foodieMcPoon

Glo McNeil wins the Recipes to Riches contest!

2011-12-17T13:32:00.000-08:00

The winner of the R to R contest was announced on the finale of the show this past Wednesday. Winner? Glo McNeil and her Luscious Lemon Pudding Cakes. Although the recipe was very simple...it was also very tasty. Who doesn't love lemons? Check out the finale episode here.

Who do you think should've won? I didn't vote for Glo myself, but I had a feeling she would...just based on the number of supporters on Facebook and her story and her personality, probably helped her win this contest. Regardless, great job Glo!

Recipes to Riches: time to vote for your favourite category!

2011-12-06T22:41:00.000-08:00

Now the time has come. If you have been following Food Network Canada's Recipes to Riches, here's your chance to have a say in your favourite category! Originally 7 categories, it is now down to 6 as Sonya and her gluten-free cookies were exempt from the grand prize. The category/person with the most votes wins $250,000. Now that's a lot of cash to boot! I know who I'm voting for...Go here to vote! You have until Friday, December 9th, 11:59EST before the polls close.

Recipes to Riches: Week Seven

2011-12-06T22:37:00.000-08:00

This is it! This is the very last episode before Canada gets to vote on who gets the grand prize of $250,000! Who will it be? Will it be this gentleman and his "slow and low pulled pork"?

Two packages or pork (200g each) were included in this week's R to R.

The final R to R episode was in the category on main entrees. This is the big one! The entree is the star of a meal! The three contestants this week were Eva and her lobster mac 'n' cheese, Robert and his pulled-pork meat and Scott with his braised lamb shanks and orzo pasta.

This was another disappointing episode for me (in terms of who won). Robert and his "slow and low" pulled pork won against Eva and Scott, which I think had better entree items. Although Scott got eliminated during the batch-up contest because he didn't have a clear recipe written down (he eyeballed everything), Eva had a good stab as the winner. Although I'm sure the judges have it down right; not many people would pay a hefty price tag for a premium product in a super market. But I know I would--it'll always be cheaper than eating out!

I cooked the pork for dinner last night so that we could get a taste of this before we voted for the final winner (the polls open on December 7th, 12:01am EST). I already knew that I wouldn't vote for this person, probably because I have had pulled pork many times...and although it takes a while to make (slow roasted for 12 hours), I wanted to vote for something different. Nevertheless, the pork was very tender, and perfectly seasoned with the right amount of tang.

Wanna watch the final episode of R to R? Go here!

Recipes to Riches: Week Six

2011-12-06T22:14:00.000-08:00

Isn't that cute? The colourful container contains 500mL of the yummy stuff!

The second last episode has arrived...and I can't believe it's almost over! This week's episode is all about ice cream. Mmm. The three contestants this week are Mark with his teapolitan (green and earl grey tea) layered ice cream cake, Rosy with her creamy kulfi ice cream and Audrey with her s'mores ice cream treat.

Interesting challenge this was because the one girl I thought would get eliminated during the batch-up contest, didn't. Instead, Mark, the guy I wanted to win, got turfed. And poor guy, you have to watch this episode to see this! During the batch-up contest, he pours his boiling hot ice cream mixture into the ice cream machine...only to find out that it was a little too full. The boiling hot mixture poured right back on to him. I felt so bad for him! And he didn't win.

Now left with Rosy and her creamy kulfi and Audrey with her s'mores ice cream treat. Winner? Rosy and her decadent East Indian dessert, creamy kulfi. I believe some of you have had this at Indian restaurants. The texture is almost sponge like, with a very rich and dense cream sauce flavoured with pistachios and cardamom. Rosy put a new spin to this by making it an ice cream (she had to do this on the batch-contest because it wasn't freezing fast enough). Turns out, it was for the better!

So yummy!

I'm glad that Rosy won this one (aside from Mark); her ice cream is unique because it's a spin on a traditional East Indian dessert. It has a very refreshing aftertaste because of the cardamom, which I love. Audrey had a yummy product but nothing we haven't tried yet. Also, she had quite the bossy personality...

Recipes to Riches: Week Five

2011-12-05T20:52:00.000-08:00

Week five of R to R! This week's episode was an interesting one: sweet and savoury snacks. The three contestants on this show were Sonya and her gluten-free "smart cookie", Donna and her breakfast cookie and Natasha with her s'mores treats.

After all their hard work, it was only down to the two contestants: Sonya and Donna with their distinct cookies. Sonya branded her cookie as the "smart" cookie; however Tony Chapman, one of the panel judges who is the market expert on the show, recommended changing the name if he wins (they didn't really). Donna's cookie on the other hand sounded REALLY interesting. She is originally from Calgary but moved to Vancouver to obtain her PhD. After missing her those 'Stampeder' breakfasts in Calgary before the famed annual Stampede every summer, she would make these cookies in lieu of that.

Sonya's gluten free smart cookie: puffed corn, crisp brown rice, quinoa, coconut and chocolate chips

Thinking that Donna would win, she did not. Instead, the judges went for Sonya's gluten free "smart cookie". After watching the show, a message popped up indicating the following: "Due to unforeseen circumstances after the taping of the show, we were informed that Sonya has an immediate family member working for the show; therefore she will not qualify for the grand prize." Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat? You mean you guys didn't do some pre-screening before you chose the winners? No waivers to sign to indicate that very issue? I think the runner-up totally should have deserved the chance to nab the spotlight. She has something good going on.

As for Sonya's cookies, you hardly know that they are gluten free. I wouldn't be able to tell. Although they are tasty and they cater to a good population who have gluten intolerance (or don't), I found the cookies to be a tad to sweet. What'd you think?

Go here to see for yourself!

Recipes to Riches: Week Four

2011-12-04T11:45:00.000-08:00

Yes! We are getting there.

Now this week's R to R episode is Savoury Pies. Mmmm. Doesn't that sound perfect for a dreary winter's day? This time they had an interesting array of choices from the contestants-a good mix of different cultures. The three contestants were Wayne and his salt fish (cod) and ackee pie, Melaney and her Bannock Hazelnut pie and Tikka with her vegan pot pie.

Winner? Melaney and her interesting bannock hazelnut pie. Now...when I first saw that she won, I had thought what an interesting and unique sounding dish! Well, I made a tiny mistake. First of all, the bannock portion of this recipe had to be prepared by you. A packet of the bannock mix had to be mixed with three tablespoons of water; and kneaded into a small ball. Wrap it around plastic wrap and let sit for a few minutes. After you let it sit, you must roll it out like a thin piece of pie crust. After you bake the pie separately for 30 minutes, you must top the pie with the dough and let it bake for another 30 minutes. The pie is a vegetarian dish so thinking quick, I knew it wouldn't be enough protein for my boyfriend and I. I quickly sauteed up some pork with soy sauce for seasoning (BIG mistake) and topped it on the pie while it baked for another 30 minutes.

Sweet potato bannock on top, with a savoury hazelnut pie filling with my pork (oops!)

Let's just say that pork and soy sauce does NOT go well with the pie. Very odd tasting. However, I tasted the filling beforehand it actually doesn't have that much flavouring. Though it sounded very unique (hazelnuts with the stew and sweet potato bannock), I didn't care too much for the dish. I feel like the salt fish and ackee pie could of been the winner of this one. But who am I to judge?

Go here to watch the episode and see for yourself!

Recipes to Riches: Week Three

2011-12-04T11:26:00.000-08:00

Aren't the charicatures great?!

I am slowly catching up! Don't you worry.

Week three of R to R was competing for the category of appetizers. The three contestants were Diana with her stuffed olives, John with his grilled chicken grenades (skewers) and Sarah with her savoury mini tourtieres (mini meat pies).

I'm still a bit leery on the winner; John and his grilled chicken grenades won on this episode. While his grenades were tasty--which consisted of bacon wrapped with chicken with cheese and jalapeno peppers topped with apple jelly--I just found that this was something already on the market and one could make without great difficulty. The rest of the contestants had yummy appetizers too; but they couldn't match up on flavour when they did the batch-up contest.

Chicken Grenades!

All in all, my boyfriend and I enjoyed it. However, make sure you bake it on tin foil because the jelly burns on the regular baking metal surface...and it ain't fun getting it off!

To watch the episode, go here!

Recipes to Riches: Week Two

2011-12-04T11:08:00.000-08:00

Aren't I terrible? I haven't even been keeping on this...and I've been meaning too! :-S
Nevertheless, I had the fortunate opportunity to try mostly all the Recipes to Riches products, minus the most recent one. Happy reading!

For week two's R to R, the three contestants were Jacqui and her Rock 'n' Peach Bliss cake, Crystal and her Orange Chocolate Silk Cake and Melissa with her Banana Chocolate Cake. The winner? Jacqui and her Rock 'n' Peach Bliss cake. And how delicious it is! It's a multi-layered cake with caramelized brandied peaches, cheesecake, vanilla cake and a graham cracker crust.

I've never had cheesecake and cake combined together and I thought it was a great concept. Delicious. Me and my whole family enjoyed it very much, too!

To check out the episode, go here to watch!

Donuts, revamped!

2011-11-14T20:58:00.000-08:00

This past long weekend, my boyfriend and I decided to head down to good ol' Calgary just to get away for a quick over night trip. I love Calgary. There are always new foodie spots to hit and there are many interesting restaurants/bakeries popping up. We stayed in the southwest part of downtown, home to some unique restaurants, bakeries and shops, one of them being the brand new Jelly modern doughnuts.

I definitely recall reading about this new bakery in the August/September issue of the Where magazine. I always pick up this magazine when I'm in town because it always gives great reviews and recommendations on restaurants/diners/bakeries scattered across the city. I'm not too big of a fan of doughnuts, but I was curious as to what they meant by "modern". My boyfriend's eyes lit up when he heard 'doughnuts', so we decided to give this place a try. Even better: when we looked up the location of Jelly on our GPS, lo and behold, it was right beside our hotel!

After checking out of our hotel, we made our way to Jelly. The exterior of the bakery was very eye-catching: Jelly is in bright pink, as well as their logo, a doughnut of course, with white-very simple.

The showcase of doughnuts was amazing! I felt like a kid in a candy store. An astonishing array of unusual doughnut flavours filled the showcase-lemon, s'mores, peanut butter, madagascar bourbon vanilla, coconut, apple pie, maple bacon (what we came for!) and many more. You can check them out here.

I was trying to get a shot of the menu, as you can see that didn't work out so well (still not bad for a camera phone!)

Look at those doughnuts!

Look again! They even have bite sized doughnuts in the same flavours of the original sized ones-except they call them 3 bite doughnuts. Cute!

The individual prices of the doughnuts were $2.25, which is a little pricey considering they are just doughnuts; however, their catch is that they use local, organic and only the best ingredients possible to make the donuts. The fillings are hand-filled and everything is made fresh that day. To include some examples, the bacon they use is from Valbella meats in Canmore (which I absolutely love!) Vital Green and Chinook Honey. Their doughnuts are preservative-free, which means they are best consumed within 24 hours.

We opted for 1/2 dozen (1 dozen seemed like too many, considering I don't have much of a sweet tooth). We chose maple bacon (of course!), lemon, s'mores, peanut butter, coconut, madagascar bourbon vanilla.

Our flavours L to R clockwise: S'mores, bourbon vanilla, maple bacon, lemon, coconut and peanut butter. All sooooo delectably delicious.

We first devoured the maple bacon...how could we not? Although most can agree that maple and bacon go together very well, and they do, my boyfriend and I agreed that there was not enough bacon bits on the doughnut. There wasn't enough of the satisfying bacon taste we get every Sunday morning. Other than that, it was yummy.

Interior.

So far, we've tried s'mores, peanut butter and madagascar bourbon vanilla. The s'mores was my favourite so far (they even make their own marshmallows!), but the other ones were very tasty as well. I gave the lemon doughnut to my dad because he loves lemons; the coconut doughnut is on the menu as tomorrow's dessert.

They even make birthday donuts!

Any of you planning a trip to Calgary anytime soon? Make sure to include Jelly modern doughnuts as your next sweet tooth venue because it's worth the trip there. We'll definitely be making a second trip!

Jelly modern doughnuts is located at 100 1414 8 street S.W., Calgary, Alberta

Verdict: sooo scrumptious!

Recipes to Riches: Week One

2011-11-07T21:17:00.000-08:00

(I'm a bit behind ...) Week one of Recipe to Riches - Glo McNeil of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia wins the first one. She was up against three other contestants: A gentleman from Montreal with his Maple Pudding Chomeur and a food blogger from Burnaby with her Canadian Pie in a Jar. Although Glo's "Luscious Lemon Pudding" won out against the three, I was very interested in the other two desserts. Perhaps I should give the recipes a try? Check them out here. If you're interested in watching the video, check it out here.

Time for the taste test...


The packaging. Cute heh?


Each in a individual plastic ramekin.


Heat it up in the micro for 1 minute and...voila! You have "Luscious Lemon Pudding"

Verdict: these cute little desserts were delicious! Although the recipe is quite simple, the judges are right that it could be a casual or fancy dessert.

My two favourite things collaborate: President's Choice & Food Network Canada

2011-11-02T22:01:00.000-07:00

For those of you who love food and watch Food Network on a daily basis, you probably have heard of the show "Recipe To Riches" in which contestants across Canada (I'm still choked that I didn't hear about this until a few weeks ago!) entered their recipes. The judges scoured across Canada from Coast to Coast, choosing the top three finalists for each of the 7 categories (from desserts to savoury pies ). Within each category, all three individuals compete in a "batch-up challenge" in which the three contestants chosen must make their recipe enough for 100+ or 200+ depending on the challenge. Once the judges have a taste at the recipe, one person is eliminated from that round. The remaining two contestants compete against each other in a marketing challenge in which they pair up with two of Toronto's top marketing firms to market their products. The contestant with the best consumer response, name and marketing idea wins $25,000, their recipe made into a PC product for Canada to try and are automatically qualified for the grand prize of $250,000.

There are 7 categories to compete in; the first two contestants already won for their dessert. They won $25,000 and their recipe made into a PC product and made avaiable to Canada the following weekend. The final 7 contestants are up against $250,000 and their recipe made into a permanent PC product. I already tried the "Luscious Lemon Pudding Cakes" and "Rockin' Peach Cheesecake" and they are delicious! However, my question is--why didn't I hear about this contest? Check it out here:

Finally! Vietnamese food near my house. Cheap? Not so much. Good? Average.

2011-10-03T22:09:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday mid-afternoon, my boyfriend and I were feeling pretty sluggish. After taking an afternoon snooze, we decided it was time to head out of the house to grab some groceries. We haven't had lunch yet but decided we wanted Vietnamese food. We were thinking of heading down to the usual, Pho Hoa in Chinatown, but I suddenly remembered my mom mentioning to me that there was a new Vietnamese restaurant in the southside.

It's located in the Century Park Plaza, just off of 111 street and 23rd Avenue. It's called Spring Roll Kitchen. It's located beside the sales office of the Century Park condos on 111 street and off of 23rd avenue.

The interior of the restaurant is spectacular-very spacious and roomy. We entered through the back door without knowing it (oops) but the first thing I noticed was the beautiful bamboo centre piece. It separated the large dining area from the booster seats from the regular tables. We were seated near the front entrance, right in front of the giant graffiti-like art on the wall. I thought that was a very creative idea-combining graffiti art with Vietnamese culture.

Beautiful interor!

Awesome graffiti.

Now on to the food...I'll have to be honest I wasn't expressed with the food. Especially for the price I paid, I was expecting something a bit bigger. At $10 for a small bowl, this is probably the most I've paid for pho in Edmonton. I ordered the regular beef pho-thin slices of beef, rice noodles, toppied with thin white onions and green onions, the usual. I found the soup to be too bland-not salty enough. I walked up to the cashier to ask for 'salt' but due to language barriers, she gave me a napkin instead. Thankfully, our waitress inside the kitchen saw and ran out quickly to see what I needed. The extra salt made it taste better, I think.

My steaming bowl of pho.

My boyfriend opted for the pork and shrimp rice noodle bowl. At nearly $10, he also said it wasn't anything spectacular.

My boyfriend's rice noodle bowl.

After tasting the restaurant, I am indifferent now as to having a Vietnamese pho joint on my side of the town. However, I am definitely willing to give it a second try. Things could taste better the second time around.

Spring Roll Kitchen is located on 2395-111 Street, in the Century Park Plaza.

A treat from down east: the McLobster!

2011-09-03T16:48:00.000-07:00

Tada...the McLobster!

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

[I apologize for the long absence. I've been enjoying my summer way too much. But I've got some great ones in store!]

I finally had the chance-and I do mean finally-to try the famed McLobster down east. Last year when I first went to Prince Edward Island, the season just ended and I missed it by a few days. This year, we went back earlier so I was able to catch it in time.

