city palate T H E
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O F C A L G A R Y ’ S S I N C E 1 9 9 3
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the wine & beer issue CITYPALATE.CA
MAY JUNE 2017
MY CUSTOMERS OFTEN TELL ME THAT THEIR ESPRESSO MACHINE IS THEIR FAVOURITE ITEM IN THEIR KITCHEN.
GATHER
AROUND A THING OF BEAUTY
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Marda Loop is so convenient!
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Situated just off Crowchild Trail, it is easily accessed from all parts of Calgary
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Several Calgary Transit routes come right to Marda Loop
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A new bike lane has just been installed on 20 St SW
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Marda Loop has free on-street parking, which means you can come and stay awhile!
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2017 - 2018 Season SEXY SUSPENSEFUL DRAMA
HEARTFELT FAMILY DRAMA
THE LAST WIFE
EMPIRE OF THE SON
Directed by Glynis Leyshon
presented by ATP and One Yellow Rabbit as part of the 32nd Annual High Performance Rodeo A Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre production
By Kate Hennig
By Tetsuro Shigematsu
SEP. 12 – 30, 2017
JAN. 16 – 28, 2018
WORLD PREMIERE POETIC & THOUGHT-PROVOKING
SOPHISTICATED ROMANCE
TO THE LIGHT
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English Translation by John Murrell Directed by Vanessa Porteous
Ellen Kelly (ellen@citypalate.ca)
OCT. 17 – NOV. 4, 2017
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CITYPALATE.ca MAY JUNE 2017
citypalate.ca
contents
CITY PALATE MAY JUNE 2017
FEATURES
24 n
The Iron Sommelier
1 dish, 3 sommeliers, 3 judges, 3 wines and 3 beers Shelley Boettcher
30 n
Calgary's Great Old Neighbourhoods
Shelley Boettcher
34 n
Feeding Hungry Kids
Addressing food insecurity with in-school programs and more Holly Quan
36 n
Half-Century Secrets:
How Calgary’s longest-running restaurants do it Erin Lawrence
38 n
Pantry Raid!
Karen Ralph
DEPARTMENTS
7 n word of mouth
Notable culinary happenings around town
9 n eat this
What to eat in May and June Ellen Kelly
10 n drink this
Calgary’s Craft Beer – an update Tom Firth
12 n Calgary and Area Breweries
Kathy Richardier
14 n get this
Must have kitchen stuff Karen Anderson
16 n one ingredient
Cooking with beer Julie Van Rosendaal
Antipasto. (ahn-teh-PASS-toh) This is Italian for ‘starter’. It’s time to celebrate summer with family, friends and outdoor feasts.
Now, can someone please explain what a wine stopper is for?
20 n great finds
Ricardo's Hideaway & Made by Marcus Microcreamery Regan Johnson
22 n the sunday project
Planting your garden pots with Ellen Kelly
40 n stockpot
Stirrings around Calgary
44 n 6 quick ways with...
Beets Chris Halpin
46 n back burner... shewchuk on simmer
Oh, baby. Oh, baby duck... Allan Shewchuk
R E A D U S O N L I N E AT C I T Y PA L AT E . C A
Grocery. Bakery. Deli. Café. EDMONTON Little Italy | Southside | West End CALGARY Willow Park
italiancentre.ca
CITYPALATE.ca MAY JUNE 2017
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celebrating 25 years!
Thank you, Calgary, for making us a staple in our city for the very best in wine, whisky, beer, spirits and tastings. Join us this Spring and raise a glass to celebrate 25 years in Kensington and all that is still to come!
1 2 5 7 K e n s i n g t o n r o a d n W | K e n s i n g t o n W i n e m a r K e t. c o m | 4 0 3 2 8 3 8 0 0 0 F i n d u s o n tw i t t e r a n d i n s t a g r a m : @ K e n s i n g t o n W m
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word of mouth
NOTABLE CULINARY HAPPENINGS AROUND TOWN IN OU R OPIN ION
pig & pinot 2017
more chocolate from old coal
calgary loves its chocolate!
Join us at our seventh annual Pig & Pinot Festival at Hotel Arts, June 15, 7-10 p.m., a fun fundraiser for Calgary Meals on Wheels. Talented chef teams create delicious and original pork dishes while wine stores pour pinot wines from city palate’s SEVENTH ANNUAL around the world. Check the ad on page 35 for details.
Old Coal chocolates has collaborated with Village Brewery to make beer caramels, called beeramels, with the Blacksmith Black Ale. The result is rich and complex caramel, with notes of malt and dark ale enrobed in dark chocolate. Find them at the Village tasting room shop and online at oldcoal.com
And the proof was in the drinking – this year’s 6th Annual YYC Hot Chocolate Fest raised $35,618.39 – more than double what was raised last year – which speaks very well for the future of Hot Chocolate Fest in support of Calgary Meals on Wheels.
pig & pinot
Tickets available now at pigandpinot2017.eventbrite.ca
more local deliciousness Springbank Cheese carries a super-good local product (wine jelly, pepper jelly and jams) from Mable’s Pantry, a Calgary business. It pairs well with cheese and charcuterie. Springbank has been carrying the product in the Crowfoot store, and sales are stellar as the all-natural product sells itself. Look for the likes of Gewurztraminer & Thai Basil Jelly, Cherry Vanilla Bean & Kirsch Jam, Balsamic Strawberry Sweet Onion Jam and Balsamic Red Pepper Jelly.
a change in name only One of our favourite eating places is The Pie Hole, now with a fun new name, Pie Junkie. One day we had a delish lunch there of both savoury and sweet pies. Even better news, Pie Junkie is opening a second location next door to Red’s Diner in Kensington on 10th St. in July. Yay!
lots of good chocolate If you haven’t had any of local dude Brad Churchill’s Choklat in a while, you really do need some. As he says, it’s therapy chocolate, it’s so creamy and delicious – even the high-octane 70% chocolate – it will make you and your mouth happy. Churchill has moved from Inglewood to a new factory location at 36 Ave. and 21 St. NE where you can buy his Choklat. Visit choklat.com and check it out. Or, you can get it at The Cookbook Co. And, should you want to see chocolate in action, you can join Choklat Therapy to see how chocolate is made, how to pair wine with chocolate, how to make truffles and chocolate, how to temper chocolate or line up your own private event. Mainly, eat lots of the chocolate.
each bottle sold feeds 5 children
a fave chef is back Giuseppe di Gennaro, of Capo and Borgo fame, has recently opened his own place again where Pie Cloud used to be in Kensington. We loved Pie Cloud, but we also love whatever Joe cooks for us, so we’re happy to see him back in his own place again – Cotto Italian Comfort Food – “classic Italian in a modern world.” We stopped in recently for OMG food, including cannoli made with lemon curd – oh, yes!
The Brakemen Foundation has been raising money for the Zero Hungry Kids campaign. 2016 launched WINE as the funding model, the only Charity Wine in Alberta. Each bottle sold feeds five children. The 2014 Carita Brakemen Foundation Wine is a blend of merlot, syrah and cabernet sauvignon. Find this great-drinking charity wine at Calgary Co-op liquor stores for under $22 and at First and Vine in Airdrie for $21. One of the brakemen’s daughters, age 8, designed the label. Too cool! And… a white wine is in the works.
pulled pork at the cookbook co. We’ve gotten totally hooked on one of the tasty foods the Cookbook Co. Cooks cooks in its kitchens – Korean Pulled Pork. Some of us fill our smokers with pork butt and smoke it, then pull it to make barbecue pulled pork sandwiches. Well, now we’ve been seduced by the Korean flavouring of this great pulled pork. Get yourself some and make pulled pork sandwiches, or just wrap it up in flour tortillas – that’s what we do. Total yum. And some coleslaw on the side doesn’t hurt, either!
culinary students' fundraiser James Fowler High School culinary students create savoury appetizers and cookies for Full STEAM Ahead for Students, May 25, 5:30-8 p.m., at the CBE Education Centre, 12218 St. SW. It’s an event to raise funds for enhancing education opportunities for public school students. Tickets are $133, with a portion to be tax-receipted. Visit educationmatters.ca/steam for details.
read these: If you're looking for familyfriendly recipes that will please the little people in your life and help you all have fun in the kitchen together, Family Eats – A Cultivating Foodies Cookbook by Calgarians Stephanie and James Parker (West Rose Media, $14, paper cover, Find it at Tool Shed at the Calgary Farmers’ Market starting May 4). These easy recipes might inspire your kids to take over your kitchen for you one day! cultivatingfoodies.com This one is interesting, if this sort of thing interests you. Energy Balls: Improve your physical performance, mental focus, sleep, mood, and more! By Christal Sczebel, a certified holistic nutritionist based in Edmonton (Chronicle Books, $16.95, paper cover). Not energy bars, but balls that are no-bake, vegan and gluten free. Energy balls for breakfast, lunch box, brain boosting, performance enhancing and bedtime. Yet another superb book from favourite Indian restaurant people, Vikram Vij and Meeru Dhalwala, famous of Vij’s and Rangoli in Vancouver – Vij’s Indian: Our Stories, Spices and Cherished Recipes (Penguin Random House Canada, $35, paper cover). These recipes are cooked at the restaurants and at their home, including an abundance of vegetarian recipes along with plenty of fish, poultry and meat recipes – such as the orgasmic Beef Short Ribs in Kalonji and Cream Curry.
CITYPALATE.ca MAY JUNE 2017
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One Stop Kitchen Shop
PREP
HOME WORLD BAKE
June is
PORK MONTH
DINE COOK
1062929 SunridgeWay NE www.homeworld.store 4034510650
Porkapalooza is Edmonton’s premier BBQ competition. For the fourth year in a row, join us in exploring the art and culture of BBQ.
JUNE 10 + 11
Northlands
Edmonton, AB porkapalooza.ca Chefs compete for the coveted “Divine Swine” trophy with original pork dishes paired with delicious pinot wines!
Hotel Arts
JUNE 15
Calgary, AB
pigandpinot2017.eventbrite.ca
www.wusthof.ca House of Knives Market Mall 3625 Shaganappi Trail NW Calgary
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CITYPALATE.ca MAY JUNE 2017
Hendrix 457 42 Ave. SE Calgary
Kitchen Boutique 212 - 1st St. W. Cochrane
Kitchen Boutique 960 Yankee Valley Blvd SE Airdrie
Zest Kitchenware Dalhousie Station Shopping Centre (North end) Unit 131, 5005 Dalhousie Drive NW, Calgary
eat this
Ellen Kelly
WHAT TO EAT IN MAY AND JUNE
I think we can safely start serving main course salads now, and what better dish to bring to an al fresco table than a composed salade niçoise? It’s thought by many to be the perfect summer salad and for good reason.
Illustrations by Pierre Lamielle
Tiny new green beans (haricots verts), delectable new potatoes, and the first ripe tomatoes are combined with fresh herbs, black niçoise olives and tuna (canned or freshly grilled). Even artichoke hearts, hard-cooked eggs, lemons and capers... all combined to create a celebration of summer on a plate. As farfetched as it sounds, the debate and controversy over what should or should not comprise a salade niçoise continues to rage to this day. I, however, bow to Auguste Escoffier (1846-1935) who included green beans and potatoes in his version, much to the dismay of purists, then and now. But let’s not forget that this is a peasant dish first and foremost, originating as simple food for country people cooking with what they had at hand. As Claudia Roden has said, “There are not one or two or three versions of salade niçoise – but dozens, depending on what is available.”
GREEN AND YELLOW BEANS like it warm, having originated in the tropics, and happily follow asparagus and peas seasonally. While available all year, the first early summer green beans, especially the tiny haricots verts, are not to be missed. I like to treat the new crop as simply as possible. Steam the whole trimmed bean until tender, but still crisp. Drain the beans, and in the same pot, sauté 2 crushed garlic cloves in good olive oil until golden and aromatic. Remove from the heat; add the beans back to the pot and season with Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper. Give the lidded pot a good shake or two and serve right away. The broad flat Italian Romano beans we’re seeing more often are lovely and can be use interchangeably with green or yellow beans.
We find NEW POTATOES, certainly first dug up to see how the crop was coming along, in markets for a very short period of time. Their flesh is moist and delicate and needs very little attention to shine. The skin is almost non-existent and beyond washing, the potato needs no other preparation. They are easy to overcook, so be vigilant. Serve simply with good butter, salt and pepper and a sprinkling of a favourite fresh herb; try mint for a summer treat.
FRESH HERBS are to be found, like so many things these
BUY: Don’t bother with dull, soft and/or limp beans. Surreptitiously snap a bean to see how crisp it is, and then eat it to see how sweet. Just a bit of guerrilla shopping. TIPS: It’s a common practice to stop cooking by immersing beans in an ice bath, but to avoid losing the delicate flavour of new beans, spread them out on a tea towel to cool instead. DID YOU KNOW? Every culture utilizes beans, whether fresh in the immature pod or the mature dried seed. Known to the Egyptians and mentioned by Pliny, green beans have likely been cultivated long before we can reliably verify.
BUY: Avoid the usual blemishes that would indicate they have been kept too long. New potatoes are very perishable, unlike their older brothers. TIPS: Almost exclusively found at farmers’ markets, look for uniformity in size to facilitate cooking. Leftover potatoes, as well as leftover beans, are good candidates for salade niçoise. DID YOU KNOW? The cute little oval potatoes we see all year long, while perfectly lovely and incredibly versatile, are NOT new potatoes. They are creamers. That said, they are a wonderful addition to a salade niçoise.
days, all year round. But now we can start to snip them from our very own pots and plots. The first up are chives, of course, and can be cut with a sharp knife or scissors to sprinkle on anything, especially eggs. Mint is quite prolific and if you have a corner to fill, a great asset to any garden. Mint grows equally well in a pot, thereby easier to contain. Even if all you do with it is garnish drinks and lemonade, it’s worth having around. For a mintier experience, try muddling the mint with the ice in the pitcher before adding the lemonade. A splash of gin for the adult crowd seldom goes amiss. Thyme, sage, parsley, dill, rosemary, basil, lavender and sweet marjoram (to name just a few of the usual suspects), are all perfect for mixed pots on patios and balconies. You can even stretch the season, if you’re so inclined, by bringing a pot indoors to set in a sunny window. Fresh herbs elevate a roast chicken, add character to marinades and vinaigrettes and generally improve all they encounter. Herb pastes like pesto are handy to have on hand, fresh or frozen. Or more simply, freeze fresh herbs in good olive oil. It’s easy and will ensure you have your own herbs for the winter kitchen. Buy two or three plastic ice cube trays, put the featured herb, washed and chopped for use, in the bottom and cover with good olive oil. Freeze and then pop the cubes in a labelled container. Seriously, labelling is the important part. For delicious and reliable vinaigrette for a salade niçoise and much more, mince 1 garlic clove, 1 T. capers and 2 anchovy filets into a coarse paste. Add 2-3 t. finely chopped fresh herbs (parsley, basil, thyme, perhaps) and juice and zest of 1 lemon. A dollop of honey and another of Dijon mustard, a generous splash of white wine vinegar and we’re almost there. Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper round things out and last, while whisking, add a stream of good olive oil.
BUY: Buy fresh herbs as you would fresh flowers. Avoid limp, yellowed or brown leaves and look for clean cuts on the stems. Keep them as you would flowers, as well. Trim the stems, put the “bouquet” in a glass of water and loosely cover the tops with a plastic bag before refrigerating. TIPS: The fluffy mauve-pink ball of chive flowers is just as versatile as the chopped leaves. The tiny flowers have a milder flavour and make such a pretty garnish. Just pull them out gently and scatter with abandon. DID YOU KNOW? Lavender is better known for its aromatic properties, but a few dried buds crushed into a mixture of chopped thyme, rosemary, basil and sweet marjoram will instantly evoke the quintessential essence of southern France. Think bouquet garni. Ellen Kelly is a chef and regular contributor to City Palate.
