I love this time of year – beautiful lights, festivities with friends and family, and lots of food to go around. Hope you’re making the most of the holiday season, too! On to this week’s food notes:

• La Mision is hosting their fourth burrito pop-up at The Church of John on December 13, 2016 starting at 5pm. See you there!
• Looking for Prairie Pigeon eclairs? Genia will be at Vacancy Hall on December 17, 2016 for the Local Love Pop-up from 10am-3pm.
• Second Line and Northern Chicken are combining forces for a Holiday Perogy Jam on January 18, 2017. Tickets are $55 for 5 courses.
• This past weekend, Dogwood Cafe, run by the folks behind Culina, resumed their Nordic Brunches (and have introduced Nordic Suppers) at Victoria and Riverside Golf Courses.
• New restaurant alert: South Silk Road at 5552 Calgary Trail is currently in their soft opening phase.
• Similarly under the soft opening category, XO Bistro Bar in the Ultima Tower (10236 103 Street) is now open.
• Congrats to the boys behind Filistix on their new venture at MacEwan, called It Takes Two to Taco. It opened up back in November in the Robbins Health Learning Centre. Thanks Linda for the heads up!
• Kings Noodle & Hot Pot is no more, and has been replaced by Golden Dumpling Restaurant (10939 101 Street).
• Amidst all of the restaurant openings, the Dish and the Runaway Spoon announced their closure due to a change in building ownership. They will be opening again for catering owners in the near future.
• Linda is among the first to review Me 2 Japanese Sizzling Restaurant.
• Also from Linda, she enjoyed her recent experiences at The Rec Room.
• Latino’s Restaurant (10708 98 Street) has found another fan in Graham Hicks.
• Jonny found another hidden gem in Island Grill on the west end.
• Great profile on Steve Furgiuele, the man behind Fuge Fine Meat and the products that will soon be served at the new European-inspired restaurant Otto.
• How can you accommodate those with vegan diets during the holiday season? Vue Weekly chatted with some vegan business proprietors to find out.
• The latest Community Table Project features Tamara Vineberg’s latkes. Years ago, I had the chance to cook latkes with Tamara at her house!
• If you want to treat yourself to some local products this season, be sure to enter the giveaway at Earth’s General Store before December 21, 2016.
• Edmonton Food Tours has expanded its repertoire to include a tour of the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market and a Downtown food tour. Tours cost $115 per person.
• Another local company also offers food tours at a lower price. Called Epicurean Adventure Tours (EAT), they offer dessert and brunch tours.
• We headed to D’Arcys Meat Market in St. Albert last week for a taste of a newly-available breed of Wagyu-Holstein beef. What we sampled was beautifully marbled and didn’t need much more than a sprinkling of salt to bring out the flavour of the meat. I didn’t know there was such a market for such premium meat ($250+ per kilogram), but if money is no object, it might be something to try.

Chefs Blair Lebsack and Paul Shufelt prepared the beef

• We didn’t want to waste the trip out to St. Albert, so took advantage of the opportunity to stop by Jack’s Burger Shack. I’m a sucker for grilled cheese buns, so an order of the Hangover was a must for me, while Mack chose the Quebecois (with poutine and ranch sauce).

Jack’s Burger Shack

I hope you’re ready for the deep freeze – stay warm, everyone! On to this week’s food notes:

