Tag: food

The Cooking Chronicles: Spicy Tofu and Pork

Instead of The Cooking Chronicles I feel like I should create a sub-category containing all of my tofu-related experiments titled “The Tofu Trials”. At any rate, a Company’s Coming Cooking at Home spicy pork and tofu recipe was my third attempt to gradually introduce tofu into our diet, a slow road to my eventual hope of edging Mack’s tolerance for tofu into a fondness.

Armed with Ying Fat tofu and Four Whistle Farms ground pork, I set to make the quick stir-fry dish. I thought the half pound of pork would be overwhelmed by all of the tofu, but the proportion was just right, really highlighting how economical the dish is to make, so long as the cook’s pantry is stocked.

The result? A textured dish full of subtle heat with just the right amount of sweetness for balance.  I would double the sauce mixture next time, however, as there was only enough to coat the ingredients in the pan, and not enough to drizzle on our accompanying rice. And while Mack would have preferred more meat, this was his favourite of the three tofu dishes we’ve tried thus far.

Spicy Tofu and Pork

It’s All About the Whimsy: Delux Burger Bar

Delux Burger Bar is a prime example of the type of restaurant doing gangbusters right now – a perfectly executed “upscale casual” eatery that pairs a chic interior with a laid-back atmosphere. Why Delux wins my vote as one of the best in that ubiquitous class, however, has to do with their whimsical extras that go beyond smartly-attired wait staff, unidentifiable pulsating music and accessible dishes. Is Delux manufactured exactly to push the buttons of diners who have a secret penchant for kitsch? Of course, but the bottom line is, it works, or at least it does for me.

Mack and I had dinner there recently before a function at Jeffrey’s Cafe & Wine Bar (a nice place off the beaten path with an interesting selection of wine). We opted for an air-conditioned seat inside, sharing the space with those unwinding with a drink after work, a few families, and several groups of friends gathered for supper.

The menu, the requisite mix of share plates, burgers and other proteins encased in buns, offers nothing extraordinary, but enough variety to please all eaters. I went with the day’s special, called Out of the Wild, a bison burger topped with bacon, mushroom, lettuce and tomato basil havarti ($12). Mack decided to satisfy his hot dog craving with the Delux Dog ($8) with caramelized onions, double-smoked bacon and cheddar. We topped off our order with a Delux Duo of French and sweet potato fries ($6).

Our food arrived surprisingly quickly, though for a place that serves a fairly straightforward menu that was expected. What I didn’t expect was a truly messy burger to eat – it probably should have come with a bib of some sort. The Portobello mushrooms caused most of the grievance, unleashing their moisture content with no mercy. And while they lent some interesting texture to an otherwise standard burger, I found them a bit too meaty as a topping. Thankfully the rest of the burger – including a notably moist patty and a fresh bun – made the mess worthwhile. 

Out of the Wild Burger

Mack enjoyed his hot dog (perhaps more so, because it was the more dainty of the two entrees), though he did relay that the idea of a bacon-topped hot dog wasn’t quite as well realized as he had hoped for. 

Delux Dog

The fries were really what we had been looking forward to, served a la “carts”. I had seen the mini shopping carts in a gift store in Germany years ago, and have been kicking myself for not picking up a few then – the serving vehicle gets me every time. As for the fries themselves, I loved the sweet potato crisps, especially paired with the tangy dipping mayo.

Delux Duo (a la cart!)

The complimentary meal-ending cotton candy is another fanciful touch that scores points with me, even if we never manage to finish the dome. A sticky throwback to childhood beats peppermint sweets every time.

Cotton Candy finish

Century Hospitality’s Chris Lachance indicated in May that a second Delux is in the works for November. I haven’t heard anything about it since then, but don’t be surprised if another Burger Bar pops up in the city. With their formulaic flair for whimsy, I have no doubt a second Delux would be also be a smashing success.

