Salutes and Shout Outs

Burnin Bird’s Nashville hot chicken has six different heat levels!

Choose from just really good fried chicken (naked!) to burnin’ for your loaded hot chicken sandwich and chicken tenders, and add dad’s recipe creamy potato and egg salad. Finish off your meal with deep fried Oreos or Mars Bars! 606 17 Avenue SW, Calgary, from 11:30 am, closed Mondays.

Mercato’s Sorella Trattoria, is open in Calgary’s Crescent Heights.

It’s totally different to their Mission and West locations, and perfectly befitting the name, meaning ‘sister’. Chef Jackson Miller was the sous chef at Mercato for last two years, and he’s created a small menu of dishes such as the excellent octopus, and cacio e pepe cauliflower, with fresh pasta for all the restaurants made here. There’s a rooftop patio for 16 people, and a weekend brunch menu coming soon. 1036 Centre Street N, from 11:30 am. Closed Mondays.

Alberta’s love of pizza knows no

bounds! Leopard Pizza has opened its doors in Glenora, Edmonton, at 170 14053 West Block Drive, serving up slow-fermented sourdough crust pies (try the tartiflette!), with natural wine and 12 taps of local craft beer. 4-10/11 pm, closed Monday/Tuesday.

Cochu Chocolatier opens beautiful

new store! Five years after her official launch, Anne Sellmer has opened a retail shop in Calgary’s East Village, by the Central Library. Designed by Sarah Ward Interiors, the bright new chocolate showroom displays Cochu’s delicious range of bars, bonbons, sponge toffee, coated pretzels, and bark, with a spacious production facility upstairs. Closed Monday 10/11-6 pm, 429 8 Avenue SE.

Murrieta’s Hospitality has opened the cool, casual, yet refined, new

Borough Bar & Grill, and it’s impressive - everything here says quality. There’s an all-season dog-friendly patio, two fireplaces and a fire pit on the south-facing patios, two temperature-controlled wine racks, and two of our favourite chefs, Corporate Chef Daniel Pizarro and Head Chef Alejandro Buzzalino, creating this foodie destination menu. Try the butcher block choices for three-four people sharing, 10-inch square pizzas, fried artichokes… weekend brunch, and seasonal cocktails from Levi Sarkozi. Watch out for the patisserie and grab ‘n go opening soon. 4011 University Avenue SW, seven days lunch and dinner.

From food truck to restaurant!

Edmonton’s, El Mero Mero, has now opened a taqueria/tortilleria/pasteleria serving up their generously filled, handmade corn and flour tortilla tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, desserts and more. There’s also a small ‘mercado’ with a selection of Latin products to take home! 12223 156 Street NW. Seven days 11-9/10 pm.

Fire & Flora completes Calgary’s

The District at Beltline! Chef Adam Ryan, of the Coup and Shrub Bloom, has opened his fully plant-based restaurant, and you don’t have to be vegetarian or vegan to appreciate this small, vegetable-driven menu using local Canadian ingredients – no meat substitutes here! The stars are the sharing whole roasted mushrooms on the growblock, with sourdough crepes, hummus, butternut ranch, confit jalapeño aioli, and pickled cucumbers with tonka beans; but the grilled baby cucumbers, zucchini carrot fritters, polenta-crusted crunchy cauliflower, are all must-tries as well as the mushroom profiteroles, ridiculously good chocolate ganache cake, and memorable cocktails. 227 11 Avenue SW, Tuesday–Saturday 11 am–1pm

Pizza and beer together again in Calgary’s Sunalta district!

Two House Brewing has a new location where head brewer Geoff Twyman, formerly at Tree Brewing, is producing his pilsner and lager session beers, with 22 taps and three new beers released each quarter. And there’s pizza too from Executive Chef and Pizzaolo Avdyl ‘Agostino’ Agolli of ACME Pizza (a company making exceptional (pizza). 18 choices, all with a delicious two-day, crisp yet chewy crust. We really enjoyed Chicken Alfredo pizza and Marinara, and we’ve only got 16 more to try! 145 seats inside and two big dog-friendly patios seat 210 people outside. Seven days from 11:30 am, 1901 10 Avenue SW.

Twice Cream’s founder’s Romeo and

Lily have realised their dreams, and opened an artisan ice cream store with traditional and unique bold flavours inspired by their years of travel experiences, at 10983 127 Street NW, in Edmonton. Seven days, noon-9/10 pm.

The Wilde has a rooftop patio on the 27th floor overlooking downtown

Calgary! The Dorian hotel is now open, and with it The Wilde (as in Oscar Wilde) – a chic restaurant with stunning city views, and a magnificent menu of organic and sustainable local produce from Chef Kevin Birch and his skilled back-of house-team. We really enjoyed our binchotan smoked Digby Bay scallop with field pea koshihikari rice, rabbit rilletes (with duck crackling!), and Haida Gwaii BC halibut with beetroot gnocchi,

and were sorely tempted by dishes such as elk tartare, quail, and bison short rib. Impeccable service too; it’s certainly an elevated dining experience – in more ways than one! 525 5 Avenue SW. Seven days, breakfast and dinner, reservations strongly recommended.

