Hope you enjoyed the lovely weekend we were treated to! And if not, do take time this week to take a walk through your neighbourhood to soak up the light reflected off of golden trees, and to marvel at the beauty of wind-swept leaves. On to this week’s food notes:

• Bubba’s back! My Dad, the fan/stalker of the popular BBQ trailer, chatted with Bubba last week at his new set up just south of the Superstore on Calgary Trail and 51st Avenue. He’s just getting the power sorted out, and is expecting to be open at the end of September. He has signed a six month lease.
• Skinny Legs & Cowgirls has moved: Chris passed along a sign he saw at a cafe at Pender Island, BC, while he was vacationing there. It looks like the chef has relocated to the picturesque island. I wish them well!
• I’m excited to hear that the new Epcor Tower will be housing a Wild Earth Cafe, but am so disappointed to hear that there is no street-level access. Fountains don’t cut it.
• Congrats to Amanda Babichuk of d’Lish, who was recently honoured with a University of Alberta Alumni Recognition Award.
• Liane reported that Ethiopian favourite Langano Skies has reopened.
• Did you know there is a “secret” menu at Starbucks?
• Grub Street asks: is a restaurant responsible for your food allergies?
• Some grocers are phasing out self-checkouts. Nooo!
• The Chew, ABC’s new food-lifestyle daytime talk show, debuted today. I didn’t watch it, but after reading running commentary on the episode, I may not need to: “The concept of trying to watch somebody cook while three or four other people stand around and talk over the person cooking makes it really hard to pay attention to anything. It’s like one of those joke-y late-night-talk-show cooking segments, except it isn’t funny and it lasts an entire hour.”
• Speaking of food television, the new season of Top Chef: Texas will debut on November 2, 2011. New this season – Tom Collichio will be hosting online competitions that “will pit two previously eliminated contestants against one another.” The final winner will get to return to the on-air finale. Interesting way to bring people to the website.
• I just spotted a “Proudly Local” sticker associated with some of the apples in the produce section of the Italian Centre the other day. Given they also have the Eat Local First markers throughout the store, perhaps some streamlining is in order of its supplementary signage?

Proudly local

• Mack and I were craving comfort food on Friday night, and so found ourselves at The Bothy. Their chicken and leek pie is easily one of our favourite things to eat in the city, but I’ve also never been disappointed by their soups. That night, their wild mushroom soup was just perfect – seasoned well, with just the right amount of truffle oil to enhance but not stifle the earthy mushrooms. Delicious!

Chicken and leek pie and wild mushroom soup

• Drift was set up in the evening for the first time on Thursday, serving up burgers and soup. We loved their twinkle lights and outdoor seating! Check their Twitter feed to find out when their next evening service will be!

Drift for dinner

• Speaking of Drift, we caught up with Kara and Nevin again on Saturday, at the opening of the new Creekwood community in south west Edmonton. And when we say southwest, we mean fifteen minutes away from EIA. It was a bit disheartening, driving past acres of farmland that in a few short years will become another tract of development. Our reason for visiting was wanting to check out the “food truck promenade” that Creekwood had so heavily promoted on Twitter, one of the many attractions for their grand opening. Food trucks in both Edmonton and Calgary, because of their mobility and popularity, are starting to be used as a draw for new developments – it’ll be interesting to see how this continues. Anyway, Drift, Wannawafel, Fat Franks and Uncle Milt’s were all on hand, with patrons receiving food tickets in exchange for monetary donations to the Edmonton Food Bank. All items were priced at 1 ticket, so with the suggested donation being just $1/ticket, food was a steal. Our favourite item that day was Drift’s poutine, with so much melted cheese it was almost criminal! The jerk chicken sandwich was also very good. Wannawafel’s Belgian waffle wasn’t crispy on the outside, unlike Eva Sweet’s consistent creations, but it was good to have finally tried their product.