Delux Burger Bar
9682 142 Street
(780) 420-0101

Food Notes for August 31, 2009

Mack and I signed up for the AIDS Walk for Life this weekend – we had a blast last year, and think it’s a great cause to support. It’s taking place on September 20, beginning at Churchill Square. If you would consider sponsoring either Mack or myself, that would be awesome! On to this week’s food notes:

  • Has the downturn affected consumer spending in the food industry? Maybe, but data from Stats Can indicates it might be less than expected – sales in June of this year were down 1.2% from one year ago. Chances are – people are opting for cheaper meals, but not eating out any less.
  • Kelly posted about Urban China, a new Asian eatery which is set to open in the space formerly occupied by Rosie’s on 101 Street.
  • Vue Weekly reviewed the new-ish Indian Fusion restaurant this past week, granting it a mostly positive write-up.
  • Jon in Calgary wrote about his recent visit to a hybrid Tim Horton’s and Cold Stone Creamery – looks like it would be worth a try!
  • September’s edition of Avenue Magazine has a good article about the craft brewing business in Alberta.
  • It’s that time again – the Prairie Regional Barista Championships are just around the corner, taking place in Calgary on September 12. Transcend Coffee posted several links where you can follow their baristas in competition (we picked up a bag of their Sin Limites coffee from Costa Rica this weekend, which we were told Chad will be bringing to the competition – it’s great).
  • Starting September 29, VIA, Starbucks’ venture into instant coffee, will be available in all Starbucks locations in U.S. and Canada. I can’t say I’ve ever been a fan of instant java, but I’ve heard good things about VIA.
  • The NYT wrote about “haycations” last week – where instead of a typical vacation involving a hotel, travellers are paying for the privilege to see what life on the farm is really like, complete with chores.
  • I think I’m in a bit of Frank Bruni overload (I just got my copy of his memoir, Born Round), but I did like this exit interview he did with a crew from Eater.
  • The Italian Centre in Little Italy has joined Wild Earth Foods as the second store in the city subscribing to the Eat Local First labelling system.

 

Eat Local First labels denote Bles Wold‘s “local” status

Hellmann’s Eat Real, Eat Local Campaign

I have been meaning to write about Hellmann’s Eat Real, Eat Local campaign for quite some time, but didn’t get to it until now. It’s old news now – a multinational launched a campaign this spring in an attempt to brand their mayonnaise as a local product, with the crux of the advertising directing consumers to their Eat Real, Eat Local website. The site did reach a milestone in August, reaching 100,000 “actions” for real food, which means Hellmann’s will donate $25,000 to Evergreen, a national organization that supports community food resources.

The Eat Real, Eat Local website has many noble facets: encouraging discussion surrounding what Canadians eat (particularly around imported products); offering concrete modes of action (e.g. pledging to take action, signing a petition to get grocers to offer more local products); and providing resources for how concerned citizens can redirect their spending habits and make more conscious choices. At the end of the day, the fact that a multinational with money is choosing to raise awareness about this important issue is good news for local organizations who are often running campaigns by the seat of their pants (I remember Jessie Radies explaining to me that the Eat Local First promotion is essentially done out of the back of her car).

That said, the website’s national scope fails to really capture the “local” movements at the root. Nothing says local better than those who live and thrive in the community – in Edmonton’s case, organizations like Slow Food Edmonton, Just Food Edmonton, or resources like the Alberta Farmers’ Market listing, Go Organic, and Eat Local First should have a place somewhere. The Flash design of the website also reduces the ability for users to easily share pages without permalinks.

There is some helpful information on the site, but users will have to dig – the Evergreen-compiled Real Food Guide is a good starter guide for those looking for concrete instructions on how to eat locally and get involved in the local food scene. Even with its Prairie scope, it’s the best thing on the whole website (click on “Learn” at the bottom left of the site, and download the PDF Prairies guide), and should have a more prominent placement. I will admit that there isn’t currently a “one-stop shop” of Edmonton-centric eat local resources in existence, so for the moment, the Real Food Guide isn’t a bad placeholder until something better is developed.

So because of the spotlight on choosing local, does it even matter that the involvement of Hellmann’s is a stretch? That their justification of using Canadian eggs and canola oil is enough to string a whole campaign on? That by pointing to community-based farmers’ markets, they seem to undermine their whole definition of Canada as “local”? If this is the campaign that opens the public’s eyes on what can be done to support local farmers, and Hellmann’s sells more mayonnaise in the process, then so be it. Hellmann’s can do what they want to try to identify themselves as “local”, but hopefully as consumers learn more about eating locally-sourced products, they will realize they can do better than picking up a jar of mayonnaise.

