If you haven’t yet entered the contest to win $750 worth of prizes to the Thompson Okanagan Region, make sure you do so by Friday, December 3! On to this week’s food notes:

• Vinomania is hosting free wine tastings every Saturday from noon-5pm until December 18, 2010.
• Foodie McPoon has uncovered some newish and soon-to-be restaurants in Edmonton: Sanpachi, a Japanese noodle house, and a dim sum joint in a Howard Johnson hotel, called Delicious, Delicious.
• I came across a new French bistro called La Persaud on the Campus Saint Jean.
• Kerstin’s is a great place if you’re looking to satisfy someone’s sweet tooth. And even better, besides knowing you are supporting a local business, you can also feel good that your purchases are benefiting those in developing countries too. As of December 1, 2010, Kerstin’s will be donating 10% of their profits to Change for Children, as the organization supports work in countries where cacao is grown.
• Similar to how Allan broke down his veggie cost from his CSA share this summer, Kevin calculated the cost of his whole cow from Nature’s Green Acres, or, as he calls it: Nouveau Beef-onomics.
• I almost missed Jennifer Cockrall-King’s post about “Gordonspotting” Gordon Ramsay at Hardware Grill on his recent stop in Edmonton.
• A new Loblaws store, No Frills, opened in Edmonton last week.
• Another group-based deals service launched, called Swarm Jam, courtesy of the Edmonton Journal.
• Paula Simons posted a recipe for the cookie heard ‘round the world, and Chris tried out the recipe himself.
• I can’t remember when I first saw these, but these collapsible bottles would be a great gift idea for a traveler, or really, anyone environmentally conscious.
• SF bans Happy Meals (well, at least the marketing ploy of a toy for meals over a certain calorie count.
• Sure, the Thanksgiving ramekin from The Dish was great – but how about most of a Thanksgiving meal stuffed into a croissant?
• Frank Bruni asks: have we gone too far with our quest for the perfect cup of coffee at home?
• There was a good piece in the NYT about one-note restaurants, with a particularly en-pointe statement: “‘Certain movie stars can carry a movie; certain foods can carry a restaurant.’”
• First Julie Powell (of Julie & Julia fame), now Sarah Bigelow – are female butchers the new “it” thing?
• Ruby Dragon, which has replaced Kai (10909 Jasper Avenue), is now open.

Ruby Dragon

• Look out for new establishments in the 124 Street area, including Somerville Wine & Cheese.

Somerville Wine & Cheese

• Also on tap, two doors down from Duchess, is Food Dish Wishes, a pet bakery.

Food Dish Wishes

• The board I volunteer for was treated to a lovely dinner at the Royal Glenora on Monday. The food was great – my favourite dishes included the cedar-planked, panko-coated salmon, and the creamy mashed potatoes (it really is difficult to get attractive photos of a buffet spread).

I had to take a photo with Vicki, who is my partner-in-crime on the board!

Have a great week!

On cold nights like this, walking home, it’s hard not to think about those who don’t have a place of their own. Even though this year’s homeless count estimates that the numbers have decreased since 2008, there is still a long way to go. As we approach Christmas – remember your local charities this holiday season! On to this week’s food notes:

