Tag: Edmonton

To Century Park (and Beyond): South LRT Grand Opening

It was a blustery day for the grand opening of Edmonton’s two newest LRT stations, Southgate and Century Park, not unlike a year ago when McKernan/Belgravia and South Campus first opened to the public.

To Century Park!

Mack and I attended the two ceremonies this morning, complete with government dignitaries, obligatory speeches, and celebratory bagpipes. It was obvious Mayor Mandel was proud and excited about the completion, and ever-keen to share the success with his fellow City Council members. He also acknowledged the patience of those who live in the area, triumphantly declaring that construction was now over! And though Premier Stelmach didn’t specifically announce any funding dollars today, he did indicate that he is keen on working with local officials to continue with the LRT expansion.

Mayor Mandel, flanked by the rest of City Council, and Premier Ed Stelmach

It was good to see plenty of people out in spite of the early start and the cold, at both Southgate and Century Park. By the time we left the event, quite the mass of people had gathered at the Community Fair.

The crowd at Southgate

Possibly the best thing about the two new stations are the electronic signs, which tell travelers when the next train will be arriving – technology that has been a long time coming to Edmonton. There is also some interesting art at the Century Park station, huge visually appealing multi-coloured globes suspended from the ceiling.

Digital sign

Leaves

What I was most looking forward to today, besides seeing the new stations, was the Community Fair. I have attended a few incarnations of it – a conference two years ago, and last year’s family-friendly fair that tied into the McKernan/Belgravia and South Campus opening ceremonies. This year’s event seemed to be forward-looking, eager to introduce citizens to the benefits of conveniently connecting more communities by train.

ETS Community Fair

We wandered between the ETS displays, free food tents and transportation displays, and wished that the band had been scheduled to start performing as soon as the opening ceremonies were done, as the weather-induced grey atmosphere definitely needed some livening up. That said, people seemed to enjoy themselves all the same.

Cupcake from Cakes by Trina

Parachute!

Mack with Punter

In anticipation of May 15, the first day of the City Centre Market, a dozen vendors, including Medicine Man Bison, Prairie Mills Bread and Walden West Food set up shop at Century Park as well, hoping to let area residents know that they are now easily connected to fresh, local goods and produce.

Get ready for the City Centre Market

Me and Maria

Potatoes from Greens, Eggs and Ham

Delectable sweet and savoury treats from Queen of Tarts

Preserves from Col’s Kitchen Delights

To end our LRT tour today, we returned north to deVine Wines, located at Bay/Enterprise Square. DeVine’s was pouring free bubbly to celebrate the new stations – how could we turn such an offer down?

Our prosecco

I was hoping more businesses along the rail line would participate in a similar manner, and to use the grand opening as a means of exposing their business to would-be customers, but perhaps that was too much to hope for. Regardless, I am eager to test out the full extension on a regular day away from the fanfare. Hurrah for more improvements to our public transportation system!

You can read Mack’s post here, and see his full photo set here.

Transcend’s New Frontier: T2

T2, Transcend’s first full retail café, will finally open to the public on Friday, April 23. Six months in the making, owner Poul Mark and his team have transformed the former pizza parlour in the Garneau Theatre building into a chic, modern space that also highlights its heritage roots.

T2

The sleek leather banquets, minimalist furnishings and clean bar contrast wonderfully with the exposed brick and reclaimed original floor. I also love the pop of lime green amidst the white walls, perhaps a nod to their roasting business. And of course, the art – classy and a link to the origin of coffee, it’s a visual reminder of Transcend’s status as a third-wave café.

Interior

Less than twenty-four hours from opening, Poul was nice enough to take a few minutes out of his busy day to chat about this exciting addition to the Transcend family this afternoon.

Counter

Customers should expect the same great coffee that they have come to love from the original Transcend. Three single-origin varieties, brewed on Clover, plus espresso-based drinks, are proudly listed on the magnetic menu behind the bar. Six loose tea varieties from Metropolitan Tea will also be offered, made using Brewts (similar to the Teavana system that I am familiar with), though Poul indicated that this may change as he learns more about tea.

On the counter

I was offered something to drink during my short stay – I gave the barista free rein (my usual drink at Transcend is black coffee) and was handed a cappuccino complete with latte art. I haven’t had a cappuccino in years, mostly because previous drinks have proven bitter and unsatisfying. I am happy to say that Transcend’s version was smooth, creamy, and without any unpleasant aftertaste. I may be a cappuccino convert now.