Country Cuisine: Tomato Fare

Though we missed this year’s Taste of Summer in St. Albert, we trusted from our previous experience with Edmonton’s Countryside’s Country Cuisine that their first ever Tomato Fare event would be just as festive and delicious.

Tomatoes galore!

Mack and I met up with May at the Country Road Greenhouses in Strathcona County. Parking attendant volunteers were out in full force, directing traffic to spaces still available – though it seems like a minor detail, given how hodgepodge the cars could have been scattered, it was much appreciated.

For $15 admission, we were given 6 taste tickets right off the bat (additional tickets could be purchased for $1 each), and a welcome bag that included, among other things, an Atco Blue Flame cookbook. A folk singer helped set the tone (Mack observed that all food events of this nature default to folk), and the atmosphere was light and carefree. A few of the food vendors (and lone beer purveyor) were set-up outside along the perimeter of the designated eating area, but the majority of them were inside one of the stifling greenhouses. And though having the option of shelter was good given that clouds threatened rain, the setting definitely wasn’t as glorious at the St. Albert Grain Elevator Park.

Country Road Greenhouses

Pretty zucchini and squash

Tomato Fare is an event similar to Taste of Edmonton, but all of the dishes incorporated fresh, local ingredients. In an effort to decide what to sample, the three of us did a round past the vendors. Unfortunately, everything looked so tempting that the only thing the visual preview determined was that we would all have to top up our ticket wealth. Eventually though, we all bit the bullet and redeemed our tickets (most of the utensils and containers used were biodegradable, but we should have brought our own regardless).

Inside one of the greenhouses

Mack chilling with his beer

An unusual tomato muffin by the Country Road Greenhouse won my first vote, even though it was tiny and garnered the price of 1 ticket. It was slightly sweet, and had a rather mild, but fresh, tomato flavour.

Savoury Mini Tomato Muffin

Barbecued suckling pig from the Pipestone Food Company looked and sounded promising, but never having been the most graceful eater, and combined with the fact that the fatty pork hadn’t been sawed into cubes meant it was one of the messiest dishes I have ever eaten in public. While it was good, I can’t say I enjoyed it.

BBQ Suckling Pig with Bread

The best deal of the lot was an Irving Farm Fresh sausage roll, made by Cook’s Corner. Nothing beats puff pastry stuffed with ground sausage, and all three of us indulged in one each.

Sundried Tomato Basil Sausage Roll

Mack’s favourite dish was the butter chicken from Taste of India.

Butter Chicken

A refreshing carrot and cilantro salad from Cafe Haven finished off my tickets. I loved the bright orange ribbons specked with bursts of green, dressed with citrus juice and sesame oil.

Carrot & Cilantro Salad

Mack opted to end his sampling with dessert – ice cream with saskatoon berry topping from Shallow Creek Nursuries. The fruit topping was more like a jam, and overwhelmed the ice cream in both consistency and concentration. Still, it was a treat that helped cool us off in the glaring heat.

Ice Cream with Saskatoon Berry Topping

Feeling satisfied, we wandered to the family-friendly games area, with tomato bocce ball and putting green. I tried my hand at the latter – it was harder than it looked!

Trying my best

Before we left, I picked up a container of heirloom chocolate cherry tomatoes – the deep purple, almost brown colour of the tomatoes was too unusual to resist. They tasted slightly sweeter than the usual red cherry tomatoes.

Chocolate Cherry Tomatoes

Given the quality and creativity behind the food, Edmonton Countryside’s tasting events are worth seeking out. Their next big promotional event will be the Fall Country Drive event – check here for dates.

You can see Mack’s full photo set here.

