Thrown back into work today, I realize I have quite a bit of catching up to do! And though we just got back from a holiday in Portland, we’re already preparing for another short vacation – a few days in the Okanagan as a tagalong to a conference in Kamloops. I am really fortunate to have these opportunities to travel, but it’s all a bit much for me, I’ll admit. On to this week’s food notes:

• Dreading the end of food truck season? Then head over to Azimuth Theatre on October 6, 2012 for a taste of Drift and Nomad in celebration of Oktoberfest.
• This is the last week the Green & Gold Garden will be open for regular market hours. Go check out this volunteer-run garden for one last fall hurrah!
• Culina Mill Creek is hosting harvest dinners on October 23 and 24, 2012. The five-course dinner with wine pairings is $95.
• Sturgeon County is hosting its first ever Food & Wine Festival on October 27, 2012 at the Enjoy Centre. Admission is $25 and food and wine tasting tickets are $0.50 each.
• Duchess Provisions is now open! Check out Liane’s preview for an idea of what you can expect on the shelves.
• Great news: the Italian Centre is set to open a location in the city’s west end, in the former Ethan Allan storefront.
• Congrats to Corso 32 and Tres Carnales for their inclusion on Macleans’ 50 Best Restaurants list. Hopefully next time around we’ll beat out Calgary in numbers.
• Great piece about Bully Food Truck in the Edmonton Sun.
• Missing Kerstin’s Chocolates? Well you’re in luck – Kerstin’s sister Angie has brought the brand back, and will be selling the line at farmers’ markets in Edmonton, including the City Market indoors at City Hall.
• We missed the opening of Williams Sonoma in West Edmonton Mall, but it received so much coverage I felt like I was there! Check out write-ups from Liane, Karlynn, Michelle and Lillian.
• Also new to WEM is another location of Tutti Frutti, a chain that seems to be quite aggressively expanding.
• The City released its long-awaited Food and Agriculture strategy today, entitled Fresh. I haven’t had a chance to page through it myself, but here are some thoughts from Liane and Jennifer.
• The City also released its report on outdoor patios last week.
• I’m sure you’ve heard of the supposed bacon shortage forecasted for next year. But should you really be panicking? Maybe not.
• 104 Street played host to another rockin’ street fest on Friday night, as the kick off to the annual Alberta Culture Days. There was an on-stage cooking demonstration, street food, and of course, music. Hope you enjoyed the festivities this weekend as well!

Liane hosts a cooking demonstration where second year NAIT students prepared flank steak

My DECL colleagues heart yegdt too!

My braised beef sandwich from Drift

The stage (right below our building, and so loud things were vibrating on our kitchen counter)

Apologies for being on a bit of a hiatus, but working fourteen hour days really cut into any time and energy I might have had for blogging. Hopefully I’ll be back on track this week! On to this week’s food notes:

• Passion for Pork week runs September 10-16, where 14 local restaurants put their best pork dishes forward. Check out City and Dale’s post for your chance to win a gift certificate to dine at a participating restaurant of your choice!
• The Way We Green is hosting a panel discussion on local food and how we can create a more sustainable Edmonton on September 13, 2012 at the AGA. Mack is moderating a panel that includes Kevin Kossowan and Jennifer Cockrall-King. The event is free to attend, and will feature a pop-up teahouse to end. Hope to see you there!
• If I weren’t volunteering for DECL’s Cornfest, I’d be attending Eat Brunch at Elm Cafe, part of the Oliver Community League’s offerings for the city-wide Community League Day on September 15.
• The Ronald McDonald House is hosting its second Red Shoe Crawl this year on September 16, this time to take place along 124 Street! I’ve had my tickets for a while now, but if you’re interested, there’s still time to join in.
• Sherwood Park is home to a specialty kitchen and food store, The Pan Tree. Love the name!
• There’s another farm-to-table dinner you should know about, called the 10 Mile Meal. It will take place on September 30, 2012, and 80% of the meal’s ingredients will be sourced from within a ten mile radius.
• The City of Edmonton announced their date for the public hearing on the food and agriculture strategy. Mark your calendars for October 26, 2012.
• If you ever wondered why Edmonton and area pubs don’t seem to carry any locally-brewed beers, read this.
• Will you watch the Edmontonians featured on W Network’s Come Dine With Me? I can’t say I will – I’m pretty sceptical that it will actually showcase the city at all.
• It looks like we might get a bit more summer this week – so there’s still time to make Michelle’s inspired mojito poptails.
• Yelp means business, at least in San Francisco – a half star difference apparently can make or break a restaurant.
• Food truck and Leduc favourite Smokehouse BBQ will be opening up its first Edmonton location this fall, taking over Cosmos (10810 124 Street).

