Tag: food

Food Notes for February 17, 2014

It was a lovely weekend to spend outdoors, and there were lots of opportunities to do so! We spent a fair bit of it inside, trying to make a dent in season 2 of House of Cards, but it was an enjoyable way to relax. Hope you had a good weekend as well! On to this week’s food notes:

  • Elm Café’s Dining Room (9132 118 Avenue) is opening up again for a special event. This time, they will be hosting a Sausage Stand at 6pm on February 28, 2014, celebrating all kinds of Austrian sausage. Take a look at the menu here. Reservations can be made by calling (780) 756-1645.
  • It’s that time of year again – Avenue Edmonton will be releasing their new 2014 food issue in March. Help them celebrate who they deem to be Edmonton’s best new restaurants at NAIT on March 3, 2014. Tickets are $10, with proceeds going to the Edmonton Food Bank.
  • You may have heard that there will be a new direct cross-Atlantic flight from Edmonton to Iceland beginning later this year, but did you know they have organized a Taste of Iceland, running March 5-8, 2014 to further promote it? Expect meals from an Icelandic chef and Icelandic musical acts.
  • An event titled Menu of Modern Art 3 is taking place at Latitude 53 on March 8, 2014. It is a reception involving six different chefs, including Chef Nathan Saurette from Three Boars. Advance tickets are $25.
  • Mark your calendars: this year’s Seedy Sunday takes place March 16, 2014 at the Alberta Avenue Community League. Swap or buy seeds, learn about different organizations that can help you get started with gardening and listen to presentations from local experts.
  • More details were released about the participating chefs in the March 29, 2014 fundraiser Hot Chefs, Cool bEATS. Chefs like Nevin Fenske of Drift and Ariel del Rosario of Filistix will be returning, joining event newcomers like Chuck Elves of Three Boars and Edgar Gutierrez of Tres Carnales.
  • NAIT announced that their 2014 Hokanson Chef in Residence will be Chef Lynn Crawford. As usual, the Chef in Residence will be hosting a luncheon, taking place on March 13, 2014. There are two opportunities to win tickets to the lunch – through NAIT and through Valerie’s blog. Good luck!
  • Speaking of NAIT, they have also added to their public food offerings with the addition of a line of cheeses (mozzarella, feta and brie), available for purchase at their meat store.
  • Cindy visited the brand new location of Shanghai 456.
  • Liv posted a Korean fried chicken showdown – between Coco Deep Fried Chicken and Wing Chicx.
  • Liane published her second piece in her deli series, this time focusing on Polish deli Baltyk Meat.
  • Mack and I are slowly chipping away at wedding planning tasks. This weekend, we had a cupcake taste-off with my sisters, in order to choose a bakery for our wedding cupcakes. The contenders: The Sweet Side, Crave and Flirt. We’re pretty confident with our final decision, and it sure was a fun way to come to it!

Cupcake Tasting

Cupcakes!

  • We continued our indulgence by ordering Royal Pizza for dinner. Panago is our typical go-to, but my sister was insistent we had to try the deep-dish deliciousness of Royal Pizza. I have to admit, the crust was pretty tasty, though I’d imagine it would be even better fresh in the restaurant.

Royal Pizza

Fred’s Special and Donair pizzas

The Chain Pub: Fionn MacCool’s

Pubs are a dime a dozen in Edmonton. But given their versatility, the popularity of pubs isn’t difficult to understand. Good for a pint after work, a casual bite to eat, for groups large and small, and of course, for those looking to have an evening out, they transition well from day to night. We have our share of pubs downtown, and I’m sure there are more to come. Last week, Mack and I had supper at the most recent addition to our neighbourhood, Fionn MacCool’s, the decision resulting from my need for a drink at the end of a long day, and the fact that it seemed like we’d exhausted all other restaurants within a two-block radius.

Back in October, Fionn MacCool’s replaced the Elephant & Castle in City Centre Mall opposite the movie theatre. The location was in dire need of a makeover, so the change of ownership was a blessing of sorts, even if MacCool’s is nothing more than a franchise of a Toronto-based chain. The interior has been completely refreshed, and though the dark wood accents have been retained, a new bar has been installed, and the space has been opened up to feature even more large tables. Lastly, a makeshift stage has been constructed to host live musical acts on Thursdays and Saturdays. That particular night, we had the option of Olympic replays or a live acoustic duo play the backdrop to our dinner, though like most in the room, it was just for ambiance.

