I had the best of intentions to recap more of our San Francisco trip, but just ran out of time. Perhaps, after I return from Toronto? I won’t be blogging in the next week while I’m away, but please check out the revised list of Culinary Counterparts on the sidebar – I (finally) updated it. Have a good week!

• You have just a few more days to get your Taste of Edmonton at a discounted rate – 10% off if you purchase them by July 20.
• Connect 2 Edmonton is buzzing with the possibility of a second Cactus Club location in Oliver.
• It was announced that the river valley has its first cafe, located in Louise McKinney Park! Mack and I often wondered if the building was meant for more than just washroom facilities, but glad to hear that thirsty visitors can now grab a drink. Hope to check it out soon!
• This week’s issue of Vue Weekly is all about beer! Check out profiles on Alley Kat, Yellowhead and a history of beer in Canada.
• More Tres Carnales talk in the blogosphere, this time from Courtenay and Sarah. I really had no idea there was such an underground love of tacos in Edmonton; the response has been quite amazing. And I still haven’t been to try them myself…
• The Journal reviewed a Vietnamese restaurant Rice Paper last week. My parents went to try it after reading the article, and thought it was just okay.
• In this age of Yelp, food blogs, Twitter and Chowhound, one has to wonder if books like Where to Eat in Canada are still relevant, or if anything, how much longer they will last.
• In recent weeks, there have been a rash of crackdowns on food trucks in midtown Manhattan, so much so, that people are saying that if this trend continues, it may chase out the very pioneers who made food trucks popular in the first place. Zach Brooks had a great take on this.
• I think we already knew this, but new research tells us that we are physically incapable of resisting fried chicken.
• Chateau Beirut (102 Ave and 107 Street) is now open!

Chateau Beirut

• The Devonian Gardens’ 4th annual Green Festival runs on July 17, 2011. Expect sustainable gardening lectures and cooking demonstrations, among other things.
• Fork Fest, which starts July 17, has a few menus up.
• Have you checked out the menu for Sip! at Capital Ex? It looks pretty tasty!
• The 2011 gluten-free pancake breakfast will be held on July 23, 2011.
• There was more love in the blogosphere this week for Tres Carnales Taqueria – from Twyla, Baconhound, Edmonton Foodie and Cream and Sugar.
• Transcend’s long-anticipated street food-inspired menu will be ready on August 1 and 2 at Transcend Garneau and Downtown, respectively.
• Read all about one of Edmonton’s newest food trucks, Shaka Boys Shave Ice.
• Vue Weekly wrote a great profile on Early Bird Cafe.
• Liv and two friends rounded up cupcakes from bakeries all over town for the ultimate taste test (with graphs!). Delish Custom Cakes & Sweets came out on top.
• How about a picnic? Avenue Edmonton pairs delis with parks in a spin on al fresco dining.
• Ever want to peek into someone’s pantry? Liane’s article last week allows you to do just that. It features Michael Avenati of Mo-Na Foods and food writer Twyla Campbell.
• Speaking of Twyla, she was involved in preparing the foods served to William and Kate at the reception in Ottawa on Canada Day.
• Andree visited Top Chef Canada winner Dale Mackay’s Vancouver restaurant Ensemble. Good food, she writes, but “what bothered me most was that a lot of the menu wasn’t easy to share despite what they insisted was Ensemble’s focus.”
• Did you pick up a free slurpee from 7-11 today? It turns out the promotion is actually a boon for the chain – they’ve found the tasting cup actually convinces most customers to purchase a larger size.
• TV fame doesn’t necessarily lead to success. Take the example of Soul Daddy, the “winner” of America’s Next Great Restaurant.
• Mack and I stopped by to check out SOS Fest yesterday. The rain dampened the crowd during the time we visited, but it looks like it picked up later in the day. It was great to see food vendors from the area on site too!

The Pack A.D. performs

Peds on the street!

Food vendors

Mack even met the Biebs!

• We haven’t been dining al fresco as much as we would have liked this year, so it was nice to grab the opportunity last week.