Cappuccino

On the food side of things, Poul made it clear that T2 is not a restaurant – their focus is on coffee. That said, they will have some light fare, sourced locally as much as possible – pastries from Fresh Start Bistro, soup from Soul Soup, and vanilla gelato from Chocolate Exquisite to make affogato. The only item they will be making in-house are liege waffles (a smaller cousin of the Belgian variety), which can be topped with everything from chocolate from Kerstin’s Chocolates to Jam Lady preserves to rosemary whipped cream.

Magnetic menu

The high-traffic location also provides Transcend with the opportunity to potentially expose a greater amount of people to their high-quality coffee and brewing techniques. Poul indicated that while cuppings will continue at the retail location, T2 will feature more drop-in sessions to teach patrons how to brew better coffee at home – for example, how to utilize a French press.

Mission

I realize their focus is and will be on T2 for the months to come, but I couldn’t resist asking Poul what might be in Transcend’s future. He didn’t rule out additional cafes (and is still toying with the idea of a wine and pizza bar) but did comment that they could only expand so much without compromising their standards, as it would become difficult to source high quality coffee at the volume necessary to serve multiple locations.

With Three Bananas, Axis Cafe, Credo and now T2, the specialty coffee scene is looking better and better in Edmonton. Congrats to Poul and the rest of the Transcend staff on the beautiful cafe!

T2
8708 109 Street
(780) 756-8882
Monday – Wednesday 7am-7pm, Thursday – Saturday 7am-9pm, Sunday 8am-4pm

Fresh Gastropub Flavours: Red Star Pub

Prior to attending the Edmonton Rush game on Friday, Mack and I met up with Thom and Lana at Red Star. A casual pub seemed to be a good spot to grab a drink and a bite to eat before taking in the lacrosse action, especially when we could just hop on the convenient LRT at Bay or Corona Stations to whisk us away to Rexall Place.

I was eager to try Red Star at some point, seeing as Chef Daniel Costa’s current standing as one of the city’s up-and-coming young kitchen stars, with recent profiles in the Journal and Parlour. I could see how his focus on elevating simple cuisine and fresh flavours could attract a loyal following.

Mack and I had expected the downtown after-work crowd to fill Red Star to the seams, but seeing as it felt like the first true spring day, most were probably filling the outdoor patio seats instead. The building that houses Red Star is also currently under renovations, the unfortunate consequence of this being that the businesses underneath are obscured by unsightly orange tarps, further screening natural light into the already dim space.

Thankfully, the exterior aesthetics didn’t seem to affect the service, or the light atmosphere inside the bar. We were greeted immediately by the server, who directed us to sit anywhere we wanted. We were promptly given food and drink menus (I loved the tag cloud-like design on the back of both of them). Red Star proudly advertises their large beer menu, featuring sixty different brews. In contrast, the food selection is limited to a dozen or so dishes, but given the advisory printed at the bottom (“This is a one man kitchen. Food is served when ready. Please be patient. Enjoy.”), that is entirely understandable. With its emphasis on local suppliers and slant towards comfort food share plates, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Sebastian Lysz’s last menu at Devlin’s. Mack and I had some difficulty deciding between the mini burgers/not sliders and the braised meatballs ($16), but ended up with the latter, as well as an order of gnudi ($16).

Food menu

We were primed to be patient for the food, but it seemed no one else in the pub was interested in anything other than drinks, so our plates arrived sooner than expected. The gnudi (dumplings made of ricotta cheese) were pillow-soft, and tossed with tomatoes and zucchini, made for a comforting, but not too heavy dish.

Gnudi

The tender, tasty meatballs, made with a blend of Pembina pork and Spring Creek Ranch beef, were the star. The greens really were the perfect accompaniment, adding a freshness that rounded out the dish nicely.

Braised meatballs

With an interesting menu starring fresh, local ingredients, how could I not be back? See you again, Red Star.

Red Star Pub
10534 Jasper Avenue
(780) 428-0825

Food Notes for April 20, 2010

Though I am loving the sunshine, we are in dire need of rain. For the farmers, and for us city dwellers who don’t want to be confronted with yet another funnel of sand and dust. On a related note, remember to help a tree out if you can!