Fionn MacCool's

Inside Fionn MacCool’s

They had a decent drink special on ($5.50 for selected pints), but neither of us had particularly high expectations for the food (this was our first visit to MacCool’s, though there is another branch on the south side that has been open for quite some time).

Fish & chips ($16 for two pieces) was disappointing. The batter was more like a hard shell than a fork-tender encasement, but at least it was crispy. The fries (which I had made into a poutine) were less than ideal, dense and unsatisfying – it’s really unfortunate when a pub can’t even get fries right.

Fionn MacCool's

Fish & chips with poutine

Mack’s fried haddock sandwich ($15) was advertised on the menu as being topped with lobster – given how much lobster he found (and really, at that price, is it even necessary?), it really was better left off. The fish was thankfully crispy, again, unlike the fries.

Fionn MacCool's

Haddock sandwich

Service was fine, friendly and competent. But as a whole, Fionn MacCool’s really didn’t distinguish itself from any of its competitors. But I suppose it really isn’t striving to do that anyway – instead, Fionn MacCool’s aims to appeal to those looking for a generic pub, with basic food and a casual atmosphere. We certainly won’t be frequenting the location, but I’m certain its convenient location will enable its success.

Fionn MacCool’s
10200 102A Avenue (Edmonton City Centre Mall)
(780) 424-4330
Monday – Wednesday, 11am – 1am; Thursday – Saturday, 11am – 2am; Sunday, 11am – 1am

Redefining Canadian Possibilities: North 53

We do our best to dine at new restaurants only after they’ve had at least four to six weeks under their belt, when they’ve had a chance to enhance systems, tighten up the menu, and refine service. Two weeks ago, we overlooked this practice knowing it would be a good opportunity to spend an entire evening in Westmount and neighbouring Glenora – first at North 53 and then, within walking distance, the Royal Alberta Museum.

North 53 has been the most exciting restaurant to open this year for a variety of reasons. They have thrown down the gauntlet in an attempt to redefine what is possible for northern kitchens by committing to using exclusively Canadian ingredients on their food menu (and in the dead of winter, this is no small feat). If that isn’t bold enough, the head chef Ben Staley is just twenty-one years old.

In many ways, the discourse around Chef Staley reminds me of the early fanfare surrounding Chef Daniel Costa just after he opened Corso 32, leading up to his eventual standing as the darling of the Edmonton food scene (when Bar Bricco opens later this month, expect another frenzy of excitement). In a town with few mainstream culinary rockstars, I’m hopeful that this bodes well for independent chefs who should be more recognizable.

The interior is decidedly modern chic, with a combined bar and dining room that highlights the contrasts of polished metal and untreated wood. Though we were the first to arrive that night, by our meal’s end, the restaurant was full.

North 53

Interior

We were told that the $100 six-course tasting menu would be the best way to sample the kitchen’s range of fare, but on our first visit, we thought it best to order a la carte. Like many of its peers, North 53 encourages sharing of their small plates. On this visit, we managed to try half a dozen.

But first, we opted for a drink, which, we learned quickly, wasn’t held to the same latitude standards shackling the kitchen. My Atwood was a pleasing way for me to ease into the weekend, sweet and citrusy, but Mack’s Smoke + Oak was the showstopper. Our introduction to North 53’s theatricality, his glass arrived topped with a two-inch slice of charred oak. When lifted, it was evident that the smoke had infused itself into the liquid beneath it. Talk about a way to set the stage.

North 53

Drinks

Our starter dish consisted of a variety of carrot preparations (pickled, charred, sous vide and raw) and reminded me very much of Elm Café’s stellar vegetarian course at the Slow Food Canada Gala a few years back. Similarly, it was beautifully presented, a study in textures, and an unexpected way to deliver a typically underwhelming salad course. Our only complaint was that past the impressive layers, there wasn’t much there for $10.

North 53

Carrot

The kale dish ($14) was also a pleasant surprise, stuffed inside handmade pasta and topped with hazelnut foam and pecorino. We were told that The Cheesiry was the source of the pecorino, but like all other local suppliers North 53 patronizes (including Heritage Harvest Gardens), they are left unlisted on the menu – hopefully this changes in the future.

