have remedied the overcooked, chewy meat (a diner at one of the other tables sent back his steak, perhaps something I should have done as well).

Steak medallions with a chai tea glaze

Mack fared better with his halibut wellington ($35), served with a lemon and dill sauce, but the fish was unevenly cooked.

Halibut wellington

At the end of the day, we were disappointed with Johnson’s Cafe, and wondered if our lacklustre meal was an isolated experience. If the grand vision for the redevelopment of Fort Edmonton Park is to succeed (which considered building up more evening food service options), because of the attraction’s location, the food and service must be top notch. Since the City’s expertise doesn’t lie in the hospitality business, perhaps for the future, a model such as the one adopted by the Muttart Conservatory (which saw popular local chain Culina provide the food services there), should be considered for Fort Edmonton Park as well.

Besides dinner though, I had a great time at Fort Edmonton Park. And with Capitol Theatre to check out (and a ferris wheel still to ride), I’ll be back again soon!

Why we love living downtown

Mack and I decided to collaborate on this post. Enjoy!

Sharon:

When Mack and I first started looking into buying a condo in 2009, we knew what we wanted. It took a bit of time, however, to get my dad (who was also our real estate agent), on board.

For our specified price range, he told us we would be able to purchase a spacious, sparkly new condo on the edge of the city. State of the art fixtures, modern design, and that pull of the pristine is attractive to many for a variety of reasons. But not for us, given our current work situation, lifestyle and values.

Mack:

We made a list of our priorities, and chief among them was location. It was really important for us to live downtown, or at least as close as possible, given that we both work in the downtown area and a significant number of our extracurricular activities take place downtown. We wanted a high-rise condo with two bedrooms (so that one could be my office), plenty of natural light, and a decent sized kitchen. Walking distance to the City Market was also on our list, and being downtown we knew access to public transit would be good.

We ended up purchasing a condo last July in The Century, located at 10180 104 Street (right beside Icon 2). Our 12th floor space is on the southeast corner of the building, facing 104 Street. We got the two bedrooms, a great kitchen, tons of natural light, and every Saturday morning the market is on our doorstep.

Walking to work

Sharon:

I have to admit I was a bit gleeful when I typed in our answers to the “commute length” question on the National Household Survey earlier this year. For me: 12 minutes. For Mack: 8 minutes.

I work in Central McDougall, just north of downtown, while Mack works in the core. I recognize that we are both very fortunate to work close to one another (and don’t require vehicles for our jobs), so neither of us has to compromise with commute times. But we also actively chose to situate ourselves in a location where walking to work would be convenient and the natural choice.

I do have the occasional off-site meeting or event to attend, and find it no problem to hop on transit to reach my destination.

104 Street & Jasper Avenue on a rainy day last year

Mack:

When I started at Questionmark, our office was in the northwest by The Brick’s warehouse and I lived in the southeast. Every day I drove the Whitemud there and back. Some days it could take an hour each way. Next I moved to Oliver, close to the old Molson Brewery. That cut my commute down, but I was still driving and depending on weather or traffic it could still take quite a while. When we moved the Questionmark office downtown to the Empire Building on Jasper Avenue and 101 Street, I started taking the bus every day. It took about 15 minutes and I would generally check email and Twitter on the way. Now that we live on 104 Street, I can walk to work in less than ten minutes.

I have a lot of early meetings, so I often work from home until mid morning or lunch and then head into the office for the rest of the day. That’s an option now because of our location. I can’t tell you how transformative that progressively smaller commute has been for me. Not only am I healthier because I’m walking every day, but I have so much more time for other things.

Public transit

Mack:

We’re a one car household and we rarely drive more than one day a week – usually an afternoon on the weekend to shop for things we can’t get at the market or to visit family. The rest of the time we’re either walking or riding the bus or train. We’re less than a block away from the Bay/Enterprise Square LRT station, and with luck we’re just a few years away from being a block or two from a new stop on the Downtown LRT Connector.

Of course downtown also has the best bus service in the city, so if we need to go somewhere the LRT can’t yet take us, a major route is not far away (the 1, 2, 7, 8 and 100 are just a few of the major routes that are a block or less from our place).

Front yard farmers’ market

Sharon:

An objection we often hear about not shopping locally is the inconvenience of it – nowhere to park, limited hours, selection that rewards early birds. By choosing to live right on 104 Street – the home of the City Market – that isn’t a problem for us. And in the same way we value public transportation, supporting local farmers is another one of our priorities, so it helps when the barrier of distance is removed.