• New bakery alert: La Boule Bakery opens on December 6, 2017 at 8020 101 street.
• Congratulations to Confetti Sweets who has just opened its third storefront, at 6861 170 Street.
• Dirtbag Cafe is now open inside the Rock Jungle Boulders Climbing Gym at 10505 107 Street.
• It’s great to see another food truck moving into a brick and mortar shop – look for Little Village at 14846 Stony Plain Road in the new year.
• Chic-Hog-O’s Social House, which was forced to close in March 2015 due to a landlord dispute, will be re-opening in the former Rosebowl Pizza location (10111 117 Street).
• Monica spotted Pitaghetti, coming soon to Jasper Ave & 112 Street.
• Liane previews Baijiu, opening soon at the Mercer Warehouse. It is helmed by Chef Alexei Boldireff, most recently of S’wich Food Truck fame.
• The Globe identified their top 5 new restaurants that opened in Edmonton and Calgary this year. Coincidentally, the #1 restaurants on both lists are technically outside of the city.
• Atlas Steak and Fish (located inside the Grand Villa Casino) received overall positive reviews from Twyla and Graham. Although I recognize some of the “labelling challenges” surrounding Alberta Beef, it’s interesting that neither called out the restaurant for using USDA beef versus Alberta beef.
• More love for Bar Clementine, this time from Vue Weekly and The Wanderer.
• Chateau Louis’s brunch was reviewed this week by the Journal.
• It was great to read the story behind the new Asian fusion Grain of Rice, where son Tony Phung helped his parents rebuild a restaurant.
• Enter to win an Effing Seafoods oyster party on Cindy’s blog!
• Speaking of contests, Diane is giving away a $25 gift card to promote Edo’s campaign to raise funds for food banks in Canada – for every spring roll purchased until January 1, 2017, Edo will donate $0.25.
• Delux also has a way for you to support a seasonal charity – $1 from each ‘Santa’s Stacker’ burger sold will go to Santa’s Anonymous.
• If you’re interested in purchasing a tourtiere for the holidays, Phil conducted a taste test of three options available in the Edmonton area.
• Ever wonder how a home cook places second in an international culinary competition? Linda spoke with Russell Bird, who brought home silver in the 2016 World Food Championships in the bacon category.
• The latest Community Table Project recipes feature Canada Cornstarch shortbread cookies and Teresa Spinelli’s Italian-style Cajun shrimp.
• Spotted a forthcoming cafe at Gateway Boulevard and 81 Avenue called London Tea Bar. A sign claims it will be open in December 2016.

London Tea Bar

• We tried our hand at butter chicken risotto, one of Phil’s Community Table Project recipes. It was a neat mashup of two of our favourite dishes, and had the flavour that we were craving!

Butter chicken risotto

• We kicked off the weekend with a stop at Route 99. There’s just something about greasy spoon poutine…

Mack at Route 99

• We also checked out the Miracle Market at Abbey Glen Park over the weekend. It was our chance to finally sample some of Prairie Pigeon’s éclairs, which I’ve heard so much about. They were almost too pretty to eat, but of course, I dove in – the éclairs were soft and decadent, but not too sweet. The flavours of each éclair were also very distinct; my favourite of the three was the salted caramel. Follow Prairie Pigeon on Twitter to find out where she’ll be next!

Prairie Pigeon trio

Mack finally relented to decking the halls this weekend, so it finally feels like Christmas at our house. Hard to believe Christmas is less than a month away! On to this week’s food notes:

