I’m counting down the days! Mack and I are heading to New York on the weekend for a long-awaited vacation. Although there’s quite a bit standing between me and that flight (namely, work and last-minute Christmas errands), I’m starting to get excited. I won’t be blogging while I’m away, but I’ll be back towards Christmas. On to this week’s food notes:

• Christmas Reflections, an annual event at Fort Edmonton Park celebrating Christmas through the ages, is on December 6-23, 2013. Now that the mercury has risen a little, it should be more bearable to take in the outdoor streets.
• Looking for something other than turkey for Christmas? How about afternoon tea and a tour of an Edmonton landmark? The Hotel MacDonald is offering their Nutcracker Tea and Tour from November 30-December 29, 2013.
• On December 19, 2013, the businesses on 104 Street will be hosting customer appreciation events, ranging from discounts to samples.
• RGE RD may be known for the summer farm-to-table dinners, but on January 19, 2014, they will host their first winter feast out on Nature’s Green Acres.
• Mark your calendar – the second Hawkers Market is taking place on February 22, 2014, and tickets are already available.
• Woodwork, the restaurant from the folks behind Nomad and the Volstead Act, is now open! Check out the menu here.
• A tale of two reviews: Twyla and Andrea give you their takes on Century Hospitality’s newest restaurant, Parlour.
• The Journal reviewed Fired Up BBQ last week (this has to be the year of the smokehouse in Edmonton).
• Liane shared that Kathryn Joel of Get Cooking will be opening up a standalone cooking studio in the new year.
• There’s been some discussion about what dish should represent Edmonton. Is it green onion cakes?
• Looks like Irie Foods is no more, and has been replaced by Kaengthai Bistro (10152 82 Avenue).

Kaengthai Bistro

• Season’s eatings: this time, it was for my work team’s Christmas lunch, at Viphalay.

Pad Thai

While I’m not looking forward to the temperature drop this week, we were certainly treated to a gorgeous snow fall tonight, shimmering in the air and beneath my feet. It’s easy to forget how beautiful winter can be when we’re bundled up! On to this week’s food notes:

• Though there have been a rash of restaurant closings in the past few weeks, we’ve been buoyed by a similar number of opening announcements: Chic-Hog-O’s is one, replacing the former Chateau Beirut at 10058 112 Street (disappointingly, I couldn’t find anything to link to, not even a Facebook page). Liv has already visited and posted about her meal here.
• Century Hospitality Group’s newest restaurant, The Parlour, is also open. Looking forward to trying one of their signature pizzas.
• It was great to hear that Credo, our beloved neighbourhood coffee shop, is expanding! Expect their second location to open some time in the spring/summer in the Limelight Building (10350 124 Street).
• Nearby, Colonel Mustard’s, which was devastated by a flood in February, is looking to tear down the building and rebuild.
• Are fresh vegan convenience meals a myth? Not if VegPalette has anything to say about it. They offer different meal plans based on the needs of the customer.
• Liane Faulder, fresh off the heels of a successful culinary tour in Italy this year, will be hosting an 8 day food and wine tour in Barcelona in March 2014. It sounds like a great combination of food experiences, cultural site visits and walking tours.
• This is such a neat idea (thanks to Jill for sharing!): a pop-up restaurant in Austria accepted food scraps as payment for a meal. Given the amount of food thrown away daily, it was an opportunity to highlight the possibility of converting compostable waste into biofuel.
• First Urban Shabu, and now, Hot Pot 97 to come. It makes sense for a winter city to embrace hot pot – maybe this can be one of Edmonton’s signature dining experiences.

Hot Pot 97

• Bannock Burger (10704 – 124 Street) is now open!

Bannock Burger

• One of the Boards I volunteer for hosted a lovely Christmas dinner at ZINC last week. The service was attentive, and the meal was well prepared. As one of my colleagues noted, it was a great way to kick-off a season of eating!

Sablefish with green pea and asiago risotto

• Mack and I took Grandma Male to Izakaya Tomo on the weekend. It was her first time there, and she enjoyed being able to sample a multitude of dishes. It was also a good excuse for us to indulge in a second order of chicken kara-age…

Chicken Kara-age

Less than a week out from December, folks! It’s my favourite time of year, and I’m looking to finally put up the tree this weekend (Mack’s Christmas tolerance begins, of course, at the conclusion of American Thanksgiving). Hope you’re enjoying the start of festivities as well! On to this week’s food notes:

