biera, bundok and kanto 98 on enroute’s best new long list
EnRoute Magazine’s Canada’s Best New Restaurants just released the long list of the 100 best new restos across the country. Edmonton continues to be well represented with Biera, Bundok and Kanto 98 making the cut this year. We can’t wait for the final Top10 later this fall. Check it out: https://canadasbestnewrestaurants.com/en/
holiday by the seashore with sabor
Every summer, Sabor Restaurant (10220 103 Street, 780-757-1114, http://www.sabor.ca) creates a mini-holiday at the ocean with their annual Seafood Festival. Chef/owner Lino Oliveira created the Hawaiian-inspired menu in collaboration with chefs Lyndon Honda of the Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa and Tom Muromoto of the Ka’anapali Beach Hotel, who were in town for the launch of the festival. This year’s festival menu is all about the delightful and delicious Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Puerto Rican flavours that influence Hawaiian food culture. Hits from the dinner: spam and clams and the halibut prawn and coconut curry with taro leaf. The mushroom and green bean poke dish was inspired by a foraging trip the Hawaiian chefs took while here. Until August 31, check out the menu: http://www.sabor.ca
Photo courtesy Dong Kim
Photo courtesy Dong Kim
buy the bread, help the hope mission
Old school Italian used to mean this: a red checked tablecloth, a candle crammed into a Chianti fiaschi and the requisite basket of dry white bread with every plate of spaghetti. Vaticano Cucina (10310 45 Avenue, 780-250-1110, https://vaticanoyeg.com) wanted to change all that. Knowing that most of the bread didn’t get eaten, but pitched into the garbage untouched, they decided to offer grilled focaccia with an olive oil dip. The best part? The proceeds from the $5 basket go to the Hope Mission.
Video courtesy Disney
the shrinking doggy bag
Are you a restaurateur or thinking of becoming one? This panel is for you. Many say dining out costs too much. It might surprise those folks to learn that restaurants are a low-margin business and those margins are shrinking daily. The Shrinking Doggy Bag: Can Owners Make a Profit in Alberta? panel will discuss what it takes to stay open these days. Panelists include Patrick Saurette (The Marc), Andrea Olsen (Red Ox Inn) and Daniel Costa (Corso 32). Monday, August 22, 2pm at The Marc, 9940 106 Street. RSVP: elsia.zenari@gmail.com.
for the love of tomatoes
Solstice Seasonal Cuisine (10723 124 Street, 780-488-4567, http://www.solsticefood.com) celebrates the season of the tomato with the Tomatina Dinner, Wednesday, August 29. Four courses, two seatings, 6pm and 8pm, tix: $55/p, email info@solsticefood.com. Don’t wear white.
eats on 118
The Eats on 118 Tour is back this year at 6pm, on Wednesday, August 29, featuring Caribbean’s Finest, Simba’s Den, Mama Asha and Passion de France. Tix: $47/p, http://www.wearewildheart.com
fun while it lasted
Chef Ben Staley’s experiential Alder Room has closed. Chosen as one of enRoute Magazine’s 10 Best New Restaurants in Canada last year, the avant-garde dining experience failed to gain traction. It’s too bad, Staley is a talented chef. Successful restaurants become so due to a variety of factors, some of them unfortunately elusive. It’s not always just about the food. Good luck Ben.
Mary Bailey photo
wine to go with tomatoes
Tomatoes are coming into their own right about now. And, with the cooler nights we are experiencing, it feels right to be making slightly heartier dishes. A pasta with fresh tomato sauce, like the one we featured last week, is a delish go-to this time of year. The wine? Think sprightly reds with good acidity and light to medium body— such as Chianti, Cerasuolo de Vittoria from Sicily, Eric Texier’s Chat Fou Côtes du Rhône, or this gem from Rioja, the Baron de Ley Club Privado Tinto. This thirst-quenching, lighter-bodied red is a find. Love the sweet cherry, strawberry and liquorice aromas, along with the cedar, warm spice and ripe tannins. Under $20.
