What’s up on Edmonton’s food scene in March and April.
This is our first Kitchen Sink column since last March. Now we are seeing more events and classes online, curbside pick-up has become part of our daily and a few new restos are opening. Time to bring it back.
RGE RD (10643 123 Street, 780-447-4577, rgerd.ca) will be open for dine-in March 2. If curbside pick-up is your jam, check out the dinner and brunch kits and our fave— isolation libations, ready to serve, pre-batched cocktail kits for two plus a bit extra. From $25, order at rgerd.com. More RGE RD news: The Butchery (12229 107 Avenue, 780-443-0000, thebutcheryyeg.ca) is now licensed.
Awn Kitchen Workshop + Cafe (104, 5124 122 Street, awnkitchen.com, 780-906-0509) opens late spring in Landsdowne. It’s going to be a beautiful space to take a class, buy delicious baked goods, have coffee and a sandwich and, this fall (we hope) a place for wine dinners and events. Have a sneak peek of possible in-person classes here: awnkitchen.com/cooking-classes.
Remember that great spot for lunch at the Muttart? Culina Muttart (9626 96a Street, culinafamily.com) is back and better than ever, after the Muttart refurbishment. Enjoy locally roasted Kaffa coffee, a fresh menu, take-home dinners and Little Bear Gelato as well as local craft beer on tap and wines curated by Color de Vino. We’re not sure of the actual opening date, but it will be this spring. Yaaay!
Buok Fresh Korean Kitchen (10707 100 Avenue, 780-244-2865, buokfresh.ca) now offers everything you need to assemble your own bibimbap in a kit, $49.99+, feeds four generously. Order Mom’s Kimchi to take home (seafood fermented and vegan) in three sizes: small, $5; medium, $8 and large (32 ounces!), $14. Call ahead to order.
Rayyan (10019 106 Avenue, 780-250-6801, rayyanrestaurant.com) a new East African resto, has opened in Chinatown. Glendon Tan of Meuwly’s tell us the beef samosas are delicious. Open daily, check it out!
Roasti Coffee from Sherwood Park is opening their second coffee bar location, this one on Whyte Avenue at 10546 82 Avenue. They hope to be open daily in time to be part of the Old Strathcona Sweet Treats Festival, offering a coffee blossom honey latte. More news: Roasti is the Th3rdwave Edmonton Coffee Roaster of the Year. Congrats!
Meuwly’s (10706 124 Street, 587-786-3560, meuwlys.com) has a new retail manager, Bryan Sali and Adam Tundak (Clementine, Cafe Linnea) will be taking care of wholesale. Meuwly’s chefs Roger Letourneau and Aditya Raghavan will start a lunch pop-up sometime later this spring— sandwiches featuring house-made breads, meats, cheese, pickles, all the good things. Won’t it be great to have a Meuwly’s sandwich again?
Love cheese? Secret Meat Club now offers a monthly cheese subscription—three house-made, local or imported cheese, crackers and a condiment pairing, $50. Woo hoo! Visit www.secretmeatclub.com for all the deets.
Get Cooking (getcooking.ca) is offering some great deals for virtual cooking classes: sign up for any three-month bundle of three themed classes and receive a fourth class of your choice at a 50 per cent off (in the same season.) In addition to head instructor Kathryn Joel, Get Cooking always has great guest instructors like Mai Nguyen, Elyse Chatterton, Cindy Lazarenko and Aditya Raghavan. Check out the lineup online at getcooking.ca. Join Kathryn Joel and Elyse Chatterton to cook from Maenam: A Fresh Approach to Thai Cooking by Angus An—three-hour virtual cooking classes, once per month and exclusive access to a dedicated Cookbook Club Facebook group. You’ll get to know our other club members, and follow along with each other’s progress, guided and facilitated by Kathryn and Elyse, $225.+ (doesn’t include cookbook). Register online.
Check out the Italian Centre website (italiancentre.ca) for fun items, such as fresh DIY cannoli kits, packs of frozen croissants in plain, cheese or chocolate, family-sized Massimo’s to Go meals and the weekly specials.
Hopped on the bison train yet? This healthy and delicious meat is ideal for those looking for lean protein. Find great recipes for bison, including chef Liana Robberecht’s delish recipes we have been featuring on the BITE newsletter here: noblepremiumbison.ca/recipes.
Congratulations to Western Living’s Foodies of the Year 2021, especially the YEG folks: Liane Faulder (formerly of the Edmonton Journal, we miss you on our food scene); the Meuwly’s boys (Peter Keith, Will Kotowicz and Glendon Tan); Greg Zeschuk (Ritchie Market, Biera and Blind Enthusiasm); Brian Welch (one of the partners in Farrow Sandwiches, along with Laine Cherkewick, Max Poulter and Bryden Kozak); as well as one of our favourite winemakers, Shane Munn of Martin’s Lane and the Hamill brothers of Red Shed Malting in Penhold. Kudos to all!
Thank you Lisa and Rosario Caputo for delicious memories and lots of laughs. It’s difficult to say goodbye to Cibo. The welcome was always warm, the pasta hand-made and delish, the lovely patio the best spot for summer apertivo. There will be something new in the works, you can’t keep Rosario out of the kitchen for long, but we probably won’t see anything until next year.