CITYPALATE.ca MAY JUNE 2017
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drink this
Tom Firth
CALGARY’S CRAFT BEER – AN UPDATE
It’s a Beautiful Time to Love Calgary’s Craft Beer Whenever I travel and have an opportunity to hit a good watering hole for some suds, the last thing I’m likely to do is order a big, multinational brew. Instead, I want to try something good, something different, and something local. While fine beer has been made in Calgary for a while, it’s only quite recently that the small brewery scene has really taken off. For a long time, we really didn’t have a local brewing culture filled with innovators and dreamers. In places like British Columbia, you could barely throw a stick without hitting a microbrewery. Yet here, it wasn’t until 2013 that the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC) dropped its stifling requirement that a brewery had to have a minimum production level or it would be deemed “too small” to operate. When the Alberta government finally scrapped the production minimums for breweries and distilleries, it was only a matter of time before the true craft brewers started oozing out of the woodwork. Under the old rules, in order to have a chance at starting a brewery, you’d need to round up hundreds of thousands – if not millions – of dollars. Once the minimums were dropped, it became possible to make great beer or spirits for much, much less. These days, Calgary has approximately 13 breweries, with several more either about to open, or in the planning stages. As is the case for any industry going through a boom, there were a number of pioneers that helped pave the way. It’s impossible to talk about brewing in Calgary without discussing Big Rock. No longer a tiny little brewery, Big Rock’s Grasshopper and Traditional really opened the door for Albertans and tourists to try something unique to Alberta. Started in 1985, Big Rock now brews in British Columbia and Ontario, as well as here. With nearly a dozen year-round offerings and a strong seasonal line-up, Big Rock is an Alberta-made brewing success story. According to Jim Button of Village Brewery, the seeds of the “locavore” movement really began in 2007, when the concept of buying, eating, and drinking locally made products started taking hold in the province. He says that “breweries are one of the more visible elements for supporting local.” Village Brewery was in the planning stages before Alberta dropped the minimum production requirements, so it committed to the 5000-hectoliter capacity of its facility. At the time, it was the first new brewery in Alberta in 15 years. Wild Rose Brewery’s Brian Smith, director of brewery operations, notes that “A truly great craft beer scene only exists when there are lots of good local breweries.” But he sees that the small brewery/tap room option is a good way for plenty of newer and smaller breweries to get a start. Meanwhile, Benjamin Leon, one of the co-founders of the Dandy Brewing Company, got into the business the same way that plenty of others do – through home brewing. By the time the laws changed in 2013, Leon says, “we had talked about all the cool things we would do in ‘our brewery,’ so it seemed like we had no choice but to open our own.” Leon is quick to acknowledge that “when the AGLC began to allow tasting rooms, it was a major win for us small guys. All of a sudden, we can do tiny batches, and have people come right in and learn from us what it is, and why, and all that stuff. We didn’t need giant marketing budgets, because we sold the beer, served the beer, gave tours… HUGE!” The Red Bison Brewery is a new brewery slated to open in 2017. Steve Carlton, one of its founders, says, “the longer we spent around beer and the people who make it and drink it, I knew I had to be in (this) space. The craft beer culture and community are amazing and we can’t wait to be a much bigger part of it.” Carlton credits more than just the AGLC production changes for the boom in local breweries. “In general, I think food is the main factor that made craft beer more popular. When gastropubs brought quality, flavourful foods to the masses and started the buy-local, source-local movement and educated people on where their food comes from and what’s in it, it pushed people to ask those questions about their beer.”
Drink More Better Wine 722 11 Avenue SW, Calgary, AB 403.205.3356 | wine@metrovino.com metrovino.com
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CITYPALATE.ca MAY JUNE 2017
Carlton describes the local brewing community as extremely supportive. “They’re all eager to help out the new guys on the block. Every time I talk with someone from a brewery, they always offer help or say to call whenever I need something. The people make the scene so great.” Alberta, in addition to already having access to some of the greatest beers from all over the world, finally has a strong, local craft scene to call its own – and it’s just getting better.
A note on the beers – many of the newer or smaller guys might only be available on tap or in limited distribution. The best way to find them is to ask at your neighbourhood shop for local beers, or check out the beer menu at your favourite watering holes. Many now devote space to local brews.
314 10th St. NW Calgary AB (587) 356-4088 Pictured L to R above:
cottoyyc.com
Wild Rose Wraspberry Ale My wife’s favourite from Wild Rose (I lean towards the Electric Avenue), Wild Rose Wraspberry is a staple in the Firth household. Perfectly refreshing, the raspberry fruits make it summery year-round without being overpowering. Dandy in the Underworld Oyster Stout A locally-made stout that’s earthy, robust, and packed with coffee and chocolatey flavours, this is a fine accompaniment to a variety of dishes that call for stout – just save a little for the meal, too. Village Brewery Village Blonde One of the go-to brews in stock at my house, this is the right combination of sheer quaff-ability and great flavours. A “natural blonde” ale, it’s got the right combination of flavour and smoothness that this fellow likes.
pairs well with
FLIP FLOPS.
Tool Shed Red Rage My favourite from Tool Shed, this good red ale takes the edge off a long day very nicely. Medium-bodied, it’s packing a punch, but I love the salted peanut nuttiness and the bitterness on the finish – delicious with a good burger. Trolley 5 First Crush White IPA Normally, I don’t reach for cloudy beers, but try to forgive me for this transgression. Clean and tropical with lots of citrus peel, it hits the spot when the days are warm, but the nights still cool. I’ll get this again. Cold Garden This Must Be The IPA (in the glass) Came across this one on tap at the Nash in Inglewood and was oh-so-pleasantly surprised by the right combination of floral hops and a nice little kick. Cold Garden was so good, I ordered a few more that night and, ever since then, scan every beer menu for it.
May 5 and 6, the Calgary International Beerfest is taking place. It’s the largest beer festival in Western Canada. With offerings from more than 500 international and domestic breweries, it’s a great opportunity to taste your way through as many as you can – and to talk directly with some of the local folks making great beer. (We assume you’ll get home responsibly.) Tom Firth is a freelance wine writer based in Calgary. Find him @cowtownwine and cowtownwine.com
Visit starrdistilling.com for retail locations and recipes! CITYPALATE.ca MAY JUNE 2017
11
Calgary Craft Breweries
Calgary Craft Breweries: The list Annex Ale Project 4323 - 1 St. SE annexales.com
The Dandy Brewing Company #11, 1826 - 25 Ave. NE thedandybrewingcompany.com
Banded Peak Brewing #119, 519 - 34 Ave. SE bandedpeakbrewing.com
High Line Brewing #113, 1318 - 9 Ave. SE highlinebrewing.com
Big Rock Brewery 5555 - 76 Ave. SE bigrockbeer.com
Last Best Brewing & Distilling 607 - 11 Ave. SW lastbestbrewing.com
Boiling Oar Brewing Company 7930 - 51 St. SE boilingoar.com
Mill Street Calgary Brewpub 219 - 17 Ave. SW millstreetbrewery.com/ calgary-brew-pub
by Kathy Richardier
Oh, man, do we have a fabulous selection of craft beer in our corner of the world – how lucky we are! We went to Taste of Bragg Creek that featured local breweries – and Tom Firth has updated us on what’s going on and what’s coming up, see page 10/11. Meanwhile, we picked up an Alberta Craft Beer Guide at Taste and thought it would be useful to just list everything mentioned under Calgary Breweries, plus mention that we stopped into Half Hitch Brewing Company in Cochrane on the way home because we liked the Fire ‘N’ Fury Red Ale and the Shotgun Wedding Brown Ale we sampled at Taste, plus we got great chicken wings and sat at the bar and yakked with a very pleasant and fun young woman. Visit halfhitchbrewing.ca for all the tasty details, and go hang at the bar for some fire ‘n’ fury and shotgun weddings. ✤
Brewsters Brewing Company 5519 - 53 St. SE brewsters.ca Caravel Craft Brewery Bay 12, 10221 - 15 St. NE caravelbrewery.com Citizen Brewing Company 227 - 35 Ave. NE citizenbrewingcompany.com
Tool Shed Brewing Company #9, 801 - 30 St. NE toolshedbrewing.com Trolley 5 Restaurant & Brewery 728 - 17 Ave. SW trolley5.com Village Brewery 5000 - 12A St. SE villagebrewery.com
Cold Garden Beverage Company 1100 - 11 St. SE coldgarden.ca
Wild Rose Brewery, Tap Room #2, 4580 Quesnay Wood Dr. SW wildrosebrewery.com
Common Crown Brewing Co. 943 - 28 St. NE commoncrown.ca
Zero Issue Brewing 4210 - 12 St. NE zeroissuebeer.com
A Cut Above.
Opening May 9! Finest Quality Cuts • Locally Raised • Chef Inspired
Part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts Family of Companies. URBANBUTCHER.CA 12
CITYPALATE.ca MAY JUNE 2017
MISSION | WILLOW PARK VILLAGE | GRANARY ROAD
A refined and energetic bistro.
The perfect pairing. RosĂŠ + Summer.
From the palest of salmon-pinks to deep crimson hues, the range in this category is immense. You’ll just have to try them all. Visit bin905.com for upcoming tastings, events and to order online.
BIN 905
WINE, SPIRITS & CRAFT ALES
403.261.1600 / bin905.com
divinobistro.com
Seize the Rockies
Capture a landscape. Or be absorbed by one. Hike, bike, canoe or stay in and pursue new extremes of comfort. Our rustic mountain lodges energize the body and settle the soul.
Elev. 1692 m Tunnel Mountain Trail Trailhead is a 23 minute walk from Buffalo Mountain Lodge.
crmr.com
CITYPALATE.ca MAY JUNE 2017
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get this
It’s the little things.
easy entertaining Graduations, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, bridal and baby showers – spring brings lots to celebrate. If there’s more entertaining than time to cook on your agenda, stopping by Beirut Bakery to pick up a few of their healthy Mediterranean munchables could save your sanity. The dips, salads and falafel are light and lively but the fatayer pastries filled with chicken, beef, spinach or spinach and cheese are favourites along with the kebbie. Kebbie are delicious little football shaped cracked wheat patties stuffed with ground beef, fried onions, pine nuts and spices.
At Eight Ounce, we’ve been selling and wholesaling quality coffee equipment for baristas, restaurants and the aficionado at home since 2011. Visit our Calgary showroom for honest advice for brewing at your very best at home or work.
Lebanese specialties, starting at $1/piece, Beirut Bakery #1–4005 9TH STREET SE, CALGARY SHOWROOM MON-FRI 9-5 SAT 10-4
(403) 457-9844 or shop online at eightouncecoffee.ca
Evonne Smulders is a beekeeper, permaculture expert and teacher of gardening, bread making and fermenting based in Black Diamond. In her spare time she is also a talented potter whose work reflects her passions – especially her passion for beekeeping. With her husband, she formerly owned Terra Cotta Dudes in downtown Black Diamond but now you can find her bee-inspired pottery at Chinook Honey in Okotoks. Get some honey to fill one of her honey pots. Buy one of her plates or platters and fill it with honeycomb, blue cheese, nuts and fruit for a sensuous start to supper at home with your own honey.
YYC WINE DEALS
Evonne Smulders pottery, $20 & up, Chinook Honey, Okotoks
ORDER
walk and shop
ONLINE PICK UP IN-STORE
*
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CITYPALATE.ca MAY JUNE 2017
pottery power
It’s great to see more neighbourhood grocery stores popping up around Calgary. Bridgeland has Bridgeland Market and a new Blush Lane Organic Market. Blush Lane is also opening in Marda Loop. Inglewood has Bite Grocer and Eatery and Hillhurst/Sunnyside has cozy little Sunnyside Natural Market. Proximity means you don’t have to get in your car for every errand and a walkable city is a more liveable city. Now, even if you need to do a serious stock-up you can do it on foot with this sturdy personal shopping cart and carryall from Lee Valley. They call it a hand truck as it can do double duty as a dolly. I call it a fitness program. Ultimate Carryall, $99, Lee Valley Tools
Karen Anderson
MUST HAVE KITCHEN STUFF
glove love Eventually, all good cooks go to heaven but first they’re faced with a pile of dirty dishes. No sense getting blue over it, just put these True Blue household gloves on and get to it. Make the water as hot as Hades, you won’t feel it with this cotton-lined, latexfree, easy-on and -off pair of dish pig armour. These are the perfect insulation for your hands when you’ve cooked a “beer can chicken” and want to get the chicken off the steaming hot beer can without scalding yourself. True Blue –The Ultimate Household Gloves, $22.95, Edelweiss Village
it’s what you crave Chimmi’s Fresh Grill, based out of Okotoks, is a food trailer that caters events. Owner Olivier Torres serves up succulent Peruvian grilled chicken with sides of his secret family “Hot Sauz.” His loyal fans told him so often that they crave his food that “it’s what you crave” became the tag line for his products. Now you can buy his famous hot sauce, ketchup, grilling sauce and mayo at select partners. A favourite is the mayo that Torres developed to complement his fish tacos. It brings sandwiches to life, adds a kick to coleslaw and makes a zesty veggie or fry dip.
s e a s o n a l ca n a d i a n c u i s i n e ,
i n s p i r e d l i b at i o n s & e t c e t e r a s d e a n e h o us e . c o m @ d e a n e h o us e y yc
Chimmi’s Hot Sauz condiments, $8.50 - $10.50, Silver Sage Beef at the Calgary Farmers’ Market
access to authenticity If you think Cinco de Mayo has turned into more of a major marketing fiesta for nachos and margaritas than an authentic taste of Mexican culture, check out Tres Marias for a more genuine approach to the food and festivities. Better yet, check out the store and cantina in Marda Loop any time of the year. Pozole was the special of the day on a recent trip where I also stocked up on house-made tortillas, burritos, guacamole and salsa verde to go. There are fresh and dried chilies and many dried goods so you can prepare your own feast at home and there’s even authentic Mexican glassware to set the mood as you set the table. Mexican hand-blown glassware, $5.50-$45, Tres Marias Mexican Food Market
Lunch, Dinner, Weekend Brunch
Karen Anderson is the owner of Alberta Food Tours.
RIVER-CAFE.COM
@RIVERCAFEY YC
CITYPALATE.ca MAY JUNE 2017
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one ingredient
Julie Van Rosendaal
COOKING WITH BEER
I happened to sit down to write about cooking with beer a few days after returning from London, where, as it turned out, just about everything served at a pub appears to be made with ale. Eateries are dedicated to pies and ale – the filling for the pies themselves simmered with it, then served with a cold one to wash it down. Brews are the foundation for stews, braises and gravies, not only in the UK, but also in other European countries, like Belgium, which has about 180 breweries and is about a tenth the size of Alberta. So it makes sense here in Alberta, where we grow great grains and have micro- and nano-breweries popping up everywhere, to incorporate some of that prairie-grown grain into our dinners in more ways than one.
When in Brazil,
do as Brazilians do! ENJOY OUR Churrasco with A GREAT selection of Brazilian beer & wine.
