Tag: Edmonton

Shop Local Month: Favourite Gifts to Give or Get

In honour of Shop Local Month, Keep Edmonton Original’s campaign to remind citizens to buy local, I wanted to write a post about my favourite gifts to give, purchased from small businesses based in Edmonton.

For example, I love to give: bottles of en Sante, especially to those who are unaware that Alberta had a cottage fruit wine industry; Gabe Wong’s funky Blockheads, “humanoid paper toys for the people of today” that can be punched out and pieced together without glue; and boxes of Chocophilia samplers from Kerstin’s Chocolates, which must include Mocha Bean and Ecuador 72%.

But then I thought – the more the merrier, especially on a topic as subjective as gift giving. So I canvassed several local personalities for an answer to the following question: “What is your favourite locally-purveyed gift to give or get?” May their answers assist you in your holiday shopping in the coming weeks.

Jessie Radies, co-owner of The Blue Pear, and founder of Keep Edmonton Original

To receive: anything from Lux Beauty is awesome; spa gift certificates from Tonic; and Notables has a great line called Russell and Hazel that I love.

To Give:  Really depends on the person, but here are a few:

Standard hostess gift – bottle of en Sante wine, I keep a few on hand for last minute emergencies

For my foodie friends – boxes of local food and specialty items, usually a trip to the Italian Center and the farmers’ market gives me enough variety for a number of gifts.  Sometimes a run through Call the Kettle Black will score the perfect gadget to round out the gift. I also like to do a mix of coffees and teas with honey or a nice mug.  Transcend, Vitalatea or Cally’s Tea and Lola Canola are good starting points.

For the hard-to-buy-for man – A monthly Beer Subscription from Sherbrook Liquor Store

For people I know well, gift certificates for Yoga, Integration Pilates or Pause Massage.

Tickets to the Citadel are perfect for people that have all the stuff they need, and would enjoy a night out. Gift cards from Original Fare are great gifts too, as they can let you eat at a number of local restaurants.

Jennifer Crosby, Global Edmonton News Hour Final Anchor and Producer

I like to give people gifts they can use, as well as enjoy. I’m also a big fan of food grown, raised or produced locally, so I often make up packages of unique food items. I love to visit the H & R Farms booth at the Old Strathcona Market for the beautiful jams and relishes. Right now, between my fridge and my gift cupboard I have their Rhubarb Rose Petal jam (one of my favourite to give), Cinnamon-Pembina Plum jam, Cranberry Apple Pear relish, and Corn relish. I’ve mailed away a few different care packages that include the adorable little jars – to rave reviews. Add some local coffee, honey, and pastry, and you’re just bacon and eggs away from a made-in-Edmonton breakfast.

Cary Williams, financial advisor for Edward Jones and co-chair of Edmonton Next Gen

Not sure I can give one ‘favourite’ but we often get gifts from Red Ribbon in High Street. This year though I’m leaning towards gift certificates from Agency III. They’re a local lifestyle management/concierge company. I think I have people who would love having their own personal assistant to create more free time.

Jennifer Fong, staff writer for the Edmonton Journal and creator of the “52 reasons to love Edmonton”  series

My favourite item to give would have to be a box of macarons from Duchess Bake Shop. They’re light, not-too-sweet sweets that you don’t have to feel guilty about eating, they come in a million flavours, and they’re adorable. Plus, Duchess wraps them up in gorgeous gold boxes. Perfect.

My favourite item I’ve ever received was a pair of earrings by local jewelry-maker Nicole Salvalaggio. I got them at a Royal Bison fair and they’re beautiful silver drop earrings made with heart-shaped lockets that actually open. A friend of mine drew me a picture to put in one of the hearts. It’s amazing.

Michael Janz, Marketing Director for the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues

My favourite locally purveyed item to give is… the gift of talent and knowledge from the really awesome courses at the City Arts Centre. From guitar to art to wellness, there is something there for everyone and the flexibility is awesome.