Trucks in Creekwood

Drift’s poutine

Drift’s jerk chicken sandwich (loved the pineapple)

Wannawafel’s Belgian waffle

• I went to Kuhlmann’s for the first time last week with a coworker. It is a beautiful greenhouse, and even this late in the season, is bursting with colour.

Gorgeous mums!

Beautiful flowering kale

Sculpture garden

Produce selection

• On a walk through the river valley yesterday, Mack and I passed by Shaw’s bountiful garden. Look at their gorgeous tomatoes!

Grow, tomatoes, grow!

• We went as far as the grounds around the Muttart Conservatory, where we were pretty sure a squirrel was actively trying to deter us from invading its space – namely, its stockpile of apples.

Patience, young squirrel

• Don’t you just love Edmonton in the fall?

Enjoy your week!

Thanks to everyone who came out to What the Truck?! 2 on Friday! We thought the wind and overcast conditions might deter the crowds, but we should have known better than to doubt the hardy nature of Edmontonians! On to this week’s food notes:

• Sturgeon County is hosting another one of its taste events, called Sturgeon County Bounty, on October 1, 2011 at the Prairie Adventure Gardens. The menu is full of harvest favourites, like roasted pumpkin soup and pumpkin pie, and intriguing dishes like saskaturkey (turkey from Saskatchewan? Turkey stuffed with Saskatoons?). Mack and I attended the Bounty event back in July, and based on that experience, would definitely attend it again.
• The Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival is on October 21-22, 2011.
• Undercover Gourmet Catering is now open!
• Twyla’s review of Vivo was much less praise-worthy than the Journal’s.
• Phil wrote a great post about Drift Food Truck: “While Drift has mastered the art of the gourmet sandwich, it’s the teal beauty’s affable owners, Kara and Nevin, and their mastering of those little intangibles of business that make for ultra loyal, ultra valuable, repeat customers that really sets them apart.”
• Speaking of food trucks, Vue also had good piece on Nomad.
• The biggest news out of NY this week was the announcement that Sam Sifton is moving to a different position at the Times. Already, there are retrospectives on his two year tenure as the Dining Critic, and the speculation begins on who will be his replacement.
• As much as I love Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, Food Network is taking the genre of “vicarious eating” a little too far – with The Best Thing I Ever Ate, and now, Sugar High and Heat Seekers, what happened to the cooking side of things?
• While at Superstore this weekend, I came across a “Buy BC” logo for the first time. It’s not new, but I hadn’t noticed it before. Anyone know if there is an Alberta equivalent?

Buy BC

• I stopped in at Transcend for lunch last week, and finally got to try their Latin American street food menu. The arepas ($7.50) were delicious, luscious pulled Irvings pork perfectly balanced with a fresh, slightly sour sauce. I’d probably need to order two plates for a full meal, however.

Arepas

• On Monday, I headed to watch Mack Walk a Mile in Her Shoes. It was a good excuse to eat from Bo Thai, the tiny trailer that has been parked at Churchill Square for a number of weeks. The green curry ($8) didn’t quite have the kick that I was hoping for, but the chicken was tender and on that chilly morning, it hit the spot.

Bo Thai

Green curry

And I know you’re all dying to see Mack in high heels (and yes, he rocked the walk too!)

Are you ready for What the Truck?! 2 this Friday? The menus are now up, so you can plan what to eat (or at least, how much to pace yourself that night). Hope to see you at 102 Street and Jasper Ave! On to this week’s food notes:

• Big City Sandwich, a forthcoming food truck, will be taking over the kitchen, pop-up style, at The Bend Lounge on September 18. RSVP to sample some of their fare early!
• Is it possible to dine out and help the Edmonton Food Bank at the same time? Yes – participating restaurants will be donating $10 for every $30 (up to a maximum of $60) spent during Yelp Eats, September 15-26, 2011.
• I just found out that Yellowhead Brewery is serving food! Well, sort of. The kitchen doesn’t have official hours because they haven’t had many people come through the doors when they have been open, but it’s a bit of a chicken-egg thing, isn’t it? They said they will be open this Saturday from 11:30-2 (ish), but with a menu like this, I really hope they choose to adopt more regular hours!
• Kerstin and her family will be travelling for a year, so Kerstin’s Chocolates will be run by Marianne Stover and Rachel Pereira in their absence.
• Lots of good stuff in the Journal last week: they reviewed Vivo, a new-ish Italian restaurant on the west end; featured Tangle Ridge Ranch in Taste Alberta; wrote a profile about the lovely ladies behind La Fourchette; and captured Chris’s love of offal.
• I like this approach by Slow Food chapters in the US – a challenge to make a good, clean and fair meal for $5, or, the average price of a fast food meal.
• It will be interesting to see the ramifications of this deal play out, but Zagat was bought by Google this week.
• I know Mack would love to be able to do this instead of actually cooking: consumers will be able to print out food in the future.
• Almost forgot to share these amazing pictures of the Tomatina festival, a massive tomato food fight held in  Spain every year.
• Speaking of tomatoes, ever wonder what sets apart true San Marzano tomatoes from the rest? Wonder no more.
• Spotted the Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market poster, and thought it was worth sharing. Simple, but eye catching.

Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market

• After a screening at Garneau, Annie and I stopped at The Dessert House (8412 109 Street, 780-439-7789) for a drink. It was standing room only inside! Their menu was an encyclopaedia of hot and cold drinks and desserts. I ended up with the strawberry bubble tea (with passionfruit pop bobas), and enjoyed it well enough.

Strawberry and papaya bubble teas

• Mack and I took advantage of summer’s resurgence over the weekend to satisfy a poutine craving. The walk back home was very much needed after sharing the large.

Quebecois poutine from La Poutine

• Unrelated to food, but so much fun I thought I’d share: to show solidarity with our Agency’s programs that address Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), we joined them in a flash mob organized to promote awareness of FASD Day on September 9. The dance itself (done to Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way”) was a bit of a gong show, but we had fun doing it, and people stopped in their tracks, so mission accomplished! Thanks to Mack for coming and taking pictures!

FASD Flash mob at Kingsway Mall

The long weekend was lovely, wasn’t it? Mack and I stole away to Calgary for a few days, which was a nice break, but once we got back, we also managed to catch up on some sleep! Hope you had an enjoyable few days as well. On to this week’s food notes:

• Fans of Family Restaurant, mark your calendars: The Quon Dynasty, the new television series about the family behind The Lingnan, debuts on CityTV on October 16 at 8pm.
• Congrats to Eva Sweet, who will be opening up their first non-mobile location at the University of Alberta campus on September 6. Find them in the CAB Building.
• I wasn’t able to grab a picture of it, but Cafe Beirut will be opening a restaurant downtown on Jasper Avenue and 112 Street called Taste of Lebanon.
• There’s a new Italian restaurant on the west end called Vivo.
• Michelle wrote a great piece about Chai Pani – definitely worth a read.
• Did you know Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton now sells their own fresh-pressed apple cider (as well as sour cherry & amaretto saucy syrup, spiced saskatoon jam and cider jelly)? Find them at the Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market.
• Now this is a labour of love: ajvar (red pepper spread) made from scratch.
• Last week, I had a craving for pho and decided to try Xu Hue (in the space previously occupied by Pho Anh Dao). It was recommended by someone who said that it was a favourite of the Vietnamese community. Service was fast, and the pho was good (the filet could have been a touch more tender), but what struck me most was how much of a family-friendly restaurant it was. The owner’s daughters were playing at the front, watching the TV tuned to the Family Channel. And a picky young boy, dining with his mother was presented with a bowl of plain rice noodles to eat (or play with). I still have a soft spot for Pho Tau Bay, but I wouldn’t hesitate to come back.