Smokehouse BBQ

• 104 St Grill is now open, though the signage is a bit confusing – there are an awful lot of names on the banners – “Ric’s”, “104 St Grill” and “David Bowie”. I hope the menu is more coherent.

104 St Grill

• It looks like the new 124 Street farmers’ market decided to postpone its opening until next May. Look for Eden’s Farmers’ Market starting on Sundays in May 2013.

Revised Eden’s market signage

• Mack and I started off our Sunday afternoon at Duchess (looking forward to stopping into Duchess Provisions next door when they open in the fall!).

I had forgotten how good their blueberry lemon scones are!

• To help us cool off on the walk home, we stopped at Yogo Frogurt, the newest addition to Edmonton’s burgeoning frozen yogurt scene. Unfortunately, we probably won’t be returning again. Although the attendant was very friendly, not much good can be said about the frozen yogurt – the peach and raspberry flavours we tried tasted artificial (vaguely reminiscent of cocktail vs. juice-based beverages), and the fresh fruit toppings were past their prime. Disappointing.

Cute interior

Our treat

• That night, we had my family over for dinner. Amanda (visiting for Toronto) was especially excited for the roast chicken I’ve owed her for a while!

Homee hungee

Also made Trish Magwood’s tomato and bread salad – one of my favourite “feed the crowd” salads

• Mack and I were lucky enough to be invited to Sailin’ On’s public launch at Wunderbar tonight. Sailin’ On will be Edmonton’s first vegan food truck, to be launched in spring 2013. Tonight, the three proprietors were samplings two dishes – chicken caesar wrap, and a chili lime tofu burrito. The latter was definitely the star – it had some kick, and the beans were perfection – smooth and smoky. Follow them on Twitter and Facebook to keep up with their progress!

Sailin’ On samples

Dallas, Garret and Mike of Sailin’ On

Having worked through most of the long weekend, I’m not as rested as I would be otherwise, but hopefully you were able to enjoy this last blast of summer! On to this week’s food notes:

• 104 St. Grill (formerly Ric’s Grill on 104 Street) opens on September 6, 2012.
• Williams Sonoma is finally coming to Edmonton! It is set to open in West Edmonton Mall on September 22, 2012.
• The Local Good (previously known as E-SAGE), has adopted a #yegfood theme for their upcoming Green Drinks on October 3, 2012, a regular, informal mixer for those interested in all things sustainable.
• The food truck scene just keeps on growing: Sailin On Food Truck bills itself as Edmonton’s first vegan food truck. Look for it in Spring 2013.
• Vue Weekly reviewed a new-ish Vietnamese restaurant Tien Tuyen (2619 Ellwood Drive SW) located in Ellserslie.
• Cathy wrote about a great pig roast that went down at the Manor Cafe a few weeks ago. Looks like porky goodness!
• Speaking of pork, our Pulled Pork Throwdown, a fundraiser for the Edmonton Public Schools Foundation, made it into the Globe and Mail!
• It looks like there is yet another farmers’ market joining the crowded Edmonton scene, just steps away from the 124 Street Grand Market. It’s apparently a test run that will involve some of the vendors from the Grand Market, and is hoping to launch a full season next year. Check it out on September 9 and September 23, 2012, from 10am-3pm in the parking lot on 124 Street and 105 Avenue.

New farmers’ market

• Speaking of the 124 Grand Market, Mack and I stopped there for dinner on Thursday. I had the zoo zoo burger from Little Village Food Truck (I really love the brioche bun Theo uses), while Mack had the pulled pork sandwich from Nomad.

Zoo zoo burger from Little Village

Pulled pork from Nomad

• I can’t say this weekend was all work and no play – Mack and I were able to help Jill and Kat celebrate their wedding anniversary on Sunday night! Their friends, who own a farm in Duhamel, played host to a lovely, low-key evening. It’s always nice to get away from the city, even if just for a night. Thanks again to the hosts for your warmth and hospitality!

The ducklings were too cute

Pigs!

Zombie chickens (okay, well, not zombies, but they were all eerily staring at us, waiting to be let out)

Tom the turkey

Trinity!