Dining outdoors

Hope you had a good Canada Day, and enjoyed the festivities! I feel like I’m again so behind with my posts – so much to write, so little time! But my goal is at least to capture a bit more of San Francisco (only ten months after the fact, sigh) before we leave for Toronto in a few weeks. On to this week’s food notes:

• Press’d is celebrating the grand opening of their second location at 112 Street and Jasper Avenue by offering a chance to win free sandwiches for a year: simply head down and buy a sandwich on July 8 or 9 for one of five chances to win. In addition, from July 4 – 9, they are donating $0.50 from every sandwich sold at both locations to the Youth Emergency Shelter Society.
• I thought I had posted about it earlier, but it seems I missed mentioning the opening of the Green & Gold Garden at the U of A. It works on a pay-what-you-choose model, but all funds collected support a not-for-profit organization that supports socially and economically marginalized women in Rwanda. Produce available this week includes lettuce, arugula, Chinese cabbage, pak choi and kale.
• Kevin’s first From Local Farms video of 2011 is up! Featured is Tangle Ridge Ranch. Congrats also to Kevin for being named one of Alberta Venture’s “Next 10”.
• There’s now an Asian food option in Century Park – Spring Roll Kitchen (2395 111 Street, 780-437-5547) was set to open on Canada Day.

Spring Roll Kitchen

• Cupcakes are still going strong in Edmonton – Flirt Cupcakes just opened their second storefront downtown at 105 Street and Jasper Avenue. I stopped by this afternoon for a treat, and Michelle told me the renos aren’t quite done (the location was a former Treats Cafe). Expect more seating to come!

Flirt Cupcakes

• I stopped by Pho Tau Bay for soup last week, just in time before their annual summer vacation. They will be closed July 4, and will reopen on August 25, 2011. Alternatively, you could always check this handy site to see if the restaurant is open.

I heart beef noodle soup

• Mack and I picked up some bubble tea from Bubble Buzz to accompany our evening walk last week. I’d never had Hong Kong-style milk tea before – it was a nice, balanced alternative to iced coffee. Mack, who isn’t the biggest fan of bubble tea, couldn’t get over the bursting mango bubbles – his look of sheer glee every time he bit into a mango surprise was too funny. Liv checked out Bubble Buzz recently too.

Bubble Buzz

• We met up with Mack’s Dad (and Thom) for dinner on Saturday while he was in town. His restaurant of choice? Origin India, which we had introduced him to about this time last year. As always, we thoroughly enjoyed their buffet.

Plate #2 at Origin India (the karahi paneer was particularly tasty that night)

• Mack had lunch at Tres Carnales today, which opened over the weekend. Chris powered through the menu, and wrote an extensive review here.

Tres Carnales

• While Mack dined on tacos, I had lunch at Taipan Cafe. The rice noodles with beef were okay (I think I prefer the Garden Bakery version a little more), but even more exciting, it was the first time in a long while that I had an iced Horlicks! Cold drinks made from powder always seem to transport me back to Asia…

Taipan Cafe

• It’s a bit of a miracle I haven’t yet killed the tomato plant on our balcony, so the fact that we were able to harvest our first tomato last week was a bit of a personal victory. I have Jennifer and James at Sundog Organic to thank, for growing a hearty variety that can survive the likes of me!

Our first tomato!

It was a bit of an exhausting week (but in a good way!). Between my Agency’s 50th anniversary, my birthday and of course, What the Truck?!, I could barely keep up! Thankfully, I have the long weekend to fall back on – Happy Canada Day, everyone! On to this week’s food notes:

• Advance tickets for the Taste of Edmonton, which runs July 21 to 30, are now on sale. They have two new restaurants joining the fray this year, ZINC and Lit, and a number of new menu items from stalwart participants. Going forward, restaurants apparently will only be able to repeat menu items for two years – that will help spice it up for annual patrons.
• Mark your calendars for Fork Fest, July 17-21 and 24-28, 2011.
• As I mentioned last week, “taste of” events seem to be abound this summer, and I continue to learn about more! Ronald McDonald House is hosting a Taste of Whyte – Red Shoe Crawl on August 7, 2011. You’ll be able to sample food from area restaurants, all while supporting a great cause! I think it’s a great idea.
• The second location of Press’d opened last week. The new location looks beautiful – they took great advantage of the high ceilings.
• Twyla wrote a great report on Lobsterfest, the annual fundraiser for the Canadian Culinary Federation at the Shaw Conference Centre.
• Undercover Gourmet will be catering in the fall! I met Evonne at the Susur Lee lunch back in March, and found out at that time that she is a trained chef! Best of luck with your new endeavour, Evonne.
• Happy belated birthday to The Carrot!
• Bubble Buzz (10140 – 104 Street) opened for business on June 25, meaning in addition to great coffee, we now have a bubble tea option on the street! The owners have done a great job renovating the former Taco del Mar space into a clean, modern storefront. Check out their menu here (they only use real fruit for their drinks), as well as their opening week specials!

