The Second Annual Culinary Cook-Off, Slider Edition!

On a snowy Saturday, Felicia and I headed to Mount Royal Arts Core School in Highlands to attend the second annual Culinary Cook-Off. A brainchild of Karlynn Johnson (aka The Kitchen Magpie), the Cook-Off is a great way to engage the wider community, raise awareness of Mount Royal’s arts programming, and of course, raise funds for the school! In its inaugural year, the cook-off featured mac and cheese (which we sadly missed); this year, the competition centred around sliders. Given the blustery conditions, comfort food was the perfect way to warm up!

We arrived about an hour into the event, and the school was buzzing with activity. We were given a handy map as soon as we walked in, charting out where we could find the ticket cashier, silent auction items and the slider contenders. My only minor suggestion would be that a listing of slider names next to each competitor would have been appreciated – it was hard to keep them straight by the end!

One busy gym!

Each slider was priced at only $2, so for $16, Felicia and I were able to try all eight options. It was incredibly affordable, and I can imagine organizers could increase the price in years to come with minimum consequence.

We loved that all competitors were easily identifiable with banners above their station, and a few of the tables featured signage indicating the name and ingredients featured in their creation. I’m sure the chefs without such signage tired of having to repeat this very basic information, so hopefully all competitors will be encouraged to have these details readily on display.

Culinary Cook-Off

Sliders were comprised of pulled pork, beef and seafood, and it was great to see the creativity inherent in all of them. We were also impressed to find out that most restaurants baked their own buns for the competition!

Felicia chows down

Standouts for us included The Marc’s ground sirloin and bacon slider, topped with bacon jam and sauerkraut (we loved the sweetness) and Harvest Catering’s Creole shrimp and salmon slider (the cornbread bun definitely set it apart).

“The Big Marc” from The Marc

Creole shrimp and salmon slider from Harvest Catering

Our favourite, however, had to be the dim sum slider offered by Murrieta’s. Inspired by siu mai, the pork and shrimp patty was topped with daikon, a fried wonton chip, and served on a honey bun.

The dim sum slider from Murrieta’s

We stayed for the announcement of winners in the three categories:

Judges Choice: Murrieta’s
People’s Choice: The Marc
Kids Choice: The Manor, with their top sirloin slider, featuring a slice of fried potato

We really enjoyed ourselves – bravo to the organizers, participating restaurants and volunteers for a wonderful event. Here’s looking forward to next year!

Check out my full photoset here.

Weekend in Calgary: Airbnb, Burgers and Brunch

To celebrate our anniversary, we headed to Calgary in early March. Calgary is our favourite weekend getaway, and allows us to dabble with a few more players in their ever-changing food scene. We had to cut our trip short this time around because of the snowpocalypse that Sunday, but still managed to fit in quite a few eats!

Airbnb

Our go-to accommodation in Calgary has been the luxurious Hotel Le Germain in downtown Calgary. It’s an easy way to pamper ourselves, and we’ve always had such a relaxing time in their serene and contemporary rooms.

This time, we couldn’t justify the cost for a two-night stay, and used this opportunity to explore booking through Airbnb. A site that connects travellers with property owners who have an extra room or unit to rent, Airbnb offers a plethora of short-term stay options. The apartments are often at a fraction of the cost of hotel prices, with the added benefits of a fully-furnished home, such as a kitchen or in-suite laundry. Friends of ours have raved about their experience using the site in New York and Paris; why couldn’t it work a little closer to home?

Although the Airbnb selection on Calgary wasn’t as extensive as those of larger municipalities, they still have more property listings than Edmonton. We narrowed down our search to private lodgings in central neighbourhoods, and eventually settled on the Clean Central Modern Apartment located in Mission, just south of the 17 Avenue entertainment district. The photos had been verified by Airbnb (they have since been updated by the property owner, so haven’t yet been re-verified), and the comments for the listing were very positive.

Communication with the property owner Christoph was seamless, and in most cases, I received an instantaneous response. We arranged to meet up on Friday afternoon to access the keys and a tour. In this way, it is a little less convenient than a hotel in terms of a fluid check-in time, but it was a relatively minor hassle when compared with the cost savings.

