• The Pourhouse Bier Bistro continues their “chef vs chef” pop-up series through April. The throwdowns will feature several chefs, including Chef Matt Phillips of Lux and Chef Danielle Majeau of Creole Envie.
• Save the date – Characters is bringing back their Taste of Iceland feature April 9-12, 2015.
• Though we often think of building up, we don’t often think of better utilizing subterranean spaces as well. Sofra (10345 106 Street) has redone their basement space up into a sumptuous Turkish wine bar.
• Overtime on the south side has been replaced by Provincial Pub (#160, 4211 106 Street).
• Edmonton is now home to another casual franchise – Browns Social House is now open in Winderemere (5210 Windermere Blvd).
• Mack believes that newly-opened Coffee Bureau and Lock Stock Coffee have revived Edmonton’s coffee district.
• Amelia alerted me to paper signage next to Smokehouse BBQ – look for their sister restaurant, Pie Piepers, soon!
• Linda tweeted about a forthcoming Korean restaurant, Nong Bu, in Old Strathcona.
• Twyla takes aim at Halo Bar and Bistro’s byline of local ingredients at the Edmonton International Airport.
• Phil’s latest Pizza Odyssey post rounds up the best of the old timers – Royal Pizza and Dallas Pizza.
• Cindy is the latest to check out Chinatown’s Tao Garden for noodle soup.
• Fancy some afternoon tea? Check out Andrea’s review of elegant tea service at the Hotel Macdonald.
• I love the idea of a pedway food adventure – here’s one suggested by Vue Weekly.
• Cindy recapped the inaugural Edmonton Food Fight on February 21, hosted at Get Cooking.
• Avenue’s annual Best Restaurants issue is out next week!
• Love food trucks and want to help grow Edmonton’s food scene? Consider joining the What the Truck?! organizing committee – we’re recruiting!
• It was great to be at The Westin on Thursday night to help Chef Ryan O’Flynn celebrate his win at the Gold Medal Plates this year. He even made sure guests had something special to sample – the dish he prepared to pair with the mystery wine: a smoked sturgeon with a deviled egg aioli, beet root puree, and caviar. Spectacular.

Gold Medal Plates redux

• I watched my first ballet on the weekend – Alberta Ballet’s Fumbling Towards Ecstasy. Marveling at the athleticism and grace of the dancers, it would be interesting to see their technique deployed in a more traditional show. At the very least, I know this won’t be my last ballet!

Fumbling Towards Ecstasy

• Happy Lunar New Year to those who commemorate the occasion. I missed the bulk of the fun in Chinatown, but while picking up some groceries, I was still able to partake in lion dances and firecrackers – it should be an annual tradition for more Edmontonians!

Lunar New Year in Chinatown

This long weekend really couldn’t have come at a better time. Hope you had a great time with your families as well! On to this week’s food notes:

• This year’s Farewell to Winter Patio Party is taking place at the Hotel Macdonald on March 14 and 15, 2015. Tickets to the “fire and ice” themed events are $45.
• Save the date: Eat Alberta 2015 is taking place on May 2, 2015.
• The week’s biggest food news was the announcement that Whole Foods will be opening a store in south Edmonton in the fall of 2016 (in South Park, in the existing Canadian Tire). I am disappointed with the choice of a location so inaccessible by transit, but I am curious to see if the city can support such a large organic retailer. Do you think Edmonton is ready for a Whole Foods?
• Native Delights has opened up a storefront in the old Sloppy Hoggs location (10406 118 Avenue).
• Vue Weekly has a great review about The Mercury Room, Edmonton’s newest vegan restaurant.
• Andrea reviewed the Chinatown location of Lee House.
• I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the latest Elm Café project, Little Brick, does open up in March!
• I loved this story in the Journal about chef sweethearts Matt Phillips (of Lux) and Sarah Masters-Phillips (of Belgravia Hub).
• Congratulations to Confetti Sweets, who will be bringing her Sherwood Park-baked cookies to Hollywood for a pre-Oscar party.
• Mack and I had a pretty low-key Valentine’s Day – bun bo Hue at King Noodle House, followed by a visit to the Art Gallery of Alberta. We’d both wanted to check out the exhibit Future Station for some time, but as a bonus, we also managed to watch a bit of the fascinating 24 hour film, The Clock. It is definitely worth your time, heh.

