Around Garneau

After a busy week at the shop, Charles and I were able to wander around Whyte Ave and 109th Street for the day, taking in the Antique Mall, the 'Return of the Magic' windows and, of course, some beer, coffee and treats. Here's what we discovered:

Firstly, it looks like Cally's Teas is setting up a "pop up shoppe" in their soon to be permanent local (10151 82 Avenue). Apparently her tea will be available this coming Wednesday for Christmas enjoyment.

The new layout 

After the Antique Mall, we decided to head over to Sugarbowl. We've been a few times since they released their new menu containing 44 new beer. That's right - 44. In addition to all the feature draught and bottles, there's much to choose from. While Charles went for a brown ale that I can't remember the name of, I went with a current favourite, the London Porter from Saskatoon's Paddock Wood Brewing. Ultra smooth and rich, it's perfect for cool days.

And no, the name of Charles' beer is not the one on the glass... Just in case you were thinking it, like I was.

On the way home we decided to drop into DaCapo to check out some recent renovations. The beer case is gone (don't worry, their excellent selection is lined up on the glass shelf above), and in its place is a new shelf currently holding many tins of panettone. Even more exciting is the recent addition of St-Viateur Bagels to their food line up. Bagels are brought in from Montréal once a week to be enjoyed in house or at home by the dozen. Charles was pretty ecstatic as he walked home munching on a sesame bagel.

So there you have it. A small Garneau update on an otherwise quiet blog. Hopefully we'll be back soon with some new food posts!

A Da Capo breakfast

On Sunday Charles and I made our way over to Da Capo for a comparatively quiet breakfast, whilst lineups around us at Sugarbowl, High Level Diner and Urban Diner twisted out the door.

This is the second time I've had their goat cheese and vegetable frittata ($12) and it hit the spot once again. The egg was incredibly light with pockets of lovely, tart goat cheese and roasted zucchini and red pepper throughout. Hash-browns are well spiced, though a little more crispness would be welcomed.

 Breakfast under the looming clouds.

Compared to other spots in the area, we greatly appreciate that Da Capo makes fresh juice to order. This orange juice was sweet and full of pulp - the perfect breakfast accompaniment. As for Charles latte, it was smooth and rich as per usual.

Da Capo Caffe
8738 109 Street
Breakfast until 11am on weekdays and 12pm on weekends.

*I'll stop posting on Da Capo... one day...

Andy Warhol with a little Da Capo

This past Friday evening Charles and I ventured downtown to catch the Andy Warhol Manufactured opening at the AGA. After throwing around dinner suggestions we finally decided it would be easiest to stop off at Da Capo which was en route.

We ordered some favourites. I went for a Rochefort 8 and Charles a Chimay Blue, and food wise we shared the truffle salad and a Di Matteo pizza (tomato, mozzarella, prosciutto cotto, ricotta and black pepper). Everything was enjoyed on the patio - a little mosquito-y and slightly breezy, but pleasant and refreshing nonetheless.

 Almost done...

Must have been contemplating the pizza...

There was complimentary bubbly at the opening, and whilst speeches were on we made our way up to the third floor to check things out. This is definitely one to visit with a smaller crowd - it's fairly sizable and includes some of the Edie Sedgwick footage.

*Edit: Charles suggested I mention that I wasn't double fisting, but was holding both of our glasses whilst he took some pictures :-)

My favourite part was the Silver Clouds installation on the fourth floor. It's tons of fun and we can't wait to head back.

The ride home was particularly lovely.

*For some reason Blogger has been reducing the quality of our photos within posts themselves. If you click on the picture everything looks great though...

Beer + Coffee

During the past few weeks Charles and I have found ourselves at Sugarbowl, Transcend and Da Capo more often than we'd like to admit. While the latter two both provide great spaces for studying or writing, Sugarbowl is the answer when these aspects of my life need to be left behind for an evening. Either way, here are a few shots from our more recent stopovers.