Medium rare beef fillet noodle soup (large $7.65)

• While in Calgary, we stopped by Good Earth for an iced coffee (don’t – it tasted like coffee-flavoured water). While there though, we found a smiling picture of Brad Smoliak on the counter – it looks like he has developed their new food menu. I’m sure it will be better than the iced coffee.

Good Earth

• Mack and I had missed the last food truck meet-up in Victoria Park because we were attending Heritage Days, so we were happy to get down there this afternoon. It was a brisk walk from Grandin Station, but given the weather, not a chore at all. The crowds weren’t large, but those who were taking in the trucks were making the most of it! We can only hope mini gatherings like this will be more common in Edmonton’s mobile cuisine future.

Molly’s Eats, Drift and Carnival Cravings offer the perfect picnic food!

Beautiful day

We also took the scenic route (on our way to Southgate) – across the pedestrian bridge…

…and through the trees!

Where has the summer gone? August just accelerated by, to the point where I’ve literally been a week behind (note to self: triple check e-mails prior to sending them to everyone in your organization). Hope the season’s been good to you too! On to this week’s food notes:

• Molly’s Eats and Drift will be serving up good eats over the long weekend at Victoria Park on Monday, September 5. Check their Twitter status for more information!
• If you’re not festival’d out yet, check out the Ukrainian Festival happening on September 10, from 11am-7pm at 6103 172 Street. There will be fresh bread baked on-site, and delicious homemade Ukrainian food, in addition to live entertainment and children’s activities. Admission is $2/person or $5/family.
• I hope all goes well with Bamir and Patricia (of Eva Sweet)’s nephews. If you haven’t heard, their three teenage nephews now face removal from Canada.
• Genius: Liv and Marlow Moo have found possibly the best way to sample dessert – eat your way around downtown!
• Vue Weekly wrote a great piece about the gentrification of Whyte Avenue this week – should BRZs be restrictive about the types of businesses that go into the area?
• Courtenay wrote about their local butcher, Real Deal Meats.
• Will we ever reach a point where there are too many farmers’ markets?
• What are we supposed to do now? Gilt Taste says that wine and cheese pairings aren’t meant to be.
• Can you trust online reviews?
• I saw this and couldn’t help but think of Mack – Eater presents New York Times’ food critic Sam Sifton’s starred reviews in charts and graphs.
• Did you hear about the smackdown that took place this week between Paula Deen and Anthony Bourdain? The follow-up from Frank Bruni is worth a read: “When Deen fries a chicken, many of us balk. When the Manhattan chefs David Chang or Andrew Carmellini do, we grovel for reservations and swoon over the homey exhilaration of it all.” Well said, Bruni.
• This absolutely took my breath away: New York just had their first taste of Diner en Blanc (“dinner in white”), a tradition of private dinners that began in Paris. With a harbour front setting, lanterns, and all diners dressed in white, it looked pretty amazing. Diner en Blanc also takes place in Montreal and Quebec City – could we do it here, too?
• It’s official! Remedy is taking over the downtown storefront previously held by Health Fare (10279 Jasper Avenue).

Remedy

• This is a week old, but there was quite a bit of outrage when residents found that the downtown Sobeys had covered up all of their windows, blocking eyes on the street and into the store. We hope this decision will be reversed (there is a meeting this week to discuss it).

Sobeys

• I met up with Annie for dinner at Violino last week. They were featuring pizzas cooked in an outdoor oven, so both Annie and I decided to try them. It was a bit awkward, given the pizza dough had to travel from the kitchen through the dining room to reach the oven (and back to the kitchen to be dressed), but I suppose then we knew it was fresh! Annie’s pizza, with proscuitto, artichoke hearts, arugula and goat cheese was the better of the two – more moist with a crust that didn’t chip a tooth. Dessert was better, a silky panna cotta made with buttermilk. It was more tart than either of us were used to, but balanced out in the end with a blueberry sauce and a warm apricot pastry on the side.

