‘Tis the Season at the Hotel Macdonald: Nutcracker Tea and Tour

There are few places in Edmonton that get decked out for the holidays like the Hotel Macdonald. You only need to walk into their lobby to get whisked away in the Christmas spirit – between the bedazzled fifteen foot tree and the twinkly gingerbread rendition of the building, the Hotel Mac does it right.

Gingerbread Hotel Macdonald

Their holiday season offerings range from special dinners on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, to themed meals like the Dickens buffet (a nineteenth century, English-style lunch) and Nutcracker Tea and Tour. The latter is a festive take on their respected Royal Tea and Tour, featuring a holiday-inspired menu and some other surprises. Mack and I took his Grandma Male for tea on Saturday. We had been meaning to take her for some time – Grandma Male actually worked at the hotel switchboard in the 1950s, and she hadn’t been back to the building since.

Reservations were accepted for 2:30pm in the Harvest Room. Although it wasn’t quite a full house, the families, friends and couples who gathered had all dressed up for the occasion.

Grandma Male and Mack

We started off with a glass of sparkling wine, a nice touch for the holidays, and shortly after, were presented with the tea selection. I was anticipating that all of the teas would have been loose, as is traditional, but there was a mix of tea bags and loose teas. Grandma Male and I both chose a nice Buckingham Palace orange pekoe.

Our first treats arrived warm from the oven – classic scones and candied pecan-eggnog scones. They were absolutely delicious, though to be honest, I think I used the scones as a vessel to consume as much Devonshire cream and port cranberry compote as possible.

Scones!

The tiered trays contained both savoury and sweet bites. No cucumber sandwiches to be seen, the selection included oven roasted turkey with citrus sage aioli on a mini navette. Our favourite on the savoury side was the applewood smoked cheddar, ham and grainy dijon aioli on an adorable mini bagel.

Beautiful presentation

The kitchen did a great job accommodating Mack’s nut allergy, making substitutions when necessary, such as ensuring the white chocolate and pistachio mousse was nowhere to be seen on his tray. While we enjoyed all of the dainty confections, the ginger orange madeleine was the pronounced favourite.

Photobombing tea service

The only misstep that afternoon was the fact that we were only told about the timing of the tour about ten minutes prior to its start. Although we weren’t rushed through tea service, it would have been nice to know the flow in advance. Otherwise, the service was impeccable, as is standard at the Hotel Macdonald.

We assembled in the Wedgewood Room for a special performance by some of the dancers from Clara’s Dream. Shumka’s Ukrainian version of The Nutcracker, the preview showcased the music and the energy you would expect from a fusion of dance styles. Clara’s Dream runs December 29-30, 2015 at the Jubilee Auditorium.

Dancers from Clara’s Dream

Afterwards, Carlos, a staff of the Hotel Macdonald, led us on a brief tour of the building. This wasn’t my first tour of the Hotel Macdonald, but what I always appreciate is how personal each tour is, coloured by the individual experience of each staff member. In this case, Carlos shared that he had worked as Queen Elizabeth’s butler when she stayed at the Hotel Macdonald back in 2005, commenting on her strong appetite and desire to know how her food was prepared. On this tour, we weren’t able to visit the Queen Elizabeth Suite, as the top two floors of the hotel are currently undergoing renovations, and aren’t set to reopen until April.

The Empire Ballroom

Carlos also informed us about the Hotel Macdonald’s reputation among the Fairmont properties – although being the second smallest, it hosts the most weddings of all. With as many as six weddings per day in the summer, he jokes to the grooms to ensure they go home with the right bride at the end of the night, and to the brides that in order to have their dream wedding at the castle on the river, that they should book their wedding date and then go out and find the right groom.

With Grandma Male

The Nutcracker Tea and Tour is a great way to celebrate the holidays. It runs every Saturday and Sunday until December 27, with the only other preview of Clara’s Dream to take place at the December 19 tea. The cost is $49 per person, with reservations recommended. Happy holidays!

Ramen for Brunch: Yuzen

It seems ramen’s the thing in Edmonton right now. There were only a handful of restaurants serving this Japanese staple before this year, and the inventory has grown since then, with Kazoku Ramen joining the ranks this fall, and Prairie Noodle Shop’s pop-ups making way for a brick and mortar storefront soon.

Restaurants in St. Albert have joined this list as well, with Ohana-ya offering ramen for lunch on weekdays, and Yuzen complimenting that with ramen on Saturday afternoons. While in St. Albert last Saturday, we planned for a ramen brunch at the latter to make the most of the trip out.

We were told by friends to arrive early, but unbeknownst to us, Yuzen shifted their Saturday hours back half an hour, and now serve ramen from 11:00am-2pm. So our 11:30am arrival meant an already full house, and an approximately 30 minute wait for a table.

