A colleague and I met halfway between both of our offices at Africa Restaurant the previous Wednesday for lunch. Last year, the establishment changed hands – Mebrat had been a community mainstay for many years, but the transition to Africa Restaurant seemed rather seamless, and I’d heard that the menu of Eritrean and Ethiopian dishes [...]

If one neighbourhood could particularly benefit from an “open house” event like Taste of Whyte or an organized food crawl, it would be the Avenue of Nations. Because of a transient population and a stigma of a high rate of crime, among other things, people often shy away from visiting the neighbourhoods of Central McDougall [...]

Almost a year after Jill, Kathryn and I had decided that we would dine at Sabu Sushi Bar together, we finally made it to the restaurant. Last Wednesday, the three of us met at the Korean-Japanese restaurant Sabu to sample shabu-shabu. Although my family indulges in Chinese-style hot pot every now and then, this was [...]

Mack, Kat and I surprised Jill with a birthday dinner at Wild Tangerine last Monday. She was kept in the dark right up until she walked into the restaurant – it was funny when she saw my name on the reservation register and thought, “What a coincidence that Sharon is here too!” Wilson Wu, co-owner [...]

The second half of 2011 has seen a rash of vegetarian restaurants open in Edmonton (The Clever Rabbit on 124 Street is forthcoming, while another vegetarian restaurant, Veggie Garden Restaurant, opened in November). Noorish, subtitled a “conscious eatery & superfood elixir bar”, kicked off this trend in October, but seemed to go beyond just food [...]

The topic of Chinatown revitalization has been bandied about a lot in the past year, especially with flashy projects like the Yorkton Development residential towers and the Wild Rose Circle Development. But in the short term, existing businesses that bring people into the area will have a greater impact – no area can rely on [...]

Every pho enthusiast has their favourite. Mine happens to be Pho Tau Bay for many reasons, but at the top: they are efficient and consistent. It definitely helps that it is the only dish they serve, so due attention can be paid to the soup base. That said, I’m always open to trying new places, [...]

Over dinner at the Harvest Room in October, Mack and I had the opportunity to get to know Mandy and her boyfriend Ajit a little more – turns out, they love food as much as we do! We already knew Mandy’s brother Miles from working with him on What the Truck?! over the summer (they [...]

Grandma Male is always game to try new restaurants with us, so we knew she’d be up to catch up over dinner at Fresh Healthy Cafe, a new soup and sandwich joint in Sherwood Park. I first heard about this international chain on City and Dale, in a post written up by Tracey Hill (who, [...]

On October 17, 2011, the Harvest Room at the Hotel MacDonald reopened after a nine-month hiatus. The space had to be meticulously repaired after extensive water damage to the ceiling, but the closure also meant that Executive Chef Andrew Ihasz had ample time and space to revamp the menu and locate local producers to source [...]