May/June 2012 – Dish

Three BoarsThree Boars rocks!

We have fallen hard for the man cave/cabin in the woods vibe and the house party-friendly bar of the brand new Three Boars (8424 109 Street, 780-757-2600). Seeing the holy trinity of Victoria gin, Campari and red vermouth (Negroni mixins’) standing next to each other on the back bar was a harbinger of goodthings to come. Thank you front of house guy Check Elves. The food so far? Delish! The kitchen works with off cuts and small plates: Marsala lamb neck with roast potato, kale, nocellara olive and lemon; oxtail poutine. Exec chef Brayden Kozak has assembled a group of crazy-for-flavour cooks: Kevin Ostapek, Jimmy Frost and Phillipe Lament, who had spent three years with Martin Picard. “I needed a team who were capable and willing to put in their two cents, I begged these guys to come work here. What can I say? They’re food nerds,” says Brendan.

Get into the spear–it at Edgar Farms

Love asparagus? Join the Edgar family for Get into the SPEAR IT of Spring! Asparagus Festival. Enjoy tastings with chefs Andrew Winfield and Darren Nixon, along with a reading and book signing by dee Hobsbawn-Smith, author of Foodshed: An Edible Alberta Alphabet. The kids will enjoy the petting zoo, hayrides, playing in the bale fort and a chance to meet Mr. Aspara-gus. June 2/3, 10am – 5pm, rain or shine, $5/person or $20/family, under three free. Directions: Exit 365 West off QE#2. Follow signs to Cottonwood Road, then 10 Km west.

EastButter my prawn

Must try: butter prawn with shredded egg floss at the new East Old Town Chinese (16049 97 Street, 780-457-8833) in north Edmonton. Expect flavourful Malay-style Chinese food, such as KL (Kuala Lumpur) Hokkien noodle, three flavour ribs and black rice pudding. Open daily for lunch and dinner. East is a new project by Richard Lim with chef Nathin Bye from Wildflower — it’s clever, inventive tasty food. We’re also thrilled that Nathin will be a Gold Medal Plates (GMP) competitor this fall. He was Edmonton’s champion in 2009 — the youngest ever competitor at the Canadian Culinary Championships that year — and placed just a hair off the podium. Bravo!

The world in 80 bites

Plan to taste The World in 80 Bites during a walking tour May 16, featuring the cuisine of Asia and Africa. “The evening provides a gateway into cuisines that people are curious about but haven’t tried,” says Amy Wilson, exec director of the North Edge Business Association. The tour includes Vietnamese at Pho Huong and Mama’s Pizza, Somali food at African Safari, then, toothsome Filipino delicacies at Fat Jakks. “Our association wants to promote the many great restaurants in the North Edge, which is a Business Revitalization Zone in the Central McDougall and Queen Mary Park communities,” says Amy. The World in 80 Bites Walking Tour, $30 (doesn’t include drinks and gratuity), rain or shine. Tickets: northedgebiz.com. For a chance to wine free tickets, visit thetomato.ca

The new British invasion: crisps

Look out Ms Vicky and Mr Lay, there’s a new chip in town. Some very proper British chips (or shall we say crisps, as they do across the pond) have made it to our shores. Salty Dog and Darling Spuds are hand-cooked by dog lovers Judy and Dave Willis. Both crisps (Salty Dog comes in a host of flavours) are crispy and potatoey with a pleasing balance of salt and oil. Which do Labrador puppies prefer? Watch the video. Available at Sandy View Farms, The Wired Cup, Wild Earth Foods and probably a host of other locations post invasion.

Destination: food

Downtown’s 104 Street is becoming one of the city’s more interesting gastronomic destinations. The City Market (Saturdays,10am-3pm) moves back into the fresh air on May 19. City Hall was good, but outdoors is better. The new Pangea Market (main floor Icon Tower) is now open, and will be fully stocked by June with organic vegetables supplied by Halwa Farms, supplements, packaged goods, organic dairy and a deli. We’re all intrigued by Evoolution (beside Lit wine bar), an olive oil and specialty vinegar tasting bar. As usual, with the interior not even at drywall stage at press time, most of our info is coming from the construction crew. Check tomato.ca for further developments.

Play misty for me

“I love my mister,” says Stasia Nawrocki, Dansk. “I fill it with oil to mist my slices of baguette for bruschetta or fill it with home-made salad dressing for a nice even coating of the salad leaves.” You can also use it for greasing pans or spraying roasts. Prepara Oil mister, various colours, $25 at Dansk.