restaurant buzz
We love the patio at the Glass Monkey (5842 111 Street, 780-760-2228, theglassmonkey.ca). So does Open Table! The Glass Monkey is one of their 150 Best Neighbourhood Gems in Canada for 2017.
Check out the summer menu at XIX Nineteen (5940 Mullen Way, 780-395-1119, dinenineteen.com), miso sashimi chopped salad, black garlic scallops, and the Top 100 ahi tuna twists, yum!
Bündok (10228 104 Street, 780-420-0192, bundokyeg.com) brunch is in full swing, Saturdays from 10am-2pm with delicious things like the asparagus tart with soft poached egg (until all the Edgar asparagus is gone). Check it out.
The Highlands Golf Club (6603 Ada Boulevard, 780-474-4211, highlandsgolfclub.com) has a new exec chef, Vikram Redgaonkar (formerly at the Westin Hotel). Members are raving about the BLT with smoked pork belly, the Brant Lake Wagyu burger, and the Alberta bison short ribs as well as the Four Whistle Farm lamb burger. Non-members are welcome to enjoy the view of Edmonton’s river valley from the clubhouse and patio.
Wishbone (10542 Jasper Avenue, 780-757-6758, eatwishbone.ca) is now open. We love the casual mid-century modern vibe and the clever mix and matchability on the menu. And the sherry list. Yes, a sherry list. If you haven’t yet fallen for sherry’s charm and accessibility, or its ability to work with just about any food, this is a good place to start. Fun wine, beer and spirits list too, short and sweet with all the essentials.
Folks in Ellerslie don’t have to wait too much longer—Pampa Ellerslie opens mid-summer. In the meantime, enjoy weeknight features, such as seafood Monday and exotic meat Thursdays, on their lovely heated patio downtown.
Attn wine lovers! Here’s a chance to taste some terrific wines at a discount. Pampa is revamping the wine list and clearing out the cellar. The entire list is 35 per cent off (while quantities last.) Resos: pampasteakhouse.com
Congratulations to chef Shelley Robinson on her Les Dames d’Escoffier International Legacy Award. Shelley will spend a week at the Shy Brothers Farm in New England to discover first hand what it takes to produce an award-winning cheese.
Who has one of the best brunches in the country? XIX Nineteen St Albert (#104 150 Bellerose Drive, St. Albert, 780-569-1819, dinenineteen.com) according to Open Table. Taste why, the avocado toast with smoked salmon, crispy chicken and waffles and the chèvre scramble are just a few of our faves.
product news
The quintessential summer drink may well be Starr Distilling’s Summer Love Raspberry Vodka. Made from fresh BC raspberries—imagine the pure lusciousness of raspberries warmed by the sun and you’ve got it about right. Or, “tastes like trouble,” said one taster. Find it at Aligra, Bin 104, Sherbrooke, Vines and other fine shops.
Confetti Sweets is closing their Terwillegar location (formerly Prairie Mill Bakery) but don’t despair, their new Windermere store will be opening this winter. In the meantime find those delish cookies at 14 farmers’ markets, at their Wolf Willow and Sherwood Park stores, as well as most Save-On-Foods, confettisweets.ca.
Celebrate The Heart of the Home’s (12539 102 Avenue, 780-705-4928, heartofthehomeyeg.ca) first birthday with a tiki party, Saturday, July 8. Tropical cocktails, swag bags, deals.
Cooking Classes
There is no one better around the grill than chef Brad Smoliak of Kitchen by Brad (10130 105 Street, 780-757-7704 kitchenbybrad.ca). Take a Grilling and Chilling Class, with beverages by Eau Claire Distillery and Alley Kat; Wednesday, July 12, and July 19, 6:30pm; Saturday, July 22, 12:30pm, $145/p+. Book at kitchenbybrad.ca
ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen Cooking Classes Summer Kids Camps teach food safety, proper knife handling and some good basic cooking skills to 9- 12-year-olds. Classes are held at 10035 105 Street, 9am-12pm, $50/p. Beautiful Baking, Monday, July 31; Soups and Biscuits, Tuesday, August 1; Samosas, Wednesday, August 2, Wednesday, August 23; Vegetarian Meals, Thursday, August 3; Tasty Tacos, Friday, August 4, Friday, August 25; All About Breakfast, Monday, August 21; A Mediterranean Meal, Tuesday, August 22; Perfect Pies, Thursday, August 24. Call 780-420-7282 to book.
Learn how to create the ultimate backyard burger experience during the Backyard Burgers Summer Grilling class at the ATCO Gas North Edmonton Operations Centre, 13450 149 Street, Friday, July 7, 5pm-7pm, $50/p+, includes a complementary beer. Call 780-420-7282 to book.
Melanie and Scott Kendus have started a company called Your Kitchen Catering (780-288-3474, yourkitchencatering.com). “We are not professional chefs,” says Melanie, “but we love to cook.” Their ideal is dinner parties for 12 and they can do events for up to 20 or so people depending on the menu. Or, a group of friends in your home for a cooking class.
