the new 97 street market
Fans of the farmers market on 104 Street will have to travel a little further east this summer. On May long the City Market Downtown moves to a new and permanent home in the GWG Building on 97 Street. It’s a gorgeous building and we’re thrilled the market will put it to good use.
Who didn’t love the 104 Street market on sunny days—cheerful, relaxed, the place to shop, have coffee and pet dogs. Last summer? A smoky August and a cold snowy September. “Last September was the worst. Not a customer in sight,” says Gilles Lanctot, proprietor of Big G Foods and City Market Downtown board member. “We love 104 Street, home base. When we first came though, 104 Street was pretty rough—remember? The Cecil Hotel, the Greyhound Bus depot. It’s fancy and nice now.”
We are sad to see the market move off 104. But the reality is, the street will be torn up during construction of the Mackenzie Tower (a 34-storey hotel/condo) and future LRT construction on 102 Avenue. The market needed a permanent home. And, it’s back to its roots. The original city market was 100 years on 97 Street.
“I’m excited about the move,” says Jenny Berkenbosch of Sundog Organic Farm. “Vendors are excited. Our market does the outdoor thing really well, but to have a place where people can be inside in the winter is wonderful,” she says. “We participated in a really great thing on 104 and left it in a better place than we found it.”
The plans for the building are intriguing. Check them out here. Don’t forget. The City Market is in its current winter home, main floor City Hall, until it moves to 97 Street.
where’s your beer? british columbia!
Join James Phelan of Untapped Imports for a tasting of some of BC’s best craft beers this Thursday at 7pm at Sherbrooke Liquor (11819 St Albert Trail). This is the first in a series of regional beer tastings in Sherbrooke’s tasting room. Tix: $20/p+, eventbrite.ca.
your very own pad thai
Learn to make pad Thai, salad rolls, adobo and other delicious dishes at an Asian Cooking Class at Kitchen by Brad (10130 105 Street) on Saturday, March 30, 12:30pm. Tix: $150/p+ getoccasion.com
mai’s dumplings at acme
Next time you are picking up some steaks or chops at Acme Meats, pay a visit to the freezer for a bag of Mai Nguyen’s delicious Jamaican Beef dumplings, (12/$16) Make sure you ask for the sauce too, it’s at the till. We are big fans of Mai’s dumplings, learn more about her: https://thetomato.ca/tomatoquarantwo
more beer news for beer fans
Our beloved Bench Creek, based in Edson, has changed their name to Apex Predator Brewing. Only the name has changed, the beers are as good as ever. Taste five at the Blue Plate Diner (10145 104 Street) Beer Brunch, 11am, Saturday, March 23. Tix: $45/p. eventbrite.ca
Arcadia Bar (10988 124 Street) has lots of great beer happenings coming up: Ponoka’s Siding 14 Cask Night, 6pm, Tuesday, March 26 and the Troubled Monk Cocktail Pop-up, 8pm, Thursday, March 28. We love Arcadia’s attention to Alberta craft beer. Check it out!
Craft Beer Market (10013 101A Avenue) is featuring Black Diamond’s Hard Knox Brewery in a five-course dinner starting at 6pm, Wednesday, March 27. Tix: $60/p eventbrite.ca
recipe of the week: daniel costa’s endive and anchovy salad
We have been making this salad a lot lately. Its sprightly flavours celebrate the release from the clutches of winter and appease the longing for fresh vegetables grown here. But, alas, the fields are still covered in snow. It will be a few months yet before local radishes, green onions, ramps and asparagus hit the markets. Instead, make this with big beautiful endive from BC, available at the south side Italian Centre.