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CALGARY'S 1ST ONLINE PERSONALIZED WINE SUBSCRIPTION SOMMELIER SELECTED - PERSONALIZED FOOD PAIRINGS - FLEXIBLE DELIVERY
www.wyneyc.ca • 16
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• info@wyneyc.ca
It’s easy to see the difference between beers when they’re in your glass – they range in colour, flavour and density from pale ales and pilsners to dark lagers, brown ales, porters and stouts. They may lose some of their nuances after being simmered with chunks of beef, onions and garlic, but, as with other cooking liquids, darker brews are clearly better-suited to richer, heavier dishes like baked beans, French onion soup and chili; paler ales are best, flavour-wise, for battering fish, calamari and onion rings, used in marinades and integrated into vinaigrettes. Hoppy IPAs will add a stronger flavour and more bitterness to a dish, just as they do to your palate when you’re chugging them by the pint. Beer’s effervescence can be a culinary benefit, lightening batters and baked goods, but if you find yourself with an open bottle or can that hasn’t been finished but has gone flat, don’t dump it. Instead, use it to deglaze the pan after you’ve cooked a batch of sausages, adding a knob of butter as well, and serve the gravy over your sausages and mash. Add some along with the stock in your gravy (instead of wine), pour some into a pot to steam a batch of mussels, or use it in place of wine in your next cheese fondue. Beer even works with dessert – its malty flavour, which comes from malted cereal grains, pairs beautifully with chocolate, and perhaps even more so with caramel. Try using it in caramel sauce – dilute your portion of cream with a bit of ale – and use it instead of coffee in chocolate cakes, or as the liquid component in your next buttercream frosting. Once you start cooking with a glass of beer in your hand instead of wine, you’ll quickly realize that it may have as much culinary potential as you’ll find in the more traditional vino.
Beef and Guinness Pie Although Guinness is arguably the most recognizable stout out there, any dark stout will make a fabulously dark, sticky pie – try Wild Rose oatmeal stout or another local brew. If you’re the type to store bacon drippings in the fridge, use them to brown your beef. 2 -1/2 lb. stewing beef, cut into 1-or 2-inch size pieces salt and freshly ground pepper olive oil or bacon fat 1 large red onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 3 T. all-purpose flour 1 c. Guinness or other dark ale or stout (plus extra if needed) 1 c. beef or chicken stock (plus extra if needed) 2 T. tomato paste 1 T. Worcestershire sauce 2 sprigs fresh thyme 1 large carrot, diced 1 c. grated extra-old white cheddar 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed 1 egg, lightly beaten
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Pat your beef dry with paper towel and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set an oven-proof Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add a drizzle of oil or dab of bacon fat, and brown the meat in batches, transferring to a plate as you go. Add extra oil in between if the pan needs it.
Once the meat is browned, remove it, put it on a plate and set it aside on the counter, add the onion to the pan and cook for a few minutes, stirring to loosen any browned bits in the bottom of the pan. Return the beef to the pan, add the garlic and shake the flour over the mixture, stirring to coat everything well. Add the stout, stock, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce – there should be enough liquid to just barely cover the meat. If not, add a little more stout, stock or even water. Add a couple of sprigs of thyme (or pull off the leaves and add them to the pot), cover and cook the stew in the oven for 1-1/2 hours. Remove the pot from the oven, stir in the carrots and return to the oven for another hour, or until the meat is very tender. Remove from the oven and turn the heat up to 400°F. If you like, scrape the meat mixture into another baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry out about 1/4-inch thick, making it slightly larger than the size or diameter of your baking dish. If you’re going to drape the pastry over the edges of the dish, brush the edges with beaten egg. Drape the pastry over top, sealing it around the edge of the pan. (Alternatively, if there’s too much space between the top of the meat and the top of the pan, tuck the edge of the pastry haphazardly down around the edge inside the pan.) Brush the top with beaten egg and, if you like, score the top lightly with a sharp knife. Return to the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the pastry is deep golden. Serves 6.
Our name has changed. Our pie hasn’t.
[ previously The Pie Hole ]
Handmade all butter crust and fillings from scratch. sweet pies | savoury pies | hand pies | slab pies mini pies | tarts | wedding pies | catering 8 Spruce Centre SW Calgary | 403.452.3960 | piejunkie.ca
recipe photos by Julie Van Rosendaal
Beer Battered Fish & Chips A light ale works best in beer batters, which can be used for everything from fish to onion rings. If you come across it, the “King of Fish” Batter Mix from Billingsgate Fish Co. comes pre-seasoned and can be used in place of the flour. As long as you have a mixture with the consistency of pancake batter, you’re golden. 1 c. all-purpose flour, divided 1-1/2 lb. cod or haddock filets salt 3/4 c. cold pale ale canola oil, for cooking coarse salt
Put 1/4 c. of the flour into a shallow dish. Cut the fish fillets diagonally into 1-inch-wide strips. In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 3/4 c. flour, a pinch of salt and the beer – you should have a mixture with the consistency of pancake batter. In a shallow, heavy pot, heat a couple inches of oil until it’s hot but not smoking – a scrap of bread dipped in should sizzle, and, if you use a thermometer, it should register about 350°F. Pat the fish dry with paper towel and dredge in the flour, shaking off the excess. Dip a few pieces at a time in the batter to coat, and gently lower into the oil. Cook, turning as needed, for 4-5 minutes, until the batter is deep golden and the fish is cooked through. Transfer to paper towels to drain and cool slightly, sprinkling with salt. Serve immediately. Serves 4. continued on page 18 CITYPALATE.ca MAY JUNE 2017
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one ingredient COOKING WITH BEER Find Your Happy Place!
Dine . Stay . Spa . Hike . Bike Our approach to food at Island Lake Lodge is simple; complexity without complication. We use organic and traditionally raised foods whenever possible and prepare them with unpretentious flavourings and wellexecuted techniques. We believe there should be strong connections between plate, planet, people and culture. Have a look at our website for new menus, spa specials, guided hiking info and accommodation packages.
Get Inspired: @islandlakelodge #takethepeak #lodgelife
islandlakelodge.com 1.250.423.3700
continued from page 17
Cheddar Beer Bread
Welsh Rarebit
This is a classic recipe – almost vintage, since it was huge in the ‘80s. It needs to make a comeback as that last-minute loaf to stir together and serve alongside soups, stews and chili (all made with beer, of course).
A staple in the U.K., Welsh rarebit is easy enough to make for a quick dinner here – it’s almost like cheese fondue, made with beer, and broiled over a thick slice of toasted bread.
3 c. all-purpose flour
2 T. flour
1 T. baking powder
1 c. beer
3 T. sugar
2 c. grated aged cheddar or gouda cheese
1 t. salt
1 large egg yolk
1 c. grated aged cheddar cheese
1 T. grainy mustard
1 bottle beer, at room temperature
1/2 t. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. melted butter, or canola or olive oil
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Add the cheese and toss to combine. Add the beer all at once, mixing as little as possible, just until blended; the batter should be lumpy. Pour the batter into a 9x5-inch loaf pan that’s been sprayed with nonstick spray, and brush the top with the melted butter or oil. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes, or until a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean. Turn out onto a rack to cool.
4 thick slices good-quality crusty bread
2 T. butter, plus extra for buttering
Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a medium saucepan, heat the butter and flour over medium-high heat, whisking until smooth. Whisk in the beer and bring to a boil. Once the mixture bubbles, cook it for a full minute, stirring until it thickens, then turn the heat down to low and quickly whisk in the cheese, egg yolk, mustard and Worcestershire. Season with salt and pepper and whisk until smooth. Toast your bread in a single layer on a baking sheet in the oven until golden. (If you like, butter your toast!) Pour cheese sauce over each slice and turn the oven up to broil; run the rarebit under the broiler for a few minutes, until golden and blistered on top. Serve immediately. Serves 4.
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Millionaire’s Shortbread with Ale Caramel Ale adds a distinctive hoppiness to rich caramel – it’s perfect sandwiched between shortbread and chocolate. Shortbread: 1 c. all-purpose flour 1/4 c. packed brown sugar pinch salt 1/2 c. butter, cut into pieces
Caramel: 3/4 c. (about half a bottle) ale or stout, divided 1 c. sugar 1/2 c. packed brown sugar 1/2 c. butter 1/2 c. heavy cream 1/2 c. corn syrup or Roger’s golden syrup 1/4 t. sea salt 1 c. chopped dark or semisweet chocolate
Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar and salt; add the butter and blend with a fork or your fingers until well combined and crumbly. Press into a parchment-lined 8x8-inch pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until pale golden around the edges. Remove and set aside. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, simmer 1/2 c. of the ale for about 20 minutes, until it’s reduced by more than half. Set aside. To make the caramel, in a largish pot (it will bubble up) combine 1/4 c. more of the ale (from the bottle), sugars, butter, cream, syrup and salt over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches 244°F on a candy thermometer. Stir in the reduced ale and pour over the shortbread base. Let stand or chill until firm. Melt the chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave or in a double boiler over simmering water. Spread over the set caramel and let stand or refrigerate for 10 minutes, until set. Run a thin knife around the edge of the pan and invert the squares onto a cutting board, then cut into squares or bars with a sharp, heavy knife. Makes 16 squares.
Chocolate Stout Cake with Stout Frosting Nigella Lawson’s Guinness chocolate cake is perhaps the most popular version on the internet, having been featured in the New York Times food section twice. It’s large, high and dense, the sort of cake that’s often baked in a Bundt pan to ensure it’s cooked through and doesn’t wind up damp or sinking in the middle. I’ve rounded down the butter and upped the cocoa; if you like, bake it in two 8- or 9-inch layers, in a Bundt pan or as cupcakes. It’s even better with stout-laced frosting, which comes across as caramel-like; between the cake and frosting, you’ll use just about exactly one bottle. 1 c. Wild Rose oatmeal stout, Guinness or other dark stout 1/2 c. butter, cut into pieces 2 c. sugar
a large saucepan, heat the stout and butter over medium-high heat until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar and cocoa. Set aside to cool slightly. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream, eggs and vanilla. Whisk into the chocolate mixture (make sure it has cooled enough that it won’t cook the eggs), then whisk in the flour, baking soda and salt. Pour into the prepared pan or pans and bake for 45 minutes to an hour – less for a Bundt cake and longer for the springform pan – or 30 minutes in two layer cake pans, or until the cake is set and springy to the touch. Let cool for 15 minutes before loosening the sides of the pan or inverting the cake onto a wire rack to cool completely.
1 c. cocoa 3/4 c. sour cream 2 large eggs 1 T. vanilla 2 c. all-purpose flour 2-1/2 t. baking soda 1/4 t. salt
Guinness frosting: 1/2 c. butter, softened 3 c. icing sugar 1/4-1/3 c. Guinness or other dark stout
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and fit a circle of parchment in the bottom. (Alternatively, grease a Bundt pan or two 8- or 9-inch layer cake pans.) In
To make the frosting, beat the butter and about half the icing sugar until smooth; add the remaining icing sugar and 1/4 c. stout; beat until creamy and smooth, adding a little extra sugar or stout until you have a spreadable frosting. Spread over the top of the cooled cake. Serves 12-16.
Julie Van Rosendaal is a cookbook author and blogs at dinnerwithjulie.com
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great finds
RICARDO’S HIDEAWAY
Right around the corner from National on 17th, there’s a cozy little slice of island life aptly named Ricardo’s Hideaway. It’s touted as one of downtown’s newest watering holes, and it certainly is that, but Justin Labossiere, culinary director of National, and Stephen Phipps, general manager at Ricardo’s, want Calgarians to come for the fun and stay for the food. There are no reservations; instead, rum-lined bar shelves, and punchy small plates that make it all too easy to imagine basking in the Caribbean sun, especially as spring is on the horizon. As one might suspect from its narrow profile, Ricardo’s doesn’t have its own kitchen. All of the food comes off the line at neighbouring sister restaurant National, and yet the menu at Ricardo’s is definitely a thing of its own. Developed in collaboration with JP Pedhirney, star chef of the Concorde Entertainment Group, the menu is full of island flavours, taking what Labossiere calls the classic “snacky” sort of bar food into the sunshine – like the plantain chips and somehow-vegetarian chicharróns. For a more proper meal, the customer favourite is the jerk chicken; it’s Phipps’ favourite, too, particularly when paired with the piña colada. What’s so special about this magical combination? Phipps can’t even say; he just sighs deeply. That’s the sort of food nirvana one would like to experience. The restaurant sources locally for many of its ingredients, including Southern Alberta goat for the goat curry. “We have a dedicated staff member who rolls empanadas,” Phipps says. And despite sharing a kitchen space with National under direction of Chef Cedric Truchon, Labossiere says that everyone in the kitchen has enjoyed the fun new dishes Ricardo’s has brought to the line. Connecting people, places, moments
The menu is enticing, but the cocktails steal the show. “Calgary is cold, and not everyone can afford to hop on a plane and go to the Caribbean, but everyone can afford to come have a cocktail – a $10 cocktail, too.” Phipps describes Ricardo’s approach to booze as a pushback against so-called ‘serious’ cocktail bars. “It’s the anti-serious cocktail. Great value, not pretentious.” Just plain fun, as is the mode at Ricardo’s. The drinks menu is a roundup of island classics that are made with the best ingredients – and otherwise left alone. “They’re not tweaked, they’re not twisted,” Phipps says. “Not deconstructed,” Labossiere adds, laughing. The classics get left alone; the rest come under the heading of Ricardo’s Specialties, with out-there mix-ups like the Badmind – jamaican rum, strawberry tobacco syrup and jerk vinegar. If cocktails aren’t for you, Ricardo’s has wine and beer, a rum list that’s two pages long, and real Mexican Coca-Cola, high-octane stuff made with sugarcane.
Ricardo’s opened July 2016, right before Stampede week – excellent timing, considering the patio that doubles the available seating – and Labossiere and Phipps are looking forward to patio weather again. But for them and their faithful regulars, winter won’t put a damper on the party. Ricardo’s Hideaway, 1530 - 5 St. SW, 587-349-2585 ricardoshideaway.ca
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Regan Johnson
MADE BY MARCUS MICR OCREAMERY
Before the macarons and ice cream, the things “made by Marcus” weren’t so sweet. With a background in nutrition, Nanaimo native Marcus Purtzki found himself working in New York and Vancouver as a meat cook and saucier, until he was tagged for what seemed like an amazing opportunity to combine his education in nutrition and his culinary skills cheffing for the Vancouver Canucks. “It was one of the oddest experiences I’ve ever had,” he says. Tasked with stuffing a pork loin, Purtzki planned to butterfly the loin before slow-roasting it. “This was going to be served to the Sedins, Luongo, and Kessler,” he recalls. “I needed to make it the best stuffed pork loin ever.” But one of the veteran cooks stopped him, unfamiliar with the technique of butterflying, where the cut of meat is split open, stuffed, and then tied together again with twine. “He said, ‘No no no... we don’t have twine here, Marcus.’ Then he handed me a chef’s knife, a honing steel, and a rubber glove.” Purtzki was told to hollow out the loin with the knife, and then use the rubber glove to stuff the meat, and the honing steel to help pack the stuffing in. “So I quit,” he says. “I started Made by Marcus the next day.” Purtzki had begun making macarons on his days off while working as a line cook for fun. When he moved to Calgary in 2012, and while his macaron wholesale business was taking off, he began to use all of the egg yolks leftover from egg-white-only macaron making to create the custard-based ice creams for which he is now known.
Bricks Wine Company. Calgary's friendliest neighbourhood wine shop. Bringing food and wine together.