Food Notes for August 24, 2009

I started my day off this morning with fantastic news – Edmonton’s Fringe reigns supreme! Stage a Revolution absolutely smashed Winnipeg’s 81,000 record – 92,100 tickets were sold this year. Way to go Edmonton! Now on to this week’s food notes:

  • I finally finished reading Julia Child’s My Life in France. Though this was my second attempt at reading it, I have to say watching Julie & Julia gave me the needed push to finish the book. It’s a lovely memoir, filled with vibrant prose and hilarious accounts of Julia’s trials at Le Cordon Bleu and her decade long struggle to publish Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I loved her use of words (“marketing” and “cookbookery”), and do think the movie undercuts how much work really went into Mastering (for example, I cannot imagine communicating exclusively via air mail…in this age of technology, I can’t fathom anything less than instant). I appreciated the glimpse into the making of an American legend, and reading about the absolute joy that Julia found in cooking.
  • On the topic of books – Edmonton Public Library is having their back-to-school booksale this weekend – pick up some new reading material for next to nothing, and perhaps a new cookbook or two!
  • The Endless Feast is a PBS show that explores “the connection between the earth and the food we eat, one incredible feast at a time”. They will be filming an upcoming episode in Edmonton on Friday at Peas on Earth and at the City Centre Market on Saturday. It’s awesome that an American show will be featuring our city in all its glory.
  • I missed out on Mary Ellen and Andres’ picnic on their Greens, Eggs and Ham Farm this year in favour of the Fringe and another local food event, but I was happy that Valerie wrote a detailed account of it.
  • This is old news by now, but in case you missed it – Transcend Coffee’s second location is official: they will be taking over the Garneau space formerly occupied by Pharos Pizza. The cafe is set to open in January 2010.
  • Speaking of coffee – Vue Weekly had a short piece about the relatively new JoJo’s Cafe, located inside La Piazza Dasee, this week. Turns out the barista learned his chops from Transcend (every new cafe seems to have a tie to Transcend, eh?). On a related note – the Edmontonian reviewed some of JoJo’s brunch offerings here.
  • The Journal had a piece on Saturday featuring the results of a gelato taste test. The unlikely winner? Chocolate Exquisite. I’ll have to make a point to stop by sometime soon.
  • If you’ve walked past Rice Howard Way, you probably noticed this sign on Co Co Di’s doors – it reads: “Co Co Di will be reopening later this year. We look forward to serving you in our new location on Jasper Avenue between 114 & 115 Street, north side”. I hope they get some foot traffic with the move west.
  • Janice tipped me off that there will be a third location of Famoso in South Edmonton Common (in the area with the new Gap and Banana Republic outlets). They do already have an address and number ready to go – 1437 99 Street, 780-468-0000.
  • President Obama said that he would like to see a farmers’ market set up in front of the White House. Who knows if that would ever happen, but how cool is it that POTUS made mention of it?
  • The second artsScene Party took place at Latitude 53, and allowed us to scope out what is billed as the “only downtown rooftop patio”. Being at the top of a two-storey building wasn’t what I had in mind, but it still picked up a nice cool breeze. Of course, the gallery itself has a few pretty cool exhibits right now, including Trespass Act and a community gallery featuring this striking work by a Victoria High School student titled “Between Liberty and Freedom”.

Latitude 53 Rooftop Patio

  • On our way to the City Centre Market on Saturday, we stopped to gawk at the new community garden in Mack’s neighbourhood. It’s beautiful, with circular paths in between plots, benches, and perhaps even a future water feature.

Oliver Community Garden

  • Starved and with only $5 cash between us, Mack and I wracked our brains for something affordable to eat on the Fringe grounds on Sunday. Luckily, we remembered Chicago Deep Dish (8114 104 Street, 780-413-8866). At $2.50 a slice, it’s still the most economical purchase on Whyte.

Ham & Pineapple Slice from Chicago Deep Dish

  • Chris had mentioned something food-related was under construction next to Bubble Juice on Whyte. Turns out, he was right – Irie Foods will be open on September 1, 2009. It looks like they have another location in Mill Woods – anyone know if this is replacing that store or is an additional one?

Irie Foods on Whyte

  • It will be hefty competition for TZiN, but Kelsey seemed to know it was coming: Lit Wine Bar will be opening up on the ground floor of one of the Icon Towers.

LIT Wine Bar on 104th Street and Jasper Avenue

  • There’s also a new bubble tea place in Chinatown on 97th Street. What downturn?

