• LitFest, Edmonton’s nonfiction festival, runs October 14 – 24, 2010. They have a few food events this year, including Savouries (readings and a four-course meal) and Genu-wine (a panel discussion and wine tastings).
• Bistro Praha has finally found a new home only a stone’s throw away from their previous location on Rice Howard Way. They are set to open on December 1 in the Empire Building.
• The Dish will be starting dinner and a movie this month (similar to 4th and Vine’s offering).
• Talk on C2E says that OPM will be shutting down on October 19, and will open after being rebranded into a sports bar.
• Mack posted a link to the response to the RFP so far to develop kiosks at several downtown LRT stations. Included on the list are Good Earth and Press’d Sandwiches.
• Sounds like Edmontonians are chomping at the bit for southern BBQ: in the days after the review of Bubba’s BBQ and Smoke House, the truck was inundated with business.
• Heading to Rexall Place hungry? Check out City and Dale’s Food Finder.
• The Little Red Kitchen is now gluten-free!
• Allan of Button Soup crunched the numbers of the produce they received from their $600 share in Tipi Creek (a Community Supported Agriculture), comparing it to the relative cost of produce from a grocery store and the farmers’ market. The verdict? The CSA was much, much cheaper than shopping at a farmers’ market.
• Check out Valerie’s post on picking high bush cranberries and her subsequent jam making adventures – brilliant outing and photos.
• A good piece in the NYT about seed savers  preserving heirloom varieties that thrive in that specific region.
• A Village Voice writer braved Fatty ‘Cue’s whole pig head (the serving is accompanied by surgical gloves). Not sure I could stomach the process, but good to see how it can be done.
• Starbucks was handing out free VIA samples last week, having launched their flavoured versions. The caramel flavour I tried at the cafe with a splash of milk was pretty tasty for instant coffee.

Flavoured VIA

• The storefront that used to house Viet Huong on 107 Avenue and 101 Street will be reopening on October 11 as Lau Viet Huong, offering hot pot.

Lau Viet Huong

• Battista’s Calzone Company opened on Friday on 118 Avenue and 84 Street (they’re also on Twitter). Great to see new businesses constantly popping up on Alberta Avenue!

Battista’s inviting purple exterior

• A few coworkers and I popped into El Rancho (11810 87 Street) after a training session nearby. It’s been far too long since my last meal there, as it was delicious as always. The steak in my burrito had just the right amount of seasoning and char, and though I could have done with more beans, it was a great lunch.

Burrito el Carbon at El Rancho

Pupusas and plantains, oh my!

• Maria introduced us to whoopie pies from Lilyola Vintage Baking at the City Market on Saturday. I had the chocolate peanut butter version, while Mack had the carrot cake. It received rave reviews from both of us! Lilyola will be at the Olde Time Fair on the Square on October 16, 2010.

Lilyola Vintage Baking

• We were fortunate to have a few Thanksgiving meals this weekend, including one at my parents’ house. It is such a cliché, but there’s nothing like home cooking!

Thanksgiving spread

• Kim also invited us over for dinner tonight. We were tasked with bringing a dessert, which had to be gluten-free. I’m not that familiar with gluten-free recipes, but some searching led me to a NYT recipe for a gluten-free apple crumble, which asked for quinoa flour instead of wheat flour. It turned out really well, with the inclusion of oats ensuring the crumble had that necessary crunchy texture. We served it with vanilla Pinocchio ice cream – simple but tasty.