Bubble Buzz

• Though I often snap pictures of forthcoming restaurants, I haven’t done much in the way of documenting restaurants that close (Eater does it in a regular roundup called “The Shutter”). That said, there seem to have been a number of closures as of late, so I think it is worth mentioning – including Luzzara, which will be closing as of July 17, 2011 and possibly the second location of Health Fare (according to a letter posted on the door, they are in arrears, and are locked out of their downtown location).

Soul Soup (a sign on the door reads that you can still purchase their soup next door at Cafe da Gama, or at MRKT)

Timothy’s in City Centre

Don Antonio’s on 124 Street

• I remember Liane writing about Madison’s Grill’s great new patio. I hadn’t walked by it until the other day – it looks like it would be a great spot to grab an after work drink.

Madison’s Grill, al fresco

• Mack and I stopped by the Callingwood Farmers’ Market on Sunday. I had only ever seen photos, but heard that it was quite a lively market, so I wanted to see it for myself. We loved the use of the breezeway – it would definitely help shelter patrons in inclement weather – but found a definite lack of produce vendors. There were a few, but given the choice and variety we are used to at the City Market, I would find it challenging to do my weekly shopping there.

Callingwood Farmers’ Market

In the breezeway

Outside

• As I mentioned, our Agency celebrated its 50th anniversary this past week. Our AGM was held at the EXPO Centre this year. The romaine salad was forgettable (and really, a bit unforgivable…limp and dry, it looked as if it had been plated several hours before), but the chicken entree was quite good, given the size of the crowd.

The requisite conference chicken…but well done!

• The highlight for me was our annual Party in the Park, bigger and better this year. Fun for me – I got to play with the cotton candy machine!

I really am just a little kid on the inside

I finally broke and traded up for a smart phone. I’m not sure it will mean I will necessarily be tweeting more, but it will definitely be useful for communicating with my family (hurrah for Facetime)! On to this week’s food notes:

• “Taste” events abound this summer! First up, Sturgeon County is planning to showcase their Sturgeon County Bounty on July 1, 2011 at the Edmonton Garrison. The menu includes alpaca burgers, beef sliders, a beet stacker with goat cheese and dill, and saskatoon-rhubarb pie.
• The burgeoning Alberta Avenue community has also organized a Taste 118 event, to showcase the restaurants on the Ave on July 9, 2011 (one has to think perhaps Todd Babiak’s article pushed MP Peter Goldring into action, as he is listed on the flyer as a “Taste 118 supporter”).
• The Al Fresco fundraiser for E4C at Hardware Grill, originally scheduled for June 21, 2011, has been postponed.
• Taste of Ukraine will be moving closer to the core: their new digs will be in the Icon II, 10152 – 104 Street.
• Valerie wrote a great post about why gardens are so critical to schools.
• Thumbs down for Vancouver: superstar chef Daniel Boulud regrets even trying to succeed in the Vancouver market.
• Grub Street featured a piece on shutterbugs in restaurants – and the growing movement against allowing cameras in dining rooms.
• The Wall Street Journal had a piece on the fact that for some food trucks, a significant amount of revenue is generated not from street sales, but from private catering events. It’s not hard to imagine the same might be true for Edmonton’s food trucks one day.
• Move over, deep-fried Coke: the new darling of the county fair scene is deep-fried Kool-Aid!
• This isn’t new, but if you need a laugh, take a look at a recipe for boiled water (yes, you read that right) on Serious Eats.
• Mack snapped a picture of a forthcoming Good Earth Cafe on the main level of Scotia Place.

Good Earth Cafe

• Sushi is coming to Bourbon Street at West Edmonton Mall – look for Oranj in “summer 2011”.

Oranj Sushi Bar

• There’s also lots happening on Whyte Avenue – City Donair opened up in the former Megatunes (10355 Whyte Avenue). They’ve really opened up the interior; it looks great!

City Donair

• The Whyte Avenue branch of V Sandwiches I wrote about last week will be housed in the old Friend’s Nest Eatery space.

V Sandwiches

• And look out for Tutti Frutti on Whyte as well – it’s an international chain that’s looking to expand to over 100 locations!