When we lived in Oliver, we made the 35 minute trek to the City Market most Saturdays. It was a pleasant walk, but was definitely something we had to plan for, and schedule into our weekend. Now, even when we have other commitments on Saturdays, it’s not difficult for one of us to run downstairs, grab the essentials, and go on with our day.

Built for pedestrians

Mack:

Though our street didn’t start life as a pedestrian-friendly roadway, it certainly is now. Every Saturday the street is closed for the market, and while there has been talk of closing it to vehicular traffic permanently, that probably won’t happen. Still, I often remark that 104 Street is the most walkable street in the city.

The sidewalks are wide enough that you’ll find benches along the street, and restaurants like Lit and Tzin feature patios. The sidewalks also are level with the road, which reduces the feeling that there are separate pedestrian and vehicle spaces. The single lane of street parking on either side provides a nice safety buffer as you walk. The lights are placed along the sidewalks for pedestrians rather than in the middle for vehicles. And the trees, while not as tall or old as the ones that formed a beautiful canopy on 122 Street where we used to live, add that special something to the streetscape.

The result? Day or night, vehicles drive cautiously down 104 Street and jaywalking is the norm. Pedestrians rule here.

Location, location, location

Sharon:

104th is arguably the most exciting street in Edmonton right now. With two wine bars, a liquor store, a diner, a fantastic cafe, and an artisan bakery, it’s definitely a food lover’s paradise. And with an organic food store on the horizon, who knows what else is in store in the future?

Our street also doubles as a venue for some of Edmonton’s coolest events – the annual Al Fresco Block Party is a great example, or dance performances that transformed the street into a stage.

K.O. Dance Project on 104th

Downtown is often associated with a “lack” of green space, but given our proximity to the river valley, we’ve never really had an issue with that. And better yet, we have Beaver Hills House Park, just down the block from us. With its mature trees and water feature, the park really feels like an oasis, despite its seedy history.

Beaver Hills House Park

Amenities

Mack:

Coffee meetings are a regular part of most weeks for me. Very rarely do I need to meet outside the downtown core and when I do, I find the LRT or the bus works well enough to get me where I need to be. Most often though I can be found at Credo Coffee. The service is great, the vanilla latte is delicious, and it’s close to home – as in 100 steps or so. It’s my neighbourhood office!

I’m also a fan of the newest addition to our street, Bubble Buzz. When I need to get my hair cut, I stop in at blunt salon. If Sharon needs to pickup some bread on her way home, she visits Queen of Tarts. When we needed paint to create our red feature wall, we went to Carbon. Lunch or dinner in a pinch? Blue Plate Diner never disappoints. It’s amazing how much more time you have when you don’t have to spend as much of it travelling.

Sharon:

And though it isn’t quite the local food hub that it intended to be, there’s nothing handier than having Sobeys down the street from us. I can’t tell you the number of times it has saved us from having to drive down to a grocery store when we realized we were missing an ingredient for a recipe. It’s our corner store – something that has disappeared from so many of Edmonton’s neighbourhoods.

One year later

We had high expectations for our new place and neighbourhood when we moved in last July. Now a year later, it’s safe to say our expectations have been exceeded. We love living downtown!

The view from our balcony

City Market Report: Week 12 (plus Cariwest!)

Were you awoken by the wicked storm last night too? There was so much water accumulating on 104 Street I was sure the City Market vendors would be setting up knee-deep in puddles. But the weather ended up surprising us, and the sun was actually out when we finally got up this morning. The bad news was, a fierce spell of wind tore through the area as the vendors were setting up this morning, and destroyed more than a few tents.

Going tent-less

Given the market’s third cultural festival was planned for today, it was even more imperative that the weather cooperate (especially since the Filipino Festival had terrible weather). We made sure to take in some of the dances at India Fest.

Solo performance

Loved the music!

We also filled up our shopping basket, though maybe not as much as last week when I went a bit overboard with produce that we are still trying to eat our way through.

Strawberries from Steve & Dan’s

Broccoli from Sundog Organic Farm

Pattypan squash from Sundog Organic Farm

Multicoloured carrots from Greens, Eggs and Ham

Radishes from Kuhlmann’s

Golden jubilee beets from Kuhlmann’s

Swiss chard from Kuhlmann’s

Dragon tongue beans from Riverbend Gardens

We also bought a BLTC (bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheddar) crepe from the Fork and Spoon Brigade for lunch. It was delicious! Crispy bacon makes everything better.