The McLobster is like any other sandwich on the McDonald's menu. It comes with a medium drink and medium fries or a side salad.

And how was it you ask? Well, being a big fan of fresh lobster, this sandwich was delicious! For McDonalds to offer fresh seafood is already a feat, but to have it in a place where those red crusteaceans are abundant and fresh was amazing. The lobster meat was ripped to smaller pieces, mixed in with chopped celery and a light dressing that tasted like mayonnaise, put on a small white sandwich roll.

I think I had the McLobster about 3 times during my week-long stay. I already can't wait to go back next year!

On vacation...

2011-07-22T22:08:00.000-07:00

To everyone who reads my blog:

Sorry for the late update but I've been on holidays for two weeks. I promise I'll have some great food posts here from both California and Prince Edward Island!

Happy Summer!

New waffle cart on the streets of Edmonton!

2011-06-09T21:31:00.000-07:00

Last week, I went for a walk with a friend during lunch and spotted a new venue on the street: A new waffle cart! I took a quick glance, but did not purchase one as I had eaten prior.

I went back this week with a co-worker and it was there again! My co-worker and I were curious as we were hungry so we decided this time to make a purchase. As I chatted with the vendor, Wannawaffel first originated in Victoria, British Columbia. According to their website, the business is relatively new. It was started in 2009 by Belgian family. The owners of this waffle cart in Edmonton recently got approval to puchase the franchise here.

At $4 a waffle, it's quite pricey.

Eva Sweets might be their only competitor in the city (that I'm aware of). Though the flavour of the waffle was sweet and aromatic, the carmelization of the pearl sugar wasn't as prominent as the waffles from Eva Sweets. The Wannawaffel was less dense, and alot smaller than the Eva Sweets waffle I am used to. At $4 a piece, I was a bit hesitant to pay the price. Nevertheless, it was worth it to try it once. Eva Sweets upped their $3 a waffle last year to $3.50 this year-which isn't a huge difference. Also: the wax paper got stuck to the sugar on the waffle, which was slightly inconvenient.

I will give Wannawafel credit for their cute and innovative cart, but I am still a loyalist. Eva Sweets waffles all the way.

Verdict: pretty scrumptious!

Downtown City Market now in full swing!

2011-05-28T16:04:00.000-07:00

I am sooo happy that the downtown farmers' market is now in full swing. My boyfriend and I walked there last weekend and what a splendid day it was. A few new products I tried: MoNA organic mushrooms, Irvings Cumberland sausage patties, English cukes from Gull Valley, turkey jerky from Greens Eggs & Ham, and the usual, Eva Sweets waffles and kettle popcorn. My boyfriend isn't particularly fond of farmers' markets (he can list up to 7 reasons), but he agreed to keep me company regardless.

I took my mom for the first time today and absolutely loved it! Although it was a bit windy, the sun was shining. There were also various performers today in on centre stage for the Chinese festival, right on the intersection of 104 street and 101 avenue; Chinese lion dance dragons and fancy dress performances. There were also martial arts performers showing each of their own special moves. Very interesting. Unfortunately, I did not have my fancy camera with me so I wasn't able to capture any shots. The next event is the Al Fresco Block Party, June 11th.

Soda Jerks-a confusing concept of being modern and retro

2011-05-16T22:33:00.000-07:00

My boyfriend and I decided to go out for lunch yesterday. I still had a Good News coupon for the Noodlemaker, so we decided to go there. It was a good thing I read the coupon closely because it said to make reservations. Upon calling, I found out the restaurant wasn't open-they are closed Sundays. With that idea shot, I remember reading an article in the Edmonton Journal about a new restaurant serving up delicious burgers and 31 different flavours of sodas. Without hesitation, my boyfriend and I headed to Soda Jerks.

I am not sure when this restaurant opened on the city. It is located right by the Best Buy in the Westpointe Centre, just off of 100 avenue and 175 street. I don't drive by the part of the city too often, but I believe it is relatively new as their main sign above the door is still vinyl, fastened with gromits. Upon entering the restaurant, it takes on the atmosphere of the former vendor (East Side Mario's and Ric's Grill, according to a reader). I had imagined this restaurant to be a retro-feel sort of diner, 50's or 60's type diner. Instead, it was a diner with a modern twist with barely any residue of retro-ness. The focal point of the restaurant was definitely the display of sodas. Right when you walk into the restaurant, there is a wall-display of 31 different types of sodas your left, ranging from Jones, Boylan to Fentimans.

The display of sodas: an astonishing array of them.

Walk over the corner to your right, on your left is a continuation of more sodas. My boyfriend and I were seated in the dining part of the restaurant, which was made up of comfy booths. The dark interior of the booths, accompanied by the wood panelling on the side of the walls gave the restaurant a modern feel.

My interesting botanical soda pop.

Now to the important part: the food! Upon first glance at the menu, I have to be honest that it didn't sound anything special to me. The food being served was pretty basic; the usual burgers (they call them sandwiches on the menu), salads, build your own (sandwiches). For drinks, I ordered the Fentimans Dandelion & Burdock soda, while my boyfriend ordered Jones Bubble Gum flavoured soda. I enjoyed my unique botanical soda-it tasted much like Jagermeister, minus the alcohol. My boyfriend's soda was good, but it was a bit too artificial tasting for me. I couldn't decide what to get, but I know I didn't want beef again as I had a huge steak the other day. I decided to order The Original burger, which consisted of housemade beef patty (I got turkey instead) topped with corned beef, havarti, mixed greens, tomato, red onion, sauerkraut and roasted garlic mayo; served on a sesame seed bun. My boyfriend opted for the Cowboy burger which consisted of housemade beef patty topped with cheddar cheese, chili, smoked bacon, an onion ring and coleslaw; served on a sesame seed bun.

My Original Burger.

The Cowboy Burger.

I have a tendency to ramble on about my food experiences so I'll just cut to the chase on this one: my boyfriend and I were disappointed with the food. Not that it wasn't tasty, but it just didn't taste like anything special to us. My turkey burger didn't have any turkey taste to it and none of the flavours in the burger really stood out. Though my boyfriend didn't mind his, he agreed that no particular flavour in the burger stood out. The prices were overpriced, too. $3 for a Jones soda... We can get Jones soda half that price (well, a little less than half) at any speciality grocery store. With that being said, we felt like the restaurant conveyed a confusing concept of retro-modern, without any retro feeling at all, except for the sodas. The restaurant seems like it is trying to portray a retro experience in a modern way. With nothing special to the menu and without a clear concept to focus on, I'm not sure how long this restaurant will last.

Verdict: not-so-scrumptious!

Feeding my macaron obsession...

2011-05-10T09:26:00.000-07:00

It came with a flavour booklet, too!

I apologize for those of you who follow me on my blog. I have been bad and haven't posted anything for weeks! Aside from being busy, I almost forgot that I have eaten at a few new places and didn't even think about blogging about them. I am silly. Anyway, to break that habit, here's a little treat. My friend was in Montreal last week and she offered to buy me some macarons since she was getting them as well ( a big fan as well). How could I pass up on that offer? These macarons, from La maison du macaron, were considerably larger than Duchess (I forgot to take a picture, even though I had Duchess macarons in my fridge! Of course I realized that after I ate them all). The Montreal macarons were very similiar in size to the ones I had in Calgary. They were good, but I found the fillings to be less buttery and creamy than the ones at Duchess. Nevertheless, I was still impressed. And for $17/dozen, that works out to be ~$1.42 each which isn't bad at all.

Flavours from L to R-strawberry & rhubarb, raspberry, lemon, hazelnut, cafe, pistachio, coconut, chocolate, maple & peach, mango & amarula, green tea and salted caramel. My favourite was salted caramel, mango & amarula and maple & peach!

Food & drink after work at Corso 32

2011-04-11T21:42:00.000-07:00

We went out after work on a Friday to celebrate a friend's belated birthday. After doing some restaurant research, the birthday girl decided to go to Corso 32, the new restaurant opened by Red Star's chef, Daniel Costa.

Corso 32 opened a few months ago in the heart of downtown on Jasper Avenue (10345-Jasper Avenue to be exact). Seems like they have been pretty busy the last little while. I walked past once during the evening and they were packed full. And this time, my first time going, will also be packed as my friend tried making a reservation for a table of four, but was only able to get seating at the communal table.

Can you speak Italian?

The restaurant is very small in width and narrow in length. With modern furnishings of plastic white chairs, wooden chopping board-like table tops, simple yet sophisticated lighting and a large picture mural of Daniel Costa's family in Italy, it is a relaxed environment. The restaurant is named after his family's home address in Italy-and what a great picture it is! The restaurant filled up quite quickly as friends trickled in one by one as well as other guests. Not long after, the restaurant was at it's full capacity.

I started the night off by ordering the corso campari-a 'before' drink that consisted of vodka, limoncello (that's what got me), campari, juice of a blood orange (that's what also got me), squeeze of lime, rocks. I'll have to be honest that it sounded a lot better than it tasted. It was more bitter than I thought it would be and was rather a small drink priced at $10. We all decided to share appetizers amongst the four of us. Their menu changes frequently,every few weeks, depending on the season and the produce so the returning customer will never get bored of their menu. We opted for the smoked pork arancini, oyster mushrooms & fontina, house made goat ricotta, maldon sea salt on crostini and stinging nettle & egg yolk ravioli, parmigiano.

Clockwise from top: stinging nettle with ravioli, smoke arancini cheeseballs and crostini.

The smoked pork arancini appetizer was nothing like I expected: it was deep fried. There were about 7 of them shaped into balls. They were fresh from the deep fryer so I couldn't bite into it right away, but upon the first bite, it was alright. It was too salty and there seemed to be small bits of rice mixed into the oyster mushroom and fontina cheese filling. I don't think I would order that next time. Next up was the stinging nettle & egg yolk ravioli. I was very curious about the stinging nettle as I've seen the episode of Glutton for Punishment.Bob Blumer was to eat as much stinging nettle in a short duration of time. Stinging nettle has a chemical in the leaves that emits 'stinging' sensations when chewed in your mouth. However, I had heard that once cooked, this chemical gets broken down so there isn't a stinging sensation anymore. And true that was. When I bit into the ravioli, the nettle simply tasted like tougher spinach, while the ravioli burst into my mouth with egg yolk. It was tasty, but there really wasn't anything special about it. The last appetizer to try was the house made goat ricotta on crostinis. The crostini was toasted crisp, drizzled with olive oil. The house made goat ricotta was delicious, with a hint of sweetness.

My yummy gnocchi!

I wasn't going to order a supper entree as I had eaten a late lunch prior to eating the appetizers. However, when my friend's dishes arrived, my mouth started watering which triggered me to order what one of my friend's got-pan fried gnocchi with black kale and peccorino topped with spicy crumbs. THIS was delicious. As one of my friends said, we usually get gnocchi with sauce. This was a dry version-but it was probably one of the best versions I've ever had of gnocchi. The house-made gnocchi (they make all their pasta in house) was fried to perfection on the outside, soft on the inside. The texture of the pasta was excellent too;cheesy with the right amount of potato. The black kale was pan fried (or deep fried?) so that it was crisp to perfection. Topped with shaved peccorino cheese and spicy crumbs, this dish was my favourite so far.

My friends agreed that Corso 32 didn't do much for them-mainly because their food was too simple and expensive. I agree that their menu is a bit over-priced, but if you take into account that many of their items on their menu are house-made (cured meats, pastas, and some cheeses) then one's perception might change. Their food might sound like it is too simple but this is Daniel Costa's focus: simple Italian comfort food, made with the freshest, most local ingredients. I am willing to return a second time.

Verdict: scrumptious!

My dream of cream puffs came true!

2011-04-07T22:00:00.000-07:00

Fresh'n natural cream puffs!
I forgot to take a picture of mine because I devoured it too quickly! :-S

If you are a fan of cream puffs, then you'll be happy to learn that the Japanese franchise, Beard Papa's, has opened in West Edmonton Mall. This may not be news for you, but it was for me. I learned in Only Here for the Food that Beard Papa's has already been opened for a staggering 2 months! How could I have not known this?! Anyway, without hesitation, I ventured there this past Tuesday as I was in W.E.M for a concert. To my surprise, the cashier informed me that it was 'Toonie Tuesday'. All cream puffs were only $2! How perfect! I got one for the go, and hey, what the heck, one for later on as well. They were delicious. And boy, am I happy that BP's has made it's way to E-town.

Verdict: soooo scrumptious!

Beard Papa's is located on the main level, near the ice rink, right behind the Body Shop towards the north side.

Downtown Dining Week Part II: Niche for Dinner

2011-03-27T22:35:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay...I had other things to do :-S

My friend and I decided to partake in Downtown Dining Week on a Thursday, but given her change of schedule, we went on a Wednesday instead. The both of us agreed that the menu of Niche sounded superb.

It is a tiny downtown eatery located right beneath the Hardwood Plaza complex just off of Jasper Avenue and 110 street (formerly Hardwood Cafe). It was a perfect location for me to have dinner that night as work is a stone's throw away and indeed I was hungry after work. My friend and I got there early and we had no reservations. I called earlier in the day to reserve a table for the both of us. No one answered but eventually went to voicemail. The voicemail message indicated that they were no longer taking reservations as Downtown Dining Week was superbusy. And given that it is only a 32-seater restaurant, it's no wonder.

My friend arrived first and I arrived a few minutes later. We were seated right by the window close to the bar. The waitress arrived shortly to explain that this table that we were seated as was already reserved for a party at 7:00pm. All their tables were completely booked, but it wasn't until after 7:00pm would these people start showing up. My friend and I agreed that she didn't exactly make us feel welcome...and we understood that she had the table booked, but her tone wasn't exactly 'friendly'. She then told us that the kitchen doesn't start serving food until 5:30pm and it was just a little past 5:00pm when she told us. Our stomachs were growling with hunger, while we contemplated whether we should stay here or not. If the menu didn't sound as good as it did, we would of bolted out the door as we didn't really feel welcomed at all...however, we decided to stick with the original plan.

The Downtown Dining Menu consisted of a soup or salad/main entree/dessert. The appetizers consisted of yellow lentil soup with braised pork or quinoa salad with roasted vegetables and spinach in a lemon tahini vinaigrette. The entrees consisted of Spring Creek braised beef cheeks in a wild mushroom sauce tossed with broad egg noodles; Confit of Brome Lake Duck with golden mashed potatoes with lemon thyme gravy; roasted pork loin in a blackberry gastrique; or curried cauliflower with sundried apricots and wild rice. And don't forget dessert-salted lemon brownie served with a lemon honey yogurt cheese.

I opted for the quinoa salad while my friend chose the lentil soup. Personally, my salad was way too oily because of the vinaigrette and that basically masked everything else; I didn't care much for it. My friend's soup on the other hand, was delicious! It was creamy without being too salty and the braised pork added a perfect touch to it.

Quinoa salad on spinach.

Yellow lentil soup with braised pork.

We both chose the Braised beef cheeks and noodles entree (surprise, surprise!) as it sounded superbly delicious and I believe it is one of the restaurant's specialities. To our surprise, the dish was very similiar to beef stroganoff. I was expecting bigger chunks of beef cheeks, but instead were small chunks of beef. the dish was tasty, but for some reason when I read the description, we failed to make the link that it would be similar to beef stroganoff.

Braised beef cheeks in a wild mushroom sauce with broad egg noodles.

For dessert, there was only one option-the salted lemon brownie. Very tasty and different-the saltiness of the brownie added a different twist to the conventional sweet brownie. We both literally licked our plates clean!

Salted brownie with lemon yogurt honey sauce.

Overall, this restaurant was good. The food was good but wasn't anything that made me jump out of my seat. For me the menu sounded a lot better than the actual taste of the food. Although the service improved over the course of our meal, we both disliked the fact how she made us feel slightly unwelcomed. With that being said, I'm not sure if I'll come back here as the food, if not on special, is quite pricey (although they have a unique bathroom though!).

Verdict: pretty scrumptious

Niche is located on 11011-Jasper Avenue

Adventures in Canmore Part I: Korean BBQ Restaurant

2011-03-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

I've been procrastinating, so I am still writing outstanding reviews from a while ago. My boyfriend and I went to Canmore over the Family Day long weekend. It was a well deserved break as we both needed a vacation, especially him.

Canmore has expanded immensely over the past few 10-15 years. I remember for our family vacations, we would stop in Canmore on our way to Vancouver. Back then, it was nothing compared to what it is now. With many different ethnic restaurants and unique shops, Canmore has now become a great place to dine, shop and vacation. We stayed at The Drake Inn, a very reasonable hotel with affordable rates, right in the heart of downtown Canmore. When on vacation, there's always the great question of "where should we eat tonight?" My parents had gone to Canmore during fall of last year and they had mentioned that they went to a Korean restaurant with excellent food. I was curious as to where this place was (my parents couldn't remember the name of the restaurant) so we decided to search this place out.

