Enjoy the best value lunch in town at Cibo Bistro (11244 104 Avenue, 780-757-2426, http://www.cibobistro.com). They reopen for lunch January 6, Tuesday-Friday, 11:30am-2pm. And look out for their new winter menu with dishes inspired by a new year’s trip to San Francisco.
There will be beer and sausage, tart flambé and Gewürztraminer during The Marc Restaurant’s (9940-106 Street, 100 Sterling Place, 780-429-2828, http://www.themarc.ca) annual Alsace Week, January 16-24. Bring your lederhosen and your beret. It’s great to see the Marc back on track after a damaging flood last year.
Joe Rockwood is the new general manager of the Wildflower Grill (10009 107 Street, 780-990-1938, http://www.wildfloweredmonton.com). It’s a homecoming of sorts, Joe opened the restaurant back in 2008. “I have renewed fervour for Wildflower,” he says about the flagship of the Lazia Group. “We want to create some warmth in the dining room and work towards a five diamond standard of service.”
Exit stage right. Andrew and Rachel Borley along with several front of house personnel are no longer part of Woodwork (10132 100 Street, 780-757-4100, http://woodworkyeg.com). Mike Scorgie is now the sole proprietor of the popular restaurant.
One of our favourite chefs, Filliep Lament, now runs the kitchen at the revamped North 53 (10240 124 Street, 587-524-5353, http://north53.com/) owned by Kevin Cam. Check it out, the food is great, the atmosphere is playful, and it’s open late!
Bronze Gold Medal Plates medalist chef Lindsay Porter has signed on to run the kitchen at the still new El Cortez Tequila Bar and Kitchen (8230 Gateway Blvd, 780-760-0200, http://www.elcortezcantina.com). We’re supremely curious and look forward to new menus in late January.
The Glass Monkey (5842 111 Street, 780-760-2228, http://www.theglassmonkey.ca) celebrates their first year anniversary with a reserve wine list with gems from Italy, Spain, Australia and France. Pair with their daily specials or the delish grilled flat iron steak with chimichurri, duck confit with chili and palm sugar glaze, and Moroccan-style braised lamb shank.
We are more than sad to see Tavern 1903 shuttered. The owners (Larry and Melinda Stewart) were abruptly locked out of their restaurant and presented with a cancellation of their lease by the sub-landlord, December 5, in the thick of the holiday season. (Is that even legal?) Besides depriving dozens of people of their livelihood, the action inconvenienced hundreds of customers who had to scramble to rebook holiday lunch and dinner plans, let alone events in the new year. On a personal note, The Tomato has had a business relationship with the Stewarts for almost two decades, and they have always worked with us in a straightforward, upstanding way. The action taken by the sub-landlord was foul ball and a lousy way to treat members of the community.
Don’t miss Sage exec chef Shane Chartrand on this season’s Chopped Canada (episode nine: Every Round Has its Thorn). We’ve been big fans of Shane ever since his apprenticeship days. He’s an active participant in our culinary scene, a stalwart competitor in Gold Medal Plates, and has graced several local kitchens. Good luck! Other contestants with an Edmonton connection include the affable Roary MacPherson former Fairmont Hotel Macdonald exec chef, and NAIT-trained Abraham Wornovitzky and Daryle Ryo Nagata. pic
Need to brush up on your knife skills? Join chef Richard Toll on January 21 at The Pan Tree (220 Lakeland Drive, Sherwood Park, 780-464-4631, thepantree.ca). http://register.thepantree.ca/ Chef Toll is back January 23 to unveil the secrets of haggis during a Robbie Burns Dinner. Register by phone 780-464-4631.
Learn how to cook like a baba with chef Brad Smoliak, January 27, how to use pristine Icelandic fish January 10, and how to make delicious comforting soups and stews on January 13, 17 and 29, at Kitchen by Brad (#101, 10130 105 Street, 780-757-7707, kitchenbybrad.ca) All classes are $135/person. Love to cook and hang out with your friends? Think of creating a custom class with Brad for a minimum of eight people, max 12, $135/person.
it’s a wrap!
The inaugural Relish Food on Film Festival offered three days of screenings and events at Metro Cinema with pop-up cocktail parties before each screening — wines from Tinhorn Creek Vineyards and tasty hors-d’oeuvres from La Ronde, Ampersand 27 and Belgravia Hub. A highlight of the film fest was a lively panel discussion on what it means to farm today. The panelists, vegetable grower Jenny Berkenbosch of Sundog Farm; lamb producer Vicky Horn of Tangle Ridge Ranch; cheesemaker Rhonda Headon of the Cheesiry, and urban farmer Kathryn Sprague of Reclaim Urban Farm described their experiences of farming as a modern career choice. Relish-goers also enjoyed Dinner & A Movie at Culina (Tampopo), Kitchen by Brad (Knifehammer) and Get Cooking (Tortilla Soup); Le Cite Francophone screened the French language films Hiro Dreams of Sushi, Babette’s Feast and Le Semuer. Relish will be back next fall with another entertaining lineup of food films and events.
It may be warm enough this weekend for a winter picnic. Start with this hearty thermos-ready soup by Cibo Bistro
White Bean With Rosemary Soup
Cibo’s chef/owner Rosario Caputo serves this soup with a drizzle of house-made rosemary oil.
- 4 sticks celery, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 T olive oil
- 1 branch fresh rosemary, leaves taken off the woody stem and rough chopped
- 2 whole cloves
- 750 g dried white cannellini beans, soaked and cooked
- 2 litres vegetable stock
- kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
Sweat the onions, celery, rosemary and cloves in oil until the onions are soft. Add beans and stock. Simmer for an hour. Blitz the soup with an immersion blender (or put in a blender or food processor) then strain. Return to the pot to reheat and taste for seasoning. Pour into a thermos. Serves 6-8