• Looking forward to attending the first ever Hawker’s Market in Edmonton on November 30, 2013! Get your admission tickets in advance and save $5.
• The Parlour (10334 Capital Boulevard), the newest Century Hospitality Group restaurant, will finally be opening up this weekend.
• It looks like we can look forward to a December 19, 2013 opening of the Craft Beer Market downtown.
• Liane gives us a sneak peek of the forthcoming North 53 restaurant. Their menu will offer “progressive Canadian” cuisine.
• Lillian visited Coco Deep Fried Chicken, where the “K” in KFC stands for “Korean”!
• Not surprisingly, the Journal wrote a positive review for the newest Cactus Club location in the city.
• The Journal also profiled the GF Diner in Old Strathcona, the first restaurant in Edmonton offering an exclusively gluten-free menu.
• Two Montreal-area servers share their twenty pet peeves about restaurant diners.
• Was a documentary about jet-setting foodies really necessary? I guess it’s not too much of a stretch from the excess already shown on television.
• We took in the first annual All is Bright on 124 Street on Saturday. They really went all out, with a street closure, massive stage, and a good-sized food and beverage area. It was great to see so many families out enjoying the activities, and several businesses participating as well.

Sleigh ride

Food trucks are still alive and well!

Ice sculptures

• I met up with Mack at Pho Tau Bay last week for lunch. Needless to say, it hit the spot.

Pho for two

I feel like I’m still catching up from being away last week, but it was nice to be able to visit Ottawa for the first time. Sadly, when we left for Edmonton, it was +14. On to this week’s food notes:

• I’ve been looking forward to 124 Street’s All is Bright for some time! It’s a winter festival with food, hot drinks, sleigh rides and light displays. See you there!
• Just in time for Christmas, Knifewear is back with a pop-up in the city, at 10816 – 82 Avenue. The shop will be open from November 23 through to January 28.
• Hawkers Market is a Vancouver-based event that’s coming to Edmonton on November 30, 2013. The event gives food businesses, “a platform to cook, test ideas, meet customers”. It sounds a lot like the Toronto Underground Market I attended last year, which seemed to be a great opportunity for entrepreneurs to gain traction.
• It’s winter all right! Celebrate the season by submitting your best brew (alcoholic or non alcoholic) in the Winter City drinks competition! Prizes include a staycation package and in-home tasting parties. The deadline to enter your recipe is December 8, 2013.
• Sushi Sugoi will be opening soon in the former Outback Steakhouse on the south side (2874 Calgary Trail).
• Liane had some more information about the forthcoming Glass Monkey gastropub in Lendrum (5842 111 Street). It is set to open in mid-December.
• La Oliva, a gluten-free kitchen, celebrated its grand opening this past weekend at 10575 114 Street. The business offers catering and cooking classes.
• Liv checks out the new Rock Wood Fired Pizza.
• It would be wonderful to see a restaurant in the building adjacent to Beaver Hills House Park.
• Love chocolate? Check out Choklat’s series of tastings, called Choklat Snobbery 101, featuring tastings and wine pairings. Tickets are $40.
• Don’t click on this post hungry – Valerie’s sixth Canadian Food Experience Project round-up features numerous photos of comfort food.
• Did you know about Coca-Cola’s “assault on tap water”?
• On our way to the Italian Centre on the weekend, we noticed signage for an Allegro Italian Kitchen on 95 Street and 108 Avenue. Anyone know if this is a second location or if the restaurant is moving?

Allegro Italian Kitchen

I spent most of last week in Calgary attending a work conference, and am leaving tomorrow for Ottawa, again for work. Though I still have intentions to post things other than food notes, it’s going to take some time! On to this week’s food notes:

• Don’t miss the annual Christmas on the Square Holiday Light Up, this Saturday, November 16, 2013!
• I love that Cally’s Teas is partnering with their neighbour The Briefing Room to host a ladies night full of tea, and, well, underwear. The event is taking place on November 23, 2013.
• Shanghai 456 has found a new home at 14456 118 Avenue, due to open in January 2014.
• Jeff posted a picture of a forthcoming barbecue joint – Chic-Hog-O’s Social Roast House on Jasper Avenue and 112 Street.
• It’s been a bad month for independents in Edmonton – first Bistro Saisons, and now The Makk on 124 has announced its closure.
• Dishcrawl hosted its first ever “secret supper”. The dinner took place at Creole Envie, and Cheryl and Liv recapped the meal in all its glory.
• Vue Weekly explores the meaty offerings of Fired Up Southern Barbecue.
• Collecting Culinaria is an exhibit at the Bruce Peel Special Collections Library at the University of Alberta that showcases over 100 recipe books. It will be displayed until February 7, 2014.
• I didn’t know that the Highlands Farmers’ Market has now moved indoors – but as Cathy posted, the market will operate inside St. Mary’s Anglican Church (11203 68 Street) from 4-8pm on Thursdays between October 3 and April 24, 2014.
• I immediately thought of Su when I read about this: The Kitchen Library in Toronto is a “non-profit lending library of small to medium size kitchen appliances…Just like a traditional library, you can check out appliances (instead of books) for short periods of time to experiment with new recipes and cooking techniques.” How cool is that, especially for those who are space-starved in condos.
• While in Calgary, we finally made time to check out the newest farmers’ market to Calgary, Symons Valley Ranch. I loved the wooden beams, and it’s not hard to argue with a market that features Phil & Sebastian’s as a vendor! Though they could have used more produce vendors, Symons Valley had a decent selection of local goods for a winter market.