My favourite locally purveyed item to get is… one of those fancy coffee machines that they have at Leva Cafe on 111th. I’ve never been given one but would love one. So if someone out there really loves me this December… *hint*

Jeff Samsonow, Editor-in-Chef and News Director for The Edmontonian

Something local that I love is Geekware. Nicola Harper has taken our e-waste and turned it into fun, funky accessories. I have a fantastic circuit board business card holder from the collection. It’s locally sourced and locally produced. She’s got the website and is at a lot of craft fairs. (We met her when she had a table beside Sally [also of the Edmontonian] at one such fair.)

If you’re looking for stores alone, we’re big fans of The Tin Box for interesting, helpful and even wacky stuff.

Sarah Bourque, the creative behind the adorable monsters of Belua Designs

My favourite gift to receive (or to treat myself) would have to be a hat from Sugar Soul Studios. I already own 3 but they are so fabulous I need more! They are universally flattering and are made from amazing fabrics. I think I need one for every outfit 🙂

Jeff Haslam, actor and Artistic Director of Teatro la Quindicina

I love love love to give or receive gift certificates from wither of my two fave Strathcona restaurants… Both family run and completely local: Gino’s Italian Kitchen (great Italian fare just south of the Varscona on Calgary Trail… Grandma is still cooking in the kitchen), and Culina (the Mill Creek branch, amazing food – a great brunch – and wonderful service too).

Dave Cournoyer, popular political blogger

My favourite local gift to give and receive is the jam made by the Strathcona Country Kitchen. I first discovered their jams at the 104th Street Farmers Market downtown this summer and I now fill up with their Raspberry Red or Strawberry Rhubarb jam whenever possible. Their jams are excellent with multigrain toast and organic peanut butter. It really is great jam.

Alex Abboud, Executive Assistant to Councillor Kim Krushell

To get – as someone who is gluten-intolerant, I like pretty much anything from local gluten-free food maker Kinnikinnick. While some of their products (and those of other companies such as Glutino) are readily available in grocery stores, the selection at their Edmonton factory store far exceeds that of anywhere else.

To give – I’ve started giving prints of photos I’ve taken. The frames are almost certainly not locally-purveyed, but the photos usually are. Otherwise, I also like to give concert or theatre tickets (or if the recipient is someone with a busy schedule, gift certificates for the Winspear or Citadel).

Nate Box, chef and operator of the forthcoming Elm Cafe

To receive:
– PORK:  Only once in my life has a friend been so confident in how well they know me, that they purchased not one, but two pork tenderloins for me as a gift.  I took it out of the bag and was (I kid you not) overjoyed!  But it doesn’t have to be tenderloin, just about any pork gets me excited.  Irvings Farm Fresh  product is definitely on the top of my wish list.
– MUSIC:  Blackbyrd Myoozik gift certificates are also at the top of my gift list.

To give:
– CLOTHES:  The girls at Nokomis are always more than helpful when it comes to finding a something unique for my wife.  They usually present three of four things, I narrow it to one, and then sneak it under the tree.
– COFFEE:  Most holiday meals, especially Christmas morning, my mom or sisters (whoever is hosting breakfast) usually receives a pound of coffee from Transcend.
– MOVIES: Tickets to the Garneau or Princess are also up their on the giveaways.  I’m always amazed at the number of friends and family that have “been before, but it’s been years”.

Sarah Chan, chic city cycling advocate and blogger

My favourite locally-purveyed item to give or get is Transcend coffee. Their shop smells delicious, the people are divine, and the only setback was their location. I’ll just say that biking on 99 street isn’t all that inspiring. However, this will be remedied with their new location! I’ll be able to enjoy their beans with just a short bike or bus ride. Two of my favourite things, together at last.

A shopping opportunity…

To help you get started (or finish) your Christmas shopping, Jenna Herbut, the organizer of the upcoming Make It Fair (December 11-13 at the Alberta Aviation Museum), has generously provided me with 10 pairs of tickets to the craft show to give away. It looks like it will be a great show, with over 100 designers in attendance offering unique gift ideas.

If you are interested in attending, please leave a comment with a valid e-mail address below (in the e-mail address field, not the comment itself) by noon on December 5. I will randomly select five names and contact the winners by e-mail on December 6.

Good luck!