• 104 Street’s annual Customer Appreciation Day is taking place on December 1, 2016, with most businesses participating with deals or in-store treats.
• Canova (rebranded from DeFazio Gourmet), is celebrating its fourth anniversary from December 1-4, 2016, with 15% off their panettone, biscotti and pastries. Do yourself a favour and pick up some vanilla cornettis!
• I’m all for pop-up markets – Prairie Pigeon’s éclairs will be available at a pop-up market in Abbey Glen Park (Jasper Avenue & 102 Street) on December 3, from 11am-3pm.
• I remember when Downtown couldn’t seem to sustain one bubble tea cafe, and this year, we have 3 within a 5-block radius: Gong Cha’s location in the Ultima Tower (10236 103 Street) is now open.
• Grain of Rice, a new Asian restaurant located at 1312 Webber Greens Drive, just opened up on the weekend.
• Some locations just seem to be a revolving door of businesses, and it’s hard to say what will make it stick: Alibi Pub has opened up shop at 17328 Stony Plain Road.
• Northern Chicken garnered two reviews on both ends of the spectrum from Cindy and Jonny.
• Linda tried the food at Alberta’s first Popeye’s.
• CTV joined in on the fried chicken fray with a quick sampling of Northern Chicken, Popeye’s, and Seoul Fried Chicken.
• Jonny checked out Calle Mexico’s expanded storefront location.
• Vue Weekly reviewed Latino’s Restaurant, recently installed in McCauley at 10708 98 Street.
• Chris and Linda shared their experience at Halo Bar and Bistro, located at the Renaissance Hotel at the Edmonton International Airport.
• Twyla has compiled a list of 5 restaurants you should try right now.
• Chef Lindsay Porter will be moving to Woodwork in early December.
• This year’s recipients of Edmonton’s Best Bar None awards were recognized last week. Congrats to the winners and the newly-accredited bars!
• Food for thought: until Iconoclast’s series on packaging in the coffee business, I never really considered the type of material that goes into packaging good quality coffee beans.
• Mack and I shop at the Italian Centre on a weekly basis, so it’s great to hear they’ve partnered with grocery delivery company SPUD so their products can reach even more people.
• Great to hear about Calgary-based Uncommon Cider, “Alberta’s first quality driven, small batch urban cidery”.
• I can never have enough soup, so while in the area on Sunday, we stopped by Ninja Club to warm up.

Tonkotsu ramen at Ninja Club

Winter is here to stay, and I am not adjusting well. I’m bundling up more than these temperatures warrant. On the bright side, there’s less than a month until Christmas! On to this week’s food notes:

• Food for Thoughts, a group spearheaded by Chef Cory Rakowski, aims to “to bring together hospitality professionals and create a space to discuss mental health.” Their launch event takes place on November 22, 2016 at 7pm. Tickets are $35 with proceeds going towards Momentum Counselling.
• Karlynn has organized a “Bloggers, Books, and Baking” evening at Audreys on November 23, 2016 to celebrate her new cookbook…with cookies!
• Cookies by George is again hosting a cookie exchange/tweet-up, with the full $10.50 ticket price to be donated to the Christmas Bureau. The event is taking place on November 26, 2016 from 6-8pm.
• Slow Food Edmonton is having a wild game dinner at Three Boars on December 11, 2016, featuring the talents of Three Boars’ Brayden Kozak, Bar Clementine’s Roger Letourneau, and Baijiu’s Alexei Boldireff, among others. Tickets are $75, and you can expect black bear and Canada goose on the menu.
• A perennial holiday standby for many, the Hotel Macdonald is once again hosting festive brunches, lunch buffets, and the festive Nutcracker Tea and Tour (which I enjoyed last year) in November and December. Check out their holiday guide.
• It was a sad week with the announcement of Gail Hall’s passing from cancer last week. You can relive some of her cooking segments on Global, or listen to attributes provided by some of her peers in the city.
• Amore Pasta, the new restaurant in southwest Edmonton by the folks behind Cafe Amore and Black Pearl, is now open at 14016 23 Avenue.
• Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen opened its first Alberta location today at 3733 17 Street.
• Norwood will be getting a new neighbourhood restaurant called Otto (11405 95 Street), opened by the former co-owner of Culina Mill Creek.
• The Journal reviews Edmonton’s latest combination Korean and Japanese restaurant, Seorak Teppan and Bar.
• Twyla sampled the brunch at the expanded District Cafe.
• Vue Weekly profiles Nudoru’s ramen philosophy.
• I liked this article in The Tomato, featuring several restaurants that are operating with second generation restauranteurs, including The Lingnan, Upper Crust, and Tony Pizza’s Palace.
• Congratulations to all of the Canadian competitors in last week’s World Food Championships. Among our best results, Sherwood Park resident Russell Bird placed second in the bacon final!
• Hopefully Planet Organic can quickly repay their outstanding dues to local bakeries Breadland and Prairie Mill.
• Ever wanted to try rodent on a menu? You can now do so in Moscow, where nutrias, a large orange-toothed rodent is being served as burgers, hot dogs, and dumplings.
• If you’re looking about for Christmas gifts for that foodie on your list, have you heard about Little Day Miniatures? I stumbled upon her work at Tix on the Square on the weekend, and the detail she’s included on her earrings and cufflinks have to be seen to be believed.

