Undercover Gourmet

Last weekend I had a very epiphanic trip in Calgary. It all started when I finally watched Food Inc., and was absolutely blown away. The film brought about anger and disgust, but it also sparked determination to make a difference. I was enlightened by what I saw. This is not to say I was completely ignorant of what went on in certain sectors of the food industry, but I was in a state of denial. Prior to being forced to watch the movie (well almost forced, someone clicked play even though I detested against watching it), I knew what took place at factory farms, and I knew processed foods and snacks were coated with preservatives and chemicals, I just never gathered up courage to face the truth. Food Inc has changed my life. From this day forward I vow to focus on organic foods and support local farms more than ever. I will frequent the Farmer’s Market more than stopping at Costco, and will even grow my own fruits and vegetables come spring. Now, let’s be honest here, I’m not going to completely cut junk food out of my life. I will still eat that Big Mac once in awhile and enjoy a Blizzard on a blistering summer’s day. I believe in balance and consumption in moderation and that applies to the good and yes to an extent, even the bad – this is being realistic. I will however, read the labels more carefully, lean towards organic, sustainable, eco-friendly products, and consider the repercussions when I purchase items from large corporations who weigh profitability over the working conditions of their staff. (I apologize for the rant… when I turned a lunch conversation into a passionate spiel of opinions and beliefs I got a “oh oh, here we go again!”).

Ironically that same night we had reservations at Farm. What a perfect way to kick start my focus on eating local. I must start by praising the house brewed iced tea. It is phenomenal, possibly the best and most unique brew I’ve tasted. It had a lightly sweetened, citrusy note, with an enticing floral scent. I had to ask the waitress what the secret was: orange oolong, (can’t remember what kind of) black tea, vanilla, apple juice. We start off with The Cutting Board – a mix and match selection from a list of cheeses and cold meats. The cheese was wonderful, and the way it was plated was ingenious yet so simple. The charcaturie and/or cheese is lined up in columns with its proper pairing condiment. Logical and straightforward, there was no need for trial and error to find the optimum combination. Although the selection we chose was not local, except for the Copa which is from Alberta, it was fabulous.

There was a section called “sharing” but it was a unanimous decision from the group that everything would be shared that evening. First up was the beef carpaccio. Supplied by Pura Vida, this flavorful plate of paper thin sliced beef was decorated with cubed potatoes and garlic aioli. Delicious. Then came a warm roasted beet salad, also picked from a local farm, served with arugula and candied walnuts. Also delicious. Third was Janice’s Mac and Cheese. This beautifully golden baked pasta was a bit spicier than expected (not that I’m complaining, but one guest mentioned the inconsistency). Spiciness aside, it was absolutely scrumptious. Last came the corned beef, which sadly was less fabulous compared to the other dishes. The taste was there, but the texture was not as flakey as I preferred it to be.

Dessert was different. 2 menus were presented, one the chocolate selection, the other the standard dessert menu. While the chocolate choices were decent, we went with pomogranante with white chocolate, and caramel with dark chocolate, the one chocolate with the least consensus was bacon. Bacon and chocolate, I’ve heard of it many times, but never tasted it until now. I’ve been told you either love it or hate it, but I think I’ll just say that I don’t care for it. We finished everything off with a goat cheese panna cotta, which was nothing astounding and definitely needed more honey.

Was it slightly overpriced? Yes and no. When compared quantity wise – yes, by the end I was satisfied by not overly full. For the amount spent I would have hoped to me more stuffed. In terms of supporting local produce grown in sustainable environments – no, I accepted the cost of spending more on food that was chemical free and good for the body. With a cozy atmosphere and warm service, either way I had an enjoyable evening. What better way to support our local farms and businesses.