“We Eat Together” Book Launch

When I heard about the forthcoming book We Eat Together back in October, I was excited – not only did it feature local farmers, but recipes featuring ingredients from those farms.

Julianna Mimande (formerly of Bacon and currently the chef behind the EATery at the ARTery), joined forces with local designer Gabe Wong and photographer Zachary Ayotte to produce a celebration of local food production in book form.

Gabe Wong, Zachary Ayotte and Julianna Mimande (nice enough to pose for a photo!)

The launch at d’Lish tonight was absolutely packed. Several of the producers featured in the book were there (the Irving family of Irvings Farm Fresh, and Patty Milligan, aka Lola Canola, among others), as well as other members of the food community (food writer Jennifer Cockrall-King, Isabelle Gallant of CBC Radio and The Little Red Kitchen, chef Nate Box, and Liane Faulder of the Journal). It was good to catch up with some people I hadn’t seen in a while – as always, food has a tendency of bringing everyone together.

Inside d’Lish

Chef Sebastian Lysz of Relish Culinary Consulting was in the kitchen all night, cooking up a few dishes from the book to the delight of the crowd. I unfortunately didn’t get to try the carrot spread, which seemed to be the biggest hit, but what I did sample was great. In particular, the shredded pork in adobo barbeque sauce on a potato crisp was amazing, as was the (what else?) bacon ‘n’ cornbread.

Sparrow’s Nest Organics Carrot Spread (so vibrant in colour!)

Canada Goose Wild Rice Cakes with Blueberry Relish

Victoria Fancy Bacon ‘n’ Cornbread

Of course, we were there to pick up a copy of the book, and boy is it gorgeous. For $40, it’s not inexpensive, but from my relatively quick first glances, it is worth every penny. Cover to cover colour photos, with recipes that include helpful cooking tips and substitutions, it’s a book that any home cook would love. But more than that, We Eat Together pays respect to the farmers that produce our food, with nine profiles of farms from James Vriend and Jennifer Berkenbosch of Sundog Organics and Emily McNairnay and Sean Superkoski  of Mighty Trio Organics. In particular, I love the “We Want to Get to Know You” questionnaire page – it’s a fun read not normally found in such books.

It was flying off the shelves!

But then again – I suppose We Eat Together really isn’t a typical book. It’s a made-in-Edmonton book that highlights how incredibly lucky we are to have access to such bounty all year round. Thanks to Julianna, Gabe and Zachary for this gift!

You can pick up a copy at the Royal Bison Craft & Art Fair on November 28-29 and at the Make It Fair on December 11-13.

Value-priced Cupcakes: The Cake House

Though my homeward bound bus drops me off right around the corner from The Cake House, it took an after work need for pick-me-up sugar to finally gave me the push to walk through the shop’s doors.

Owner Silvia Salas has twenty years of baking experience. She spent a year working for Fuss Cupcakes, and this year, decided to branch out on her own – The Cake House has been open for about six months. Though her main focus is on special occasion cakes (customers come from as far away as Devon to order her 100% nut free creations), she also offers smaller cakes, pies and cupcakes.

The Cake House

Though the exterior of barred windows and functional interior aren’t as charming as the other cupcakeries like Flirt and Whimsical Cake Studio (plus, no seating area), Silvia’s warmth and friendliness makes up for it somewhat. More than that, the cupcakes are the most economical in the city – just $1.75 each, $10 for a half dozen, and $19.50 for a dozen.

There were more than a dozen flavours to choose from on my visit, including red velvet, oreo and caramel. I picked out French vanilla for myself, and a carrot cupcake for Mack. I brought them home, and couldn’t help but dig in right away – the cake base was moist and not too sweet, and while buttercream icing is not my favourite, I didn’t mind Silvia’s version as much – the super-creamy texture probably had something to do with it. Mack loved his cupcake as well, cinnamon spiced to perfection.

French Vanilla and Carrot Cupcakes

For the price, The Cake House offers very good value – worth checking out if you need a cupcake fix that won’t break the bank.

