Food Notes for December 5, 2011

It’s been a bit crazy at work these past few weeks, and for that reason, I’m grateful Mack’s been able to pick up the slack at home. It’s nice to have dinner waiting for you when return home after a long day. On to this week’s food notes:

You may remember soon-to-be-launched food truck Big City Sandwich has been taking over kitchens in restaurants around the city, to generate some income (and buzz) before the summer season. So it’s interesting to see existing truck Nomad do the same, for a similar reason – to tide them over in a city where winters are not necessarily hospitable to year-round vending. Their first dinner will be held at Yellowhead Brewery on December 20, 2011. There might be a few tickets left if you don’t blink!
Also on the evening of December 20, 104 Street businesses will be hosting a customer appreciation day. I’ll link to more information next week, but expect discounts like 10% off nearly everything at deVine’s, 25% off food at Blue Plate Diner, and complimentary treats all day at Queen of Tarts.
Maybe the most exciting news to me this week was finding out that 104 Street really is becoming Edmonton’s artisan coffee district – Roast Coffee will be setting up shop in the Mercer Warehouse on 104 Street and 104 Avenue, to be open some time in 2012. Great to see a small local business set up in the heritage building!
Will Jasper Ave eventually have its own chocolate district (near Kerstin’s Chocolates)? Bernard Callebaut will be opening up a new retail store (with a cafe) on Jasper next year.
Liv wrote about Cafe Coral de Cuba on Whyte Avenue.
The Journal reviewed Nola, the newest Creole restaurant in Edmonton. It’s quite a negative review, with such a different opinion than what others have told me about their experience. I’ll definitely have to check it out myself.
I haven’t been watching Recipe to Riches myself (is it odd to anyone else that Jesse Palmer is the host of that show?), but I know I was wondering if the products were actually worth buying. Foodie McPoon has been trying them all out, week by week, so you can get a second opinion first.
With another Wild Earth open on the west side at 14238 85 Avenue (and another one to come at the Epcor Tower), I wonder if people are confusing that cafe with the similarly-named Good Earth, which is also rapidly expanding?
Smashburger, deemed “America’s most promising company” by Forbes, is expanding to Edmonton. Makes me wonder why Five Guys hasn’t been more aggressive in northern Alberta.
Price check: this is an interesting post on the price comparisons between products at Planet Organic and Earth’s General Store.
Lots of great gift suggestions for the food lover in your life: cookbook recommendations from the NYT, and gadget picks from America’s best chefs.
362 slices and two and a half years later, a man who vowed to eat his way through Manhattan’s pizzerias is now done.
Taste of Lebanon, the second Cafe Beirut location on Jasper Avenue and 112 Street is now open!

Taste of Lebanon/Cafe Beirut

I had no idea Viphalay was moving to the house formerly occupied by Karma 99 Avenue and 105 Street.

Viphalay

Though the second downtown Oodle Noodle is on the horizon, Mack and I headed to the 109 Street and Jasper Avenue location on Friday to help celebrate its 1st birthday. We loved the decorations (who doesn’t love helium-inflated animal balloons?).

Or dragon-shaped cupcakes?

At Ikea this weekend, we stumbled upon the most adorable fruit and vegetable shaped stuffed toys. Mack didn’t have a choice but to pose with his new broccoli friends.

Green is good

Mercury Opera’s 104 Underground (an operascape)

Last Friday, Mercury Opera brought opera to the people – is there any place more democratic than a public transportation platform?

Although the show itself was free (transit operators weren’t checking for fare payments), a $25 ticket gave opera revellers access to some pre-show food and drink at four street-level businesses. I really loved the design of the entire event – from its transformation of an everyday space to a glorious stage, and its recognition and utilization of existing shops.

Given the event started at 6pm on a Friday night, we thought patrons would trickle in, and adoption of an early bird mentality wouldn’t be necessary. We were wrong; by the time we stopped into some of the participating retailers at 7pm, the trays were empty and the pitchers dry.