The one-bedroom unit appeared exactly as advertised, though some furniture of equal quality had been swapped in. Everything was extremely clean, and the building was quiet. Best of all for that particular weekend, since most of our dining experiences clustered around 17 Avenue, the location was spot-on.

Living room/kitchen

Bedroom

A bonus of this unit was its direct proximity to the Elbow River walking trails. We stretched our legs after arrival, and could see how this unit would be well-suited to a longer-term stay.

Beautiful walking trails

We wouldn’t hesitate to stay at this unit again, and I am happy to say that our first experience with Airbnb was a positive one! I’ve booked another Airbnb unit for an upcoming trip to Toronto, so we’ll see how that one works out!

Clive Burger

Burger bars seemed to trend up in Calgary last year, with several establishments opening up within months of one another. Clive Burger was one we had read about during our last jaunt south, so we headed there for lunch on Friday.

It’s an easy-to-miss storefront tucked onto 17 Avenue. The order counter and open kitchen was pretty standard, but the rest of the decor was modern, fresh and fun. I loved the pop of the orange chairs, the pendant lamps, and especially the wall of cartoon Clive and friends “documenting” their world travels.

Interior

Fun cartoon wall

The menu was fairly standard, similar to other burger bars in Edmonton (Burger Joint, Rodeo Burger, Five Guys among them). A hamburger was $6, with less than a dozen free fixins to choose from. Fries (fried in peanut oil) were $2.50 for a small.

After we ordered, we were given a buzzer that would notify us when our order was up. Mack noted that this was less personable than name calling, but it was definitely more efficient.

Clive buzzer

The burgers themselves were nothing special. Mack found the patties to be disappointingly thin, but I found that to be on par with most other burger bars. Glaringly, Mack’s paid egg fixin was left off his order – he would have gone back to have it remade, but given we were both hungry, we just chalked it up as a loss.

Burger

The star of the meal turned out not to be the namesake burger, but the chipotle-mayo Clive sauce that accompanied the crispy fries.

Our spread

I’d drop by Clive again if I needed a greasy pick-me-up in the area, but it didn’t impress us enough to want to return again in a targeted way.

Analog Coffee

Two doors down from Clive Burger was Analog Coffee, Fratello Coffee’s new cafe on 17 Avenue. Similar to how Phil & Sebastian’s expanded after gaining popularity at the barracks location of the Calgary Farmers’ Market, Analog Coffee serves up coffee at the new CFM, and opened this standalone cafe at the end of 2012.

Analog Coffee

It’s a beautiful space, warm and rustic, with a beckoning bakery case filled with goods from La Boulangerie and Sidewalk Citizen.

Interior

We ordered a pour-over cold brew made with Fratello-roasted coffee (if course), but the best thing was the milk station also featured several different syrup flavours – I loved the opportunity to sweeten our drink to taste. Make sure you stop by if you are in the neighbourhood!

The Fine Diner

We hadn’t yet hit up The Fine Diner in Inglewood, so we planned to have brunch there on Saturday morning. When we arrived, we were a bit surprised that there wasn’t already a crowd in the lobby. It turned out The Fine Diner was blessed with a back room (which looked like it used to function as a private dining space) where brunch-goers were invited to sit and enjoy some coffee while they waited (until we have similar provisions for overflow, I’m not sure we can talk about Edmonton’s brunch culture in the same breath).

We had to wait about 40 minutes for a table, not bad considering the dining room was relatively small. The high-backed banquet seats reminded me of Dairy Lane, but the decor was cleaner and more sophisticated.

Hurrah for brunch!

The Fine Diner is notable for the fact that they cure their own bacon. So we both had to try the bacon for ourselves – I ordered the egg breakfast ($11), while Mack chose the bacon benny ($13).

The bacon didn’t disappoint – thick-cut, salty, with a hint of maple syrup sweetness. I did expect crispier potatoes though with the use of the term “hash browns” on the menu.

Egg breakfast

Mack liked his eggs benedict, with soft poached eggs, and a bread base that did not get soggy. The fresh fruit was also a nice touch.

Bacon benny

While we enjoyed The Fine Diner, I have to say we liked our most recent experience at Blue Star Diner just a bit better. But in the grand scheme of the brunch scene in Calgary, The Fine Diner is another good addition.