Apple crumble

Want the chance to win two WestJet tickets worth over $4000? It’s as easy as clicking over to Mack’s blog and answering the question, “What are you doing to help make Edmonton a better place?” Good luck! On to this week’s food notes:

• Happy birthday to Vinomania, who is celebrating 15 years in the wine business this month! To help commemorate the occasion, from October 4-30, 2010 they are offering free wine tastings on their Enosystem, and with the donation of a non-perishable item to the Edmonton Food Bank, a 15% discount on all wine purchases.
• Just Food Edmonton has organized an opportunity to contribute to developing the national People’s Food Policy. The forum (election candidates have been invited also) will take place on October 13, 2010 from 6-9pm at the Central Lions Seniors Centre (11113-113 Street). RSVP by October 10.
• I know I’m already lamenting the end of the City Market this coming weekend, but something to look forward to for others going through withdrawal is the Olde Time Fair on the Square on October 16, 2010, which will feature market vendors in addition to pumpkin carving and carriage rides.
• Have you checked out TeamBuy yet? It’s another e-mail discount deal system similar to Groupon.
• Liane announced that Blair Lebsack, Executive Chef of Madison’s Grill (and one of my favourite chefs in the city) is leaving to tour and cook around Europe after attending Terra Madre. But don’t worry – it sounds like he’ll be back eventually, to open his own restaurant.
• Liane also posted that the popular Cafe de Ville is opening a second location in Sherwood Park at 25 Sioux Road. Watch for it in December.
• Chris Lachance of Century Hospitality is featured in the October issue of Avenue Magazine. As he was also profiled in their home interiors section two years ago, one has to wonder if they’ve run dry on local personalities to write about?
• I’m biased, but: Mack wrote a great summary post on a session on “A Heritage of Local Food” at this weekend’s symposium put on by the Edmonton Heritage Council.
• Kevin Kossowan hosted a tasting of Smoky Lake Goat Cheese last weekend, and though I was sad to have missed it, I can live vicariously through Valerie, Mel and Chris.
• Like Alberta Avenue before it, Chinatown is getting some facade overhauls – I am hoping that like Alberta Avenue, it means that new businesses will soon follow!

Taipan Cafe, under all the construction

• The Marc, Patrick and Doris Saurette’s new French bistro, officially opens on October 5. We peeked inside the windows on Sunday, and the dining room looked sparkling, and ready to go!

The Marc

• By the end of the year, every major shopping mall will have a tea peddler in its midst. For City Centre, it will be Tea Fusion.

Tea Fusion

• I’m a sucker for a promotion: Tim Horton’s offers “game day doughnuts” when the Eskimos play. Though they’re really only vanilla dip doughnuts with green and gold sprinkles, they seemed to taste better than normal yesterday. Perhaps it was the taste of victory?

Mack with his doughnut

Enjoy the lovely fall weather!

Our fridge has up and died (it’s really done this time), which means that although we will be doing some unforeseen spending, also means we will be able to choose a fridge that we like! It’s funny how something so basic like a fridge not working can cause so much stress. Anyway, on to this week’s notes:

• Do you have pumpkin fever? Smoky Lake is having their annual Great White North Pumpkin Fair and Weigh-Off this weekend.
• Foodie McPoon reviewed Mini Mango this week, a new restaurant opened by the folks behind Sweet Mango.
• Chris wrote about a new cafe called Gracious Goods that opened in the space formerly occupied by Hulbert’s.
• The Journal and Twyla both reviewed The Treasury last week.
• Jean Poutine visited the Motoraunt one last time – the home of the (in)famous Monster Burger.
• Liane wrote about a great offer from The Blue Pear – to help celebrate their tenth anniversary, they are offering guests the chance to flip a coin to win their dinner.
• Mack sent this Winnipeg Food Policy document to me – a great primer on their local food issues, and related questions to ask their municipal election candidates.
• The doughnut burger is so yesterday: how about a Pop Tart burger?
• I’m still waiting for North American chefs to integrate more insects into their menus, as I do think it will be a trend in the coming years, but until then, read about the possibilities in this NYT article.
• Viet Huong will be relocating from their location on 107 Avenue to a storefront right in Chinatown that used to house Hoang Long (10715 – 98 Street).

Viet Huong coming soon

• Basil Leaf will have a neighbour soon – a restaurant called Emperor’s Palace.