North 53

Kale

Into the meat courses, it became clear the kitchen’s preferred technique was sous vide. Nearly every plate we sampled employed that method of cooking. The twenty-four hour dandelion root-glazed short rib ($17) was one example where we would have chosen an alternative preparation. Its spongy, springy texture was off-putting, and as a result, our least favourite dish. The accompanying romaine, however, grilled and sprinkled with egg yolk and pecorino, was a revelation. It made me long for summer barbecues and sunshine.

North 53

Short rib

The main component of the heritage turkey plate ($20) involved a compound turkey breast that had been cooked sous vide for twelve hours. While the meat was moist, we didn’t find the turkey particularly flavourful. This in contrast to the smoked turkey leg inside the sidelong cabbage roll, which was delicious and had us wanting more.

North 53

Heritage turkey

Theatrics returned with the sockeye salmon ($18). Encased in a glass dome piped with juniper smoke, the act of lifting the cover, perfuming the air with a tantalizing scent will no doubt be one of North 53’s most immediate contributions to Edmonton’s food scene – reinventing the art of presentation. At any rate, the crispy line-caught BC salmon was our favourite dish, paired with a bite of sweetness from the macerated tomatoes and shallots, and the melt-in-your-mouth bed of northern beans (prepared sous vide, of course).

North 53

Sockeye salmon

The apple dessert ($10) offered a taste of the fruit in three ways – a doughnut, curd and ice cream. The latter, refreshingly tart with a texture closer to sorbet, was the star of the bowl.

North 53

Apple

Service was endearing but professional, and for our tastes, perhaps bordered on too formal. Case in point – I recognize the restaurant wanted to keep the dishes independent from one another, but the fact that every tasting plate had to be changed after each course seemed a bit like overkill in a setting that didn’t connote fine dining.

Still, North 53 is a welcome addition to the restaurant scene, ripe with new ideas and enthusiasm about a different approach to sourcing food in Edmonton. I didn’t find myself left wanting for pepper, citrus, or any of the other typical condiments or flavours sourced from warmer climates. It will be interesting to see how their menu develops as the seasons change.

North 53
10240 124 Street
(587) 524-5353
Wednesday-Sunday 5pm-late

Food Notes for February 10, 2014

Do you have Olympic fever? I do! The time zone difference makes it challenging to witness the wins in real time, but it’s still great to relive the moments later on. Go Canada Go! On to this week’s food notes:

  • Still looking for Valentine’s weekend plans? Sailin’ On is hosting a pop-up brunch on February 16, 2014 at the Mercury Room (10575 114 Street).
  • Knifewear is celebrating their grand reopening in Edmonton with beer, hot dogs and a knife sale on February 18, 2014 from 6-10pm. Check out the shop at 10816 82 Avenue.
  • The next Dining with Friends event highlights Szechuan food on February 20, 2014. Limited tickets remaining!
  • ZINC is bringing back art-themed dishes with their Art Gallery of Alberta Supper Club. The first meal pairs Italian cuisine with their current exhibition and a guest speaker on February 23, 2014. Tickets are $150.
  • Maki and Marianne are co-organizing an Edmonton Food & Beverage Blogger Meet-Up, to take place at The Common on March 4, 2014. It’s been a while since the last one I co-organized back in 2010; it’ll be good to catch-up with faces old and new!
  • Mark your calendars: the next Green Drinks: Your Local Food Tools is taking place on March 5, 2014. It’s a great place to meet other people interested in local food.
  • Shovel & Fork is putting together a fundraiser for Slow Food which will see Drift serve up a set menu to pair with Alley Kat beers. Hijacked – a Slow Takeover takes place on March 8, 2014, and tickets are $30.
  • The big news this week was Elm Café’s expansion into downtown, with the opening of District Coffee Co. at #101, 10011 109 Street. They will focus on great coffee (being the first in Edmonton to offer Calgary’s Phil & Sebastian, yay!) and fresh baked goods. Expect District to open on March 3, 2014.
  • The Journal positively reviewed Chic-hog-o’s last week.
  • Who says vending machines have to serve junk food? Chicago is the home to salad-dispensing vending machines!
  • Mack and I took a brisk walk over to the Boyle Street Plaza on Saturday to take in the On the Spot Pop-Up Sale. It was a great use of the building’s gym space, and with the large bank of windows, didn’t feel at all like we were buckled down in the middle of winter. It was also great to see Molly’s Eats out in the off season!