BLTC crepe

We dropped off our groceries upstairs, and headed down to Jasper Avenue to take in some of the Cariwest parade. A few of us were joking that the organizers must be on Caribbean time, because the route was more than an hour late. But when it arrived, it did so with a bang!

Beautiful costumes

I love that it feels like one giant dance party, with those participating in the parade never afraid to share a beat with bystanders.

Dance!

I made mention of it last year, and still feel like a prude doing so, but for a family-friendly event, some of the dancing was on the suggestive side – only worth saying because it’s often the Pride Parade that gets flack from the public, but in fact, is much more tame.

Mobile band

Go Councillor Henderson!

We didn’t stay for the entire parade because we had other plans for the afternoon, but it was fun to get a taste of the music and the energy. You can continue to enjoy the Cariwest festivities tomorrow, August 7, at Churchill Square.

Hope you had a good Saturday as well!

The 2011 Heritage Festival

The weather was absolutely beautiful this past long weekend, perfect for one of Edmonton’s premiere summer festivals – Heritage Days. Mack and I made it down to Hawrelak Park on Monday to take it all in.

Crowds

People were out in droves – though we probably picked one of the higher-traffic times to visit. One look at the line-up at the Hungarian pavilion for their version of elephant ears ended up resulting in one of the best decisions we’ve ever made at Heritage Days – we would only eat what we’ve never tried before at the festival.

High five!

You would think, being the food lovers that we are, experimentation would be the name of the game at the multicultural paradise. But like the mini doughnuts and corn dogs at Capital Ex, there’s something comforting about having the perogies from Ukraine and the langos from Hungary every year. Sure, we would try a couple new plates here and there, but for the most part, we relished in the tradition of savouring our favourite ethnic dishes. But no more!

Loved the “mobile” lion dance troop

We first tried to use the new app that was introduced this year to help us navigate the grounds, but found that it wasn’t that easy to interpret. Although the initial map image overlaid pavilions on top of a satellite image of the park, the “directions to” screen did not, meaning we couldn’t use other pavilions as orientation markers. As a result, we resorted to using the paper map instead.

Paper art from Taiwan

Mack loves Melona

Though we were first drawn to the Pakistani pavilion because they had no line, it was a solid choice. It hadn’t been indicated anywhere on the menu that the qeema (ground beef and vegetables cooked in herbs and spices) was spicy, but I know it provided some welcome heat for Mack (as I usually prefer milder dishes, it means Mack normally has to compromise his chili-loving ways). The accompanying salad helped play down the heat slightly, and I really enjoyed the side of crispy, layered flatbread.

Qeema from Pakistan

We spotted the Bosnia & Herzegovina pavilion nearby, so decided to see if their burek was up to par (the best burek we’ve had thus far has been at The Cheese Factory). Unfortunately, it wasn’t: although the pastry was flaky, the meat inside was flavourless.

Burek from Bosnia & Herzegovina

We had heard rave reviews from two different people about the curry chicken at the Malaysian-Singapore pavilion. Although the line was modest, service was quick (and got me away from ogling the tempting bags of shrimp chips). The food was ultimately disappointing though – the sauce was much too greasy, and the chicken tasted more like vegan, soy-based meat replacement than actual chicken. Mack didn’t mind the spring rolls, but I didn’t think the filling had any texture at all. I suppose it was our mistake; we should know better than to order something that Mum can cook better, heh.

Curry chicken and spring rolls from Malaysian-Singapore

The only pavilion that I had wanted to visit based on a reading of the menu was Somalia. I wanted to introduce Mack to sabayat, a flatbread that I love. Of course, it had slipped my mind that Monday was the start of Ramadan, so the Somali food service had shut down. There’s always next year!

Closed for Ramadan

With the remaining tickets, we budgeted to try another two dishes. Given Mack’s attachment to the perogies from Ukraine, we thought it might be good to sample a similar dish at a new-to-us booth – Romania. It was a bit of a mistake, as by this time in the afternoon, the line-ups at the pavilion were insane, exacerbated by the ravenous hunger for their elephant ears. It was also the most inefficient tent we’d come across, and one where line-jumpers stole ahead of us [grr]. As a result, it would have been impossible for the perogies to have lived up to their wait. They were okay, but Ukraine still wins the taste battle.