Little Day Miniatures

• One of the best lunch deals available in the city is undoubtedly Cafe Amore’s daily pasta – just $10 for a full serving. Even after adding chicken (an additional $7), it’s still an amazing value, and large enough for two meals.

Pesto alfredo from Cafe Amore

• It was definitely a Love Pizza kind of day on Friday, when Mack and I couldn’t muster up the energy to cook after work. It’s great having so many tasty options within walking distance!

Captain Cook and Meatatarian from Love Pizza

We’ve been spoiled with two vacations in as many months, but after spending time in Chicago during the election and the immediate aftermath, I am happy (and grateful) to be back in Canada. On to this week’s food notes:

• The next Swine & Dine dinner is taking place on November 23, 2016 at the Red Ox Inn. Tickets for the 4-course meal cost $65.
• Satisfy your sweet tooth for a good cause: the Ronald McDonald House is hosting a chocolate tasting with Jacek on November 30, 2016. Tickets are $40.
• Northern Chicken is now open at 10704 124 Street!
• More bubble tea for everyone: two Chatime locations are now open in Edmonton: Downtown at 10405 Jasper Avenue and in Old Strathcona at 10538 82 Avenue.
• Lux has rebranded their lounge into Bar 94, honouring Ryan Smyth, one of the original partners behind the restaurant.
• Casa Doce is the next food truck transitioning to a brick and mortar shop – congratulations!
• Vue Weekly checks out Dorinku, the newest izakaya in the city.
• Chef Serge Belair has been named Executive Chef of the Shaw Conference Centre after Chef Simon Smotkowicz announced he will be leaving the Shaw after 28 years.
• The latest Community Table Project from Phil features Dutch tacos.
• Chef Cory Rakowski has started an organization called Food for Thoughts, to help create awareness about the mental health challenges faced by those in the hospitality industry.
• Two food-related folks made it onto Avenue Edmonton’s Top 40 Under 40 list this year: cocoanista Jacqueline Jacek and Localize’s Meghan Dear.
• Congratulations to Jennifer Cockrall-King on being included in Best Food Writing 2016, alongside names such as Pete Wells and Francis Lam.
• Out just in time for the holidays, Earls has released a cookbook featuring restaurant favourites from the 1980s until present.
• It’s disappointing to see absolutely no Prairie content on Enroute’s best new restaurants list for 2016, let alone any Alberta representation.
• Back in town, our first stop was the Italian Centre. We killed two birds with one stone: great thin-crust pizza for lunch and picked up groceries for the week.

Massimo pizza from the Italian Centre west

• I met up with Annie for brunch at Workshop Eatery yesterday. The pastrami hash was great – I loved the crispy potatoes and perfectly soft poached eggs. I’m also happy to report that they also now serve brewed coffee (as opposed to espresso-based drinks).

Pastrami hash from Workshop Eatery

Happy Halloween! We always feel a little far removed from the festivities being downtown, but it seemed warmer than average for trick or treating tonight. A note that there will be no Food Notes next week; Mack and I are heading to Chicago for a short vacation.