My boyfriend isn't familiar with too many ethnic foods, though I've already opened many doors for him. Korean food was foreign to him, and already wasn't a big fan of kimchi. I convinced him to go for Korean for dinner that night and he didn't seem to mind at all, as long as I ordered. I figured this place wouldn't be too hard to find since there aren't many Korean restaurants in town. My parents did tell me that it was located right by the Howard Johnson hotel, just off of the Bow Valley Trail. However, when we drove down the trail, there wasn't a Howard Johnson in sight which probably meant they changed names. Instead of driving around looking for the place my parents went to, we went to the first Korean restaurant we saw: Korean BBQ Restaurant.

Wood paneling surrounded the interior of this restaurant, along with several built-in BBQ's with large hood fans. We were seated at a table without the large fan, but with a built in BBQ. We took note of the special that night: all you can eat Korean BBQ for $24.pp/pp, equipped with all the sides (picked vegetables and rice, in case you were wondering). My boyfriend and I thought that was way too much food for us to handle, so we decided to order off the menu. Of course it was up to me to order food off of the menu; I've honestly never ordered off a menu in a Korean restaurant. It's always been a buffet. I was scanning the menu furiously to order something both my boyfriend and I will eat. Well, mostly him. I eat mostly anything. I decided if we ordered one rice, one soup, one meat dish would cover all the basics. We ordered Bulgogi, which is a must dish to order in any Korean restaurant. It consists of marinated beef strips, stir fried with vegetables. We also ordered Duenjang Chigae, a soybean based soup with seafood, and B-Bim-Baab with raw beef (we were feeling a little bold that night), topped with a raw egg yolk. It is a rice bowl dish consisting of meat and pickled vegetables.

I love pickled vegetables!

We got started off with picked vegetables, which is traditional in Korean cuisine. Pickled daikon, kimchi, cold bean sprouts and a leafy vegetable similar to kale. Our food followed quite quickly after wards. Our first dish was the Duenjan Chigae, which is very similar to Japanese miso soup, except this one was with seafood. It was very salty; my boyfriend didn't enjoy this dish, so I had to finish most of it.

Steaming hot miso soup.

The bulgogi, on a sizzling hot cast-iron dish came out next, followed by the B-Bim-Baab dish.

Isn't the cast-iron dish great?

We both enjoyed the bulgogi very much. Sweet and salty with stir fried onions and carrots, my boyfriend this dish the most. The B-Bim-Baab dish was something neither of us ever tried. With pickled daikon, carrots, bean sprouts, lettuce, raw beef seasoned with sesame oil topped with a raw egg yolk, this dish was very "out there". I was afraid at first to eat the raw beef, but I had had it earlier that week as beef carpaccio so that was okay. Surprisingly, the dish was quite tasty. My boyfriend enjoyed it as well.

Mmmm. Raw beef topped with a raw egg yolk.

Overall, the restaurant was good. The food wasn't spectacular nor did it exceed our expectations because we didn't have any. It was the first time that I had ordered off the menu myself so I probably didn't make the best decisions, except the bulgogi. It was also my boyfriend's first time in a Korean restaurant, so it'll take a few more times of eating this food to see if he actually likes it.

Verdict: pretty scrumptious!

The Creperie is celebrating 35 years with a $35 dinner special (and $25 lunch special)!

2011-03-21T11:34:00.000-07:00

For as long as you have been in Edmonton, The Creperie was probably there already. The Creperie is a formal, yet casual relaxed environment that offers French Classical cuisine. First opened by Hans Kuhnel, a few of my relatives have had some history toiling in their kitchen. Anyway, that's another story. From now until April 15th, they are celebrating 35 years of business in Edmonton by offering a wonderful dinner special for $35 consisting of a salad, crepe entree and a dessert. The lunch special for $25 is similar to the dinner special. My boyfriend and myself, along with another couple, sure enjoyed the delicious meal. Great service and great food! You can go to their website for more details.

I ordered the Seafood Jambalaya crepe. It came with orzo pasta with steamed vegetables. The crepe was delicious, although the sauce was a bit too thick and salty. Still very tasty though!

For dessert, I ordered the half raspberry sauce, half chocolate sauce ice cream-filled crepe because I wanted the best of both worlds. And surely that's what it was. What a fantastic meal at a amazing price! (I didn't take a picture of the salad).

Calling all fans of Duchess Bake Shop (myself included): they are expanding!

2011-03-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

Great news to fans of Duchess Bake Shop and myself. They are expanding! The Tu Gallery will be shutting down end of this month and they will be taking over the space. You can read more about it here. Liane also blogged about it here. With my recent obsession of macarons and fancy pastries, I will definitely get my fix! Praise you, Duchess! Keep up the awesome work.

Slow Food Edmonton presents Eat Alberta: A Celebration of our Local Food Heroes

2011-03-14T07:46:00.000-07:00

I am not a Slow Food Edmonton member (currently looking into it), and as much as I want to attend this event, I most likely will be out of town this day...but perhaps some of you may be interested in this.

We who are so passionate about the local food opportunities that our city provides are acutely aware that food expertise (in a variety of forms) lies within each of our neighbourhoods. This is our first Eat Alberta conference of what we hope to be many that will celebrate local food throughout Alberta.

This is a DIY conference! Some of the hands on sessions include:
· Sausage making
· Cheese making demonstration

· Apple pie and pastry making

· Bread making

· Pasta making

Tasting sessions include:
· Fruit wine tasting
· Honey tasting

· Coffee tasting

· Canadian wine and cheese pairing

· Goat Cheese Tasting

There will also be opening and closing keynote sessions on urban gardening and urban homesteading, respectively.

What the day looks like:
· 8:30 to 5 p.m.
· Continental Breakfast followed by the morning keynote
· Two morning break out sessions (choose from 8 different sessions)
· A charcuterie and cheesetasting lunch with artisan breads
· Two afternoon break out sessions (choose from 8 different sessions)
· Closing session followed by a “wine” down

To register, or for more information please go to http://www.eatalberta.ca/

Downtown Dining Week Part I: Wildflower Grill for Lunch

2011-03-12T21:21:00.000-08:00

My co-worker and I decided to go out for lunch during Downtown Dining Week to partake in the specials offered during the 9 days. I've been to Wildflower Grill twice before this time and wasn't overly impressed with their food, despite good reviews and other positive comments from friends. Wildflower happened to be within walking distance (less than 5 minutes) from our workplace out of the other restaurants taking part in Dining Week, so I decided I'd give it another shot.

My co-worker has never been here before, so I thought it would be a nice chance for her to try it. Prior to arrival, I had already known what I wanted to order off their $15 online lunch menu: Pan Seared Striped Bass. My co-worker opted for the Churassco Mesquite Grilled Flat Iron Steak with fries as her side.

The wait wasn't too long, considering it was quite a busy lunch crowd. When my dish arrived, I was surprised by the portion of my fish. The size of the two pieces of fish were roughly the size of my index and middle finger put together, piled on top of the vegetable confit and baby potatoes. The pile wasn't that high either. The bass was crisp on the outside, but didn't really have a fishy taste to it. The fennel and onion confit underneath the bass was quite good. Underneath the confit were small baby potatoes covered in a creamy brown butter sauce. After finishing this dish, I couldn't believe I was still hungry. My friend didn't really enjoy her dish immensely; there wasn't anything special about the steak, and the waitress gave her fries (which were merely burnt) instead of the salad she had asked for.

My Pan Seared Striped Bass.

Churassco Mesquite Grilled Flat Iron Steak with the (burnt) fries.

As mentioned before, I have never been too impressed with this place. I went here for lunch two years ago with a friend, and evening appetizers with two of my girlfriends last year. This time wasn't any different from the others. The service has been okay in the past; this time it was mediocre--she seemed to forget about us the whole time we were there. Though the food was pretty good, the portion sizes are too small and too expensive for what I would pay for. And, I was still hungry after lunch.

Verdict: pretty scrumptious

Small sips and small bites: d'Lish urban kitchen & wine bar

2011-03-07T22:29:00.000-08:00

My girlfriend and I were looking for a place where we could eat, relax and talk. There have been many places opening in the downtown area for a great place to have sips of cocktails and wine, while eating appetizers and/or charcuterie. The Educated Palate featured their second class (now sold out) at d'Lish urban kitchen & wine bar, so we were both curious about this new establishment.

d'Lish was formerly a meal assembly business under the same name. We chatted up with our waitress as I questioned about the newly opened business. The owner, Amanda Babichuk, was named Top 40 under 40 in Avenue Edmonton's magazine in 2010. The reason they changed from a meal assembly to a urban wine and kitchen bar was because of the recession. Not many people were willing to fork out $$ to have supper already made for them. Instead, heading to the grocery store and making your own food was the best way to save money. They have created a new concept of ordering desired portion sizes; mix and match appetizers and charcutie one would like, and the size of drinks (2 oz. is the smallest you can order for wine, and they have specials like flights, which are a trio of small cocktails offered at a special price a certain night). This works out perfect for people who do not wish to drink a lot or would like to taste a sample of drinks. It works out great for me, because, well, ahem, let's just say it doesn't take much for me to get my cheeks nice and rosy.

We went on a Friday night and it didn't seem too crowded. Although, it was a good idea I made a reservation because not long after we arrived, it started getting busy. My girlfriend and I ordered the same drink special that night: a flight of mimosas. Mimosas are yummy. I don't go out very often to drink them,but I know they are sweet and bubbly! I chose vanilla bean, pear and berry, while my girlfriend opted for the pear, berry and grapefruit. We decided to share charcuterie and a salad together, since we can try a bit of everything. We ordered a warm salad that consisted of wilted spinach, butternut squash, Mo-Na mushrooms, wheat berry, and zucchini with a very light tasting vinaigrette, pulled pork sliders and for our charcuterie, we ordered chorizo (from O'sol meatos) and edam cheese from Sylvan Star Cheese Farm. The charcuterie was also paired with homemade crackers, olives and housemade marmalade.

My flight of mimosas (first set) L to R: berry, vanilla bean and pear.

The warm salad was pretty tasty, but sort of bland. My girlfriend, on the otherhand enjoyed it. The charcuterie portions were quite small, definitely not enough for two people. The cheese had enough flavour to it, wasn't too strong or too weak. The chorizo, I thought, could of been spicier. Most of the chorizo I've had has always been spicy, so that's what I was expecting. The homemade crackers and marmalade were delicious-the crackers were crisp and buttery and the marmalade tastes just like homemade!

Charcuterie plate.

Warm'd spinach, wheatberry, Mo-NA 'shroom and butternut squash salad.

The bun on the pulled pork sliders were buttery, soft and fresh. The actual sauce and meat didn't really taste unique to me in anyway. My girlfriend enjoyed them very much, nevertheless.

Pulled pork sliders.

We waited quite a while for our food, at least 30 minutes. Our waiter, who is also the restaurant manager, came and apologized for the long wait. She offered us dessert on the house, in which my friend refused at first. Refuse dessert? And it's free? Never, not me! We both decided to share the creme brulee on the menu. The creme brulee was infused with blackcurrant, though I found the flavour to be on the weak side. The flambe sugar was a little too burnt for my liking. Though I've had better creme brulee in the past, I certainly appreciated that it was kind gesture.

Creme brulee for dessert. Sorry, a little on the dark side.

Overall, my girlfriend and I enjoyed this place. The prices were somewhat affordable, nice ambiance, though we both agreed that it was incredibly difficult to hear one another over the conversations of others beside you. Aside from that, and the service that night, we'd probably come here in the future.

Verdict: pretty scrumptious!

My Calgary quest for macarons!

2011-02-27T17:12:00.000-08:00

Calgary, Alberta

I have to admit that recently, I have been a bit obsessed with macarons. I asked for them on Valentine's Day because that's all I really wanted (and perhaps some nice jewellry...) but seriously. Those little delectable bites make me and my tastebuds happy. The colour, the look, the flavour, the crispness and chewiness of the meringues are just awesome! My boyfriend and I were going to Canmore for the long weekend so I figured we could stop by Calgary to see what they have to offer for these great little French treats.

I had already done my macaron research prior to the trip. I am sure Calgary has more than two places that make macarons, but two caught my attention with the limited amount of time we had: Yann Haute Patisserie and M for macaron.

Yann Haute Patisserie

Isn't it cute?

This wonderful, antique-looking, yellow house is situated in the Mission area of Calgary, (south of the Saddledome ) just off of MacLeod Trail. I honestly have not been to this area of Calgary, but it sure is beautiful. We drove by many eclectic looking restaurants and beautiful condos right by a small creek. I regret not taking any pictures of the interior of the bakery (everyone seemed too busy), so you'll have to imagine what it looked like, or go see for yourselves! The actual bakery/store is very small inside. The product display is a little similiar to Duchess Bake Shop; glass encases the baked goods. There wasn't a grand selection, but there were pastries, and of course, lots of macarons!

I chose all 7 different flavours that day: lemon, pistachio, chocolate, strawberry, blackcurrant & violet, Irish Cream and the flavour of the day: orange & carrot. These were some pretty interesting flavours that I have never heard of for macarons.

You can't miss the bright yellow and pastel purple!

M for macaron

M for macaron is located in Calgary's Kingsland Farmers Market.

Next stop was M for macaron. M for macaron does not have a permanent place of residence, but are currently located in the Kingsland Farmers Market in Calgary. My boyfriend and I stopped to try a sample of the pizza stand next door, when I looked over and saw what I was looking for: macarons! What an astonishing array of flavours-I felt like a kid in candy store! We chatted it up with the part-owner, who owns the macaron stand with his wife, who is also the baker. What is also great about them is that they also offer macaron classes for those who are interested in making them, as well as eating them (me for sure!). More information is available on their website.

May I have one of each, please?

I'll have to admit that the flavours offered here were very unique and unheard of (for me) for macarons. My boyfriend and I chose 3 flavours each; he chose strawberry-banana, strawberry and green tea, and the flavour of the day, peanut butter and Welch's grape jelly, while I chose toasted coconut, salted caramel and raspberry passionfruit.

M for Macaron macarons!

Comparison & flavour tasting

My boyfriend was never a huge fan of macarons until we tried these ones from Calgary. The sizes of these macarons were 1/4 larger than the ones from Duchess (the only other ones we've ever tried). We both agreed that the slightly larger size is just the right portion for a sweet tooth. With that being said, my boyfriend gave praise to M for macaron macarons. With unique flavours, their meringue cookies had just the right chewiness and crispiness. They tasted what they should have. I'll have to second that-M for macaron did very well. Though I'm not big on crazy flavours, their flavours tasted exactly what they should have. They weren't overpowering, but prominent enough so if one would not know the flavour, one would be able to tell. Their meringue cookies were just the perfect consistency, too.

As for Yann's Haute Patisserie macarons, we both agreed they were aesthetically beautiful. The flavour and consistency were a bit disappointing for us. The meringue cookies were too dry and lacked chewiness, and the flavours weren't as prominent as M for Macaron. Perhaps they weren't fresh that day, or wasn't a good batch. Either way we thought they could of done better.

Compared to Duchess' macarons and the ones I've tried in Calgary, I feel like I am still a loyalist. Though their macarons may be small, they got the flavours and textures just right. But that is not to say that next time we are in Calgary, we won't be stopping for macarons. M for Macaron will have to be a must stop. I will still give Yann's another shot as they have other pastries I would love to try, and well, macarons don't always turn out perfect (though they are a professional patisserie).

(On a side note: the farmers' market is definitely one place you should check out when you are in Calgary. It is open year-round and they offer a great variety of produced and locally produced goods.)

Verdict: very scrumptious!

-M for Macaron is located in the Kingsland Farmers Market on 7711 MacLeod Trail (1 min. south of Chinook Mall
-Yann Haute Patisserie is located at329, 23rd Avenue S.W., Calgary , Alberta

Downtown Dining Week

2011-02-25T07:29:00.000-08:00

Mark your calendars: March 4th-March 13th, 2011 is Edmonton Downtown Dining Week! With more than 30 restaurants participating, this might be the best ever yet. Check out the website for the listing of restaurants and menus.

Pampa Steakhouse is now open!

2011-02-24T09:40:00.000-08:00

Good news for those of you waiting on the edge of your seats-Pampa Steakhouse is now open! February 23rd, 2011 was posted on their website as their opening. Please let me know if anyone has tried it yet, it will be on my "to try" list!

The Educated Palate-CocoJava

2011-02-18T20:23:00.000-08:00

Fermented cocoa beans.