Symons Valley Ranch

• On our way back home, Mack and I stopped at Cross Iron Mills for some shopping, and ended up at the Nathan’s Famous for some sustenance (they have two locations in Canada – in Airdrie and Cross Iron Mills). Needless to say, the poutine dog, with its artificial cheese sauce  and hickory sticks didn’t exactly live up to expectations, but the hot dog itself was enjoyable.

Poutine Dogs

• Over the weekend, we also stopped over at Pagolac, one of our old haunts for some late night pho.

Pagolac

• We also had a family dinner at Tasty Noodle. It was my first time at the restaurant, and the food was definitely good enough to plan for repeat visits in the future. Hopefully we can return for dim sum soon enough!

Mu shu pork

Doesn’t it feel like we’re deep into winter now, even though the snow only fell this past weekend? All the more reason to indulge in hot drinks and make pots of soup, I say! On to this week’s food notes:

• It looks like North 53 has tentatively set their opening date as December 4, 2013!
• The Jack’s Grill space (5842 111 Street) is being renovated to become The Glass Monkey, a gastropub to be run by Darcy Radies, formerly of The Blue Pear.
• Look for Century Hospitality Group to open Hart’s Table & Bar in the new year, replacing the Ric’s Grill in Terwillegar (14229 23 Ave).
• Unfortunately, another local restaurant has shuttered: Bistro Saisons has now closed. Cheryl wrote a post honouring the restaurant, and encouraging diners to patronize small businesses.
• Speaking of closures, Omar dug deeper into the curiously fast failure of Plow & Harvest, and uncovered that the restaurant was perhaps a purposeful flop.
• Liv reviewed Jack’s Burger Shack in St. Albert.
• I was wondering when Edmonton would get another upscale olive oil and vinegar store, given Calgary has several: Oliv Tasting Room (Calgary has three locations) is opening up in Crestwood at 9656 142 Street.
• Congratulations to Chefs Nathin Bye and Blair Lebsack on making this year’s list of Aveue Edmonton’s Top 40 Under 40!
• Avenue Edmonton has a story this month about how local restaurants deal with serving celebrity guests.
• I love recipes that seemingly repurpose single-use appliances: 12 things you can make using a waffle iron. I need to try those hash browns.
• Great article from the NYT about broccoli’s extreme makeover.
• Churchill Square was packed with crowds taking in River City Round Up on Saturday. It was a great event, with a food truck corral, lots of children’s activities, and entertainment.

River City Round Up

Mack and I took in the last night of The National Elevator Project on Sunday, and enjoyed ourselves immensely. Although I know a part of the reason had to do with the novelty of the elevator as a stage, it was also because most of the playwrights so deftly took advantage of the intimacy of the space, playing with conventions of distance and audience involvement. Though the run has now finished, look for Part 2 of the project during the Canoe Festival, January 23 – February 2, 2014. On to this week’s food notes:

• River City Round Up starts off this Friday with the annual Chili Cook-Off in Churchill Square on November 1, from 11:30-1:30pm. Grab your bowl of chili for just a buck or two! On Saturday, November 2, the Kick-Off Celebration will feature a pancake breakfast, a taste of the past and entertainment.
• I know some are already planning for Christmas, so – Quickfire Cookery is planning  a Christmas Secret Bistro on November 29 and 30, 2013, with a six course dinner and wine pairings.
• Congratulations to Chef Paul Shufelt of the Century Hospitality Group for capturing first place at this year’s Gold Medal Plates! Silver went to Chef Doreen Prei of the Edmonton Petroleum Club and bronze to Chef Paul Campbell of Café de Ville.
• Liv posted about Sky High Burgers, a new joint in Sherwood Park.
• The Journal reviewed Café Bicyclette last week.
• The cooler weather got you down? A trip to Urban Shabu might warm you up – check out Cheryl’s recent visit.
• Plow & Harvest has closed less than two months after opening its doors. The website reads, “We appreciate your patronage and wish we could have continued to serve you and the Edmonton community.”
• Starbucks will be releasing their holiday drinks (in red cups, of course) on November 2, 2013.
• After a trip to West Edmonton Mall on the weekend, Mack and I stopped in at the new Italian Centre next door for lunch. Their margherita pizza ($11) hit the spot, the crispy thin crust holding up well. Worth making the trek to the west end!

Pizza!