Emperor’s Palace

• Twisted Yogurt Creations opened their second location last week in South Park (650, 3803 Calgary Trail, 780-440-4955). I’m still waiting for a branch more public transit accessible, but I love the self-serve concept. We stopped by and tried out their dreamsicle and purple cow flavours this time around.

Mack loading up

• My family is so lucky to have a Mum who is such a good cook. She demonstrated her skills at the Mid-Autumn Festival dinner last week – everything was as delicious as it looked. Thanks, Mum!

Time to feast!

As much as I love fall, I wish it didn’t start so soon (in spite of the fact that the “official” day of fall is this Thursday). That said, the weather should be looking up by the weekend, fingers crossed! On to this week’s food notes:

• Press’d The Sandwich Company is now officially open in Edmonton City Centre (you can find them downstairs in the old Cargo & James space near Dollarama). Expect in-house baked bread, freshly sliced meat, and house-made sides. They will be holding their grand opening on September 27.
• Also, Fatburger opened their second Edmonton location in Edmonton City Centre.
• D’Lish has reopened as a plush wine bar. Maki has an early review.
• On the subject of wine, this is such a great idea on so many levels: deVine’s is hosting a “travelling tasting”, where several downtown eateries have been asked to create a dish to match a liquor pairing, and patrons will be going from one to another on foot!
• Narayanni’s, a relatively new South African/Indian restaurant in Old Strathcona, has been getting some love from local food bloggers Chris and Twyla.
• There’s a new “food community” in town, spearheaded by the LEP Group (they own Ric’s Grill and The Copper Pot in Edmonton). It’s called Book a Table, though it seems you can’t actually book a table directly through the website (unlike Open Table)  – it’s more for interested diners to receive information from restaurants that are a part of the community. On the upside, those who sign up for their newsletter are eligible for a $25 dining voucher valid at any of their member restaurants.
• Diner Inspect, an app that helps people easily locate restaurant health inspection results, recently won the first prize in the Apps for Edmonton contest.
• Twyla mentioned that Real Deal Meats is having a customer appreciation day on September 25.
• Vue Weekly wrote a positive review about Kulmiye (9570 – 111 Ave, 780-642-6014) a Somali restaurant near Commonwealth. A few coworkers also recommended it, so I hope to try it soon.
• Valerie has some great photos in her post about a recent Rotary Centre fundraiser dinner she judged with Kevin.
• Speaking of Kevin, he has the low down about a new CSA Smoky Valley Goat Cheese is looking at starting to help tide over their operations for the winter.
• An interesting article from the Post-Intelligencer about the farmers’ market scene in Seattle – how many farmers’ markets is too many?
• This is true: Loblaws announced they will be setting up farmers’ markets at their stores across Canada, with a grower on-site to answer questions.
• The San Francisco Chronicle had a great “inside” look at arguably the best restaurant in North America: The French Laundry.
• Before we left to San Francisco, we had a fun dinner at Famoso for May’s birthday. I haven’t been to Famoso in a while, but all it takes are a few bites to remind me that I should be going more often.

The Bella, with fresh mozzarella, basil, capicolla ham and cherry tomatoes

• After dinner, we headed to Hawrelak Park for Symphony Under the Sky. We really enjoyed the concert, featuring some of John Williams’ greatest hits. Being the Star Wars nerd that I am, the highlight was being able to take a photo with Darth Vader himself.

I have gone to the Dark side

• Mack and I attended Michael Janz’s campaign benefit brunch on Sunday. Michael is running for school trustee in Ward F (which encompasses downtown, parts of Riverbend and the communities surrounding the U of A). Volunteers put together a very tasty meal, including delicious cheese scones baked by Brittany.

My plate

• I was lucky enough to be invited to a celebration hosted by one of the programs at work last week. There, some of the Ethiopian students had set up everything they needed for a coffee ceremony. I love the smell of roasting coffee!