The Cake House
12415 – 107 Avenue
(780) 451-8882
Monday-Friday 10am-5:30pm, Saturday 10am-4pm

Food Notes for November 23, 2009

Mack and I booked our tickets to Yellowknife last week, and were able to cash in on a seat sale! We’ll be visiting his folks for a week at the end of December. Looking forward to the trip, but not necessarily to the cold. On to this week’s food notes:

  • A reminder that the launch of Julianna Mimande and Gabe Wong’s book We Eat Together, a celebration of local food and farmers, is taking place at d’Lish on November 25. I hope to attend! You can read more about the book here.
  • Billingsgate will be hosting their annual open house on November 28 from 10am-2pm. Their kitchen will be sampling jambalaya, while several suppliers will be on hand as well offering a taste of smoked salmon and shrimp, among others.
  • A new chocolatier is coming to Commerce Place called Sweet Lollapalooza (lollapalooza is defined as “something outstanding of its kind”). It looks like they are still under construction, but they hope to be open in the next few days. I salivate when I see the photo of the buttercrunch. Can’t wait.
  • New restaurant alert, as seen on Chowhound – an Indian restaurant named Guru is in the works in west Edmonton, in the space formerly occupied by Julio’s Barrio’s.
  • Nate Box twittered that Moriaties Bistro and Wine Bar is coming to the downtown space off Rice Howard Way that used to hold Ching’s Dim Bar.
  • Kerstin’s Chocolates is running an interesting contest called Name That Origin. Visit the store between December 1-22 to fill out an entry form and then taste four different pieces of chocolate to determine their cacao origins. If you can’t identify them currently, you’ll still get a 20% discount coupon, and if you can identify them, you’ll win a container of Chocophilia Drinking Chocolate. Sounds like a good deal to me, and while you’re there, you can get some Christmas shopping done!
  • My article about Garner Beggs of Duchess Bake Shop was published last week. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough space to talk about Garner’s commitment to making the city a better place: “I’m a complainer. And most of my friends are rather sick of hearing me complain about, ‘Oh, the city should be designed this way,’ or ‘Why don’t they do this.’ This is a chance for me to put my money where my mouth is, and do something in the way I think it should be done and take a stance.” Moreover, I think it’s really interesting that Garner and Giselle deliberately chose a neighbourhood that they deemed to be on the cusp: “I wanted to be a part of fostering a community. And part of building something up, rather than just slotting myself into a pre-established [community] such as Whyte Ave. I like 124th, it’s good character.”
  • See Magazine interviewed Hong Nguyen, a manager and daughter of Chinatown’s Lucky 97 owner.
  • Eater linked to an amusing flow chart for fast food restaurants that will help you answer the question “Where should I eat?”
  • Mack sent me a link to an infomercial for the EZ Egg Cracker. Though I don’t think it’s amusing as he does, comment #6 after the video is pretty funny.
  • After checking out the Meet the Locals Festival at Planet Organic, I hopped over to the Doan’s next door for a quick pho fix. It’s not my favourite, but it was close by. I had my camera and Moleskine out, as I hadn’t put them back in my purse yet, and after the waiter took one look at them, the look on his face seemed to be one of “food reviewer recognition.” I have to say, I’ve never had any food from Doan’s come out of the kitchen so fast. As for the pho? All right, but the brisket was notable.

Special Beef Noodle Soup ($8.95)

  • Mack and I ordered pizza on Saturday, succumbing to the Panago spam. We both wanted to try one of their meatball pizzas. We called in the order, placing it for pickup at the Meadowbrook location. When we arrived, the clerk said that our pizza was actually at the Mill Woods location – thankfully it’s not far, but it was definitely an inconvenience. Thankfully, the pizza was pretty darn good – the meatballs were nice and tender, on a pie just loaded with cheese. The red onions were a nice touch too.

Italian Meatball Pizza ($12 for a large)

  • I am among a few coworkers who are voracious consumers of grapefruit. So much is a single grapefruit a part of each of our winter lunch routines that we joke about belonging to a “grapefruit club”. Well one day last week, I found a grapefruit spoon and an accompanying card on my desk. The card proclaimed me to be an official member of the “pamplemousse club” – such a lovely surprise.

All hail the grapefruit spoon!

