• The downtown location of Oodle Noodle is turning one! Help them celebrate this weekend, December 2-4, 2011. This coupon will get you an entree and a drink for just $7, while there will be cupcakes and a magician on hand at noon on December 2.
• To help you be a more thorough shopper, Vinomania is offering free wine tastings from their Enosystem over the next three Saturdays from 11am-5pm (December 3, 10 and 17, 2011). You might just pick up a bottle for yourself, too!
• Sutton Place Hotel’s annual Taste of Christmas kicks off December 6 and ends on December 16. Make sure to call ahead for a reservation!
• Are you ready for a party? The Downtown Edmonton Community League is having a Christmas mixer at the office (10113 104 Street) on December 8 from 7-9pm. If you don’t have a membership yet, they will be selling them at the door for just $5. And with food being catered by Drift, you know it will be a good time.
• Twyla reviewed Hakuna Matata, a fairly new Somali restaurant on Alberta Avenue. I’d be interested to try it myself to see how it compares to African Somali, my go-to Somali restaurant.
• Marianne offers up a review of Noorish. Seems like most people are at first sceptical, but are quickly converted.
• The Journal had a great piece about the trend (and Edmontonians’ hesitation) towards fully embracing the communal table. I remember first encountering one a few years ago in DC – we were apprehensive at first, but found that it was a great way to break bread with strangers.
• Sarah Chan, of Girls + Bicycles fame, published a cookbook with her friend Leanne Brown. You can buy a hard copy, but you can also download it for free as well. I love how it is sectioned off into shops/farmers’ markets.
• I’ve had Thanksgiving in a bowl, but never in croissant form. It looks delicious.
• It’s a little disheartening to read about the food truck crackdowns in Midtown Manhattan. I really hope they find some way to work towards a more conducive solution for everyone.
• Did you see the headlines last week about how the US Congress now considers pizza a vegetable? I did too, but it turns out that wasn’t exactly true.
• A coworker had her farewell lunch at Khazana last week. I balked when I heard their lunch buffet was priced at nearly $18/person, but clearly this isn’t a problem for most – it was packed! Decent variety and good food, but I’m not sure I would pay that much for a lunch buffet on a regular basis.

The saag paneer was my favourite

• I love putting together baskets of food products and trinkets to give as gifts. The Italian Bakery in Chintaown (10646 97 Street) is a great place to go, where last week I spotted a marzipan pig.

Some pig

• I can’t wait until the Legislature grounds are all lit up for Christmas (taking place on December 1, which also kicks off the choir and hot cocoa season), but in the mean time, City Hall is looking lovely as well.

Have a good week!

If the crowds at Make It were any indication, I think people are seriously getting ready for Christmas! Thankfully, that wasn’t the only opportunity to get locally-produced and handmade crafts. The Royal Bison takes place this coming weekend, November 26-27, 2011, with catering provided by Culina. On to this week’s food notes:

• Moriarty’s is hosting a Beaujolais Nouveau party on November 24, 2011.
• I’m excited for Underground 104, which is happening on November 25, 2011. It’s an event being put on by Mercury Opera, and involves food and drink at several Fourth Street businesses from 6-8pm, and then at 8:15, there will be a performance on the Bay LRT platform. Tickets are $25, $20 for members of the Downtown Edmonton Community League.
• The next supper club at the Queen of Tarts will take place on November 26, 2011 – they will be posting the menu on Facebook. Mack and I attended the first of these dinners in October, and had a great time.
• Miss Cally’s Teas? Until they find a storefront, you can get your Earl Grey fix from Culina Muttart.
• This is never something you want to hear: another small farm has called it quits. Gwen Simpson of Inspired Market Gardens (a fixture at the City Market for many years), has decided that it is no longer sustainable for her to continue. She will continue to produce her dried edible flower products and a buyer’s guide to herbs next spring, but she will be relocating back to BC. All the best, Gwen!
• Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton (OFRE) needs your help! They need to make it through to the semi-finals of the Aviva Community Funding Grant with your votes – deadline is November 30, 2011.
• Top Chef Canada winner Dale McKay announced that he will be opening ensemble Tap, his second restaurant in early December 2011. It seems to be in the gastropub vein.
• The New York Times announced their new dining critic last week – Dining Editor Pete Wells will be taking on the task.
• There’s a calendar for everything these days, so why not one for food trucks, too?
• There was outrage this week when there were rumours that several NY locations of Starbucks would be closing their bathrooms. Is it the cafe’s job to provide public restrooms? This was an interesting thread, and made me think of the equivalent role Tim Horton’s and McDonald’s play in our city.
• Mack noticed that Chop will be coming to downtown Edmonton next summer – inside the Sutton Place Hotel.