I cannot remember where I first heard about The Educated Palate, but as soon as I heard about it, I gathered a few of my girlfriends to register with me as soon as possible. The Educated Palate is put on by the University of Alberta Alumni Association to educate fellow alumni (and non-alumni, I believe) about local food and drink. It is their first set of classes and so far, they proved to be quite popular. The first two (CocoJava and Gourmet tastings with d'Lish) were completely sold out, and the third being not so popular (as of yet), The Localvore's Dilemma.

I have to admit that I am not a huge fan of chocolate or coffee. Don't get me wrong, I like it on the days I crave it but I don't need it to function everyday-nor am I in love with it. However, when this opportunity arose, $25 for a 3-hour informative session (it actually only lasted for 2 hours) on tasting chocolate and coffee and educating you about the origins of it, sounded like a great idea to me.
Their first class, CocoJava was Thursday evening, February 17th. It was located in the soon-to-be Transcend coffeeshop (formerly Axis Cafe) on 103rd Street and Jasper Avenue. This class was originally supposed to be in the former Art Gallery on Jasper, but the organizer of this event sent a last minute email updating us that the event has been moved to the new location of Transcend. Nice! We get first preview.

My girlfriends and I arrived a few minutes late, but were relieved as there were many other people arriving after us. There were tables set up on the lower level of the cafe (there is also an upstairs as well). As our names were checked off the attendance list, we were seated away from the door (thank goodness-it was -30 outside!) against the wall. The space was utilized well, and as most of you know previously from Axis Cafe, the space is very narrow. On our table was a plate of 8 different chocolate varieties, glasses of water, a sheet of paper to write down the taste palate of the chocolate, mints from the Alumni Association and a coupon for each of us for 10% at Kerstin's Chocolate Shop and a free cup of joe from Transcend.

Kerstin of Kerstin Chocolates (L) and Poul Mark of Transcend Coffee (R)

The guest speakers were Kerstin Roos of Kerstin's Chocolates and Poul Mark, owner of Transcend (now two locations). They spoke side by side, alternating on the topic of chocolate and coffee; the origins, how it's made, where it's grown and what flavours to look for. The fact that coffee and chocolate are similar because they hit the same flavour notes (i.e. acidity, nutiness, fruitiness, boldness) made it a perfect match to talk about and pair flavours with. My friends and I were quite lazy (shame on me as I planned to blog about it!-we didn't write down every single name of the chocolate and flavours (a side note that can be improved on in the future is to have the names already listed in front of you).

Me holding a cocoa pod (that contains the cacao beans) and the chocolates we tasted throughout the night. Our favourite was the small, dark and round one.

The chocolates originated mostly from South America (i.e. Ecuador, Bolivia) as well as the coffees. My friends and I agreed that the three coffees we tasted had too much of a sour aftertaste we didn't really enjoy. Most of the chocolates we tasted were also quite bitter, but the one that we all liked the most was also the most expensive-$22 a bar, this chocolate is produced in a small island off the coast of Bolivia. Kerstin explained the reason this chocolate cost so much is because of the high market value of the beans. The chocolate producer paid a high market value for the beans, which means it's of higher quality. Therefore, you get what you pay for. What I thought was amazing was that whenever the coffee tasted acidic and too strong, when paired with the chocolate, it almost drowns out some of the flavour with the chocolate balancing the whole flavour in your mouth.

I've concluded (well before I attended this class) that the quality of chocolate is very important to taste. The lower the quality, the more sugar you get. The higher the quality, the more better quality cocoa beans, more cocoa butter (the oil extracted from the cacao bean to enhance the creaminess of the chocolate) and less sugar. This brings out the natural flavour of the beans,without too much sugar or cream overpowering the chocolate.

This class was put on well with a great opportunity to learn about local food operators in the community and how it it sourced. An improvement that can be made to this class my friends and I all agreed on was the names of the chocolates and coffees. The names should of been listed on a sheet in front of us. Though there was a sheet for us to mark the flavour palates down, the actual names should of been listed as some of the names were quite hard to remember. Other than that, I feel like I learned something new. Even though I'm not a diehard fan of chocolate and/or coffee, it is always good to learn about how local operators source their goods and wherever there is food to sample, I'm in!

Mussel-mania!

2011-02-13T08:02:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've been going through a mussel-mania phase. By that, I mean I'm craving mussels and am just so darn excited by them. That is, in the different ways I can cook them. Mussels are easy to cook, are (usually) readily available, and are great for you. Mussels have a special omega-3 fatty acid that helps battle against heart disease, low cholesterol and even blood cots. The best mussels (I think) are definitely from Prince Edward Island. Because of the cold, crisp and clean waters of the Atlantic ocean, the best mussels are cultivated in this environment. If you're curious about mussels just as much as I am, here are a few good sites to know how they are cultivated, stored and cooked:

Discover Mussels/Mussel Industry Council-this site discusses the sustainability of mussels, great recipes on how to cook them and proper storage of them.
Pitchin' In- hosted by Food Network Canada's chef Lynn Crawford, chronicles her interesting food journeys on how different foods are grown, cultivated and farmed. This link will take you to the mussel episode where she heads to Prince Edward Island, mussel Capital of the World!
Chef Michael Smith-popular Food Network Canada host/chef has a new web series, Food Country (also mentioned in one of my earlier posts). Offered on his own site, or at PEI Flavours, you can watch episodes of Michael Smith in which he has a new adventure each week to different farmers in beautiful Prince Edward Island-from farm to plate. The above link will take you to the episode of mussel seeding.

Enjoy!

Ready for some Brazilian Churrascaria?

2011-02-13T07:26:00.000-08:00

Pampa Steakhouse is short walk from where I work and I was able to get a small snapshot, and a quick glimpse inside. Workers are still busy renovating and setting up.

The time has come for all you folks that love, have been craving or are curious about churrascaria. That's the term for Brazilian barbeque. Pampa Steakhouse is the first restaurant in Edmonton offering this type of dining called rodízio style dining in which servers come to your table with large skewers of meats such as pork, lamb, beef and different kinds of sausages. This restaurant was featured the last episode of Season 2 in David Adjey's The Opener. You can read more here. The anticipated opening date is February 15th but when I took a quick glimpse inside, there seemed to be quite a bit of work to be done...let see if they can make it happen!

Taking part in Fork Fest

2011-02-11T11:35:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the gap in posts-I got sidetracked and forgot to update my blog!

I typically don't eat out for dinner too often, and if it's more than twice in one week...I start feeling guilty. It also depends on what I've eaten. It was Fork Fest from January 16-2o and then again from January 23-27. I didn't parttake in the first week because I was refraining from spending too much. The latter, I decided to take part with a few of my girlfriends. I was scanning through the menus of Fork Fest and decided that The Dish was the best value for money.

My salad

The Dish (formerly The Dish and Runaway Spoon-I believe they still go by that name for catering, as indicated on their signage outside of their restaurant) is a cute little bistro located on the intersection of Stony Plain Road and 124th Street. The type of fare they serve up isn't too fancy nor not fancy enough; it seems to strike a good balance. With entrees like Alberta Lamb Stew, Shepherd's Pie with whipped Sweet Potatoes, and Crab cakes with mango aioli, served with rice pilaf and seasonal vegetables,-it is enough to make your mouth water. I was waiting for about 45 minutes for my girlfriends to arrive (cellphone trouble) when I got too hungry and asked my server for my starter salad and wine (the Fork Fest deal included a salad or soup, main entree, dessert AND a glass of house wine.) The salad was seasonal greens with artichokes drizzled with a honey vinagrette.

The wine I chose was a house white wine from Chile. By the time I devoured my salad and sipped my wine four times, they arrived. After looking at the menu about a dozen times, I couldn't choose between the Alberta lamb stew or the Crab cakes. Being a fan of locally sourced foods, I finally opted for the Alberta Lamb Stew--only to hear that they are sold out of it. Next option: the crab cakes!

Crab cakes with mango aioli, rice pilaf and steamed veggies.

The crab cakes were good, but they weren't fantastic. The rice pilaf was a bit too dry and it didn't really seem like pilaf to me at all-the rice was too fluffy. The seasonal veggies were steamed and were fresh and crisp.

For dessert, there were quite a few delicious options such as raspberry white chocolate creme brulee, apple crisp with ice cream and toffee pudding to name a few. Without hesitation, I chose the toffee pudding...and was it ever delicious! Big portion, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, drizzled with caramel sauce. That finished off the meal just perfectly.

Delicious toffee pudding!

I would recommend this place to anyone who enjoys casual dining in a cozy and relaxed environment. I definitely felt like I spent my money wisely at this restaurant-and probably because it was Fork Fest, but the portions and the quality of food was very decent.

Verdict: scrumptious!

Girl's night at Murrieta's

2011-01-31T07:25:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since all four of my girlfriends met up. Everyone has such busy schedules so it seems so difficult nowadays to even plan a dinner for an evening. With schedules permitting, we all decided to go to Murrieta's on a Monday evening (brilliant idea because Mondays are sometimes drab). I've never been to Murrieta's before (I did try to make reservations one night, but they got too busy so we went to Homefire instead). I've heard some good things about it but never actually tried it until tonight.

The atmosphere is quite sophisticated; high ceilings with pretty light fixtures and dim lighting. The far wall has stones all the way up to the ceiling. Table settings are typical of a fancy restaurant-white tablecloths with large wine glasses and place settings.

I scanned the menu and everything sounded very appealing to me; most of which was all seafood. Ever since my trip to PEI last summer, I crave seafood (not that I didn't before, but I just love it more!). I was going to try the Seafood curry, but one of my friends got it so I decided to get something else. For starters, I opted for the Westcoast Seafood Chowder with sweet potato, smoked bacon, arugula pesto.

Westcoast Seafood Chowder

For my main entree, I decided to get the Chicken & Chorizo Pappardelle with roasted tomato, zucchini, spinach, goat cheese, white wine butter sauce.

Chicken & chorizo pappardelle

To be honest, I wasn't really impressed with the Seafood Chowder because it was too starchy for my liking. I prefer seafood chowders with a tomato base-that way it doesn't get me full too fast and it isn't as rich. The entree, however was tasty. Although it was a bit too greasy for my liking (that's why I don't like eating out too often), the thick pasta noodles seemed homemade and the flavour was slightly unique. I tried my friend's seafood curry which was tasty, and one of my other girlfriend's homemade gnocchi which was delicious.

Overall, the dining experience at Murrieta's was a nice one because it sure livened up a somewhat drab Monday evening. If you ask me about the food-I might need to think twice about going because the food isn't cheap.

Verdict: slightly scrumptious

Let's do Indian for Supper!

2011-01-30T17:32:00.000-08:00

Everytime one of my girlfriend's and myself meet up, we always somehow end up eating Indian food. I like Indian food-well, specifically butter chicken, saag paneer (or palak paneer depending where you go) beef/lamb vindaloo, coconut rice and naan bread. Other than that, I'm not too fond of the exotic spices because it leaves my throat and stomach burning.

I've been meaning to try Zaika for quite some time now. They've been open since November 2009. I guess I don't really have a good excuse for not trying Zaika other than just simply forgetting. It's a 6 minute drive from my place and last summer, one of my girlfriend's asked me to go but I had to work till late. I figured Tuesday night was the night to go and my friend agreed to go!

A very sleek and contemporary atmosphere, this isn't your typical family friendly Indian restaurant. It's very modern with black upholestered booster seats, dim lighting and oversized lighting fixtures. I was seated right behind the large picture of an eye-talk about "eye-catching"(okay, I'll stop). But the atomosphere seemed more fitting for a younger, under 30 crowd.

I forgot to take pictures before we ate because we were too busy chatting! Here's what we had as leftovers, baingan bhartha (l), vindaloo (c) and paneer (r) and basmati rice.

My friend and I couldn't decide if we should order off the menu, or go for the dinner buffet. Buffet's are usually the way to go, but I just can't eat that much Indian food at once. We scoped up the dinner buffet and it was lacking one of our favourite dishes (yes, I say "our" because we both love the same dishes!) saag/palak paneer (creamed spinach with homemade Indian cheese for those of you who aren't familiar with Indian food). We then decided to order off the menu so we can take leftovers home for lunch the next day. We opted for the palak paneer, beef vindaloo, and baingan bhartha (minced eggplant with spices). Each main dish came with basmati rice and naan bread. Since we ordered 3 mains, we were given a large dish of basmati rice, and 6 pieces of naan bread. When the portions came, it didn't seem like a lot, but once we started chowing down, I could feel my stomach filling up quickly as Indian cuisine is very creamy and oily. My friend and I both agreed on the dishes, that they weren't as good as New Asian Village. The vindaloo dish, which typically consists of a tomato/tamarind sauce that gives it a distinct tang, didn't even come close to the one at the Village. As we both said, it simply tasted like "Frank's Hot Sauce".... That being said, the palak paneer was tasty and so was the baingan bhartha (eggplant) dish. I also ordered mango lassi on the side to help with the heat (water is not good to have with Indian food because it just sits on top of the food in your stomach-so I've heard anyway).

I will come back to this restaurant to give the dinner buffet a try and since I got a $16 for $40 worth of cuisine, thanks to Goodnews.ca, I can make good use of my money.

Verdict: scrumptious

Macaron fail...

2011-01-24T07:21:00.000-08:00

I've contemplated for quite some time now on when I will attempt to make the masterful macaron. I've googled several recipes, looked at A Canadian Foodie's attempt and mentioned the word 'macaron' so many times, even my boyfriend is tired of hearing it from me. So yesterday evening, I alloted time to make "the macaron".

I had visions in my head of how great it will turn out; or how horrible. Boy, was I correct on the latter one. How did Chuck Hughes from Food Network Canada make it look so darn easy? That's where I got the recipe from (I even watched the video). I know the most difficult part was the "macaronnage", so the professionals call it. It's the process of blending the meringue mixture with the ground almond flour (I was already running into problems grounding the flour because I didn't know how to use my new food processor properly..haha). You must be extremely careful though. Folding the meringue into the almond mixture can just cause it to just kaput. And so there was my problem. I was whipping the egg whites, but for some reason I didn't get nice, stiff peaks that I usually do. But I just went with it, because they eventually had more consistency. I then incorporated the hot syrup 1/4 cup at a time, and that's probably where I messed up;it turned all watery. After incorporating it with the ground almond mixture, I began to build some hope that these little things will turn out. Well, I was wrong. By the time I piped them on parchment and put them in the oven, they were spreading out like regular-sized cookies.

Surprisingly, they tasted very good. Even my boyfriend agreed that they were delicious, despite the fact that they were supposed to look like macarons. Instead, they tasted like those Italian amaretto cookies.

My attempt next time, which I'm not sure when this will be, I will have to make sure that the egg whites whip properly and that my almond mixture is more finely ground. My motto: you never until you try! And that's what I did.

New Dumplings restaurant open-anyone tried it yet?

2011-01-22T23:40:00.000-08:00

Has anyone tried Dumplings the Restaurant yet? I read about it in Avenue Edmonton , and checked out their website. They offer a variety of Asian Fusion food such as spring rolls, green onion cakes, rice bowls, bubble tea and of course dumplings. I'll have to put this on my "to try" list!

Michael Smith's new web series

2011-01-14T23:51:00.000-08:00

I receive regular emails from Tourism PEI (ever since I went there last summer, I've been changed) and most recently, received one about Michael Smith's new online web series called Food Country. What a great feat on his site! I read about him wanting to do a series like this in the commemorative issue of TV Guide celebrating Food Network's 10 years presence in Canada. Instead of exposing part of his personal life on television (in case you didn't know, Chef at Home features his wife Rachael, and son Gabriel) this may be his new show on the Food Network. The series showcases the abundant food and seafood of Prince Edward Island, from farm to plate. I love it!

Making cheese on my own?!

2011-01-08T14:44:00.000-08:00

My homemade Paneer!

Thanks to A Canadian Foodie (and Bal Arneson of The Spice Goddess on The Food Network), I made paneer cheese on my day off this past Monday and she was right. It was so easy! My cheese, however low fat, was a little too low in fat. I used 1% milk, but next time I make it I'll use homo milk or perhaps even cream instead, though I imagine it'll burn faster than milk given the much higher milk fat content. I boiled my 2 litres of milk at medium-low, and even though keeping a firm eye on it, still managed to slightly burn the bottom of the pot (I got a good workout from scrubbing the pan). If you are interested in making your own paneer, Chef Michael Smith also has a recipe for paneer (from the Wilted Spinach with Indian Paneer cheese recipe):

Wilted Spinach with Indian Paneer Cheese
Yield: 4

Ingredients

Wilted Spinach with Indian Paneer Cheese
1/4 cup butter
1 tablespoon cumin seed
1 onion peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds baby spinach, washed
Salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 disc paneer cheese

Indian Paneer Cheese

8 cups milk, full fat
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed

Directions

Wilted Spinach with Indian Paneer Cheese

1.Melt butter and add the cumin seed. Toast for a minute or two then add the onion and garlic and sauté until soft and fragrant. Add the spinach, season with salt and stir until wilted.
2.Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat and add paneer. Fry on one side until golden, about 2-3 minutes and then flip and brown the other side. Toss with the wilted spinach until the paneer breaks into bite-sized pieces.