Tutti Frutti

• At Africa Connect, Jill and I had Mas Pasta at the EXPO Centre for lunch. The portion size was generous (for $9.25), but the cream sauce I had wasn’t that flavourful (and much too thin). It wasn’t seasoned at all, however, leaving the salt control up to the diner.

Mas Pasta

• I also attended a coworker’s baby shower on Saturday. The organizers did a great job with the decorations (everything pink!), including this beautiful cake.

For Baby Victoria

• One of the best things about announcing What the Truck?! is being contacted by other local food trucks that we didn’t even know existed! Molly’s Eats can be found at the Sherwood Park Farmers’ Market (and the St. Albert Market this week), and offers a little taste of the world, with empanadas, green onion cakes, and four varieties of soft tacos: bulgolgi beef with red cabbage slaw, seasoned chicken with chimichurri, sweet and sour chicken with fried rice, and pulled pork with escabeche. Nomad Kitchen, run by two NAIT grads, will be serving up BBQ, with menu items like root beer and venison sausage, smoked pulled pork, and smoked tofu. Drift Food Truck is another, which will be up and running in about a month.
• It was great to read this article about how eating at a food truck in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a political act (thanks, Isabelle for the link!).
• And via Eat Street, a fun piece on rejected food truck names: Veal on Wheels anyone?
• The St. Albert Farmers’ Market starts this Saturday, June 18, 2011.
• EDIT: the Canadian Culinary Federation is hosting their 5th annual Lobsterfest this Sunday, June 19, 2011 at the Shaw Conference Centre. Expect lobster with all the fixings, East Coast mood music, a funny money casino and prizes, all for $50.
• Move over, Twisted Yogurt! Another self-serve frozen yogurt chain is moving into town, Menchie’s.
• V Sandwiches will be opening up a second location on Whyte!
• Liane posted about a second location of Chianti’s at 13712 40th Street.
• Sure, you may have been to a wine dinner, but have you been to a coffee dinner? Transcend is working with Corso 32 to pair foods with coffee! The dinner has been delayed due to visa difficulties, but not to despair – they’re working on it!
• Is there an “Eataly effect”? Some Little Italy merchants seem to think so.
• I joined Annie for an indulgent evening out at the Sutton Place Hotel for their Chocoholic Buffet. Unlike last time, we were nearly the first to touch the spread, which was a nice treat. The crepes were enjoyable, but the simple chocolate-dipped strawberries turned out to be my favourite. Service though, was again unfortunately low-key.

Chocoholic spread

• Mack and I had a meeting at Caffe Sorrentino for lunch today, chosen mostly for its location. The cheese tortellini looked appetizing, but ended up being overcooked, with the sauce being overly sweet. Although it was served up really fast, it reminded me of the Italian food served up in shopping centres. Mack’s sandwich was a little better, thankfully, but was a bit pricey ($8.25).

Cheese tortellini (not sure why they gave out disposable cups for dining in, too)

Panini

• Mack and I had my parents and Felicia over for dinner on Sunday to celebrate my Dad’s birthday. He had requested salmon, so we picked up a nice spring salmon filet from Ocean Odyssey, accompanied by roasted Gull Valley Greenhouse tomatoes, and a MoNa mushroom and Sundog Organics pea tendrils salad.

Happy birthday, Dad!

Last week flew by, partially because I was sick for half of it, but mostly because we had U2 to look forward to! I have to say, I was more excited for the potential spectacle of it all – it was my first rock concert, and definitely my first concert with that many people. Best of all, it did live up to my expectations – my favourite moment had to be the romance of starry-lit cell phones in a darkened Commonwealth Stadium. Thanks, Mack for taking me! On to this week’s food notes:

• Flirt Cupcakes is coming downtown! They’re opening up at 10108 105 Street.
• Still looking for a Father’s Day gift? Kerstin’s Chocolates ever-popular bacon chocolate bar is back from June 9 to June 19, with two options to choose from: milk chocolate chipotle and bacon bar or dark milk chocolate salt, pepper and bacon bar. Both are made using Irvings bacon. Make sure to check their new store hours before stopping by, though.
• Good luck to Chef Shane Chartrand, who is competing in Vancouver at the National Chef’s Challenge.
• Liv wrote a great review of Shiraz, an Iranian restaurant that is easily missed, but shouldn’t be.
• Liane finished up her series on local bakeries with a piece on Baltyk Bakery near Kingsway (a good reminder to check it out, especially since it’s only a 15 minute walk from my office).
• The current issue of Merge Magazine (guest edited by Ken Bautista!) features profiles of several of my favourite local establishments, including Credo, Elm Cafe and Niche.
• It’s hard to read about the great eats Foodie Suz had in New York, and not want to jet over the next day!
• Similarly, always great to get a taste of another Canadian farmers’ market, this time of the Halifax market, courtesy of Sarah.
• The June edition of Alberta Venture had a feature on sustainable meat production, with Kristen Kotelko of Spring Creek Ranch on the cover.
• I guess Top Chef Canada has been considered a success, given they’re recruiting for a second season. I hope there’s some Edmonton representation this time around!
• I had no idea Parkallen opened up a second location, in the same building as The Treasury, no less!

