Wild Earth is ready!

Wild Earth (8902 99 Street) is done with renos and the final product is amazing! A nice cozy space with ample seating, a warm fireplace, good coffee and of course, yummy baked goods as per usual. Best of all, they are baking in the house kitchen again (baking was moved a few blocks off site during renos), so the lovely smell of freshly baked cinnamon buns will be returning!

They hosted a preview and celebration of the new space this evening with a packed house full of regulars, and since Wild Earth is almost a daily stop for Charles, we were happy to be included. Here's some pictures of the new space:

Tea and tarts back in their appropriate spot

Cookie tree!

The new coffee setup

Desserts for sampling... I was all for the banana bread with browned butter honey icing

They are back to regular hours beginning tomorrow, and we encourage you to stop by for coffee or tea, a treat, and a relaxing break in the new space.

Wild Earth Cafe and Bakery
8902 99 Street
780.425.8423
Hours: M-W (6am - 9pm); Th-F (6am - 10pm); Sa (8am - 10pm); Su (8am - 9pm)

PS. Here are a bunch of pictures we took of the completed 'phase one' a few weeks ago

Wild Earth... half way there

Finally, Wild Earth Bakery (8902 99 Street) has opened the west side of the cafe after months of renos. Charles stopped by yesterday around 10am for a coffee and cinnamon bun with a friend, and they managed to snap a few pictures (some of these pictures are from today as well). The plan is to have the entire space open in a few weeks, as they've shut the east side down for an overhaul... can't wait for all that seating!

And finally, I promised Charles I would post the picture of the bathroom sink area he took. He's in love with the countertop and sink. They are pretty beautiful, and apparently Greta (the owner) is pretty proud of them... I would be too. What a great find!

Wild Earth Bakery and Cafe

8902 99 Street

Ph. 780.425.8423

Our Best Loved Day Starters

Every morning from Monday through Friday Zed heads off at 7AM to work, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays, for a reason I cannot remember, I scheduled myself in for an 8AM Macroeconomics lecture. There are a few choice indulgences we feel are necessary to start these mornings off, and here they are:

When it comes to Zed, he needs one thing in the morning - a latte. For convenience sake, he often ends up at the Second Cup in Oliver Square, where a latte is in process as soon as he walks through the door. Not only do they carry (in Zed's words) a "ginormous latte," but Second Cup always seems to have a well stocked supply of soft, jumbo sized Ginger Snap cookies, and one of these means happy snacking for the rest of the day.

In my case, the trek to and from class is peppered with several cafes that are either on my route or just a few blocks away. If I am fortunate to wake up and get ready early enough, a Chai awaits me at Leva (they open at 7AM). Today though, I slipped into class with only a couple minutes to spare and no hot drink to sip as I listened to the professor speak of productivity and economic growth. So afterwards I decided to make my way over to Sugarbowl to get one of their giant cinnamon buns to go. I got there early enough that they were still warm (I suppose this is one of the perks of being up so early), and carried it home.

A Sugarbowl Cinnamon Bun

Half of the cinnamon filled goodness went to me to enjoy as I dove into my textbook, and the other half is neatly wrapped and safely tucked away on a high shelf for Zed to eat this evening.

Although all of these stops are open during the evening (often late into it), we are both very glad they open their doors in the morning to help start our days off right.

Study hard at Muddy Waters Cafe

Zed and I were in need of a coffee last night, so around nine we decided to head over to Muddy Waters.

Just across the street from us, we had passed the cafe many times but never gone in. However we had purposely stopped at the door to check their hours this past weekend and discovered they were open until midnight on weekdays and Saturdays, and until 11PM on Sundays - I love cafes that are open late. As more of a night person than morning, I love going to have a tea/coffee before turning in.

We arrived in the brightly lit cafe and placed our orders: a chai latte for me (my favourite tea drink is really a London Fog, but I've decided to compare the Chai, readily available/offered at any cafe in the area), and a cafe latte for Zed. We took our seats, as the server who took our orders at the till promised to bring out our drinks when they were ready - Zed and I both appreciated this.

In addition to coffee and tea, the cafe also offers bagel sandwiches, wraps, soups and other nibbles (ie. hummus and pita, veggies and dip, etc.). They also had what were advertised as "homemade desserts," which included cakes, cookies and other treats (I didn't inquire whether these were actually made in house, but they all looked fairly true to the title). Full catering services of the above are also available.

Our drinks arrived just as I had stuck my nose in an Art History textbook and Zed a novel. As I sipped my chai, I found it had a nice addition of nutmeg but otherwise it wasn't really comparable to those found at Leva or Remedy, just a few blocks away. Zed's latte was good, but again nothing to write home about.

The Chai

Compared to other University cafes open during the evening, Muddy Waters was bright and well lit, which had attracted many students. The whole place had a bit of a Bohemian vibe, something like Remedy; although they seem to have struck a cord with studying students more than anything.

In the end, we both found Muddy Waters bright light and soft music to be a great place to sit and study/read, but if we are in need of a good coffee/chai and simply want to sit and enjoy them, we will most likely head down the street to Leva or Remedy (Leva is now open until 11PM Wednesday through Saturday; Remedy until ~midnight every evening).

Muddy Waters Cafe (Liscensed coffee bar and catering)
8211 111 Street
780.433.4390

Lazy Saturday lunch at Leva

After an early jaunt to the Strathcona Farmers' Market this morning, Zed and I came home to nap and enjoy our delectable purchases (Happy Camel Pita bread and hummus, Maple Walnut Fudge and carrots... also a savory vegetable pie for later). Once our breakfast of fudge had worn off, we decided to head over to Leva for a late lunch.

It appeared that many others had experienced a similar brainwave, as the cafe was packed. We successfully made it past the gelati and dessert coolers without a glimpse to place our orders of a chai latte for me, along with a margherita pizza, and a cafe latte and chicken pizza for Zed. We snagged a table for two just as a couple was leaving, and sat down to sip our drinks and await our pizzas.

I love Leva's chai lattes - they are creamy and smooth with a mild chai flavour (although I quite enjoy the strength of Remedy's as well). Zed equally enjoyed his latte - artfully prepared with freshly ground beans, this drink continually remains his favourite.

Neither of us have stopped by the cafe in about a year (we used to frequent once or twice a week during weekday evenings for a coffee and dessert, but I believe they have slightly shortened their hours now), but the place really hadn't changed. Still the sleek, modern decor, the marble tables and countertops and beautiful art. The only thing different was the crowd - on this Saturday afternoon the place was packed with families, happily munching on pizza and desserts.

Our pizzas arrived and were just like we remembered - a perfectly thin crunchy crust and well dispersed toppings, wisely placed to keep the crust from becoming overloaded. Zed thoroughly enjoyed his chicken pizza, and gobbled it up in no time. My margherita pizza was just as good, with a sweet tomato base, a satisfying amount of boccocini and mozzerella cheeses, and some fresh basil to finish it off.

Full of pizza, we made the very odd move of skipping dessert (although the cream puffs came close to pushing us the opposite way), opting to head straight to our next destination, the movie store.

While we missed dessert today, we know another trip to Leva is most definitely in the near future.

Leva Cafe and Bar
11053 86 Avenue
780.479.5382