Mack wasn’t happy about the wait for the perogies

Lastly, we headed over next door to the Japanese pavilion that seemed to be pounding out the plates. With a nod to Jill and Ellen, I had to try the okonomiyaki. Theirs was comprised of cabbage, pickled ginger and flour. The serving was huge and piping hot! It was nicely cooked, with a great texture from the combination of shredded cabbage and a golden brown top. Mack felt it was too “healthy” for Heritage Days, but with the sweetness of the sauce, it was a nice treat and way to end our day.

Okonomiyaki from Japan

There were some hits, and definitely some misses, but in a way, it was like attending a whole new festival! I can see a new tradition in the making already…

Nomad: A Finer Mobile Diner

Mack remarked to me today that it must be some week, given we’ve had lunch together twice in seven days (something that rarely, if ever, happens!). But it has been a special week in Edmonton, given that not one, but two new food trucks have debuted downtown.

We checked out Drift Mobile Eatery (parked at 108 Street and Jasper Avenue on weekdays) last Wednesday, and today, decided to meet up to try Nomad.

Parked at 102 Street, just south of Jasper Avenue, Nomad isn’t surrounded by towers, but its location does benefit from being next to a shaded green space made for a picnic (now, if only there were tables in that park…). They’ve only been open for four days, but chef/proprietor Mike Scorgie told us that they’ve had a great response so far, and sold out of food on two of those days.

Nomad’s menu changes daily (follow them on Twitter to be in the loop), but based on our experience, you can’t go wrong. Our two options today were a veggie chili ($6) and a porchetta sandwich ($7.50) served with an arugula and smoked tomato salad. Of course, Mack and I both opted for the latter.

Porchetta sandwich

The porchetta had been smoked then barbecued, sliced and served on a bun with green apple and pea shoots. The generous portion of meat was moist, with a good mix of lean and fattier pieces. I liked that the bun was toasted, and the added texture and sweetness from the fruit and greens was perfect. Mack isn’t usually a fan of salad, but between the vinaigrette and tomatoes that just popped with flavour, he didn’t complain!

We also tried their homemade iced tea, sweetened with molasses. It was a unique twist on a quintessential summer drink.

The only minor quibble we had was with better signage – Mike said they do their best to source products locally (the pork was from Brûlé, Alberta, and the tomatoes were from the farmers’ market), but it would have been nice if that was indicated somewhere on the truck.

Offering creative food made with care, Nomad is very much a welcome addition to Edmonton’s food truck scene. Check them out when you get the chance!

Taste of Edmonton: is this it?

Back in high school, when I started to enjoy the city’s festivals on my own, attending the Taste of Edmonton was an annual tradition. I loved the atmosphere out on Churchill Square, the music, the smells. The food was nothing special, but what always brought me back was the unique aspect of sampling from many outdoor vendors.

But after a few years, it was clear that the Taste of Edmonton is a stagnant and forgettable festival. Sure, complementary enhancements like a “Taste of Wine” have been added recently, but the heart of the event – the food – remains uninspiring and perhaps most significantly, unchanged from year to year. Without interesting and different menu items, what is the draw of the festival?

When it was announced this year that the Taste of Edmonton was putting a policy in place that would see restaurants having to include new items every two years, I was encouraged. To see what, if anything, had changed, Mack and I decided to sample a few items on the weekend.

The crowds were decidedly smaller on Saturday afternoon – I’m sure the long weekend and competing Heritage Festival had something to do with it. Because of that, we had a much easier time manoeuvring the aisles than we did when we had walked through the Square earlier in the week. The layout of the food vendors – along the outside of the square, ceding prime real estate to the beer gardens – just seems inefficient.

Smaller crowds

The pulled pork sandwich from The Hat (4 tickets) looked good, and was all right. It was definitely better than the bacon wrapped scallops from The Palace (5 tickets) that Mack sampled. Charred and much too salty, if the skewer was meant to entice patrons to the restaurant, I’d say they would be better off serving nothing at all.

Pulled pork sandwich from The Hat

Bacon wrapped scallops from The Palace

The best (and new for 2011) item we tried was the petit tender with blue cheese potatoes from Zinc. Cooked to medium rare just before plating (instead of languishing under a heat lamp), the Spring Creek Ranch beef was juicy and flavourful, accented by crunchy fried green onions. The serving of creamy potatoes was also quite generous, well worth the 4 tickets we paid.