Spicy noodle soup from King Noodle House

• We’re thrilled that there’s a new coffee shop in the neighbourhood! Coffee Bureau (10505 Jasper Avenue) has had a soft opening these past few days, but will officially be open tomorrow (Monday-Friday 7am-5pm, plus Saturdays). They’re using beans roasted by ACE Coffee, owned by the folks behind Leva Café, and will offer pastries sourced in part from Leva. Coffee Bureau is built mostly for takeaway business, but it’s a cute little spot that’s renewing my hope for a larger “coffee district” downtown. Go check it out!

Coffee Bureau

If you’re still looking for something to do this Valentine’s Day weekend, make sure to take a peek at my suggestions. Mack and I haven’t made plans yet, but likely they will involve Netflix and some popcorn. On to this week’s food notes:

• Time for another lunch pop-up at Earth’s General Store downtown! This time, they’re featuring raw and vegan cuisine by Truffula. Check it out on February 13, from 10:30-3pm.
• The Mercury Room is hosting a 5-course Valentine’s Day dinner with two seatings.
• If you were hoping to charm your valentine with wine, you’re in luck – both Andrea and Linda are giving away tickets to Winefest on Saturday.
• Congratulations to Chef Ryan O’Flynn of the Westin for taking home Edmonton’s first gold at the Gold Medal Plates competition this weekend!
• NAIT announced that this year’s Chef in Residence will be Michael Stadtländer, of Scaramouche and multiple sustainable food initiatives. Enter to win one of four pairs of tickets to an exclusive three course lunch prepared by Chef Stadtländer and students of the Culinary Arts Program taking place on March 12, 2015.
• The Edmonton area has another quick-serve noodle franchise – Noodle Box just opened in Sherwood Park (100 – 222 Baseline Road).
• In honour of the upcoming YEG Coffee Week, Phil surveyed some local luminaries for their favourite cafes around the city.
• Phil’s latest Pizza Odyssey post is also up, which sees Parkallen take on SLiCE Pizzeria.
• Liv put together a list of 25 of Edmonton’s best restaurants for Huffington Post Canada.
• Great to see news or Ritchie Market, a new complex in Richie that combines a market, a Transcend coffee shop and roasterie and a brew pub. Expect it to open in the summer of 2016.
• The forthcoming Canadian Food Championship, organized by Events Edmonton and taking place July 21-25, 2015 released more details about the competition. They’re looking for competitors in seven categories ranging from bacon to seafood to dessert, as well as volunteers and judges.
• The Edmonton Food Council is recruiting new members. The deadline to apply is March 16, 2015.
• The “big” food news this week was Starbucks’ announcement that some of their Canadian stores will be serving up beer and wine by the end of this year.
• Mack and I loved the 24 hour biscuit shop Empire Biscuit, which we discovered on our last trip to New York. It looks like an all-breakfast sandwich restaurant is now on the horizon. Yes, please.
• I had a work lunch at Padmanadi this week – it’s been too long since I’ve had their ginger beef.

Ginger “beef”

• Avenue Edmonton is throwing a party to help launch their food issue on March 2, 2015 – tickets to the event, hosted at NAIT, are $25.
• It’s great to see that Chef Gail Hall is this month’s Delux celebrity chef – check out her ‘Full Spectrum’ vegetarian burger, with $1 from each sale going towards the Autism Society of Edmonton Area.
• Andrea writes about Chinatown’s Tao Garden, which allows diners to create their own noodle adventures.
• Phil’s third Pizza Odyssey is up, with a throwdown between thin-crust pies from Beer Revolution and Leva.
• Twyla tweeted that Tienda Latina (9844 63 Avenue) has now doubled in size.
• Restaurant closure news: Creole Envie has shut its doors.
• Karylnn’s first post in her food blogger myth busting series addresses why many bloggers write differently than food critics.
• Western Living shared the finalists for their 2015 Foodies of the Year. Great to see a number of Edmontonians on the shortlist.
• The Globe asks: if everyone wants to be a celebrity chef, who will work in restaurants?
• There might still be snow on the ground, but spring it on its way – Riverbend Gardens launched their 2015 Community Supported Agriculture today!
• Mack was pretty gleeful when he shared research findings that a glass of red wine is equivalent to an hour at the gym.
• Did you know Ikea will soon be offering vegan meatballs?
• While there may be some benefits from cold-pressed juices, this Jimmy Kimmel skit is pretty funny, where solutions of candy and water are passed off as organic concoctions. At the very least, it’s another example of the power of suggestion.
• I made a last-minute decision to join Mack at the Edmonton Rush game on Friday. Although the day-of tickets were a little pricier, even for a higher section, they turned out to be well worth the cost – within minutes of sitting down, we were selected for their “move of the game” down to seats behind the players’ benches. Even better, the Rush won, handily defeating the New England Black Wolves 18-9, with one player scoring a “sock trick” (6 goals in a game – you learn something new every day). Looking forward to my next game!