Coffee roasting

Mack and I are in San Francisco! I won’t be blogging while we’re away, though he might be. Here are a few notes for the week:

• The place to be in 104 Street (but then again, I’m biased): Queen of Tarts is moving into the basement of the Armstrong Building, and will be serving her pastries, coffee and sandwiches.
• What happens when foodies get together: read all about the dinner and tour Valerie (aka A Canadian Foodie) had at Kevin Kossowan’s house.
• Speaking of Kevin – he has released the first two videos in his series profiling local farmers. Check them out!
• Great read from Avenue Calgary about the past (and future) of their farmers’ markets.
• The NYT published an article recently about cafes in NY moving back to the set up of coffee shops of yore – bar stools meant not for those needing a mobile office.
• We did head down to the City Market on Saturday, but obviously didn’t do any shopping. We weren’t going to miss out on seeing the petting zoo though, courtesy of Chicken John’s. I so wanted to take home a baby goat, and the teeny bunnies would have fit in my purse without anyone noticing. Too cute!

Animal attraction

 Sitting pretty

Bunnies!

• We also noticed Karen’s Cake in a Cup. She had some really interesting flavours, like root beer float. Unfortunately, she doesn’t sell individual cakes, and we weren’t about to consume a half dozen cupcakes in a day (6/$12). Maybe next time!

 Karen’s Cake in a Cup

Have a good two weeks!

In a week, Mack and I will be in San Francisco! I’ve been counting down the days for quite some time – with the move and a busy summer season in Edmonton, I’m more ready than ever to get away. On to this week’s food notes:

• The City Market is “exploring extending operations to include an indoor market operated through the winter”, and needs input from patrons on whether or not they would support such an initiative. Take the survey here.
• Latitude 53’s annual performance art festival, VISUALEYEZ takes place September 15-21, 2010 with a theme of food this year.
• Early bird tickets to the Rocky Mountain Wine & Food Festival are on sale until September 15.
• Local actress Sheri Somerville is opening up a new wine bar across from the Roxy Theatre called Somerville Wine Cheese (10723 124th St), with a menu designed by Brad Smoliak. Look for it in December.
• A new restaurant called Pacific Buffet Co. is opening up on the southside (5420 Calgary Trail)on September 15.
• Oodle Noodle eyes expansion here in Edmonton, and will also be offering a line of packaged products at grocery stores, after opening up a new manufacturing plant.
• Want to do your grocery shopping at 3am? Sobeys now makes it possible, at six local stores.
• While I never thought I’d ever drink instant coffee, we do have VIA on hand for emergencies. Looks like Starbucks is continuing with the brand, and will start offering flavoured brews this fall.
• Not surprising, but still has shock value: a NY photographer has been taking a photo of a McDonald’s happy meal each day for 137 straight days. Besides some patty shrinkage, it looks identical to the photo taken on day one.
• A cookbook made up of recipes all 140 characters or less? Say it ain’t so.
• I am admittedly not as familiar with Anthony Bourdain as I probably should be, but found this interview to be interesting, particularly his comments on “foodies”.
• Mack and I stumbled across a two-week old market while on the southside on Saturday. Tucked away in the Alberta Research Park is the South Common Market. At the moment, there are only about 10 vendors, including Warburg Farms, Pine Haven Farm, a BC fruit vendor, and kettle corn, but they are open both Saturday and Sundays, 9am-3pm. It sounds like they plan on operating until late October though – another great option for those living nearby!

South Common Market

• Ellen and I went to the Chinatown Pagolac for lunch last week. I was hoping I wouldn’t be disappointed this time as I was on my last visit, but no dice. This time, while the broth was hot, the noodles were overcooked to the point of mush. I should stick with the southside location.

Beef noodle soup with medium beef and brisket

• We had some really ripe peaches from Steve & Dan’s, and craving a warm dessert, I caramelized them and served the slices with Inspired Market Gardens/Pinocchio raspberry tarragon sorbet. Simple and delicious.