Loved this sign

The menu is pretty straightforward, with 5 different bowls to choose from. I chose the pork-based tonkotsu ($11), while Mack selected the soy-based shoyu broth ($11). We each added an egg as well ($1).

Given the singular menu focus, the kitchen was able to maintain a fairly efficient speed. Service as a whole was also very pleasant and friendly throughout.

Tonkotsu ramen

I quite enjoyed the tonkotsu broth, full-bodied and seasoned just right. Both Mack and I found the noodles well-cooked, and enjoyed finding a creamy yolk centre in our eggs. Our only complaint lay with the pork, sliced too thick for my preference and ultimately on the dry side.

Shoyu ramen

We were told the crowd was actually on the small side that day, so I think the word is getting out about St. Albert’s ramen brunch option. It is a bit too far for us to frequent often (Ninja Club is our current go-to), but I would consider it again when in the neighbourhood.

Yuzen
127, 1 Hebert Road, St. Albert
(780) 569-5270
Lunch: Tuesday-Friday 11:30am-2pm, Saturday 11am-2pm; Dinner: Tuesday-Sunday 5-9pm; closed Mondays

Enjoy the “Best of the West” during the 2015 Canadian Finals Rodeo

The Canadian Finals Rodeo is back again for its 42nd edition, taking over Northlands next week. To engage Edmontonians and visitors alike, Rodeo Week is taking place from November 7-15, 2015, in conjunction with the CFR. Events include a family-friendly wild wagon race at Fort Edmonton Park, a mechanical bull riding championship at Cook County Saloon and the popular chili cook-off at Churchill Square.

Bar at Woodwork

The tie-in extends to 17 local restaurants who have put their best rodeo-inspired dishes forward to ensure diners can get in on the fun, too. On Sunday, Mack and I joined Andrea, Linda and their respective partners on a food crawl organized by Edmonton Tourism to preview some of the dishes on this “Best of the West” menu.

Woodwork

Woodwork has a great cocktail program, so we were looking forward to sampling their feature drink, the Campfire Rambler. Made with High West Campfire Whiskey, vermouth and maraschino liqueur, it was a spirit-forward drink meant for sipping. I appreciated the chilled glass that kept the cocktail cool enough to enjoy.

Campfire Rambler

Sherlock Holmes

The Colleen’s Amber Ale chili served in a sourdough bread bowl ($14) is sure to be a crowd-pleaser at Sherlock Holmes. Mack very much enjoyed the fact that the thick, hearty chili was heavy on the meat – sometimes straightforward is best, and indeed, this was Mack’s favourite dish.

Colleen’s Amber Ale chili

Fairmont Hotel MacDonald

The Confederation Lounge at the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald has one of the coziest tables downtown, surrounded with leather loungers and situated next to a roaring fireplace. With a wicked wind outside, it was an ideal place to warm up and get our bearings.

Not content to feature just one menu item, the Fairmont Hotel MacDonald has two. The wonton nachos ($19) were the most unique plate we tried that day, layered with braised pork cheeks, scallions, cheese and wasabi aioli. In some ways, the substitution of deep fried wonton skins better highlighted the toppings, given they are more neutral in flavour than corn-based chips.

Wonton nachos

My favourite dish was the chorizo sausage ($21), generously topped with beef chili, smoked cheddar and mustard crème fraiche. The sausage was great on its own, but the flavour was amplified with the addition of the chili. It is definitely something I’d order again.

Chorizo sausage

We were also encouraged to order drinks. Mack and I couldn’t resist the Game On Martini, designed to be the shade of Oilers blue. It was definitely on the sweet side, which I enjoyed. The Mac happened to be running a photo contest involving their special martini on social media. After entering, I was randomly selected and won a pair of tickets to an Oilers game. Needless to say, it was a good night.

Game On Martini

The Best of the West menu is available from October 26 until November 15, 2015. Thanks again to Edmonton Tourism for having us!

Check out Linda’s post here.

Culinary Q & A with Karen Unland

After recording a podcast on Seen and Heard in Edmonton with Karen, I thought I’d turn the tables on her and ask her to share some of her favourite food and restaurants in the city.

Occupation:

Entrepreneur (or at least trying), instructor, consultant

What did you eat today?

Breakfast: Chocolate croissant and plums

Lunch: Leftover Oodle Noodle (mostly pad thai)

Supper: Steak with mushrooms and shrimp, steamed potatoes from our garden, Caesar salad with lettuce from our garden

Snack: Gelato

What do you never eat?

I’m kind of proud of always eating what’s put in front of me. I don’t have any allergies or sensitivities, so I have that luxury. There are foods I’m more likely to choose than others at, say, a buffet, but I can’t think of anything that I wouldn’t at least try. (I did have a bad experience with pickled herring once that might lead me to shy away in the future.)