Salute from centre field

• Congratulations to Transcend Coffee and The Tea Girl, the two winners of the second annual Winter City Drink Competition!
• More details about Chef Ben Staley’s new project, The Alder Room, were released last week. Through an Indiegogo campaign, he and his partner hope to raise $100,000 which would go towards restaurant start-up costs and also work towards a food security foundation.
• Liv is the latest blogger to review Solstice Seasonal Cuisine.
• Phil dived into more pan-style pies in this week’s Pizza Odyssey, featuring Monty’s Pizza and Coliseum Steak and Pizza.
• Episode 6 of Karlynn and Phil’s Sweet Tooth and Meat Tooth podcast is up.
• Karlynn is also starting a new series that will delve into the “realities of food blogging”, spurned on by a tweet from a local chef implying that bloggers without any industry experience have no merit.
• Two Edmontonians are putting together a historical cookbook that intersperses recipes and stories from the city’s different ethnic communities.
• Since its inception eighteen months ago, Mealshare has served up over 150,000 meals to those in need.
• Michelle wrote a great post highlighting the story of Gold Forest Grains and farmer John Schneider’s philosophy behind his products.
• On Sunday, I attended the launch of Poppy Barley’s men’s collection with Mack (whose new shoes were on display!). Fitting for such an event, there was meat, scotch, and cocktails. Inspired by the new line, Jeff Savage from Three Boars created The Beltline, a beautifully balanced drink that I am hoping might be served outside of that special occasion!

With Alicia and Thom at Poppy Barley’s launch

It took me long enough, but after almost four years, I finally bought a new phone! The push came only when the music stopped working on my old device, but I have to say, it’s certainly nice to have a functioning camera and the possibility of downloading apps! On to this week’s food notes:

• I missed this last week, but Cookie Love’s second location inside the Sutton Place Hotel, Cookie Love Café, is now open!
• Liane shared the news that Sabor Divino is expanding next door with a pizza concept called Urbano Pizza Co.
• Speaking of pizza, Phil began his new pizza odyssey. The first installment pits Neapolitan pies from The Rock against those at The Parlour.
• Cindy posted her first experience at Solstice Seasonal Cuisine.
• I’m sorry to hear that Chinatown’s Uyen Uong didn’t make it, but I’m happy to see that its replacement, Gui Lin Noodle House, looks promising.
• Check out the Edmontonians on televised cooking shows this week season – Shane Chartrand on Chopped Canada, and Kenya Hushagen on Masterchef Canada.
• Food for thought: how could we address Edmonton’s food deserts?
• Not loving your morning coffee? A way to improve its taste might be as easy as changing the colour of your mug.
• Mack and I returned to Route 99 for the first time since our wedding. What else would we have but poutine?

Our usual at Route 99

Lots to cover this week (everyone’s back at it), so let’s get right to this week’s food notes:

• Join the High Street Social Club for a “Farewell to Boardwalk Empire” 1920s cocktail party on January 18, 2015. Tickets are $55.
• In case you thought it was too late to enter the Signature Winter Drink competition, you’re in luck – the deadline has been extended to January 20, 2015.
• For you planners out there: Jacek and Credo are teaming up for a special Valentine’s Day tasting of champagne, chocolate and coffee. Tickets are $60.
• Great to hear that another coffee shop is joining the fray downtown – look for Coffee Bureau at 10505 Jasper Avenue in February!
• It’ Dog (8621 109 Street), replacing the Bad Ass Jack’s, is open and serving up Asian-inspired hot dogs and Korean fried chicken. Both Andrea and Cindy have early reviews.
• Twyla is the first to file a review on Solstice.
• The Journal reviewed the revamped Café Mosaics in Old Strathcona.
• Liane checked out Passion de France on Alberta Avenue.
• Congrats to Pampa on opening up their new restaurant in Calgary last week! It is located at Centre 10, 521 10 Avenue SW.
• Look forward to Burgers Priest opening in Edmonton in March.
• Where Magazine named North 53 Edmonton’s best new restaurant of 2014.
• I missed linking to Vue Weekly’s yearly wrap-up of their top 2014 eats and forward-looking pieces last week.
• Where to chefs eat? Check out Chef Paul Shufelt’s favourites in the city.
• Vinomania’s Gurvinder Bhatia also shared his list of the 100 best things he ate in 2014.
• Karlynn and Phil’s new (renamed) podcast is up – listen to episode #5 of Sweet Tooth and Meat Tooth here.
• Speaking of Phil – you might remember his epic “burger odyssey” last year. This year, he will be undertaking a quest to find Edmonton’s best pizza. He’s already taking suggestions!
• Sam Wok has been fined $30,000 for kitchen violations.
• Starting on July 1, 2015, New York will be banning foam cups and containers.
• Although it certainly lived up to its name yesterday, Mack and I headed out to Deep Freeze. The cold didn’t deter the crowds, and folks were out in full force to enjoy the festivities. As always, the atmosphere was fantastic – kudos to the organizers!