Parkallen

• The Chopped Leaf finally opened in Commerce Place. Twyla blogged about it, and based on a quick scan of the menu, their salads look very similar to The Greenhouse. Can’t wait to try it!

The Chopped Leaf

• The second location of Press’d, on Jasper Avenue and 112 Street, is coming along!

Press’d, part 2

• There had been some action in the empty Taco del Mar storefront in Icon I, but we didn’t know what would be going into the space…until this week. Looks like like there’s bubble tea in 104 Street’s future!

Bubble Buzz

• I’m having a love affair with Sundog Organics pea tendrils (they are my current favourite harbinger of spring). We’re trying to enjoy them in different ways: today, we used them as a topping on our burger made with Greens, Eggs and Ham ground turkey. They were great – fresh and crisp, it definitely helped to brighten up the burger.

Turkey burger with pea tendrils

The weeks are just flying by now that the warm weather is here! Hope you’re out enjoying it as much as possible! On to this week’s food notes:

• EDIT: I was remiss in not including a link to the menu of high end street food that will be served at this year’s Al Fresco on 104 Street. Participating restaurants include Corso 32, Pampa, Sabor Divino, Lit, MRKT and Elm Cafe.
• Every time I turn around there seems to be another farmers’ market in the city! My Mum told me about a new one in the Meadows at 4430 17 Street in the Home Depot parking lot on Tuesday evenings from 4-8pm. It runs May 17 to October 4, 2011.
• Sherene blogged about the newest waffle truck in town, Wannawafel. It looks like their waffles use beet instead of pearl sugar.
• See Magazine reviewed Sakana (7908 104 Street), a new-ish Japanese restaurant in Old Strathcona.
• Liane wrote about some changes happening at Culina – namely, that Culina Mill Creek will no longer be serving lunch, but that Bibo next door will pick up where it leaves off.
• The USDA will be replacing its food pyramid with a plate icon on Thursday – not sure a change in design will change people’s eating habits, but it is easier to visualize.
• Heading to New York? Here are five restaurant alternatives to tourist traps.
• Mack sent me a link about Mark Zuckerberg’s personal challenge this year – to eat only what he kills himself.

While I enjoy volunteering for a variety of causes, what excites me most are opportunities to get involved in the community where I live. So I’m really excited for the coming year, as I’ve joined the board for the Downtown Edmonton Community League! Looking forward to getting to know my fellow board members and the work involved. On to this week’s food notes:

• May 28, 2011 sees the launch of the City’s Food and Agricultural Policy Project. Learn more by attending the event at William McIntyre Park from 11am-2pm.
• While you’re in the neighbourhood, make sure to check out the East Whyte Block Party, also on May 28 from 11am – 4pm. 100st from 81 Ave to 82 Ave will be closed to traffic and filled with events and vendors. Expect Fat Franks and Eva Sweet to feed the crowd, and yoga, art demos, and a scavenger hunt.
• Mark you calendars for a special grand opening street party on June 4, 2011: Chai Pani, along with Lola Apparel, are celebrating their grand openings by hosting a street party on 105 Street, just south of Whyte. Festivities will include music, a fashion show, and plenty of traditional Masala Chai and authentic East Indian snack foods for sale from Chai Pani.
• To meet the Father’s Day demand, Sweet Lollapalooza will be offering three chocolate making classes in the next few weeks. On the menu: Robbie Burns Scotch pave, an Anejo Tequila bonbon and a Lambic Belgian Beer truffle.
• Foodie McPoon reviewed the relatively new restaurant Soda Jerks: “the restaurant conveyed a confusing concept of retro-modern, without any retro feeling at all, except for the sodas…with nothing special to the menu and without a clear concept to focus on, I’m not sure how long this restaurant will last.”
• The Southwest Edmonton Farmers’ Market kicked off its season on May 18. Check out a gallery of photos here. For those interested, it will run every Wednesday, rain or shine, from 5:30-8pm at the Lillian Osbourne High School parking lot (2019 Leger Road).
• I don’t normally post job openings here, but the Arbour Restaurant at the Rutherford House is one of the city’s treasures, and they’re looking for a new head chef.
• If you need to see a second burst of spring (the first being the green outside your window), check out Valerie’s post on her greening garden. Just beautiful!
• Two editions in, and new Bon Appétit Editor-in-Chief Adam Rapoport is already stirring the pot – June’s issue will, for the first time, feature a celebrity on its cover, instead of a chef or a dish. But will it matter, asks Grub Street? “If Gourmet was ‘the magazine of good living,’ then Bon Appétit has become the magazine of fashionable eating.”
• It’s always great when supermarkets start stocking local products – and I know it isn’t easy, and those that are making an effort should be recognized. But sometimes, I wish the signage marking it as “local” was more prominent and cohesive. I know Eat Local First had a good thing going (and are probably too busy focusing on their home delivery service at the moment), but I think much more can (and should) be done to help consumers easily identify local product alternatives.

