Mack and I had a great time in DC! And though I’d rather be there, at least the weather warmed up in Edmonton while we were away! I’ll slowly be making my way through recapping the trip (Mack’s still uploading all the photos as I write this), but in the meantime, I have an abbreviated version of notes to share (I purposely took a break from reading blogs while on vacation):

• Edmonton has a new farmers’ market! This Thursday, May 28 will see the dawn of the year-round Alberta Avenue Farmers’ Market at 93 Street and 118 Avenue. Over 30 vendors are expected in this first week, with the list to grow in coming months. I’d love to see more community and neighbourhood-based markets, so this is a great start. More information here.
• See Magazine’s Best of Edmonton results came out this week. Their annual poll covers more than just food, but of course, that’s the section that interested me the most. Like the Golden Forks, I was surprised to see The Lingnan and The King and I voted Best Chinese and Best Thai, respectively, but it was good to see Blue Plate Diner and Hardware Grill come out on top for Best Brunch and Best High-End Dining.
• The Edible Prairie wrote about the upcoming Asparagus Festival taking place at Edgar Farms on May 30 & 31, one of several events that are a part of Country Drive, an event that encourages exploration of rural Alberta.
• In recognition of National Hunger Awareness Day on June 2, the Edmonton Food Bank (11508 120 Street) will be screening the film Affirming Life and Diversity: Rural Image and Voices on Food Sovereignty. RSVP to Tamara by May 29 at 780-425-2133. Also, between June 2-12, any monetary donations made to the Food Bank will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, by Kraft (up to $150,000 across Canada) – consider donating  in June.
• Two articles from the Journal this past week are worth a read – Liane’s “neighbourhood food tours” series continues with a piece on Little Lebanon, and an interview with Ocean Odyssey Inland’s Pat Batten.
• Vue had a piece covering the new Boualouang space – the owner is happy about having a larger kitchen.
• For the plane ride to DC, I picked up the latest issue of Food Network Magazine. It’s not a bad read, filled with recipes from the network’s personalities and light features (like a breakdown of Ina Garten’s new kitchen, and current trends in the food world – like marriages in fast food restaurants). I wouldn’t subscribe to it, but I’d consider buying a copy now and then.

I won’t be blogging while in Washington, but if you want to keep up with what we’re up to, check out Mack’s blog, Flickr photo stream, or Twitter feed. I do have some notes to share this week though:

• Vue Weekly released the results of the 2009 Golden Forks awards this week. Categories include best restaurants, best dishes, and other. Some consistent winners continue to baffle me: Creperie for most romantic,  Route 99 for breakfast (I love their poutine, but their breakfast offerings are pretty weak), Lingnan for Chinese (although I suppose the category didn’t specify “authentic Chinese”).
• My cover article on how some restaurants are coping with the economic downturn was also published this week. Thanks everyone for your kind comments over the past few days!
• Liane has been really pushing Teddy’s – it was featured in her piece about the city’s best sandwiches back in April, while its desserts were highlighted this past week. Maybe it’s my perception, but those ads with the woman in the leopard print dress probably give me the wrong impression about the place. That and the fact that the stodgy brown building looks a bit foreboding from the outside.
• The latest edition of City Palate mentioned a fairly new restaurant called Easy Burger and Bar, located at 11172 – 87 Avenue (the old Windsor Pub, which was shut down for health violations).
• Chris over at Eating is the Hard Part posted about Harvey’s upcoming “free hamburger day” on May 24. Brulee Blog also has a great compilation of deals to be had.
• Apparently the Calgary Farmers’ Market is considering becoming a for-profit organization. A great post on where this might lead.
• The NYT has a great article about corporations attempting to jump on the local food bandwagon.
• I’m still reeling from the announcement that Frank Bruni will be leaving his food revising post at the Times in August. On the bright side, I’m loving all of the coverage, and the chatter about who might replace him.
• Our version of pre-theatre dinner on Thursday was Oodle Noodle on Whyte. We needed a quick dinner preceding wine and cheese night at the Varscona for our first show as Teatro la Quindicina subscribers. Mack ordered his usual combo box while I decided to try something new – the penang laksa. While the creamy coconut sauce was fragrant and tasty, I wished the noodles would have soaked it up a little better.

Combo Box and Penang Laksa boxes

• I tried the new Tim Hortons iced coffee ($1.39 for a small) over the weekend. While it isn’t bad, and cheaper than the iced brewed coffee from Starbucks, I would still head to Starbucks on most days.