What is your personal specialty?

I really don’t cook much, but this year I learned how to make chicken noodle soup from scratch. After we have roast chicken (which my husband cooks), I take the carcass and make soup, then freeze it for future meals.

Complete this sentence: In my refrigerator, you will always find:

Two kinds of milk (full-fat for our son, skim for the rest of us)

What is your weekday meal standby?

If I’m cooking, I’ll usually make eggs, unless there are leftovers. Like I said, I’m not much of a chef.

What is your favorite kitchen item?

The appliance I use most in our kitchen is the tea-maker, which is kind of like a drip coffee-maker, but for tea. I was skeptical of it when my husband bought it, but it turns out to be very handy, and it makes it easy to use loose-leaf tea.

World ends tomorrow. Describe your last meal.

Ah, it’s hard to think of food when the world is ending! I’d want to eat at home, and my favourite meal there is salmon cooked on the barbecue with a mustard sauce; steamed asparagus; fresh bread; saskatoon pie for dessert.

Where do you eat out most frequently?

For fast(ish) food, we probably go to Oodle Noodle or Edo Japan most often as a family. When I’m downtown, I’ll usually eat at Chopped Leaf or Remedy. For finer dining, my husband and I like Tasty Tomato, and my best friend and I often end up at Manor Cafe.

Where’s the best place to eat in Edmonton?

I’m very fond of the Hardware Grill, but it’s been ages since I’ve been there, and the last few times I’ve tried it’s been booked. There are so many great places, though, and I pretty much like to eat anything I don’t have to cook.

If you weren’t limited by geography, where and what would you eat?

I love seafood. If it were possible, I’d eat sushi and shellfish all of the time.

Follow Karen on Twitter and check out her blog and podcasts on Seen and Heard in Edmonton.

Taste of the Edmonton International Airport

It was an odd evening, heading to the airport with Mack two weeks ago without the intention of travel, or the purpose of picking up or seeing someone off. Instead, we were at the Edmonton International Airport for a unique progressive dinner experience, for a taste of what we might have to look forward to prior to a flight.

The EIA has repositioned its marketing to encourage travellers to arrive earlier than the recommended time so that their vacation can “begin at the airport”. With over 60 shops and restaurants, the EIA has definitely increased its retail and hospitality brands over the last few years, offering more variety than ever before. They even have developed a free-to-join EIA Rewards program that will offer monthly discounts from partner businesses. That night, we were able to sample fare from three of its restaurants.

Our first stop was Houston Steak & Ribs, located just past security and one that I’ve passed by countless times (usually during my beeline to the Starbucks across the hall). It’s the only location in Western Canada, and staff boast that the restaurant has the best views in the airport, given it faces some of the runways. Licensed 24 hours a day (though only open from 6am-10pm), it enables travellers to indulge with an alcoholic beverage with breakfast if desired.

Houston Steak & Ribs

Their lunch/dinner menu is surprisingly compact, with just a handful of burgers, sandwiches, their namesake ribs, and appetizers on offer. We sampled three of the latter: warm goat cheese ($13), crab cakes ($18) and beef sliders ($13).

The goat cheese was a pleasant surprise, decoratively layered on top of spinach and dried apricots and pistachio couscous. Our only complaint was how few crostini were provided.

Warm goat cheese

The crab cakes were my least favourite dish, as I found them to be overwhelmed by the dill dressing and an unfortunately overdressed arugula, tomato and red onion salad.

Crab cakes

The beef sliders were definitely the most value-driven, accompanied by a generous portion of perfectly crispy sweet potato fries.

Beef sliders

We also had cocktails to start. My Purple Haze ($9.99) was a fun way to begin the evening, a sweet concoction of vodka, blue curacao, white cranberry juice and grenadine.

Purple Haze

Overall, I had a positive reception of Houston’s, and would definitely not overlook the restaurant on future trips to the airport.

Belgian Beer Café, our second stop, has the fortune of being situated next to EIA’s beautiful living wall. Greenery is sparse at the airport, and in the winter, the natural cascade of leaves is especially inviting.

By the living wall!

The restaurant interior is meant to evoke 1930’s Belgium, with imported millwork and décor setting the scene. Like Houston’s, Belgian Beer Cafe is also licensed to serve alcohol all day. In addition to an extensive beer menu (with over 40 different Belgian bottles, on top of domestic offerings), the food menu captures both classic Belgian tastes as well as what staff described as “modern Canadian” dishes.

Belgian Beer Cafe

Mack and I ordered from both ends of the spectrum. His white wine and garlic mussels ($14.50) was the more successful of the dishes. The portion was substantial (and we were hoping not exaggerated given we were on a food tour), and Mack enjoyed the flavour of the sauce.