Chop

• While at the University of Alberta last week, Mack and I were finally able to check out some of the kiosks run by some of the city’s food truck vendors, located in the basement of the Central Academic Building. Among them were Eva Sweet, Filistix, and Fat Franks. I’m a bit jealous that current students have such great options to choose from – I would have killed to have the option of starting my day with a savoury breakfast waffle topped with eggs and bacon, a lunch of pulled pork with apple chipotle bbq sauce, or an international dog of the week (like a Peking Dog with hoisin sauce). The kiosks are open 10am-4pm – check ‘em out if you’re down on campus!

Filistix and Eva Sweet share a kiosk

Who can say no to breakfast waffles?

Fat Franks

• We had a chance to stop by the McCafe in Commerce Place last week (incentive being, of course, the 2-for-1 coupons we received in the mail). Mack ordered a latte with a sugar-free vanilla shot, while I opted for a mocha (menu here). They are push-button drinks, made from machines similar to the ones seen in some self-serve cafe areas of hotels now. We liked the real milk (which gives McDonald’s a real advantage over Tim Horton’s), but even with the slight discount over Starbucks, we likely wouldn’t choose McCafe if there was a Starbucks nearby.

McCafe

Pastry case

Our drinks

Сайт знакомств

Edmonton finally gets its first snow (I’m not counting the bit that fell on Friday), and it was a pretty gorgeous snowfall to boot. On to this week’s food notes:

• Not food related, but the snow is making me think about Christmas. Two great shopping opportunities this weekend – Handmade Mafia on November 19 at Orange Hall, and Make It, from November 17-20 at the Alberta Aviation Museum.
• In the mood for chocolate? Then take advantage of the opportunity on November 19, 2011 from 1-5pm to sample a trio of chocolate flights at Kerstin’s Chocolates for just $5.
• You can cook, but how are you with your partner in the kitchen? Chef Andrew Parker is hosting a couples cook-off for ten pairs on November 22, 2011.
• Liane wrote about Smoky Valley Goat Cheese having changed hands. Glad to hear that Holly Gale is staying on to mentor the new owners to ensure a more seamless transition.
• Liane also posted that the Taste of Ukraine has reopened in St. Albert (#40, 516 St. Albert Trail).
• Lillian reviewed Mirabelle Macarons. Though several small macaron-oriented businesses have popped up over the year, they still haven’t become “mainstream”. What will it take?
• It was nice to read about the Tea and Coffee Company last week – I have seen their coffee on the shelves at the Italian Bakery, but didn’t really know much about them at all.
• I failed to link to this earlier – Yvonne discovered a McCafe in Commerce Place (on the second floor, in a renovated kiosk next to the existing McDonald’s). I’d be interested to put their espresso-based drinks up against Tim Horton’s new line of coffees.
• Speaking of Tim Horton’s – their storefronts will be going the white collar way of Starbucks too. Expect softer lighting, wi-fi, and new menu additions. What say you?
• I wasn’t able to make it out to the Chili Cook-off this year, so was happy Karlynn shared photos of the event.
• Great piece in Vue Weekly about the development of the local food scene, featuring interviews with Blair Lebsack and Kevin Kossowan.
• A similar article in the November issue of TechLife (NAIT’s monthly publication) on Blair’s quest to make local food mainstream in Alberta. I love this quote from instructor Hong Chew: “‘When we put a certain product on the menu, there has to be a story behind the product. That’s how you educate the consumer about where the food comes from.’”
• This is the outcome of an economic downturn: a rap about “going dutch”.