Margherita pizza

San Danielle pizza

Panna cotta

I hope everyone had a great weekend, making the most of summer! I’m sad to have missed the Dragon Boat Festival (again), but in a season where there are multiple things going on every weekend, a choice must be made! On to this week’s food notes:

• Who doesn’t love a free barbecue? The Edmonton Economic Development Corporation is hosting an “I [heart] yegdt” lunch on Churchill Square from 11:30am-1pm on August 24, 2011.
• In support of the Royal LePage Shelter Foundation, Lux is hosting the second annual Bacon Day on September 3, 2011. The $65 ticket price includes a bacon infused Bloody Caesar and a family style 3 course meal inspired by bacon.
• Help Birds & the Bees Organic Winery (formerly EnSante) celebrate their new identity by visiting their farm on September 4, 2011! Tickets include a tour, tasting and pie!
• Valerie checked out this year’s Tomato Fare – and found that there was something missing.
• Foodie Suz wrote about her incredible experience at the Okanagan Feast of Fields. I wish I was there!
• The ‘big’ incident that swept through Eater last week involved a diner at a Houston bar tweeting that her bartender was a “twerp”, then promptly getting a call from the bar’s owner that she was no longer welcome at the establishment. Read all about it here.
• Tutti Frutti, a self-serve frozen yogurt shop, finally opened at 10420 82 Avenue this weekend. We checked it out between Fringe shows on Saturday. At 49 cents an ounce, it is on par with Twisted Yogurt, the other self-serve fro-yo establishment in town. On that particular day, they had 11 yogurt flavours to choose from, and a variety of toppings. We love the self-serve aspect, and really, it’s about time for something like this to finally open up on a pedestrian-friendly street. Of course, it’d be better if it were a local chain, but if there are two cupcake shops on the Avenue, perhaps there could be rival frozen yogurt shops as well?

Tutti Frutti

Can you guess which one is mine and which one is Mack’s?

• Not food-related, but Mack and I had a great time at the Taylor Swift concert on Thursday (alongside families and too many screaming tweens to count). Though her show featured pyrotechnics, aerialists and lots and lots of confetti, I actually preferred the quieter moments of the concert – just her and a guitar, strumming away at the base of an illuminated tree. You can check out Mack’s pictures (and videos) here.

Taylor Swift

I guess Fringing all day on Sunday took more out of me than I thought – I had to go to bed early last night just to recover (so, no food notes until today). I’m looking forward to spending most of this week on the grounds though – there’s just so many more plays to see! On to this week’s food notes:

• I have yet to write about the fabulous Old Strathcona Red Shoe Crawl that Mack and I enjoyed last week, but if you missed it, Yelp is organizing something along the same lines – a crawl of East Whyte Ave. It’s on from August 14 to 21, 2011, and includes deals such as 2-for-1 cupcakes at Flirt!
• If the Fringe isn’t your thing, the annual East Meets West Festival starts this weekend, starting August 20 and running until August 28. The festival just seems to get bigger every year – check out the schedule of events here.
• Kerstin’s Chocolates will be selling their Vahlrona ice cream at the City Market on August 20, 27 and September 3.
• I might be in denial that summer is rapidly coming to a close, but it does mean that harvest season is just around the corner: the Prairie Bistro will be celebrating fall with a harvest dinner on September 1, 2011.
• Rumour alert: Remedy Cafe is said to be opening another location in the downtown space currently held by Health Fare (10279 Jasper Avenue).
• Look for popular Ethiopian restaurant Langano Skies to re-open at the end of the month.
• Transcend’s new food menu is now in full swing! Check out their new food and liquor menus (the food is available at all three locations, while the alcohol is only available at the downtown and Garneau locations). Chris also wrote about the food here.
• Battista’s Calzones also debuted two new additions to their menu: a savoury pesto calzone, and a nutella dessert calzone!
• An enterprising young Edmontonian is looking at jumping into the local food truck scene – follow along on this blog. Good luck!
• Slow Food Edmonton held its first ever “canning bee” on Sunday – it looked like a lot of fun! Read all about it on Valerie’s blog.
• It was great to see wood-fired ovens featured in the Journal (and even better to read what Colleen, Vince and Kevin had to say)!
• I had no idea there was a locally-made series called The People That Touch Your Food until I read about it in Vue. It was filmed at Upper Crust and chronicles the “adventures of a dysfunctional restaurant staff.”
• I was excited to see that the Taste of Trucks event in Calgary, put on by YYCFoodTrucks was a huge success. I think we can learn from our neighbours, but I also think there is some great momentum in our province that we can build on in Edmonton.
• There was a huge outpouring of support on the blogosphere for a mother of two who just lost her husband. How? Food bloggers all across North America responded to her call to make Mikey’s favourite chocolate peanut butter pie to share with a loved one.
• Whyte is getting some new additions: one chain, and one local chain.