I couldn’t resist Olaf, who has become winter’s unofficial mascot

Happy New Year! Although I didn’t originally intend to take a blogging break, it was nice to step back over the holidays to relax with friends and family and complete our mandatory Christmas viewing (which for Mack, involves the Die Hard quartet). Hope you had a restful time as well! On to this week’s food notes:

• You have until January 7, 2015 to vote for your favourite alcoholic and non-alcoholic concoctions in the City’s 2nd Annual Winter Signature Drink Competition.
• Miss Sailin’ On? Check out their pop-up at Earth’s General Store on 104 Street on January 9, from 10:30am-3pm!
• A reminder about this weekend’s 8th annual Deep Freeze Festival, taking place January 10-11, 2015 along Alberta Avenue. It’s one of my favourite winter events; not to be missed!
• The first YEG Coffee Week event has been announced: a screening of A Film About Coffee and panel discussion about the city’s coffee culture. Early bird tickets for the March 7, 2015 event are $15.
• The Tomato’s annual list compiling the “best things to eat or drink in Edmonton 2015” is accepting entries January 5-23, 2015. You can see the 2014 list here.
• Denizen Hall received two thumbs up from the Journal. Can’t wait to try it ourselves!
• Liv blogged about her visit to Passion de France, the newest French bakery on 118 Avenue.
• Eat Your City checks out Café Blackbird in Crestwood.
• What comprised Edmonton’s best eats in 2014? Three CBC reviewers share their opinions.
• Most cooking classes that have sprung up are all evening affairs, so Gail Hall of Seasoned Solutions is offering a shortened, two hour alternative, priced at $49.95 per person. Perfect for those still seeking a second act to the evening afterwards.
• Liane polled some chefs to gather their food predictions for the coming year.
• I can definitely get behind Omar’s last resolution – “just say no to Q water”. I’m surprised more people aren’t making a fuss about the increasing number of restaurants charging for water in a city known for its water treatment system.
• Nature’s Green Acres posted that they will no longer be at farmers’ markets, and instead, will be focusing on bulk sales. Sign up for the newsletter to stay in touch with Danny and Shannon.
• It looks like the space that formerly housed Niche is now Tapavino (11011 Jasper Avenue). No details to speak of, as their website doesn’t seem to be functioning.

Tapavino

• Construction on The Burger’s Priest location on Jasper Avenue is now underway!

The Burger’s Priest

• I didn’t end up doing as much baking as I had planned this holiday, but I did manage to make Mack’s new favourite cookie – he couldn’t get enough of Gwendolyn Richard’s recipe for chewy lemon cookies.

Chewy lemon cookies

• For my sisters’ joint birthday dinner, they decided on Rostizado. Great service, as always, and we learned that even –30 temperatures won’t stop Edmontonians from enjoying fantastic rotisserie.

The platter of two at Rostizado (love the board itself, too)

• I was fiercely craving Izakaya Tomo, so we made sure to hit it up before the end of the year.