Anyone else excited for the Christmas season? I know Mack won’t let me start decking the halls until after American Thanksgiving, but given the holiday lights have been up all over downtown, I can’t help but start looking forward to all of the lovely things that come with the season. On to this week’s food notes:

• Olde Time Fair on the Square is back (albeit a little later than most years) on Saturday, November 13, 2011 from 10am-3pm. Expect carnival games, horse and wagon rides and food vendors! We checked out the festivities very briefly last year.
• Cake Couture, the west-end cake and cupcake shop, has published a book, subtitled, “Modern Sugar-Craft for the Stylish Baker.” Join Annie Dam for the book launch at Century Grill on November 16, 2011.
• Help Battista’s Calzones celebrate their first year in business on November 19, 2011.
• NAIT is hosting a special dinner prepared by Julie van Rosendaal and Sue Duncan, authors of a new cookbook called Spilling the Beans. For $60, attendees will be provided with a 3-course dinner, and a copy of the book. Register prior to November 14 if you are interested.
• It’s cookbook news galore, as Highlands Kitchen also announced that they are preparing a book, to be ready in 2012. A related note – they will be “posting a call for extras (diners) for filing January 10th & 11th via twitter and facebook” for their appearance on Food Network’s You Gotta Eat Here. Keep your eyes peeled!
• Can’t wait to celebrate American Thanksgiving? The High Level Diner will be serving up a turkey dinner perfect for ex-pats, or turkey fiends on November 24, 2011.
• Hopefully, the wait is over: Bubba’s tweeted that he will be open the week of November 8.
• Fat Franks must be doing well at the University of Alberta campus! They just opened a second kiosk at Lister Hall.
• Congratulations to Packrat Louie, Guru and Café de Ville for winning gold, silver and bronze, respectively, at the Gold Medal Plates last week. The dishes, as usual, looked stunning. My only wonder is why the awards aren’t more visible to the typical diner. Given they have a cross-Canada reach, one would think the program could develop into a Michelin- or Zagat-style rating, especially with the amount of effort chefs and restaurants undergo to participate. Though I know the primary purpose of the awards is a fundraiser for Olympic and Paralympics athletes and not as a culinary showcase, it’s a pity the winners of the competition aren’t more revered in Canada.
• Twyla reviewed Noorish, which is apparently leading the trend of serving up a side of yoga with your lunch.
• I had no idea Oranj, the new sushi bar on Bourbon Street at West Edmonton Mall, was a part of the Albert’s chain. The Journal reviewed it last week.
• If you haven’t already, Kevin’s post on seasonal eating (or as he calls it, “a forced abstinence”), is worth a read.
• I missed this last week: Toronto joins Mississauga, Brantford and Oakville as municipalities that have banned the sale of shark fin. The bylaw, effective September 1, 2012, bans the sale, possession and consumption of shark fin and carries fines of up to $100,000.
• Mack is pretty excited about the possibilities of Square, a “virtual card case” that will enable patrons to pay up without ever touching your phone or wallet.
• How low will we go: now that the word “artisan” has been co-opted by Burger King, will it ever have the same meaning again? Grub Street tracks the word’s demise.
• Duchess opened on Thursday in their new space. It looks great, with lots more seating. Apparently, it has been non-stop busy since that day! Mack and I stopped in on Saturday to check it out.

The new Duchess

We couldn’t resist picking up an exquisite passionfruit tart

• I’ve written in the past of our enjoyment of unusual potato chip flavours. So of course we couldn’t pass up a bag of Lay’s India’s Magic Masala flavour that we came across at the Spice Centre in Little India. It was definitely spicier than most North American-produced Lays, and the thicker ripple-cut was reminiscent of Ruffles.

India’s Magic Masala

• It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who gets excited when Starbucks releases their red cups.

Mack’s favourite egg nog latte and my seasonal choice, the gingerbread latte

Have a good week!