The crowd at Coup

In hindsight, the expectation of any event starting at 6pm with the promise of alcohol would be accompanying food of some substance (especially with the $25 admission price). Instead, there were platters of cheese and pretzels at deVine’s, and olives and pickles at Coup. We heard 29 Armstrong had been serving croquettes (long gone by the time we arrived), and the Eyecare Group had offered up desserts (also since devoured), but in the end just wondered whether the organizers simply didn’t anticipate the crowds that turned up.

Food at deVine’s

Thankfully for Mack and I, we had both eaten, but happily had some wine at deVine’s, and champagne at the Eyecare Group. People were clearly enjoying themselves, and we almost regretted not arriving at the party earlier.

Ed serving wine at deVine’s

At 8pm, the group was encouraged to head down to the LRT platform to ready for the show. Chairs for the Vif Quartet had been set up at the centre of the platform, and while the crowd eagerly waited for the arrival of the performers (by train, of course), volunteers and peace officers held caution tape in place to make sure all observers remained safe.

A packed platform

The show, in a word, was spectacular. The singers used the circular benches as their stage, and in their gorgeous Natasha Lazarovic gowns (it was as much a fashion show as an opera performance), colours reflecting on the mirrored panels surrounding them, it was a sight to see.

Arriving by train

Stunning

The acoustics were better than expected, and the live musicians that accompanied them elevated the show even more. When trains full of passengers drove past, their aghast and puzzled expressions were priceless – these kinds of things don’t happen in Edmonton, do they?

Encore

When the operascape was over, the performers left as they came – on the train. The void they left was palpable – we didn’t know what to do with ourselves! There should have been an after party to capture the buzz and energy in the air.

Congratulations to Mercury Opera for a fabulous event. I look forward to seeing what they come up with next!

You can read Mack’s post on the event here (including videos of the performance), and take a look at his photo set here.

Food Notes for November 28, 2011

The downtown location of Oodle Noodle is turning one! Help them celebrate this weekend, December 2-4, 2011. This coupon will get you an entree and a drink for just $7, while there will be cupcakes and a magician on hand at noon on December 2.
To help you be a more thorough shopper, Vinomania is offering free wine tastings from their Enosystem over the next three Saturdays from 11am-5pm (December 3, 10 and 17, 2011). You might just pick up a bottle for yourself, too!
Sutton Place Hotel’s annual Taste of Christmas kicks off December 6 and ends on December 16. Make sure to call ahead for a reservation!
Are you ready for a party? The Downtown Edmonton Community League is having a Christmas mixer at the office (10113 104 Street) on December 8 from 7-9pm. If you don’t have a membership yet, they will be selling them at the door for just $5. And with food being catered by Drift, you know it will be a good time.
Twyla reviewed Hakuna Matata, a fairly new Somali restaurant on Alberta Avenue. I’d be interested to try it myself to see how it compares to African Somali, my go-to Somali restaurant.
Marianne offers up a review of Noorish. Seems like most people are at first sceptical, but are quickly converted.
The Journal had a great piece about the trend (and Edmontonians’ hesitation) towards fully embracing the communal table. I remember first encountering one a few years ago in DC – we were apprehensive at first, but found that it was a great way to break bread with strangers.
Sarah Chan, of Girls + Bicycles fame, published a cookbook with her friend Leanne Brown. You can buy a hard copy, but you can also download it for free as well. I love how it is sectioned off into shops/farmers’ markets.
I’ve had Thanksgiving in a bowl, but never in croissant form. It looks delicious.
It’s a little disheartening to read about the food truck crackdowns in Midtown Manhattan. I really hope they find some way to work towards a more conducive solution for everyone.
Did you see the headlines last week about how the US Congress now considers pizza a vegetable? I did too, but it turns out that wasn’t exactly true.
A coworker had her farewell lunch at Khazana last week. I balked when I heard their lunch buffet was priced at nearly $18/person, but clearly this isn’t a problem for most – it was packed! Decent variety and good food, but I’m not sure I would pay that much for a lunch buffet on a regular basis.

The saag paneer was my favourite

I love putting together baskets of food products and trinkets to give as gifts. The Italian Bakery in Chintaown (10646 97 Street) is a great place to go, where last week I spotted a marzipan pig.