• Billingsgate (7331 104 Street) is hosting an open house on Saturday, November 27 @ 10am-2pm, celebrating their 103 year in business. Lobster bisque will be sampled.
• Need some help deciding on a gift? Sherbrooke Liquor Store will be holding a Christmas Spirit”s” show at the Capilano Community League (10819 54 Street) on November 27 from 5-9pm, with sampling tickets available at the door.
• Transcend’s upcoming Barista Jam on December 4 at the Argyll location sounds like a lot of fun. Look forward to an espresso throwdown, taste Alberta-roasted espressos, and test your ability to identify the odd-espresso out.
• To celebrate Terra Madre Day on December 10, Slow Food Edmonton is screening the episode of The Endless Feast that was shot in Edmonton last year, as well as a documentary about a Prairie farming family. To sweeten the deal, there will be local meat and cheese to snack on, and Amber’s beer and EnSante wine to drink!
• For more food and drink events, check out City and Dale’s Holiday Eats & Drinks Guide.
• I had heard rumblings about this, but it’s nice to finally have it confirmed – Culina will be moving into the cafe space in the Muttart Conservatory! I have no doubt the recognizable name will help draw many more people into our beautiful river valley, and I am glad to hear they will be taking advantage of the greenhouses to grow their own food. They hope to be open by Christmas.
• New bakery alert: La Manarca, at 4119 106 Street, will be hosting its grand opening on December 1.
• On the topic of bakeries – Duchess has a brand-spankin’ new website. It looks great!
• Passing by what used to be Kai on 109 Street and Jasper Avenue, it looks like it is Kai no longer – a sign posted said they are hiring for Ruby Dragon. Though this ad says they will be opening on November 18, it still looked like it was under construction. Any updates?
• Chris reviewed Bubba’s BBQ & Smoke House last week. Sounds delish!
• Mack pointed me to a great little blog by Lightside Photo – they are currently doing a feature called “30 Days of Edmonton”, and alongside beautiful photos, they posted an interview with the owner of Cha Island Tea today.
• More on GMO salmon – and it isn’t good.
• Mack and I were in the area of Everything Cheese on the weekend, so decided to stop by. While the selection may not be as deep as Paddy’s (though they will be getting in shipments from Neal’s Yard Dairy soon), there is no doubt it is a stunning space. I also much appreciated the labels – both next to the cheeses inside the case, and printed onto labels for customers to easily reference. While it’s a little out of the way for us, I can imagine those in the area are floored with this new neighbourhood addition!

Everything Cheese

Hurrah for labels!

A fun stocking stuffer – bags that allow one to make a grilled cheese right inside the toaster

• Next door to Everything Cheese is Secret Sweets (14910 45 Avenue, 780-479-3387), whose tagline is “because you don’t always have time to bake!” The baked good sold leaned more towards nostalgic than gourmet (snickerdoodles, Rice Krispie balls, cupcakes and shortbread), but from what we sampled, it’s a solid local option to satisfy the sweet tooth. They’re also looking into offering bread some time in the future as well.

Secret Sweets

• We finally got our lights up outside (of course we waited until it was –30 to do so). Only 33 days until Christmas!

Love that LED glow

Last night, Mack and I attended the closing film of the Global Visions Film Festival. A Small Act tells the story of a Kenyan boy who was given the opportunity to continue onto secondary school because of a monthly donation made by a woman in Sweden. He now works at the United Nations. It was a reminder that our public education system should never be taken for granted, and to never doubt the possibilities created by any kind gestures, no matter the size. Onto this week’s food notes:

• University of Alberta’s Environmental Research & Studies Centre is currently putting on a monthly lecture series titled “Welcome to the Food Futures”. Next up on November 18, 2010 is Robert Paarlberg, who will be speaking about “Alternative Paths to Global Food Security in 2050:  Making the Right Choice.”
• It’s that time of year to mark your calendar for holiday shopping options outside of malls: check out the Handmade Mafia at Orange Hall November 27, December 4 and 11;  Just Christmas takes place on November 26-27 at the Alberta Avenue Community Hall; Make It takes over the Alberta Aviation Museum November 26-28; Royal Bison heads into its 9th edition November 27-28 at the Cosmopolitan Music Society; and a Winter World Market on December 11 from 10am-4pm at McCauley School (9538 107 Ave). And of course – don’t forget the farmers’ markets too!
• Thanks for the heads up about the IHOP coming to town – from the looks of it, they will likely be open late this year or early next year.
• Chris checked out Edmonton Cheese, the newest cheese monger in Edmonton.
• Marianne and Charles stopped by the new south side location of Urban Diner last week.
• Liane wrote about Press’d, a new-ish sandwich shop in City Centre.
• Thanks to Vue Weekly, I now know that Edmonton has a popular South African deli in Betsy’s South African Deli.
• I’ve always wondered what Christmas in November at the Jasper Park Lodge was like from a guests’s perspective – Valerie has helped me answer that question. It looks like a fabulous time!
• Thought-provoking article BruleeBlog linked to about the financial impacts of Open Table’s monopoly on online reservations, from the mouth of Mark Pastore, owner of SF’s Incanto.
• Though I mentioned it before, I actually passed by Pampa (9929 109 Street) over the weekend and snapped a photo. Look for the Brazilian churrascaria in 2011.

Pampa

• One of my coworkers hosted a fundraising dinner to help send her two children on school trips this year. She did all of the cooking, alongside two of my other colleagues – the food, which included Indian, African and Caribbean dishes was fantastic. And what can we say about the African doughnuts? Mack and I had four each.

My plate (we went back for seconds)