I haven’t been following the second season of Top Chef Canada as closely as I did the first, but I did have a favourite going into the finale, and yes, I am happy with the outcome! I loved the wildcard twist, which added some great suspense into the finale. Onto this week’s food notes!

• It’s always great news when we hear about a new food truck in the works. It looks like the family behind Koutouki is starting on their very own truck!
• Vue Weekly interviewed Chef Corey McGuire, the new Executive Chef at TZiN.
• Thanks to Mona who recapped the first Around the World in 80 Bites tour in the Central McDougall neighbourhood. I hope to attend the next one!
• It’s a great time for the start of the Journal’s Market Find series – it will be profiling a different arts and craft vendor every week. The first one casts a spotlight on Garden Squirrel.
• I’m glad Jacquie wrote about her experience at the Food in the City Conference. Sounds like there was some good discussion in the smaller groups.
• Kevin’s latest webisode is all about bees!
• The big news in food media this week was Anthony Bourdain’s announcement that he will be leaving the Travel Channel for CNN.
• As if America isn’t fat enough – how about pop along with your breakfast? Taco Bell is serving up a morning drink that mixes Mountain Dew with orange juice.
• Last Thursday saw more great weather for Truck Stop, and though the lines were long, it looked like people were enjoying themselves. Because of how successful they were, we couldn’t contain them to one month alone – so we’re happy to announce another Truck Stop date! Join us again at McIntyre Park on June 6, from 5-8pm. We moved the day of the week to Wednesday, and shortened the duration by the hour, but other than that, you can expect the same great variety of curbside eats.

Cajun fish sandwich from The Act

Jalapeno mac ‘n’ cheese from The Act

• This morning, Mack and I were happy that both Filistix and The Act could join us at Churchill Square for some Al Fresco coverage on Breakfast Television. Filistix cooked up a few batches of sisig (roasted pork belly marinated in soy, garlic, ginger, chili and lemon), which I think people could smell for miles. I have no doubt this will be one of the most popular dishes on Saturday. Hope to see you at What the Truck?! on June 9!

Ariel talks to Bridget about Filistix

Sisig

It finally feels like summer’s here! Crazy how in just a week, the trees just burst into full bloom. I hope you’re able to get outside and enjoy it! On to this week’s food notes:

• The next Live Local dinner is taking place at The Dish on June 3. If it’s anything like the meal Blue Plate Diner hosted in March, I think it will be a great success!
• Greens, Eggs and Ham is hosting a farm tour and a reading by Foodshed author Dee Hobsbawn-Smith on June 11 at 6pm. RSVP to Mary Ellen if you’re interested – and yes, there will be food samples!
• I had no idea until Jeff’s comment that Highlands would be hosting a farmers’ market on Thursdays from 5-9pm starting on June 7. That makes four markets on Thursday nights – Salisbury, Alberta Avenue, and the 124 Street Grand Market, which just debuted last week. How many is too many? Do we have enough demand, customers, and producers to shop and staff four markets?
• Century Hospitality has kicked up a bit of controversy with the naming of their latest restaurant. MKT (short for “beer market”), may be carving out its own identity, featuring a gastropub menu and a wide selection of beer, but its name being just one letter shy of MRKT is much too similar for some. MKT is set to open in mid-June.
• The chefs who will be competing in this year’s Gold Medal Plates has been announced!
• Liane will be leading a tour of food truck central – Portland – in August. It sounds like it will be a delicious outing!
• Mack wrote a great post about the bylaws pertaining to food trucks in Edmonton – worth a read if you want to know more about what’s behind the Drift and Grandma Lee’s dispute.
• In case you missed the recipes that have been published in Taste Alberta in the last year, not to worry, Company’s Coming has collated them into a cookbook.
• We had the best weather yet at Truck Stop last week. Calm, sunny skies were a welcome change from the overcast, windy conditions we’ve received over the past month. I also finally got to try The Act’s PB & J burger for the first time. The beef was particularly tasty, and the peanut butter actually didn’t overwhelm the burger itself. Check the website for the menus for the final Truck Stop in May.