A DQ/Orange Julius will be opening up in the vacant Death by Chocolate space (8137 104 Street)

Famoso will be opening up in the Le Chateau space at 10421 82 Avenue (and also adding a West Edmonton Mall location to boot)

• Marilyn had Mack and I over for dinner last week (she now has a blog too; check it out!). We had cake for dessert…well, sort of. She made a delicious cauliflower parmesan cake, and green beans with bacon. I brought a blueberry buckle – it was similar to a coffee cake, but I could have done with half the amount of sweet crumble. Still, we loved the cake itself, and I would make it again. Thanks, Marilyn, for the invitation!

Blueberry Buckle

The countdown to the 30th Edmonton International Fringe Theatre Festival is on! Mack and I bought our Frequent Fringer passes and the program last week, so we’re all ready to go. The fun starts in Old Strathcona on August 11 and runs until August 21, 2011. On to this week’s food notes:

• Help spread the feeling for the Edmonton Food Bank! For every hug sent, Kraft will donate one jar of peanut butter to the food bank!
• The Queen Community Garden (11112 109 Ave) is hosting an open house on August 12, 2011 from 12-3pm. Tours will be offered on the hour.
• Madison’s Grill is hosting a farm to fork dinner on August 24, 2011. Producers will also be on hand to answer questions – check out the menu on the “features” tab.
• Congrats to Transcend Coffee baristas Ben and Josh for placing first and third, respectively, at this weekend’s Prairie Regional Barista competition.
• Speaking of Transcend, they just launched their exciting new food menu, which includes in-house made pastries like a savoury squash brioche. Street food-inspired items, including pupusas and arepas, will be introduced on August 10, 2011.
• We were sad to have missed the Drift and Molly’s Eats food truck meet-up on August 1, so it was great to read about it on Twyla and Carmen’s blogs.
• On the topic of food trucks, I really wish I could be in Calgary on Thursday for the official launch of their Food Truck Pilot Project. I’m optimistic that Mayor Nenshi’s efforts will help make it easier for trucks down south. And though it’s slow going here (something we’re hoping to change soon), I recognize that it could always be worse – we could be in Winnipeg.
• Jacquie shared her recent experience with Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton (OFRE).
• There was a great piece about Johnson Family Farm in Taste Alberta last week. I hear it caused quite the line-up for their products at Salisbury Farmers’ Market the following day!
• Musings on the slippery slope of local, sustainable food: “At a certain point, when only the relatively rich can afford to not ingest bovine growth hormone on a regular basis, appreciating food and where it comes from becomes a bourgeois endeavor akin to collecting Fabergé eggs.”
• This was one epic resignation letter from a disgruntled Whole Foods employee. You know it won’t be puppies and rainbows when it starts out like this, “I appreciated and respected what the company said it’s philosophies were at that time…However, it didn’t take long to realize what complete and utter bullshit they are.”
• Are you ready for The Chew, a daytime talk show all about food? It starts airing on September 26, but I’m excited to see Top Chef alum Carla Hall back on TV.
• No one’s happier about this than Mack: Oodle Noodle is expanding downtown, and will be opening up a location in the Birks Building on Jasper Avenue just off 104 Street. Look for it November 1, 2011.