Some pig

I can’t wait until the Legislature grounds are all lit up for Christmas (taking place on December 1, which also kicks off the choir and hot cocoa season), but in the mean time, City Hall is looking lovely as well.

Have a good week!

Pyrohy Gluttony: St. John’s Cultural Centre

I’d heard tell that churches across town regularly served up perogies to the carb-starved masses, but I’d never attended one of these pyrohy suppers myself. Until tonight.

After work, a few of my coworkers headed to St. John’s Cultural Centre, within walking distance of the office, to stuff ourselves silly. St. John’s, like many others around Edmonton (including St. Andrew’s and St. Basil’s), offers these suppers on a monthly basis as a regular fundraising opportunity.

I’m not sure why I thought these suppers were a well-kept secret, but given how full the room was that night, it was clear this was a monthly tradition for many. Several tables were reserved, and others were filled with large parties who looked like regulars. And with wine at just $20 a bottle, it was easily one of the cheapest happy hour options in the city.

Not a well-kept secret

For $12 ($10 for seniors and $6 for children aged 6-12), we dined, all-you-can-eat-style, on two kinds of perogies, sauerkraut, roasted pork and Caesar salad. A separate table contained all of the usual perogy fixings – sour cream, bacon bits and (wait for it) sautéed onions in melted butter. I was in love.

Leigh, Sam and Elise load up

The perogies were just what I was looking for – the homemade dough makes all the difference. When we have perogies (from frozen, of course) at home, we typically pan-fry them in butter, but in this case, it would have masked the wonderful texture of the skin. The cottage cheese filling was good, but the potato and onion was definitely my favourite. . The roasted pork on my first go-around was moist and shredded ever so easily, but was a bit dry on my second run.

Plate #1

Dessert and coffee was also available for those who still had room. None of us indulged, partly because of the unidentified nature of the cake, but mostly because that second plate of perogies was probably a mistake.

Dessert

The next few pyrohy suppers at St. John’s are scheduled for December 16, January 27 and February 24. Start thinking about those stretchy pants now!

St. John’s Cultural Centre
10611 110 Avenue
(780) 425-9692

A Christmas Fête at the Queen of Tarts

We’re nearly a month away from Christmas, and with American Thanksgiving now out of the way, I think it’s now appropriate to pull out the decorations to start making merry at home. It was also perfect timing for a Christmas fête at the Queen of Tarts.

Sparking wine and sparkling lights

There’s a lot to celebrate at the Queen of Tarts – this will be their first Christmas at the storefront, and the space will allow the Queen of Tarts to have a greater selection of pantry gifts (including a special Greek olive oil called Parthena – pure and cold-pressed, a sample yielded a light, fruity quality, and a flavour that made it good enough to drink). They will even be putting together baskets to make it easy for the harried shopper!

Gifts for the pantry

Parthena Greek olive oil

The cafe is also kicking off regular dinner service on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights starting on December 1st. And of course, special seasonal items will now start to appear in the bakery cases!

All decked out for the holidays

This evening’s open house was intended as a showcase for these delights, an opportunity to sample both sweet and savoury treats that will be offered over the next few weeks.

The Queen herself, Linda Kearney

Alongside a glass of sparkling wine, we were invited to try nearly ten different delectable desserts and appetizers that any hostess would be proud to serve. Among the more traditional sweets were mincemeat tarts, fruitcake and stollen (the latter was already packaged and ready for patrons to pick up).

Fruitcake and mincemeat tarts

Stollen

The palmiers, a delicate savoury cookie made from buttery puff pastry, simply melted in my mouth. The olive tapenade was a sophisticated addition. As well, mini brioche buns stuffed with mushroom duxelle were also a new item, a wonderful two-bite hors d’oeuvre with the earthiness of the mushrooms (I loved that the shallots retained their crunch) and a touch of sweetness.

Palmiers

Mini brioche buns and Mack’s favourite gougères

One cannot pass up the dessert tray at the Queen of Tarts, and tonight was no exception. The sinfully rich brownies are always a crowd favourite, but the seasonal gingerbread Bundt cakes held their own. I’m not much of a ginger fan, but I enjoyed them, won over by their moist and fragrant interior.