PB & J Burger

Mack’s halibut burger

• Although I love asparagus (and picked up a bunch from Edgar Farms this weekend), my favourite of the spring vegetables has to be pea shoots. I love how fresh and light they taste, and how versatile they are. Yesterday, we had Greens, Eggs and Ham shoots on homemade pizza, topped with prosciutto, mushrooms, and Gull Valley Tomatoes.

I heart pea shoots

Apologies for being MIA, but there was good reason for it: I was in Toronto visiting my sister for most of last week, then came back to our third Truck Stop on Thursday and Mack’s sister’s wedding on the weekend. Needless to say, I’m still in catch-up mode! So though some of the “news” below is a bit dated, I hope to get back on track this week:

• The annual Al Fresco Block Party is just a few weeks away, but to gear up for it, some of the organizers are offering other opportunities to help raise money for the Zebra Child Protection Centre, the charity of choice this year. On May 23, join several local performers for a musical showcase and party at Yellowhead Brewery, or if wine is more up your alley, a Tour of Italy tasting at DeVine’s on May 31.
• The 124 Street Farmers’ Market will debut on Thursday, May 24.
• Riverbend Gardens is hosting a “plant and play” day on May 27 from 1-4pm. There will be great specials on plants, wagon rides, bouncy castle, make and take planters and free ice cream! Consider checking out one of the most beautiful farms within city limits, and learning more about the Community Supported Agriculture project they would like to start.
• It looks like Cococo Chocolatiers will be open at the end of May or beginning of June.
• Fantasia Noodle House, who had to leave their long-time location, has been reborn further up the avenue – you can now find them at 11765 Jasper Avenue.
• 124 Street is really developing fast – with a second location of The Bothy, and now Red Ox, joining Duchess, Cafe Tiramisu and The Clever Rabbit, it is becoming a bit of a restaurant district.
• In case you missed it (because I did the first time), Twyla reviewed Crepe Symphony, a new-ish restaurant next to Tres Carnales on Rice Howard Way.
• It’s easy to forget that Earls started in Edmonton (especially when in places like Toronto, the line-ups at their relatively new Earls and Joey’s locations are insane), but they’ll be spending $5 million to renovate the very first Earls Tin Palace to help restore it to its former glory. It will close in June and reopen in October.
• Vue Weekly published the results of their annual Golden Fork Awards last week. Mack and I were surprised (and honoured!) to see that What the Truck?! was the second runner up in the category of Best Food Festival or Event – thanks to everyone who voted for WTT!
• Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you may have read about some of the controversy between Drift and Grandma Lees. At the very least, we’re happy that mobile food vendors are now even further in public consciousness, and that this is highlighting the need for firm policy.
• Chef Andrew Parker is combining cooking classes with a good cause – all meals prepared by students at the Ronald McDonald House will stay on to feed the families at the residence.
• The past two Truck Stops have been really successful, with lines sometimes starting even before the trucks have arrived. One of these days, the weather will be perfect! This Thursday, we’re looking forward to two of Edmonton’s newest food trucks to join us – Battista’s Calzones and The Next Act! Hope to see you there!

Pancake soup from Nomad

My regular from Fat Franks

• Mack and I were glad that we were able to be a part of Kim and Shane’s wedding this weekend. It was a beautiful ceremony – congratulations, and we wish you both a lifetime of happiness!

Kim and Shane’s first dance

If you missed last week’s Truck Stop, no worries, you still have four other opportunities to swing by McIntyre Park in Old Strathcona for some curbside eats! The vendor list for May 10 is here, and we’ll be updating the site with menus on Tuesday morning. On to this week’s food notes:

• Save the date: Ronald McDonald House has announced the date of their second and third Red Shoe Crawls! It will be taking place in Old Strathcona on June 3, and on 124 Street on September 16. Tickets are available here. It was one of the best food events I attended last year, and I’m sure it will be another very well-organized outing.
• Looks like we missed a great ramen pop-up in the storefront formerly occupied by Duchess (is there a weekend where something great hasn’t been in that space?!). Hope this comes up again – would love to give it a try!
• I was looking for more information on Brad Smoliak’s new enterprise, Kitchen. If you’re curious, the website has more information about the private cooking classes offered.
• The website for the 124 Street Farmers’ Market is live! Check out a partial list of vendors here.
• Riverbend Gardens is starting a CSA (community supported agriculture)! They need to hit 100 in order to make it viable; the cost is $150 for 6 weeks of delivery.
• Annie sent me a link to a robot that makes sushi. I’m sure purists would never allow mechanically-made sushi to get past their lips, but perhaps this is the future?
• We knew it was already in the works, but the paper sign makes it official: another pub is coming soon to 104 Street, in Icon II.

Kelly’s Pub

• Mack and I helped Thom celebrate his birthday at Olive Garden last night. We were actually looking forward to it, as it has been years since we’ve been exposed to baskets of endless breadsticks. Though I did enjoy the breadsticks, they weren’t as good as I remembered, and the pasta was overly greasy. I know it’s not fair to compare Olive Garden with a place like Corso 32, but it does blow my mind that I hear people remark that Corso is expensive, given their entree pasta price of $17-20 is identical to a big chain.

Lasagna rollata al forno

Shrimp mezzaluna

It’s hard to believe it’s May already – where has the time gone? Mack and I are (finally) ready to share details about the first food truck events we’ve organized for this year – but more details on that in a separate post. On to this week’s food notes:

• To celebrate Cinco de Mayo, Tres Carnales is again hosting a party to end all parties on May 5 from 5-11pm. It sounds like it will be a great time.
• Indulgence tickets go on sale on May 1. Make sure to get yours if you want to guarantee yourself a spot to one of Edmonton’s best food and wine events.
• Vue Weekly featured an article about Three Boars, the new “it” spot in Edmonton.
• The Journal wrote about Cally’s Teas, who finally opened their new shop in Old Strathcona. Looking forward to trying out their high tea at some point.
• Lonely Planet was in Edmonton shooting some video about interesting places in our city a few months back. Chris has the link to the final product – great that Century Hospitality’s Alley Burger is featured in the video!
• There’s a new farmers’ market on the horizon: the 124 Street outdoor market is set to run on Thursday evenings from 5-9pm. Although I support initiatives to make it easier for consumers to shop local, how many markets is too many in Edmonton?
• Caving to pressure, the organizers of the City of Edmonton’s Food in the City consultation/conference have reduced the cost…by $55. They have made the reception and lunch fees optional, but isn’t a part of the purpose of the gathering to break bread and network? We’ll see if this means more registrants in the end.
• Although Edmonton is at the very start of the backyard chicken debate, it’s great to see that other cities are so far along: in Portland, backyard chickens who were loved as pets aren’t sent to the soup pot, but to the equivalent of a retirement home.
• Susur Lee couldn’t make it work in New York, but can David Chang make his mark in Toronto?
• Can’t decide between pizza and burgers? Why not have both? Pizza Huts in the Middle East now offer this option – mini burgers or chicken nuggets attached to pizza crusts.
• The Five Guys in South Edmonton Common is now open. It looked packed from the outside!

Five Guys

• Mack and I finally sampled food from the Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market’s Harvest Cafe on Saturday. We always walked past the busy seating areas gawking at patrons’ meals, so it was nice to finally try a few things ourselves. Mack loved his breakfast sandwich, tasty and satisfying, even without melted cheese ($5.50 with a bagel). But my two egg breakfast ($6.50) didn’t live up to my expectations – the eggs and bacon were fine, but the potatoes were boiled and bland, and the fruit that was listed on the menu amounted to a garnish of three apple and pear slivers. We’ll be sticking to the sandwich in the future.

Breakfast sandwich

Two egg breakfast

• Annie, May and I caught up over dinner on the weekend at Shanghai 456. It’s been quite some time since I’ve been there, but this was a good reminder to make sure my next visit isn’t quite so overdue! The xiaolong bao was as delicious as I remembered, and the chive and egg pancake was also quite nice. Best of all, we split six dishes, and only paid $15 a person. Such a great value.