Transcend

Da Capo

Sugarbowl

These shots come from two evenings at Sugarbowl a couple weeks ago. During one we were lucky enough to find Jason Foster present with samples from Half Pints Brewing Co. Of the IPA, stout and amber ale we tried, the latter was definitely the favourite. It was caramel-y, sort of nutty and for some reason I kept smelling buttermilk. I had a full glass a couple evenings ago and it really is a great one, especially alongside a plate of warm cookies...

The very next evening happened to be cask night. I made it to one cask night back in October and since then have been foiled by assignments due the next morning or by the large line that forms around 5pm just as the keg is about to be tapped. This time though, Brenna finished her last exam (congrats, lady!) and got there just in time to snag us a window seat. Thus a few pints of the Maibock were ours!

Maibock

Me and Rachel

Alley Kat Loaded Goat Maibock Launch + U of A Design Grad Show

Just a quick note that Alley Kat is launching the second beer in its Big Bottle Series tomorrow evening (April 28th from 5-8pm at the brewery): the Loaded Goat Maibock.

A couple friends and I managed to grab a table at Sugarbowl's cask night last Thursday and each got a pint of the cask aged version of this beer. It was incredible and none of us could quite place a finger on the flavours, but it was beautifully smooth and perfect for spring patio enjoyment.

And if you're looking for something to check out afterward, the U of A Bachelor of Design grad show opens tomorrow evening at 7pm at the FAB gallery on campus. Entrance is free but the purchase of a program is appreciated. And Da Capo will be catering...

Alley Kat Brewery
9929 60 Avenue
780.436.8922

FAB Gallery
1-1 Fine Arts Building
780.492.2081

Meal Planning Saga: Week Twelve

Last week Kasia asked me how long the 'saga' will go on for. I realized I hadn't even considered the length of this project. Perusing meal planning sites, the goal usually seems to be 6 months, a year, etc. On Saturday morning Charles and I chatted and decided we will absolutely continue 'planning' until June 17th - the day I finish school (can you tell I'm counting the days?) - and after that we'll see what we think. I imagine myself having more time to cook this summer, and with all the unexpected items to be found at the market each week, I'm not sure planning before we shop will be as useful. I see more experimentation with this in our immediate future.

We ended up going to 'Beyond the Supermarket' a few weeks ago on Alberta Ave. Though a friend is urging me to grab a community garden plot (I am very jealous of his $28 seeds and the vegetables to come), it's not that easy. Like many people around town we are currently trying to get on a lengthy waiting list for the garden in our own neighbourhood, and a plot will likely not be available until the 2012 season (small update: I got an e-mail from the garden saying there may be a plot available for this season. At any rate we are on the waiting list). There are gardens further from our apartment, but with ETS or bicycle as our transport choices, we know we need (and would like) a local closer to home to make it functional. This is a long way of saying that we are leaning strongly towards the Green Eggs and Ham 'Futures' plan this year. So updates on that as the spring/summer moves along.

On to this past week's dishes!

Sunday - As per other weeks a roast chicken. This time though, I used some of the caramelized goodness at the bottom of the pan and made a quick gravy. It took our Sunday evening chicken to a whole new level.

Monday - Another familiar - risotto with mushrooms. The creaminess was right on that day, I have to say.

Tuesday - Charles was off to his mom's for dinner whilst I snack and worked on a book review.

Wednesday - We met up with Charles' mom, sister and nieces at Da Capo for pizza, salad and gelato (they've increased the number of flavours again for spring!). Excellent as usual.

A scoop of cinnamon

Thursday - Cold noodles with peanut sauce from David Lebovitz. Along with some roasted vegetables and leftover roast chicken, this was a quick, flavourful meal to throw together. Plus we've got some extra peanut sauce in the freezer for later days.

Jill (aka Sugar of Cream and Sugar) and I must be thinking on some similar wave length. Right after I scheduled this recipe I found she had posted on it. And yesterday she posted on the slow cooker butter chicken too. Their new website looks fantastic as well - good job ladies!

Friday - Lentil Loaf from We Eat Together. I really enjoyed the flavour here, but I think the lentils need to be broken down a bit more, which would hopefully keep the crumbly slices together as well. Next time I'll try to purée some of the lentils and see where we end up.