On the Spot Pop Up

On the Spot Pop-Up

On the Spot Pop Up

Susan and Teresa of Molly’s Eats

  • I warmed up today with some good food and great conversation at Tres Carnales. It’s been too long without fish tacos!

Tres Carnales

Our spread at Tres Carnales

Food Notes for February 3, 2014

Hello, winter! We knew we were in for a cold February after an above average January, but it is still a shock to the system. Bundle up! On to this week’s food notes:

  • More details were announced about the second Hawkers Market, taking place on February 22, 2014.
  • Daravara, the newest 124 Street hot spot, opened on February 1, 2014.
  • Liane shared some news about a new coffee shop coming soon to Oliver, called Iconoclast Koffie Huis (first Sloppy Hogs Roed Hus, and now this). Look for it in the coming weeks at 11807B 105 Avenue.
  • Shanghai 456 is now open in their new location (14456 118 Avenue). Time to get your xiao long bao on!
  • North 53 scored a pair of reviews, from both Robyn and Liv. Their new website is also up, if you want a longer look at their menu.
  • Andrea reviewed brunch at Sherwood Park’s Square One Wye Road.
  • Vue Weekly checks out The Parlour.
  • Liane kicked off a bi-weekly series last week which shines a light on the city’s delis. Her first piece focuses on Omonia Foods in Chinatown.
  • This is certainly the first time I’ve seen a restaurant use Kickstarter to fund a campaign to make a Taste of Edmonton booth possible.
  • Did you know NAIT grows microgreens and herbs year-round in their Urban Cultivator?
  • With an intense craving for burek, Mack and I headed to The Cheese Factory on Friday night. It was also a good excuse to indulge in their squeaky cheese poutine.

The Cheese Factory

Meat burek

The Cheese Factory

Traditional poutine

  • We celebrated Chinese New Year over the weekend with friends and family. Nothing like a generous spread to ring in the Year of the Horse!

Prosperity Toss

Prosperity toss!

The Cooking Chronicles: Lunchable Leftovers

Not five years ago, I was perfectly happy with cold lunches. Most days, I would make do with a slice of banana loaf, single-serve yogurt and a juice box. Now, lunch doesn’t seem complete without reheated leftovers! A sandwich just doesn’t cut it for me anymore.

So the name of the game for us most weeknights is to cook up enough food to double as lunches – big batches, here we come!

Shakshuka

Scrolling through 2014 food trend predictions, I came upon one writer’s call that shakshuka would be appearing on menus all over New York. What was shakshuka and why was it so hot?

I eventually came to Smitten Kitchen’s shakshuka recipe, where she explained that it was an Israeli dish made up of eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce. It was the perfect weekday meal – quick, filling, and would yield leftovers.

I ended up slightly overcooking the eggs, and next time, I’d make sure to have feta on hand. Still, paired with warm pita bread, it was a satisfying supper.

Shakshuka

Shakshuka

Silky Mushroom and Feta Fusilli

I don’t actually mind standing in line at the grocery store, because it usually gives me a few minutes to flip through aisle magazines for recipe ideas. This Canadian Living recipe for silky mushroom and feta fusilli was one such inspiration.

It was incredibly simple, with a light but creamy consistency lent from the addition of milk and pasta cooking water. That said, it was the final touch of lemon juice and zest that made the dish sing.

Silky Mushroom and Feta Fusilli

Silky mushroom and feta fusilli

Happy lunching!

Food Notes for January 27, 2014

Though it feels like we just finished celebrating the Christmas season, I’m ready for another festive occasion – Chinese New Year! Happy New Year to those who also recognize the holiday! Onto this week’s food notes:

Delicious Pho

Delicious Pho

  • I met up with Brittney and Linda for brunch at Urban Diner on the weekend. The poffertjes, as usual, were a tasty way to start, but I was a bit disappointed with the quiche, expecting a tart crust instead of puff pastry.

