Although I’ve been back from holidays for a little over a week, I decided to take a longer break from the blog. I’ve enjoyed the time away, but it’s now time to get caught up! As I expected, quite a bit happened in the last month – onto October’s food notes:
- The second annual Relish Food on Film Festival runs October 29 – November 7, 2015. They have a great dinner and a movie program, as well as several food-centric movie screenings worth a look.
- The annual Rocky Mountain Food and Wine Festival is just around the corner, on November 6-7, 2015. If you need tickets, you’re in luck – Andrea, Cindy, Diane and Eva are all running contests to give away admission passes.
- Stephanie has a great round-up of new and forthcoming Edmonton food establishments – it’ll help you be in the know!
- Edmonton’s newest independent coffee shop, The Woodrack Café (7603 109 Street), opened up earlier this month, and Cindy and Stephanie have already been by to check it out.
- 2015 may well be the year of ramen in Edmonton. The latest ramen eatery to open in our city is Kazoku Ramen (16518 100 Avenue), which I’m looking forward to trying for myself. Andrea, Cindy and Jonny have already worked their way through the ramen menu for a taste of what you can expect.
- The Journal reviewed HUMA, and was mostly disappointed with their meal.
- In case you missed it, Phil’s latest two Off Menu podcasts are up for your listening pleasure – he’s interviewed Jaqueline Jacek and Shannon Ruzicka of Nature’s Green Acres.
- Looking forward to Christmas already? Help countdown the days with an advent calendar from Jacek Chocolate Couture – Cindy’s giving two away. The deadline to enter is November 12, 2015.
- It’s great to hear that the developer of Ritchie Market has finally broken ground. Ritchie Market (96 Street & 76 Avenue) is scheduled to open next summer with Acme Meat Market, Transcend Coffee, a brew pub/restaurant and a bike shop.
- The latest Cash Mob this weekend focused on four of Edmonton’s independent coffee roasters. The Local Good has a round-up of all of the delicious action!
- Click and Collect (also known as, order online and have it ready for pick-up at the store) has finally hit Superstore locations in Edmonton. It was everywhere we turned in London (grocery stores, pharmacies, retail shops), so I can only imagine it will spread across the retail sphere.
- Congrats to Pigeonhole, the Calgary restaurant that made it onto EnRoute’s prestigious 2015 Best New Restaurants list.
- In case you missed it: the World Health Organization has labeled processed meat (bacon, ham, sausages) a cancer-causing agent on par with asbestos, arsenic and tobacco.
- One of the things Mack and I really enjoyed about dining in Europe was the inclusive service charge. We think hospitality workers should be paid a fair wage, and we don’t mind paying a bit more to ensure this happens. So let’s hope other North American restaurants follow Danny Meyer’s example in New York.
- It’s always great when a restaurant replaces a cash loan store: it looks like Relish’s new neighbour on 124 Street and 107 Avenue will be a Japanese bistro.
Washoku Japanese Bistro
- Our first order after returning to Edmonton was – what else – a trip to Pho Tau Bay.
Our usuals
- An online Edmonton Journal poll pegged Blue Plate Diner as Edmonton’s best brunch spot. It’s been years since we’ve stopped in for brunch, so Mack and I thought it was a good time as any to revisit our neighbourhood spot. I really appreciated the section of the menu for “smaller appetites”, as I am never able to finish most plates I order at brunch. Our only complaint was the inconsistent service, which thankfully, improved over the course of our visit.
Pancakes at Blue Plate Diner
- It’s been too long since my last Credo latte, so Mack and I had to plan an afternoon to enjoy our coffees with our devices.
Vanilla latte at Credo
Only Here for the Food 