Meet the Locals Food Festival

On Thursday night I headed out to Planet Organic in Old Strathcona to take in their first ever Meet the Locals Food Festival.

Meet the Locals Food Festival

Meet the Locals celebrates local food producers and manufacturers, and is deliberately set during a time when some believe local food production stops – the organizers wanted to draw attention to homegrown food that is available seasonally and year round. And as Planet Organic locations in Edmonton stock about three dozen products from area companies, they definitely have a strong base to draw from.

Grainworks display

The festival has two components: tasting tables and cooking demonstrations. On that night, six local companies were on hand providing customers with product samples. I had the chance to try some elk from Shooting Star Ranch (so incredibly tender), flatbreads made with wholesome and filling lentil, chickpea and whole wheat flour by Rio Vita, fresh bagels from Henderson Bagels, hummus and spanakopita (still warm) from Supreme Georgio’s Fine Foods, and chocolate from Kerstin’s Chocolates.

Rio Vita Flatbreads

I also had the chance to chat with Emily from Mighty Trio Organics, a company located near Redwater that produces cold-pressed, unrefined hemp, flaxseed and canola oils. I was particularly interested in the canola oil, which is made from GMO-free canola sourced from a farm twenty minutes away from them. Though I have heard the term “cold-pressed” before, I didn’t really know what it meant – Emily explained that when manufacturing the oil, cold-pressed oil is not heated to beyond 40 degrees Celsius, preserving the essential nutrients in the oil. She poured me a bit of oil to sample, and I was blown away by it – orange in colour, more viscous than conventionally-made oil, and possessing a slightly floral aroma, it tasted richer and unlike any canola oil I have tried before. I would imagine that like most high-quality products, I would end up using less of this oil in cooking. They didn’t have the oil in stock that day, but I will be heading back soon to pick up a bottle for myself.

I also stayed on for the first of two cooking demonstrations by Madison’s Grill Executive Chef Blair Lebsack.

Blair Lebsack

Blair’s commitment to supporting local farms was apparent throughout his forty-five minute class, as he talked about personally visiting all of the farms that supply products to Madison’s Grill. On the menu, besides the Sylvan Star Cheese gouda, apple-pear compote and crackers, were a spinach and radish salad with goat yogurt dressing and a bacon cassoulet topped with bison sirloin.

His meal utilized no less than eight local products, including Fairwinds Farm yogurt, Alley Kat Raspberry Mead, black eyed peas from Grainworks, bacon from TK Ranch and bison from Olson’s High Country Buffalo.

The dressing on the spinach salad was superb, and it was just a simple combination of vanilla goat yogurt and sherry vinegar. I also had to commend Blair on his attention to detail – prior to the start of the cooking class, he removed all of the stems from the baby spinach leaves. When an attendee asked why he was doing that, he explained that it made the salad easier to eat, and negated the potential hazard of a diner getting spinach stuck in their teeth. The restaurant would then use the stems for purees to ensure that nothing was wasted.

Spinach and Radish Salad with Goat Yogurt Dressing

He also incorporated what he believed to be under-utilized vegetables into the meal – radishes in the salad and celery root in the cassoulet. I have to say that my favourite part of the cassoulet wasn’t the vegetables or the beans, but the bison striploin that topped it. With a sprinkle of salt to finish, it was a perfect bite of steak.

Cassoulet with Bison Striploin

As Meet the Locals is taking place once a week for three months, you still have a chance to check it out in December and January. And until then, although farmers’ markets are great places to shop and interact directly with food producers every week, it’s hard to beat the convenience of a store like Planet Organic that offers local products seven days a week.

Meet the Locals Food Festival at Planet Organic, 7917-104 Street
Continues December 14-20 and January 11-17
Tasting Tables: Monday-Friday 3-6pm, Saturday 10am-4pm, Sunday 12-4pm
Cooking Demonstrations: December 14 and January 11 at 6:30pm with Julianna Mimande, co-author of We Eat Together; December 17 and January 14 at 6:30pm and 7:30pm with Gail Hall of Seasoned Solutions; January 16 at 6:30pm and 7:30pm with Sebastian Lysz of Relish Culinary Consulting

Shopping on High Street

Working on an article on Saturday, I kept looking up from my laptop, distracted by the scene outside of freshly fallen snow glistening in the warm afternoon sunlight. At some point I decided I needed some fresh air, and to kill two birds with one stone, wandered over to High Street to get some Christmas shopping done.

