• Fifendekel launched their month-long Festival of Tarts on December 1, 2015, offering customers the chance to purchase a variety tray of tarts, chosen from twelve different savoury and sweet flavours just in time for the holidays. Cindy gives us a breakdown of the tastes to expect.
• I love the idea of Little Brick’s Home School – several mini sessions led by local experts. Their next series is all about Christmas, on December 10, 2015, and will teach about festive drinks, Christmas shortbread, and holiday arrangements. Tickets are $100.
• Elaine Wilson is hosting a by-donation bake sale on December 13, 2015, in support of the Wings of Providence. Head to the Abby Road Co-op (10950 82 Avenue) from 10am-3pm to partake in the sweet fun!
• The French Quarter Grand Market has transformed for the season into a Holiday Bazaar. Every Sunday until December 20, 2015, in addition to their core vendors, they are offering “an alternative shopping experience to the mall”, with numerous artisans and other festive perks.
• Blue Rose Vegan is offering another snack pack, this time themed for the holidays. The $50 order feeds four, and includes a vegan-friendly tourtiere, stuffing, roasted root vegetables, and dessert. Order for pick-up on December 19, 2015.
• Winefest will be back February 12-13, 2016, and early bird tickets are already on sale. The discounted admission is available until January 8, 2016.
• Congratulations to Sweet Lollapalooza who just opened up their second location in Calgary!
• The hotly-anticipated Prairie Noodle Shop just released their menu for your viewing pleasure.
• The winter issue of The Yards released the winners of their first annual Best in the Core awards last week. Congrats to Coffee Bureau for the recognition as the Best Coffee Shop and Remedy for the Best Late Night Eats.
• Twyla is the first to review Juniper Café & Bistro in Strathearn, and the dishes look delectable. You can listen to her CBC review here.
• Sambol Kitchen posts another rave review, this time from Chris.
• Eva shared her thoughts on XIX Nineteen’s new St. Albert location.
• Chris took in the most recent Swine and Dine at the Hotel Macdonald – looks like it was a great meal!
• Phil has returned with the third round of the Great Edmonton Perogy Showdown, which will lead to the final throwdown between the top contenders of each previous round.
• Also from Phil, his latest Off Menu podcast is now up, and it features the boys behind The Local Omnivore, Mark Bellows and Ryan Brodziak.
• Karlynn Johnson’s forthcoming Fall 2016 Random House cookbook now has a title: Flapper Pie and a Blue Prairie Sky!
• Are you a #yegfood chef who wants to showcase your skills on the Edmonton Home and Garden Show stage? The organizers are taking applicants now.
• I meant to share this sooner – Julie Van Rosendaal had a great idea for a reverse advent calendar as a way to give back over the holidays. Instead of emptying a slot, you fill one in with an item needed by the Food Bank.
• Calgary’s Fiasco Gelato has put together some charming hot chocolate/marshmallow gift sets for the holidays. We found these at The Italian Centre.

Drinking chocolate and coffee ‘mallows

• For a lunch at Thanh Thanh with colleagues this week, I tried the Bun Bo Hue. Though I felt like I was cheating on King Noodle House, I enjoyed the prominent lemongrass flavour of the broth. I did wish that they used thicker noodles, however!

Bun Bo Hue from Thanh Thanh

• 1st RND’s second location in Oliver, at 11248 104 Avenue (the former Hudson’s), opens December 1, 2015. Does anyone know if it is a local chain?
• Culina, which now runs some of the cafes/food stalls in City of Edmonton facilities like the ACT Centre and golf courses, is debuting a Nordic Brunch at the Victoria Golf Course location of their Dogwood Café on December 12, 2015. The brunch runs on weekends from 9am-3pm.
• Mark your calendar: the annual 104 Street Customer Appreciation Day takes place on December 17, 2015. Check out the page for discounts and a schedule of events.
• Nineteen’s second location in St. Albert opened earlier this month. Cindy and Linda checked out the new digs at a media dinner.
• Alberta Hotel Bar & Kitchen rolls in with more mixed reviews, this time from Chris and Crystal.
• Sambol Sri Lankan Kitchen has been getting some great press lately – Jonny pitched another positive review.
• Vue Weekly paid a visit to Huma Mexican Restaurant.
• Julie van Rosendaal, of Dinner with Julie fame, highlights some of the great eats she had in Edmonton this summer.
• Just in time for the cold: Avenue Edmonton has a great round-up of five mac ‘n’ cheese dishes, including an indulgent burger from 1st RND featuring two patties: one beef, one deep-fried mac ‘n’ cheese.
• Also from Avenue – they spotlight a few local restaurants where you can pull up a seat to the chef’s table.
• The second round of Phil’s Great Edmonton Perogy Showdown is now up.
• Karen’s latest Seen and Heard episode features Lillian (aka Beyond Umami) and all her macaron-making tales.
• Jerry shares his experience at a recent A Seat at Our Table dinner.
• Earth’s General Store’s downtown location still isn’t in a good place, shares store owner Michael Kalmanovitch.
• Speaking of retail, this is an interesting study from the University of Alberta School of Retailing, focusing on the grocery stores in Canadian urban centres, including Edmonton. It shouldn’t surprise you that Oliver is underserved.
• I can never resist stories about ugly produce, and this one mentions the Daily Table, a non-profit retail store in Boston that sells food past its “sell by” date.
• The meal-in-a-kit hasn’t quite hit us in Alberta yet, but down in the US where it is all the rage in some states, BuzzFeed reveals just how much packaging waste is produced from a single box.
• Could you live off of soylent, the powdered food substitute, for a week? A New Trail contributor gave it a try.
• Have you heard about the concept of “personalized nutrition”? It is the idea that an optimal diet should be tailored to the individual, based on their blood sugar levels or insulin release.
• Zinc’s sweet and spicy prawns, served on a bed of green pea risotto, has to be one of my favourite dishes in Edmonton.

