Culinary Highlights: 2011 Edition

I had so much fun in 2011! Mack and I continued to experiment in the kitchen (not a chore, especially in the summer with the City Market right outside our door).

Tomato pasta, at the top of the list of our favourite home cooked meals this year

Roman egg drop soup: nothing to look at, but now a go-to comfort for me

Of course, this didn’t mean we didn’t explore restaurants. For whatever reason, we ate a lot of poutine this year. Both while dining out:

Traditional poutine from La Poutine

Breakfast poutine from Calgary’s Wake Bistro

And dining in:

Asparagus bacon breakfast poutine

Oh yes: poutine sandwiches

We were also really happy to welcome the Queen of Tarts to our street. It’s incredible to be able to buy fresh, artisan bread just down the block (in addition to all of their sweet treats!).

Queen of Tarts

The city also hosted some great food events, including the Red Shoe Crawl in Old Strathcona.

Our “completed” passport from the Crawl

I was fortunate this year to have participated as a judge in Century Hospitality Group’s inaugural Top Chef tournament, and was also asked to speak about my food blogging at a Travel Media Association of Canada retreat. It was also a great honour to have been named one of the year’s “Top 40 Foodies Under 40” in Western Living magazine.

CHG Top Chef winner Ben Weir hard at work in the kitchen

Although I didn’t travel as much this year (Toronto being my furthest 2011 destination), more important was who I was with as opposed to where I was.

Amanda enjoys a cocktail from the sky-high Canoe in Toronto

Perhaps my favourite meal of the year was had at the pop-up restaurant at The Drake Hotel in Toronto – so kitschy! (and sadly, I have yet to write about it)

Fried chicken from The Drake

Last but not least – had a blast helping to plan both Eat Alberta and What the Truck?! – our food community is small but mighty, and I really enjoyed getting to know and working with the producers, chefs and entrepreneurs that keep our city well-fed.

Love this shot of participants in Kathryn Joel’s pasta making class at Eat Alberta