Indian Paneer Cheese

1.Bring the milk and salt to a gentle simmer, just as it boils turn off the heat and stir in the lemon. Rest for 15 minutes or so. Fashion a cloth bag with multiple layers of cheesecloth, line a strainer with it and pour the mixture into the cloth. Tie it off and suspend it over a bowl to drain for several hours.
2.Untie the bag but keep the cheese loosely covered. Place it on a plate and cover with another plate. Place in your refrigerator and weigh down with a jar or two of something relatively heavy. Press for several hours or overnight.
3.Remove from the press and the bag and enjoy your own homemade cheese!

(courtesy of www.foodnetwork.ca)

Mini gingerbread cupcakes are delicious and the perfect size for holiday parties

2010-12-31T18:53:00.000-08:00

I know the fad of cupcakes have come and gone, but for (holiday) parties I must admit they are still very fun to make and people still do enjoy them. I found a wonderful recipe for mini gingerbread cupcakes on the Style at Home website. The recipe is very easy and straight forward except I altered a few things. I lessened the bake time to about 12 minutes because my cupcakes were mini; also, the recipe for the icing is way too runny. I made these cupcakes for my girlfriend's Ugly Sweater Party and let's just say that I spent more time cleaning up after the piping bag than anything (I used a mini spatula to spread the icing on in the end). Needless to say, the icing was delicious because it's a mixture of cream cheese and butter. I made these cupcakes for Christmas dinner at my cousin's for dessert, but this time added about 1 cup of butter and a few tablespoons of cream cheese (I eyeballed the consistency). This time around it came out of the piping bag a lot easier!

Here's the recipe:

2½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
¼ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup unsulfured dark (robust) molasses
1 cup boiling water

Rum-raisin frosting

½ cup dark raisins
¼ cup dark rum
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature, cut into small pieces
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into 4 Piece
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

1 Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line 24 mini muffin cups with cupcake liners.
2 In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and ginger. Set aside
3 In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together the butter and brown sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs and then the molasses until well combined. Immediately stir in the boiling water. On low speed, add the flour mixture and mix until smooth.
4 Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them about two-thirds full. Bake in the center of the oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean and dry, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely in the pan(s) on a wire rack.
5 While the cupcakes are baking and cooling, prepare the frosting. In a small bowl, mix together the raisins and rum and let stand for 15 minutes. Strain, reserving liquid.
6 In a food processor, combine the cream cheese and butter and process until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar and pulse until a smooth, spreadable frosting forms. Transfer to a bowl. Stir the raisin liquid into the frosting until evenly combined.
7 When the cupcakes are cool, tip them out of the pan and frost them with the frosting. Top with raisins.

Makes 24 mini cupcakes
(courtesy of styleathome.com)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Verdict: scrumptious!

Cooking turkey in an Office-who would've thought?

2010-12-30T07:19:00.000-08:00

Cooking turkey on a cart-very innovative!

Christmas Potluck proved to be a popular concept at work this year again, as well as the last. One of the managers graciously volunteered to bring the turkey, and offered to bake it in a portable oven which she owned. We did this last year as well and the whole office smelled so good! This year, the turkey was cooked in her office and everyone who stopped by would catch a glimpse (and aroma) of the not-so-usual sight of turkey cooking in one's office. The turkey turned out perfect and was ready just in time for our Christmas Potluck luncheon.

Christmas luncheon potluck buffet-an astonishing array of food!

I decided weeks ago for what to bring to this year's potluck. Last year, I made homemade green onion cakes with Rachel Ray's recipe. They didn't turn out too well probably because I overworked the dough, resulting in a dry, tough cake. That being said, this year I opted for something that was easy to make yet had a burst of flavour. Turkey, potatoes, salads, buns, casseroles, and perogies were already being covered on the potluck menu so I decided we were missing one food group: seafood. I found a lovely recipe in Sobey's December Inspired magazine. I am a big fan of this magazine-not only is it free, but the recipes are actually very good. The sweet chilli shrimp salad with endive recipe caught my eye. The endive acts as a spoon for the shrimp salad, not to mention it's fanciness. This recipe was so easy to make and was refreshingly delicious, I will definitely be making this recipe again (my boyfriend was a huge fan).

Other dishes at the potluck were absolutely delicious. The turkey was cooked to perfection, not to mention the delicious duck stuffing with ginger. There were mashed potatoes, yams, gravy, creamy corn casserole, spinach salad, Greek salad, cabbage rolls, homemade perogies and my appetizer of course. For dessert, there were homemade squares, trifle, and cupcakes.
Ohmygoodness! How could one not induldge during the Christmas holidays?

My potluck platter consisted of creamy corn casserole, yams, cabbage rolls, turkey and gravy, stuffing and salad! (I went for two (small) rounds after that...

Verdict: scrumptious!

IHOP is officially open

2010-12-23T07:41:00.000-08:00

International House of Pancakes is finally open. I believe it opened it's doors just two days ago, one day later than the scheduled December 20th. I was finishing my Christmas shopping in Southpark yesterday and managed to get a glimpse of the restaurant-it looks huge inside! Anyone tried it yet?

Gourmet sandwiches are a nice alternative to the regular sub

2010-12-22T07:47:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since one of my girlfriends and I met up. Two Saturdays ago, we went to the Downtown Farmers' Market in the blistering cold and went shopping in City Centre afterwards. Last time I was in City Centre, I completely forgot about press'd sandwiches and ate at Edo for lunch instead.

This time around, I didn't make the same mistake. My friend and I headed straight to press'd sandwiches as we (well, I) were starving.

This restaurant/bistro has a very fresh look to it; bright green writing as their main logo and simple font for their board menu. The chairs are wooden topped with green cushions and there are also booths on the far side of the restaurant. Ordering is straight forward-order the type of sandwich you want, choose your type of bread (white/whole wheat/ciabatta/pumpernickel rye), wait until it is prepared fresh then they'll call out your order. My friend and I first shared the Meddito which consists of Smoked Turkey, Artichoke Hearts, Feta Cheese, Roasted Red Peppers, and Mayo on a ciabatta bun.

The Meddito

We were still hungry so we jokingly thought about ordering another sandwich; we did. This time, it was the Golden Bear (which I'm guessing is paying homage to the U of A mascot/sports team) and it consisted of smoked Chicken, Baked Brie, Roasted Apples, Spinach, Sweet Fig Jam on whole wheat bread.

The Golden Bear

All was delicious. You can really taste the freshness of the bun and all the fresh, good ingredients. The only thing my friend and I expected was the smoked chicken to be ripped pieces of chicken breast, or something to that degree. Instead, it was the sliced type you get at delis. Still, it was delicious
I would definitely come back to this place. Fresh, gourmet sandwiches that won't break your budget.
Verdict: scrumptious!

Baking for the holidays: these cookies could beat the Girl Guides kind

2010-12-16T07:09:00.000-08:00

For the month of December at work, a few of us at work (we call ourselves "The Decorating Committee") have decided to bring treats every other day until Christmas. It works out perfectly because there are exactly 11 people in our branch, and every other day would work out just perfectly right before Christmas.

I found a recipe on Food Network Canada. It's Anna Olson's Chocolate Mint Cookies from her days on Sugar. I have to be honest that I wasn't a big fan of her show, but I've tried a few of her recipes and they've all turned out so well. Especially after mastering this recipe for the first time, I am looking forward to try more recipes from her! I spent a total of 2.5 hours toiling in the kitchen (although I did escape to take a shower while the dough was chilling in the fridge), it was worth it. I think they could beat out the Chocolate Mint Girl Guide cookies-they don't have preservatives and all flavouring is natural. What could possibly be better? I'll definitely be making more of these during the holiday baking season.

Here's the recipe if you would like to give it try. The only thing I recommend is to keep the filling inside the mixing bowl while beating--the recipe says to knead it on a flat surface then add the peppermint extract. I found it too sticky so I just left it in the bowl to mix. Turned out great!

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup icing sugar
6 tablespoons Dutch process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon milk
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
dash salt
dash baking powder
icing sugar, for garnish

Filling

1 egg white
1 3/4 cups icing sugar, sifted
2 drops to 3 drops peppermint extract

Directions

To Assemble

1.Beat butter until smooth and fluffy. Sift together icing sugar and cocoa powder over butter and beat in. Stir in vanilla, egg yolk and milk. Add flour, salt and baking powder to cocoa mixture and blend until incorporated. Shape dough into disc, wrap and chill for 20 minutes.

2.Preheat oven to 325° F. On a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thick. Cut into 1 ½-inch circles and transfer carefully to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until cookies can be lifted easily away from the parchment. Allow to cool on baking sheet.

3.For filling, put egg white in a bowl and beat in icing sugar, a few tablespoonfuls at a time, until a soft dough forms. Turn dough onto a surface dusted with icing sugar. Knead in remaining icing sugar and peppermint extract, until dough is no longer sticky.

4.To fill cookies, roll a teaspoon of dough into a ball and flatten a little. Sandwich between 2 cookies and press together to push icing to edges. Continue until all cookies have been filled.

5.Cookies can be glazed with chocolate to finish or dusted with icing sugar.

6.Yield: Approximately 2 dozen cookies

(Courtesy of Anna Olson from foodnetwork.ca)

IHOP will be opening before the holidays

2010-12-13T11:10:00.000-08:00

Driving past Calgary Trail North on the way to work, and South on the way back from work, I wonder when the new IHOP will be open. I've personally never tried it, but based on my post about it opening last month, a few people had mentioned that they've got some great pancakes and breakfast items.
Here's an article in the Journal: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/life/food/dining-out/First+Edmonton+IHOP+opening+holidays/3959744/story.html.

Lunch Coffee break!

2010-12-05T14:26:00.000-08:00

I love Newget!

I decided to go for a quick walk during my lunch break earlier this week. I've always been curious about Axis Cafe so there I trottled off to. I already ate lunch so I wasn't interested in buying lunch. All I wanted was a cafe au lait. They also sell my new favourite sugar snack...Newget! So I purchased two bags of the seasonal flavour-Perfect Pear-pistachios,roasted almonds,sweet dried pear and fresh rosemary laced through creamy white chocolate (which by the way was delicious). I ate a few pieces of newget, kicked back and relaxed while I read the Parlour magazine,while sipping my cafe au lait.

Heartwarming dim sum, anyone?

2010-11-28T16:59:00.000-08:00

In the Howard Johnson hotel on Stony Plain Road.

It's been a while since I last went to dim sum. My parents usually go more often than me and they usually bring me leftovers. It's always so good! I happened to have Saturday off from my weekend job (yes, I'm a workoholic and I admit it too) so my parents and I decided to go for some good ol' hearthwarming dimmie.

A new place had just opened, perhaps just shy of 6 months, on 15540 Stony Plain Road. It's currently the Howard Johnson hotel chain (previously the Saxony Hotel). There's an Albert's Family Restaurant in the hotel and this is also the site of the new Chinese restaurant restaurant offering dim sum all day, appropriately called Delicious Delicious. Based on what my mom told me, the owner of the hotel also runs the restaurant. The owner's wife also used to work in the same building as my mine, so they know eachother.

The interior of the restaurant is nothing spectacular; to say the least, it's what one would expect from a Chinese restaurant. Not a whole lot of fancy decorations, perhaps a little run down with dim lighting. But that doesn't (or shouldn't) interfere with the quality of food-it's usually very tasty. That being said, I can agree with the latter statement. Even though it's an odd concept to mingle Albert's family restaurant customers with Delicious Delicious restaurant customers, the dim sum here is awesome. My mom has a tendency to order too much food, but that's usually never a problem because it eventually gets eaten, and not always by me (wink, wink).

To order dim sum here is different than most of the other dim sum restaurants in town. The most common way to order dim sum (for those of you who aren't familiar with it) is through carts. Waitresses push around carts, steaming hot with yummy dim sum items such as sui mai (minced pork and shrimp wrapped in a wonton wrapper)
or cha sui bao (BBQ pork buns). At this restaurant, you preorder your items. I wasn't able to see the menu because I arrived later than my parents (I was backed up in traffic because of the Grey Cup parade, should you need to know). But after you hand in your order, they give you a print out of what you ordered, along with the quantity and price. Once your order has arrived at your table, the waiter/waitress checks off the item. Very efficient, I think.

Even though the layout of the restaurant is a bit peculiar as it is shared with another restaurant, this actually might be a clever idea so you can offer customers a wider variety of foods. For example, the table in front of us ordered Western breakfasts offered on the Albert's menu, then ordered steamed rice rolls and cha sui bao. What an interesting combination! For all you loyal dimmies out there, you got to give this place a try-their sui mei's are scrumptious!

Verdict: scrumptious

Directions: Delicious Delicious is located directly in the Howard Johnson hotel on 155 street & Stony Plain Road.

Sanpachi, a new Japanese/ramen noodle restaurant coming to town

2010-11-26T23:27:00.000-08:00

I hope they'll open soon!

The area of South Park on 38 avenue and Calgary Trail seems to be popping up with cute, new restaurants. With IHOP opening soon, I also noticed while I was at Twisted Yogurt, a new joint set to open soon. Sanpachi, which I believe has a location in Vancouver (I searched on the internet and that's all I could find and they don't have a website yet) is "opening soon" according to the signs posted. It's located next door to Twisted Yogurt. I am looking forward to trying this place. I love ramen noodles and Japanese food. I could probably eat it everyday.

Also, on the other side of Sanpachi is a new joint called Wingman. I checked out their menu posted on their window and it looks like they are serving the regular wings, hamburger and fries joint. I'll have to try it here someday as well.

Twisted yogurt: an interesting experience

2010-11-26T23:10:00.000-08:00

I am an avid SONiC Glee Club Member- I've accumulated enough points over time to purchase a Twisted Yogurt gift certificate. It's been pretty darn cold here the past little while so I wasn't really in the mood for something cold. Given that today was much warmer than the -25 we were experiencing, I decided I was in the mood for frozen yogurt (with my boyfriend in tow).

Twisted Yogurt has several new locations with new ones popping up soon. I went to the South Park location, on #650-3803 Calgary Trail (where the old Danier factory outlet used to be). Bright green, orange, and yellow walls make this place very vibrant. With silver wired balls as their light fixtures, multi-coloured tiles as one of their backsplashes, you already feel happy to be here. Not to mention the wide varieties of frozen yogurt flavours and numerous toppings.

So, this is how it works: you go to the back area and you choose what size you want, 12oz or 16 oz paper cups. You then proceed to the self-serve frozen yogurt area. There are 8 different flavours; one lever for each flavour, or the middle lever is the mixed flavour of the two. Their current flavours are listed on the website. When I went, they had chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, green tea, apricot mango, raspberry pomegranate, cola and blue cotton candy. Being the random, sporadic person that I am... I mixed all the flavours except the first two (next time I'll focus on one flavour). You then proceed to your toppings. They've got candies, gummies and crushed chocolate bars, nuts, and even fresh fruit!What a great little place.

Verdict: scrumptious

Duchess Bake Shop reigns supreme, yet again.

2010-11-21T22:42:00.000-08:00

The Duchess before it was eaten...

Duchess Bake Shop. I can't say how much I love it enough. Every time I bring up the name, even my boyfriend knows that I'm in love with it. The other day, I had an appointment nearby on 124st and decided to stop at Duchess for a quick snack. Looking at the showcase like a kid in a candy store, I finally settled on the new macaron flavour, olive oil and vanilla. Very good as usual, but the olive oil flavour wasn't as pungent as I thought it would be. I got one coconut and almond meringue, along with two macarons to go for my co-worker to try. I also decided to get their namesake cake, The Duchess. I've seen it in the showcase several times, but never bothered to try it...until that day. I took it home and shared it with my parents. (My boyfriend got the meringues ;-). They loved it! It wasn't too sweet. Inside was a chiffon cake with a hint of lemon, layered with vanilla bean cream and raspberry, cased in a light green marzipan shell. The flavours went very well together and none of them were too overpowering.

...and after it was eaten. Note the layers. So much effort in this little dessert.

Verdict: sooooooo scrumptious!

Secret Weekend Getaway...

2010-11-20T17:38:00.000-08:00

Banff, Alberta

My boyfriend and his roommate made "secret plans"this past weekend for me and his wife. We weren't exactly sure where we were going, but was asked to pack up a swim suit and a dress (hint, hint).