Paul Kane Park, en route to High Street (or as Jim Diers would call it, a “pocket park”)

Though the sidewalks were slippery, it was a pretty nice day to spend outside, wandering in and out of some of my favourite stores in the city. Many other people thought so too, as some of the stores were jam packed with shoppers.

High Street

I picked up a few things at The Tin Box, one of the best shops in my opinion for unique gifts. They had a rack of animal hats and gloves that were ubiquitous in Banff’s gift stores.

Hats and gloves at The Tin Box

Carol’s Quality Sweets is a nice store to satisfy the kid in all of us –I love the brightness of the store, and the colourful candy jars that line the shelves. For just a few dollars, your retro candy craving can be taken care of.

Candy behind the counter at Carol’s Quality Sweets

Notables is another great store, and in recent years it seems they’ve expanded their selection of offbeat giftware. Staff are super-friendly, and you won’t find a better assortment of greeting cards anywhere else in the city.

Christmas display at Notables

My last stop was Call the Kettle Black, a kitchen retail store. I almost always end up buying something if I enter the store, so a visit is a dangerous one for me. Luckily, I balanced a purchase for myself (a lightweight Epicurean cutting board) with the purchase of a gift for someone else. What wasn’t in my shopping basket were these onion goggles – although they might be effective, I think they’d take up too much room for just a single purpose.

Onion Goggles

Other than the stores I’ve listed, Acquired Tastes Tea Company, Floc Boutique and Ginger are a few other shops I like to patronize.

Boulevard trees on High Street

In addition to finding unique gifts, it’s a nice change from wandering within the confines of a mall. Especially during Shop Local Month, I would encourage you to consider doing some of your holiday shopping at High Street.

Frozen Yogurt Frenzy: Kiwi Kiss

I have fro-yo envy. Certain US metropolises like New York are overflowing with frozen yogurt joints like Pinkberry and Red Mango, so much so that the competition forces each shop to find their niche, or at least, maintain a high level of quality to retain its customers. We had the chance to visit Iceberry in DC, and loved it as an alternative to a cafe or ice cream parlour.

More than that though, while I’ll have my share of ice cream throughout the year, there’s something about the fruit content and relative lightness of frozen yogurt that appeals to me more as a cold treat. And yes, I do feel less guilty after indulging in a large serving of frozen yogurt than when I have done the same with ice cream or even gelato.

In Edmonton, we have had to rely on a handful of Yogen Fruz outlets, most in shopping centres and others a concession option at Cineplex Theatres…until now.

Kiwi Kiss opened about a month ago in the lower level of the City Centre Shopping Centre, next to Starbucks, while folks in Sherwood Park have Twisted Yogurt Creations (138, 1020 Sherwood Drive, 780-416-1133), open since August of this year, to satiate their cravings.

Kiwi Kiss

I noticed the sign for Kiwi Kiss months ago, but wasn’t aware that it was a frozen yogurt purveyor until I came upon it again on Saturday afternoon while we were in line for Starbucks. I loved the eye-catching green and orange colour scheme and globe lights. I asked the friendly clerks if I could snap their photo for my food blog with an intention to return on a different day. But after they agreed to my request with some curiosity, one of the clerks offered me a sample on the house!

Topping selection

I happily asked for her recommendation, and she obliged, selecting her favourite matcha green tea for me. Kiwi Kiss also offers three additional flavours – original, coconut and acai. Of the dozen or so toppings, including fruit and dry goods, I selected strawberries and blueberries. She threw in a few mochi balls (glutinous rice) which she indicated were an acquired taste, but which she quite enjoys herself. I’ve had them before, but would never have thought to pair it with frozen yogurt.