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Poutine for dinner? Why the heck not! No, I’m not talking about New York Fries or some other sad version of food court poutine (alright, I will retract the statement about NYF, which I actually enjoy after a productive shopping trip). I’m talking about Duck Confit Poutine from Laurier Lounge  – real Quebecois cuisine. In a restaurant that is as beautiful as the food it serves, scattering shredded bits of confit duck on a mound of crispy fries, mozzarella curds, dried cranberries, mouth watering gravy, and fresh sprigs of thyme seems fitting. You haven’t tasted real poutine until you’ve tried this version. At first glance you may feel regret for not ordering the poutine as an appetizer, but as you devour into the crispy, tender, salty, sweet melting pot of textures and flavors, the richness of the gravy and duck begins to kick in. A bottle of Don de Dieu beer, also brewed in Quebec, boasting a 9% alcohol content will wash everything down perfectly, and you will still have room for dessert.

The restaurant is dark and intimnate, perfect for a romantic night out, with a hint of brassserie style. A second floor opens up more seating space within this historical building. The single family dwelling built in 1908 was home to George Stanley, historian, author, soldier, teacher, and designer of the current Canadian flag. This historic ambiance can be felt instantanously by the creak of the floors, maturity of the walls, and slight hint of musk in the air. Seating is limited, so be sure to reserve before you head out.

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by Jason Fong

We have all had a good steak. Face it, the “I love Alberta Beef” rings true in all of us, but what sets apart a good steak from a great steak? Ladies and gentlemen I give you the Bronzed Rib Eye Steak at Rigoletto’s Café. Rigoletto’s steps outside the norm by thinking outside the box, and stepping into a bigger box filled with flavor. There is no teriyaki sauce, sage butter, or garlic butter here my friends. Most places give you the same generic tastes governed slightly different from where the cow was born, raised, or fed. This is all cancelled out when the steak is rubbed down with Montreal steak spice and grilled to your liking. But wait, it gets even better! The marinated rib eye steak that is seared on the grill to your liking is coated with an amazing honey jalapeño butter sauce. The sauce is not overly spicy as the jalapeños are balanced by the honey to mellow the heat. While grilling, the sugars in the marinade caramelize into a sweet glaze enveloping the rib eye as the fat renders all around and crisps around the edges nicely. Add pan-fried potato gnocchi and tender crisp veggies and you have yourself a real steak dinner. The gnocchi, I would recommend an extra side order of to dip the sauce your steak leaves behind. As you cut into your first bite of steak it is tender to the touch. As this bite makes contact with your tongue the fat and sugars sizzle and melt into a delicious blend of happiness that evolves with every chew. As the tender bits of morsel pass, you are left with a bit of heat from the sauce which sets off the brain to repeat this process. When you awake from this temporary food stupor you realize the steak is gone, the vegetables are gone, and all that remain of your gnocchi are bits of parmesan cheese and chives.

If you must make a steak your last, make it this one. Pair it with the Italian Chianti and enjoy thoroughly.

This post is written by Jason Fong, and edited by Evonne Li

Jason Fong is a former co-worker and long time friend. He is a real pork aficionado, particularly devoted to bacon and pork belly. A day hardly goes by without him suggesting new ways and methods to add bacon into every meal.

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Yesterday, the Edmonton Journal introduced a new series in the  Bistro section, Taste Alberta. This is the first of many articles celebrating Alberta food. Their website aims to share the foundations of our local cuisine from where they are produced and processed, to where to purchase. I think the idea is fabulous. Alberta produce is underappreciated, and unheard of to most. There are too many big named franchise restaurants in Edmonton, and not enough small eateries that show off ingredients for what they are. If you ask anybody what local foods Alberta is known for, chances are the answer you will get, is beef. But we are a province of more than just beef. We grow delicious berries, produce great cheese, and farm wonderful chicken and pork.

Turducken is the opening Bistro article for this new focal point. An ingenious conglomeration of duck, chicken, turkey, all deboned and stuffed neatly inside of each other. I once tried a Turducken many moons ago. It all started when I was, of course, watching Food Network (I cannot remember if it was Top 5 for Unwrapped), and there was an episode on holiday favorites. I jumped at the opportunity to wow my guests and ordered a Turducken online, costing me about $150. While it saved me a lot of cooking, and it was a great conversational piece, I did not find as moist as plain turkey. But seeing as it was many years ago, I am willing to give it another shot.