White wine and garlic mussels

My beer battered fish and frites ($17.99) was disappointing. The coating was too heavy, concealing cod that tasted less than fresh. The fries, weighed down by the fish, ended up not retaining their crispy, double-fried exterior – perhaps a plating change-up could be considered.

Beer battered fish and frites

For dessert that night, we headed back towards security to Cookies By George. This stop was perhaps the most insightful for us, as it cleared up a lot of misconceptions we had about the company (and one that I visited religiously for coffee in my university years; I must have consumed my weight in flavoured creamers).

A Canadian company, Cookies by George began in 1983 in Vancouver. Fifteen years ago, an Edmontonian was so wowed by the product that he decided to buy the company, and moved the headquarters to his hometown.

Cookies by George

They have eleven locations as far east as Winnipeg, but have continued to use the same recipes and methods from its inception: small batches made from all natural ingredients, using no preservatives. The cookie dough is all made from scratch in Edmonton, frozen and shipped to its stores, then hand scooped and baked fresh every day. Its best-selling cookie today is their milk chocolate chunk.

The EIA shop is the only airport branch of Cookies by George, and is only one of two in Edmonton to serve soft ice cream (West Edmonton Mall is the other). Three locations in Edmonton also stock locally-made yogurt by Bles Wold.

Soft ice cream cookie sundae

Part of the reason our time at Cookies by George was so delightful can be attributed to its energetic ambassador, Faye Mowers, the VP and Director of Operations. She shared that after she was hired by the company while in university, reading the employee manual was a “spiritual experience”. She has worked for the company ever since.

Besides takeaway customers, Cookies by George does significant business shipping their cookies across Canada and the U.S. (though they have shipped as far as Japan before). For fun, they were getting ready to ship cookies to Prince George of Cambridge for his second birthday (“From one George to another”).

Chewy oatmeal raisin

Because of their sales at this location to passengers about to board planes, they developed a sturdy carry box to keep the precious cargo safe. We were fortunate to take home a baker’s dozen each.

Thanks to Jacquie and Gillian and the Edmonton International Airport for hosting us that evening!

Taste of Edmonton 2015

Mack and I just returned from our third trip around this year’s Taste of Edmonton, and boy, everyone seemed to be talking about Graham Hicks’ takedown of the festival. On Tuesday, the Sun published his harsh take on one of Edmonton’s summer traditions, a litany of his encounter with “awful” food. Although Taste has its fair share of haters, Graham’s piece is surprising in light of his praise of the festival over the past three years, and the fact that nothing significant changed in 2015.

Taste of Edmonton

We’ve been a bit more deliberate this year in taking advantage of our proximity to the site, stopping by on multiple occasions to gradually use up the tickets we accumulated. This has afforded us the chance to return to our favourites over the course of the week!

Food trucks were back for a forth straight year

As guests of Taste Alberta, Mack and I were invited to sample the wares inside the Sip ‘n Savour Tent last Friday. The pop-up nature of the tent has enabled the festival to involve chefs who wouldn’t otherwise be willing or available to commit to the duration of the event. That said, with the $10 admission fee, I’m surprised that most of the Sip ‘n Savour dates have sold out – the cost of attending can pretty quickly escalate with the cover charge, given food and drinks inside the tent require Taste tickets. In some ways, should Taste want to expand into the off-season, the Sip ‘n Savour concept could certainly be replicated.

Mack and Mike at Sip ‘n Savour

That evening, Custom Cocktails and Tapas were on the menu. The patio facing the stage was pretty sweet, and on that sunny evening, it was a very comfortable place to enjoy our drinks.

Patio

Century Hospitality Group catered that night, serving up a variety of small plates, including gazpacho, arancini and pulled pork sliders.

Outgoing CHG Chef Paul Shufelt

We were also happy to encounter Nomad Espresso, Edmonton’s first mobile coffee cart. Steve is set up inside the tent for the entire festival, which is great for those with access who need a pick-me-up, but it definitely limits his exposure to a wider audience.

Steve of Nomad Espresso

Outside Sip ‘n Savour, as we found last year, the value for tickets is pretty good, with most samples priced at 3. But as with any large food festival, there are hits and misses.

Some restaurants are reliable and consistently good – perhaps Taste should consider formally recognizing those who, year over year, are creative and seek to elevate the food served at the festival. In my opinion, ZINC is at the top of that list. Their City Market salad, dressed with a champagne and lemon olive oil, was a refreshing reprieve from deep fried dishes (and one I went back twice for!).

City Market salad from ZINC

Similarly, their decadent banana bread pudding was easily Mack’s favourite dessert, well executed and comforting.

Banana bread pudding from ZINC

Also on the sweet side, the Hotel Macdonald’s scone, with whipped cream and berry compote, is a classic. And though it’s a plate you shouldn’t have more than once, I couldn’t help myself. It was impressive that Chef Jost was there serving both times!