Thunder brownies

Gingerbread Bundt cakes

A big change is coming though – as you may have heard, the Queen of Tarts had organized a contest earlier this fall to help them pick a new name. Linda has finally settled on “Dauphine”, which is the French term for the Queen in waiting. Look for a launch of their new identity soon.

Thanks again to Linda and her staff for hosting the festive open house – it definitely helped get me in the mood for Christmas!

Queen of Tarts Bakery & Bistro
10129 104 Street
(780) 421-4410
Tuesday -Friday 9am-7pm, Saturday 8am-6pm

Not on Meatless Mondays: Pampa Brazilian Steakhouse

Over dinner at the Harvest Room in October, Mack and I had the opportunity to get to know Mandy and her boyfriend Ajit a little more – turns out, they love food as much as we do! We already knew Mandy’s brother Miles from working with him on What the Truck?! over the summer (they run The Lingnan together, with the rest of their family). So when Mandy suggested the lot of us should get together for dinner, we thought it was a great idea.

We proposed Pampa as a venue – it was new to nearly everyone, while my only experience was at lunch. At the time, I had thought the restaurant would be more conducive for the dinner hour, when patrons have the ability to linger and take in the food at their own pace. That night, with a cocktail in hand and good company at the table, Pampa did seem to have more opportunity shine after dark.

Interior

On a cool Tuesday night, our table was the first party to be seated that evening. This proved to be both an advantage and a disadvantage. On the upside: we were the first to access the salad bar that night, which meant we had our choice of the extensive selection of green, vegetable, pasta and grain salads and cold platters (some of the bowls were empty on my last visit). Notable for me this time was the balsamic honey reduction dressing.

Salad bar

Mack’s never happy about having to eat vegetables

Compli

mentary appetizers (the cassava fries were particularly delectable)

On the downside: the kitchen was clearly prepared to handle a much larger initial rush than they received that night. As a result, the severs descended, fast and furiously, on on our table with cuts approaching at such a rapid pace that all we could do was buckle down and eat. This explains the lack of meat photos to follow.

“Keep it coming” and “stop the pain”

On the other hand, with such quick succession of the eight or so options we had at our disposal that night, we were easily able to pick out which were our favourites. The house made pork sausage elicited rounds of approval (and calls for seconds), as did the bacon-wrapped chicken thigh. Both were so tender and cooked perfectly. I very much enjoyed the bottom round and its charcoal-tinged crust (it made me wish they had the salt-crusted picanha I liked so much on my last visit on rotation).

Bacon-wrapped chicken thigh

The group appreciated the parmesan pork, at its centre a moist medium rare, and the lamb, so juicy it literally left its mark on the table as it was being carved. The only type that didn’t go over well was the garlic steak – tough and hard to eat, it seemed as if the garlic was used to mask the poor quality of the cut. But for the most part, Pampa did honour meat in many incarnations with its preparation, technique, and flair.

We opted to try a few of the desserts – the manjar de coco didn’t quite meet Miles’ expectation of a crème caramel, while the passionfruit mousse wasn’t actually the star on its plate – the melt-in-your-mouth meringue took that prize.

Manjar de coco

Passionfruit mousse

Given the price of our dinner was upwards of $75 a person ($44.95 without drinks or dessert), we were a little disappointed with the service that night. Our server wasn’t subtle about pushing the liquor (reminding us numerous times about being able to cork and carry out bottles), at the expense of refilling water glasses. She also disappeared at various points that evening, including one long absence in between our plates having been cleared and wanting to order dessert. On the bright side, she did manage to scrounge up the lone plate of pineapple that was left in the restaurant. Mandy had heard from a friend that the pineapple at Pampa was great, but was told early on that evening that pineapple wasn’t available that day. Needless to say, Mandy left a happier customer (and, as she said, better able to digest dinner).

The elusive pineapple!

Before we left, we were very fortunate to receive a tour of the kitchen from owner Oscar Lopez (Mack and I were lucky to slip in alongside Miles). It was great to talk to him and get some background on Pampa. It was clear he is passionate about the rodizio concept, and pioneering such a restaurant in Edmonton.