Xiaolong bao (I could have done with a second order of these)

S

hanghai chive and egg pancake

Rice cake with pork, Chinese spinach and bamboo shoots (a lighter alternative to noodles)

Hot and sour soup (great balance, and not overpowering heat)

• It’s a sure sign of spring: farmers’ markets are moving outdoors! Salisbury is the first – join them for their “moving outdoors” celebration on April 26, 2012.
• Cathy posted that Cally’s Teas is finally(!) open.
• Marlow Moo wrote about Creole Envie, a catering company that also offers a weekly take-out special. Since good fried chicken is hard to come by, it sounds like they’re worth seeking out!
• I spied Liane tweeting about My Empanadas last week. Looks like another great take-out option in Edmonton.
• Marianne put up a review of Three Boars. I look forward to venturing down to try it myself soon!
• It was great to hear that Leduc has chosen patios over parking. When will Edmonton do the same?
• Make sure you vote for Homesteader Elementary School – they are one of ten finalists (and the only one from Alberta), who are in the running for $20,000 to construct an outdoor garden. You can vote until May 11, 2012.
• Tourism Richmond has picked their twelve finalists for their Richmond 365 blogging project. Vote for your favourite – the top vote-getter will receive a bye to the finals, alongside two chosen by Tourism Richmond. It’s great to see finalists from as far away as Brooklyn, San Diego and London, England!
• Perhaps set dinners will be the new way to date: New York’s Eater is a part of a dining series that offers singles a prix fixe dinner and the chance to mingle.
• After visiting Blush Lane, I was hoping that Pangaea, the new organic food store located in Icon II on 104 Street, would carry similar products and variety. With only a small number of products on the shelves so far, it’s hard to judge what the store will be like when fully stocked (they plan to be ready by their June grand opening date). But for the moment, it seems like they are more similar to Planet Organic than Blush Lane, in its focus on organic certification instead of local sources.

Pangaea

• I had a mid-week craving for poutine and burek, but wasn’t able to satisfy those cravings until the weekend. We headed to the Cheese Factory on Friday, and split small orders of ground beef and regular poutine, as well as beef and spinach and cheese burek. Delicious.

Poutine

Burek

It was a bit of an exhausting weekend, but it was worth it! Our second annual Eat Alberta food conference took place at NAIT on Saturday, and I think the event was a success! I will write more about it this week. On to this week’s food notes:

• West Edmonton Mall’s annual Taste of Bourbon Street takes place from 4-9pm on April 17. Mack and I attended the event last year.
• Mack and I are looking forward to letting loose at the Shaw Conference Centre’s Hot Chefs, Cool bEATS event on April 21. It should be a great time! Here’s Chef Paul Shufelt’s take on the event.
• Three Boars is now open! We’ve heard nothing but good things so far – it sounds like both a welcome addition to the neighbourhood and to Edmonton as a whole!
• Edmonton will have another new food truck on the streets this summer – watch for Bombin’ Berts coming soon! They will be launching their truck at the Pride Parade festivities on June 9, 2012.
• Liane wrote about the revamp of the Citadel’s restaurant space, courtesy of the folks behind Normand’s and Glenora Grill. It sounds like they hope that breakfast will be their ticket to breaking the curse – let’s hope it works. It’s a shame when such a prime location is underused.
• Vue Weekly had a great feature on Food Dish Wishes and The Clever Rabbit – I had no idea the two were opened by entrepreneurial sisters.
• The Journal also had an article about some of the frustrating red tape restaurants and cafes have to go through in order to set up patios outside of their storefronts.
• There has been quite a bit of backlash against the City’s announcement of their Food in the City conference – is it a learning opportunity or a public consultation? If it’s the former, could they have picked a more cost-conscious venue? (for a quick comparison, the 2.5 day Food Today, Tomorrow conference I attended three years ago was $160). And if it’s the latter, is $175 considered a reasonable fee to be charging citizens to contribute their opinions? Worst of all is the scheduling – most of the producers who we should be consulting will be unable to attend because it is a market day. You can let the City know your thoughts about this here.