Tim Hortons’ Iced Coffee

• Mack and I took his grandma out to the Arbour Restaurant at Rutherford House yesterday to celebrate her birthday (I’ve written about it before). As a tea lover, we thought she’d love their selection of teas, in addition to their small dessert plates. We ended up with probably too much to eat, but it was a lovely meal nonetheless. Both Grandma Male and I had their turkey pot pie ($13), while Mack opted for their sandwich of choice, a ham and swiss on brioche bread ($11). For dessert, Mack and I shared the afternoon scone plate ($12 for two), which included a pot of tea, mostly because I had a hankering for their always delicious raspberry butter. Mack’s grandma opted for the chocolate pot du creme ($6), which she enjoyed as well. If you’ve never been, I’d recommend the Arbour Restaurant as an alternative to your usual Sunday brunch standby.

Turkey Pot Pie

Ham and Swiss Sandwich with Broccoli Soup

Chocolate Pot du Creme (in the background) and Afternoon Scone Plate for Two

Scone with Raspberry Butter and Monk’s Blend tea (I love their delicate china!)

• My profile of Flirt Cupcakes was published in Vue this week! Also on the cupcake front – Chris left a comment that Fuss Cupcakes on Whyte will be opening up on May 6 (their website isn’t yet live, however).
• Chris over at Eating is the Hardest Part wrote about a fairly new Tex-Mex joint called Burrito Libre.
• I’m sorry to have missed the fourth annual Northern Food Night, a Slow Food Edmonton event, that took place last weekend, but there’s a photo-filled recap that captures just some of the bounty available in Canada’s northern regions.
• It’s finally looking like spring, and the gardens are blooming – Courtney and Brooke wrote about their respective outdoor projects, as did Kevin Kossowan. I hope they all post pictures once everything has sprouted!
• I like the direction of Starbucks’ new advertising campaign, with lines such as: “Beware of cheaper coffee. It comes with a price.”
• Andree at Are You Gonna Eat That posted a link to something titled “The Food Blog Code of Ethics” – a set of standards drafted by two bloggers who are also trained journalists. I’m still mulling over the idea of guidelines beyond one’s personal ethics, but I agree with Andree’s point about the lack of transparency provided by mainstream reviewers – I think any review – whether it be in a paper or a blog – should be read as just one opinion, and nothing more.
• A few friends and I tried to get a table at Cactus Club on Friday at 6:30. The wait? 1.5 hours. We trudged to Bourbon Street and found it virtually empty, sure that Cactus had diverted the usual brisk weekend business. Our group ended up at Earls, where Court’s post led me to order the grilled chicken and baked brie ciabatta ($13). I liked the sweet fig jam, crunchy apples, and generous slices of cheese, but the chicken was a little on the salty side.

Grilled Chicken and Baked Brie Ciabatta

• Mack and I finally booked our trip to Washington, D.C.! I’m in the middle of trip planning, so if you have any suggestions for places to see and eat, please share. So far, Bruce has advised that we check out Georgetown Cupcake.

• Indulgence, a Canadian Epic of Food and Wine, is taking place on June 8. It is an event put on by Slow Food Edmonton as a fundraiser for the Junior League of Edmonton. Tickets are $60, and available now by calling 780-433-9739.
• The Journal interviewed Richard Jaffray, president and owner of Cactus Club Cafe this week – the new West Edmonton Mall outpost was pegged with a price tag “north of $7 million”. They’re also looking at opening three more locations by 2010.
• Baskin Robbins is offering 31 cents scoops on Wednesday, April 29 from 5-9pm in honor of the Canadian Fallen Firefighters Foundation.
• I had to laugh – the week the Journal gets on the banh mi bandwagon, the New York bloggers ask when the banh mi craze jumped the shark (yes, we’re really that behind).
• The Italian Centre finally has a new website! Also, a few local food establishments are now on Twitter, including what is possibly Edmonton’s first restaurant – the Golden Rice Bowl – and first catering/market mainstay Marinas Cuisine. I’ll be interested in seeing how they use Twitter – from the looks of it, not much so far.
• Food Network conducted an experiment to see if they could taste the difference between organic and non-organic produce.
• Pizza Hut is hiring a Twintern for the summer to help build their brand on Twitter.
• It was inevitable – the New York Post had an article this week about “gourmonsters” – the extreme tendencies of some of the culinary world’s celebrities that read to some like food policing. I think the voice of moderation is lost sometimes, which scares the average consumer.
• Mack was lucky enough to get a Starbucks 8-cup Bodum coffee press for his birthday back in December. We finally cracked open the box a few weeks ago, and have found pros and cons to it. Being used to the one-touch drip coffee maker, we find it takes a little extra effort having to boil water, transfer it into the press, then wait the necessary four minutes. On the other hand, the flavour of the coffee is definitely more robust out of the press. Perhaps we’ll have to just get used to this different way of making our morning cup of java.