• Haute Cuisine has the first review up for Meguro Ramen, Edmonton’s newest ramen joint in Chinatown that opened on October 27, 2011.
• Liane mentioned that there’s a new “lifestyle” restaurant on the horizon in the High Street area called Cafe Tiramisu (10750 124 Street) that will offer healthy eats and a side of yoga.
• Liane also posted about Blue Kettle’s open house, to be held on November 26 in St. Albert.
• Ever want to be a restauranteur without the financial investment? Now, there’s a game for that: Duck Soup!
• Congratulations to Daniel Costa and Corso 32 for achieving not one, but two honours last week – Costa was named one of Avenue Edmonton’s “Top 40 under 40”, and Corso was included in EnRoute’s list of “Canada’s Best New Restaurants”.
• Great to see that Chef Blair Lebsack put on another fantastic farm to table dinner, this time at Riverbend Gardens. Thanks to Kevin for sharing, so people like me can live vicariously through the video!
• Ever wonder what chefs and critics in North America think of the Michelin guides? Eater reports on a few opinions here.
• Grub Street had a great series last week focusing on food television. Of note, how much TV appearances are really worth to restaurants, ten important food moments on television and why Chuck Hughes might be the next big celebrity chef.
• The Globe and Mail published a piece this weekend that tried (again) to beat the cupcake trend into submission. Even better, the response from Cupcake Takes the Cake.
• Walking down Whyte Ave, I noticed that Ousia (10846 82 Avenue) is now open. Lisa tells me that it is definitely worth checking out: “The food is amazing and the atmosphere is warm, elegant and inviting. It is truly one of its kind on Whyte Ave, and perhaps in all of Edmonton. Very unique, well thought out dishes and a wine/cocktail menu to match!”

Ousia

• I dragged Mack to Southgate for some window shopping, and thought the least I could do was reward him with some poutine! It was a good excuse to try New York Fries’ other “gourmet” poutine, featuring short ribs and a red wine reduction. The beef was actually not that bad, and the gravy-like sauce tasted not much different than a typical poutine sauce. The carrots should have been strained out though – it was a little odd to encounter anything remotely healthy in the poutine, heh.

Short rib poutine

• I think the number of poutine pictures I’ve shared is only perhaps rivalled by the number of pho pictures I’ve shared. So here’s another one – from lunch at Pho Tau Bay on Tuesday.

Pho with beef balls

• Attending a conference at the Radisson Hotel last week, I noticed they featured sparkling water in the meeting and banquet rooms. Not necessarily a selling feature, but a nice touch – I wonder if this will become more common in hotels (and restaurants)?

Sparkling water at the Radisson

• Did you know the Queen of Tarts offers challah bread (now on Fridays). We picked up a loaf for French toast. Delicious!

French toast

• I hope you had a good Halloween! Mack and I didn’t end up doing much, except carve a very rudimentary jack o’ lantern. What can we say – it’s our first!

Meet Jack (ignore the Christmas lights behind him)

I know I’ve been writing a lot about television lately, but it feels like the quality of shows right now is better than most seasons. I already mentioned my love-hate relationship with The Walking Dead (a show I enjoy, in spite of the fact that I usually run far, far away from the horror genre), but I’m also lately loving Revenge. Canadian(!) Emily VanCamp stars as the deliciously two-faced Amanda Clarke/Emily Thorne, hell-bent on seeking retribution for the wrongs done to her father. Sure, it can be overly soapy, but is such a guilty pleasure. On to this week’s food notes:

• Queen of Tarts is changing their name to “better reflect who they are now”. E-mail them with your suggestions – the winner wins a dinner for four (and the satisfaction of branding one of Edmonton’s best bakeries).
• New restaurant alert: Cibo Bistro, a new Italian eatery, is set to open on October 29, 2011 in Oliver Square (11244 104 Avenue).
• The second in the Journal’s coffee series appeared last week, highlighting Java Jive.
• I missed attending the Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival this year, but was happy to live vicariously through Maki, Jaquie and Foodie Suz.
• Serious Eats had a breakdown of ten signs of a bad macaron.
• I loved this infographic from My City Way charting the most (and least) expensive neighbourhoods in New York to dine in.
• Interesting piece on the end of “last meal” requests at a Texas penitentiary.
• Mack and I haven’t been eating much at home lately – not that we’re complaining! Friday night, we headed to Lux to help them celebrate their sixth anniversary. We were treated to truffled popcorn and delectable bone marrow sprinkled with some finishing hickory salt. And that was just the appetizer! For our entrees, Mack and I shared several appetizers. I really enjoyed the buttermilk calamari, crisp and light, while the winner for Mack was the lobster poutine. Billed as a side, it really could have been a main on its own. It was definitely a creative and well-made dish though, with bacon hollandaise and truffle sour cream in place of cheese, and fries that remained crispy throughout consumption. Happy birthday, Lux!