101, 902 - 9th Avenue SE 587.535.9463 www.brickswine.ca
the ultimate in refined living
Purtzki says it would have been easy to remain a wholesale business with only the macarons and ice cream, but that he couldn’t keep himself from experimenting with new ideas and new techniques. Soon, Made by Marcus’s offerings expanded to include things like ice cream bars and ice cream sandwiches, and now, at his 17th Avenue microcreamery, which opened June 2016, there are sundaes and soft serve and made-to-order ice cream cakes. “It all kind of snowballed,” he says, and glances over to the shiny espresso machine on the shop’s counter. “And now I’m a barista, too.” The selection of sundaes at the microcreamery includes choices like Mexican Hot Chocolate, for which his team mastered the art of churros. In the past, they’ve done marshmallows, doughnuts, and waffle cone origami. Everything is made in house, the ice cream rotation includes a seasonal flavour that changes every two weeks, and if you bring an empty ice cream jar back to the shop, you’ll get a $1 discount. While the summer saw lineups out the door, Purtzki says winter has meant a different, calmer vibe. “People sit and stay, rather than run out the door. It’s a way to be social; instead of coffee after dinner, people come split a sundae.” 2330 Fish Creek Blvd S.W. Calgary, Alberta | Phone: (403) 460-3771
And that sounds pretty perfect, no matter the temperature.
Made by Marcus Microcreamery, #121, 1013 - 17 Ave. SW, 403-452-1692 madebymarcus.ca Regan Johnson works at The Cookbook Co. Cooks.
Premier 40+ Resort Style Community Located on Calgary’s Picturesque Fish Creek Park Wine Cellar | Movie Theatre | Games Room Fitness Centre | Swimming Pool | Bowling Alley Woodworking Shop & Much More
New Phase Now Open 2330 Fish Creek Blvd S.W. Calgary, Alberta www.sanderson-ridge.ca Phone: 403-460-3771
CITYPALATE.ca MAY JUNE 2017
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the sunday project
CALGARY’S TOP STEAKHOUSE FOR 2016 & 2017
with Ellen Kelly
PLANTING YOUR GARDEN POTS
MODERN
Nasturtiums make a terrific showing in mixed pots of herbs, vegetables and flowers. Both the flowers and leaves are edible and add a spicy peppery note to tossed salads. The flowers are brightly coloured, usually red, yellow and orange. The leaves are bright green or, in this case, variegated.
STEAK
You can use just about anything as a planter. Having fun is the main thing. Just make sure there is drainage, especially if you plan to leave them out in the rain. Pots can easily become waterlogged. Putting together an assortment of different vegetables, herbs and flowers makes an interesting planter. Planters can then be grouped with other pots or containers to create a lovely corner or display. Before planting in your planters, arrange your new plants in their original pots to get a look at space and composition. You can buy ready-mixed potting soil, or you can enhance your own compost with natural fertilizer, blood and bone meal, and more, depending on the needs of your plants. But don't fuss too much – again, having fun is the key.
100% RANCH SPECIFIC ALBERTA BEEF
If a plant is root-bound, massage the roots gently to loosen them before planting to give it a head start. It won't have to work so hard to get established. When your plants are newly potted and ready for watering, water your containers thoroughly, until water runs out of the drainage holes in the bottom. Water when the top couple of inches of soil feels dry when you poke a finger in. Keep the young plants well watered during the first few weeks until they are well established.
DRY AGED, WET AGED GRAIN FED, GRASS FED & BRANT LAKE WAGYU
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107 - 10A STREET NW | WWW.MODERNSTEAK.CA @ModernSteakCA
ModernSteakCA
ModernSteakCA
Le Creuset's Oyster:
Parsley Pesto
savourfinefoods.com
Arouse your passion for cooking!
1. Nasturtiums have edible flowers and leaves.
1331 - 9th Ave SE 403.532.8222
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CITYPALATE.ca MAY JUNE 2017
Pesto is a good way to use an abundance of basil, parsley and cilantro. A fave is parsley pesto with walnuts. Put 1 c. lightly toasted walnuts, 3 c. parsley, 1/2 c. chives, 1/2 c. grated parmesan, 3-4 roughly chopped garlic cloves, 1 T. lemon juice and 1 t. lemon zest into a food processor and pulse to combine. Add 3/4 c. good olive oil in a stream while the machine is running. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Compound Butter with Nasturtium Flowers Nasturtiums make a tasty and colourful compound butter. In a food processor, blend 1 lb. room-temp. butter with the juice and zest of 1 lemon, a healthy dash of Worcestershire sauce, a dash of Tabasco, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add 25-30 nasturtium blossoms and pulse until the flowers are chopped fine, but still colourful. Roll into a log in plastic wrap and chill. Cut coin-size rounds to place on top of grilled fish before serving. Delicious!
2. Use anything as a planter as long as it drains.
4. An assortment makes an interesting planter.
3.Pickling cukes ready for planting.
5. Arrange your new plants to get a look at grouping.
7. Ready mixed or enhanced potting soil.
6. A good mixture of plants.
8. Massage root-bound plants gently.
10. Lavender.
9. Water new plants well.
Ellen Kelly is a chef and regular contributor to City Palate. Photos by Regan Johnson.
CITYPALATE.ca MAY JUNE 2017
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The Iron Sommelier
1 DISH, 3 SOMMELIERS, 3 JUDGES, 3 WINES AND 3 BEERS by Shelley Boettcher, photos by Regan Johnson
There’s a culinary match for every wine and beer. The trick is to find it. Although there are basic guidelines to food and wine pairing, they’re often challenged when chefs make dishes with complex ingredients, tons of spice or anything vinegary. That’s where the experts are important – Calgary’s top sommeliers and wine retailers. They can wade through the flavours and focus on what works, and they can help us find something delicious for whatever we’re eating. With that in mind, a group of sommeliers and food industry folks from across the city gathered at Modern Steak in Kensington on a cold afternoon in March to take part in City Palate’s 12th annual Iron Sommelier Challenge. Their goal was to find perfect pairings – beer and wine – for one beautifully prepared dish. They ate. They drank. They compared flavours and notes. And they picked the winners. We already know what the purists are going to say next: we should call the competition something like the Iron Sommelier and Cicerone Challenge, because we included both beer and wine. But for more than a decade, we’ve been calling it The Iron Sommelier Challenge. We may tweak the rules from year to year, but we’re not changing the name now. We’re too busy having fun drinking, eating and pairing.
T H E
W AY
I T
W O R K S
This year, three sommeliers had to match one beer and one wine each with one dish created by Modern Steak’s chef Dustin Schafer. Then, three judges had to taste each dish with the selected beers and wines. Each sommelier had a chance to present his and her selections to the judges, but, during the actual tasting, the judges and sommeliers were kept apart so the sommeliers couldn’t influence the judges or overhear what the judges had to say. Finally, as a group, the judges had to choose the one beer and one wine that they believed paired best with the dish. And through the entire process, they had to share their thoughts on each pairing with City Palate.
O U R
C HE F
A N D
H I S
D I S H
Modern Steak’s Dustin Schafer and his team prepared Brant Lake wagyu flatiron steak, dry-aged short rib tortellini and braised red cabbage with a lemon-thyme veal reduction.
O U R
J U D G E S (L-R)
Karen Ralph, food and wine writer (KR) Michael Dekker, culinary instructor, SAIT (MD) Anne Sellmer, founder, Cochu Chocolatier (AS)
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O U R
S O M M E L I E R S
A N D
T H E I R
Bryan Childs, Kensington Wine Market
P I C K S :
Brit Harling, Bricks Wine
Mike Roberts, Co-op Wine Spirits Beer
BEER
BEER
BEER
Bruery Terreux, Tart of Darkness
Bruery Terreux, Gypsy Tart, Flemish-style brown ale
Weihenstephaner, Hefeweissbier Dunkel
(Orange County, California, USA, 750 mL, $28.19) “The Tart of Darkness reeks of roasted meat, burnt toast, and peated malt. This beer easily invites you to the feral flatiron and dry-aged short rib meat. Creamy, balsamic tartness easily complements the red wine vinegar cabbage. Flavours of portobello and moss seamlessly enhance the onion, thyme and bay leaf in the cabbage.”
(Orange County, California, USA, 750 mL, $20.95)
(Freising, Bavaria, Germany, 500 mL, $4.99)
“This Flemish style brown ale is not subtle by any means and will hold its own against the flatiron and other components. The mild tartness of this beer should help to brighten and lift the flavours of the dish while the earthy, funky notes complement the cardamom and star anise used in the braised cabbage.”
“Weissbier makes for a wonderful food companion with hints of lemony citrus and a slight sourness brought out by the yeast. This dunkel is tremendously flavourful, full of bread, caramel and boatloads of spicy clove, complementing the baking spice notes in the cabbage. It is fluffy, creamy and heavily carbonated, all adding to the textural experience of the pairing and, of course, freshening and cleansing the palate.”
WINE
WINE
WINE
Testalonga 2014 El Bandito Chenin Blanc
Encosta da Quinta 2012 Humus
Nino Negri 2011 Le Tense Sassella Valtellina Superiore
(Swartland, South Africa, $48.99) “El Bandito spends four weeks on the skins and has riveting acidity that really supports the cabbage’s sweet and sour notes. El Bandito is floral, with notes of saffron, apple and tarragon, which will bring out the thyme in the cabbage, and the tortellini and veal reduction. The grainy mustard-like tannins and almond notes complement the mineral-driven flatiron and doughy tortellini.”
(Lisboa, Portugal, $24.95) “The most dominant flavour in this dish is the cabbage and I wanted to find something that would complement that, while still having enough tannin and acidity to balance the rest of the dish. This wine has a rustic, warm, spiciness to it with silky tannins that should marry well with the warming spices of the dish.”
(Valtellina, Italy, $26.99) “The braised cabbage is the strongest flavour of the dish with powerful and intense flavours of cinnamon, star anise and reduced vinegar; there is sweetness and acidity too. The tortellini and flatiron reminded me of Scottish meat pies and a little HP sauce. The wine will complement these flavours with its own spice box, tobacco and HP sauce-like aromas (think clove, cinnamon).” continued on page 26
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The Iron Sommelier continued from page 25
W H AT
T H E
J U DG E S
S A I D :
BEER Bruery Terreux, Tart of Darkness AS: “Too tangy for me. It didn’t seem like a good fit.” KR: “It has these really strong kombucha notes. The acid stomped over the meat, but it complements the cabbage.” MD: “Over the top acidic. Way too big for me.” Bruery Terreux, Gypsy Tart AS: “I really like the fruitiness of it. It goes well with the meat.” KR: “I liked the winter spice component to it. It’s almost like a chai mix, but without that sweet finish on it. Great with the cabbage and short ribs.” MD: “A nice surprise. I enjoyed it. It really elevated the beef.” Weihenstephaner, Hefeweissbier Dunkel AS “My first choice. There were a lot of challenges pairing with this dish, but this went with everything.” KR “Beautiful. Obviously I liked this one. There’s hardly anything left in my glass. A good pairing with everything.” MD “You can’t go wrong with this pairing. It really worked. A tasty beer – my style. I really liked it.”
WINE Testalonga 2014 El Bandito Chenin Blanc AS: “I quite liked this. It was sour, fruity, light, tangy, yeasty, and it picked up on the saltiness of the meat. I quite liked it, but I’d drink less of it than the others.” KR: “I like the bravery of this pairing. Pairing a natural chenin blanc with this kind of dish – that’s brave.” MD: “It cut the richness of the beef. It paired best with the beef, not the tortellini.”
Encosta da Quinta 2012 Humus AS: “My favourite. I liked the depth. It was smooth, bold. It really holds everything together.” KR: “The wine has these earthy spice notes, which I liked, but I thought the cabbage overwhelmed it.” MD: “Balanced, creamy. It really brought out some of the richness of the dish. A great combination.”
Nino Negri 2011 Le Tense Sassella AS: “It really brought out the short rib flavour, but I didn’t love it with the cabbage.” KR: “This wine has structure, creaminess, fruit. It has everything. This is my favourite pairing, particularly with the salty crust on the meat.” MD: “This really paired well with the beef. I really enjoyed it.” continued on page 28
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The Iron Sommelier
Short Rib Filling
Lemon Thyme Veal Reduction
1 lb. braised and shredded short ribs
1 lb. veal bones
continued from page 26
1 t. fine-diced shallots
2 yellow onions, roughly chopped
T H E
1 c. demi-glace (find at any grocery store)
1 carrot, roughly chopped
Mix all ingredients well and season to taste with salt and pepper.
5 celery stalks, roughly chopped
F O O D :
Modern Steak’s Executive Chef Dustin Schafer shares the recipes that he and his team prepared for us. These recipes serve 6.
1 t. black peppercorns 4 sprigs fresh thyme
Tortellini
2 bay leaves
Grilled Flatiron Steak
Pasta dough:
13 oz. tomato paste
Get wagyu beef if you can find it at a butcher, expensive but luscious!
3 c. flour
2 c. red wine
3 large eggs
1 lemon, quartered
6 flatiron steaks, about 6 - 7 oz. each
6 egg yolks
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
salt and fresh-cracked pepper
2 T. olive oil
oil
pinch of salt
Roast the bones at 400°F. for about 45 minutes to an hour.
Temper the steak at room temperature for a minimum of 10 minutes until it’s not cold – longer is better. Coat with oil and season heavily with salt. Grill each side for about 4 minutes a side.
Mix wet with dry ingredients.
Rest the steak for at least five minutes. Brush with garlic oil and add more salt and a touch of freshcracked pepper.
Mix at #2 speed for 7 minutes. Add a bit of water if the dough is too dry. Rest the dough overnight in the fridge.
Prepare the rest of the recipes for the dish before you grill the steaks. You can grill the steaks while the tortellini are cooking.
To make the Tortellini: 1. Roll dough to about the thickness of a dime. 2. Cut into large circles. 3. Brush with egg wash. 4. Put about 1-1/2 t. of balled short rib to the top centre of each circle. 5. Fold over once, press edges together. 6. Bring the two sides together using your pinky finger to wrap around. Give the two sides a firm press. 7. Flap the top part over. 8. Cook 3 minutes in salted boiling water.
Braised Cabbage 1 white onion, fine julienne 1 sachet thyme, bay leaf, parsley stems, cinnamon, star anise, peppercorns 1/2 head red cabbage, sliced 1 c. red wine vinegar 2 T. honey
If you have a stand mixer, with a dough hook, mix at #1 speed until the dough comes together.
4 c. vegetable stock 2 c. apple juice
Once roasted, remove the bones, add the vegetables and roast for about 30 minutes. Put all the ingredients in a heavy stockpot, and fill with cold water to almost the top of the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and simmer for about 8 hours while skimming the stock of its fat now and then. Drain the stock and discard all the solid ingredients. Put the stock back into the pot and reduce it until the liquid coats the back of a spoon. Add the lemon and thyme, and let steep for about 30 minutes.
To assemble the dish: Put the cabbage on the plates, then slice the flatiron steaks and place slices on the cabbage. Put 2 tortellini on each plate and finish each one with 1/4 teaspoon of the veal reduction. Put about 2 teaspoons of the reduction on the flatiron steak slices. Finish the steak with Maldon or sea salt.
Sweat the onions with the sachet until translucent. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook for about an hour. Check for seasoning, and keep warm.
Short Ribs 2 lbs. short ribs, bone-in / 1 lb. boneless salt and pepper 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped 1 carrot, roughly chopped 1 celery stalk, roughly chopped 1 c. red wine 2 each bay leaves and garlic cloves
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5 whole black peppercorns
AND THE WINNERS ARE….
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
BEER: Weihenstephaner, Hefeweissbier Dunkel
4 c. veal stock, or to cover
WINE: Nino Negri 2011 Le Tense Sassella
Heavily salt and pepper the short ribs, sear them, then put the ribs into a braising pan. Put the onion, carrot and celery into the searing pan and sear them. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, then add to the braising pan with the ribs. Add the bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns and thyme to the pan, cover and let marinate for 6-10 hours. Add enough veal stock to cover everything, then cover with foil and braise in a 350°F. oven for 3-1/2 hours or until fork tender. When cool, remove the short ribs and shred the rib meat into small pieces.