  • A reminder that Sorrentino’s Big Garlic Night is on tomorrow, April 21. 5% of the total food sales will be going towards the Campaign for Prostate Health.
  • Southgate and Century Park LRT lines open on Saturday, and to celebrate, the City is hosting a Community Fair at Century Park. In addition to garage tours and displays, look for a City Centre Market sampler featuring a handful of vendors, including Greens, Eggs and Ham!
  • You may remember reading about the Edmonton Food Bank’s Expressions of Hunger contest (I wrote about it back in February). Voting opened a few weeks ago, and continues until April 30. Mack also had the chance to attend their spring fundraising gala last Thursday.
  • Speaking of the Food Bank, Isabelle of CBC (and The Little Red Kitchen) is in the process of collecting family recipes for a book that will be sold as a means of raising money for the Food Bank.
  • Interested in learning more about permaculture? Then you might be interested in the full-day seminars of “A Taste of Permaculture”, happening May 1.
  • There are lots of reasons to love Alberta Avenue, and you can add another to the list – their Community League offers “Homesteading the Avenue” workshops, on topics ranging from natural cleaning products to gardening.
  • Liane posted that L1, the trendy revamped lounge to accompany the Fantasyland Hotel’s new restaurant, L2, opened on April 16.
  • The Journal started a second ongoing series, focusing on local foodies with panache. Craig Jarrell, an aspiring chef who works at the Italian Centre, was profiled first.
  • Also in the Journal, a restaurant which from the review seems worthy of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Smokey Joe’s. Mack and I have to get down there, soon.
  • Vue Weekly profiled Moriarty’s this past week. Watch for a warm weather patio (which is probably out now, actually), next to Sherlock’s ever-popular outdoor seating.
  • See released their ballots for their 15th annual “Best of See” poll. Voting is open until May 3.
  • Foodie Suz announced that she will no longer be blogging about food, and instead, will be writing about her trips. Check out her new blog here.
  • This is pretty cool – a map of diners’ and critics’ choices of the best 2010 Chinese restaurants in the Vancouver area.
  • The NYT had a good read on why so many people despise cilantro with such a passion (even if the reason is the underlying makeup of the herb, everyone has something “common” they can’t stand. Mine? Watermelon.)
  • Last week, the McDonald’s board of directors announced that they oppose the use of cage-free eggs for the U.S.
  • T2 is finally ready, and is set to open on Friday. Friends and family got a sneak peek earlier this week – check out some photos here. Our own drive-by shot of their external sign is below:

 

T2

  • Another drive-by shot, this time taken on a bus. A new Mediterranean restaurant called The Oil Lamp (10247 97 Street, 780-429-0808) has opened in McCauley, just east of the Law Courts. You can see a menu on Urban Spoon.

The Oil Lamp

National Lacrosse League: Calgary Roughnecks vs. Edmonton Rush

Besides successful curlers, the only other team bringing any positive glimmer to our “City of Champions” moniker are the Edmonton Rush, our local National Lacrosse League team. They’ve been on a roll this year with their best season to date, and are even gunning for first overall in the league. Mack’s brother Thom is a huge lacrosse fan, and along with Lana, Mack and I joined them to take in the Rush’s last regular season home game on Friday.

Lana and Thom

My memory is fuzzy, but I am fairly certain I attended a game during their inaugural season in 2006, when the Rush won just one game that year. The atmosphere was decidedly different on Friday, with the 9,000+ crowd stirred to a frenzy for their team in a Battle of Alberta setting. It was also quite interesting sitting in front of a maddened six year old fan, who was screaming for the heads of the Calgary players (“Fight! Attack them!”).

Good crowd for Fan Appreciation Night

I didn’t mind the music being played during the game (like basketball) so much this time, and perhaps that had something to do with the fact that our seats were much closer to the action on Friday. More than anything, the choice of tunes seemed to re-energize the fans, whether encouraging cries of “de-fense!” or raucous cheers.

Our field-side view

The game really is fast-paced, with a possession clock ensuring end-to-end action. And though the almost full line changes when switching from offensive to defensive zones (and vice versa) were a bit jarring, these boys got game. It was amazing to see them effortlessly pass and catch the ball, and rocket them towards the goalie. Andrew Secore’s backhanded goal was a highlight for sure.