Bone marrow with arugula salad and crostinis

Kobe beef sliders and lobster poutine

• You may have heard on the news or read online that Kevin Fox, long-time downtown resident, City Market employee and Rory’s loving father, has been reported missing. If you have any information about him, please call the police at 780-423-4567.

Kevin Fox (photo courtesy of the City Market)

When I think about what kind of sissy I am when it usually comes to shows that involve gore or suspense, I’m not sure how I’ve become such a fan of The Walking Dead. But it happened, so I’m happy it’s back! We’ll see how the show evolves now that series creator Frank Darabont is no longer involved, but if the momentum from yesterday’s episode continues, it will be a good year! On to this week’s food notes:

• The Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival is on this weekend, October 21-22, 2011. There are a few chances for you to win admission tickets – from me, and from Maki.
• The Queen of Tarts only has half of its seats for Saturday’s first pop-up dinner still available. Linda says the five-course menu will be gluten-free to boot! Call 780-421-4410 for reservations.
• It’s great to see more street food vendors getting the opportunity to transition into brick and mortar shops – Filistix is now open in the Central Academic Building (CAB) on campus from Monday-Fridays, 9am-4pm. Find them in the lower level food court. Congrats, guys!
• The Journal had an interesting article about some of the issues local Big City Cupcakes franchises have had dealing with the company.
• The Journal also started a great series that will focus on local coffee hubs – last week, it profiled Transcend.
• It’s all about the Enjoy Centre: Liane wrote about some of the great breads coming out of Prairie Baker, and Twyla re-visited the Centre recently. I’ll have to get out there myself some time soon!
• Liv profiled Kathryn Joel’s Get Cooking school in Vue Weekly last week.
• I love travelling vicariously through blogs – Phil visited San Francisco’s Off the Grid about a year after Mack and I did. It’s amazing how much the event has grown in that time!
• Sam Sifton is done, and goes out with a bang – he names Per Se the best restaurant in New York: “It represents the ideal of an American high-culture luxury restaurant.”
• Great piece from the NYT on how cookbooks are continuing to evolve.
• Rumour has it: Starbucks has its sight set on heading into the juice bar business.
• Ramen is slowly taking over Edmonton: Meguro Ramen is moving into Padmanadi’s former space on 97 Street.

Meguro Ramen

• When I saw containers of Ching’s Secret Schezwan Bhel on the shelves at Superstore, I couldn’t help but pick one up (they were 33cents!). I was morbidly curious with what kind of “shake and eat” snack it would be. Turns out – not one that is remotely edible. The goopy-sweet sauce over the crackling-like chips were far from anything I’d want to eat. Have you tried this?

Ching’s Secret

Want to win two free tickets for anywhere WestJet flies? Then head to Mack’s blog and answer one simple question: what was your most memorable volunteer experience in Edmonton? On to this week’s food notes:

• Noorish held their grand opening on October 8, 2011. Did anyone attend?
• Liane posted about a series of dinners the Queen of Tarts will be hosting. Starting on October 22, guest chefs will be cooking up $45 five-course prix fixe dinners in order to ease the cafe into dinner service.
• Jacek chocolate is back! After taking a break to have her first child, Jacqueline Jacek debuted her new collection of couture chocolate last week. Check out the Ruby & Gold Collection here.
• Three Edmonton restaurants will apparently be featured on an upcoming episode of a new Food Network show called You Gotta Eat Here: Highlands Kitchen, Tres Carnales and The Sugar Bowl. Looking forward to seeing the local eateries highlighted!
• On a related note, Eat St. was just in Calgary to film three of their trucks: Perogy Boyz, Fries and Dolls and the Alley Burger truck. Is it time to launch a campaign to bring the show to Edmonton?
• While at Southgate for the Crate & Barrel opening on Wednesday, I spotted a New Asian Village Express in the food court. It’s great to see a local restaurant chain “infiltrating” a food court!