I love me some carbonara udon

Mack’s pick is the chicken kara-age

It’s nice to be off from work this week so Mack and I can focus on getting the final few things ready for Christmas. And though I’m enjoying the more moderate temperatures, it would be nice to see more snow in the next few days! On to this week’s food notes:

• Edmonton’s inaugural Resilience Festival will be taking place February 7-8, 2015 at Boyle Street Plaza, with workshop topics including canning, beekeeping, gardening and cheese making, among others. Tickets are now on sale for one of thirteen streams, made up of three workshops each, ranging in price from $65-80.
• Solstice, the new restaurant that took over from Somerville Wine Room & Bistro, opened today at 10723 124 Street. Chef Jan Trittenbach, formerly of Packrat Louie, is at the helm of a menu that promises seasonal cuisine.
• Linda is the latest to review Ninja Club in Old Strathcona.
• Massimo’s has closed for the holidays, but will re-open in January with a new grab-and-go concept.
• Want to be a part of the gingerbread cathedral demolition party at Duchess? Bring a pair of socks to the bakery by December 31, 2014 (they will be donated to the Bissell Centre) for your chance to do so.
• I had to make sure to get one last bowl of pho in before 2015!

My usual at Pho Tau Bay

• Mack and I had dinner with Grandma Male at Tropika. It’s been some time since we’ve been there, but we appreciated their efficiency (we were done within an hour) and the quality of the food. The roti canai was especially scrumptious!

Dinner at Tropika

• I tried out Anna Olson’s recipe for bacon cheddar shortbread last week, and they turned out close to what I remember from Christmas in November! They made a great edible gift, and with their savoury nature, was contrary to what some people expected of a homemade treat.

Bacon cheddar shortbread

I hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday season!

Just over a week until Christmas, folks! It’s probably something you don’t want to be reminded of if you’re feeling far from ready, but I know I’m looking forward to the gatherings with loved ones to come over the next few weeks. On to this week’s food notes:

• Another fun showdown between Chef Levi Biddlecombe of Atilla the HUNgry and Chef Daniel Huber of The Pourhouse is going down on December 16, 2014 at The Pourhouse at 6pm.
• A reminder that the 104 Street Customer Appreciation Day is taking place this Thursday, December 18, 2014. Check out the great deals to be had, and at the very least, it will be a good excuse to check out the festive lights on the street and the redeveloped pocket park.
• The big news this week was the unexpected closure of Tavern 1903. Although the landlord is optimistic the dispute with restaurant runners Larry and Melinda Stewart can be resolved, the silence from the Stewarts doesn’t seem to be a good sign.
• Café Mosaics, freshly renovated, is open for business again. They’ve doubled their capacity, lengthened their hours, and have added new menu items.
• How about some ramen to temper the cold? Andrea checks out Ninja Club (10324 82 Avenue), now open in Old Strathcona.
• There’s a great piece in Avenue Magazine about Denizen Hall, the newly-transformed bar in The Grand Hotel. Denizen Hall also started serving food this week – for an idea of what the “Alberta homestead”-inspired pub menu contains, check out Nate Box and Chael MacDonald on Global.
• Arcadia Bar, offering a fully vegan menu, is now open at 10988 124 Street.
• The Journal reviewed Café Beirut’s relatively new 124 Street location last week.
• Karlynn’s latest Where I Ate Wednesday podcast is now up, where she discusses some of her recent meals at a few of the newest additions to Edmonton’s food scene.
• The 2nd annual Winter City Signature Drink competition is back, with an Edmonton staycation up for grabs! The deadline to enter is December 31, 2014.
• Still searching for a gift for that special someone? Robyn shares her ideas on what might appeal to the foodie in your life.
• I didn’t know Earth’s General Store carried crickets. Stocking stuffer, anyone?
• After a meeting in the area, I ended up having lunch at the nearby Sabzy. I haven’t been to the restaurant since they moved from Whyte Avenue, but based on the experience, I’d be looking forward to returning for dinner. The lunch special of ground beef kabobs ($13) wasn’t anything to look at, but the flavour was good, and the serving size deceptively filling.

Kobeedeh at Sabzy

• Mack and I finally made it to The Culture Collective (as guests – thanks, Thomas!). This particular event was organized as an Arts Market, featuring a number of local vendors. We picked up some gifts, enjoyed a drink, and ran into some familiar faces. Fun night! Their next event, a variety showcase, is taking place on January 29, 2015.

Culture Collective at the Yellowhead Brewery

• We met up with Amanda at 97 Hot Pot over the weekend. Service wasn’t as top-notch as my first visit, but we were hidden in the corner. The food, however, was consistent, and I love the atmosphere. Worth considering for gatherings of picky eaters over the holidays!

Mack especially loved the unlimited spring rolls