And this is the first time one sommelier has had both winners! Well done Mike Roberts! ✤
CITYPALATE.ca MAY JUNE 2017
Shelley Boettcher is a local food and wine writer whose work has appeared in magazines and newspapers around the world. Find her at drinkwithme.com, @shelley_wine and @drinkwithmenow.
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Calgary’s GreatOld Neighbourhoods Some of Calgary’s oldest neighbourhoods are new again – at least, when it comes to great food.
by Shelley Boettcher
Bridgeland
Bridgeland, Bowness, Forest Lawn, Inglewood, Hillhurst-Sunnyside and, of course, Mission and the Beltline are loaded with wonderful places to eat, drink and be merry. Whether you’re searching for a fine bottle of wine, an unusual ingredient, or simply a good place to nosh on a Friday – or any day of the week – you’ll find it all.
First settled by Russian-German immigrants in the 1800s, Bridgeland had become Calgary’s own Little Italy by the early 20th century.
Here, a short guide to get you started. There are plenty more, of course. You’ll just have to explore on your own to find your favourites.
Around the corner is the new Blush Lane Bridgeland, which opened in Fall 2016; it’s a great stop for farm-direct produce, as well as organic and natural groceries.
Now, the neighbourhood is being reborn again – this time, as a cool place for anyone who loves good food. Start your day with coffee and a pastry or two at Lukes Drug Mart. Then there’s Whitehall, where celebrated chef Neil McCue (who had a Michelin star at his last restaurant) offers his take on British classics and more.
Neil McCue at Whitehall, Bridgeland
Bowness/Montgomery Bowness became an official village in 1948, with a population of 2,922 by 1951. By 1964, however, it was swallowed up by the big city – Calgary. Similarly, Montgomery was incorporated in 1911 but by 1963, it officially became part of Calgary. Both communities, however, have tons of charm, and these days, they also have some great options for food lovers, too. In Bowness, that means a visit to White Rose Vegetarian Kitchen for some of the most creative vegetarian fare in the city. Meat lovers aren’t forgotten either; they just have to pick up their order from White Rose’s partner eatery, the Coal Shed Smokehouse, a shipping container takeout joint just outside the White Rose. Cadence Coffee is always filled with java fans looking for bargain-priced breakfasts and good lattes. And in Montomery, don’t miss NOtaBLE, where chef Michael Noble (the same guy behind The Nash in Inglewood) and his crew feed many a local. No time to stay? Then get a Happy Chicken and some sides to go.
The Main Dish is famous for its support of Olympic and pro athletes, and you’ll know why when you try the healthy takeout. Or eat in – no dirty dishes for you afterward! Tazza Deli and Grill is one of the best places in the city for Lebanese food. And ask if you don’t know what something is; someone’s always willing to talk about the ingredients behind the wonderfully fresh flavours. Just across the street from Tazza is the handy Bridgeland Market. You’ll find good things from local producers as well as staples such as milk and bread. And at night, head to Cannibale for cocktails and share plates – bratwurst, molten cheese, bourbon pecan pie. There is, literally, something for everyone here.
Forest Lawn/International Avenue The town of Forest Lawn became part of the City of Calgary in 1961 and has long been a neighbourhood known for the cultural diversity of its restaurants and grocery stores. This is where to go if you’re looking for great deals and hard-to-find Middle Eastern, Asian and European ingredients. More than 30 percent of the community’s businesses are foodrelated, and there are more than 400 businesses. In other words, it’d take a book to record all the great places to eat here, so explore on your own, or sign up for a food tour through the International Avenue Business Revitalization Zone (internationalavenue.ca). There’s Pacific Hut Restaurant and Bakery, and Adobo, for Filipino cuisine. Cuisine Cinnamon has gorgeous Sri Lankan food. Hdmona is a popular stop for Eritrean and Ethiopian food. Then there’s Mimo Restaurant and Lounge for Portuguese dishes, plus a few groceries and baking.
Dwayne and Alberta Ennest of Coal Shed Smokehouse and White Rose Vegetarian Kitchen, Bowness, photo by Shannon Johnston
Speaking of baking, Gunther’s Fine Baking is legendary for its cakes, pastries and breads. Then pick up some somsa – flaky pastries stuffed with spiced meat – at Begim Uzbek Cuisine (featuring food from Uzbekistan). Hong Kong Food Market always has fantastic deals on everything from produce to tea, and Illichmann’s Sausage Shop is the place for ham, salami, turkey and cheese. And we can’t forget about Jane Bond BBQ – the popular food truck’s restaurant location. Notable's Happy Chicken take-out, Montgomery
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At Hdmona, Forest Lawn, co-owner Ruth Kufolm serves up her delicious Ethiopian food. Photo by Hua.
continued on page 32
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Calgary’s GreatOld Neighbourhoods
Hillhurst/Sunnyside
continued from page 30
The lovely old northwest neighbourhoods of Hillhurst and Sunnyside were established in the early 1900s. Now they’re loaded with wonderful places to eat and buy tasty things. There’s Kensington Wine Market for wine, beer and spirits, and Peasant Cheese for all things fromage. As of press time, the Regal Cat Café (featuring cats, real cats) is scheduled to open this spring. And Hayden Block Smoke and Whiskey features Texas-style barbecue, bourbon and plenty more. A little further up 10th Street, you’ll find Vero Bistro Moderne, a romantic place for exquisite French- and Italian-inspired food. And if you’d rather eat at home, pick up a couple of salads, a loaf of bread and sweet treats at Sidewalk Citizen. It’s next door to Sunnyside Natural Market, a grocery store featuring goods from local producers as well as organic and other high-quality staples. On the other side of the LRT line is Vendome Café. In summer, the little patio is always busy but even on a cold or rainy day, you’ll get mighty fine lattes and baking inside.
Vendome, Hillhurst Sunnyside
Sidewalk Citizen, Hillhurst Sunnyside
Inglewood
Mission/Beltline
Located in Southeast Calgary, Inglewood – the city’s oldest neighbourhood – was founded in 1875 as East Calgary and was renamed in 1911 after an old farm in the area. In 2014, it was named Canada’s best neighbourhood by the Canadian Institute of Planners.
Listing all the awesome places to eat and buy food in Mission and the Beltline would take pages. And pages. Go hungry and find your own favourites.
One reason why it rocks? It’s loaded with good places to eat and shop. There’s Without Papers for awesome Italian-style pizza – the Hutch, with its spicy Calabrese salami and pepperonata, is always a winner. Then there’s Gravity Espresso and Wine Bar, which features excellent coffee, baking and sandwiches, as well as wine, and occasionally live music, at night. Not far away, in a beautifully renovated former hotel, The Nash offers gourmet comfort food, while Off Cut Bar just may be one of the coolest places in the city to drink. For early-morning breakfast or pie at 4 a.m., head to the Blackfoot Truckstop Diner. This legendary eatery is open 24 hours a day and is famous for its pie. Great people watching, too. If you’re wanting to cook at home, and you need to outfit your kitchen, stop by Savour Fine Foods and Kitchenware, for fine cookware, ingredients and accessories. Knifewear, Inglewood And don’t forget Knifewear, the place to buy Japanese knives and other cool culinary ephemera, such as handmade leather knife rolls. Gravity, Inglewood
A few of ours include Pigeonhole for its all-natural wine list and friendly staff, as well as Model Milk for the creative cuisine and collection of vinyl records upstairs. Then there’s Native Tongues for tacos and cocktails, and Proof for, you guessed it, more cocktails. Ox and Angela has a groovy Spanish vibe that can’t be beat, while Ten Foot Henry has vegetables so good, you’ll want to order them all. (And brunch. Ten Foot Henry has yummy brunch.) Anju is a jewel box of a restaurant, with gourmet Korean dishes, and then there’s Vin Room Mission for a world-class collection of wines by the glass. And Mercato has such fine Italian cuisine; eat in or pick up delicious things to take home. Then go across the street to pick up fine wines at Bin 905 (or beer or spirits if you prefer.) Shokunin offers modern Japanese cuisine made with local ingredients, while Phil and Sebastian in Mission doesn’t just offer great coffee; it has chocolate by local purveyor Cochu and, on select nights, pop-up art shows, live music, dinners and more. And no overview on Calgary’s oldest neighbourhoods is complete without a mention of La Chaumière. In business since 1978, it can’t be beat for customer service, old-school romance and excellent food. ✤
Find more great places: Bridgeland: Bridges on First Sushi Bar Zipang Inglewood: Bite Groceteria Bricks Wine Co. Deane House High Line Brewing Rouge Restaurant Spolumbo's Hillhurst/Sunnyside: Naked Leaf Tea Osteria Chef's Table Mission/Beltline: Añejo Bocce Fresh Italian Carino Reserva Inspirati Fine Linens Mission Restaurant National/Bourbon Room Ricardo’s Hideaway Kensington: Brasserie Kensington Crave Cotto Italian Comfort Food Higher Ground Marathon Ethiopian Modern Steak Oxbow (NEW! at the Kensington Riverside Inn) Peppino Pulcinella Red’s Diner Wild and Raw Wine Bar Kensington
NativeTongues, Beltline
Shelley Boettcher is a local food and wine writer whose work has appeared in magazines and newspapers around the world. Find her at drinkwithme.com, @shelley_wine and @drinkwithmenow.
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Feeding Hungry Kids ADDRESSING FOOD INSECURITY WITH IN-SCHOOL PROGRAMS AND MORE by Holly Quan
“I’M HUNGRY.”
COLLABORATING AND COORDINATING: SUPPORT FROM MANY SOURCES
That’s a phrase every parent knows. But for some, feeding their kids is a challenge. Perhaps there’s not enough money for three meals a day. Maybe they’re an immigrant family struggling with language and other barriers, right down to shopping and preparing food. Some parents simply don’t have good nutrition knowledge. And sometimes, busy kids with extra-curricular activities don’t take the time for meals.
Other school food programs are provided by many agencies, including the
Any of these problems, and many others, can add up to “food insecurity,” where kids don’t get enough to eat, or have a nutritionally poor diet. In short, they’re hungry. Hunger can cause behavioural problems, low energy and poor academic performance. Chronic hunger can have long-term physical and mental health effects.
IN-SCHOOL PROGRAMS Both the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) and the Calgary Catholic School District are addressing this issue. Often, they do so at an individual level – teachers spot a problem and take action. Tennille Cooper, corporate partnerships, CBE, says, “It comes down to helping relieve a child’s stress by providing adequate nutrition in a safe, supportive environment.” Currently, 16 schools in the CBE system have emergency pantries supplied by the Calgary Food Bank’s Food Link program (more details below). There’s also Fuel for School, which provides a nutritious breakfast to kids in about 20 elementary schools; each participating school serves 20 to 60 meals daily, totaling more than 100,000 breakfasts a year. “Health and education are interrelated,” says Karen Ryhorchuk, senior communications specialist with the Calgary Catholic School District. “We take a holistic approach to feeding body and mind through positive experiences and inclusive food programs.” She notes the importance of an approach that doesn’t single out students who don’t get enough to eat, for whatever reason. “Anyone can participate in our food programs, with no judgment,” she says. “Healthy, nutritious food delivers huge benefits from improved academic performance to better self-esteem.”
PROVINCIAL FUNDING IS PART OF THE PIE In November, 2016, the Alberta government announced a new pilot program, Future Ready. As part of this framework, Alberta Education gave 14 Alberta school boards $250,000 each for the 2016/17 school year, to establish or enhance existing nutrition programs. The government expects the initial investment of $3.5 million to increase to as much as $20 million by the 2018/19 school year and available to all Alberta schools. An education component of the program helps students, teachers and parents learn about reading food labels, as well as how to choose and prepare healthy foods. Two Calgary Catholic schools are participating in this program. In those schools, provincial funding supports three hot lunches per week – provided by Meals on Wheels – and two bag lunches weekly from Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids. Three CBE schools are also in the government pilot, using the grant to fund breakfasts – and any leftovers are used at lunch or as snacks, making the most of the funding.
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CALGARY FOOD BANK.
“We are more than hampers,” says D.D. Coutts, manager, communications and development. “Because we have bulk purchasing power, we can supply food to many organizations through our Food Link program. We support more than 170 programs, including Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids and Meals on Wheels. Plus we have two programs providing direct support to schools.” One of those is the Emergency Pantry Shelf. Participating schools obtain snacks and lunches from the Food Bank, which teachers can distribute as needed. The other is Weekends and More (WAM). The Food Bank prepares two days of nutritious, simple food that doesn’t require much preparation. Students pick up WAM packages on Fridays to take home in their backpacks, making the program discreet and private. “WAM contents must be parent-approved, and we try to accommodate preferences,” Coutts says. Over 10 months in 2015, WAM provided some 4,600 bags, and 2016 saw an increase – 1,760 bags in the first three months alone.
BROWN BAGGING FOR CALGARY’S KIDS (BB4CK)
provides daily lunches for some 3,200 kids in 210 city schools, and also facilitates connections between schools and community groups. Executive director Tanya Koshowski explains, “Food is purchased or donated from partner businesses. Volunteers make the lunches – sandwiches, fruit and vegetables, healthy snacks – that are delivered to schools in bins. The schools determine best-fit distribution, whatever works for them.” BB4CK is also about building community capacity and social change. Formerly, lunches were made at BB4CK’s downtown kitchen but the organization encourages community groups to make and distribute lunches. “We have tremendous support from businesses, church groups, seniors and community associations,” Koshowski says. “Seven years ago, we had three community groups. Now we have more than 200.”
CALGARY MEALS ON WHEELS (CMOW)
was established in 1965 to support seniors or those with mobility issues who had difficulty buying and preparing food. CMOW now has school programs including Hot Soup, which delivers soup, crackers and buns on Tuesdays and Thursdays to 15 Calgary schools – more than 111,000 bowls in 2016. CMOW has partnered with the five Calgary schools receiving funding from the province to provide Hot Soup to those schools as well. Other CMOW activities include breakfast programs, participation in a pilot study being funded by the Calgary Police Service that includes in-school breakfast and lunch, and a group meal program for schools that can afford to pay a modest fee. “We have purchasing power to help keep our costs low,” says Stephanie Ralph, fund development manager. “We also appreciate donation support from corporations and other organizations, so most of our programs are free of charge.”
BOYS AND GIRLS CLUBS OF CALGARY
has a program called Food and Nutrition at School (FANS), funding breakfast and snacks in city schools. In 2016, FANS supported more than 2,650 meals or snacks daily. FANS offers several options, including cheques or gift cards the schools can use to purchase food. FANS also provides food directly through a partnership with CMOW. “This can be anything from hot food to granola bars, fruit and juice, depending on the school’s needs and capabilities. Our goal is to ensure any child can get healthy food as needed – no questions, no barriers,” says Kacie Dougherty, manager of education initiatives. With so many agencies addressing food insecurity, coordination is a challenge. “We all collaborate, we’re aware of various activities and aim to avoid overlaps,” says D.D. Coutts of the Food Bank. ”As a group, we also identify where kids are not being served and address those gaps.” Addressing child food insecurity is crucial. “Food opens doors. It’s a gateway to offering support for other needs,” Coutts says. “It’s a way to let kids know somebody cares.”
GET INVOLVED
Thursday, June 15th 119 - 12th Ave SW 7 - 10 PM
In Celebration of Canada’s 150th Talented chef teams compete for the coveted “Divine Swine” trophy, sponsored by Alberta Pork, as they create unique and delicious pork dishes with free range pork from Spragg’s Meat Shop, while wine stores pour a selection of pinot wines from around the world and Eau Claire Distillery serves their signature cocktail. And you get to taste it all!