Another Oodle Noodle, coming soon!

• Mack and I had dinner at Niche on Friday. It was quieter than I expected, especially compared with my last two experiences there. I was sad to see they had taken my favourite dish – the beef cheek and egg noodles – off the menu, but I didn’t mind trying something new (it was great to see that they’ve added a vegetarian entree to the menu, too). The cheese plate ($22) was okay but nothing special (and we were a bit surprised our server didn’t introduce the cheeses to us). My Spanish braised Pembina pork ($22) was a monster of a serving, but was just meltingly tender and easy to eat without a fork. I could have done with less Israeli couscous though, and more of the slaw. Mack ordered the special, halibut crusted in cornmeal and paprika ($25). He enjoyed it, but preferred to sneak bites off my plate. We’ll be back at some point, but in the meantime, I’ll keep my fingers crossed that the beef cheeks will return to the menu…

Cheese plate

Spanish braised Pembina pork

Halibut crusted in cornmeal and paprika

• On Saturday, our lovely dinner companions treated Mack and I to dinner at Bistecca. Our server was very patient with us as our party assembled, and great throughout the night. If I thought my serving at Niche was large, I’m not sure what to say about the veal osso buco. Though the meat was tender, the sauce definitely helped keep everything moist and tasty, and the side of risotto was cooked just perfectly. Mack ordered the night’s special, a house-smoked Nathan’s hot dog, served with lobster and risotto – there aren’t too many steakhouses that serve up hot dogs in Edmonton! The ‘dog ended up being the star of the show. Three of us ordered the crepes for dessert, mostly for the show. The crepes themselves were okay (the fig filling wasn’t our favourite), but the flame? Well, see for yourself.

Veal osso buco

Nathan’s Famous hot dog and lobster

Fire!

Crepe

I hope you enjoyed this long weekend! It was one of those weekends where we weren’t home very much, but with such beautiful weather, and so many things to do in the city, it just felt like summer! On to this week’s food notes:

• Who doesn’t love ice cream? Kerstin’s is hosting a summer ice cream party on August 3, 2011 from 3-7pm. Try their Pinocchio Valrhona ice cream three ways: au naturel, as a milk shake, and as a float.
• Tomato Fare, another alternative “taste” event, is happening on August 14, 2011 at Salisbury Greenhouse. A minimum of 50% of the dishes will incorporate the tomato. I went two years ago – recap here.
• An annual harvest tradition, the Edmonton Horticultural Society invites you to “Show What You Grow” at Fort Edmonton Park on August 27-28, 2011. This year, they’ve even introduced a local food category.
• Based on this photo on The Edmontonian, things are looking up for the return of Langano Skies!
• Culina Highlands is now known as Highlands Kitchen.
• I think this is old news now, but Zen Sushi has opened up a south side location at 7618 104 Street, the former Gino’s Italian Kitchen space (and most recently housed David’s).
• Chris reviewed Spring Roll Kitchen, a new restaurant located in Century Park.
• Liv wrote about Drift Food Truck – if you’re in the area, definitely stop by for a sandwich!
• Great profile in Vue last week on Absolutely Edibles, a restaurant on 118 Avenue.
• Thanks to Keri for a tip about Real Deal Meats: on Saturdays, the shop is offering a special smoked meat special every Saturday that is ready to be picked up after 5pm.
• I knew we missed out on a great dinner: check out Valerie and Kevin’s recaps on the fabulous dinner at Nature’s Green Acres.
• Red Rooster, the uber-hip restaurant in Harlem, will soon be offering free bike rentals to customers to explore the neighbourhood! Too cool.
• After attending a wedding at the Art Gallery of Alberta on Sunday, Mack, myself and a few friends wanted to grab a bite to eat nearby. It was more difficult than it should been (with so many restaurants either typically closed on Sundays, or closed for the long weekend). We ended up at Doan’s on 107 Street. The food was okay, but the service was poor – no water refills, and a very long wait for the bill.