Alberta beef petit tender with blue cheese tomatoes from Zinc

I recognize how difficult it is for long-standing festivals to make changes, but the fact the Taste of Edmonton is implementing even the two year item limit is a positive sign. Here are a few other suggestions that I think would help bring some zest to the event:

The Layout

Congestion, especially on the east side of the Square, could easily be averted if more of the booths were better spread out (the beer gardens are more prominent than the food!). When Mack tweeted this out, Paula responded that this is the fault of the City – they don’t want to stain the concrete! How’s that for rendering Edmonton’s largest gathering space useless for one of its biggest annual events?

Wasted space

That said, I really liked the new partnership with the Art Gallery of Alberta. A Taste of Desserts and Liqueurs was held in the lobby of the AGA, which probably helped to expose many festival-goers to the beautiful building for the first time. Most of the desserts were, unfortunately, the same dishes that had been served in years past, but the offshoot has great potential.

Taste of Desserts at the AGA

Even better, the precedent set by using adjacent spaces gives me hope that perhaps some underutilized areas downtown will finally be taken advantage of. For example – Centennial Square, just south of Stanley Milner Library, could easily accommodate ten vendors. Plus, with a built in stage, it could accommodate another act! It’s also just down the street from the main festivities, and would help alleviate some of the congestion during high-traffic times.

Centennial Square

Of course, Centennial Square probably isn’t built to accommodate the power, water and weight needs in the same way that Churchill is, but perhaps this would be a good reason to upgrade a space downtown that is more rife with tumbleweeds than people.

The Menu

I referenced the unchanging, tiresome Taste of Edmonton menu already, but it is worth mentioning again. Moreover, what’s worse, with a few exceptions, is that the items offered are predictable. Green onion cakes? Check. Sliders? Of course! Chicken satay? Step right up. I’m hoping the two year limit will help reinvent the menu in the future, but it will probably be slow going.

We heard that the organizers do their best to limit duplication, but this is half-hearted at best (e.g. is ginger beef really different than Szechuan beef? Or, is a pulled pork sandwich so essential to the festivities that it has to be offered first by the Hotel MacDonald and then by The Hat?). I think a better approach would be to fully embrace duplication, throwdown style. Invite attendees to vote for their favourite spring roll, the best burger, the tastiest tart. That way, there’s an added incentive for restaurants to put their finest food forward, and another way for the festival to promote what’s new.

The Food

What baffles me the most about the Taste of Edmonton is why people are willing to pay for such low quality food. Ten years ago, when this was one of the only outdoor sampling venues in the city, I could understand it. Now, with so many fantastic warm weather taste alternatives (Al Fresco, Taste of Summer, Tomato Fare, most farmers’ markets, just to name a few), I’m surprised the crowds haven’t dissipated.

Again, there are some exceptions, but for the most part, portions are small, prices are high and creativity is non-existent. I suppose restaurants want to cater to the widest tastes possible, which limits ingenuity, but also, if the people don’t demand it, the status quo will continue. I also have to wonder if people do seek out the establishments after enjoying a dish – because if name recognition is the only reason restaurants participate, I suppose it really doesn’t matter what food is churned out.

The unfortunate reality is that restaurants that have great reputations don’t participate (they probably can’t due to staffing, or don’t need to promote their business), but their involvement could help raise the bar for others. I have ideas for what restaurants and cuisines I’d like to see included, and I’m sure others do as well. Does the Taste of Edmonton actively seek feedback? Has it ever?

My ultimate hope for something branded the “Taste of Edmonton” is for it to provide a decent snapshot of what the city’s restaurants have to offer. Knowing the quality of food that is available, the event certainly isn’t living up to that standard. But then at the end of the day, maybe that isn’t the role of Taste of Edmonton. Maybe pedestrian, crowd-pleasing fare is what festival-goers are looking for. What say you?

Some Things Never Change: Bistro Praha

There are two restaurants that are intimately woven into the fabric of my high school experience: the first is Boston Pizza, where countless birthday celebrations, post-movie dinners and impromptu meals were had. The second? Bistro Praha – for their Eastern European fare, their desserts, and a certain friend’s desire to cross paths with a certain teacher who frequented the establishment. So for nostalgic purposes (and to check out the new digs), I chose Bistro Praha for a quiet birthday dinner last month with Annie and May.