Crossroads Market

Our typical farmers’ market haunts in Calgary include the Kingsland Farmers’ Market and Calgary Farmers’ Market, but from Mary Ellen and Andres of Greens, Eggs and Ham, we heard about the Crossroads Market. Since we were dining in nearby Inglewood anyway, we took the opportunity to stop by after brunch on Saturday.

Given our major farmers’ markets are situated in public transit-accessible locations, it’s always a shift for me when approaching the Calgary markets, which are usually challenging to reach with any means of transportation other than a vehicle. The Crossroads Market seemed to be the same.

Because we new Greens, Eggs and Ham was a relatively new vendor at Crossroads, we expected to be greeted by farm fresh products. Instead, our first visual was a wall of VHS tapes.

VHS, anyone?

We quickly learned that Crossroads was in transition, renovating so it would resemble the other large markets in Calgary. Wooden beams framed some of the food stalls already, but the flea market aspects will remain. Maybe it’s just us, but it is one thing to have hand-made arts and crafts for sale, but antiques and collectibles didn’t seem like the best fit alongside farmers’ market vendors.

Flea market

Inside Crossroads

After wandering through the merchandise stalls, we encountered a shoddy food court packed with weekend traffic. We’re certain a few of the vendors may have been hidden gems (most of them seemed to be mom and pop-run ethnic eateries), but we weren’t looking for a meal.

Food court

To be honest, we didn’t take time to explore the protein or prepared food vendors, as we were more interested in produce that day; I was hoping to pick up some fruit to snack on the rest of the trip. We finally found a major produce vendor called Chongo’s at the back of the market, but to our disappointment, none of it appeared to be local.

Carrots the size of my arm

We know Calgary markets permit imported produce like bananas to be sold alongside BC apples, but this was ridiculous. None of the items that could have been grown in Alberta that can be cellared for winter sale did not appear locally sourced, and worse, most of it wasn’t labelled with a country of origin. I had to wonder whether the customers in the long lines thought the produce was local, simply because they were shopping at a “farmers’ market”.

Produce at Crossroads

On the Crossroads Market website, it looks like their summer and fall seasons see more local vendors present. But I can imagine it can be pretty confusing to the average consumer, and unless questions are asked, assumptions could be made about the true origin of the produce.

We’d have to return in the heart of the local growing season to really assess this market, but based on this experience, it will take more than a superficial makeover to convince us that this Crossroads truly a farmers’ market. I’d stick with Kingsland and the Calgary Farmers’ Market on any day or season.

I’ll be writing more about our dinner outings in a separate post!

Food Notes for March 11, 2013

Eat Alberta 2013 is coming! I wrote about it on Friday, but make sure you check the website for ticket information. And yes, we had a bit of fun coming up with the different track names – my personal favourites are “beet route” and “carrot corridor”. On to this week’s food notes:

A mild winter means food trucks are back out on the streets early. Look for Drift at their usual location of Jasper Avenue and 107 Street starting on March 12!
Downtown Dining Week starts March 15 and runs until March 24, 2013. The set menus range in price from $15-$50.
A reminder that the Culinary Arts Cook-off is scheduled for this Saturday, March 16, 2013 at Mount Royal School. Sliders are on the menu this year, and will cost just $2 a pop, with all funds raised going towards arts programming! I missed out last year, so am looking forward to checking it out this time around!
The annual Seedy Sunday will take place this Sunday, March 17, 2013 at the Alberta Avenue Community Hall (9210 118 Avenue). Jennifer Cockrall-King and Kevin Kossowan are among the speakers.
Mark your calendar: the second annual Palestinian Bazaar is taking place on March 30, 2013 at the TransAlta Arts Barns.
Bannock Burger (14020 142 Street) celebrated their grand opening today! I’d be interested in checking out their version of a fast food staple with a bannock twist.
Amelia tweeted me about the forthcoming Menchies Frozen Yogurt in Garneau at 8705 109 Street.
Twyla tweeted that a new South Indian restaurant called Roti-N-More (2976 Ellwood Drive SW) has opened.
The Shutter: The Phat Noodle on Jasper Avenue is now closed.
An early review of Japonais Bistro from Cindy – it looks like an upscale addition to the city’s existing Japanese restaurant scene.
Twyla wrote about the newest diner in Edmonton, Rockin’ Robyn’s Diner in Mayfield Common (16604 B 109 Avenue).
At Cafe Amore in December, we were told the owners were scoping out new locations for expansion, but nothing was finalized yet. Liane reported last week that the restaurant will in fact be relocating downtown to 108070 106 Avenue. Look for it in April.
Vue Weekly featured Blue Plate Diner Chef Cean Holmes in their Q & A last week.
Vue also highlighted the art of food photography in the same issue.
Beer Revolution, a craft beer market/pizza bar operated by Brewster’s, is opening up in the old Kelsey’s in Oliver Square (11736 104 Avenue). Jason Foster blogged about it back in February.