Bodum and Mack’s favorite Starbucks mug

• Mack’s dad was in town over the weekend, and needing a casual place to get together for supper, we suggested Urban Diner. I ordered the Diner Mac ‘N Cheese. Super-cheesy, it really hit the spot, and my chosen breakfast sausage additive was well worth the additional calories.

Diner Mac ‘N Cheese

Mack’s Club Sandwich

• I feel like it could be a drinking game now – every time I come across another soon-to-be location of Taco del Mar, I should be taking a shot from a flask. This time, the spot couldn’t be more surprising – the ground floor of the Icon Tower on 104th Street, of all places. Classy.

Taco del Mar in the Icon Tower

• The second location of Fuss Cupcakes (10441 82 Avenue) is coming soon, likely around 3 weeks away.

Fuss Cupcakes – coming soon

• Mack and I stopped at Flirt Cupcakes on Saturday. I used the handy online ordering form the night before, and when I entered the shop, found my box of six cupcakes ready to go, dressed in a lovely yellow ribbon. I have to say the Wild on Whyte (vanilla with strawberry icing) is still my favorite). I’m also happy to see Flirt on Twitter, and that they’re using it pretty effectively, by announcing feature flavours and offering special deals. Keep it up, Michelle!

Half dozen cupcakes from Flirt

• CityFarm, a wonderful initiative to teach children and families about growing food is shutting down due to funding constraints. A meeting scheduled for Monday night is exploring possible mergers with other city agencies.
• The Edible Prairie posted about a “meet and eat” showcase of local food taking place on Wednesday, April 22 at the J.G. O’Donaghue Building.
• It looks like the Edmonton Food Security Network has rebranded themselves as “Just Food Edmonton”. Help them relaunch on Saturday from 10am-3pm in McIntyre Park.
• Liane interviewed Culina’s Brad Lazarenko in the Journal this week. He’s moving back to Edmonton and will be revamping menus at both Culina locations.
• Vue Weekly published a profile on Transcend Coffee’s Poul Mark, as well as a great piece about the Edmonton Guerrilla Gardeners.
• Kerstin Chocolates’ first-ever Easter Egg Hunt was a success, with ten people receiving a prize for their efforts! BruleeBlog also posted about her experience locating eggs here.
• It seems the second T & T Supermarket (in Northgate Mall) is finally going forward, and is apparently set to open in July.
• My sister said the University of Alberta campus is getting their first Starbucks (in Cameron library) – I thought the U of A had a deal with Aramark? Also on Starbucks – while they are closing stores all over North America, Poland of all places is one of their targeted growth areas.
• Andree Lau over at Food Bytes wrote a piece highlighting some of the recession deals to be had in Calgary, including one at the stellar Teatro.
• The Globe’s Lucy Waverman attempts to boil down recipes into bite-sized ,140 character Tweets. I have to say, I don’t think I could be that articulate.
• I was happy to see a story about IKEA’s elimination of plastic bags as of July 1. Which supermarket will step up first to follow suit, I wonder?
• I headed over to Flirt Cupcakes last week to interview one of the owners for a story I’m working on. Of course, I couldn’t resist sampling one (or two) of their cupcakes. I tried both their coffee-topped chocolate cake and their vanilla cake with strawberry icing, and I have to say that I preferred the latter – the natural sweetness from the real strawberries made such a difference in the icing.

Coffee Cupcake in Flirt

• Yes, there is another Taco del Mar coming soon, this time in the Meadows. Seriously, who eats there to warrant an exponential growth of the chain in the city, particularly in these lean times?!

Another Taco del Mar

• I am so happy the snow is off the ground, and that the weather is slowly looking better. It means that I’ll be able to move my budding herb garden out onto the balcony soon! As someone who hasn’t grown anything since elementary school, it does amaze me that nearly all the seeds we planted managed to sprout. Whether or not they’ll live long enough to produce any basil or parsley is still yet to be seen, but I’m optimistic.

My container herb garden