Bubble Tea Cafe

East Meets West Festival

After a trip to the City Centre Market (after a few busy weekends and the Fringe, I think I was going through withdrawal), Mack and I walked over to Chinatown to check out the first East Meets West Festival.

We weren’t sure what to expect – the grassroots committee had put together the festival as a means to promote the Chinatown and Little Italy neighbourhoods – but if anything, we were happy that the event seemed to attract locals that perhaps wouldn’t otherwise set foot in the area.

Lion Dance

We arrived just on time for the opening lion dance, and ended up wandering up 97th Street which had been closed to traffic. As Mack noted, the tables were too spread out and sporadic, and there was a definite lack of food vendors (food smells are half the reason outdoor fairs attract crowds). Still, knowing that this is hopefully the first of many such festivals, I’m sure it will be much improved next year.

97th Street

Handmade Felt Cupcakes and Cookies (too cute!)

Zocalo’s Mobile Flower Cart

99 Supermarket’s Outdoor Market

Pretty lanterns outside of Lucky 97 (standing behind my zodiac animal – cheesy, I know)

We didn’t make it all the way down 97th into Little Italy, but we heard there were also festivities to be seen in Giovanni Caboto Park.

In the end, we chowed down on our own version of “east meets west”:

Mack’s jalepeno-cheddar smokie from Fat Franks and my shredded pork sub from Nhon Hoa 2

Mack’s complete photo set is here.

DC Brunch: Tabard Inn

Planning for vacations, brunch is always the meal that we look forward to most. As a result, brunch requires additional legwork to locate a restaurant that offers a variation of the type of brunch we enjoy. I was lucky in my DC reading, as one of our short listed accommodations also hosted a reputable restaurant within.

Hotel Tabard Inn

Tabard Inn is nested inside the Hotel Tabard Inn, a historic building in the Dupont Circle neighbourhood. Their accommodations were cheaper than George Washington University Inn, but by the time we had called to book, they were full. When we reached the hotel, we were glad with our ultimate choice because the walk to the Metro was at least double the distance.

The building was quaint – situated on a fairly quiet residential street, with flower pots and other greenery making it the most attractive residence on the block. We wandered inside, through a too-dim sitting room with creaky wooden floors and portraits of revolutionaries gone-by and into the restaurant. I had made a reservation several weeks before, and thank goodness we did – the room was packed.

To be honest, I picked Tabard Inn solely on the website photo, which showed a sunny room lined with a friendly checkered floor. In reality, the room was not as bright, likely because of the potted plants that lined the windows outside. Tabard also has an enclosed patio outside, but with the humidity out in full force that day, I was glad our hostess directed us to a table housed in the air-conditioned dining room, just below a window. Mack did notice that for whatever reason, Tabard doesn’t use cloth napkins – the paper napkins didn’t quite mesh with the décor in our opinion.

In Tabard Inn

I had given the menu a quick scan online, but unlike most times, hadn’t already picked out what I wanted. I decided upon the blueberry pancakes, while Mack stayed true to his usual egg-and-potato dish. Also being a sucker to try the resident special, we also ordered two doughnuts, which we were told were usually served before our meal. Who were we to thwart tradition?

When our bread basket was delivered prior to the doughnuts, we wondered who had come up with a tradition that stacked carb upon carb to start a meal. At any rate, the freshly-baked basket filled with a variety of savoury goodies soothed any questions we had, with our favourite being the corn bread.

Bread Basket

We hadn’t quite finished with our basket when a doily-lined plate with two petite doughnuts were delivered. They were as advertised – freshly fried, warm and with the taste of grease still lingering. They reminded Mack of mini doughnuts, and he said they were good, but nothing special.

Doughnuts

The main event was the highlight – the pancakes were just perfect – slightly crisp on the outside, but still soft and airy in the middle. I could have done with a few more blueberries (a la Clinton Street), but it was a pretty good dish the way it was.

Blueberry Pancakes

Mack’s eggs and homefries were tasty, but the standout for him was the flaky biscuit – Tabard Inn certainly knew how to do pastries right.