Shelter Cocktail Bar, Orchard Restaurant… and now Fortuna’s

Row! Part of Calgary’s former Booker’s BBQ building has been transformed by Fort Architecture into 10,000 square feet of visually stunning, plush, Latin American décor, with a spacious dining room, Standing Room Only (SRO) Bar, and private dining room for 16 people. Renowned chef, Mikko Tamarra, of Con Mi Taco,’s menu of contemporary Latin American dishes are served family style - sized, plated, and served for sharing, though you might not want to share your softshell crab arepa, Hokkaido scallop ceviche, and charcoal grilled sirloin! Be sure to add one of pastry chef, Teisha Huff’s creative desserts and a craft cocktail from Ivana Lovric. Watch out for the chefs table coming soon! 421 Riverfront Avenue SE, seven days from 5 pm.

What are the chances of both your grandmas being called Annie?

Founder Tanya Rumak, of Edmonton’s Annie Rue Ice Cream in Parkallen, has named her new premium, small batch, craft ice cream store in their honour! 6531 111 Street NW. Seven days 11-10.

The base of Calgary’s luxury Oliver Residences is home to four new dining concepts and a market!

These new Vintage Group restaurants feature Italian-influenced culinary programs created by Culinary Director Executive Chef Giuseppe Di Gennaro. Treno is a coffee and prosecco bar to start or end your day in style. Choose croissant, ciabatta sandwiches, or pastries and wash it down with your choice of coffee, bubbles, or a cocktail, until 8 pm. Pazzi is a casual pizzeria for lunch and dinner, serving antipasti and Neapolitan-style pizzas with scratch-made dough and premium toppings, along with a selection of wine and beer, from 11:30 am. The indulgent menu at the stylish and elegant Luca Restaurant has something for every appetite, and includes fresh pasta dishes such as duck confit garganelli, lobster risotto for two, and a 30 oz. bone-in rib eye steak. Adjoining is Luca Mercato, a modern Italian market for everyday essentials, baked goods, and house-made grab and go meals, along with a butcher counter and deli, from 9 am. And last but definitely not least, is the upscale and plush Fleetwood Lounge, named for the pristine 1933 Cadillac Fleetwood in the lobby, and where we’ll be relaxing, meeting friends, sipping classic cocktails, and sharing lobster roll bruschetta and social boards, from 11:30 am. 524 10 Avenue SW.

We’ve discovered Golden Kway Teow Palace and now we’re big fans!

Cambodian cuisine is a bit of a rarity here, so we’re very glad that we’re now able to enjoy flavour-packed dishes such as special dry noodles, beef lok lak, kapi, durian sticky rice, and don’t even mention the crispy chicken skin! 1420 40 Avenue NE Calgary, Friday-Saturday noon-8 pm.

So many successful restaurants and markets are opening additional locations, and as we just don’t have enough room to fit in everyone, here’s a brief roundup:

IN EDMONTON:

Basil Pasta Bar, the build-your-own pasta restaurant with endless choices, has opened a second location downtown at 80, 10014 104 Street. Seven days 11-11.

The Colombian, values-based family coffee roasters, have opened their third bricks and mortar café in Parkallen, at 6529 111 Street. Seven days to 5 pm. Blanco Cantina has spread its wings again, with three locations in Calgary and one in Red Deer, and is now open in South Edmonton Common at 1708 99 Street. Seven days 11-late.

The Black Pearl Seafood Bar has opened its second location in Windermere at 1285 Windermere Way. 4 pm-late, closed Mondays.

Fuwa Fuwa has opened its third Alberta location also in Windermere, serving up those fluffy soufflé pancakes at 1217 Windermere Way. Noon-8 pm, closed Mondays.

IN CALGARY:

Abbey’s Creations is still growing her ice cream empire with one store in Cochrane and now a sixth location in Calgary at 1109 9 Avenue SE! Seven days 11-11.

Blowers & Grafton, famous for authentic Halifax street food, has opened a second Calgary location at 12650 Symons Valley Road NW, Creekside. Seven days, lunch and dinner.

Deville Coffee has opened its first cafe in the southeast, in Willow Park Village, 292 - 10816 Macleod Trail SE, making 12 locations in Calgary now! Seven days, early-6/8 pm.

Calgary Farmers’ Market has opened its second location in the west opposite Winsport, with more than 60 local makers, bakers, and growers, and more to come in the near future. The new location is licenced, and has ample seating for you to stay awhile and enjoy your food and beverage purchases too! 25 Greenbriar Drive NW, Wednesday-Sunday from 9 am.

Do you have something notable to let us know about? A new opening, launch, rebrand, or accolade? Email us at info@culinairemagazine.ca!