• The annual Chili Cook-Off takes place November 4, 2016 in Churchill Square. Sample bowls are just $1, with regular bowls priced at $2.
• Bo and Marrow, who you may be familiar with from their farmers’ market appearances this summer, are popping up at Prairie Noodle on November 6, 2016 with noodles and their broth. The meal will be $18 per person.
• The sixth COMAL Mexican Table Dinner is taking place November 29-30, 2016. Tickets are $85 each.
• Save the date: Northern Lands will be taking place May 2-6, 2017, and it will be bigger and better.
• Su notes that there’s a franchise location of Hong Kong’s Dazzling Cafe to open soon at 10538 82 Avenue, rabbit-eared chairs and all.
• The buzz continues to grow for the brew pub to open in the Richie Market – they just announced Chef Christine Sandford will lead the kitchen.
• The latest local business to launch a crowdfunding initiative is Caramia Caramels, who hope to use Kickstarter to help them purchase commercial equipment to enhance their production.
• Speaking of crowdfunding, big congratulations to Sugared and Spiced, who blew their original $20,000 goal out of the water, raising close to $57,000.
• While the Edmonton and area has its share of meal prep services, The Backyard Basket might be our first Blue Apron-style ready to cook meal service (where pre-portioned ingredients are delivered for time-strapped home cooks). It’s not something that would appeal to me, but it would be more ideal if they supported local producers in the process.
• Prairie Noodle is an example of a business succeeding in overcoming poor quality control in its initial stages.
• Did you attend What the Truck?! this year? Consider filling out this survey to help the organizing committee make decisions for 2017!
• Karlynn is doing a cookbook giveaway on her blog, but you can also pick one up from her in person on November 5, 2016 at Chapters in West Edmonton Mall.
• Phil’s latest Community Table Project features butter chicken risotto.
• The Wood Buffalo Brewing Company is creating a special whisky called the Beast, using some peated malt that remained behind and absorbed some of the smoke from the fire.
• I was sad to see Calgary’s Farm restaurant shut down, but I never expected the subsequent scandal surrounding Janice Beaton to spring up, with past Farm employees accusing Beaton of unpaid wages. She responded to the allegations in a Facebook video.
• November 1, 2016 is the deadline to apply to join Eat Alberta, a committee working on organizing another hands-on food conference next year, in addition to multimedia content promoting local food.
• Signage is already up on two of the Ultima’s retail bays: XO Bistro & Bar and Gong Cha, a small chain of bubble tea cafes based in Toronto.

XO Bistro & Bar and Gong Cha

• Grand Villa Casino’s quick-serve options are now open – joining the Starbucks are Vera’s Burger Shack, Pinkberry, and Sbarro. It was a bit unusual that no seating was available, but I assume patrons are expected to return to the casino to consume their food, or head to the adjacent community rink.

Pinkberry and Starbucks in the Grand Villa Casino

• I also had lunch at Match Eatery and Public House inside the casino on Friday. The food was fine, but the service produced enough minor mistakes to point to a very inexperienced staff (tried to deliver our food to another table, mix-up with a sidedish, topped up a half-full soda glass with water). Hopefully things will improve with time.

Dip your beef sandwich

• I met up with a friend for dinner at Uccellino last week. Most of the week’s ills melted away with a bite of their cacio e pepe and meatballs. If only I could eat like that all the time.

Cacio e pepe

Polpette

• Edmonton City Centre’s new food court, Elevate Food Fare, located on the top level of the mall, opens to the public on November 1, 2016. It will consolidate many of the existing retailers in addition to offering a few new choices, including Burrito Libre and Paramount Fine Foods. The food court will provide another dining choice for those in the area, and will likely be one of the more inexpensive options available within walking distance of Rogers Place. It will be interesting to see if the food court hours are extended to align better with arena events in the coming months. Mack and I received gift certificates in appreciation for mentioning the Food Fare, but want to pass them onto two lucky readers. For your chance to win one of two $50 gift certificates to Edmonton City Centre, leave a comment with a valid e-mail address that answers the following question: which restaurant offers the best value Downtown and why? The contest closes on November 10, 2016 at midnight. Winners will be contacted by e-mail on November 12, 2016.