With Chef Jost and the Mac scone

There were some restaurants that we weren’t expecting to stand out. Mama Lee’s Kitchen was continuously making small batches of its beef and pork bulgogi – we could definitely taste the difference their efforts made (especially when compared with some of the dishes we tried that had obviously languished under a heat lamp).

Beef bulgogi from Mama Lee’s Kitchen

The rotisserie roasted pig from the Freson Bros. was another pleasant menu addition, with a good ratio of fat, and finished off with applesauce.

Rotisserie roasted pig from the Freson Bros.

Overall, we appreciated the other small improvements to the festival – more seating outside of the beer garden, and large overhead signs planted above each of the booths that helped with navigation. We didn’t have a chance to check out the Culinary Championships, but given they’re located separately on Centennial Plaza, hopefully they’ve been drawing the crowds they wanted.

Given Taste of Edmonton will be looking for a new home next year (because of the 102 Avenue construction), only time will tell whether they’ll be able to continue the positive momentum they’ve built over the last four years.

Edmonton on Foot: Doors Open Edmonton and Chinatown Summer Market

One of my favourite things about living Downtown is its proximity to other neighbourhoods we can easily reach on foot. This was illustrated on Saturday, when Mack and I enjoyed some of what Central Edmonton had to offer that day.

I think the Historic Festival and Doors Open Edmonton should make a bigger splash than it does. It flies under the radar, given it takes place over the same duration as the much higher profile Edmonton International Street Performers Festival, but the opportunity to see some of the participating landmarks firsthand only comes around once a year.

Mack and I had already joined a horse-drawn historical tour in Beverly earlier in the week, but what I was really looking forward to was something closer to home – a guided tour of the Westminster Apartments, at 9955-114 Street. We’ve walked by the heritage building numerous times, but I’ve always wondered (a fire stoked by the accessibility of real estate reality shows) what the units inside look like.

Tour of the Westminster

Lucky for us, this was the first year some residents of the Westminster wanted to open their doors up to the public. About forty people signed up in advance – the organizers were a little surprised at the interest in their homes!

The Westminster was built in 1912 as a speculative investment of eastern Canadian capital. It was designed to accommodate people who were transitioning from rooming houses to higher-end apartments. As such, the basement was originally set up as a kitchen, where food was prepared and sent upstairs to residents who re-heated meals in their smaller-than average warming kitchens. In 2004, the building was converted to 24 condo units. Famous occupants of the Westminster include George Bulyea, Alberta’s first Lieutenant Governor.

Clawfoot bathtub

We explored four units, which highlighted each of their individuality. Given the age of the building, some residents had chosen to modernize their spaces, which ranged from opening up the kitchen to installing ensuite laundry and skylights. Most units retained some of the historical features, like clawfoot bathtubs and plate and picture rails.

Picture rails

Coincidentally, we knew the couple who lived in one of the units. Over the last ten years, Mike and Yvonne have extensively renovated their top-floor unit, incorporating many Asian-influenced designs and furniture. It is a beautiful home.

Modernized unit

Hopefully the residents at the Westminster decide to participate in Doors Open Edmonton next year – it is a gem that should continue to be admired and appreciated for years to come.

On a related note, we did try to tour Immigration Hall later that afternoon, but it seemed that the information was contained in error, as Hope Mission staff didn’t seem to know anything about it. As it goes into its twentieth year, one would hope that festival details in its guide are accurate!

After the historical tour, we walked over to Chinatown for their annual Summer Market. It is their rebranded East Meets West Festival, and when I saw that the organizers were promoting the event on social media, I was hoping that the Chinatown BRZ had changed things up this year.

It’s an event that has so much potential, and given the costs of closing down a street, I’m always optimistic that organizers will make better use of the space.

Chinatown Summer Market

They did have a more diverse line-up of entertainment, broadening the cultural lens to include South Asian performers. As well, the vendor tent did seem to house more businesses this year. But otherwise, it was a similar template to previous events, and unlike last year, had even less street-level engagement.

Vendor tent

The massive stage was placed at the north end of 97 Street at 106 Avenue, blocking the view of the busy grocery store behind it. And while some of the larger performing groups can fill the stage, for the solo dancers or smaller teams, it seems unnecessary and actually serves to distance the audience from the action.

Xiao Hai Ou Dance Group

The food element was also missing. While food trucks don’t always have to be the answer, in lieu of them, it was disappointing that the businesses along 97 Street didn’t set up tables outside to hawk their products. It would have been the perfect opportunity to engage passerby so they might be encouraged to step inside.

We watched a few performances, then headed to Lee House for lunch. In some ways, I was retracing the steps made at the Chinatown Food Crawl back in May – it was a chance to use some of the coupons I’d received then!