Beer Revolution

After a meeting a few blocks away, I walked over to Duchess to pick up some goodies. All it takes is a gander at their deliciously arranged baking cases to lift my spirits.

Duchess

My “soup buddy” at work and I headed over to Pho Tau Bay for our first beef noodle soup this year!

Pho!

Mack and I kick started our weekend at Three Boars. We found out that they have been busy renovating the rooms on the south side of the building. Watch for a private event space on the second floor, and a pour-over coffee bar on the first floor.

Gin and house-made tonic

Swedish meatball poutine

Discover Your Roots: Eat Alberta 2013

I can’t believe we’re already on our third Eat Alberta! The hands-on food conference, an opportunity for consumers to learn about how to grow, forage and prepare food from some of Alberta’s most knowledgeable food personalities, will be taking place again this April.

What: Eat Alberta 2013
When: Saturday, April 20, 2013
Time: 8:30am-5:30pm
Where: Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, 11762 106 Street

We are thrilled to be returning to the kitchens of NAIT, which turned out to be a brilliant venue for the event last year.

Owen Petersen and his Sourdough 101 class

Our keynote speaker this year is Jeff Senger of Sangudo Custom Meat Packers. Jeff will be sharing his story of transition from an urban to a rural lifestyle, one that pulled him from his desk-bound accounting job to a labour-intensive career as a butcher.

We are happy that some of our former instructors are back to share their wisdom with a new group of students this year, including:

Sourdough 101, led by Owen Petersen of Prairie Mill
Knife Skills, led by Kevin Kent of Knifewear
Cheese Making, led by Chef Allan Roote of NAIT
Artisan Sausage Making, led by Allan Suddaby of Elm Cafe
Vinaigrettes: More Than Just Salad Dressings, led by Chef Elaine Wilson of Allium Foodworks

Kevin Kent of Knifewear

But of course, we are also welcoming many new presenters, who will be teaching some exciting sessions, including:

Bacon Making, led by Chad Moss of Shovel & Fork
Perogy Making, led by Chef David Omar of ZINC
The Whole Chicken, led by Chef Nevin Fenske of Drift Food Truck
Saskatoon Pie Making, led by Chef Tracy Zizek of Cafe de Ville
PICKLES!, led by Joanna Alleyne of Mojojojo Pickles
So You Want to be an Urban Farmer, led by Travis Kennedy of Lactuca Farm

Making gnocchi at Eat Alberta 2012

Undoubtedly, hands-on sessions are the most popular, and past feedback has indicated that we needed a better system of ensuring a fair distribution of these sessions. So this year, we have organized different “tracks” made up of four session each, the majority of which include two hands on sessions, one guided tasting and one presentation. We know that all of our presenters are passionate and engaging, so we are confident that no matter which track you choose, you will not only learn a lot, but will have a great time in the process!

We have also added an MC to help facilitate the day, none other than Jennifer Crosby of Global TV. Jennifer is a farm girl from Northern BC, and is a regular contributor to Taste Alberta. And in place of a plenary panel to end the day, we are introducing a series of two-minute “lightning talks” as a way to connect attendees with other food-related resources and organizations in the community. At the end of the day, although we have changed a few elements this year, we stayed true to our commitment to highlighting food skills and connecting consumers with local and regional products.

Tickets are $135 each, and include 2 plenary sessions, 4 concurrent sessions, breakfast, lunch and a wine down. Tickets for Eat Alberta will go on sale next week, but in the meantime, make sure you sign up for the mailing list on the website. We will be sending out a notice to let you know when the tickets go live!

I hope to see you out at Eat Alberta!

Culinary Q & A with Robyn

Occupation: Certified Management Accountant

What did you eat today?