 Sobey's College Plaza has a nice array of Willow Creek products from Saskatchewan

Saturday - Lamb meatballs inspired by the Frankies'. We didn't have pine nuts this time (and Charles has a strong aversion to raisins so those will never make it in), but we did add sunflower seeds here which provided a similar softened crunch. Everything else was the same and these came out incredibly moist and flavourful. I made some tomato sauce while they were in the oven and steamed some spinach and we were good to go.

Action shot! Look at the grip.

Also, I was quite proud of my lunch on Saturday afternoon. Charles had brought home bagels and eggs from the market, and I used some frozen spinach up as well.

That was number twelve. I hope everyone is enjoying the warm weather! We took our bicycles in on Saturday for tune ups, and as soon as essays are through in a couple weeks I'm planning to break free from the library and live some sort of romantic lifestyle on my bicycle in between exams. Any similar plans?

A late evening dinner at Urban Diner South

We popped by Urban Diner (8715 109 Street) Tuesday night around 8:30 for a late evening dinner (we noticed a couple weeks ago that they had opened, although nothing seemed to be announced and their website still says location 'coming soon'). The place was pretty much empty but for a table of two and a table of about six construction workers... likely the same ones who's scissor lifts I've been dodging in HUB on my way to class.

Anyhow, we had our choice of seating so opted for a window seat. I'm glad they chose to take down the 'secluded patio' feature of the old tenant's (Fiore Cantina) - not only is it much brighter in there, but you can gaze out the window onto the increasingly busy little area of 87th and 109th. I'm wondering though, if a piece of glass or something will appear on the patio come spring to help block the noise and exhaust of 109th traffic from patio diners.

I always forget that Urban Diner carries Fentiman's Sodas, and I ended up with the Dandelion & Burdock brew which was a delicious treat. Charles went for the Organic Lager from Mill Street Brewery from the Diner's pretty excellent, though short, beer list. I also noticed that they were doing a cask night last week with one of the breweries they carry on tap, which is definitely encouraging. Food wise, I went for the reuben with butternut squash and sweet potato soup ($11.95), while Charles decided on the steak sandwich with fries ($16).

Food came out quickly, and we got right into it. Charles steak was cooked slightly past his requested medium rare, but the mushroom gravy was the perfect rich, savoury accompaniment. The shoestring fries were excellent - peppery, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and especially good when dipped into the gravy. My reuben was good too, although I'm pretty easy when sauerkraut (or any cabbage for that matter) is involved. The corned beef was moist and well seasoned, and the sautéed onion and swiss cheese made for a wonderful late evening mess. The soup seemed to contain a little curry, which was definitely welcome, and was a perfect fall warmer before we ventured back out into the cold.

For dessert we decided to share the lemon-sour cream pie. The small piece was perfect after our largish meals, and although slightly tart, it was certainly the light ending necessary.

I think Urban Diner will be a welcome addition to this block of cafés and restaurants, especially on busy weekend brunch days, when Sugarbowl and High Level Diner have lineups stretching out the door. We're definitely glad to have another casual spot in the area, and that the spot is Urban Diner is definitely nice, since we don't get over to the 124th location too often. We'll definitely be stopping again soon.

Urban Diner (South)
8715 109th Street
780.437.7275


*Just a note on breakfast in the area - Da Capo has been doing breakfast on weekends. We stopped a couple Saturdays ago, and my over easy eggs, as well as hash browns, were excellent.

**Sugarbowl is featuring Wild Rose Brewery's Velvet Fog right now. It is a pretty lovely one, managing to be both smooth and tangy at the same time. Also, Sugarbowl seems to have recently increased the amount of garlic in their hummus quite a bit, so if your partner/friends/whoever is concerned with your breath, or vice versa, go with the cornbread or crab fritters.

***We walked by Urban Diner Thursday (today) to take the picture of their sign above, and they were packed!

March 14, 2011 - We stopped in for dinner here this past Friday. Things are as good as ever, and happily their beer list is growing. The most recent addition - Yukon Brewing's Porter on tap. Food wise, we clearly don't deviate from favourites - once again, Charles did the steak sandwich and I did the Reuben... here are some pictures though.

Steak sandwich

Reuben