Salutes and Shout Outs

Edmonton’s Art of Charcuterie and Meuwly’s Artisan Food Market have cleverly joined forces to offer charcuterie boxes, boards, and grazing tables with Meuwly’s artisan cured meats, cheeses, and other gourmet foods. Check them out at meuwlys.com/catering.

1st Avenue NE in Bridgeland is the hotspot for restaurants this month!

We’ve often queued for a chance to indulge in Shiki Menya’s 20-hour pork bone broth, so good news! They’ve moved across the road to bigger premises, and to ease the wait, they’re winterizing their patio too. As well as the much-loved ramens, they have new menu items like Waygu Beef Ramen with chicken broth! Dine in 11 am–3 pm, closed Sundays.

And right next door is their new First Avenue Corner Store, with an open frontage where you can order Katsu Sandos (crustless hot Japanese sandwiches) of pork, chicken, wagyu, tamago (egg), as well as very moreish Karaage Cups of Japanese fried chicken with a choice of sauces. Katsu curry, poutine, and slushies are also yours to take away, or devour them on the patio, now open Friday-Sunday evenings too!

Further along, Ke Charcoal Grill & Sushi have now opened a sister restaurant, Ikusa Izakaya, in the ex-Main Dish location. Ikusa is Japanese for battlefield, where people fought for their passion and honour, and these young Calgary fighters’ quality dishes come at a friendly price with ramen, BBQ, and yakitori specials too. Open every day from 11:30 am.

Down the road, Made By Marcus and Lil Empire have hooked up to share space. From 11:30 am–10 pm, you can get your fix of good food not fast food (and we can attest to that!) Empire burgers, spicy Korean chicken with kimchi and gochujang BBQ sauce, the best Dirty Fries with three sauces and hotdog croutons, and more, all at very reasonable prices. Wash them down with Anne Ales Root Beer, beer on tap, and Proof canned cocktails.

But save room for Marcus’ dessert as made-from-scratch scoops, sundaes and pints such as fave Lemon Curd Blueberry await, as well as monthly changing unique flavours that you can only get here. Look out for rainbow sherbet Milky Way and Secret Barrel Rum Raisin!

Plant-based food is on the move, and following its success in Edmonton and St. Albert, fast-casual, Kb & Co have opened in Calgary next to Urban Fare, in Mount Royal. Clean, conscious eats for breakfast, soups, sandwiches, salads, snacks, and smoothies, are the order of the day to eat in or take out. Open 7 days.

Edmonton has a bright and modern, new Eritrean restaurant, Weini, at 10514 111 Street. Try some new-to-you East African dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Open 7 days.

Also in Mount Royal is the new TEN Degrees Chocolate, where you can watch the whole process of winnowing and roasting the beans, and making chocolate – you can even take classes in this beautiful European-style, licensed café and events space; enjoy Chef Stephen Mawson’s chocolate-themed meal, as well as flatbreads, sandwiches, salads; and pastry chef, Paige Flohr’s treats and bon bons. Open 7 am-10 pm, kitchen closes at 3 pm.

Mumbai Street Food’s vegan menu changes weekly, but you’re likely to find dosas with sambhar and coconut (do try them, you’ll thank us) and if you’re lucky, Medhu Vada – lentil donuts with sambhar and coconut chutney will be on the menu. It’s terrific value too! Sundays and Mondays at Calgary’s Dandelion Café in Ramsay, 11 am-5 pm.

Alberta loves Italian food, and Edmonton welcomes Del Posto Italian Kitchen, at 10056 107 Street, serving up generous antipasti, pizzas, pastas, weekdays from 11 am, weekends from 4 pm.

El Taco Loco is a new family-owned Mexican restaurant in Spruce Grove, proudly offering traditional dishes from Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa. Open lunch and dinner, closed Mondays.