Prawns with green pea risotto from Zinc

• Another one of my go-to dishes is the shepherd’s pie (wish a side of sweet potato fries, of course) from Blue Plate Diner. I may or may not have influenced the entire table to order it as well.

Shepherd’s pie from Blue Plate Diner

• Mack was craving Bun Bo Hue, so we hit up King Noodle House over the weekend.

Bun Bo Hue from King Noodle House

It might be a little early for some, but I finally convinced Mack to let me put up the Christmas tree this weekend! And given the snow blanketing the city right now, it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas. On to this week’s food notes:

• There’s an interesting event on November 24, 2015 organized by the Political Science Undergraduate Association: "Sustainable Snacks: The Politicized Nature of Food”.
• Vegan take-out isn’t easy to come by, so Blue Rose Vegan might be what you’re looking for. They’re offering a $40 vegan snack box for pickup on November 27, 2015. Orders must be placed by November 25.
• Mark your calendars for the last Dela pop-up of the year, an 8 course pop-up on December 20, 2015. Tickets will be on sale shortly.
• For those already planning ahead – the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market will be open on December 23, 2015 for last-minute shopping.
• Workshop Eatery is now open for lunch and dinner!
• The Almanac is opening on November 30, 2015 at 10351 82 Avenue.
• It looks like the former Century Grill has been taken over by Plates International, a buffet house to open December 15, 2015.
• Cindy is the first out of the gate, reviewing the new Alberta Hotel Bar & Kitchen. It sounds like they have a ways to go to be consistent, but they are still a fairly new establishment.
• Stephanie reviews Yumioca, one of the newest bubble tea shops in Edmonton.
• Daravara got some love this week from Rebecca and the Journal.
• Phil is starting a new quest, this time, to find the best perogies in Edmonton. Let the battle begin!
• Speaking of Phil, he invited Liane Faulder and I to join him in a discussion on some of Edmonton’s new restaurants, favourite food gifts, and why Edmonton can’t seem to crack those national “best of” lists. Thanks for having me!
• Vue spotlights Woodwork and their creative cocktail program.
• I’m sorry to hear that The Cheesiry is calling it quits: they’ll sell out their remaining inventory which should last until next summer. Make sure to get your hands on Rhonda’s fantastic pecorino while you still can!
• There’s another pizzeria joining the ranks of Downtown Edmonton – Love Pizza is opening at 10196 109 Street in January 2016.

Love Pizza

• Dovetail hosted our last What the Truck?! gathering with our vendors this year, so we relished the opportunity to sample their carvery sandwich of the day, a roast pork shoulder with pickled carrots and Pilsner mustard.

Roast pork sandwich from Dovetail Deli

• We stopped in at North 53 this week while in the neighbourhood and finally tried their popcorn chicken. They were more like chicken doughnuts, but we could definitely see their appeal.

Popcorn chicken from North 53

• After All is Bright on Saturday, Mack and I headed to Numchok Wilai for some tasty Thai food.