Home-made banana bread for breakfast and home-made chicken soup for lunch. For dinner, my mom was trying out a new recipe from Serious Eats, The Ultimate King Ranch Casserole.

What do you never eat?

Eggs— well, I eat them in things, like cookie and cakes, but I just can’t stomach eggs by themselves. I really wish I liked them, but I just don’t!

What is your personal specialty?

I love to make a big home-made Italian dinner “feast” from scratch; garlic bread and Caesar salad, with Chicken Picatta and angel hair, Spaghetti Bolognese or some sort of other delicious pasta creation.

Complete this sentence: In my refrigerator, you will always find:

Siracha, yogurt, milk and some bananas in the freezer for my morning breakfast smoothie.

What is your weekday meal standby?

A smoothie for breakfast almost every week day. Does that count?

What is your favourite kitchen item?

My Henckels Chef’s knife, but I also really love any sort of tiny kitchen utensil, like my tiny whisk or spatula. Cute and functional!

World ends tomorrow. Describe your last meal.

My mom’s prime rib dinner complete with mashed potatoes, gravy and yorkshire pudding. For dessert, probably my mom’s homemade hot fudge sauce over vanilla ice cream.

Where do you eat out most frequently?

Probably La Pagode for Vietnamese food.

Where’s the best place to eat in Edmonton?

Right now, I would say Corso 32 and Sofra are my favourites.

If you weren’t limited by geography, where and what would you eat?

I really want to go everywhere and eat everything, but if I had to pick just one thing right now I would go to the little Trattoria we called “Mario’s” in Cortona, Italy. I did a semester abroad in Italy and I think Mario’s might have had the best food in all of Italy. So simple and delicious! I would order the Spaghetti Aglione, Tiramisu and nice big glass of red wine.

Check out Robyn’s blog at Life is Better Red.

Food Notes for March 4, 2013

We had a great time in Calgary, as we always seem to. I’ll get to writing about the trip in more detail at some point, but the highlight was a meal at the new hotspot, Market. On to this week’s food notes:

Want to try Sailin’ On’s food before their truck hits the streets? Head to the Vegans and Vegetarians of Alberta’s potluck on March 10, 2013. Sailin’ On will be handing out free burritos!
The Culinary Arts Cookoff is fast approaching! The fundraiser for Mt. Royal Elementary takes place on March 16, 2013. Keep up to date with participant bios and other developments on the website.
Help a new farm-to-table initiative celebrate their first event this month!. The Ten Mile Meal debuts in Calmar, Alberta on March 23, 2013. Tickets are $50.
I had no idea 4th and Vine had even closed until I saw a review of Bistro Saisons (11358 104 Avenue), the new restaurant that has taken its place.
It looks like the Elephant & Castle in Edmonton City Centre is now a Fionn MacCool’s.
It was the week of lists! First up, Western Living Magazine released their annual round up of Top 40 Foodies Under 40. Congrats to the Edmonton contingent, including the founders of Famoso, Jacob Pelletier of Duchess, Emily and Sean Superkoski of Mighty Trio Organics, the chefs of Staff Meal Edmonton, the men behind Three Boars, and Blair Lebsack of RGE RD.
To celebrate their 100th issue, The Tomato compiled a list of the Top 100 Best Things to Eat or Drink in Edmonton. #1 on the list was the spaghetti Bolognese from Corso 32.
Last but not least, Avenue Edmonton published their Best Restaurants list. Corso 32 again topped the list, with The Marc, Wildflower, Three Boars and MRKT rounding out the top 5. Although I really liked MRKT when it first opened, the fact that their menu has remained unchanged after two years hasn’t encouraged many repeat visits. Given Corso was praised for their “balance between consistency and change”, I’m a little surprised MRKT had such a high standing for essentially the opposite.
Avenue Calgary released their milestone 10th annual food issue this month as well. I love their idea for the “best potluck ever” – with dishes from 33 of the city’s best restaurants. What would be on your ultimate potluck list?
I would never have guessed that the horse meat scandal in Europe would cause a spike in sales.
I love this Travel Alberta video, where some of the city’s notable food writers share what they consider to be “Edmonton’s dish”.
Though it was unfortunately not a surprise, City Council passed the Horse Hills Area Structure Plan on Tuesday.
I was a little disappointed to find out that Lay’s wouldn’t be selling their Chicken and Waffles flavour chips in Canada, but apparently, there is a reason why (on a side note, I can’t believe the statistic that Canadians consume almost twice as much vegetables as the average American).
Have you seen the chocolate ad featuring a CGI-recreated Audrey Hepburn? Do you think it is classic or creepy?
The rumours are true! A cheese shop is opening up on 104 Street in the Phillips Lofts. It turns out The Cavern will also serve up coffee and small plates.