We arrived at our destination about 4.5 hours later, to find out we were staying at the gorgeous Rimrock Hotel and Resort.

Banff is a very popular weekend getaway for Calgarians. It's a close drive and it's nice to escape. This weekend was particularly busy, probably because of the mid-week vacation day for Remembrance Day and many people took off the Friday to make it an extra long weekend. With no kitchenette in the hotel, one is always stuck with the idea of "where should we eat?" I had thought the guesswork would of been taken out for where we would be eating for dinner that night, but I found out that no one had made plans (or reservations) for that night. This shouldn't be a problem in Banff because it's commercialized enough that we have alot of choices for dinner. There was the option of eating at the two restaurants in the hotel, but one restaurant's entrees were between $100-$300 and the other restaurant was full. Saltlik, a popular steakhouse in Banff, didn't have openings until 8:30pm, as well as another popular joint, The Bison. Rather than calling up the restaurants, we all thought it would just be a clever idea to hit town and just wing it. So we did!

Walking up and down the streets in Banff on a chilly November day, I must say has a nice wintery feel. It's been a while since I have done this...(ok, I'll stop reminiscing). We walked down Caribou Street in Banff and I glanced to my left. I see a dark building with a wooden exterior with little lighting. The Magpie and Stump was apparently where my boyfriend's roommate's wife and aunt dined years ago.

What an interesting little restaurant-wood interior and exterior. Very dim lights inside with interesting souvenirs hanging off the wall. This place is squishy inside, with people backing up right into your chair. I wasn't quite sure what kind of food they served here with a name like that. Sure enough, it was authentic Tex-Mex fare.

I ordered the special that night: tostadas with chili meat, beans, sour cream and guacamole on the side. My boyfriend ordered the enchiladas. For starters, my boyfriend and I both opted for the mushroom and onion soup, which was delicious.

The yummy soup.

It had a little bit of a kick to it. It was topped with crispy fried strips of tortilla with two white flour tortillas on the side. All of our orders came rather quickly. We only waited about ten minutes, which was great because I was hungry!

Tostadas.

My meal was very filling; the tostadas consisted of a lightly-fried tortilla on the bottom, topped with chilli meat, shredded lettuce, and topped with salsa. On the side was guacamole, sour cream and of course, refried beans. My boyfriend's meal looked yummy as well. The enchiladas were filled with beef, rolled in tortillas and drenched in salsa and baked in the oven with cheese on top. My boyfriend's roommate also ordered the same special as me. His wife ordered the chimichangas, which is a lightly fried burrito. That looked good as well.

Enchiladas.

This place was good. It wasn't spectacular or anything. The food was good and is probably what one would expect at a Tex-Mex restaurant. I think the atmosphere contributed to the whole experience of eating here, to almost feel like you are eating in a small, run-down wooden barn.

Verdict: scrumptious

Lunch break at mrkt

2010-11-20T17:07:00.000-08:00

My co-worker and I went out for lunch today and I recommended a place nearby on 105th Street and Jasper. We wanted a simple lunch like a soup and sandwich kind of deal so I suggested going to mrkt, which opened just a few months ago.

It's located right across from the Attia-Reeves building on 105th Street and Jasper. Didn't catch the name of the building but the restaurant is located at the top of a staircase. Below is the night club, Red Star (the owner of Red Star is co-owner of mrkt, along with Soul Soup's Carla Alexander).

The interior of mrkt is unique. With wood as their main decal, the restaurant is shaped like a long, narrow log. The interior is pegged with small, interlocking pieces of dark wood. One of their light fixtures also mimics the interlocking pieces of dark wood on their walls. Their service counter even looks like a big cutting board with different coloured woods interlocked. Their menu is displayed on one side of the wall. When you first walk in, that is the first thing you see from afar (aside from the cool walls).

My soup and my co-worker's sandwich in the foreground.

Now, to the food-the most important part! To be honest, I was sort of disappointed with the food quantity. The quality of the food was there, for sure. My friend and I both shared a meal because I only wanted the soup and she just wanted the sandwich (soup and sandwich is $13; a sandwich on it's own is $9; and soup on it's own, depending on the size, was $4.74 for a small). We ordered the Alberta braised beef with caramelized onion and goat cheese on ciabatta bread, while I opted for the South Indian Rasam soup with salmon. The soup came with a whole wheat bun and the sandwich same with either chips or salad. The actual soup didn't really impress me at all. Although with lots of lentils , beans and other vegetables, I found only one small chunk of salmon in my soup. $4.75 for a small soup and only one chunk of salmon? What happened to quantity control for the price you pay? The sandwich, on the other hand was delicious. My co-worker, who is pint-sized, couldn't finish the whole sandwich so she handed me the other half. I gladly ate it. The sandwich could of been a bit bigger for the price we payed.

All in all, this was a interesting experience. I also ran into an old family friend while I was there whom I haven't seen for a while. This place has potential, but more tweaking needs to be done- like picking up your food orders and definitely monitoring the soup quantity, especially the person who was serving it owns her own soup company.

Verdict: pretty scrumptious

KFC Double Down

2010-11-08T11:39:00.000-08:00

The Double Down...

Guest post by: my boyfriend.

"I believe the Double Down was designed by terrorists to specifically kill North Americans through cardiac arrests. It should be called the Double Bypass Down. After the first 3 bites my roommate and I were feeling chest pains and massive internal discomfort. Normally, I enjoy meals that shorten my life span, but this was not worth it. The chicken was nothing fantastic. It was greasy, more bland than expected, and massive. After the first half of the "sandwich," eating this thing became a chore. It was also over priced. The best part of the whole meal was the apple turnovers we were given for free to make up for the fact it took 15 minutes to get our food. This was a food failure."

Consists of two original recipe fried chicken breasts sandwiched between crisp bacon, processed pepper jack cheese and KFC's special Colonel sauce.

Verdict: not so scrumptious

IHOP coming to Edmonton!

2010-11-08T10:38:00.000-08:00

My mom and I take the usual way to work which is down the good ol' Gateway Boulevard north. I took notice of the new JYSK that had just opened this past Saturday in the South Park shopping area. Unfortunately, I was still sick in bed that morning so I couldn't take advantage of the fantastic deals. What I also noticed was an "Opening Soon..." sign that caught my eye immediately. IHOP is coming to town! Our very first one. IHOP stands for International House of Pancakes. They are from the States and offer an extensive menu of pancakes and other unique breakfast items. The first IHOP I saw was when I was in Santa Monica 3 years ago. I never tried it though, but soon, i'll (we'll) have our chance to!

Urban Diner on 109 Street (previously Fiore) now open!

2010-11-08T10:30:00.000-08:00

My apologies for not blogging for the longest time! I have come down with another cold...in less than a month! What a strong bug out there, I tell you.

I was driving past the old Fiore location on 109st and just off of 87 avenue and noticed that the Urban Diner there is now open! My boyfriend lives a hop, skip, and a jump away from this so I just happened to drive by here. We will have to try it someday.

Revamped old bank on Jasper Avenue now offering great nightlife, food and entertainment

2010-10-24T22:20:00.000-07:00

It was a day out with girls on Saturday. My sister and I have the same birthday exactly three years apart. She decided to have a day out with her girlfriends and had asked if I wanted to come along. Why not I'd thought, afterall, we do share the same birthday and a day out with the girls always involves mischevious fun. After shopping along 124th district, we were all hungry by the time the shops closed down for the day. I suggested Moriarty's to my sister as I have been there before, and enjoyed it very much. Being a Saturday evening, of course they were jam packed with reservations already and only had bar seating avail, which did not interest us very much. We left in search of another restaurant nearby. I then suggested The Treasury Vodka Bar & Eatery, and had read on the journal that their food was supposed to be delicious. We settled down here and was seated to the left of the entrance, which was a bird's eye-view reflection to the men's bathroom...

The large, movable booths were comfy; the lighting was dim (the lead waitress turned up the lights not long after we were seated), beautiful chandeliers and sleek flooring. We were seated in a location that one could look into the reflection of the mens bathroom, well a urinal (!), as they were mirrored tiles on the men's (and women's) bathroom. Funny to mention, I know. We even pointed that out to the lead waitress and she mentioned that they will eventually put a curtain up (she also pointed out we were the first to mention that to her!). The restaurant was rather cold, not because we were seated next to the entrance, but because the boiler in the building shut down and had to be turned on again. They had to contact the owner of the building and gain permission to turn it back on. Boy, did I feel for those waitresses wearing their short LBD's!

Normally, one would not expect great food from a venue that offers great nightlife. This place totally proves wrong! Some dishes are traditional favourites, but are 'fancied' up. For example, I ordered the chicken pot pie.

My chicken pot pie.

Instead of potatoes, substituted was yellow squash and sweet potatoes. Yum! It was presented in a large, rounded bowl with a round puff pastry on top. It was delicious.

My sister ordered the gnocchi palmadorro.

My sister's gnocchi palmadorro.

It consisted of those small potato dumplings, scallops and black tiger shrimp presented in a bold pesto sauce, topped off with micro-greens and purple cabbage. The other gals ordered salads (one caesar, the other not quite sure what the name was) and a pasta dish with mushrooms that smelled and looked equally delicious as the rest of our dishes.

If you are looking for a good place to dine, don't be deceived by the name or look of this place. The fare here is delicious.

Verdict: Scrumptious!

http://www.thetreasury.ca/

HAPPY 10 YEARS FOOD NETWORK CANADA! I've been a fan since day one

2010-10-23T07:01:00.000-07:00

Food Network Canada celebrates 10 years this month: October 2, 2000 - October 2, 2010. And I've been a fan since day one. I remember watching Iron Chef back in 1998 on Food Network--way before it got popular. Some of my favourite shows on Food Network in the past were The Inn Chef, New Classics with Rob Feenie and License to Grill. Today, I still enjoy watching Michael Smith and his Chef at Home series and Bob Blumer in his always entertaining Glutton for Punishment series. There's a a special edition of TV Guide Canada for Food Network celebrating over the 10 years. If you are a Food Network Canada fan, I highly recommend this mag. Though a bit pricey for it's thickness (it's quite thin), there are great recipes and excellent personal profiles on your favourite Food Network Canada chefs. A great souvenir!

Urban Diner to open at previous Fiore location on 109 Street

2010-10-18T12:04:00.000-07:00

As my boyfriend and I were walking to the Sugar Bowl to meet up with some friends, I noticed that Fiore has shut down. Urban Diner will soon be taking over the venue! They even chopped down the trees that deliberately obscured the patio. I will keep my eyes peeled! :)

New casual fine dining restaurant in new Southwest Edmonton hotel

2010-10-16T13:04:00.000-07:00

My boyfriend and I tend to be quite tired Friday evenings; a long day of work and running around getting errands done. I usually love cooking for the both of us but today was no exception. I threw out a bunch of suggestions for restaurants since there has been a bit of growth in Southwest Edmonton. I've been wanting to try this new restaurant in the new Sandman Signature hotel that just opened in Southwest Edmonton, just off of Gateway Boulevard. It looked kind of pricey from the outside and I wanted to be sure. They didn't have an online menu so we drove there and asked for a quick glance at the menu. It was quite reasonably priced, so Rockford Grill it was for dinner!

The Rockford Grill is a new restaurant that is associated with the powerhouse franchisee who also owns Moxie's Classic Grill, The Shark Club, Denny's and Chop Steak House. I would say it is classified as casual fine dining--as we chatted with our waitress, it's a "step above Moxie's."

Outside view of Rockford Grill

The ambiance of the restaurant is sort of typical in casual fine dining restaurants-oversized light fixtures, dim-lighting, dark booths and chairs and eclectic art pieces here and there.

Interior of Rockford

On the dining side of the restaurant (it's separated into the dining room and lounge side). On the dining side, there's a huge black chalkboard located on the corner of the wall with all the different wines they offer. I thought that was a cute and rather unique concept because as your wine selection changes, you can simply just erase and write over it. We sat in front of the lounge for a few minutes while we were waiting for our table. Not long after, we were seated in the lounge side of the restaurant. Similar to the dining room, we were seated in the back corner in a high booth. I always love sitting in booths!

I scanned through the menu and the dishes they offer are typical of a casual fine-dining restaurant; Asian-inspired cuisine, signature sandwiches, salads, and main entrees such as ribs and steak. My boyfriend and I first opted for the five mushroom appetizer as we are both lovers of mushrooms. Shitake, cremini and white button mushrooms and two other kinds I can't recall. Sauteed with wine and tonnes of garlic, you can't go wrong with this appie! We also each ordered a slushie drink each; mine was lychee liquor and mango and my boyfriend ordered the strawberry swirl with vanilla liquor. Yummy!

Our drinks and our appie; sauteed mushrooms.

I normally take a while to decide what I want at a new restaurant I've never been to, but I was craving flat bread (yes, flat bread) because I had just spoke to my mom and she had just ate at the Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company in Canmore. That being said, I ordered myself the avocado and shrimp flat bread with house-made potato chips as a side. My boyfriend opted for the Mongolian BBQ sauce ribs with fennel salad and hand-cut french fries. I asked for my flat bread to be unrolled so I could eat everything separately (yes, I am odd that way). The flat bread was spread with avocado and the shrimp was marinated in a tangy lime sauce. It was pretty tasty, but the flatbread could of been toasted a bit more. The house-made potato chips on the other hand were a little too burnt for my liking; of course the lighting was dim so it made it a bit harder for me to see how badly burnt it was (I took a picture of my food but accidentally deleted it...)

Mongolian BBQ ribs with fennel slaw and fries

My boyfriend enjoyed his dish--I snuck a few tastings or two and the ribs were indeed tasty. I enjoyed the fennel slaw on the side; something refreshing. The fries were better than mine because they weren't burnt.

We didn't bother with desserts as we were quite stuffed.

I think this restaurant was quite good. Perhaps the lighting was too dim for my liking, but the ambiance is nice. For a restaurant that's connected to the Sandman suites, I think it's worth visiting at least once if you happen to be in the area.

Verdict: scrumptious

Rockford Grill is located right in front of the new Sandman Signature Hotel on 10011 Ellerslie Rd SW, just East of Gateway Boulevard South.

Yummy 'newget' in town!

2010-10-05T14:20:00.000-07:00

Hot chocolate flavour: marshmallows, roasted almonds, fresh cinnamon in a chocolate newget. Yum!

What a great encounter I had at the Downtown Farmer's Market on September 25th. I was heading straight to the Eva Sweet's waffle van when I glanced on my right and two girls were handing out free samples of nougat. I tried once piece and told them I'd be right back as my stomach was grumbling for breakfast! Not too long after I finished my waffle, I moisied my way back there. What yummy treats they have! This company calls themselves The Newget Kompany. A little pricey a first glance ($7/100g bag), they are indeed gourmet treats. A unique twist on the traditional Italian nougat (that chewy bar made of sugar, egg whites and almonds), this 'kompany' boasts flavours like hot chocolate,
which is a spin on the drink, made of milk chocolate, marshmallows, roasted almonds and fresh cinnamon. Delish! They also offered a seasonal flavour-white chocolate, pistachio and organic edible flower, which I purchased as this was the last week they'd be selling that flavour.

Verdict: scrumptious!

Albertan, Aboriginal-inspired cuisine

2010-09-30T09:57:00.000-07:00

There's this restaurant in the west side of Edmonton that I've been wanting to try for the past, I'd say, two years. My sister and I decided to do a double date dinner with our boyfriends the night before our birthday to celebrate and enjoy eachother's company. She suggested Murrieta's on Whyte, but the only time they had available was 8pm or later. My sister's boyfriend is an avid football fan so after 8 would work a lot better for him, given the Saskatchewan Roughriders were playing that night. That's when I suggested to my sister that restaurant in the west end that I so keenly wanted to try: Homefire.

The decor in this restaurant is similiar to the way it sounds; cozy and warm with a pretty fireplace in the middle of the restaurant. Sure enough, the waiter seated us right beside the fire (after waiting around for almost 5 minutes with no host/hostess to greet us). The lighting is dim and the decor has Aboriginal inspirations: silhouettes and stick drawings reminsicent of the culture.

All the prices on the menu were very affordable, surprisingly. Although I glanced at the website quickly to see their menu items, I did not expect a restaurant like this to be reasonable priced. The first item that caught my attention was the homemade bannock. Yum! That definitely reminds me of the times that I've visted Fort Edmonton Park as a kid to make bannock in an old-fashioned kitchen.

Bannock bread with whipped maple butter (L); creole creamy shrimp with pizza style bread (R)

Lamb burger with Saskatoon berry relish!