The Irvings display at the Italian Centre

• It was just gorgeous last week, and one of my teams at work took advantage of it by hosting a barbecue at lunch!

Dogs and patties on the barbie

Doesn’t it feel like summer just arrived without a real transition from spring? The trees are struggling to green up to match the sunny skies! Hope you’re out making the most of it too! On to this week’s food notes:

• Less than 100 tickets are left for this year’s Indulgence. Get yours soon if you plan on attending!
• Make sure you go and pick up an issue of Vue Weekly: it features the recipients of the 2011 Golden Fork Awards (how great is it that Transcend and Credo took best chain coffee shop and best indie?!). There is also a great spread on “Food: A Day in the Life” with snapshots of Bon Ton Bakery, The Wired Cup, MRKT and Hardware Grill.
• See Magazine released their Best of Edmonton winners this past week as well. The same issue features a profile on Josh Hockin and Ben Put of Transcend Coffee.
• Press’d Sandwiches is expanding: look for their second location at 11214 Jasper Avenue in mid-June.
• I’m a little late to the party, but congrats to Edo Japan, which just opened their 10oth store last week. I had no idea they were an Alberta-based company.
• Valerie and Liv both wrote about week 1 in the Century Hospitality Group’s Top Chef competition. Mack and I are on deck for judging on Saturday, and looking forward to it!
• The next Live Local dinner will take place at Accent European Lounge on May 25, 2011. To keep up to date on all Live Local initiatives, sign up for their newsletter.
• You may have read that Culina will be taking over the concession at the Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market in June, but in case that isn’t soon enough for you, they will also be catering the Royal Bison on May 28-29, 2011.
• Sure, you may be familiar with vegetable-based CSAs, but how about fruit-based? Companies like Tree-Mendus Fruit in Michigan are renting out apple trees.
• Are cell phones killing bees? The answer is: maybe.
• Top Chef Canada was in the news last week for their episode tonight, which saw horse on the menu.
• Mack and I attended the Edmonton Public Schools Foundation fundraising breakfast on Tuesday morning, partly as an excuse to visit McNally (our old high school) again. At the breakfast, we learned more about the Foundation’s fundraising efforts towards implementing full-day kindergarten programs in 14 distressed communities. The event was so well done, and got all the little details right, down to the noisemakers and bubble blowers at the table, to remind us all of our inner child.

Our table

• Look for another Greek take out spot just down from Opa on Whyte and 103 Street, called Greek to Go.

Greek to Go

• I met up with May at the Whyte Ave location of Daawat for dinner last week. It was pretty good, and for both of us, it was our first encounter with their sweet coconut naan. It was interesting, but we prefer our savoury breads as a dinner accompaniment!

Daawat

• The weather was so gorgeous, the City Market at City Hall moved outdoors on Saturday! Let’s hope the weather holds up when the market returns to 104 Street on May 21 – see you there!

It was windy, but sunny!

Kuhlmann’s had fiddlehead ferns

Kuhlmann’s also had convenient salad bowls, already sprouting and good to go!

• Eva Sweet has a brand new trailer! It was parked at Churchill Square this afternoon, but they’ve been trying out some other locations downtown, including Rice Howard Way and 104 Street during the week. Follow them on Twitter to keep up to date on where you can get your waffle fix!

Eva Sweet