Most fascinating to me were the grills – even standing five feet away, the heat was unbearable; I couldn’t imagine having to tend to the charcoal and wood, which reaches temperatures of 500 – 750F, over the busy dinner hour.

The grill (notice the intense sprinklers above)

We learned that the three tiers on the grill were used for different purposes – the skewers on the top level would be kept warm, the middle was used for slow-cooking the meats, and the lowest setting would cook things quickly. We asked Oscar about the segment on The Opener that showed the restaurant offering a seafood option – he said this was set up by the show for filming, and was never something he intended to continue with. Part of it had to do with expense, but given the heat emanating from the charcoal, seafood would cook much too quickly.

How do the skewers turn, you ask? Magic gears!

Oscar also showed us the heavy-duty air filter at the back of the house, which filters 6000 cubic feet per minute, necessary because of the continuous charcoal and wood burned in the kitchen. On a few occasions early in the restaurant’s history, a clogged filter meant the smoke drifted rather uncomfortably into the dining area.

What’s standing between charcoal and the dining room

While Pampa is usually busy over dinner, Oscar said that lunches have been slow. I had to wonder if a part of it had to do with the “buffet mentality” – that diners must feel like they ate their fill in order to deem that they received value for their dollar. Or, for some business persons, the idea of being interrupted every few minutes with a meat offering, stifling the flow of conversation, is a turn-off.

It’s hard to think that Pampa could be unsuccessful in beef-crazed Alberta. But from our own experience, it is a restaurant that for its price and promotion of gluttony, is very much relegated to special occasions and infrequent returns. Still, there is a place for it, and one that I hope more Edmontonians will discover. Thanks again to Miles for dinner – we hope to do it again some time!

A satisfied party

Pampa Brazilian Steakhouse
9929 – 109 Street
(780) 756-7030
Lunch: Mon – Fri 11:30am – 1:30pm; Dinner: Monday-Friday 5-10pm; Saturday 3-10pm; closed Sundays

Food Notes for November 21, 2011

If the crowds at Make It were any indication, I think people are seriously getting ready for Christmas! Thankfully, that wasn’t the only opportunity to get locally-produced and handmade crafts. The Royal Bison takes place this coming weekend, November 26-27, 2011, with catering provided by Culina. On to this week’s food notes:

Moriarty’s is hosting a Beaujolais Nouveau party on November 24, 2011.
I’m excited for Underground 104, which is happening on November 25, 2011. It’s an event being put on by Mercury Opera, and involves food and drink at several Fourth Street businesses from 6-8pm, and then at 8:15, there will be a performance on the Bay LRT platform. Tickets are $25, $20 for members of the Downtown Edmonton Community League.
The next supper club at the Queen of Tarts will take place on November 26, 2011 – they will be posting the menu on Facebook. Mack and I attended the first of these dinners in October, and had a great time.
Miss Cally’s Teas? Until they find a storefront, you can get your Earl Grey fix from Culina Muttart.
This is never something you want to hear: another small farm has called it quits. Gwen Simpson of Inspired Market Gardens (a fixture at the City Market for many years), has decided that it is no longer sustainable for her to continue. She will continue to produce her dried edible flower products and a buyer’s guide to herbs next spring, but she will be relocating back to BC. All the best, Gwen!
Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton (OFRE) needs your help! They need to make it through to the semi-finals of the Aviva Community Funding Grant with your votes – deadline is November 30, 2011.
Top Chef Canada winner Dale McKay announced that he will be opening ensemble Tap, his second restaurant in early December 2011. It seems to be in the gastropub vein.
The New York Times announced their new dining critic last week – Dining Editor Pete Wells will be taking on the task.
There’s a calendar for everything these days, so why not one for food trucks, too?
There was outrage this week when there were rumours that several NY locations of Starbucks would be closing their bathrooms. Is it the cafe’s job to provide public restrooms? This was an interesting thread, and made me think of the equivalent role Tim Horton’s and McDonald’s play in our city.
Mack noticed that Chop will be coming to downtown Edmonton next summer – inside the Sutton Place Hotel.