We all shared a basket of bannock bread for $7, served with whipped maple butter on the side. It was tasty, but I found the bannock to be on the dry side. I opted for the lamb burger with homemade Saskatoon relish (anything homemade always gets my attention first), veggies and mashed potatoes. The burger itself was delicious. The Saskatoon berry relish was delicious--tart and sweet, it was a great addition to the lamb. The mashed potatoes were a bit too salty, but were still good. My boyfriend ordered the stir-fry dish, an interesting option at an Aboriginal inspired restaurant. Although, you will find alot of stir-fry dishes at non-Asian restaurants. The sauce on his stir-fry was a little too sweet for my liking, but he's got a sweet tooth so it worked out for him! My sister's boyfriend opted for the same choice as me (the Saskatoon berry relish got him, too). My sister settled on the buffalo meatloaf, which I forgot to try because I was too busy working on my lamb burger!

No room for dessert right now. And, I already had dessert laid out for us because I had gone to the Downtown Farmer's Market during the day and purchased 4 cupcakes for each of us from Karen's Cake in a Cup, each one a different flavour for us to eat at home.

I recommend this restaurant if you want to try original, Aboriginal-inspired cuisine. The prices are reasonable and the atmosphere is cozy, just like the name suggests.

Verdict: scrumptious!

http://www.homefiregrill.ca/

My attempt at making sweet potato cheesecake

2010-09-27T20:19:00.000-07:00

September is birthday month in my family. First, it's my mom's birthday, then it's me and my sister's birthday (same day) and then it's my grandma's birthday. It's almost too much cake in one week! That being said, I found it necessary to try my cake baking skills for my mom's cake. What kind of cake did I decide on? Why not make use of the yam that's been sitting in the pantry for a while...voila, sweet potato cheesecake!

From what I've read, sweet potato cheesecake is quite common in the southern States, like Georgia. The sweet potato makes the cheesecake and other cakes very moist, and not to mention healthy too!
The recipe I got was from http://www.allrecipes.com and consisted of the following:

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 pounds sweet potatoes
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
7/8 cup white sugar
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
3 eggs
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C ). Mix together graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup melted butter or margarine. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9 1/2 inch springform pan. Bake 10 minutes. Cool. Don't turn the oven off.
Place potatoes in a baking dish. Bake until a knife inserted in center goes through easily, about 1 hour. Don't turn oven off. Cool sweet potatoes enough to handle, peel, and puree.
Transfer 1 1/2 cups of sweet potato puree to a large bowl. Add cream cheese, 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons white sugar, sour cream and 1/4 cup cream; beat until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, blending well after each. Pour filling into crust.
Bake until tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour. Turn off the oven. Let cake stand 1 hour in oven with door ajar.
Combine brown sugar and 1/4 cup butter or margarine in a heavy small saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat, and bring to a boil. Mix in 1/4 cup cream, then nuts. Pour hot topping over cheesecake. Refrigerate.

Please ignore the melted purple icing flowers...

The recipe was very easy to following, and the outcome was great! I put a pan of water underneath the cake so it would not crack in the centre while baking. In addition to the recipe above, I swapped the graham cracker crust with a shortbread crust (I'm not a big fan of graham cracker crusts), added cinnamon to the filing (you can add nutmeg as well) and topped the cake off with toasted pecans I popped in the oven for about 15 minutes (I tossed the pecans in a little bit of oil and brown sugar). This added a lot more flavour to the cake and brought the sweet potato even more, I think.

All in all, the cake was a success! My whole family enjoyed it, as well as my boyfriend. The cake wasn't too sweet and everything was natural and free of preservatives. You can store the cake for about a week, perhaps even longer, but I wouldn't recommend it.

Verdict: scrumptious!

Visit http://www.allrecipes.com for more great recipes.

New Vietnamese/Thai fusion bistro in Southwest Edmonton

2010-09-27T10:44:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I haven't written in my blog for so long! Has it been ten days already? I've been away sick for the past week, so I haven't really gotten a chance to blog about my adventures in between.

I have a new family doctor that's located in a new community in Southwest Edmonton called Summerside. Within the past year, Save On Foods, Good Earth and Brewster's have popped up, including cute little restaurants/bistros like Teriyaki Corner (which I blogged about). Most recently, I was curious about a Vietnamese/Thai bistro that had just opened. It's called minimango, and it's a small sister business of a restaurant on 91st and 82 ave called "Sweet Mango" (I've been to this place before; it's alright).

The decor is very sleek and modern looking. Dark flooring, orange plastic light covers, raised barstools and booths, accompanied by a large picture consisting of smaller pictures of the Vietnamese culture; one would want to eat here just because of the cool decor.

Their menu was electronic on flatscreen televisions. I'm personally not a fan of electronic menus, but I suppose their easier to change if their menus fluctuate. That being said, I was having sort of a tough time reading the menu, so the cashier upfront handed my boyfriend and I paper menus. I scanned and scanned the menu. All I wanted was a simple Pho soup with beef, good broth and noodles. So I opted for the beef lover's choice (beef balls, tendon, and beef slices) for $7.95. My boyfriend opted for something a little less ordinary: Tom Yum Coconut noodle soup for $11.95. I also wanted the salad rolls for the appetizer. It was a whopping $5.95 for only 3 rolls!

We waited 7-8 minutes before our food came. We both munched on the salad rolls first. Not too bad. The sauce wasn't the typical dipping sauce for salad rolls which consists of hoi sin sauce. It was still tasty, but for almost $1.98/piece, I definitely won't be getting that next time. Next up was my Pho soup. The soup could of been hotter; the broth wasn't bad but wasn't as bold as I wanted it to be. The beef slices were too tough and if I remembered correctly, they only gave me about 2-3 beef balls. On the other hand, my boyfriend extremely enjoyed his new experience tasting the Tom Yum Coconut noodle soup. Topped with shrimp and mussels, his was a bit more appealing than mine.

Overall, the restaurant wasn't horrible. It wasn't spectacular either. The prices are a bit high and for Pho, I'd rather go somewhere more authentic. But it was a great experience for my boyfriend!

Verdict: pretty scrumptious

If you are interested in going, they are located just in the new shopping complex of Summerside on 91st and Ellerslie Road (9th ave SW). They don't have a website yet.

Apple season in full swing: time to make apple crumble.

2010-09-17T07:16:00.000-07:00

Despite the frost that had to be scraped off my car this morning, it is indeed apple season! I am normally allergic to the pesticides that are sprayed on the peel of the apple so everytime I eat an apple, I must peel it. My co-worker was giving apples away from her apple tree in her backyard and I had asked if I could have some. And such big and beautiful apples they were! And I don't have to peel the skin off! They looked like store-brought ones, and she even told me that some of them were spliced with pears so the colour of them were a bit lighter. And they did have a subtle taste of pear, too. Besides eating the apples all to myself, I decided to make some apple crumble.
Mmmmm. I love apple season!

Fall Flavours, P.E.I

2010-09-09T14:16:00.000-07:00

I know I am not going to P.E.I anytime soon again, but I do wish that I was at the Fall Flavours Festival going on now till September 30th. The event showcases local cuisine and produce of the island, as well as local talents. Chef Michael Smith will be cooking on NFL ferries, there will be picnics with great food on local beaches and clam digging on beaches.

http://www.fallflavours.ca/

Mushroomfest at Sorrentino's

2010-09-09T09:27:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard already, it's Mushroomfest at Sorrentino's!
From September 1-30, yummy dishes are centred around this great vegetable.
Mmmmmm. I love mushrooms!

http://www.sorrentinos.com

I must try all the recipes in the best cook book ever!

2010-09-09T09:25:00.000-07:00

I got this wonderful cookbook for Christmas because I had asked for it. I discovered it while reading Books to Watch For in the Elle Canada magazine. Since then, I have not been able to book that darn book down! The concept is artsy, the content is witsy and the recipes are fantastic! Anyhoot-I'm just writing about this cookbook because my goal is to try every single recipe in this book. Guinea pigs? Mostly my boyfriend and my family.

http://www.bitemecookbook.com/

I finally caught the mobile waffle van!

2010-09-07T10:07:00.000-07:00

It's been nearly a month since I wanted to try a waffle from this mobile waffle van. I had seen it several times driving around the city and parked at their original location on 107 Street in front of the WCB Building. Eva Sweets is the name of this mobile Belgian waffle company. They pump fresh Belgian waffles from this van regulary at their 107 street location (although I couldn't find them on some occasions...) The van is normally there from about 8:00 am to about 2:00 pm. They can also be found at the City Centre Market 8 am-3pm and at the Beverly Farmer's Market on Tuesdays 4pm-8pm and the Millwoods Farmer's Market on Thursdays 5-8pm (taken from their website).

I suggest you give it a try if you happen to be at those locations. They import pearl sugar straight from Belgian and when the waffle is fresh, the sugar is carmelized on the outside, giving it a richer flavour than most waffles. Yummiers! At $3 a waffle, that's very affordable.

Verdict: scrumptious!

http://www.evasweet.ca/index.html

My first royal icing flower cake (with a little too much buttercream icing)...

2010-09-06T22:17:00.000-07:00

I just finished taking a cake decorating class at Michael's. My co-worker had reminded me about this course. I had taken the basic first course 2 or 3 years ago and for some reason didn't go on and progress to the other classes. She mentioned that she taught these courses and had a side business of making cakes. Bingo! I want to take the second class! I'm very spur of the moment person; if it's something that I want to do I'll do it. And quite often, I'm serious about it.

That being said, the course was only 4 weeks long. I had to miss the second class because I was on vacation. That actually left me quite far behind in class. Not only did I miss the one class, but I failed to bring royal icing to the next class to practice making flowers. Completely embarassed (face probably red), my other classmates were very kind to lend me their icing and some (most) of the materials I needed. Talk about vacay mode! But I still stuck around because the instructor wanted me to see what was going to be made for this class.

So over the weekend, I dwelled at flower making for nearly 4 hours. I'm not kidding. From making the royal icing to laying the flowers to dry and washing my tools. I had "pastry bag" hand because I was gripping the bag so tight that the tendons on my right hand were sore. That being said, I was quite happy with the results of my flowers. These very flowers ended up on my final cake.

Baking is fun. I cannot say I am crazy about it just yet because it's quite time consuming, especially these darn royal icing flowers. But do they ever look good! They taste good, too (according to my boyfriend).

Ham and Leek tart anyone?

2010-09-03T08:03:00.000-07:00

My boyfriend's friend and girlfriend flew in from Kelowna for a wedding in the city. We had been asked to go out that night for bowling with them but the attendance stats looked pretty low. I had gone over to my boyfriend's place later that night and were very indecisive of where we wanted to eat (we weren't gonna cook or do any dishes). My boyfriend then called his friend and asked if he had eaten. Apparently, they have not eaten and were highly interested in grabbing a bite to eat. I suggested to meet downtown since it's the midpoint for all of us. And then I suggested Moriarty's Bistro and Wine bar.

This place is relatively new, opening earlier this year. It used to be called Ching's Dim Sum Bar, an upscale Asian dining experience that turned into a club at night. It's located on Rice Howard Way, right beside Sherlock Holmes Pub (Moriarty was the archenemy of Sherlocke in the fictional novel of Sherlocke Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle). Moriarty's is also owned by the same owners as Sherlocke Holmes and the Rose and Crown Pub. Glass windows and large glass door encase this small bistro. Inside is quite contemporary. Dim lighting with black decor: black chairs and tables, black rabbit table lamps and black cushioning on the wall. Perhaps it's a little too dark? But that's not the point...I'm only here to try the food!

I decided to order a mimosa, which is essentially orange juice and champagne mixed together. Eick. It wasn't good. The orange juice wasn't sweet and the champagne was strong; perhaps I was too hungry so I felt like I got drunk rather too quickly. I scan through the menu deciding what to order. I remember reading in another blog about the ham and leek tart. Ham and leek tart? Mmmm. That actually sounds yummy. I like ham and I just LOVE leeks. And a tart? That could be interesting. I ask the waitress when she comes to take our orders how the tarts are. She points out the "M" indicates their signature dishes. The "M" was beside the dish I wanted to order: the ham and leek tart. Tada! Exactly what I wanted. The waitress also describes the tart pastry as being very light, not heavy like pastry usually is.

My dish comes. Piled high with layers of leeks, I can see the house-smoked ham underneath. I cannot wait and dive into my first bite of the tart. Mmmmmmmmmm.

This is good stuff! I mean, really good stuff! I can taste the base of the tart, shaped like a large rectangular pizza, is spread with seedy dijon mustard. Then there's the ham, the leeks and the parmesan cheese. There's quite a bit of pepper for seasoning on the leeks which makes it, I think, even tastier. Gosh, this is really good I thought to be myself. I would come back only for this (I apologize for the dark photos as I only had my phone camera with me).

Surprisingly my boyfriend and I had room for dessert. The other party bailed on dessert as they were too full. Without thinking, my boyfriend and I chose the Root Beer Creme Brulee as this was one of their signature dishes. Whoa! Interesting flavours in my mouth. I could taste the subtle flavour of the root beer come through in my mouth in the brulee. It was accompanied by vanilla ice cream. This is a nice top off for dinner.

Root Beer Creme Brulee

So...in response to my post title: me please!

Famous, greasy donairs in Halifax.

2010-09-01T07:50:00.000-07:00

Halifax, Nova Scotia

I am sure most Canadians now know that Nova Scotia, specifically Halifax has the best donairs in the country. They have a large population of people who speak Lebanese who have immigrated here from Lebanon years ago. Donairs originate from Lebanon and is probably one of their most celebrated foods. Donairs consist of marinated and seasoned beef meat that's been processed to look like a huge log. They are then put on a large, rotating roaster lengthwise and kept on low heat to keep the meat at a warm and consistent temperature. They are wrapped in pita bread, topped with onions, tomatoes and of course the signature donair sauce. This sauce has a mayonnaise texture, but is a lot sweeter and has a special spice to it, which of course give the donairs it's signature taste.

My boyfriend and I were heading to Wolfville and I wanted to stop by Halifax because I've never been. We only had about an hour to kill so unfortunately, we didn't make it to down town Halifax. But not to worry. There were little donair joints in and around town. We set our GPS to the closest King of Donair. We followed and it led us to one in a shopping centre (hey, didn't Trailer Park Boys film part of an episode in King of Donair?)

I was only interested in getting a donair and nothing else. They separate the donairs by pound a price. 1/4 lb, 1/2 lb, etc. We shared the 1/2 lb for $6.99 with the works on it (onions, tomatoes). It ended up being a little over $8 because of the darn HST. We sat down by, in what I think, the world's largest portable fan. This thing was massive and awesome for a beautiful day like this in Halifax. And then our donair was ready. Holy man is that loads of greasy meat. And then some. Topped with tomatoes and onions and that special sauce. Wow, that really does have a lot of flavour to it. The meat was salty and spicy. Tomatoes and onions always taste good, but the combination of the sweetness from the sauce helps balance out the saltiness of the meat.

It was pretty good. Wayyyyy too greasy though. I don't know if I'll rave about it because I've had donairs that my mom has made and they are honestly tasty, minus the extra 1/2 lb meat on top. But at least I can say I've tried a super greasy and somewhat satifisfying-for-the-tastebuds donair the Haligonians rave about.

Verdict: pretty scrumptious

http://www.kingofdonair.ca/

Seafood, seafood, seafood...at Water-Prince Corner Shop.

2010-08-28T17:14:00.000-07:00

Charlottetown Waterfront, Prince Edward Island

During my time here in Charlottetown, we have driven by this corner shop a few times, peeking in the large windows as they were just gearing down for the night. Interesting place I thought, a corner shop? I wonder what they sell. I recall my boyfriend's mom mentioning that when Live with Regis and Kelly was filmed here, Kelly ate at a seafood joint and just raved about it (of course she'll rave about it-she's on live television).

Tonight was one of the last nights my boyfriend and I would spend in Charlottetown, because we were going to drive over to Nova Scotia for a wedding, and the following morning we'd be leavin' on a jet plane back to good ol' Edmonton. We ventured to two places before settling on a restaurant for dinner. Claddagh Oyster House was the first one we came across. Located in a historic building, this is one of the pricier restaurants. All I wanted for supper was some fish 'n' chips and some famous Malpeque oysters. This restaurant was too pricey, so we walked across the street. The Gahan House and Oyster Bar, located in a historic building, is known for their brown bag fish and chips, as well as their in-house brewed ale. I really wanted to eat here, but the waitress told us it will be a 45 minute wait. No way are we going to wait for 45 minutes.

We then walked back to the direction of our car, heading towards the wharf. My boyfriend then mentioned we should check out the place Kelly dined at while she was here to film Regis and Kelly. Given that the next day was Saucer and Cup day, a provincial holiday on the Island, there would probably be a line up at this restaurant as well. We arrived at the corner and saw several people waiting outside. Turns out they were just waiting on the corner. Thank goodness! Perhaps we can finally have a bite to eat? Sure enough, the waitress seated us outside on the side of the street, our table equipped with plastic patio furniture and an umbrella!