Kiwi Kiss Frozen Yogurt

As with green tea ice cream, I was expecting an overwhelming, even slightly bitter taste of green tea, but the flavour was subtle, and enjoyably cool to the palate. Mack was anticipating a sweeter yogurt as well, but found it just right. The fruit was a nice touch, even though the berries are far from being in season. The mochi provided some interesting chewy texture, but they didn’t add anything to the yogurt, at least for me.

Prices start at $2.95 for a teaser (small) size of original without toppings, up to $7.95 for nirvana (large) size of the flavoured frozen yogurt with toppings. The size I would likely pick up myself – a small flavoured yogurt with toppings – is priced at a reasonable $4.85, definitely on par with ice creams of similar size. Fruit parfait ($4.95-$5.95) and probiotic iced teas (under $4) are also available.

I look forward to satisfying future fro-yo cravings at Kiwi Kiss – I hope this means more purveyors are on the horizon in the city!

Kiwi Kiss
10088 102 Avenue (Edmonton City Centre Mall)

Kingsway’s Radiant Reveal

While it took us a few months to finally visit the revamped Southgate Centre, because of the convenient scheduling of Kingsway’s  grand reveal, we were able to hop on a bus right after the Holiday Light Up to join the festivities at the mall.

Kingsway all decked out for the holidays

In particular, I was curious about the premiere of their Twilight Spectacular, billed as “Western Canada’s first light show” – over 100,000 LED lights synchronized to seasonal music. At 7pm, a crowd gathered at the main west entrance (next to the food court) and waited for the event to begin. Just above us, on the second level balcony, someone was delivering a speech to VIPs who were given access to a prime viewing location upstairs – it was strange that the mall authorities didn’t think the public who came out for the opening also deserved to be a part of the welcome and introduction.

After a chorus of singers opened the show, the lights dimmed. As rock versions of popular carols blared, a suspended coil-shaped Christmas tree, strings of vertical lights and star-shaped orbs flashed to the music. It’s a novel entertainment installation, but it wasn’t what I expected – perhaps if the show had been spread out over a larger area, or if animated scenes were played out somehow in lights, it would have been cooler.

Twilight Spectacular

The show will begin after dark and run every hour, on the hour, throughout the holiday season, so you can see it for yourself, but I’d say unless you were planning on shopping anyway, it’s not worth special trip.

At 8pm, a fashion show was hosted on a small runway that had been set-up in front of Aritzia. We didn’t have a clear view of the runway, but stayed to watch anyway, primarily to catch a glimpse of Canada’s Next Top Model runner-up Linsay Willier (I saw her back in September at Edmonton Fashion Week).

Besides highlighting fashion available at the mall itself, the show closed with a dozen dresses Kingsway commissioned from local designers on the theme of “luminance” (including one of my favourites – Kelsey McIntyre). The dresses will be available for purchase through a silent auction until November 22, with all proceeds going to WIN House.

Linsay Willier (it was hard to look directly at the runway with the glaringly bright lights positioned the way they were)

The models pose with the designers of their garment

While I think the name of the designer who created the outfit should have proceeded each walk off, all in all, it’s a win-win for both local designers and a local charity – bravo to Kingsway for an innovative promotional tie-in.

Edmontonians – we now have two sparkly new malls to spend our money in. Choose wisely.

Christmas on the Square Holiday Light Up 2009

I’ve been looking forward to the Holiday Light Up celebration for a while – with a fireworks show actually choreographed to music, and warmer temperatures than on New Year’s Eve, I wonder why it isn’t the city’s most popular event. And with family-friendly activities precluding the light-up, in addition to City Centre Market vendors, it makes for a great few hours spent in the core.

Christmas carollers on stage

Sleigh rides around City Hall were pretty popular with the children, and the Art Gallery of Alberta had a tent promoting their new logo and grand opening in January 2010. We also checked out the vendors on hand (whose heated tents were better spaced out this year).

Inside the Art Gallery of Alberta tent

Mack as Vanna White

At 5pm, everyone readied for the grand finale – two children, alongside Mayor Mandel and Santa Claus, flipped a giant light switch to power up the Christmas lights. The tree, from Whitecourt, AB, stands at sixty feet, and this year, features animated icicle lights that make it appear as if snow is falling from the tree – pretty neat.