Except for the government’s Future Ready program, all school food programs are supported through fundraising, donations, partnering and volunteering.
SOME RESOURCES: To donate or volunteer for CBE food security programs, email partnerships@cbe.ab.ca Fuel for School Breakfast Program – cbe.ab.ca/get-involved/partners/Pages/Fuel-for-School.aspx Calgary Food Bank – calgaryfoodbank.com Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids – bb4ck.org Calgary Meals on Wheels – mealsonwheels.com Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary FANS program – boysandgirlsclubsofcalgary.ca/our-impact/hunger-in-schools
THERE ARE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, TOO:
Plus: A great silent auction, fine wine raffle valued at over $2,000, gourmet coffee cart by Cappuccino King and live music by Simply Sinatra. Featuring: Añejo Group | Bin 905 Wine, Spirits & Craft Ales | Bonvida Wines | Bow Valley Ranche | Bricks Wine Co. | Double Zero | Hotel Arts | Infuse Catering | Minas Brazilian Steakhouse | Modern Steak | PNW Negociants Inc. | Pulcinella | Selkirk Grille at Heritage Park | Spirits West Merchants | Tango Bistro | The Cellar Wine Store | The Guild | Trialto | Vine Arts Wine and Spirits
Supporting Calgary Meals on Wheels Calgary Meals on Wheels is a proven leader in providing healthy, locally made meals to our city. We take pride in making nutritious and well-portioned meals for thousands of Calgarians each year.
Breakfast Club of Canada – breakfastclubcanada.org Breakfast for Learning – breakfastforlearning.ca Healthy Hunger – healthyhunger.ca ✤
THE FLAVOUR OF CALGARY’S FOOD SCENE SINCE 1993
tickets available now:
Holly Quan’s fondest memories of school cafeteria lunches include cherry pie and hot dogs. School food is better now!
PIGANDPINOT2017.EVENTBRITE.CA
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Half-Century Secrets
How Calgary’s longest-running restaurants do it by Erin Lawrence
With new restaurants opening and closing every month in Calgary, it’s easy to forget about the ones who’ve stood the test of time. Yes, dining at the city’s newest hotspot or at a trendy room is fun and alluring, but there are a host of places in Calgary that don’t need gimmicks, of-the-moment ingredients or lineups to attract a constant stream of regulars. Hy’s Steakhouse and Cocktail Bar opened its doors back in 1955, when Hy and Barbara Aisenstat saw an opportunity in Calgary’s underdeveloped restaurant market. So what’s the secret to a successful restaurant, not just year after year, but decade after decade? “We never change our core values,” says COO Megan Buckley. “We have always treated our staff and guests like family – that has never changed.” Calgary has always been known for its steakhouses, so it’s probably no surprise that another steak joint appears on this list of longrunning restaurants. Caesar’s first started serving premium grilled and hand-cut steaks to business types and diners downtown 45 years ago, in 1972. With its self-proclaimed “undeniably old school” décor, it’s a room to remember, for sure. Its Mad Men-era threeounce cocktails also give it a certain vintage quality that ensures customers return, both to the original location on 4th Avenue SW, and to its newer version, in Willow Park. Not far away, The Carriage House Inn on Macleod Trail is also celebrating its longevity, after 50 years in business. Brenda Davidson, Director of Sales and Marketing, says that while a restaurant needs to be adaptable, some things must remain the same. One of the owners used to routinely walk around and pour coffee for guests. One of the Inn’s longest-serving employees also created a popular dessert that’s still on the menu today – Sally’s rice pudding. “It’s about consistency and the reputation of the hotel, which is for great food and great service.” It might be reputation, then, that’s sustained some of Calgary’s longest-running restaurants through tough economic times. When there’s uncertainty, most of us crave familiarity and stability, so it follows that diners will turn to trusted favourites when it comes to spending their limited disposable income.
There’s another factor at play, too – the people. An outstanding server can make a good experience truly great, while a bad one can ruin a diner’s night. The staff at many of Calgary’s oldest restaurants have been with their respective businesses a long time – decades, in some cases. They stay because they’re happy, and that enthusiasm for their work and love for the restaurant show in every customer interaction. “One of the things that’s unique about us is our very low turnover,” says Andrea Cintula, the General Manager of Smuggler’s Group, celebrating 50 years this month. “Our corporate chef, Gary Hennessey, has been with us 23 years, manager Heidi Balogh has been with us 35 years, and that type of longevity and low turnover really does trickle down to the servers. We have servers that have been with us 16 years. That allows us to pass on (their) standards and knowledge to new staff.” Another constant in these longtime restaurants is that they’re family-owned. Most of the restaurants featured here either started out as small family businesses, or have been operated by families ever since the beginning. Smuggler’s Group is still run by the original owner’s children and grandchildren. The Carriage House Inn also has family ties. So does Silver Dragon, one of Chinatown’s longest-running restaurants. The bustling room opened in 1966, and serves hundreds of different Chinese dishes to hungry diners. The restaurant’s dim sum, served from wheeled carts, is a local favourite. When it comes to keeping a restaurant running strong, is it as simple as offering great food, great service and a family atmosphere? There might be other factors at play, like location or advertising, but without those fundamentals, you won’t have happy customers – and you won’t be around for long. ✤
Erin is a Calgary TV producer and freelance writer. Check her website: ErinLYYC.com.
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THE FACE OF FOURTH STREET $6 MARGARITAS & BEERS | #HALFYHOUR 3PM–5PM ANEJOYYC 5 87. 3 5 3 . 2 6 5 6 | # 2 , 2 1 1 6 – 4 t h S t re e t SW C a l g a r y, A B | a n e j o.c a
full service in the hood. Inglewood’s only full service grocery store featuring: Bakery, Butcher, Local and Seasonal Produce, Specialty Groceries, Fresh Food Bar, Café and Eatery.
biteyyc.com • 1023 9th ave S.E. • one hour free parking
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There was a time when I rarely cooked at home. My apartment stove was unloved, unused and as clean as the day I’d moved in. The squat old Frigidaire, door held shut with a bungy cord, was empty except for a jar of dried-out Dijon mustard; the freezer unusable due to being fully encased in hoar frost. Boyfriend Ribsy’s fridge was no better: home to a few bottles of generic beer, a box of orange cheese powder, and a few curled wedges of leathery pizza in a greasy take-out box that neither he nor his roommates ever threw away.
by Karen Ralph
Our fridges reflected our kitchen-free lives, but when we moved in together and started to cook at home on a regular basis, we had to stock up on a few pantry items. Ribsy took the bachelor/student/survivalist approach with cans of baked beans, Ichiban noodles, Kraft Dinner and frozen pizzas. In the spirit of compromise, cans of baked beans shared space with cannellini, while Kraft Dinner and Ichiban packets sat next to dried seaweed, soba noodles and gourmet pasta noodles. This worked for a while, but since I did most of the shopping, my preferred pantry items soon over-ran Ribsy’s. More than once I went into a specialty food store to buy something simple like fleur de sel and emerged with bags of exotic condiments, colourful spatulas, cookbooks and French linens. Our old pots “disappeared,” replaced with enamelled cookware by Le Creuset, stainless steel All Clad frying pans and roasters, and beautiful ceramic baking dishes by Staub and Emile Henry. Thanks to my great plans for various dinners, in no time our small vertical pantry was completely full. The problem was that I rarely had the time to prepare the elaborate dishes that my ingredients would create, but the idea of being prepared for anything from a challenging cake recipe to an esoteric French dinner based on something that Richard Olney might have cooked was too seductive to resist. If it was canned, pickled, fermented, dried or frozen, I wanted it for the perfect party that would someday materialize, even though Ribsy was happy with simpler fare. We were living separate food lives and I was in danger of becoming a food fascist. We literally reached the tipping point when haphazardly stacked cans and bags avalanched off the shelves with enough force to push the pantry door open and spill into the kitchen. Canned tomatoes, coconut milk, anchovies, Spanish olives, smoked paprika, curry paste, Marcona almonds, dried wild mushrooms, chipotle peppers, pastas, beans, noodle nests, dusty bunches of dried herbs, shattered bay leaves and dog-dropping doppelgängers – dried tamarind pods – were scattered about the floor. Behind the fallen wall of cans and pastas lurked stale-dated, forgotten bottles of olive oil and vinegars. There was a treasure trove of hot sauces and cans of smoked fish. Tins of cassoulet and foie gras sat next to a solid lump of brown sugar in a non-airtight bag. Petrified mini-marshmallows were scattered amongst sushi mats and chopsticks. Ginger syrup had tipped over and leaked, cementing bottles of Vegemite, soya and fish sauce to the gritty, sugar and flour coated shelves. Matzo meal, eau-de-vie pears, jams, small bottles of bitters, loose teas, three types of flour, molasses, white sugar, raw French sugar cubes and a variety of honeys and salts were revealed. It was a mess, but the over-stocking wasn’t limited to the pantry: our fridge freezer was so full that it wasn’t closing properly. A bunch of two-year-old black bananas for a loaf that had never been baked sat atop a bag of fish heads and large bones for stocks that had never been made. There were frozen cheese rinds, a container of gummy, undated pistachio gelato, three smoked fish, a crushed box of waffles, freezer burnt hamburger meat, mystery sausage, shrivelled, age-blackened quince, a frost-covered block of pumpernickel bread, chicken backs, duck fat, petrified hot-dog buns and two single, foil-wrapped wieners. The ghosts of dinners past, present and future had come to haunt me and the best way to banish them was a full-scale clean up. Even though most of the frozen food was stale-dated and freezer burnt, I hesitated over the blackened bananas, frostentombed fish heads and mystery sausage: did this stuff ever really go bad? The look on Ribsy’s face convinced me to put them into the compost. We’ve moved on since then, and although I know it’s ok to only have two kinds of salt and a couple types of pasta, a well-stocked pantry is satisfying. I’ve tried to limit and curate pantry purchases to dishes that I’m actually going to make, but I don’t always know exactly what I’m making, or need, until I need it, so to be on the safe side, it’s best to have it. Besides, part of the fun of getting rid of things is replacing them. As TV’s Frasier Crane once pompously enthused, “If less is more, think of how much more more would be!” Besides, a mix of both basic and adventurous pantry choices inspire and liven up the prospect of everyday cooking, and that’s what it’s all about. ✤
Karen Ralph is a regular City Palate contributor and intrepid adventurer whose pantry is still a mess.
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2017
SS E L E M I T
love at first bite
FUN
E V E NT
S
Come visit our newly renovated Eatery in the heart of Inglewood
« June 5th, 2017 » MRAS Golf Tournament Turner Valley Golf Club « June 17 – October 7, 2017 » Millarville Farmers’ Market 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
open Daily Mon-Fri 11am-8pm take-out available
« June 17, 2017 » 6th Millarville Half Marathon – Run to the Farmers’ Market « July 1, 2017 - Canada Day » 112th Millarville Races
Weekend brunch Sat & Sun 9am-3pm
« July 21-23, 2017 » 21st Millarville Rodeo « August 19 & 20, 2017 » 110th Priddis & Millarville Fair « October 7, 2017 » MRAS Community Garage Sale « October 21, 2017 » Sheep Creek Weaver Sale « November 9, 10, 11 and 12, 2017 » 29th Millarville Christmas Market millarvilleracetrack.com
biteyyc.com • 1023 9th ave S.E. • one hour free parking
403.931.3411
Margarita Monday $6 MARGARITAS ALL DAY & NIGHT
taco tuesday 1/2 PRICE TACOS ALL DAY & NIGHT
wtf wednesday EXTENDED #HALFYHOUR 3PM -7PM
sol sunday $5 SOL BEER ALL DAY & NIGHT
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stockpot
STIRRINGS AROUND CALGARY
The Culinary Race returns Saturday, June 3rd, challenging participants to team up and race through Calgary discovering hidden secrets about local landmarks and buildings, explore new cafés and restaurants, and compete to win prizes. See ad on page 46. For race details and to register, please visit
Offering a locally-inspired menu, featuring items that are meticulously handcrafted.
culinaryrace.ca YYC Burger Battle Coming Down the Road. Calgary’s latest burger festival celebrating culinary talent, fresh local ingredients and Alberta’s excellent beef, takes place May 26 to June 4. To date, 47 restaurants are signed up to make a unique burger that features local ingredients in a burger battle for supremacy and bragging rights. Outside of that, Bob’s your uncle! What fun, burgers on the go... visit yycburgerbattle.com, @YYCBurgerBattle and YYCBurgerBattle on facebook to keep tuned to updates and events.
yakimayyc.ca
2008 Airport Road NE
restaurant ramblings n At River Café, celebrate Mother’s Day with weekend brunch, reservations essential. Through May to September, River offers picnic baskets filled with seasonal specialties from kitchen and bakery to enjoy in the park – that’s Prince’s Island Park. Perfect for an outdoor performance of Shakespeare in the Park. Details at river-café.com. And Stampede breakfast will start your rodeo days just right – corporate parties, too, with a local, seasonal buffet breakfast. n Happy Hour at Deane House is full of special booze and food, 3:30-5:30 p.m. daily, and Mother’s Day puts on weekend brunch, the perfect setting for families large and small, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., reservations essential. Stampede at the Deane offers 10 days of outdoor dining in the gardens, rain or shine with live music, barbecue, chef stations, and only a five minute walk to the grounds. Details at deanehouse.com. And celebrate Canada’s 150th on Canada Day in one of the city’s oldest heritage homes enjoying brunch and dinner with firework views and outdoor games in the garden. Fun! n On March 1, Rouge Restaurant launched “Canada150 Coast to Coast Plates,” a showcase of Canada’s rich culinary history, diversity and modern evolution celebrating Canada’s 150th birthday. Rouge will do nine month-long features inspired by each of Canada’s provinces, combining New Brunswick,
© Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, 2017 | ™The heart and / Icon on its own or followed by another icon or words in English are trademarks of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
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n Join Vin Room West and Vin Room Mission every Saturday night for Jeans & Jazz, 8-11 p.m., live jazz to accompany the offering of 100+ wines by the glass, beer, spirits and globally inspired small plates and tapas. Totally casual, support local artists, reservations recommended, 587353-8812, vinroom.com. n Minas Brazilian Steakhouse has a Minas Vendinha, a market that is growing as it offers lots of Brazilian products and will be baking Brazilian breads and pastries. Preparing for summer, Minas also offers barbecue kits, meats to prepare at home, including the signature cut of picanha. Visit minassteakhouse.com for details.
Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia as one region, as well as Nunavut, Yukon and Northwest Territories. Each feature will be available at both lunch and dinner and is the Mealshare dish for each month. A wine, beer or cocktail pairing inspired by each province will showcase the diversity of our artisan producers. Check out the history and diversity of each province’s food culture while Rouge adds its own creative spin. Look for the details on rougecalgary.com. n Native Tongues Taqueria has launched a killer ”catering” option called Home Taquero Kits, where you can order an interactive Mexican taco kit for a party at home or at the office. There’s the option of pre-built kits or customizable kits. And Native Tongues will even throw it in an Uber to have it delivered. Other killer catering options in Calgary can be found at Una Takeaway and Cluck N Cleaver. For the taco kit, more information at nativetongues.ca/catering. n The Selkirk Grille at Heritage Park invites you to join the Selkirk Field to Fork dinner series starting with a Patio Opening Party, May 19, celebrating spring with classic patio favourites and cocktails. Followed by a Lobster Boil in the Founder’s Lounge/Patio, June 29, with a traditional family-style lobster boil; Prince House 50th Anniversary, July 27, with a garden party on the Prince House lawn, a Victorian era inspired elegant garden party; Dining through History, A Progressive Dinner, August 31, learning about Calgary’s
We have over 1000 wines to choose from. Now how do you want to celebrate?
culinary history from First Nations to Early Settlers; finishing with a Garden Tour & Dinner, September 14, a tour of Heritage Park’s gardens finished with a four-course meal in the Selkirk Gallery room harvested from the good things the Selkirk grows. Visit heritagepark.ca for all the tasty details.