Mmmm seafood platter.

I knew exactly what I wanted. I had already tried all the fresh seafood I've been wanting to here, all but fresh Malpeque oysters. So my boyfriend and I shared that, as well as the seafood platter. It consisted of: 1/2 a lobster, P.E.I blue mussels, fried scallops, and fresh cut french fries. Oooh boy this should be good. Surprisingly, the Malpeque oysters did not have that much flavour other than sweet; perhaps they were too small. I drizzled it with a bit of cocktail sauce and squeezed fresh lemon juice. Delish. Next up came our platter. I had the lobster because my boyfriend detests lobster. Dipped it in vinegar. Oooh boy. Yum. The fried scallops were pretty good. Crispy, light batter, dipped in cocktail sauce. The mussels were sweet and fresh as usual. The fries sure tasted like they were freshly cut and fried.

Seafood isn't exactly filling, so that left room in our stomachs for dessert. "Strawberry shortcake!" I say. The strawberry shortcake here is a lot different than the kind out here. It's so much better than the ones out here. They are homemade and they actually use fresh strawberries. The "cake" part is actually bannock (native Indians make this, it's like a scone), cut in half and filled with strawberries and topped with more strawberries and topped with whipped cream. Typically, strawberry syrup is drizzled over it, but this version there wasn't leaving the bannock a bit too dry to swallow. Other than that, we inhaled it in 3 minutes.

Overall, this restaurant was pretty good. Cute location. There isn't really a secret to seafood, as long as it fresh. Although, they charge a decent price for bulk lobster and mussels; I brought some home for my family. $1.69/lb of mussels and $8.99/lb cooked lobster.$12 for packing to bring it on the plane.
Verdict: scrumptious!
http://www.waterprincelobster.ca/

Teriyaki Corner on Ellerslie & 91st

2010-08-28T14:54:00.000-07:00

Mom and I were cruisin' down Ellerslie and 91st one day and decided to check out the Summerside corner of Ellerslie. Good Earth Coffeehouse had opened, so we decided to see what else was open. Sure enough, more restaurants were down the stip mall, there was a Vietnamese Pho Noodle Place, but it wasn't opened yet. There was also a place serving East Indian Cuisine, but also wasn't opened yet. The last one on the block: Teriyaki Corner. Teriyaki Corner? I think I've been in one before, but did not get a chance to eat because they were closing for the night. It was located in the west end, near Lewis Estates.

My mom and I were getting hungry as we were doing our "wondering shopping" after work. We decide to go inside. Hmmm. Interesting. There are two seats (one when you first enter, the other in the dining room) that are held up by thick ropes to mimic swings.
The cashier greets us (who is also the co-owner). I look at the menu. "Whhooooa" i thought to myself, there's a lot on the menu! The cashier/owner was very nice; he gave us a pamphlet menu to look at and asked us what we would like to try. There's a variety of rice bowls, maki, sashimi, udon and even bubble tea on the menu. You can also choose if you want a mini size of it, or the full size, which I think is quite cute. After looking at the menu with wandering eyes for 5 minutes, my mom and I settle on the "mini" pork cutlet bowl, and the dragon eyes roll. The dragon eyes roll is a play on Mikado's famous Dragon roll. It contains a spicy cooked tuna roll, wrapped around one more layer of rice and seaweed. The outside is then coated in a thin tempura batter. But that isn't the star of the show. The star is definitely the creamy spicy sauce. Man, have they got it bang on! For those of you who've tried this Dragon roll and it's sauce at Mikado...they've got it. The secret is out!

As for the mini pork cutlet rice bowl, it wasn't too bad. I didn't expect the cutlet to be fried; there were marinated cold bean sprouts and edamame beans, topped with their Teriyaki sauce. It was pretty good, but nothing I haven't tasted.

This cute little fast-food sushi joint is definitely worthwhile to try. Tokyo Express has been around for a while and to be quite frank, ain't that great. Teriyaki Corner's choice for quality of food is better than TE. Loyal fans of TE, move over and make room for Teriyaki Corner. Hiiiiiiiii yyyyyahhhh.
Verdict: scrumptious!
http://teriyakicorner.com/

Where great food meets art, jewellery, scenery and beautiful flowers

2010-08-25T09:51:00.000-07:00

Brackley Beach, Prince Edward Island

This was one of the first days where my boyfriend and I explored the Island on our own. His parents had shown me around because they had taken some time off as well. First on our itinerary that day was The Dunes. The Dunes is a popular attraction located in Brackley, PEI. The Dunes is an art gallery filled with art from Island artists. It also has eclectic jewlery, furniture, a beautiful garden out back, and not to mention a superb cafe serving up delicious fare. Not too far down the road is Brackley Beach, a popular tourist beach.

We had planned on having lunch here and skipped out on breakfast, so by the time we arrived, we were starving. The lunch line was about a 30-minute wait, but it wasn't so bad because there was alot of interesting stuff to see!We were given a buzzer until our table was ready, but the buzzer didn't go off. We checked the status of our table and sure enough, we were next in line! Perfect timing.

We got seated upstairs beside the window that looked out to the garden. I was excited! Great view and the food on the menu sounded yummy. When I'm out this far in Atlantic Canada, how could I not have seafood chowder? I mean, that's one of my favourite soups.

Atlantic seafood chowder-tomato based.

So for starters, seafood chowder it was. My boyfriend ordered roasted red pepper and coconut, the soup of the day. Maaaaaaan was my chowder one of the best I've tried! It was tomato based, which I prefer because it's less filling and less fattening than the roux-based chowder soup (flour and butter and cream). Mussels, small chunks of halibut and salmon, topped with a red-pepper rouille, this soup was a meal on it's own. I stole a bite of my boyfriend's soup- it wasn't as tasty as mine, duh!

My boyfriend ordered the pasta of the day: pancetta and spinach pasta, while I had ordered the turkey burger with fresh greens, and lemon preserve artichoke salad for the main course. I wasn't even sure if I could fit that in as I was full from the chowder. But knowing me, I'll chow it down! The burger wasn't too bad; the meat was a little dry probably because it was lean and it was seasoned with curry (which I didn't realize when I ordered). It was tasty, but I much liked the chowder before. The small portion of the lemon preserve artichoke salad was something else. The subtle taste of the lemon preserve, combined with the tartness of the lemon paired with almonds, was a new taste for me. And I absolutely adored it. I kept in mind that I'll have to make it when I get home. My boyfriend's pasta dish was also very tasty; quite creamy but the smoky flavour of the pancetta went well with the spinach. I snagged bites here and there. ;-)

No room for dessert here. But there was definitely room for a nice little walk around the garden. Next time I come to Prince Edward Island, I am going to make another stop here for sure.
Verdict: so-darn-scrumptious!
http://www.dunesgallery.com/

Lobster dinner in a church basement. Yes, I did say church. And basement.

2010-08-19T18:58:00.000-07:00

New Glasgow, Prince Edward Island

This is probably going to be one of the most memorable suppers I've ever had while on vacation, especially in the Maritimes. My first ever visit to the Maritimes and my first ever dinner in a church basement. It's totally not what you think it is. The food, service and setting make this traditional lobster dinner a must since it's humble beginnings in 1964.

After a long day spent at the Anne of Green Gables historic museum, we topped off the day with a traditional lobster dinner. It was me, my boyfriend and his parents. Although this isn't my very first lobster experience, it's my first eating-in-a-church setting. The church is sort of in the middle of nowhere; nestled between scenic rolling hills, it's no wonder P.E.I is known for it's beauty.

You can't leave P.E.I without having this memorable meal.

All entree's are served as a five course meal. And there was quite a bit to choose from, like surf 'n' turf, island beef, shrimp, and of course, lobster. I knew what I wanted; the 1 lb lobster. Why wouldn't I? That's what I was here for! Here's the breakdown of my 5 course dinner:

Seafood chowder
Caesar salad
Fresh PEI blue mussels
1lb lobster; cracked with side potatoe and roasted veggies
lemon meringue pie.

All that for $31.99. What a bargain. I think it came with a beverage too, but I didn't take notice until after we were finished.

The seafood was fresh and just perfect the way it was served, without seasoning. Although I've now learned that vinegar makes a great accompaniment to lobster (give it a try sometime). It enhances the aste in a way and compliments it in a savoury way.

I am totally in love with P.E.I. Not only are the surroundings beautiful, but the food is truly phenomenal because they have abundant farmland, surrounded my ocean waters filled with tasty seafood treasures.

Verdict: sooooooo scrumpidly-uptious!

http://www.lobstersuppers.com/

Chicken feet at dim sum + boyfriend = one time experience only.

2010-08-10T09:42:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are familiar with the widely popular ritual of dim sum, there can be many scrumptious dishes, scrumptious dishes you don't know what exactly-they-are, and not-so-scrumptious dishes that do not look appealing at all.

I'll take my boyfriend's experience this past weekend for example. I've already taken him a few times for dim sum and he for the most part, enjoys the food served. Fresh pineapple buns, siu mai, dumplings, daikon cakes and beef tripe. All except one dish I coerced him to try (with the help of my cousin, which says that it'll make his skin nicer...haha) :chicken feet! I told him the way it should be eaten, the skin and tendons. It sounded rather disturbing to him, but somehow he agreed to try it. "Yer supposed to suck on the bones and spit 'em out on yer plate. Nice, heh?" Well, it's true. That's how we Chinese folk eat 'em. But I certainly do not eat it on a regular basis as it's quite fattening.

After that, it was written on his face that he wouldn't do it again. But, hah! I got him to do it the first and last time.

So, that's it for this entry. Wasn't about me trying a new thing, but rather my boyfriend trying a new thing. But seeing his facial expression was totally a new experience for me!
:-)
Verdict: not-so-scrumptious for him

Cha Island Tea Co.-a tropical oasis near Whyte Ave.

2010-08-07T16:49:00.000-07:00

Like many other Sonic Glee Club Members, I regularly chose my Sonic word every wednesday to accumulate sonicpoints. With those points you can redeem many great items such a CD's before the actual release date, signed posters and movie passes. This time, I chose to get a Cha Island Tea Co. certificate for 5 free iced teas. Mmmm.

Ma and I decided to go after work as i haven't redeemed any of my teas yet, and it expires the end of this month. It's nestled between the Rehab club and the comic store, on 81 Avenue and 103rd Street. What a cute little place! With palm trees virtually everywhere you look, it's definitely a tropical oasis they describe it to be on their website.

I ordered the iced chai tea and my mom got the iced green tea with honey. Mine was pretty good; didn't really expect the hints of chocolate until he asked me what I thought. We also ordered the Sandy Beach Waffle. It consisted of a large Belgian waffle with blueberries, green tea and coconut ice cream with whipped cream doloped in the centre. Mmmmmm. Mmmmm. Mmmmm. Tasty! Ma and I enjoyed it much.

Conversing with the owner, he gave us a drink that consisted of cinnamon, Alberta honey and water. Ta da! Those three simple ingredients mixed together tasted do earn good chilled, it wasn't funny. I had to buy a bottle for my boyfriend and family to try (i attempted to make this myself that night, but put just a tad bit too much of cinnamon).

For all of you who have an appreciation for tea, both chilled and hot (they have loose tea leaves for sale on their green shelves), come here and give it a try.
Verdict: scrumptious
http://www.cha-teaspot.com/

456

2010-08-06T09:43:00.000-07:00

Coming from me, Chinese restaurants tend to be in some of the strangest locations, not to mention obvious and yes, sometimes silly names.

My parents, aunt and I ventured to a small Chinese restaurant called 4 5 6. No jokes. I was driving to the restaurant and my dad had told me that it was behind the Municipal airport downtown. I thought, "ok", this should be interesting. Sure enough, this cafeteria-style restaurant was located in the Centennial Flight Centre (I hope i got the name right), near the Aviation museum.

I let my parents and aunt order the food because I usually don't know what's going on, nor do I know how to read the menu in Chinese (shame on me). But I trust them. The first item that arrives on our table is free-range Chinese chicken marinated in Chinese wine (fa zhui). The chicken is served cold and is best served this way because you can really taste the wine flavour, as well as the sweetness of the chicken. Next item up was a cabbage dish with thick-cut pork bacon, sauteed with a spicy bean sauce and a combination of another sauce I can't remember the name of. Soooooo tasty!

More items arrived simultaneously afterwards, specifically Shanghai steamed pork dumplings. These are one of the things that makes Shanghai famous (besides, yes, you guessed it-Shanghai noodles). They look like mini pork buns, but they are dumplings made to look like buns, with broth and pork with minced green onions inside. "Powwwww" a burst of broth hits my mouth, but the flavour is a bit too subtle. I prefer the chicken and cabbage/pork dish to this. Next up, dessert! Yep, Chinese people have dessert. But not the way that I tried this time. My mom saw the waitress bring it to other tables and was goshdarn curious as to what it was. The waitress was so nice as to give it to us for free. Wow. Free! Who doesn't like free? The dessert itself looked like a pretty little lotus flower. Puff pastry on the outside, and black sesame paste on the inside. The dessert was steaming hot because it was fresh from the fryer. Unfortunately, I'm not too big on fried desserts, but I had to give it a try. BINGO. Another hit with this restaurant.

To all you people out there who don't mind eating in a cafeteria with an aviation theme, and love Chinese food, and want to take the next step up: try this place. Verdict: scrumptious.

Directions: it is located right behind the Ramada on Kingsway. Take a right on 118 Avenue on to Airport Road NW (you'll see a set of lights). Follow this road as it curves, and on your left hand side, you'll see a building that says 4 5 6 restaurant.

Duchess Bake Shop lives up to it's grandiose name

2010-08-05T14:25:00.000-07:00

The name "Duchess Bakeshop" has managed to keep it's name quite familiar amongst local folks in Edmonton these days. Like everything else in the food world, I want to try!

I ventured there by myself on a Saturday afternoon. It's nestled on 124th Street, which at one point was not a vibrant part of the city but now popping up with eclectic stores. When I arrived at my destination, there was a small line-up already forming inside. The bakery itself is simply decorated inside: white roman columns with their "Duchess" namesake behind the counter, small coffee tables on the side, and glass windows that uncover their delicious baked treasures.

They are known for their delectable macarons. It is not to be confused for "macaroons" whose main ingredient is coconut. They are bright in colour and the flavours vary on a daily basis. On the day I went, I chose 6 flavours: pistachio, passion fruit, lavender, coconut, creme brulee, and rose. Man, where they tasty! I could eat about 20 of them (they are very petite).I also purchased their meringues (egg white cookie), almond and coconut flavour. Those were tasty and baked to perfection. I also snatched up a chocolate brioche, which is small bread pastry filled with a chocolate ganache filling. Also delectable!

I totally recommend this place to anyone who has an appreciation for French gourmet baked goodies. Most is reasonable priced, but I sure don't mind to fork out money out when I know these owners have poured their heart, soul and time (bakers get up wayyyy too early!) into their baked treasures.

Verdict: scrump-didly-uptious.

http://duchessbakeshop.com/wp/

My first visit to Prairie Mills Bread Co.

2010-08-05T13:09:00.000-07:00

I was browsing the Edmonton Journal's bistro section where a blog was featured, along with links to finding local food in Edmonton. I found myself on the website "Live Local", which is a site that features local (Edmonton) businesses, restaurants and "Eat Local First" which is a site that allows you to buy featured local foods online. It was here that I discovered Prairie Mills Bread Co.

My mom and I love bread. I told her about this place when we were driving home from work and decided to give it a try since it's a reasonable distance to home.
By the time we arrived, most of the bread and goods were almost all sold-out, but we there was still quite a variety of loaves. The girl at the counter offered us a sample; after that sample, my mom was immediately taken. And so was I, of course. The weight of each loaf of bread is quite heavy and firm. By that, you know the bread is full of wheat, honey and goodness and not just whipped with air. We bought the sunflower flax loaf and I decided to try the cinnamon bun. The bread was scrumptious but the cinnamon bun, not so much.

I recommend this place if you love bread. The price of each loaf is a bit pricey (~$5.75), but it is full of freshly milled organic wheat, goodness and quality. (P.S. try the sourdough). Verdict: scrumptious.
http://www.prairiemillbread.com

Foon Ying!

2010-08-05T10:32:00.000-07:00

Welcome/foon ying/bievenidos to my new food blog! Here, I shall post not only my scrumptious foodie adventures, but also my not-so-scrumptious foodie adventures in the city and also in other Canadian cities i've visited. Good food products and recipes (because I just adore cooking and baking!) that I think are worth sharing will also make an appearance on my blog. And please-I most welcome your comments, both good and bad alike! Cheers.