La Ronde in the Chateau Lacombe (10111 Bellamy Hill, 780-428-6611) is now open for lunch. Experience their contemporary menu with spectacular views, Tuesday–Friday, 11am-2pm.
Knifewear, the good chefs’ favourite place to buy Japanese knives, is now open at 10818 82 Avenue. Check it out!
Hot Chefs, Cool Beats happens this Saturday, March 29, at the Shaw Conference Centre. This year’s event rocks to a Hollywood theme with Theo Psalios, Little Village Food Truck; Paul Shufelt, Century Hospitality; Wing Chan, Nomiya; Oscar Lopez, Pampa Brazilian Steakhouse; Jacob Pelletier, Duchess Bake Shop; and Josh Hockin, Transcend Coffee, with cocktails by Chuck Elves of Three Boars. Enjoy the street food festival with Drift, Très Carnales, Elm Café, Filistix, Bistecca Italian Steakhouse and the Shaw, plus tequila tastings, a Mexican beer cantina, wine, and lots of entertainment including The Rockin’ Highliners. Tickets ($125) support the High School Culinary Challenge and the Edmonton Community Foundation.
Built a new kitchen lately? Proud of it? Enter your kitchen in the Tomato Kitchen Design Awards (TKDA). TKDA is open to architects, builders, contractors, designers, developers, and do-it yourselfers offering awards in several categories, including outdoor kitchens. See submission rules and regulations. Submissions close April 25.
Part business incubator, part raucous party, the Hawker’s Market, created by Chris Jerome, offers fledgling food businesses an opportunity to work out kinks or try out new ideas and products. Expect vendors like Mojo Jojo Pickles; food trucks Parts and Labour, SailinOn, and Drift; holistic nutritionist Alison Landing; Chad Moss grilling pecorino cheese, and the South Island Pie Company (see Judy Schultz’ column on New Zealand’s love affair with meat pies) Entry is $10, with food chits ranging between $5-$8. Hawker’s Market, April 12, Mercer Warehouse, 10363 104 Street, don’t miss it!
Tickets.
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Wine of the Week: 2007 Medrano Estate Malbec, Mendoza Argentina. Inexpensive Malbec from Argentina can suffer from jammy fruit and a lack of freshness. How novel to taste one that is bright and fresh, yet well-priced. Medrano has spicy ripe fruit in spades, balanced by zesty acidity and silky tannins, rounded off by a bit of French oak aging. More than drinkable with lamb skewers or beef tataki. $17ish. |
Check out the Eat Alberta Conference Saturday, April 26, a workshop-style conference with a mix of tastings, presentations and demos highlighting Alberta foods and producers. More info and tickets.
Mark the date for HOST, Edmonton’s first hospitality conference, May 22-24 featuring Kevin Brauch, Christine Cushing, Marc Murphy and lots of local talent. It promises to be a terrific weekend for culinary professionals, cocktail aficionados and home kitchen masters. Tickets.
Experience Indulgence a Canadian epic of food and wine Monday June 9; fabulous food/wine pairings from the city’s top chefs, regional food producers, Okanagan and Niagara wineries, craft breweries and local fruit wine makers. The event introduces farmers to chefs and raises money for both The Junior League of Edmonton and the NAIT Indulgence/Slow Food Edmonton student bursary. Tickets on sale May 1.
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Porkapalooza Y’all goes eh when Southern BBQ comes north at the Porkapalooza BBQ Festival, Father’s day weekend, June 13-15. Visit the web site for team sign-ups and volunteer possibilities. More than $10,000 in prize money! |
Ryan Arcand’s Iconoclast Koffie Huis (11807B 105 Avenue, opens in March with an espresso bar and bean-to-bar chocolate making by Sjoukje Bouma’s Pinto Chocolate. The additional 150-seat event space will be catered by Culina’s Brad Lazarenko and Revel Events.
We’re thrilled about the April opening of Farrow, the new sandwich shop by the Three Boars’ dudes right next door. Expect daily sandwiches and coffee by Laine Cherkewick and Justin Benson, big time sandwich and coffee nerds. Watch for another pre –opening pop-up coming soon.
Sue Kiernan and chef Shane Loiselle have opened Daravara(10713 124 Street, 587-520-4980). Expect toothsome pub food with a Cajun twist — barbecued pork belly with black-eyed peas, hush puppies, of course, and hearty brunch dishes.
District Coffee Company Café & Bakery is now open (10011 109 Street, next to Allegro restaurant). Not only will District have the Nate Box/Elm Café savoir faire, it will offer Phil & Sebastian coffee from Calgary. There is talk of a summer patio.