Scrambled Eggs, House-made Toulouse Sausage and Homefries

If you’re not in the neighbourhood already, I’m not sure Tabard Inn is worth an exclusive trip. That said, I was happy for the opportunity to explore a neighbourhood we wouldn’t otherwise have seen.

Tabard Inn (in Hotel Tabard Inn)
1739 N Street NW
Washington D.C.
(202) 331-8528

Food Notes for August 17, 2009

America’s Best Dance Crew (also known as ABDC) is back in full swing! I’m not sure what about the show entices me, but I know my Sundays are infinitely better now! On to my weekly food notes:

  • Still don’t have an Original Fare VIP card and can’t get to the City Centre Market on Saturdays? Lucky for you, they have a booth at the Fringe! Sign up and start earning points at all of your dining experiences at Original Fare restaurants, and receive 2% back of your purchases at the end of the year in gift certificates.
  • I linked to Operation Fruit Rescue last week, but there was a good story about them in the Journal on Friday.
  • Pam wrote about the bounty she received in her first Good Food Box.
  • I was happy to see an article in the Journal last week featuring Edmonton’s newest community garden project in Oliver! It’s just a few blocks away from where Mack lives, and over the weeks, we were seeing the garden come together, but no signage identifying who was behind the greening of the land.
  • There was a review of Red Brick Pizza in Foodosophy last week – I still haven’t made it out there, as I haven’t had any reason to get me out that far south yet.
  • Vue Weekly featured an article about a cooking class at Mexico Lindo. At $75 for two, the class seems reasonably priced, and might be the cure for stagnant evenings.
  • The NY Journal has a post containing what they think are the ten best Frank Bruni reviews – it’s great writing, to be sure, but an even better overview of some great examples of NY excess.
  • Another death knoll sounds for Gourmet and Bon Appetit. One has to wonder how much longer they can both hold out.
  • The Wall Street Journal reports an increased boom for cooking schools and classes – a reactionary jerk to the state of the economy with people wanting to eat less out and more at home.
  • Mack and I wandered into La Piazza Dasee in Old Strathcona over the weekend to see if the cafe portion of the space was finished. It has been, and even has a menu up online.

 

JoJo’s Cafe

  • The new Superstore (and perhaps others, but I only have been to this location in a while) on 17th Street has a “Grown Close to Home” section of produce just in front of their entrance – with BC blueberries and Alberta tomatoes, among others. I’m sure we’ll see more of the larger grocery chains getting into the “locavore” movement.

 

Superstore’s “Grown Close to Home” sign

  • My Mum and I headed to the Millwoods Farmers’ Market on Thursday – the first time I have been there in probably ten years. Even though I live in Mill Woods, it’s definitely not in a convenient place for me (my bus routes through Millgate and not Lakewood, for example, and a walk there would be at least an hour). My memories are foggy, but I vaguely recollect just two rows of vendors, and nothing particularly interesting (of course, ten years ago, I was happy with Boston Pizza and couldn’t cook my way out of a bag). I am happy to say that the farmers’ market in the ‘burbs was bursting at the seams with fresh produce and people! There were four rows of vendors, with everything from produce and BC fruit to bread and prepared food. They didn’t have much in the way of meats and protein, but you can’t have everything, right? My Mum and I picked up some cinnamon raisin bread from Jane’s Bread and some random vegetables. Of course, I still prefer the City Centre Market, but this was a nice-sized, open air neighbourhood market. Check it out if you’re in Millwoods – it runs 5-8pm Thursdays until October 1 at the Millwoods Recreation Centre Parking Lot, 28 Ave and Millwoods Road.

 

Millwoods Farmers’ Market

  • On a walk downtown, we decided to stop in VinoMania (11452 Jasper Avenue), a liquor store that we had passed countless times. We discovered an unexpectedly nice interior, and Edmonton’s first enomatic wine system (it is essentially a system that prevents open wine from oxidizing). I never really considered the system for liquor merchants, but it makes sense to allow customers to try what they are buying if possible. VinoMania sells $20 cards that can be reloaded to try any of the dozen or so wines and spirits on hand (the bottles are rotated every three weeks) with samples ranging in price from $1.50 to $3. A staff person allowed us a complimentary taste – I’d like to say I could point out how fresh it was, but with my palate for wine being what it is…Still, I was impressed by how easily the wine was dispensed.