Urban Diner

Poffertjes

Urban Diner

Quiche

  • The City Market kicked off Lunar New Year celebrations early, with 5 Elements busking, to the delight of shoppers.

City Market

5 Elements @ the City Market

Location, Location, Location: State & Main

When it was announced that State & Main was moving into Southgate Centre, I was excited. Not necessarily for the chain itself, but for the fact that the transit hub was in dire need of more sit-down restaurants within walking proximity of the station (I will say that the addition of The Glass Monkey in Lendrum is a recent bonus, though the hike up the busy 111 Street isn’t necessarily pleasant).

With Amanda working later in the evening at the mall on Sunday, it was most convenient for Felicia and I to meet up with her at State & Main so she didn’t have to travel far after her shift.

The restaurant, a part of the Original Joe’s group, angles itself to be the more polished older brother of the family. The fixtures are nicer, the lighting is a little more sexy, and the bar is much more reminiscent of a casual date night than a post-hockey pint. As it happened, the NFL Conference final was streaming on the screens, but most of our fellow diners only seemed to glance up at the TVs in passing.

Oddly enough, I really thought their menu would match the upper-scale aesthetics of the place. Instead, it is virtually identical to its Original Joe’s counterpart. A few dishes differ – a Greek-inspired flatbread at State & Main as opposed to an Indian-inspired flatbread at Original Joe’s, for example – but that’s it. I haven’t been to OJ’s in some time, otherwise, I’d be keen to compare pricing.

At any rate, after we were seated in the half-full lounge, water deposited at the table, we didn’t see our server for a good ten minutes. We were still waiting for Amanda to join us, but neither Felicia or I had eaten lunch that day, and were hoping to snack on an appetizer before our main meal. The server eventually made her way back to our table, and thankfully, both the bar and the kitchen made up for her long pause with haste.

State & Main

Pink lemonade

The mama’s meatballs ($13) was essentially a deconstructed pizza sub, topped with a generous sprinkling of mozzarella. It definitely hit the spot, alongside the toasted garlic bread.

State & Main

Mama’s meatballs

I prefer my roast beef on the medium rare side, so the French dip ($14.50) that arrived, with meat well-done and dry, wasn’t my favourite. That said, it would have been immensely easier to eat had it been sliced in half. Like Original Joe’s, State & Main also offers the choice of two sides with most entrees. Unfortunately, only one of them was worth selecting. The honey slaw was fine, but the sweet potato fries were a disappointment, not altogether under-fried but barely crispy.

State & Main

French dip with honey slaw and sweet potato fries

At some point, a different server started working our section, so we ended the evening with better service than we started with. But I’m not sure that made up for my sub-par experience overall. I’d be willing to give State & Main a second chance, but with much lower expectations on the next round.

State & Main
850, 5015 111 Street (Southgate Centre)
(587) 524-3251
Monday-Friday 11am-2am, Saturday-Sunday 10am-2am

Food Notes for January 20, 2014

  • Fork Fest has released their menus. I’ll be checking out the Manor Café next week!
  • Hot Chefs, Cool bEATS is back this year, taking place at the Shaw Conference Centre on March 29, 2014. Tickets are $125 and all inclusive of wine and drinks. Mack and I went in 2012, and enjoyed everything from the indoor street party to the displays, and of course, the food.
  • Save the date: Eat Alberta will be taking place on April 26, 2014. The line-up of workshops is already shaping up to be one of our best ever. I can’t wait to share more details soon.
  • After two seasonal pop-ups, Knifewear has announced that it is staying put!
  • Hoang Long is expanding again – another downtown location is joining La Prep in the First & Jasper Building.
  • Liv reviews The Phork, which has taken up residence in Grandin.
  • Andrea posted about her great experience at 97 Hot Pot.
  • Phil’s latest burger odyssey, unfortunately, covers two burger fails from recent Edmonton restaurant additions. Better luck next time, Phil!
  • K.A. Café on Whyte offers up solid Lebanese food, shares Vue Weekly.
  • Valerie’s latest Canadian Food Experience round-up is all about new year’s resolutions. Click over to read for some inspiration.
  • Liane wrote a great piece highlighting food waste in Canada – a little bit from each household does add up.
  • On the television front, Masterchef Canada premiered tonight. No Edmonton contestants, but there are six from Alberta in the top 50.
  • At the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market on Saturday, we finally picked up a box of Frickin’ Delights Donuts – several people have recommended the treats as their favourite vegan doughnuts in the city. Good flavour, though the springy texture caught us a bit off-guard at first.