Back to the debut of Taste Alberta. What better way to celebrate local food, than to taste local food. The reception takes place at the Shaw Conference Center’s beautiful Riverview Room. There, very proud local producers such as Sunterra Meats, Irvings Farm Fresh, Lola Canola Honey, Sylvan Star Cheese Farm and many others showcased what great Alberta food tastes like. I am a fan of Sylvan Star Cheese (the stuffed French Toast with Gruyere from Dairy Lane Café in Calgary is AMAZING), and I’ve purchased mushrooms from Mo-Na Food at City Market Downtown. There are 2 dishes in particular that deserved a second helping:

1)      Big Rock Braised Sunterra Bison Short Rib: very tender and sweet bison, the glacé coating it equally as mouthwatering (although not the main focus of the dish, the truffled mashed potatoes is worth noting!)

2)      Miniature Lola Canola Honey Crème Brulee with Berry Ridge Orchard Saskatoon Compote: an incredible custard of smooth honey with a full flavored berry sauce

Overall, it was an excellent evening with good food, a gorgeous view of the city, in the company of some very talented and passionate Albertans. Thank you Kerry, Liane, and Edmonton Journal for the invite and for a wonderful evening!

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These guys make a damn good bagel. And you’d better, if that is the focus of your restaurant. To start off your day, you can order a bagel as a “eggs benedict creation”. Their menu has a noticeably European theme: Polish sausage and smoked cheese, blood sausage, Iberico Spanish salami, Chorizo, Lox. The White Sausage and Roasted Garlic Benny on multigrain bagel is amongst some of the most popular benny’s suggested by the waitress. The bagel is crisp, fresh, and daintier than your average sized bagel. Although I didn’t get to choose the doneness of my egg, it came out a beautiful medium yolk with a delicous hollandaise sauce. With that you also get a side of potato hash and a very elaborate arrangement of exotic fruit including kiwi, mandarin orange, melon, a couple berries and (most surprisingly) dragon fruit.

The house coffee is a must to order. Espresso sets the base, served with steamed milk on the side. The result is very light, frothy, strong coffee. The atmosphere is also very European, with hardwood boards on the floors and ceilings, cozy tight corners, and eclectic trinkets hanging on the walls. The only downside is breakfast for two cost $52 (including tip). Would I return? I’m still curious to see how fois gras and truffle taste in benedict form, but it will depend on who’s paying the bill…

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The food – fabulous

The concept – phenomenal

If there’s one thing that worries me when I eat out, its the possibility of diner’s remorse. Decisions, decisions. Dining out should be satisfying, not stressful. Making that single choice on what to eat for that one meal is not as easy a choice as it seems. If you’ve travelled far to try a restaurant for the very first time, it could be your one and only shot to make a connection. Everybody has their comfort food, comfort being the type of food you are automatically drawn to. Beef, chicken, pasta… it’s something you love to eat, and will more than likely choose the majority of the time. Occasionally you become adventurous and try the lamb, the bison, maybe even go vegetarian for the evening. But what happens if it’s not good? Then you’ve wasted a meal! Then you reminisce and say to yourself “I should always stick with what I know”.

Zinc Restaurant has the solution to all your problems. Their fall menu debuts a new concept called “by the bite” or “by the plate”. Similar to ordering wine by the glass or by the bottle, everything on Zinc’s menu can be ordered… well, in bite sized servings! The days of making that hesitant risk is over. Try everything on the menu for approximately $140, or select a handful of dishes to satisfy your strongest cravings. Everything on the menu flows very well, but there are several dishes that stand out during the tasting launch:

  (from top to bottom: cucumber & tomato salad,

-          “lobster latte” are the words used to describe this soup. The strong flavors of Sherry are imbedded in a frothy texture providing a light, yet rich bisque. Who would think the two concepts can co-exist!

-          Saltimbocca, our guest at the table shared its literal translation as “jumps in the mouth”, is traditionally veal lined with prosciutto and sage. This dish definitely stimulates the taste buds. The chicken, carefully wrapped in prosciutto, is moist and incredibly fresh, garnished with a dollop of tangy red pepper butter. Papperdelle pasta noodles carefully rolled lie patiently at the bottom, ready to balance out the strong flavors. An excellent composition of layered flavors.