Gorgeous sunset

Between the Fringe, a farm tour and Blink, this weekend just flew by! Hoping to catch up a bit on things this week, including an announcement about the last What the Truck?! of the year. On to this week’s food notes:

• The U of A Campus Community Garden is celebrating a great year by hosting a harvest dinner on August 29, 2012. Everyone is welcome.
• Taste Alberta has planned a harvest lunch and dinner to take place on September 12, 2012 in the Journal’s atrium. Tickets are available here.
• Sounds like Normand’s Bistro in the Citadel will be opening tomorrow, August 28, 2012.
• Filistix officially announced their third campus location – starting September 4, 2012, you can find them at the Edmonton Clinic Health Academy. Congrats!
• Ric’s Grill downtown (10190 104 Street) is undergoing renovations, and is set to reopen on September 6, 2012 as the 104 Street Grill. In preparation for their grand opening, those who join their mailing list will be sent a $30 gift card.
• I missed linking to this last week: Liane reported that two new restaurants will be opening up on 124 Street in late September – The Makk in the space formerly occupied by D’Lish, and Pure Kitchen, in what used to house Bueno Gelato.
• There’s a new truck in town: welcome, Bully Food Truck!
• The Journal reviewed NaanOlicious last week.
• The “big” news this week was that former Bachelorette couple Ashley Hebert and JP Rosenbaum were in Edmonton on the weekend, taking in the Fringe among other sites. The debate of whether or not we should be investing in celebrities with the hopes of attracting media exposure is an interesting one, but I have to say I’m disappointed that Travel Alberta chose Joey’s of all places for their dinner destination. Especially when the same organization is apparently also trying to highlight Edmonton’s burgeoning local food scene.
• Karlynn recapped the Harvest Days event in Bon Accord that took place a few weeks ago. Looked like a great time!
• While at the Old Strathcona Save-On this weekend between Fringe shows, Mack and I noticed this “eat local” shelf located by the check outs. It was neat to see Alberta products being highlighted this way, though we also hoped that they were located with like products on the regular shelves as well.

Shop local

Enjoy your week!

• Fancy an American-style burger? Then check out the Mosh Burger pop-up on August 21, 2012 at Red Star Pub. Yes, you can have pink in your burger!
• There’s lots to do this weekend! The East Meets West Festival takes place on August 25-26, 2012 in McCauley (they really do have to get their act together with a more informative website, though).
• The Greater Edmonton Alliance is offering bus tours to visit some of the farmland in Edmotnon’s north east on August 26, 2012. Tickets are just $10 each. You can read more about the tours at Mack’s blog.
• If that’s not enough, check out Liane’s list of “top 10 summer food experiences”.
• Liane also pointed to some of the new vendors at this year’s Fringe, if you’re wondering what to eat down at the grounds.
• The City of Calgary is currently evaluating their food truck pilot program. Share your thoughts by completing their survey (on a related note – it’s great how they’ve linked to all 33 trucks right on the City page).
• Mack sent me this link to a story in the Atlantic about why Restaurant Week won’t die, “despite the haters”.
• There were a lot of retrospectives about Julia Child this week, who would have turned 100 on Wednesday. Here’s one from Jacques Pepin.
• Jeff’s leaving for Vancouver this weekend to study, so my family got together for a meal to wish him luck. Felicia picked The Moose Factory because she had a gift card. Good thing too, because the meal would not have been worth full price. Mack’s $34 surf and turf was poorly executed all around (the steak was rare, and not the medium he had requested, while the lobster was dry and chewy). My $22 steak pappardelle was supposed to feature filet mignon, which it probably did, but it was so overcooked it could have been a much lesser cut. Given the price of the entrees and the poor quality of the food, it’s really a head scratcher as to how the restaurant was as busy as it was on a Monday night.

Surf and turf

Steak pappardelle

Mack and I were really happy when we were approached to be a part of a University of Alberta alumni magazine New Trail article about bloggers. It’s a great group to be a part of, and it was neat to read about the “origin stories” of the other writers. On to this week’s food notes:

• Remember to come out to our Pulled Pork Throwdown on Wednesday, August 15!
• The Greater Edmonton Alliance has organized an opportunity to tour some of the city’s best farm land in the north east on August 26, 2012. Included on the tour are Kuhlmann’s and Riverbend Gardens.
• Staff Meals (a pop-up dinner collaboration between five Edmonton chefs) is hosting a meal out at Tangle Ridge Ranch on August 26.
• The Bothy’s downtown location (10124 124 Street) is now open! Looking forward to getting our chicken and leek pie fix closer to home.
• The Phat Noodle (10347 Jasper Avenue) is also open – I’m curious to try their pho to see if it’s up to par.
• The Tomato tweeted that Normand’s inside The Citadel complex is set to open on August 15, 2012.
• It sounds like The Junction will be closing its doors next month.
• The Edmonton Journal reviewed Mercer Tavern: apparently, the menu’s a bit of a mixed bag at the moment.
• More signs that point to food trucks going mainstream: Applebees and Taco Bell have embraced the trend, too.
• Curious about what might be on your plate in 20 years? How about an insect burger, or sound-enhanced food?
• Meguro Ramen in Chinatown has been replaced by Golden Orchid (10626 97 Street), a Vietnamese restaurant.