One coupon entitled us to a complimentary kimchi pancake at Lee House, which went well with additional dishes of japchae and rice cakes.

Lee House eats

To cool off on our walk home, we picked up some refreshing bubble tea from Tea Bar Cafe (also at a discount thanks to the Food Crawl).

Strawberry and mango fruit slushes from Tea Bar Cafe

We were ready for a nap after spending so much time in the sun, but it was great to take advantage of what Edmonton has to offer, and (lucky for us) all within a twenty minute radius of our home on foot.

Chef Ryan O’Flynn’s Canadian Experience at The Westin’s Share Restaurant

After his February win at the Gold Medal Plate Championships, Chef Ryan O’Flynn has embraced his elevated status as an opportunity. Not one of personal gain, but a chance to showcase his interpretation of Canadian cuisine – featuring homegrown ingredients and traditional techniques that few other chefs are utilizing in Edmonton.

Mack and I were invited to a special dinner at The Westin’s Share Restaurant in June. Chef O’Flynn has completely revamped the menu, and we had the privilege of tasting nearly every new dish.

Share Restaurant

Diners can expect what he calls the “Canadian experience”. In the last few months, Chef O’Flynn has been spending time with Aboriginal elders, learning ancient cooking methods and then adapting them for use in a modern kitchen. It was obvious Chef O’Flynn’s is not only passionate about his craft, but also about learning from others, hungry for a connection between food and the stories behind them.

Chef Ryan O’Flynn

Perhaps the most special offering at Share is their version of a chef’s table. Starting at $80 per person for a minimum of six people, diners will be treated to a customized meal. The experience will include the opportunity for a one-to-one consultation with the Chef, where you will be able to share your favourite foods, childhood memories, and travels to inspire an entirely personalized dinner. It’s not everyday that diners can sit down with a Gold Medal Plate winner to create a menu, so it is definitely a unique offering in the city’s culinary landscape.

A number of dishes stood out that evening. The vegetarian course was absolutely stunning, a shock of fuchsia set against a charcoal backdrop. Comprised of marinated beets whipped with Innisfail goat cheese, beet relish, orange and a hibiscus petal, it was a dish light as air.

Innisfail goat cheese and Okanagan beets

Those who followed Chef O’Flynn’s Gold Medal Plates competition will be happy to see his award-winning entry on the menu. A labour of love, the terrine of sturgeon and Quebec foie gras takes one week to make. It marries pine smoked BC sturgeon with foie gras rubbed with pine nettles, and is served alongside morels sourced from the Northwest Territories (a company Chef O’Flynn has a stake in), Alberta wheat brioche and Okanagan apples. All of us around the table went quiet, enjoying the textures and concentration of flavours. Interestingly enough, Chef O’Flynn shared that because of his win with sturgeon, his supplier has had to increase production to meet the demand.

Terrine of pine smoked sturgeon and Quebec foie gras

My favourite dish was the “Prairie seabass”, or Northern Lake Pickerel, which Chef O’Flynn and his team receive whole twice a week. Dressed with a toasted pine nut crust, the fish was fatty and delectable, garnished with sea asparagus atop cauliflower puree.

Grilled Northern Lake pickerel and toasted nut crust

Chef O’Flynn’s playful nature was showcased in his version of “chicken of the sea”. “Ficken” involves sous vide poached chicken as well as pan roasted halibut with a layer of crispy chicken skin. It was actually not as odd as I thought it might be, as it was similar to crisped up fish skin. The rest of the plate perhaps deserved more of the spotlight – the perfectly prepared chicken just melted away, and the combination of Taber corn and wild Winnipeg rice was ready to anchor a vegetarian main.

“Ficken” pan roasted halibut and free range chicken

The item closest to the hotel menu mainstay of steak and potatoes is actually the bison. But unlike the usual grilled meat, Chef O’Flynn has chosen to adapt an Aboriginal method that would have involved cooking over hot stones buried in the ground. Instead, bison cured in pine salt is wrapped in foil with onion puree and coffee is smoked for twelve hours under soil, birch bark and pine nettles. The potatoes are also given special treatment, with smoked cream and butter whipped into them.

Bison rib of Alberta bison

The menu will officially be launched on July 16, though intrepid diners may have already noticed the shift at Share.

No doubt Chef O’Flynn’s passion for Canadian cuisine was known before his Gold Medal Plate fame, but it is likely to be cemented with this new direction at The Westin. His growing repertoire of techniques and willingness to experiment can only serve him well – he’ll be one to watch for in Edmonton, and starting this week, you can see for yourself what he has to offer.

Thanks to Chef O’Flynn and the team at The Westin for having us!

Check out Linda and Cindy’s recaps of the evening.