Connected to the Art Gallery of Alberta, the setting is, as you would expect, modern and geometrical, yet relaxed. Boasting a clear street view of Churchill square through its floor to mid ceiling windows, there is a distinct feeling being surrounded by talent. The bar is trendy, experimenting with infused vodkas such as bubble gum and bruschetta. Needless to say, the tasting of all 19 plates was impressive. The presentation was methodical, and the atmosphere was great. Thank you Chef Omar and the hospitable team at Zinc for a lovely evening!

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Ginseng Sushi and BBQ is a meat lover’s heaven. For $29 per person, you can indulge yourself in an all-you-can-eat feast of tantalizingly marinated Korean meats. The only catch is, you have to cook it yourself.

Korean BBQ is a very popular style of  restaurant seen all throughout Asia. Some restaurants have a buffet like set up, while others offer a la carte style. Either way, at the center of the table sits a gas grill (which the waitress will operate for you), where you cook your own food, at your own pace, to whatever doneness you prefer. Just think of it similar to the Asian version of fondue…

At Ginseng, the selection of food is more than decent. From the marinated meats, you can choose from the classic bulgogi (bbq beef), galbi gui (bbq beef short ribs), dahk galbi (spicy chicken), daeji bulgogi (spicy pork), and jumulleok (beef in sesame oil). For unmarinated, there is samgyeopsal (pork belly – an unsalted and non smoked version of bacon with larger amounts of fat), baby squid, mussels, and vegetables. Kim chi, sukju namul (bean sprout salad), California rolls, soup, fried rice, deep-fried dumplings, and Shanghai noodles (yes, I’m not really sure either how that ended up there) will help change things up when you need a rest from all the meat. Service is great. We were offered additional condiments, aside from the soy sauce and hot sauce, of bean paste, sliced jalapenos and garlic, and lettuce to eat the “Korean way” by wrapping it together with rice, kimchi and meat. Our grill top was also changed a couple times when the sugar from the marinade started to burn and char. The only thing missing to make it a perfect meal is dessert.

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The long drive home begins today. An early breakfast at Medina Cafe for their infamous waffles was a meal of mixed feelings. We were warned by the waitress the waffles were small, but somehow when they arrived the size was still slightly deceiving. Each waffle cost $3.50, and each accompanying dipping sauce was another $1. The waffle itself did not have as much crispy outside, chewy inside texture as I had hoped, but the milk chocolate lavender sauce was absolutely wonderful. The chocolate was velvety to the touch and delicate to the taste. The mixed berry compote and raspberry caramel sauce were not as unique but meet my standards. The milk chocolate lavender mocha also had a similar floral note to it.

Due to a very long unexpected traffic jam, we arrive in Vancouver B.C. much later than expected (the day’s previous meals were nothing worth noting – continental breakfast included at the hotel, and lunch at Ikea in Redmond, Washington), but just in time for dinner. Zeffirelli’s Spaghetti Joint offered great food in generous portions in a cute library/cellar-like setting. The restaurant was located on the second floor, with seats by the open window overlooking Robson Street. My chicken Michelangelo consisted of chicken, peas, and cream in rigatoni was delicious, but my husband’s Spaghetti Carbonara surpassed in flavor.

The end to our vacation draws near as we continue north up the Pacific Coast Highway. Portland is our last stop in the United States. A stop at the food court in Downtown Portland for a quick bite of sushi and California rolls at Express Japan Sushi Bar. We stumble across The Spice & Tea Exchange, a franchise re-creating the look and feel of an 18th century trading post. I pick up a bag of Cyprus black lava salt, and Murray River sea salt, as well as a solid block of pink salt.

Buffalo Wild Wings was conveniently located by the parkade, and we stop for some wings. Honey bbq, spicy garlic, and hot bbq are up for tasting. While the wings were average, their sauces were marketed in an interesting method, displaying all 14 flavors on a hotness scale.