The Cavern

After a meeting in the area last week, Mack and I headed to The Next Act for dinner. I had been thinking about their Cajun fish sandwich for a while – and it certainly hit the spot!

Cajun fish sandwich

Pulled pork sandwich

Fringe Dishes: Kobe Japanese Bistro

When Mack and I eat at a Japanese restaurant, we feel a little like a vegetarian would dining at a steakhouse. Although there are typically items that suit our taste (i.e., cooked items), they’re always the periphery of the menu, and really, a last resort meant for Western palates. In many ways, that was one of the reasons I was so excited for the appearance of Edmonton’s first izakaya – all of the flavours of Japanese cuisine that I enjoy featured at the forefront of the menu instead of being an afterthought.

Anyway, to celebrate Kim’s birthday on the weekend, we headed to Kobe Japanese Bistro in the Callingwood. It was the ideal restaurant for the rest of Mack’s family, who all love sushi. Kim had ordered takeout from Kobe many times, but this was her first time dining in, as it was for the rest of us.

It was moderately busy on the Sunday evening, though to be honest, from the privacy of the high-backed booth, we couldn’t monitor the activity of the restaurant save the parties walking directly past our table. The booth felt almost as exclusive as those private rooms found at other Japanese eateries, without the fuss.

The rest of the party ordered an array of sushi, while Mack and I stuck to the rice bowls and udon. All of our food arrived lightning fast – the kitchen certainly wasted no time! No doubt, the sushi platter dazzled when delivered to the table.

Deluxe combination

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the cooked dishes – presentation was far from their strength. Some visually appealing garnish would have been welcome, but the separate components turned out to be positive at least for the agedashi tofu ($5.50) – with a tempura sauce served on the side (instead of with the tofu), it remained impossibly hot and crispy, batter adherence and all.

Agedashi tofu and chicken teriyaki udon

I enjoyed the broth and udon well enough ($9), though the chicken was on the dry side. Mack’s chicken teriyaki donburi ($9) was similarly dry. Warned by Kim that the bowl came without any accompanying vegetables, he also ordered a side of pan-fried vegetables ($5). It turned out to be a generous serving enough for two or three people; it’s curious why a smaller portion of these vegetables wouldn’t be a standard part of the rice bowls to start with.

Chicken teriyaki donburi

Pan-fried vegetables

Service was excellent; when our server found out it was Kim’s birthday, to end our meal, he brought two scoops of green tea ice cream topped off with a candle.

Happy birthday, Kim!

While we can’t speak to the quality of the sushi, for our Western palates, Kobe Japanese Bistro did all right. I’d still sooner head to Izakaya Tomo for my Japanese food fix, but in a pinch, Kobe would do.

Kobe Japanese Bistro
#516, 6655 178 Street
(780) 444-7878

The Cooking Chronicles: Random Recipes

I do my best to try and group the random series of recipes that I decide to make from week to week, and sometimes it is a great stretch to connect two seemingly diverse dishes. This time, I won’t even try!

Tuscan Kale and Farro Soup

I think I’m in love. With farro that is. We had great success with a salad recipe that incorporated the chewy, nutty grains together with a variety of fresh produce, but even better was a Rachael Ray recipe that called for farro to be served in broth.

This Tuscan kale and farro soup was not only healthy, but substantial, packed with white beans, tomatoes and kale. But it was the farro that made the dish – it was hard to think about serving this soup without the grain that added texture and a depth that no pasta or rice could accomplish. Like farro, this recipe is a keeper!