Your underground wine market
137 8th Ave SW www.cellarwinestore.com 403 503 0730
fT
n Hotel Arts Group introduces Oxbow, the newest restaurant concept, at the Kensington Riverside Inn, taking over the Chef’s Table space. After a significant design upgrade to the restaurant and lounge, Oxbow will be a welcoming and comfortable addition to the trendy Kensington district. With a focus on simple, well-executed food, chef de cuisine Sean Cutler, under the direction of Hotel Arts Group exec chef Jan Hansen, will creatively bend traditional cuisine for a unique and relaxed dining experience. Oxbow will be open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch within the intimate dining room, comfortable lounge or sunny, seasonal patio. For more tasty details, visit oxbowyyc.ca. n Mission Public House anticipates opening its new southwest-facing patio by mid-May. This 4th Street SW pub also has a new industry night on Thursdays, and the Lilac Festival Beer Garden returns on Sunday, June 4. mission4th.ca n After high demand from the #yycpoutine community, Blanco Cantina added the poutine burrito to the regular menu as a Mealshare item. The summer menu features new burritos, grilled fish tacos, seasonally lighter Tex-Mex options, and a new patio favourite – The Poodle – like a bulldog but with prosecco instead of beer. blancocantina.ca n Vero Bistro Moderne in Kensington invites you to enjoy a flavourful, inspired Saturday or Sunday brunch. Chef Jenny travels to Europe every year to learn from great European chefs to hone her skills so she can serve the traditional cuisines of Italy, Spain and France, using only local, organic ingredients. Visit verobistro.ca for all the tasty details.
n Black Pig Bistro’s owners closed the doors last October and started renovations to change the concept. The economy in Calgary was not kind to Black Pig, as it was marked as a higher end, specialoccasion restaurant. The concept was changed to appeal to a much larger audience. Bridges on First is Bridgeland’s family-friendly pub that serves pub-style food with a focus on the “best of North America” – with the exception of three items, everything is under $20. Head chef Tyler Ballance hails from Vancouver where he was the executive chef at Brown’s Social House in the Corporate Store where he won Best Chain Location two years in a row out of the 52 stores across Canada. The draft beer program focuses on craft beer and, similar to the food direction, strives to feature the best of North America. Cocktail and wine lists are small and concentrated on fun, creative and unique drinks and labels. n Creative Restaurants Group has launched Farm Showcase Series dinners at Bonterra. Chef Benjamin Mills focuses on farms that are as local as possible, choosing producers on quality and flavour and on sustainable practices and culture. The first one was with Bear and the Flower Farm, an Alberta pork producer who raises, in Creative’s opinion, the most flavourful pork in Alberta. The next dinner on May 2, at 6:30, is a five-course dinner that focuses on celebrating seasonal spring produce from local farms, like tomatoes, mushrooms and garlic scapes. Tickets, $69, with optional wine pairings for $41, are available at farmshowcase. eventbrite.ca n There’s a new dining room and lounge at Buffalo Mountain Lodge – Sleeping Buffalo Dining Room, a newly renovated full-service dining room, and Sleeping Buffalo Lounge that features a casual menu. Save 25% off your stay if you book now, pay now for all stays Sunday to Thursday until May 31. This goes for Buffalo Mountain Lodge in Banff, Deer Lodge in Lake Louise and Emerald Lake Lodge in Field, B.C. n TELUS Spark has launched a new market concept – Social Eatery by Roger Mooking. As Culinary Director for the new food services at TELUS Spark, international celebrity chef Roger Mooking is bringing his food philosophy back home to Alberta. Expect menu items such as southeast grilled chicken, stacked Alberta Beef sandwiches, and in-house made smoothies. The new dining space, featuring “home cooking with a global twist,” highlights healthy local ingredients and features the internationally influenced creativity of Chef Mooking. With a focus on fresh ingredients cooked from scratch, the new culinary direction of TELUS Spark also includes local chefs Connie DeSousa and John Jackson, of CHARCUT Roast house and charbar, now providing all inhouse catering services. Patrons’ taste buds won’t be the only ones to receive a sensory thrill, as Social Eatery showcases a playfully modern aesthetic in an interactive family-friendly environment. n Madison’s 1212 is a trendy, communityfocused craft nachos, salads and coffee and co-working restaurant set to open in May. It will be a beautiful space for people to gather, enjoy, share, and become inspired in the heart of Inglewood. Love nachos? Madison’s 1212 is offering an opportunity for #Nachos4Life. Visit
madisons1212.com for information on how you can get involved and become a part of the Madison’s family. n When you’re in Whistler, Four Seasons Resort and Residences launches high-altitude dining where guests are flown by helicopter to a remote glacier while they sip champagne, then explore an ice cave while collecting glacier ice for signature cocktails, then return for a dinner paired with cocktails that complement each dish. Available through October 2017, visit fourseasons.com/whistler for more information.
drinks docket n Olds College Brewery and Alberta Beer Festivals hold a “Be the Brewer” contest each year before the Calgary International Beerfest, coming up this year May 5 and 6, BMO Centre, Stampede Park, where the public’s beer lovers can come up with a winning beer style, a winning beer name and a winning beer label design. Fun, fun, fun! Then you get to drink it at the Beerfest. This year, the style winner was Belgian-style witbier, contributed by Kevin M., the winning fun name – The Lion, the Wit & The Wardrobe – was contributed by Erin D., and the winning lion label design was done by Josh C.
n Strathcona Spirits Distillery in Edmonton produces fine small-batch spirits using traditional methods and local ingredients that embody the essence of Alberta. The Single Grain Wheat Vodka ($48) is made from 100% single grain hard red wheat that’s grown just 23 km from the distillery, providing a smooth subtle flavour with natural vanilla notes. A portion of the juniper used in the full-flavoured Badland Seaberry Gin ($48) is foraged from the Alberta Badlands, lending pine notes in this dynamic Alberta gin. Such fun labels, too! Available in liquor stores across Alberta including Vine Arts and Oak and Vine. Head to strathconaspirits.ca/ where to find your local retailer! n Eau Claire Distillery launches EquineOx Mule, a premium bottled craft cocktail that combines the Distillery’s Prickly Pear EquineOx, spicy ginger and citrus with a kiss of sweetness. It’s ready to drink, perfect for all your summer parties. Visit eauclairedistillery.ca to find out where to get it in Calgary – you can get it at the Distillery, too! You can also join Eau Claire for the Spring Planting event at the Bar U Ranch National Historic Site in Longview, May 20 and 21, 10 a.m.3 p.m. Email info@eauclairedistillery.ca for information. n Alberta Distillers has been honoured with the Canadian Distillery of the Year award by the Canadian Whisky awards. Yay, team, our local distillery is THAT good! But we knew that.
n A Canadian-owned tequila? Yes, believe it or not, Siempre Tequila Plata, Canada’s first 100% owned Canadian tequila – they call it the worlds’ most beautiful tequila – is available in Alberta. Made in Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico from 100% blue weber agave, find it at Co-op Wine Spirits Beer, Safeway and Sobey’s. Get all the details at siempretequila.com. A Canadian tequila is definitely wanting to be tasted! Since its launch at the end of 2015, it has won awards – a bronze in the San Francisco World Spirits competition, a silver in the SIP awards in California, and a gold by The Beverage Testing Institute, a prestigious spirits-rating organization. We need to try this! n This is interesting – a beer brewed with kelp. A dark, rich, full-bodied ale brewed with locally harvested kelp for a unique umami quality. From Tofino Brewing Company, available in Calgary at a number of places, including Zyn, J. Webb, Kensington Wine Market, Co-op Wine Spirits Beer, and at Spirits West Wine and Spirits in Bragg Creek. n At the Okanagan’s Laughing Stock Vineyards, barrel room tastings are monthly on Sundays – May 28, June 25, July 30 and August 13 at 10:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. Reserve your spot at tasting@ laughingstock.ca or phone 250-493-8466. You can also join the Preferred Share Wine Club to attend lots of good shareholderonly events, such as an IPO tasting in Vancouver, May 16, at Chambar, and in Calgary, June 7, at Teatro, and the Long Table Dinner at the vineyard, July 27. Visit laughingstock.ca for more information. n With never-ending “to do” lists, taking one thing off your plate makes a big difference. Cru Juice will deliver their delicious cold-pressed juices to your door. Visit crujuice.com for all the details. n Enjoy the largest tasting of B.C. VQA wines in Alberta at Chef Meets BC Grape, May 10 at The Hyatt Regency Ballroom, 6:30 p.m., $75. Sip and Savour more than 200 wines from more than 40 B.C. wineries and sample dishes prepared by fave chefs in great restaurants, including Foreign Concept, Catch, Divino and charbar. Meet chef Ned Bell (Vancouver Aquarium and Ocean Wise) and vote for your fave wine and food pairing. Tickets at chefmeetsbcgrape.com n BarCountry offers dehydrated cocktail mixers for outdoor enthusiasts. This Calgary-based company, run by two young entrepreneurs, is your solution to carrying heavy liquids like beer and wine while adventuring outdoors! Bring a flask of alcohol along with a BarCountry sachet and you can enjoy premium multi-ingredient cocktails anywhere! Now offering Caesars, Margaritas and Old Fashioneds. Get yours at barcountrycocktails.com because a cocktail is always better with a view. n We are now able to drink British Columbia wines produced by Encore Vineyards Ltd., home to Time Winery, continued on page 42
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stockpot continued from page 41 Evolve Cellars and McWatters Collection. Encore is led by president and CEO Harry McWatters, a 50-vintage veteran of the B.C. wine industry. Look for these at your fave wine store. n Island Lake Lodge in Fernie, B.C., now has its own private label wine. Mark Simpson of BC Wine Studio, has created two beautifully balanced wines that are only available at Island Lake Lodge. 3 Bears wine was named after the three limestone spire peaks that rise above the lodge like sentinels guarding a secret place. The red is a bold meritage blend with rich lengthy tannins and the white features flavours of lemon zest and crisp apple. The new release of sparkling wine will arrive in the summer. Order a bottle with your dinner next time you’re taking an outdoor adventures break at the Lodge.
cooking classes SAIT’s downtown Culinary Campus: Introduction to Cooking, May 1-June 5; Knife Skills, May 2; Date Night, May 6; Sweet Brunch, May 10; Vegetarian, June 7; Thrill of the Grill, June 10 or 17; France, June 19. SAIT’s main campus: Curry, May 5; Sushi, May 5; Baking Cakes, May 6; Assorted Buns, May 6; Cooking Boot Camp, May 30-June 2; Desserts and Confections Boot Camp, May 30-June 2; Herbs and Spices, June 13; Cupcakes, June 24. Visit culinarycampus.ca for details and more courses. n Poppy Innovations’ cooking classes: check out culinary programs for parents and their children in SE and SW Calgary, the Gate to Plate classes for teens and adults is now open for registration, as are kids’ summer cooking camps. Cook With Your Kids, May 6, make granola bars and fruit quark. Check out the lineup of canning and preserving classes, including Fermented Bevvies, May 13 at the South Health Campus in Seton and May 27 at the Calgary Farmers’ Market, making kombucha. The edible education program is full of nutrition-based activities that provide hands-on lessons for students in grades K to 9. Students gain applied learning relating to other subject areas using cooking and gardening. Get a jump on gardening this season by reserving your plot in the De Winton Community Garden and brush up on your gardening prowess with Grow ‘n’ Learn workshops. Edible container workshops start in May and will have you creating your own minigarden of fresh produce. Book online at poppyinnovations.ca n Summer cooking camps for the kids at The Cookbook Co. Week-long cooking camps, July 17-21, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. daily, ages 12+, $325 per child. July 24-28, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. daily, ages 8-11, $325 per child. Your kids will learn knife skills, kitchen safety, cooking techniques, making everything from scratch, braising, roasting, baking, global cuisine, specialty ingredients and much more – and your kids will have fun. Call 403-265-6066, ext. 1 to register.
general stirrings n Everbody loves a good butcher, get the best meat from a butcher, yes! Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts family is about to add a good butcher to our great collection
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– Urban Butcher, A Cut Above, in Mission and Willow Park Village, formerly Second to None Meats. Opening May 9, take a tootle in for finest quality cuts, locally raised and chef inspired. urbanbutcher.ca n John Hanrahan, who, for us, was most recently doing the pastries at Lina’s Italian Market – where we ate way too many of them – has launched his own business, Confections by John. He’s a wholesale manufacturer of custom chocolates, pastries and desserts. He’s done this for more than 20 years at the Dorchester in London, Château Lake Louise, Calgary Stampede and Lina’s. Find him at sales@ confectionsbyjohn.com, confectionsbyjohn. com, @confectionsbyjohn and 403-922-9914. n SAIT’s Andrew Hewson is helping out with a campaign called Feeding the 5000 and is all about raising awareness about global food waste. Here’s a link to the international site – feedbackglobal.org/ about-us. The Calgary event will be held Thursday, June 15 from 11a.m.-2 p.m. at Olympic Plaza where Hewson expects to feed 5,000+ people on surplus food gathered from suppliers, grocery stores and local farms. Hewson is leading the menu and food production. The plan is to prepare five different items at 1,500 portions each as free samples of food rescued from going in the trash. n Get A Dose of Happiness. Feeding your body with quality food and feeding your mind with positive thoughts does lead to happiness. A Dose Of Happiness wants to help “Style Your Life Happy” whether through food, meaningful experiences or conversations, gatherings and events, fashion, home decor, and mind health skills. If you’d like A Dose Of Happiness, visit getadoseofhappiness.com and sign up for the newsletter or connect on social media as, together, a happier and healthier world can be created. n The Calgary Farmers’ Market invites you to a long weekend of celebrating Canada’s 150th, June 29 to July 2. The market will highlight local food and farmers, artisans and musicians with activities and entertainment for all ages. Enjoy live music and art demonstrations, food crafts, face painting, and a dunk tank in support of the Calgary Food Bank! For up-to-date details on all of the patriotic fun, visit calgaryfarmersmarket.ca. n Enjoy a great Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts (CRMR) Gourmet Getaway Package at Buffalo Mountain Lodge in Banff, Deer Lodge in Lake Louise, or Emerald Lake Lodge in Field B.C. In the beauty of the Rockies, explore the mountains, then savour a delicious three-course meal. Package includes one night accommodation, a three-course dinner for two and breakfast for two. Visit crmr.com for more information and to book. n Fun, beautiful and foodie from Delicacies Jewelry, a full line of jewelry that takes an ingredient, like a pineapple or a chile pepper, and casts it in sterling silver or gold and hangs it on a chain like a pendant. There’s even a silver piggie on a band of rich, supple leather. And every purchase provides money to a non-profit group that feeds the hungry. delicaciesjewelry.com
n When you’re at the Crossroad’s Market, be sure to visit Jebb’s Joint, it’s moving into its second year of providing fresh pasta and sauces made in Calgary. You might remember the owner, Jebb Fink, from his years on “The Big Breakfast” and now he moves into his other passion, cooking. For a real treat try Jebb’s take-and-bake lasagna, which was noted as one of Calgary’s top 25 grab-and-go meals. At one kilo each, it’s a hearty meal. The Crossroads Market is located at 1235 - 26th Ave. SE Calgary. Hours are FridaySunday 9-5. n Find delicious prepared food made with no preservatives and only the freshest ingredients at Meez in Willow Park Village to serve the perfect meal for any occasion. Chef Judy Wood and her team make it all – fresh soups, salads, entrées, casseroles and side dishes. Don’t forget dessert! Many gluten-free options always available. Planning a party? Chef Judy and her team are ready to cater any event, big or small! Meez is proud to carry Cochu Chocolatier chocolate. n Island Lake Lodge in Fernie, B.C., invites you to its first annual Untamed Kootenays Culinary Event, June 16-18. Chef Keith Farkas has invited two notable Calgary chefs – Justin Leboe, Model Milk and Pigeonhole, and John Paul Pedhirney, Bridgette Bar – to join him in the kitchen to create an unforgettable weekend showcasing the culinary wealth found in the region. Guests will have the chance to immerse themselves in mountain culture with two days that include two impressive dinners, along with an opportunity to explore the area on guided hikes, relax in the spa, and kick back on the patio with exclusive samplings from Fernie Brewing Co. and BC Wine Studio – the winemakers behind the Lodge’s new house wines and bubbles. Limited availability for both accommodation packages and dinner tickets. Call now to reserve your spot! 1-888-422-8754 or visit islandlakecatskiing. com for all the tasty details. n Bobby Reed’s Exceptional Perogies are both tasty and gluten free. We’ve had them and we like them boiled first, then finished in a fry pan in some butter or oil so they get nicely browned. Find them at Connolly’s Perogy Bar and Coffee Dispensary in Cochrane, 109, 519-1 St. W, operating from the Twisted Basil space while Twisted takes a six-month leave. Available in six flavours, both gourmet and traditional, as take-out and frozen. bobbyreed.ca n Artisan Grilling Honey from RogersMade, a husband and wife team in Chattanooga, TN, makers of the Bee in Your Bonnet Infused Honey brand, have launched Grilling Honey that’s super good to marinate, glaze and finish your grilled food without using products made from corn syrup, preservatives and artificial flavours. Choose from the likes of Southern Barbecue, Kentucky Bourbon and Aged Balsamic. Details and ordering online at rogersmade.com.
