Dickson had been looking forward to the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra’s From the Heart of Broadway edition of Lighter Classics for some time, and I was eager to see what Sheri Somerville could do on a non-theatrical stage. After a few concerts, I now know that my personal enjoyment of the symphony hinges on: 1) whether [...]

“This is it?”“I’ve driven down this street hundreds of times and have never noticed it before!” The Golden Bird (10544 97 Street) features a storefront so aged that it literally blends with its surroundings, resembling one of those sad ghosts of a business that reflects only a past of prosperity. Of course, even if the [...]

Kerstin’s Chocolates (11812 121 Street) opened its first store, The Cocoa Room, about three weeks ago. I have seen their signature Chocophilia bars at shops around the city, but had never purchased one to try. A random Wednesday seemed like a good time as any to see what all the fuss was about. From the [...]

Even a day later, I still don’t know what to make of Famous Puppet Death Scenes. I felt a pang of regret last year when I missed the Calgary’s troop’s performance at the Roxy, having heard many good things about them, so I made sure to note the date of their return engagement in 2008. [...]

Mack suffers from an affliction I’ve termed CAD, or Coupon Aversion Disorder. The idea of saving a couple of bucks is usually enough to entice the would-be diner, but with Mack, the opposite effect is true. So count me as shocked when he took me up on a (God forbid) 2-for-1 offer at the newest [...]

Edmonton Dining Week runs March 7-16. A list of participating restaurants is up, but no menus as of yet. I think I’d like to try Ric’s Grill this year. Do you have a renegade child chef on your hands? It seems Food Network is attracting its own very devoted sect of young fans. The headlines [...]

A fair food blogger reveals biases. So for the sake of full disclosure: I entered Wildflower Grill (10001 107 Street) hell bent on hating it. My friends and I used to go to Lazia (10200 102 Avenue), the original of the Lazia Group’s holdings, all the time while we were in high school. We loved [...]

The quotes in my 2008 page-a-day calendar are decidedly more sentimental that the fun, off-the-cuff ones from spirited women in my 2007 version. Still, I like having them here on my blog to kick around. “And now whatever way our stories end, I know you have re-written mine by being my friend…” – Elphaba in [...]

I still had a half a package of puff pastry left over from Tuesday, so decided to give Donna Hay’s Instant Cook recipe for Cheat’s Apple Tarts a go. Like the Strawberry-Brie Bites, this was a very quick assemble-and-bake recipe, great for those who are time-pressed to create a dessert. Learning from my Rustic Apple [...]

The original plan that Mack and I had for Jane’s party was to bring two dishes inspired by the letter “B”. But by the time I re-read Giada’s recipe for Classic Italian Lasagne on Sunday afternoon, I realized there wasn’t enough time to thaw two packages of frozen spinach I didn’t yet have, so we [...]