My special beef noodle soup

Mack’s combination plate with grilled beef

• We experimented more with our new charcoal barbecue this weekend, and we (okay, Mack) is finally getting the hang of it! Rib eyes from Nature’s Green Acres was first, and though the coals still weren’t as hot as they should have been for a nice sear, marinating them for a few hours saved us. Next, was some halibut from Ocean Odyssey, sprinkled with a Moroccan spice blend I had picked up in Toronto. Turns out third time’s the charm (or at least the fish was) – it was perfectly cooked, with that hint of smoky flavour.

Steak and potatoes

Halibut

All vacations are fun, but this one was particularly great because I got to hang out with Amanda, who moved to Toronto back in April. I’ll be writing about it at some point (I realize I said that about San Francisco…), but suffice to say, I kind of miss the humidity! The heat definitely beats the rain. Anyway, a belated and abbreviated food notes this week, while I catch up on things:

• Via Connect2Edmonton, look for Noorish, a “conscious eatery and superfood elixir bar” to open at 8440 109 Street.
• If we weren’t out of town, Mack and I would have been among those lining up at Alberta Avenue last Thursday to try Edmonton’s newest food truck, Nomad. They served up smoked pulled pork sandwich, with apple and fennel slaw and a curried, pickled carrot. Looking forward to what they serve up next!
• Speaking of barbecue, Linda sent me some information about a new food option in Leduc, from La Pisana: “We are ready to go with the BBQ Trailer , starting July 12th we will be on location in Nisku serving BBQ out of our unit , we will be just off Sparrow Drive north of the Ritchie Brothers site, we will have the trailer there Tuesdays through Friday from 11:00 – 1:30 or till we run out of food , stop by to get your BBQ lunch on the fly, we will have a different menu every day, Tuesday will be Smoked Turkey Legs and Italian Sausage , Wed. we will have BBQ beef on a bun , Thursday our signature “Bacon Bomb” sandwich and pulled pork and Friday is undecided at this time , so come and see us for a great lunch for less
  than $10.00, hot and ready to go.”
• Battista’s Calzones has created a number of new flavours, and will be featuring a different one every Saturday. The “Pesto Presto” was featured this past weekend – what will come next?
• Liane wrote about some changes happening at Culina Highlands – the restaurant will no longer be a “Culina” outpost because of the confusion and only open Thursday-Monday, but will still serve the same Ukrainian fusion diners look for.
• I can’t wait to read more about Blair Lebsack’s outdoor dinner held at Nature’s Green Acres on Saturday. I was sad to have missed it – when I toured the farm a few years ago, and saw the space they intended on hosting the meal, I knew it’d be a magical experience. I hope Blair does it again!
• Twyla reviewed the new downtown Lebanese restaurant Chateau Beirut – looks like it will be a welcome addition to the neighbourhood!
• Queen of Tarts is going on a short holiday! They will be closed August 1 – 8, 2011, and will reopen on August 9.
• Liv filed a profile on Tres Carnales last week.
• My parents bought us a charcoal barbecue for my birthday, and we were finally able to put it to good use today. Unfortunately, it’s a steeper learning curve than we thought, and it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing – we couldn’t get the charcoal hot enough, and had to finish the burgers on the stove. Better luck next time!

Burgers made with Nature’s Green Acres ground beef and a Queen of Tarts French roll

• I thought I didn’t take as many photos as I usually do on holidays, but I guess I was wrong! Just one for now:

Amanda and I at the Blue Jays game