Close match

Aside from the game itself, the quarter and halftime spectacles were pretty entertaining as well. As Mack noted, everything from the post-game parties to the putting contests are branded, but if that’s what’s necessary to provide interesting segments to the audience, so be it. We were treated to a Pizza Hut-sponsored wing eating contest, a parade of vintage vehicles promoting an upcoming car show, a Delux Burger Bar shopping cart race involving giant foam fries, and of course, several dance interludes from the Edmonton Crush girls.

Wing rumble

Nice to look at, but the exhaust I could have done without

Unfortunately, the outcome wasn’t what we were hoping for. Calgary was able to tie the game late, leading to sudden death overtime which we lost, 15-14. On the bright side, the Rush beat the Washington Stealth the following night, and at any rate, will be heading to the playoffs.

Tickets range from just $17.49 to $59.50, with numerous specials available, such as the United Cycle Family Zone, which offers $30 tickets that include a hot dog and a pop. While the playoff tickets might be slightly more expensive, the Edmonton Rush are an exciting team to watch. Keep them in mind if you’re looking for something to do, or a different local team to cheer for.

Spring Gallery Walk 2010

Mack and I have lived in west Oliver, just five minutes from the Gallery Walk district, for nearly two years now, but have never taken the time to visit any of the galleries. I suppose it felt a bit daunting to just walk into the intimate spaces, all exhibiting art available for purchase. However, I knew that the Spring Gallery Walk, a twice-yearly event encouraging the public to tour the galleries, was just around the corner, so planned to go.

Gallery Walk sign marker in front of Electrum Design Studio

It was a beautiful day on Saturday, and it was great to see many Edmontonians taking advantage of this pedestrian-friendly event. Signs and festive balloons were a welcoming sight, and marked the entrances of each of the seven member galleries. Cookies and beverages were served at many sites, a nice reward for the children we saw along for the ride.

Inside Peter Robertson Gallery

The exhibits were diverse, with some galleries focusing on just one or two artists, and others that showcased dozens. Our favourite galleries overall were the Agnes Burgera Gallery and the West End Gallery, which for us, had more accessible art, and some memorable cityscapes and sculptures. Tu Gallery was also notable for featuring some stunning handcrafted furniture.

In an inspired tie-in, patrons were invited to collect stamps from each of the member galleries on a postcard-sized passport. If five stamps were collected, the bearer would be entitled to free admission to the Art Gallery of Alberta (we saw AGA Executive Director Gilles Herbert and AGA Board Chair Allan Scott pounding the pavement today).

My completed passport!

Of course, the area businesses also benefited from this event, with many patrons stopping by area shops on their way to the next gallery. We decided to celebrate the sunshine with some stellar gelato from Bueno Gelato (12325 102 Avenue).

Raspberry and banana gelato

We also stepped into Flur Designs (10260 124 Street), a lovely little floral and gift shop that has been in business for two and a half months. A clean, bright store filled with gorgeous flowers and great gifts (like Vanishing Creatures Chocolate, where the packaging can be repurposed into a floating candle display), it’s a great addition to High Street. I couldn’t resist picking up a bouquet of fresh white flowers.

Flur Designs

The Gallery Walk (and the excuse to take time to explore the neighbourhood) was a fantastic way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I’m also happy to say I feel like I wouldn’t need the pretense of the Gallery Walk to visit their exhibits in the future.

The Walk continues on Sunday, April 18 from noon-4pm – check it out if you can!

Evergreen Pyramids: Muttart Conservatory

Longing for an optimistic reminder of the spring to come, Mack and I headed to the evergreen pyramids of the Muttart Conservatory over the weekend. We took advantage of a 2-for-1 offer I had received (after signing up for the City’s new Find Your Fun attractions and recreation newsletter), so we only had to pay $10.50 admission for the both of us.

Muttart Conservatory

We were eager to see what changes the popular tourist destination had undergone, as it reopened in June 2009 after over a year of being closed for renovations. In addition to a new outdoor courtyard, a revamped cafe and gift shop, and additional classroom spaces, a water feature and new plant material had been introduced to the pyramids.

