Cafes that offer specialty coffees are rapidly gaining ground and market share in Edmonton. Just to name a few – Three Bananas, Leva, daCapo, and of course, Transcend, are elevating what coffee lovers should expect from a cup of joe. More exciting than a consistent, high quality product, however, these cafes employ well-trained baristas, where [...]

I spent the past weekend in Calgary attending a conference, and judging by the fact that the venue served us popsicles during one coffee break, they also didn’t anticipate the snow that fell in June. I do hope that was the last of it. Convention centres always amaze me with their logistical abilities to feed [...]

I was pretty excited when I saw that ovens were appearing in Starbucks locations across the city in March. While I knew I wouldn’t indulge in their sandwich offerings all that often (especially not having the time to stop in on my way to work in the mornings), I was looking forward to having the [...]

There are always things to be grateful for, and Edmonton’s burgeoning restaurant scene is definitely one of them. While I can’t say I’m actually a part of its development (commenting about it just isn’t the same as more active participation), it’s been wonderfully rewarding as a lifelong Edmontonian to see independent eateries and other food [...]

While Mack was occupied at BarCampCalgary, I played tourist and had lunch at Caffè Artigiano (Unit 100, Centrum Place, 332 6 Avenue SW). A west coast import that had coffee aficionado John Manzo, among others, excited about its first location outside of metro Vancouver, I wanted to see for myself what all the hype was [...]

I’m a little torn on whether or not I should even write a review on our visit to Transcend Coffee (9869 62 Avenue), consistently lauded in the media and by local foodies for their approach to coffee. Granted, we had huge expectations, particularly after our sojourn to Calgary’s Phil & Sebastian’s, for an equally fantastic [...]

I was on the hunt for a good panini sandwich today, and remembered Leva (11053 86 Avenue). As I was heading to the nearby Jubilee Auditorium later that evening anyway, it was a convenient stopover. I ordered the 4 cheese and roasted tomato panini, which came served with a lovely vegetable salad dressed with a [...]

Since our failed attempt to try them back in December, I’ve been itching to visit the newly-renovated Leva Capuccino Bar (11053 86 Avenue). So on a windy Friday, Bettina and I ventured back in the direction of the University campus. It turns out their grand re-opening took place on March 24, and in addition to [...]

May and I had been to Three Bananas Cafe (9918-102 Avenue) just after it opened a few years ago, but haven’t been back since. Strange, especially since we had a positive experience and it has such a great location – right on Churchill Square. Well, before an event at the Winspear Centre tonight, we decided [...]

After lunch, May, Janice and I looked to unwind in a coffee shop, and stumbled upon Caffè Sorrentino (10665-109 Street). Recently opened by Sorrentino’s, purveyors of fine Italian Dining in Alberta, the coffee shop exuded a New York flavor. The black, white and red color scheme was offset by clear light fixtures and stainless steel [...]