What’s up on Edmonton’s food scene in May and June—wine dinners and tastings, new products, new farmers markets, openings, closings, cooking classes.
wine tastings, happenings and events
The Butternut Tree (9707 110 Street, 780-760-2271, thebutternuttree.ca) offers their Canada Day Dinner July 1, with 13 courses, one for each province and territory with tables available at 4pm, 4:30pm and 5pm. Call or book on the website. They will have another seasonal tasting menu at the end of August.
Kitchen by Brad (10130 105 Street, 780-757-7704, kitchenbybrad.ca) has created a series of back-to-the-farm dinners at the Old Red Barn near Leduc, Thursday, August 8, August 22 and September 12, 6:30-10pm. Expect family-style dinners with beautiful views of the countryside. The seasonal menus are focused on Kitchen’s Ukrainian-inspired prairie cooking with local produce and meats accompanied by top-notch Canadian wines. Tix: $157.50 all in, kitchenbybrad.ca.
Aligra Wine and Spirits in West Edmonton Mall (8882 170 Street, 780-483-1083, aligrawineandspirits.com) offers Great Whites! Summertime and White Wine, a fundraiser for the Bissel Centre, Wednesday, July 10, 5-8pm. Wear white and taste over 20 delish whites for summer drinking. The tasting is free but they suggest a $10 donation at the door. Register online.
Kaelin Whittaker of the Ruby Apron is planning a farm tour and cooking class at Coen Farm near Ferintosh on July 14. The Coens have been practising permaculture and holistic management since 1988. Tix: $75, rubyapron.ca.
The Taste of Edmonton celebrates their 35th anniversary on Capitol Plaza (99 Avenue and 108 Street), July18-28, with advance tix available until July 17. Expect over 50 vendors with new celiac and vegan offerings, EAT tours and lots of music including Steven Page. Visit tasteofedm.ca for deets and to buy tix.
Celebrate the flavours of multiculturalism during the Edmonton Heritage Festival, August 3-5 at Hawrelak Park with over 70 food pavilions. Not just delish things to eat; enjoy music, dance and visual arts. Entry is free; tix are $1 each. Menus and maps at heritagefest.ca. Don’t forget to bring donations for the Food Bank.
Everything Wine & More (#25-100 Broadview Drive, Sherwood Park, 780-417-3356, everythingwineandmore.ca) is having the End of Summer Sippers Open House on August 10, 2-5pm.
The Cavern Beer & Cheese School (10169 104 Street, 780-455-1336, thecavern.ca) on Sunday, July 7 features Edmonton’s Bent Stick Brewing. Tix: $60. To register, call the store or email info@thecavern.ca.
The Feast on the Field 2019 is Wednesday, August 14, 5:30pm. Chefs Steve Buzak (Royal Glenora Club); Andrew Cowan and Matt Phillips (Northern Chicken); Dave Omar (MarQuise Hospitality) and Serge Belair (Edmonton Convention Centre) lay out the best picnic of the summer on the field at Commonwealth Stadium. Funds raised support seniors in care. Tix: $195, on Eventbrite. Buy yours by August 12.
Savour, Strathcona County’s annual local food and art event is on Sunday, July 7 from 4-8pm at the Strathcona County Community Centre in Sherwood Park. Enjoy snacks from various food trucks and Sherwood Park restaurants and meet local artists and artisans. Tix: $1 each. For the list of artists, food trucks and restos, visit strathcona.ca.
A new province-wide dine-around initiative called Alberta On the Plate features delicious collaborations between restaurants, farms and ranches, breweries, fruit wineries and distilleries. Over 50 restaurants will feature special prix fixe menus during Local Food Week, August 11-18. Check the BITE weekly newsletter for details.
Open Farm Days is an invitation to meet your rural neighbours. With tours, farm-to-table events and educational experiences over two days, expect to meet some interesting people and have some great things to eat. Start planning for the weekend of August 17-18, albertafarmdays.ca.
Madison’s in the Union Bank Inn’s (10053 Jasper Avenue, 780-401-2222, unionbankinn.com/madisons-grill) June’s tasting menu wowed with dishes from the Titanic by chef Daniel Mongeon. Expect new tasting menus every six weeks or so. The tasting menus are $99 without wine pairings and $198 with wine pairings.
Restaurant buzz
Cibo Bistro (11244 104 Avenue, 780-757-2426, cibobistro.com) is closed until July 16 for summer holidays.
Here’s a well-kept west end secret: Canteen (10522 124 Street, 780-485-6125, canteenyeg.ca) does Happy Hour from 5-6pm, Tuesdays to Saturdays. Enjoy $6 brews or glasses of wine and a delish snack menu that manages to keep a quick nosh with friends under $20. That’s a nice little get-together after work.
The Glass Monkey’s (5842 111 Street, 780-760-2228, theglassmonkey.ca) secluded patio is now open. Visit on Monday when bottles of wine under $40 are half price and bottles over $40 are $20 off; Wednesdays for half price wings; Thursdays for $6.95 pints.
Bianco (10020 101A Avenue, 780-761-8838, biancoeats.com), sister restaurant to Rosso Pizza, is now open downtown in the Phipps McKinnon building. It’s a good-looking room with a large-ish menu (including outstanding pizza from the wood-burning oven which gives the crust the most wonderful char and texture). Bianco is also open for breakfast Monday-Friday and has a take-out coffee/brioche counter right at the entrance. Rosso always has a fun wine list; Bianco follows suit and has an extensive selection of Champagnes and other sparkling wines. An inspired idea? The Spritz menu—ideal for enjoying alfresco on their lovely patio.