Though I have to admit my hazy memory from my previous visit years ago didn’t serve me well enough to recognize the facility enhancements upon first glance, I am happy to say the pyramids themselves were everything I remembered them to be – a natural oasis encouraging reflection and pause. The ample benches were welcome, and of course, being able to transition from temperate to tropical to desert landscapes by crossing the hall felt just as remarkable as when I was a child. Here are a few photos we snapped that day:

Arid Pyramid

I remember the desert biome was always my least favourite pyramid as a child. Though there are bursts of unexpected colour and beauty in adaptation, the landscape in the pyramid always just seemed barren next to its tropical and temperate neighbours.  

Desert fauna

Pretty and prickly

Mack’s favourite cacti

Tropical Pyramid

I loved the new water feature in this exhibit. Between the soothing sound of water echoing throughout the pavilion and the lush surroundings, I really felt like I had temporarily escaped from the bustle of the city.

Palm tree!

Beautiful orchids

Gorgeous water feature

I felt like we should have left an offering at the base of the coffee tree

Temperate Pyramid

With a wedding shoot underway, we didn’t fully explore the pathway in this pyramid, but surrounded by green, the dappled sunlight through the glass and leafy canopies made for a tranquil setting.

Into the forest

Under the canopy

Forest giant

In honour of Gaia (I have to admit seeing a porcelain face looking up at me was a bit disturbing at first glance)

Feature Pyramid

With a slight chill in the air, the feature pyramid was spring imagined, the perfect kind of winter awakening ripe with colour and life. I’d never really appreciated tulips before this, having only really seen them cut and bound into bunches. Here, grown in shade blocks, they were a beautiful sight, and exactly what I needed to see that day before stepping out into biting gale-force winds.

Signs of spring

Tulips!

If you’re needing a refreshing break in the city – a visit to the Muttart Conservatory can do wonders for your spirit.

Muttart Conservatory
9626 96A Street
(780) 496-1749

Whimsical Cake Studio: Garneau Edition

have a soft spot for Whimsical Cake Studio (I have to stop myself from referring to them as “Whimsical Cupcakes” every time). Whimsical was one of the first full-time cupcake purveyors in the city, before the cupcake colonization of Whyte Avenue. It was also their cupcakes that initially drew me to the City Centre Market, where I now spend nearly every Saturday morning between May and October. Moreover, picking up a couple of their cupcakes was an annual tradition for a few years running, the perfect single-serving treat to help ring in a friend’s September birthday.

Whimsical Cake Studio at the City Centre Market

Edmonton’s cupcake landscape has changed in the past few years. Several home-based cupcake businesses have sprung up, as well as Flirt, The Cake Studio, and two locations of Fuss. Whimsical Cake Studio was tucked for several years in the suburban recesses of Riverbend, where I only had the opportunity to visit once, but this month, they moved into their renovated, more visible location right next to the Garneau Theatre (the best news about their move, besides the fact that combined with T2, daCapo, High Level Diner and the Sugar Bowl, among others, this little strip is a force to be reckoned with, is that a walkable cupcakery crawl is now possible!). Mack and I checked our their new digs over the weekend on our way home from the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market.

Whimsical Cake Studio

It’s a bright and beautiful space, hues of sweet baby blue and cotton candy pink contrasting with the stalwart heritage brick. A small seating area with brightly coloured, albeit a haphazard collection, of lounge chairs occupies one side, right next to a sprinkle station (too cute). I love how customers are able to peer into the open bakery, between the racks of still-cooling and just-iced cupcakes. Prices are slightly cheaper than nearby cupcakeries ($2.75/cupcake vs. $2.95 and $16 for half a dozen).

Interior

Sprinkle station!

Cupcakes galore

We picked up four cupcakes to share with Mack’s Grandma later that night – raspberry, cookies and cream, Smarties and hazelnut chocolate. They hit the spot – moist and not too sweet, we all enjoyed them (I loved the addition of crushed Smarties on mine too – the extra crunch and pop of colour made it more fun to eat).

Our cupcake bounty

I’ll be back to Whimsical Cake Studio some time, most likely in combination with a coffee at daCapo or T2, or before a movie next door at Garneau. Note also that Whimsical is hosting their grand opening on April 17 – nothing says happiness like free cake samples!