Pad Thai from Numchok Wilai

• Evoolution’s location in The Enjoy Centre is hosting a series of oil and vinegar tastings in November and December, just in time for the holidays! The cost is $30 per guest.
• The Edmonton Branch of the Canadian Culinary Federation is hosting a fundraising dinner on November 28, 2015 featuring several local chefs including Blair Lebsack from RGE RD and Jake Pelletier from Duchess. The proceeds will go towards scholarships, workshops, and competitions. Tickets are $199.
• The most exciting food news in Edmonton this week was surely the announcement about Duchess’ expansion – not only a new restaurant specializing in breakfast, a larger Provisions and even a teaching kitchen. They hope the new location will be ready in March.
• The Local Omnivore will be neighbours to the new Duchess venture, at 10933 120 Street. Expect their digs to open on December 1, 2015.
• Thanks to Joveena for the heads up about Juniper Café & Bistro (9514 87 Street), new to Strathearn. They serve all-day breakfast, and focus on share plates for other meals.
• The week is full of restaurant openings, including Nineteen’s St. Albert location (#104, 150 Bellerose Drive) on November 19, 2015.
• Also on November 19, 2015, Alberta Hotel Bar & Kitchen is celebrating its grand opening with a special three-course menu for $55.
• Andrea tweeted that a beloved favourite – Kenko Japanese Cuisine – is back  at 9543 42 Avenue).
• Liv paid a visit to the newest coffee shop in Edmonton, The Woodrack Café. Speaking of Liv, she’s also the newest member of the Get Cooking team – congrats!
• Crystal reviewed the often overlooked Nosh Café on 124 Street.
• Cuban cuisine is alive and well in Edmonton at Coral de Cuba (4990 92 Avenue), says Vue Weekly (I love that they continue to serve pho as to not alienate the previous clientele).
• Episode 18 of Seen and Heard YEG features Phil Wilson (aka Baconhound)!
• Kevin Kossowan’s video about Cook it Raw is now live.
• Great read from Tina Faiz in this month’s Avenue Magazine, about the need for restaurants to adapt to survive. In particular, the shift by North 53 and 12 Acres from fine dining to a more upscale casual vibe seems to be the trend as a whole in the city.
• Three Boars, North 53, Corso 32 and Woodwork get some love from Beatroute.
• Congratulations to the Canadians who competed in the World Food Championships for the first time! We had two competitors place first, in the burger and chili categories.
• There’s a new cooking business in town called The Ruby Apron, started by Kaelin Whittaker.
• When putting together your gingerbread houses for the holidays, take inspiration from some of the teams that participated in the Christmas Bureau Gingerbread House Decorating Challenge. This hockey rink is pretty neat!

Copper and Blue!

If there’s one upside to the decreasing hours of daylight, it’s that Christmas is drawing ever-closer. Let’s see if this is the year I convince Mack to put up the tree before American Thanksgiving…On to this week’s food notes:

• If you’re in denial about the impending winter, the Holiday Light Up on November 14, 2015 might be the place to go, where 8 food trucks will be serving up food to help attendees keep warm on Churchill Square. It’s one of my favourite pre-Christmas events, so check it out if you haven’t been before, and stay for the fireworks!
• Perhaps the most surprising news last week was learning that Westin Hotel Chef Ryan O’Flynn, last year’s Gold Medal Plates winner, will be leaving Edmonton for Toronto’s O & B in December. Given O & B is consulting on the Ice District, we may see Chef O’Flynn again in the future.
• Watch for the opening of Chef Paul Shufelt’s new restaurant, Workshop Eatery, on November 16, 2015.
• Good news on the burger front for Edmonton – Jack’s Burger Shack, a popular St. Albert restaurant, announced that they’ll be opening a location in the city.
• Ikki Izakaya received a mostly positive review from the Journal.
• Vue Weekly throws the spotlight on the Fijian-Indian cuisine offered at a long-established restaurant, The Curry House.
• Second Cup announced that their baked goods will now be supplied by the Italian Centre. You may remember that they used to source their bakery items from Bee Bell Bakery, so it’s nice to see their return to supporting local.
• Jason Foster would like local breweries to more prominently tell the story of our beer history.
• Phil’s latest Off Menu podcast is an interview with cookbook author Emily Richards.
• I like the idea of an alternative to the office lunch: Chef Brad Smoliak offers one such option, a two hour Express Cooking Class, combining holiday cheer with a lesson in food.
• If you haven’t already heard, the 2016 Sexy Men of YEG Food calendar is out, with another twelve men from the local food scene to admire. The proceeds from the $20 calendar go to the Food Bank.
• There are many ways to give back this holiday season – one is a campaign to Think Outside the Chocolate Box. In lieu of purchasing sweets for the office, consider diverting that cash to the Edmonton Food Bank, to support those less fortunate.
• On a similar note, Elaine Wilson has spearheaded Bake-A-Batch for Wings of Providence. She hopes to meet the need of collecting 400 dozen baked treats to be provided to women and children staying at the shelter who are fleeing domestic violence.
• I will miss reading Mark Bittman’s columns in the New York Times, but they had a nice tribute featuring ten of his most popular recent stories.
• Just in time for Christmas, the Le Creuset shop is poised to open in Southgate Centre this month.

Le Creuset – coming soon

• It’s that time of year (and the only holiday-related item that Mack tolerates in November) – Starbucks’ Red Cup. “Controversy” aside, I actually prefer a busier design, but to each their own.

The Red Cup is back!

• After a meeting at La Cite Francophone last week, I stayed for lunch at Café Bicyclette. It’s quite the hub during the day, and I found the $9 soup and quiche lunch (with a pain au chocolate included) very reasonable.

Quiche and seafood chowder from Café Bicyclette

• Padmanadi is frequented by my office a lot because of its proximity and ability to accommodate many dietary needs. They also make a killer ginger “beef”.

Ginger beef from Padmanadi