Elevate Food Fare at Edmonton City Centre Mall

• The Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival takes place November 4-5, 2016 at the Shaw Conference Centre. Lillian is giving away 2 tickets if you’re hoping to attend!
• Sandwich & Sons has re-opened on 104 Street with more seating.
• The folks behind Jack’s Burger Shack are currently running a pop-up in MacEwan University, and is working on a third restaurant in St. Albert called Ong, which will serve Hanoi-style fried chicken.
• Gluten Free Diner announced that although the bakery/store will re-open on October 27, they’re still in the process of working with interested parties to take over and re-open the restaurant.
• Everyone seemed to be excited about an article regarding Alberta’s food scene that appeared in Vogue this week.
• The Globe & Mail has a profile of Canova Pasticceria, a bakery that is making panettone using traditional Italian methods.
• Vue Weekly reminds readers about Breadland, a gem in Oliver that produces mostly yeast-free, natural breads.
• Vue Weekly is the latest to turn in a review of Washoku Bistro on 124 Street.
• Bodega Highlands gets top marks from Twyla of CBC Edmonton.
• Graham was more than satisfied with his visit to Sloppy Hoggs, which changed ownership earlier this year.
• Jonny sampled Alberta Hotel Bar & Kitchen’s 3-course prix fixe menu available on Mondays.
• Crystal checks out TapaVino downtown.
• Is it too early to think about Christmas? Jacek’s very popular advent calendar is up for pre-order now, to be shipped on November 18.
• Phil’s Community Table Project features a banana bundt cake this week.
• I’m happy to hear that another season of Top Chef Canada is in the works for 2017!
• The former Joey’s on Jasper Avenue and 112 Street has been taken over by Local Public Eatery.

Local Public Eatery

• Mack and I were invited to dine as guests at the Old Spaghetti Factory, which has been open downtown for more than 45 years. One of the objectives of the gathering was to remind diners that they’re continuing to offer the same value priced meals that they’re known for, in spite of some of the changes in the neighbourhood. They’ve only needed to raise prices about $1 to accommodate the minimum wage hike, but many of their long-standing patrons have not returned to the restaurant since the opening of Rogers Place primarily due to parking increases. Although its early days yet for the Ice District, the Old Spaghetti Factory is hoping it can attract some new guests and retain their regular clientele – I wish them the best of luck in these shifting tides.

Vegetarian lasagna and broccoli with Mizithra cheese from the Old Spaghetti Factory

• We received our last Sugared & Spiced Cake Club delivery for the year, a belated anniversary cake. It was our favourite one yet!

Cake for days

Oh, Jays. Is Cleveland just that good, or have the bats gone ice cold? Let’s hope they have enough in them to put up a fight tomorrow. On to this week’s food notes:

• For those looking for a fun take on a tea party, look no further than Cally’s, who will be hosting a monthly themed party until May.
• In commemoration and celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution, the Canadian Hungarian Society of Edmonton and the Wirth Institute at the University of Alberta are hosting a Hungarian Wine and Food Festival October 27 & 28, 2016 at the Chateau Lacombe. The event runs 4-10pm both nights, and tickets are $25 at the door. The evening will include Hungarian wine and cuisine samples.
• Nineteen will be hosting Nineteen’s November Festival of Food, a fundraising event on November 14, 2016 in support of the High School Culinary Challenge. Tickets for the 4-course dinner are $100.
• I’m sorry to have missed the first of Rostizado’s burrito pop-ups (under the name La Mision) on Sunday, but I would have had to get there fast – they sold out in just over an hour! I look forward to future pop-ups (or something more permanent).
• Confetti Sweets is hoping to open a location in Edmonton’s west end before Christmas, and are hoping to crowdfund $20,000 through Alberta Boostr by November 22, 2016.
• Congratulations to Jacek Chocolate Couture, who will be opening a third location in Canmore this November.
• Watch for Miga, a new Korean restaurant to open soon on the south side (11, 9261 34 Avenue).
• Vancouver-based Vera’s Burger Shack is coming to Ice District, inside the Grand Villa Casino.
• Are you excited about the forthcoming Popeye’s location in Edmonton? It’s set to open in November at 3773 17 Street in Tamarack.
• Quick-serve chain Blaze Pizza is opening a second location in the Brewery District.
• Cindy provides you with an idea of what to expect on Rostizado’s new menu, with a tentative start date of October 24.
• Graham had a great experience at Bar Clementine, and expects even greater things from Chef Roger Letourneau.
• Chartier gets a rave review from Jonny.
• Have you heard of a bakery called Canova (formerly DeFazio Gourmet)? Diane provides a run down of all of their pastry selection, including the incredible vanilla cornetti.
• Everyone seems to love lists, so here are two from Narcity: 46 bucket lists restaurants every true Edmontonian needs to try and 14 Edmonton coffee shops you should go to at least once in your life.
• Mel had contributed a review of Edmonton Cooks to Culinaire Magazine, but found that it had been severely edited down. She shared some of her constructive feedback about the book.
• The latest entry in the Community Table Project features a recipe for marinated grilled chicken.
• I’d be remiss if I didn’t link to Chef Paul Shufelt’s column in the Edmonton Sun last week, which called out food bloggers to put their money where their mouth is. There have been a number of responses, from food writers and chefs alike. Food for thought, from Chris and Chef Cory Rakowski.
• Did you catch Attila the Hungry’s Chef Levi Biddlecombe competing on Chopped Canada? 
• You might remember a locally-made product called quick-cook barley that was sold under the name Progressive Foods – well, they’ve rebranded, and it’s a great look! Snappy Grains has a bright and bold new identity, which I saw on the shelves at the Italian Centre on the weekend.