Whimsical Cake Studio
8716 109 Street
(780) 988-2253
Monday 11am-5pm, Tuesday-Friday 10am-7pm, Saturday 10am-5pm

Marathon Dinner: Melting Pot

Fondue, whether savoury or sweet, is definitely not something I grew up with. It’s been a novel concept that I’ve experimented with recently as a fun alternative to an entrée-based meal, but not something I’ve thoroughly explored.

That said, I was really curious to try Melting Pot, a US-based chain that opened its first Canadian franchise location in Edmonton back in March. Based on some of the comments on their Facebook group, many within and outside of the city were holding their breath in anticipation of the restaurant, and were disappointed it wasn’t opening sooner.

We met Bruce and Sarah at Melting Pot last Saturday. It’s not the best location, in a strip mall off Calgary Trail (next to Cora’s), in terms of public transit accessibility or ability to see it from the freeway. Our server later told us that most Melting Pot branches are similarly placed, off the beaten path and never in a standalone building.

The surroundings are immediately forgotten upon stepping foot inside the restaurant, however, accented by a modern fireplace, sleek lobby furnishings, and a glass cube wine case.

Wine case

As mentioned in the Journal review, the dining room is built like a labyrinth. While some seating areas are more open (like the one we were eventually led to), in a journey to locate the washroom, I wandered through several dim corridors and past booths tucked at an angle that promote intimacy like none I’ve seen before. And while I wouldn’t consider cheese fondue to be the most sensual dish, in the privacy of your unseen booth, I suppose it could be.

Our four-top was located in the lounge, with a full view of the bar, and ended up being a better place to be, noise-wise, than the adjacent dining room that housed several large groups. A single induction burner was set into the centre of the granite countertop, and thus could only accommodate one pot. It meant that save for ordering a salad, everyone in the party had to agree on the selections of savoury and sweet fondues.

Thankfully, the four of us were on the same page, and weren’t beset by allergies that would impact our options. We were told that Melting Pot had a feature menu that would change every six months. The current theme was “Pacific Islands”, highlighted in their Big Night Out four-course meal, which included a cheese fondue, a salad, a savoury fondue, and a dessert fondue. Prices ranged from $90 to $106 per couple, depending upon the inclusion of lobster tails. Our group chose the mid-range option dubbed Fondue Fusion ($98), though we could have substituted a fondue type off of the regular menu as well.

The Feng Shui cheese fondue was prepared tableside. Our server handily combined a generous pour of white wine (copious amounts of wine were a pattern that night), mirin, sake, Gruyère and horseradish and chive Havarti and stirred it until it formed a creamy consistency. We were offered a selection of dippers, including bread, apples, and vegetables. The alcohol content was more apparent on the vegetables (which all needed to be blanched) and bread, so the clear favourite dipper were the apples, with their sweetness cutting through the tang of the alcohol.

Feng Shui Cheese Fondue

The feature salad was lettuce wraps with cucumber, carrots, bean sprouts, mint and almonds with a spicy orange-ginger dressing. Though it was a refreshing combination following the dense, heavy cheese course, we agreed it was probably an unnecessary filler.

Lettuce Wraps

The main course was a sight to see, a jumble of sectional plates, brightly-coloured sauces, cutlery and billowing smoke from our fondue pot. We had chosen the Coq au Vin, which again, was prepared tableside, and featured a hearty splash of burgundy wine, fresh herbs, mushrooms and garlic (at this point, Mack remarked at how this was essentially a version of hot pot). As the mixture heated up, our server noted rough cooking times for our various proteins (lobster tail, sesame crusted teriyaki sirloin, citrus infused pork tenderloin, sushi-grade ahi tuna, garlic chili chicken breast, kiwi lime shrimp) and identified the seven accompanying sauces we had at our disposal. No doubt about it, the servers at the Melting Pot had a more demanding job than servers at other casual upscale chains.

Coq au Vin Fondue

It was definitely a fun process, cooking up the various items and experimenting with different sauce combinations. The cream cheese-based green goddess sauce was a big hit with Bruce and Mack, while I was partial to the yogurt-based curry sauce. Mack, surprisingly, liked the ahi tuna the most, and I really enjoyed the dumplings, but what amazed me the most was how forgiving all of the items were in the event of overcooking. Between the prep of the proteins and the sauces, I could see how Melting Pot can justify their prices – many are willing to pay for the convenience and hassle-free experience they provide.

