-Kristina Pappas
ps: Don’t miss my article in the September/October issue.
il portico rides again
Who says nostalgia isn’t a good thing. Doris and Patrick Saurette of the Marc are remembering the beloved il Portico Restaurant, with a pop-up dinner on Sunday, September 9, starting with Prosecco at 4:30pm. “Everyone has such good memories of the restaurant, people drive by it, say they miss it. It will be a fun retrospective,” says Patrick.
“We reached out to the alumni. Il Portico was the starting place for so many cooks and chefs—Christine Sandford (Biera) Rob Ingram (Rge Rd) Bob Mate, Jason Munn, Gavin Strombecky, and, our auntie Chin Tang is coming. Front of house folks Tauna Eden, Mark Connelly, Heather McPherson, Claude Nadeau and René Matref will be here too.” The dinner features greatest hits from the Il Portico menu such as the grilled radicchio, the linguini Sambuca and tenderloin with Gorgonzola potato. Tix: $175/p, call Patrick at 780-996-2828 to reserve.
wine 101
Prepare for the upcoming holiday season with Wine 101—The Fundamentals class at Aligra Wine & Spirits (1423 West Edmonton Mall, 780-483-1083) with sommelier Ken Bracke and get a 10 per cent discount on purchases. September 5, 7pm, $35/p, register online.
a menu of modern art at nait
There’s only a few tickets left for the MoMA Four Menu of Modern Art, a chef collaborative dinner from talented NAIT alumni: Paul Shufelt (Workshop Eatery), Matt Phillips (Northern Chicken), Peter Keith (Meuwly’s), Eric Hanson (Prairie Noodle Shop), Dilan Draper (Origo in Vancouver), Andrew Cowan (Northern Chicken), Steve Brochu (Chartier) and Serge Belair (Shaw Conference Centre). Rob Tyron (Effing Seafoods Oyster Bar) will be there too, shucking oysters. Saturday, September 8 at Ernest’s at NAIT (10701 118 Avenue), 6pm-11pm, $95/p. Tix: https://www.eventbrite.ca.
tasting with founders brewing
Head to Sherbrooke Liquor (11819 St Albert Trail, 780-455-4556, http://sherbrookeliquor.com/contact/) for a tasting with Founders Brewing Co. on Saturday, September 8, 2pm. Sample barrel-aged beers (KBS, CBS and Dankwood) and All Day IPA and Rubaeus Raspberry Ale. Tix: no charge, but you must register online at https://www.eventbrite.ca.
calling all burger lovers until September 7
Here’s something fun: Le Burger Week. The burger festival from Montreal, is now across Canada and in two cities in Haiti. Enjoy burgers from the Why Not Café, Café Linnea, Central Social Hall and several other Edmonton spots. Visit https://www.leburgerweek.com for more info and to vote for your fave.
love mushrooms?
If it’s September, it must be time for the Sorrentino’s Mushroom Festival. Enjoy cooking classes, dinners and mushroom walks all month long. For something different, try the Date Night cooking classes downtown on Friday, September 7 and 28, $180/couple. Or check out the Sorrentino’s West Mushroom Walk, Cook & Eat, Sunday, September 16 and 23, $95++. Tickets and more info available at https://sorrentinos.com.
recipe of the week
Warm up to fall with this delicious Greek dish fasolakia (green beans in tomato sauce). The recipe is straight from my yiayia’s kitchen. I like to have it for dinner with a bun to soak up the juices or take it for lunch (hot or cold).