I hope you all had a good Easter full of family and food! Mack and I had a pretty relaxing weekend, but are still trying to get some things finalized, such as the What the Truck?! schedule for the summer and fall (we hope to be more on top of things in the second year of this festival). In the meantime, like us on Facebook! Onto this week’s food notes:

• Jennifer Cockrall-King is doing a talk about her book, Food and the City, at the Queen Mary Park Community Hall at 7:30pm on April 10, 2012.
• Join Dee Hobsbawn-Smith at the Muttart Conservatory on April 26, 2012 for the launch of her new book, Foodshed: An Edible Alberta Alphabet. I flipped through the book today, and it looks like a great read and resource!
• Valerie recapped what looked like an amazing “Rge Rd in the city” pop-up dinner at Chai Pani recently.
• Courtenay, of the blog Messy Little Cook, has relocated (temporarily) to Amsterdam! She’s going to share her food adventures abroad – check it out!
• We spotted these adorable(?) vegetable and animal-themed buns at T & T over the weekend. My friend Annie picked them up and said the custard was pretty creamy on the inside – so perhaps worth the novelty factor after all!

Who says you can’t play with your food?

• Coming soon: more Vietnamese food in the core – The Phat Noodle (10347 Jasper Avenue) is moving into the space vacated by Sankyu 2 Go, next to Corso 32.

The Phat Noodle

• Speaking of Corso 32, I neglected to write about our experience two weeks ago, momentous only because it was Mack’s first meal there. Ramps were everywhere on the menu! We especially enjoyed the house made goat ricotta and the grilled cheese topped with egg.

G

oat ricotta

Grilled cheese

• Mack also joined me for lunch at Pho Tau Bay for the first time over the weekend (we actually met Callie from Revive Wellness there, as she wanted to feature us in their “Love to Lunch” blog series; you can read our answers here and here). Tau Bay is my go-to lunch spot when I’m not brown bagging it – it’s quick, consistent, delicious, and means that I can get a nice walk in over the lunch hour as well. Mack slurped up all of the soup and every noodle in his bowl – definitely a good sign!

My usual

Mack’s pho with brisket and steak

Good to the last drop!

• Our unconventional Easter dinner took place at East – I had been itching for a reason to return to the restaurant with my family, and the long weekend was it. The roti and potato curry was as good as I remembered it, and the egg floss-topped butter shrimp and sweet and sour pork belly was a hit with my parents. The Penang char kway teow didn’t have that smoky wok aroma that we were looking for, and we found the glaze on the K.L. BBQ pork on the sweet side for our taste. Still, the service was great that night, and we enjoyed the dinner as a whole.

Roti

Butter shrimp

Sweet and sour pork belly

Penang char kway teow

K.L. BBQ pork

• For a late lunch on the go this afternoon, we stopped in at Remedy downtown to try one of their butter chicken wraps ($8.75). It took over fifteen minutes for our order (we suspect because the kitchen may have dropped the ball), but the wrap itself made up for it. Hot and crispy, the wrap packed in a ton of chicken and the occasional pop of potatoes and peas.

Butter chicken wrap

• On Saturday night, Mack and I headed to the Breakfast Television studios for the first ArtsScene Edmonton event of the year, their Trip the Light party. It was such an unconventional venue, but in many ways, was perfect for such a gathering, with a built-in stage, lighting and sound equipment available. Mack wrote a detailed recap, but I have to say I particularly enjoyed the high energy Mitchmatic. Thanks again to ArtsScene for the invitation!

BT party central!

Mitchmatic in action

Photo booth!