Tuscan kale and farro soup (yes, that is steam fogging up the camera lens…)

Swedish Meatballs

In the fall, I made a loose commitment that 2013 would be the year of the slow cooker for me. I had bought a copy of Slow Cooker Revolution by America’s Test Kitchen, which, unlike most slow cooker bibles, features colour photographs of every recipe. Unfortunately, what I didn’t realize until I took a closer look at the book was that many of their recipes involved several steps that preceded the use of the slow cooker, or, a technique of cooking part of the dish in a foil packet that would rest on top of the bubbling mass. I wasn’t too comfortable with the latter; baking in parchment is one thing, but cooking for a prolonged period of time in foil is another.

I finally attempted a recipe that fell into the first category – even though I resented it almost the whole way through (why was I “slaving away”? how many dishes is this going to take? wasn’t the slow cooker supposed to do the heavy lifting for me?). The recipe for Swedish meatballs involved browning the meatballs in a hot oven first, and preparing a gravy. I halved the recipe – 60 meatballs seemed a little much for two people, even for leftovers. After the fact, I found that it was a great technique to help render out some of the fat, and it wasn’t as time consuming as I originally thought.

Baked meatballs

In hindsight, I should have kept the originally specific amount of gravy – the final product was a little dry. The meatballs themselves had a good flavour profile – the allspice and nutmeg really came through – though both Mack and I commented that they didn’t have that telltale processed “springiness” of Ikea’s Swedish meatballs.

Swedish meatballs, made with First Nature Farms beef, served with Erdmann’s mashed potatoes

I’m not sure the time in the slow cooker really showed, though I’d have to compare it with a straight baking technique to be sure. This recipe might come in handy for entertaining, but otherwise, I will be sticking to other meatball recipes in the future!

Food Notes for February 25, 2013

It may only be Monday, but I’m already looking forward to the weekend! Mack and I are planning to head down to Calgary to celebrate a special occasion, but it really couldn’t have come at a better time – I think we’re both more than ready for a mini-break! On to this week’s food notes:

It might be too late to enter, but this Great Chocolate Chip Cookie Bakeoff on February 26, 2013 sounds like it will be a lot of fun (especially for the judges!).
Mark your calendar: this year’s Downtown Dining Week will run from March 15-24, 2013. Thirty restaurants are participating.
Da Capo tweeted that their 109 Street location will be re-opening on March 1 as Pizzeria Rosso. Expect wood fired pizza!
Nearby, Vancouver-based Waves Coffee House is opening an Edmonton location in the old KFC on 109 Street.
I was sorry to hear about the flood at Colonel Mustard’s last week that has now left the restaurant uncertain whether or not they can recover.
I missed linking to this post last week, about an upcoming eatery in Belgravia which promises a locally-focused, seasonal menu.
Great to see Michelle Peters-Jones profiled in the Journal! I had no idea she snapped over 100 shots before settling on *the* photo, but it would make sense given her visuals are consistently stunning.
NAIT announced that this year’s Hokanson Chef in Residence will be San Francisco-based Chris Consentino. Enter to win tickets to a four-course tasting menu here.
Apple month is coming to an end, but if you needed a hit of inspiration, check out Valerie’s post which captures the creativity of the NAIT Culinary Arts students who participated in the BC Tree Fruits apple cooking challenge.
Given the meteoric rise of yogurt (doesn’t there seem to be a new probiotic product available every month?), it’s not surprising that there’s now a type of yogurt targeting men.
I haven’t been to Roast in a while, but this weekend, noticed their new coffee display. It turns out they are now serving Fratello-roasted coffee (a Calgary-based roaster).

Roast coffee

I’ve been craving fish and chips for a while, so on Thursday, Mack and I headed to the Kelly’s Pub on 104 Street to satisfy that craving. It was my first time inside the pub, though I’ve passed it enough times to know it is always busy. With its low-key vibe and casual menu, I could see how it has become the post-work spot of choice of many. Mack enjoyed his burger and the fish and chips hit the spot, but Kelly’s might want to re-think their serving dishes. The burger was served on a narrow, flimsy board, while the accompanying fries could not maintain their crispness piled in a bucket. My fish and chips were served in a paper-lined basket, which, grease-soaked, was easy to cut through with my knife and fork. It reminded us a bit of Mercer Tavern’s awkward serving platter for fish and chips – hopefully this doesn’t speak to a trend of form over function.