Caramelized peaches with sorbet

The leaves are changing! It’s not even September and the leaves are changing! As much as I love fall, summer always seems to end too soon – I’m going to try to enjoy whatever warm days are left, and I hope you will as well (on a related note – this is a pretty cool way to explore your neighbourhood). On to this week’s food notes:

• Central McDougall and Queen Mary Park (aka the “North Edge”) will be hosting an Outdoor Night Market on August 27, 2010. I think it’s great that the BRZ is organizing more events to get the community together! More information here.
• Also this weekend is the second annual East Meets West Festival, which has expanded into a full three-day event, celebrating African, Chinese and Italian cultures August 27-29, 2010. Check out the full schedule of events here – I’m so looking forward to the pizza eating contest on Sunday!
• The penultimate cultural festival at the City Market is happening this Saturday, August 28, 2010, celebrating Italian culture. There will be chances to win tickets to the Edmonton Opera, a booth offering Pinocchio ice cream, and a roving accordion player. See you there!
• I’m really looking forward to the next Slow Food Edmonton event on September 26, 2010, put together by Valerie – an all-inclusive tour of Sylvan Star Cheese, Bles Wold Dairy, and dinner at Eco Cafe. All for $75, including transportation. There are only 50 tickets available – act fast!
• Though I haven’t yet purchased any certificates, I have to admit Groupon does have some pretty good deals. One of the best deals last week was a $30 Famoso gift certificate for just $15.
• V Sandwiches (10135 – 100 A Street) on Rice Howard Way is now open! It’s only been in business for a few days, and I’ve already had a few people rave about it – I’ll have to check it out soon.
• Crepeworks on Whyte (10352 82 Avenue, 780-484-7975) is also now open.
• Twyla visited a new restaurant called Dumplings (2431 Ellwood Drive) in southwest southeast Edmonton (they even have a blog and are on Twitter!). I’ve said it before, but the suburbs have a burgeoning food scene indeed.
• Will Bistro Praha ever return? It isn’t looking good.
• Sorrentino’s is celebrating their 16th annual mushroom harvest September 1-30, 2010.
• There’s a new local food blog in town – welcome, Leslie!
• Liane’s latest celebrity chef profile subjects were Ryan Jesperson and Kari Skelton – Kari’s brownies sound delicious!
• After seeing photos of Callingwood Farmers’ Market in the Journal, I’m even more determined to visit before season’s end.
• Valerie toured a chicken farm recently to learn more about the issue of raising backyard chickens. It was a trip initiated by River City Chickens.
• Mel Priestly wrote about en Sante’s first annual Saskatoon Stomp – great photos, Mel!
• We passed by The Treasury last Thursday, and, surprise, surprise – it’s now open! Has anyone checked it out yet? Does it live up to the swank they promised?

Treasury up and running

• We finally got to try out Zaika on Sunday at the Fringe. I had the mango chicken combo ($8) – while I could handle the heat in the subtly spicy, deliciously rich sauce, I was defeated by the samosa. Mack had the beef kabob wrap ($8), and though found it quite messy to eat, thoroughly enjoyed it. We both thought Zaika provided a much better value than Rustixx pizza – I hope they’re back at the grounds next year!