• The third back alley “burger” (pioneered in Edmonton by Hundred, replicated in po’ boy form by Creole Envie) hits the streets on October 26, 2013 at Wild Tangerine. Pick up an O’my Bao, stuffed with Spring Creek Ranch beef cheek, Sylvan Star gouda and Asian slaw.
• Mark your calendar: All is Bright, a new festival on 124 Street will be taking place on November 23, 2013. There will be light displays, sleigh rides and outdoor patios, among other things.
• Get your xialongbao fix now: Shanghai 456 will be closing no later than November 12, 2013 (because of the airport lands appropriation). It sounds like they are looking for an alternate location though!
• Woodwork posted an update this week – it is looking good!
• The Edmonton Journal launched Gastropost today, a community that will be encouraging fun weekly food missions.
• Cheryl reviewed the recent Sturgeon Valley Food and Wine Festival.
• Eat North, a website dedicated to highlighting Canadian food, was launched recently by three Calgarians. They do want to shed the entire country though, and have reached out to writers accordingly.
• How’s this for your Halloween frights? Salon posted an article titled, “7 horrifying truths about your chicken dinner”. I hadn’t heard about the Obama administration passing the law permitting chicken processed in China to be sold in the US without the appropriate labeling.
• The City Market started its indoor edition last week. It was quite busy when we stopped in, likely benefiting from the additional traffic from the advanced polls located in City Hall.

Inside City Hall

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving! Mack and I were fortunate enough to have not one, but two wonderful turkey dinners surrounded by family and friends. On to this week’s food notes:

• Co-op is hosting its annual Grape Escape in Edmonton on October 18-19, 2013 at the Expo Centre.
• Mirepoix Trio is hosting two upcoming pop-ups: brunch on October 20, 2013 and a Ukrainian-themed dinner on October 24, 2013.
• The Bruce Peel Library at the University of Alberta will be unveiling a special exhibit titled, “Collecting Culinary: Cookbooks and Domestic Manuals Mainly from the Linda Miron Distad Collection”, which will run from October 25, 2013 – February 7, 2014.
• Sabzy Persian Grill, which relocated to the southside (9314 34 Avenue) from its original location in Old Strathcona, is now open.
• Vue Weekly reviews the newest Filipino-focused restaurant to hit the streets, Cuisine Ni Mutya.
• Andrea and Robyn shared their experiences of State and Main, the new pub located in Southgate Centre.
• Tavern 1903 continues to garner attention from the Journal and Dine and Write.
• The City Market hosted its last outdoor market on Saturday, and on October 19, 2013, will kick off its indoor market season in City Hall.

Promoting the winter market!

• The Common must have been having an off-day on Friday. Everything from the service to the food was disappointing that night. Our server was MIA for much of the evening, and never once offered to refill our water or even ask if we’d like dessert before serving us with the bill. The food was also uneven – the calamari was all right, but both entrees were problematic – May’s chicken was too dry, while my fish and chips were in dire need of salt.

Fish and chips at The Common

• Cactus Club is getting ready to unveil its second location in Edmonton, a ripe streetfront space on Jasper Avenue and 111 Street. I attended a media reception on Wednesday night, and sampled bites ranging from their new tuna sushi cones (I loved the tempura crunch) to their ever-popular BBQ duck clubhouse sandwiches. Though Chef Rob Feenie was on hand, I have to admit I was more excited to meet Chef Matt Stowe (Top Chef Canada’s season 3 winner that we had been rooting for). The location opens some time this week.

Interior

BBQ duck clubhouse

With Chef Stowe

I have a feeling October is going to zoom by, with my eye already towards Thanksgiving next week. It’s also a really light week on the food end of things – I’m sure things will pick up as we transition into (gasp!) the holiday season:

• Mack and I spent part of our Sunday outside the Bissell Centre, taking part in a special What the Truck?! event that saw 900 meals served to underprivileged Edmontonians. Thanks to the trucks who took part, and to the Bissell Centre for being a wonderful partner.
• Outdoor farmers’ markets are coming to an end! Get your fill this weekend, at the 124 Street Market’s Harvest Celebrations on Thursday or on 104 Street at the City Market on Saturday.
• Great to hear that Café Bicyclette, the new restaurant at La Cite Francophone, is planning to have a winter patio!
• Loved Kevin’s video of the Really Long Table Dinner that took place in Calgary last month.
• Vital Signs, a report on Edmonton’s food security was released last week by the Edmonton Community Foundation, in partnership with the Edmonton Social Planning Council.
• Ever wonder what makes a Dorito so irresistible?
• The brisk, chilly weather last week was perfect for one thing: pho!

My usual from Pho Tau Bay

• A friend and I got together for drinks and nibbles at Tzin. It’s been a while since I’ve been there, but I’ll always enjoy their braised pork belly dish. For the fall, topped with crunchy pickled cabbage, it’s a little taste of the season.

Braised bacon from Tzin