Cooking with wine

Sarah and I took care of the dessert fondue selection, though it was actually a really difficult choice (oreo? amaretto?). We ended up with the Ying & Yang, a basic mix of white and dark chocolate.

Ying & Yang Chocolate Fondue

Between moments of intense enjoyment (featuring strawberries, bananas, pineapple, cheesecake, marshmallows, pound cake and most of all the brownies), we all agreed that this was the best course of all. The chocolate was smooth and decadent, and not overwhelmingly sweet. It was unanimous that this fondue alone was worth returning for, and could make Melting Pot Edmonton’s best dessert destination.

The dessert spread

By the time we licked the chocolate bowl clean, four hours had passed. No, that isn’t a typo – four hours had passed. Of course, we were doing our share of conversing during dinner, which made for a great evening (and the pacing meant we were comfortably and not uncomfortably full), but we learned that choosing the Big Night Out meant committing several hours of time to the restaurant. Though some patrons may visit for single courses, we figured the majority of their business was the four course bonanza, and wondered how busy it would be on most weeknights. Regardless, I would highly recommend the dessert fondue at the Melting Pot, and the restaurant itself for a unique dinner experience.

Melting Pot
#117, 2920 Calgary Trail
780-465-4DIP (4347)
Monday-Thursday 4:30-10pm, Friday-Saturday 4-11pm, Sunday 4-10pm

Culinary Q & A with Lillian Leung

Occupation: Speech-Language Pathologist with K.I.D.S (Kindergarten Inclusive Developmental Services)- Edmonton Public Schools. I help Kindergarten kids that may have difficulties understanding or producing language.

What did you eat today?  

Had a pack of Thin Addictives (these cranberry – almond cookies) on the drive to work. Also had some strawberry yogurt somewhere in the morning. For lunch, I had half a donair from High Voltage. Still good, even though it was left-overs. The tzatziki sauce over meat, lettuce, tomatoes all wrapped up into pita, then grilled with a special spice on top is incredibly tasty! Dinner was pretty simple as I was in a rush. I toasted a sun-dried tomato ciabatta sandwich with provolone, smoked turkey slices, tomato and cucumber as I had just gone to the Italian Centre for groceries.

What do you never eat?

Cilantro. I cannot bear the taste of this herb. It’s strong and way too pungent. I feel it takes away from the taste of whatever it was supposed to garnish.

What is your personal specialty?

My personal specialty would be baking desserts. Banana breads, chocolate-chip granola cream-cheese, chocolate spice and ginger-bread cookies, brownies,and creme brulee to name a few.

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

A chunk of Piave Vecchio (my favorite cheese!), romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, a dip from the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market and my home-made salad dressing.

What is your weekday meal standby?

A salad made with the above ingredients and usually with some sort of meat on top such as chicken, steak, or pork. 

What is your favourite kitchen item?

My glass mixing bowls by Anchor. I got them for my birthday and they are amazing. They are quite heavy, but the weight is perfect so they don’t move around too much when I’m using the hand mixer. They are also great for baking, mixing a salad or even marinating meat.

World ends tomorrow. Describe your last meal.

It would have to include salmon sashimi from Sushi Wasabi, smoked salmon with lemon juice & capers, calamari (probably the way Milestones does it), Dadeo’s sweet potato fries, a beautifully done steak, chicken shawarma (from Barakats in London, ON), a plate of macarons, Haagan Daaz Vanilla & Almond ice cream bar, creme brulee, a scoop of green tea ice cream and finally, two or three Ya pears depending on how much room I will have left!

Where do you eat out most frequently? 

This depends if it is a sit down or take out meal. If I’m heading out somewhere, then I will take out from Dadeo’s, High Voltage, or Maki Maki. If it’s a sit down meal then it would be any of the previous 3, along with Manna Noodle and Famoso. Oh and of course Transcend and DaCapo for coffee!

What’s the best place to eat in Edmonton?

This is hard to decide. I would say Culina is the best for brunch, lunch and dinner. However, if you wanted sushi, then Sushi Wasabi would be my pick. Oh and of course the Duchess Bake shop for their pastries and macarons.

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

While I would enjoy the food in Italy, I would pick Paris mainly for the fresh baguettes, breads, pastries, cheese, wine, all their desserts, but especially the macarons!

Lillian blogs at Beyond Umami.