"Oreos" & Gnocchi

{As per usual, an excuse for my absence. Work was a little really crazy this spring, but I think I've got a short lull, so here's hoping for a few posts. I'm off to Vancouver for a few days, so any recommendations are appreciated since I've never really been... I know! What!?}

Earlier in May I made a couple items that I considered of note. Firstly, "Oreos". With both of us on the brink of colds, Claire suggested we tackle the project. I had read about them on Smitten Kitchen some time ago, but passed since I don't really have a particular attachment to the cookie. At any rate, it was fun and they were delicious.

Next time I would lean toward a T.K.O. (Thomas Keller Oreo) with white chocolate ganache instead of icing, but none-the-less, the flavour of these was great, and I'm sure a little mint oil would add a new level.

And gnocchi. This one has been on my list for years. Years. I don't know why it took me so long, but it's incredibly simple. The only thing left to tackle is the perfect fork-tine-roll.

As an aside, I had the best burger I've ever eaten (...in Edmonton) at Sugarbowl earlier in the week. A perfectly cooked Four Whistle Farms beef, simply topped with pickles, mayo and lettuce. Delicious. Can't wait until that special roles around again...

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!

Patio season continues at Sugarbowl

 After a Tuesday evening dinner of grilled chicken, we decided to walk over to Sugarbowl for chocolate mousse and some of the brews currently on the feature board. Although we brought our sweaters in preparation for a cool evening on the patio, upon arrival we found an addition of sleek looking heaters which left us toasty and mostly sweater free throughout the evening.

Heaters in action

During the past year Sugarbowl has done a great job keeping the Feature Board exciting. The 'tap' selection can stay the same for some time (for instance, the creamy Wild Rose stout I enjoyed earlier in the summer is still available), but the 'bottles' below seem to be going through at a nice clip - they stay long enough to enjoy a couple before they leave, yet there is enough new selection each couple weeks that we head back for more. While Charles went to the menu for Yukon Brewing's Lead Dog Ale, I stuck to the board and had the Verdi Imperial Stout from Italy's Birrificio del Ducato.

We've both enjoyed the Lead Dog in the past. It's smooth and malty, with a slight bite to cut through it all. Perfect to enjoy during the summer or winter. Although it doesn't look like it was overly enjoyed on Beer Advocate, Charles and I both loved the Verdi Stout. It was chocolatey and malty, and there was a slight heat running through the entire glass thanks to the addition of some chili. To top things off it was perfect with the chocolate mousse.

I also ended up with a bottle of New Morning, a "Saison" from Birrificio, while Charles decided on the BIA IPA brewed by the same company. These two were both incredibly refreshing, especially after the darker brews we started with. We could definitely detect the ginger, coriander, green pepper and chamomile in the New Morning, and overall it turned out to be a beautiful spiced beer to linger over for the rest of the evening. Unfortunately Charles didn't enjoy his IPA quite as much - too much floral and fruit for his liking.

The one thing that might keep us from continually enjoying the brews from Birrificio is the price. At $10.50 a bottle these multi-beer evenings are certainly limited, although they are, of course, thoroughly enjoyed as summer comes to a close.

Celebratory beer.

Well, my degree has actually come to a finish. No more papers, assignments or exams to hinder blogging, even come September. So to celebrate we met up with some friends at Sugarbowl for a beer (or two) this past Monday. We managed to snag a table by the open window and our favourite server took care of us for the evening - excellent.

 Milk Stout - Seriously, it had lactose in it. Though it wasn't my favourite (a little 'sour' and not quite smooth enough) it was an interesting way to start the evening.

For Charles - A hoppy IPA.

Also at the table was Half Pints' Little Scrapper IPA and the amazing Alberta Crude Oatmeal Stout from Wild Rose Brewery. The stout is truly lovely - creamy and smooth yet light enough for a warm (or rainy) summer evening. And since it's only been released on tap, I encourage you to head to Sugarbowl for a pint.

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 Thirteen

Well, I'm not sure what to say. The meal planning isn't really lasting through 'essay season'. Though we managed to get a few recipes in last week, this week has started badly - we're both tired, my nose is permanently in a book or in front of the computer and Charles' boss is away this week making for long days.

At any rate, I'm hoping to get things back on track as I enter exams, which I don't find nearly as involved time wise as papers. Fingers crossed of course...

On to the previous week (aka. Week Thirteen)!

Sunday - After spending the day in the library, I met Charles at Sugarbowl. I did the jerk chicken and avocado burger with Edelweiss whilst Charles did steak frites and Anchor Steam.

Sugarbowl on a Sunday with a tired Charles

Monday - Charles made mushroom soup from Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything. This was a great way to utilize the pound of mushrooms Charles grabbed at the market Saturday, though we both agreed it would have been extra great as a cream soup, which Bittman notes just below is easy enough to create.

Tuesday - Pulled Pork Sandwiches. We put a pork shoulder in the crock pot Monday night and let it go for about 8 hours. Charles stopped on the way home from work and grabbed some bbq sauce to throw in, along with buns and a few salads from the PO deli.

This sauce had a great salty-sweet flavour, though it wasn't nearly thick enough for pulled pork. Next time, molasses based, and hopefully, made at home.

Planet Organic deli salads - the yam salad was by far the best, with pecans throughout.

Charles also stopped and grabbed four cupcakes from Crave. The red velvet versions had cream cheese icing on them, which for some reason wasn't working for me. The chocolate, however, was excellent.

Wednesday - Leftover pulled pork sandwiches.

Thursday - Charles had grabbed some cod from Ocean Odyssey on Saturday, and pan fried it along with some steamed spinach for a late evening meal.

Friday - Steak with caramelized mushrooms and onions and leftover PO salads. I think I've sort-of mastered the steak grilling situation, which is great news for this summer!

Saturday - Charles was off to do some volunteering for a friend's work benefit, while I went to my parents, munched on a couple pieces of their Royal Pizza and worked on a paper.

As a small note, my application for graduation was approved today! Just nine more weeks and goodbye undergrad!

Enjoy the week everyone!

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

Sugarbowl stuff

We stopped by Sugarbowl yesterday evening after tearing down the stage at SOS Fest and found an overhauled menu both food and beer wise.

Unfortunately the kitchen was closed so we couldn't sample any of the newer menu items, however the beer list was completely available. Charles went for an Innis & Gunn Blonde, Ilya for an Old Rasputin Imperial Stout (I stole a sip and it was lovely and rich, heavy on the coffee and malty flavours), and I went for a Mc Chouffe. Mine was incredibly fruity... too fruity actually, so I'll know at least to steer clear of this one next time.

I also wanted to mention that Sugarbowl will be hosting a beer education evening with Jason Foster (beer columnist at CBC and Vue Weekly) Tuesday evening from 6-8pm. Tasting samples will be of an Unibroue variety (availability will determine which one). The third cask night is also coming up this Thursday (July 15th), where a brand new cask-beer from Alley Kat will be cracked at 5pm.