The crowd for the main event

Ready for the light-up

All lit up

The light switch that made it happen

The fireworks that followed were fantastic as expected, with flares and sparks released in time to cymbals crashing and trumpets blaring. If you haven’t yet experienced the show, I would encourage you to attend next year.

Fireworks!

Notably missing this year were the small Bright Nights displays that have been a fixture on the Square during the holiday season for the past few years. I guess the cancellation of the Hawrelak Park Bright Nights also meant the necessary retiring of all related decorations. The few inflatable displays they had on the east side of the Square really weren’t the same.

I’m counting down the days to Christmas already, but this was a great event to help kick off the season!

You can see Mack’s photo set here.

Breakfast Artistry: Cora’s

I really thought 9:45 on a Sunday morning was early enough to escape the brunch-line crunch, but I was wrong. Arriving at Cora’s today, I was greeted with a crowd that not only snaked through the lobby, but onto the sidewalk outside. It made me wonder if the same resilience would hold in colder weather.

Eventually, I was joined by two more of our party of four. Our wait actually didn’t end up being that long – around twenty minutes. As we edged closer to the front of the line, we were able to peer into the kitchen to watch the “breakfast artists” (Cora’s term, not mine) at work firsthand, busily blending smoothies and assembling plates.

“Breakfast artists” at work

The restaurant itself was also larger than it appeared from the outside, with basic wooden tables and chairs divided by four foot high partitions. They broke up the space somewhat, and definitely helped Cora’s maximize the room. Janice made the apt observation that she felt a bit like she was in an elementary classroom – colourful cartoon representations of Cora’s dishes graced the walls, alongside random animal figures perched high on shelves. And though Cora’s is a chain, where each restaurant is likely decorated in a similar way, I had to say I liked the sense of lightness and fun expressed by the interior.

Interior

The family-friendly atmosphere was also highlighted by the many children dining alongside their parents. Moreover, we noticed that the patron demographic seemed to skew pretty young, with the majority of diners in the 20-35 age range.

Our friendly server got the three of us started with beverages right away while we waited for Annie. May ordered the smoothie ($3.95), which changes daily, while Janice and I stuck with coffee ($2.35). After our drinks arrived, and our server knew a friend was still to join us, she checked on us periodically to see if we needed refills, but never pushed us to order, despite the consistent line outside. At some point, recognizing that Annie was running really late, we ordered without her anyway, but with noted appreciation for our server’s patience.

Smoothie

I was excited to see the menu, with some knowledge of Cora’s reputation, especially out east. I loved how visual the menu was, with photos of every dish to illustrate the artistry that goes into every plate. While I usually settle on my meal fairly rapidly, with the choices so vividly represented in front of me, my decision was made all the more difficult. In the end, the ham and swiss crepomelette ($10.95) won out for both May and myself, while Janice ordered the ham panini-crepe, and Annie opted for Cora’s special.

Colourful menu

Though our server apologized profusely for our wait for the food to arrive, I didn’t think the length of time was unreasonable at all (especially given our tardy order placement). My crepe, which had been stuffed with a ham and swiss omelette, was good overall – the lightness of the crepe was notable, as was their generosity with the fillings. The hollandaise was a little on the rich side for my taste however, though I must admit I don’t usually order any dishes containing the sauce. The fruit included was a nice touch (and for me, the small bowl was enough – Janice’s “mountain” of fruit with the panini-crepe would have been too much for me), but the cantaloupe slice made me wish they used only fruits in season.

Ham and Swiss Crepomelette

Panini-Crepe (lovely grill marks)

Cora’s Special (2 eggs, bacon, ham, sausage and crepe)

With excellent service (the roving coffee servers were great), I would not hesitate to recommend Cora’s as a brunch destination. My only nitpick is its location, towards South Edmonton Common, and not easily accessible by public transit. With the success of this outpost, however, perhaps TPTB at Cora’s will consider opening a second branch closer to the core? I can only hope.

Cora’s
111, 2920 Calgary Trail
(780) 465-2672
Monday-Saturday 6am-3pm, Sunday 7am-3pm