Road Trip: Fort Saskatchewan and Jurassic Forest

At the end of June, in lieu of a birthday gift, Mack and I took the opportunity to spend the day together and explore some area attractions that we hadn’t made the time for yet.

To start, we headed to Fort Saskatchewan for their highest profile restaurant – The Downtown Diner. Having been featured not only in the Journal, but also in Food Network’s You Gotta Eat Here, Keith and Lori’s brand of comfort food has attracted some devout fans, many who are willing to make the drive from Edmonton for a meal.

Because of that, we were expecting a bit more of a line, but hey, no complaints here. It also probably helped that we missed the frenzy caused by the television episode by about a week. The diner itself is fairly non-descript on the outside, located along one of the main drags in downtown Fort Saskatchewan. Inside, the L-shaped restaurant is lined with cushy red vinyl booths and checkered floors, and looks exactly how you’d imagine a diner to be.

The Downtown Diner

The staff also play their part – they were genuinely welcoming and friendly, with Keith making a point to thank every table for their business.

The menu is full of diner classics including burgers, fried chicken and mac ‘n’ cheese. Our seat by the kitchen actually made ordering very difficult – everything coming off the counter looked amazing. I settled on the diner hash with some meat ($14), while Mack was swayed by the special, a fried chicken and waffle sandwich ($14).

He definitely won this round: the fried chicken was spot on, crispy and tender, sandwiched by layers of waffles and cream cheese.

Fried chicken and waffle sandwich

My hash would have been enough to feed the two of us, made up of potatoes, scrambled eggs, turkey (an add in), and topped with gravy and hollandaise. In hindsight, fried eggs would have been the better choice, but it was still a satisfying dish. Both of us agreed we’d be back soon to take on the later day entrees.

Diner hash with turkey

The staff at The Downtown Diner are definitely proud of their restaurant – it shows in the food and the service, and you won’t regret the trek out to see for yourself.

After brunch, we headed on foot to a nearby park to see the other attraction in Fort Saskatchewan that we’ve heard a lot about: the sheep.

If you didn’t know, Fort Saskatchewan started utilizing sheep as their living lawnmowers in 1992. From June to September, a flock of about fifty sheep can be seen grazing at various parks four days a week. And yes, this novelty draws its share of tourists, to the point where they have a “sheep hotline”.

We found them!

On that scorcher of a day, the sheep weren’t too difficult to find, clustered under the only available shade cast by a grove of trees. Although the website proclaimed how friendly they were, they did seem pretty wary of us.

With Fort Saskatchewan’s mascots

Along the way, we also stumbled upon the Fort Heritage District. It is a much smaller facility than our own Fort Edmonton, but they had an exciting lesson of axe throwing underway. We were invited to watch the students, but needless to say, we were asked to stand way back.

Axe throwing at the Fort

We hopped back in the car and continued north to Gibbons for Jurassic Forest. With the release of the popular Jurassic World sequel this year, Mack was hoping for more formal staycation tie-ins with Jurassic Forest, but we only just realized that in some ways, the attraction is old hat – we were both surprised to hear that it opened back in 2010.

Since then, Jurassic Forest has undergone a number of upgrades, and have increased the animatronic figures from 42 to 51, and have enhanced their educational displays. We didn’t really know what to expect, but we hoped to be intrigued.

T-Rex

The dinosaurs were split between two heavily shaded trails (something we were thankful for on that day). We initially liked the idea of “stumbling upon” the creatures as we turned the corner, unknowingly tripping a motion sensor, causing the figures to come to life.

Edmontonsaurus, on the right

But in some ways, we were disappointed that the dinosaurs had such limited movement (opening of eyes, raising of arms, and flicking of tails).

Stegasaurus, one of my childhood favourites

Mack was also anticipating that we’d be able to get closer to the animatronic displays. The novelty of seeing them in the distance like wildlife quickly go old, and some of the figures were hard to see in the bush.

In the distance

While we appreciated the placards describing each dinosaur, there were also some randomly placed placards about the flora and fauna, which may not have actually coincided with their location. We understand the facility was trying to encourage learning about our own native species still present, but they seemed like an afterthought.

T-rex selfie!

Since we were there anyway, we extended our stay with a round of mini golf. It was probably a mistake to remain out in the full sun for any longer than we had to, but it was a fun side activity.

Journey to Extinction mini-golf

The Telus World of Science now has a similar animatronic exhibit called Dinosaurs Unearthed, so you may not have to travel as far to see these prehistoric creatures come to life. But it is at a smaller scale, and doesn’t have the built-in appeal of the outdoors. And while I’m not sure I’d recommend Jurassic Forest for very young or older children, it was still a site to experience.

Looking forward to our next adventure close to home!