an annual celebration of nature and community at Bow Valley Ranch, Fish Creek Park, July 15, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., free fun for the whole family. For more information, visit friendsoffishcreek.org/ event/creekfest. n The Alberta Food Tours’ Calgary Food Tours for 2017: Sunday Brunch and a Calgary Farmers’ Market Tour, Sundays to November 26, 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m., $45; Inglewood’s Edible Enticements, Fridays, May 5-October 27, Rouge Restaurant, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., $115; Craving Kensington, Thursdays to November 30, Kensington Riverside Inn, 5:30-8:30 p.m., $115; Palate to Palette, Saturdays, June 24 - September 9, Hotel Arts, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., $115; Savour 17th Ave. SW, Saturdays & Sundays, May 6 - November 26, Cibo Restaurant, 12 noon-3 p.m., $115; Eat to the Beat in East Village, Fridays, June 16 - September 15, location TBA, 3-6 p.m., $125. Visit calgaryfoodtours. com for all the tasty details.
QUALITY FOR ALL OCCASIONS
n Karisma Hotels & Resorts features guest chefs from Canada to participate in the Canadian Beef Cuinary Series at the El Dorado Royale, a spa resort. Culinary experiences include vertical tastings, education classes, cooking courses, special pairings and elaborate meals and events all centered around Canadian beef. August features Sean MacDonald, S. Pellegrino’s 2016 Best Young Canadian Chef and exec chef at MARKET; September features Paul Rogalski, culinary director and owner of Rouge. And Air Canada Vacations will take you there for a good price. Visit karismahotels.com and scroll to the bottom where you’ll find “Canadian Beef.” n We all could use this. A water bottle that takes any water and makes it drinkable. Really. Perfect for travellers and campers is the Icon LIFESAVER. In seconds it turns murky, contaminated, muddy water into clear, refreshing drinkable water with the certified, award-winning LIFESAVER, a microbiological water filter. iconlifesaver.com n Home World celebrates 12 years of Business in NE Calgary. A unique kitchenware and gadget store that carries all the major brands for your cooking, baking and serving needs. It’s the only store of its kind in Alberta, they say. The Corningware cookware is perfect for preparing, cooking, freezing and storing food. Look for a wide selection of attractive designs of Corelle dinnerware, aesthetically durable and lightweight that resists chipping and breakage and is ideal for daily use. Outfit your dream kitchen with Zwilling J.A. Henckels tools and knives. Miyabi Japanese knives are beautifully handcrafted and are professional favourites. Paderno, Canadian-made cookware is now at factory sale prices. Large selection of beautifully designed canister sets.
WILLOW PARK VILLAGE 10816 Macleod Trail S | 403.278.1220
www.compleatcook.ca
n Wüsthof’s new half-bolster knives have a thin blade that reduces the weight of the knife and the half bolster ensures more use out of the back half of the blade. They also feature the PEtec, a computercontrolled edge application that provides a 20% improvement on initial sharpness and double-edge retention. Get it at your fave kitchen store and visit wusthof.ca for more information.
n Friends of Fish Creek Provincial Park Society invite you to celebrate World Water Day at Park Day & Creekfest,
CITYPALATE.ca MAY JUNE 2017
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6 quick ways with...
Chris Halpin
BEETS
Beets show up in all sorts of things that may surprise you; in fact, we Albertans consume a beet product almost every day! The refinery can be found in Taber, at the Rogers sugar factory. About 150,000 tonnes of sugar is refined from beets every year. It is also commonly used as a food colouring. But I love market fresh beets, top to bottom, red, golden or rainbow – bring them on! My top tip when peeling beets is to oil your hands first. This will help to not have your hands stained. beet tapenade
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CELEBRATE PORK MONTH this June with
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meatshop@spraggsmeatshop.com www.spraggsmeatshop.com
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CITYPALATE.ca MAY JUNE 2017
This is a great alternative to a hummus and simply delicious. This is when your best quality olive oil will really shine. In a food processor or blender put 1 c. of canned beets, drained, 1/4 c. olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, 1 t. ground coriander, 1 T. ground black pepper, 2 garlic cloves and salt to taste. Purée until smooth; serve with crudités and pita chips. Makes 1-1/2 cups.
beet greens with bacon and shallots Beet greens are similar to Swiss chard, but I find them a little sweeter and more tender. This is wonderful with roast chicken or at brunch with poached eggs on top. In a large skillet over medium heat, put 3 rashers of bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces. Sauté until the fat starts to render out, then add 2 shallots, thinly sliced, pepper to taste – I find the bacon provides enough salt, but you be the judge – and continue to sauté until the shallots are soft and the bacon is just starting to crisp, about 3 minutes. Now, add 1 bunch of beet greens, roughly chopped, stems and all. Sauté until the greens are wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, add 2 T. sherry vinegar, stir to evenly distribute, adjust the seasoning and serve. Serves 4.
golden beet and fennel slaw with an herb vinaigrette When people think of beets they usually think of them as a cooked vegetable, even with salads. But in fact, they are also wonderful eaten raw. Peel 3 golden beets, thinly slice and put in a bowl. Thinly slice 1 fennel bulb, add it to the bowl along with 1/4 c. olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon and 2 T. of each of the following – finely chopped parsley, mint and green onion. Toss to combine, season with salt and pepper to taste, mix again and serve. Serves 4.
beet, caramelized onion and manchego flatbread If you are using young fresh beets, there is no need to peel them. Preheat the oven to 375° F. In a pan over medium heat, put 2 T. olive oil and 1 large onion, thinly sliced. Sauté until soft and starting to turn colour, about 5 minute. Then add 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar and continue to sauté for a couple more minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. Take 1 sheet of pre-rolled puff pastry and slice it in half on the long side. With a fork, poke it randomly for vent holes. Very thinly slice 4 small beets and arrange them up the centre on both pieces, leaving about an inch on either side. Spread the onions in an even layer over the beets. Lightly brush any of the beets that didn’t get covered with olive oil, then salt and pepper to taste. Turn the long side of the pastry edge over onto its self and press with your finger to crimp the edges. Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastry is brown and flaky. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with 1/2 c. of finely grated manchego cheese and some fresh thyme leaves. Slice into wedges – makes 24 little wedges.
Wine Experience Centre at Black Hills Estate Winery
Join us in our vineyard lounge for an exceptional tasting experience. Immerse yourself in our terroir, tasting a full flight of our wines. Enjoy an artisan pizza from our vineyard kitchen.
Tastings are by appointment, or simply drop in. We are open daily from April to November. Visit in July & August for our “Sunset Happy Hour” series!
lamb burger with beet relish and chèvre A few years ago I had an idea that I would “do preserves.” I went on a marathon of 12 jars of pickles and the same of two types of relish and jams – and hated it! I also had enough preserves to feed an army. When I finally finished them, I decided to do only 1 or 2 jars of any given thing. Much better! This relish is fast, simple and can be eaten as soon as it has cooled. I love it with lamb burgers or spicy sauce. In a small pot put 1/2 c. cider vinegar, 1/4 c. sugar, 1 t. black pepper, a pinch of ground cloves and place over high heat. Bring to the boil and boil rapidly for 2 minutes, before adding 1 small red onion, finely diced, 1 large beet, grated on the largest grate of a box grater, and stir until it comes back to a boil. Then add 1 t. cornstarch and continue to stir until the relish has thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. For the lamb burger, place 1 lb. lean ground lamb, 1 garlic clove, crushed, 1 t. each salt, sugar and pepper, mix well. Form 4 patties and grill or fry to desired doneness. Place on a soft bun, smear with chèvre, add some relish and a leaf of butter lettuce; and sink into food nirvana. Makes 1 cup of relish.
For details and reservations please contact (250) 498-0666 or visit www.blackhillswinery.com
recipe photos by Chris Halpin
beet chocolate muffins I use beets in this recipe like someone might use carrots or zucchini in another muffin recipe – they add moisture, nutrients and the most beautiful rich colour. Place 12 muffin liners into a muffin tray and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350º F. In a bowl, put 2 c. flour, 1 t. baking soda, 1/2 t. baking powder and a pinch of salt, mix well and set aside. In another bowl, put 1 c. soft butter, 1-1/2 c. brown sugar, 1/2 c. cocoa powder and 1 c. beets, peeled and finely grated. Beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Now beat in 4 eggs, until fully incorporated. Add the dry ingredients and beat until well mixed. Divide the batter into the 12 muffin cups and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the centre springs back. Makes 1 dozen. Chris Halpin has been teaching Calgarians to make fast, fun urban food since 1997 and is the owner of Manna Catering Service. mannaonline.com
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back burner SHEWCHUK ON SIMMER
in association with
city palate
SATURDAY, JUNE 3, 2017 8:30 A.M. TO 4:30 P.M.
Team up with your most adventurous food friends and register your team. On the morning of the race, load up your team, check-in at registration for your package and coffee-to-go, and start solving clues! The race begins and teams are off on an all-day adventure discovering new Calgary restaurants and food destinations to love. Each location will have a new challenge for teams to complete for points before racing to the next place! The more points you get, the better your chances of winning prizes. Teams hand in passports by 5pm for review and prizes!
Join us for the culinary race of the year! Race fee: Individuals $40; Teams $65 For race details, and to register, please visit
culinaryrace.ca
Allan Shewchuk
OH, BABY. OH, BABY DUCK...
I have grown up to be one of those inferiority complexed Canadians who thinks that everybody else in the world does everything better than we do. There is always somewhere “else” that tops whatever we try here in the Great White North. The Middle East has pyramids. Europe has castles and café life. And then there’s America. From Disneyland to Donald Trump, everything is larger than life there, and for me, nothing in America is as over-the-top as its wine countries – Napa, Sonoma, the Finger Lakes, and the Willamette Valley, to name a few. I have enjoyed these places so much that I have only foggy memories of the ends of evenings, so fabulous are the tasting rooms, restaurants and wines. But, my frozen friends, despite how great U.S. wine touring is, I have now overcome my complex about Canadian wine. That’s because, in my humble opinion, right now there is no place more exciting for wine tasting than our home and native land. From the Niagara Peninsula to the Naramata Bench, new wineries offer spectacular accommodation, food, spas, bike trips and, yes, spectacular wine. It turns out that just north of the 49th parallel is the perfect place to grow varietals like pinot gris, pinot noir, and riesling. Hey, we’ve always had the right latitude, but now we finally have the right attitude. The wine explosion in Canada is such a source of pride to me that I carry bottles of Canuck vintages to friends, from San Francisco to Tuscany. However, it has been a long, slow climb to this place of pride. One that comes from a place of considerable shame. And I mean shame. You see, the wine industry in Canada had a hard row to hoe in the early 1960s. Most people up here drank beer, liquor with Coke or just good old sweet soda pop. Dry wines in the European style were (literally) hard to swallow for Canadians, and Americans, as well. In fact, when Italy, as the largest wine exporter in the world, decided to crack the North American market, the finest Italian wines didn’t lead the charge. Rather, Lambrusco, a cloyingly sweet fizzy wine, was foisted on us in the form of Riunite. If you are as old as I am, you will remember the cheesy commercials, with chubby frontman Aldo Cello in his white hat singing “Riunite on ice, wouldn’t that be nice!” In fact, the ice was essential, because if it wasn’t freezing cold, it was torture to drink – so sweet that just one sip could lead to Type 2 diabetes and a monumental hangover. The Canadian winemaker Brights capitalized on this trend to teethe people into drinking wine with a sweet product called Winette. It was a sparkling low-alcohol wine with sugar added, and probably should have been called “Swine-ette.” But it sold, and thereby, in 1971, spawned one of Canada’s greatest selling wines, the infamous Baby Duck. Upon its debut, Baby Duck was reviewed by a British wine writer, who described it as follows: “The drink is purple, sparkling stuff that tastes like black currant wine gum dissolved in a glass of Andrews Liver Salts.” I had to Google “Andrews Liver Salts,” and it turns out it is a fizzing laxative and antacid. So it was actually an accurate way to describe Baby Duck (heavy on the laxative).
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CITYPALATE.ca MAY JUNE 2017
This is where the shame comes in. By 1973, Baby Duck accounted for over 25 percent of all wine sold in Canada. It spawned imitators with names like Gimli Goose and Daddy Duck. After Pierre Trudeau’s famous “fuddle duddle” incident, Fuddle Duck arrived. Other plonk followed, including the strawberry Lonesome Charlie, and the blueberry Moody Blue. The latter was a boon to the dental hygiene industry, as drinking more than three glasses turned your teeth a shade of lavender that only a drill could remove. I also recall that the Gimli Goose label warned, in bold letters, “SERVE VERY COLD.” This wasn’t a serving suggestion – it was a warning of just how bad this bilge water was unless your taste buds were numbed to death. As summer approaches, I’m thinking of having a retro wine party and serving Baby Duck for pink and Moody Blue for contrast. I’ll call it a “SERVE VERY COLD” evening on the invite, and instead of providing taxi chits for those who overdo the Moody Blue, I’ll just set out the business cards of a good dental hygienist. Allan Shewchuk is a lawyer, food writer and sought-after Italian food and wine guru. He currently has kitchens in both Calgary and Florence, Italy, but will drink wine pretty much anywhere.
CROSSROADS MARKET IS YOUR BBQ SEASON HEADQUARTERS! GET FRESH WITH US FRIDAY – SUNDAY | 9am – 5pm
Spend less time running and more time grillin’ and chillin’! As simple or as specialty as you want, you’ll be grilling up everything from salmon, locally raised beef and pork to exotic meats like kangaroo and alligator. It all goes down smooth with beer from our neighbours, Banded Peak Brewing.
CrossroadsMarket.ca