New Asian Village Express

• Mack, my parents and I joined over a hundred other guests at The Lingnan on Tuesday to preview The Quon Dynasty, the new reality series featuring the restaurant family. It’s much more fast-paced than the previous Family Restaurant, and as a result, is more entertaining and funnier to boot. Watch the first episode on CityTV on October 16 at 8pm.

With Kinman, Amy and Marty Quon

• I attended the Metropolis press conference on Thursday to find out more about the new winter festival, which debuts on Churchill Square on December 31, 2011. It’ll be interesting to see what the structures look like in person, but I do hope it lives up to the expectations surrounding the event. Among the six pavilions will be a Polar Brewhouse, which will be run by the Canadian Brew House, and a Taste of Winter pavilion, which will feature up to twelve restaurants. Given it is a new event, I’ll be open to seeing how the Taste portion will be run, but I’m not sure it’ll be much better than a typical Taste of Edmonton year.

Brewhouse and Taste pavilion mock-ups

• I hope you had a good Thanksgiving! My family gathered around a lovely meal cooked by my Mum – in addition to turkey and sides, she also made spring rolls wrapped with caul fat (from Irvings). Although they weren’t as crispy as she would have liked, they were still pretty good!

Thanksgiving dinner

• I used some of the leftover three-cheese mac and cheese that I had made for dinner to make Mack a sandwich the next day, inspired by something we had seen on Food Network. Though it was tasty enough, we both figured it probably would have been better (read: cheesier) if the macaroni had gone straight from the oven and into the sandwich.

Mac and cheese sandwich

• It’s hard not to be thankful when our weather has been so gorgeous!

Footbridge in the fall

Have a good week everyone!

At the Edmonton International Film Festival’s 24/ONE screening last year, I voted for the film that made me laugh out loud the most. I ended up using the same measure this past Friday at this year’s 24/ONE. 6 Hours by Fourth Wall Productions got my vote (I couldn’t . It seemed others in the audience enjoyed it just as much, and they took home the coveted Best Picture prize, which is determined by the audience. It was a good time – check it out next year if you get the chance! On to this week’s food notes:

• Congrats to Transcend baristas Josh Hockin and Ben Put who took home both first and second place at the Canadian Barista Championships today!
• Liv wrote about Engrained, a new eatery on the U of A Campus in the Edmonton Clinic North building.
• Chris reviewed The Burger Joint on the south side.
• I wasn’t able to make it out to the Fall Sturgeon County Bounty at the Prairie Adventure Gardens this weekend, but Andrea was! Live vicariously through her delicious pictures here.
• Marilyn wrote about a lovely potluck dinner she had with fellow gardeners of the Edmonton Organic Growers Guild.
• The Journal staff were up to their elbows in pie judging which pie would take home the prize in The Great Pie Project. Congrats to Ruth Reay and her strawberry rhubarb pie! Find her recipe and nine others here.
• Looking for a unique Christmas gift? Valerie has updated her schedule of 2012 Taste Tripping classes.
• Love this: a photographic retrospective of food trucks! (Maria, the chuckwagons are for you!)
• I heart Gail Simmons! Here’s an interview she did recently with the Huffington Post. I’ll have to try her fish sauce/risotto trick some time.
• Will this be a trend that moves to Edmonton soon? Catch down in Calgary now has their wine menu on iPads!
• We had another one of our epic potlucks at work. It probably is a good thing we don’t have them too often, or else afternoon naps would become a standard, too!

Too much food!

• While Mack’s Mom was in town on Saturday, we had lunch together at Famoso. It was my first time having the pizzetta/soup combo, and I loved the fire-roasted tomato bisque! The sharpness from that sprinkle of cheese really helped bring out the flavour.

Sweet BBQ chicken pizzetta and tomato bisque

• We also attended a lovely wedding on Saturday – congrats to the newlyweds Mag and Joey!

The cupcake tower mirrored the colours of the wedding

• Mack and I also finally visited the Fort Edmonton Footbridge this weekend. A coworker commented to me that she doesn’t normally deem bridges to be a destination, but this one, tucked in the Wolf Willow neighbourhood, should be. The view from the top, with the sound of the creek bubbling away, reminded us more of Banff (minus the mountains) than of Edmonton.

Fort Edmonton Footbridge

Wolf Willow Ravine

View from the top

I hope you have a good week!

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!