Frickin' Delights Donuts

Frickin’ Delights Donuts

  • Mack’s craving for butter chicken on the weekend led us to Origin India.

Origin India

Happy for butter chicken!

Just Trust the Chefs: The Parlour Kitchen & Bar

I have a lot of respect for the Century Hospitality Group. They are one of the most successful local restaurant companies, reaching a total of eight properties this year, but they don’t rest on their laurels. They were the originators of the “alley cuisine” trend in Edmonton with their back alley Hundred burgers, created a pop-up dining room in a pedway, and this year, reached culinary heights with Corporate Chef Paul Shufelt’s win at the local Gold Medal Plates competition.

As Century Hospitality continues expanding their reach into neighbourhoods like Magrath and soon, Terwillegar, they have not forgotten about the core. Lux and Hundred have become stalwarts in the downtown restaurant scene, and now, a few blocks west, the Parlour Italian Kitchen & Bar offers an additional CHG dining option.

Situated on Capital Boulevard, Parlour was the only storefront on that cold Friday December evening that was drawing any foot traffic (yes, I am discounting Denny’s). In the future, once the Boulevard streetscaping is complete, in addition to the construction of more retail along this signature street, one can only hope this will change.

The Parlour

Parlour

No doubt, Century Hospitality excels in creating trendy, upscale casual environments. Parlour is no different, with a bold, masculine space accented by a vintage-inspired “EAT” fixture (we saw a similar sign at Olympic Provisions in Portland). What sets this dining room apart from the others, however, is the grand mezzanine, which takes advantage of the building’s lofty ceiling, and the curved bar anchored by a tiled pizza oven.

The Parlour

Interior

The menu at Parlour is large, ranging from the requisite sandwiches, pastas, and larger entrees, but with the oven front and centre, it’s no secret that pizza is their focus. Comparisons can be drawn between their pie and the Neapolitan style made popular in Edmonton by Famoso, but Parlour stresses that the deviating tomatoes and cheese they chose were selected because of their superior flavour when compared with their standard Neapolitan counterparts.

We opened our meal with an order of arancini ($12). It was a generous serving, but for me, they were rolled a bit too large, decreasing the ever-important shell-to-rice ratio. That said, the spritz of lemon provided a welcome freshness to the dish.

The Parlour

Arancini

I don’t normally build my own pizzas, typically trusting the tried and true formulas crafted by the kitchen, but on this occasion, I couldn’t get the idea of a meatball pizza out of my head. So on a base of fresh mozzarella, I requested the heritage angus meatballs ($16).

The Parlour

Pizza tiers

I probably should have left the creativity to the chefs, as the delicate base did not seem intended for the weight of such hefty toppings (the meatballs themselves were tasty, and I’m certain well suited to pair with spaghetti).

The Parlour

Heritage angus meatball pizza

The crust, thin but satisfyingly chewy was better served with a lightweight layer. Mack’s order of Gamberi ($17) showcased the dough best, with what should be their signature sauce going forward, a sriracha pesto, and fire roasted garlic prawns that made me rethink my opinion that seafood and pizza don’t mix.

The Parlour

Gamberi pizza

As if we weren’t full enough, we opted for dessert. The tiramisu ($9) was beautifully plated, a modern take on an Italian classic. Cookie crumbs surrounded a bed of espresso-soaked lady fingers, with marscapone gingerly piped on top. The crumbs added a unique texture not normally associated with lush tiramisu – it’s a dish I’d definitely order again.

The Parlour

Tiramisu

Service was friendly throughout the evening, and even as the restaurant filled up, we were never forgotten. Although our server didn’t expect to be busy on that bitterly cold night, we weren’t surprised – diners are interested in what’s next for CHG.

Our parting shot – by the door, a gumball machine had been repurposed to dispense cherry tomatoes. We couldn’t resist taking a photo.

The Parlour

Eat your veggies!

The Parlour Italian Kitchen & Bar
10334 Capital Boulevard
(780) 990-0404
Monday-Saturday 11:30-late, Sunday 4-11pm