Chop

While at the University of Alberta last week, Mack and I were finally able to check out some of the kiosks run by some of the city’s food truck vendors, located in the basement of the Central Academic Building. Among them were Eva Sweet, Filistix, and Fat Franks. I’m a bit jealous that current students have such great options to choose from – I would have killed to have the option of starting my day with a savoury breakfast waffle topped with eggs and bacon, a lunch of pulled pork with apple chipotle bbq sauce, or an international dog of the week (like a Peking Dog with hoisin sauce). The kiosks are open 10am-4pm – check ‘em out if you’re down on campus!

Filistix and Eva Sweet share a kiosk

Who can say no to breakfast waffles?

Fat Franks

We had a chance to stop by the McCafe in Commerce Place last week (incentive being, of course, the 2-for-1 coupons we received in the mail). Mack ordered a latte with a sugar-free vanilla shot, while I opted for a mocha (menu here). They are push-button drinks, made from machines similar to the ones seen in some self-serve cafe areas of hotels now. We liked the real milk (which gives McDonald’s a real advantage over Tim Horton’s), but even with the slight discount over Starbucks, we likely wouldn’t choose McCafe if there was a Starbucks nearby.

McCafe

Pastry case

Our drinks

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The Cooking Chronicles: Blog Inspiration

Cookbooks and magazines still remain a core of my recipe repertoire, but blogs are a significant source of inspiration for me. In some ways, it is less of a chore to bookmark a recipe on a blog for a rainy day than to deliberately seek one out in print. The two following dishes I made recently were gleaned from the online world of cooking – but there are many more to come!

Spiced Paneer with Spinach, Tomatoes and Potatoes

Although mutter paneer is one of my favourite dishes at Indian restaurants, I’ve never tried cooking with paneer at home. When I saw Michelle’s easy recipe for spiced paneer with spinach, tomatoes and potatoes, there seemed like no better way to start.

I had thought paneer would be available at Superstore, but that wasn’t the case (we ended up picking up a package at Spice Centre, our go-to Indian grocer). The package and white block reminded me very much of tofu, but of course, it is much more dense and firm in texture.

As promised, the recipe was very fast to pull together (we used Doef’s tomatoes and Greens, Eggs and Ham potatoes). I loved the wilted spinach, and the spice combination – great flavour, with just the right amount of heat for us. Next time, I’d likely include onions, and because I love tomatoes, I would double what the recipe calls for. Overall though, it’s a keeper!

Spiced paneer with spinach, tomatoes and potatoes (photo much less alluring than Michelle’s)

Thai Red Curry with Halibut

Trish Magwood’s Thai chicken curry is a rotating staple in our kitchen, but for whatever reason, we haven’t really used any other protein with that sauce and vegetable combination. Cream and Sugar’s recipe for Thai red curry with halibut was a good reminder that we should change it up.

We had some wild Alberta shallots from the Italian Centre, a bell pepper from Doef’s, and halibut from Ocean Odyssey, though we also threw in some green beans we had in the freezer. Similar to the dish above, this cooked up quickly, and had the by-product of scenting the condo with fragrant coconut milk.

We didn’t have fresh basil and cilantro on hand, unfortunate because I know it would have brightened up the dish considerably. Still, the curry was tasty – the halibut held up very well, and the vegetables cooked down to tender perfection.

Thai red curry with halibut (another photo that doesn’t even remotely compare to the original blog shot)

Which cooking blogs inspire you?

Paninis in the ‘Park: Fresh Healthy Cafe

Grandma Male is always game to try new restaurants with us, so we knew she’d be up to catch up over dinner at Fresh Healthy Cafe, a new soup and sandwich joint in Sherwood Park.

I first heard about this international chain on City and Dale, in a post written up by Tracey Hill (who, with her weekly contributions about the happenings in the ‘Park, is helping to change perceptions about the town, bedroom community or not). At first glance, it seemed to be very similar to Edmonton’s Health Fare, with its focus on providing nourishing and balanced meals for time-crunched individuals. We were curious to see what the restaurant was like in person.

Interior

The name aside (it reads like it should be Fresh and Healthy Cafe), the strip mall storefront was bright and clean. The local artwork on the walls were a nice touch (Giselle Denis’ floral portraits would brighten up any space). I also appreciated the open kitchen; it is always reassuring when diners can see their food being prepared.