Snappy Grains

• With the grey weekend we had, Mack and I thought we should brighten things up with some punchy bun bo Hue from King Noodle House.

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Bun bo Hue

While Mack and I did have a great time in the Okanagan, it was a bit of a shock to come back to sub-zero temperatures! Thankfully, we’ve had a few days to adjust to the weather before heading back to work. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving with loved ones! On to this week’s food notes:

• Celebrate World Food Day with a screening of Seed at the Edmonton Food Bank on October 16, 2016. A Q & A will follow, featuring two local farmers. The event is free, but donations for the food bank are encouraged.
• The second annual YEG Coffee Week runs October 14-22, 2016. Learn home brewing tips, how to create latte art, and enjoy coffee-based cocktails, among other things.
• Speaking of coffee, Earth’s General Store is hosting a home coffee roasting workshop on October 18, 2016.
• If you plan on eating out on October 19, 2016, consider choosing RGE RD or The Common, the two Edmonton establishments participating in Restaurants for Change. Proceeds from their dinner service will be donated to Community Food Centres Canada.
• Just in time for the holidays, Cavern’s next wine and cheese school runs November 6 and 20, 2016 at $75 per person.
• Keep an eye out for Malt & Mortar, a forthcoming bar on Whyte located at 10416 82 Avenue.
• Expect Doughnut Party, Moonshine Doughnut’s storefront location, to open in December at Holland Plaza (109 Avenue & 120 Street).
• McLeod Tavern (the rebranded Hundred Bar & Kitchen at 10009 101A Avenue) is now open.
• Thanks to Su for the tip that Meiningful Fusion Restaurant is also open, at 10338 81 Avenue.
• North 53 is now offering Sunday brunch!
• Twyla doesn’t hold back any punches on her review of Nuovo, the Italian restaurant located in the former Dovetail Deli space.
• On the flip side, the Journal had a near perfect experience at Bar Clementine.
• The Journal also reviewed the Jamaican cuisine served up by Island Grill on the city’s west end.
• Andrea is the latest to check out Cafe Linnea.
• Sharman shares 5 of her favourite Downtown lunch deals.
• I missed linking to the Globe’s piece about Edmonton’s robust pizza scene.
• Vue Weekly takes a tour of two places where you can satisfy your perogy craving.
• Liane profiles Scarf, a website that connects home cooks with those who are looking for home cooked meals. She mentions that Alberta Health Services is looking into Scarf, as cooks wouldn’t qualify for the necessary permits if operating outside of a commercial kitchen.
• Jason Foster wrote a thoughtful piece reflecting on his role in the Prairie beer scene – clarifying why he chooses to write profiles of brewers and shies away from negative reviews.
• Phil’s most recent Community Table Project shares a recipe for sugar pumpkin pie.
• Did you know there is an Edmonton honey co-op made up of small, local beekeepers, from which you can purchase honey produced from particular neighbourhoods?
• Save the date: Eat Alberta will be returning with a full day of workshops next year on April 23, 2017.
• The New York Times discovered that Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving, too! The article features regional recipes from each of the provinces and territories.
• The last City Market of the season ended on a snowy note. I’m thankful for all of the vendors who toughed out the conditions! Next week, the City Market moves indoors to City Hall. To celebrate, they’ll be handing out $5 market bucks to the first 200 shoppers on October 15!