It was amazing to me how much the interior resembled Bistro Praha’s former storefront on Rice Howard Way (after having to close because of the 2009 Kelly-Ramsay Block fire, Bistro Praha finally reopened in the Empire Building in January). The walls, the furnishings, the accents – it really felt like the entire restaurant had just been lifted and pieced together in this space. The atmosphere hadn’t changed either – the same classical crescendos coalescing with conversational exchanges of patrons clearly enjoying themselves. We also did a double take on the menu – had the prices even changed since the last time we dined there?

Bistro Praha interior

Surprisingly, we all decided to order dishes that we hadn’t tried before. The food came lightning fast – it was almost as if the kitchen had known what we had wanted to order from the start! My filet of sole ($19.95), served with potatoes and butter mushrooms was generous, to say the least. The fish was under seasoned, but had a nicely browned crust and a flaky texture beneath. I have to say I probably enjoyed the sides more, the potatoes perfectly crispy (reminding me of those served at brunch) and mushrooms so tasty that makes one wonder why butter baths aren’t more common.

Filet of sole

May had her hands full too with the rack of lamb ($26.95). She commented that the meat was well prepared, and very much enjoyed her plate. Annie had been craving goulash ($9.75), bold and hearty, the better of the two dishes she ordered. The Hungarian sausage ($9.50) was good, but was served with an unappealing film of orange grease – Annie had to dab it off before digging in.

Rack of lamb

Goulash

Hungarian sausage

For dessert, we shared a strawberry crepe ($8.50). What a difference warm fruit makes! The berries just melted into its shell, finished with a drizzle of chocolate sauce and side of whipped cream. Had we not been full from our entrees, we could have easily devoured another.

Strawberry crepe

So many things have changed in the ten years since we graduated high school. But it’s a small comfort to know that Bistro Praha, in spite of its new location, hasn’t.

Bistro Praha
10117 101 Street
(780) 424-4218
Monday-Friday 11am-1am, Saturday 12pm-1am, Sunday 4-11pm

City Market Report: Week 11

Though I love visiting farmers’ markets while travelling, it’s always a bit frustrating because I’m never able to partake in the produce. I ended up browsing two different markets while in Toronto last week, and though their growing season is a bit further along than ours (corn was already available), it was nice to come home and fill our basket at the City Market this morning.

Long lost sun!

We were treated to a beautiful Saturday, something that has been quite rare this summer. But on a long weekend, it felt extra special.

Squash blossoms from Sundog Organic Farm

Kale from Sundog Organic Farm

Zucchini from Sundog Organic Farm

Squash from Kuhlmann’s

Carrots from Kuhlmann’s

Beans from Kuhlmann’s

Cauliflower from Riverbend Gardens

In addition to a great variety of produce, some stone fruit was also available.

Peaches from Steve & Dan’s

Apricots from Steve & Dan’s

We also tried bacon jerky from Irvings for the first time! It was a marriage of two of Mack’s favourite things – dangerously delicious. Perhaps it was for the best that it was sold out already.

Bacon jerky

Up at the market next week: India Fest on August 6, 2011. Expect traditional folk dances and drumming. See you there!

Fun on the Midway: 2011 Capital Ex

Mack and I made our annual pilgrimage to the land of doughnuts and carneys yesterday. I’m not sure when it became a tradition for us, but a summer in Edmonton isn’t complete for us without a trip through Capital Ex.

Midway food is one of the reasons we’re back like clockwork. Mack treats himself to the one corndog he has a year, and of course, we just have to indulge in Those Little Doughnuts.

Double fisting

This year seemed to bring more “branded” food items, kiosks that offered items that differed from the usual fare. Some skewed healthy while others just piqued our interest (waffle-coated hot dog?).

Skewers and Those Wicked Waffles

Based on a recommendation, I tried the poutine from La Poutinerie ($8). While the gravy and fries themselves were not bad, this was the third time in a week that I had tried Quebec cheese curds, and the third time that I found they didn’t squeak. I miss curds from the Cheese Factory!

La Poutinerie

Poutine

We also tried the frozen little ice cream pellets – they were surprisingly filling! A really odd texture to get used to though, sticking to your tongue because of how cold they were. I think we both prefer real ice cream.

Pellet ice cream

I was so confident that the skies would hold up yesterday that I didn’t bring an umbrella, and Mack didn’t wear a jacket. And you know what that means – about an hour after we passed the gates, it poured.