Kaelin Whittaker, owner of the Ruby Apron Cooking School is crazy for good bread. She started Real Bread Edmonton, modelled after the UK’s Campaign for Real Bread, created by an Irish baker. Learn more at the Slow Food Edmonton + Real Bread Edmonton Collaboration, Saturday, August 26, 11:30am, $65. TIX, therubyapron.ca
wine tastings, dinners, happenings and events
Chef Shane Chartrand has organized a stellar line up of chefs for Eagle and Condor, a celebration of Indigenous Foods happening during REDx Talks, July 6. Chefs Jason Barton-Browne (Airdries’s Hayloft), Serge Belair (Shaw Conference Centre), Steve Brochu (Chartier) Geoffrey Caswell-Murphy (Westin Edmonton), Eric Hanson (Prairie Noodle), Darren MacLean (Calgary’s Shokunin), Matt Phillips and Andrew Cowan (Northern Chicken), Lindsay Porter (Woodwork) and Ben Staley (Alder Room) will cook over 11 fire pits. With this lineup you can bet the food will be delicious, myshowpass.com/xredx-talks.
Eli Lefort and Daniel Huber (aka the BurlyChef) of Second Line Food Services are holding a Pig Roast and Patio Party, Wednesday, July 5, Hazeldean Community League. The action starts at 5:30pm. Come hungry! TIX: $65, on Eventbrite.
The High School Culinary Challenge is holding several fundraising dinners; July 10 at Nineteen; August 24 at the Workshop Eatery; at Hardware Grill (date TBA) and September 11 at the Shaw Conference Centre. Tix and info: highschoolculinarychallenge.ca.
Aligra and the Glass Monkey (5842 111 Street, 780-760-2228, theglassmonkey.ca) present the Vasse Felix Winemaker’s Dinner, four courses, four wines, $90/p++, Wednesday, July 19, with Australian Winemaker of the Year 2012, Virginia Wilcox. TIX: janine@glassmonkey.ca.
The Taste of Edmonton July 20-29, just keeps getting bigger and better. New is the Taste Piazza, an expanded licensed area to enjoy entertainment, and the Taste of New. For the best views, have dinner 20 feet in the air above Churchill Square, in the Dinner in the Sky, two seatings, $100/p. Don’t miss the Canadian Food Championships. Details and schedules at tasteofedm.ca.
The Culinary Lab series with chef David Leeder continues on Saturday, August 26 with a bravura event. Top chefs from across the country (Christie Peters, Saskatoon; Ned Bell, Vancouver; Ryan O’Flynn, Calgary and Mandel Hitzer, Winnipeg) will each create a five-course meal with three wine pairings for 30 people (a simultaneous dinner party for 150). Two seatings, music ’till midnight, rain or shine, on Manulife’s roof top terrace. Wow, this is going to be fun. TIX, $150/p, davidleeder.com.
Love vegetables? Consider the Eat Yer Veggies – Drink Yer Wine dinner at Canteen (10522 124 Street, 780-485-6125, canteenyeg.ca), Tuesday, July 25. Sean O’Connor (chef, Red Ox Inn), Ryan O’Connor (chef, Canteen) and Frank Olson (owner of both) will cook two courses each in a dinner celebrating peak season summer vegetables, inspired by chef Jeremy Fox’s book On Vegetables. Wine with each course, $125/p all in, with only 50 tix available, so don’t delay.
Lacombe County is home to farmers, ranchers, food producers, breweries, distillers and some fine food and drink purveyors. Come see what all the excitement is about during Locavore Lacombe, 2pm-5pm, Saturday, July 30 at the Lacombe Research and Development Centre. The food research facility will have an open house and offer crop tours at the same time. TIX, $25 in advance, lacombedays.ca.
Meet the Zimmer Holsteins, visit Dandelion Farm, see historical churches, have afternoon snacks and end the night at a local long table dinner during the Flagstaff County Country Roots Tour, Friday, August 11. It’s a full-day celebration of farms, food and history. Registration starts at 11:30am. TIX: $50/p, flagstaff.ab.ca.
Check out the cool farm-to-fork happenings all over the province during Alberta Open Farm Days, August 19-20. This year the Open Farm Days website has a handy plan your route feature, albertafarmdays.com.
Don’t miss Viva Italia, Viva Edmonton, the annual celebration of everything Italian, on Sunday, August 27, in Little Italy (95 Street between 107 and 109 Avenues) essentially, in front of Zocalo and the Italian Centre Shop.
The 5th annual Babas & Borshch Ukrainian Festival is August 26 and 27 in Andrew. Three don’t miss events for food and drink lovers: Learn all about moonshine with Rob Degroot, Red Cup Distillery; enter the Ukrainian Food Fight Nalysnyky making contest with chef Brad Smoliak: bring your borshch to the famous Borshch Cook Off! Register for both at babasandborshch.ca.
Congratulations to Aligra Wine & Spirits (Entrance 58, West Edmonton Mall, 780 483-1083, aligrawineandspirits.com) who is 10 years old this summer, a momentous occasion in any business. As part of the birthday celebrations they are offering Canadian products (with a few exceptions) at 15 percent off. Check their web site for other sales, tastings, dinners and pop-up events this summer.
Kitchen by Brad has a new website where you can book dinners and classes online, kitchenbybrad.ca. There may be few seats left for Elk Island Dinners July 8 and 29, or August 12 and 26 and for the Ukrainian Village Dinner, July 15.
Outstanding lineup for Edmonton’s Gold Medal Plates, Thursday October 12: Levi Biddlecombe (Packrat Louie); Steven Brochu (Chartier); Steve Buzak (Royal Glenora Club); Shane Chartrand (Sage); Ryan Hotchkiss (Bündok); Andrew Ihasz (Renaissance Edmonton Airport Hotel); Tony Le (Century Hospitality Group); Lindsay Porter (Woodwork);Medi Tabtoud (Vivo); Jan Trittenbach (Solstice Seasonal Cuisine). And, Gold Medal Plates Edmonton welcomes a new judge, resto critic Twyla Campbell, goldmedalplates.com.