Mango chicken combo from Zaika

• The Dish is hosting Brews ‘n Views on Thursday, August 19: “Alberta Views magazine presents a public discussion on local food and urban farming with a panel and Show n’ Tell featuring some of Edmonton’s most interesting and innovative inner-city farmers>” Panellists include Patty Milligan (aka Lola Canola) and Ron Berezan.
• Groupon finally hit Edmonton last week, a site that offers a daily deal on everything from spa certificates to restaurant gift cards, which are available to purchase only if enough people buy in. The first deal released was actually a $50 Sabor Divino gift certificate, priced at only $20.
• Twyla blogged about Tomato Fare, an annual event put on by Country Greenhouses that celebrates all things tomato.
• Marianne put together a great behind-the-scenes post on how the volunteers at the Edmonton Folk Fest are fed.
• Liane wrote a piece about Sal Dimaio, the entrepreneur behind MRKT. I love that the decor was inspired by his parents’ 80s basement.
• Vue published a review of the fairly new Press Cafe on Whyte Avenue this week.
• Kevin’s putting together a series of on-the-farm videos, showcasing local producers in all their glory. He will begin posting them in September. I’m looking forward to it!
• Looks like Fantastia Noodle House (10518 Jasper Avenue) has closed.
• Downtown office workers rejoice – an Oodle Noodle is opening up at Jasper Avenue and 108 Street, next to the Subway on the main level of the Intact building. Look for it come October.
• V Sandwiches, the newest Vietnamese sub purveyor in the city, will open their Rice Howard Way location this week (their Twitter account reported a tentative opening date of August 10).

V Sandwiches

• Garage Burger has rebranded, and is now known as The Junction (10242 106 Street). It was supposed to have reopened last Friday, or so the staff working on the renovations told us.

The Junction

• The forthcoming Crepeworks on Whyte (10352 82 Avenue, 780-484-7975) has furniture set up inside – its opening might be just around the corner.

Crepeworks

• With our fridge still in a state of limbo, keeping leftovers for lunch the day has become a challenge. It did provide me with a good excuse to reacquaint myself with pho today, after a few weeks of too-hot weather. Both Pho Tau Bay and Hoa An were closed, so I ended up at King Noodle House (10613-97 Street), which I haven’t been to in a while. The beef brisket was especially delectable; perhaps I’ll find myself there again soon.

Pho with steak and brisket

Beer & Boar took a lot out of me, but I won’t have a lot of time to recover, with the Fringe right around the corner! We missed out on Frequent Fringer passes last year, so I made sure to order them on the day they were released – good thing too, as they were sold out in less than 24 hours. See you on the grounds this weekend! On to this week’s food notes:

• The Edmonton Latin Festival is on this weekend, August 14-15, 2010 at Churchill Square. Look forward to salsa and samba lessons, entertainment, and of course, food!
• The Alberta Mycological Society is hosting its City of Champignons wild mushroom exhibition at the Devonian Gardens on August 15, 2010. The sampling menu includes “Phungi Pho”, made with Asian masterstock, miatake, fairy ring, brown beech and shittake mushrooms, Bioway Gardens cilantro, and southern Alberta beansprouts, Alberta dried mushroom and Earl Grey cream risotto and wood oven tea smoked chantrelles, and mushroom truffles custom made by Kerstin’s Chocolates.
• I love neighbourhood festivals, so I’m really excited for the second annual East Meets West Festival on August 27-29, 2010, based in McCauley (we went last year). In addition to celebrating Chinese and Italian cultures, they’ve added an additional day for the Karibuni AfrikaFest.
• The Edmonton Corn Maze is now open, and its theme this year is the Edmonton Food Bank!
• Congrats to Josh Hockin of Transcend for placing second at the Prairie Regional Barista Championships this weekend! He will be the lone Edmonton-based barista to compete at Nationals September 26-27, 2010.
• Look for V Sandwiches, offering Vietnamese subs and coffee on Rice Howard Way (10135 100A Street), to open next week.
• Southwest Edmonton is looking to have a farmers’ market in their neck of the woods by spring 2011. More information here.
• Elm Cafe and Sarah Jackson (creator of A Jam Story) have collaborated this week the opportunity to read an all-local PB & J book while eating an all-local PB & J sandwich. Neat idea!
• Something else I want to try – Delux’s new celebrity creation, a poutine burger!
• Liane had a piece on interesting hot dogs in the Journal this week (I still have to get down to Bibo to try out the duck creation), as well as an article on Edmonton food carts. She also announced news of a new street food vendor called Hot Dog Heroes that offers beef, chicken and vegetarian hot dogs and bison, elk and Italian smokies. Find it at 107 Street and Jasper Avenue.
• Mack sent me this release from Delivery Town, a new food delivery company that has set up shop in Edmonton. It sounds similar to Dial and Dine, but online and with added incentives such as a rewards program. I don’t use delivery services myself, so I’m not the best person to ask, but is there really a high demand for such services?
• Bernard Callebaut may have gone into receivership, but its independent retailers in the city will continue to operate, and may bid for the company.
• The Royal Alberta Museum is looking for your memories of Chinese restaurants in Alberta.
• Lillian posted her notes from the Foodprint conference in Toronto – I, too, hope something like this comes to Alberta.
• From Jennifer Cockrall-King – a peek at SOLEFarms in Vancouver, a social enterprise project that transformed a vacant lot in the downtown east side to a productive piece of land. Something to consider for the Quarters, perhaps near the YMCA Welcome Village?
• First, it was the stadium, and now, it’s the airport in NY that is the recipient of celebrity chef outposts. I wonder if EIA will soon see local brands infiltrating its space? I would think a Cafe Sorrentino and a DeLux Burger Bar would be quite successful there.
• Good question: should food writers out the restaurants that made them sick?
• Sure, it’s gimmicky, but it’s fun: Pop Tarts World opened today on Times Square, and features everything from Pop Tart sushi (yes, you read that right) to a PB & banana sandwich made with Pop Tarts.
• Starbucks was handing out free samples of their new-ish Iced VIA product a few weeks ago, which we finally tried at home. Given that it’s in powdered form, it’s not bad.