Bacon cheddar burger

Fish and chips

Mack’s Dad was in town on the weekend, and with time on Saturday for dinner, we thought it was time to introduce him to Tres Carnales. It was packed, as expected, but the wait wasn’t unmanageable, especially with a sangria in hand. Martin gave two thumbs up to the tacos, and commented that they were better than those he sampled in San Diego recently. We will have to make sure our next visit is sooner rather than later!

Guac & chips

Pescado

Carnitas

Portland: To Market, To Market

Whenever we’re travelling, we make it a point to visit the city’s markets – they are not only great places to shop for memorable souvenirs (edible or otherwise), but it is also a wonderful opportunity to learn about the range of produce that can be grown, and the unique artisans and artists that call that city home. Things were no different when we vacationed in Portland.

Farmers’ Market @ Portland State University

I had been looking forward to visiting the Portland Farmers’ Market located at Portland State University since we arrived. It was easily among the first things to go on our itinerary, and with over 200 food vendors, we knew we would need a bit of time to explore the grounds.

Portland Farmers’ Market

Tempting

It was a beautiful location to start with, the paths lined with mature trees. Vehicle access was limited (as it is on our own campus), so it made the shopping experience even more pleasant.

I loved the trees

Mack enjoyed the didgeridoo

Peppers being roasted on site

We started our visit off with breakfast at Pine State Biscuits, an institution in Portland (I remember Filistix’s first What the Truck?! menu featured a Pine State-inspired dish). They had quite the set-up for a food vendor, complete with a griddle and an oven (they had to keep those biscuits warm somehow!).

Pine State Biscuits

Each oversized biscuit was a buttery indulgence, flaky and perfectly soft on the inside. The additional cheese and bacon was probably overkill at that point, but I can’t say we didn’t enjoy every calorie.

Bacon and cheese biscuit sandwich

Satiated, we joined the throngs in exploring aisle after aisle of harvest goodness. Mack got a little sick of me fawning over all of the produce, but it seemed around every corner, there was another gorgeous display of heirloom tomatoes, greens, or fruit.

Fresh collard greens!

Gorgeous squash

Artichokes

Many varieties of apples I’ve never encountered before (including a sweet red-fleshed one)

Ginger

I heart heirloom tomatoes

Given the vast majority of vendors seemed to offer fresh produce (instead of prepared food), aesthetics were even more important, as a means to lure customers in and away from the competition. As a result, vendors used quantities and colours to their advantage, and I have to say, it was even harder for me to look and not buy everything around me!

More greens than we could handle

Tomatoes

So much colour

More tomatoes

In addition to the vendors, the Farmers’ Market had organized cooking demos, spread throughout the day, and had a “veggie valet” as an option (something that has been employed by the City Market for the last few years).

Chef in the market

If you’re visiting Portland, the PSU market is a must!

Portland Saturday Market

The farmers’ market at PSU did not feature any non-food vendors, so for our arts and crafts fix, we headed over to the Portland Saturday Market immediately after.

Portland Saturday Market

Located under the Burnside Bridge in Old Town, the market looked like tourist central, with attention-grabbing buskers and summer fair food stands vying for our attention in and amongst the great variety of jewellery, paintings and other handicrafts available for sale.

Busy place

It was certainly a festive atmosphere, and a great place to browse. I ended up with a beautiful acid-etched necklace from Heartstrings Studio.

Portland Farmers’ Market @ Pioneer Courthouse Square

Unlike Edmonton’s farmers’ markets, which are all individually-run, the Portland Farmers’ Market runs six different markets that take place in the urban core (not all of the area’s markets, but a significant number). We had the chance to visit a smaller collection of vendors run by the Portland Farmers’ Market at Pioneer Courthouse Square on Mondays from June to September.

Monday farmers’ market

The hours of 10am-2pm seemed a bit unusual to us, as only those who worked in the immediate area would be able to partake, but perhaps that was their target demographic after all.

Vendors

It was a modest market to be sure, but with several produce and meat vendors on hand, staples were well covered. We were also happy to see Olympic Provisions on hand again – we would never turn down an opportunity to sample their salumi!

“Meat Here”

There were also quite a few hot food vendors, so later that day, we were certain the business crowd would be descending to take advantage of the al fresco lunch possibility.

The markets all provided a peek into Portland’s agricultural and creative wealth. Make sure to check them out if you have a chance!

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