The City Market on Saturday

It’s finally time for vacation! Mack and I will be heading to the Okanagan later this week, hoping to put some of Jennifer’s recommendations to good use. A heads up that there won’t be a Food Notes post next week. On to this week’s food notes:

• Alberta Beer Week is on now, and runs until October 1, 2016. They have tastings and dinners coming up later this week.
• A reminder that tickets for the horticultural Dig-In Festival are now available, running in St. Albert from October 12-15, 2016.
• The next Chinatown Food Crawl is taking place on October 20, with tickets going on sale on October 3. Tickets are sure to go like hotcakes!
• Tickets for the November 4-5, 2016 Rocky Mountain Food & Wine Festival are on sale.
• Italian restaurant Nuovo Bistro has opened in the space formerly occupied by Dovetail Deli (10721 124 Street).
• Iconoclast Coffee has opened up a small second location in the Le Marchand Mansion (11523 100 Avenue).
• Twyla really enjoyed the cocktails and the food at Bar Clementine.
• Jonny was impressed by Dorinku.
• The Journal offered up a glowing review of Bodega’s second location in Highlands.
• Vue Weekly didn’t have a positive experience at One Pot Simmer.
• Liane had a great time on one of the Eats on 118 food tours – hopefully the Alberta Avenue BRZ brings the tours back again in the future!
• Lillian put together a recap of what she tried at the Feastival of Fine Chefs.
• Linda tried out some of the recipes in Edmonton Cooks, and is giving away a copy of the book to one lucky reader! On a related note, Liv from the Globe & Mail also covered the release of the cookbook.
• Thanks to everyone who voted for this blog in Vue Weekly’s 2016 Best of Edmonton, and congrats to Stump Kitchen, allwaysangela and Baconhound!
• Coincidentally, Phil’s latest Community Table Project features Stump Kitchen’s vegan hashbrowns.
• Best of luck to Karlynn, who will be representing #yegfood with her cookbook on QVC on September 28!
• Kevin Kossowan will be hosting a pop-up shop at Kent of Inglewood in October, with goods inspired by his From the Wild series of videos.
• I guess there really is a market for everything – Loblaws City Market sells flavoured water.

Would you pay for flavoured water?

• The City Market only has two more outdoor markets to go! Make sure to take it in before the leaves are all gone.

City Market

• Edmonton is getting a second location of South St. Burger in the Brewery District.

South St. Burger

• My sister Felicia and I stopped by Noodle Bar by Nomiya in Oliver Square (11238 104 Avenue) for their soft launch on Saturday. We enjoyed the miso and spicy garlic miso ramen that we tried, but the standout was the sticky chicken, made of lightly fried dark meat coated with a subtly sweet sauce and crushed peanuts. It’s great to finally have a ramen bar within walking distance of home – the location opens to the public on September 27.

Miso ramen from Noodle Bar by Nomiya

Sticky chicken

• After dinner, we stopped by Petit Nuit (a smaller version of the art festival Nuit Blanche), where we each picked up a whimsical lantern from the Northern Lights Mini Mart, an installation by Rhonda Trevor and Weppler Mahovsky. I couldn’t resist the KD!

With our lanterns at Petit Nuit

• It was a beautiful day on Sunday for the last What the Truck?! of the season. I enjoyed La Mar’s fish tacos among the fall leaves.

Fish tacos from La Mar