Iced VIA

I really needed this long weekend – as we are now into August, it feels like the summer is flying by at a maddening pace, and I can’t keep up! And with the Fringe right around the corner, I know it’ll be September before we know it. On to this week’s food notes:

• It’s your last chance to pick up Beer & Boar BBQ tickets – hope to see you at Alley Kat on Sunday, August 8!
• On Saturday, the Edmonton Food Bank wasn’t on target of meeting its target. Hopefully, they were able to do so on the last day of the Heritage Festival today, but in the event that they don’t, there’s an upcoming event that may help: “Kraft has partnered with Edmonton’s Food Bank for an event on August 14th at the West Edmonton Mall. The Kraft Peanut Butter Bears ‘Smoothie’ and ‘Crunchy’ will be on site sharing free hugs to everyone who visits between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. For every hug that ‘Smoothie’ and ‘Crunchy’ receive, Kraft will donate one 500g jar of peanut butter to Edmonton’s Food Bank in an effort to help relieve hunger within the city. Anyone who can’t make it out in person, can still support the cause by visiting this website to send a virtual hug.” to send a virtual hug. Kraft hopes to generate enough hugs to donate up to 7,500 500g jars of Kraft Peanut Butter to Edmonton’s Food Bank.”
• The ARTery is having a block party on August 21 – look forward to a pancake breakfast, BBQ and lots of art for sale.
• Expect three more Cora’s to land in Edmonton by October – I hope one of them is located downtown.
• Lillian is in Toronto and will be attending Foodprint, a conference discussing how food shapes the city – I hope she will be writing about the sessions!
• Want to escape? Check out Valerie’s blog to read about her adventures in Paris. I can almost taste the crepes…
• I made a lunch date with Ellen on Friday to finally try the sandwiches at Elm Cafe. From what I’ve been reading on Nate’s Twitter feed, I am amazed with the continuous creativity of the sandwiches, and was happy to be able to sample them!

Mexican pulled pork with nachos, avocado, sour cream and cheddar

Ellen’s sandwich with romano, ricotta, pinenuts, arugula, eggplant and roasted red peppers

• More alfresco dining, this time with one of our favourite summer recipes – braised tilapia (from Ocean Odyssey) with Sundog Organic leeks and Gull Valley tomatoes

Braised tilapia with leeks and tomatoes