 

VinoMania’s Enomatic Wine System

  • Mack hates any bread with what he deems “crap” in them (e.g. grains, seeds, etc.), even though that’s exactly the type of bread I like. As a result, there are often two types of loaves in the house – whole wheat and grainy. The other day at Sobeys Urban Fresh, we saw a loaf of bread that had Mack’s name on it – literally. Perhaps it was a sign to give in to the grainy side, Mack!

Mack with Mack’s Flax

Food Notes for August 10, 2009

  • Check out the family-friendly festival Corn Fest on August 29 from 1-4pm for Latin food and entertainment.
  • Via Crazy White Girl with a Kitchen, Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton connects fruit growers who may not have the time or energy to harvest with fruit pickers, with benefit to multiple parties – 1/3 of the fruit goes to the grower, 1/3 to the picker, and 1/3 to the Food Bank.
  • There was a good article in Vue Weekly about Refresh, a new-ish catering business and bistro situated in the Organic Roots in Old Strathcona.
  • At Save-On Foods yesterday, I was happy to stumble across a display of SeaChoice cards, similar to the Blue Ocean pocket guide we were given at DC’s Hook. The design is very similar, denoting best, and most sustainable seafood choices in green, those species to approach with some caution in yellow, and those to avoid in red. Now, the next leap at grocery stores – to label packages with green and yellow stickers (and to eliminate “red” options all together).
  • In case you haven’t heard – Sam Sifton is the new Frank Bruni. It’s amazing the frenzy a new food critic brings out in the NY foodie crowd.
  • My family, Mack and I spent the August long weekend in Drumheller and Calgary. On our way back, we stopped at a Tim Horton’s which had something inside that we had never seen before – a self-serve kiosk! I understand and use self-checkouts at grocery stores, but I’m not sure I’d make my own coffee. How about you?

Self-serve Tim Horton’s

  • Mack and I also took the time to visit the newest Superstore in Edmonton located at 44 Avenue and 17 Street. I was most curious to check out the “community room” which could be used free of charge so long as only Loblaws products were served. While it is still being worked on (the stoves hadn’t been installed yet), it is a decent space. I thought the set-up would be perfect for cooking demonstrations, actually.

Superstore

Community Room in Superstore

  • Before picking up some cupcakes at Flirt, we popped into Bubble Juice (10154 82 Avenue, 780-477-6538), their new neighbour, a bubble tea house that recently relocated. Mack and I split the dragonberry flavour ($4.75), a combination of blueberry, strawberry and green apple (they may want to rethink the “Funky Chunky”, heh). I liked that all of their drinks are made with fresh fruit (menu here), but they will need to revamp their seating area if they want to compete with the nearby Dream Tea House. I imagine they might be able to draw more foot traffic, particularly with Flirt next door, but I have to wonder if the area can support two bubble tea establishments?

Bubble Juice interior

Our Dragonberry Bubble Juice (yep, Mack still hates sago)

  • I spent a day last week in Mill Creek attending meetings, and blessed with a long lunch, also had the opportunity to weave through the shops in the area – having breakfast at Wild Earth Bakery (which is undergoing a much-needed expansion), picking up a loaf of bread at Tree Stone Bakery, and browsing at Wild Earth Foods (they carry Bles Wold, among other local products).

White Chocolate Raspberry Scone at Wild Earth Bakery

  • I was also able to have lunch at Culina Mill Creek, which I haven’t been to in a while. I stuck with a tried-and-true honey ham and edam sandwich, though the seafood pot pie special was tempting. At the end of my meal, I presented my Original Fare VIP card, and as had happened at Sabor Divino two weeks earlier, they said that their machine was down. I am not sure what the problem is (and perhaps it was a coincidence), but perhaps they have to look more closely at the machines or switch providers if this is a frequent occurrence. And though we were able to get the points through another Original Fare restaurant, the system should be more reliable and convenient than that.

The Ham & Cheese with Creamy Tomato and Garlic Soup