Artwork

The menu options were even fewer than Health Fare, limited to sandwiches, salads and soups. There were ten panini options (all priced at $7.49), all of which could be made into a wrap or turned into a salad. Mack and Grandma Male decided on the turkey bacon avocado, with turkey breast, turkey bacon, cheddar, avocado, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions and low-fat ranch dressing. I ordered the very similar turkey club, with turkey breast, smoked ham, turkey bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and the same ranch dressing.

Turkey bacon avocado panini

There is no doubt that Fresh is generous with its ingredients – the sandwiches were just bursting. I liked that they had been lightly pressed, but given the filling amount and the runny consistency of the dressing, a thicker focaccia would have been ideal. But as a whole, we all enjoyed the sandwiches.

Turkey bacon club panini

Because Fresh had a smoothie menu longer than its food menu, we knew we’d have to try their drinks as well, with eighteen options (medium $4.79, large $5.99) to choose from, not including the freshly squeezed juice, juice blends, and optional fortifiers. We sampled the pomegranate punch (pomegranate-blueberry juice, non-fat frozen yogurt, blueberries, strawberries), Caribbean splash (passion-orange-guava juice, mango sorbet, mangos, strawberries) and strawberry banana supreme (strawberry juice, raspberry sorbet, strawberries, bananas). I thought the addition of frozen yogurt to a smoothie was inspired – it was a great thickener, with the side bonus of turning the drink into a dessert of sorts. Together with the paninis, we were content with the meal.

Smoothies

Although we had a pleasant experience at Fresh, we agreed that it was a bit out of the way for us to satisfy a sandwich craving. However, if we were in the area (or a resident of Sherwood Park looking for something new to try), we would return again.

Fresh Healthy Cafe
#82, 4005 Clover Bar Road, Sherwood Park
(780) 570-5950

Food Notes for November 14, 2011

Edmonton finally gets its first snow (I’m not counting the bit that fell on Friday), and it was a pretty gorgeous snowfall to boot. On to this week’s food notes:

Not food related, but the snow is making me think about Christmas. Two great shopping opportunities this weekend – Handmade Mafia on November 19 at Orange Hall, and Make It, from November 17-20 at the Alberta Aviation Museum.
In the mood for chocolate? Then take advantage of the opportunity on November 19, 2011 from 1-5pm to sample a trio of chocolate flights at Kerstin’s Chocolates for just $5.
You can cook, but how are you with your partner in the kitchen? Chef Andrew Parker is hosting a couples cook-off for ten pairs on November 22, 2011.
Liane wrote about Smoky Valley Goat Cheese having changed hands. Glad to hear that Holly Gale is staying on to mentor the new owners to ensure a more seamless transition.
Liane also posted that the Taste of Ukraine has reopened in St. Albert (#40, 516 St. Albert Trail).
Lillian reviewed Mirabelle Macarons. Though several small macaron-oriented businesses have popped up over the year, they still haven’t become “mainstream”. What will it take?
It was nice to read about the Tea and Coffee Company last week – I have seen their coffee on the shelves at the Italian Bakery, but didn’t really know much about them at all.
I failed to link to this earlier – Yvonne discovered a McCafe in Commerce Place (on the second floor, in a renovated kiosk next to the existing McDonald’s). I’d be interested to put their espresso-based drinks up against Tim Horton’s new line of coffees.
Speaking of Tim Horton’s – their storefronts will be going the white collar way of Starbucks too. Expect softer lighting, wi-fi, and new menu additions. What say you?
I wasn’t able to make it out to the Chili Cook-off this year, so was happy Karlynn shared photos of the event.
Great piece in Vue Weekly about the development of the local food scene, featuring interviews with Blair Lebsack and Kevin Kossowan.
A similar article in the November issue of TechLife (NAIT’s monthly publication) on Blair’s quest to make local food mainstream in Alberta. I love this quote from instructor Hong Chew: “‘When we put a certain product on the menu, there has to be a story behind the product. That’s how you educate the consumer about where the food comes from.’”
This is the outcome of an economic downturn: a rap about “going dutch”.

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