Mack and I have been trying our best to take advantage of the lengthening daylight hours by going on more and more evening walks – it really feels like spring is here! On to this week’s food notes:

• Sorrentino’s Annual Garlic Festival kicked off on April 1, 2012. This year, they are focusing on highlighting local ingredients.
• If you were already thinking about it, this is a good week to give Crepe Symphony a try – all of their savoury crepes are $5 from April 2 – 7, 2012.
• I’ve heard quite a bit of buzz about Three Boars (8424 109 Street) as of late. Anyone know when it is opening?
• It has been interesting to see the direction Culina has taken in the past few years, first in expanding to enhance the food options at the Muttart Conservatory, and now serving up food in the Culina Cantina at the Edmonton Police Service Headquarters.
• Backyard chickens have been in the news as of late – I have to wonder if the media picked up on Kevin’s webisode.
• Every time we walk past Remedy downtown, we are absolutely amazed to see how packed it is – where did all of these folks hang out before it opened? Or did they just migrate from the Garneau location? Anyway, it was neat to see a profile on Remedy owner Sohail Zaidi in the Journal this weekend.
• It was neat to see Slow Food member Johwanna Alleyne in the Journal – I had no idea she had a side pickle business!
• Tonight Mack and I attended the 25th Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts at the Winspear. I really enjoyed all of the performances this year, especially Colleen Brown’s set. It was the first year we’ve attended that they’ve eliminated the intermission in favour of a food-filled after party in the lobby, and I have to say, I think it made for richer post-event crowds! The Northlands food was hit and miss – the petit fours and cold dips were the best of the lot.

Colleen Brown

Reception

• Sherbrooke Liquor Store is organizing a California Wine Showcase, taking place at the Royal Glenora Club on April 13, 2012 from 6:30-9:30pm. The $65 ticket price is includes access to food and over fifty different wineries. Best of all, the event supports two good causes – Sherbrooke is donating proceeds to KidSport Edmonton and the Royal Glenora Gymnastics Program. The organizers were nice enough to not only provide a 10% discount to readers of this blog, but they have also offered me two tickets to give away. So to enter, just answer the following question by leaving a comment below with a valid e-mail address before noon on April 6, 2012. I’ll pick a comment at random and contact the winner by e-mail. The question is: What about the California Wine Showcase are you most looking forward to? Good luck!

EDIT on April 7, 2012: Congratulations to AH for winning the two tickets!

• Another pop-up dinner for Edmonton: Chef Blair Lebsack has organized a Rge Rd pop-up at Chai Pani to take place on March 31, 2012.
• I can’t wait to check out the Roots on Whyte complex (102 Street & Whyte Avenue) that opened last week, which features Jennifer Ogle’s new restaurant, Under the High Wheel, and Blush Lane, an organic grocer.
• From Mack: Underground Tap and Grill is under construction in the basement space beneath The Treasury. Let’s hope the 72 on-tap beers will be a better draw than the ill-fated Parkallen that occupied the level prior.
• We’re sorry to have missed Karlynn’s Culinary Cook-off, but were happy to get a glimpse of the mac and cheese samples on Valerie’s blog. We’ll definitely have to partake next year!
• Maki had a great photo spread of the latest Chef in Residence lunch at NAIT. It looks like Chef Massimo Capra and the culinary students cooked up quite a feast!
• Courtenay covered her experience of New Level Pizza, an underground supper club. Love that Chad’s advice was that she “wasn’t allowed to think about blogging while [she] was eating.”
• I missed including these posts last week, but they were important: Carmen and Phil spent an evening cooking for a good cause. They got together with some friends to feed families staying at the Ronald McDonald House, a residence for children and their families while they are seeking medical treatment.
• Kevin posted a second video in his series focusing on backyard chickens.
• Interesting piece about pop-ups, which has some truth in Edmonton as well: some restaurants are using it as a starting tool before reaching the brick and mortar stage.
• Mack and I had a lunch meeting at Three Bananas on Saturday. It’s been quite a while since I’ve been there for lunch, but we weren’t too impressed with the service. Our food took quite some time, and for $10.95, I expected a better sandwich – the chicken was dry, and the bread a little too crusty to enjoy.

Tuscan chicken sandwich

• Mack and I volunteered for part of the day at the City Market on Saturday to help spread the word about Eat Alberta. We’re three weeks away, with less than two dozen tickets left. We hope you’ll consider joining us on April 14 at NAIT!

Counting down to Eat Alberta!