The Pampa restaurants in Ellerslie, the West End and Downtown now offer happy hour from 1:30-4:45pm, Monday to Friday, featuring the Pampa Burger—made in-house from Alberta rib eye, with horseradish, aged cheddar, their own mustard on a house-made focaccia bun. There is also a chicken, pork and steak rodizio, $18.99, $4 beers and wine and cocktails, $5-$6. At dinner, enjoy the summer rodizio feature—six cuts of meat, $34.99. Next up from Pampa, the Bite of Brasil coffee shop featuring their delish house-made cheese bread, opening this fall, pampasteakhouse.com.
We are hearing good things about Toast Culture (11965 Jasper Avenue, 780-761-4482, toastculture.com) in the Pearl Tower near Bar Clementine (the former Bru space). What a friend said: “Countless toast options, delicious pizzas including an incredible potato truffle and a huge variety of craft beer.”
Say Uncle (10184 104 Street, 780-540-5369, sayuncle.ca) a new venture from Sandwich and Sons, Prairie Catering and Northern Chicken (so you know the fried chicken will be good), calls itself a modern dive bar. Cozy, casual, comfortable, with old school drinks, and an well-curated beer menu with lots of local brews on tap. This could be the new spot before Rogers. Open 11am-11pm daily, closing earlier on Sundays.
Ariel del Rosario and Roel Canafranca have expanded the Filistix food truck concept, opening Filistix Downtown (Financial Building, 10621 100 Avenue, filistix.ca). Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner during the week and brunch and dinner on the weekend. Their toothsome barbecued skewers are available as well as noodle bowls, nasi goreng and a delicious beef rendang. Good looking too—the café is a casual and airy modern design by Land Faculty. Check it out!
Something new this summer at Prairie Noodle Shop (10350 124 Street, 780-705-1777, prairienoodleshop.ca). Chef Eric Hansen brings his favourite flavours from south east Asia to a virtual pop-up called Hot Tropics. “All the yummy things I miss most when I think of the hot tropics. The food is prepared in the Prairie Noodle kitchen but Hot Tropics is strictly takeaway,” says Eric. There is an actual pop-up featuring barkeep Tyler Gushaty planned for early July.
product news
It’s 60 years in business for the Italian Centre Shops (italiancentre.ca). Enjoy the festivities at all three locations on August 25. Food, entertainment, prizes and yes, there will be birthday cake.
The Downtown Market is back on 104 Street on Saturdays, at least for this summer. The brouhaha over the move came to a head when the 104 Street merchant’s group encouraged someone else to set up on Saturdays. (The city did not renew the Downtown’s Market’s permit in the first place due to LRT construction, which has now been delayed.) We hope the 104 Street merchants are happy again and that we have sunny Saturdays right through to Thanksgiving. The new Downtown Market is also on 97 Street and 103 Avenue on Sundays.
We are having an ice cream explosion! Last summer brought Yelo’d to Whyte Avenue; we have the excellent La Carraia Gelateria Cafe on 109 Street and Kind Ice Cream is across the street from the Richie Market, at 9551 76 Avenue. Opening soon is Made by Marcus at 10426 82 Avenue in the alley behind Cacao 70. It’s the Calgary ice cream phenom by Marcus Purtzki with cones, soft serve and ice cream cakes on offer. Kind is owned by Paula Shyba, Nicole Bhar and Candyce Morris. Wilfred’s exec chef Chael MacDonald created the flavours. Cones, vegan ice cream sandwiches and carry-out pints.
Try these delicious new cookies and crackers at the Bon Ton Bakery (8720 149 Street, 780-489-7717, bonton.ca). Rosemary buttermilk cracker with pistachios, pecans and cranberries, $6.95/150 g bag and the whole grain digestive cookie, made with oats and Gold Forest Grains heritage whole wheat, sweetened with dates and honey, $7.95/dozen.
Heart of the Home (12539 102 Street, 780-705-4928 heartofthehomeyeg.ca) is having a third birthday bash on July 6, and the Summer Sidewalk Sale July 26-August 4. This sale is becoming legendary—you’ll find items up to 80 per cent off! And there is the Multi Store Pop-Up Shop August 23 and 24 at the Terwillegar Community Church.
Bountiful Farmers’ Market (3696 97 Street, 780-818-3878, bountifulmarkets.com) is now open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9am-5pm. Highlights among the 100 plus vendors: Blindman Brewing’s Super Session Ale (great for after mowing the lawn); Love of Cheese vegan cheese, especially the cultured cream cheese; Family Tree Acres micro greens. Check out the full vendors list at bountifulmarkets.com.
Riverbend Gardens offers week to week sign-ups for their CSA—order by Tuesday, have fresh local veggies on Thursday. And, they have over 20 pick up locations. Visit riverbendcsa.ca for all the deets.
cooking classes
The Ruby Apron (therubyapron.ca) has a new schedule available on July 15. These classes, especially the sourdough classes, fill up quickly.
Barb’s Kitchen Centre (9766 51 Avenue, 780-437-3134 barbskitchen.com) offers a series of kids (10 and up) classes this summer: July16-19; July 23-26 and August 6-9 have room. Call the store for details and to book. As well, on August 22, Barb’s Kitchen offers a Christmas in August class featuring the Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker, $15. Call to book.