Mopping up the slide

Thankfully by that time, we were fed and ready to explore the Expo Centre. We really liked the Container Art – though Mack commented that the “Like” exhibit really could have done with the most famous “Like” of all – Facebook!

I like Mack!

Through the art

We stayed for the Spirit of Michael Jackson, billed as a “laser spectacular”. It took a while to get going (and some of the song choices seemed less than inspired), but the “Thriller” finale was fantastic! The lead dancer who played Michael was quite good – he had a wicked moonwalk!

Spirit of MJ

Walking through Sip!, we found the liquor sampling booths to be fewer than last year (especially on the wine front), but those that did have tables seemed to step it up this year.

The aerial entertainment from Firefly Theatre was a welcome spectacle

Liquor booths

The menu of items (including smoked local beef sausage with a salted potato pancake, inspired welsh rarebit) was appealing, but for us, carnival food is king. It’s a bit unfortunate – I wish food items served at Sip! were served at the Taste of Edmonton – it would be a big improvement over what is currently being offered at Churchill Square.

Californian Club

When we decided to peek outside again, we were happy to discover that the rain had stopped, and lucky that it did not return again.

The midway

Given similar amusements can be played at Chuck E Cheese for a fraction of the price, Mack and I rarely partake in carnival games. But we came across one that cost a quarter this year! Neither of us won anything – but we had fun trying.

Bowl to win!

Before the fireworks, we took a turn on the ferris wheel. That was definitely the silver lining on a wet evening – shortened ride lines!

Ferris wheel

There’s nothing like the view of the midway from the top

We’ve been able to hear (and see, to a lesser extent) the fireworks from our condo in the last week, but the show is of course better up close. It was probably the best show of fireworks that I’ve seen at Capital Ex in the last few years.

Fireworks

We’ll be back next year!

Capital Ex 2011 runs until July 31, 2011.

Meals in the ‘Hood: MRKT and Blue Plate Diner

One of the best things about living where we do is the plethora of restaurants within walking distance of our home. Although we’ve definitely been eating in a lot more than in past years, on those evenings where we feel like retiring from the stove, it’s great to have many neighbourhood options to choose from.

MRKT

Not too long ago, Jill, Mack and I had dinner at MRKT. Jill had never been before, but we knew she would like the atmosphere – laid back and unpretentious, it was the perfect place to have a casual bite to eat.

The MRKT ricotta was a lovely starter. Although the house-made ricotta itself didn’t have much flavour on its own, combined with the rosemary almond crackers and apricot-mango chutney, each layered bite begged for another.

MRKT ricotta

Like any of their soups, I couldn’t go wrong with the chickpea and beef stew (that night’s meat option). It was clear a lot of love went into that bowl – the meat and pulses were tender, the broth was well seasoned, and on that rainy day, the soup was thoroughly warming.

Chickpea and beef stew

Mack and Jill had both opted for the night’s special, a paella with chicken, mussels and shrimp. As far as they were concerned, the paella should have been on the regular menu.

Paella

With the kitchen’s consistency, you can never go wrong with MRKT. We’ll be back!

Blue Plate Diner

I cheered when Blue Plate Diner’s small, four-table patio was installed earlier this year (perhaps spring should not be measured in produce, but in patio resurrection?), but Mack and I hadn’t had the chance to enjoy it yet. The day finally came a few weeks ago before White Night, on an afternoon made for sipping a cool cocktail under the sun.

Cocktails always taste better on the patio

I love the new menus – laminated and sleek, they also feature a page highlighting which local producers and small businesses they source from! We weren’t all that hungry, so decided to split the Indian sampler platter.

The salad was unnecessary as far as we were concerned. Mack liked the samosas, chock full of potato goodness, while I actually preferred the cauliflower pakoras. Half the fun was experimenting with flavour combinations, as both cilantro yogurt and tamarind apricot chutney were provided for our dipping pleasure.

The spread

Like MRKT, Blue Plate Diner is another one of our go-to restaurants. Great for its proximity to our condo, but even better because we enjoy the food!

MRKT
10542 Jasper Avenue
Lunch: Tuesday-Friday 11am-2pm; Dinner: Tuesday-Saturday 5pm-late

Blue Plate Diner
10145 104 Street
(780) 429-0740
Monday – Thursday 11 am – 10 pm, Friday 11 am – 11 pm, Saturday 9 am – 11 pm (Brunch 9 am – 1 pm), Sunday 9 am – 10 pm (Brunch 9 am – 2 pm)

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