Stories Behind the Chopsticks: Chinatown Food Crawl

I love the idea of food crawls – they’re not only a great way to meet other people, but they spotlight multiple establishments within walking distance of one another, thus promoting the neighborhood on a larger level. In the past, with the seemingly defunct Edmonton branch of Dishcrawl, the focus was on areas that were already mainstream – Downtown, Old Strathcona, 124 Street. In some ways, the food crawl is a more powerful tool when wielded to expose people to quadrants less ventured. Two years ago, the North Edge Business Revitalization Zone (covering Queen Mary Park and Central McDougall, just north of the Arena District) did this with their Flavour Journey Restaurant Tours. Now, McCauley Revitalization has embraced the food tour with a series called Stories Behind the Chopsticks.

Led by Freya Fu, the tours have been a way for her to connect Edmontonians with an oft-overlooked neighbourhood: Chinatown. Plagued by a reputation of its high concentration of social services and housing, many dismiss Chinatown as unsafe and unwelcoming. Those who do miss out on the gems – food stores like Ying Fat tofu factory and Shan Shan Bakery, happening late night hot pot restaurants like 97 Hot Pot and Urban Shabu, or my personal favourite, pho joints like Pho Tau Bay and King Noodle House.

Freya established connections with several business owners in Chinatown to create four tours in May, each highlighting four restaurants. Two were open to the public, and the $35 tickets sold out in just a few days. I have to say I was initially disappointed that the public tours were held in the afternoon (I think much of the stigma Chinatown has to overcome relates to its evening economy), but I also recognize the need to work with the owners at a time convenient for their regular customer flow.

I had the pleasure of accompanying Freya on her May 30, 2015 tour as a volunteer. There were about two dozen people in the group who gathered at our first stop: Lee House (10704 97 Street). The second location of the southside Korean mainstay, proprietor Mrs. Lee shared that she had started the restaurant twenty-two years ago with her husband. She was clearly very proud of her scratch cooking, and her son shared that she was particularly excited about this branch because of its proximity to the Lucky 97 Supermarket across the street, allowing for easy access to fresh ingredients.

Mrs. Lee and her son, of Lee House

We were treated to a family-style feast, including bulgogi, japchae, chicken balls, and an assortment of pickled accompaniments. The japchae (stir fried sweet potato noodles) is a favourite of mine, and the Lee House version doesn’t disappoint.

Korean-style feast

Zen Sushi (10518 101 Street) was the second stop. I confessed that I had walked past the storefront on 101 Street countless times, but had never peeked inside.

Zen Sushi interior

Henry, the owner, grew up in the neighbourhood, and expressed his commitment to help grow and develop McCauley. He intends at some point in the future to start “Zen After Dark” where their usual all you can eat concept will be set aside in favour of a special ramen menu on Friday and Saturday nights. This would help drive foot traffic in the area and he hopes to make Zen a positive destination.

Making sushi

I’m not a sushi eater, so I didn’t partake in much at this stop. Zen also had some kinks to work out in their ordering system for a group our size, but I’m certain they would have streamlined it by the second crawl.

Travelling on foot

Next, we headed to the adjacent Golden Szechuan (10508 101 Street). Specializing in regional Szechuan cuisine (known for its unrelenting heat), we were served a beautifully plated sampling of dishes: shredded pork with Szechuan sauce, sliced beef tendon in spicy sauce, and my favourite, sliced fish in hot sauce.

Golden Szechuan sampling

It would have been ideal for the owners to provide more of an introduction to the cuisine, as I was certain many would have benefited from learning about what separates Szechuan cooking from other, more familiar, Chinese styles.

Before dessert, we made a quick stop at Ruby’s Bakery (10642 98 Street) to pick up some treats.

How many people can fit inside Ruby’s Bakery?

Offering Hong Kong-style baked goods, including elaborate wedding cakes, it was difficult to ignore the wafting aromas of freshly made sweets. The coconut tarts were such a hit that some tourgoers ended up purchasing more to take home.

Coconut tart and tulip cake

With our to-go boxes in hand, we ambled next door to Tea Bar Café (10640 98 Street), one of several Chinatown establishments serving up bubble tea. An alternative to coffee shops, the blended fruit-based drinks with tapioca pearls proved to be a refreshing way to end our journey. Similar to Golden Szechuan, I would have appreciated some more information from the owner about the history of bubble tea.

Mango bubble tea

Overall, from conversations with participants, most had never been to any of the establishments prior to the tour. Many said they would return on their own, now knowing what to expect. Freya had the ingenious idea to distribute a coupon book offering deals to each of the businesses, which will hopefully further encourage repeat visits.

Thanks again to Freya for the opportunity to join her on the tour! And if you missed it, you’re in luck – due to popular demand, a second tour, featuring different restaurants, is taking place on July 15, 2015 at 6:30pm. The link to the tickets will go live on July 2 at 7am.

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