Golden Orchid

• The media were in a bit of a frenzy last week when Eat St. was in town filming Molly’s Eats, Drift and The Act. Mack was on hand for Drift’s turn in the spotlight, while I filmed a short segment for The Act. It was great to see the support for the trucks, with people out in droves. Long live Edmonton food trucks!

Drift filming on Wednesday

The Act’s line on Thursday

Robyn talks about The Act’s salad

• Vue profiled Roast Coffeehouse last week. And though I’d been there for coffee, my coworker and I ducked in for lunch on Wednesday. I picked up a Chopped Leaf salad (loved the evil peanut dressing on the Bangkok salad), and an iced coffee. They looked to be short staffed that afternoon – hope that rectifies itself soon.

Chopped Leaf salad

I hope you all made the most of a beautiful long weekend! I can scarcely believe it’s already approaching mid-August, but it’s really a reminder not to take the summer for granted. I know we’re trying to pack in as much as we can! On to this week’s food notes:

• Don’t forget – Eat St. is in town this week to shoot Molly’s Eats, Drift and The Act! Make sure to head down to support the trucks if you can!
• Sabor Divino is running its first annual Classic Seafood Festival, which runs from August 10 – September 8, 2012.
• Our next Truck Stop event will be taking place on August 15, 2012 at the Edmonton Public School Archives (10425 99 Avenue). And we’re changing up the format – the three trucks will be putting up their best pulled pork sandwiches in an effort to win your vote! Come join us for the first ever Truck Stop: Throwdown Edition!
• The Red Shoe Crawl organized by the Ronald McDonald House of Northern Alberta was so successful they are offering a taste of not one but two neighbourhoods this year (I attended and loved the event last year)! On September 16, 2012, participants will be able to sample the cuisine of up-and-coming 124 Street restaurants. I’m looking forward to it already! Tickets are $40 and available here.
• Vue Weekly published a piece on the art of serving.
• Did you know that Kevin Kossowan is offering his own series of workshops now? You can learn how to forage, butcher and make cider directly from one of Edmonton’s most passionate and knowledgeable local food advocates.
• Looks like there is finally a self-serve yogurt place downtown (well, technically in Oliver). Not sure about the name Yogo Frogurt, as it is both hard to pronounce and remember, but hopefully the quality is similar to Tutti Frutti and Twisted Yogurt! Anyone try it yet?

Yogo Frogurt (11727 Jasper Avenue)

• Mack’s parents were in town this weekend on holidays, and we wanted to show them the Fort Edmonton Footbridge. It doubled as an opportunity for their dogs to stretch their legs!

Walking Traz while Patti walks Bella

Is anyone else equally disappointed in The Newsroom so far? I had such high hopes for Aaron Sorkin’s new HBO drama, but several episodes in (I’m at 1.4 so far), his two female leads are still maddening. It’s actually made me re-watch some of The West Wing just so I can be reminded of how good Sorkin can be. Here’s hoping it gets better! On to this week’s food notes:

• Don’t forget – What the Truck?! @ the Victoria Promenade takes place this Friday, August 3 from 5-9pm.
• Have you started planning your meals yet? The Heritage Festival runs this weekend from August 4-6, 2012. Check out this year’s menu here.
• On the heels of their first successful food crawl in May, the North Edge Business Association will again be offering patrons another chance to tour some of the neighbourhood’s ethnic eateries on August 15, 2012. For just $30, diners will be treated to three meals at Caffe Sorrentino, Acajutla and Africa Restaurant. Purchase tickets here.
• Eat St. is coming to town: the hit series will be in Edmonton from August 7-9 to profile Molly’s Eats, Drift, and The Act. Congrats to the three trucks for helping to put the city’s food trucks on the map!
• Sounds like Little Village Food Truck, Koutouki’s venture into the mobile world (and Edmonton’s first truck serving up Greek eats) will be setting up downtown this week – check them out at 105 Street and Jasper!
• Yellowbird Cafe Truck (to be technical, it is a trailer) also launches this week, serving at the Canadian Little League Championships this weekend at John Fry Park.
• Naan-o-licious is now open at 10331 82 Avenue.
• Tutti Frutti is now open in Southgate.
• Amber’s Brewing Company has found a new brewing home – they have contracted a new St. Albert-based brewery Hog’s Head to produce their beer.
• The Journal reviewed Tumbleweeds last week, a restaurant I will admit that I hadn’t heard about until reading the article.
• Global Edmonton had a great feature last week highlighting a few Edmonton restaurants who choose to source products more locally.
• Want to be on TV? CBC has put a call out to find its next food star.
• A good read about the politics of the Canada Food Guide.
• If you have an abundance of Saskatoons and don’t know what to do with them, Karlynn has five recipes for you.
• Food Secure Canada will be hosting their seventh national assembly in Edmonton from November 1-4, 2012.
• Valerie posted about a special event Calgary’s Knifewear is hosting on August 4, 2012. The shop has invited master blacksmiths who will be hand-hammering knives outside the store.
• Also from Calgary, OliV, a store similar to Edmonton’s Evoolution, looks like it’s worth checking out. Love the idea of tasting vinegars and olive oil together.
• A victim of its own success? Calgary is putting a halt on new food truck permits for the remainder of its pilot project.
• How about this for terroir: a New York artist serves up a five course rat-based meal. Yes, rats.
• It looks like Korean favourite Wong Jung Gak will be moving into the digs formerly held by Basil Leaf (10023 107 Avenue) in Chinatown. I’m excited that good Korean eats will soon be walking distance from both my home and workplace! A sign on the door claims the grand opening will be August 1, 2012.

Forthcoming Wong Jung Gak

• I didn’t know Noodle Maker (9653 102 Avenue) shut down until Mack and I passed by it this weekend. It will be replaced by a Filipino eatery.

Panciteria De Manila

• The best thing about not having my lunch last week was an excuse to indulge in Mama Pizza/Pho Huong’s green onion cakes. Yum.

Green onion cakes

• Mack and I helped organize most of the food vendors at this weekend’s Interstellar Rodeo, and it sounds like they were very well received. But that was nothing compared with the rave reviews the festival received as a whole! Congrats to Shauna and the rest of the organizers for a job well done!

Pork belly sandwich from Drift

Whitehorse performs on Sunday at Interstellar Rodeo

We just announced the second What the Truck?! event – it will be taking place at one of our favourite places in Edmonton, Victoria Promenade, on August 3 from 5-9pm. Check out the line-up of trucks, and stay tuned for menus this week. Hope to see you there! On to this week’s food notes:

• Speaking of food trucks, Edmonton’s newest truck is set to hit the streets this week: welcome to Little Village Food Truck, run by the family behind Koutouki.
• Mercer Tavern finally opened on the weekend. It’s apparently been packed since – anyone been yet?
• Love bacon? Mark your calendars for Lux’s annual Bacon Day Dinner on September 1, 2012.
• Sorry to have missed this pop-up dinner on the High Level Streetcar, offered by Staff Meal Edmonton.
• Liane reports that the space vacated by Bueno Gelato on 123 Street and 102 Avenue will be filled by Cookie Love.
• Caffe Sorrentino joins the burgeoning list of locally-owned options at the Edmonton International Airport, which includes Wok Box and Coney Island Candy.
• The latest Strip Search feature in the Edmonton Journal highlights “Little Lebanon”.
• Looking for an easier way to browse your favourite local food blogs? Mack’s got a solution for you over at ShareEdmonton!
• Vote for your favourite community garden at Sustainable Food Edmonton!
• The Globe shone a spotlight on the city’s growing farmers’ market scene last week.
• Falafel 101 (10159 101 Street) looks about ready to open.

Falafel 101

• Frozen yogurt really is taking Edmonton by storm: Tutti Frutti is set to launch another location in Southgate Mall. Watch for the grand opening on July 29, 2012, when free frozen yogurt will be handed out from noon-3pm.

Tutti Frutti

• Mack and I had a great time at the “bring your own patio” event at Tres Carnales on Friday. Perhaps we took the name a little too literally, as we were the only ones who walked our entire patio set over, but we were thankful for the table – it’d be a challenge to eat tacos on one’s lap! The event organizers are planning for another event in the fall, when the report is brought back to Council.

Makeshift patio (the fish tacos were delish!)

• It was too hot to cook last week, but I had to use the stove to make one of my favourite warm weather meals: Yankee fish cakes. I served it atop Lactuca greens and Gull Valley tomatoes.

Yankee fish cake salad

Have a good week!